Good News 1955 (Vol v No 04) Sep

8/10/2019 Good News 1955 (Vol v No 04) Sep

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T h e N a t i o n a l M - a g a z i n e o fT H E C H U R C H O F G O D

SEPTEMBER, 1955OL. V NUMBER 4

Seven PROOFS of theChurch of God

Here is irrefutable evidence that identifies the O N E TRUECHURCH--the church Jesus said He W O U L D build

by Roderick C . Meredith

CN YOU really proue to yourself,and to others who may be wil l ing

to learn, that you are in Godschurch? Carl yuu show-step by step-how totally dzffereizt G o d s c h u r c h isfrom all others, and zuhy it is different?

God commands Christ imsto e m m t -j coiltend fo r the f ih which tuns o:zce

deligeued unto the sniizis ( J u d e 3 ) .This chm-ch-Gods church-is doing

that. Through Gods calling you havebe-n led to redize t h x the mcssage youhear on The Wo r l d Tomorrow bioad-cast, and the articles you read inTheP L A I NTRUTH re the rery zuork of God-that they are the c h c t z?zstru?imztsofthe Almighty Creator of henven andearth.

And U O Z L . through the articlcs in TheGOODNEWS agazine, an d perh aps afteratten ding some of th e ann ual festivals,you have come to renlix that this is noionly God s zuork-but nlso H ~ J hzmh-THE VERY CHURCH JESUS SAID HEW O U L D B U I LD (Mat . 16:1s).

But we know there aremazy churcheswhich claim to be the true church-thechurch Jesus built. In past articles,wehave already shown you absoh te PROOFthat ods church began o n the day ofPentecost, June 18, 31 A.D.-not onsome other date which groups of men

pretending to beGods church have con-cocted contrury t o the scriptural revela-

tion. A n d we have set forth the historicalevidence which reveals that Godschurch has continued from the t ime ofChrist until now, and that it has nlzunysremained fnithful to the basic teachingsof Jesus and the apostles.

Vitzl K n o w l e d g eNow you are ahout to rcad Seveiz basic

tpzths whicli identify Gods church a dset it apart f rom all others. N o other peo-ple o n enrth h o e A L L SEVEN 0:. forthat matter, even t h r e e - 4 these funda-mental principles,except GODS CHURCH,our church.

Some smaller churches and sects d oseem to have more of the truth than thegreat denominations. But NONE hasmore than one or t w o of these sevenfundaiiieiicals correct-and ev en rhesepoinis they usunlly twist or distort be-cause they fail to understand their rela-t ion to Gods plan as a whole.

STUDYhese seven principles carefully.They will help you recognizeGods peo-ple wherever you may find them-inchurch history, or in different individualsor grou ps you may hear aboutor come incontact with.

Most important, this knowledge

should cause you to understand as neverbefore the GREAT GULF that exists be-

tween Go s church and all others-thatthis is not just* another church or anew idea-but the very church Jesusb?&

Knowing these principles will helpy u prove this to others whc n a y b e sii icerely trying to find Godstrath

Jesus said that in the end t ime, OWw n e , T h e r e s:iall arise fulse Christs: 2ndfalse prophets ,and shnll show great signsand w onders; insomuch that ,IF it weTepossible, they shall deceive the veryelect (Mat. 24:243.

It is the solemn duty of Gods calledministers to feed His sheep, the elect,with the spiritual meat they need sothey may grow to sp i r i t ad maturity, andrraizlzot be deceived. And it is your re-sponsibility to study, and prove thesetruths so that you may never be deceivedin this time when the Devil himself istirred against Gods people a nd istry-ing in every possible way to deceiveormislead them.

c

So STUDY these points carefully

( 1 ) God Is RulerT h e firs t point which Gods church

recognizes as no other is that Go d issu-preme RULER of the universe, theworld,


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Page 2 The GOOD NEWS September 1955

His church, and our individual liveshere and NOW,

In Daniels time, God abased thegreat king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,by causing him to become insane and todwell with wild beasts, till he k n e wthat the most high G o d R U L E D in thekingdom of men, and that he appointedover it whomsoever he will (Dan.

5 : 2 1 ) .In Acts 17:16-31, we read th e accountof how P aul spoke of G odto the heathenphilosophers at Athens. H e told themthat God: Hath madeof one blood a lnations of men for to dwell on all theface of the earth, and hath determinedthe t imes before appointed and thebounds of their habitat ion (verse2 6 ) .Here we find i t is G o d who determinesthe times of a pcoplcs grcatness, and HEsets the BOUNDS of their territory.

Throughout the Bible, it is revealedthat Gods pur po se stands-He aloneRULES szdpreme. A nd if ma n wishes tocontinue living, he must learn toOBEYthat rule

No matter what the atheists, thedoubters, the modernists, an d those whofollow mans traditions think, we in

ods church must both learn and livethis truth first of all.

Ru l e s C h u rch

T h e ride of G o d also operates in Hischurch. While men have concoctedevery imaginable typeof church govern-ment, the Bible sets forth thet w e formclearly.

