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Worldwide Web
Thanks to the help of Alan Ruth of Michigan, Giving
& Sharing is now on the Worldwide Web, sharing the website address of Alan
Ruth: http://www.biblestudy.org
Any newer personal computer with a modem can access the
wealth of cyberspace information available.
You can download Giving & Sharing articles, Newsletters, Order
Blank, etc. Many public libraries and
schools provide free Internet access.
Visit Giving & Sharing on the Internet today!
Even though many in the Church of God believe that
television is the best medium to present the Gospel to the world, they would
have to agree that it is an expensive method.
Radio, and specifically talk radio, is a cost-effective tool to present
God’s Truth to others. Our friend, Lee
Clark, has been sponsoring a talk radio show in Las Vegas, Nevada, The World
Now. Usually, a guest speaker calls
in to the radio station, and discusses a topic of interest to the Church of
God, and the public in general.
Listeners call in, and often spirited discussion ensues. Lee presents the viewpoint of the
Sabbath-keeping Church of God from a positive perspective. He has an excellent speaking voice, and is
deeply sincere in his desire to spread the Good News of the Kingdom.
Is your church group considering an outreach
program? Consider the benefits of talk
radio. Lee Clark may be able to provide
advice and help, and put his World Now radio talk show on the air in
your local area, sponsoring your local Church of God group. For more information, contact Lee Clark,
1115 South Casino Center #132, Las Vegas, NV 89104. Or, leave a voice mail at 702-263-5852.
Organic short whole grain brown rice is a staple of our
family’s diet. Some people who are
allergic to wheat products, find that rice is a non-allergic substitute. You need to obtain healthy, whole grain
products. White rice is a tasteless
gooey gumbo with most of the nutrients removed. On the other hand, nourishing short grain whole rice tastes great
with a little butter and salt, or seasonings.
My wife Shirley has found that organic rice purchased direct from the
grower, even with UPS shipping, costs half as much as rice from our
local health food store. For short
grain brown rice and other rice products, write: Lundberg Family Farms, PO Box 369, Richvale, CA 95974-0369, phone: 916-882-4551.
Harold Hemenway, Box 88401, Tukwila, WA 98188, has published several
interesting booklets. Although we
disagree with him on some things, I have found his original research to be on
the whole, very informative. He has
agreed to distribute his material to Giving & Sharing readers at reduced
cost. Mention that you heard about him
from Giving & Sharing, and he will ship booklets to you for $0.50
each. The following booklets we
recommend:
Should Christians Tithe?
30 pages, supports the three Biblical tithes as having existed long before the
Old Covenant. Mr. Hemenway states that
government social security does not take the place of third tithe. He gives short biographies of 13 famous
people who believed in tithing, and prospered.
He shows that tithing is a living law, today, that Jesus and Paul
tithed, and explains very well the statute of Leviticus 19:23-25. I disagree with him on these points: He believes that the second tithe cannot be
used for anything but food at the feasts, and that second tithe can be used on
every Sabbath. He believes that the
Jubilee year is year #1 of the next 49-year cycle, while I believe that the
Jubilee is the last year of a 50-year cycle, which starts over again with the
next year as year #1 of another 50-year cycle.
I am very hesitant to positively state which year is or is not a Jubilee
or Sabbatical year.
What Does it Mean To “Turn The Other Cheek”?
14 pages, is perhaps the best booklet Mr. Hemenway has written. We recommend it highly.
Are The Food Laws Scientific?,
42 pages, is a well-researched booklet on Bible health laws. It explains the scientific basis for many of
God’s laws.
In summary, it is obvious that Harold Hemenway (b. 1959,
a former member of the Worldwide Church of God) has spent a great deal of time
in research, and has done much independent thinking.
From around the world, there is excitement occurring in
the Church of God. Thousands of
brethren are becoming aware of their responsibility before the Almighty to be
directly involved in the Work of God.
They have experienced the ill effects of “paying and praying and staying
and obeying” a religious hierarchy. Now
they want to zealously be about their Father’s business. That is good news indeed.
But, let’s make sure that we have learned some lessons
from the past. Let us admit our fault
in precipitating the current mess in the Church of God. A pivotal, common, mistake has been a root
cause of the doctrinal disintegration and the embarrassing spectacle of an
evangelist’s recent sexual escapades, now available on video tape for the world
to see. The fault has been ours: the
so-called “lay people” in the Church of God.
