Herbert W Armstrong

   In the past, we've had a number of different attitudes reflected in the last 8 to 10 years. We've had men who had conscience issues. The reason they weren't able to go along with the leadership. The reason they weren't able to go along with the apostle. The reason they weren't able to go along with various church traditions or customs or doctrines was because they had a conscience issue.

   What in the world is a conscience issue? Have you ever had one of those? Or maybe you had one, didn't even know it, or maybe you've never had any such thing. What is your conscience anyway? Maybe your conscience isn't a good guide. I know from having come out of the Baptist church after about 20 years, I had a conscience that had been developed through those 20 years of being in the Baptist church.

   Now, how much of your conscience can you follow? We've had things like "let your conscience be your guide," and yet if you take the word conscience, look it up in a Concordance, you find a few scriptures that are rather frightening about your conscience. Because there's one scripture that says our conscience all the while accusing or excusing us. Now right away that rattles the proverb about letting your conscience be your guide. Because if the Bible says your conscience all the while accuses or excuses, then it must not be too secure or safe a guide.

   We've had people in the last 8 to 10 years develop the attitude, "Why, you can't put me out of the church. You might put me out of an organization of men, but you can't put me out of the church." And they have an unusual idea about what the church is. "Why, the church is not an organization of men. As long as God's spirit has shown us the truth, then be scattered as we may, we're still all the church. And nobody can put you out of the church."

   Well, I guess people that make comments like that are unaware of the fact that all the way down through history, regardless of what church it is, there's always been the right of excommunication. There has always been the practice from the very beginning of this fellowship??"excommunication of somebody being put out of the church.

   II Corinthians chapter 10. The apostle Paul had the same kind of troubles in his day. To me, there's more than just accident that Mr. Armstrong happened to pick the book of Galatians and the books of Corinthians to be the ones that he's been covering, sending out to all the churches for Bible studies and Sabbath tapes. You suppose he just let his Bible fall open to certain books and said, "Well, I guess that's what we'll cover then"? And why would God, if he had his hand in it, cause Mr. Armstrong to go through Galatians and then through Corinthians when he hasn't covered for Bible study or church groups, books to be played like that on tapes for years and years and years? And now all of a sudden we've had those very books covered.

   II Corinthians 10 (II Corinthians 10:1-7), Paul says, "Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ." And of course he's keeping his feelings under control and speaking to these Corinthians. And mentioning to them that he's having to emphasize the meekness and gentleness of Christ, and he's having to be sure that he himself come across in his job with these two outstanding traits of meekness and gentleness, when humanly, when perhaps justly, he'd have plenty of reason to be riled, perturbed, and a little bit angry.

   So he's beseeching them by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, and now with the tongue in cheek, he reflects attitudes that these Corinthians had toward him: "Who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you."

   So people were saying to Paul that, "Yeah, look at that skinny little weak-eyed, look at that unimpressive, unpolished speaking individual." So in presence, their attitude toward Paul was a judgmental attitude of looking at him humanly, physically, by outward appearance. Not weighing the fact that what does that have to do with God using someone? What does outward appearance, what does age have to do with God using someone? Not a thing. Not a thing. And God has proven that many times through the Bible.

   Back in the days of Hosea and Isaiah, God took a man from being a sheep tender and set him out as a prophet. So those people would recognize that God could use anybody he pleased. But these Corinthians, typical of the people in the book of Acts, looked on the servants of God and said, "Why, they're not decorated with the degrees of our learning system. They don't have the PhDs and the DDs and all the other letters after their names." They perceived that they were ignorant and unlearned men.

   Now they weren't. They were fishermen. They'd been made preachers. They hadn't come from the school of prophets. They hadn't come from the city of the priests. They were fishermen, or tax collectors, tent makers that God had decided to use as ministers.

   So there are those among God's people that come into God's church, and they look at things in the physical realm just like these people here did at Corinth, and they failed to recognize the power that God gave Paul. The mighty works God was doing through Paul. And they couldn't get their eyes off the physical. They couldn't see beyond the physical to see the spiritual.

   So their attitude toward Paul was that in presence, in outward appearance, in his bodily physique or his air of presence, he was base among them. And yet haven't people learned the lesson of King Saul compared to King David? Men looked on King Saul, a very impressive appearing man. Head and shoulders taller than everybody else in the nation. Very prominent individual and he would be one people would pick to be their leader. But God picked a freckle-faced, ruddy, ugly, youngest of the family from an unknown family to be the perpetual king of Israel.

   And yet a man that we can look back with great admiration on like the apostle Paul, in his day, was judged as base in presence among them. "And yet when he's absent, his letters sound so powerful and bold toward you."

   But Paul said, "I beseech you that I may not be bold when I'm present with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh." And that's a huge mistake men have made even in the last few years toward Mr. Armstrong. And they think of age. They think of physical things. Instead of thinking of an individual as to how much they're used of God and how much God accomplishes through them as he did Paul, as he did David.

   There are those among us that are still physical and carnal and unconverted, and their attitude toward the leadership and to the church is the Corinthian attitude. And they think of the leadership as if they walked according to the flesh. Now some feel that way toward Mr. Armstrong. Some have felt that way toward Mr. Rader. Some have felt that way toward Mr. Tkach, different ones. And it looks like it's a lesson we had learned a long time ago.

   Well, Paul admits in verse 3, "Though we walk in the flesh"??"certainly we're human and mortal and make mistakes and sin. Yes, we do walk in the flesh. "But when it comes to the warfare, we don't war after the flesh." Why? "The weapons that God is using us in our warfare aren't fleshly, they're not carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds."

   So his solution to the problem in verse 5 is "casting down reasonings." Getting your mind into control, looking at things spiritually, looking at things through God's eyes. Looking at things through God's use of an individual and "casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

   Verse 7, he says, "Do you look on things after the outward appearance?" Well, in Paul's case, they had no excuse even for doing that because even in outward appearance, in physical background, why he said, "If any man trusts in himself that he's Christ's, let him of himself think this, that as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's." And he said, "If we want to look at things physically, why," he said, "I was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. I was brought up at the very feet of Gamaliel." So he had great training and great preparation, great ancestry, great background. And that didn't make any difference. There were those among the Corinthians that still judged him by the physical, looked on him as if he walked according to the flesh.

