Focused on Planning Ahead, Pt. 2

Ronald Weinland

October 16, 2021

This will be Part 2 of the sermon series entitled Focused on Planning Ahead.

We obviously are looking at this past year, and especially the Feast period, and looking forward to next year’s Feast because that’s all part of looking ahead and fighting for, working toward being in God’s Kingdom. There are always lessons and things we can learn from what we have gone through, even the observance of the Feast itself and how we can improve and do things in a better way. So, we’re working ourselves hard on that in preparing some of the meeting places and so forth for everyone, looking at different things, talking to different ones and trying to find and have the best we can for the Church at that period of time.

So, before we continue from where we left off last week I’m going to repeat one of the statements made at the beginning of this series, and then repeat the last scripture we focused upon at the end of Part 1 of the series.

“We have gone through an incredible year, especially because we have not been able to experience a full year of fellowship with one another.” There’s a lot to be learned from that, truly is, what God has let us experience, what we went through and why. Then later in the sermon it was stated, “We have had Covid that’s been with us. It has restricted fellowship and it has tested fellowship and put to test a true unity of spirit.”

I’m always planning ahead in sermons like this, especially in a sermon series, and already working toward completing this series. I never know exactly how far I’m going to get so when to end a particular series, I’m not always 100% certain, but it becomes obvious as I go through the process.

But there is the next portion that we’re going to be going through later that’s tied in directly with this same experience that I’m becoming incredibly excited about because there is so much to learn from this. We are just touching the tip of the iceberg, in one respect, about things we can focus upon, things we can learn. By going through this process of looking back in a spiritual sense, like we talked about during the Feast, the Israelites looked back and that was it, and up to the present we look back and we look forward because that’s how we learn. We grow from that process. I can’t help but think about those things that we can learn from and do better, improve upon. I’m always amazed at what God reveals to us year from year because He’s always working with us, molding and fashioning us, and there are always things we need to learn. It’s a growing process. It’s a construction process, if you will, a creative process from God.

Anyway, something I find incredibly interesting and inspiring is how God has led us to focus upon the subject of fellowship over the past year. Then it was put to the test. There is so much that can sometimes be learned, and I’ve repeated this so many times because I’m always in awe of how God leads and guides and directs, molds and fashions us, and gives us the kinds of sermons we do, because it’s a building process and we really need to have that vision, that ability to grasp God is working with us. He is creating something within us to become a part of His Family, and just by looking at this subject alone I’ve been in awe.

Then how it was put to the test. Not only that but God has given us opportunity to see the weightier matters concerning the importance of fellowship so that we might grasp it’s significance far more deeply and repent where necessary. We always have to repent. That’s where change comes into our life. God takes us through this process.

If we were already perfected we have no need to continue on, in that respect, on a spiritual plane. It’s like we have achieved, we have arrived, and we never do. As long as we have life, physical life, God is changing us, He’s molding us. But so much of that depends on our response to God, which is a matter of repentance because change requires repentance. Because we’re not perfect, there are things that have to change in the way we think, in our ability to see. The more we can do that the more we can be perfected and actually have great opportunity in the future that we can’t even begin to grasp because of what God’s molding and fashioning in us.

I wish we could see that more clearly and grasp it more fully, but there are some things that wouldn’t be good for us to fully see either because then vanity can enter in, pride can enter in, and that’s not good either. So, reasons for not even delving into some of that.

In April we began a six-part series entitled They Refuse to Listen to God. Now, we can look at the world and we can see things and recognize how much worse it’s getting, but sometimes we’re tested in that too, to see what we’re hearing, to see if we’re connected in a manner that God wants us to be connected spiritually.

Then this was followed immediately by a four-part series Dangers to True Fellowship. Awesome! God gave all that to us in advance before we ever came up to the Feast, before we ever began to zero in on specific areas where God has brought us now to zero in on, to learn from.

Then a single sermon followed that, True Fellowship. Now, as you go through some of these sometimes we feel we’re there, we have arrived, we understand it all. No, we don’t. Because that’s why God teaches us Sabbath by Sabbath by Sabbath. We have much to learn yet. We always will have in this physical body as far as we can go. What a blessing for this spirit, this mind that’s in us to be changed.

Following this, or finally what followed this was a two-part series Protecting Fellowship. I’m dumbfounded by looking back. I really am. I marvel at how God has taken us through step by step by step to bring us to what we’re addressing now, to learn from all this, to grasp what was given to us. Because we can be at a Sabbath service or at a Holy Day and believe that we are in agreement with everything, believe that we see everything that’s being said. And yet we don’t! That’s the importance of all this, is to understand we don’t receive it all. Our human nature resists and fights so we can only receive it in portions and depending on where we are spiritually as to what we can really see.

But we feel, as a whole, oftentimes in our life because we’ve been in the Church for so long, that we see. The Church has always gone through this. Through Philadelphia, through Laodicea, and then after the Apostasy on into what we’ve gone through, it’s always been that way. We need to learn from that.

That took us up to the end of July. Amazing. April through July, fellowship, fellowship, fellowship, fellowship, fellowship. Do you think there’s a message in there for God’s people? Do you think God wants us to grasp and understand the importance of something that we don’t see as fully as we might think we do? Because we can tend to think that way as human beings, that we understand. No, we don’t. That’s why He’s given us all these series in a row, all these different focuses, if you will, a different focus in one series, another focus just building and building and building so we can grow more, so we can learn more, and so we can repent more and change.

That’s what repentance is about. The mind, a change in the mind, a change in thinking. I love the word in the Greek language. It means “to think differently.” Because our thinking has to change. We have to grow in thinking differently. That means, as we understand it, coming into unity and oneness with God and with what God teaches us Sabbath by Sabbath by Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day to Holy Day. Then to see and be tested in and refined in and tried in from time to time whether we are in unity and oneness of spirit with that, whether we truly see it or to what degree we see it.

So again, that took us up to the end of July, and then the fruit of it all would become manifest just before, during, and now after the Feast of Tabernacles. I’ll tell you, there is much to learn in all this for everyone, from all aspects of the issues of what we’re talking about here, things that probably people haven’t even begun to think about.

So, let’s look at that last scripture we covered in Part 1 toward the end of that sermon. It was stated, “Sometimes it seems that some do not grasp the fullness of what we need to see concerning this matter of fellowship, which we cover every Passover.”

It’s amazing how we can observe something very much the same – same scriptures, so much of the same that is said year by year by year, but not grasp it all, not see it all, not truly. It’s easy to begin observing various Holy Days, and that not a Holy Day but that which precludes all the Holy Days, a commanded yearly assembly of God’s people who are baptized, and to feel that we understand it, that we know it, that we are there taking the bread and the wine and listening to what’s being said again, and then again, and then again.

But God letting us know, “You need to hear this every year. You need to be reminded every year,” and every year because of what’s given throughout the year you can build upon that so that the next Passover will be even more moving and meaningful to you. That’s what spiritual growth is all about.

And so, fellowship is the thing that God is having us focus upon now, and so much so because we are God’s people, and over this past year I know that I’ve been saying that at different times, that we need to see each other in that light. We all belong to God. We’re God’s. We have to be very careful in that relationship, in that fellowship because how we think toward, treat, discuss things with, and on and on it goes, with others in the Body of Christ, in the Church of God, is exactly how we respond to God Almighty, how we think toward God.

