International magazine of

THE CHURCH OF GODministering to its members

scattered abroad

More About Our Cover...The bright colors of an English summer come alive inthis sweeping view of the gardens in front of Memorial

Hall, main classroom building of Ambassador's Bricket Woodcampus. At right is the Music Hall, behind which is the grove oftrees separating the farm facilities from the campus proper. Begin­ning on page 3, read how the English campus of Ambassador Col­lege is providing a tremendous service in the growing overseasdivision of God's expanding Work.

Ambassador College Photo

January-April 1971

Volume XX Number

What our READERS SAY. • •

Pub l i",hptl ~t Pa saden a , California

© 1971 Worldwide Church of God'

EDITORHERBERT W_ ARMSTRONG

New Correspondence CourseI recently received a letter from Garner

Ted Armstrong advising me of the termi­nation of the Bible Course, having receivedmy 30th lesson. Although I enjoyed gettingthem immensely, I am in complete agree­ment that we who have been given thismarvelous opportunity for learning, andwho, after having corne to the full reali­zation and knowledge of God's completeplan, should willingly and gladly give thispan over to those who are still in need ofthis help.

We, who have come to know the truth,been baptized upon repentance and arenow a part of the Church and Body ofChrist, have ready access to all knowledgethrough the Holy Spirit. And with thewonderful help of you, your staff and theable and inspired counsel of the many trueministers of God always available to us,we should be more than happy to foregothese lessons that others may have the sameopportunity to learn of the wonderfultruths of God's Word.

Mrs. E. P., Kokomo, Indiana

The Master PotterWould you please let Mr. Raymond

McNair know how much his article "TheMaster Potter" has helped us? We readthrough it and discussed it as a familystudy. We remind each other of it severaltimes a week. From it we gained more

understanding, encouragement, and inspira­tion than we had before. It has helped usover and over.

Mrs. Warrpn F., La Porte, Indiana

New AuditoriumGreetings and thank you kindly for the

fine magnificent sketch of the new audi­torium to be built to the honor of ourMost High God. It is without a doubt themost beautiful and balanced structure inthe whole world. I am sure our Creator ofall the universe will be pleased with it.Even though there is no house built byman that can contain our God, I know Hewill be well pleased to dwell in this temple(in Spirit) and to be near His Head­quarters Church to direct it and overseeHis great Work here on this earth.

Gordon K., Duluth, Minnesota

The brochure on the new auditoriumarrived this week. It's not only beautifuland magnificent, but so very inspiring. Myhusband, who is not a member, was somoved by its beauty that he gave me per­mission to send $10 a month to the Build­ing Fund. So if his heart can be so movedand inspired, I know that God's childrenare going to be inspired even more so andthat there will be sufficient funds to buildthis House for God!

Mrs. Bonnie H., Marysville, Calif.

• Be sure to read the inspiring article onpug" 23 concerning The building program.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Garner Ted Armstrong

MANAGING EDITOR

David Jon Hill

SENIOR EDITORS

Roderick C. MeredithAlbert J. PortuneHerman L. Hoeh

Associate EditorsRichard H. Sedliacik Ronald Kelly

Contributing EditorsDavid Albert Dennis G. LukerDavid L. Antion Ernest 1. MartinDibar K. Apartian Leslie L. McCulloughFrank Brown Bill L. McDowellAlfred E. Carrozza Raymond F. McNairC. Wayne Cole L. Leroy NeffRaymond C. Cole Richard F. PIacheWilliam Dankenbring John E. PortuneRonald L. Dar! Juhn RobinsonCharles V. Dorothy Paul S. RoyerCharles F. Hunting Norman A. SmithPaul W. Kroll Dean R. WilsonRobert L. Kuhn Clint C. Zimmerman

Editorial and Production Assistants

John R. SchroederRonald Taylor, Art Editor

THE STORY OF MANBound Volumes Available

Since November, 1958, The Story of Man (previously titled "The

Bible Story") has appeared in The PLAIN TRUTH and then TOMOR­

ROW'S WORLD. Since then six bound volumes have been produced.

These volumes are available once again to our membership while the

supply lasts. When the current inventory is used up, they will not

be reprinted.

So if you wish to have a copy of one or all of these volumes of

The Story of Man, you'd better hurry ~ The current supply is available

upon request on a first come, first served basis while they last.Remember, they are free for the asking, of course. See inside front

cover for the addresses.

BUSINESS MANAGER

Albert J. Portune

ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS to the Editor.P. O. Box 111, Pasadena, California 91109.

Canadian members should address P. O. Bux44, Station A, Vancouver I. B. c.. Canada.Our members in United Kingdom. Europe, andAfrica should address the Editor. P. O. Box 111,St. Albans, Herts., England.South AfriCa: P. O. Box 1060. Johannesburg,Transvaal, R. S. A.Members in Australia and Southeast Asia shouldaddress the Editor, P. O. Box 345, NorthSydney, NSW 2060, Australia.In the Philippines, P. O. Box 1111, Makati,Rizal D-708.

•Article on page 8 previously copyrighted byWorldwide Church of God © 1969.

BE StJRJ;; TO NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY of anychange in your address. Please include both oldand new address. IMPORTANT!

by Colin Adair

An account of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong's visit tothe Philippines, December '970.

Manila, Philippines

DEC E M BER II was a big day for

the Filipinos of God's Church.On this day God's true servant,

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, steppedout of Ambassador College's Grum­man Gulfstream jet at the Manila Inter­national Airport. It was his secondvisit to the Philippines within threemonths.

Those of us who had gathered tomeet Mr. Armstrong were especiallyglad to see him, for when he was inManila last September, he had beenunable to speak to the Church becauseof a scheduled appointment with Presi­dent Marcos. Over 500 disappointedbrethren waited in vain on that day!

A Promise Fulfilled

As he was leaving in September, Imentioned to Mr. Armstrong how manybrethren had traveled to Manila just tosee and hear him. He deeply regrettedthat he had not been able to come to theservice, and expressed the possibilitythat he would be back in December andcould perhaps speak to us then.

Sure enough, toward the latter parlof November, a telex came fromPasadena asking us here in the Manilaoffice to reserve accommodations for Mr.

Armstrong and party for the weekend

of December 12.

With great excitement I wrote a letteralmost immediately to all the brethren

In the Philippines, announcIng Mr.Armstrong's visit! I fully expected asmany as before to attend on that specialSabbath.

As the weeks passed, however, itseemed that Mr. Armstrong's visit wasby no means definite. We waited anx­iously for word, but as the particularweek dawned, no final word had beenreceived. I began to feel uneasy. Wouldall the brethren be disappointed a sec­ond time? Would many of them makelong, arduous journeys in vain?

I had not counted on Mr. Arm­strung's determination! On Thursday,December 10, the long-awaited telex

clicked from the teleprinter in myoffice. Our distinguished visitor wouldarrive in Manila on Friday evening, and

would be available for the Sabbath ser­vice! Our prayers had been answered!

As I learned later, Mr. Armstrong

2

had been advised to cancel his stopoverin the Philippines in order to rest. Buthe was determined not to disappoint thebrethren a second time, and came toManila solely for the purpose ofaddressing the Church.

The Philippine Welcome

On our way up the stairs to the Sab­bath service, Me. Armstrong asked meif he had to shake hands with all 500people. Of course he was joking, but asit turned out, he did just about that!On entering the hall, all the brethrencame to their feet, applauded their spe­cial guest, and settled down again towait for the service to begin. They puttheir best into the singing, and the hallreverberated as we sang one of ourfavorite hymns, number 25, "0 GiveThanks Unto the Lord."

For almost two hours, Mr. Arm­strong spoke of the recent trips he hadmade, and was making, showing us thepurpose for them, and reminding us ofour part in this great end-time Work.He excited the brethren again when hesaid Mr. Garner Ted Armstrong wouldprobably be here sometime in the near

The GOOD NEWS

Ambassador College Photo

IN APPRECIATION - Mr. Arm­strong receives a gift made ofnatural Philippine woods fromthe Manila Church in apprecia­tion for his visit.

future to make a telecast about the Phil­ippines, and speak to the Church!

In Appreciation

After the service, we presented Mr.Armstrong with a revolving tahle set onball bearings, designed to sit in themiddle of a dining table - and madefrom four different kinds of woodnative to the Philippines. It is shapedlike a dart board, with the wedges ofwood meeting in a pointed center. Hewas very pleased with the gift.

Then came the handshaking! Not500, but all 609 people surged forward,each one eager to grasp Mr. Arm­strong's hand. He was completely sur­rounded by the enthusiastic members.Overwhelmed, he finally had to "fight"his way to the exit. Smiling young andold alike crowded around, determinedto shake his hand if they could.

After this warm and friendly greeting,

January-April 1971

Mr. Armstrong left to keep an appoint­ment with another important govern­ment official that evening.

Zeal of God's People

I learned afterward that some of thebrethren had arrived at the hall as earlyas 8 :00 a. m. in order to get a seat nearthe front! Others came two to threehours before the services at 1 :00 p.m.

Because of the slow mail delivery inthe Philippines, some brethren receivedmy letter only a day or two beforeMr. Armstrong arrived, and had justenough time to pack up and leave ­for some must travel two full days toreach Manila! This was a really bigevent in their lives. And there was nodoubt that the visit of God's servantwas a great spiritual boost to the Philip­pine Church.

Mr. Armstrong Departs

Next morning, at 10:00 a.m., theG-II carrying Me. Armstrong and partytook off in wet weather. Several of uswere at the airport to say good-bye. Mr.Armstrong commented that his knuckleswere a little sore after shaking handswith so many people on the previousday!

On behalf of the Philippine Church,I would like to say "Thank you, Mr.Armstrong for taking the time out ofyour busy schedule to visit the brethrenin this part of the world. Our prayersgo with you for your safety andprotection on your travels We eagerlylook forward to seeing Mr. GarnerTed Armstrong sometime soon, Godwilling !"

Sequel

Life is full of surprises! The follow­ing Sabbath after Mr. Armstrong's visit,I received word at 11: 30 a. m. from Mr.Ortiguero that Mr. Armstrong was backagain and would be at the service! Sowe were blessed to have him twoweeks in a row - surely something thathad never happened in any of God'sChurches outside the three campuses!En route from Singapore to Japan, Mr.Armstrong felt it would he good tospend the Sabbath with God's people inManila, rather than stop over in HongKong. We were certainly glad he did!

Thank you once again, Mr.Armstrong! 0

Bricket Wood, England

AMBASSADOR College - just five.l1 miles north of Greater London

- has recently completed tenvery fruitful years. It was conceived in1959 and born in the autumn of 1960-- born to serve!

Graduates from Bricket Wood arehelping to man our offices, colleges,Imperial Schools and Churches of Godworldwide. The sun never sets on thosegraduates. They are true emissaries ­pacesetters of the Wonderful WorldTomorrow!

Several Bricket Wood graduates arenow in charge of overseas offices: NewZealand - Mr. Graemme Marshall;South Africa - Mr. Robert Fahey; ThePhilippines - Mr. Colin Adair; [erusa-

Ambassador College Photos

Above: Spectacular floodlit Brie­ket Wood Gymnasium by night.Right: Emblems on the Inter­national Lounge wall representthe United Kingdom and Can­ada, Australia and India, Switz­erland and The Philippines.

4

lem - Mr. Richard Frankel; andGeneva - Mr. Colin Wilkins.

Many others are also serving inresponsible posts in our colleges andschools, and in the ministry in America,Canada, Europe, Britain and the far­flung corners of the Commonwealth.Still others are employed behind thescenes in many other vital areas ofGod's Work.

A Second Ambassador College

As early as 1947, Mr. Herbert Arm­strong had thought of establishing a

European college - in Switzerland. ButGod had closed all doors to opening acollege there.

Then in the summer of 1959, Godgave Mr. Armstrong the vision to seethat He wanted His second Collegeestablished in Britain to train labourersfor the ripening harvest of this earth.Mr. Armstrong informed me (I hadbeen sent to England to be in charge ofGod's Work here in July, 1958) that hewanted Dr. Martin and me to beginlooking immediately for a suitablelocation for a college in the GreaterLondon area.

After much searching in and aroundLondon, God led us to purchase thepresent college grounds, located in thebeautiful, forever-green Hertfordshirecountryside - in the outskirts of asmall, quiet English village called Brie­ket WooJ.

Ideally Located

But why did God choose BrickelWood?

There are many reasons why this siteis ideal for God's College. Our campusis only five miles from two main cities,St. Albans and Watford, which makesit very handy for shopping. Here in thecountry, we have an abundant supply offresh air - no soot, smoke or smogproblems. We also have broad, spaciousbeautiful grounds which would beimpossible to duplicate in Londonitself.

Furthermore, the Brickel WooJ

campus is ideally located for ministers,students and college personnel whoneed to travel in Britain. At the very

time we purchased the college grounds,Britain's first expressway or motorway(the M 1) was opened. Passing just amile from the college, the motorway

LOMA HALL - Beautifuland modern, the mainwomen's residence was com-pleted in 1968.

January-April 1971

gave easy access to Britain's principalcities - Birmingham, Manchester, andLiverpool. This super highway networkon our doorstep now extends throughmost of England.

London airport is only forty-five min­utes by automobile from the college,and the large, jet-capacity airport atLuton is only twenty minutes away.This makes it very convenient for Mr.Herbert W. Armstrong, Mr. Ted Arm­strong or other visitors to land at Lutonand be whisked to the campus. It alsoenables the college here to performanother service. From this base Mr.Armstrong can fulfill his many com­mitments in Europe and the MiddleEast. Brussels is just a few minutes byjet - Israel, a few hours!

Pattern for Tomorrow'sEducation

Ambassador College in England islike an oasis in the desert of the Britisheducational system. Long ago, mostschools and colleges in England beganteaching the abominable doctrine ofevolution - of creation without aCreator. By tuming their backs on Gud,they destroyed the only foundation thatwould have given them any basis fortrue education. The result? British edu­cation has become hopelessly boggeddown in the quicksands of agnosticism,materialism, and rank atheism.

So widespread is this infectious doc­trine of agnosticism and atheism, thathundreds of British churches have hadto close their doors. Many have had tobe sold because church attendance fig­ures were so low. It is not at alluncommon in Britain for just a veryfew (often as not, just a couple ofelderly wornen ) to attend a churchservice.

But the timely arrival of Ambassa­dor College on the scene in 1960brought a breath of fresh air into Brit­ish education. Britain has indeed beenblessed by God to be chosen as a sitefor this different, progressive, yetsoundly based institution of higherlearning - the pattern for the educa­tional system of the World Tomorrow!

A Beacon on a Hill

Many times when driving out fromLondon to the College on the A 5 high-

The GOOD NEWS

way, I have looked across to the westand have seen the bright lights ofAmbassador College situated like abeacon on a hill, shining out to the sur­rounding countryside.

And this is the way the teachings ofAmbassador College shine out to thepeoples of Britain, like a beacon on ahill, showing Ephraim the true ways ofGod - showing the British people howto live healthy, prosperous, happy andsuccessful lives.

Already, many visitors have come tothe College - some of high rank,others of lower station. Whether royaltyor just commoners, they are allimpressed with the beauty, orderliness,peace and happiness of AmbassadorCollege in England - where the fac­ulty and students are genuinely happybecause they possess the priceless knowl­edge of the real purpose for man'sexistence!

Bright Islet

Perhaps yOIl have noticed that ourBritish address is: "Ambassador Col­lege, Bricket Wood, St. Albans, Herts.,England." What is the significance ofthe names Bricket Wood and St.Albans?

Brickel means "bright islet."Anciently, Bricket Wood used to be sur­rounded by waterways - a sort ofisland. The River Ver (which means"truth") flows along the southernboundary of the campus. It has beenpointed out that in Roman times,Caesar's ships used to row up the ColneRiver - just a few yards south of theCollege

During the last few years, archae­ologists have excavated elaborate Romanvillas within a stone's throw of thecollege grounds. The St. Albans areawas the main center of Roman opera­tions in Britain. The ruins of theold Roman city astride the River Ver(Verttlamium, which means "city oftruth") near St. Albans arc knownworldwide.

What many do not know is that,anciently, Britain was often called"Albion" ("white"), meaning whiteland, or white island. This name wasdue to the fact that people crossing theEnglish Channel to England wouldoften see first the white cliffs of Dover.

s

On a clear day, these white cliffs arevisible from the French coast.

The name St. Albans ties in with thework which God is doing through HisCollege in England. Albans means"white" or "bright" (as albino) and isrelated to such words as "Laban" or"lebanon" which also mean white orbright in the Hebrew language. MountLebanon was called "white" because ofthe snow which covered it.

Isn't it significant that God choseBricket Wood ("bright islet") on theriver Ver ("truth") near St. Albans("holy brightness") as the very locationfrom which His light, His truth andHis brightness would emanate today?

Isn't it significant that the College inEngland is now sending out the truth tofive of the six continents - to well overone hundred nations around this earth?

Physical Plant Improvements

There are a number of excitingchanges taking place at this importantnerve center of God's Work overseas.The College in England has nowexpanded to over two hundred acres ofverdant Hertfordshire countryside, situ­ated in the beautiful "green belt"which surrounds London's eight millioninhabitants.

