It Is God
That Works
"He
that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the
same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles." The Word of God is living and
active. Heb.4:12, R.V. Whatever activity there is in the work of the Gospel, if
there is any work done, is all of God. Jesus "went about doing good,"
"for God was with Him." Acts 10:38. He Himself said, "I can of
Mine own self do nothing." John 5:30. "The Father that dwelleth in
Me, He doeth the works." John 14:10. So Peter spoke of Him as "a Man
approved of God" "by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by
Him." Acts 2:22. The disciple is not greater than his Lord. 71 Paul and Barnabas, therefore, at the
meeting in Jerusalem, told "what miracles and wonders God had wrought
among the Gentiles by them." Acts 15:12. Paul declared that he labored to
"present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," "striving according
to His working, which worketh in me mightily." Col.1:28,29. This same
power it is the privilege of the humblest believer to possess, "for it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
Phil.2:13. The name of Jesus is Emmanuel, "God with us." God with
Jesus caused Him to go about doing good. He is unchangeable; therefore, if we truly have Jesus, God with us, we,
likewise, shall go about doing good.
Recognizing
the Gift
The
brethren in Jerusalem showed their connection with God by recognizing the grace
that was given to Paul and Barnabas. When Barnabas first went to Antioch, and
saw the grace of God that was working there, he was glad, "and exhorted
them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he
was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost." Acts 11:21-24. Those who are moved by the Spirit of God will
always be quick to discern the workings of the Spirit in others. The
surest evidence that any one knows nothing personally of the Spirit is that he
can not recognize His working. The other apostles had the Holy Spirit, and they
perceived that God had chosen Paul for a special work among the Gentiles; and,
although his manner of working was different from theirs, for God had given him
special gifts for his special work, they freely gave to him 72 the right hand
of fellowship, only requesting that he would remember the poor among his own
nation; and this he had already shown his willingness to do. Acts 11:27-30.
Act
11:27 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.
Act
11:28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the
Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came
to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Act
11:29 Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined
to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
Act
11:30 Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of
Barnabas and Saul.
So Paul and Barnabas returned to their work in
Antioch.
Perfect
Unity
We must
not lose sight of the object Paul had in mind in referring to the meeting in
Jerusalem. It was to show that there was no difference of opinion among the
apostles nor in the church as to what the Gospel is. There were "false
brethren," it is true, but inasmuch as they were false, they were no part
of the church, the body of Christ, who is the truth. Many professed Christians,
sincere persons, suppose that it is almost a matter of necessity that there be
differences in the church. "All can not see alike," is the common
statement. So they misread Eph.4:13, making it read that God has given us
gifts, "till we all come into the unity of the faith." What the Word
teaches is that "in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God," we all come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ." There is only "one faith"
(Eph.4:5), "the faith of Jesus," as there is only one Lord; and those
who have not that faith must necessarily be out of Christ. It is not at all
necessary that there be the slightest difference upon any question of truth.
Truth is the Word of God, and the Word of God is light; nobody but a blind man
ever has any trouble to see a light that shines. The fact that a man has never
in his life seen any other light used at night, except that from a tallow
candle, does not in the least 73 stand in the way of his recognizing that the
light from an electric lamp is light, the first moment he sees it. There are, of course, different degrees of
knowledge, but never any controversy between those different degrees. All truth
is one.
Withstanding
Peter
"But
when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to
be blamed." We need not magnify nor dwell upon the mistakes of Peter or
any other good man, because that is not profitable for us; but we must note this
overwhelming proof that Peter was never considered the "prince of the
apostles," and that he never was, and never considered himself to be,
pope. Fancy any priest, bishop, or cardinal, withstanding Leo XIII. to the face
in a public assembly. He would be considered extremely fortunate if the papal
guards allowed him to escape with his life for thus presuming to oppose the
self-styled "vicar of the Son of God." But Peter made a mistake, and
that upon a vital matter of doctrine, because he was not infallible, and he
meekly accepted the rebuke that Paul gave him, like the sincere, humble
Christian that he was. If there were such a thing as a human head to the
church, it would evidently be Paul, instead of Peter, as appears from the whole
narrative. Paul was sent to the Gentiles, and Peter to the Jews; but the Jews
formed only a very small portion of the church; the converts from the Gentiles
soon outnumbered them, so that their presence was scarcely discernible. All
these Christians were largely the fruit of Paul's labors, and they naturally
looked up to him more than to 74 others, so that Paul could say that upon him
daily came "the care of all the churches." 2Cor.11:28. But
infallibility is not the portion of any man, and Paul himself did not claim it.
