Twenty-Nine Foundation Stones

I’d like to share a little history or background on our Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings. The first 25 teachings of the Church were agreed upon in the 6th Assembly in 1911. The 26th teaching was agreed upon in the 8th Assembly in 1913. The 27th teach­ing was approved in the 3rd Assembly in 1908 (was reaffirmed in the 11th As­sembly in 1915.) The 28th teaching was decided upon in the 11th Assembly of 1915. The 29th teaching was settled upon in the 18th Assembly in 1923 (but it did not appear in the official list of teachings until 1927.) 1908, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1923. Some agreed upon over 100 years ago, all agreed upon be­fore the vast majority of us were born!

My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends, The Church of God did not create, nor did the Church formu­late or invent these “Teachings Made Prominent,” but our Church forefa­thers searched the Scriptures and sought God through prayer; and God blessed those men and women and they received divine understanding of these Bible truths and agreed upon them as revealed in the Scripture by the Holy Ghost. God, the Great Creator, ordained these in the far-back ages of eternity. They originated in the infi­nite mind of God way before He cre­ated man. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Psalms 119:89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

The Bible tells us in Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Ju­daea taught the brethren, and said, Ex­cept ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Here you have a group of “certain men”—and a certain sect of the Pharisees—that began teaching a doctrine that did not line up with the Gospel of Jesus Christ or His teachings of being saved by grace through faith. They had set forth a doctrine, adding to it that in order to be saved the person must be circumcised like God had commanded Moses way back in the Old Testament. This caused confusion and cast a yoke upon the neck of Jesus’ disciples that was unnecessary. It troubled them, burdened them, and subverted their souls; in other words, it undermined the power and authority of Jesus’ teachings.

The Church did not want, or need, one person to teach one thing, and another to teach something differ­ent—erroneous doctrines that don’t line up with the Bible rightly divided— causing confusion concerning what Jesus’ teachings say. So do you know what the Church did? Why, the Church got down to business! They came to­gether, conversed, shared testimonies about what God had done, had great joy together, and then ultimately com­pared all things to “the words of the prophets; as it is written” (Acts 15:15).

The Bible says that it pleased the Holy Ghost, apostles, elders, and the whole Church (v. 22), and they wrote letters to the churches stating that af­ter due consideration, and guidance from the Holy Ghost, the Church had agreed that it was not necessary for them to be circumcised as certain men had taught, but only to “abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep your­selves, ye shall do well” (v. 29.)

Former General Overseer, Bishop M. A. Tomlinson, said, “The many doc­trines set forth in the name of religion must be tested against the Scriptures. The Church of God is dedicated to the principles of the New Testament doc­trine—the truth rightly divided.”

I say to you again concerning the Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings of The Church of God, that our Church forefathers this side of the Dark Ages searched the Scriptures and sought God through prayer. They came toto­gether by the Spirit of God and, once they received divine understanding that the Holy Ghost and the Word agreed concerning any one of these teachings, wrote their findings down so that there would be no confusion. They are for a hedge of protection to the next generation, i.e., me, you, our children and our children’s children.

If we are going to really know Je­sus Christ then we must also know the doctrine He preached. Someone may ask if Jesus has a doctrine. Well, the Bible says, “And they were astonished at his doctrine…” (Mark 1:22). “…and said unto them in his doctrine” (Mark 4:2). “The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine” (John 18:19). “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me” (John 7:16). The answer, then, is yes He does and they are the teachings and doctrine of His Father in heaven.

In this world you will find a lot of Christian organizations, or Christian people who say, “Doctrine?! We don’t need doctrine, all we need is Jesus!” “Let’s only preach about Jesus!” “Let’s not talk about doctrines because they cause division and they hurt people.” But that’s not true. Some will say there is no need for Bible doctrine, but these Bible doctrines that the Church up­holds are a never changing standard, a hedge of safety and a sure foundation for The Church of God of the Bible.