On these grounds are situated a largenumber of beautiful college buildings- induding the present library andclassroom center (called Memorial Hall,in memory of Richard David Armstrongwho first pioneered the British Wurkin 1954), Lakeside (the men's dor­mitory), Loma Hall (the main girls'dormitory, named after Mrs. HerbertW. Armstrong), the AdministrationBuilding, Dining Hall, Music Hall,Student Center, and the new ultra­modern Gymnasium and swimming poolcomplemented by the very fine Olympic­standard quarter mile track.

So outstanding is this Gymnasiumcomplex that the British Olympics Com­mittee chose it to represent the nation'ssports facilities in a photographic dis­play at the 1968 Olympic Games inMexico City.

Recently, the College has acquiredtwo formerly privately owned residenceswhich were located inside the Collegegrounds. One of these homes is beingremodeled and will soon be occupied by

6

the Dean of Students - providing hima home large enough to properly enter­tain students. The other newly-acquiredbuilding has now been converted into awonderful, charming Student Center ­a much appreciated and long-awaitedaddition.

Work has just begun on a badly­needed classroom complex which willbecome our main lecture building whenit is finished this spring. In addition, abeautifully engineered perimeter roadhas been constructed to encircle the pic­turesque ornamental lakes.

The new Lorna Gardens, gracingLorna Hall, Lakeside and the newrlassroom hnilding, is a most unusualfruit tree arbor surrounded by immacu­late lawns. A mirror pool and manydwarf evergreens colorfully offset byrugged grey Westmorland stone andpurple heather complete the setting.Trees, shrubs and flowers of every sortcreate a year-round picture of perpetualbeauty.

One reason our gardens are so beau­tiful and greenery so rich is the Englishclimate! Although the subject of manyjokes, it is truly a benefit. Extremes ofheat or cold are seldom reached.Instead, an invigorating medley ofspring and autumn showers, light win­ter snows, warm and sunny intervals,

and fresh winds all combine to keepAmbassador gardens resplendent andlush

Unique Experience Opportunities

The students and faculty of allthree Ambassador Colleges are affordedoutstandingly unique, inspiring andrewarding opportunities. What are someof these opportunities and blessings atBricket Wood?

Firstly, with a small enrollment ofonly 265, each student can really get toknow every other student in the col­lege. This makes for a real familyatmosphere.

Secondly, Ambassador at BricketWood is perhaps the most cosmopolitancollege on earth. Less than 25 % of theenrollment is actually English! No lessthan 30 different countries have beenrepresented (though students come pri­

marily from Britain, the Commonwealthand the United States).

This multi-national student body

Above: Mr. John Portune operatesthe Science Department's WeatherSatellite Station, providing valua­able information to area meteor­ologists. Below: One of the photosof our Gymnasium featured at theMexico City Olympic Games.

Ambassador College Photos

January-April 1971

gives the college here a distinct interna­tional flavor and helps to broaden theoutlook and horizons of the students. Itis fascinating to learn the customs,ways, accents and backgrounds of stu­dents from the far-flung corners of theworld.

Because of this cosmopolitan or inter­national flavor, we named our large,beautifully decorated student lounge the"International Room." Emblazoned onone of the walls are the seals of twelvecountries - which help to remind thestudents that we live in a world madeup of many different races, nationalities,languages and cultures.

A further opportunity for students isthe College Chorale. Every year theChorale performs a major oratorioat the Watford Town Hall. Lastyear's Elijah was a stunning success,complimented by the local press. Whenthe Chorale "says it with music" onething is certain - more goodwill forAmbassador College is created.

50 Convenient for Travel

Students also have unique travelupportunities. Me. Armstrong hasemphasized many times that travel is avery important means of broadeningone's education. Furthering this aim,numerous mid-semester and summertours are organized by various facultymembers. They not only tour all overhistorically-rich Britain, but they areeasily able to travel to many parts ofEurope, North Africa and the MiddleEast. Most of the Continent's leadingcities are only about an hour's flightaway.

The annual senior trip to the conti­nent of Europe is an educational high­light for the graduating seniors. Thistrip usually lasts about eight or ninedays, and is taken during the springbreak immediately after the Passoverand Days of Unleavened Bread, wellahead of the more crowded peak touristseason.

This year's trip will take the seniorsthrough five countries: Holland, Bel­gium, West Germany, Luxembourg andFrance. They will visit many ofEurope's famous cities, as well as ourDiisseldorf office. On the Sabbath, theywill meet with the Dutch brethren inUtrecht. The climax of the tour will be

The GOOD NEWS

Paris - filled with historic and scenicinterest. It should truly be an enjoyable,educational and memorable experience.

London - a World Center

One of the chief advantages of hav­ing the British College so near Londonis that this is one of the most interestingand beautiful cities of the world.

Lundon is famous for world­renowned museums, libraries, theatres,galleries, botanical gardens, and manyother places of historic interest. Historylies around every corner! It is also stillone of the world's financial and cIII­tural centers. And when it comes tonews - it is the news center of theworld! The British radio and press usu­ally give thorough u.orld news cov­erage, especially when anything reallybig is taking place.

Internationally oriented Britain ­one-time center of the world's greatestempire, now the hub of the Com­monwealth - often plays host to thegreat of the world. Since God's Workbegan in Britain in 1958, many of thefaculty members and ministers havebeen able to see most of the world's topleaders who have visited the city ofLondon. These included such men as DeGaulle, Nehru, Nixon, Kosygm andmost of the world's major political andreligious dignitaries.

Many of us have been able to meetpersonally with Prime Ministers, Presi­dents, Members of Parliament, Kings,Princes and other notables. And thisopportunity of seeing world figures is

by no means limited to the faculty.Many of the students of the collegeattend lectures and meetings in Londonwhere they see and hear internationalleaders.

Science Department Contributions

Ambassador College in Bricker Woodis making a noteworthy contribution tothe academic world in Great Britain byinvolving itself in space-age technologythrough the development of a weather

satellite tracking station. Designed andbuilt by the staff of the college's ScienceDepartment, this compact collection oftechnical hardware receives daily pic­tures of the earth's fascinating cloud

systems directly from a growing number

7

of American A. P. T. weather satellites.

One of the very first of its kind inEurope, Ambassador's station now pro­vides a regular weekly service of pic­tures and forecasts to one of Britain'sleading daily newspapers, The Gllard­ian, and to the nationally circulatedmagazine, Yachting and BoatingWeekly. This has provided useful pub­licity including television film coverageby the B.B.C.

Another important activity of the Sci­ence Department here is our cooperationwith the Big Sandy campus in agricul­tural research. On our experimentalfarm, we have already obtained someamazing results by learning to workwith "nature," producing plants andlivestock in a natural and unpollutedway.

The Ambassador Press

Another growing area uf Gall'sWork in Britain is our large press,located at Radlett - just about onemile from the college. This new presscomplex is one of the most modernprinting plants in all of Britain andprints many millions of mae37ines,booklets and other items each year.

Every month half a million copies ofThe PLAIN TRIJTH and TOMORROW'SWORLD are produced. Last year alone,we mailed over eight million pieces ofliterature to over one hundred nationsaround the globe!

Soon we hope to be printing theFrench, German and Dutch editions ofThe PLAIN TRUTH as well. To accom­plish this, we are creating a new art andlayout department and a composingroom so we will be able to handle theseforeign editions from layout to dis­tribution. This will provide an enor­mous boost to the Work since BricketWood is located so close to these par­ticular nations, and many of ourfrench, German and Dutch personnelare here - besides the proximity of theforeign offices. Expenses in mailing alsowill be lowered appreciably.

Through these and many other ser­vices, Ambassador College in BricketWood is helping to fulfiLl the purposefor its existence - to SERVE the peopleof five continents!

Ycs, the College here in EnglanJ wasindeed born to serve! 0

Areouto take thePassover?

Another year has nearly passed! Soon the Passover will behere and another priceless opportunity to live through thepanorama of God1s annual Holy Days - His plan of salva­tion for you and for the whole world. Are you ready for thisvital observance - are you ready to take the Passover?

by Albert J. Portune

I N JUST a short while YOU will besitting down with a very select fewpeople on this earth to partake of

the PASSOVER.The Passover is a memorial of the

death of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the

world. Partaking of the symbols of Hisbroken body and shed blood meansthat YOU have been selected to know

and understand God's purpose. Beingchosen as one of the ELECT to knowGod's truth carries sobering responsi­bilities. We cannot approach this eventlightly.

Prelude to the Holy Days

The Passover is the first event begin­ning again God's annual season of HolyDays which reveal His plan of salvationfor the whole world. That plan, hiddenfrom the world in general, reveals whyYOU cannot take this event lightly.

That plan reveals that YOU have beencalled to know and understand God'spurpose - AHEAD of the majority ofmankind. Jesus said: "It is given unto

you to know the mysteries of the king­dom of heaven, but to them it is notgiven" (Matt. 13: 11).

The world is not being called now \Only the Elect are being called at thistime. God's Holy Days, revolving

around the harvest seasons in Palestine,show that WE are part of the early har­vest - representing the Elect. The restof the world will not be given theiropportunity until Jesus returns and theMillennium begins - the late or fallharvest (see Leviticus 23).

The sobering truth is that we havebeen called in a special calling or timeto qualify ahead of the world so we canbe used by God and Christ to helpbring knowledge and salvation to therest of mankind.

God is vitally concerned with us aswe approach this Passover, because ofour important part in His plan. He isdeeply concerned with our attitude. Hewants to KNOW if we are totally surren­dered to Him. Now is the time, justbefore the Passover, to examine our-

selves to see whether we are truly RIGHTwith God and in harmony with Himand His plan.

Self-examination

Do you realize that at this comingPassover you could eat and drinkDAMNATION?

God inspired the Apostle Paul towrite: "Wherefore whosoever shall eatthis bread, and drink this cup of theLord, tmuwthily, shall be guilty of thebody and blood of the Lord. But let aman EXAMINE HIMSELF, and so let himeat of that bread, and drink of thatcup. For he that eateth and drinkethunworthily, eateth and drinketh dam­nation to himself, not discerning theLord's body" (1 Cor. 11 :27-29).

Brethren, this warning wouldn't bein God's Word if there were not mortaldanger for YOU. This coming Passoveris a vital time, whether you have takenthe Passover many times or if this isyour FIRST time.

What does it mean to discern the

January-April 1971

Lord's body? How can we eat anddrink unworthily? How can we eat anddrink damnation to ourselves? Let'sunderstand.

Getting Into Focus

God wants us to isolate a very basicand elementary perspective each year atthe Passover. He wants us to focus onthat elementary concept as we beginagain tu relive: His plan of salvation formankind. That elementary concept ISsalvation. That's what His plan is allabout, whether it relates to us or theworld.

Therefore, brethren, the Passover is atime for us to once again get down tothe elementary precepts of our OWN sal­vation - our OWN relationship to Godand His Work. It is a time to examine

OURSELVES. A time to look at YOU.

We can get so absorbed in our workor in the "deeper things," the seemingly"important" things, that we can forgetWE have to get and keep OURSELVESright with lYon. That's what thePassover is all about.

There is never a time we can allowourselves to get so busy or so importantin our own eyes that we no longer needto get deadly serious about the ele­mentary concepts of salvation thatwe so intimately associated with thePassover.

The Elementary Principles

No matter how long we have been inGod's Church or how spiritual we havebecome, we are still human beings withhuman nature. Not one of us will evercome to a place in this life when we canafford to forget what we are. Just beforethe Passover we should take anotherlook - a long, good look!

What is man Iike ?"The heart [of man) is deceitful

above all things, and desperately wicked:who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9.)

"The carnal mind is enmity againstGod: for it is not subject to the law ofGod, neither indeed can be" (Rom.8:7) .

Yes, this is the kind of nature allhuman beings have! And this is thetime of year to especially remember thatfact. It is also a time to rehearse andreaffirm what you have done with theknowledge that you have that kind ofnature.

The GOOD NEWS

The truth of the matter is, humannature is alien to God and to His ways.Man's heart is wickedly inclined. He isdereitfllt. total~v Ilqnosed to the w.;J,v~ .ofGod. Most men have never seen them­servesfrus way. ""Most men do not havethe slightest awareness they have thiskind of nature - but it's true. Satan, inhiding this truth from mankind, hasdone his work well!

Environment, Too

Not only is man's nature this way,but his environment is virtually totallyalien to God. Mankind does not knowthat this world is not GOD'S world ­yet. God is allowing Satan to rule thisworld for a time. He is allowing Satanto seduce man through man's mind andfleshly pulls to want and to Imbibe ofall the evil things of this world.

Satan is the present ruler of this worldand he is blinding men's minds to thetruth that you have been given theprivilege to understand. "But if ourgospel be hid, it is hid to them that arelost: In whom the god of this worldhath blinded the minds of them whichbelieve not, lest the light of the gloriousgospel of Christ, who is the image ofGod, should shine unto them" (II Cor.4:3-5).

"For all that is in the world, the lustof the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life, is NOT of theFather, but is of the world" (I John2:16).

So, in our examination, let's realizewhat kind of basic nature we have andwhat kind of a world we live in.

Light in Darkness

For us who are the Elect, light andunderstanding has come by the callingof God's Holy Spirit. Through God'sinfinite mercy YOU were called as one ofHis Elect to see yourself and your envi­ronment as THEY REALLY ARE!

This was a miracle in your life! Doyou still realize it?

God sent His Holy Spirit to openyour mind to real knowledge. By it Heopened your mind to see YOURSELF!You were led to see what human naturewas like - what YOU were like. Andyou were led to see how Satan hasinfluenced you along with all mankind.

You didn't like what you saw!

9

You wanted to be different. So youcame to repentance - a change in your­self - because that's what repentance.1~ Thp )J(md.< ,t;\f .t;h-- Aptffit;l~ Pa'\U'

became your words: "For that which Ido I allow not: for what I would, thatdo I not; but what I hate, that do I. ForI know that in me (that is, in myflesh.) dwelleth NO GOOD THING: 0wretched man that I am! Who shalldeliver me from the body of thisdeath?" (Rom. 7:15, 18,24.)

So you came to repentance and youwere baptized. You went through anoutward SYMBOL of death. Baptism is apicture of death, burial and resurrec­tion. You were immersed in a waterygrave and brought up in a type of aresurrection. But a resurrection to what?

"How shall we, that are dead to sin,live any longer therein? Know ye not,that so many of us as were baptized intoJesus Christ were baptized into hisdeath? Therefore are we buried withhim by baptism into death: that like asChrist was raised up from the dead bythe glory of the Father, even so we alsoshould WALK IN NEWNESS of LIFE"(Rom. 6:2-4).

Having seen yourself for what youreally were, you wanted to stop beingGod's enemy. You wanted to stop beingdeceitful and wicked. You wanted tohave all the past evil deeds andthoughts taken away. You wanted tobecome a NEW - a different person.You saw that Jesus Christ died for you.You saw why He had to die - to paythe price for your sins and for your hos­tile mind. So you acknowledged Jesus asyour own personal Savior. You askedGod to accept the sacrifice of Jesus' lifefor YOUR sins and carnal mind. Youopenly before God showed Him hy yom

baptism what you TRULY wanted - foryour evil carnality to die and to bechanged into having the kind of naturethat is no longer God's enemy.

When God saw this genuine, heart­felt attitude, He put His Holy Spiritwithin you and begot you as His ownchild.

But that isn't the end of the story!

Not the End

Now began what is perhaps the hard­est part of all - for every one of us.Having crucified, in a sense, the "old

10

..';.4 ~ ,

nature," we each soon found that theold nature wasn't dead. Though wewished for it to be destroyed, we foundit still had life and vigor.

AND THAT'S JUST THE POINT!

God intended it this way for a vitalpurpose. God wants us to comprehendthe REAL DEPTH OF THE EVIL, WICKED­NESS AND DECEITFULNESS that is in us.God is allowing us to live on WITH ourfleshly natures and in an alien environ­ment to teach us how really andprofoundly EVIL we have been - andhow often we still fall short.

We Know tliat we nave crucified' tfieold man to the intent that the-h~ 0.£.SIN (our very nature) might bedestroyed (Rom. 6:6). We know thatonce we are resurrected or changed atJesus' return, we will be freed from thiskind of nature (verse 7). But, untilthat time comes, we must reckon our­selves to be dead indeed unto sin, andliving the righteous life (verse 11).The struggle then begins to "let not sintherefore reign in your MORTAL body,that you should obey it in the luststhereof" (verse 12).

W~h:1T 'Nt:' are lfur &.qmZeQ: we arecalled "babes" in Christ. Notwithstand­ing the fact that we have come to mirac­ulous and profound knowledge atbaptism, we still are just beginning alife of overcoming. We need to grow

The GOOD NEWS

HUNGRYI - When we are firstbaptized, God looks upon us as"newborn babes" which must befed the "milk" of His Word inorder to grow spiritually.

and mature in understanding and per­spective. "... As newborn babes, desirethe sincere milk of the word, that yemay GROW thereby" (I Peter 2:2). "Butgrow in GRACE, and in the knowledgeof our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ"(II Peter 3: 18) .

As we grow in a deeper and moreprofound knowledge nf _'}UltiJua.l .thlt1?~

our ability to see ourselves becomesmore acute. We see things about our­selves and our natures that we neversaw at baptism. This is right! It is prog­ress! It is what God intended.

