good news 1959 (vol viii no 02) feb_w

7/28/2019 Good News 1959 (Vol VIII No 02) Feb_w

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VOL. VIII, NUMBER 2

International MagazIne ofTH E CHUR CH OF GOD

FEBRUARY, 1959

More News of GOD'S ChurchMore BLESSINGS continue to come from the Almighty! Keepyour HEART and interest and prayers in these things God is

doing in His Church!by Roderick C.MeredithH IGHLlGHTlNG this year's Annualconference of God's minis terswas the celebra tion of the 25thAnniversary of The World Tomorrowbroadcast. I t was something we shouldbe very thankful to God for-and re-juice uver. And we did!Some weeks before the ministerialconference, Mr. Ted Armstrong realizedthat after all their years of service inGod's work, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrongcertainly deserved a special t ribute onthe 25th Anniversary of The WorldTomorrow broadcast, and their part init. And so, with the help of others, heplanned a surprise banquet in honor ofMr. and Mrs. Arms trong and the 25thAnniversary of this broadcasting work.The ministers in the field were quietlywritten, and told to come in a littleearlier than usual so they would be hereby the first Sunday in January. As mos tof you know, this broadcast began onthe first Sunday in January, 1934. I t

was quite a job keeping the plans andpreparations a secret from Mr. and Mrs.Armstrong, bu t somehow it was man-aged!The Banquet

The banquet was held in AmbassadorHall, former mansion of mul timi ll ion-aire Hulett C. Merritt , which has nowbecome the main classroom buildingof Ambassador College. It was held inthe beautiful Rose Room on the firstfloor, furnished with imported woodsfrom all over the world. As we waited

expectantly for Mr. and Mrs. Arm-strong, many thoughts raced through mymind. I remembered how, as a studentin college, I had often looked up fromTerrace Dr ive, the street down below,and wondered if God would ever give usthis "tremendous" mansion-as it ap-peared to me then-a s tudent in workclothes working his way through col-lege.I remembered how God gave us thismansion for less than the price that itwould cost to build the fence around it!I remembered how I had learned tha tPresident Eisenhower, then GeneralEisenhower, and General Douglas Mac-Arthur had both dined in this fabulousresidence. 1 remembered hearing thatPaderewski and other notables fromthe world of music and art had beenentertained and dinec1 here.And now I realized, as I am suremany others did, that at last the Al-mighty God who owns and rules every-thing had decreed that His humblehuman servants, Herbert W. and LornaD. Armstrong, would be permitted tobe honored at a wonderful banquet andwith spiritual fellowship, this time, inthis former millionaire's estate. PerhapsMr. and Mrs. Armstrong had to workhard and suffer long for this privilege,and most of all the o ther blessings thathave gone with their service to God,bu t they have certainly richly deservedthe banquet and the thankfulness ufeveryone who attended that evening!We truly wished that everyone of you

dear bre thren could have attended thisbanquet and enjoyed the fellowshipwith us. But because of necessity, it wasfelt best to invite only the ministers andthose teachers and business associateswho have directly dealt with The WorldTomorrow broadcast over the years.The Rose Room was lit with candlesfor the occasion, the tables were beau-tifully decorated, and the meal wasserved by some of the advanced men ofAmbassador College who were dressedin formal waiter's attire for the occa-sion.Mr. Ted Armstrong had "lured" hisfather and mother over to AmbassadorHall on the pre text of seeing somethingimportant before they went to eat. Sud-denly, the heavily paneled sliding doorwas rolled back, they viewed with sur-prise the assembled guests in the beau-tifully decorated Rose Room, and inunison all the guests shouted "surprise."It certainly was a happy surprise forMr. and Mrs. Armstrong, and theirfaces beamed with happiness through-out the evening. This made the occasionvery enjoyable for everyone, but evenmore than this, I think I can tell youbrethren-and that you will understand- tha t there was a deep spiritual feelingand thankfulness in all of us at the sig-nificance of this 25th Anniversary ofthe work of GOD, and what it shouldmean to us human instruments.

The ProgramThe ente rt ainment for the evening


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Page 2. The GOOD NEWS February, 1959

Be sure to notify us immediately ofchange of address.

Address communications to the Editor,Box 111, Pasadena, California.Copyright, February, 1959By the Radio Church of God

International magazine ofTHE CHURCH OF GOD

ministering to its membersscattered abroad.

Good News from London!You brethren will all be happy to

know that word was sent from God'sheadquarters in Pasadena to His ministers in London, England, to approvethe ordinati on of Mr. Ernest Marti n tothe mini st ry of Jesus Christ! This ord inat ion was car ried out by Mr. Raymond McNair and Mr. George Meeker,just before Mr. Meeker. left from London airport to return rn nrne for theministerial conferences in Pasadena.As many of you know, Mr. Martingradua ted from Ambassador C ~ ) l l e g elast June, and was already a s p l r l t l l , ~ 1leader and s trong instrument rn God sChurch. But instead of be ing sent ourto take over a local church, we felt hewas needed more in London as managerof the g rowing overseas office locatedthere. In the office, and in assisting theminister in the London Church, Mr.Martin proved himself completely dedicated, capable and fai thfu l. With. t!1eincreased authori ty and responsibil irythat this ord inat ion as a minis ter of Godwill give him, Mr. Martin will now beable to assist even more powerfully Mr.Raymond McNair in the spiri tua l min-istry there in the British Isles. .Let us give God thanlis for. callm$Mr. Ernes t Mar tin, and for makmg thispossible. .Another happy news Item from theLondon Church indicates that the workin Britain is continuing to grow, andalso the London Church. In face, bothMr. McNair and Mr. Martin are doingtheir part to increase the local membership in more ways than one-forthey will both soon become f a t h e ~ s !This will be the McNai r' s second childand the Mar tin' s first child. Congratu-lations to the happy parents- to-be, andbest wishes to the London Church!

New Church in Sherman OaksAnother bi t of good news is that weare in the process of organizing. achurch in Sherman Oaks, California,which is in the greater Los Angeles area.

This area is just north of Hol!ywood,and having a new church there WIllserveseveral purposes and bring blessings toall concerned.First, it will save people from thisarea and many living even on beyonda great deal of driving time in goingclear over to Pasadena. Then, and mostimportant, it will help all those c?ncerned to g row spiritually by puttmg

them more on their own feet and causing them to have more personal responsib il ity in a smaller church .Indirectly, this will help the Pasad:naChurch by al leviating an approach ingcrowded condition in lhe hall we arenow using for our services. Well over700 people are now attending the Pasa-

of rne-nra I r1 isease all over this nationand its prophetic significance. Then weheard the booming voice of Mr. GarnerTed Armstrong as he began b r o a d c a s ~ -ing, from lime La lime, ill place of hISfather.Last of all, we heard a portion of themost recent broadcast, the very one ofthe 25th Anniversary of this work inwhich Mr. Armstrong pointed Out thesignificance of this event. By this time,it was evident to all tha t the growrh andpower and effectiveness of this broadcasthas grown tremendously over the years.Tbis is tbe work of God!