The greatest man in the church of Christ has no lordship over the weakest.
"One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." "Be
subject one to another."
Making a
Difference
When Peter
was at the conference in Jerusalem, he told the facts about the receiving of
the Gospel by the Gentiles, through his preaching, saying, "God, which
knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He
did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts
by faith." Acts 15:8,9. God put no difference between Jews and Gentiles in
the matter of the purification of the heart, because, knowing the hearts, He
knew that "there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God," so that there is no other way than for all to be
"justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus." Rom.3:22-24. Yet, after having been shown this fact by the Lord;
after having preached to the Gentiles, and after having witnessed the gift of
the Holy Ghost to them, the same as to Jewish believers; after having eaten
with those Gentile converts, and faithfully defending his course; after having given
a clear testimony in conference, that God made no difference between Jews and
Gentiles; and even immediately after himself making no difference, Peter
suddenly, as soon as some came who he thought would not approve of 75 such
freedom, began to make a difference. "He withdrew and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision." This was, as Paul says,
dissimulation, and was not only wrong in itself, but was calculated to confuse
and mislead the disciples. The fact that this was dissimulation, which was
apparent, only emphasizes the fact that there was no real difference among the
brethren. It was fear, not faith, that for the moment controlled Peter.
The Glad
Tidings
By E. J.
WAGGONER
(Excerpt- To be continued)
*******
1978 Sep -- THE
SHADOW OF "ARMAGEDDON" --[Recently,
I received from a retired minister of the Church several articles of real
thought and challenge. I wrote to him asking if I might use these in one of our
monthly thought papers. I also told this saintly elder in Israel that I wished
to give credit to the source. He replied as
follows: You certainly may use any material you
wish in your thought papers (which by the way, I appreciate very much and keep
on file) Giving credit or not; I am indifferent to that. "Gedanken sind
zollfrie." "Thoughts are exempt from custom duty."
Inasmuch as they are true and valuable, they all have one author - the One who
identifies Himself with "Truth." And if false, they have their own
father whom Jesus identifies clearly.
We
might all profit from adopting such a philosophy. The following articles down
to the author's name, reflect this minister's convictions and concerns.]
Readers
of the Bible and, in particular, students of prophecy cannot help to be
impressed with the news that sprouts from their radios in these months. Their
headlines featuring names such as "Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria
and Iraq (the site of ancient Nineveh, Babylon and Ur) and, above all, the tiny
state of Israel with heavy emphasis on its capital, Jerusalem, the nerve center
of the present commotion. In short: the ancient Bible world convulsed by feuds
whose roots may be traced as far back as Old Testament times.
To
get the full impact of what is gathering, however, we are bound to add another
feature: in the wings, on opposite poles of the action, loom the profiles of
the two superpowers of our time, monitoring their clients and feeding them with
deadly hardware while themselves poised to throw their massive might into the
arena at any moment deemed crucial to their interests.
Here then, we come on a fuse planted on a land-neck that
binds three continents together; an explosive proliferating in all directions
of the compass containing all the elements of the "Armageddon" of
Bible prophecy! An immediate neighbor of the scene expresses his concern in
these words. Referring to the recent Sadat-Begin talks, King Hussein of Jordan declared: If
these talks fail, we are at the end of the road - at the end of hope for peace.
We will be heading for disaster in terms of this area and of the whole
world. (Time, Jan. 30, 1978,
p.38)
p 2 -- To assess the gravity of the situation
more accurately, however, we shall call on one of God's accredited witnesses.
