JUNE-JULY 1984

emsOFTHE WORLD TOMORROW

- True Spirituality- What Is It - Do You Know?

Make These Your Golden Years

Managing EditorDexter H, Faulkner

Editor-in-ChiefHERBERT W. ARMSTRONG

Assistant Managing EditorNorman L, Shoaf

ContributorsDibar K. ApartianJerold W. Aust

K. Neil EarleJohn A. Halford

George M, KackosRonald D. Kelly

James P. LichtensteinGraemme J. Marshall

L. Leroy NeffBernard W, Schnippert

Richard H, SedliacikClayton D. Steep

Philip StevensEarl H. Williams

GraphicsGreg S. Smith

Minette Collins SmithEditorial Assistant

Colleen M, Gus

PUBLISHED BY THEWORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD2

7

VOL. XXXI, NO.6

Does SatanHave

Your Consent?See page 22

JUNE-JULY 1984--~~U~~

CIRCULATION: 282,277

Contents:

COVER: The eternal Creator God has a surprising perspective on old age andgrowing old . The special section beg inning on page 2 shows how older Chr istianscan fulfill the ir unique ca lling . Photo by Hal Finch.

- God and the Hoary Head

GN Focus: If You Had a Boss Like Mine

-\-- Are You Expressing True Love?

- Questions & Answers

- Your Spiritual Olympics!

Letters

- Does Satan Have Your Consent?

Nahum vs. Nineveh

+ Sharing: A Vital Dimens ion in Overcoming

5

7

9

13

14

20

22

24

28

PublisherHerbert W. Armstrong

TreasurerL, Leroy Neff

Director of Publishing ServicesRay L, Wright

Production DirectorRoger G, Lippross

Production ManagerRon Taylor

Circulation ManagerBoyd L, Leeson

International EditionsDutch: Bram de Bree

French: Dibar K. ApartianGerman: John B. Karlson

Spanish: Don Walls

The Good News is published monthly (excep t com­bined June-July and October-November issues) by 'theWorldwide Church ot God, 300 W. Green SI., Pasa­dena, Cali\., 91123 . Copyright © 1984 WorldwideChurch of God. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.Reentered as second-class mailer at the Manila CentralPost Office on Jan. 18, 1974.

Address all communications to the Good Newsaddress nearest you:United States: 300 W. Green St., Pasadena, Calif.,

9 1123. For literature requests you may call toll free1-800-423-4444; in Alaska and Hawaii call8 18-304-6 111 collect.

Canada: P.O. Box 44, Station A. Vancouver, B.C.,V6C 2M2. For literature requests you may call tollfree 1-800-663-1242.

Australia: P.O. Box 202, Burleigh Heads, Queensland4220

Bahamas: P.O. Box N3934, Nassau NPBarb ados.' P.O. Box 1021, Bridgetown

Bermuda: P.O. Box 908, Hamilton 5-24Co lombia: Apartado Aereo 11430, Bogota " O.E.Denmark: Box 2", OK-8 100 Aarhus CFiji : P.O. Box 3938, Samabula, SuvaGhana: P.O. Box 96 17, Kotoka Inl. Airport, AccraGuyana: P.O. Box 10907, GeorgetownIndia: P.O. Box 6727, Bombay 400 052Jamaica: P.O. Box 544, Kingston 5Kenya: P.O. Box 47135, NairobiMalaysia: P.O. Box 430, Jalan Sultan, Petaling Java.

SelangorMauritius: P.O. Box 888, Port LouisMexico: lnstitucion Ambassador, Apartado Postal

5-595, Mexico 06500 , O F,New Zealand and Pecitic Isles: P.O. Box 2709,

Auckland 1Nige ria: P.M.B. 2 1006, Ikeja, Lagos StateNorway: Box 2513, Solli. Oslo 2Philippines: P.O. Box 1111, Makati, Metro ManilaPuer to Rico: G.P.O. Box 6063, San Juan, Puerto Rico

00936

Singapore: P.O. Box Il l , Farrer Road Post Office,Singapore 9 128

Solom on Islands: P.O. Box 508, HoniaraSouth A frica : P.O. Box 1060, JohannesburgSri Lanka : P.O. Box 1824, ColomboSweden: Box 5380, S- 102 46 StockholmTonga : P.O. Box 127, Nuku'alofaTrinidad: P.O. Bag 114, Port of SpainUnited King dom : P.O. Box Ill , Borehamwood, Herts..

W06 .1LUZa mb ia: P.O. Box 50117, LusakaZimbabwe: P.O. Box U.A. 30, Union Ave., Harare

Notify us immediately of any change in youraddress. Please include your old mailing labeland your new address. U.S . POSTMASTER: Sendaddress change to: The Good News, Box 111 ,Pasadena, Calif. , 91123.

The publishers assume no responsibility forreturn of unsolicited artwork, photographs ormanuscripts.

TrueSpirituality

What Is It-t».lbu Know?By Herbert W. Armstrong

H o w OFTEN do wehear one say, "He isso SPIRITUAL"? Or,

"Those people are not veryspiritual"? What is truespirituality - do youknow?

We need, just now, to bewarned against being deceivedinto a false standard of spiri­tuality. We need to examinethe true scriptural standard.

Four thi ngs usually acceptedas sure evidence

There are four things generallyregarded as sure evidence of aspiritual mind:

I) Speech, noise, emotion,demonstration .

2) Knowledge of Scripture.3) "Faith."4) Rigid standard of righteous­

ness.It will prove interesting, and

profitable, to take a brief look ateach, and measure according tothe scriptural standard.

I) The most commonly accept­ed evidence of spirituality is theway people talk or demonstrate.

Some people have deliberatelycultivated spiritual-sounding lan­guage. Or, perhaps, they haveunconsciously acquired the habitof using "spiritual" soundingexpressions. People say , "My, isn'tBrother so-and-so spiritual?"

Many think a church servicedoes not amount to anything

unless there is more or less noise,mass enthusiasm and a great dealof emotion worked up and visiblyexpressed. They never enjoy asermon, no matter how edifying,unless the preacher is full of cer­tain emotional enthusiasm, fluentin the accepted spiritual phrase­ology and able to generate in hisaudience the usual emotionalreactions and outbursts expectedin this type of meeting. If suchthings are present, these folkenjoy themselves immensely,whether they learn anything real­ly worthwhile or not.

This is not to discount or tocriticize the natural emotionalexpression resulting spontaneous­ly from a genuine spiritual expe­rience, or the true spiritual lan­guage springing naturally from anhonest heart. Far from it.

Some people are naturallyemotional. Some are not. Weshall see from the Scriptures thatemotion and spiritual phrases ofthemselves are not the essence ofspirituality. They may be the nat­ural result, the honest and sponta­neous expression of it; or, if delib­erately generated and "workedup," put on for show and effect,they may be only its counterfeit.And the sad part is that thosewho deal in counterfeit alwaysinsist they have the genuine.

"By their fruits," Jesus said ,we shall KNOW (Matthew 7:20).

It is important that we get aright balance.

2) The second class is well

indoctrinated. Usually thesepeople do not believe in much, ifany, noise or any spiritual mani­festations. They have a great dealof head knowledge, but most ofthis class have a great deal of mis­understanding, and often theyhave queer personal theoriesresulting from misapplied,wrongly divided Scriptures.

They love to try to trap andcorner others with the Scriptures,and especially do they delight init if they are able to corner someminister . Arguing Scripture istheir one great interest in life.

These misguided people be­lieve their arguments, contentionsand beliefs will win their eternalsalvation, without real repen­tance, or living a surrendered,righteous life in Christ Jesus,showing the fruits of the Spirit intheir lives.

3) And then there is the"faith" group. These say they aresaved "by FAITH , and faithALONE." They are not so muchconcerned about the Holy Spirit,and seldom mention such thingsas repentance, utter surrender orany need of submission and obe­dience to God's will and law .

Their religion never works anymiracle-changes in their lives .Since "Jesus died for our sins,"we do not have to obey. "JustB ELIEVE on the Lord JesusChrist, and thou shalt be saved,"is their sole condition to salvation.The invitation of the ministers of

(Continued on page /9)

June-July 1984

As an older Christian, you have a special calling.Read here how to overcome the obstacles and fulfill it.

"Thesilver­hai redhead is a

crown of glory, if it isfound in the way ofrighteousness" (Prov­erbs 16:31).

So says the greatGod, the One who willlive forever and theOne who created thephysical aging processin human beings.

God respects thosewho, further along inyears, are striving to liveHis way in the face of thespecial challenges andtrials with which they areconfronted.

Yet how different God's view­point is from that of the youth­oriented soc ie ty in which welive!

Television, magazines, enter­tainment and advertisements tellus that young is in and old is out.Our modern idols are young,beautiful, lithe and rarely morethan 30 - almost never morethan 40 - years old. The genera­tion gap widens. We are left withthe impression that to grow old isto enter a wasteland of loneliness,ignorance and uselessness.

Becoming "old," it would

2 The GOOD NEWS

By Norman L. Shoaf

seem, is to be avoided at allcosts!

What a paradox! As the forcesof science struggle to extend life,society in general strips from oldage all the respect and honor onceaccorded those who had livedlong lives and who had the experi­ence, skills and wisdom to sharefor it.

Older people make up a signifi­cant part of the Body of God'scalled and chosen people today.One in eight members of God'sChurch is older than age 55 . Per­haps you are one of them. If so,

read on. Your callinggives you a unique role inthe Body of Christ.

And if you are not inthis special group, read onanyway . You probablyknow several people whoare, and you are responsi­ble as a Christian forappreciating their feelingsand needs and serv ingthem.

A special group

If you are an olderChristian, you are special­ly blessed! God says,"The splendor of old men[and women!] is theirgray head" (Proverbs20 :29). You have a spe­cial place in God 's

Church. These should be yourgolden years - the best years ofyour life.

However, the world we live in- Satan's world - producestrials that are particularly hard onthe elderly, especially in Westernsocieties . Various worries andpressures beset older people, evenin God's Church, and can lead todiscouragement.

Perhaps the present financial g"squeeze" feels more like a stran- ~glehold to you, living on a limited ~

income and struggling to make ~c

ends meet each month. Perhaps it

you have no family nearby and noclose friends, and fight desperatebouts wit h loneliness.

Maybe your health is not wha tit once was, and you are forced toface your mortality in pain ormer ely by not be ing able to dowhat you want. You ma y evenhave a gnawing feeling of useless­ness - you just don 't feel wantedand wonder some ti mes wh at youare doing in th e world.

How can you fight - and win- battles suc h as these?

What is your outlook?

A major key to overcoming inthi s C hrist ian st ru ggle is to devel­op the right outlook on life. Thatoutlook mu st be tr em endousl y,overw helming ly positive!

The almighty God in heaven- your holy Fathe r - is age less!He is " the H igh and Lofty On ewho inha bi ts ete rn ity" (I saiah57 : IS ) , and His purpose is toshare th at ete rn ity with you. Hedeepl y wants you, more th an yourhuman mind ca n rea lize .

Th e mighty God is " the Fatherof mercies and God of all com­fort" (II Co rinthians I :3) . Youcan literally rely on H im for youreve ry need. You can cast everycar e up on Him, for He ca resabout you (I Pet er 5:7) . He wantsyou to enjoy an abunda nt, happylife (J ohn 10: I0), and will pro­vide suc h if you will only look toH im in faith .

God has given you thi s life as atrain ing ground . He has givenyou time in whi ch to develop Hischa ra cter and qu ali fy for Hi scoming Kingdom.

Notice how King David , as hegrew older, re lied on God: " Donot cas t me off in th e t ime of oldage; do not forsake me whe n mystre ng t h fa ils" ( Psa lm 7 1:9),David cried out. "Now also whenI am old and gray-headed, 0God, do not forsake me, until Idecl are You r st rength to thi s gen­erat ion, You r power to everyo newho is to come " (verse 18) .

Abra ha m enjoyed a long, suc­cessful life because he relied onGo d: "Now A braha m was old,well advance d in age; and th eLord had blessed A bra ha m in allthings" (Genesis 24: I ) . What ever

sta te or ci rcumstance you are in,determine to live life to th e full est- posit ively!

Be positive

Do you have a habi t of lookingback on fa ilures in your life, likeone man I knew? After thi s manret ired he was for ever lam entingall the mistakes he had mad e inhis life, and sorry he had notacco mplished more.

The result ? He wander ed fromroo m to room , looking out th ewindo ws and fee ling sor ry forhi mself, un t il the day he died .But his real failu re was th at helooked backward instead of for­ward. He th ought his life hadalready ended when he reached ace rta in age. A nd afte r all, isn 'tth at what soc iety had told him ?

Live in th e present and look toth e wonde rful things you can donow and in th e future if you willon ly apply yo urse lf. Y ou sayyou' re too old to change? C ha ngeis th e name of th e ga me in th eC hr ist ian life! M ake this yourmotto : " I can d o all thingsthrough Christ who strengthensme" (Philippians 4:13) . You 'renever too old to ga in new knowl­edge and acco mplish even more.

Pastor G en eral Herbert W .A rms trong, now in his 92nd yea r,is a t re mendo us case in point. Hehas ofte n rem arked on th e happy,abunda nt life he enjoys. Why ishe happy? Because he has appliedhim self, with God 's help, and canlook back on great achieveme ntsin his life, and is looking forw ardto doing even bigger and betterthings.

G od 's purpose for you is t hatyou rul e th e univer se with H im( Revelatio n 2 1:7) . That means anete rn ity of ex trao rdinary acco m­plishment. You need to keep th atin mind and ingrain a posit iveatt itude into your charac ter now.Th er e is no human alive who ca n­not improve and grow, especiallywith th e direct, loving assist anceof our powerful Father.

G od wi ll even r en ew yo urst re ngth and give you new vigorfor life: " Have you not known ?Have you not heard ? The eve r­lastin g God, th e Lord, the Cre­ato r of the ends of the ea rth, nei-

"When you areolder, you mustlook back on thethings you havedone, not thethings youmissed. In otherwords, take apositive approachto life. Thefuture is positive- and that issomething tobear in mind. "

Alfred Mayhew,88Maidstone,England

"The mostsatisfying thingnow is that theyears havehelped in havinga betterunderstanding of,sympathy withand ability toacquaint withothers, whetherof the same agegroup, youngerpeople orchildren. "

Roy North, 79Calgary, Alberta

" It is essentialthat older peoplekeep their mindsactive. I believe itis vital that youhave a hobby.And there arealways peoplearound who needhelp, and activeelderly c itizenscan getthemselvesinvolved . r r

ElizabethMayhew, 66Maidstone,England

" One thing I wishyounger peopleknew about olderpeople andold age is thatolder peopleunderstandyoung people 'sproblems. Olderpeople rememberthat they wereonce young, too.And they wouldlike for youngpeople to cometo them and talkabout problems.From ourexperience wecan help them.They shouldn 'tbe afraid. "

Ruth Barksdale, 70Brooklyn, NewYork

"I would like forthe young toknow that weelderly love themvery much andwe desire toshare in theirhappiness -that weappreciategestures of love,even a smile ora hello."