   Now that was quite a difficult predicament. You might notice II Corinthians chapter 7. Here Paul says verse 2 (II Corinthians 7:2), "Receive us. We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man." Isn't that odd that ministers of God would have to go to the Church of God and tell them, "Receive us. We've wronged no man, corrupted no man, defrauded no man"?

   And yet I think all of us today would have more of a temptation and a danger of getting in this attitude than any time in the past. Because people today can say, "Well, you know, you have to watch out for the ministers because look back at the past and you can see ministers have gone astray and they've misled people doctrinally and they've misled people by their own lives. And therefore, you can very easily sit and not as a minister and say, 'Well, you know, aren't we the whole congregation holy?'"

   But if you remember those words, you remember who they came from and where they are. Back in the days of Miriam and Aaron. Back in the days of others that said it, not the leaders of God by that same kind of a comment, the same kind of an attitude. But to me, when I look back from our vantage point on Paul, such a great man, and think of him as having to say to Christians in his day, "Receive us. We've wronged no man. We've corrupted no man. We have defrauded no man." It's sad to think he'd have to write that.

   In I Corinthians chapter 4, beginning verse one (I Corinthians 4:1-5), "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ." Now apparently even there some people were looking on the ministry physically, humanly, as far as just mechanical ability or background. You know, God hadn't always called the highest IQs to be the ministers, and God hasn't always called those that surpass members in every area of Christian ability to be the ministers. But God does say, "Let a man so account of ministers as of the ministers of Christ." That God chooses and God calls. God puts men into the ministry. God drafts people. And if he chooses the ones he does and doesn't choose the others, then regardless of abilities or background, a man has to account of the ministers as the ministers of Christ.

   And notice what he goes on to say: ministers are "stewards of the mysteries." Is that really the way you came to understand the mysteries? Is that the way when you look back on your calling and you being inducted into God's church, you learn the mysteries through the stewards that God put in as stewards of the mysteries through the ministries? How many of the truths did you figure out on your own? And how many of the truths did you come to individually apart from the church, apart from the ministry? "Stewards of the mysteries."

   "Moreover, it's required in stewards that a man be found faithful." So up until the time God puts a man in as a steward, as a minister, it's one of God's requirements that he find that man faithful. Now whether he remains faithful, that's not the point. That's not the question made here. I'll show you later that God even warned that ministers would build on the foundation wood, hay and stubble. But God also said ministers would build on the foundation gold and silver and precious metals. So before everything else you have to know that before God inducts anybody into the ministry and makes him a steward of the mysteries, it's required that a man be found faithful. So that's God's business, that's up to God. God's going to have that as a prerequisite.

   Verse 3, Paul says, "But with me, it's a very small thing that I should be judged of you." Now did God put you in the church to judge the church? Or did God put you in the church to be judged by the church?

   You know, why do we need to have a church? Other than getting the work done and doing the work. What part does the church play in your individual salvation? In your individual growth and overcoming and development?

   It's kind of interesting when you think of the holy days. The Passover picturing Christ's death to atone for your past sins and for future sins after you repent of them. Then you think about Unleavened Bread picturing sin that has to be put out of your house. So you put sin out of your house by repentance and through Christ's blood, but what's the next holy day? Well, the next holy day is the day of Pentecost.

   Well, how do you know what sin is? Well, God gave His law on the day of Pentecost so man would know what sin is. All right, once you know what sin is, how do you put it out? Well, the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost. So by God's spirit, you're able to understand the law and see what sin is and put sin out of your life.

   What else happened on the day of Pentecost? God's church was born. You can't put sin out of your life with just the law and just the spirit. If that's the case, then why have the church born on the very day the spirit was given and the law was given? Did God put the church there to magnify the law, to teach you in the law, to instruct the law? To apply the law to individuals' lives? Did God put the church there like a mother to help babes and spiritual teenagers put sin out of their lives? Help them know what sin is and help them know how to put it out of their lives? Discipline them if they don't put sin out of their lives? So when you think about the holy days, even, you can't get away from the importance God places on the church.

   In I Corinthians 4 going on, Paul said, "With me it's a very small thing that I should be judged of you." Now I don't know whether Paul was able to just not let what people said about him bother him or not. I don't know whether he said that trying to persuade himself more than anybody else, or trying to persuade other people the way he knew it ought to be with himself. But I don't think Paul could say it never bothered him what people said about him. I don't think Paul was saying here that he was thick skinned enough that anybody can say whatever they please, but he knew he was God's servant and God was his judge and what people said just didn't faze him at all.

   I don't believe that was the way it was at all, because before somebody can be a minister, they have to be sensitive. They have to be tender hearted and easily touched, easily hurt, easily offended, perhaps. But Paul says with him it's a very small thing that he should be judged of the membership. That's not what concerned him. Whether he continued in his job or the promotion in his job or correction in his job didn't hinge on members correcting him, voting him out or transferring him to another church or like they do in the Baptist church.

   "Why, with me it's a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of man's judgment." Why, he said, "It makes no difference even how I judge myself. I'm not even my own judge. I'm the servant of God, and God is my judge, and God is the one that uses me as He will and to the degree He will. So even my own judgment of myself isn't important. Much less the judgment of the members of the minister."

   "Why," he said, "I know nothing by myself." That's not why I'm a minister. That's not how I gain the knowledge. "I'm not hereby justified. He that judges me is the Lord." And that's what was important to him. God is the judge of Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Rader, Mr. Tkach, Mr. Salyer, anybody. They're God's servant and God is their judge. And how the members judge them is of little importance. The man's judgment, how he judges himself, that's of little importance as well. The way God judges us, that's what's important.

   But what about this attitude some of the people had at Corinth of judging the ministry, looking at them in the physical way, having conscience issues as far as following their lead or their government? Paul goes on to say in verse 5 to lay members, to Corinthian Christians, "Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes." So none of us are ready to be judges until Christ comes back. Hopefully by then we'll have learned enough and be spiritually strong enough that we can be judges. But "judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes." Because the Lord's the judge today and he'll "bring to light the hidden things of darkness. He'll make manifest the counsels of the hearts. Then every man will have praise of God."