G o ds government is always from thet o p down. Jesus Christ is the LIVINGhead of the church. Paul was inspired towrite that God, gave him (Chr is t ) tobe the head over all things to thechurch (Eph. 1 : 2 2 ) . And again, Forthe husband is the head of the wife,even as Christ is t h e HEAD of the church(Eph . 5 : 2 3 ) .

I n I Cor. 12: 28 and Ephesians4:11we find listed the offices God has set inHis church. In Ephesians, the accountismore complete in regardto th e offices ofauthority in the church.We read: A nd he(Chr is t ) gnve some, apostles; and some,prophets; and some, evangelists; andsome, pastors and teachers; FOR the per-

fect ing of the saints, for the work of th ebody of Christ.W e f ind in the Ne w Tes tament exam-

ples that the proph ets had n o authorityto rule the church or direct the work ofothe rs in the ministry-unless theyalsoheld an administrative office in thechurch.

Offices of Authority

So that means that the officersof au-thority in Gods f o r m of church govern-ment are: First, aposdes, whom we findare directly chosen of God for that officeand who are in authority over all lesser

offices in Gods church. T hey are respon-sible to Christ-the living , active HEADof the church-for instruc ting, corre ct-ing, and directing the church, and fororganizing and supervising the carryingout of the gospel ministry of the church.

Secondly, there are evangelists, whoare appointed and trained by the apos-tles, whose authority they are under. In

the New Testament church, they wereusually younger men such as Timothyand Titus, and would often accompanyand assist the apostles in their ministry-sometimes being sent on a missionalone or stationed in one place tempo-rarily as a presiding pastor over otherlocal pastors and elders.

Third, there are pastors, who presideover and preach to local congregations.They are under the authurity of theevangelists and may be appointed bythem.

Fourth, there are teachers, who arenon-preachingelders under the authorityof the pastors, but w ho may preside overand direct and teach the local congrega-tions if there is n o preaching m inisteravailable. These would usually be laymembers of the congregation, but arenevertheless in an officeof authority inGods church and have Lheir dia r r ofresponsibility indirecting, edifying,andprotecting Gods church-the li ttleflock.

The term elder is usually applied tothis last classof non-preaching ministers,but it is also a-genera l term applied toone in m y of the four principal admin-istrative offices mentioned above. Eventhe apostle Peter was also an elder( I P et . 5:l .

Beside these administrative officesthere are various helps and govern-ments (or governors) mentioned in ICor. 12. These would include deaconsand deaconesses, and many others whoserve in the workof the gospel-perhapswith out any specific title-but none the-less laying up for themselves greattreasure in heaven.

As explained in previous articles inT h e GOO D NEW S, th e apostles, evange-lists, and elders have bcen given au thori-ty by Christ to RULE His church. Theyare given authority to bind or loose

-applying Gods kaws-NOT humanreason-to specific cases wi thin thechurch. Occasionally, as in the councilmentioned in Acts 15, hey must make abinding decision regarding some partic-ular point which may not be clearly andspecifically explained in the Bible.

In all these matters, they are to seekGods guidance and seekH i s will. Christhas *set in office, and H e is responsibleto guide them in rzrling His church.

This is Gods government in Hischurch, and all who are truly convertedwill OBEY that government. But it isallto be adm inistered in LOVE, and for the

edification and seiritual perfection of allconcerned.

Denominations of men have congre-gational, episcopal, and many otherh z ~ r n ~ ~ nevised forms of church govcrn-ment. B ut theywill not have Gods form.

This thing of government and obedi-ence is VITAL to God. It is the very basisof Gods plan in preparing us for His

kingdom. And H e wil l guide us only ifwe do things His way.No other church on earth has G o d s

for m of charch governmen t No otherchurch s really RULED by God and be-longs to Him

G o d R u l e s Our Lives

Many people acknowledge, at least intheory, that G od is over-all Ruler of theworld and of His church. But they havenot yet fully learned that if we are everto be saved-born int o Gods king-dom, He must literally RULE our indi-vidual, personal lives.

Jesus Christ said: M a n hall not liveby bread alone, but by every word ofGod (Luke 4 : 4 . esus m a g n i / k d thatWord and showed how we are to l iveeven by the spirit or in ten t of GodsWor d .

Gods church is composed of thoseindividuals which keep the commandments of G od, and have the testimonyof Jesus Christ (Rev. 12: 7 )

God repeats this same principle inRev. 14 : 2 : Here is the patience of th:saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the fai th ofJesus.

A real Christian willobey Gods com-

mandments an d h e will have the veryfaith of Jesus-he will llavr Christ livingHis l i fe in him through the H oly Spiri tAnd remember: Jesus Christ theS ~ Iyesterday, and today, and forever (Heb13: . So H e will be keeping thesameweekly and annual Sabbaths, observingthe same kind of zealous, totally-sur-rendered life that He did nearly twothousand years ago when H e trod thiearth in hum an flesh.