Mr . Armstrong's AdmonitionNear the close of the evening, Mr.Armstrong was called upon to make aspeech-or at least. talk to us a bi t in relat ion to this occasion. As many years assome of us have known him, it wasstill surprising to hear. l ~ i m - i n frontof all the assembled mirusters of God,and the business executives, teachers inthe colleges, and department heads .ofthis work-tell us with such utter S111cerity how absolutely WEAK and ineffective and human he personally felt hewas, and how unwortby he felt of thecommission God had called upon hun

to per fo rm. Yet, as he pointed out, perhaps the reason God has called us.are weak is that somehow we are WIllingto take correction, and to change and togrow and to really YIELD to God and Hispower.Me. Armstrong made us all realizemore than ever that somehow-perhapsin spite of ourselves-we have all beenused in the very work of the Creator.'He related some of the trials and testsand sufferings that he and Mrs . . A ~ m strong had to go t h r o u ~ h . in bui ld ingthis work, and the opposit ron they haveendured up until this day. He showedhow GOD had been the only one theycould really rely on for help andstrength to see ~ h e m t h r o ~ g h . 1 feelsure that by the time he f i n l s ~ e d speaking everyone-even some busl?ess associates not in the Church-s-realized morethan ever that they had heard from thechosen servant God has called to do Hiswork in this age.I can truly say that this occasionclosed with a pervading atmo.sphere ofspiritual thankfulness and gratitude, anda deeper realiza tion of the purpose .andcalling of God. We know by the trmetab le of prophecy that there will n e v ~ rbe another 25th Anniversary of thistype in the present age. But we knowthat it was to God 's glory tha t we wereable to commemorate this Anniversary,and that Christ was with H is servants,in spirit, as we rejoiced on .this o c ~ a -sian in the beautiful surroundings whichHe so wonderfully provided.

NUMBER 2OL. VIIIHerbert W. ArmstrongPublisher and EditorHerman L. HoehExeeutioe Editor

Roderick C. MeredithGarner Ted ArmstrongAssodale Editors

consis ted of a special recording on tapein which Mr. Norman Smith had piecedtogether excerpts of Tbe Wor ld Tomor-rotu broadcasr ove r the years from lt Si ncept ion. From some of the early pro grams, we heard Mrs. Armstrong anda special ensemble from the EugeneChurch singing on the program! I t waspleasant and also amusing in a way tothe Arrnstrongs, and to us all. Fromsome of the old tapes, we heard Mr.Armstrong warning this nation of acoming United States of Europe-the. . Ivery power that is now nsmg up.

Throughout the program recorded ontape, we could see the g r o w t ~ of TheIf/orld Tomorrow broadcast Il 1 everyway. Each year, it has G ~ O W N in p . o w ~ r ,in effect and in profess iona l qual ity Inthe speak ing, the s inging, and even theannouncements. Like God's Church andHis work, it has gone forward continually.Toward the end of this special tape,we heard the new voices that had been

brought in on T be World Tomorrowbroadcast from time to time. We heardthe deep, resonant radi.o voice of Mr.Dick Armstrong speaking to us fromParis, France, and giving. a stirringdescription of events prepanng the waxfor the coming united Europe. t:hlSmade us realize more than ever the Impor tant par t God Almighty has usedhim in in His work near the close ofthis age.

We also heard Mr. Herman Hoehspeaking to us from Europe, by tape,and analyzing the European scene andits relationship to prophecy. We h e ~ r dRoderick C. Meredith analyzing the rise


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February, 1959dena Church regularly! Since theChurch is constantly growing, this pre-sents not only the problem of a largerplace to meet, but also brings about thefact that there are so many people inattendance that the personal relationshipwith the ministers is lost. So keepinganyone congregat ion from becomingroo large and unwieldy is a very im-porrant thing.Also, a new church in She rman Oakswill help immensely in c reati ng moreopportunities for t raining many of ouradvanced men in Ambassador Collegeand God's Church who need this ex-perience in order to prepare for fulltime service in the mini st ry. Every ad-d it iona l church in thi s a rea means thatjust that many more opportunities arecreated for the potential ministers com-ing along to bring sermonettes , tocounsel and to help with spiritual prob-lems, and to prepare to go alit into thefield and serve many of you the re lateron. So you can all see that this is im-portant!De sure to pray that God will blessthis new church, and help the membersthere to appreciate the opportunity andto make more spiritual growth thanever before . Also, continual ly pray thatGod will prepare more ministers forHis service in this rapidly growingwork. We are what yOll miehr call des-perately short of really qualified, trainedand consecrated ministers to take care ofthe tremendous harvest which God isnow beginning to grant around thisearth! "Pray ye," Jesus said, " that t heLord of the harvest will send for th morelaborers into His harvest."News from th e Northwest Area

It was decided in the minis terial con-ference that it was best to send three fullyordained ministers to take care of thegrowing churches and prob lems in theNorthwest area of Washington andOregon. It had been previously plannedto send Mr. Jimmy Fridd le back to thechurches in Tacoma, Washington, andPortland. Oregon, and to send Mr. BurkMcNa ir to pastor the churches in Salemand Eugene, Oregon. But in view of thetremendous growth potential in thisarea, and of the growing need to trainyounger ministers in the field, it wasdecided to send Mr. Raymond Cole, theevangel ist supervising the minis ters inthe field. also to this area.Mr. Cole has not gone as a pastor overanyone particular church. This will behandled as previously indicated. However, he will be free to handle manyproblems and to build up the potentialthroughout thi s whole Northwest areaand, from t ime to t ime, to train youngermen graduating from the college in theproblems that come up in the field. Wedebated for some time as to whether or

The GOOD NEWSnot Mr. Cole could be spared fromPasadena for this assignment, but Godfinally directed Mr. Armstrong to seethat this was the most important postrequiring him at this time.

A Sad EventNow a very sad even t has taken placewhich helps us realize, perhaps , at leastone of the reasons why that decision wasmade. Many of you brethren probablyknow that Mrs. Moyer, one of the lead-ing brethren in the Eugene church, and along time faithful pillar in this churchthrough many trials, has been ill forsome time. She was past man's allottedthree score and ten years, but never the-less was continuing as a faithful andzealous member in God's Church anda cheerful and helpful servant of Christ .But now, in His wisdom, God has

permitted Mrs. Moyer to die. This iscertainly very sad news for many of uswho have known and loved her throughthe years, and admired the Chris tian ex-ample she always set. But, a lthough nohuman is the final JUDGE, we feel surethat we can see by the "fruits," as Jesussaid, that she could say with Paul, "Ihave fought a good fight, I have finishedmy course, I have kept the faith: hence-forth there is laid up for me a crown ofrighteousness" (I I Tim. 4:7-8).Because of several problems, that cameup regarding her illness, and becausethe Eugene Church is now without oneof its oldest and s trongest members , wecan now see more than ever why Goddirected that Mr. Raymond Cole shouldgo to Eugene. As one of the older min-isters, he has been able to handle theseproblems in an effective manner andnow two of God's mini st ers are in Eu-gene to help that church when i t needsthem most."a the depth of the riches both ofthe wisdom and knowledge of God! howunsearchable are His judgments, and Hisways pas t finding out!" (Rom. 11: 33) .

Our Own College PhysicianSince the death last summer of Dr.

Ralph E. Merri ll , our former collegephysician and member of the church, wehave been in real need of a competentphysician who could serve in the ca-pacity of adviser and counsellor for ourlocal church members, and act as theofficial physician of Ambassador Col-lege. I t is important not only from ahealth but a legal point of view that wehave someone acting in this capacity.God foresaw this need, and has re-cently called a successful physician intoHis t ru th who decided to move to Pasa-dena and be a member of the headquar-ters church here. His name is Dr. Roark,and he and his wife were baptized afew months ago by Mr. Benjamin Rea.