When Paul received God's HolySpirit and began to grow, he found thathis more profound knowledge of God'sspiritual law made sin appear to becomeexceeding sinful (Rom. 7: 13). And soit is with us. The longer we live withourselves in this flesh the more ourknowledge of God's perfect spiritual

law f .thar Vol.!' .ar.t> /l6xi.f.t>g.t>..cI .0 ..lltd!',r­

stand) convicts us of the exceeding sin­fulness of the carnal human nature.

So, as we approach the Passover, wehave had one more year to live with

ourselves. God is now asking us once

January-April 1971

again to partake of the broken body andJik-& .5l.\AA} 61' .c.h'i:SL~ Hd'S" ,ih~" !"J1>1'" Ye'dI~

convinced you that you have come tothe place that you no longer nl?l?d thesacrifice of Christ? Or rather has it con­vinced you that you need it EVENMORE PROFOUNDLY than everbefore?

THIs IS ALL JNCLllllF.J) .IN '~DlS­

CERNING THE LORD'S BODY."

Certainly you have grown in personalovercoming of sin. Certainly you havegrown in Bible understanding and spir­itual knowledge. But have you grown inpersonally knowing YOU need JesusChrisr .more .tb:>'("l .p:<i:p'r .b.P..(Q':!") A.rul.rum!'

you grown '10 completely TRUSTING RIM- whether for healing, by means ofHis broken body, or for salvationthrough the value of His blood thatonce coursed through that body, or inany kind of day-to-day need in whichHe is our Advocate to intervene in yourbehalf?

Ready for the Passover?

Each year God commands us tolive through again His Holy Dayswhich picture His plan of salvation forthe world. Each year we begin againwith the primary beginning - thePassover - the acceptance of the sacri­fice of Jesus Christ.

Each year we should be observingGod's Holy Days with greater desire forthe fulfillment of His plan because weshould have seen the need for it more'profoundly than ever before - for our­selves and for the world.

As we start the Holy Days again, itshould be with a renewed eagerness. It

should be with a more fervent desire totake those precious symbols because weknow far more deeply their meaning tous and to the world.

It's not with a humdrum routineapproach that we begin each year. Wecannot come up to these days with a half­

hearted, apathetic approach. If we do wemay eat and drink "unworthily" - eatand drink damnation unto ourselves.

,'1J orre: 1S-'Wun.l'ry"" - a "wormy:'person. Totally understanding howunworthy of Christ's great sacrifice we

are, makes us ready to partake of thePassover with full understanding. This

is the only way we can partake of it

J'muarY-1\.pnl 1971

"worthily," that is, in a worthy mannerand attitude!

God wants His people to approachthe Passover with the most earnest andheartfelt desire for the forgiveness ofChrist - individually and ultimatelyfor the world. No other attitude demon­strates a true Christian who has grownas he should through the year.

Are YOU READY TO TAKE THEPASSOVER?

No man who has lived another yearin the flesh with the presence of theHoly Spirit can approach the Passoverwithout a deeper and more sincere NEEDfor the sacrifice of Christ. No man canthus take the unleavened bread of Jesus'broken body and the red wine of Hisshed blood without, in spirit, falling atthe foot of the stake before Jesus' bleed­ing, dying body and saying "For me,for me, Oh God, He died!"

"And he took bread, and gavef,!;-"'lllo1:,, <fna' DraKe It, and' gave untothem, saying, This is my body which is"GWEN FOR YOU: this do in remem­brance of me. Likewise also the cupafter supper, saying, This cup is thenew testament in my blood, which isSHED FOR YOU" (Luke 22: 19-20).

These words should be more livingand personal for you than ever before.ARE THEY?

The Big Picture

Having thus seen the profound needfor the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in ourpersonal lives, we should also have a

deeper and more acute desire for the

same light and understanding to cometo this lost, sin-sick world. Not just in

theory, but in fact.

»'",~ .5l'glir <£gnu, wltl1 tfie Passover,picturing God's plan of salvation for'-aft; -wurlQ. 'if's not 'Just a personal salva­

tion for you alone. There are a lot ofhuman lives going down the drain all

around us. The utter hopelessness of adying civilization sends its groanings upinto our consciousness every day.

We, who have been given the knowl­edge of the ONLY way out for theworld, ought to groan within ourselvesfor the time they, too, can be delivered

from the bondage of corruption ofwhich we have been made so acutely

aware. Each new year of Holy Day

The GOOD NEWS

observances should be from a higherlevel of awareness, with a greater senseof earnestness for their fulfillment.

There is only ONF. WORK truly work­ing toward that end ... THIS WORK.And you are a part of it.

Has this past year brought you to adeeper dedication? Are you behindGod's Work with your very lives andall that your lives can produce? Or, arethe annual Holy Days to you justanother humdrum routine again?

"God so loved the world, that he gavehis only begotten Son, that whosoeverbelieveth in him should not perish, buthave everlasting life" (John 3:16)."He that believeth on him [in Hispurpose} is not condemned: but he thatbelieveth not [in His purpose1 is con­demned already, because he hath notbelieved in the name of the only begot­ten Son of God" (verse 18).

If you tru!v believe .tt' £'-.sW:r 0lL~1;through Jesus Christ and are going ALLOUT for that, 'fHF'tRf,ft; :fI1 'YUGR LIFE,then you are properly discerning theLord's body and are eating and drink­ing eternal life unto yourself. But ifyour life and actions show a half­hearted, lethargic support and dedica­tion to His Work - you are eating anddrinking damnation to yourself - notdiscerning, not understanding the fullmeaning of the Lord's body.

EXAMINE YOURSELF!

Make It Personal

Brethren, there is still time to exam­ine yourself and make this Passover apersonal thing between you and God.Look deeply into your life. Have youbeen just coasting ? Were you J>Sllrwto fet this just be another routinePassover? If this is true, then ";QU_ dr_",­perately need the sacrifice of JesusChrist for the lethargy which God'sHoly Spirit has led you to see in your­self - just as you should have been ledto see many other things about yourselfthis past year.

For every growing Christian eachPassover should be a more profoundexperience in which our Savior and ourGod grows more personal, more pre­cious, more wonderful.

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THEPASSOVER - WILL YOU BE READY?

During supper that Passover evening

11

Jesus rose and girded Himself with a

towel and began to wash the disciples'feet (John 13:2-5). Peter, impulsiveand naive, didn't want to let Jesus"stoop" to washing his feet. But Jesussaid to him, "If I wash thee not, THOUHAST NO PART WITH ME!" Peter, ofcourse did want to have a part withChrist and consented.

Jesus then said: "Know ye what Ihave done to you? Ye call me Masterand Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.If I then, YOUR LORD and Master, havewashed your feet; ye also OUGHT TOWASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET. For I havegiven you an example, that ye should doas I have done to you. Verily, verily, Isay unto you, The servant is not greaterthan his Lord; neither he that is sentgreater than he that sent him. If yeknow these things, happy are ye IF YEDO THEM" (verses 12-17).

W,f' .tllill .vasl\- one anorrier's teet onthe Passover. But again it is an outwardcJynlmJ. 1li: 'an attrtude ana action in ourlives - one of serving the brethren andbeing willing to give ourselves inHUMILITY for the purposes of God.

Do you have a part with JesusChrist? Are you in a foot-washing atti­tude ALL YEAR? That's what the out­ward symbol of foot-washing you willpartake of truly means. Are you dis­cerning the Lord's body? Or, are youperhaps like Peter - not wanting to letthe purposes of your God be to take theform of a servant A growing, dis­Leming Christian knows his Gud hascalled him to humble himself as a ser­vant of brethren and mankind.

The Time Is JY£lw

So, brethren, the time is NOW. TheQ'1-'<.<;.mw..o;. ;E~ ;Iu-;;-. Wftf'<ld. at you.·Y au 'havehad another year to live, experience andgrow. The panorama of YOUR LIFE isthere before you along with the tableauof the sacrifice of Christ.

"He is despised and rejected ofmen; a man of sorrows, and acquaintedwith grief.... Surely he hath borneOUR griefs, and carried OUR SOR­ROWS.... But he was wounded for OURtransgressions, he was bruised for OURiniquities: the chastisement of OURpeace was upon him; and with hisstripes WE are healed" (Isa. 53: 3-5) .

Be READY to take the Passover! 0

"Y F.S, I realize Johnny lied, and Iknow he shouldn't have doneit," said Mom. "But, after all,

it isn't as though he had murderedsomeone."

Johnny told Mom he had no home­work. Certainly it was just a "small"lie. Nothing like murder or theft. Noth­

in./{ to get worked ul? about, shethought. Her Johnny isn't as bad as theother children in the neighborhood. Hedoesn't do all the bad things they do.

How many of us would agree withher reasoning? How many of us Justifyour "small" sins by comparing themwith the "big" sins of others?

How Do YOU Look at Sin?

W~at .is ,vour ..attitude Inward .sin,brethren? As the Days of Unleavened""Breaa araw near - which picture theputting of sin out of our lives - weneed to remind ourselves of the"exceeding sinfulness of sin"!

Take this simple test to see what yourattitude is toward sin.

Which sin is worse?1. a) To borrow from your second

tithe in an emergency.b) To embezzle from your

employer.2. a) To marry an uncoverted person.

b) To flee the scene of an accidentin which you were involved.

3. a) To speak evil about someonebehind his back.

b) To kill someone in cold blood.What were your answers? All "b's"?If so, your attitude toward SIN is the

same as that of Johnny's mother. It is awrong attitude! Let's understand why.

How Does GOD Look at Sin?

It is obvious that certain sins hurtpeople more than others. Adultery, forexample, clearly inflicts greater andmore lasting damage to more peoplethan forgetting an appointment.

On the other hand, we must realizethe evil of what many people may con­sider to be "small" sins. After all,sin is sin - wrong is wrong - evilis evil, no matter what the degree. Toask which of two sins is worse is aboutlike asking which was more sinfulSodom or Gomorrah?

Regardless of how "minor" or"small" men may think some sins are,

January-April 1971

God says: "For the wages uf Sill isdeath . . ." (Rom. 6: 23). That's deathin the lake of fire! No sins, therefore,should be trifled with, tolerated, orsecretly harbored. The ultimate penaltyfor ALL sin - whether large or small- is the same: ETERNAL DEATH!

That some sins exact an immediatepenalty is clear. But the damage doneby some "small" sins over a periodof time can also be devastating. Tocompare one's own sins with those ofother people, to minimize one's ownsins, and in the process to seek justifica­tion for them is exceedingly foolish andspiritually dangerous!

The Apostle James warns: "For who­soever shall keep the whole law, andyet offend in one point, he IS GUILTY

OF ALL" (James 2:10). Our attitudeas converted Christians should be toseek out and eliminate every sin ­every wrong thought - every evil way.We should not be hanging on to our"small" faults just because they do notseem to be as serious as certain obvious­ly great sins.

The Danger of Self-deception

The most obvious characteristic of thePharisees was their self-righteousness.Jesus Christ exposes this attitude veryclearly in Luke 18:9-14:

"And He spake this parable untocertain which trusted in themselves thatthey were righteous, and despisedothers: Two men went up into thetemple to pray; the one a Pharisee, andthe other a publican. The Pharisee stoodand prayed thus with himself, God, Ithank thee, that I am not as other men

are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, oreven as this publican. I fast twice in theweek, I give tithes of all that I possess."

Here was a man who had committedno "great" sins. At least he didn't thinkso. Whatever sins or faults the Phariseehad, he certainly did not consider themto be as evil as those in other people. Infact, he prided himself on his obedienceto God's laws. He was SURE that he wasrighteous before God.

But what about the publican?"And the publican, standing afar off,

would not lift up so much as his eyesunto heaven, but smote upon his breast,saying, God be merciful to me asinner."

The GOOD NEWS

The publican, quite opposite from thePharisee, knew his sins. He did notminimize them. He made no comparisonwith anyone else. lIe did not say hissins were not quite as bad as those insomeone else. And though perhapsguilty of greater obvious sins than thePharisee, the publican was the one whowas justified rather than the Phariseebecause he had a repentant attitude.

"I tell you," said Jesus, "this man[the publican} went down to his housejustified rather than the other [the Phar­isee]: for every one that exalteth him­self shall be abased; and he thathumbleth himself shall be exalted."

What was the difference betweenthese two men? Although the publicanhad committed serious sins, he wasrepentant - he wanted to change andto overcome. But the Pharisee blindedhimself to his sins. In his sight he hadnever done anything wrong. He had theattitude, "I'm all right, Jack." There­fore, in his own mind, his faults hadceased to exist at all.

Through self-righteousness thePharisee had fallen into the trap ofthinking that the sins of other peoplewere worse than his. By comparing him­self with them he seemed pure. "Afterall," he probably thought to himself, "Ihaven't committed the horrible sinsthese others have !" As a result, henever comprehended his own totalwretchedness in the sight of God.

There is a great lesson in this parablefor us, today. Are we modern-day Phar­isees? Do we seek to justify our sins bycomparing ourselves with others andconcluding that we aren't so bad afterall ?

Don't Compare Sins!

Christ exposed more of the truecolors of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:

"But woe unto you, scribes and Phar­isees, hypocrites! for ye shut up thekingdom of heaven against men: for yeneither go in yourselves, neither sufferye them that are entering to go in ... yemake clean the outside of the cup andof the platter, but within they are fullof extortion and excess ... within ye arefull of hypocrisy and iniquity ... ye ser­pents, ye generation of vipers, how canye escape the damnation of hell[gehenna}?" (Matt. 23:13, 25, 28, 33.)

13

If you are tempted to compare sins,then ask yourself this question: Whichwas worse - the sin of extortion (asperhaps with the publican) or the sinof being responsible for preventingsomeone from entering the Kingdom ofGod - causing them to lose out on sal­vation and eternal life? Put that way,the Pharisee's sins did not compare veryfavorably with the publican's, did they?

Actually, no sin should minimize anyother sin. Sin is sin - and all sinresults in DEATH!

It is beside the point whether or notyour sins seem as great as your neigh­bor's. You fIlay say yuu haven't mur­dered anyone. Fine. That's good. But doyou occasionally tell lies? If so, that isthe sin which yOIl need to repent of. Ifyou don't repent of it, it will claim yourlife just as murder will claim someoneelse's life.

We must not allow ourselves to thinkthat the sins other people commit some­how diminish the seriousness of the sinswe commit. Overcome your sins andfaults and let God deal with everyoneelse. Follow the perfect example of ourSaviour Jesus Christ. His should be theonly standard for comparisons.

All Sins Are Serious

Let us return to the example given atthe beginning of this article. Johnny'S"small" lie may not seem too serious atfirst thought - especially when wecompare it with murder. Granted, a"small" lie may not always have thedire results of murder. But in certaininstances it could!

Lying is always a terribly serious sin!Why? Because lying reveals a fatal flawin character - a fatal defect. Lying isdeception. Lying can reflect an attitudeof hate, disrespect, selfishness, and evenmurder. Satan is spoken of in the Bibleas a "murderer" and the "father oflies" (John 8:44). A liar has no realcharacter. He cannot be trusted. He isabsolutely undependable.

God certainly does not considerlying a "small" sin. In fact, He says:" ... ALL LIARS, shall have their partin the lake which burneth with fireand brimstone; which is the seconddeath" (Rev. 21 :8, also 22: 15).

Lying is a sin so serious in God's eyes

14

that He has set death as its penalty!How about Johnny's "little" lie, then?Anything to get worked up about? Yes!These "small" sins are so serious that ifwe want our children to grow up asresponsible, trustworthy adults, we hadbetter eradicate these sins NOW, realiz­ing how detrimental they are to the for­mation of holy, godly character!

We also need to be vitally concernedabout ALL sins! Some sins may not seemtoo great, but ALL are the antithesis ofthe righteous and perfect character ofGod! And all, unrepented of, lead tothe lake of ~re!

David's Example

David's approach to sin was totallydifferent from that of most people.Therefore, he is called "a man afterGod's own heart." Notice his attitude:"I hate and abhor lying: but thy law doI love" (Psalm 119:163).

Earlier, in verses 104 and 128 of thesame Psalm, David said: ".... I hateevery false way." David's desire ­because he had the mind of God, theapproach of God - was to eradicateALL sins from his life. Even though hesinned, he never sought to justify him­self. He never excused the wrong inhimself by comparing himself withworse examples.

A member of God's Church whoreally abhors lying - who looks atlies as God does ~ will feel likeDavid, and he will strive to overcomethis great sin, and et'ery sin, in his life.He won't be minimizing its seriousnessby saying that "it is not as bad as . . ."

Proverbs 28: 13 admonishes us: "Hethat covereth his sins shall not prosper:but whoso confesseth and forsakeththem shall have mercy." You can neversucceed in hiding your sins. God seesthem. Why not take the best way out ­admit them, admit their seriousness,repent, change and seek God's for­giveness?

Don't be like those described inProverbs 30: 12: "There is a generationthat are pure in their own eyes, and yetis not washed from their filthiness."Look at your sins, then repent of themas David did. Don't fall into the trap ofcomparing yourself with certain badexamples you see around you.

The GOOD NEWS

Your Reaction to Sin

What type of person are you? Areyou shocked and moved by the SIN thatexists in the world today? The violence,the crime, the pornography, the wars,abortions, racial bigotry and conflicts?How do you feel about the conditionsthat constitute our society today?

