In July’s monthly member letter this year, I bemoaned the leadership problems in the world today.   I mentioned that “Good, true and godly leadership is what this world of ours is crying out for”.    You might say that this editorial is an addendum to that letter where generalisations were made, but without giving any specifics.

This train of thought was helped when I received an e-mail with some comments by Jeff Foxworthy, an American comedian, television and radio personality and author.   His piece was headed “A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots” (his wording, not mine).  He was talking about the USA but it could easily apply to the UK and many other countries.   In this he said, and for brevity I will only list three of a number of absurdities that he listed:

·  If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

·  If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more…

·  If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched…

And then he finishes up by saying “How about we give God a reason to continue blessing America!”   I think that we have long since passed that time.

On June 10th 2013, the New York Times reported that “The Obama administration has decided to stop trying to block over-the-counter availability of the best-known morning-after contraceptive pill for all women and girls, a move fraught with political repercussions for President Obama.”   The article went on to say: “In its letter to the court, the Justice Department outlined the procedural steps that the F.D.A. plans to take. It said the maker of Plan B One-Step, Teva Pharmaceuticals, has been asked to ‘promptly’ file an application asking for no age or sales restrictions, and that the ‘F.D.A. will approve it without delay.’”

That means that any female (irrespective of age) will be able to buy this pill thus encouraging and increasing illegitimate sexual conduct and abortions, which are abominations to the great God.

Another nonsense is the supposed re-defining of marriage.   The traditional definition is “The formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.”   Now our leadership wants this to include homosexuals and lesbians and is pursuing this vigorously.   With leadership like this, it is little wonder that countries are experiencing sky rocketing problems.

What I’ve mentioned today is not even the tip of the iceberg.   You will probably know, as well as I do, that there is very much more that could be said about anti-God, perverse and ridiculous legislation that turns common sense on its head and makes wrong seem right and bad seem good.  It oozes out of government, national and local, at every opportunity.   We read this in Isaiah 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”  Woe to them indicates that the future will not be bright for those who promote or engage in such activities.

We have just kept the Feast of Tabernacles which pictures the coming reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.   Then there will be no leadership problems at all.   But until then, in this world, do we have leadership problems?   There’s proof galore for those with eyes to see and ears to hear!

As we head out from our homes to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, we have been given a promise to ensure our peace of mind. God said, “For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord” (Exodus 34:19 NAS).

We travel in a world whose inhabitants are increasingly more distrustful of each other. Relying on God’s Promise requires an ample amount of faith. That kind of faith requires us to be practicing a way of life—practicing Christianity. If we are expecting God to take care of our possessions, are we likewise fulfilling God’s expectations of us?

We are lights to this world! If we aren’t illuminating all of the dark shadowy places we encounter, then who will? We must always have a Godly attitude—sometimes manifested as a smile to a stranger.

In 1 Samuel 2:1 we read of this attitude. “And Hannah prayed and said: ‘My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.'” Continuing in verse 3, “’Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.’” 

God is judging us by weighing the actions of our daily lives. During the next few weeks we have the opportunity to practice this wonderful way of life, especially to those who are blind and living in darkness. If in fact, it is imperative that we do so, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what so you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?” (Matthew 5:46-47). 

We will leave lasting impressions to people we come in contact with during this festival season. Let’s be especially diligent that those impressions point people towards God’s way of life!

At this time of the year, just prior to attending the Feast of Tabernacles, our minds tend to be focused on all the physical preparations which need to be done. If we are traveling by car, we want to ensure the tires and brakes are in good condition; that the oil is changed, and also taking care of any minor repairs that need to be done, so that we can make it safely to the Feast site.

We want to be certain that our clothes are clean, and we try to think of all the things we will need while being at the Feast.

We can get a bit bogged down with all the physical  preparations and in one sense develop a Martha syndrome.

When Christ was visiting Mary and Martha, Mary was sitting at Christ’s feet, listening to what He had to say, absorbing and drinking in the spiritual food, while Martha was busy with physical preparations. She was pre-occupied with all the physical things which she felt had to be done, and her sister was not helping her.

