Perhaps no other need for us is greater than achieving a clear focus about our role as Christians in the darkening days of the end of this age!

As the world teeters on the edge of ever-unfolding volatile and dangerous events, we know that there is more to come—much more! In very direct and sobering terms, Jesus said that we would come to a time of trouble that would be taking place all over the world, calling this period just “‘…the beginning of sorrows’” (Matthew 24:8).

He went on to address His disciples—who would be alive in this prophetic period—saying that they would not know exact dates, but that they must watch and be ready. The inference is to live in a constant state of readiness.

One danger we are warned about is to think that Jesus is delaying His return. The fruits of that attitude would cause us to start losing our focus on God’s Kingdom.

In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of an “‘evil servant’” who “‘…begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards’” (verses 48 and 49).

In Luke 21, Jesus is quoted in more detail about those living in this tumultuous generation: “‘But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly’” (verse 34); and, “‘Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man’” (verse 36).

One way we can sharpen our focus to be able to clearly understand the unfolding of end time events is to be a part of the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. We need to participate by reading, listening to and watching the messages given through the Church: member letters; weekly updates; booklets; StandingWatch programs; sermons and sermonettes; and building the bonds of fellowship to strengthen one another. On this last point, we have this reminder:

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, AND SO MUCH THE MORE as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Those who do these things—and continue to do them—are the “chosen ones,” the “special treasure” of God. We have God’s promise to those of His servants who remain faithful in these awesome times of trial: “‘And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but FOR THE ELECT’S SAKE those days will be shortened’” (Matthew 24:22). Never lose sight of God the Father; of our Savior Jesus Christ; of our need to use mightily and consistently the power of the Holy Spirit; and of the promise that awaits us in the everlasting Kingdom of God–the focus for Christians, clearly.

We read in Deuteronomy 31:6-7 that Moses turned his leadership of Israel over to Joshua. In that transition he told Joshua to be “strong and of good courage.” God repeats these same instructions in Joshua 1:7:

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

Joshua was to place his full trust in God.

These days we see people putting their trust in various places–frankly, in just about anything. They may put their trust in money, which Christ warned against (Mark 10:24); or, they may put their trust in other human beings (but compare Micah 7:5). But these areas of trust cannot hold up to the passage of time.

Where can we put our trust and not have it fail? Who is it that will never let us down?

The answer, of course, is God. But it may not be that simple. Isn’t it interesting that in times of national disaster, we may hear people talk about God. And they may start “praying.” Unfortunately, many fail to realize that this is not real trust. One cannot go on ignoring that there is a God–let alone the one and only TRUE God–and then expect Him to help in times of devastation.

We read in the book of Judges that the children of Israel did this dance over and over again. They would face calamity, “repent” and feel sorry for their circumstances, but after God had saved them, they would return to their old ways. The problem was that they “trusted” in God only at certain times. Their “trust” was only temporary and self-serving.

Really trusting in God was not easy for the children of Israel, partly because they did not have God’s Holy Spirit to help guide them. When they did have dedicated leaders, they followed their good example. But they did not endure. When the righteous leaders died, they forgot all about their own righteousness.

What about today? All of us who are being led by the Holy Spirit should be able to put our trust in God with no problem, right? In a perfect world this might be true. Unfortunately, Satan is the ruler and god of this world, and he tries to get us to doubt God. Christ said that trusting in God and walking the straight and narrow way would not be easy (compare Matthew 7:13-14). He said that His true disciples would be persecuted and would have trials. But He also said that there is nothing that God cannot help us through.

Where is it that we put our real and enduring trust? Will we put it in the money and people of this world? Or will we put it in God, the One who created this world and sustains it? It’s our choice. We are to choose wisely.  Proverbs 3:5-7 gives all of us this lasting admonition: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.”

What does it really mean to “come out of this world” and to “be different”?

We know what it does NOT mean: We are not to leave this world physically–by hiding in a monastery somewhere and having no contact with other people of different mindsets. We know that Christ taught us just the opposite. He told us to go INTO the world with His message about the kingdom of God–to be a light to the world–to show by example HOW to live a righteous life even within an unrighteous environment.