We have allowed this to happen.
We had the potential to have prevented it. But we shirked our spiritual duty. We thought “God will take care of it.” And He did. He allowed
the sins of the Church of God to raise to the utmost heights. And we bear much guilt in these sins, for we
participated in them.
How? Why? The Bible clearly defines the requirements
for the ministry, the leadership of the Church of God. Not only did we, the lay people, ignore
those qualifications, but we acted as if they did not matter. A leader can only exist if those led agree
to be led. As a whole, the Church of
God lay people have not insisted on the Bible qualifications for their
leaders. Our article, “Ten Basic Qualifications
of an Elder,” originally published about fifteen years ago, explains these “job
requirements,” as outlined in I Timothy 3, and Titus 1. It is reproduced in its entirety following
this article.
The first two requirements are that the elder, overseer,
Church leader, etc. must be “blameless,” and “the husband of one wife.” That disqualifies Church leaders across many
Church of God organizations. However,
these leaders do not step down in disgrace.
Their membership does not en masse refuse to recognize them as
spiritual leaders. Why not? Praise the Almighty that there are some who
are waking up, and taking the necessary action. However, other ministers are covering up and denying the facts
which are evident.
Let us define “blameless.” The Bible helps us to do so.
The word for blameless in I Timothy 3:2 is Strong’s #483, antilego,
which means literally “to speak against.”
One worthy of blame has the whole world, including the awake members of
the Church, speaking against his sins.
“Blameless,” as used in these verses defining the
requirements for the ordained ministry, does NOT mean “a condition of having
never sinned.” All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. “Blameless”
in I Timothy 3:2 cannot have this meaning, because it is a
condition of remaining in the ministry, and ministers, as we all, do sin from
time to time, and have to repent before God.
They do not become disqualified when they sin, then re-qualified when
they repent, in yo-yo fashion.
When Peter camouflaged his beliefs because of the Jews,
Paul “withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed,” Galatians
2:11. Was Peter “blamed” in the
sense of being disqualified from the apostleship because of this act? By no means! If you take a look at Strong’s Concordance, at the words “blamed”
and “blameless,” you will see that the word “blamed” in Galatians 2:11
is Strong’s #2607, kataginosko, literally meaning “in opposition to
knowledge.” The word “blameless” in I
Timothy 3:2 is antilego, which is not the same. These words have no relationship and are not
the same thing at all. Peter in Galatians
2:11 was to be blamed, kataginosko.
A church leader in I Timothy 3:2 must be blameless, antilego. Just because the words in the English
translation, “blamed” and “blameless” appear to be similar, does not mean that
they are in way related. The Greek
words from the original are totally different.
Peter did repent of his two-faced actions, and continued to zealously
fulfill his role as an apostle. His sin
was not a public spectacle to the world.
He continuously fulfilled the ten requirements for an elder.
Peter went against what he knew to be true. He knew it was ok to eat with Gentiles, but
when some Jews from James came, he withdrew himself, fearing what these circumcised
Jews would think, Galatians 2:12.
This was dissimulation, or hypocrisy.
This was a personal sin, but not something that was worthy of barring
Peter from the ministry. It was not a
public sin that would put him in shame by the average person on the
street. It was not publicly spoken
against. My brother-in-law, a pastor in
the Worldwide Church of God, took a paycheck for years, when he did not agree
with their liberal doctrines. That too
was hypocrisy. He, like Peter, went
against knowledge. But few except his
immediate family knew his problem.
However, in I Timothy 3, we are told that an
elder must fulfill ten qualifications, the first of which is to be
blameless. Nobody can speak against his
character, which must be impeccable.
All of these qualifications are outward, discernable by the average
person. For example, if a Church elder
is a drunk, this will usually become publicly known. The minister may have personal sins, unknown by the membership,
and the public at large, and he repents of them as the Spirit leads him to see
them, as we all do. But his character
must not be spoken against. There are
few ministers who have such a bad character that the public knows their
sins. A certain Church leader’s drunk
driving convictions and bribing a police officer are an example. But far more people know of another
well-known evangelist’s sexual sins, which are long and many. He is everywhere spoken against because of
his sins. He is not blameless. He cannot fulfill the office of a bishop or deacon
because he is not blameless.