Now let us look at Luke 10:38-42 to see how Christ evaluated the situation:

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’

“And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”

Physical preparations are important,  but Mary had her priorities straight .

I recall about twenty-five years ago when we were expecting to have company and I was busy cleaning and dusting prior to the guests’ arrival, that my wife Delia said to me: “Don’t worry about a little bit of dust, what will they remember after leaving here? That they saw a little dust on the furniture or that they had a good time?”

There is an important lesson to be learned in what Christ said in regard to the spiritual things Mary was focused on. 

We need to prepare physically to attend the Feast,  but more importantly, we need to be prepared mentally and in good health to take in the  spiritual food that will be presented at the Feast. There will be more than eleven main messages plus sermonettes, as well as a Bible study–a banquet of spiritual food which is supposed to last and sustain us for close to six months until the spring Holy Days. And when we choose that good part, it will not be taken away from us.

Did you know the King James Version of the Bible contains 66 books, 1,189 chapters, 31,102 verses, and 788,258 words? The longest book is Psalms, with 150 chapters and 42,704 words. The shortest book is 2 John, with 1 chapter and only 294 words.

The Bible is not simply “a book”. It is a miraculously-preserved LIBRARY, bursting with stories, facts, and instructions. It covers virtually every topic imaginable: history, geography, cosmology, the origin of languages, the origin of nations, medicine, agriculture, relationships, law, life, health, death, resurrection, and eternity. One could spend every waking hour studying the Bible and still not understand it all.

So what is it all about?

Despite the immense span of time and topics it addresses, there is simplicity to the Bible that’s easy to forget. Paul feared that some might forget it (2 Corinthians 11:3).  It is simply this: the Bible—God’s Word—is about a Way of life. It is about THE Way of life. The one and only Way (John 14:6)  that leads to health, happiness, peace, joy, and, of course, to everlasting life (2 Timothy 3:15).

What does the Bible say God requires of us? It’s simple. He requires that we live a certain Way of life (Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Micah 6:8).

Why were the stories, sorrows, and successes of ancient people recorded in the Bible? It’s simple. They were recorded as examples, to teach us the right Way to live, and warn us about the consequences of living the wrong way (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).

Christ said many things in the Old and New Testament (see our booklet, “Jesus Christ–A Great Mystery!”). When asked what was the greatest commandment in ALL the Law, what did Christ say? He said there are two:

First, in Matthew 22:37,  “…YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.”

Second, in Matthew 22:39,  “…YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Twenty seven simple words, in English. Words on which Christ said “…hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

When all the prophesies of the Bible have been fulfilled, and other physical things have ceased, what will remain?  Paul tells us that God’s Way of humble, patient, kind love will remain, and will never, ever cease (1 Corinthians 13:4-10).

What will also remain, if we are counted worthy, will be the godly character God is building in us. Character forged through a lifetime of living His Way of give, instead of get. A life of heartfelt service to (John 13:14-15), and sacrifice for others (1 John 3:16-18; Romans 12:1), even for our enemies (Luke 6:27-36). That’s the Way Christ lived (Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:8). It’s how we must live, also (1 John 2:6, 28-29). There is no other Way to eternal life. It’s that simple.

So what is the most fundamental and important message of the Bible–the conclusion of the matter–as Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)?  It is simply this: God is calling us to the Way of life. He tells us that we MUST constantly grow in this Way. A simple, beautiful, pure, perfect Way OF life, and TO eternal life.

That’s what the Bible is about. It is speaking to US. And it is saying, “THIS is the Way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

I recently found an old book containing several scholarly articles on the topic of theology and science. I don’t recall ever reading much more than the title of the book, but at that moment I became curious and browsed through the articles written within it to see if there was anything interesting to read. I picked out one of the articles that captured my curiosity and casually began reading it. Before I had a chance to stop myself, I had read the entire article. I have to admit that a lot of the ideas presented were over my head, but there were some points made by the author that captured my interest, in large part because they were consistent with the teaching of the Bible.