Eglantine Trottier,74Point-aux­Trembles,Quebec

"I believe olderpeople can avoiddiscouragementby encouragingothers. Getinvolved, befriendly, give ofoneself, behumble and ingeneral havea Christianattitude. AttendChurch activitiesand, above all,practice God'sspiritual law,wh ich is the lawof love. Theresults will bejoy, peace,happiness,fulfillment andencouragement. "

Howard Stein, 69Vis ta , Californ ia

" When youngpeople look atolder folks, theyshould take thetime to realizethat they, too,will one day beold and that theywill, in the verynear future, bereplacing us asthe oldergeneration. Timegoes so qu ickly.You are oldbefore you knowit . We wereyoung once, too.And it was onlyyesterday. ..

Helene Viard , 84St. Andre LesVergers , France

" We have gonethrough years ofexperience. Ourpast trials havemade us awareof our errors andmisjudgments. Asa result, our pastadds to ourpresent strength.We areusing theseexperiences aslearningprocesses tohelp youngerpeople. ..

Lila Stein, 65Vista, California

ther faints nor is weary. There isno searching of His understand­ing. He gives power to the weak,and to those who have no mightHe increases strength.

"Even the youths shall faintand be weary, and the young menshall utterly fall, but those whowait on the Lord [this meansyou!] shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wingslike eagles, they shall run and notbe weary, they shall walk and notfaint" (Isaiah 40 :28-31).

Much of it is in the attitudeyou take toward life. God willprovide your every need and helpyou overcome every obstacle(Matthew 6:25-33) .

"Finally, brethren, whateverthings are true, whatever thingsare noble, whatever things arejust, whatever things are pure,whatever things are lovely, what­ever things are of good report, ifthere is any virtue and if there isanything praiseworthy - medi­tate on these things" (Philippians4:8).

Remember God's calling. Hespecially chose you to activelyassist in the most important job inthe final days of this age. AndGod doesn't make mistakes. Heknew and knows exactly what Heis doing. You can grow in graceand knowledge, develop talents,overcome, endure to the end andbe born into God's Family at thereturn of Christ.

Get involved

What part are you to play inthe Church and work of this endtime? How can you become moreinvolved?

Overall, concentrate on givingand not getting. Don't occupyyour mind with your problems ­your bills, your loneliness, yourillness. Let God take care of thosethings - you concentrate onwhat you can do for others.

Share as much as possible. Per­haps you are not capable of ren­dering financial assistance.Maybe you can't volunteer forwork projects. But you can main­tain a cheerful attitude for thebenefit of those around you.

"Anxiety in the heart of mancauses depression, but a good

word makes it glad" (Proverbs12:25). Remember the incrediblefuture awaiting us in God's King­dom, and keep on hand a largesupply of those "good words"with which to encourage others.A kind word can work wondersfor someone who is down.

If you are close to God throughBible study, prayer, meditationand, if your physical conditionpermits it, fasting, you will havereal godly confidence, and thiswill radiate to others. You willremember that Jesus Christ over­came the world (John 16:33), andthat you are on His side.

You will face your trials withcourage, persistence and a stiffresolve to obey God in all things.And think of the fine exampleyou will set for others.

Do you feel that you don't sup­port God's work enough? Yousimply don't have the money tomake the large offerings you wishyou could, and you feel like youare not doing your part?

Well, never underestimate thepower of prayer. You can domore with one deeply felt, believ­ing prayer than a hundred otherscan do with a hundred half­hearted offerings. James said,"The effective, fervent prayer ofa righteous man avails much"(James 5:16).

The Bible is filled with recordsof what believing prayers accom­plished for God's people. Godhears such prayers and answers.Perhaps you even have more timeto devote to prayer than thosewho must work or who have morefamily responsibilities to takecare of.

Set a right example

Paul devoted a whole section ofone of his epistles to you as anolder person: "Speak the thingswhich are proper for sound doc­trine: that the older men be sober,reverent, temperate, sound infaith, in love, in patience; the old­er women likewise, that they bereverent in behavior, not slander­ers, not given to much wine,teachers of good things - thatthey admonish the young womento love their husbands, to lovetheir children, to be discreet ,

By Gary King

God's approach to old age is surprising!Here's how older Christians can lead more

productive and rewarding lives.

"Young peoplecan be a greatmoral comfort, atrue beam ofsunshine, tothose of us whoare no longeryoung, by simplypaying a bit ofrespect andattention to us . "

Reine Cuisiner,77Paris, France

" For some,elderly peopleseem out ofphase, behindthe times. Theyshould knowthat currentaccomplishmentswouldn 't havebeen possibleexcept for thetenacity of theelderly who, inspite of therudimentarymeans, have withstubbornnessand wisdomaccumulated theknowledge andsources oftechnologicalprogress. "

Louis Besnard ,74Bebeil , Quebec

" It is extremelynecessary tohave a scheduleand to thinkabout what youwill be doing withyour time.Search out waysto help othersand to makethem happy.There is nobetter way toprove toyourselfthat you arestill useful. "

Andre Cuisiner,77Paris, France

"We don't feelold as youngpeople think ofold. Time seemsto move soslowly whenlooking into thefuture and seemsto have movedso quickly whenlooking at thepast. Youngpeople would dowell to realizeold age comesto all of ussooner than weexpected. "

Walter Schuricht,69Olai , Californ ia

cheerful words, your contagioussmiles, your con fident attitude,your prayer s and your faith - allth is is well within your means.Yo u are never too old to sowthese good seeds .

Notice thi s combination prom­ise-command from God: "Thosewho are planted in the house ofthe Lord shall flourish in thecourts of our God . They shall st illbear fruit in old age; they shall befresh and flouri shing [in God'sSpirit , in Christian works] "(Psalms 92:13-14).

Strive to truly make these yourgolden years - the most produc­tive , most useful, most interestingand happiest years of yourlife! 0

reach 65 or 55 or 45 , or what everage society sets as the age afterwhich people are considered to bewashed up ?

The answers, if more widelyknown , would bring comfort andhope to millions of senior citi zens!

God's attitude

Age has never been a problemfor God . After all, who is olderth an the Eternal, the "Ancient ofDays" (Daniel 7:9) ?

God's approach would surprisem any in thi s yo u t h-o r ie n tedsociety, where people with per­fectly good skills and experienceare often pushed into retirement.

Many of God's people through-

chaste, homemakers, good, obe­dient to their own husbands, thatthe word of God may not be blas­phemed" (Titus 2: 1-5) .

This is no sm all responsibility!You are to develop love,

patience, temperance and theother fruits of God's Spirit. Yourbehavior is to literally be holy , asbefits a saint. And you are to set agood example, to teach youngerpeople the right way to live. Youra ge or s ituat ion in no wayexcludes you from an active partin the work of God's Church!

In short, it is your duty to letpeople around you know what itmeans to be truly Christian. Thehelp you give your fellowmen,your encouraging example, your

Godand the

Hoary Head

"Everyday I praythat I will die!"

The speaker wasan elderly woman confined toa wheelchair. Life in an "old­folks ' home" had becomeunbearable for her.

She was lonely, bored and inpoor health . Her old friends weredying one by one. Her familydidn 't visit anymore. She had noreason to go on living.

Or did she?Is it God's desire that older

people waste away their finalyea rs of human life staring blank­ly at television screens? Arepeople of no value once they

"It's hard to puta kid's head ona man'sshoulders. But Iwish they couldrealize whatwe 've beenthrough. We'vebeen down theroad, you know.And I would hopethat our examplewould give themsome idea ofwhat it's like. "

Carl Mollonex,72,Highland,California

" I wishyoungsters couldunderstand thatage allows forexperience andthat older peoplewho try to guidethem are doingso to help themavoid theproblems andhurts that theolder personknows lie alongthe way in life.Experience isthe best teacher,but thatexperience doesnot have to bethe youngster'sown personalexperience. "

Thomas Faunce,67Santa Barbara,California

"An importantpoint for olderpeople toremember is thattheir lifetime hasbeen given tothem as a gift.Always goingback to whathas been canand doesoften lead todiscouragement.They shouldfocus on thingsahead 'o f us,especially asChristians, tolearn more ofGod's ways."

Hans Mayer, 72Queens,New York

"In my youth wewere more familyoriented, and ourpleasures andrecreation werehome-centered.Mothers were athome whenchildren werethere. Fatherstook theirresponsibilityseriously.Material thingswere far lessimportant. "

Virginia Faunce,66Santa Barbara,California

out history were chosen forimportant tasks when they wereof . advanced age. For instance,Moses was 80 and Aaron was 83when they were directed to leadIsrael out of Egypt (Exodus 7:7) .Abraham was 75 when Godcalled him out of his country for agreat purpose (Genesis 12:1-4).Noah certainly could claim seniorcitizenship - he was 600 yearsold when the Flood was upon theearth (Genesis 7:6).

God still calls older people toplaya vital role in His work, andeach individual is placed there foran important reason, regardless ofage or handicaps (I Corinthians12: 18) . God tells us, "The silver­haired head is a crown of glory, ifit is found in the way of righ­teousness" ( Proverbs 16 :3 1) .Many dedicated Church mem­bers are in their 70s, 80s or 90s- a handful are more than 100years of age.

Why would God call or workwith someone up in years? Pre­cisely because of the person'syears, in part, and the wisdomand experience those years haveproduced.

As Titus 2:1-5 explains, olderChristians have a tremendouscapacity for teaching and settingright examples.

Younger people, when was the. last time you tapped the reservoirof experience that belongs to old­er men and women? I stillremember many of the storiestold to me by my grandmother, aformer schoolteacher. As a smallboy, I loved to go for walks withmy grandfather, holding hisstrong, calloused hand, while heshared with me his many experi­ences as a blacksmith.

God commands us to listen tothe wisdom of our elders (Prov­erbs 23 :22-23) . Leviticus 19:32commands, "You shall rise upbefore the gray headed and honorthe presence of an old man, andfear your God: I am the Lord."When we visit the elderly, weshould treat them with respectand profit from their wisdom.God will not tolerate dishonor (ITimothy 5:1).

Failure to follow these princi­ples can result in dire conse-

quences. I Kings 12, for instance,tells the story of Solomon's sonRehoboam, who was faced withthe difficult decision of whetherto maintain the high taxes thathad burdened the nation of Israelduring his father's reign. At stakewas the nation's loyalty (verses3-4) .

Wisdom rejected

After requesting three days toconsider the matter, King Reho­boam first consulted with the oldmen who had served Solomon:"'How do you advise me toanswer these people?' And theyspoke to him, saying, 'If you willbe a servant to these people today,and serve them, and answer them,and speak good words to them,then they will be your servantsforever' " (verses 5-7).

Rehoboam was not satisfiedwith the voice of experience, how-

. ever. The advice of the youngmen, faulty though it was, wasmore to Rehoboam's liking:"Then the young men who hadgrown up with him spoke to him,saying, 'Thus you should speak tothis people who have spoken toyou, saying, "Your father madeour yoke heavy, but you make itlighter on us" - thus you shallsay to them: "My little fingershall be thicker than my father 'swaist! And now, whereas myfather laid a heavy yoke on you, Iwill add to your yoke; my fatherchastised you with whips, but Iwill chastise you with scourges!" ,So Jeroboam and all the peoplecame to Rehoboam the third day,as the king directed, saying,'Come back to me the third day.'Then the king answered thepeople roughly, and rejected thecounsel which the elders had giv­en him" (verses 8-13) .

The result was a civil war inwhich the nation of Israel splitinto two separate countries, withthe larger being under the rule ofJeroboam (verses 19-20). Itwould have paid to heed theadvice of the elderly.

A productive time of life

Is it God's will that we shutdown once we reach a certain

(Continued on page 21)

GNFOCUS

If You Hada Boss Like Mine

By John A. Halford

O ne of our local super­markets has installed

computeri zed cash reg­isters . The registers aresupposed to operate at thespeed of light if everythingis working well.

One day recently it wasn 't.

Something wasn 't interfacingwith so m e t hi ng el se , and th eco mputers wer e mak ing all kindsof mistak es. Conseq uentl y, theline of cu st om er s was ge tting lon­ger and ang rier, and th e hapl esscas hiers wer e becoming mor e andmore frustrated .

By th e time the old gentlemanin front of me reached th e he ad ofth e line, he was besid e himsel fwith impati ence. As th e regi sterbu zzed , cl ick ed and flash ed in afutile attempt to make se nse of itsown signa ls, th e old fell ow hadhad en ough .

" Las t time I shop her e!" he

grow led at th e beleagu er ed butinn ocent cas hier.

" Good !" snapped t he fr us ­trated young wom an .

The man slam me d down hisitems and sto r med out of th esto re .

" Y o u s ho u ld n' t have sa idth at ," remarked th e othe r cas hier." Yo u kn ow th e m an agem en t

doesn 't allow us to be rude to t hecusto me rs ."

" W ho ca res what th ey think?Th is is my last day anyway. I'mstart ing a new job next week."

" Luc ky you," said the ot hergi r l. " Wish I was ."

A typical attitude

Unfortun ate ly , these yo u ngwome n are typi cal of man y wor k­ers. They are miser abl e at th eirjo bs . Certainly, some companiesare filled wit h happy employeeseager to do a fair day's work, bu tsuch places seem to be the excep­tion. Rather , th e halfhearted , do-

as -little-as-possible approachseems to be most commontoday.

Perhaps you are like that."Yes," you'll say, "but if you

had to work where I do - if youhad a boss like mi ne - ." Well,OK, t here is that side to it.Indeed, many employment situa­tions are hard to get excited about.Conditions are uncomfortable.Wages are low. The work is bor­ing, and the management is se lfishand unr easonable.

O bviously, nobody chooses towork in a situation like that. Butwe can't always choose . Some­t imes an employee has littlechoice bu t to put up with the dif­ficult cond itions, because any jobis better than non e at all.

Maybe you are in th at position .If so, what should your attitudebe? Have you no choice but tojoin the ranks of grumbling ,mumbling, turned-off, resentfulpeople who hate every minutethey spend at work and who lookforward only to quitting time?

Does the Bible say anythingabout that? It ought to . Mo st ofus who work spend between aquarter to a third of our wakinghours at our place of employ­ment. That is a large portion ofour lives - lives that should bespent overcoming and buildingcharacter.

The Bible and the worker

T he Bible does have something lto say abo ut work - quite a lot, iEin fact. ~

We recognize th at not all our ]readers are free to act. They live !in co untries where unemploy- §ment is rife, or maybe in the ~

developing Third World coun- ~

June-July 1984 7

tr ies where jobs - any jobs ­are few and far bet ween . O r per­haps becau se of age and lack ofed ucation, a cha nge for th e bett eris almos t impossible.