Page 3We certainly welcome them here, andhope that all of you brethren may re-joice in what God has made possible.Dr. Roark has recently passed hisCalifornia State Board examinations sotha t he is now fully licensed to prac ti cein California. He hopes to do the same

thing in Texas so that he will be ableto serve as a physic ian and counse llorfor the Church at the Feast of Tabernacles, and to take care of any prob-lems-as God would have us do-sothat we will be both helped by his ex-per ience and knowledge of t he humanbody, and protec ted from a legal pointof view in having a competent physicianin consultat ion in any serious illness.Certainly all of you brethren shouldpray that God will make this possible,and that He will guide and bless anduse Dr. Roark as an instrument in Hishands even as He did Luke "the be-loved physician" (Co!. 4: 14) .

Passover in N ew York City!Exciting plans are now being made

to send at least two of our ministersback to New York City to conduct Pass-over services and hold the Feast thefollowing night, and conduct eitherpreaching services or Bible studies inthe evenings during the Days of Un-leavened Bread in that metropolis.Scores of brethren in this area havebeen unable to attend Passover serv-ices befo re because of the t remendousdriving distance, and some have writtensaying they would appreciate the op-por tuni ty to have such services some-where in the Northeast .

If God makes this possible, many ofyou brethren from the New Englandstates on south on the Eastern seaboardshould begin to make ten ta tive plansto come to New York City to attend thePassover, and by all means the Feastthe following night, and to stay for asmany of the preaching services andBible studies during the Days of Unleavened Bread as possible! We willprobably inform you in a special bul-letin when plans are completed as tothe exact time and place of services,and all the a rr angements you will needto make. But we hope that this advanceannouncement will start you planningto get this time off from work, and willcause all our brethren to pray tha t Godwill make this possible and bless andguide in these services ami ill their ar-rangement.Let us all keep GROWING with God'swork and His Church! The continualgrowth of this work and the speedingup of world events show that the ENDof this age-and the work of God'sChurch-is at hand. "Now it is hightime to awake out of sleep: for now isour salvation nearer than when we be-lieved" (Romans 13: 11).


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Your questions answered in these columns! Your opportunity to havediscussed those problems pertaining directly to members of God's Church.

f2!!estionPage 4

Are tithes and offerings to the Collegeand the Church tax deductible?This is the time of the year whenmany of God 's people are charged withincome tax questions and problems. Perhaps the problem is not as complicatedas it seems at first glance, The answers

to some of the difficulties commonlyfound in the mind of the taxpayingmember are here briefly explained.Tithes and offerings, amounting to30% of the income, g iven to Ambassador College and the Church are tax deductible. They come under a specialprovision of the Internal Revenue lawswhich permits deductions of up to 20%of adjusted gross income for contributions to the Church. Another 10% tothe College. Never more than 20% is,however, allowed as a deduct ion to achurch.

The average person does not give tohis church amounts that even beginto approach a first tithe. This beingtrue, God's people statui uu t in thegroup of taxpayers as generous giversto the Church. Their tax claims arequite often questioned and they arecalled upon to produce evidence of theirChurch support.

The Radio Church of God does havea tax-exemption certificate from the Int erna l Revenue Commissioner, da tedApril 1946, No. 1492 M. The Churchis exempted under the provisions ofsection 101 (6 ) of the Internal Revenue Code and corresponding provisionsof prior revenue acts showing tha t weare organized and opera te exclusivelyfor religious purposes.Ambassador College has also beengiven tax-exemption status, whichmeans all t ithes and offerings git!en tothe Church (but not more than 20%)and all donations given to the Collegecan be submitted for tax deduction onthe proper forms provided by the Inter nal Revenue Department.Those who are g iving over 20% ofadjusted gross income to the work ofGod should divide the t ithes and offerings in part between the College andthe Church. This has proven to be moreacceptablo with the government and inno way inconveniences either theChurch or College. Therefore , for thesake of avoiding unnecessary red tapeand inconvenience to members, regarding quest ioned amounts given in excessof 20%, the tithes and offerings should

The GOOD NEWS

'Boxbe recorded part 10 the name of theChurch and part II I the name of theCollege.

I f your tithes and offerings do nottotal over 18 or 19 percent of your adjusted gross income it would not benecessary to request separate receipts;the one from the Church will be sufficient.Next are second tithe deductions.In the course of preparing the taxreturn one quest ion inevitably comesup for the Church member. That is,"How much of my second tithe can Ilegally claim for deduction?"Since the second tithe is saved andused by the member to a tt end the festivals, at which time it can be used for"whatsoever your soul desires" (Deut.14:26), only that portion of secondtithe remaining after the feast, that isgi'/.'on to the Chttrch for distribtt tion toothers, may be deducted.

The law states that before a tax deduction can be recognized, the deductedamount must be given to a recognized(by the government) charitable, non-profit organization, Church or College.Therefore the excess second tithegiven personally to a brother in theChurch will not be recognized by thegovernment unless it is recorded on theChurch records and handled through theChurch.The same is true of third tithes andofferings. For this reason receipts mustbe requested of the Church when theoffering is given.Many have asked about receipts aft-er giving offerings at the various feasts.Since all the offerings are combinedwherever the feasts are held, the Churchrecords department has no possible wayof knowing who gave a certa in amountunless the donor 's name is clearly wri tten on an envelope showing his addressand the amount given. Rece ipts areeasily sent from Pasadena.Government regulations never permitreceipts to be given months later, on thestrength of the member's word, afterthe books are already recorded andbalanced.

Neither will the government recognize traveling expenses (second tithe)to and from Gladewater each year asvalid expendi tures. They see no reasonwhy we want to go to Holy Convocations several times a year in the firstplace! The government looks upon suchtrips as pleasure trips-vacations.

February, 1959W hat about third t ithe deductions?Third tithe given to the Church fordistribution is tax deductible. Most ofGod's people will find that on theirth ird tithe year their tithes and offerings will exceed 20%. I f this is tru e inyour third tithe year, BE SURE TO LETTHE CHURCH KNOW YOU WISH RE-

CEIPTS FROM THE COLLEGE and theChurch. Ambassador College is as mucha part of God's work as the Church itself. A percentage of all the income ischanneled to the College automatically,because the College pays the cost of thepublishing division. Ambassador College publ ishes the Gospel (Mark 13:10), as the Church preaches the Gospel(Mark 16: 15).The Church is na t permitted to givereceipts on th ird ti thes given privatelyto widows of Church members. If members have widows, fatherless, or otherdependent members of the family towhom they are permitted (by God's

law) to give third tithe, then theyshould give it to the local Church. Thelocal Church records the aruounts received and distributes to widows andothers in the Church. Receipts for suchcontribu tions received by the Churchfor distribution to widows can be deducted.There are also other tax deductions.Here ar e n few exa rn ples of how thetax laws make it easier for God's people who give tithes and offerings to theChurch.Your tax savings can be greater if,instead of g iv ing cash offerings to theChurch, you sign over as offerings somekind of property like stocks, bonds, orreal estate, which has gone up in valuesince being acquired.This way you receive a tax deductionfor the fair market value of the propertyand you avoid having to pay the capitalgains tax which would have been dueif you had converted the property intocash.

The Church, being a tax-exempt institution, can liquidate the propertywithout having to pay a capital gainstax.If the property you want to give theChurch is valued at more than 30% ofyour income, you can spread the gifover a period of two or more years byassigning to the College fractional interests-one-third, one-half, etc.-eachyear.Members who wish to deed propertyto the College or Church on this basisshon Ie! seek expert guidance and counseby a reputable lawyer, and have a wildrawn up that states clearly what hiswishes are.Contributions given to the Church oCollege for the progress of the building(Please continue on page 11)


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God's GOVERNMENT Works!During the recent ministerial conference, January, 1959,God's ministers saw the government of God in action! Here are some of theresults of that meeting, and what it means to God's Church!