The Church is built upon the rock of divine revelation and of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20). Our doctrine is vital to this building! We take or accept the whole Bible rightly divided as our rule of faith, and it is out of the Bible that these Twenty-nine Foundation Stones of faith, that are so vital to our salvation, have been derived and brought to the forefront. In a building or edifice, the foundation is known to be the lowest part of the building. It is an integrated stable base that the rest of the building sits upon and one that must bear the entire load of the structure. The material used in the foundation must be good enough to bear the load of whatever is built upon it; in other words, it’s got to be good enough to build upon. A founda­tion stone is the first stone set in the foundation of the building that is to be constructed. It is important because all other stones will be set in reference to this stone and it determines the posi­tion of the entire structure.

This is what the Twenty-nine Prom­inent Teachings represent for you and me today; they are the stones to be used in our foundation. They are the underlying principles, the ground­work, so to speak, a firm foundation upon which the lives of Christian men and women of all ages can be built. The success of our spiritual growth is determined by the strength of our spiritual foundation. Jesus said, “There­fore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these say­ings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:24-27). Luke 6:48 adds that the wise man “digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock”.

My dear friends, we are living in perilous times and the light showers of persecution have begun to fall upon the Christians of this world, but in the near future it will be torrential rain. The flood waters of spiritual deceit and de­struction have not yet fully risen, but you can be sure they are well on their way. The winds of false doctrine have been blowing for a long time, but to­day it seems the forces of these winds are more violent, blasphemous and unashamed.

If we “hear” but “do not,” according to the Word of God, we are building our life upon shifting sand. Any build­ing will fall that does not have a sure and solid foundation when the rain descends, the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon it. Great shall be the fall of it! Nevertheless, if a building has a solid foundation— if you hear and do according to the teachings of Christ in your life—the rain will descend, the floods will come, and the winds will blow and beat upon the building and you will not fall. For you are built upon the Rock! What is that ROCK? The Word of God! A SURE FOUNDATION!

Someone has said, “When life is calm, our foundations don’t seem to matter, but when a crisis comes, our foundation is tested.” Be sure your life is built on Jesus Christ! We should make sure not to build our life on shifting sand or faulty ground such as fame, security, success or wealth. Take these basic Bible doctrines that form the very foundation upon which THE CHURCH OF GOD is built, upon which the Christian life can be built, and you are sure to withstand all the elements of this spiritual tempest that is on the rise, or whatever crisis may come into your life! These are not the Church’s “Declaration of Faith.” They are not all or the only doctrines the Church teaches, practices and adheres to, but we believe they are the first principles of the oracles of God. On these we can and must build!

We are living in a time of constant change—in the world of politics, the geopolitical landscape has been changing. This government has fallen, that government has fallen. This new government has been established and that new leader has been put in. I’ve heard over the radio of this politician or that politician changing his stand on certain national policies. We hear of laws that constantly are amended or changed. So much uncertainty! How can you live with peace of mind in the midst of such change and uncertain­ty? Nationally, we hear of new modes of transportation being considered. Houses, hotels, airplanes, cars, phones, computers, watches and all sorts of other things are constantly being up­dated, revised and made better. I even hear of so-called “climate change.” Now those are physical and natural things that do not worry me too much, although I’m aware of them.

The real concern for you and me is that we not be swept or blown away by the frequently changing principles and shifting beliefs of this religious world, being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doc­trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to de­ceive” (Eph. 4:14). We don’t want this to be part of our testimony, that we were deceived and led astray, and finally made shipwreck.

Today there is a constant change and shift of faith that the so called mainstream Christian or religious world has been pressured into by those within their ranks who advo­cate the need to change the Chris­tians’ stand on Bible teachings in or­der to be able to meet the challenge of a continually changing world. A minister of the gospel said it so well one time, “God is not looking for a message and teachings people will love; He is looking for a people who will love His message and teachings!” One Church of God minister put it like this, “It’s not about whether a doctrine is beautiful and good to the eye, but whether it is true.”