So if you are n' t happy at work,or if yo u a re trapped in anemployment situat ion th at is farfro m id eal , th is a r t ic le is foryou.

First , rem ember thi s: It is not asin if, throu gh no fault of yourown, you cannot be what thisworld calls successful.

Som e in New Testament timeswere ca lled into God 's C hurc hwhile th ey were slaves, and slav­er y is sure ly the mo st undesirabl eof a ll em ployme nt situ ati on s .Paul 's advice to these peopl e wasth at th ey sho uld gain th eir free­dom if they could, bu t if not , th eyshould not be concerned about it(I Cori nthians 7:21 ) .

The same can be said to you ifyou are in a bad em ployme nt sit­uat ion . Get out of it - improveyourse lf - if you can . But if youcan 't, you need not fee l th at youare a failure. Valu abl e "grow ingt ime" need not be squa nde red inse lf-pi ty and frus t ra t ion.

The Bibl e tells us, " W hateve ryour hand find s to do, do it withyour might" (Eccles ias tes 9: I0) .

Why? Becau se "the re is nowork or de vice or knowled ge orwisdo m in th e grave whe re youare going" (same verse) .

An ythin g you are go ing tolearn and anything you are goingto do - or, what is mor e impor­tant, any ch aracter you are goingto build - has to be don e whileyou are alive. Therefore, th e timeyou spe nd at work had better beused const ru ct ively. That doesn 'ton ly m ean gett ing ahead andmaking mon ey.

God wants you to inh erit eter­nal life and a level of ac hieveme ntand prosperity beyond th e wildestdream s of eve n t he most success­ful bu siness tycoons.

But befor e He gives you th atkind of life, He need s to knowyou will use it pr operl y. Ther ewill be no room for dishon est y,lazin ess, se lfishness and smo lde r­ing resentment in the Kin gd om ofGod . These things mu st be over ­t

8 The GOOD NEWS

come, with God 's help , now. Theapos t le Paul once wro te someadvice to Titus, th e ministe r incha rge of th e churc h on th e islandof C re te . The Creta ns had a badreputa tion for lazin ess and dis­hon est y (T itus I :12) . The mem­ber s had to overco me thi s.

"Exho rt servant s to be ob e­di ent to th e ir ow n masters ,"wrote Paul , " to be we ll pleasin gin all things, not answering back,not pilfering, but show ing allgood fidelity, tha t th ey may adornthe doctrine of God our S avior inall things" (T itus 2:9- 10).

Yes, but, some of the C re tansmay have th ought, th e way myboss speaks to me, it 's all I can donot to be rude in return. And whyshould I be honest when every­bod y else whe re I work steals allthe time? And I get paid whetherI work hard or do nothing , andeve ry body else does as little aspossibl e.

But it isn 't j ust a case of pleas­ing your boss. While it is good ift hose over you conside r you to bea reliabl e employee, th at shouldnot be your main reason for beingtha t way .

"Serva nts, obey in all thingsyour mast ers accord ing to th eflesh ," wrote Paul to the churchat Colosse, " not with eyeservice,as men-pleaser s, but in since rityof heart, fearing God " (Colos­sia ns 3:22) .

You aren 't just goi ng to workto serve peopl e wh o may notappreciate you. You should alsohave the att itude th at you areworking for G od. H e alwaysapprec iates hon est , hard work,and He will reward it.

So Paul continues to th e Colos­sians : "What ever you do, do itheartily, as to th e Lord and not tomen, knowing th at fro m th e Lordyou will receive th e reward of theinheritance; for yo u se rve theLord Christ " (ve rses 23 -24) .

Paul wrote somet hing verysimi la r to th e peo ple of th echurch at Ephesus: "Servants, beobed ient to th ose who are yourmasters accord ing to th e flesh ,with fear and tr embling, in sin­cerit y of heart , as to C hrist; notwith eyeservice, as men-pleasers,

'""' ~.da~ . • iWf~'" ,

but as se rvants of Christ , doin gth e will of God from th e heart ,with good will doin g service , as toth e Lord , and not to men , know­ing th at wha tever good anyo nedoes, he will receive t he sa mefrom the Lord, whethe r he is aslave or free" (Ephes ians 6:5-8) .

Who you really work for

It 's clea r, isn 't it ? A n employ­me nt opportuni ty - any em ploy­ment opportunity - provides acha nce to show God what kind ofworker you are.

Are you honest , or do you stealyour em ployer's goods? Whatabout his time? Are you late? Doyou quit earl y? Do you try to givehim value for your wages? Doyou try to respect him , even if heis hard to get along with ?

You should! " Servants, be sub­missive to your masters with allfea r, not only to th e good andge nt le, but also to th e harsh "(I Pet er 2:18) .

The Bible shows us we shouldsee beyond the immediate prob­lems. The ch aracter yo u a rebu ilding will sta nd you in goo dstead in your future responsibil i­ties in the Kingd om and gove rn ­ment of God. If your work givesyou man y hours a week to buildth at cha racte r, thank God for it,and don 't waste the time.

W ork as if you are worki ng forJ esus C hrist Himself. You can besure He is wat ching.

Don 't succum b to the tempta­tion of join ing the millions offru strat ed people who have todrag th emselves to work ea chday. W atch your att itude - notthe clock! A Christian wh osesights are set on the Kin gd om ofGod ca n mak e even the mosttedious of jobs an opportunity toovercome lazi ness , selfis hness,resen tment and dishonest y.

Why was te a qu arter to a thi rdof your life?

As k God to help you rise aboveth e difficul t circ ums tances .

Then one day you will hearyour real boss - J esus Christ ­tell you th e words you want tohear most : "Well done, good andfa i t h f u l se r va n t" (M atth ew25: 21) . 0

E very human being isjust naturally inter­ested in his - or

her - own things.He knows nothing else!He is interested in his own

ple asures. His own happiness. Hi sow n profit. HIS own importance.Charm. Effectiven ess. Success.Friends who me an a lot to him .

Often , he is concerned fo rothers only when he is remindedthat he should be, and then it isbecause doing nice things makeshim feel like a better person . Asmall sacrifice or a charitable actbecomes a means of self-exalta-

tion . To do something nicefor others makes him feelgood , and makes othersadmire him.

Yet , in his own mind hethinks he has "l ove ." Tru­ly, as G od 's W ord tell s us,man 's he art is deceptiveab ove all things and de s­perat ely wick ed (Jere miah17:9).

June-July 1984 9

A loveless generation

One of the saddes t com-mentaries of our time isth e lack of ge nuine lovea nd conc ern for o t hermembers of the humanrace .

Almost everyone suffersfrom the loneliness o fbeing shut out from thethought s a nd actions ofothers.

Loneliness has come tobe a maj or problem in our

mod ern way of life. It has pr oba­bly been the cau se of more delin­quency. de structive acts and des­perate beh avior th an any othersin gle fact or.

As N orman Roston wr ot e inthe a r t ic le " T he Ones WhoWait," published seve ra l yearsago in Th e Saturday E veningPost: " You can see them [th eunloved] in th e city or town, menor women, th e young and th e old,gathering in th e lat e aft ernoons orevenings, strolling in the streets, ~

or wandering through stores or ~

the parks, or s itt ing on park tbenches , or heading for bar s . .2They are in search of others, the £

By Ja ck R. Elliott

Everyone thinks he knows what realoutgoing love is - but few do. Even fewer

realize the vital importance of expressing it.

AreYouExpressing

TRUELOVE?

unnamed , t he yet-to-be -fou nd,the hou r-l ong or nigh t- long com­pani on s. A nd t he numbe rl essunseen who merely wait alone insepara te rooms, in small, desper­ate room s, their hop e behind ,accept ing defeat. These are theones who have somehow missedthe miracle. Passed by whileothers were chosen .

" Perhaps the saddest of theseare th e aged and ill, betrayed bythe world, forgotten by kin. Theliving turn cruelly and irrevoca­bly away fro m th e dying. Andlove, th e root of life, withers.

"' I don 't kn ow wh y they'rekeeping me alive,' sa id the man inthe sun-filled ward of the hospi ­tal , his hands flat upon the sheets,his head turned toward th e win­dow wh er e the sun danced . 'I'mnot going anywhere if I get bet­ter. I've got a sist er living in Cal­ifornia, but she hasn 't writt en foryears, and I never hear fro m mydaughters. No one visits me nowexcept a nun sometimes, who isvery nice, but I don 't even knowher nam e. It do esn't mean any­thing. '

" It is not merely a matter ofage. The lovele ss exis t whereverlife may be. They are th e obvious­ly scarred or the seemi ng ly well ,the wounded with t he sca r hid­den; th ey are married or sing le, inand out of ca reers, in and out ofmarital beds or mot el adventures,all tou ched by th at shadow ofhaving been deni ed , forgotten,un bles sed ."

This is a pitiful , sad commenta­ry on real life! Perh ap s you feeltha t you are being left out of th eaffectio n an d con cern of others.

But wha t are you doing forothers? How about you? Do youhave any loved on es go ing hungryfor a word of encouragement, anote or visit that says you car eabout th em ?

Truly, outgoing love is in des­perat ely short supply in this gen­erat ion. If you and I are not car e­ful , we will fall right into the trapt ha t so man y peopl e without anykno wledge of God 's tru th are in .But if we will begin to exerciseoutgoing concern ourselves, ourown loneliness will evapor at e.

Even th ough thi s godless gen-

10 The GOOD NEWS

era t ion makes goodwi ll di fficult,it is still necessar y for humanhappiness. Life without personalwarmth and goodwi ll is not realliving.

Love absolutely necessary

People need to see a smile andreceive a cheery gr eeting thatsomehow conveys inter est in theirwelfare, with a willing ness to st opand help whe n necessar y. Suchlove is a vit al part of any happysociety .

A nd it will be a prominent,personal , daily quality in God'sKingdom.

Those of us who are able to see

This godless age makesgoodwill difficult, but

it is still vital tohappiness. Life without

personal warmth isnot real living.

th at outgoin g love is a part ofGod 's way of life , and who havechosen to come out of th is worldand to learn and pr actice God 'sway, may not excuse ourselvesfrom having and practi cing out­going love and concern for others.It is an absolute requirem ent foran y who expect to enter Hi sKingdom.

Those who have not demon­st ra ted ge nuine outgoing concernfor others in th eir daily lives willnot enter at all (Matt hew 25 :3 1­46)! T o th ose who do not aid thest ra nger, th e hungry, th e th irst y,th e naked , th e sick and th e con­fined, Jesus Christ will say , "De-

pa rt fro m M e, you cursed, intothe everlast ing fire pr epared forthe devil and his ange ls."

True love is so important th atA lmighty God warns th ose with­out it th at th ey are as worthless as"sounding brass or a clangingcymbal" (I Corinthians 13: I) .

A person alit y devoid of outgo­ing love is a sick personality! It isunpl easant , un wh olesome andineffec t ive.

On th e ot he r hand , an outgoi ngper sonality adds immeasurabl y tohealth , happiness and prosperi ty.It is a delight to everyo ne , and itwill certainl y mak e th e lives ofth ose around much bri ghter andmore worthwhile .

The a pos t le Paul wr ot e :" T ho ug h I s p ea k with t hetongues of men and of ange ls, buthave not love, I have becom e assounding brass or a clanging cy m­bal. A nd thoug h I have t he g ift ofprophecy, and und erstand a llmyst eri es and all knowledge, andth ough I have all faith , so th at Ico u ld rem ove mountain s , buthave not love, I am nothing"( I Corinthians 13:1-2).

This kn owled ge co mes o nlyfrom th e Bible, and under st and­ing comes fro m God 's Holy Spir­it, which no one possesses natu­rally.

Without God 's Holy Spirit, theonly genuine int erest we have isse lf-interest. Unconverted peopl eare interested in others only inrelation to what others me an tothem - wh at the y ge t Inreturn.

Since thi s world 's advisers arewithout God 's Spirit , th eir wri t­ings or exam ples unwitt in gl yadvoca te " putt ing it on" in orde rto receive . But giving in orde r torecei ve is not go odwi ll. It ispursu ing self-profi t.

All of us have heard about loveand goodwill from peopl e whodon 't really understand it. Wehave seen othe rs' examples ofwhat it is supposed to be, but wehave received wrong informa tion.Ri ght knowledge was simply notava ilable becau se of a lack of spi r­it ua l under st anding.

Some are as lee p

Yet even some who have been

baptized , have Go d's Spirit , knowGo d's plan and hop e to ente rGod 's Kin gd om lack this outgo­ing love. They j ust don 't thinkabout othe rs. Their frui t less livesmake it obvious th at th ey do notac t ively car e for others .

They int end to do right. Theyoften think to do good works, yetse ldo m get aro und to actua llydoing th em . They tr y to be nice .They ofte n say and do pleasantthings. They t ry to be fai r.

Yet , no one is benefited. N oone's life is being ch anged . Noone's hop e is lifted up. No happi­ness is radi at ed to others . N o joyis spread. Inst ead , they are forcedto rationalize, defend themselves,arg ue or retreat. This kind ofbehavior falls far short of trulyoutgo ing love.

In fact, it is not love at all!It is mer ely living up to what

we fee l is req uired of us. It is aper son 's way of demanding creditfor being nice. It is selfish.

Go odwi ll or true outgoin g lovemust come fr om a Spirit-ledheart. Even th ough the heart ofman is not naturally inclined tolove his fellows, through God 'shelp we ca n ch ange .

A nd th er e is a lot we mu st doourse lves!

W ha t c an w e do?

The fo r m u la fo r rec er vi ngGod's Holy Spirit is given by theapost le Pet er in Acts 2:38 .

Peter said to those pricked inth e heart and wanting to do some­thing about th eir condition : "Re­pent, and let eve ry one of you bebapti zed in th e name of JesusC hrist for th e re mission of sins;and you sha ll receive th e gift ofth e Holy Spirit. "

R epentan ce m eans turningfrom your human way of se lf-cen­ter edness and pursuing G od 'sway. It means repenting of break­ing God's law and setting yourwill to obey from here on.

God will then give you HisHoly Spirit , a spirit of a soundmind - wisdo m by which youca n inte lligent ly love and considerothe rs . You ca nnot work up good­will by yo urse lf.

T o act like you have it is to befalse . Any act , no matter how

good, is eventua lly discover ed tobe just th at - act ing.

On th e ot her hand, whe n wereceive Go d's Ho ly Spirit we donot j ust automatically and mys te ­rio us ly becom e per fect. We wor ktoward perfection - with mucheffort on our part - usin g theSpirit God give s.