This is why attitudes such as–“Depart from me, I’m holier than you”–or–“Unless you join my organization, you are ostracized”–are so terribly wrong. To think that someone must belong to “us” in order to be saved from harm–and unless they do, we must have no contact with them–only displays a total lack of spiritual understanding. To even go so far as to include our own relatives in the category of “excommunicated” or “disfellowshipped” persons –only because they don’t (want to) belong to us–shows an unchristian and ungodly mindset, void of the workings of the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, we must be careful that the world does not negatively affect us. We are to spiritually “come out of Babylon,” so that we don’t partake of her sins. We must “flee” fornication, adultery and wrong worship. We are not to participate in religious services where false ideas are preached. God is the author of truth. If wrong doctrines are disseminated, you can rest assured that they don’t come from God. That is why we are to TEST the spirits to see whether they indeed reflect pure and sound teachings.

As you can see, this requires of us to walk a fine line. Even though we are to live IN this world, we are not to be part OF it. We are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers who practice unrighteousness. We are not to participate in the customs of this world. In refusing to do so, we will encounter difficulties and outright hostilities from others. Even though we are told to strive to live in peace with everyone, we will be persecuted if we uphold the righteousness of God. But really, we have no choice in the matter.

We must obey God rather than man. This includes for us, not to participate in Sunday worship and Christmas celebrations. It includes not to join the military and police force, and to refrain from fighting in the wars of this world. It includes our refusal to serve on a jury and to vote in governmental elections. Instead, we keep the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, tithe faithfully and only eat clean food. As can be easily seen, this kind of conduct WILL prompt consternation, bewilderment and sometimes persecution and hate in some of our relatives and friends. But this is part of God’s command to come out of this world and to be separate. Not that we force the issue and provoke unnecessary discussions with those who don’t understand–but many times, the issue will be forced upon us merely by the fact that they observe us striving to do what is right.

Nowadays, the refusal to keep Christmas is equated by some as unpatriotic conduct. So is, of course, the refusal to support and fight the wars of our country, and to participate in its political campaigns. This wrong mindset can affect us in the Church, if we are not careful.

A minister recently wrote: “If indeed this is a government of the people, then we are responsible for what the government does, at least to the extent of our vote or lack thereof… Called for jury duty, I simply have to be honest and truthful with the facts. It would be my responsibility to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. One’s responsibility as a part of the government, however temporary, is not the same as one’s responsibility as a private Christian. I think that is the main flaw in the old… argument against voting, jury duty, serving in law enforcement or military service.”

This reasoning reflects a total lack of understanding of how the government and jury duty work–showing an extremely naive and uneducated mindset regarding those issues. As ambassadors for Christ, we are to show the world a better way. We are not to try to make this a better place–knowing that only God can and will do this. We are to announce to this world God’s soon-coming solutions to our problems–and voting in governmental elections, condemning someone as a juror or killing our fellow man in times of peace or war, are most certainly not part of our responsibilities today.

As individual Christians, we must show love and mercy to everyone–and we must do good to all, as much as it depends on us. To separate ourselves from our fellow man with a self-righteous and pharisaical mind-set is contrary to God’s explicit commands. But so is a desire to be a part of this world and to live like all the others do. It’s often a fine line, and only the wisdom of God will show us where to draw that line.

We are living in a world that can be very discouraging and depressing, and a word of encouragement can be very uplifting. One lady sends in her tithes every week together with a note of encouragement, often along the lines of, “You are always in my prayers for the great work you are doing. God bless each and every one of you as you go about His great work. May God bless you all greatly and guide and inspire you. You are all doing a fantastic job.” Encouraging words indeed!

In Acts 4:36 we read that “Joses who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement)…”   This is the first time in the Bible that he is mentioned. It shows his outstanding example of generosity when he sold a field that he owned and then took the money to the apostles to distribute to those in need (verse 37).

In Acts 9:26-27, Barnabas is seen encouraging the apostle Paul. He even took him to the apostles in Jerusalem for an introduction.   Two chapters later he encouraged new believers in Antioch (compare Acts 11:22-24). 

It has been said that encouragement is the greatest tool available to adults to boost children’s self-esteem. The psychologist Rudolph Dreikers once said, “Like a plant needs water children need encouragement.” It is through encouragement that we lead others to achieve greater things than they thought possible.