Religious institutions may alter what they teach to make it look ap­pealing to the multitudes. Others may abandon the faith once delivered unto the saints. “Nevertheless the founda­tion of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). I want you to know that the only thing in this life you can count on to never change or shift is the Word of God—it is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Have you ever crossed a creek, from one side of the bank to the oth­er, desiring not to get your shoes or clothes wet? What did you look for? You looked for big rocks, big stones, upon which you could step, that wouldn’t move when you put your weight on them and that were a sure and good footing. Amen? The mo­ment you felt it move it scared you and you didn’t know if it would hold. You didn’t know if it would move, flip over, slide, or shift—but what you did know was that if it moved you would fall into the water. In an attempt to find a sure place to put your foot and get across, you tried this stone and that stone and then the next one until you found one you believed you could count on.

My dear friend, spiritually speak­ing , today we don’t have to go try this thing, go try that thing and go try the other in an effort to get through this old world and into glory and risk fall­ing into the world’s water that will drown God out of our lives and de­stroy our souls. We have “in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pre­cious corner stone, a sure foundation” (Isa. 28:16), and those who came be­fore us battled “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” and they did battle standing upon this tried Stone, this sure foundation.

If it was good enough for them— if it was good enough for Paul, Peter and young Timothy—then it’s good enough for us today! There is no need for you to stand or build upon some­thing uncertain today, but build your life upon the Word of God and take these Twenty-nine Foundation Stones and build upward toward God. These Twenty-nine Foundation Stones will get you across to the other side!

Bishop R. O. Covey wrote: “Since the Word of God is the only thing that will not pass away, it is reasonable that it is the best footing we can have.”

The Word does not move, it does not shift—it does not teeter totter! This foundation has “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). You can stand on it! You can build on it! You can count on it being the same to­morrow and 10 or 100 years from now!

Not all Christian churches teach these basic Bible beliefs the way The Church of God does. And many don’t teach them at all. There are all sorts of untrue teachings out there that we are certain to encounter and the enemy of our soul would like nothing better than to confuse people and lead them astray. For this reason it is important to not simply accept and believe these Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings just because your parents, pastor, Church buddies, friends, etc., do. If that is as far as our biblical knowledge goes concerning our prominent teachings (i.e., I believe them because he or she believes them) we can be sure that the foundation we are built upon is riddled with gaps and cracks. We are in danger of sinking or collapsing! We must all search them out and study them out for ourselves.

Didn’t Jesus say, “and digged deep”? Each one has got to dig deep into the Word of God and search the Scriptures, going deeper in our relationship with Christ. We don’t just want to know Jesus, but we need to know about Je­sus and that is what the Twenty-nine Prominent Teachings are about, God’s dictates for His people. Ask God for divine understanding, because once you receive it from God concerning the truth of these Bible doctrines then you will know how important they re­ally are. You will be able to defend the biblical doctrines.

In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asked His disciples who people said He was. They responded to Jesus informing Him of who the people thought He was, but then Jesus looked at them and asked them, “But whom say ye that I am?” He no longer wanted to know what others thought and believed, but Jesus was now interested in know­ing what they believed and where they stood concerning Him. Peter an­swered saying, “I know who you are. I am convinced that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” It wasn’t because someone else believed it or told it to him, but because he had re­ceived divine understanding from God above. This is the kind of revelation needed concerning these teachings so that no matter what others may say about them, no matter if others despise them, no matter if others say they are old fashioned, you can say, “I know what they are. I know how im­portant they are. They are God’s Word and a sure foundation”.

But if you only believe because others believe what will happen if oth­ers stop believing? Ask yourself, “How firm is my foundation?” Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32). God’s purpose is that every child of God get in His Word and continue in His teachings, for in doing so you will have divine understanding of the truth and it shall make you free. Free from what? Free from doubt, fear, foolish and unlearned questions, from giving heed to fables and endless ge­nealogies, from profane and vain bab­blings. FREE FROM FALLING!

Lost

This four letter word lost as an adjective means: unable to find one’s way; not know­ing one’s whereabouts, as in “Help, we’re lost!” It also denotes some­thing that has been taken away or cannot be recovered. But what does it mean to “be lost”? What thoughts invade your mind when you hear the word “lost”? I’ve had the experience of being lost while driving and I didn’t know where I was or in which direction to drive. I’ve been in that place where I was absolutely baffled not knowing which way was north or south.