The article that I read touched on a nuance of the creationist argument of intelligent design. The basic premise of intelligent design is that since the world has a design, it must mean that there is a designer. This article examined the interpretation of design in the world by asking a simple question; even when a design might be apparent, how can we know that the world actually is designed without knowing the intention of the creator? The observed world might appear to be designed, just as accidental paint splatters may form a pattern, but that doesn’t mean that we understand the purpose and intention of the designer. One of the conclusions made by the article is that we can only know if the world really is designed if we know that there is a purpose behind it, even if the purpose can only be understood by God. Whether the author is right or not, the idea of knowing God’s purpose begs the question — how can we understand the things that only God can understand?

This question about how we can understand the things of God is what stimulated my interest the most, and genuinely made me excited. To many people in the world, it really is impossible to understand the things of God. However, the Bible tells us how the knowledge of God is attainable. 1 Corinthians 2:11 explains this quite elegantly, “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” The fact that God’s purpose and intentions may be known and understood with the help of His Holy Spirit living in us is very powerful. The human capacity to research and understand the world around us is limited, and falls completely short when trying to describe reasons why the world works the way it does. However, with the help of the Holy Spirit, God’s purpose may be known.

And what a glorious purpose God has for the world! The Bible clearly reveals that God’s great plan involves bringing converted Christians into His Family to inherit the Kingdom of God (compare Ephesians 1:4-5, 11). The words in the Bible are easy enough to read, but grasping what they mean and what to do with the information requires thinking and behaving in a way that conforms to God’s law, which is spiritual, but is contrary to the carnal ways of the world. Our minds must be renewed if we want to understand the Will of God (Romans 12:2). It is exciting to know that the ability to understand God’s purpose is within our grasp if we allow the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide our decisions. It is even greater to know that His purpose involves each of us individually.

The world will continue to argue about the nature of creation, the meaning of life, the reasons for existence, but without God’s understanding, any conclusions will be incomplete and wrong. It truly is a gift to know that the most valuable knowledge available to man is simple to obtain. For those who are called now and who will be called in the future, God’s understanding is available by repenting, believing, accepting the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and allowing His Holy Spirit to shape our thinking.

Christianity in its beginning was called, simply, “the Way,” and this a reference mentioned several times in the Book of Acts (compare Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). Acts 18:25 speaks of “the way of the Lord,” and in verse 26, “the way of God.”

Time and again, Christians are encouraged—in fact, commanded—to behave in the same fashion as Jesus Christ did. Paul went so far as to use this as a standard for himself in his ministry when he sought to teach others, saying, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

We find that Paul consistently taught that Jesus Christ was the example he followed and the example for all Christians:

“Therefore I urge you, imitate me. For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:16-17).

Additionally, Paul teaches, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1). The New Testament also uses the word “godliness” to describe how Christians should live their lives (compare 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:11).

Being able to live in this manner testifies to our conversion and to whether or not we are truly overcoming sin. Most of you who read our Updates are to one degree or another interested in the subject of Christianity. But Christianity is not a mere curiosity; it is a life-changing way of living. It isn’t a part-time endeavor; rather, this Way is an all-consuming commitment to obey and love God, “‘with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37).

So by this standard, how do you judge yourself?

Looking back at your life, how many times do you feel that God led you to choose or not to choose a certain course of action? And how many times did you act against your better judgment, only to realize later that you should have followed your “instincts” or your “first impression”? 

Do you sometimes feel today that you are being motivated to do or not to do something, without fully knowing as to why that is? If you truly know God and are close to Him, you will experience that you are being directed in certain ways, and it is always good to carefully listen to and consider that guidance.

This has nothing to do with superstition—it is in fact God who is leading you and working in your life. In Luke 2:27, we read that God’s Spirit motivated Simeon to come into the temple to see the Child Jesus. In Matthew 4:1, we are told that the Father, through His Spirit, led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  The Holy Spirit inspired and directed the ministry to appoint Paul and Barnabas as apostles who were then sent by the Holy Spirit to Seleucia and Cyprus (Acts 13:1-4). On other occasions, Paul and his fellow workers were prohibited or prevented by the Spirit of God from traveling to Asia and Bithynia (Acts 16:6-7).