Do you think sin isn't really so bad,after all?

The Church at Corinth well illus­trates a point. In I Corinthians 5 theApostle Paul writes about a man in theChurch who had committed fornication.He also rebukes the other members ofthat Church for their attitude towardthat sin. "And ye are puffed up, andhave not rather mourned, that he thathath done this deed might he takenaway from among you" (I Cor. 5:2).

On the other hand, the Prophet Eze­kiel describes those whose attitudetoward sin is entirely different: "Andthe Lord said unto him, Go through themidst of the city, through the midst ofJerusalem and set a mark [for theirprotection and salvation} upon the fore­heads of the men that sigh and cry forall the abominations that be done in themidst thereof" (Ezek. 9:4).

The Corinthians weren't sighing andcrying for all the abominations done inthe city of Corinth, which was notoriousthroughout the entire Roman Empirefor its sexual licentiousness. The Corin­thians in the Church had grown up inthat society. They tended to take it forgranted. They tended to "co-exist" withthe heinous sins around them.

We today live in a society very muchlike that of Corinth ~ and in manyrespects even worse. And we, like them,have become hard to shock. We haveseen too much violence and bloodshedon television - too much of Vietnam.Most people aren't revolted by opendisplays of perverted sex and/or nudityon the stage, cinema and television.And we have come to regard the takingof drugs almost as commonplace asdrinking beer.

Don't Become Hardened to Sin

Brethren, we need to RENEW OUR

GUARD against all the sins around us ­all the rottenness of this evil, degener­ate, filthy world!

The Apostle Paul warns us: "Take

January-April 1971

heed, brethren, lest there be in any ofyou an evil heart of unbelief, in depart­ing from the living God. But exhortone another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardenedthrough the DECEITFULNESS of sin"(Heb.3:12-13).

Have some of us begun to take sinfor granted? Is sin merely a "religious"word? Or do we see and HATE theawful results that follow the violationof God's wonderful laws?

Some are no longer with us becausethey didn't fear to lie. Others havethought that to borrow from secondtithe in an emergency was no great sin.Others have left the Church throughdating, then marrying, an unconvertedperson. None intended to leave theChurch at first, but that was the inevi­table result of an attitude and actionwhich minimized sin!

Check up on yourself. Do you min­imize your sins? Are you "coexisting"with certain "small" sins in your life?Don't allow yourself to be blinded tothe seriousness of even the "SMALL­EST" sins in your life - because ifyou tolerate them, they will eventuallylead to the lake of fire!

The perfect approach to all sins wasgiven by the Apostle Peter: "For hethat will love life, and see good days,let him refrain his tongue from evil,and his lips that they speak no guile:let him ESCHEW EVIL, and do good; lethim seek peace, and ensue it. For theeyes of the Lord are over the righteous,and his ears are open unto their prayers:but the face of the Lord is against themthat do euil" (I Peter 3: 10.12).

This is the attitude we should have ifwe want to live forever!

The more we overcome sin, and liverighteously before God, the more Hecan bless us and use us in His W ark ­and the greater reward we will receivein His soon-coming Kingdom. There­fore, let's abhor all sin, brethren ~ let'sFLEE from sin, and cleave to righteous­ness with all our heart and strength!

In this Passover season especially,let's be reminded of the horror of sin,and diligently PUT IT OUT of ourlives, even as we put the leavened breadout of our homes during the Days ofUnleavened Bread! I:lI

Chemical warfare, nerve gases, biological toxins, atombombs and thermonuclear warheads are lethal weapons.But there is another weapon which has destroyed the lives

of far more people than aff of these put together!

by David L. Antion

W H AT is the world's most devas­tating weapon? Most peoplewould probably say the H­

bomb. Some might say the cobalt bomb.Others may point to a rumored laserbomb, a doomsday device, or evenchemical and biological weapons.

But none of these is right!There is another weapon that every

man carries around with him daily. It iswith him when he gets up in the morn­ing and shaves. It is with him when hegoes to sleep at oight.

This weapon is not just some theo­retical device which has never beenused. In the history of mankind, it hasbeen responsible-directly or indirectly-for the deaths of multiplied millions!

But men have no monopoly on thisweapon. Women also use it quite con­sistently - often to devastating effect.

The Worst Weapon in theWorld

What is this horrible weapon? It isthe HUMAN TONGUE! Men have mrs­used the tongue. They have turned itinto a "world of iniquity."

Notice what God's Word says: "Evenso the tongue is a little member, andboasteth great things. Behold, howgreat a matter a little fire kindleth! Andthe tongue is a fire, a uorld of iniquity:so is the tongue among our members,that it defileth the whole body, and set­teth on fire the course of nature; and itis set on fire of hell [gehenna - or thelake of fire].

"For every kind of beasts, and ofbirds, and of serpents, and of things inthe sea, is tamed, and hath been tamedof mankind: but the tongue can no man

tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadlypoison. Therewith bless we God, eventhe Father; and therewith curse we men,which are made after the similitude ofGod. Out of the same mouth proceedethblessing and cursing. My brethren, thesethings ought not so to be" (James 3: 5­

10) .

The tongue, as these verses show,does not have to be a deadly weapon.When used correctly, it can be a won­derful tool for great good!

But unfortunately, too few peoplehave learned how to properly control it!Most often the tongue is used as anunguided missile which explodes uponthe object of its aim with deadly effect.

How This Weapon Is Used

There are many wrong uses of thetongue. But perhaps the most dangerous

16

and harmful of all is goxsip. Gossip cando more damage and create more divi­sion than nearly any other activity.

Why do people gossip? Do womengossip more than men? And is gossipdamaging to those who do it? These aresome questions to which we in God'sChurch should know the answers.

In a study by Theodore Isaac Rubin,M.D., entitled What Gossiping RevealsAbout Yo", some interesting answersare brought to light. Doctor Rubinfound that women have no priorityon gossip! Men gossip just as much."In fact, nearly everyone gossips tosome extent, but some people carry ittoo far. To them, gossip becomes achronic way of life that cannot bealtered without psychiatric help."

But why do people gossip? Dr.Rubin explains that some men andwomen are "chronic mouthmovers."They must either eat or talk. And manytimes they gossip just to keep theirmouths moving - spouting a steadystream of words.

Dr. Rubin points out another majorreason for gossip. "Boredom and apathyalso breed gussip. Idle talk becomes afiller to compensate for empty hours.Lonely people whose lives have becomedull and devoid of interests use gossipas a form of reaching out or relat­ting. Because they are not sufficientlyinvolved with current events or issuesthey cannot talk about them, and theyfeel that talking about themselves isdull and useless - so they gossip aboutothers. . .. All these lonely, boredpeople are so involved in gossip thatthey don't always realize they are tellingtales or exaggerating. In short, theybelieve their own fabrications."

God's Word shows idleness to beindeed one of the major causes leadingto gossip. Speaking of younger widows,Paul says, "And withal they learn to beidle, wandering about from house tohouse; and not only idle, but tattlersalso and busybodies, SPFAKING THINGSWHICH THEY OUGHT NOT" (I Tim.5:13).

Idleness breeds much mischief. Anold adage says, "An idle mind is thedevil's playground." Even so, we mightsayan unguided tongue might becalled the devil's mouthpiece. An idlemind leads to idle words - and com-

The GOOD NEWS

hined they (10 th" work of Satan, notthe work of God! An idle person'sthoughts degenerate from fabrication tofantasy, and finally, almost withoutexception, to malice.

Malicious Gossip

"Repressed anger is perhaps the mostcommon cause of malicious gossip,"says Dr. Rubin. He goes on to explainthat many people cannot admit theiranger toward someone else. So they dis­guise it. They release their venom in theform of deadly gossip - hatred andmurder (I John 3: 15) in the form ofwords! They seek to destroy throughthe spoken word!

God's Word bears this out: "He that

hideth hatred with lying lips, and hethat uttereth a slander, is a fool" (Prov.10: 18). Also God says, "He that hatethdissembleth with his lips, and layeth updeceit within him" (Prov. 26:24). Andagain, in verse 28 of the same chapter,"A lying tongue hateth those that areafflicted by it; and a flattering mouthworketh ruin."

Have you ever been angry at another- hated another - but tried to concealit?

Jealousy and envy are also commonmotives for gossip. Says Dr. Rubin,"The object of gossip is to put downthat person so as to remove the cravingfur what that persun owns." When weput down another person, we think weare raising ourselves. This is sheervanity!

Have you ever envied another per­son? Have you been jealous of thethings someone else possessed or theprestige of his position? We would allhave to admit that at some time wehave. When we did, we found ourselvestempted to speak evil of others. Wewanted to impute motives and makeinsinuating remarks. We tried to excuseour stations in life in comparison withtheirs by implying evil - gossiping.Subconsciously we wanted to "put themdown" verbally - thus exalting ourown self-image.

Tales CAN Hurt!

"Sticks and stones may break mybones but words can never hurt me."You have heard this little saying andperhaps have said it yourself as a child.

January-April 1971

Parents usnal ly qllote this jingle whenlittle children are hurt by somethinganother child says. Thus, most of usgrow up thinking that words won't hurtus. We try to harden ourselves againstthe words of others.

But the Bible plainly tells us thatwords can - and often do - causedamage. Notice: "Where no wood is,there the fi re goeth out: so where thereis no talebearer, the strife ceaseth"(Prov. 26: 20). In verse 22 God saysfurther, "The words of a talebearer areas wounds, and they go down into theinnermost parts of the belly."

Yes, words can hurt - they can hurtone's reputation; they can hurt a per­son's health; they can hurt friends; andthey can hurt the on" who misuses themhimself!

God certainly minces no words here.He tells us plainly how destructive theuse of the tongue can be. Its use inspitting out thoughtless or mischievouswords may cause irreparable damage tosomeone's entire life!

The misuse of the tongue can causeserious offense. Notice what Solomonwrote: "A brother offended is harder tobe won than a strong city ..." (Prov.18:19).

How often have you "let fly" withyour mouth and offended somebodyelse?

An Incredible Paradox

How can men praise God - stand inChurch ano sing praises to God, an(llead in prayers over their family tableand in Church - and at the same timespeak evil from motives of repressedanger or envy of their brothers in theChurch? Blessing and cursing comesfrom the same mouth. God says thesethings ought not to be! (James 3: 10.)

"SPEAK NOT EVIL ONE OF ANOTHER,RRETHR FN_He that speaketh evil of hisbrother, and judgeth his brother, speak­eth evil of the law, and judgeth thelaw: hut if thou judge the law, thon artnot a doer of the law, but a judge"(James 4:11).

Brethren, God has given His Churcha great commission to perform! Thatcommission is to proclaim THE GOODNEWS OF GOD'S WORD to the world.We are all part of a great team orga­nized to carry out that purpose. There-

January-April 1971

fore, we should speak the pure Word ofGod!

But how many of us are speaking evilof our brothers? How many are usingtheir tongues for a wrong purpose whileclaiming to belong to the body of Christto help proclaim God's Word to theworld?

Again, God commands, "Whereforelayinf( aside all malice, and all guile,and hypocrisies, and envies, AND ALLEVIL SPEAKINGS ... grow . . ." (I Peter2:1-2) .

This is the way to preserve your life.God explains, "For he that will lovelife, and see good days, LET HIMREFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, ANDHIS LIPS THAT THEY SPEAK NO GUILE"

(I Peter 3:10).We cannot be God's true people ­

His true servants - and speak evil oneof another. We must not tolerate gossipand the tearing down of our brothersthrough malicious, evil words. "If anyman among you seem to be religious,and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiu­etb his own heart, THIS MAN'S RELI­GION IS VAIN" (James 1 :26).

Brethren, there is FAR TOO MUCHGOSSIP in God's Church! There are fartoo many talebearers! There are toomany people repeating stories that donot concern them!

What Not to Say

Some will say that they do not gossip- they merely tell "the truth." Thus,they feel that in telling "the truth" theyare justified! But they fail to realize thatthe Bible defines a gossiper as one whonot only speaks lies, but also repeatsevil - even if it is "the truth" - whenand where it is NONE OF HIS BUSINESSor the business of the listener!

You don't always have to tell some­thing just because you know it! MANYthings are far better left unsaid, eventhough they are true. For instance, inmotion pictures today producers makethe assumption that because certaindeeds (adultery, fornication, homosex­ual acts, etc.) are done, it is all rightto discuss them and show them on thescreen!

They couldn't be more WRONG!There are many things which are bet­

ter forgotten. Says the Apostle Paul:"For it is a shame even to speak of

The GOOD NEWS

those things which are done of them insecret" (Eph. 5: 12) .

Whenever you repeat any informa­tion about an evil deed to someone whoshould not be involved and has 110 busi­ness knowing, then you are gossiping.When you talk about anyone's faults tosomeone who can do nothing aboutthem, you are gossiping. Even whenyou repeat the truth - whether thattruth is about an evil deed or sin - toa person who is merely a bystander, you

are gossipinKGossip, naturally, also takes the form

of misinformation. To imply motives,or to insinuate untruths, is gossip andlying. Hopefully, most of God's peopleare not involved in this type of gossip- but many of God's people areinvolved in speculations and repeatingmatters! This kind of gossip is abso­lutely forbidden in the Bible because ofits devastating effects. "He that coveretha transgression seeketh love; BUT HETHAT REPEATETH A MATTER SEPA­RATETH VERY FRIENDS" (Prov. 17:9).

How to Conquer Gossip

What can you do about gossip? Howcan you overcome this abominable habitin yourself? There is something you cando personally.

You can begin an active campaignagainst gossip by stopping it at itssource l

Here's how. First, learn to recognizegossip in your own conversation. Therewill be many limes when you will be soabsorbed in conversation that you willnot realize you are actually gossiping.However, after the talk is over, you canlook back and see where you gossiped.

Once you apply your mind to analyz­ing your own words, you can catchyourself while talking. Then, as you areconscious of your words - which wecertainly should be, since we are goingto be judged by them - you willfinally begin to think BEFORE youspeak! (Prov. 15:28.)

Second, REPENT of gossip. Don'ttake it lightly. You will never overcomegossip until you are deeply convinced ofits evil. Most people, after they've gos­siped, just shrug their shoulders saying,"Well, I guess I really should not havesaid those things, but. ..."

Go to God on your knees. Realize the

17

seriousness of gossipmg. Ask God toforgive you for your attitude of heartwhich may have been the spirit of mur­der, or at least the spirit of carelessnessand unconcern. Realize that Christ hadto die to pay the penalty of THAT sin,too!

Third, don't REPEAT gossip. If you'vebeen gossiping - CHANGE.' Put anEND to gossip in your life!

You know how empty you feel afteran unprofitable conversation centeredaround gossip. So decide not to do itagain! Determine in your mind not totear down yourself and others by yourwords. Instead, be positive - usewords profitably to uplift and build upothers as well as yourself.

Once you recognize gossip and repentof it, and henceforth stop repeating thepattern of conversations that lead to it,you will not be a gossip. But remember.Don't lend your ear to gossip, for thisencourages others to gossip. And it isjust as wrong.

A gossiper needs an ear. He musthave someone to listen to his talebear­ing. But if he finds no one to listen,then he can't gossip. So simply don'tlisten to gossip!

God's Word condemns the listenerjust as much as the gossiper. Yet manyof us actually encourage others to gos­sip. We egg the gossiper on, delightingin the tidbits of poison he pours forth.We want to mind other people's busi­ness. We want to get the juicy evils thatcome from gossip.

Have you ever noticed that peopletend not to be as excited to hear goodnews as to hear bad news? Have youever noticed how slowly good newsspreads and how quickly bad news getsaround?

Why?Because of human nature!By nature we want to listen to gossip

and spread it.But you can stop it! Just DON'T lis­

ten! And don't gossip yourself.

Judged by Our Words

There is a Judgment coming. AndGod's Word plainly tells us that wewill be judged by how we use ourtongues. God says, "A fool's lips enterinto contention, and HIS MOUTH CALL­ETH FOR STROKES. A fool's mouth

18

is his destruction, and his lips are thesnare of his soul" (Prov, 18:6-7).

Jesus put it right on the line whenHe said: "0 generation of vipers, howcan ye, being evil, speak good things?FOR OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE

HEART THE MOUTH SPEAKETH. A goodman out of the good treasure of theheart bringeth forth good things: andan evil man out of the evil treasurebringeth forth evil things. But I sayunto you, THAT EVERY IDLE WORDTHAT MAN SHALL SPEAK, they shall giveaccount thereof in the day of judgment.FOR BY THY WORDS THOU SHALT BE

/USTIPIED, AND BY THY WORDS THOU

SHALT BE CONDEMNED" (Matt.12:34-37) .

Can anything be plainer? Jesus tellsus we will have to give account for ourwords. We will be judged by what wehave said!

Words are not empty. Words aremuch more powerful than we mightimagine. We all feel - humanly, thatis - that after words are spoken,they're forgotten. But words are not for­gotten. And although the sounds ofwords fade and the vibrations stop ­those words can linger on and face youin the future.

What are the fruits of :your words?Have your words separated friends?Have they hurt the reputation ofanother} Have your words causedstrife? If so, you will have to giveaccount.