 

Have you ever lost something valuable? When my children were just little babies and we would go to the store, one of my biggest fears was losing them in the store or not being able to find them because they could so easily get lost among the clothes racks. I remember one occasion, not too long ago, when on a trip to the country of Peru, I lost a brand new cell phone with all my personal informa­tion in it. And I could enlighten you of the many times my children have told me, “Dad, I lost my money.” A beautiful lady I know and love dearly frequently informs the family that she’s lost her bank card.

 

People all over this world have lost their valued possessions to house fires while others have “lost” their homes to natural disasters, i.e., hurricanes, ty­phoons, earthquakes, floods, etc.

 

There was a man some time ago who exercised regularly and ate well, however this man died at a very young age. Why? Because he lost his health. People have lost their eyesight in ac­cidents while others, like me, seem to lose it with age. While visiting Gua­temala a few years ago, I greeted a minister of the gospel in the Church who lost an arm in a work related acci­dent. Some folks have lost their ability to speak, lost their minds or lost their hearing. Others have lost total control of their bodies as was the case of an old friend of mine after a car accident suffered in his youth. Due to sickness and death, we’ve lost some very good people to death this past year. Mothers and fathers have lost sons on the field of war.

 

The saddest kind of “lost” there is and the saddest kind of “lost” to be is to be a lost soul! The Bible says that Jesus came to “seek and to save that which was lost,” and one of the greatest vers­es of the Bible, John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever­lasting life.”

 

The word perish means “to be lost” and in Bible terms to be lost means to be far from God. It signifies that the person has not received the Lord Jesus Christ as the only and sufficient Saviour of their soul. When a person dies with­out accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour of their soul, according to the Bible, that person will perish. In other words, that person will be eternally lost—separat­ed from God and heaven forever and ever. They will spend eternity in a lake of fire that burns and will never go out.

 

I must inform you, perhaps remind you, that this awful place called hell was not anticipated for man, but for the “devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). I must also remind you that God does not send people to hell. They go there by their own choice; or rather, by making the wrong choice, perhaps through ignorance. When man, the sinner, is presented the sure cure (Je­sus Christ) and he spurns the great love of God and His free salvation, then finds himself in hell, it will have been because of his own neglect or rejection of the truth.

 

The following question and state­ments have been made: “Did you know that when I die, I will not die rich or poor? I will die saved or lost. When you die, you will not die educated or illit­erate. You will die saved or lost. When we die, we will not die famous or a ‘no­body.’ We will all die saved or lost!”

Oh, but how wonderful to know that Jesus, the Son of God, has pre­pared a special place for man! At this very present time, He is preparing “a place for you” (John 14:2). I de­sire to live with Jesus in that special home above. How about you? This special home is in heaven. I don’t know exactly where heaven is, but the majority of people who believe in that place called heaven where God is, think it to be high in the sky, even higher than the clouds and way beyond the sun. The Bible does tell us that heaven is up, such as in Acts 1:11, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gaz­ing UP into heaven?” and the Bible also transmits God’s desire that all men “be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). To go there one must be saved or free from sin.

 

Sin is that dreadful thing which causes separation between man and God and it will take a person to hell. Maybe one of our readers is asking himself or herself, “Well, what is sin?” 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is SIN.” But beware of the many disguises which sin takes! I believe it would be beneficial to mention a few of those disguises to make you, the reader, aptly aware of the many faces of sin, and en­able you to be more fittingly equipped to take heed and also warn others.

 

UNBELIEF: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).

 

NEGLECT: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (Heb. 2:3; also read James 4:17).

 

EXCUSES: “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many… And they all with one con­sent began to make excuse… For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” (Luke 14:16, 18, 24; also read Rom. 2:1).

 

WAITING TOO LONG TO DECIDE ON CHRIST: “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are” (Luke 13:25; also read Heb. 12:17 and Acts 24:25).