A truly converted person will obeyeven the least of the comm andments, foras Jesus said: Whosoever thereforshall break one of these least command

ments, and shall teach menSO, he shallbe called the least in the kingdom ofheaven: but whosoever shall do andteach them, the same shall be calledgreatin the kingdom of heaven (Mar. 5 : 19).

Such a Christian will seek to glorifyGod in everything-in the way he walkstalks, dresses, in the manner he does hiwork, in the way he sits down, stands up,closes a door. Inevery thought, word, andaction he will seek to d o i t as Jesuswould-praying for His guidance con-stantly, and earnestly studying GodsWo r d to find more instrgct ion, correc-

(P lease con t inue on p q e 4 )


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Nazi Undereround Plotsin Britain

by Herman L. Hoeh

Heidelberg, GermanyHAVE just arrived from London with

news that ought to startle you I nI ondon I expected to hear th e Ian-guages of many lands uttered on streetcorners and in hotel lobbies. For thereare always travelers from India, Africa,Arabia and the European continent-not to mention the American with hisaccent

But the MOST IMPORTANT tongue Iheard was that of the Gernzaqz.

It is astounding to realize the influenceof German traders and commercialagents abroad-in Englandas elsewhere.A n d to think that only ten years havee lapsed s ince W orld W ar I1 ended.

T h e Forgotten Germans

It seems that in W estern dealings withthe German nation there are always theforgotten Germans. They are forgottenbecause of a peculiar blindness which af-flicts our way of thin king. This blindnesshas produced two fundamental errors.

Our first error developed during thepast World W ar. Almost everyone endedup ha t ing all Germans. I t became ar&almatter quite different fromour presentattitu de toward Russia-which is to dis-tinguish between the communist partyand the Russian people. Nearly everyonewanted to forget the minorityof goodGermans-those who did not agree withHitler-those who did not join the Na ziParty even under duress. Those were theforgotten Germans

But everything is chaizged NOW-there is a uew class of forgotten Ger-mans-the Na zi bitsinessnaeia abroad.And this leads us to our second error.

B l i d hatred breeds ignomnce-it

breeds an unwillingness to face reality.Mill ions hated good Germ ans andba d Germans a l ike. T hen theREALITYdawned T he millions becaine consciousthat they shouldnt have hared as theydid. How were they to rectify their mis-take? By facing reality?Not at all

But by TRUSTING all Germans-thebad as well a.r the good. This is oursecond error and it will prove our un-doing

Ex-Nazis Become BusinessmenA b r o a d

In Britain, as elsewhere, the people

have tried hard to forget the stern reali-ties of the past. Almost universally thepeople are being swayedby American in-fluence into following the mistaken con-cept that t he last war reformed the m indsand hearts of Germans everywhere.

Th e die-hard Nazis are taking advan-tage of this attitude.

The Brit ish equivalentof the Ameri-can F.B.1.-Scotland Yard -and pro vin -cial detectives have uncovered moun tainsof evidence of secret Nazi gatherings inGre at Bri tain. Manyof these secret meet-ings have been held in such importantcities as Birmingham, Liverpool andManchester, according to published re-ports.

Those in at tendance are mainly Ger-man students, who have been grantedopportunit ies to study in Britain, andGerman girls, who work in hospitals,private homes, or as teachers. Thoughthese young people were too young tojoin the Nazi Party in the heightof itspower, they provide excellent materidfor Nazi indoctrination.

The leader of these Nazi cells nowbeing organized is a 40-year-old Germ anwho poses as a commercial traveler.W he n ques ti onedby newsmen he bluntlydenied tha t he was a Nazi -or tha t hespoke German or had ever beento Ger-many. He resided in England during thelast war-just in case Hi tler would lose.His a t tempts to revive the defunct Nazircgimc arc obvious. Hc is in contact,th rough a wom an companion, wi th O t toStrasser, former leader of the GermanStrasser Party, a segment within theHitler Party, and with Wolfgang Sarg,present leader of the Nazi RevivalistParty.

When ques t ioned by William Black-ley, of the Sunday Chronicle, about hisconnections, he said: The Ge rmans areour good friends. Britain bas agreementswilt5 Germany that prove it. T h e Coin-inunists are the menace. W h y shouldIdirect a Nazi Party in Bri tain while wehave such a brotherhood with the Ger-man na t ion?

G er m an Efficiency ProvokesA d m i r a t i o n

Together with Germanys peaceof-fensive, German efficiency has inspiredmighty admira tion abroad-from both

British and American onlookers. Andthe die-hard Nazis are taking advantageof this influence too. Rather than beingantagonized by competition,our peopleare being induced to expand Germaneconomy as a means of protectionagainst Coniinunisr aggression.

A s Mr. A. V. Sellwood recently wrote:Let us face it, they-by that he meantthe Germans--they work far harderthan the average Briton. They are efficient too. . . . There can be no stoppingthe Germans in their MARCH TOWARDSPROSPERITY THROUGH SHEER DETERMI-

NATION, SKILL N D RESOURCEFULNESS.T he w ho le wodd will feel their compe-tition.