In the eleventh chapter of his prophecy, Daniel sketches the history of the
Mediterranean countries from the time of ancient Medo-Persia, via Greece and
Rome, to a point when "the king" that "shall do according to his
will" in a passionate, climacteric move will "plant the tabernacles
of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain (Jerusalem); yet he
shall come to his end and none shall help him." (Daniel 11:36-45)
Continues the inspired text: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the
great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be
a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be
found written in the book." (Dan. 12:1)
The
march of events, here outlined by the prophet, culminates in "a time of
trouble such as never was since there was a nation." For a short time,
Satan will be given an opportunity to give a demonstration of what the world
would be like if he had unrestricted control. "Satan will have entire
control of the finally impenitent." (Great
Controversy, p. 614) This is also the time to which Jesus points in His
great prophecy on the Mount of Olives - "upon the earth distress of
nations with perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth." (Luke 21:25-26)
The
world has passed through many crises. This generation alone has witnessed two
world wars. Since then, it has seen wars on the Asiatic, African, and South
American continents. At the time of writing these lines, there are fightings in
Cambodia-Vietnam, in Ethiopia-Somali, in Zaire. There are tensions between
China and the Soviet Republic, between the two Germanys; there are labor
troubles in many countries. Crime, violence and vice walk the streets of our
cities at noon and at midnight. They propagate boldly and blatantly on TV
screens, on newsstands and billboards. We are suffering from an epidemic of
kidnapping, guerilla warfare and terrorism! Behold the world, puffing and
sputtering like a volcano about to erupt! "But the wicked are like a troubled
sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no
peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked."(Isa. 57:20-21)
Serious
as these crises are, they recede to second and third places when held against
the crisis in the Mid-East. In the light of prophecy it is not a crisis on the
American continents, nor in Europe, nor in Asia that ripens into the "time
of trouble such as never was since there was a nation." It is a crisis
shaping and festering around the tiny state of Israel and the city of Jerusalem
that ripens into the "time of trouble such as never was since there was a
nation" and sparks the "Armageddon" of the Bible. It is this
singular feature that makes any crisis in that particular part of the world-map
heavy with destiny, triggering "Armageddon." In prophecy these two
events are banded together as closely as is the shadow with the substance, the
ark to, the flood, and the handwriting on the wall to the fall of the city!
There
have been moments in history when Providence focused all eyes on Israel. One
such moment occurred in the days of Solomon. God fitted him with judiciary,
administrative, executive and artistic ability, moreover, with a keen trading
instinct, that drew the attention of the world. Kings and queens, statesmen,
philosophers, scholars, artists, craftsmen, merchants and traders sought
counsel and knowledge at the feet of this living "university." (I
Kings 4:34; 11:23-24) It was thus
p 3 -- that the
world was brought into contact with God's people and the message of salvation.
Another
such moment occurred in the year 31 A. D., on the day of Pentecost, following
the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures cite more that fifteen
language-groups which were represented on that occasion, listening to the
message of Peter and the apostles. "Every tongue was represented by those
assembled." (Acts of the Apostles,
p. 39) It was an experience destined to touch off a moment which would carry
the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations under the sun within one generation.
And
once again in our days, all eyes are trained on the Mideast The creation of a
Jewish state in 1948, after a suspense of nearly two thousand years of
oppression, humiliation, climaxing in an Auschwitz and "Dachau," has
aroused the jealousy of Israel's traditional enemies - the Arabs, the
descendants of Israel. They challenged Israel's right to exist as a nation.
This cancerous relationship might be shrugged off as a "family
quarrel" which needs not concern the rest of the world. However, another
factor, peculiar to our time, magnifies the event and converts the Mideast into
a subject of universal concern. The syphoning of oil and natural gas, perfected
to a high degree of efficiency during the last four decades, coinciding with the
heyday of the automobile, the airplane, the space age and the plethora of
mechanical gadgets, all of which depend for their function on oil and gas as
the body depends on the bloodstream for its life, has given the Mid-East an
economic and political clout whose impact is felt around the circle of the
globe. It has propelled the Mideast nations once more onto center-stage! For
centuries the sluggish, anemic, inconsequential segment within the concert of
nations, the Mideast has now and suddenly become a telling and crucial factor
of the scenario.
Once
again, then, in the Providence of God, all eyes are focussed on that unique
stretch on the earth's surface - the homeland of the greatest personalities of
the race, the scene of the most exalted chapter in the history of the entire
universe, the state of God's personal intervention in human affairs, its soil,
indeed, watered with the very blood of the Creator and moistened with His
tears! Here is a phenomenon that appeals to man's historical, political,
materialistic, cultural, and religious instincts!