   Now Paul had quite a bit of difficulty with the people in Corinth especially, as well as a few of the other areas. I think when we've read in past times some of the scriptures back like in Peter and Jude. Notice in II Peter chapter 2. Perhaps we thought this all applied only to the apostles' days and that since then none of these things apply, but that isn't true at all. These things have applied in that day and every church age since. They've applied very precisely and very accurately in our day as well.

   II Peter chapter 2 beginning verse 1 (II Peter 2:1): "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily"??"quietly, slyly, privately??""shall bring in destructive heresies." Not harmless opinions. Destructive heresies, "even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." And that's literally happened in the last 10 years. We've witnessed among ourselves false preachers??"the word prophet probably meaning more inspired speakers there than it did foretelling the future??"there were false preachers among the people, and there shall in the future be false teachers.

   And privily they'll bring in the destructive heresies, sentiments, opinions, choices, as the Greek terminology is. Some going to the place that they'd even deny the Lord that bought them. And some have already brought on themselves swift destruction. "Many shall follow their pernicious ways," lascivious ways. Many have done that. Liberalized, gone off in letting down the barriers, licensing things that were formerly greatly condemned and greatly despised and looked down on.

   But many have followed these licentious ways, and then the way of truth ends up being evil spoken of. And one ex-writer in our magazine writing for a humanist publication talks about his observation as far as a cult and a cult leader. And how cultists have to be domineered or intimidated by a leader and how a leader of a cult has to be domineering and intimidating. Well, God said here plainly, privily they bring in destructive heresies. Many follow these licentious ways, and by reason of these, the way of truth ends up being evil spoken of.

   And one of the men in the last 10 years that went off and led out some people saying, "Well, you know, Mr. Armstrong may well end up being the false prophet." Weird ideas, pernicious, destructive.

   Then verse 3, Peter went on to warn: "And through covetousness they shall with feigned words make merchandise of you." We've had that happen. Ministers who've gone out of the church and then get members that go out with them to give their tithe to them to live on while they do nothing. Do no work while they do nothing at all to fulfill the commission that God has set the church to do. And yet we have congregations scattered all over where ex-ministers have duped members and led them off, and now they live off their tithe just to speak to them on the Sabbath. And that's all.

   That's what he's talking about here. Through covetousness, covetousness with feigned words, they've made merchandise of some of our ex-brethren "whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, their damnation slumbers not."

   Picking up in verse 10 (II Peter 2:10). In some cases, some of these men just no longer wanted to walk the straight and narrow spiritual path of God. They just wanted to walk after their flesh. They wanted to let down the restraints and the barriers and walk in the lust of defilement. They "despise government." You notice one of the dead giveaways was their attitude toward government, their attitude toward the church leadership and church authority.

   Notice the descriptions of them. Despise government. Presumptuous, ambitious. Wanting to be number one, wanting to be number two or three, wanting to be in higher positions. Having plans for reaching certain goals within certain time periods. As if the work of God in the ministry is some kind of a political arena. Ambitious, presumptuous, self-willed. Not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

   But my concern is: do those agitives describe some of us still in God's church? Are there some of us who still come to church on the Sabbath and maybe have our income through the work, and yet we despise government? We're presumptuous and self-willed and not afraid to speak evil of dignities? I'd avoid somebody like that like the plague if I were a member. If I were any of you and I knew of others that claimed to be brothers in God's church, and they despise government and they're presumptuous and self-willed and not afraid to speak evil of dignities, I'd stay away from people like that.

   Look what God says. Even angels, which are far greater in power than any human being??"far greater in power and might than any human being??"and yet they don't even bring railing accusation. You know, even Michael the Archangel, when disputing with Satan about the body of Moses, he didn't bring a railing accusation even against Satan himself. But these people aren't afraid to speak evil of dignities. They're not afraid to find fault with an apostle or run down his chief aide or run down one of the other assistants of Mr. Armstrong or somebody he's put in a position in the church.

   It ought to be a red flag in your life if you find yourself despising government, presumptuous, self-willed, and not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

   You might notice in I Timothy chapter 6 (I Timothy 6:3). Paul says, "If any man teach otherwise and doesn't consent to the wholesome words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the doctrine that's according to godliness"??"you know what? If someone comes along now and all of a sudden they're not speaking according to the doctrines, they're not speaking according to the doctrines that we've known and proven and checked out and searched out and lived by and tested and know that they're God's way. But someone comes along and teaches otherwise and no longer consents to the wholesome words that we've learned and been taught and found in the scriptures. They're not going according to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine that's according to godliness. Others would come along and teach, but they would be coming along and teaching out of pride, knowing nothing, doting about questions and strifes of words, stirring up envy and strife and railings and evil surmisings.

   You know, why would somebody listen to somebody like that? Why would someone protect someone like that, and not go to the minister about an individual like that? Satan has always implanted in the body dissidents. One of the troubles with Israel coming out of Egypt was that Satan implanted in among them a mixed multitude. Satan implanted among them the troublemakers that you read of back there in Numbers. And that's always been true.

   So God's instruction, an apostle telling an evangelist: If any man teaches other than the doctrine, watch that person because he's just proud. He just wants to be a teacher, wants to be in a position, wants to be noted, wants to be looked up to and have a following. Knowing nothing. Doting about questions and strifes of words. And by the very attitude of the teacher, instead of continuing the unity, instead of keeping everybody in the unity of the doctrine, instead of that, look what it causes: envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth.

   And those kind of people want support of other people. They want people to pay them a tithe so they can live off the tithe while they teach people on the Sabbath and do no work of God at all. And yet people in Amarillo followed somebody like that, people in Albuquerque and people all over everywhere up in Oregon and up on the east coast and down in East Texas and Oklahoma and all over everywhere. Lay members giving their tithe to a man just to live off of it, to teach them on the Sabbath, and that's the end of their work. That's the end of their product and their effort.