We don’t think that way as human beings. We think, “Well, that’s a different relationship.” No, that is the relationship.

1 Corinthians 10:16. This is that verse at Passover every year, and sometimes before Passover. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? So, we’re to remember and understand how we’re able to have fellowship with God, fellowship with Christ, with God through Christ, and fellowship with one another in the Body of Christ because of what Christ did, what Joshua did in spilling his blood to the earth as that spear went up through his side and he spilled out his blood and died. Fulfilling being our Passover so that we could repent of our sins and have that fellowship, that life, and God’s life then living and dwelling within us through the power of the holy spirit.

The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the Body of Christ? Again, yes, and the focus in times past was very much upon the body of Christ and what he gave of himself and so forth. Even within the period of Philadelphia on we didn’t go beyond that yet. We really didn’t grasp the fullness of that to the depth that I know we do today or can today because of where we are in time and because what God has blessed us with. It’s just a matter of growth and maturing and how God works with us, as individuals and as a Body, as a Church through time, the end-time especially.

And so, yes, it’s about his life, what he gave, but more of the focus upon that really is a part about the first part of that in the blood. The second part is about how he is the bread of life, and the breaking of bread and what it means, that we partake of a piece of unleavened bread and grasp all the spiritual significance of that. But some of the greatest has to do with a matter of fellowship because we’re partaking of, when it talks about the bread, we’re partaking of the same bread, the truth, the word of God, the mind of God, the being of God, and we’re able to share that because we’re of the same mind. What a marvelous, awesome thing. It’s a miracle. It’s a spiritual thing, of spirit.

Because we’re able to be of a same mind wherever we travel. I used to marvel at this thinking of different Church areas all across the United States and different countries, and you could go from one area to another, you sing the same songs, and you see the same thing, you believe the same thing. You can talk about various things that we have that we agree, and the same truths. One mind. Awesome!

The bread that we break, is it not the fellowship, that’s what it’s about, the Body of Christ, The Church of God. God wants us to focus upon that, have that more deeply ingrained in our thinking, our minds, to sink in a little deeper as human beings.

Well, let’s continue from there. Looking at fellowship this past year and then our ability to come together as we did at the Feast a lot was said about this matter of Covid. This was not a matter of chance. This was not a matter of something that flew out of a cave and all of a sudden spread throughout all the world. It was for purpose. God allowed it for purpose. I say it again, the greatest purpose is for us.

Yes, the world is going to go through all kinds of horrible things and different things are going to be used to help mold and fashion the minds of leaders and the attitudes of governments toward one another. This has been a big part of that and so it has a dual purpose in one regard. But the greatest purpose is us and what it has done for us.

So again, and a lot was said about the matter of Covid and how it has been a tool to try, test, and refine us individually and as a Body, the Body of Christ. It’s also revealed the depth to which we see how God is working in our lives to lead us. It wasn’t until probably today or yesterday now (and I don’t remember which), that God helped me to see even more profoundly the importance of that statement. Even though I’ve mentioned it and talked about it and we’re going to focus upon it more today. It’s a matter of how He works with us. He wants us to grasp this more deeply, He truly does. That’ll be in the next series as well, a follow up to it.

We always have to be on our toes. We always have to be alert and watchful and on guard spiritually, and we can’t do that on our own. The way we do that is by continually going before God and seeking to see what it is we can grow in in our lives and what it is we can change and repent of in order to draw closer to Him, to get rid of our thoughts, our reasoning, our thinking that is apart from God’s spirit and guidance and direction in doing His will.

Because that’s where the friction and interference comes in in life and the fighting against God that our natural carnal mind does. We all have that mind, and it does resist God. It just does. You think you don’t resist God, you’re missing the mark and you’ve got something to repent of, to see, to learn.

2 Timothy 3:8—Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses… Now, some history evidently reveals that these were some of the sorcerers with the snakes when Moses was on the scene there and threw down his staff and it swallowed all theirs up. But these were the two primary ones, evidently, that were standing before Moses.

…so did these also resist the truth: those of corrupt minds. Now, they weren’t being worked with spiritually. It doesn’t mean that they were being worked with by God. It just means they resisted God. It’s just normal and natural because it’s a carnal world. Egypt was a carnal world. They fought against Moses, they resisted Moses, Pharaoh resisted Moses because of carnal minds and not having any relationship with God Almighty.

We have to understand this in proper context of what’s being said when it goes on and talks in this vein, “so do these also resist the truth.” It’s showing something here about what we can be like as human beings and learn that sometimes not a whole lot changes, even if we’re in God’s Church, and that’s true. It’s our nature. The carnal mind resists God. It’s at enmity with God. Just because we’re baptized and have the impregnation of God’s spirit doesn’t change that. That’s our fight. That’s what we have to see. Our history should reveal that because of the masses who have left God’s Church by choice.

That’s what we want to avoid. That’s what we want to fight against. That’s what we want to prevent. That’s what’s mentioned every year Feast by Feast by Feast, that some are going to leave, that some aren’t going to be with us because that’s just the way it continues to happen because we have carnal human nature, and as long as there are human beings this will always happen – always happen! Awesome. Horrible and incredible.

…so do these also resist the truth. So, “as these resisted Moses, so do these resist the truth.” It’s even going deeper because it’s talking about those in the world. So, yes, these did, but it’s going back, verses even before this in the context, making it clear we’re like this. That’s why it uses something like this that’s so physical and so carnal thinking sometimes that we’re different. No, we’re not. We still have that nature, and we have to be on guard against it.

So do these also resist the truth: those of corrupt minds disapprove concerning the faith. What a horrible thing that we can come to our lives to a point where we don’t hear, we don’t grasp how God’s working with us, we don’t respond in the way God wants us to. Because Sabbath by Sabbath by Sabbath God teaches us, Holy Day to Holy Day to Holy Day. We hear the words physically, in a physical manner because it comes in the ear in the ear drum, if it’s working properly, works and we hear the noise. But to interpret it, to grasp it, to see it requires God’s spirit. The ability to really hear it on a spiritual plane, ah, that can be in so many different levels of life in God’s Church.

This is how God wants us to grasp and comprehend something if we come to a point in time where we will not listen, refuse to listen, refuse to repent in our lives, because that’s what happens to everybody who leaves God’s Church – they refuse to repent. Everybody who’s ever left, I believe that I know of, and I have experienced it with thousands. I don’t know how many. A few hundred for sure. I feel hundreds of ministers, definitely!

So, congregations that I’ve been in, six hundred, six hundred. I think of Wichita, Houston, different places we’ve been, those were the largest, and then on and on it goes, different congregations. This area here, 1,200-1,500, whatever we came to, I don’t know what it was, somewhere in there. So many people that you meet, so many people you talk to, so many people you met, whether it be at a ball game or a Sabbath service or a Holy Day meeting when everybody came together and people you know and know of, and you think, “What happened?”

We know, “those of corrupt minds.” Anyone who leaves the truth has corrupted their own mind. I think of what God said of Satan, “You corrupted your mind the moment you made the choice you did.” The moment he became jealous and disagreed with God his mind was changed forever, corrupted, because he was of spirit, and it was corrupted. It just went from bad to much, much worse, and human beings do the same thing. To what degree? Corruption is corruption. To what degree God’s spirit can work with it in the future, we have much to learn about those things.