And with this revival of German in-dustrial might there may develop theold ambit ion to bea great military pow-er once again.

H e continues: I do know that thoseold enem ies must now be treated asfriends-however muchdoubt there maybe i n our hearts of t h e wisdom of it.

Whether we l ike i t or not: we haveto TRUST THE GERMANS. There is noa1 ernative.

This is the typical British and American attitude. 11 is a GRAVE MISTAKE.

W e never really corrected our firsmistake-our failu re to distinguish between good and bad. Andso we are mak-ing the S A M E mistake again-failing LCIdistinguish betwe en the bad and thegood, humanly speak ing.

W e do not w ant to face the realitthat, underneath the surface, Nazism liesprouting in the heartsof millions: andthat many Germ an businessmen are foreign agents.

T h e H a n d of the Cathol ic Churchin Poli t ics

W hene ver we speak of a Nazi revivaw e d o NOT mean the same kind ofNazism that was totally defrated tenyears ago. That form of fascism cannobe revived again. Instead, we see thform of a different Nazism emerging, aform guided by the handof the Papacy.

For example, the German Secret Service is t rai l ing the underground Nazior-ganizations and has dispersed several at-tempts at reviving the partypolitically.Behind this Secret Service move is th

(Please continue on next pnge


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Correct MEby Gurner Te d Armstrong

o Y O U like to be told youreWRONG about something?Chances are, you dont. Most hu-

man beings do not lik e to be told theyrewrong Possibly youve heardit said thatone of the most difficult things for ahuman being to d o isto admit that hesbeen wrong. A truer statement was nev-er made

To the complacent man on thestreet with the self-satisfied this is theway I look at it idea, it never occursthat perhaps there is something terriblyWRONG with him Has this thoughteveroccurred to you? Mos t of us can READILYsee the mistakes of others, and that factis hardly necessary to repeat-becamewe all know it Were anxious to criti-cize. W e frequently voice our opinionsabout prices, about taxes, and wages. W ebecome annoyed with our Govcrnmcnt,with our neighbor, with our friends andrelatives. But-HAVE WE EVER BECOMEANNOYED WITH OURSELVES?

T h e barber-shop philosophers of theworld are AWA R E that something iswrong somewhere. Most of thenKNOWthere need to be some changes made.But to the average person engulfed inthe struggle of making ends meet, andof earning a wage, there has never oc-curred the thought that maybeh e IS ter-ribly W R O N G about something. Stop andthink Hav e you EVER heard someonesay to a friend : Im terribly upset-Ibelieve Ive been WRONG about my be-liefs, and I think Ive made a MISTAKEin most of my opinions. Have you? Idoubt it

Gods Word Cor rec t sMost of us are uplifted by the min-

ister that will stand in fro nt of the g rou pand tell us how WRONG the rest of theworld is. But are we willing to shakeclie ministers hand that will stand in thepulpit and shout at us that WEREWRONG?

Many people express i t this way:Church should be an enjoyable periodof relaxation and rest from our daily ex-istence-a change. We want the ministerto hclp us with our problcms, to givc usthat feeling of goodness that helps uscarry on through the week to come.But is that the BIBLE definition of aChurch service? Lets investigate open-mindedly, and find out

In I1 Timothy 3:16 we see that ALL

scripture is given by inspiration of God.We must all AGREE on that statementBut what of the rest of the verse? R E A DIT . . and is profitable for doctrine,for reproof, for correction, for instruc-tion in righteousness. Y E S , LL scrip-ture is PROFITABLE for correction andreproof

How many of us tuck our Bibles un-der our arms as a weapon against allhumanity EXCEPT OURSELVES? H o wmany of us really kno wb o w to study ourBibles? Do you know there is a definite,clearly stated PLAN of Bible-study re-vealed in Gods word? The Bible itselftells cls HOW to study it

Be Willing to CHANGE

W e all would like to be called sonsby our Almighty Heavenly Father,wouldnt wc? God has revealed thc waywhereby we may be His sons throughthe prophet Isaiah in Chapter 5 5 vs. 6,7 and 8, where the A lmighty clearly tellsus that we must forsake ozLr own waysand our own thoaghts Then , after for-saking our own ways, or, in o ther words,after REPENTING, r CHANGING fromthe old way, God will forgive us of ourpast sins, and through His own freelygiven GIFT will empower us with HisHoly Spirit, and begin dealing withusas His own SONS ( I John 3 : 1 Afterthis GIVING UP of our own selves andour own human thoughts, ideas andcastoms, God will begin treating us asHis very own children.

Sounds easy, doesnt it? A l l we haveto do is to forsake our own way Butwhat then? Goal achieved?