Brethren, we are in a Work that isspreading good news! Is it right thatWI' _'ihmlkl ~'Pl':!".M ~"\'I~J 1~S"' tV UlR:

another? Of course not.

Let's repent of gossip! Let's get ridof its cancerous growth from our midst!

Let's reallybelieve - and P-J:actir.r ­the instruction of Psalm IS: 1.: '~.nr4

who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Whoshall dwell in t~v ~oJJv .hill.? _~ .thRtwalketh uprightly, and worketh righ­teousness, and speaketh the tmth in hisheart. He that backbiteth not withhirtonK!'e, nor doeth evil to his, neiJbbh.mI1'~,nor taketh up a reproach against hisneighbour."

.Th:.~~mi<;\!' ,WU!' .'irA'" jl511' wli\' Imt !\s-­t,,_~.h·J'"'5'0'~5\V -ad... n'ucsprd.<i' It.'lJeter­

mine in your own heart and mind tospread news of good events! 0

FEAST OFTABERNACLESATTENDANCEAND YEARLYGROWTH RATEu.s. AND CANADA1960-1980

IFEAST PERCENTAGE

ATTENDANCE OF GROWTH

", "I "'

60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75]6]7. 7~]9,RO...,

I· U. S. AND CANADA, 1960-1970 • \- PROJECTED GROWTH, 1971-1980-1

Just what IS the Feast? Have you ever stopped to ask your­self this question? Read, in this behind-the-scenes article bythe Festival Director 01 God's Church, exactly what it takes tomake God's Feast of Tabernacles so different and successful.

by Leslie L. McCullough

THE Feast of Tabernacles is manythings to many people.

To the motel owners and busi­nessmen approached for the first timeby Festival Office pt:r~onnd who art:preparing for the opening of a newFeast site, the Feast has often been anenigma - a giant question mark.

But to the local communities whichalready know and respect us, the Feastis a very welcome boost economically ata normally slack time. It brings thou­sands of adults and children who, forsome inexplicable reason, are far less aproblem than a few hundred adult busi­ness conventioneers who have literallyinvaded their area in the past!

To the members of the Church ofGod, the Feast is crimson and goldPocono forests, the soaring majesty ofSquaw Peak and Granite Chief inSquaw Valley, the ruggedness of Black­heath or the sparkling beauty of theIndian Ocean off George, South Africa.It's the thrill of preparation and thetrip to Minehead, or the joy and antici­

pation of meeting for the first timewith fellow Christians at Praz-sur-Ady,France.

The Feast is a time for education andtravel. It's a time of renewing old

acquaintances and establishing newones. It's a time for fellowship andsongs and sermons which show the realpurpose for man. In seventeen placesaround this earth, it's a time when

God's Church, over 60,000 strong,meets to worship its Creator.

But the Feast is much more!

A Marvel of Cooperation

An executive of a prominent nation­wide organization recently expressed hisamazement at the logistical problems ofproviding housing, parking and audito­rium space for more than 60,000people. His amazement turned to open­mouthed incredulity when he found weweren't speaking of several small con­ventions scattered throughout the year,but one huge convention taking placesimultaneously in seventeen differentlocations.

To most of those with experience inorganizing conventions, the complexityuf ~uch an undertaking is ~taggering.

Upwards of fifty percent of their dele­gates never show up. Those who doshow up find fault with their accom­modations, don't like the food and aregenerally disagreeable.

How can we of God's Church guar­antee a specific number of people andthen meet the guarantee? How can weact as though we expt:ct a basicallytrouble-free time of harmony - andactually get it? How can we, apparentnovices in this business, carry out some­thing so complex?

The answer is: COOPERATION!

The Feast is a marvelous example ofcooperation. It is successful because ofthe complete cooperation of God's

people. Members are eager to help andwilling to tolerate inconveniences forthe success of the Feast. How else couldwe assemble congregations the size ofsmall cities and expect everything to runsmoothly and harmoniously for aneight-day period?

After each Feast, many heartwarmingand deeply satisfying comments arereceived from motel, hotel and restau­rant owners. Here is what one motelmanager in the Lake of the Ozarksregion wrote regarding last year's Feast:

Again we pay tribute to the wonder­ful spirit and. cooperation of themembers of the Worldwide Church ofGod. It is difficult to h*,lieve thatalmost 12,000 people could come fardistances to this area and live foreight days in somewhat different sur­roundings than they are accustomed toat home and yet exude a feeling ofgood fellowship, display patience, andreflect the teachings of your church soimpressively.

In these times uf social turmuil andwith forces attempting to teat downour family structure and our country'sfoundation of freedom, it is hearteningto know that the Worldwide Churchof God demonstrates the right wayand that their numbers increase eachyear.

And here's another from the SquawValley area:

In appreciation of the courteousand considerate attitude of your 56adults and 47 children, whom it wasour privilege to host ....

Any member of your Organization,properly identified, ahall receive a10% discount on our spring, summer,and winter rates.

With our sincere thanks for your

20

FEAST SITEATTENDANCEDISTRIBUTIONU.S. and Canadian Festival Sites'

The GOOD NEWS

Sites #16 & #17 Added

Sites # 14 & # 15 Added

Site # 13 Added

Sites #11 & # 12 Added

january-April 1971

260,000

240,000

220,000

200,000

\80,000

\60,000

Big SandySquaw ValleyJekyll Islandlong 8eachMount PoconoPentictonlake of OZUlk,Wisconsin DellsEstes Park

53 55 57 59

1953 ­1961 ­1963 -1966 - 19681967 -1969 -1970 -

71

Site # 10 Added

73

\40,000

\20,000

\00,000

80,000

60,000

~O,OOO

o79 80 YlEAR

'Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong began observing the Feast of Tabernacles alone in 1927. From 1945 to 1951 the Feast was held at Belknap Springs. Oregonand in 1952 it was held in Seigler Springs, California. This chart shows Festival attendance growth and distribution after our own facilities were used.

highly valued patronage and assuringyou of our desire to be of futureservice, we are ....

Responses such as these attest to theshining example set by God's people"living by every word of God."

The Feast is cooperation .. , and agreat deal more.

The Festival Office

Another important ingredient whichgoes into making a successful Feast isthe vast amount of hard work and plan­ning that takes place in the FestivalOffice.

The overall direction of the Feastalways comes from Headquarters andMr. Herbert W. Armstrong. However,in the past year the immediate responsi­bility for the supervision of all the Fes­tival work has been transferred to theBig Sandy campus. This is where theFestival Office now does the year-roundwork and daily planning and sched­uling for all the Feast sites in theUnited States and Canada.

Do not confuse this operation withthe Festival Construction Operationheaded by Mr. Raymond Cole. His

group of construction men also worksyear-round designing and developingeach Feast site, and building the neces­sary buildings. Mr. Cole is preparing anarticle to be published in a future issueof The GOOD NEWS which will showyou the inside story of this vital part ofthe whole Festival program.

In the past year, we have completedconstruction of the Feast Adminis­tration Building at Big Sandy. It is areplica of those in the Poconos, theOzarks and the one soon to be built inthe Wisconsin Dells. It is here the full­time Festival employees work to preparethe plans for each coming Feast ofTabernacles.

Behind-the-Scenes Planning

The work of the Festival Office defi­uitely isn't over at sundown on the LastGreat Day. After you are home, thereare mountains of bills for us to pay andheaping piles of correspondence for usto handle. Reports from each of theFeast sites must also be analyzed todetermine if those attending actuallystayed at their assigned motels.

Then there is the planning for next

year. Improved methods are suggestedand discussed. Where must we draw theboundary lines for the coming Feast?How many will we have in attendanceat each site? Will we have enoughchairs? This planning begins immedi­ately.

A time schedule must be prepared toinsure that every operation will be com­pleted on time. There are forms to eval­uate and contracts to write. Applicationforms and various letters of instructionmust be printed. Then comes the corre­spondence with ministers, motel owners,realtors, monitors, Festival advisors andmembers who wish to change areas nextyear.

And what about the year after next,and the year after that, and the years onbeyond? Even now we are carefullyplanning, if God should so decree, for1972, 1975, right on through to 1980!Potential future sites are being investi­gated in conjunction with projectedgrowth of the membership.

This is only a part of what the Festi­val Office does once the Feast is over.It calls upon and utilizes the skill of

imagine the difficultiesif a few mistakes are

January-April 1971

pressmen, typists, computer operators,truck drivers, carpenters and numerousothers. All must make a concerted teameffort to accomplish "the best Feastyet."

The Computer and Housing

Back in 1956, the first year I attendedthe Feast, we received a handwritten let­ter from Mrs. Roy Hammer confirmingthat camping space 104 (I think thatwas the number) was reserved for theMcCullough family. Mrs. Hammer usedto sit at her kitchen table and assign allthe housing and camping spaces for theentire Feast of Tabernacles. Gone arethe days ... !

And long gone are the days whenMr. Portune and I contacted all themotel owners, signed the contracts forBlythe Arena, opened the letters andbanked the money, planned the menus,worked with the caterers, as well asassigning all the accommodations forthe first Feast in Squaw Valley. All thiswas sandwiched in between teachingclasses and all our other responsibilities- and it was all done in a single ten­by-twelve-Foot office!

The Feast is a much bigger operationnow than it was in those days.

Today, in order to properly assignhousing, we must feed all the availableinformation into a modern computer.We give the computer the exact detailsfor each room in each motel. We mustprovide information telling the compu­ter if there is a kitchen, if the room willaccommodate a rollaway, how manybeds are in the room, whether there isan additional charge for children, etc.

Upon command the computer thenprints out a continuous line of labelsshowing the description of each room.When the festival applications arereceived the job of personally eval­uating each member's circumstancesbegins. Trained housing representativesbegin matching your specific housingapplication with the computer generatedlabels. The index number on yourapplication is matched with the indexnumber on the label and both are fedinto the computer.

Then upon command and at the pre­arranged schedule, the computer printsout your housing accommodation con­firmation. On this confirmation is listed

The GOOD NEWS

the name of the motel or realtor, thefacilities available and who, if anyone,is to share the house or room. Includedalso is the amount the assignee hasdeposited and the balance to be paid.

Camping Preparations

For some members of the Church ofGod it wouldn't seem like a real Feastof T abernacles if they weren't camping.And there is indeed something about atent and camp stools which seems todissolve a lot of natural reticence towardmaking new acquaintances. Conversa­tions come more easily over a cup ofcoffee brewed on the camp stove. Shar­ing mutual problems of setting up atent, outwitting a balky stove, andcarrying water from afar seems to pro­duce warm friendships easily. And forlovers of the out-of-doors, it's hard tobeat the gentle serenity of a balmy fallevening with the family gatheredaround.

Therefore, the Feast often involvesproviding adequate camping facilities- camp spaces, sanitary buildings andwater.

Water, which we take for grantedin motels, can be quite a problem. Lastyear in Big Sandy we had 9,000 peoplecamping. The water treatment plant hadto process for EACH of them an averageof thirty gallons of water per day.' Nowmaybe that doesn't sound like verymuch water. But to illustrate, imaginehow much it would be if you had tocarry thirty gallons of water per day foreach member of your family from thespring out back. If there are only fourin your home, it would mean twenty­

four trips from the spring with a five­gallon can of water in order to supplyyour family needs for the day.

Of course, there is no spring outback. It's a water faucet down the road.And the bathing is done in the bath­house. Nonetheless, producing over twomillion gallons of potable water is nosmall undertaking. It requires twenty­four-hour-a-day efforts on the part ofthe water plant crew to insure that thefaucet down the street works.'

Then there is new camping equip­ment for those who camp Lasr yearWorldwide Church of God memberspurchased more than $80,000 worth of

21

sleeping bags, tents, stoves, coolers andlanterns, plus numerous other items ­most at less than dealer's cost. In addi­tion, the Coleman Corporation providedtransportation for the new equipment,plus free service at each of the Feastsites. These savings help in makingcamping dollars go further.

But there is still more to the Feast.

Organization for Service

The Feast is also organization. With­out organization, much of the coopera­tion and effort of thousands of memberswould be wasted.

There are literally dozens of crewswhich perform the myriad tasks of pro­ducing a successful Feast. Each job,from Festival Elder to housing monitorto parking lot attendant, is necessaryand important.

Suppose, for example, there were notraffic and parking lot attendants. Onthe first evening of the Feast thousandsof cars would begin to converge on theFeast site. Each driver would have thecommon thought of entering and park­ing on the grounds in time for theopening service. But imagine the con­fusion when each one tried to drive inthe direction he wanted in order toreach the parking spot he had in mind.Imagine the bent bumpers, the janglednerves, the strained patience, the con­fused parking lots, and the late horde!

No responsibility is unimportant ­especially at the time it is needed!

Each responsibility forms a link inthe chain of organization which makesthe Feast function. Some of these linksare in transportation, shipping andreceiving, registration, communications,ushering, parking, camping, recreation- others in motel monitoring, tenterecting and janitorial work. Each hasits part. Each serves an importantfunction.

Can youwhich orrnrmade?

Here is an actual case where someone"dropped the ball." A crew assigned toset up chairs had been asked to reportfor duty at eight o'clock in the morning.But the cleanup crew had not beenscheduled to begin work until two thefollowing day. So the first crew had to

22

sweep the auditorium. Then it was dis­covered the roof where the chairs hadbeen stored had leaked and some of thechairs had rusted. So all the chairs thenhad to be washed before they could beused for the evening service.

But people arriving just prior to theopening service give little thought as tohow the chairs came to be set up, or thesong books available, or the parkingarranged. These things are just acceptedas background to the Feast. They areappreciated only because they are there.But they involve much behind-the­scenes work, planning and tightly knitorganization.

The organizational chart used to out­line the key personnel in charge at eachFeast site is a maze of lines and boxes.A Festival Elder (and usually an assist­ant) is appointed by the Festival Officeto help select those who will directthe many different work crews. Thenspecific areas such as ushering and park­ing are assigned to local churches andthe necessary helpers chosen from thosechurches.

There are always plenty of jobs foreveryone!

Costs

Of course, all these behind-the-scenesoperations cost a great deal of money.This is the reason for the "tithe of thetithe." It became obvious by 1964 thatall the costs of operating the Feastscould no longer be taken from the gen­eral operations budget of the Work ofGod. When it became apparent that wewould have to construct completely newfacilities for the thousands of newmembers being added to the Church,another way of financing such construc­tion was found.

In a series of meetings, Mr. HerbertW. Armstrong and the executive groupof ministers in Pasadena found the way,in principle, revealed in the Bible. Godcommands all His people to save a sec­ond ten percent of their salary (Deut.14 :22-27) to enable them to observethe Feast Days. Since this money is spe­cifically for God's annual Feasts, itbecame apparent it could be used tohelp provide the facilities which wouldenable us to hold the Feast.

We then asked the membership tosend a tenth, or a tithe, of that special

The GOOD NEWS

tithe saved fur the Feast, to hell' pay forthe costs of construction and operationof the Festival sites. The plan hasworked beautifully thus far. To date wehave constructed and completely paidfor the operation in the Poconos, theOzarks and the portion of the workhaving to do with the Feast in BigSandy, as well as beginning the newdevelopment in Wisconsin Dells. Wehave also purchased the property andbegun some of the preliminary work inEstes Park, Colorado. Wisconsin Dellsis to be finished and ready for use in thefall of 1972, with Estes Park comingalong in 1974.

The responsibility for proper use ofthis money is a heavy one. Each yearcareful plans are made and the "T ofT" income, as it is called, carefullybudgeted. From each dollar appro­ximately 40 cents is used for site devel­opment, 21 cents to operate the Feast,14 cents to assist widows, fatherless,newcomers and the ministers to attend,11 cents, to maintain and improve exist­ing sites, 3 cents for miscellaneousneeds during the other Feast Days ofthe year and 11 cents is held in reservefor future development.

As you can see, your tithe of the tithedollars are VERY IMPORTANT! If youhaven't sent your tithe of the tithe toHeadquarters yet this year, please do soas soon as possible.' It is needed to payfor the work currently being done sothat these expenses will not have to bepaid from the general operating fund,which should be used for the fulfill­ment of Matthew 24: 14.

The Feast, as we know it, would beimpossible without the "tithe of thetithe" faithfully given by God's people.

Most Important of All

What else is the Feast?THE FEAST IS - GOD'S FEAST I

Leviticus 23 clearly establishes thatthe Feast Days are ordained of God. Allseven of them are to remind us of God'splan of salvation for mankind. Tounderstand the plan fully, we mustobserve each Feast at its appointed timein the year. "The Feast," as we havecome to call the Feast of Tabernacles,has become the most prominent becauseit occurs during the great fall harvestseason and represents the time when the

January-April 1971

whole world will be following the wayof God.

Why has the Feast of Tabernaclesbecome the most enjoyable time of theyear for God's people?

The biggest reason isn't the organiza­tion, work, housing or cooperation. Thebiggest reason for the success of theFeast is GOD'S SPIRIT.' Although wemust add the human effort and energyneeded to provide the physical require­ments for thousands to enjoy the Feast,without the inspiration and power ofGod's Spirit there simply couldn't be asuccessful Feast!

Most of all, therefore, the Feast isGod's Feast, where His people gathertogether to worship the Creator of theuniverse! It is a time of special worship,prayer, instruction from the Bible anddrawing CLOSE to Him!