Because it’s not going to be easy and I’m really becoming more and more convicted, convinced there is going to be a whole lot more than we ever dreamed of. To leave God’s Church is not a small thing. In one respect, it’s one thing to fall asleep. It’s another thing to choose to leave. But that’s a very fine line because that’s very close as well because it can lead to that, choosing something else. Mind-boggling!

People who go back to the protestant world, people who just no longer believe anything – corrupt minds. They’ve corrupted their own mind by their choices. Horrible!

…disapproved concerning the faith. Absolutely, because they’re no longer living by faith, they’re no longer believing the truth, therefore, if you don’t believe the truth you can’t live by what you’re able to believe because of the conversion, the mind that God gives you to believe it. If there are certain things you don’t believe anymore then you can’t live by it anymore, you can’t choose to live by it. It’s gone, and you can’t live by faith. Faith is a matter of what you believe and you’re living by that because of the conviction of what you believe. Then God accounts that to you for righteousness because we know we’re not.

But they will progress no further, for their folly, foolishness. It’s foolish when you look at it. The only way you can look at it realistically and truthfully is when you have God’s spirit. That’s when we have the opportunity to look at it so that we can fight it and be on guard against it and take the admonitions and recognize the importance of being on watch, being alert, being on guard constantly day-by-day-by-day, crying out to God for help that we need Him, we need His spirit every day.

For their foolishness will be manifest to all. So, we look at things that have happened in times past and when people make those decisions. And what do they have now? All who have made those choices, what do they have? Those who are alive, what do they have? A physical life. And what’s it like?

To throw it all away. Mind-boggling. That’s the way we should see it. But the only way we can continue to see that is to respond to God, to repent, to seek His spirit in our life, to fight against our nature, and on it goes.

For their foolishness will be manifest to all as theirs also was. But you have carefully followed. Now, this word in this case, King James says, “You have fully known.” The Greek means even more so “to follow closely.” It’s not just to follow. “I’m going to follow…” It means, you follow closely because this is what you want and you know and you understand what God has said, that you want to do this. To do something closely, in that regard, means you have to be on top of it. It’s not just going to happen; you have to work at it. You’ve got to put more effort into it to follow closely in the context of what’s being covered here.

But you have followed closely my doctrine. That’s pretty bold! Now, we understand, he understood as he was speaking to Timothy, this is from God Almighty. But he knew who he was as God’s apostle, and he didn’t apologize. On the contrary, he built upon that and said you need to see this, you need to hold on to this with all of your being, truly, because it’s your life.

The doctrine, he’s making it clear here, “Do you grasp? Do you see? You know where it came from. You know where you heard it and you followed it closely, my doctrine,” because of what God revealed through him, what God gave to him to teach and to train and to mold and fashion the Churches that he spoke to, and to, in this case here, individuals in the ministry to go out and do a job, to go out and to do it faithfully the way he said it should be done.

Because sometimes we have individuals who do it their own way, and that isn’t right. You’ve got to do it the way God has given to be done, to learn from that. All of us do! I respect that so much when I see someone doing it exactly that way and that they fear deviating from it. I always know who they are, and I always know who those are who are going through a time of resistance, just like I see things now. That’s why I get a little more worked up, because it doesn’t matter how long you’re in God’s Church, if you begin to resist how God’s teaching you and you don’t honor that and respect that because it’s from God.

I don’t deserve any of that, but the place does because it’s from God. I’m crying out as much as I can because this is what’s at stake, to understand how we’re taught, how we’re trained. The more we see that the more we’ll take to heart what is said, the more we’ll see this is from God! What are you going to do with it? Is it “just his opinion?” Are the truths that God has given to us opinion? No one can answer these things for anyone.

You have closely followed my doctrine, manner of life. He said, “Look at it!” Paul said, “Look at how I have lived. Look at what I’m living. And if you don’t believe that then you’re likely going to believe something else when it comes around and says, “Well, he did this and he did that and blah, blah blah, and blah, blah, blah.” People have to make choices then what are they going to believe. Are they going to believe what they know that comes from God or are they going to believe something else that they’ve been told?

Because a lot of people have been tried in this already and aren’t with us because they started flirting with a little bit, “Well, that was wrong and that was wrong, and he shouldn’t have done that.” Amazing.

…manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, something that should be in all of us. …persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. We all go through things but sometimes God allows various things to happen so that we can learn from them.

I learned so much by what Mr. Armstrong, Herbert Armstrong went through. I truly did. I couldn’t help but think about some of that today in preparation for some of the sermons in the future here. Man, so hated, so reviled by people. Incredible! But that’s a part of it, that’s a part of the process.

I remember him being in Arizona. State of California. If you lived through that, you have the history of those things, you learn later on even more so how much he had to go through. One of the big things over time that I’ve thought about is how alone he had to feel, especially after his wife died. Because there is no one telling him what to teach, in the sense of physical human beings, what to give to the Church, when to give it to the Church, how to give it to the Church, how to do various things within the Church. He relied on God and looked to God.

But to have absent certain things around you in a physical world that should be spiritual as well, speaking of evangelists at that time. I know of hardly any evangelists except maybe a couple who didn’t betray him. Mind-boggling. Through all that time. The reason California did what they did? Because of evangelists, lies, stories, things they passed along. It wasn’t done out of the dark. They wanted power. They gave in. They wanted the power themselves. Hideous, sick, perverted.

And out of them all the Lord delivered me. And God does all of us. He did Herbert Armstrong as well until his job was complete. Awesome.

Going on, verse 12—Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Joshua will suffer persecution. So, it says it. We’re all in this together! It’s going to come at you no matter what. But some for a purpose so that others can learn from it within the Church and see this is the way it is, what are you going to do when it comes your way?

But evil ones and imposters will grow worse and worse. And what’s happened in the Church? What’s happened over time? Ever since I’ve been in the Church, since 1969, this has been a progressive situation. “Evil ones and imposters grew worse and worse.” It just got worse. 1972, 1974, 1977-78, 1980, 1982, his own son, on and on it goes until he died. Then Laodicea was lulled to sleep. “Rock a bye baby…” We fell asleep! Incredible.

“But evil ones and imposters will grow worse and worse.” Boy, have we lived through that. Mind-boggling. Everything that led up to the Apostasy. And you know what? It didn’t stop. It went on into the next 3½ years where God protected us from Satan, protected the Church and all who were scattered so that everyone could make choices and decisions of what they were going to do. The vast majority wanted to rebuild what they believed that Herbert Armstrong didn’t fulfill and complete. Thank God He helped us to begin to see that phase was over. It ended when he died.

The gospel went out to all the world in the manner, to the degree, God intended it to go, and then the end came. The last era was on the scene as soon as he died. Incredible, what we’ve lived through.

…worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. So, individuals, whether it be individuals in the body, ministers—do a whole lot more damage and danger to the Church when they begin doing some of the things they do when it comes to teaching something that is not true (that happened back in those times)—themselves becoming deceived, beginning to believe something about themselves or what they could see or something different from what God had given to them from the apostle, that was given to the Church, that everyone should have been in unity with but in time were not and thought that they could see something by their own studying or whatever it was out of their Bibles because of such massive freedom that was given to the ministry in different areas.

They’d go off on tangents – which happened – God teaching us such a powerful lesson we can’t govern ourselves even with God’s spirit. What a horrible thing! To come to see and to understand we need God here, the Family of God here, God’s Kingdom here to rule the Church, to rule the world because that’s the only way it can work.