D o YOU realize the real BLESSINGit is to be in God's Church?At the close of the recent ministerial conference at the HeadquartersChurch in Pasadena, Ca lifo rnia, God' sministers came to see once again, howbeautiful it is to dwell in UNITY!Why This Is God's Church

The Apostle Paul learned by bitterexperience that men, apart from God'sSpirit, quickly go into division, dis-agreement, and hostility. He wrote tothe still carnal-minded peopl e at Corinth "For it hath been declared untome . . . that there are contentionsamong you. Is Chr is t d ivided?" (1. Cor.1:1113) .Paul exhor ted them, "by the nameof our Lord Jesus Chr ist , that ye allSPEAK THE SAME THING, and thatthere be no divisions among you; butthat ye be perfectly joined together inthe same mind and in the same judgment" (I Cor. 1: 10 ) .Had this recent conference been agroup of ministers from worldlychurches, there would have been argument , di sagreement , unsolved and unsettled questions, and possibly evensplits and divisions!

But the very fact that God's trueministers remain in UNITY, that God'sChurch is a growing, overcomingChurch, is another concrete proof thisis the VERY CHURCH OF GOD!My father has exp la ined many timesthis vitally important principle. Itshows the rast difference between THISChurch and ALL others!In the early years of my father'sministry, when he was being led intonew t ruth through an intensive studyof God 's word (as you have been reading in his autobiography appearingmonthly in the Plain Truth) he saw avivid example of HOW NOT to conducta ministerial conference!The leaders of the already dead Sardis Church (Rev. 3: 1-6) would reasonin this way: "Now, brother, let's settlethis question! Let's have LOVE' Let'snot get i nto arguments over doctrine

let's learn tolerance for the oppositeideas,"Frequently. an issue would be decided thus: "Now, Elder so-and-so,

what will YOUR people 'go alongwith?''' And then; "And (turning toanother), what will yom congregation

by Garner Ted Armstrongbe willing to accept?" And so, DOC-TRINE was adopt ed and decided-ACCORDING TO WHATEVER THE MAJOR-ITY OF THE PEOPLE WOULD BE WILL-ING TO FOLLOW!

Their leaders were worried aboutmembers withdrawing tithe moneyfrom the Church. And so, th roughcovetousness, and looking to PEOPLEfor their support instead of dir ect ly toGod, new truth was rejected!GOD'S CHURCH CANNOT BE GOV-

ERNED IN THIS WAY!Paul said, "For do I now persuademen, or God? Or do I seek to pleasemen? For if I yet pleased men, I shouldnot be the servant of Christ! (Gal.LI0) .

And so it was, bre thren, that YOURLIKES, YOUR DESIRES, WHAT YOUWOULD BE "WILLING" TO ACCEPT WASNOT EVEN SLIGHTLY CONSIDEREDIN THESE MINISTERIAL MEETINGS!

And ins tead of shocking you-thatstatement should cause you to REJOICE- f o r that's why th is is God's Church!How Are Questions Settled?

Bur HOW are certain matters decidedupon? In times past, Mr. Armstrongwas slanderous ly accused of some, whowere CARNAL minded, wanting theirown way-of FORCING HIS OWN PER-SONAL WILL on the younger ministers,and making them adopt certain decisions HE had already made!It was hurled as an accusation thatMr. Armstrong, through personal feelings, had decided points of doctrine!Let's gel some facts straight onceand for all!Let me take you inside the ministerialconference. Let me show you God'sGovernment in action!Most of the meetings were held inthe large classroom in Ambassador Hall.Mr. Armstrong enters the room filledwi th groups of ministe rs, chatting together about minor problems in theirpas torates, or perhaps personal things,enjoying the moments of fellowshipthey so seldom receive from each other .Mr. Armstrong calls the meeting toorder. All rise, and Almighty God isasked to send Jesus Chr ist , who is theliving HEAD of this Church (Eph.

5: 23), and the BOSS, THE RULER ofall these ministers, to be in our midst.This is no casual prayer-tossed off asan introductory preliminary to be hast-

ily disposed of-but on occasion aquite lengthy one. The atmosphere issurcharged with the realization ofthe great importance of the meeting,the tremendous responsibility God hasplaced squarely on each one, and hispart in this great work in this last age.When the p rayer is over and the menseated once again, Mr. Armstrong opensthe discussion by referring to a particular topic on the agenda, or schedule ofsubjects, wh ich has already been prepared in advance. The agenda includesall the quest ions f rom the various pastors in the local Churches which theyneed solved to help their congregations.It includes the p lacement of mini stersfor perhaps a year or two 10 advance.It includes many topics of prime importance for the future planning of thisgreat work of God.As I write, looking back over thewonderful meetings we had this January, I can't help bu t be reminded ofthe Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15) .And it strikes me how similar was thismeeting to ou r own of today!A topic is brought up, and prayerfully discussed. Perhaps it is a doctrinal matter. If it is-many scripturesare brought up by various ministers.Lengthy discussions are held, with Mr.Armstrong cal ling on each one des ir ingto be heard, and moderating, organizing, supervising the meeting. We reallyFOLLOW God's instructions "For Godis not the author of confusion, bu t ofpeace, as in all Churches of the saints"( I Cor. 14: 33).Perhaps, at first, t he re are differentideas. In fact, there near ly ALWAYS arediffering ideas, and points of view onANY subject-or it would never needappear on the agenda in the first place,would it?And then, as the minutes and hourspass-each problem is thoroughly discussed, explored, considered andweighed. We always try to find, NOTwhat is OUR WILL-or what is YOURwill-but WHAT IS GOD'S t17ILL?Finally, when every facet of the problem has been thoroughly considered,and each mini ster has come to see, withreal conviction FROM THE EVIDENCE,with God's Holy Spi ri t guiding , whatthe proper decision must be (for it isChrist's decision), Mr. Armstrong summarizes, states the principles discussedonce more, and makes the decision(Please continue on page 11)


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What Church Memhersshould know aboutMASONRY

What is Masonry? Where did it come from? Is it a beaut iful systemof allegories based on the Bihle? Are the morals of which Masonsboast really good and righteous? What are the real secrets ofMasonry? Read this and see!