Do we encourage others? Is this part of our Christian way of life? It certainly should be! Hebrews 10:24 states, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” In a world of doom and gloom, a word of encouragement can work wonders. As the saying goes: “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”

We kept the autumnal Feast days not too long ago. This should have been a time of great encouragement for all of God’s people and a time when, hopefully, we encouraged each other. These autumnal Holy Days picture Christ’s return, Satan being banished for a 1,000 years and the institution of God’s Kingdom on earth. What a future God’s people have to look forward to and a time when encouragement, not doom and gloom, will be the order of the day! 

The “fatal sequence” of an empire is most commonly attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler. It states that a nation progresses as follows:

          From Bondage to Spiritual Faith
          From Spiritual Faith to Great Courage
          From Courage to Liberty
          From Liberty to Abundance
          From Abundance to Selfishness
          From Selfishness to Complacency
          From Complacency to Apathy
          From Apathy to Dependency
          From Dependency back into Bondage

There may be debate as to whether they all have followed this course, but when looking at it, there are some undeniable accuracies. For some time now the English speaking countries have been the dominant empires. So this begs the question, where might we be in Tytler’s cycle?

If we are honest, we would have to say that we are near the end… in more ways than one. We are near the end of the list as well as being near “The End.” The Bible long ago predicted that the end-times would come and that there would be indicators that we are living in those times. Those events are presently happening all around us, and harbingers of future events are becoming clearer every day.

There is no question that these prophecies are going to take place and this present day empire will come to an end. This WILL happen! What is not clear is whether we as individuals will get caught up in the surge and suffer the same fate.

What are our tendencies? Is it to head towards bondage and away from godliness? Or is it to head towards spirituality and away from carnality? As we live in this world and walk through it, is the world wearing off on us or are we wearing off on it?

In the parable of the sower, Christians are warned about “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” (Matthew 13:22)–that they will choke off the Word of God and cause us to become unfruitful. If we succumb to these temptations, then we are in danger of receiving a great trial and tribulation (Matthew 24:21) to help get us back on the track.

We have been given a tremendous blessing in the calling and knowledge that has been bestowed upon us. Matthew 13:16-17 says: “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

God brought us out of bondage and led us to the spiritual faith of Christ where He has given us courage, liberty and abundance in His way of life. Now we must be ever vigilant not to be caught in the vicious circle that leads back to the ignominy of bondage. Where are we in this “fatal sequence”?

The fact that God cares for us and is involved in our lives to the smallest and infinite details was “driven home” to me on the way back from the Feast of Tabernacles. Like many of you, my wife Delia and I had to “drive home” after a most inspiring and fulfilling Feast. We had a safe and uneventful trip except for two incidents:

We stopped for a break about twenty miles north of Yakima, Washington. I parked our van on the edge of the paved parking area, and we went into the gas station store. When we got back in the van, it would not start. I lifted the hood to see if I could find anything wrong, tapped on the battery, and tried again to start the van, but to no avail. We then both prayed to God for His assistance in this matter. I went back inside the store and asked a driver of a Pepsi delivery truck, if he had jumper cables, so I could start the van. He said he had none, so I bought a small wrench, took the cables off the battery, cleaned them off and tried again. The van did not start. I went back into the store. The driver was still there. He suggested to go across the street to another gas station to see if I could find someone who had jumper cables.

I followed his advice and approached two men in a pickup truck to see if they had jumper cables. They said they did not have any. At this time I looked over my shoulder and noticed a man at the pumps, trying to start his small truck. I went over and commented that it looked like he was having some problems. He said the battery was weak and wouldn’t start his truck.

I went back to talk to the two men in the pickup truck and then I noticed the man who could not start his truck speaking on a cell phone, so I went back to talk to him. He said a friend from a company not far away was coming to jump-start his car. I asked if he could send him over to our van across the street after he was done, since I also needed a jump-start. I walked back to our van and Delia asked me what was happening. I told her the story and no sooner had I finished when a man came over with a power pack and started my van. I thanked him, and we were again on our way.

When we got to Wenatchee, we stopped for a bite to eat and sure enough, when I tried to start the van, it would not work. I was feeling a little more confident this time and got out just when a truck pulled in with two men in it. I walked over and found out from the driver that he had jumper cables. I asked if he could get my van going, and he did. On our way home, we marveled how God had worked things out for us to bring us back safely. The next day I jump-started my van and took it to a repair shop. After testing the battery, I was told that it was no good. I bought a new one, and our van has been working fine ever since.