But you must continue – remain in, abide in, that same thing as God’s spirit dwelling in us which it’s talking about, in that respect. Here it’s the same word. But you must continue—remain, abide, dwell in. It’s our choice of what we do—in the things which you have learned. So, where do we learn them? On our own by our own Bible studies? By our own investigations? By our own research? By our own delving into the internet and that crap?

Because that’s what it is out there! If you don’t see it as a cesspool, for the cesspool it is, man, get away from it. Get away from all the things that are out there and realize you don’t want to get sucked into that stuff out there because it’s a bunch of swill and perversion and distortion. Everybody thinking they have the right answer to everything. They know what’s true. They know what’s right. They have a feel of everything, and if we let that into our minds and begin to think the same way we’re not receiving anymore what God gives to us from up here.

But you must continue in/abide in/dwell in the things which you have learned and been assured of. That word “assured of,” “been assured of,” means here, “to be made trustworthy; that has been established.” How is it established? First of all, by God and what God gives to us, “This is the way to go. This is the way to walk, walk you in it! Grow in what you’ve been given.” Otherwise, I might as well stay at home on the Sabbath! Otherwise, I might as well not preach! Otherwise, I might as well just open it up to the entirety of the Church and say, “Go ahead and start your own system of internet and YouTube and just preach whatever you want to preach on the Sabbath because I quit.”

And if that happened there would be a great falling away. I hope you know that. Without God, without God’s spirit, without God’s guidance we would crumble in a moment. We truly would. You think anybody is going to lifted up and do it unless God’s purpose is in it? And I don’t see God’s purpose in anything like that right now because it’s not being revealed, nor has it been, nor has it been prepared and molded and fashioned. That would be obvious, to me, at least.

Sorry, but this is difficult in one respect because history just keeps repeating itself. It’s going to be that way and that’s hard to deal with. Because the smaller we get, you think, can we get it? Can we latch on to it with all of our being and correct what needs to be corrected and repent where we need to repent and just keep crying out to God for help? Because that’s what we have to do.

“But you must remain in/abide in/dwell in the things which you have learned and been assured of,” made trustworthy. Hmm. It’s been established. …knowing from whom you have learned them. First and foremost, from God’s apostle. It’s just the way it is. In the next series at some point we’re going to address some of those things and how God has worked through time and how God has worked with apostles, if you will, Herbert Armstrong or whatever, or myself. It doesn’t matter, it’s the way God’s spirit flows even within the Church.

Do you realize that everything that Herbert Armstrong gave to the Church, when he started talking about the two trees, as an example, if people didn’t latch on to that and seek “What can I learn from this? I want to understand. I want to see. I don’t want to just be hearing something and I’m hearing it again, the same thing,” because the reality was with God’s spirit people weren’t. They were being taught something different.

And so, to latch on to those things, to cry out for the ability to do those things, it’s so important that we do. Then to realize in one respect this is how God’s spirit flows to us in the Church big times, and the scriptures even say so. Because if you resist what is given? Anyone to resist anything that was given through Herbert Armstrong to the Church, they resisted God’s spirit, the flow of God’s spirit through God’s government, the way God teaches, molds, and fashions us.

Some people don’t like that and it’s like, “You’re a man. No man is going to tell me!” I heard that just recently in God’s Church. I remember hearing that back in 2013 from a minister. “No man is going to tell me. No one is going to tell me who I can fellowship with and who I can’t. If they’ve been disfellowshipped he’s not going to tell me that I can’t have fellowship with them.” I’m not the one telling you! I might have the message come through me, but it’s from God Almighty. He makes it very clear what we’re to do when someone is no longer a part of the Body and has been put out of the Body. We can make a choice whether we live by that or not.

And what do you think happens to an individual like that immediately? Well, it happened before they ever got to that point, candidly, because they started sinning long before that. That’s what comes to light.

The truths given to God’s Church through me in this time of a remnant Church cry out, speak loudly, yes, and witness mightily as to my ministry as God’s apostle. I have no problem saying that. A few years ago, I would have had a difficult time saying this because I don’t like it, and the focus isn’t about me. It’s about the job, it’s about the responsibility and how we see it and what we recognize then as how God works in our life, and that should be cried out aloud in a trumpet, truly, in our ears, truths.

So, reminded again and again and again and again, but these cry out, and if we don’t receive them and grasp that and understand that then it’s going to affect how we hear Sabbath-by-Sabbath-by-Sabbath. Because sometimes, brethren, I’m just telling you, we don’t hear. Our hearing is shut off. All around the world I hear these things where I know that the hearing gets shut off, and I’m crying out in the best way I know how that God has given to me the ability to do – through the inspiration and help of His spirit as well.

“That Christ has not eternally existed.” What an incredible thing. Where do you go? Do you believe that? Do you grasp that with all of your being? Are you convicted of that with all of your being and there is no doubt? “…but whose life began at human birth.” Because if we don’t believe that we don’t belong here. This isn’t for you. There is only one way that we can see these things and grasp these things, all these things I’m going to talk about here, as with all of God’s truths, and that’s to understand how God gave them to us, and if we don’t grasp how God gave them to us then we’re not taking as seriously the things that God gives Sabbath-by-Sabbath-by-Sabbath and I might as well shut up and stay at home (for some). But that’s not going to happen. Only God is going to stop this if it’s to stop, and if it’s to stop it’s for a purpose.

Another one: “That the Church has experienced the end-time Apostasy prophesied through the apostle Paul.” 2 Thessalonians 2, the man of sin, the son of perdition, all those things revealed. Who believes those things? Do other scattered groups out here? There was one that partially believed some of that for a time and thought that Joe Tkach was the man of sin. But then when he died it’s like, “Well, what do I do now? So, well, must be Joe Jr. He must be the man of sin and the son of perdition.” No, his father was.

“That as a result of the Apostasy the Church was spewed out of God’s mouth.” Just simple things. If during that 3½ years, if some would have been able to hear it when it came out. But sometimes people measure it by who it came through. “What does he know?” So, God calls people to His truth. Isn’t that an amazing thing? Not all were to hear it. Not all were to have their minds opened up to it except those that God awakens and then those God calls to bring into share in that, which is an awesome thing because it’s God’s work and God does it.

“That as a result of the Apostasy the Church was spewed out of God’s mouth. That the stones of the temple were cast down. That the eras of the Church have existed even up through the Apostasy.” We lost that in the Church through Laodicea! It wasn’t being taught anymore. People began to think, “Well, that was Herbert Armstrong’s idea.”

It’s true. Laodicea followed as soon as he died. Matter of fact, it was well on the scene before he did because he was crying out about it. “I wonder if 50% of you get it!” Then a few years later, “I wonder if 10% of you get it!” “Hope I’m one of the ten. Hope I’m one of the fifty that does. I want to see it.” Anyway.

“That Joshua is Christ’s name and that he is coming into our lives on a continual basis, not simply as a matter that he did come in the flesh or that he is coming again,” how those things are taken by everyone that’s scattered out there as a whole. Incredible. Where did they come from? From God. They didn’t come from me. Truth comes from God, but God uses apostles to teach truth in the Church, to establish, as we gave a moment ago, to establish it in the Church. There comes a time when things are established in God’s Church because God gives it.