Because God’s people let it happen, the entire Church of
God has recently been given a black eye because of the continued sexual
escapades of a renegade evangelist. One
distraught teenage member of the Church was so devastated that he almost
committed suicide. He had a certain
amount of hero worship for this Church evangelist. He told his father: “If a
man like ___ can’t make it, how can I be expected to do so?” How many others has this minister’s actions
hurt? With the wealth of information
about this evangelist’s history of sexual sins available, how is it that the
teenager was so devastated? Why didn’t
somebody tell him the facts? When this
young person went to the Church’s leadership for counseling, the counselor lied
to him. Headquarters ministers denied
that it happened. Even the evangelist’s
well-respected associate, who pulled away to form his own group, did not lay it
on the line and tell the facts.
This is living proof that the qualifications for the ministry
are serious. None of this hurt to God’s
people, and possibly some turning some away from the Truth in disgust, would
have happened if the Church had simply acted responsibly by accepting repentant
ministers back into the membership, and barring them from any leadership role, permanently. But we humans seem to think that we are more
merciful than God, that we know better than His Word. What has happened recently is proof that the Church of God should
re-think its view of I Timothy 3.
I cannot find one NT scripture showing where a minister of God committed
gross public sins, spoken against (antilego) by the public at large, and
was ever admitted back into the ministry.
Leaders of the Church of God must be above reproach, that while their
enemies in the world may rail against them for their doctrinal teachings, they
cannot find any moral flaw in their character.
Any Church that does not hold these standards is not worthy to be the
bride of Christ.
Here is a sample of the Bible evidence proving that antilego
does not refer to a private sin, but a gross public sin:
Luke
20:27 Sadducees deny that there is any
resurrection. They publicly spoke
against the resurrection, trying to trap Jesus, verses 28-33.
Titus
1:9 A bishop must be able by sound doctrine to be able to
convict the gainsayers. A
gainsayers is going to attack you in public.
But if the minister is guilty of public sins, how can he convict the
gainsayers?
Romans
10:21 God has stretched forth His hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people. Israel’s sins
were not hidden in a corner; even the heathen knew of their sins and
idolatry. Look at modern Israel today,
it is the same thing.
John
19:12 The Jews cried out and said that if Pilate were to let
Jesus go, he would be against Caesar, because whosoever makes himself a king “speaketh
against” Caesar. They are a public
enemy.
Acts
28:22 The Christian sect was “everywhere spoken against.” The Roman authorities considered Messianic
believers public enemies.
There are few Church of
God leaders who have disqualified themselves from the ministry because of gross
public sins. However, there are many
more elders who have disqualified themselves for failing to meet qualification
#2, by not being “the husband of one wife,” literally, “a one woman man.”
Some, in their ignorance
of the Bible, have thought that this means that an elder cannot be a
polygamist. No, this is not what being
“the husband of one wife” means. It
means, “one who is not divorced and remarried.” How do I know this?
Because the reverse situation is mentioned in I Timothy 5:9. A widow to be provided for from Church funds
must be at least sixty years old, “having been the wife of one man.” Now if the ministerial requirements in I Timothy
3:2 forbid a minister from being a polygamist (a man with multiple wives),
then I Timothy 5:9 must forbid a widow on Church support from being a
polyandrist (a woman with multiple husbands).
Polyandry is a rare phenomenon in this world. The only well-known instances of polyandry are among the Eskimos
in the far north. Because of the
hazardous conditions of living, an Eskimo woman may sometimes have several
husbands at the same time. This is
called polyandry. Polyandry was not a
practice in the Mediterranean world.
Therefore, I conclude that both these verses refer primarily to divorce
and remarriage situations.
Now, could these
restrictions forbid an elder from remarrying if his first wife had died? After all, Moffatt translates I Timothy
3:2 as “he must be married only once,” and I Timothy 5:9 as “and she
must have been only once married.” Paul
was a great leader of the Pharisees before his conversion. It is quite likely he was married during
this time, as it was expected. However,
during his ministry, he was not married.
Apparently, his wife had died.
Yet, in I Corinthians 9:5, Paul says that he had the power
to lead about a wife, just like Peter (Cephas) did. The Old Testament requirements for the priesthood (besides being
from the tribe of Levi) were similar to New Testament requirements. In Leviticus 21:13-14, we are told,
“And he shall take a wife in her virginity.
