The Spirit Within Us
Cornwall
June 25, 2005
There’s a story that’s told about a man who had a flat tire late at night.
“A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night, had a flat tire. He opened the trunk- no tire wrench. The light form a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. He set out on foot through the driving rain. Surely the farmer would have a tire wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night- the farmer would be asleep in his warm, dry bed. Maybe he wouldn’t answer the door. And even if he did, he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. The salesman, picking his way blindly in the dark, stumbled on . By now his shoes and clothing were soaked. Even if the farmer did answer his knock, he would probably shout something like, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour?” This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a tire wrench? After all, here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod- no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. A voice called out, “Who is it?” His face white with anger, the salesman called out, “You know darn well who it is. It’s me! And you can keep your blasted tire wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!””
This story tells us what happens when you fear that the worst will happen- your thoughts may help to bring it about. Someone once wrote, “Fear is the wrong use of imagination. It is anticipating the worst, not the best that can happen.”
Today, I want to discuss an aspect of where we are, in our church, and where I see our needing to go. I want you, too, to have an opportunity to respond to what I speak of, so I’ll move through quickly, so we have time for that today.
2 Tim.1.7- Paul wrote to Timothy, a young minister- an evangelist, in our church. He wrote to him about the spirit that was within him, and which is within us, too. He wrote encouraging him, to consider his heritage, spiritually, where he’d come from and where he was and was going. In this brief verse, he speaks of what GOD gives- not the spirit of fear- some translate this as timidity and others as cowardice- craven and cringing and fawning fear. This is not what we’ve received- not what Timothy received- but a spirit of power and confidence and boldness, of love and concern, and of a sound mind, rooted, as scripture instructs, in the heavenly realm.
We all understand fear- it’s what we feel when we face a new or difficult situation. It’s what we feel for no reason, sometimes. We’ve all felt fear over the past decade or so, at various times in the journey of our church to orthodoxy. We all know what fear can do to us and in us, and scripture speaks of this, too.
Heb.2.14- 15- fear gives bondage. We know this to be true, and I guess this has been known for hundreds of years! Interesting, isn’t it? Fear leads to anxiety, inactivity, lack of action and lack of momentum. Fear holds people in what they perceive to be safe places, unable to move to someplace new that might be a bit scarey- we fear the unknown, don’t we?
1 Jn.4.18- there is no fear in love. Notice that fear involves torment- but when we’re made perfect in love, rooted in Jesus Christ, fear loses its power and its reality. The torment of fear is something all humans have known. Again, it can drive us to inactivity. Bondage and torment are powerful and for all of human history, there are those who have not gone where they needed to go, or should have gone in life, because of bondage and torment- the fruits of fear.
However, being made perfect in love has its root- notice verse 19- in Him. Holding on to Him- to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit- the huge Him- gives security and confidence. We call that ‘faith’. When we go into our unknown- not His unknown- we do what we call stepping out in faith. And that takes us somewhere very stable. We think the floor of this building is hard and stable and dependable. Faith is harder, more stable, and more dependable. Where God leads us- where Jesus, the head of our church leads us, where the Holy Spirit Comforter enables us to be- is absolutely secure. We don’t see that, oftentimes, but that is the reality in which we live, with our heads in the heavenlies and our feet firmly placed on the ground.
The physical founder of this church, Herbert Armstrong, taught us many important lessons- many people use his name and pull out ideas of what he taught us. He taught us to go forward in faith, even when around us looks like something can’t possibly work. He taught us to search the scriptures, following the example of the Berean Christians of Acts 17.11. One important lesson he modeled for us, and led us to understand by doing, is the willingness to change when we learned we were wrong on something- this, in fact, is one hallmark of our church- something we have become known for. This is a powerful and wonderful hallmark, and one that he would continue to pursue, were he to still be alive, over 19 years after his death.
Let’s consider one matter we have learned. Please open your Bibles and follow along with me in this!!