ListenA f t e r this begettal as a very child of

God, we are told then My 5011despise not thou the chasteningof theLord, nor fain t when thou art rebuk ed of

Him (Hebrews 1 2 . 5 But what isthis? A f t e r we are made the very SONSOF GOD, H e is going to CHASTISE USThis wonderful twelfth chapter of He-brews continues to tell us: For whomthe Lord Loveth he chasteneth, andscourgeth every son whom he receiveth.Do you want this SCOURGING? Appare ntly no t many today d w r d mi tt in gwe are wrong would be one of theEASI-EST things to do To continue readingin Hebrews, * I . If ye endure chasten-ing, God dealeth with you as with sons;for what son is he whom the father

chasteneth no t?HOW LAIN Read foryourself these meaningful words in yourown Bible, and see how God deals withHi s own children

Now no chastening for the presentseemeth to be joyous, bu t grievous: nev-ertheless afterward it yieldeth th e peace-able fruit of righteousness unto themwhich are exercised thereby. Yes, EX-ERCISED thereby ( I remember it wasnot too many years ago that the kind ofchastening 1 received from my fleshlyfather was literal EXERCISE ) And soshould our cliastisernerit from ou rHeav-enly Father become constant EXERCISE

Be Tr u l y Wi s eConsider the definition of a wise man

given by Soiomon in Prov. 15:31. Theear tha t heareth t he reproof of lifeabideth among the wise. So a personwith wisdom is one who accepts anddoe s no t reject-REPROOF. T h e grea twisdom of Solomon directed him bGods divine inspiration to write: 1wise son heareth his fath ers instruction:but a scorner heareth not rebuke (Prov.1 3 : l ) . However, JUDGMENTS are re-served for scorners (P rov. 1 9: 29 ), andthe Bible definition of a scorner is onewho will not hear reproof. So are wescorners, or the very children of God?

Gods command to H is ministers is toCRY ALOUD, pare not, lift u p your voiceand show my people rheir SINS (Tsa.58: 1 Th e Apostle Paul, exhorting Tim-othy in th e faith said: Preach the word

repyove, rebuke, exhort with alllong-suffering and doctrine (I1 Tim4 : 2 ) . And again, the Apostle Paul toldTitus to rebuke sharply, and to rebukewi th authoritj (Ti tu s 1 :13 ; 2 :15 ) .An d if Gods ministers are speaking withGods authority, using His true wordwhich Paul described as being sharper

than a two-edged sword (Hebrews4 :12), their words will not comfort thepeople, and the wordof Go d will be usedPROFITABLY

David was a man after Gods ownheart. But God doesnt judge by theoat-ward appearance, as does man, butGodlooks on the heart ( I Sam. 16:7). Davidsinned, as do all men, but his heart waright, and he always repented bitterlySurely if all scrip ture is written by direcinspiration of God and is profitable forinstruction, then we can find instructiofrom the manner in which David


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Page 6 The GOOD NEWS September, 1955

prayed. David had the thing peopleseem to lack today H e actuallyASKEDFOR RIGHTEOUS REPROOF ( P s a h s 1415 ) David considered it a kindness if hereceived correction. How utterly unliketodays man on the street David musrhave been

The prophet Jeremiah actually askedGod for corrcction when he said: 0

Lord, I know that the wayof

man isnot in himself: it is not in man thatwalketh to direct his steps.0 Lord, COT-rect me, but with judgment; not inthine anger, lest thou bring meto noth-

ing (Jeremiah 10:23-24).Salvation is a personal thing It is be-

tween you and the Almighty Creator-R U L E R of this enti re Universe (R om .14: 1 2 ) . Have y o u been n ~ i n g our Ribleprofitably? H ave you been on your kneesbefore God asking to be SHOWN YOUREWRONG? Have you opened your Bible,cagcrly searching for a mirror to evaluateyour MISTAKES? Could it be that yoidhave been WRONG about something?

W hy take chances? Lets all open ourBibles and say to God earnestly: CorrectME

Seven PROOFS of theChurch of God

(Continued from page 4

commanded to be kept FOREVER (Lev.23:21, 31, 4 1 ) .

Jesus kept the mn ua l sabbaths, settingus an example. The New Testamentchurch began on one of them-the dayof Pentecost. And the early Christianchurch continued tn nhwrve rhem dnr-ing the apostles lives (Acts 20:6, 16;I Cor. 5 : 8 ) .

These seven annual sabbaths picturethe great p l m of God and keep us con-tinually in remembrance of it. Thechurches have lost sightof that plan be-cause they have REJECTED Gods annualsabbaths. But Gods true church has al-ways kept these days-and they help

identify it as the very church of God.The Cor rec t Name

T h e third special sign which points toGods true church is thename. In Jesuslast praycr for His disciples, He said,Holy Father, keep through thine o iuzNAME those whom thou hast given me(John 1 7 : l l ) .

Gods people were to be kept in them n z e of God. All the way through theNew Testament, the true church iscalled by Gods name--the church o fGod.

Paul told the Ephesian elders: Feedthe church of God which he hath pur-chased with his own blood (Acts20:2 8 ) . And the official title by which P auladdressed the church was: thechurch

1 God which i s a t Cor in th ( I Cor.1:2; I1 Cor. l : l ) , or the churches ofGod which i n Judea are in Christ Jesus( I Thes. 2: 14) .