Christ said in Hebrews 13:5: “… I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” This promise was “driven home” to me when we “drove home” from the Feast. No matter what the trial; no matter what the test; no matter how severe or minute–we can have confidence that He is there; that He cares for us; and that He intervenes for us when we ask Him.

What is persistency? It is defined as continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action, in spite of difficulty or opposition. It is a habitual behavior pattern, continuing to exist or endure, or occurring repeatedly over a prolonged period.

How persistent are we in prayer? Whenever we ask God for something, does He answer right away?  Sometimes He may, but often times He won’t.  That does not mean however that we should stop trying.  If we know that it’s for a good cause, then we continue to ask, and we are always thankful. Colossians 4:2 tells us that we must continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
 
Persistency pays off. We do pray about the same things over and over again, don’t we? However, our prayers shouldn’t be vain repetitions–just words coming out of our mouths, a script that we read every day–but we pray about such things that we care for. When one of us is sick, do we pray once about it, or do we pray continuously until he or she is healthy?  Even then we don’t stop praying because we thank God and ask Him to continue to be with that individual, to keep him or her strong and healthy. When we love somebody, do we tell that person once that we love them or do we tell them repeatedly?

How persistent are we in our Bible study? Yes, we can come up with excuses for not being diligent and persistent in this regard. We are all very preoccupied in our busy lives, but as we continuously hear about the importance of Bible study, even 10 minutes of meaningful study is very fruitful. We just have to make it a habit! 

Prayer and Bible study are part of our tools to live our lives successfully. How persistent are we in running our spiritual race? 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 admonishes us to run our spiritual race “in such a way” that we “may obtain” the prize.

Our zeal for God’s Kingdom must be continuing. We must have zeal to win. We have to have faith and trust that we can finish the race. We have to believe in God and what He promises us, and that we can always go to God for help in times of need, so that we can be successful.

Let us imagine a physical race, and let us compare it with our spiritual calling. Before we may run a big race, there are certain fears that we must overcome. We have to stay focused, not becoming distracted by our surroundings. We have to make sure that we are attentive because a false start could get us disqualified. One false start gives us a warning, but now we have extra pressure built upon us, because one more false start, and we’re out of the race. As we run our race, we have to look straight ahead. We must not look back, but we must stay on course by not drifting from side to side, into someone else’s path. We must stay on our own path.  Now we run as hard and as fast as we can, giving it our all, striving for that finish line and obtaining that prize. Finishing the race is what’s important. We don’t give up.

But, as opposed to a physical race, where only the top three will receive medals, the spiritual race rewards all those who finish, who never give up, but who have been approved, as it says in James 1:12. Is this the attitude we have so we can obtain our prize? Are we this dedicated when it comes to God’s plan for us?

We have to be persistent in whatever we do, and especially in spiritual matters which are very important to God. We must always remember that all the blessings that we receive and all that we have comes from God. So, let’s be thankful and do what God requires of us. Let us continue to be persistent in all things, including in our prayers and Bible study, so we can finally receive the ultimate prize.

Ever feel like you have reached your limit? Do you sometimes wonder if your own personal efforts are falling short? Do trials wash over you leaving you thinking that you just can’t take any more?

In truth, we all experience times in our lives when we think we have been pushed beyond our own expectations. Not all of these occurrences are necessarily bad for us–not if we follow God’s lead.

We have this assurance about the trials we may encounter, as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:13:

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear [endure] it.”

Beyond trials and temptations, we face another reality in our Christianity. As servants of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, we have been given responsibilities for which we are accountable. In summarizing His teaching about the qualities of a faithful servant, Jesus said:

“‘…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).

An additional dimension for us to consider about the kind of service we are to give in our calling is found in another of Christ’s teachings:

“‘So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do”‘” (Luke 17:10).

As we have each answered our calling and have continued to faithfully serve God, we must go on to become profitable servants! We must advance in our service, and the way to do that is given by Peter: “[B]ut grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

We have just finished the annual Holy Day season for this year, and we now have several months to deeply reflect on and implement what we have learned. We have been taught new things, challenged to really be involved in the Work of God and inspired to love one another fervently–in other words, to do even more!

Each one of us can do this, because we are servants of God–and with Him, all things are possible!

