(Excerpts from Assembly Message during the World Language Program, 1989)
By Felix Garcia
"And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken" (Isa. 62:12).
The wearing of jewelry, make-up, indecent apparel—should never happen in The Church of God. Look, I’m not hung up on this business. I’m not going to harp on this subject because I believe that the Holy Ghost can talk to our hearts and—Hallelujah!—bring conviction to us! Glory to God! The problem is not with the issue, the problem is with us, the people. I’m not preaching something new. I’m not! This is stuff that was practiced by the early Church, by the beginning of the very Church we’re members of today, this side of the Dark Ages. I’m not preaching something new. What I’m trying to tell us is that there is a spirit, an influence working in the world today trying to deviate us, trying to side-track us.
Some people say that this subject is unnecessary, that jewelry and outward adornment has nothing to do with the inside. Well, I’ve got news for you. It has something to do with the inside. Because what is inside of you will be reflected
on the outside of you. Hallelujah. Yes, there are those who want the Church to make concessions regarding these important matters. Although this is evident, the Church must state loud and clear that no conformity with the world will help the Church. It will not improve the Church. On the contrary, it hurts the Church. We must never, never yield to this pressure. If there are such extremes, let it be that the Church would choose the extreme of holiness. The extreme of ultra-conscientious. The extreme of being scrupulous. The extreme of being
clean. This is the best choice for us! I wish you’d say amen. This is the best choice for us! I know that this posture could provoke criticism from the liberal flank. But I’m also sure that this is more pleasing unto God. I believe He would like this much better. I prefer to be criticized because of my extremes in holiness. I believe that I would prefer to be criticized because I am pleasing God.
Surely we must understand that the Church and the world must be different. We shouldn’t, and must not, even resemble each other. However, people today are testing the tolerance and the patience of God. We are seeing things in the Church today that in times past would embarrass all of us—defying the Church and its Bible teachings, disregarding the Advice to Members, blatantly contesting the wise counsel of the multitude of counsellors. I tell you, this spirit has crept into the Church and it worries me. But you must admit that it didn’t start just yesterday. It is because we have neglected our responsibility of preaching the Word and preaching it with authority and with vigor. The Bible says in Titus 2:1, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." Let’s face it. Some have preferred to take the path of least resistance. Don’t muddy the water. Don’t rock the boat. Let’s let things find their own course, they’ll straighten out by themselves. No! We must not assume that souls and especially our youth and our new converts are capable of guiding themselves! No! No, they’re not capable. It’s like our children. You’ve got to keep the pressure on the kids and teach them what’s right and what’s wrong. And even if they’re grown up, you still have to advise them, admonish them.
I’m here to tell you that the Spirit of God, hallelujah, the sanctifying power of Jesus can eradicate the desires of the world in one motion! You just apply the blood of Jesus to your worldly desires and your habits and let the flow of the precious blood of the Lamb of God—hallelujah!— you let that blood of Christ wash you clean! And let that blood sanctify you wholly! Hallelujah! And you won’t have any trouble! Hallelujah! You won’t have any difficulties dismissing the world from your life because you will not have done it—Who has done it has been the Lord.
Some of us think, "Hey, let’s do it a little at a time." But God’s got a different opinion of that.