   II Timothy chapter 4 (II Timothy 4:3-4). And we read this almost as if this is all ancient history, but it isn't. "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine." And that time came within the last 10 years, and that time came within the last 3 years. That time will come within the next 10 years. Satan has always had someone go to God's people and say, "Oh, it's too hard for you. Why, to go all the way to Jerusalem to keep the feast? That's too hard. Let me make it easier for you." That's always been that attitude and the outward appearance of people coming along like that. "Why, it's too hard on you to keep all those tithes. It's too hard on you to follow all those laws. Here, we really care about you. We're helpers of your joy. We'll make it easier for you. We'll lighten your burden."

   Well, I haven't noticed living God's way all these years has been a burden. I hadn't noticed that we've got a load that needs to be lightened. Notice here, the time will come though when individuals don't endure sound doctrine, and after their own lust, they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they turn away their ears from the truth and end up being turned to fables.

   One of these ex-ministers now says, when you read there in Revelation 12 about the woman giving birth to a man child, that's him. Someday the rest of us will wake up and realize he's called of God to be a prophet, and he's that man child the woman gave birth to. Well, I'm never going to believe that. That's ridiculous.

   But you read this as ancient history. "Why, back in Timothy's day they had to watch out because the time was going to come when they wouldn't endure sound doctrine. And after their lust they heaped up Easter and Christmas and Sunday and all these pagan traditions and they had itching ears and wanted to have it made easier for them." You know, that's a warning of the last prophet in the Bible, Malachi. He says watch out for people that fill God's altar with tears, saying the way of God is too hard. "You're too tough on that divorce and remarriage. You're too tough on those tithing laws and you're too hard on those holy day observances." And the last prophet in the Bible warns about people filling God's altar with tears as if God's way is too hard.

   Well, the time will still come when people will turn away their ears from the truth. When they won't be able to endure the sound doctrine we've always known and they'll end up being turned to fables. So those scriptures aren't ancient history. Those scriptures aren't just warnings from the past.

   I Corinthians chapter 3, let's notice the scripture there. I Corinthians 3:11: "No other foundation can be laid except Christ Jesus. So if a man builds on this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble." Now God warns members, God warns Corinthian Christians, lay members, that God lays a foundation. Christ lays the foundation, the apostle will lay a foundation, and then other men will be sent out to build on this foundation. And the Corinthian Christians were warned that some men sent out would end up going amiss and going astray and instead of building gold and silver and precious stones, some men that had been judged faithful to be put into the ministry end up building wood, hay, and stubble.

   Surely God wouldn't let them. God wouldn't just sit back and allow ministers among his own people to build on a Godly, Christly foundation wood, hay and stubble, would he? Well, he did. Yes, he did. He warns us ahead of time that some men going out build on the foundation. But they build wood, hay and stubble. And every man's work is going to be made manifest. Because the day is going to declare it. Because the work of every man is going to be declared by fire. If a man's work abides through the fire testing, then he'll receive a reward.

   But what about in the meantime? What about lay members and people and individuals? Why would God let ministers build on a foundation wood, hay, and stubble? Well, you lay members are expected to be knowledgeable enough on God's truth and God's way that you wouldn't let somebody like that lead you off and mislead you. You know, it's not a light thing to be born into the God family, to be given the powers of sons of God. So God is going to be sure before He allows you to be born of God and have the powers of the God family. So God holds you accountable to be sure any man building on a foundation isn't building wood, hay, and stubble, but that the man is building gold, silver, and precious stones.

   And yet God says plainly, He allows it to go on until the day of fire tries every man's work. And then if the man's work was gold, silver, and precious stones, then he'll be rewarded. But if a man's work is burned, then he'll suffer loss. He won't have any reward as much as he thought he might be building up. But the man might still be able to be saved. He himself might yet be saved, yet so as by fire. "Don't you know that you're the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?" So we're all God's temple, and we all have God's spirit, but God warns us ahead of time that some would build wood, hay, and stubble on the foundation. And he expects us to be spiritually strong and mature enough to discern between what's built on the foundation and to not get led off by ones building wood, hay and stubble.

   In I John chapter 2. Here's a statement or a scripture I've heard people misuse in the last few years. I John 2:18, John says, "Little children, it is the last time," and we can even know that by the falling away and the ones going out and leading astray. "They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But the fact that they went out shows that they're not really of us, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

   So God has always warned us ahead of time. I think what spoiled us was that we had, what, 25 years of unity and togetherness and nobody ever going astray and all ministers always speaking the same things and everybody always being unified. And yet since all of the falling away and dropping out, we need to be more aware of these warnings than ever. They went out from us, but they weren't of us. Yet how could they have been among us? How could they have been leaders and ministers, and how could God have used them? Well, they were qualified and it wasn't the fault in the ordaining them in the beginning. They had the ability. They had the qualifications, they went astray from it. They got misled and duped and in some cases got seduced by spirits. But they went out from us that they were not of us, because if they'd been of us they would no doubt have continued with us.

   Now notice verse 20 (I John 2:20). "But you Christians as individual members, you have the anointing from the holy one. You know all things." Now what's the context of that verse, and what is the meaning by that? Is he saying that you don't need the church, you don't need the ministry, you don't need leaders? Since you have the Holy Spirit and you have a Bible and you can read and then why do you need the church? That's not what he's saying here. But he's showing that as individual members, we're forewarned about false leaders, and we should know by what they build on the foundation. So we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit as well as the leaders or as well as anybody else. And we have the knowledge of God's way, God's truth. We've been shown the mysteries.

   "I haven't written to you because you haven't known the truth, but because you know it. And that no lie is of the truth. Who's a liar, but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He's anti-Christ that denies the Father and the Son."

   Verse 24 (I John 2:24-27): "Let that therefore abide in you, which you had heard from the beginning." Stick with the truth that we've known all along that we've proven that we've seen in the scriptures. "If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you'll continue in the Son and in the Father, and this is the promise that He's promised us, eternal life."

   "Now I've written these things to you concerning them that seduce you." So notice it's all in that context of staying in the doctrine and staying in the church and avoiding any that might try to seduce you. "These things I've written to you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which you've received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you."