God 's Spi rit opens our mindsto reali ze th e importan ce o fot hers in our lives and our impor­tan ce in theirs. The goodwill wegive and receive is a vital com­modity. W e come to reali ze th atfellowship of kindred spirits ismost beautiful. God's Spirit alsogives us the ass ura nce th at thi s

God's love does notgive up. When

all else has failed ,true love - outgoingconcern - will still

be going strong.

harmonious love and goodw ill isworth working for.

If you would like to know moreabout this vita l key to true outgo­ing love, write for our free reprinta r t ic le , "H ow Y ou C an BeImbued with the Power of God."See the inside front cover for ouraddress nearest you.

Your part

Outgoing love requires workalong with willpower and det er­mination . It is an uphill pullbecau se human nature is not nat­ur ally outgo ing.

Human nature, as influ encedby Satan the devil, the " prince of

th e power of th e air" ( Ephes ians2:2), is selfish. To be outgoi ng inlove cuts aga inst th e gra in of whatwe have been abso rbing throughSat an's influe nce all our lives.

Wisdom to try - wisd om tocorrectly guide your efforts, wis­dom to keep trying in spite of allad versity, wisdom to di sc ernG od ' s will - is an absolutenecessit y in learning to exercisetrue love.

" If any of you lack s wisdom ,let him ask of God , who gives toall liberally and witho ut reproach ,and it will be given to him. Butlet him ask in fa it h, with nodoubting" (J ames 1:5-6).

In fai t h , you must s ta ndunwaveringly on your trust andconviction .

In hope , you guide your actionexpecting to receive the desireyou have set your heart on. Thishope adds the spi ri tua l moti vati onto go forward .

In love, yo u must act withunselfishness, with initi ati ve andgenuine concern for everyone.

These three important ingre­dients are added to your gift ofwisdo m through effort on yourpar t. They are all important , butth e most important, and th e oneth at takes most effo rt, is love(I Corinthians 13:13).

Love and godly c haract er

This is what life is all about.This is how you have your part inyour own salvation .

This process of cr eating godl ycharacter in us is God's plan ofcreating children . It is Hi s doin g,bu t we also have our part. Besid esour willpower and determinat ion,it takes our resou rc efulness, per­severa nce and drive.

It requires breaking old habits- habits of thinking and act ingse lfishly. It th en requires buildingnew habits - habits of thinkingand act ing in outgoing love . Theold habits are deepl y ingrained,just as the new habits mu stbecom e deeply ingrained if theyare to become part of us .

To build a hab it you must do athin g ov er and ove r until itbecom es automatic behavior. Ithas been sa id th at we are what wehabitually are, and you become

June-July 1984 11

godlike when you become habit­ually and consistently godlike.

God is love and He acts habit­ually and consistently in outgoinglove. That is what we are learningto do through His Holy Spirit.The basic laws of God are givenfor the purpose of developinggodly love and goodwill. They arelaws of love (I John 4:8).

The meaning

I Corinthians 13 makes it clearwhat true love is. The word trans­lated "charity" in the AuthorizedVersion does not mean "giving tothe poor." Verse 3 clearly demon­strates that - read it yourself.

The Greek word translated"charity" is agape, not phi/eo,which is more commonly used todenote emotional love. Agape andphi/eo have similar meanings, butphi/eo "comes chiefly from theheart," explains Strong's Ex­haustive Concordance , whileagape "comes from the head ." Itmeans to think and act towardothers with genuine concern andtenderness. It means having good­will - feeling it deeply but intel­ligently.

While either word can betranslated "love," the AuthorizedVersion translators used "char­ity" to distinguish this intelligent,heartfelt concern (outgoing loveor goodwill) from the kind ofemotion that the word love con­veys to the average person.

What true love is like

Verse 4 shows that this agape,this intelligent outgoing love orgoodwill, is always patient withothers, suffering long with anygrievance received from them.

It is kind - unfailingly kind- as you will see by comparingverse 4 with verse 8.

Love never compares itselfwith others (II Corinthians10:12) so that it is never envious(jealous), never vaunts itself(boasts) to get self-acclaim.

It is never puffed up (arrogant,self-important). Such puffed-upego only shows that you havecornpared :yourself with othersand found them beneath you.

Goodwill will never behaveitself unseemly (unpleasantly,

12 The GOOD NEWS

unbecomingly) . Philippians 4:8also adds information on thepleasant things we should doinstead: "Whatever things aretrue, whatever things are noble,whatever things are just, what­ever things are pure, whateverthings are lovely, whatever thingsare of good report, if there is anyvirtue and if there is anythingpraiseworthy - meditate onthese things."

True love seeks not its own ­is not self-centered, not carnal(I Corinthians 13:5).

It is not easily provoked(aroused to anger) .

It thinks no evil - does notdwell on the ugly, wicked side ofothers' behavior, nor is resentfulor bitter.

And it never rejoices in hearingor seeing iniquity . Instead, itrejoices in truth -in wholesome­ness (verse 6) .

If a person belittles or insultsyou, real love never causes you torail back, but it bears all things(forbears in all provocations) . Itnever inflicts harm for harm, evilfor evil or insult for insult.

This agape believes the best inall matters. It does not showunpleasantness and ill will bydoubting or causing dissent, buthopes for the best in all things ­is not negative.

God's love endures all things.Trials, unpleasant episodes, dif­ferences of opinion, misunder­standings do not send it off in acorner to mope or to turn away inbitterness. It does not lose friendsover them. It does not give up . Itnever fails! When everything elsehas failed, true love - genuinegoodwill and outgoing concernfor others - will still be goingstrong.

Jesus Christ's example whileon the cross is the one we shouldstrive to follow. He said of all Hisscowling, bloodthirsty, hate-filledtormentors, "Father, forgivethem, for they do not know whatthey do" (Luke 23:34).

Can you still be a friend tothose who hate you? Can you stillhave goodwill toward them? Canyou still be concerned for theirwelfare?

You must, you know! And, you

must come to have it habituallyand consistently.

How to have true love

If you want to live and act inlove and goodwill, go to theAuthor of all that is good . AskHim prayerfully to give you thisattitude and show you the way .Expect Him to answer and tokeep on giving it to you as long asyou are trying to give up your oldself-centeredness and striving tolive God's way .

Then follow God's biblicalinstructions on how to behavetoward others in love and good­will. Live by the laws of love.

Your selfish human nature hasalways had its way in the past andwill continue to crop up, so youmust continue to resist self-willwhile you step out on faith to doGod's will - goodwill!

Like a baby's first steps, yourfirst attempts may not be veryskillful. You may stumble - youmay even fall. But dust yourselfoff, ask forgiveness and try againand again, until you habituallycome to have goodwill - God'swill - toward all people.

Romans 13:8-9 says: "Owe noman anything, except to love oneanother, for he who loves anotherhas fulfilled the law. For the com­mandments, 'You shall not com­mit adultery,' 'You shall not mur­der,' 'You shall not steal,' 'Youshall not bear false witness,' 'Youshall not covet,' and if there is anyother commandment, are allsummed up in this saying, name­ly, 'You shall love your neighboras yourself.' "

It takes work to be outgoing.You won't even think to do itwithout effort, and it won't besuccessful even then if you don 'tstay close to God. This also takeseffort of will and energy.

Yet, this love is absolutelyrequired by God. It is a wonder­ful thing to have. No one willenter His Kingdom without it(Matthew 25:31-46).

Now is the time to marshalyour energy to make certain youhave God's great love. Develop itand radiate it all the rest of yourlife. The time is short. It is laterthan you think! 0

QUESTIONS & ANSWERSi

We're often told that weshould pray for our enemies,but how should we do that?Surely we shouldn't pray forbad trials to come on them,yet if they are not converted,it doesn't seem we should askGod to bless them, either(John 17:9).

In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tellsus, "Love your enemies, blessthose who curse you, do good tothose who hate you, and pray forthose who spitefully use you andpersecute you." This scriptureshows that we should pray in lovethat God will bless our enemies.

Pastor General Herbert W .Armstrong has often remarkedthat he prays for his enemies andthat we should, also .

Does this mean that we shouldpray that God will shower themwith abundant riches? Or shouldwe pray that God will bring soretrials upon our enemies so thatthey might come to repentance?

Jesus does not specify whattype of blessing we should prayfor. Only God in His infiniteknowledge and wisdom knowswhat type of blessing our enemiesshould receive based upon theiractions and needs.

Of course, their greatest bless­ings would come if they wouldrepent and seek God. But onlyGod can grant repentance andonly He knows how best to bringit about (Romans 2:4) .

In John 17:9, Jesus set theexample for us that we should notpray for this world's system. Godis not going to save the systemthat humanity, under Satan'ssway, has established in thisworld , and we should not pray forit. We should pray for God'sKingdom and for those who arenow the embryo of that Kingdom.This scripture does not say, how­ever, that it is wrong to pray forour enemies.

What does the prophecy ofMatthew 24:19-20 mean?

Jesus sa id : "But woe to thosewho are pregnant and to those

with nursing babies in those days!And pray that your flight maynot be in winter or on the Sab­bath."

These verses are part of aprophecy that was fulfilled intype in A.D. 70 . The situationwould be especially hard on thosewith small children and nursingbabies. (Jesus Christ used theword woe in verse 19 compassion­ately, while in Matthew 23:13,He pronounced woe on the reli­gious authorities as a thingdeserved.)

Perhaps we can best under­stand why Jesus said to pray thattheir flight from Jerusalem be notin the winter or on the Sabbath(verse 20) by noting whatoccurred in A.D. 70 .

According to the Jewish histo­rian Josephus, Jerusalem wasthen divided into several warringfactions. One faction wanted tosurrender to the Romans andavoid destruction. Another fac­tion was determined to fight theRomans no matter how hopelessthe outcome seemed.

Those who were determined tofight would not allow the rest ofthe people to go out of the city tosurrender to the Romans. Theonly way one could get out was togo out in the morning or after­noon with hoes or rakes, as if car­rying on with the regular dailyduties in the fields. One could nottake extra clothing, belongings orsmall children without beingnoticed and captured.

On the Sabbaths or in the win­ter, people would not be going outof the city to work in the fields. Ifthe time to flee came then, few ifany could escape. Thus Christianswere to pray that the time to fleewould not fall in the winter or onthe Sabbath.

The time is coming againwhen, during the Great Tribula­tion , Jerusalem will be sur­rounded by armies . Christianswill again have to travel to a placewhere they will be supernaturallyprotected by God to avoid the ter-

rible bloodshed prophesied tooccur. Notice Revelation 12: 13­14.

What is the "land Sabbath"spoken of in the Bible?

God's instruction is, "Six yearsyou shall sow your land and gath­er in its produce, but the seventhyear you shall let it rest and liefallow " (Exodus 23:10-11).

This instruction is not a ritual­istic ceremony. It has a great dealto do with developing and main­taining productive soil that willproduce nourishing food yearafter year. The almighty CreatorGod promises to bless those whowholeheartedly obey His laws(read Leviticus 26 and Deuteron­omy 28).

The land Sabbath God gave toancient Israel was an intimatepart of the Jubilee cycle (a periodof 50 years) . Each seventh yearwas also a year of release from alldebts that had not been paidwithin that period of seven years.After 49 years the ownership ofland, if transferred, returned tothe original family (Leviticus25: I 0).

Tod ay, however, man hasestablished his own laws concern­ing property rights and debt col­lection .

Normally, an individual mustcontinue paying on debts in­curred to banks, mortgage com­panies and other financial institu­tions . A farmer may not be ableto rest all his land at one timeevery seven years if he is depend­ing upon certain cash crops everyyear to continue to pay on hismortgage.

Therefore, the Sabbath of theland must , in today's society, beviewed as an important ecologicalprinciple. God wants us to takecare of the soil , and God's peopleshould see to it that their landreceives its rest. This resting ofthe land may occur all at one timeduring the seventh year, as wasthe custom in ancient Israel, or apart at a time over a period ofseven years. 0

June-July 1984 13

By Rex J. Morgan

God's Word shows us many spiritual lessonswe can learn from the Olympic Games.

YOURSPIRITUALOLYMPICS!

Excitement is now rap­idly mounting world­wide as hundreds of

millions of people look for ­ward to viewing, either inperson or on television, one

of the world ' s greatestsporting events, the Sum­mer O lympic Games. TheGames this year will be inLos Angeles, Calif.

Did you know that ancient

G ames in Greece, th e fore run­ners of th e modern Ol ympics,are mentioned in the Bibl e ?

During the days of th e earlyChurch , the Ol ympic G a m eswere an important and fam ou sevent every four years, just asthey are today.

The apos tle Paul used theseGames, with which most every­one of his day was familiar, tohe lp him explain vit al spir itualprinciples. The sa me principlesapply to G od's people tod ay!

Olympic origins

The first kn own Ol ympic con­test took place as lon g ago as 776B.C. Thereafter, the G am es weresch eduled at four-yea r inte rvalsfor almost 1,200 years, until A .D.394, when they were abolished byRom an Em pe ro r Theod osiu s Ia fte r Greece lost its indep en­dence.

For the first 13 olympiads, th eo nly event wa s a foo t race o fabout 200 yards (1 80 met er s),and the G ames only lasted oneday. All the contestant s were

male and all ran nak ed . G radua l­ly, othe r events suc h as c ha r iotraces, boxin g, wrestling, the di s­cu s and javel in were added, andth e durati on of th e Games wasex te nde d .

The Games occupied such animportant positi on in G reek lifethat time was measured by thefour-yea r interval between them- an oly mpiad. For 1,200 yea rs,ti me was counted in olym piads ,before yea rs and mo nt hs began tobe used .

The greatest hon or any Greekcould attain was winning th e sim­ple br anch of wild olive give n to avictor in th e G am es. Kings com­pet ed alongs ide co m mo ners; eventh e Rom an Em pe ro r N er o soughtOl ympic honors.

In time, four similar nati on alcontests d evel oped in va riousparts of G reece - th e Ol ympic,Isthmian , Nemean and PythianG a mes . The Isthm ian G amestook place ever y two years inCorint h, a nd wo uld have beenfam iliar to C hurc h members liv­ing th ere in Paul's time. So Paul

pointed out so me st ri king SpIrI­tua l lessons to th e Corinthians byreferring to th ese G am es.

When we under st and thi sbackground to th ese passag es,they tak e on adde d light andme aning.

Strive for the prize

Let's notice, for in st ance, ICorinthians 9:2 4-27 . " Do you notknow that thos e who run in a raceall run , but one receives th epri ze ?" (ve rse 24 ) . Only one per­son in each race at the G amesreceived th e victo r's wreath orga rla nd.

" R un in such a way th at youmay obta in it." Paul co m paresour C hri st ian life to a race andurges us to run earnestl y, withth e co m for t ing kn owl edge th ataltho ug h only one per son in anOl ympic race can win, eve ryo newho runs we ll in th e C hrist ianrace can win .