Unlike the "feasts" of the world,which are usually little more than out­and-out orgies, parties, and revellings,and which generally result in an achinghangover - unlike the world's feasts,which usually end in degeneration, sick­ness, and exact an enormous penahy inthe lives of people, the Feasts of Godhave the exact opposite effect. For thosewho rightly observe the Feast, it is atime of rejuvenation, thrilling inspira­tion for the days and months ahead, atime of stoking the spiritual fires, ofreplenishing the spiritual reserves, ofspiritual GROWTH, progress and devel­opment of character!

The Feast lays a FOUNDATION forspiritual growth throughout the comingyear. Thus the end result of God's Feastis ligllteousuess, holiness, happiness andspiritual GROWTH!

Think of all that the Feast is, andthink of what it is in God's sight. It'snot merely an annual vacation awayfrom your home - it's a time of spiri­tual rekindling, schooling, instructionand character development so we can allENTER God's promised Kingdom whenChrist returns. It has tremendous mean­ing and significance.

Let's all treasure God's Feast ofTabernacles greatly, and do our utmostto make it a wonderful, inspiring suc­cess each year by doing our part the bestwe possibly can! If we do, God willmake it even MORE of a blessing to usall! 0

SuccessThru SecondEffort!Sometimes you hear a sermon or sermonette you wish earnestly the WHOLE

Church could hear. Such was the case in the Norwalk A.M. Church a few Sabbaths ago.

As Business Manager - dealing with the financial matters for this great Work- the reactivated and enlarged building program is for me, as it is for all of us, a mosturgent and priority activity.

The success of this program for the vitally needed facilities for the growth andcompletion of God's Work hinges on our FINANCIAL ABILITY to carry it through to comple­tion. The simple equation of that success is the Building Fund. As goes the Building Fundincome, so goes the building program. It's as simple as that.

Mr. Ted Phillips, Local Elder in the Norwalk Churches, showed the brethren inhis sermonette how elementary the equation is; how it is our individual and PERSONALresponsibility; how we should become personally involved; and how JlSECOND EFFORTJI

can be the difference between failura and tQtj]l \lid~._

I wanted you all to share in that message, because think it can make thedifference.

- Albert J. Portune

by Theodore G. Phillips and William F. Dankenbring

"SECOND EFFORT" involves somethings which are becoming veryrare today. It involves sacrifice,

determination, and character!You may have watched collegiate or

professional basketball games in whichone team, late in the game, wasbehind by as many as 16 or 20 points,yet came from behind to win. Such anexciting game was played in LosAngeles not long ago.

The UCLA team, champions of theNational Collegiate Athletic Associ­ation, was trailing by nine points in acrucial game with their crosstown rivalsfrom the University of Southern Cali­fornia. There were only a few minutesremaining. The game looked hopeless.Every shot taken by their opponentsseemed to fall through the hoop, whilethe UCLA team had to work hard forevery basket.

But did they give up? Did they quitwhen the going got rough? Did theythrow in the towel? NOT AT ALL l

Coach Johnny Wooden had built arare combination of elements into his

team - the elements of discipline andcharacter. When the going got bleakest,they didn't fold up. Instead, withconfidence and determination, theyredoubled their efforts, tightened theirdefense, and carefully watched for thebest shots on offense. They didn't panic.They didn't become nervous and jitteryand throw the game away. They beganto apply more pressure than ever totheir opponents!

What happened?

In the last several minutes of thegame, UCLA held the opposition to justone point - a free throw! Meanwhile,the champions rattled off 14 points andfinally won by four!

That was "second effort"!

Mr. Armstrong's Letter

Mr. Herbert Armstrong recentlywrote a letter to the members of theChurch of God in which he gave ussome of the most important news of thepast decade - or even of all moderntimes. He said, in part: "We are plan­ning, now, to RESUME our long-post-

poned BUILDING PROGRAM - includingthe new TV studios.

"Also, IF the day-to-day income forGod's Work - and ESPECIALLY if THESPECIAL PROPERTY-BUILDING FUND isrevived, and increased sufficiently - wehope to break ground by July on thelong-awaited auditorium building hereon the Pasadena campus."

Brethren, we all want to do our partto insure that we can proceed with thebuilding program, so these direly neededbuildings can be built. All of us inGod's Church want to get behind Mr.Armstrong and shoulder the burdenwith him so the Work of God can becompleted with impact and POWER!

During the past year, those of us whowere able gave emergency offerings tothe Work to help it weather a recession­caused financial crisis. With help andsacrifices from YOU BRETHREN, theWork came through with flying colors!For this, Mr. Armstrong has been verygrateful and has expressed his deep,heartfelt thanks to all of you brethren!

But from time to time all of us need

., "',"", ",":".;;"':".':'.""""':":':,,:':"",':';:::::',,: ' ,::":',",,:,::::t"", i",:,,:,,::,,',::::',:'::';

,to be',reminded 'and edCO'ci, let up, not toil, ,",

doing our part to .. 'us need to learn tbe secretEFFORT ..:.-. as'it applies notpersonal overcoming of si

, , clans, or trials, but Also to:f'und.

"Second Etf9Jt"t ,

God's Wotk crecession in g<x>dthe meantime, "God's Work·said - hayw~e in~,

ing ~also .

9£ you, who has a servant~tending sheep, say to him

as come in from the field,ceand take your place at thehe not instead tell him, Get

ready, and gird yourself andtill I eat and drink: thenyou yourself shall eat and

he grateful and does he praisebecause he did what he was

to do? Even so on your part,have done everything that

ed and commanded you, say,"Worthy servants - possessing91;",,~have not gone beyond. ,we havermerely] done

. w!tat. was our duty todo" (Luke 17:7-10,

The Amplified Bible).4ethten, none of us want to .

ttnptofitable servants! Let's'Veto' he about our Father's

-as .Christ was (Lukeshe filled with ZEAL

s Wor t's put ourhearts, plenty of

d. effort, hind theand it

26

Fund, OVER AND ABOVE my regularoffering and tithes ..." Now we arebeginning to see "second effort." Nowwe are beginning to be "PROFITABLE

servants.""... the special amount of $ . . . . per

month for one complete year."What was going through your mind

at the moment you read your statementof intention card, brethren ? Were youthinking: "I can't afford to give more,"or "My budget is strained to the utmostnow"? If so, we understand. We realizethat many of you really sacrificed lastyear for the Work of God. Perhapssome of you still feel burdened withdebt, or are in tight' personal circum­stances, and therefore did not put downas much on the statement of intentioncard as you wanted to.

We surelv don't e~.rJ .a(lJ'tnW' .0

give that which he simply cannot afford- beyond his means. We don't want,or expect, anybody to sacrifice to the~xtt'~f}t. ~hat. ~/L "&&«6 'U1nR!'<:t~l"b,iI}' itt!p­rivation. Not at all! Like the ApostlePaul, we desire not yours, but you (IICor. 12:14) - we desire that YOU

rere;ve a wonderful reward in the com­ing Kingdom of God, because yourheart is really in God's Work right now!

But perhaps some of you lost yourstatement of intention card, misplacedit, or somehow forgot to return it. Per­haps somehow you became sidetracked,and in the hustle and bustle of activi­ties, you accidentally overlooked it andforgot about it. It can happen to any­one. If this happened to any of youbrethren, please take appropriate actionas soon as possible. Some have thoughtit unnecessary to send in the statementof intention card they received recentlybecause they filled out a card for 1970.Please note that a new card MUST besent in for 1971 if Y011 intend to con­tribute to the Building Fund this year!Otherwise, Mr. Armstrong will nothave a true picture of how much youbrethren will be able to give to theBuilding fund every month.

But what about the rest of us? Whatcan we do? What can ALL of us do sothe Building Fund will go "over thetop" ?

A Few Facts and Figures

The statement of intention cardsreceived thus far indicate that the breth-

The GOOD NEWS

ren have substantially increased theaverage amounts, per family, over thatwhich they contributed for this purposea year ago. But in order to go "over thetop," brethren, we must increase ourefforts still more - we must put forth"SECOND EFFORT"!

There is a way to do it! It involvesthe "widow's mite."

If the average family contributedmerely ONE dollar a month more to theBuilding Fund, it would mean $12 ayear per family - or approximately$300,000 extra for the year!

There is a way that 2, 3, 4, or MORE

dollars can be scraped up every month!Does this sound impossible? Not if

we set our wills and exert "secondeffort" as Jacob did, and ask for God'shelp to persevere!

~llv');'.t <5\.c uS" I\>.cve- srrra:N cnange wt'llcnwe often spend for little things such asa cup of coffee at work each day, adoughnut or roll, or other items. If each'ianiily 'in Goa's Church, and singlepeople as well, set up a jar for collectingsome of that change, and put in a fewnickels and dimes regularly, it might bejust enough to put us over the top forthe Building Fund. For example, twentycents a day, not counting weekends,would amount to a dollar a week, or$52 in a year. You can see how itquickly adds up!

If every family in God's Church dicithis much, faithfully, it would mean anincrease in the Building Fund of atleast $1,300,000 during the year!

Fantastic, but true!This is one way in which we can all

go "ABOVE AND BEYOND." Even chil­dren can participate. It can become aunited family effort. You can use youringenuity to think up other ways tohelp bolster the Building Fund.

Think about it. Get the whole familyinvolved.

A word of caution, however. Gener­ally, the ones already sacrificing themost are the ones who are moved to domore. Although all of us occasionallyneed reminders of the needs of theWork (and this is one reason for theCo-Worker letters) , we don't wantthose of you who are already doing allyou can and more to cut yourselvesshort.

Some, we know, may not be able to

January-April 1971

put in extra nickels or dimes daily. Butfor those who can, this is one way inwhich you may exhibit "second effort"and help the Building Fund "go overthe top"!

Second Effort in PRAYERFinancial "second effort," of course,

is only half the picture. Also needed atthis time is "second effort" in heart­felt, fervent, earnest PRAYER TO GOD,

before His Throne of Grace.God promises to provide for the

needs of His people and His Church(Phil. 4: 19). But we must do our part.The Apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews:"Let us therefore come BOLDLY untothe throne of grace, that we may obtainmercy, and find grace to help in time ofneed" (Heb. 4:16).

Tames reminds .lL~.· "J:ht> ..!'.am.e'i~

(heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righ­teous man makes TREMENDOUS POWER

available - dynamic in its working"(\~tt.." ".o·,1/S, T ~/f, Imljlfl/t7:'U 'iilrJa:).

"Tremendous power"! It goes handin hand with fervent, earnest prayer.When you pray with fervent zeal forGod's Work, the result is multipliedPOWER made available for the Work!

Moffatt puts this verse: "The prayersof the righteous have a POWERFUL

EFFECT."

Let's put forth "second effort" in ourprayers on behalf of God's Work, also,brethren. Never were they more needed.It can be truthfully said that it yetremains to be seen what God's peoplecan accomplish, together, as they unit­edly pour out their hearts before God inearnest entreaty and selfless intercessionon behalf of God's Work.r

Let's take these needs of God's Workas a personal challenge, brethren. Thesethings do constitute a cballenge - a

challenge we can meet, and overcome- if we put forth SECOND EFFORT! 0

GOOD NEWS!Since the writing of this article,

Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong hasgiven the go-ahead to break groundfor the new House for God onJune 1st of this year! He alsoannounced that plans are beingdrawn up for the new LibraryBuilding. This is a good beginning,brethren. But "second effort" inprayer and offerings will still beneeded to COMPLETE the pro­jected building program!

- Editor

Springtime Is GardenTime

by Dale L. Schurter

Gardening is a lost art for most individuals today. Lost alsoare its many advantages and benefits. Here are basic guide­lines to help you recognize and RECAPTURE these benefits.

ON CE upon a time - when the

trees began to bud and the birdsbegan to sing and the feel of

spring was in the air - the thoughts ofour parents and grandparents turnedtoward planting a garden.

But today, most of us - their"sophisticated" children - might ask,"Who wants a garden?"

And believe it or not, some will evenask, "What is a garden?" and "What'sit for?"

Purpose of a Garden

The most obvious purpose of a gar­den is the produce it provides. Butin addition it can produce inspira­tion, purpose, family togetherness andcharacter.

The germination and growth of onetiny seed portrays the awesome wondersGod built into His creation. Even in theconcrete jungle of a sprawling city youcan be brought closer to creation andthe Creator by observing the miracle ofgrowth. "For ever since the world wascreated, his invisible nature, his ever-

lasting power and divine being, havebeen quite perceptible in what he hasmade" (Rom. 1 :20, Moffatt).

At creation God set the laws of lifein motion: "And the earth brought forthgrass, and herb yielding seed after hiskind, and the tree yielding fruit, whoseseed was in itself, after his kind" (Gen.1 :12). God ordained that every form oflife would produce after its kind. Thegrowth of every single plant reproduc­ing itself proves again the existence ofGod!

In our sophisticated society of theseventies, the average person is unedu­cated to the benefits which can bederived from a family garden. With de­emphasis on rural living, and increasedmigration to urban centers, gardeninghas been sadly neglected. The trend insociety is to point people away fromGod and from doing things which dem­onstrate His handiwork.

A leading U. S. official recentlylamented, "The quality of life in thiscountry has been deteriorating. Even

in our rural areas you find that manypeople who could easily do so no longereven grow a vegetable garden."

Benefits of a Garden

Most people spend a large portion oftheir budget on food. Of the total,according to a National Commission ofFood Marketing Report, about one sixthis spent on fruits and vegetables. Manywillingly pay premium prices to gethome-grown garden vegetables if theyare available.

Why?What makes the difference in home­

grown vegetables?FLAVOR!

"Today, by train, truck, and plane,we draw on the riches of half the worldfor food. The gain in variety has notbeen all gain, however, for in reachingafar we have lost freshness. We nolonger have a ring of truck farmersaround our major cities: today's lettuce,tomatoes, cabbage and celery musttravel thousands of miles to market.Most important has been the loss in fla­vor" (Vegetables in Today's Gardens,Carleton, p. 2, emphasis ours through­out article) .

A loss in flavor confirms a loss innutrients. For freshness is also essentialfor the retention of vitamins and otherfood factors. So, for flavor and quality

28

HUNGER SIGNSIN PLANTS

Not Enough Nitrogen:

1. A sickly yellowish-greencolor.

2.A distinctly slow anddwarfed growth.

3. Drying up or "firing" ofleaves, which starts at thebottom of the plant, pro­ceeding upward. In plantslike grains and grasses, thefiring starts at the tip of thebottom leaves and goesdown the center or alongthe midrib.

Not Enough Phos­phorus:

1. Purplish leaves, stems andbranches.

2. Slow growth and maturity.

3. Small, slender stalk ingrass; in small grains, lackof stooling.

4. low yields.

Not Enough Potash:

1. Mottling, spotting, streakingor curling of leaves, startingon the lower levels.

2. lower leaves scorched orburned on margins and tips.These dead areas may fallout; leaving ragged edges.In grains and grasses, firingstarts at the tip of the leafand proceeds down from theedge, usually leaving themidrib green.

3. Premature loss of leaves.

4. Plants falling down beforematurity due to poor rootdevelopment.

A lack of major elements in thesoil may generally be determinedby plant growth as indicatedhere. In most cases the additionof good manures put on the soilbetween the rows and wateredin will correct the problem.

The GOOD NEWS

in foods. an ideal source of supply isyour own garden.

Some, of course, are not able to havea garden at all. But almost everyone canhave something - if only a windowbox for growing a few salad greens.

Herb gardens, nut gardens andcucumber gardens are all mentioned inthe Scriptures. The term "vegetable"garden, however, does not appear assuch because the word vegetable cameinto existence only about 200 years ago,since at that time all of our everydayvegetables were known as HERBS ­

even such commoners as the beet andcarrot!

God Himself prepared the first gar­den: "And the Eternal God planted agarden eastward in Eden ..." (Gen.2.8). Herbs (vegetables) have alwaysbeen grown and eaten by God's people.

Much can be learned by properly andpersistently applying basic laws andprinciples of agriculture in gardening.And the reaping of abundant, tasty pro­duce can result. "For the earth whichdrinketh in the rain that cometh oftupon it, and bringeth forth herbs meetfor them by whom it is dressed. receiv­eth blessing from God" (Heb. 6:7).

Some of you will be able to grow afew vegetables right in your flowerbeds. Simply alternate rows - one rowof flowers, one row of vegetables, etc.Some vegetables, like cherry tomatoesand artichokes, can be used as decora­tive plants and be located beside thehouse, along the yard fence - almostanywhere you choose.

If you can adapt an area about sixfeet square, you should be able to pro­duce enough salad vegetables for a fam­ily of four all summer. Those of youwho are afforded the opportunity of alarger garden can accomplish muchmore.

A Family Affair

Gardening is an engrossing pursuit.To be thrilled and inspired by the birthand growth of just a single plant can bea satisfying and rewarding experience.So make garden planning, planting andcare an exciting, enjoyable family proj­ect by including everyone in the family.

Dad's job, as overall manager, shouldinclude acquisition of any needed toolsand fertilizers. Mom becomes projectsupervisor while Dad is at work. She

January-April 1971

can also buy the seed. (There need beno large expense involved - seedscost only a few cents, the few handtools needed are usually in everyone'sgarage.) Teen-agers can care for thetools, help plant, weed and beautify.Usually, the very small children helpmost by watching, but those of schoolage can learn to help put out onion setsor other vegetables that are easy toplant.