   Boy, oh boy, I've heard that misused. You know, I've heard that scripture misused 28 years. What's the context of that scripture? Does that directly contradict what the Ethiopian eunuch said in Acts 8 when he was riding along in the chariot reading out of Isaiah, and Philip came up and said, "Do you understand what you read?" And he said, "How can I except some man should guide me?" Are those two opposites contradictory?

   I've heard this scripture used, you know, I think probably Miriam and Aaron and the troublemakers back in the mixed multitude that came out with Israel, they used that attitude too. They said, "Well, who do you think you are, Moses? Don't you know the whole congregation is holy? Who do you make yourself? We have the spirit, we have... We don't need any man to lead us and teach us."

   Well, that isn't true. We all need a man to lead us and teach us. But what he's saying here is that all of us as individuals should know God's way and should have enough of God's spirit that we don't let some seducing teacher mislead us. That we shouldn't go for carnal unconverted people to instruct us and teach us and be our leaders. We learned the truth in the church. Then why do you think you're going to find greater truth beyond outside of the church, beyond the church, apart from the church?

   So read that verse 27 again in the context. He's writing with the idea that false teachers have come in and seduced people. And he's saying, you brethren are accountable and responsible to have enough of God's truth and God's spirit to not follow somebody leading you off that way. You have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Don't let those kind of men teach you. Stay with God's church and the doctrines you've been taught. That's obviously the context and the meaning there. "The anointing that you've received of God abides in you and you don't need to have these kind of people teaching you, as the same anointing that you've had from the beginning has taught you all things and is the truth."

   Now I've heard people misuse this scripture back in Matthew 20 as well in the same light, same way. Matthew chapter 20. Beginning in verse 25 (Matthew 20:25), "Jesus called them and said, 'You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them. They that are great exercise authority over them, but it will not be so among you, but whoever will be great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.'"

   Now men have used that scripture to say, "You don't need that government in the church. You don't need that apostolic authority. You don't need that hierarchical government of structure. Why, we're all brothers, we're all equal." Is this verse talking about church government? What's this verse talking about anyway? Well, what's the context of the verse?

   Well, if you back up and read a little bit, verse 17 (Matthew 20:17), Christ was going up to Jerusalem. He took the 12 disciples apart in the way and said, "Now we're going up to Jerusalem and the son of man is going to be betrayed and he's gonna be delivered to the Gentiles." Then the mother of Zebedee's children, with their sons comes worshiping and desiring a certain thing of him, and he said to her, "What will you?" Then she said, "Well, you know, grant that these my two sons may sit one on your right hand, the other on your left in your kingdom." Well, Jesus answered and said, "Well, you don't know what you're asking."

   Now when the 10 hear this, verse 24 (Matthew 20:24), they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. Now in that context, Jesus called them to Him and said, "You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion." So the key phrases of caution and balance in this statement is people exercising dominion and exercising authority instead of serving or instead of being ministers. "It will not be so among you. Who will be great among you? Let him be your minister."

   So actually the minister's time should be more consumed by everybody else than himself. He's the servant of all. Whoever would be chief is the servant of all, but that's not the way it is in the carnal unconverted world of man. The people put in positions are served. Everything is toward them and to their benefit, but among God's leaders, all of their work is down toward the people. Their time is the people's time. Their life is the people's time. And that's what he's saying here.

   He's not abolishing church government by a scripture like that. He's not saying you don't have any organization, you don't have any structure. There aren't going to be any evangelists, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers. That's not what he's saying here at all. He's just showing that anybody in a position that God puts in authority is in a position of giving and serving and outgoing toward people and their life and time is totally under the people's needs and calls and requests. But that isn't the way it is in the world. In the world, the people serve the leader. Their life and time and money all goes to the leader. But people misuse that scripture and misapply it.

   Now notice back in Matthew 18. We have to have the balance when it comes to the way we look at the leader and the way we follow the leader and the way we respect the leader and the way we don't get seduced by a wrong leader. Matthew 18. "Moreover," verse 15 (Matthew 18:15), "if your brother trespasses against you, then you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone." Now if he hears you, you've gained your brother.

   Now he begins to zero in on an attitude of people that have the right attitude toward their brethren and to the church and toward the ministry and ones that have this self-willed, independent, not afraid to speak evil of dignities, attitude, presumptuous. So notice how Christ really magnifies right in on the keys here of the attitude of a brother toward a brother or toward the leaders.

   So if we find a brother that's guilty of taking advantage of another brother, notice the key word is trespass. This law isn't saying if your brother sins against God, you go take him to task. This is not saying if your brother doesn't keep the Sabbath the way you think he should, then you take him to task about it. This is strictly talking about a brother trespassing against you. He rooks you on a business deal. He borrows some equipment and brings it back damaged. He is burning trash in his backyard and the fire goes over and burns your backyard wheat field. You know, if a brother trespasses against a brother, then anybody that's really one of us, that's really converted, anybody that's really conquered, that's submitted, that has the right spirit and attitude toward the church and the ministry and the brothers, he's going to listen to a brother. Because he's going to know how hard it is for a brother to go face another brother eyeball to eyeball and say, "Well, I believe you've trespassed against me. I've got a bad feeling toward you. There's something between us. You've taken advantage of me. I've just got to come to you as a brother in love and show you where you've trespassed against me."

   Now what about someone that isn't really with us, that isn't really one of us, that isn't really yielded and conquered and humble, that doesn't have God's spirit? Well, you know, he's going to get ruffled and he's going to take exception to some brother coming to him. He's going to get offended and he's going to say, "Well, you know, it's just a personality conflict," or "I guess that brother just doesn't like me." Or, you know, then right away you should begin to be aware that a brother like that leaves question as to how much he's converted.

   So notice what the next step is then. So he just refuses to hear a brother. He's just not going to accept it. He's not going to listen to it. It can't be. He won't believe it. He just refuses to hear it. Well, God's word says then that brother should take one or two other brothers because of the law that's still in effect: by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word is to be established.

   Now that's something you need to be careful about. God's law is that 2 or 3 witnesses establish things. So for safety's sake, God says one brother trying to go to another brother in love to help him, and he rejects him and refuses, then take one or two other brothers to be witnesses of it.