In ver se 25, Paul shows th ateve ry success ful a th le te at theG am es had to exercise rigorousse lf-disci pline . S o it is a t the

mod ern Ol ym pics, too. T he at h­let es who will succeed at th e 1984Los An geles Ol ympics will bemen and women who have sac ri­ficed man y of th e pleasures otherpeopl e enjoy to de vot e cou nt lesshours of e xh au st ing st r ugg le,sweat and to il in t raining for th eireve nts .

It is interesting th at th e G reekword tran slat ed " competes" inverse 25 is ago nizomenos, whichliterall y me an s "agonizes." Y etth ese at hletes we nt throu gh allth is just to obta in a "peri sh ablecrown." The winne r 's crown atth e Ol ympic G ames was mad e upof olive leaves, whic h began towithe r away as soo n as th ey we replucked .

How mu ch mor e, then , oughtwe as C hris t ians to di scipline our­se lves spiri tua lly and agonize forour pr ize, a "crown of r ighteous­ness" ( II Timothy 4:8) , a "crow nof glory th at does not fade away"(I Pet er 5:4) !

The life of a true C hristianisn' t a sim ple matter of coast ingor crui sing a lo ng effo rt less ly,

By Val J. Aspenns

The Christian MarathonHerbert W . Armstrong has often

said that knowledge is of no real valueunless it is put to use. This is especiallytrue in respect to spiritual knowledge.

When God reveal s His truth to us,we can come away with a gre ater senseof commitment, dedication and resolvetoward God , the work His Church isdoing and the Christian way of life ingeneral.

Or we can allow our sense of purposeand enthusiasm to go the way of theproverbi al New Year's resolution, whichlasts about as long as the hangover.

It' s qu ite clear that unles s we use theknowledge God gives His people ­unless we apply it to our life and cir­cumsta nces - it will be lost , perh apsnever to be regained . There is an oldmotto that says, "Use it or lose it. " It 'ssimple, yet so profound.

Wh en viewed in thi s light, it seemsthat our options are somewhat limited.We all need to make the right choiceand, with God 's help , go on to grea te rspiritua l growth, no matter what obsta­cles or tri als th is life may br ing to us asindividuals or as the ent ire Body ofJesus Christ.

Paul led the way

In another time, in another sett ing,

a man nam ed Paul tr od th is sa meChrist ian road before us. He was notunfamiliar with the tri als and test s oflife . In fact, few can match his record(II Corinthians I 1:25- 27 ).

Paul's life is a glowin g example ofhow to be a Christi an no matter whatthe circumst ances, be it in poverty orwealth, in sickness or in health. If thestress of life is seemingly too much,take heart - Paul has been there. Heovercame and free ly gives us the ben ­efit of his experience.

Paul , an apostle of J esus Christ, farpredated the jogging and runningfad . Yet, on a number of occas ions,he used an int erest ing analogy bycomparing our calling to a race andexh orting us to " ru n with endura nceth e race th at is set before us" (He­brews 12: I).

To participat e in thi s race, youdon 't have to be a beau tifully condi­tioned athlete. There is no specificage qu al if icati on , and th e off icialjudge of th e race - God - doesn 'tdiscriminate agai nst wome n or men.But you do have to be a C hristia n ­willing to work hard and ex pend a lotof effort.

The race Paul alludes to is not ashort 60- or IDO-yard dash over a

merely "believing in Christ" andthinking we are already saved.

Rather, living God's . way is aconstant st ruggle. It's a continu­ing effort to keep sin out of ourlives, to seek God and be close toH im in a materialistic world th athates His ways and hurtles alongin the opposite direction . It 'ssomething we have to strive forwith great zeal and energy, some­thing to " contend earnestly for "(Jude 3) .

We need to drive ourselves for­ward with every ounce of spiritualstrength and .determination wehave, just as an Olympic-classathlete urges and pushes his bodyon to achievement.

In I Corinthians 9:26, Paulalludes to the boxing events at theGames, and says that he doesn 'tfight like a shadow boxer, beatingthe air without purpose. We know

perfectl y level, art ificia l runn ing turfencompassed by sta nds filled withadmiring, cheering fans.

Rather , it is mor e like a long­distanc e cross -country run windingove r unpaved dirt or grave l roads aswell as hard concrete, with stretchesof both level gr ound and hilly, gut­wrenching terrain .

A long-dis tance run

Because of the long di st ance , thefield of runner s spreads out quicklyand at times you may feel you' re run ­ning all alone in thi s race. At othertimes, you see runners pass you andyou're tempted to drop out in dis­couragement. After all , who wouldknow or care if you gave up ?

And then there' s the pain of blis­ters or just plain fatigue. Wh at arelief it would be to quit! There's a lsothe double th reat of heat and humid­ity , which can sa p your strength, butyou go on. Fin ally, you will reach thelong-awaited finish line .

Only one per son ca n come in firs tin a race. Jesus Christ has alrea dydone th at in thi s spiritua l mar athon( Hebrews 12:2) . But whe n you'verun hard and done your best , you,too, can know you've won th e race.Those who have ex perienced thi sfeel ing in phy sical races know th e joyof running.

At th e end of his life , th e apos tlePaul express ed thi s jo y, kn owin g hehad run his spiritual marath on well

our purpose - we know our goalof entering G od's Kingdom . Weneed to keep ou r eyes on that goaland never deviat e from it.

The word translated " d isci­pline" in verse 27 ("But I di sci­pline my bod y and bring it intosubjection" ) literally means " g ivea black eye to ." Paul realized heneed ed to box and " pom mel"( Revi sed Standard Version) hisown body, with st ringent self-dis­cipline, in order to ensure hest ayed on the right track in hisper sonal spir itua l life.

Once again we see th at a care­free and com placent attitude willnot ga in us entry into God 'sKingdom . God wants to see thatwe reall y mean bu siness in fol­lowing His wa y of life. He wantsto see us st ra ining and st r iving toreall y build tou gh , resili ent spiri­tu al ch ar acter. Paul realized that

and won the crow n of righteousness(II Timoth y 4:8) .

We must race

We as C hrist ians have been calledand chosen to part icipate in th is racefor ete rna l life. To reject thi s opp or­tuni ty could mean our salvation. Sorun we mu st , da y by day, week byweek.

Along th e route we might stumbleat times or have to sto p mom entaril yat an aid sta tio n for some th irst­qu enchin g water, but remember tha tPaul , who was tried and tested inmuch the same manner, is cheeringus on. "Run," he wrote, "in such away that you may obta in [th e pri ze1"( I Co rinthia ns 9:24).

We are also enco mpassed by agrea t " clo ud of witn esses" (Hebrews12: I ) - th e peopl e of God who havesuccess fully run before us and whonow, symbolica lly, are encourag ingus to victory.

The apos tle Paul met his cha l­lenges, accomplished his work and hisrace. He won his crown . We, too,have a cr own prepared for us. JesusC hr ist tell s us: "Behold , I comequi ckl y! Hold fast what you have,th at no one may ta ke your crown"( Reve lation 3:11).

As we all near th e end of thisChristi an mar athon - as the road oflife ge ts t ougher a n d t ough er,reme mber Paul and keep on run­ning! 0

he had to d iscipline himself st rict­ly in this way " les t , when I ha vepreach ed to ot hers, I myselfsho uld become disqualified " (ICorinthians 9:27) .

T he word translated " havepr eached " refers to the office ofthe "herald" at the ancient GreekG ames. The herald had the job ofproclaiming the rules of th eG ames and calling the competi­tors tog ether and exhorting them.The word translated " d isquali­fied" refers to a person whom thejudges would reject as not havingdeserved the prize. See also Gala­tians 2:2 and Philippian s 2:16.

S imilarly, every one of us isurgently warned, in the messageto the Philadelphia church, not torun our race in vain and end uplosing our c row n ( R ev e la t io n3: 11).

Consider past champions

H ebrews 12:1-2 portrays an­other aspect of the ancient GreekG ames in order to bring us fur­ther vivid spir itual lesson s.

Olympic athletes receive addedmotivation from the awarenessthat they are surrounded by sta­diums full of spectators spurr ingthem on to success .

Particularly in ancient times,when success at the Games was

even more highly prized th antoday, all the principal leaders ofthe nation, as well as past heroesand champions, would be at th eare na, suppor t ing th e competi­tors. Those in the aud ience wouldseem like a vast cloud becau se ofthe athlete's blurred vision whenrunning as fast as he could.

Paul comments tha t we also" are surrounded by so great acloud of witness es" ( H e brews12:1). In our Christian effort, wecan look to the outstanding exam­ples set by the men and women offaith , the heroes and champion swh o have preceded us, suc h asthose cataloged in the previouschapter, Hebrews 11. Meditatingon these examples, keeping themin our mind 's eye as we run ourrace, sho uld spur us on.

Cast off the weight of sins

An Olympic athl ete c an 'taffor d to carry any unnecessar yweight. Heavy clothing is a slow­ing , hindering burden . Runnersin the orig ina l G ames eve n went ~so far as running naked to avo id ~

an y unnecessary encumbrances. 2Hebrews 12: I en courages us to ~

" lay as ide every weight , and th e §

sin which so eas ily ensna res us, .3and let us run with endurance th e ~

race that is set before us ." Sin is ~

the heavy burden that holds usback and thwarts us from doingour best in our Christian endeav­or. Proverbs 5:22 compares sinsto strong cords binding us down .So sins of any sort must be dis­covered and cast off as we speedforward in our race for Go d'sKingdom.

Hebrews 12:2 shows theimportance of having a goal tostrive for in our life, just asOlympic competitors fix theireyes on the finishing tape or thegoal they have to reach. We needto always look to Jesus as "theauthor and finisher of our faith ."He was there at the start of ourindividual race, showing us theway to go, and He will be there atthe finish, awarding the prizes tothe conquerors.

Jesus Christ is the great cham­pion who endured in His life onearth, striving against sin "for thejoy that was set before Him." Hekept His eyes on the great goal ofreigning in glory with His Father.Considering the example ofJesus, who "resisted to blood­shed, striving against sin," helpsus avoid growing weary and faintin the strenuous, grueling contestin which we're engaged (verses 3and 4) .

Paul gives another vivid de -

scription of the intense effort weneed to employ as we drive our­selves toward the goal of God'sKingdom in Philippians 3: 13-14:"Brethren I do not count myselfto have apprehended; but onething I do, forgetting those thingswhich are behind and reachingforward to those things which areahead, I press toward the goal forthe prize of the upward call ofGod in Christ Jesus."

Instruction to Timothy

Paul makes frequent referencesto the Olympic Games in his epis­tles to Timothy.

In I Timothy 4:7 he tells Tim­othy to "exercise yourself ratherto godliness." The Greek wordrendered " exercise" here is gum­naze, referring to the gymnasticexercises used by the Greeks ofPaul's time in preparation for theGames. Paul goes on to show inthe next verse that physical exer­cises only profit the body for alittle while, but the dedicatedspiritual training we undertake ­the exercising of our bodies andminds after godliness - livingGod's way of life - is "profitablefor all things, having promise ofthe life that now is and of thatwhich is to come."

In I Timothy 6: 12, Paul refers

again to the boxing and wrestlingcontests at the Games, and to thecrowd of witnesses in the onlook­ing audience: "Fight the goodfight of faith, lay hold on eternallife, to which you were also calledand have confessed the good con­fession in the presence of manywitnesses. "

Yet another allusion to theGames is in II Timothy 2:5:"And also if anyone competes inathletics, he is not crowned unlesshe competes according to therules. "

Athletes have to strive andwork hard, to "endure hardship"(verse 3), for their success, andthey have to abide by the rules ofthe contest.

In the same way , we as God'speople must labor diligently toenter God's Kingdom, and wemust be obedient to the laws ofthe greatest judge of all - God(Genesis 18:25) .

Nearing the end of his life,Paul used an Olympic Gamesanalogy to graphically sum up hislife 's endeavors: "I have foughtthe good fight [the Greek wordsrefer to a wrestling bout], I havefinished the race, I have kept thefaith" (II Timothy 4:7).

Paul was able to look back withsatisfaction that he had run therace right to the finish and hadkept the rules . Are we able tolook at our spiritual lives withthat feeling ? Are we putting outas much effort as we can in ourbold bid for the glorious prize ofGod's Kingdom?

In verse 8, Paul concluded,"Finally, there is laid up for methe crown of righteousness," notjust a wreath of fading leaves or agold medal subject to tarnishing(see Matthew 6:I9-20), "whichthe Lord, the righteous Judge,will give to me on that Day, andnot to me only but also to all whohave loved His appearing."

Will you be numbered amongthe group of conquering heroeswho mount the dais along with ~

the apostle Paul to receive the ~glorious reward of entrance into '%the universe-ruling Kingdom and ~Family of God? :

Run to win in your personal ~

spiritual "Olympic Games"! 0 ~

Spirituality(Continued from page J)

this group is, "Give the preacheryour hand, and the Lord yourheart."

And when, later, you ask such"converts" what they did - whatreally happened - when they"gave the Lord their heart," theyusually just look blank. They donot know. It really did not MEANanything. It was merely a FORM.The churches of this class shouldbe called social clubs - they are'not soul-saving institutions.

4) Finally, there are thosewhose spirituality consists of arigid standard of righteousness.In fact, they usually are so strictabou t following God's com­mandments that they fall intothe error of keeping the strictLETTER of the law in their ownstrength. They are scrupulouslyhonest, severely punctual, criti­cally exact.

But, as Paul said of the strict­est sect of his day, they are "seek­ing to establish their OWN righ­teousness," and have not "sub­mitted to the righteousness ofGod" (Romans 10:3). And theyare usually harsh, stern, critical,intolerant of those who do not liveup to their particular ideas ofrigh teousness.

The true scriptural standard

Now, let us turn to God'sWord, and humbly seek GOD'Sstandard of spirituality.

Of the true spiritual mind, Godsays to us, through Paul, "Letthis mind be in you which wasalso in Christ Jesus" (Philippians2:5).

But HOW can you have themind that was in Christ Jesus inyou? Jesus says: "Behold, I standat the door [of your heart] andknock. If anyone hears My voiceand OPENS the door, I will comein to him" (Revelation 3:20).

And Jesus meant exactly whatHe said! He will come in, throughHis Spirit, and literally LIVE Hislife of true righteousness in you,if only you will surrender all ofSELF and let Him IN.

"But you are not in the flesh

but in the Spirit, IF indeed theSpirit of God dwells IN you. Nowif anyone does not have the Spiritof Christ, HE is NOT HIS." UnlessHis Spirit abides within you , liv­ing His life of true righteousnessin you , you are not a real Chris­tian! "And if Christ is IN you, thebody is dead because of sin, butthe Spirit is life because of righ­teousness" (Romans 8:9-10).

When God first begets us asHis children, He takes us whohave been proud, worldly, sen­sual, disobedient. His aim is tomake us like Himself. This trans­formation (not reformation) is atremendous undertaking. It re­quires a miracle.