And I’ve been worked with long enough to know how it works in my life and what I have to listen to, and when I have to make decisions and make choices. Ask my wife. She’ll testify to that many times over, or some of the others in the ministry. Because there are times I have to wait because God hasn’t made it clear in my mind yet, and until He does I do not want to be presumptuous and act on my own, but I wait on God. I know when He gives me something.

How can you explain an experience like that, like what we have when we’re first called and all of a sudden we see things and we know things and it’s in our mind? Then the danger comes sometimes and there are some to this day right now who think that certain things come into their mind that come from God separate from what God gives through His apostle that they can see, and they understand, and that God is working with them in a special way.

The way God’s working with all of us in a special way is through the power of His holy spirit that we’re able to hear what He gives to us. That’s how God works with us. That’s so simple, so basic. That’s what we should see and understand. Does that make sense? I sure hope it does.

So why did I go through this? Because there is one way that God establishes things in His Church, and we ought to be able to see that even more so then, to build upon that if we’re building properly Sabbath-by-Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day. And what are we hearing? Or do we insist upon hearing what we want to hear and choose from what we want to hear and decide what we want to think? Or do we want God to give us what we’re supposed to think, to think differently? So, what does that mean? To come into unity and oneness with what God gives us that should be in our minds and in our thinking, to get rid of this crappy world that’s out there!

And if you’re plugged into it, please get unplugged! Please! That’s why I cried out like I have during times of elections and times of different parties that come together and people begin to take sides in God’s Church. And I think, don’t do that! Please, don’t do that! You’re corrupting your mind because you’re thinking that something is right that’s out there! We can’t do that. We really can’t.

2 Timothy 1:6—Therefore, I am reminding you—Paul is talking to Timothy—to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Now, for him, for Timothy, it was a step beyond in the sense of a responsibility that had been given to him because of the ministry and the power of God’s spirit that is able to be received that helps someone do a function and a job as they learn to rely on God to help them in that process to be at one with what is being given to them through the government, through the Church, through the ministry on all the way through, to be of one mind, to do it the same way, to do it exactly that way and not deviate from it and to learn from that process as well. On and on it goes.

But this is a part of that process because God gives extra help in those situations to fulfill that kind of service, and that’s why I have often tried to give a kind of warning, if you will, an admonition to those who are ordained, to those who serve in the ministry concerning this matter because so often in working with situations and individuals God will give you the extra help you need to carry out that function. Because of that sometimes you see things that not everybody sees, and candidly, in many cases don’t see.

That’s why I make comment that there are things I know that God has given me for an overview of the Church and what I rely upon from a faithful ministry to give me those things that I need to see so that I can have that overview of the Church. If individual ministers don’t do that then shame on you, and your judgment is not nice if you don’t repent of that. Because it’s going to come from God, not from me.

That process then that I rely upon, that God’s Church and the welfare and the strength of God’s Church relies upon, there are things that are given. Seeing one thing here and another thing from there and then God gives and in His time to see a picture of something that I could go out and change, and sometimes have to address, but the timing of those, I rely upon God. God leads and guides and directs me in that.

So, he’s telling Timothy to stir up the gift of God. How do you do that? Draw closer to God, cry out to God, fast, pray, pray every day, do what you need to do to keep focused, to be reminded of the focus you need to have every day. On and on it goes.

…which is in you through the laying on of my hands. So, for all of us in the Church we have that which we can stir up that we receive through the laying on of hands of the ministry. We receive the impregnation of God’s holy spirit. He wants to continually give us of His holy spirit, to continually come into our lives day-by-day-by-day. But it’s our choice to abide in that.

What does that mean? We have to make the choice as to whether or not we’re going to abide in everything that God gives to us – primarily from here. That’s how we’re judged, by the truth that’s given to us and by how we respond to it and by how we seek to become at one with it.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear. Fearful to do this, fearful to do that, maybe because of something that’s been given as a directive, as a guidance within the Church, but a reliance and a trust in God because of how it came to us, that, “Well, this is from God. I know where it came from and I’m going to live by that. Whatever happens, I’m not going to live by fear and other thinking and other thoughts because I know how God molds and fashions us.”

…but of power. And that, when it’s using the word, it’s talking about God’s spirit and how. This word is used in a very powerful way throughout scripture and the New Testament is a matter of how God teaches us, that He manifests to us through what we hear because of what He’s given in inspiration to teach us. That’s the power.

All the truths I just gave. Power of God’s spirit to reveal, God’s spirit to help us then to see if we desire to be at one, and our ability then to come into oneness and be of the same mind and the same spirit. Choices. Awesome!

…but of power, our ability to hear then what He gives to us Sabbath-by-Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day. There’s a lot of power in that. But sometimes we resist that. We resist that that God is offering to us. …and of love, because that’s what comes from that, unity and oneness, the ability to see things, to be able to receive of the love of God in our minds and be able to love one another more fully, more completely. God’s love able to live and dwell in us. You can’t do it yourself.

…and of a sound mind. Lucifer made a choice where he corrupted his mind. That’s why it started back up, that we read earlier, he corrupted his thinking, he corrupted his mind. Individuals who have been called into God’s Church have ended up corrupting their minds and can no longer receive the truth, can no longer hear the truth, and go by the wayside by choice.

The ability to have a sound mind. That is so lacking in the world today I marvel. I marvel just at the parties, the two parties in this country, and how they make the kind of choices and decisions and stances that they make political. If one does one thing the other has to do the opposite and they have to rally behind that. That’s how they function. That’s not of God, it’s of Satan. It’s not of God’s spirit, it’s of human nature that’s corrupt, selfish, “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life.” “I see it this way and it has to be this way! And if you don’t see it the same way you’re just weird, something is wrong with you. There is no hope.”

I heard an individual, and he was talking about how it was just almost unthinkable that we have to live in a world with people who think that way! Speaking of the other party. “Why do they have to be here?” That’s basically what he was saying, “Why do they exist to make our life miserable?” Well, if they were gone you’d eventually have two more parties, two parties. Because eventually, one party can’t get along either. So, where does it end? That’s the world for you. It sucks. Because it’s not of God.

Only what is of God can work, and if we’re not careful we begin to listen and we begin to take sides with what different ones are saying. Or how about the different (so-called) medical professionals out there? Or the (so-called) scientists out there. Everyone has a mindset that is tainted, prejudice. You think that people don’t take sides in what they’re pushing? You’re nuts. If you don’t see and understand that, if you don’t grasp the motivation of individuals in this world and why they say what they do?

Every news station out there around the world, Al Jazeera, RT, China, I don’t care where it is, BBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and on it goes. They all have their prejudice. Every last one of them. Every individual who speaks on those things has their own prejudice. Everyone that has a podcast out there has their own prejudice, has their own ideas, their own beliefs. If you get sucked into those things, God have mercy on you. If you don’t cut it off, you’re going to be gone.

What a horrible thing to live up to this point in time and then lose it all. We can’t afford that as God’s people. Shut it out. Shut it off. Do we hear or do we think, “Well, that’s your opinion”? I’ll just tell you clearly it’s from God Almighty, the Great God of the universe who has made me an apostle. Joshua the Christ has made me an apostle for the Church at this time. If we don’t hear that, I can’t help you. I cannot help you. Why? Because God can’t help you because you resist His spirit.

Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner. Some in times past, the only understanding they had was, well, he’s in bondage to Christ. No, it’s because he was a prisoner. That’s what it means. Because he had to be taken to Rome and had to be bound and then have centurions there until he was taken care of, basically, in time. This is a part of the story of Paul’s life, what happened to Paul.

What do you think it’s talking about when it talks about “Don’t be ashamed?” There were people in God’s Church who were ashamed because I went to a prison camp for three years. They couldn’t take it. They couldn’t take the barrage of things coming from other people. “Look what he did!” “Just read it in the paper; read it online. Look what they did with all that money!” Amazing. I wish I knew what to do with all of it, candidly, but it’s not mine, it’s God’s and God will take care of it.

So, there were those who were ashamed. Didn’t want to be associated with that. That was the same thing with Christ. I mean, that’s what we all learn from. That’s what Paul learned from. That’s what every one of us has to learn from. We have to suffer in this world. We have things where people don’t like us. They really hate what we believe. They truly do. They hate what we believe. They don’t understand. They can’t help it. We understand that. We can’t hold that against them because they haven’t been called yet. So, we deal with that and we’re forgiving because of that. Incredible.

There were those because of what happened to Christ, he brought eleven disciples and then added another one to that who had always been with them to be the twelfth apostle. But the reality is looking at some of those things they went through, many stopped following. Yet there were many more whom God was working with to start the Church. But it talked about thousands who came together at Jerusalem and were crying out about the one who had come, a descendant of David, the King, the Messiah. Then after he was dead it’s like, “Well, that idea sure went down the toilet,” or whatever they had over there. It wasn’t a toilet.

Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings. What does that mean? We’ve all been called to go through things that aren’t pleasant. We’ve all been called to understand what it’s like, to live through and grasp what we choose to hold on to, because we have to fight for it, and to understand that others, they can’t help it and they’re going to hold on to something different. They truly are.

We suffer. It’s a part of our calling. It wasn’t meant to be easy. So, we have problems with relatives, we have problems sometimes in family, sometimes on the job, sometimes with neighbors, whatever it might be because they don’t see what you believe. After a while you kind of become a pain to them because you think differently, and it’s like, well, you can be disowned. I’ve had that happen too in big ways.

We go through those things. But you stand firm for what is right, you stand tall in God’s Church for what is true. You learn how to do that even more and more and more. “I believe what I believe, and this is the way it is. If you can’t handle it, I’m sorry, but this is what I’m doing. This is the way I’m walking.” People have to pick their own choices then, whether they want to be friendly to us or whatever. Not believing what we believe, but to be friendly. That’s everyone else’s choice. That’s not in your control, and you can’t compromise. We’re tested in those things.

But share with me in the sufferings for the gospel, the truth, the good news. Everything that we grasp and know about God’s plan. …according to the power of God. That which is given to us in the mind that we see and understand because we receive what God gives to us when He gives it to us. We grow in it as He continues to give us those things to grow in, truth.

…who has saved us and called us with a holy calling. As far as God is concerned it’s already complete. It’s complete the moment He calls us. As far as God is concerned you are to be in Elohim. But then we have to start making choices – whether we’ll even go to Sabbath services, whether we’ll begin to tithe when we see it. Because large numbers of people only make it that far. They never make it into the fellowship even.

Then others once they’re baptized, then they have to make decisions all the way through their life, through all the suffering, through all the trials that come their way to see where you are, to see if you really want God, to see if you’re really putting God first and you treasure what He’s placed before you and that you’re living by exactly what you declared at baptism. “This is dead. Self is dead as far as I’m concerned, and it is Yours to do with as You will. Thank you for that, to be a part of Your will.”

To be called to serve God, to help God, to grow in the truth, to be able to have things in the future that we can’t even begin to grasp but we hold on to. That’s what everyone who’s gone before us, who is spoken of in Hebrews and throughout scripture has done. Awesome!

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling; not according to our works. Not because of who we are. Not because of how good we were and did things. On the contrary. As a whole, He’s called the weak of the world. Sometimes we don’t see ourselves that way. We think we’re better. Everybody tends to think they’re better.

There was a license plate down south I used to hate when I’d see it. It was tags on the back of a vehicle, a vehicle that’s barely together, a vehicle that’s almost totally rusted out and you wonder how it even is able to be on the road, allowed to be on the road. Did I mention the rust? Then it’s like this matter of “Po’ and proud of it!” It’s like I work once a week and the rest of the week I smoke and do drugs with my friends.” That’s how people live life a lot of times.

People are finding it harder and harder to find people to work because a lot of them, especially in certain areas of life, they can’t get them because they get a paycheck, and be careful when you give them a paycheck. It’s too bad you can’t just pay them once a year. That’s what happens, they get a weekly paycheck and then they go out and start drinking and partying and smoking and whatever else they can think of because that’s the way of the world. You can’t find people to work.

The ones who will work are the ones who have sacrificed so much. Then I know there’s a problem in some of that as far as parties and government. But that big old wall, they find a way around it. You’ve got to respect people who are willing to work, have families and are willing to sacrifice to the degree they do. And they work. I respect that with all my being, I really do. I understand the problem with some of that and the ability to take care of within a nation and yet the problem is way beyond them. It’s in, as far as the government is concerned.

But if it wasn’t for that there would be a lot of people that wouldn’t have businesses out here. I’ve talked to some. They wouldn’t have businesses because they wouldn’t have people they could depend upon to keep their business going. Try to find workers? So many of us in this country growing up in society today are lazy, lazy, lazy and it’s like this thing because of smoking marijuana, “It doesn’t affect your mind, man.”

I beg to differ. I knew somebody in college, first time I started learning that. He went to drugs. People even back then would say, “It doesn’t affect you. It doesn’t hurt your mind. It’s okay today; join in with us.” Then you see a change in their personality. They’re strange. They’re strange acting. They’re slow moving. They’re just a little slow. They’re getting slower. It’s a weird thing to experience in a friend that’s close to you, and you see this shift in their ability to function. Sick world we’re in, it really is.

We need the Kingdom of God so dearly, so mightily right now. We truly do. We’re just going down the old “crapper.” It was called that at one time. It was called “the crapper” because that was the guy’s name. Right? He was from England, Mr. Crapper. It’s fine because that was his name and that’s kind of how it got some of that. So, people will say, “What did he say?!”

…not according to our works. Not because of how we think we are or how good we are, how good we think we were and why we were called. You think, no, God just had mercy upon us, and I don’t understand it but thank God for it. …but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Joshua before time began. In other words, God’s had a plan to call people into at various stages His Family to begin the growth process.

Verse 10—But has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Joshua the Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light. Something we can begin to take for granted. “Oh yeah, I know that. I’ve heard that,” and not be moved by it.

…brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle—that’s what Paul was saying—and a teacher of the nations. The word “gentiles” is used but as opposed to having being part of the twelve who went to Israel in that respect, but here to the other nations. Paul understood his calling and his apostleship.

…appointed a preacher, an apostle, a teacher of the nations, as distinct from Israel. For this reason I also suffer these things, nevertheless, I’m not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. What an awesome thing to understand our life is in God’s hands. What a beautiful thing.