A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or harlot, these shall he not
take: but he shall take a virgin of his
own people to wife.” Could the New
Testament ministerial qualifications be any less than those of the Old
Testament priesthood? There appears to
be no Bible prohibition against an elder marrying again after his first wife
dies, provided that he marries a virgin.
That takes us right back
to “the husband of one wife.” It does
not mean polygamy. It does not mean a
second marriage to a virgin. The only
meaning left is that concerning divorce and remarriage. A minister of the New Testament must not be
a divorce and remarriage case. Yet here
we have the #1 minister in a (formerly) Sabbath-keeping Church of God, who is
divorced and remarried. And, we have
the #2 minister in another large Church of God who, according to court
testimony agreed to unanimously by twelve jurors, forced his first wife out of
the house, and soon remarried. Plus,
there are dozens of other ministers in the Church of God who are likewise
divorce and remarriage cases. And, as
usual, we have the majority of the lay membership going to these “ministers,”
(who fail the Bible qualifications for their office) for spiritual counsel and
advice, even at times, advice on their own marriages.
The Church of God
evangelist in the news today for his sexual aberrations has suffered from
sexual addiction for decades. He is
surrounded by relatives and friends, “enablers,” who protect him from suffering
the consequences of his evil actions.
They enable him to continue his addictive behavior. Sexual addiction, like that of alcohol and
drugs, is rooted in denial. If this
evangelist’s friends confront him, there might be hope that he would admit his
problem, and seek help from God and godly counselors. I encourage you to pray that these enablers have the courage to
confront the sinner, so that the cycle of healing and restoration can begin.
Now, do you see why I
said, “the fault is with us, the lay persons”?
If the membership continues to recognize the leadership of men so
tainted and disqualified for leadership, then they will get the leadership they
deserve, from the basest of men. I am
embarrassed for the Church of God.
The problem of divorce
(and remarriage) among the clergy was noted in the October 23, 1995, issue of Christianity
Today. Dr. Charles Stanley, 62,
noted radio preacher (In Touch ministries), author, and pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Atlanta, has been estranged from his wife since
1992. She has filed for divorce. The 157-year-old congregation has
historically refused to allow divorced men to be pastors or deacons. In spite of the fact that his own son
stepped down in protest over his father’s unwillingness to give up the pulpit,
the deacons voted to keep Stanley in charge.
At least a few Baptists have more scruples about the qualifications of
their ministry, than does the Church of God.
Clergy divorce mirrors the
rise of all divorces in America. From
1970 to 1990, there was a 65% increase in divorces nationwide. And today, 20% of American male clergy have
been divorced. Southern Baptists have
one of the lowest rates of clergy divorce.
Conservative Protestant groups such as Assemblies of God, Christian and
Missionary Alliance, and the Presbyterian Church in America, have upheld a
no-divorced-pastors policy, but not without vigorous debate. Mainline organizations have adjusted their
standards to freely allow divorced ministers.
The Church of God appears to have dropped Bible standards as well.
“For if the first covenant
had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them [Israel
of old, and Israel, the Church of God, today], He saith, Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah,” Hebrews 8:7-8. No, we cannot blame our leaders for the mess we are in
today. We have met the enemy, and he is
US. Let us learn from our past
mistakes, and insist on Biblical qualifications for the ministry. May God raise up faithful men of real
character to lead the Church of God, today!
The Almighty willing, I
plan to speak on behalf of Giving & Sharing and the Bible Sabbath
Association, at the Friends of the Sabbath seminar in Sydney, Australia, July
5-7, 1996. I am looking forward to
meeting many brethren in Australia, with whom I have corresponded for many
years! Dr. John Merritt, Dr. Samuel
Bacchiocchi, and Pastor Larry Walker are planning to join me from the United
States. Other speakers from Australia
are scheduled to speak. For information
on the seminar in Australia, contact: Craig White, GPO Box 864, Sydney, NSW
2001, AUSTRALIA, phone: (02) 745 2964.
For information on other
Friends of the Sabbath seminars in the United States and elsewhere, contact
Friends of the Sabbath, 27068 La Paz #500, Laguna Hills, CA 92656, phone (714) 491-3866 (Gordon Barr).
— written by Richard C. Nickels
Giving & Sharing, PO
Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849