God stands pledged, upon real,thorough repentance and faith inChrist (Acts 2:38), to start theperformance of this tremendousmiracle by putting His Holy Spir­it literally WITHIN you! But Godwill work the complete change inyour life ONLY if you are willingto SUBMIT to the process!

The FIRST condition is real,deep, thorough repentance. Youwill have to be willing to acceptcorrection and repeated chastise­ments at His loving hands, for"whom the Lord loves He chas­tens" (Hebrews 12:6).

The spiritual mind is the sur­rendered, yielded mind. It is themind that has given up all want­ing its own way. It is the mindthat has been CONQUERED in itsrebellion against God.

It is the mind that, henceforth,is willing to obey God no matterwhat the cost, and that continual­ly studies God's Word, not toargue and strive and cornerothers, but to learn more of God'swill , and to WALK in it!

It is a mind FILLED to overflow­ing with real LOVE for God andall fellowmen - even one's ene­mies - and that has sympathy,patience and kindness for othersin their ideas and beliefs, theirfaults and mistakes, that speakssoftly, gently, kindly, that seeksonly to help and to serve. It is themind that has DIED to SELF.

True spirituality

The real spiritual mind can saywith the apostle Paul, "I have

been crucified with Christ; it isno longer I who live, but CHRISTLIVES IN ME" (Galatians 2:20) .When you can say that, then youhave the mind that was in ChristJesus.

The real spiritual mind is aSOUND mind (II Timothy 1:7)!

To those being carried awaywith a false and pseudo spiri­tuality, where real manifestationsof the Spirit were being counter­feited by DEMONSTRATIONS ofSELF in a fanatical emotionalism,Paul, correcting them, said,"Brethren, do not be CHILDRENin understanding" (I Corinthians14:20) .

True, Paul said to these sameCorinthians, "I wish you all spokewith tongues, BUT," he added," even more that you prophesied[preached]; for he who prophesies[preaches] is greater than he whospeaks with tongues" (verse 5).

True, Paul said to those overlyemotional Corinthians, "I speakwith tongues more than you all;YET," he continued, "in thechurch I would rather speak fivewords with my understanding,that I may teach others also, thanten thousand words in a tongue"(verses 18-19) .

And also he said, "God is notthe author of confusion," and,"Let all things be done decentlyand in order" (verses 33, 40).

Let us get a proper balance, inthe position of their relativescriptural importance.

"By their FRUITS," not by theirtongues, their language, theiremotion, their ability to argue,their empty profession of faith,their self-righteousness, said Je­sus, shall we KNOW their truespirituality.

And the true FRUIT of God'sSpirit is "love" first of all, then"joy, peace, longsuffering, kind­ness, goodness, faithfulness, gen­tleness, self-control" (Galatians5:22-23). These things, expressedin living character, determinetrue spirituality.

These things are the expressionof "the LOVE of God," which hasbeen "poured out in our hearts bythe Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5),and thus the Holy Spirit in us issimply GOD'S LAW in action in

June-July 1984 19

LETTERSAsking for a visit

I would like to comment on "GNFocus: What Happens If I Ask for aVisit ?" [March] .

So many questions that were broughtup in the article were some of my veryown questions and fears four years ago,but after one visit I knew that these hadto be true, ordained ministers of God .Suddenly I was so at ease, and the ques­tions began to come out so easily - andmany of them, as I recall.

But as the article stated, there .is nofollow-up unless you request it, nor anypressure put on you.

I'm so happy I asked for a visit , despitethe negative vibes I started out with. Iknow now that it was one of the wisestdecisions I've had to make , and I realizethat this wisdom came from God.

Frieda HodgeCarpentersville, Ill.

Your thoughtful article stirred upmemories for my wife and me of our firstvisit with one of God 's ministers. Wemust have had dozens of questions, andthe minister answered everyone withgenuine concern and patience, respectingour thoughts .

One thing that made these visits muchmore profitable was that we wrote ourquestions down . I'm sure those who dothis will never have to say, "There wassomething else I wanted to ask, but I justcan't seem to remember."

Mr. and Mrs. David WhitneyGoffstown, N.H.

"Are You Happy as a Christian?"

In this world of increasing troubles

our lives, for LOVE is the fulfillingof the law .

And that, and that alone, IS

true Christian spirituality.

The four substitutes

REAL spiritual-mindedness IS

the mind of LOVE, for God IS

LOVE.SO let US review our four SUB­

STITUTES for spirituality in thelight of God's Word:

I) "Though I speak with thetongues of men and of angels, andhave not LOVE, I have become assounding brass or a clanging cym­bal" (I Corinthians 13: I). Didyou ever hear one speak with thetongues of ANGELS? Spiritual

20 The GOOD NEWS

and unhappiness, the article " Are YouHappy as a Christian" [March] was cer­tainly timely and refreshing. It 's so easyto be caught up in the moods and feelingsof the society in which we live, and as a .result our thoughts are not always whatthey should be (Philippians 4:8).

May I direct a suggestion to my fellowreaders? If you make the mistake of nottaking the time to look up and read thescriptures referenced in articles such asthese, you have really missed a lot.

Hank BergerDiana, Tex .

"Jesus Died for You"I would like to congratulate George

M. Kackos for his article "Jesus Died forYou - Can You Live for Him?" [Feb­ruary]. It is one of the best articles I haveread in the past three years that I havebeen receiving The Good News.

The way that the events leading to thecrucifixion and death of Christ weredescribed made them so vividly real thatI could almost see it happening in frontof me.

No ordinary human could haveendured such pain , humiliation and ridi­cule without hitting back in some way.

G. GalloSwindon, England

Thank you for the wonderful article"Christ Died for You - Can You Livefor Him?" That is the most sobering arti ­cle that I ever read in my life .

While reading the article tears came tomy face until I had to stop and get atowel to dry my eyes . My weak and insig­nificant mind really is understanding and

TALK, "tongues" or "manifesta­tions" are only a lot of wind, or anoise like beating old tin pans, ifyou have not LOVE.

2) "And though I have the giftof prophecy, and ... ALL KNOWL­EDGE," and

3) "Though I have ALL FAITH,so that I could remove mountains,but have not LOVE, I am NOTH­ING" (verse 2).

4) "And though I bestow allmy goods to feed the poor, andthough I give my body to beburned, but have not LOVE, itprofits me NOTHING" (verse 3).

What is it to have LOVE? Thenext four verses of this chaptertell. Here is TRUE spiritual-

being able to comprehend how our Saviorsuffered and died for all our sins.

Christene JeffersonCincinnati, Ohio

I write this letter to you after havingbeen truly humbled to tears. I truly, forthe first time, have seen the incrediblelove that Christ has for each of us.

The horrifying ordeal that Jesus wentthrough for me makes me look at mytrials in a different light. It is sadly truethat we sometimes forget that importantday as though it were something out of ahistory book instead of being on ourminds throughout our daily lives.

My personal trials now do not look soterrible in the light of what Jesus wentthrough, not because He deserved it, butbecause without it we would have nohope.

R. GramzaMilwaukee, Wis .

Christmas keeping

In response to Willard McDonald'sletter about keeping Christmas [Febru­ary J, let me say this: For many years, I,too, asked (and applied my own answersto) the same questions. I would not "de­prive my children" of the pleasure. Istruggled against God 's will in my life. Ifinally realized and had to admit that Iwas terribly wrong. I was putting mychildren before God. This past year wedid not celebrate Christmas and we didnot miss it at all. Knowing that we werepleasing to God was a wonderful substi­tute for the Christmas spirit!

Mary BottinelliSlade, Ky.

mindedness: "LOVE is verypatient, very kind." Are you?"LOVE knows no jealousy; lovemakes no parade, gives itself noairs, is never rude, never selfish,never irritated, never resentful;love is never glad when others gowrong, love is gladdened by good­ness, always slow to expose,always eager to believe the best,always hopeful, always patient"(verses 4-7, Moffatt) .

Read those four verses again,substituting your own namewherever "LOVE" appears. Try itas a test on yourself. It will tellyou how truly SPIRITUAL you are.Let us seek more real, genuineSPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS! 0

Hoary Head(Cont inued from page 6)

age? Should we ever stop learn­ing and serving?

The par abl e of th e talents inM atthew 25 indi cat es th at weshould continue to grow in knowl­edge and c harac te r . God washighl y d ispl eased whe n th e per­son with, ad mitted ly, only onetalent did not develop his fullpot ential (Matthew 25: 24-30) .

Ho w can olde r peopl e lead pr o­du c t ive , rewardin g a nd moresec u re l ives ? H ere a re fo u rways.

I) Take care fi nancia lly. Prov­erbs 6:6-8 shows us th e prin cipleof saving, by th e example of theant th at bu sily prepar es for th ewinter months.

In th ese difficult times, olderpeopl e often have financial wor­ries. Eve n th e various social pro­gr am s govern ments offer do notsolve eve ry pr obl em .

The U. S . Social Se cu rity fund,for exampl e, sel dom prov idesenough fund s to cover all expenses .It was originally intended not toreplace savings or famil y ass is­ta nce, bu t as a supp leme nt.

Ma ny olde r people are able toincr ease th eir incom e by sellingth eir own handicrafts or by work­ing at part-time jobs.

Wh e n se n io r cit ize ns a reunabl e to provide for the mse lves,th eir famil ies bear responsibilityfor caring for th eir needs: " But ifany widow has children or grand­children, let th em first learn toshow piet y at hom e and to rep ayth eir par ents; for thi s is good andacce ptable befor e God . . . . But ifanyone does not provide for hisown, and espec ially for th ose ofhis household , he has deni ed th efaith and is worse th an an unbe­lieve r" (I Ti mothy 5:4, 8).

If th e fam ily is not able to pro ­vide, th en God has instruct ed th atth e need y should be help ed bymeans of the fina ncial sys te mG od h as se t up wit hin Hi sC hurc h ( De ute ro no my 15:7- 8,10-11,14:28-29 , 26:12-15 ).

2) Guard your heal th . " Be­loved , I pray th at you may pros­pe r in all things and be in health ,

just as your soul prospers," wroteth e apos t le J ohn (III John 2) .T aki ng ca re of one's heal th , ifpr act iced over th e years, will paybig dividends in lat er life.

W e should treat our bodi eswith care, because they are tem­ples of G od 's Holy S pir i t (ICo ri n t h ia ns 6 : 19- 20 ) . T ak in gcare of on e 's health in cludespr oper nut riti on and exerc ise;avoid ing bad habi ts suc h as smo k­ing, excessive drink ing and drugabus e; coping with st ress andmaintaining a balan ced , happyfram e of mind .

Yo unge r peopl e should showspec ial respect for th ose seniorswho st ruggle with infirmiti es andpain . I remem ber one wo manwho, whe n. offe red ass istance at ase n ior ci t izens ' funct ion, pro­te st ed , "I am not a crippl e!" Shewas handicapped, but wanted toretain as much self-respect andin dep enden ce as poss ibl e. Weshould offe r help in suc h cases, byall means, but not push it.

We sho u ld also be ac u te lyawa re of seniors' personal sensi­tivities and treat older peopl ewith respect , outgoi ng co nce rnand compass ion.

3) Serve. T imothy forme d inth e Ch urc h a service group total­ly composed of widows more tha n60 yea rs of age (I T imothy 5:9) .The main requiremen t for beingpart of th is group was th at eac hwidow "trus ts in God and conti n­ues in supplica tio ns and pr ayer snight and day" (verse 5) . Today,too, th ere is a real need for t hosewho have t ime to pou r out thei rheart s to G od in bese echingpraye r for Hi s work and Hi speopl e.

If you are able to, why not sendnot es of enco urageme nt to thosewho need a kind word, or invite todinner a new fam ily in th e area?W hen was t he last time you knit­ted a sweater for someo ne's bab yor gave welcome pointer s to ayoung fellow building his fir sthom e?

T he re are always opportunit iesto serve for th ose who have thedesire. As k God to, acco rd ing toHis will , use you as a se rva nt( Ph ilipp ians 2:13) .

4 ) Look to God. No amount of

sav ings, good health or familyassis ta nce ca n repl ace God's help ,whic h we all need to rely on fore­mos t.

In times of wea kness, loneli­ness, wan t or pain , we all have aH igh Pr iest who under stands ourneeds ( He brews 4:14-1 6) . It ispowerful faith in thi s Redeemer,J esus Christ , th at will ult imatel ysee everyone of us, young or old,th rou gh the storms of thi s life.

The aged in the Millennium

In th e near future , wh en J esusC hris t re tu rns to se t up H is King­dom, th e aged will have the irproper place in society . Zecha riah8:4- 5 paints a portrait of peaceand happiness th at will becom ereality du rin g the M illennium:

" T hus says th e Lord of host s:'O ld men and old women sha llagai n sit in th e streets of J erus a­lem, eac h one with his staff in hishan d because of grea t age . Th est reets of th e city shall be full ofboys and girl s playin g in it sst ree ts.' "

There will be no ge nera tio nga p th en , no th ousands of elde rlylanguishing away in rest homes,th eir lives filled wit h despair.Yo u ng a n d o ld w il l r ej o ic etogethe r at th e blessings of God 'srul e (Jere miah 3 1:12- 13).

If you know olde r peopl e, andyou sure ly do, rem ember th e def­inition of pure religion : " Pure andundefiled religion before God andth e Father is thi s: to visit orpha nsand widows in th eir t rouble, andto keep oneself un spotted fromthe world" (J am es 1:27).

Give th e elde rly your t im e,co nve rsa tion, rid es, letters andservice - your godly love. If youd o , th e r e ward s w ill b egrea t. 0

Interviews were conducted andcompiled by Ph ilip S tevens, JohnBora x , Ea rl H . Williams. DonatPicar d, M arilyn Kneller. J eroldW A us t, H al Fin ch , Gra emme J .M ars ha ll, Ka re n Fergen andTh omas R . Delamat er. Phot os:Philip S tevens, J ohn Borax ,R oyland Taylor. Georges Pilon.Fran cois Pot evin , Philip A ust,Hal Finch , Norman Champagneand R obert Neville.

June-July 1984 2 1

Does SatanHave .

Your Consent?Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been subtly

manipulating humanity - without our consent. Butyou can become aware of and check Satan's influence.

By Ellis La Ravia

T he subject ofSatan the devilhas fascinated

people throughout his­tory.

Endless speculations,legends, comic illustra­tions and literary classicshave portrayed this su­premely evil being.

And all this attentionhas only served to deceiveand further deceive hu­manity about who Satan isand what he does!

As true Christians real­ize, Satan has deceived theentire world - even abouthimself (Revelation 12:9)!

Almighty God does re­veal , through His Word, the real ­ity of Satan and his devastatingimpact and influence on man.God shows us a great spirit beingwho has misled humanity andconstructed an evil civilizationthat is destined to come crashingdown soon .

Let 's look at the shockingfacts!