by Jack R. ElliottMAN Y of our brethren wereshocked to find, in preced ingparts of this series, that Masonic teachings and practices are not aswholesome and perfect as they had beenled to believe.Masons had introduced their newmembers to new doct ri ne only aftercarefully preparing them to receive itby making it look good and upright.Each part was unvei led and explained

with reverence and solemnity. TheBIble, among Chr is ti an nations, wasquoted often to show div ine sanct ion.The Lodge seemed beyond quest ion. Itwas truly a shocking awakening to someto find Lodge teachings and practicesof pagan-not Christian-origin.Some are not yet convinced that allMasonry is pagan even though it hasbeen proven that its oaths are antiscriptural and that its secrecy is likewise contradictory to the Bible andpagan in origin. They reason, " if youlook hard enough, you can find a lit tlesomething wrong with any organization.Certainly the other pract ices and symbols with the ir allegoric meanings aresanctioned by God's word!"It is therefore necessary for us toexamine other Masonic doct rine andpractice to see if they are scripturallyinspired as Masons claim.What is the Source of Their Symbols?To prove that Masonic symbols andphilosophies are borrowed from the an

cient pagans is not difficult. The Masonsp rove it for us! Here is part of the official lec ture for the first degree:"The Sun and Moon," says thelearned Brother Delaunay of importantMasonic symbols, "repr esent the twogrand princ iples of all generat ions , the

act: ve and passive, the male and thefemale. The Sun represents the actuallight. He pours upon the Moon hisfemndating rays; both shed the ir l ightupon their offspring, the Blazing Star,or Horus , the three form the great Equilateral Tr iangle, in the center of which

is the omnific letter of the Kabalah bywhich creat ion is said to have beeneffected." (Morals and Dogma of Freemasonry, by Albert Pike, pp. 13-14.)He cJ icJ not find this in the Bible!The sun and the moon are importantMasonic symbols, just as they were inthe old Babylonian mysteries! This doctrine concerning them comes fromANCIENT SUN WORSHIP. The offspring,a blazing star, is of Egyptian originthat same offspring which has beenworshipped by pagans for generat ionsunder many different names, one oft hem being Horus, another Anubis.Another quotation from the samelecture adds further confirmation ofthese facts. "The ornaments of a Lodgeare said to be the Mosaic Pavement, theIndented Tessel, and the Blazing Star."The Mosaic Pavement (see Figure 6) ,chequered in squares, or lozenges, issaid to represent the ground floor ofSolomon's Temple. The lecturer showsclearly that Masons know that it doesnot, In their own words, "To find inthe Blazing Star of five points an allusion to the Divine Providence, is alsofanciful; and to make it commemorative of the Star that is said to haveguided the Magi, is to give it a meaning comparatively modern. Originallyit represented Sirius, or the Dog-Star,the forerunne r of the inundation of theNile; the God Anubis, companion ofIsis in her search for the body of Osiris,himself symbolized also by the Sun,the author of the season, and the Godof Time; Son of Isis, who was the universal nature, himself t he pr imit ivematt er, inexhausti ble source of Life,spark of unc reated fire, universal seedof all beings."There is no question that these symbols have thei r origin in paganism, Asshown above, Masons prove it for us;in fact, they are proud of such an originbecause of its ANTIQUITY,The Masonic Temple Versus

Solomon's TempleThe lodge room is supposed to be a

true representat ion of King Solomon'stemple. Since the temple bui lt by Solomon faced east and west, the MasonicLodge is supposed to face east and west.The "Worshipful Master's" station is inthe east, the SeniorWarden in the west,the Junior Warden in the south, asshown in Fig. 9.Masons further claim tha t thei r temple is symbolic of the universe, havinga cloudy canopy as its covering.At first glance all this seems rightand in accordance with the Bible. Butlet's take a closer look.God's temple (often referred to asKing Solomon's temple) faces east.

Why? Because Chri st's coming, at thetime He enters the new temple, willbe from the east toward the west (seeMall. 24: 27). The over-all account ofthis is found in Ezekiel 43. "Afterwardhe brought me to the gate, even thegate tha t looke th toward the east: And,behold, the glory of the God of Israelcame from the way of the east; and hisvoice was like a noise of many waters;and the earth shined with his glory. . . And the glory of the Lord cameinto the house by way of the gate whoseprospect is toward the east. So theSpir it took me up, an J brought me intothe inner court; and behold, the gloryof the Lord filled the house. And Iheard him speaking unto me out of thehouse; and the man stood by me. AndHe said unto me, 'Son of man, the placeof my throne, and the place of the salesof my feet, where I will elwell in themids t of the ch ildren of Israel for ever,and my Holy Name the house of Israelshall no more defile.' ..Now study the ar rangements of theTabernacle (Fig. 8), which is a shadow,or type of God's throne in heaven, thegeneral ar rangement of which was reproduced in the temple buil t by Solomon. Contrast it with the Masonic Lodgein Fig. 9.While there is some similarity inform, they are exactly opposite in arrangement. The entrance to the templeis in the east. In the Masonic Lodge,


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Figure 6

February, 1959it is in the west. The Holy of Hol ies,where God's presence was manifes t isin the west in God's temple. The "Worshipful Master" whose seat is under the"G" to represent "god" is in the eastof the Masonic Lodge.When we understand that the templeof God represents God's throne, weshould be able to see the symbolism of

Christ as our High Priest sitting on theright hand of God. Upon becomingspi ri tual Israelites, we may boldly approach that throne through Christ, sincethe veil which separa ted the Israelitesfrom God is rent in two. The Gentilewas not even allowed in that part ofthe temple and, until this day, cannotapproach God wi thou t first becomingan Israelite. This is represented by thecourt of Israel being between that ofthe Gentile and the Holy of Holies.The Masonic Lodge, therefore, represents a paRmI temple which symbolizesthis universe. The setting being theearth covered by a "canopy of cloudsand the starry heavens," where thesepagans worship the sun, which theycall the father of all living; the moon

which they call the mother; and all thest arry hosts of heaven. They hope toascend into this heaven by means of aladder which Masons call " Jacob' s Ladder," but which t he pagans called byother names.If one visualizes this Masonic templein its true symbolic meaning, they seethat it is ac tual ly OUTSIDE THE TEMPLEof God as demonstrated by the placement of the rwo pil la rs Jachin and Boaz.The only places in the Bible wherethese two pillars are mentioned byname are I Kings 7: 21 and II Chronicles 3: 17. Here the pillars are described as sitting in the porch of thetemple with Jachin on the right andBoaz on the left, as they would beviewed from God's throne. The lat ter isborne out and made c lear by the Jewishand the Revised Standard t ransla tion ofthe Bible which render it as Jachin inthe south and Boaz in the north.Masons have these reversed by placing the pillar they call Jachin on theright as you enter the ir t emple andBoaz on the left.

The only way a person could passthrough the pillars of the temple ofGod so tha t J achin was on his rightand Boaz on his left would be whenleal'ing the temple (going away fromGod). On the other hand, this happens only when entering the Masonictemple.It follows, symbolically, that a person

enters a Masonic temple by leavingthe true temple of God. Once there,he worships the sun in the east withhis back to God.When one pictures Masons in this

The GOOD NEWS

situation, he cannot help but remember Ezekiel 8: 15 where God pointsout to Ezekiel the WORST OF THEABOMINATIONS-"And he brought meinto the inner court of the Lord's house,and behold, at the door of the templeof the Lord, between the porch andthe altar were about five and twentymen, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces towardthe east; and they worshipped the suntoward the east." This is exactly whatthe Masons are doing. Is it possiblethat the future fulfi llment of this prophecy will take place when Some JewishMasons will be in the temple of Godand will actually turn their backs onHim to worship other gods?