The
Antediluvians scoffed at the ark and its builders; the flood took them away.
Lot's wife could not bring herself to cut loose from Sodom; she lingered. Her
reluctance sealed her fate. A golden wedge entranced Achan; a hail of stones
buried him. Two talents of silver and two changes of garments made Gehazi a
leper for life. Samson was beguiled by a heathen girl; he became the sport of
his enemies. The rich young ruler clung to perishable possessions while in the
presence of Him who offers riches imperishable. Passengers there were on the
Titanic who ignored the lifeboats hanging on their davits to take them off the
fated liner. They lingered in the lounges and sauntered on her decks trusting
in "she cannot sink" - a shibboleth drilled into their ears and minds
by an arrogant propaganda. But sink she did - within hours the waters of the
Atlantic closed over her.
DEPART YE, DEPART YE FROM THEM,
TOUCH NO UNCLEAN THING:
GO YE OUT OF THE MIDST OF HER:
BE YE CLEAN, THAT BEAR THE VESSELS
OF THE LORD. (Isa. 52:11)
How
earnest, how insistent is this call! Jacob, in the fear of God, buried the
idols
p 4 -- of his household under an oak (Gen.
35:1-4). The Ephesians, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, burned their
books (Acts 18:18-19). Moses turned his back on the treasures of Egypt,
choosing rather to cast his lot with a despised and downtrodden people which
were heading for "no-man's land," the wilderness! What about us who
claim to believe in the imminence of Christ's second coming? Does our life
testify to the genuineness of our profession? Should we not, too, turn away,
separate and "come out" from everything that stands in the way
between ourselves and the gates of heaven? Should not we, at this late hour,
take an intensely earnest look at our intimate self? Then, too, at our
furniture, our pantry, our wardrobe, our bank account, our book shelves, our
discotheque, our correspondence file, our picture gallery, our social circle,
our time schedule, our hobbies and our priorities? How do these square with the
"Blessed Hope" which we, as a people, profess? How would the unseen
Witness evaluate them? Would your neighbor or the "outsider" who
observes discern that "Blessed Hope" in us? Would he feel encouraged
to enter with you and me into that blessed experience?
THEREFORE BE YE ALSO READY:
FOR IN SUCH AN HOUR AS YE THINK NOT
THE SON OF MAN COMETH.
How
many a soul has stood on the platform, forlorn, disappointed, defeated, and
stunned, watching the last car of the outgoing train disappear behind the curve
of the track or the silvery wing of the plane melt into the distant cloudlet!
How humiliating, how hopeless, how desperate, how irreversible! It is for that
reason that Christ bids us BE READY, not "Get" ready. Between
"being ready" and "getting ready" stretches an eternity!
"For
all sad words of tongue or pen,
the
saddest are these: It might have been."
Look then -- Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us. (Heb. 12:1)
Choose then -- And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers
served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
(Joshua 24:15)
Trust then -- Now unto Him that is able to keep you from failing, and
to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
to the only wise God and Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and ever. (Jude 24, 25)
p 5 -- Triumph then -- For I am now
ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
MODERN ISRAEL - A MIRACLE -- On May 15, 1948, the
British Mandate over Palestine was relinquished. On May 16, Chaim Weizmann was
elected President of the new state of Israel. Thus, thirty years ago, the State
of Israel was re-formed after an interval of almost 1900 years of oppression,
humiliation, of Ghetto-life, or Dachau and of Auschwitz! Within 24 hours the
young state was attacked by the armies of five Arab states (Egypt, Transjordan,
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq), which protested her right to exist as a nation; it was
an attempt at national infant-slaughter!
At
the time, Israel was not a military power. The defenders on which it counted
were a citizen-army, made up of miscellaneous and sundry elements; escapees
from the ghettos of Europe and Hitler's ovens; small shopkeepers, dealers in
old clothes and old furniture, pawnbrokers, moneylenders, auctioneers,
troopers, showmen, fiddlers, peddlers, etc. - an army devoid of military
training, fueled, however, by a zeal and motivation that outweighed all
shortcomings; steeled with the fiery patriotism of the Maccabees and the valor
of the Masada-heroes!