 

PLEASURES, CARES, AND PRIDE OF LIFE: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be over­charged with surfeiting, and drunk­enness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34, 35; also read Matt. 13:22). “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:16, 17).

 

SPIRITUAL SLEEPINESS: “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thess. 5:5, 6). “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleep­ing” (Mark 13:35, 36).

 

DISREGARDING GOD: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the na­tions that forget God” (Psa. 9:17).

 

LIVING UNGODLY: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be pun­ished” (2 Peter 2:9). “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdi­tion of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

 

WORLDLY GAIN AS YOUR PRIOR­ITY: “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25). “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Tim. 6:5).

 

BEING A HYPOCRITE: “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:51). “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt. 23:13).

 

The preceding list, extracted from one of our Church tracts, is by no means exhaustive. Consider this verse of Scripture, “But the fearful, and unbe lieving, and the abominable, and mur­derers, and whoremongers, and sorcer­ers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).

 

C. T. Davidson wrote the following in the White Wing Messenger dated June 6, 1974, concerning the subject of hell: “If a man could foresee the disas­ter awaiting his soul in hell, he would labor, toil, struggle and strive with everything within him to stay out of hell… AND HE CAN STAY OUT OF HELL IF HE WANTS TO.

 

Despite the beautiful pictures painted by Satan, if one goes to hell he is an unwelcomed intruder, for hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Man is not wanted there, even by his closest associates, and why should he not want to shun or keep out of this raging inferno?

 

“One may stall for a time to indulge in the pleasures of sin and try to excuse himself by saying he will have a lot of friends if he goes there, but this is ut­ter deception. His erstwhile friends of this world will then be his worst, most violent enemies, and they will hate him with an unparalleled passion. They’ll be screaming—yelling—ago­nizing cries of distress as he plunges into their midst. Some of them may pounce on him and gnash on him with their teeth… foolish soul, why did you come here?

“Then all of a sudden, the lisping, licking, lapping, crackling tongue of fire and flame will engulf him, parch­ing, searing, blistering and torturing him—no relief in sight. Then he re­members yonder world from which he had descended, just like the rich man that begged for even a drop of water to be placed on his parched tongue. He had his senses in hell and if you go there, friend, you too will remember. Keep out of hell—you’ve got no busi­ness there. You have no reason to want to go there. Your erstwhile friends of this world don’t want you there. So why don’t you stay away?

 

“As sure as there is a heaven, there is a hell. And in hell there are no churches, but there is a roaring concert prayer— the unfortunate writhing, screaming in Man must first be made aware of his problem—sin—and that he cannot save himself. He must realize that he is guilty, corrupt and offensive in the eyes of Almighty God. He must repent of his sins and acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour and renounce ev­ery form of sin. Christ is the only Sav­iour for every man that desires to be saved, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12; also read Jer. 10:23; John 3:16; Rom. 5:6).

It seems there is one calling that historically has not been overcrowded, and that is the missionary call. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear with­out a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14.) What is needed is men of God, true missionar­ies, doing God’s work so that not an­other soul will descend into that awful place. This world can do without many things, but it cannot do without the Gospel of the Son of God! Man can af­ford to lose just about everything, but, whether he knows it or not, he cannot afford to lose his soul. If he should lose it, let it not be because you and I, or the Church as a whole, sat idly by and did not warn this world of a hell to shun and a heaven to gain through Jesus Christ the Lord!

distress and agony, but the horrendous appeal for mercy rings on and on in fu­tility and rejection. Oh God, the plight of this person! Why didn’t he stop long enough to give his soul a breath of true redemption through Jesus Christ— long enough to even say, ‘I believe you Jesus, my Saviour. Have mercy on me. Forgive me of my sins. SAVE ME NOW, LORD, or I perish!’

“Friend, stay out of hell. You don’t want to go there… surely not. It was made for the devil and his angels.