Masonry Symholized by a LadderThe Masonic ladder, i nt roduced tothe candidate in the lecture of the

Page 7

first degree as having three roundsfaith, hope and charity-is of recentorigin. But, Masons use other "Jacob'sLadders" with greater numbers ofrounds and with different names.In the lectures of the higher degrees,they are int roduced to one hav ing sevenrounds, also supposed to reach to heaven. The first round (o r gate) was madeof lead and represented Saturn becauseof the "heavy nature" whereof his "du llslow progress" was symbolized. Thesecond, of t in , was that of Venus, symbol izing her "soft spl endor" and "easyflexibility." The third, of brass, was thatof Jup iter , emblematic of his "sol idar ity" and "dry nature." The fourth, ofi ron, was that of Mercury, expressinghis "indefatigable activity" and "sagacity." The fifth, of copper, was that ofMars, expressing his "inequali ties" and"variable nature." The s ixth, of silver,


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F igur e 7

Page 8

was that of the moon. The seventh, ofgold, that of the sun. (Morals and Dogma, p. 414.)The cand iclate for the Knights Kadash of the York Rite is made toclimb up a ladder of seven rounds

The GOOD NEWS

which are named: ( l ) Tsedakah(righteousness), (2) Shorlaban (whiteox) , ( 3) Mathok (sweetness) , (4)Emunah (? ) , (S ) Hamal (great labor) , (6) Sabbal (patience) , (7 )Gemulah, Binah , Tebunah (retribu-

February, 1959don, inrelligence, prudence). This ladder is bor rowed from an ancient paganone containing nine steps, bur wasmade to conform to the system of sevens by including the last three in theseventh round.The ancient pagans believed that theycould, by perfecting themselves throughprac ticing "virtues," proceed step bystep up the ladder of life. Each rungrepresents a h ighe r state of existencethan the one below. By diligent effortone could finally become like the godwho abode in the sun and share hisglory. That is why the last rung is oftensymbolized by the sun. This is a clevercounterfeit of God's plan of salvation.Figure 7 is an interesting example ofhow Masons adapt these ladders to theirneed. They have selected a ladder ofnine rounds and renamed three principal rounds "faith, hope and charity."FREEMASONRY ITSELF IS SYMBOLIZED BY A LADDER OR CIRCULAR STAIRWAY OF 32 STEPSOR DEGREES. It is also supposed tobe the means by which Masons symbolically climb to heaven. Through itthey are supposed to perfect themselves, degree by degree, until theyare worthy of eternal life in heaven.

"Worshipful Master""W orsh jpflll Master" is a title thatbelongs only to God. To call the presiding officer of a Lodge by that titleis putting God's name to a wrong use.This is not the only way in whichthe master of the Lodge usurps thatwhich is God's. He is literally supposed

to stand in the place of God when hestations himself under the letter "G"in the lodge room. His station supposedly represents the Holy of Holiesor the throne of God. His actions whilein this office are also significant. Fewcandidates catch on when he asks themduring initiat ion, "In whom do youpu t your t rust?" The answer is, "InGod." Then the master says, "Give MEyour right hand. Your trust being inGod, your faith is well founded. Arise!Follow Jour conductor, and fear nodanger:"By such words and actions, does notthe master imply that the candidate isalso to trust him? Then he must consider himself either an agent of Godor actually standing in the place ofGod! Certainly he does! But, let us lookinto another official Masonic work tosee which is the god in whose officethe master stands.The Gene ra l H ist ory , Cyclopediactnd Dictionary of Freemasonry makesthese statements in its reference to thesun: "The sun rises in the east, andthe east is th e place of the WorshipfulMaster. As the sun is the source of allife and warmth, so should the Wor-


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February, 1959 The GOOD NEWS Page 9

altarPorchBemple oazc::o::J


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Page 10"Though Masonry never usurps theplace of, nor apes religion, prayer is anessential part of our ceremonies." HereMasons use the word religion to meanDENOMINATION, or one of the: systemsof faith and worship whose main pur-pose is teaching about God. They claimthat Masonry does not require its members to have anyone creed, but ratherthat each be bound by a "moral law"(o f brotherly love) in accordance withhis own religious philosophy.Masons take pride in the face thatmen of all denominations dwell togethe r in thei r Lodge. They teach thattheir theisti c doct rine is a broad overall doctrine that includes all denominations and creeds within its framework.They therefore look upon themselves,not as an organization dedicated to teachany form of worship, but as a fraternityof "brethren" dedicated to help oneanother in a Masonic version of "brotherly Jove." According to Albert Pike,"Once enrolled among the children ofLight, every Mason on earth becomeshis brother, and owes him the duties,the kindnesses, and the sympath ies ofa brother. There is not a Mason in theworld who is not bound to go to hisbrother's relief when he: is in danger,if there be a greater probability ofsaving his life than of losing his own.What so many thousands owe to him,he owes to each of them. He has solemnly bound himself to be ever readyto discharge this sacred debt. I f he failsto do it, he is di shonest and forsworn."When we understand the Masonicview, we should be able to see whyMasonry does not want to be classedmong the religions, or denominations,but pictures itself as encompassing themwithin the "brotherhood." I f the "brotherhood" should grow to encompass thewhole earth, then would be the fulfillment of the Masonic ideal-the philosophy known as "The Brotherhood ofMan and the Fatherhood of God."From this viewpoint leaders of theLodge in guiding the "brotherhood,"picture themselves as something likescientists who are seeking to understandand expla in the way, purpose and resultof life in this chaot ic civi lizat ion. Thiscivi lizat ion Masonry pic tures as beingnot chaotic, bu t harmonious and beautiful by virtue of its var iations and conflicts which, to them, have the resul t ofcomplementing one another. For example, sin in their view complementsrighteousness and hate complementslove in the same way that opposite colors accent and complenlPnr one another.Even though this encompassing viewof Masonry does include many religionswithin itself, it is nevertheless a wayof lifo, and therefore a religion.With this usage of the word, Masonry will admit being a religion, and

The GOOD NEWSmany of its proponents define it as such,but it does nut want to be classed asjust another religious denomination orcreed!

Separation o f Chu rch and StateMasonry is empha tic in its teach ing

that the church and state should beseparate. This s tand is surpr is ing untilyou understand what is meant. In everyway it is obviously a rel igion; and sincea church is merely a congregation ofpeople banded together by a commoncause, they are technically a church.Even the bui ldi ng in whi ch the Lodgeis located is cal led a temple! Most suchbuildings have "Masonic Temple" written above their entrance. Furthermore,we find Masons taking a very active partin politics and government. In somecount ries they even run the government . It does not seem reasonable thatthey should believe in separation ofchurch and state.Basically what Masons mean by thephrase, separat ion of church and state,is that they do not want the CatholicChurch ruling over the state in whichthey reside. Catholicism and Freemasonry are mortal enemies. Catholicshave excommunica ted all who are Masons, and declared them anathema. Ifit were in the power of the CatholicChurch to do so, it would have Masonry abolished. Catholicism has succeededin driving Masonry f rom some countries. Masons who res ide in countrieswhere Cathol ici sm is weak do all theycan to cause it to remain weak. Theirsis basically a fight for power.

I f the Catholics' claim that they havethe d iv ine right to rule over nationsand kingdoms were accomplished,where would that leave Freemasonry?Is there any wonder that these twoshould be mortal enemies since eachtries to control, or at least influencethe government of the count ry in whichit resides!

The Real Secrets of MasonryMuch has been said abou t the REALSECRETS of Masonry. Masons are perhaps in as much disagreement as to

what these secrets are as anyone else.One noted Masonic writer states: "Theonly secret of Masonry is that enjoinedupon its apprentices which exists solelyin the obl igat ion to observe silence regarding the various signs of recognition and cer ta in customs." (Lennhoff,p. 18.) There is much truth in thestatement because most Masons are onlyinterested in the social and economicadvantages gained from the Lodge.They do not become enlightened in thedeeper secrets because they are not interested in them. Lennhoff's book isobviously evasive however. It is writtenprimaril y for public consumption. It

February, 1 9 ~ 9is not a secret u orl: of Freemasonry.