Ex.20.8- spoken to whom? V.1 cf. 19.1- this was given to ancient Israel. We used to believe we were physically descended from them and that mattered to us spiritually. Most of us are not, but even if we are, it doesn’t matter to us spiritually. We used to understand this commandment to have followed us into the New Covenant. Of course, we didn’t understand that the NC was in force yet- but out theology taught us that we were between the two covenants and that the new didn’t come into force until Jesus put his feet on this earth in his second coming. That was incorrect theology all the way around- and we have repented of that. The NC IS in force now- since Jesus yelled out, “It is finished.”
Heb.4.1-10- the rest is NOT a day of the week. It is a spiritual state- which God entered and has continued in since creation. It is to that rest that we are called- the ancient people were not able to enter it- they only entered a physical rest. This is a spiritual rest.
Matt.11.28-30- Jesus declared that HE would give you and me rest. The rest we seek and the rest we are in, that was foretold by the weekly sabbath, and was lived, in type, in the regular weekly sabbath, is the rest to be found in Jesus. This is what we are in right now- and what we need to go forward in.
This same Jesus, who promised us rest gave us our mission, too.
Matt.28.18-20- gospel is to go to those around us. We are light and salt for the world and carry, in our lives, the most important lessons and message to be carried.
But, he warned us, too- Matt.18.1-7- we are not to put stumbling stones before the little ones- the new ones- those who, in humbling themselves as little children, are coming into the family of God.
There are many reasons why we might want to continue doing exactly what we have been doing in our church, but one thing we have learned is that we are to change when we learn we are wrong. We have so learned on the matter of the day upon which we worship. Sometimes, we can think back to all that we have known and the traditions we have developed, surrounding what we have done. However, if we think of traditions, we have to recognize that the Christian church- NOT Christianity ‘so called’- and incorrect assessment of our fellow Christians made by our church, including our leader over the years- and this church has not met on Saturday. Why are we still doing it, then? Mr. Armstrong used to tell us that the sabbath was the test commandment- and it was, for us. Do you recognize that it still is- will we give it up? That is the test.
At the Conference, Mr. Randal Dick spoke with us, quite honestly, about some of what we’ve been through the past decade. In particular, he spoke of the approach we, in the international areas, have taken with regard to the day of worship, over the past five years or so. He explained how when he saw what happened in the US when many churches moved quickly to meeting on Sunday rather than Saturday, he saw the numbers who left and considered that we ought to take a different approach, internationally, considering our nature. He urged us to take time, to work with people, toward what we knew would ultimately come. However, he has now seen, and apologized to us, for the results from that- different hurts than in the US, but, nonetheless, hurts. What we have in many of our churches, in the international areas, are three groups- those who fully embrace the NC and understand the need to alter the worship day, among other things, in order to not put an unnecessary stumbling block before new people. Some of them have left, too, because of our inaction on this matter. Then there is a group who is OK either way- persuaded but happy to not move quickly, in order to keep peace. And, then, there is a third number- those who have become more firmly entrenched in the keeping of the seventh day. Rather than coming to where the Worldwide Church of God is, on this matter, some have thought it OK to simply hold on to where we’ve been.
So, where are you? Where are we? Let’s discuss this for a little bit- open to comments and thoughts on what I have brought and said, so far.
Conclusions
As far as I know, we are, and want to be, a congregation of the Worldwide Church of God. I minister in the WCG- Canada and want to, and want to minister, in that way, here in this congregation. But, we’ve been stuck for awhile- certainly since I first addressed this rather directly in March, although I’ve referred to this matter several times over the past half decade. We cannot stay stuck. It’s time for us to step forward into the solidity of where Jesus is leading us- to a place that is firmer than the floor under us today. The ground is not shaking- we are simply fearful of implications. I have considered the implications. Bob and I have, together, as well. We, as the WCG- Cornwall- part of the WCG-Canada- cannot stay in a theologically damaging place anymore. IF we’re not going to be still considered a cult in Cornwall and if we’re going to make any difference in this community, WE have to change- we will change.
Next week, July 3, we’ll begin to meet here at 10.30 on Sunday morning. Invite family and friends. The fullness of the new WCG is going to be known. Jesus is calling us forward.