We are told that we are God’s children if His Spirit leads, guides and directs us (Romans 8:14), and that we must follow Christ wherever He goes and wants us to go (Matthew 16:24; Revelation 14:4). This means that we have to be very attentive to the Father’s and Christ’s lead. When God shows us the way, we must not close our ears and our eyes, thinking this might not be the right course of action because it may not be the easy road to travel, or because it might not make that much sense at the time.

Abraham left his homeland to follow God, “not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Moses followed God’s lead, “as seeing Him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). Enoch and Noah walked or “lived constantly” with God (Genesis 5:24; 6:9, Elberfelder Bible). Christ was leading them, and they followed His steps, as we must do today (1 Peter 2:21).

Sometimes we may think that God has to speak to us in obvious and spectacular ways before we are ready and willing to listen, but many times, God speaks to us with a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). How attentive are we to His subtle lead? And how determined are we to follow that lead even when others try to dissuade us? The Galatians ran well, but they were then hindered to obey the truth and follow God. Paul said that this persuasion did “not come from Him who calls” us (Galatians 5:7-8). When God directs us, we must follow, no matter where our path may lead.

On the 7th July 2005 (often referred to as 7/7 in the UK) there were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in London which targeted civilians using the public transport system during the morning rush hour.   Four Islamist terrorists detonated bombs aboard London Underground trains across the city and, later, a fourth on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square.   The outcome was that fifty-two civilians and the four bombers were killed in the attacks, and over 700 more were injured.   It was a horrendous day.

On the 7th July 2013  the news was completely different and the British nation rejoiced in an event, not mourned as they had eight years before.    Andy Murray, the British tennis player became the first “Brit” to win the Wimbledon singles championship since Fred Perry in 1936.  Now you may not be interested in tennis in particular, or sport in general, but a huge television audience were glued to their screens in addition to those at the event and there were some very interesting principles at work.

 (Andy Murray) is a 26 year old Scot from Dunblane, a small, affluent cathedral town with a population of less than 8,000 people, and he was just eight when a killer stormed into his school to shoot dead 17 people, mostly children, before turning a gun on himself – and so he is no stranger to atrocity.

Mr. Herbert Armstrong produced a booklet some years ago entitled “The Seven Laws of Success” and Andy Murray used six of these to produce his stunning triumph.   The Wimbledon authorities said that on the centre court, a sun trap,  the heat approached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and in such heat, Andy and his Serbian opponent, the world’s number one player, Novak Djokovic, produced an epic game with both men showing skill, stamina, determination, the will to win, guts, strength, courage, precision, judgment, fitness and much more.

Mr. Armstrong listed seven laws of success with the 7th being “contact with, guidance and continuance help of God.”    Whilst it is not for me to comment on Andy’s belief or otherwise in God, perhaps that may be the one law that he didn’t use?   If he did, he would have used all the laws but he certainly used the other six.   These, as written about by Mr Armstrong were:

·having the right goal, which Andy had from a very young age

·education or preparation – he spent years preparing to win at the highest level

·good health – he and his team ensured that he ate well and stayed in peak condition

·drive – he had this in abundance and there was nothing half-hearted in what he did; otherwise he would be found out at the highest level of his sport

·resourcefulness – as Mr Armstrong wrote, “when complications, obstacles, unexpected circumstances appear to block your path, you must be equipped with resourcefulness to   solve the problem, overcome the obstacle, and continue on your course”.   In his career, Andy had to be resourceful and even in a single game it is often necessary to be resourceful and to “think outside the box” as the modern saying goes, in order to succeed

·perseverance – he persevered, having lost four finals of Grand Slam competitions but in the last year through sheer determination and perseverance he won the gold medal at the Olympics, the US Open championship and then Wimbledon.

Perhaps without even knowing it, he did what needed to be done to achieve his goals, and six of the seven laws of success were utilised in order to succeed at the highest level.

What can we, as Christians, take from this?   If someone can dedicate his life to achieving a temporal goal by using these principles, how much more is this true for those of us whom God has called to be in His Family for eternity?   Can we do any less than Andy did?   Of course not!