Other writers claim that there areno REAL secrets in Masonry becauseany or all of their secret signs, handshakes, due-guards, morals, symbols, philosophies, dogmas, and customs havebeen publi shed, and can be purchasedfrom the bookstores. Th is is also true.The only catch is, most people do no:know what to look for, or what it meanswhen they find it!Those Masons who do search fordeeper secrets in the Craft usually pointto the dogma and morals underlying theMasonic symbols as their secret. Thesephilosophical principles "veiled in beaut ifu l allegories which hide them fromthe general public" are an empty secretindeed. They are nothing more thanthe secrets of the ancient mysteriesEven when explained they remain :'lconfusing mass of unrelated paganmorals at most. Other, morc intellectual members, try to fathom their depthsin quest of a deeper, underlying principle on which the secret of l ife resrsAs those who understand the purposeof life will agree, they are doomed tofailure. Paganism, no matte r how loftyits claims or how beaut iful its symbolsmight appear, is not the true way of life.It is the way of darkness and death.To demonstrate the futility of thateffort and the worthlessness of its emptyfindings we quote a noted Masonicwriter. His name is Oliver. His book,Theocratic Philosophy . . . "Masonsmay be fifty years (Worshipful) Masters of the chair and yet not learn tbsecret of the Brotherhood. Th is secretis, in its own nature, invulnerable; forthe Mason, to whom it has becomeknown, can only have guessed it andcertainly not have received it fromanyone; he has discovered it becamehe has been in the Lodge marked,learned and inwardly digested. Whenhe arrives at the discovery, he unquestionably keeps it to himself, not communicating it even to his most intimate Brother, because, should thisperson not have capability to discover itof himself, he would l ikewise be wanring in the capability to use it, if hereceived it verbally. For this reasonIT WILL FOREVER REMAIN A SECRET:'(Lennhoff, pp. 19-20.) The keeping 01such an august secret from even yourclosest brother seems foolish indeed.Lennhoff finds excuse for this action because, as he says, "the mob fastens onto the heels of the proclaimers and onlytoo often tread underfoot what has beenthe philosopher's highest ideal."The fact that the brother should neverpass his secret to another insures twothings: the sublime secret won 't bear

the l ight of inspection, and that secretwill be DIFFERENT for each Mason.

One man, Wilmshurst, felt that he


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February, 1959saw the deeper meaning of Masonry andbroke silence to go from Lodge toLodge teaching I t to brother Masons.His lectures have been published underthe t it le , Th e !VIeaning of Masonry. Inthem he shows that his great secretis the answer to "three great questions"which he says press inexorably uponthe attention of every thoughtful manand are the sub ject a round which allreligions and all philosophies move:" U;;btl/ tim 1?" " IF hence carne l? "" W hither go i rHe further states, "I t is a truism tosay that in our qui et and more seriousmoments we all feel th e need of some

reliable answer to these questions . . .The Masonic candidate is presumed toenter the Order in search of light uponthese problems; l ight t hat he is presumed not to have succeeded in findingelsewhere."In his course of lectures W ilmshurstgave his answers to these three questions. His answers are essentially these:( I ) Man is an immortal soul that isevolving spiritually toward perfection;( 2) He existed in a higher state beforehe was born into this wor ld bu t he lostsomething which lef t him in this lowerstate; (:)) He will again attain thathigher state of exis tence after death,p rovided he continues to perfect himself.These "secrets of l ife" are not takenfrom the word of God recorded in theHoly Bible , bu t from the same pagansources from wh ich the other Masonicsecrets are borrowed. Neither are theynew, because the "ancients" believedand taught them thousands of yearsago.In Wilmshurst's words, "this- theevolution of man into superman-wasalways the purpose of the ancient Mysteries, and th e real purpose of modernMaso1lr) is, not the social and charitablepurposes to which so much attentionis paid, but the expedit ing of the spiritual evolution of those who aspire toper fect the ir own nature and transformit into a more god-like quality. Andthis is a definite science, and a royalart, which it is possible for each of usto pu t into practice; whilst to join theCraft for any other purpose than tostudy and pursue thi s science is to misunderstand its meaning." (Wilmshurst,p. 47.)If Man, once in a higher state, fellto a lower st ate of existence and isnow attempting to regain that highstate with the aid of the Masonic science, what made him fall, and whatwill re-establish him?Wilmshurst sees that there IS some

thing missing in man that he wassupposed La have had before the fall.He says that in our pensive momentswe are aware that there is something

Th e GOOD NEWSrrussrng in us. "Whal is chat which islost?" His answer: "The genuine secretsof a Master Mason."(To be continued)

QUESTION BOX(Continued f rom page 4)program, th e construction of th e taber-nacle, etc., are l ikewise recognized bythe government as deductible.A last word of advice: Adjusted grossincome is the actual earnings of theindividual before any deductions aretaken out , such as social secur ity , withholding tax, insurance plan. When theindividual is self-employed, only theoperational expense is deducted f romthe gross to arr ive at the adjusted gross.Adjusted gross income differs from thetaxable ne t income in that the government allows certain deductions for dependents, etc., that are not deducted forin tithing. In other words, you payt ithes on yottr adjus ted groJS income ,bu t you pay taxes on your taxable netincome.

God's Government Works(Continued from page 5)

binding. And this is exactly what Jamesdid!The First "Ministerial Conference"R.ead the 15th chapter of Acts aga in!

James was the chief apost le in the onesense that he was the apostle over theheadquarters Church. After Paul andBarnabas had revealed what had befallen them concerning the Phari sees' insistence about offering sacrifices, therewas"much disputing!" (vs, 7),The Greek word here r endered "disputing" is suzetetes, which, according toStrong's Exhaustive Concordance,means, "mutual questioning, discus-sion, disputation, reasoning" Accordingly, the Ivan Pan in Greek Numerics

New Testament renders the verse, "Andthe apostles and the e lders were gathered together to see about this matter.And when there had been MUCH QUES-TIONING, Peter rose up . . ." (Acts.] 5:6-7).And so the question was no t arguedover, bu t thoroughly discussed FIRST.

Then, a ft er thi s thorough discussionof all facets of the question, "Peter roseup and said unto them . . ." (vs. 7).Peter , as spokesman for the twelve, anda leading apostle, began to summarizeand sta te the basic principles.Finally, observe how God 's t rue Government acted!

JAMES was the apostle mentionedfirst in order among other apostles(Gal. 2: 9). Paul said Peter was sentby James to Galatia (Gal. 2: 12 ). And

Page 11so James, the fleshly brother of JesusChrist, the son of Joseph and Mary,(Gal. 1: 19; Matt. 13: 55 ) and the apostle at the Headquarters Church at Jerusalem, made Peter 's dec is ion final andbinding!"And after they had he ld the ir peace,James answered, saying, 'Men andbrethren, hearken unto me . . . ' ' ' Hethen stated Peter 's evidence in differentwords, showing it was backed up byscripture, proving it was GOD'S will,and not that of man, "And to thisagree the words of the prophets; as itis written ..." (vs. 15). Then Jamesmade the decision."Wherefore MY SENTENCE IS, thatwe trouble not them, which from amongthe Gentiles are turned to God "(vs. 19).This was the government of God!

This became a "THUS SAITH THELORD!" Why? Because it was CHRISTIN the apostles and elders who actuallymade the decision. Paul said, "Chri stliveth IN me" (Gal. 2: 20 ) .Notice! The final decision was delivered to the Churches, NOT for theirapproval or disapproval-NoT to determine whether or not they would "goalong with the decision" bu t as a DE-CREE! "And as they went through thecit ies, they delivered them the decreesfor to keep, that wr-re orcbinerl of theapostles and elders which were at Jerusalem" (Acts 16: 4 ) .