A way to give your small child (chil­dren) a special treat is to mark off aone-foot square and tag his name to it.Let him feel responsible for "his plot."Help him prepare the soil and punch afew holes in it with his chubby littlefinger and drop in the seeds. He willliterally sparkle and beam with excite­ment and accomplishment - especiallywhen the first sprout begins to show!

Let everyone participate in the choresof the garden, as well as in its results.Having a common goal is a good way tohelp pull the family together and teachfamily responsibility,

Planning Your Garden

Success in gardening does not dependOn guesswork or on the proverbial"green thumb." It comes from properplanning, timing, management and fol­lowing God's natural laws of agricul­ture (Prov. 12:11).

A first consideration in planning agarden is its size. Where garden spaceand ample storage facilities permit, youcan plant enough vegetables for dailyuse, and if you desire, some extra forcanning and freezing.

If available. an area open toward thesouth (without shade from buildings ortrees) is warmer (northern slope insouthern hemisphere) and will enableplanting two or three weeks earlier andencourage faster growth. If possible,plan your rows to run north and southfor better utilization of sunlight by eachplant. The site should not be close totrees. Tree roots reach out many feet inall directions and will rob moisture andsoil nutrients from your garden.

Timing is also a very important partof planning your garden. There is atime to plant, and a time to harvest(EccI.3:2).

Planting and harvest times vary indifferent parts of the world. In many

VEGETABLE GARDEN PLANTING TABLE

ASPARAGUS, Seed 1 in. J in. 11 to 24 in. EarlySpring Alttdlllil or EarlyS,"", 1 oz. 1or 1yrs.(plMts)

"SPARAGUS. R<lOt tm.. lSin. 4 It. Ead",S"ril\§ """'fA'" IK Eart, "'"" 66nm~ 1 ......

BEANS. BUSH '-1112 in. 2 to J in. 24 in. April to July F.... A" ••A..... llbs. 42 to 75d.."

BEANS. POLE 1-2in. 4 to 6 in. 36 in. MayInd June lItiSpri.. lib. 85 to 90 dlYl

BEET 1 in. 2 in. 12 to 18 in. Aprilto August F.... A".IA .... Soptl 20l. 4510 60 days

BROCCOLI 1/2 in. 18 to 24 in. 36 in. Marchand April J.nu'ry to July 1/40l. 90to l00.ys

BRUSSELS SPROUTS 1/2 in. 12 to 16 in. 24 to 30 in. MayandJune "'nu.ry to ....1y 1/4 oz. ,00to 120d.

CABBAGE. EARL Y f/2 in. 12 to 18 in. 241.30 in. March andApril- Octoblf to DKtmb... 1/40l. 90toffOd.ys

CABBAGE. LATE 1/2 in. 16 to 24 in. 24 to 36 in. MavandJune JuM andJuly 1/40l. 110 to 120days

CARROT 1/1in. 2.to 3in. 12. toll in. A\)fil to June Mm:h ¥!d ~"".Soft. 1110.1.. SS"lQUj>

CAULIFLOWER 1/2 in. 14 to 18 in. 24 to 30 in. Aprilto June- "'n .•nd Fell.(Junel 1/40l. 95 to 110days

CElERY 1/1 in. 2 in. tI to 36 in. MayandJune- A.st.1Id October 1/40l. 120 to 150days

COllAROS 1/2 in. 14 to 18 in. 24 to 30 in. LneSpring M..,.net June 1/20l. 1110 to 12Bdoys

CORN, SWEET lin. 4 every3ft. 30 to 36 in. Mayto July Febru.ry to April 40l. 55 to 90 dlYs

CRESS. WATER Wlter Broadcast Aprilto September EorlySpri,. 1/2 oz. 8Qto10 d.ys

CUCUMBER lin. 4 every3ft 4t06ft Aprilto July F......d Mtteh (Stpt.1 1/2 Ol. 50 to 10 days

EGGPLANT 1/2in. 18 in. 24 to 30 in. Apriland Mav- Febru.ry to April 1/80l. 125 to 140 d.ys

ENDIVE l/tin. 'lin. "ift. "pli\\MV) V..Nall to ""i\ , oz. ~\lll6oys

KALE 1/2in. 18 in. " to 24 in. Aug.,Sept. (Mar.•Apr.) Octoberto Febru.ry 1/4 oz. 55 to 60 dlys

KOttL-RABI 1/1 in. 4 tu Uin. 15 to 24 in. Millihtu May S.,umbt, to MIIY t/4 U.l:. fiO Iv 70 dq'l

LEEK 112in. 4 in. 14t020 in. Marchto May M.., to Septlmll.r 1/2 oz. 12010 150dlys

LETTUCE 112in. 4 to 8 in. 12to 15 in. March to September ~.. toM_ 1/2 oz. 10 to 90 days

MUSKMELON 1 in. 18 to 24 in. 41 t080 in. Aprilto June Februaryto April 1/2 oz. a5 to 150 d.ys

MUSTARD 1/4 in. 4 or 5 ft. 12 to 1. in. March to May(Sept.) Autumnor e.fty S,rilll 10z. 60 to 90 d.ys

OKRA 1 in. 24 in. 3104 ft MayandJune February~o April 20l. 90 to 140 d.ys

UNIUN.SEED 111m. 2\n. 12 to" \ft. ""l\\ tn May Otto", to tA.mr. , oz. U.fII to 'fill "bp

ONION. SETS 1 in. 2 in. 12 to 18 ill. Februaryto May ElrlySpringor Autumn 1 qt, 180doys

ONION SEEDFORSETS 112in. 1/2 in. 12 to 18 in. April lib. 9Bdoys

PARSLEY 1/8 in. 3 in. n to l' in. EarlySpring Sept to MIY·S,pt. 1/4 oz. 66 to 90 days

PARSNIP 1/2 to 1 in. 3 in. 18 to 24 in. Marchand April FebrulfY. Mitch t/20l. 13Bdoys

PEAS 1 to 1 1/2 in. 1 to 2 in. 24 in. March to June S.pumber to April 2lbs. 45 to 75 days

PEPPER 1/4 in. 15 to 20 in. 24 to 28 in. MayandJune EartySpring 118oz. 130to 150 days

PUTATOES 4 to 5 in. 12 to 15 in. 24 In. EarlySpring EarlvSprllll 7lbs. 100 10 130dlYS

PUMPKtN 1 in. 84tt) \08 in. 96 to \44 in. Milo" to July ~prll.ndtAlY '2 oz. 1ft tolD d.vs

RADISH 1/2 to 1 in. 1/2 to 1 in. 12 in. March to September Slptemberto April 10l. 20 to 15 days

RHUBARB. SEEO 1/2 in. to 1 in. 4 in. 18 to 24 in. EarlySpring EartySpring 1/20l. 1 or2 vr. (pl.nts)

R"'II~ARR. nnnrs ] tn 4 in ]6 in 4ft EarlvSprinll Autumnor EarlvSpring 40 roots 2 or 3 YUfJ

RUTABAGA 1/2 to 1 in. 6 in. 18 to 24 in. June-July AugustandSlpt.mber 1/40l. 90 d.ys

SALSIFY 1/2 oz. 2 in, 18 to 24 in, EarlySpring EarlySpring 10l. 150 days

SPINACH 1/2 in. 2 in. 12 to 18 in. Sept.and earlySpring Slptember to March 10l. 45 d.vs minimum

SQUASH, SUMMER 1 in. 4 every4 ft. 3t04f1. Aprilto June Spring 2 oz. 65 to 70 days

SQUASH. WINTER HI'. 4 every6h. ltoHHt. Mayto July Spnnl t cz. l2t. d,vs

1OMATO 112to 3/4 in. 36-48.24Slaked 36 to 41 in. Mayto June" M.rch-April l/80l. 125 to 150 days

TURNIP 1/2 to 3/4 in. 4 in. 18 to 24 in. Apriland Aligust A.sttoOUober 1/2ol. 45 to 90 d.ys

WATERMELON 1 in. 4 every6 ft. • to 12 It. MayandJune Marchto Mly 10z. 100 to 130d.ys

January-April 1971

areas, especially the southern UnitedStates, a year-round garden is possible.Northerly areas and high altitude ormountainous regions usually have laterand shorter seasons. The U.S.D.A.Home and Garden Bulletin #9, "Sub­urhan and Farm Vegetable Gardens"gives guidelines as to which vegetablescan withstand a light freeze and givesgeneral freezing dates. It is available byrequesting it from the Department ofGovernment Documents, Washington,D.C. Also, the backs of most seed pack­ages have planting instructions on them.

The chart included with this articleoffers suggested growing seasons tohelp you determine when to plant. Ageneral guide for the last frosts in thespring is to notice when the little wildflowers are in full bloom in your area.Although the dates vary from year toyear, these wild flowers do not blossomtoo early or too late. If frozen after theyare in full bloom, they would not makeseed and the species would die. Manyguidelines can be learned from theselittle "miracles" around us.

Soil Preparation andFertilization

Having selected the best possiblelocation, you need to begin preparingyour plot for planting. Strive to loosenand aerate the soil. A rake, hoe, gardenharrow or rota-tiller is fine to assist inpreparing the seedbed. Remember, yourobject is to loosen - not invert - thetopsoil, which in some cases may bequite shallow.

The addition of organic matter(manures, grass clippings, compost,etc. ) will help improve soil fertilityand productivity. A healthy, fertile soilis a living soil. The organic matterprovides food and an atmosphere toencourage the increase of micro-organ­isms, earthworms and other soil life.(Be sure to write for our article "TheWorm and You.")

In some cases, adding a considerableamount of natural fertilizer to newhome gardens is almost essential, sincethe condition of many backyard plots ofground is rather poor to begin with. Forbest results from the manure, compost,etc., it should be applied evenly on topof the soil and/or mixed in only aninch or two with a rake.

The GOOD NEWS

Ambassador College Art

This table provides vegetableplanting information for mostparts of the United States.

Choose Good Seed

Another important item of initialconcern is your choice of seed. The oldname varieties for home gardens havethe best flavor. Many newer varieties arebred only for good looks, long storageand shipping ahility. Flavor is a mea­sure of quality and will bring rich divi­dends if proper selection is consideredin planning. A good booklet, Care ofthe Horne Garden by Joseph HarrisCompany, Rochester, N.Y., lists manygood varieties.

Most major seed company catalogsadvertise both hybrid and open­pollinated varieties. Y Ott should specifya preference for open-pollinated vari­eties when placing an order, especially

29

'START IN HOTBED FEBRUARY OR MARCH

if you desire to save seed for the nextseason. (Seed saved from hybrid plantswill not properly reproduce its ownkind.) Open-pollinated seeds are alsomore likely to produce a higher-qualityproduct in both flavor and nutritionalvalue. Good seed can often be acquiredfrom local gardeners or seed stores nearyou.

It pays to plan ahead and get the bestseed possible. So ordering early willhelp insure the purchase of the seed youdesire, since seed companies sometimesrun out of top-quality seed once theplanting season begins. You'll find thatseed is quite inexpensive. Usually, one1O~25 cent package per vegetable willbe ample for the average family.

Planting

You may plant in any artistic patternthat suits your taste. However, if you

30

desire nice straight rows, stretch a heavycord or rope taut along the ground andwalk on it. It will leave a good inden­tation in soft earth. The corner of a hoeor a pointed stake will make a suitablefurrow for most seeds.

The rule of thumb is to cover eachkind of seed with an amount of soilequal to three times the diameter of theseed (or just check the directions on theseed packet).

Start on one side of the garden, plant­ing 30- to 45-day crops. After harvest­ing these, you can replant. Next to 30­day crops, plant 45- to 75-day crops.Then plant your 75- to 100-day crops.The number of days each seed requiresto reach maturity will be printed on theback of the seed package. This methodof planting produces a continual vege­table harvest.

The U.S.D.A. booklet mentioned ear­lier gives additional information onplanting depths, characteristics of popu­lar garden vegetables and other helpfulpoints.

A garden can and should be beautifulas well as useful. A variety of flowerscan be planted for borders and inter­spersed in rows throughout the gardento add color and beauty. Some flowerssuch as marigolds, chrysanthemums andpyrethrums also have helpful insectrepellant characteristics.

Such garden vegetables as squash,cucumbers, pumpkins and watermelonshould not be planted right next to eachother because the wind will cross­pollinate them. Cross-pollination pro­duces inferior quality and flavor, andmingled seed (Lev. 19:19). You canplant squash on one side or one endand cucumbers on the other, but nottogether. Cantaloupes will not mix andmay be planted next to most anyvegetable.

Cultivation

Care should be taken to cultivate yourgarden properly. Hoeing or cultivatingtoo deeply, too often, or too close to theplants causes unnecessary loss of mois­ture and destroys many plant roots.

After the plants are well establishedit is wise to mulch your garden. Mulch­ing is simply spreading a 2-to-4 inchlayer of grass clippings, straw, hay, etc.between the rows and around the

The GOOD NEWS

plants. It will help control weeds, savelabor and conserve moisture. A mulchalso encourages earthworm activity,helping to create a balanced soil forfuture crop excellence.

If you have properly selected seedand have rich fertile soil, the plantsshould be, for the most part, insect anddisease resistant. In a garden that isproperly fertilized, beneficial insectssuch as ladybugs, praying mantises,lace-wing flies and orange and blackspotted beetles will take care of the fewdestructive insects. Pest insects seem tohave been created for the purpose ofdestroying weak, sickly and diseasedplants. This is simply another wayGod has of telling us certain plantsare unhealthy and not nutritionally fitfor human consumption. These "bad"insects are only doing their duty. Theywere created to protect you.

One of the greatest concerns of gov­ernments today is a new accent on theunderstanding and care of our totalenvironment: ecology. Each living thingexists in a delicate balance with otherliving things. You can learn valuable,first-hand lessons about God's web oflife right in your own back yard!

Watering

Proper watering is another importantconsideration in caring for your garden.Too much moisture can contribute tounwanted fungus growth. Also, exces­sive watering retards root growth,because the roots do not have to searchfor moisture. As the root systemenlarges, more plant food becomesavailable. The result is better pro­duction.

Watering is often a substitute for thelack of the blessing of rain in appro­priate amounts at the right time - "indue season" (Deut, 28: 12). A plantdoes not necessarily need water simplybecause the soil's surface looks dry. Alack of moisture is often indicated whenplants begin to show a dark bluish­green color, beginning signs of wilting,or both.

It is best not to apply water directlyon plant foliage during the heat of theday. This may encourage "burning"rather than "cooling." When wateringis needed, a good gentle soaking once a

January-April 1971

week does much more good than dailywetting of the ground.

Harvest Time

Vegetables should be harvested whenthey are ripe to obtain highest nutri­tional value. At this stage they are ten­der and easy to prepare. Nothing tastesas good as home-grown vegetablesserved at the table mere minutes afterbeing picked from your own backyard.

However, you may desire to gathersome items earlier, especially if you canrefrigerate, can or freeze them. Whenvegetables become overripe they losesome of their valuable nutrients.

Certain crops which need to be dry tokeep - such as kidney, great northernand navy beans - must be fully maturewhen harvested. This also applies topumpkins and some types of squash.

After harvesting, it is beneficial tomulch or to plant a legume crop likeclover, winter peas, rye grass, etc. on thegarden area if winter crops will not begrown. This will help increase fertilityand provide an environment for earth­worms and other soil life to feed onand continue working. Ground cover isalways good to consider as a necessarypart of any soil program - even if it'sonly a three-foot wide area beside yoursidewalk.

The Challenge Is Yours

In the World Tomorrow everyonewill have his own plot of land toprovide fresh foods for himself and hisfamily. "They shall sit every man underhis vine and under his fig tree; and noneshall make them afraid: for the mouthuf the LOlW of hosts hath spoken it"(Micah 4:4).

In Tomorrow's World each familywill be provided acreage large enough tosupport a small vineyard, fruit trees, agarden and perhaps a cow, a horse anda few chickens. In today's world, how­ever, it is not possible for everyone tohave such blessings.

But as your circumstances permit,whether a window box, a flower bed, asix-by-six plot or an acre, why not findout what an inspiring, enjoyable andeducational experience gardening can befor the whole family? Get close toGod hy getti ng dose to His goodearth - see, feel and experience themiracle of life from the soil. EiI

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN

REMEMBERSCRIPTURES

1I0h, , just can/t remember scriptures/II is the anguished cryof many brethren. Just how IMPORTANT ;s the ability tomemorize hundreds of verses? And how can you develop

and improve your ability to RECALL the scriptures?

by Brian Knowles

MANY have suffered needless frus­tration because of fruitlessefforts to retain certain pas­

sages of Scripture in their memory. Per­haps you have tried and repeatedlyfailed to commit to memory importantverses from our Maker's InstructionBook.

On the other hand, the ability toremember chapter and verse and todazzle others with this skill becomes aFETISH with some! There are those whodelight in "showing off" their capacityto quote from memory long sections ofScripture or even whole books of theBible. Some might claim to have "thefastest Bible in the West" (or the Eastas the case may be!). On a moment'snotice these individuals will fire a rapidseries of scriptural verses at their help­less victims, hoping to impress themwith their spirituality.