Three
wars were to follow: the Sinai campaign of 1956, the six-day war of 1967, and
the "Yom Kippur War" of 1973. From all four wars Israel emerged
victoriously, fighting against greatly superior forces. The greatest triumph
was achieved on Wednesday, June 7, 1967, when Israeli paratroopers took the
old, walled city of Jerusalem: the historical city, the city of sacred
memories, containing Mt. Moriah (which bears the footsteps of Abraham and
Isaac), the city of David and Solomon, of Hezekiah, of Jeremiah, of Zerubbabel
and Nehemiah; the city hallowed by Gethsemane and Calvary, moistened with the
tears of the Creator and watered by His very blood. What spot on earth is there
more significant to the whole human race and to heaven itself!
Today,
we hear the blasts of the ancient Shofar rise from the ancient city, calling
the world's attention to the last battle in the age-long controversy between
the forces of good and the forces of evil. Do you hear and recognize their
message? Do you take them to heart? May God help each reader of these lines to
hear, watch, to prepare and to
triumph: Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of
God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all, to
stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on
the
p 6 -- breastplate
of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Eph. 6:10-18)
THE TITANIC -- In the early dawn of Monday, April 15, 1912, the liner
"Titanic" foundered in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. She
was the greatest ship afloat at that time, the pride of the Cunard-Line: she
was on her maiden trip and she was declared to be unsinkable, or as one of her
crewmembers expressed it: "God Himself could not sink her" - a claim
no other floating craft had ever made. But sink she did, struck by an iceburg
that tore a gash of 300 feet into her starboard and sent her into the deep. She
carried 2207 souls on her decks; over 1500 perished (about 70%!). Two tragic
factors stand out in this drama of the seas: while the "Titanic"
admitted over 2000 souls to her decks, she provided life-boat capacity for only
one half (1178) of them. And again: through the hours of her last day (Sunday,
April 14) she had been receiving six warnings from ships traveling in the
opposite direction, cautioning her of the presence of icebergs - the last
warning telling her, in fact, exactly where she might expect one of these icy
monsters. In the meantime the temperature dropped ominously from 43' to 31'!
Ignoring these warnings she plowed forward at "full speed ahead"
through night and fog. The captain was in pursuit of the "Blue Ribbon of
the Atlantic" award given to the liner that would achieve the fastest
transit across the Atlantic, a prize keenly coveted by the great shipping
companies competing with each other.
What
a price to pay for a cherished priority! -- Elder
Henry E. Baasch, Silver Spring, MD
THE JEWISH NATION - A SPIRITUAL
"TITANIC"? -- "The Jewish people cherished the idea that they were the
favorites of heaven, and that they were always to be exalted as the church of
God. They were the children of Abraham, they declared, and so firm did the
foundation of their prosperity seem to them that they defied earth and heaven
to dispossess them of their rights. But by their lives of unfaithfulness they
were preparing for the condemnation of heaven and for separation from
God." (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 294)
What
think ye? Does modern "spiritual" Israel believe and teach the same
thing?
p 7 -- SIGNS OF THE TRENDS -- "Madras, (RNS) -- Touching scenes were
witnessed here when the world famed statue 'Our Lady of Fatima' visited Madras
in the course of its global tour of peace and goodwill. Thousands of Catholics,
many of them sick, came to Madras for a glimpse of the statue. The pious and
the penitent converged on the St. Mary's Cathedral, where the Lady of Fatima
image was displayed for public veneration. There were exclamations of ecstasy
from some, as hands rose in supplication. Many wept."
The
statue had been taken in procession from the airport to the Cathedral. After it
had remained in veneration for a few hours, it was escorted to the Lourdes
Shrine in Permabur, 30 kilometers from Madras, where many thousands worshipped.