Let me tell you a story that happened in my life. I was Field Secretary and went to Brazil. I held a Ministers’ Seminar and I’m teaching them about the Church. The Overseer said, "Bishop Garcia, there’s one thing. The people here all wear jewelry. Everybody. They’ve got rings on each hand. And they just can’t tear away because it’s part of our culture in this country. It’s an insult for a husband to take his wedding band off or a wife to take her wedding band off." And he said, "But sir, don’t worry about that—I’m going to teach them little by little. Just give me time." I’m visiting so I said, "Okay." We went through all the Church and its structure and its teachings and its government—everything. All day long they shouted about how the Holy Ghost moved in these wonderful General Assemblies. And then, you know, we got to the end of it. I said, "Well, this is the last session. Tomorrow we’ll just have a good meeting. We’ll shout and praise God. Are there any questions?" There was a young
couple sitting in the very front row. The girl raised her hand. She said, "I’m engaged to marry and we’re going to get married here soon. I read a 29 Teachings [tract] and it said no jewelry." I looked at the Overseer. He looked at me. And I said, "What do I do?" He says, "Talk about it." So I began to talk. You know what happened? Those fellows were adamant. Almost ugly. I mean, they defended their jewelry 100%. They were ready to die rather than comply. Finally, I said, "No more talk! I don’t want to talk about it no more! Everything that was talked about the Church, you shouted. Everything that’s in the Church, I told you, was placed here by God. This teaching is a Bible teaching that was given by God to the Church. And now you’re against it. And I don’t want to talk about it. No more!" That Mexican in me, I guess, surfaced. So I said, "Stand up." And I dismissed them. And we walked to the hotel. The Overseer and I were walking and I never said a word. Neither of us said a word. And I was crying and very disappointed. I did not win the argument. Can you believe that? I did not. They out-talked me and they interrupted and they shouted. It was awful. When I got to my room I just laid across the bed and I said, "God, why did you bring me here to embarrass me? Why couldn’t you help me? Why couldn’t your Spirit do something and open their minds and understanding to accept your Word? This is a Bible teaching." And I cried and cried and fell asleep. In the morning when I opened my eyes I was still fully dressed and I was just laying across my bed, but there was a joy in me. Something happened. The Holy Ghost had ministered to my soul. And I got up, took a shower and shaved, and I was ready to go to the last session. When we went to the last session in this seminar, when we got there we walked into this little building we had rented. When we walked in, there were some people praying. The Overseer and I went to the platform and we knelt down and prayed. We got to praying—now listen, these people did not believe in clapping their hands in church. They did not believe in shouting. And speaking in tongues out loud was a no-no. They did not believe especially—they had problems with this business of the jewelry. When we walked in we just kneeled down at the platform and began to pray and the Holy Ghost came down and there were showers of blessings. Oh, it was beautiful. And I felt like the Lord had come down. We rejoiced and it was beautiful. There was one lady… She was the last one that had a word to say in that session the night before. She said, "Brother Garcia, I agree with you. We should not wear gold. But mine are silver!" And that aggravated me more. She was the last one to arrive that morning. When she walked in the church we were all praying and the Lord had already baptized two men with the Holy Ghost and they were shouting and clapping their hands. Now, I’m talking about the morning opening prayer. And so when she walked in, she had walked half-way up, and she looked up and she screamed at the top of her lungs and fell over and fainted and BAM!, she hit the floor. And the people quickly fanned her and slapped her in the face and shook her and then she sat up after a little bit. She was crying and she looked up again, she screamed and BAM!, she fell again. So they woke her up and they shook her and patted her and all of this and finally she came again to her senses. She tried to stand and then she fainted again. When she came back to, she said, "The Lord is in this house." She said, "I just saw three angels on that platform—and they were shouting, and they were clapping their hands, and they were dancing in the Spirit—and they did not have any rings!" That morning the Lord came down in that house and about six received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and they danced and shouted all over the place. But the most beautiful thing was that everybody pulled off their rings and with what we got out of that jewelry [by selling it] we built the first church in Brazil!
Now, what I’m trying to tell you is that we think we must take our time. We think we know better than God how to work out a problem. "Give me time. I’ll get them to understand this thing." Well, God doesn’t need you. In a sense, He doesn’t need you or me. What He needs is for us to yield over to His Spirit, for us to let the Holy Ghost work, for us to let God touch lives.
I was in a service not long ago and there was a big, tall Mexican boy. He’d rolled up his sleeves up to here—tattoos all over his arms. Mean looking kid. His mother had brought him to church. Nobody could deal with him. He was lost for sure, in all sorts of drugs. Nothing would ever change his life. And they said, "Look, just talk nice to him because he’s temperamental." And I ain’t that big either. So I’m wondering, "What am I going to do?" So after the preaching, I went down to where he was sitting, way back there, and that big boy wasn’t so tough. The big tears were running down his face. God had touched his life. And I said, "Look, don’t run from God anymore." He said, "Sir, there’s nothing going to change my life. I’m so bad, I’m so far gone, I’m so lost. Look at my arms. He had scars in the veins of his arms. I can’t do nothing for myself." I said, "Don’t do nothing for yourself. Follow me—come on." I grabbed him by his arm and I felt his big muscles flex. He stood up— he’s taller than me—and he walked to the altar and the Holy Ghost got a hold of him and changed his life instantly. This is what I’m talking about. I mean, the same power of God that changes a sinner such as him and changed a sinner such as us, hallelujah, can change the attitudes of everybody! Hallelujah! That sanctifying power of Jesus, glory be unto God, the blood has not lost its power! The blood has not lost its power! 
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