Th us we see that the correct Biblename is: the church oF-which be-longs t o and is rzded by--God.

As Mr. Armstrong has explained, thepresent church has been incorporated asThe Radio Church of God for verygood and scriptural reasons. The present

membership and work of the church inour time is not primarily at Corinthorat Pasadena or at Gladewater. Itsmembership is scattered and mostlyreached by radio-the princ ipal mediumused in gettin g ou t the gospel.

So in our modern day of mechaniza-tion, the church is more correctly desig-nated by the m e d i u m it employs to reachpeople than by any particular location.Also, there are sevcral different churcheswhich happen to know this particulartruth, an d are called churchof God. Soto prevent confusion, it is better that weare called The Radio Church of God.

The name of Go d is sometimes wrong-

ly appropriated-just as is the name ofJesus Christ But whether false churchesuse it or not, scripture shows that itMUST be applied to Gods true church-the church O F God.

( 3 ) T r u t h About Pag an Doct r ines

Gods church has always understoodthe truth about the many pagan doctrinesthat were injected into the professifzgChristian church during the age of theso-called early church fathers and. later,during the middleages

Gods people k n o w that man does izothave an immortal soul-that God toldAdam: Dust thou art , and unto dastshalt thou return (Gen. 3.19) . Theyknow that God says: The soul that sin-neth, it shall DIE (Eze. 1 8 : 4 and 18:20) .

The real people of God have neverbelieved in the nightma rish kind of hell-fire doctrin e so often tau ght today. Theyknow that the soul WILL die-not betortured forever and ever. And thatthewages-or reward-of sin is DEATH(Rom. 6 :23 ) .

Neither do the true children of Godbelieve in going to hewen-Godsthrone-where Jesus clearly stated:Nonznn hath ascended up to heaven, bur he

which came dow n from heaven, even theSon of man (John 3: 1 3 ) . And again:Blessed are the meek: for they shall in-herit the EARTH (Mat. 5 : )

Tn the Bible, and in the h i s to ry ofGods true church, we find that Godspeople have always realized the paganidolatry and symbolism connected withthe observanceof Christmas, New YearsDay, Easter, Halloween, etc. His peoplehave obeyed Gods command: LearnNOT the way of the heathen (Jer. 10:2 ) .

As before mentioned , there aremanychurches wh ich have-at least inpart-one or two of these seven basic principlescorrect, This particular point about pa-gan doctrines is understood by severalwell-known deno mina tions and sectsYe t even herc wc find thc principle ofmisguided human reason at work. Theyhave taken-as did Adam and E v e -o fthe tree of the knowledge of good A N Devil-a baa mixture.

So although understanding these pa-gan doctrines in principle, some of thesechurches try to work things out so thatthey can go to heauen-even if only fora while. Or they find someexcuse to haveChristmas trees in their homes eventhough God says, N O

The point ta remember is that everychurch or religious body -even theheathen in the African jungles-hassome TRUTH in its teachings. But is in-variably mixed witha greater prop ortionO f ERROR.

Only Gods church has these sevenbasic principles really straight. Andthere are undoubtedly many minor de

tails and technicalities which w e stillneed t o lea z.But G o d s people are always distin

guished by their wilhzgness to GROWinto neib truth. and to OBEY it as soon asit is proved.

( 4 ) Gods PowerIn Mark 16:17-18, Jesus Christ stated:

These sigizs SHALL follow them that be-lieve: In my name shall they cast o u tdevils ( o r d e m o n s ) ; they shall spcakzc.itb new tongues; they shall t i k e zipserpegzts; and IF they drink any deadlything, it shall not hurt them; they shalllay hands o n the sick and they SHALLrecover.

The very POWER of the Creator is tofollow-and witness to-His truchurch.

Throughout the book of Acts, theris abundant testimony that these signdid follow the early church of God. An din chiirch histnry, W P find evirlrnce thatthey continued to d o so.

Notice that these signs were not saito follow every believer, but to followtbenz-collectitely-as a body. They areto follow the body of Christ-the trueCHURCH.


7/8

September, 1955

Th e Bible interprets the Bible. An d inthe scriptural accountof these signs, wefind that they were usually carried outthroagh the ministers-usually the apos-tles, and sometimes evangelists, elders, ordeacons. Study this point in th e book ofActs and you will soon see that God al-ways worked through HisMINISTERS-not thc average lay mcinbcr of thc con-gregation.

Of course God did use some women(Acts 21:9) to prophesy, or foretell fu-ture events as did Agabus (verse 11).This of course does NOT contradict thescriptures which forbid a woman topreach or lead in a publ ic ga ther ing ( ICor. 14: 34-35 ) . Th e g i f t was to be han-dled in a more private way, as Agabusdid.

Also, men and women alike may begiven the gift of speaking in foreigntongues or languages when this is neces-sary in dealing with p eoplesof a foreigntongue. This g ift has not yet become nec-essary in our work, and we can see thatit was exercised o nly in certain situationsin the Ne w Testament church.