   Now look what he says. If he shall neglect to hear them. What's the matter with somebody that won't even listen to two or three other brothers that come to him in love out of concern for him, that want him to see a trespass to correct? Injustice in his dealings to correct ungodly attitudes in his being, and 2 or 3 brothers go to someone and then they just won't listen, won't hear them. They're all out to get him. They're all against him. They're all, you know, what's the matter with that guy anyway? Well, brethren, you'll find out what's the matter with him.

   If he neglects to hear 2 or 3 brothers coming to him about a trespass, then you tell it to the church. And you notice by this definition the church is not the one brother that goes to the one brother. Some people would have you believe each individual is the church. No, they're not. You'd better check how the word church is used in the Bible. It doesn't apply to just an individual.

   Well, some say, "Well, it says where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there I'm in their midst, so if 2 or 3 are there, it's a church." Well, in some cases, the word church applies strictly to the leadership. In some cases it applies to the whole body of believers as a body or a house doing a work. But even in this context, it shows the church is not just talking about one or two individuals.

   You know, if one individual is way off out by himself somewhere and he's not going to church, he doesn't need to keep assemblies on the Sabbath or holy days, and he's just going to get off to himself out there in the desert or in the mountains and just him and God and His Bible and the Holy Spirit, and he's going to make it into God's kingdom. No, you're not either. You can't make it into God's kingdom that way.

   God by one spirit baptizes you into one body. And God says it's by the foolishness of preaching that you're saved, and God commands you to assemble on the Sabbath. He commands you to assemble on the holy days. He commands you to be baptized and have the laying on of hands and call for the elders when you're sick and wash feet at Passover. How do you do all that if you're a loner out somewhere off by yourself? Making it into God's kingdom, just you and the Bible and God and the Holy Ghost or something. You don't make it that way.

   Notice what Jesus Christ says here. If the matter, because the brother is so bullheaded and stubborn and self-righteous and hardheaded and independent that another brother goes and he refuses him. 2 or 3 brothers go and he refuses them. Then it's taken to the church, and he won't even listen to the church. "If he neglects to hear the church, let him be to you as the heathen man and the publican," because that's really what he is. He's never converted. He's just like a tax collector, just like any other Gentile. Not with us, not one of us, not at one, he's not with us.

   And look what backs that up in verse 18 (Matthew 18:18). "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven." So in the context of a brother coming to the church and refusing to hear the church, and the judgment to be to you as a heathen man and a publican, the statement is made that whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So the authority and the power of binding and loosing is still in the ministry.

   You know, we've kind of gone from one extreme to the other. There was a time when everybody perhaps put too much stock in the minister and looked up to them too much and asked them everything imaginable about the kind of a car to buy, whether to rent or buy a house or whether to live in the city or the country or, you know, all kinds of things that ministers were leaned on or asked judgment or comment on. Then we've gone to the other extreme. You know, rank is something that stinks. No, rank is something that God put in the Bible. Rank's not something that stinks.

   Notice Ephesians chapter 4. I know all ministers are brothers. I know all brethren are brothers. We're all Christian brothers. But I know God also has put in the church for the government of the church. He gave some the calling and the gifts to be qualified to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints. And that doesn't sound like saints can be perfected on their own independently, you know, you've got the law and you've got the Holy Spirit, the day of Pentecost, so you can put leavening out of your house. You have Christ's Passover blood to atone for your sin, and yet the perfecting of the saints comes through the ministry, the responsibility of preaching and counseling and admonishing and teaching, and God gave those various capacities and ranks and governmental positions in the church for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, nourishing and feeding and like the mother does the baby inside of her.

   You know, the church is the mother of all of us, and everything a mother does for a baby inside of it. The mother nourishes the baby while she's carrying it. She protects it with that bag of water about it. She cleanses the poisons away from that baby's blood. And what all does the mother do for the baby while she's carrying it? Then that's what the church does for us today because we're all begotten babies inside the mother. We're not ready to live independently. We're not ready to be able to exist out in the world to ourselves independently outside the mother. Nobody's ready for that yet.

   So the people that are really the beautiful people of God, they're noticed, you know, at the Feast of Tabernacles. Boy, those people are something else. How can you have 15,000 people at the Lake of the Ozarks and everybody is so orderly and everything runs off so smoothly? They said, "We get groups of 2 or 3 or 4 thousand, it's just a madhouse. It's just mania. It's hysteria, crazy, but you bring 15,000 people in here and everybody is smiling and friendly and happy even when they're waiting in long lines." And said, "Can't figure that out. Something different."

   And you know, really it's because those people of God are converted or conquered. They're yielded. They've got a respect for government. And not those that we read about in Peter that are self-willed and presumptuous and not afraid to speak evil of dignities. The beautiful people of God are the ones that have been conquered of God, that have a yielded, humble, submissive attitude toward the leadership in the church that God has placed.

   Notice that God gave these for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, "till we all come into the unity of the faith." Only through God's government and God's church can you have unity in the faith. Only through God's ministry and the leadership God has put among the ranks of the ministry can you have edifying the body of Christ, perfecting of the saints and the work of the ministry. "Till we all come into that unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine."

   And the people of God that are really humble and meek and yielded and submissive and under the authority and the government of the ministry God has put in his church don't get tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. The ones that are self-willed and free thinkers and independent, the ones that have that attitude that, "Well, I've got the spirit and I don't need that any man should guide me." The people that act independently.

   And we've had ministers who've ended up out of the church, and the reason is because they've always been known as independent ministers. Not afraid to launch out on something new in their area. Not afraid to introduce something different from what we've always been taught from Mr. Armstrong and through the church and through God's college. Sooner or later, if you're self-willed and independent and presumptuous, it's going to overtake you. And you'll be led out of the church.

   But God has placed the government in the church so we wouldn't be like children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

   You don't really think that's happened and men have been misled and used by Satan that way in the last 10 years, do you? That some have actually fulfilled these scriptures? The sleight of men. Cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive you. Only Satan would want to do that to any of us. But he has to use people to do it.