“There will be no neighbors in hell. You’ll have no friends if you go there—no confidential and close as­sociates, no kindly hospitable visiting among friends, no societies, no enjoy­able associations, no entertainment, no churches. But there is a hell-wide prayer meeting now going on that would horrify the whole universe if only five minutes of it could be heard by the world today. If you don’t like prayer meetings, friend, then stay out of hell, for they will go on there for a long, long time.”

“Hell is not a place manufactured by the preachers to scare folks into do­ing certain things. Hell is not the grave. And, hell is not on this earth—but hell is an actual place.

“When man leaves this world in SIN, he goes directly to the place called hell, and there is positively and abso­lutely no stopover station! There’s no halfway station, no purgatory, no lim­bo, nor anything of the kind. The man who goes to hell stays there until he is brought before the judgment bar of God. Then he goes from the judgment bar of God to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone—which is the second death” (For Love of Souls, by Harper Hunter).

Just as heaven is real, hell is real; and this subject must be spoken of and preached with entire fearlessness and frankness or we shall not succeed in keeping people from going there. It is indispensable that all men hear the gospel and believe in it in order to be saved, but mere agreement that Christ is the Son of God is insufficient for sal­vation. If that was the case then devils would be saved since the Bible says they “believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).

Let the Deborahs Arise

“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms” Proverbs 31:17

Recorded in American history during World War 2 was a group of women known as W.A.S.P.s— Women Airforce Service Pilots. They were known as Wings Across America, the Fly Girls. These were ladies of wings, women who flew because of their love for flight and the love of their country.

  
Among them was a young, gallant, spirited female aviator by the name of Cornelia Fort, one of America’s first female Army pilots. In a remarkable coincidence, on December 7, 1941, Cornelia was in the air at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. While giving instructions to one of her student pilots, she was attacked by a fighter plane with the familiar emblem of the Rising Sun. She recalled how bullets were splattering all around her and were tearing into her little plane as machine gun fire was directed toward her. This young woman was a female aviator at a time when discrimination was a barrier to female pilots, but she was among many women aviators where nothing could keep them from flying. Pearl Harbor made an impact on Cornelia Fort’s life and she began to tell other U. S. ladies that it was a time of war and the time to fight. She stated: "This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war and we need to fight it with all our ability and every weapon possible. We are a weapon waiting to be used."

 I was astounded by the words of this courageous young woman who realized she herself was a weapon waiting to be used against the enemy, and by her willingness and determination to fly when it was considered unladylike, and when there were many barriers for her to overcome. She felt the need to go to war against the enemy and to challenge other ladies to do likewise. Cornelia didn’t intend to be a part of Pearl Harbor, yet she became a vital part of this battle. On this day, her vision was enlarged when she found herself a part of the Pearl Harbor attack. She was in the thick of the fight and she began to feel the responsibility to protect and fight for the nation of which she was a citizen.

 

This piece of history is a lesson to us all. I thought to myself, "Why can’t the Women’s Missionary Band of The Church of God have the same mentality as this young lady?" Cornelia was feeling a commission to make a difference, just as we can, too! Women can make the difference in the work of the Lord when we realize we are a weapon against the enemy, waiting to be used of God, rising to a higher level in service for Him!

 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds" (2 Cor. 10:4).

 The Church of God is in a war every second, every minute, every hour. We are in a spiritual battle against the gates of hell! We are in a battle as never before and we need to fight it with all of our ability and every spiritual weapon possible. Every child of God is a weapon to be used against every devil of hell, but today I am challenging our women, young and old, to get in the thick of the battle and to protect and fight for God’s holy nation of which each of us are citizens. The battle is on—rush into it! It is time to advance!

 

Once you get on the battlefield where the bullets are being fired all around you, once you see the enemy eye to eye, once you bear some battle scars, it changes who you are. When you suffer for the cause of the cross, your vision becomes clearer and brighter as you take on the mentality of a soldier. There’s a new determination in the advance of the cause you love so well, there’s a deeper experience as you have moved from the natural to the supernatural, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, from the human to the divine. You are now a powerful weapon against the enemy. You are not a coward who runs from the battlefield but now you run into the battle and proudly declare, "I will die for Her. I will suffer for Her. I will fight for Her because, I AM a SOLDIER of the CROSS! I will never retreat!" The mind set of a soldier says, "This is what I was born to do; this is my calling, my duty, my responsibility and I am ready for action."