"Our
Lady of Fatima is especially venerated by Catholics in Madras. When the city
was bombed by Japanese during World War II, the then Archbishop of Madras,
Louils Mathias, reportedly prayed to the Lady of Fatima to save the city. He
vowed to erect a shrine in her honor if his prayer was answered. Madras was
saved. Though bombarded constantly by the Japanese, the city suffered
relatively minor damage." (May 12, 1978, p. 9)
Comment: "As
we near the close of time, there will be greater and still greater external
parade of heathen power; heathen deities will manifest their signal power, and
will exhibit themselves before the cities of the world; and this delineation
has already begun to be fulfilled." (Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 116,117)
"Aschaffenburg, West Germany (RNS) -- Two Roman Catholic priests and the parents of a young woman have
been found guilty of negligent homicide in the death of the couple's daughter
during protracted exorcism rites ...
"According
to the indictments, Miss Michel died of 'highly advanced' malnutrition and
dehydration in her parent's home in the village of Klingenberg, near here,
after refusing nourishment during the months-long exorcism." Miss Michel
was a student at the University of Wuerzburg, and had received medical
treatment for epilepsy between 1969 and 1975. But failing to be cured, she came
to believe that she was possessed of demons. Her parents, Joseph and Anna
Michel, also came to believe that she was possessed, and consulted with a local
Catholic priest. "On his advice, 82 year-old German Jesuit Father Rodewyk,
an authority on exorcism, was called in for consultation." The Jesuit
expert recommended formal exorcism to the Bishop of the ecclesiastical
jurisdiction, who in turn appointed Fathers Alt and Renz to carry out the
ritual.
"The
two priests who performed the exorcism maintained in their court testimony that
Miss Michel had been possessed of six demons, including the spirits of Nazi
leader Adolf Hitler, Roman Emperor Nero, and Judas Iscariot.
"In
tape recordings of the exorcism rites, played in court, Miss Michel's voice was
harsh and distorted. Some observers said her voice sounded like the voice of
the 'possessed' child in the movie, "The-Exorcist," which had been
showing in West Germany for the previous two years -- as if another person were
speaking from within her."(April 24, 1978, p. 10)
p 8 -- St. Louis (RNS) -- "A former supreme knight of the Knights of
Columbus told a national gathering of Roman Catholic religious here that 'the
Church was founded by Christ, not as a democratic but an authoritative
body.'" John W. McDevitt was addressing a national congress on the theme -
"What Ever Happened to Religious Life?" - sponsored by the Institute
on Religious Life in cooperation with the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
McDevitt
declared that "Christ did not make provision for a democratic poll on His
doctrine, with the option to accept the pleasant and reject the difficult, to
embrace Mount Tabor but repudiate Calvary. He told His apostles to teach 'all
things' that He had told them. Christ wanted His followers to accept totally of what He
taught." He continued - "in the days when our Church spoke with one
voice the average loyal Catholic had ever before him uniform guidelines,
adherence to which would achieve divine salvation. However, today he is
completely confused when misguided clerics and religious go forth and preach a
distorted analysis of Vatican II and challenge the magisterium." Mr.
McDevitt indicated the cause for the problem was an "unreasonable doubt
and false theology" of which the priesthood and sisterhood of the church
were suffering. (April 25, 1978)
Comment:
How
familiar the cause - "unreasonable doubt and false theology'' - when we
take a look at our own church. Liberal thinkers are casting doubt - beyond
reason - on our positions regarding Creation, Prophecy, and the Spirit of
Prophecy; and theologians are projecting false theology in regard to the
Incarnation, and Righteousness by Faith. Result - Confusion!
Swindon, Eng. (RNS) - "Ecumenism took a
new upward swing when 400 people from six churches representing five
denominations covenanted together to become one church in this western English
town. The members came from the Baptist Tabernacle, the Church of Christ, the
Methodist Central Hall, Sanford St. United Reformed Church and Trinity United
Reformed Church and the Church of England.
"Chairmen
at the founding meeting asked the members if they were ready to become one
church. They signed their names as founding members before receiving Communion
in the presence of the invited representatives of the denominations
...Teenagers were among those who formed the new congregation and parents who
covenanted brought their children forward to be greeted and blessed."
While
a central church complex is being built - furnishings from all participating
churches, either sold or demolished, have been brought to Trinity where they
are presently meeting to show in a practical way that all of the uniting
congregations have contributed to the new structure. (April 25, 1978, p.
22) --- (Sep 1978)
"Watchman,
What of the Night? " Thought Paper.
Adventist Laymen's Foundation.
(Excerpt)
SEP 1978