   You might notice back in Acts 8:26, "The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and said, 'Rise, go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" He went and behold a man of Ethiopia, the eunuch of great authority, apparently the treasurer, the secretary of the treasury in the nation of Ethiopia. He had the charge of all her treasure, so he had come to Jerusalem for the worship. So apparently, and he may have been Jewish, but apparently he already understood all about basic doctrines of the holy days, tithing, the Sabbath because he came to Jerusalem to worship. And you don't just do that every Wednesday and Thursday, you know, you do that on the holy days from out of other countries.

   So apparently he's come up for one of the holy days, and he's returning, reading out of this scroll of Isaiah. Then God's spirit inspires Philip to go up to him and say, "Do you understand what you read?"

   Now in our day that would be a... Can you imagine? I can just imagine. I picture myself from time to time going up and asking different church members standing around or sitting around reading their Bible, "Do you understand what you read?" And I know what some of them would say, you know, some of the scholars, if I went up to them and said, "Do you understand what you read?" They wouldn't say, "Well, look, all the truth I've learned, I've learned through the church and the ministry, so, you know, I need some help here." Well, that's the way we used to be when we were babes, you know, when we first started learning the truth. But after we've learned the truth for a while and maybe we think we're scholars and great intellects, and I can just picture some church members that I could go up to and say, "Do you understand what you read?"

   And what would I say if I were sitting out here reading my Bible sometime and Mr. Herbert Armstrong came up and said, "Do you understand what you read?" I'd say, "Well, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I certainly didn't used to. I owe a great deal of thanks to you for being used to teach me what I know." And I wouldn't have that independent self-willed, free thinking, "Well, wait a minute, that's a dumb question. Do you think I am dumb or something? What do you think, you're smarter than me or something? Ask me if I understand what I read." Would you take offense at that? Would that antagonize you? Would that upset you? Or would you say, "Well, you know, I've always learned all that I know from men. And you know if you're one of God's servants, why, teach me."

   Well, that's what this secretary of the Treasury said. No matter who you are, you know, here's the man that was the treasurer of the whole country of Ethiopia. And he said, "I need some man to guide me." Well, that's the attitude God's people mostly have. "How can I except some man should guide me?" And he desired Philip that he'd get up in that chariot with him and sit and explain this Isaiah 53 to him, and he did. And because of that, God let him understand who the Christ was, and he was baptized right in that trip. Because he had a converted attitude. He didn't have a free thinking, self-willed, independent attitude.

   Philippians chapter 4. Out of all the churches in Paul's work and ministry, the Philippians were the strongest, the foremost. And there's a reason for it, and the reason is actually hidden away in translating here in Philippians chapter 4. They helped Paul many times when he was serving other churches. They helped make some of the strongest men in the New Testament age, Epaphroditus and Timothy. And there's a reason. And it's given right here in Philippians chapter 4.

   Verse 4 (Philippians 4:4) he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Let your"??"King James says moderation, and that's terrible translating because the word literally means pliability, yieldingness. The thing that made these Philippians the church they were was their yieldedness to God and God's church and God's spirit and God's ministry. "Let your pliability be known unto all men. The Lord's at hand." And that's the trait that made them so outstanding. They had that pliable, humble, yielded attitude.

   You know, when we talked to Mr. Armstrong about sending a man out as a minister or transferring a minister or sending a minister into a troubled area, there's always one main question he always asks. Say, "Now, are you sure that man is really conquered of God? Are you sure that man is really yielded and submissive and conquered?" Because we've had our fill of independent, self-willed, free thinking, ambitious men that have gone out and ended up misleading and causing difficulty.

   You might notice in Chapter 2 and verse 12 here in Philippians. Philippians 2:12. "Wherefore my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." That was the attitude of the Philippians. They were pliable, yielded, submissive. And yet they didn't let any wrong leaders mislead them. So you have to have that balance.

   Notice II Corinthians chapter 7. II Corinthians chapter 7. Beginning verse 13 (II Corinthians 7:13), "We were comforted in your comfort. Yea, exceedingly, the more we joyed for the joy of Titus because his spirit was refreshed by all of you Corinthian Christians. Why, if I have boasted anything to him of you, I'm not ashamed, but as we spake all things to you in truth, our boasting, which I made before Titus has found the truth. And now his inward affection is more abundant toward you while he remembered the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him."

   Can you imagine people with that kind of an attitude toward a young man like Titus? He was just half Greek and half Hebrew, you know. And yet look at the attitude of these Corinthians when they finally learned their lesson that they had had to learn, shown all the way through this book. Now their final attitude was changed, and Paul said, "Titus came to you and boasted about you and he was really joyous when he saw the attitude you had. And all my boasting about you to him has now been backed up and verified and his very inward affection now because of your attitude toward him, is even more abundant towards you. While he remembered the obedience of you all. How with fear and trembling you received him."

   Is that old fashioned and out of style? You know, the people, when they talk to one of God's ministers today, is there any reverence, any respect, any confidence? Is there a fear and trembling like there has been in the past? And I don't mean that wrongly. I don't mean it in the unbalanced way that it was in the past. But there should be a certain amount of reverence and respect and fear and trembling that a wife owes a husband and members owe a minister.

   But there's a prophecy back in the Old Testament that said in our day, things would get to the place that it would be like people, like priests. In other words, people would just say, "Well, he's nobody, you know, we're all people, we're all brothers, we're all Christians, we all have God's spirit, we all have a Bible. We can all read. We don't need any man. You know, men are nobody. There's nobody. There isn't any rank, you know, rank is something that stinks."

   Well, there is rank in the ministry of God. And people ought to have a respect for the rank. And not an imbalance in it and not wrongfully.

   Chapter 8, a couple of verses here. Verse 5 (II Corinthians 8:4-7). And this they did not as we hoped, but first... Here he's talking about how the Thessalonians were, how their attitude toward Paul was and the Corinthians' attitude toward the ministry. And verse 4, "Praying us with much entreaty that we'd receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints, and this they did not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God."

   That was what struck Paul even more than the financial support they were giving, the charitable help for the needy, but the thing that struck Paul was, first, they didn't just give their own selves to the Lord. But unto us. By the will of God. They were pliable and yielded and submissive and humble.