 There was a valiant woman in the Bible who was ready for action and she wasn’t afraid to go to battle for Israel. Her name was Deborah and not only was she a warrior, she was a prophetess and a judge whose seat of judgment was under a palm tree. But even more interesting is the fact Deborah called herself the "Mother in Israel."

"And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time" (Judges 4:1-4).

 
In this passage of Scripture we read that Israel had done evil in the sight of the Lord, and therefore, the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, the king of the Canaanites. The Scripture goes on to say that Israel cried unto the Lord for deliverance from the Canaanites, who had oppressed them mightily for 20 years. Judges in Israel were tribal leaders who in times of war acted as a rallying point to gather the tribes and organize resistance against the enemy. God heard the cry of His people and He spoke to Deborah, to rally her troops against the Canaanites. As instructed by God, Deborah gathered 10,000 of her soldiers together upon Mount Tabor, for deliverance was coming to Israel. In obedience to the Lord, Deborah called Barak, her General, and told him what the Lord had spoken to her. This is Barak’s reply to her: "And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh" (Judges 4:8, 9).

From the top of Mount Tabor, Deborah looked down and saw the chariots of the Canaanites coming to pursue after the army of Israel. Deborah knew this was the time to attack. She turned to General Barak and said, "Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak..." (Judges 4:14, 15).

The Bible says that full victory was won with the defeat of the Canaanite general, Sisera, and with the slaying of Jabin, the king of Canaan. Israel prospered and prevailed for 40 years. There was a victor’s song to be sung! After twenty years of oppression by the enemy, now they had been delivered! Deborah began to sing the victory song, "I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7).

Deborah was not only a leader of Israel, she was like a mother to them. Israel needed Deborah, they loved her and she loved them. She was their protector—when the enemy came against her young, she arose as a warrior who would fight to her death for them. Israel respected her and they knew she was a righteous woman who was God’s prophet for that day and time. She had a connection with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God spoke through her and therefore, Israel could trust her judgment. Deborah was an encourager who convinced people they could take on extraordinary risk and succeed. When her general refused to go into battle without her, she bravely said, "I will go with you." Deborah had something inside her for God. She wasn’t afraid to take to the battlefield, for God had already told her the battle was hers. She knew she was a victor even before the fight began. She had a duty to fulfill and she felt a responsibility to God and to Israel. She was a woman who wouldn’t let Israel down, nor would she let Jehovah down.

Church of God, we need the Deborahs to arise today as mothers in Israel! We need women of distinction; women like Deborah, who protect Israel like their very own children; women who will be the perfect role model—comforters, nurturers, women who will be mouthpieces for God. We need the Deborahs who, if God says "Today you will lead the battle," they will arise and run into the battle coming forth singing the victory song: "I have arose, I have arose as a mother in Israel!"

We need some mothers in Israel who will rise up, take their place in the work of the Lord, nurture and help guide The Church of God! God needs you! There are some victories God wants to bring through you! When God says, "Go," rise up and follow Deborah’s example. Obey God even if you do not feel you have been called. Let God work through you. You are a spiritual weapon!

In the midst of your ordinary, God can do the extraordinary, equipping you to do more than you have ever done before. You may not plan to become a part of the battle, but an unexpected challenge may come from above to GO into areas you never planned to go to. It is time to recruit and to feel the necessity to challenge one another. It is a time of war and everyone is needed!

Let us carry the message across the Atlantic to the Pacific, to both new territory and to unknown territory with the message of Christ and His glorious Church. Thank God for the Women’s Missionary Band! May each heart be challenged to declare with the spirit of Deborah, "I arose, that I arose a mother in Israel!"

 

Is it "Just Advice"?

(Please read 1 Samuel 25: 32-35)

Is it "Just Advice"?