"With One Accord"Even without understanding the

Greek language of Acts 15, the Bibleitself, as t rans la ted into the English,gives us proof of the oneness of mind,the peace and harmony that prevailedat the meeting in Jeru sal em. "Thenpleased it the apostles and elders, withthe whole church, to send chosen menof the ir own company to Antioch withPaul and Barnabas" (Acts 15: 22 ). Theapostles wrote letters to the Churchessaying, "I t seemed good unto us, beingassembled with ONE ACCORD ..." (vs.25 ) .And so, the "disputing" of the King

James Authorized version would bette r be rendered as the Goodspeed version, "After a long discussion."There was always final unanimityamong the ministers. When the decis ion was reached, James did no t arbitrarily OVERRTTLF the others-althoughHE COULD--SHOULD GOD REVEAL TOHIM THE OTHERS WERE WRONG! Butso long as ALL are led by the sameSpiri t, and have the same Lord, lh e sarnededication to God and His work-therewil l always be UNITY!Mr. Armstrong mentioned to us, aswe were gathered together in our ministerial conference in Pasadena, thewonderful record of the past. How


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P a ~ e 12 The GOOD NEWS r ebruary, 1959that, even when at the ourser, manyquestions had appeared exactly the op-posite from the manner in which theywere finally decided-ALL the ministershad ALWAYS come to the SAME conviction, the SAME decision-UNANIMOUSLY! There is NO VOTING!

WhatWas Decided?The apostles and elders at Jerusalem did lWO things after thei r conference. They sent men out to the Churches, and they wrote letters of their decisions.And so God's Church today is doingexactly the same thing. Here, in thisarticle, I am revealing the WAY in whichdecisions are made. It will r emain for

future articles on various subjects, notjust as a "report" on the conference,but over the years ahead-as God increases understanding and gives wisdom-e-to fully explain and expound toyou brethren the deeper, weightier spiritual meat we have gained.Mr. Armstrong introduced a subjectwhich will result in the minor alterationof two of our booklets! I mention thisto show you we do not hold to "tradition," or the time-honored opinions!We must be a GROWING Church. If ONEmust grow, then the WHOLE CHURCHmust grow. To grow means to be willing to come to a new understanding ofscripture-even though we may haveassumed we knew ALL ABOUT that

RADIO LOG"The WORLD TOMORROW"Herbert W. A r m s t r o n ~ analyzes today's news, with the prophecies ofThe WORLD TOMORROW!

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scripture for YEARS!It is GOD who reveals His truth. Isn'tit amazing to YOU, how that, after youhave studied a certain passage, and feltyou really understood it, you may goback over it even years later-and findNEW UNDERSTANDING? It is the SAMEwith God's ministers!The local pastors will, of course, beincorporating various points into theirsermons in the months ahead. Scatteredmembers will undoubtedly hear newtruths during annual festivals. And allof you will be reading articles appearing from time to time in the GoodNews magazine.

A Great BlessingI wonder how many of us KNOWwhat a blessing this government of Godreally is?Without it, there would be confusion, hatred, false brethren leading people after themselves, splits and divisions. Jude warned, speaking of falseministers who would despise g01/ern-ment, and resent authority, "These aremurmurers, complainers, walking afterthe ir own lusts; and the ir mouth speaking great swelling words, having men'spersons in admiration because of advantage" (Jude 8 and 16).In plainer English, Jude says thesemen are respecters of persons-theyshow favoritism, IN ORDER TO GAIN

PERSONAL ADVANTAGE!Thank God there is NO respecter ofpersons with Him!There can be NO respecter of persons in God's ministry. There can beNO decision rendered when rhe opinions of the members are even faintlyconsidered! We must always find whatis GOD'S REVEALED WILL, and submitto it! In this way is Jesus' PROMISE toHis Church fulfilled, "La, I am withyou always, EVEN UNTO THE END!"

ACT NOW!The increase in size and Quality are makingthis new ENVOY surpass by far any of theprevious issues. Th e price pe r book r emains$5.00 ... and that price is the complete price-including the increased cost of postage,

wrapp ing. and so for th . The ENVOY will beready for mailing soon.A shorr descr iption of this new issue of theENVOY can help you to see what is being prepared w it h o ur C hu rc h members in mind. Anincrease in size to 128 pages-sections in richnew duotone , the pr int ing process that throughthe addition of a s ing le c ol or a dds life andrealism to the scenes depicted in your newENVOY. Attend a commencement program onthe Ambasador Campus-relive th e momentsof the recent Feast of Tabernacles in outstanding views caught by the camera of a top professional pho tographer. To tell mor e wo ul dgive away the surprises awaiting you. Very fewof t he se p ic tu re s h ave eve r b een pub li sh ed before. Fir st cho ic e of the top qual ity p icturestaken on the Campu s. pr inted wirh the finestprocess known, make thi s n ew ENVOY trulyoutstanding as a pictorial issue.Avoid the risk of a late order by actingimmediately!Jusc fill in the coupon below or PRINT thereq uired i nf orma ti on i n a letter and send itIMMEDIATELY to "The ENVOY:' at PostOffice Box I l l . Pasadena, California!

sold in previous years, and th e customary lastminute rush of orders a l lowed us to go aheadwith a record-s ize order. Early orders comingnow can cer ta in ly be filled. We think we haveplanned co rre ctl y to in cl ud e e ve n s om e lc.ccrorders. We have tried to order a few to o many,rather than many toO few.

A RECORDSIZE ORDERAn earl ier announcement in the GOODNEWS brought hundreds of requests to have a1959 ENVOY reserved for delivery late in

Mayor early in June. We have planned accordingly and the issue of the ENVOY now on thepresses is th e greatest yet. Increased in quality,increased in size and reader interest. An eagernew staff is now preparing the final pages forthis remarkable production.Many of you intended to order then, bu t laiddown rhe December issue of the GOOD NEWSwithout doing- so. Knowing your imendou wehave gone ahead w it h t he l arge st issue of theENVOY ever to come off the presses. We havegone ahead in faith without actually seeingthese final orders, knowing the u ni ty a nd fellowship an issue of t he ENVOY brings to ourChurch people.Twelve hundred ENVOYS. 1.200 Ambassadors of friendship and good will are to be sentou t soon. Ou r ultimate goal is to send anENVOY into each Chris tian home to strengthen the bond of fel lowship between those of youscattered around this world and th05C of ushere at the Headquarters of God's Work.Requests have COme in asking, "Am I tooIare [0 order a 59 ENVOY? You are not [0 0late, yet! Careful calculation of our increasingChurch membership. the number of ENVOYS

BETTER than a personal visit to the Ambassado r College campus, in many ways!-youshare with these unusual young peopl e theirlife on the Ambassador campus . . . a' work,an d at olay-their [am-par-ked live, ~ n . - { ex periences in s tu dy , in field trips, in soc ia l act ivit ies . in recreat ion and athletic- field act iv it ies,and in rhe wonderful fel lowship of college andChristian life!

NOW is YOUR OPPORTUNITY! Twelve hundred Envoysto be delivered in May.

City Zone State_______________________________________________________ J

ANNOUNCINGTHE 1959 ENVOY

YESI I want to receive my copy of The 1959 ENVOYI I enclose the sum of FIVEDOLLARS ($5.00) which pays the subscript ion pri ce in full.Please make al l checks payable to: The ENVOY.

good news 1959 (vol viii no 02) feb_w

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