The loser’s parents both gave Andy’s mother a big hug, and Novak Djokovic was very sportsmanlike, giving all the credit to his opponent, and he was very gracious in defeat.   Perhaps we could also learn from such outstanding examples of excellent and heart-warming behaviour.

It was a tennis match, albeit a very high profile one and certainly one where many important principles were shown by those involved.   Just a tennis match – no, it was much more than that for those with eyes to see.

It is no secret to us that the god of this age, Satan the devil, has been very active, causing havoc all over the world, as he has been doing, in principle, since the beginning of mankind. It is also no secret to us that Satan has been trying everything he can to destroy God’s Church, and each and every one of us. We ought to be aware of that, stand guard and not let Satan persuade us to forsake God’s Way of Life and to follow the devil’s lead.

History has shown just how busy Satan is, especially in respect to God’s Church and at times when we prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles, which is quickly upon us, less than two months away.  We can expect increasing difficulties, as Satan is very angry, knowing that he only has a short time left until Jesus Christ returns.

There is much work ahead of us as we prepare for the upcoming Feast, and we must be aware of our weaknesses that can cause us to lose our focus. We must not allow them to rule over us; rather, we must conquer them.  One such weakness is laziness, which can be very addictive if we are not careful.  If we let it get out of hand, it can wind us down more and more until we don’t have the desire to do anything anymore, or at least to the point when we have to force ourselves somehow to get back on track. We cannot let that happen as we ALL have a job to do. As true Christians, we are a part of God’s Church, which is a spiritual organism, and if we neglect or refuse to fulfill our individual responsibilities within the Church, or if we think we are not really a part of it or that there is no need for us to be a part of it, then we are in trouble, as we are probably not going to survive, especially in light of what is prophesied for the near future. 

Satan wants us to be lazy and unfruitful, because he knows that if we give in to laziness, we will lose out. We read in Proverbs 13:4 that “the soul of the lazy man desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”  We also read in Proverbs 10:4: “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.” If we are diligent, zealous and “on fire,” we will be productive. Laziness bears no fruit, and it could even be considered a sin. Now, if we think that laziness by itself is not a sin, it can definitely lead to sin.

How serious is it then if we start to lack in our efforts? In Matthew 25:14-30, we read about the parable of the talents, referring to the Kingdom of God, and how easy it can be to miss out.  It requires no effort to become lazy;  it is so easy not to work hard; but this is dangerous, and we shouldn’t let it get that far.  The lazy servant was also wicked (verse 26) and unprofitable (verse 30). He did not accomplish anything. We can apply this parable to any given situation in our lives, whether it be our work, our marriage, family relationships, childrearing, prayers and studies, tithes and offerings, or involvement in the Church in general. We will not profit in anything, if we are lazy. And we will not qualify to enter the Kingdom of God and eternal life, if we become and remain lazy. 

Diligence is the key. We must work hard physically and spiritually. In this physical life, when we are diligent in our work, we will profit from it.  But the most important thing is how we do spiritually.  If we are diligent in that respect, we will profit in the most important gift which is offered to us–eternal life in the Family of God (compare Hebrews 4:11; 2 Peter 1:10-11).

Points of reference help us navigate our lives. For some it is a matter of noting age, education, career development, where home is or many other benchmarks of life.

But where are we in terms of the Bible? Can we relate to guidelines in the Word of God in a personal way? There is precedence for doing so:

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:11-14).

Jesus spoke of end-time events which would herald His return to the earth, and He very specifically stated that we should be watching these as signs of prophetic fulfillment:

“‘Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near–at the doors!’” (Matthew 24:32-33).

The danger we face is that we really don’t believe what our eyes are seeing! There is a tendency to accept the downfall of society as the norm, but that attitude will prove to be terribly wrong!

Do you diligently study and watch biblical prophecy, or do you leave that to others to worry about? Are you growing as a Christian? Is your commitment to the Church of God reflected in real, dedicated participation?

Where we are in our lives has everything to do with the criteria of God’s Will. Keeping that unwavering point of reference before us will faithfully guide us—both now and into the fearful times that are descending upon us.