   Verse 7. "Therefore, as you abound in everything in faith and utterance and knowledge in all diligence and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment but by occasion of the forwardness of others and to prove the sincerity of your love." So you know, in the past there's been that kind of a respect and love for the ministry and maybe because of things that have happened in between, now we have to come like Paul did and say, "Receive us, we've wronged no man. Receive us, we haven't hurt anybody, we haven't defrauded anybody," as he said here in verse 2 of chapter 7.

   You might notice back in Hebrews 13. The most important thing that's going to have an effect on keeping you in God's church is your attitude toward the church leadership and government. That's going to have a bigger say on whether you stay in God's church. If you don't think God's church is essential for salvation, naturally you're not going to stay in it. If you have the attitude that nobody can put you out of God's church, you're probably going to end up being out of God's church. If you don't have the attitude that the church is your mother, and the church does for you everything a mother does for a baby inside her that she's carrying, then you probably won't stay in God's church. And if your attitude toward the leadership is like the Corinthians' attitude was before it was changed, then you probably won't stay in God's church either.

   In Hebrews 13, Paul says in verse 7 (Hebrews 13:7), "Remember them which have the rule over you." Now modern translators don't like that idea at all. They like the idea that all of us Christians are brothers and we're all equal, and there isn't anybody that has any rule over you spiritually. That isn't true at all. There certainly is. And God says, "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God," showing he's talking about the ministers over you, the preachers, the ones who have spoken to you the word of God. "Remember them. Whose faith follow."

   Don't follow a foundation that's got wood and hay and stubble built on it. Don't follow someone that's going contrary to the doctrines and coming up with all kinds of vanities of their own. Follow the faith of those who've taught you the word of God. Remember them, they have the rule over you. Think about the outcome or the end result of their conduct.

   And then a little bit later in verse 17 (Hebrews 13:17), he says it all over again. "Obey them that have the rule over you." Now instead of just saying remember them, now he says obey them that have the rule over you. "And submit yourselves." Now people want to say, "Well, it doesn't really mean obey, and it doesn't mean rule. It just says follow those that are your guides." Well, it says submit yourselves. And it does say obey those that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, and notice the reason. "For they watch for your souls."

   You know, as Mr. Salyer is the pastor of this morning church, he is going to give an account one of these days for all of the souls that are in his care in this morning church. And he wants to be able to do that gladly and not sadly. And his ability to help a lot of you is going to depend on your attitude toward him.

   And I might just say I'm not giving this sermon as having spent a couple of weeks with him in another area and through any discussion with him or any idea that this church needs this kind of a subject. I think all the churches need to be reminded of the right balance in this area.

   I've taught the students in Big Sandy in Comparative Religion and Doctrines that in my judgment, the most important doctrine they could mark in their Bible to be sure they stayed in God's church was government. I recommend that they get a Concordance and they look up the words obey, yield, submit. From time to time, I, in fact, I did it today, and that's how I ended up with the sermon. Just turning through the New Testament, reading all the scriptures related to government. Because that's going to have more to do with you staying in God's church than anything else you can read or occupy yourself with or be stable in.

   God says obey those that have the rule over you and submit yourselves because they watch for your souls as they that must give account, that they can do it with joy and not with grief because that's unprofitable for you. So don't think your life is your own independently and you're an independent Christian and you're going to make it into God's kingdom without a church and you have the Holy Spirit and you don't need that any man should teach you. You've got a Bible and you can read and you don't need some man should guide you. And the ministers, you know, they're... There's no authority or government there. There is, there's rank there and there's government there and all for the reasons mentioned there in Ephesians.

   In verse 22 here in Hebrews 13 (Hebrews 13:22), he reminds you again. "And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation because I've written a letter to you in a few words." And then a fourth time in verse 24 (Hebrews 13:24), he says, "Salute all those that have the rule over you." So you kind of get the idea that somebody's got the rule over you, that somebody's looking out for your soul, and they're going to be accountable for it. And they're going to have to answer to God.

   We might read one other example before we quit here. I won't say finish, but I Thessalonians chapter 5. Beginning verse 12 (I Thessalonians 5:12), "We beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you." You know, until Mr. Salyer gets to know you and knows your needs and knows your predicaments and problems and difficulties, then how can he be helping you? "We beseech you, brethren, to know those that labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." Now we can't do that unless we know you, unless you talk with us and open up and let us know areas that you need help in. "We beseech you, brethren, know those that labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake."

   "We exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly." So you know, brethren, that's your responsibility too. If you run on to independent free thinking, self-willed, presumptuous brethren, God says to you, "We exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly." I wouldn't keep company with people like that that speak evil of dignities. Speaking specifically of Mr. Armstrong or Mr. Rader or anybody. And what does that term mean when you read it? Speak evil of dignities. That doesn't mean speaking evil of President Nixon or Mrs. Thatcher or people like that. This is writing to Christians about their Christian responsibilities to the Christian leaders.

   Well, I know most of us have that right attitude toward the leadership of God's church, and I know most of us that's... it's a beautiful thing to see God's people at the feast. Every year at Big Sandy, I just love to walk up and down the piney woods and look at God's people all encamped in there. They're on the street they're assigned to. They go to the services as we've got the schedule set up. They sit and listen to the schedule that the church has directed that the service includes songs, sermonette, special music. You know, God's people are a governed people. They're a yielded, pliable, humble, submissive people.

   But every now and then Satan gets in among us people that aren't that way. They're self-willed and independent and free thinking and stubborn and hardheaded, and they're going to make it on their own without the church and the church isn't their mother. Well, we need to warn anybody that's unruly that way. And we need to avoid anything like that happening to the rest of us.

   Well, I really believe if you can mark verses like those that we've gone through in your Bible. It's the last subject I covered before I baptize anybody. You know, I go through the various things about repentance and baptism and being converted, but the last thing I go through before I baptize anybody is what does the church, what part does it play in your Christian future? What does the church have to do for you? What should be your attitude and your dealings with the church so you can make it from baptism into God's kingdom? Because I've seen more people end up out of God's church because they didn't have that knowledge and that right attitude in that one area of what part the church plays in their life. And I hope we can all really know that so we can stay in the church.