But the Bible accounts of healing, ofcasting out demons, and of accidentallyhandling a serpent ( Thou shalt notTEMPT the Lord t h y God)-all wcrcaccomplished throughGods ccrlled MIN-

When among faithless people, JesusChrist himself could there do no mig htywork (Mark 6 : 5 ) . And speaking ofour day, Jesus asked doubtfully, Whenthe Son of man cometh, shall he f indFAITH on the earth? (Luke 18.8) .

But even in this day of little faith, the

signs Jesus mentioned ARE fol lowingGods t m e churchScores are being healed, and demons

have been cast out Jesus didn t bragand boast about His miracles like someof the fake healers of our day. How-ever, we d o find that the apostles wouldsometimes inform the convertedbreth-/ e n of how mightily God was working-so that al l migh t rejoice (Acts 14 :27 ;1 5 : l Z ) .

So we plan to show you brethren infuture issues of t he GOOD NEWS owhfIGHTILY God is working in H is churchtoday.

There are many fakes and pretenders,but only the trzle charch- the very bodyof Christ-has th e very POWER of Al-mighty God working in and through i t .And let us realize h o w m u c h CLOSER toGod we need to get through dil igentstudy and earnest prayer and f a t i n g thatwe might be worthy of exercising thespiritual gifts of God i n f7 greater meas-ure than we are now.

( 5 ) Hea l th Lawsmiis world is SICK-through and

through. The simple reason is that thepeople of the world are constantly

ISTERS.

The GOOD NEWS Page 7

prophecy and the revealed future.This may sound like a boastfal state-

ment But hundreds of you brethrenwere first interested in thetiuth becauseyou became interested i n Mr Arm-strongs explanation sof Bible prophecy.Man y of you chec ked-u p to see if w hahe said was true.

And you found it Z L ~ have methundreds of our listeners from one endof this nation to th e other-and manymore in Europe. They all say practicallythe same thing: W e have never in oulives heard anyone make the propheciesas pluin and clear as Mr. Armstrongdoes.

WHY is this?WHY dont the d enomin ations accep

that tremendous k e y to prophecy-thetruth of Israels identity? W h ycant theyunderstand the bookof Revelation?

WHY is it that no one else really l aderstands and can PROVE what Bibleprophecy says?

The answer is simple.Th e Bible says: A good understand-

ing have all they that DO his command-ments (Psalm 11 1 10 ) . And again :The Holy Spirit, whom G od hath givento them that OBEY him (Acts 5: 32 ) .

T h e churches of this Satan-deceivedworld have REJECTED the laws and com-mandm ents of God. Therefore, Hewillnot give them His Holy Spiri t . Theyhave cut themselves off from a goodunderstanding and the spiritual mindthat can come ONLY through GodsSpirit.

The proof of PROPHECY is perhapsmore readily seen than any other. It is

becoming abanrlrtntly plain that thischurch-Gods church-is theONLY in-strument that G6d is usingto w a m thisworld of H is com ing jadgments-andto show w h y and how.

Every week Gods church-throughMr. Armstrongs voice-is THUNDERINGthat warning around the world. H e tha thath an ear, let him hear.

7 ) Tr ue Spi r i tua l i ty

The seventh proof which sets Godstrue church apart from all others is itunderstanding and practice of-trmspirituality.

Th e reason is simple. Th e members oGods church are led by G o d s HolyS f i r i t .T he H oly Spirit is the verynatzmand character of God. t is Christ livingHi s l ife within us (Gal.2 : Z O . And Heis the same yesterday, today, and forever( H e b . 1 3 : s ) .

Jesus said: Howbeit when he, theSFirii of T r d , s come, he will grtideyou INTO ail truth ( John 16 :13 )Again: Blessed are they which doHUN-GER and THIRST after righteousness: forthey shall be filled (Mat . 5 : 6 ) .

The apostle Peter instructed usGROW n grace, and in the knowleds

breaking the physical laws God has setin motion which govern our bodies.

Gods chi ldren , through His wordand the guidanceof the Holy Spirit, canabove all other peop le havea really t r mand babnced understanding of theselaws of health. A nd thro ugh Gods pow-er, they can have the WILL to obey them.And this true anderstanding and att i tudeconstitute the fifth proof of G o d s t ru echurch, and its great difference from allothers.

Gods church understands the law ofclean and unclean meats-and knowsthat t his law was in existence at the verybeginning-and involves the verynutareof the meat and of oar stomachs. Re-member that even back before theflood,God told Noah to rake into the arks c v m pairs of the clean animals (theextra pairs undoubtedly for f o o d ) andonly o w pair of the unclean.

Know ing that we areto live by everyword of God, we can discern fromcountless Bible passages the correctprinciples involving o urdiet and health.

With Gods guidance, we will NOTbecome he alth foo d fanaticsor go to awrong extreme in any health measure.But we WILL have an increased aware-ness of the value of our bodies as tem-ples of the Holy Spiri t. W e will learnthe tremendous value of radiant healthin our Christian lives.