Proverbs 15:22, "Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."

 

Psalms 73:24, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." 

Most of us reading this purpose to make it to heaven.  We purpose to shine as a light for the lost and make an eternal difference in the lives of many.  These purposes will be established as we walk in Godly counsel, but will be eternally disappointed if we walk in our own ways.  I am thankful to God for the "Advice to Members" and can gladly state that I will never be disappointed following it.  I believe that you will be blessed as you read the following words from our beloved former General Overseer, M.A. Tomlinson, in his book Let The Church Counsel Together.     

 

Is the "Advice to Members" mandatory? 

The above question is not often asked out rightly, but individuals may have answered it unadvisedly.  Some may have held that it is mandatory (authoritatively commanded or required, as an obligation); others may have held that its observance is not required since the word "advice" does not carry the weight of a "requirement." 

Here is an instance where "good understanding" would give "favor."  Actually, the answer lies between the two extremes.

First, the Assembly does not legislate, or make laws.  It is recorded in the Minutes of the First Assembly in 1906:  "We do not consider ourselves a legislative or executive body, but judicial only."  This means that we search out the will of God as he has given it to us in the Bible.  "Judicial" means law-interpreting, or law-explaining.  It is the responsibility of the General Assembly to interpret, or explain, those doctrines and life-practices which are not generally understood.  Again, "Good understanding giveth favor...."

Since the scriptures are of no private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20), it becomes the duty of the Assembly, a "multitude of counselors" (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6), to search out the meanings and make them available to the total membership through the Minutes.  This agrees with the New Testament procedure recorded in Acts, chapters 15 and 16.  The Assembly's decisions were referred to as "decrees for to keep" (Acts 16:4).

Acts 15:28, "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.”

Secondly, pertaining to our obligation to observe our "Advice to Members," the Church does not use force.  It operates by grace, faith, and love.  It stands for the whole Bible, rightly divided, and every member knows this when he takes the Church covenant.  In the early Church, the term "decrees for to keep" indicated that the decrees of the Assembly were to be kept, or obeyed.  The reason for this was that those decrees were the findings of the Church in its search of the scriptures.

Is it "mandatory" that we obey the scriptures?  If so, in the same sense it is mandatory that we obey the decrees of the Assembly.  However, just as no one is forced to serve God, or to obey His commandments, neither is anyone forced to observe the Assembly's decrees.  But there will come a time when those who do not obey them will lose their victory, and will manifest a spirit and attitude that will make it necessary to exclude them from the body.

The whole matter of being a Christian, and of being a member of The Church of God, lies in the choice in the choice made by each individual.  He may either choose to respect and obey the Word of God and be in, or he may choose to do as he pleases and be out.  We know of no choices, in the world or in the Church, which do not have their conditions and the resulting consequences.

What is "Advice"?          

"Advice" is counsel.  To "advise" implies the offering of recommendations as to a course of action.  To "counsel"  implies the giving of advice after careful deliberation and suggests that weighty matters are involved (Webster).

Advice may be offered as guidance, as admonition, as caution, or as warning.  If the advice is based only on personal opinion, it may or may not be trustworthy.  But advice based on the Word of God should not be taken lightly.  Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:  but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."

To show the consequences of rejecting wise counsel, Proverbs 1:30 and 31 warns:

"They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices."     

The Last "Advice" First 

The last paragraph of the "Advice to Members" as given in the Assembly Minutes expresses the kindly spirit and the hope in which it was originally offered, and in which it is still intended.  It reads:  "These kindly instructions and advices are given by those who are watching for your soul as they that must give account (Hebrews 13:17), and it is hoped they will be received with the same meek, gentle spirit in which they are given."

Some additional scriptures to pray and study over:

Exodus 18:19  Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

Numbers 31:16  Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Proverbs 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. (The General Assembly, at the least.)

Proverbs 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Proverbs 20:18  Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

Psalms 16:7  I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel…

Isaiah 28:29  This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

Psalms 33:11  The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Proverbs 19:21  There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Isaiah 25:1  O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.