Verse 13—Hold fast the form, meaning “the sketch, the outline” that God has given to us. And candidly, it just gets filled in more and more and more. I think of that picture Mr. Herbert Armstrong talked about. So, that outline, that sketch, as in an example of sound words. So, where does soundness come from? It comes from God. Because it’s not in the world. You can’t get it by tuning into CNN or FOX News or whatever podcast or whatever other radio program that might be out there and someone that’s talking, and people begin to listen to it.

Hold fast the form of sound words which you have heard from me. Awesome! That’s what he was telling Timothy. That’s what he would tell the Church. Same thing. That’s the same principle. …in faith and love which are in Christ Joshua. That good thing which was committed to you. So, what’s been committed to us? God’s word, God’s truth. It just goes on and on depending on the period of time we’re called, whether it was back in Philadelphia, whether it was back in Laodicea when we were called and our minds were opened up to the truth that we received through God’s apostle, or whether it be in this time now where God has added more and given us more.

“That good thing which was committed to you.” What’s been committed to us? Every Sabbath something is committed to us. Every Holy Day something is committed to us. God’s word, God’s truth.

Keep… Keep! Keep it. Keep by/through the holy spirit that dwells in you. Because that’s the only way you can keep the truth. Because as soon as people start going off base they start losing it. We have some individuals right now that this is going to happen to. Every year I could say this and it’s true.

There will be individuals who have already started this process, who are not keeping what has been given to them, and because of that they’re not able to receive from God’s spirit what is being given because the mind, the eyes, the sight begins to be foggy, and they begin to lose what they had. I already know of some who are starting to lose. I hope and pray… But that’s a personal choice. I can’t go out and tell you who you are. I say it from here. Who has ears to hear will hear it, who has eyes to see will see it, and that’s from God, and that depends on everyone’s relationship with God Almighty, not with me.

Keep through the holy spirit that dwells in us. Because there are going to be some who aren’t with us at next year’s Feast, nor live on into the Millennium, nor if some were to give up their crown, which I hope there is no one in that, because if there is, well, then there are others being worked with because God already knows it and is preparing them for a sealing to take their place.

This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me. This has happened through time. He’s not talking to the world. He’s not talking out there to the world. He’s talking to the Church of God and what’s happened in the Church of God even his time, and he’s saying, “That those in Asia, you already know, Timothy, they’ve turned from me.” How many? We don’t know. Hundreds? Thousands? We really don’t know.

This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among who are Phygellus and Hermogenes, so, different ways of pronouncing it. So, in the Church, but not in the Church now because these are the ones and most likely ministers and it had an effect upon others out there, because that’s why he mentions them, and they’ve had an effect upon the Churches that are out there, and so they’ve all turned and gone that way, whatever way they were teaching. Like has happened for so long.

Verse 16—The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, or chains, confinement, his house arrest. Others were. So very possibly those in Asia use that as a pretext to say, “Well, look, if God was with him would he really be over there? God would have intervened, so you have to be careful what Paul said because this really isn’t true, what he had to say. This is really what should have been said.” And slowly but surely you know what happens? People start changing and they start gravitating to something else that someone else is blabbing, you know, puking out of their mouth that’s opposite of what God gives.

So, he’s making it clear here Onesiphorus received him. He’s been there through times past, “Been there to help me, refresh me,” to whatever degree and whatever all that means. But Timothy knew. “Not ashamed of my chains,” in essence.

But when he arrived in Rome… “Confinement.” It’s really a word for “confinement.” But when he arrived in Rome he sought me out very zealously and found me. What an incredible thing! Go to Rome and look for someone. You don’t have their address. It’s not like, well, let’s get on the internet and look this up. Google, where is Paul? What house address? So, he had to be zealous. I mean, the whole city of Rome and he’s going to go find Paul, where he’s confined, where there are centurions.

Probably even had to go through some hoops to get in and talk to him. Kind of like what some have to do when other things happen to some people. “Where were you born? Bring your birth certificate. Passport. Are you of this country?” I’m sorry.

So, incredible what he was telling them here about his confinement, what had taken place, and how this individual sought him out very zealously. That’s what the word means. “It took a lot of work and he found me.” The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know very well how many ways he ministered (served). So, Timothy was aware of this and so he’s telling him, “Have this in mind.” Why? Because Paul couldn’t go out there and mix with anyone and work with different areas anymore. Timothy had this job. Timothy had to go out there and continue with what Paul had given in various Churches and so forth.

2 Timothy 2:1—You, therefore, my son—again, now continuing on—be strong in the grace that is in Christ Joshua. It’s said to all of us. That’s our choice, to be strong in the grace, the mercy, the patience that God gives to us, and understand that, that we’re so undeserving. We’re undeserving but have been blessed to receive it through forgiveness of sin, through the ability to see the truth and then choose to live by it, to choose to live by what we hear Sabbath-by-Sabbath-by-Sabbath. By making that choice we live by faith and God attributes that to us for righteousness, because we’re not. What an awesome thing! What an incredible thing!

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men. Timothy had a job to do, to go out and commit it to others who would serve in the Church in the ministry. That’s what he’s talking about. To serve, to help, who are of the same mind, to seek that out and to do that.

…who will be able to teach others also. Seek them out. Find them. They’re there. God has supplied them.

And so, faithful. Why? How? Because they’re of the same mind, because they have that unity of spirit, because there are certain things that you can see and learn from and understand and holding fast to what had been given to them. That’s how you’re able to know things. It’s the mind. It’s the same mind. It doesn’t take a whole lot of conversation to come to a point where you know the level of the same mind.

That’s why sometimes people don’t grasp and comprehend, they find fault with, and familiarity breeds contempt, in God’s Church. And if we’re not careful we’ll begin to judge things from a physical plane. That’s why I’ve told some in the ministry in times past why certain individuals, some will say it’s, well, what is that word for if it’s in the same family? Nepotism.

“Nepotism. Here we go again. Garner Ted.” Then his other son, Richard. And on we go, and not understanding. Well, we really don’t understand, because in that case if they see nepotism as a reason why some have been ordained and so forth in the sense of family, they don’t grasp me, they don’t see and understand me. Because I hold individuals to a high standard. If they don’t live by it, I have no qualms about getting rid of them no matter who they are. I strive to live by that principle that it isn’t a matter of respecter of persons, it’s a matter of what God has blessed in the mind to see and to understand.

That’s why I’ve made comments in times past about one who is a prophet who lives in Europe, that she’s there because she has greater understanding than all who are in the ministry under her. Sometimes I read certain things she has written… She? Who’s that? She’s going to be embarrassed to death probably—but how I hear myself, and I know where it came from. It wasn’t from her; it’s from God Almighty because it’s of the spirit and of that mind. I know where that mind comes from, it comes from God.

God gives those things, that thinking, that mind, the ability to see and grasp and understand spiritual principles. God alone is the one who does that.

Then another one who is an evangelist. I’ll just say it. There are things that God has given. God tends to work through families. And you know what? I’m very thankful for that. There’s a lot of comfort in that. There’s a lot of peace in that. And they know me. Oh, do they know me. The good and the bad.

But the more individuals know and when they see God and this is from God, and take it in that vein, that’s a very humbling thing, very powerful, too.

But we’ve had those in the Church who have done that and say, “Oh, look at this.” Or “He was their friend, or she was their friend so this is why this is going on. It’s just the same old thing that’s always existed in God’s Church.” I think, “Give me a break!” Wake up! I didn’t mean to go there.