Humanity deceived

God's people know that Satandeceived humanity from thebeginning in the Garden of Eden.

22 The GOOD NEWS

The Bible records that Sataninfluenced Adam and Eve to eatof the fruit of the tree of theknowledge of good and evil. Thefirst humans thus cut themselvesoff from God and from access toGod's Holy Spirit, symbolized bythe tree of life (Genesis 3).

The Bible tells us that Satanactually took the form of a ser­pent and spoke to our first par­ents. He was extremely persua­sive verbally.

But what was even more devas­tating was the devil's su b t le,

unseen influence! Did youever stop to think about it ?Satan had an enormousimpact on the minds of thefirst humans - an impactof which they were totallyunaware . For , with outth eir consent, Satan wasplacing a wrong att itude ofdesire and vanity in theirmi nds. They didn 't hearanything or see anything,but the st rong desire wasthere, and they decided topartake of the only treeGod had held back fromthem - the tree that pro­duced death .

The rest of the story ishistory - literally. WhenSatan influenced Adam tosin, this began a civiliza­

tion oriented around vanity, jeal­ousy, lust and greed . Satan isleading the world to destruction,without the world 's consent andfor the most part without any realknowledge or understanding onthe part of people.

Christians are called out ~

This is the same world into ~

which each of us were born. We oS

all were silently swayed in the ~wrong direction from birth. ~

Satan has made himself the ~

god of this present evil world (II ~

Corinthians 4:4 ). He has blindedthe minds of humans. Inst ead ofbringing light (Satan's origina lname was Lu cifer, which me ant '" Light Bringer") , Satan broughtdarkness. For more information,write for our free booklet DidGo d Create a Devil?

Onl y Je sus C hrist has broughtcompl et e light o r truth withrespect to both God and Satan(verses 4-6) . And God, throughJesus Christ , has called us out ofth is evil civiliza t ion.

W e all walked in th e past "ac­co rd ing to t he co urse of thi sworld, accord ing to [influencedby] th e prince of the power of th eair." This mad e us "son s of dis­obedience" (Ephesians 2:2). W ewere ful fillin g th e lust s of th eflesh and the desires of the mind .We were the "children of wrath,"cut off from God 's Holy Spirit.but in tune with Satan . Withoutour consent, Satan continuall ywas lead ing us into sin and death(verse 3).

Revealed - the purposeof life

Once God calls us , we reali zeth at the whole purpose of thishuman life is to build godly ch ar­acter (John 15: 16) . Previous toour calling, whatever characterwe had built was our own se lf­righteou sness ' and what ever evilwe committ ed ca me from S atan .

N o w how , o nc e G od h a sreve aled the truth to us, do webuild godly character?

When a man and wom an cometogether in a sex ual uni on, thesperm from th e mal e ca n unitewith t he ovum in the female .From thi s uni on a new ph ysicalcreation can be begotten and ulti­mately born, bearing the charac­teristi cs of both parents.

This same sys tem applies spiri­tu ally in the building of godl ych aract er. God gives us His HolySpirit - th e very Spirit Adamand Eve rejected. Through th atSpirit we are begotten as a newspiritual creati on. God's Spiritunites with th e human spirit in aspiritua l union (Ephes ians I: 13­14) . God becom es our spiritua lFather.

Then we mu st be led by God 's

Spirit and mature as chi ldre n ofGod (Ro ma ns 8: 14) . We buildgodl y ch aract er usin g the verySpirit of God .

There ar e no alte rnat ives toproducin g godly cha racter. Eit he rit is produced by God in us ­mani fested by J esus C hrist as weyield ourselves to the leading ofth e Spirit of God - or it cannothappen .

R egretfully , from a humanviewpoint, even we who are calledand converted are still tempted toreturn to Sat an 's world to partakeof his spirit ua l influ ence. Thatinflu ence is subt le, and we havebeen so comfortable in it all of

. our lives. It is easy to be cor­rupted once aga in and return tosin (I I Corinthians I 1:2-4) .

But we are no long er spiritua llyign or ant. God tells us th at anyo ne" who sins is of th e devil, for th edevil has sinned from the begin­ning" (I J ohn 3:8) . Yes, S at anhas been guilty of beguilingpeople with his un seen, unheardinflu ence since th e beginning ofhuman histor y.

God gives Hi s Holy Spirit toth ose who obey Him (Acts 5:3 2) .Of course, we must first rep ent ofour sins (Acts 2:3 8). But Goddoes not force His influence uponus, as does Sat an.

W e mu st , by choice , build god­ly ch aracter. We must , by knowl­edge and design, go contrar y toSatan 's influence. We mu st desireGod 's way with all our heart andseek Him. .

God tells us, "He th at is begot­ten of God keepeth himself ' sothat " t hat wicked one [Satan]toucheth him not " (I J ohn 5: 18,Authorized Ver sion ) .

Through God 's Spi rit we ca nyield to Jesus Christ. Then J esusChrist can live Hi s life in us andmanifest God 's charact er . This isthe only way it can occ ur. Go dwill not do it witho ut our consent.That would n' t build god ly cha r­ac ter.

The nature of the struggle

The on ly person wh o neversuccumbed to S at an 's influencewas J esus C hrist ( He brews 4:15).Yet He was tempted by Sata n ina titanic face-to-face s t ruggle

( Matthew 4: I-II ) and throu gh­ou t Hi s life . J esu s kn ew th enature of th e st ru ggle. He under­stoo d the mental and spiritualbattle for control of Hi s m ind .J esu s Chri st succeeded wh ereLu cifer and Adam had previou slyfailed.

The apost le Pet er re minds usth at Sat an , our adversary , st illgoes about as a roaring lion see k­ing whom he may dev our (I Pet er5:8) .

S at an realizes th at J esu s, whoove rca me his temptati on s, qu ali­fied to rul e over th is ea rt h. NowJ esus is helping others to ove r­com e Satan and form the basis ofa new world and a new govern ­ment on thi s earth.

Once we receive th e Spirit ofGod , we are able to resist Sat an 'sinflue nce and form the basis ofth e ne w ci vilizat ion th at willbegin with God 's C hurch.

Is it any wonder th at Sat anwants t o d estroy us? G od 'sC hurch is th e beginning of anew,god ly civilizati on - the embryoof a who le new world - th at willend the evil civiliz ati on Satan hasspaw ned .

We can resist

The world isn 't awar e o fS at an 's influ ence. But Satan hasmade thi s world int o th e frighten­ing ph ysical manifestati on of thi satt itude of vanity and selfishness- th e att itude th at led to hisremoval as a covering ch erubfrom God's throne - the attitudeth at will ultimately cause him tolose his ea rthly throne.

Thankfully, God has revealedthis spiritua l knowledge to us. W eknow of Satan 's influ ence witho utman 's knowledge. We now haveaccess t o G od 's H oly Spiritbecause He has ch osen us to be apart of Hi s C hurch (John 6:44) .Therefor e, we ca n resist and ove r­com e th e influ ence of Sat an andhis world.

Go d gives us Hi s Spirit to co r­rectly discern both good and evil(Hebrews 5:14) . This is a capabil­it y we didn 't have before Godcalled us.

No longer are we held in bond­age in S atan 's world witho ut ourconsent! 0

June-July 1984 23

•1neve

Fulfilled prophecy is a powerful proofof God! Read here how one little-known book of the

Bible challenges the skeptics - and wins.

By K. Neil Earle

C o u ld an obscureprophet from an in­significant vassal

state achieve total accuracyin his pronouncementsagainst the terrifying super­power of his day, the Assyr­ian Empire? What wouldbe his chances?

None whatsoever, unless-!Unless that prophet weredirectly inspired by the Cre­ator God Himself.

Nahum means "full of comfortor consolation." The vivid mes­sage of this forceful and talentedman of God was indeed goodnews for his people Judah in thelate seventh century B.C., but itseemed like a long shot, to say theleast. When God stamped

Nahum to boldly taunt Nineveh,colossal capital city of ancientAssyria, the odds seemedweighted in Nineveh's favor:

"At the time of Nahum's

prophecy, Nineveh was queencity of the earth, mighty and bru­tal beyond imagination, head of awarrior state built on the loot ofnations. Limitless wealth fromthe ends of the earth poured intoits coffers. Nahum likens it to aden of ravaging lions, feeding onthe blood of nations" (Halley'sBible Handbook, page 369).

When Nahum wrote, aroundthe 620s B.C., Nineveh hadalready existed for 15 centuries.Nimrod established Nineveh soonafter the Flood (Genesis 10: 11) asthe northern military arm of hisgangster empire in Babylon. An ~

independent Assyria flexed its ~

muscles from time to time (Num- ~

bers 24:24, Judges 3:8) . sBut by the 700s B.C. a succes-ji

sion of strong rulers exploiting ~tactics of calculated terror made i§

the Mesopotamian city-state amilitary menace. The 10-tribedHouse of Israel succumbed toAssyria's sledgehammer in 721B.C. (II Kings 17:6), and onlyGod's direct intervention savedJerusalem from Sennacherib'sinvasion soon after (Isaiah 37).

Isaiah vividly sketched theswift-moving blitzkrieg sweep ofAssyria's disciplined legions:

"No one will be weary or stum­ble among them, no one willslumber or sleep; nor will the belton their loins ' be loosed, nor thestrap of their sandals be broken;whose arrows are sharp, and alltheir bows bent; their horses'hooves will seem like flint, andtheir wheels like a whirlwind.Their roaring will be like a lion,they will roar like young lions;yes, they will roar and lay hold ofthe prey; they will carry it awaysafely, and no one will deliver"(Isaiah 5:27-29).

Thus the formidable Assyrianarmy. In the words of one com­mentator, this army was "partmachine, part beast." The "cruelmasters" of Assyria (Isaiah 19:4)utilized terrorism to induce for­eign cities to surrender. Listen toAsshurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.)boasting, "The heads of theirwarriors I cut off, and I formedthem into a pillar over against thecity" (Finegan, Light From TheAncient Past, page 203).

The Assyrians' refined barbar­ism was a gruesome part of theirmilitary strategy. Seen in thislight, it took a lot of courage for aJewish prophet still living underthe Assyrian shadow to pen thisscorching rebuke: "I will dig yourgrave, for you are vile" (Nahum1:14).

Courage indeed! For the penal-

ty for false prophets in ancientJudah was a swift death by ston­ing (Deuteronomy 18:20).

The best of times,the worst of times

Nahum probably wrote some­time after the 12th year ofJudah's righteous King Josiah (IIChronicles 34: 1). His encourage­ment for the nation to continueits "appointed feasts" (Nahum1:15) doesn't fit the reign of evilKing Manasseh (696-641 B.C.).Furthermore, Nahum mentionsthe collapse of NoAmon in Egyptin 663 B.C. as a past event

(Nahum 3:8) . Josiah's religiousreforms in his 12th year (I IChronicles 34:3, 35 : 1) datesNahum's prophecy to about theearly 620s B.C. Even thoughrebellions against Assyria charac­terized his time - Babylonactually seceded in 626 B.c. ­Nahum's confident, even insult­ing, predictions of the utterextinction of mighty Ninevehwere bold beyond belief.

Why? Nahum was luridly spe­cific: "It shall come to pass thatall who look upon you will fleefrom you, and say, 'Nineveh islaid waste! Who will bemoan

her?'" (Nahum 3:7). "Surely,your people in your midst arewomen! " (verse 13).

Remember, even God threetimes called Nineveh a "greatcity" (Jonah 1:2, 3:2, 4:11).Excavations revealed a staggeringpicture:

"The term Nineveh refers tothe whole complex of associatedvillages served by one great irri­gation system, and protected bythe one network of fortificationsbased on the river defenses. Nine­veh ... was about 30 miles longand about 10 miles wide ... pro­tected by five walls and fivemoats. Jonah's mention of120,000 babes (Jonah 4: 11) sug­gests it might have had a popula­tion of near a million. The innercity, about 3 miles long and 1Y2miles wide, was protected bywalls 100 feet high, 8 miles incircuit" (Halley, page 369).

Diodorus Siculus, writing inthe first century B.C., recordedthat three chariots could driveabreast the 50-foot-thick wallsoverlooking a ISO-foot innermoat. Twenty-story watchtowersat regular intervals monitored theinner defenses of that titanicinner fortress.

Yet God's servant Nahumthundered against this impregna­ble urban colossus in fiery andpicturesque verbal hammer blows(Jeremi ah 23:29) . Nahum,stirred by God Himself, was tak­ing on proud Nineveh (II Peter1:21). Who would prevail?

Six specific predictions

Nahum faithfully cataloguedsix specific, pointed predictionsagainst the Assyrian capital.

First, he warned that Nineveh

would fall easily and quickly.This was astounding. Ancientbastions held out for years. Tyremocked Alexander the Greatthree years, while Ashdod resist­ed the Egyptians 29 years. ButNahum was colorfully emphatic:"All your strongholds are figtrees with ripened figs: If they areshaken, they fall into the mouthof the eater" (Nahum 3:12).

Next, Nahum foretold that thecity would fall in a state of drunk­enness: " W h ile drunken likedrunkards, they shall be de­voured ... you also will bedrunk" (Nahum 1:10,3:11).

Third, Nahum 1:8 and 2:6mention an "overflowing flood"and predict that "the gates of therivers are opened, and the palaceis dissolved." The river was tofeature in the city's collapse.

Fourth, Nahum prophesiedthat the proud capital wouldburn: "Fire shall devour the barsof your gates" (Nahum 3:13).

Next, Nahum pulled nopunches, warning that Nineveh'sdestruction would be total. Shewould never rise again, unlikeMemphis, Sidon, Babylon, Da­mascus , Jerusalem and otherancient cities: "Your injury hasno healing, your wound is severe"(verse 19) .

Last, a staggering prediction:Nahum twice predicted that thegargantuan metropolis thatsprawled over 1,800 acres, thatseemingly unconquerable citadelof Assyrian greatness, wouldtotally disappear - vanish fromhuman sight! Notice Nahum 1:14and 3:11 : "I will dig yourgrave .. . you will be hidden."

Thus Nahum's specific predic­tions. No vague generalities here- rather, specific challenges to

the skeptics who doubt God'sWord! Was Nahum accurate?Did his prophecies come to pass?Could they have been cunninglydoctored after the event to makeNahum seem inspired?

Who would win out? Asupreme city-state of the ancientworld, or the words of a faithful,fearless servant of the true God?Let's sift the facts of history andarchaeology and find out.

The stones speak

In 1840 the energetic Frenchconsular agent in northern Iraq,Paul- Emile Botta, financing asmall excavation project to relievehis boredom, spent a fruitless sea­son digging in earth moundsalong the Tigris River.

Then, seven miles north in thetown of Khorsabad, Arab farmersaccidentally uncovered immensepillars in the sunbaked earth . By1844 the tablets Botta salvagedfrom Khorsabad were the sensa­tion of Paris. Botta's "find" wasnothing less than the castle ofSargon II (721-705 B.C.), con­queror of Samaria.