We will learn to eat natr~ral oods asGod caused them to grow. Well learnto exercise, to breathe, to sleep. t o doEVERYTHINGe1m2. have o w bdby-NATURALLY, the way God intendedwhen H e set in motion His phy.rical

laws.W i t h Gods W o r d as the s o m i d - m i n d -ed basis of even our physical lives, wewill glorify Go d in our bodies.

There are many ztegetarians, exercirefiends, health food addicts, and oth-ers whose ideas are totallyU N B A L A N C E Dand contrary to scriptwe and in manycases contrary to the exam9Lc of JesusChrist himself, but the sensible, b danced, and right approach to health isone which ONLY Gods true church hasstraight.

( 6 ) Prophecy

You have often heard it said that fullyone third of your Bible is prophetic.T h e sixth PROOF of G o d s church is

that it ALONE really iinderstands Bible

NOTICEDue to his many added burdens

of the TV production, Mr. Arm-strongs article explaining themake-up problem will not appearuntil the next issue.


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Page 8 The GOOD NEWS September, 1955

of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ(11 Pet. 3:18).

Gods church is distinguished by itswillingness to admit error and CHANGE.Gods people zealously seek new knowl-edge and understanding. They HUNGERand THIRST after righteousness.

Such an attitude is almost unheard-ofin the churches of this world. Even thosechurches may understand some of theseven principles mentioned herein willREJECT the others.

Is it because they just havent hadopportunity to learn these truths?

No This work of God sends out mag-azines and booklets by the thoasmdswhich clearly explain these points. Andthese churches certainly know about ourwork and message-far more than mostof you brethren may realize.

The ANSWER is that they are unwillingto change+/nwilling t o be corrected bythe Word of God. They will NOT permit

the Holy Spirit to guide them. There-fore, they CANNOT be Gods churchescomposed of His begotten children.For as many as are LED BY the Spirit ofGod, they are the sons of God (Rom.8:14) . And: For if any man have notthe Spirit of Christ, he s none of his(Rom. S : 9 ) .

Also, Gods church knows that truespirituality is a WAY O LIFE.

Throughout the book of Acts, Chris-tianity is called this way or that way(Acts 18:25-26;19:9,23; etc.). W e areinstructed: Earnestly contend for thefaith which was once delivered unto thesaints (Jude 3 ) .

Gods chzwch ALONE has demonstrat-ed its willingness to recapture that faith-that wny of life which involves thednys we observe, the food we eat, the way

WHY?

we dress, the way we walk, speak, write-EVERYTHING.

Yes, everything must be totally sar-rendered t o GODS will . That doesntmean following human dos anddonts and other ideas which mayseem right to men (Pro. 14: 12 ), butdiligently sttbdying the Bible instructionsand living examples to prove whatGODS way really is and following it-whether it conflicts with denominationalteachings or not.

Lastly, Gods true church understandsthe purpose God has in giving us HisWor d , His laws, His way of life. Forour members understand the great DES-TINY that is ours if we overcome.

Gods people ALONE understand thereal PURPOSE being worked out here be-low-that God is reproducing Himself.We understand the literal meaning ofthe statement that Christ became thefirstborn of MANY brethren (Rom.8:29). We know that we are to be lit-

erady BORN of God just as he was.Understanding Our Calling

Yes, above all people on earth, weknow that the great purpose in the trialsand tests of character building that Godputs us through is that Jesus prayer

HOLY D Y C LEND RFull 1955

Festival of Trumpets, Saturday, Sep-

Day of Atonement, fast day, Monday,

Festival o f Tabernacles, begins sunset,

tember 17.

September 26.

Friday, September 30; ends sunsetFriday, October 7.

Last Great Day, Saturday, October 8.

might be nnswered, whcn He prayed,Holy Father, keep through thine ownname those whom thou hast given me,that they may be ONE as we are . . andthe GLORY which thou gavest me havegiven them; that they m a y be ONE, evenas we (God and Christ) are ONE (John17:11, 22) .

W e are to be born into the very familyof God-and to be GOD-just as JesusChrist

Understanding trae spirituulity and itstremendous PURPOSE should give all ofUS a zeal for overcoming that no otherpeople have.

And knowing these SEVEN PROOFS ofGods true charch should help us realizemore than ever the great GULF that liesbetween Gods church and the manychurches of this world-with their in-evitable mixture of good AND evil, trathA N D error.

We may be eve dah zgl y thankful thatGod has called us out of this deceived

world and put us in His church, the verybody of Jesus Christ.W e may well reflect on the incident

recorded in John 6:66-68. Jesus hadbeen giving His followers some spiritualmeat-and it was more than some ofthem wanted to obey. From that timemany of his disciples went back, andwalked no more with him. Then saidJesus unto the twelve, Will ye also g oaway? Then Simon Peter answered him,Lord, t o whom shall we go? thou hastthe words of eternal Zife.

Christ is now working through Hisbody-His church. It alone is fully yield-ed to the instraction and correction ofHis Word. It alone is RULED by Him. Italone has Kis t w e MESSAGE-the wordsof eternal life.

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