Give it to faithful men. You, therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Joshua the Christ. We all do. But in this case Timothy more than I would say at that time, with Paul more than anyone else. He had a fight in front of him because of where Paul was and what he had to go out from area to area to address. Two letters written specifically to him for admonition, guidance, and direction from God Almighty, from God’s apostle to Timothy.

You, therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Joshua the Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life. That’s not just Timothy, that’s every once of us. And so, if we’re not careful we get caught up in what the world is doing and what the world is saying. I don’t want to say his name, but I do – that doctor. I think he’s supposed to be a doctor – that flip flops all the time. People lift him up like a god because he knows everything about Covid and masks and when one side got tired of him the other side started using him and it’s just no end to the stuff! I’m sorry. I’m so sick of this world and how people, how human nature works, and the lies, the lies and the deception and the hurting of people that takes place, and if anyone gets caught up in that stuff you don’t understand you’re on your way out! What a horrifying thing! Hit the brakes and divorce yourself from such stuff.

“No one engaged in warfare!” Do we grasp we are at war in God’s Church? It has never ended from the time you were called. But sometimes we don’t grasp the seriousness of that, and we get lulled into sleep and then we have something like Laodicea. That’s happened to every one of us in Laodicea, and so much, obviously, has from what comes through the system. Thank God He’s corrected that.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself/herself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him, God and Christ, who enlisted him as a soldier. God called us, delivered us to Christ, the Body of Christ, to fight for what has been given to the Church, for what He, God Almighty has given, what Christ has given. Christ is the one that guides and directs the Church. Awesome to understand that.

Even has anyone who competes in athletics. They are not crowned unless they compete according to the rules. Hmm. We run a race, we fight a fight, but there are rules, there are guidelines, there are admonitions that are given to the Church. That’s how we must see it and understand how God is working with us Sabbath-by-Sabbath-by-Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day.

There is no other way you receive those things except by Sabbath-by-Sabbath-by-Sabbath, Holy Day to Holy Day, and things that are written for us to digest and then decide what is true. “Is that true? Is that true? Do I believe that? Am I convicted of that?”

The vinedresser who works must be first to partake of the fruits. God is to be first and He’s called us to succeed, to produce fruit, and then it goes on through the Body.

Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

I’m going to take a little more time because I want to get through one little section here. I’m determined to move this forward.

It now needs to be repeated what was said earlier just before we went through the scriptures of 2 Timothy about how God leads us, teaches us, and the importance of the role of an apostle. I hope we grasp that. More is going to be said about that as we continue on through this or especially in the next series as well. God wants us to see it, be sobered by it.

So, here was the statement again that was made, “Looking at fellowship this past year and then our ability to come together as we did at the Feast a lot was said about the matter of Covid and how it has been a tool to try, test, and refine us individually and as a Body, the Body of Christ. It’s also revealed the depth to which we see how God is working in our lives to lead us.”

We’re going to continue to build upon that because God has given that charge to do so, to continue to feed and focus on this, to give to the Church because we need to see it. Because we all have certain things here, things that you don’t know yet, that you need to focus upon to see and understand your response to everything that’s taken place.

So, amazing this little, really… I was going to say… much smaller; I can’t even get my fingers that small, of what gets into our system, this thing called Covid that’s still going around and changing and still going around and driving us all nuts. I’m sick of it. I hope you’re all sick of it. I think the world is sick of it.

So again, much has been said about Covid and the spiritual spinoff that came from something so physical. I can’t help but think of the thing of make-up. Something so physical to reveal so much about where we are. Again, we need to address how we’re going forward as a Church in dealing with this.

I’m going to state some things about this, about what I stated before the Feast, about anyone being able to attend the Feast, and this is for the sake of the health of the Body and that we don’t have what so many of the other groups out there experienced this year when it spread throughout the congregations.

Concerning this question of how to address the matter of those who have had the shot and the jab – and be so very careful how you judge on both sides. There are things sometimes you don’t know and don’t understand.

There have been some different options considered about where we go moving forward. And so, this is for the Church to understand. One option considered was that no one would be able to fellowship on the Sabbath without a Covid shot or jab. I had to consider those things and pray to God about them because I have to know where to go next. It was considered, however, that was rejected. And so, that’s not being required in order to attend services.

Then it was considered that wherever Laura and I visit that those who attend, because there are more that generally come in, would need to have the shot if they wanted to attend those services. That too has been rejected. We’re really not concerned about our health. We’re in God’s hands. I don’t know how to make that any plainer.

Then, finally, the last thing that was considered that seemed the most likely was that on all Holy Day gatherings, including Passover, that anyone who would attend would need to have the shot or the jab, considering the importance of Passover and fellowship in the Body of Christ speaks volumes and cries out loudly as to what should be so really very clear to each and every one of us. Overall, this too has been rejected. Okay?

I will say, however, that for next year’s Feast the same thing has to exist. Okay? Because we have far more coming together in different locations around the world and to be able to attend those. But other Holy Days and so forth, it’s not going to be required at all, okay? There are all kinds of situations out here. Some having to do with certain health things and those each individual has to address on their own. Be careful what you judge and how you judge. On it goes.

So, after considering all these options through much prayer about the issue, it’s now been determined that overall we’re putting Covid to sleep. I wish we had the ability to really put it to sleep, but we don’t. Some of the arguments that go around sometimes, they’re so stupid. “Well, look at all these people that have had it already and they’re sick and there are some going to the hospital and some die.”

I shouldn’t have to go through that. I shouldn’t have to explain the differences of things that are taking place out here and how many people have been helped that otherwise would be dead, situations that it was never meant to be an absolute preventative 100% for everybody that you would never get Covid again or that you wouldn’t have to go to a hospital. But overall, what people as a whole— As a whole! —are experiencing is an ability to be able to conquer it more easily and not have to end up in ICU or wherever as much of a percentage wise by huge percentage.

But I have to say it because there are those that throw it out there and say, “Yeah, but what about ‘this?’” I really don’t care! I have to go by what I believe (and I believe it was very deeply) what God has given to me to give to the Church for the purpose of our well-being and concern about the Church and attacks that are easily able to come upon the Church, that do continue to come upon the Church, that there is a being out there who would like to jump on certain things given a chance. So, trying to prevent any opportunity for that kind of stupidity to give him ability to do that.

God is blessing us with help to deal with those things ahead of time. That’s exactly what’s taking place.

So, again, it will be required before next year’s Feast of Tabernacles. So, to attend this coming fall or spring in the southern hemisphere, if you will, all must have had the jab, the shot for Covid in order to attend—I’m going to add in there—Trumpets and Atonement. Because there’s a little bit of this that likely happened this year because some had certain symptoms, some things were transferred that we should have prevented at that point in time.

So, the requirement is for any of the Holy Days in the fall because the reality is that there is time to pass something along, and it’s just God allows some of those things for us to learn from. That’s why they’re there. That’s why they happen. Any time something happens in the Church of God, you can learn from it. Why? Because God is here. God works with us all and there’s something always, always, always to learn from this. Awesome!

So, I hope indeed that we learn what’s being spoken and what’s being given and that we all come into unity because we’re convicted of unity and of God’s spirit, and not just doing it for the wrong reasons, to whatever. Every individual has to think about that because there are some out there that need to think about that.

So, with that we’ll continue on. I’m not sure whether it’ll be Part 3 (I think it will be) next Sabbath.