Is this a proof of spiritual mind­edness? Or is it rather merely evidenceof great, toadishly swollen vanity?

Is Memorizing Word for WordNecessary?

Let's be BALANCED! Let's understandthat SALVATION DUES NUT DEPEND ONONE'S ABILITY TO QUOTE CHAPTER AND

VERSE FROM THE BIBLE! If it did, it isconceivable that none of the originalAPOSTLES and authors of the New Tes­tament would ever have qualified forthe Kingdom of God'

Why? Because in the days of thetwelve apostles and the writers of theNew Testament, the Old Testamentwritings had not yet been divided intochapters and verses. In fact, it was notdone until long after those men were alldead!

The sole exception to this was theBook of Psalms. The Psalms areactually songs. They were composed bya number of authors and originallyintended to be set to music. Therefore itwas necessary to divide them into chap­ters and verses for musical and poeticalexpediency. And as songs, of course,they were intended to be memorized.For ease of memorization the verseswere sometimes arranged acrostically(alphabetically) .

Now consider this fact: The NewTestament authors quoted directly fromthe Psalms 116 times - yet in onlyONE INSTANCE did they mention thechapter from which they were quoting!This one case is Acts 13:33: "... as it isalso written in the second psalm...."

The remaining quotes from the Psalmsmake no mention of either the chapteror the verse.

Other than those from the Psalms,the New Testament contains 167 moredirect quotations from the Old Testa­ment and, of course, no chapter or verseis referred to in a single instance. Insome cases, when quoting from the OldTestament, the speaker or writer did noteven mention the name of the person orthe book he was citing. Take, forexample, the time when Jesus Christwas being tempted by the devil. Jesusquoted directly from the Book of Deu­teronomy, which was written by Moses,yet he did not even mention the authoror the name of the book! Check thatfor yourself in Matthew 4:4, 7 and 10.

In other instances where the prophetsof old are referred to, they are simplymentioned by name, but, of course, noverses or chapters are given. For someexamples, read Matthew 2:17; 8: 17;Luke 4:17.

The Bible was not divided into chap­ters until about 1250 A.D. whenCardinal Hugo composed a Latin con­cordance or index of the Scriptures.Over 300 years later, in 1560 AD., thefirst Bible translation wholly divided

32

into chapters and verses was producedin Geneva, Switzerland. It was knownas The Geneva Bible.

It should be apparent. then, that theability to quote chapter and verse fromthe Bible like a human computer is notnecessary, and is in some cases nothingmore than sheer VANITY! If, however, aperson is gifted with an exceptionalmemory for scriptures, it is certainly tohis advantage if he exercises his abilityin right humility and for an honorablepurpose. There is absolutely nothingwrong with having an excellentmemory!

It IS Important to Retain

Knowledge

We are told to "grow in grace and inknow ledge" (II Peter 3: 18). As Chris­tians, we should be continually increas­ing our knowledge of God's Word.Peter also instructs us, "... be ready

always to give an ANSWER to everyman that asketh you a reason of thehope that is in you with meekness and

fear" (I Pet. 3:15).

Memory is therefore one of theimportant attributes that God has givento humans. For most people, however,remembering does not come easy. Itseems many have difficulty retainingeven the simplest things! Perhaps YOUhave that difficulty.

If so, then you can take heart fromthis fact: Even though most of theBible was not originally written withchapters and verses, the Ribles we usetoday ARE! And since they are, we cancertainly take advantage of this valuableaspect of modern translations.

The present chapter and verse divi­sions DO make it easier to locate thescriptures we need, and to do it in asystematic way without having to wadethrough whole books and sections ofthe Bible to find them. By increasingour memory of scripture locations, wecan improve our overall knowledge ofGod's Word and be better able to"rightly divide the word of truth" (IITim. 2:15).

We should stand in awe of theauthority of the scriptures inspired bythe great Creator of mankind ! Weshould tremble before the Word of theliving God! (Isa. 66: 2.) We shouldFEAR to misuse, twist, or misquote the

The GOOD NEWS

Bible! A fast, flippant answer, hastilygiven to "save face," is often inaccurateand wrong! Therefore it is importantthat we come to REALLY KNOW OURBIBLES and develop the ability to usethem correctly as Peter said.

Understanding More ImportantThan Rote Knowledge

It may be impressive to be able to"rattle off" dozens of scriptures from theBible. But it is MORE impressive andvastly more profitable to have a GOODUNDERSTANDING of the Scriptures!

Of what value (spiritually speaking)is a man who has the capacity to citefrom memory a large number of scrip­tures without understanding? Probablyless than eight dollars! An inexpensiveconcordance may be purchased for abouteight dollars and likely contains a fargreater list of scriptures than any mancould normally memorize.

Solomon, in his God-given wisdom,recognized the transcendant importanceof gaining understanding. He said,"... lift up your voice [pray] for under­standing. . . ." "... HAPPY is the manthat findeth wisdom and the manthat getteth UNDERSTANDING." He saidwe should "... get UNDERSTANDING"(Prov. 2:3; 3:13; and 4:5). There is atremendous joy and a sense of exhilara­tion in realizing you have grasped andunderstood a spiritual principle for thefirst time!

Why is it so much more important tohave understanding of the Scripturesthan merely to be expert in locating andquoting them? Simply because the abil­ity to cite verses and chapters from theBible is merely a mechanical operation.But comprehending their meaning is aSPIRITUAL accomplishment! Read Rom­mans 7:14 and I Corinthians 2:14 inconnection with this.

Surely you can see that the importantthing is to STUDY FOR UNDER­STANDING, and not merely to memo­rize by rote!

Of course, it is also fine to want toincrease your skill and ability in rapidlylocating and citing scripture verses. Andsince it is, here are some pointers thatwill help you - if you practice themhabitually - not only to understand.but also to be better able to recall versesof the Bible.

January-April 1971

Get the Overview of the Bible

Many have failed to recall the loca­tion of certain scriptures because theyhave thought of God's Word as a dis­jointed and disconnected collection ofthousands of unrelated verses. There­fore, you should strive to see the Bibleas an organized whole. Get the BigPicture! Learn the BOOKS of the Biblefirst and try to have a GENERAL idea ofwhat they are about. Become familiarwith the basic divisions of the Bible,the types of books, and the general sub­ject of each book. (For more informa­tion on how the Bible was put together,write for our reprint article "Do WCHave the Complete Bible ?")

In order to get the overview of theBible, you should at your earliestopportunity quickly read through theENTIRE BIBLE from Genesis to Revela­tion. Studying just bits and pieces, hereand there, will never enable you tograsp the broad picture - the pan­orama of the Bible.

To read the whole Bible through, youneed to set up a program of Bible study.You should set aside a certain period oftime each day to read perhaps five chap­ters. In order to be sure you don't bogdown, read rapidly to get the generalidea of what each chapter is about.Don't worry about little details. Skimmore rapidly over genealogies and thoseareas where you may be tempted to loseinterest.

As you read you'll find the Biblecoming alive with fascinating storiesabout the lives of godly men of old,gripping true exploits of Biblicalheroes, and containing encouragement,exhortation, and valuable instruction inEVERY PART!

Study by Subject or Chapter

Many chapters in the Bible weremade chapters because of a natural sub­ject content. For example, I Corinthians13 has been called the "love chapter"because it primarily deals with that sub­ject. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5both discuss the Ten Commandments.Revelation 20, I Corinthians 15 and IThessalonians 4 are concerned with the

resurrection.

Hebrews 11 is known as the "faith"

chapter. Psalm 51 is David's psalm of

repentance after his sin with Bath­sheba. Psalm 119 deals extensively withthe Law of God. Isaiah 11 speaks indetail of the millennial reign of Christ.On and on we could go.

lt is easier to remember the subject ofan entire chapter than individual verses.But to really remember what is in entirechapters, you need to familiarize your­self with them by STUDYING and poringover them. Doing this will help youroverall ability to retain Bible knowl­edge! And when you do learn the over­all content of some of these basicchapters, you will begin to more rapidlylocate individual scriptures on the sub­jects covered in them.

Be Impressed With the VersesYou Are Studying

If you were driving a nail into aboard and you tapped very lightly on itwith the hammer, it would not pene­trate the wood very deeply. Your mind

is the same way.Our minds adequately retain for

instant recall only those things thathave left a DEEP IMPRESSION on them.Unless you are sufficiently impressedwith something the first time you hearor study it, chances are it will soon fadefrom memory. Therefore, you mustallow the verses you are studying tomake a DEEP MENTAL IMPRESSION!

If you merely read superficially oververses, simply skimming them, they willleave little or no impression! There is aproverbial saying to the effect that ifyou eat Chinese food, half an hour lateryou will wonder what you ate. If youstlldy superficially, half an hour lateryou will wonder what you read!

It is imperative, therefore, thatyou dwell on and CONCENTRATEINTENSELY on what you are studying!Let the words of the Creator sinkdeeply into the innermost recesses ofyour mind.

Associate What You Studywith Real-Life Situations

Do not allow your Bible study to bemerely academic or impractical. Relatewhat you are studying in the Bible toactual situations in this life. Relate it tohistory or future events in world affairs.

When you study prophecy (about onethird of the Bible deals with prophecy)

ask yourself, "Has this ever happened?Is it happening IlOW? Or is it yetflltllre?" Then, as you read the dailynewspaper, and as things happen on theworld scene, certain verses from theBible will spring to mind!

When you study a section in theBook dealing with a law or some aspectof Christian conduct, ask yourself, "AmI obeying this? How can I performthis?" Then when you come up againsta situation in daily life which involvesthat principle, the verse will come tomind.

If in your mind the Bible is relevantto life, both past and present, its verseswill spring to LIFE! They will becomeLIVING ORACLES which have a definiteBEARING on human life in general ­and yours in particular! This willmake them much easier to retain andrecall.

Meditate and Think on theVerses You Have Studied

The old cliche "out of sight, out ofmind" applies here. After you haveclosed the Book, unless you continue tomentally digest its words, they will tendto fade from conscious thought. Theywill be crowded out by other things.

The example of King David of Israelapplies in this case. He said, "Oh howlove I thy law! It is my MEDITATIONALL THE DAY" (Psalm 119:97). David'smind was perpetually on the thingsof God. Not to the exclusion ofhis responsibilities as administrator ofthe kingdom, but INCLUDING thoseprinciples in his rulership as well.

God's Word is TRUTH (John 17:17).We are admonished by the Apostle Paulto THINK ON (meditate on) the truth.(Phil. 4: 8.) The more you do this,the more the verses and chapters of ourMaker's Instruction Book will becomereal "MIND STICKERS"!

Drill Yourself in theScriptures

To "drill" is to indulge in mental

exercise aimed at perfecting facility andskill by regular practice.

Drilling yourself in the verses of theBible is one of the finest ways of com­

mitting them to memory. Many havefound the use of "flash cards" helpfulin this respect. These can be made very

simply by purchasing a supply of 3x5index cards and writing or typing thescripture out in full on one side, andthen the chapter and verse location onthe other side. Use these cards for keyscriptures you wish to recall.

Go through the cards regularly byreading the quote and then trying torecall its location by chapter and verse.Then turn the card over and check onyourself. You could reverse this processby reading the chapter and verse firstand then trying to recall its wording.Since every translation varies, don't nec­essarily try to memorize word for word,but just the key thought, subject, orpoint of the verse. This method willprovide you with a helpful REVIEW ofthe scriptures and is a valuable meansof aiding your memory.

Drill yourself also on the subjects ofbasic chapters such as those mentionedearlier in this article. You'll find thatREPETITION IS indeed the best form ofemphasis!

Ask God Por Help

Jesus Christ promised His disciples:"But the Comforter (Greek paracletos- "one called alongside to HELP")which is the Holy Spirit, whom theFather will send in my name, he shallteach you all things, and bring allthings to your remembrance, what­soever I have said unto you" (John14:26).

God's Spirit is intended to help andassist you in both understanding andrecalling to mind the words of JesusChrist. UTILIZE THAT HELP! ASK Godto help you apply the principles in thisarticle daily. Practice them and work onthem faithfully. Develop right studyhabits and stand in awe of the words ofthe living God. As you continue to sub­mit to God and respect His Word, Hewill help you in your efforts to studyand retain scriptures.

But don't become discouraged if youdon't become a "walking concordance."Remember the ability to UNDER­STAND Scripture is vastly more valu­able than the ability to merely quote it!

(For more information on how tomake your Bible study more profitableand interesting, be sure to requestthe article "Twelve Rules for BibleStudy.") 0

The Bible AnswersYour Questions

Just what is leaven? Which foodsare to be avoided during the Daysof Unleavened Bread?

God uses leaven to typify sin (I Cor.5: 1-8). Sin puffs up just as physicalleaven puffs up (verse 2). UnleavenedBread is a type of an unleavened life.

To understand exactly what isincluded in the leaven we are to avoidduring the Days of Unleavened Bread,let's first notice some of the Hebrewwords translated "leaven" in the OldTestament. Mechametz refers to leav­ening agents - substances used topuff up or produce fermentation, causingdough to rise. Yeast, bicarbonate ofsoda (baking soda) and baking powderare such substances.

Another Hebrew word rendered"leaven" is seh-ohd. This literally means"sourdough," a naturally fermentingyeasty batter which was the most com­mon leaven of the Israelites, and whichis still often used to cause baked goodsto rise and become light in texture.

These leavening agents cause foods tobecome cbametz, This Hebrew word istranslated "that which is leavened" inExodus 12: 19. It is also translated "leav­ened bread" in a number of places. Itrefers to all foods that leaven hascaused to rise, including bread, cake,some crackers, certain cookies, some pre­pared cereals and pies. A few candiesand other foods also make use of leav­ening agents. If you are in doubt aboutany product, check the list of ingre­dients on the wrapper.

Instead of eating leavened bread, wehave the positire command to eatunleavened bread for seven days (Ex.13:6). We may also eat trnleauened

pies and cereals together with all themeats, drinks, fruits and vegetables wenormally consume.

If you would enjoy baking your ownhomemade unleavened bread, be sure towrite for our booklet entitled Recipesfor the DayJ of Unleavened Bread, ifyou have not done so already. However,most stores carry a variety of unleavenedbread. These include Jewish and whole­wheat Matzoth, Rye Krisp, hard tackand a number of flat breads. Alwayscheck the ingredients on the label to besureo

Some have asked about using eggwhites in baking. Egg whites shouldnot he usee! as a whJtitllte for leaven, ina deliberate attempt to circumvent thespirit of the law. On the other hand,beaten egg whites lISee! in mf'ringne onpies and other desserts do not constitutea leavening agent. They have not beenused to puff up any product baked offlour or meal.

Others have noticed the term "yeastextracts" on the labels of certain foodsand have wondered if they should beavoided. These are derivatives of yeastthat cannot be used as leavening agents.It would therefore be permissible to usea product containing yeast extractsprovided, of course, that it does notcontain any actual leavening agent.Some people also buy brewers yeastfrom health food stores. This form ofyeast is totally dead and should nottherefore be considered as leaven. Itshould also be mentioned that cream oftartar, by itself, is not a leavening agenteither.

Occasionally a question comes upabout beer or other fermented drinks.There is nothing in the entirety ofScripture to indicate any restriction onthe kind of beverages we consume dur­ing the Days of Unleavened Bread ­no mention of these being the "Days ofUnleavened Beverages." The fact is thatin all cases where the Days of Unleav-

ened Bread are mentioned, the refer­ence is always to the example set by thechildren 6f Israel when they came outof Egypt without any leaven in theirdough (see Exodus 12: 39). There is noreference to the invisible yeast or resultof it in either beer, wine or otherbeverages.

Naturally fermented wine was cus­tomarily consumed by the Israelitesat God's Festivals. If God had intendeda ban on fermented beverages duringthe Days of Unleavened Bread, it wouldundoubtedly have been mentioned. Infact, such mention uonld have beennecessary. Yet the command adds nomore than is found in Exodus 13:6-7:"Seven days thou shalt eat unleavenedbread ... and there shall be no leavenedbread seen with thee, neither shalt therebe leaven seen with thee in all thyquarters."

If you are unsure about any particularfood and unable to find the answer, youshould refrain from eating it, "forwhatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom.14:23).

We should all see to it that we do eatsome unleavened bread during each ofthe seven Days of Unleavened Bread.Remember that it is a positive com­mand. By eating the "bread of afflic­tion" we are reminded of our havingbeen in bondage to sin, from which weare now delivered.

If it occurs, as in all probability itwill, that partway through the Feast youfind some leavened product that hadsomehow escaped your scrutiny, put itoff your property immediately. This is atype of those hidden sins that we don'talways discover upon conversion. Wemust keep on putting out sin (leaven)until the process is complete, as is signi­fied by the very fact that there are seven- the complete number - of Days ofUnleavened Bread.

God intended the Days of Unleav­ened Bread to be a type to remind usthat we are to be unleavening our livesspiritually by putting out the spiritualleaven of SIN - not for seven daysonly, but throughout our ENTIRE LIVES!

"Therefore let us keep the feast, notwith old leaven, neither with the leavenof malice and wickedness: but with theunleavened bread of sincerity andtruth" (I Cor. 5 :8). 0