In 1845 another dogged ama­teur, Englishman Henry Layard,worked the spot opposite Botta'soriginal project on the Tigris. Hisfind? The "Black Obelisk" ofShalmaneser III (858-824 s.c.),an Assyrian victory monumentthat mentioned, in enduringstone, such biblical figures asHazael of Damascus and Jehu ofIsrael (II Kings 8, 9) doing obeis­ance to the Assyrian strongman.

All this was amazing, incredi­ble, exciting beyond words todescribe. "Enlightened" skepticsof the 1700s had scoffed at thevery existence of the AssyrianEmpire: "For centuries the only

knowledge that such an empireexisted was to be found in thedirect and indirect statement ofScripture. The historian puzzled;the skeptic jeered the scripturalaccounts" (Meisinger, The Fallof Nineveh, pages 4-5).

In 1853 Howard Rassamunearthed the royal library ofKing Asshurbanipal, containingtens of thousands of volumes ofancient Babylonian and Assyrianliterature.

It remained for the Mallowanexpedition, sponsored by the Brit­ish School of Archaeology from1949 to 1950 in Iraq, to uncoverastounding evidence for theveracity of God's faithful proph­et , the fiery Nahum.

Point by point

In 612 B.C . avenging Scy­thians, Medes and Babyloniansfinally surrounded Nineveh. Thecity fell in three months. " T hesiege lasted from Sivaw to Abu,that is from May-June to July­August, but eventually Ninevehfell " (Finegan, page 219).Nahum's analogy of an overripefig falling into open mouths wasstunningly accurate (Nahum3: 12).

Why did Nineveh succumb soquickly?

"Camped outside the citywalls, the king of Assyria .. . be­came lax in his vigilance andbegan to indulge with his soldiersin much drinking. With greatsuccess the enemy general routedthe disorganized camp ... battledecided entirely by the Assyriandrunkenness" (Evidence ThatDemands a Verdict, MacDowell ,pages 310-311).

Nahum 1:10 was fulfilled. TheAssyrians regrouped inside the

- - ----- --- =

perimeter walls, still secure. Butnature's God intervened: "Afterheavy rains the river broke downa distance of the city walls . . . thesiegers, learning of the break inthe wall, attacked," wrote Diodo­rus Siculus.

One archaeologist reported,"The fact of the flood accountsfor a stratum of pebble and sandfound a few feet below the sur­face of the river in the mounds ofNineveh."

How literally Nahum's prophe­cies were fulfilled: "With anoverflowing flood He will makean utter end of its place" (Nahum1:8) .

What about Nahum's predic­tion that Nineveh would burn(Nahum 3: 13)? M .E.L. Mallo­wan records: "The condition inwhich we found (the throneroom) was a dramatic illustrationof the final sack: The wall plasterhad been packed hard and burntyellow by the flames and thenblackened with soot which hadpenetrated into the brickworkitself. The intense heat hadcaused the south wall to bendinward and the floor of the cham­ber itself was buried upon a greatpile of burnt debris over a metreand a half in depth, filled withash ... never have I seen so per­fect an example of a vengefulbonfire, the soot still permeatingthe air as we approached" (Nim­rud and Its Remains, Vol. II,page 434).

Could anything be plainer?Yet Nahum's fifth and sixth

predictions were blockbusters,prophecies that could only beverified with the passage of thou­sands of years. Nahum predictedthat Nineveh would never recoverand, strangest of all , that the

Assyrian stronghold would disap­pear altogether. Check NahumI:14 and 3: 11 once again.

Now look at the evidence:"In 612 B.C. the ancient capi­

tal of the Assyrian Empire was socompletely obliterated that itbecame like a myth until its dis­covery by Sir Austen Layard andothers in the 19th century" (Un­ger's Bible Di ctionary, page795).

"Even scientifically mindedtravelers who know from theBible the existence (of Nineveh)attempted to find it and severaltimes passed over the very ruinswithout knowing it " (EdwardChiera, They Wrote on Clay,page 40).

The disappearance of Ninevehwas labeled one of the mostbewildering riddles of history. Socomplete was its burial that theIraqis built a village atop one ofthe mounds covering the once­proud metropolis. Even todayexcavators must bore through 30to 45 feet of debris before Assyr­ian strata come to view.

There is absolutely no way thata Jewish seer could have engi­neered all of these events andthen made them come to passacross a time span of more than2,300 years!

Nahum's fifth and sixth pre­dictions are the crowning proof:He was inspired by the supremeGod! Only God could havebrought these predictions to passso accurately and so minutelyover the millennia!

The evidence is in : Prophecy isproof of the overruling power ofGod. That is why Nahum, God'sbold and colorful servant, pre­vailed against Nineveh (Isaiah40:17)! 0

SHARING

A Vital Dimensionin Overcoming

By Richard J. Rice

Overcoming is one of themost vital keys to sal­

vation. Only those whoovercome are promisedeternal life, membership inthe Family of God and rul­ership over the nations onthis earth.

This promise is graphicallyemphasized in Revelation21 :7: "He who overcomes shallinherit all things, and I will behis God and he shall be Myson." It is also mentioned atleast seven other times in thebook of Revelation (Revela­tion 2:7, II, 17,26-28,3:5,12,21 ).

Because overcoming is soimportant to our eternal destiny,we need to thoroughly under­stand what it is.

What is overcoming?

Most of us as God's peoplehave understood overcoming tomean the process of rooting outsinful habits and conduct fromour lives. We have thought of itas forsaking and conquering suchlawbreaking practices as swear­ing, lying, cheating, drunkenness,smoking and other sins .

These habits became acutelyapparent to us when we began tolearn God's truth and realizedthat they must be dealt with andovercome. The battle is oftenintense and requires much prayerand diligence.

Another dimension

This is certainly one aspect ofovercoming. However, there isyet another dimension equally asimportant to overcoming. What is

28 The GOOD NEWS

it? Read on. Jesus Christ, thepioneer of our salvation, said , "Beof good cheer, I have overcomethe world" (John 16:33). Weknow that we must follow in Hisfootsteps to qualify for eternal life(I Peter 2:21). Exactly how didJesus overcome? How are we toimitate Him?

During His 33 V2 years onearth, Jesus Christ never sinnedonce! While living in humanflesh, our Savior led a perfect life.He had no bad or sinful habits tomaster. What, then, did Jesusovercome?

During His human life, Jesuswas tempted in all points as weare (Hebrews 4:15). The worldand its lures constantly tried,tested and tempted Him in muchthe same way as we are triedtoday.

Satan particularly was activeand persistent in trying to over­throw Jesus. Remember how thedevil tried every trick at his dis­posal to tempt Jesus to sin afterJesus' 40-day fast in the wilder­ness (Matthew 4:1-11)?

Yet, Jesus never succumbed tocommit a single sin. As Hebrews4: 15 says, "For we do not have aHigh Priest who cannot sympa­thize with our weaknesses, butwas in all points tempted as weare, yet without sin ." · Not oncedid He allow the conception andentry of sin, which often startswith just one wrong thought(James 1:14-15).

To Jesus, overcoming was aday- by-day, hour- by- hour andeven minute-by-minute process.He had to reject every wrongthought and each temptation as itcame into His mind. He had toalways be on guard against and

prepared to counteract Satan'ssubtle and treacherous devices .

Yet, it was only through God'spower in Him and His continuouscontact with His Father in heaventhat Jesus was able to do this(John 5:30) .

How we can overcome

Today, each one of us is also ina continual spiritual warfare :"For we do not wrestle againstflesh and blood, but against prin­cipali ties, against powers, againstthe rulers of the darkness of thisage, against spiritual hosts ofwickedness in the heavenlyplaces" (Ephesians 6:12).

This world in which we live canbe a caldron of temptation. Theatmosphere around us is literallysurcharged and electrified withthe evil influence of Satan thedevil. We as Christians areassailed and attacked at everyturn.

Additionally, the carnal pull tosin still drives and influences ourmortal minds and poses a con­stant threat to our daily walk withGod: "For I delight in the law ofGod according to the inwardman. But I see another law in mymembers, warring against the lawof my mind, and bringing me intocaptivity to the law of sin which isin my members. 0 wretched manthat I am! Who will deliver mefrom this body of death? " (Ro­mans 7:22-24).

Overcoming, then, has to dowith engaging in battle againstsin, temptation and wrong atti­tudes that continually thrustthemselves into our lives. It mayat times mean an all-out waragainst Satan and his fiery darts ."Fight the good fight of faith, lay

We as Christians are soldiers in a lifelongbattle against human nature, the worldand fallen spirit beings. Like warriors, wemust be disciplined and uncompromising,and never let down or take it easy.

hold on ete rnal life," said Paul ( ITimothy 6: 12). " Res ist the deviland he will flee from you," sta tedJ ames (James 4:7) .

In thi s contex t, overcom inginvo lves enduring to the bitterend - unt il victory is won. "Youth er efore must endure hardshipas a good soldier of Jesus C hrist"( II Timoth y 2:3) .

We may find ourse lves inhand-to-hand combat wit h ourspiritua l enemies seve ra l times aday. Im agine how man y fie rydarts - impure th ou ghts, lust s,wro ng atti tudes - Satan hurls atus daily.

This is why we ar e commandedto bring " ever y th ought into ca p­tivit y to th e ob ed ience of C hris t"( II Corint hians 10:5).

W ha t we mu st real ize is th atoverco ming means deal ing withth e cause of sin instead of th eeffect .

With thi s in m ind , ove rcomi ngsho uld have a far greate r mean ingto our day-to-d ay spiri tua l lives.It is mu ch mor e tha n just root ingout old habits or ling er ing pr ob­lems. It also mean s putting tode ath any uprisings of lust s orsinful attitudes tha t may appearat any mom en t.

We need God's help

Just like J esus C hrist whe n Hewa lked on th is earth, we of and byou rselves are powerl ess. However ,we can draw on th e same invisiblehelp, power and stren gth th atJesus had available.

A nd just like J esus C hr ist, weca n ga in t he victory.

Ther efor e, th e first step in con­tinuous and successful overcom­ing is a close, daily contact withG od. W e need to learn how towalk and ta lk with our heavenl yFather at a ll t imes, " rejoicing inhop e, pat ient in tribulation , con­tinu ing steadfastl y in pr ayer"(Rom an s 12:12). "Pray withoutceasin g," wro te Paul (I Thessalo­nians 5: 17) .

In add ition, we mu st dil igentlyst udy a nd drink in of G od 'sW ord . " Study to shew th yselfapproved unto God, a workma nth at need eth not to be ashame d,r ig htl y d ivid in g th e wo rd of

tru th " ( II T imot hy 2: 15, A utho­rized Ver sion ).

W e must also follow th e lead ofGod 's Holy S pir it. Rom ans 8:14revea ls, " For as man y as are ledby th e Spirit of God, th ese aresons of God ." We need to learn torecogni ze when the Holy S pirit isbeing grieved or qu ench ed , ' andstrive to keep it from happening(Ephes ians 4:30, I Thessaloni ans5: 19).

And whe n we slip and fall pr eyto sin, we must repent inst antly- t u rn fr om a nd rej ect th eth ou gh t or temptat ion th at led toth e sin - to preven t our relation­ship wit h th e C reator from bein gweakened or severed. Let' s allownothing to come bet ween us andour heavenl y Fa the r!

The next step to hou r-by-h ou rand minute-b y-minute ove rco m-

ing , so vita l in winning thi s C hris­t ian st rugg le, is vig ilance .

Be vigilant

We need to consta nt ly watc hout for Sata n's clever and subt ledevices. Satan , afte r all, is like astea lt hy, fe roci ou s lion : "Besober, be vigilant; becau se youradversa ry th e devil walks abo utlike a roaring lion , see king whomhe may devour" (I Peter 5:8) .

Satan 's goa l is to prevent oureternal life in God's Fa mi ly.Today the devil is more angrythan ever befor e, knowing he hasbut a short t ime left: " T he reforerejoice, 0 heaven s, and you whodwell in th em! W oe to th e inh ab­itan ts of th e ea rt h and the sea !For th e devil has come down toyou, having great wra th, becau sehe knows th at he has a shorttime" ( Reve lation 12:12) .

S at an wi ll try to wear outGod 's people if he ca n. We mu st

be on gua rd against all forms ofwro ng and destructive th ink ing- emo tions such as negativism ,di scouragement , envy, resent­ment and jealousy.

We mu st not succ um b toSatan's br oadcastin g and tempta­tions. Ephesians 4:27 tells us notto "give place to th e devil."

We also have to be on guardagainst the tr em endous numberof negat ive influe nces of today'ssociety , never com pro misi ng withGod 's truth or the way of life Hehas revealed.

We sho uld be aware of ourworst ene my - self - and nota l low any pot enti all y si nfu lth oughts to tak e root. God com­mands us to crucify th e flesh andits lustful de sires ( Luke 9:23,Rom ans 8: 13). W e are to fleefro m tempting situations and ask

God for help in resisting pot entialSin .

We as C hristians are sold iers ina lifelong batt le agai nst hu mannatu re, t he worl d and fallen sp iri tbein gs. T here fore, it's incumbenton us never to let down and takeit easy. Like warri ors, we mu st behighl y d iscipl ined and un com­promisi ng .

O nly whe n we maste r eachtemptati on as it comes are wesuccessful overco me rs . Let us bedili gen t and be able to say withthe apost le Paul : " I have foug htt he good fight, I have finished th erace, I have kept th e fait h. Final­ly; there is laid up for me th ecrow n of righteousness, whi ch theLord , th e righ teous Judge, willgive to me on th at Day." T hecrow n of righteousness, after all,will not be give n to Paul only," but also to all who have lovedHis appearing" ( II T imothy 4:7­8) - us included! 0

June-July 1984 29

<> I •• c_eo__ I +

CO INGIN THE GOOD NEWS

<> Spiritism - Fraud ... or Fact?Is it possible to contact the spirits of dead people? Althoughmuch of what is called spiritism is obvious trickery, does aspirit world ever communicate with living human beings?

<> How toWin Over WorryAdopt these practical, Bible-based strategies and learn toreplace the worries in your life with peace of mind!

<> Your Faith-ItMayBethe Death ofYouCould your faith actually be leading you away from theKingdom of God? Don't be too sure it isn't!

<> Being Lukewarm Bears False Witness!Incredible as it sounds, Jesus Christ says He would ratheryou were not a Christian at all than a halfhearted one. Findout why apathy is fatal for Christians.

<> Medi-Study -Writing God's Word on Your MindDo you sometimes put your Bible away after studying, onlyto forget most of what you have read? You never need do soagain if you learn the simple technique of medi-study.

Non-Prom Orgu.s POSTAGE

PAIDWorldwide Church

01 God