Members of the Church of God have just celebrated the annual Feasts of Trumpets and Atonement, which picture the return of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16) and the banishment of Satan (Revelation 20:1-3). In a few days, Church members will observe the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days at designated convention sites all over the world. These days picture and foreshadow a time of unparalleled joy, happiness and prosperity for all nations–something that the world has not experienced before. The Kingdom of God will have come to this earth (Matthew 6:10). Truly, utopia will become reality–Paradise will be established right here on this planet. This world will witness “heaven on earth” in the truest sense of the word.
 
Today, we are bombarded with bad news. Even the “Current Events” sections in our weekly Updates are filled with unpleasant and dire warnings. But we don’t report these events because of masochistic tendencies. Rather, we are telling our readership what is happening in light of Biblical prophecy. These events are necessary to unfold prior to a most mind-boggling occurrence–the return of the Messiah and the beginning of a wonderful and better world. Viewed in that way, even the bad news is good news.
 
But the REALLY good news will become reality when God begins to rule this earth. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the “Millennium” or a period of one thousand years, when Christ and His immortal disciples or “saints” will govern on and over this planet (Revelation 20:4, 6; 5:10; Isaiah 32:1; 33:17, 20-22). Notice, from the pages of the book of Isaiah, the RESULT of such righteous and all-powerful administration–and compare it, if you like, with our present human rule:
 
— “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).
 
— “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).
 
— “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the young goat. The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them… the nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole… the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:6-9).
 
— “Then He will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed In large pastures…” (Isaiah 30:23).
 
— “And the inhabitant will not say, ‘I am sick'” (Isaiah 33:24).
 
— “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing” (Isaiah 35:6).
 
— “For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:6).
 
— “He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it” (Isaiah 51:3).
 
— “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13).
 
— “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land” (Isaiah 60:18).
 
— “The LORD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11).
 
Too good to be true? But why should it be? Granted, these are truly amazing, breath-taking announcements of a better world to come–and there is so much more! It is THAT better world, which is worth “living for”–and even “dying for,” if need be. The Feast of Tabernacles reminds us of a future civilization and society, which seems so distant today, so unrealistic, so incredible.
 
But imagine what we just read: Satan will no longer deceive mankind; Christ will rule this earth; human nature will be changed; the environment will be fruitful, hospitable and pleasant; war and violence will be a thing of the past; all sickness will be healed! Why is it so hard to believe that such a world is possible? Of course, with man it is not possible–but is anything too difficult for God?
 
Adam and Eve lost their Paradise–but not forever. It is man’s destiny to find and regain it–and even in a much more all-encompassing condition than at the time of man’s creation.
 
Today, the Church of God proclaims the gospel or good news of the coming Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness. That very Kingdom will be ushered in within a few years from now–and all the world will experience its life-saving and life-enriching effects. Today, this world scoffs at its destined future. But soon, it will celebrate a new and everlasting beginning of a better world–and why not?

On the Sabbath of September 13, I was walking from the car park to church services and had an accident. For no apparent reason, I fell headlong, injuring my left side and my back. As I tried to protect myself, I seemed to almost bounce off the pavement and hit my side and back on a steel post. For a couple of minutes, the pain was excruciating, but then seemed to lessen. It was very uncomfortable, and three days later I went to the hospital. After being seen by a nurse and two doctors plus having a lumbar x-ray, I was advised that there was no damage except for the very obvious bruising. Time would heal.

That morning I had prayed for a number of things, one of which was for protection. Did God not hear my prayer or was there another explanation? To the skeptic or unbeliever, this would be good ammunition for them to try and prove their case. But to me it entirely DISPROVED their point!

If God always healed us, then we would never die. If we were always protected from everything, then we would never know how others suffered when they had accidents. And aren’t we promised tests and trials? For me, the key was that God DID protect me from anything serious. I could have hit my head on that steel post, causing concussion, brain damage or even death. I could have smashed my face, had severe dental damage, injured my eyes or any number of other scenarios. Even my spectacles which were in my pocket were undamaged, and they would have been expensive to replace.

Yes, I did have a couple of weeks of pain, soreness and quite severe bruising in many places, but that was it. And yes, I believe that I really was protected from what could have been so much worse. God is the protector of His people. Let us always trust Him for His protection.

Many of God’s people will be traveling, in some cases long distances, to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Some will drive hundreds of miles while others will fly. Let us all pray for one another that we will all be protected on the outward and return journeys and also during the Feast. This is another area where we can be of service to the brethren and put our trust in the One Who will, and does, protect us.