Sabbath 20/3/31/120

Dear Friends,

The Scriptures tell us that all things work together for the good for those that love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

Many of us suffer trials and things happen to us that make us wonder why God allows these things to happen. Some of us find ourselves asking why God is doing this. Some offer themselves up instead of their loved ones. One finds one’s self praying: “Lord God please kill me and let them live.” Some find themselves in a state of separation and their families damaged. God says He hates divorce and so we say, “Well, why is it happening to me if you hate divorce? Why don’t you stop it?” If you are a baptised member of the Body of Christ then God is allowing trials to teach you whatever lessons He wishes you to know and to correct you in your ways.

Many of us have injuries or illnesses and many of us die. God does not always intervene, and sometimes His way of intervening is through a good surgeon or physician.

Often people will seek guidance and then when they are told what the answer is they don’t like it and don’t take the comment and act on it. When it doesn’t get better, please don’t blame God.

The Problem of Evil is one of serious concern to the religious. If God is all-powerful then why does He allow tragedy and misfortune? Why do we have untimely death and sickness and theft and diseases by plague?

Romans 8:28 must be wrong then. No, it is not wrong. The end words, “and are called according to His purpose”, are the key to the mystery. God is not dealing with the whole world at present. He will give His Spirit to whoever asks but it is up to them to continue in the Body of Christ, according to His Laws. This is the basis of the term “called but not chosen”. These people hear the call of God through the Holy Spirit, but are unable to continue or to discern truth from fiction and to follow in obedience.

This error occurred in the twentieth century when a minister of God changed the calendar and began keeping the Hillel calendar of fourth-century Judaism. He built quite a following. At one stage he had 105,000 people all keeping this Hillel calendar with the exception that he kept a different Pentecost but according to the Babylonian postponements introduced to Judaism in 344 CE and adopted by Hillel II in 358 CE. The Jews freely admit that it was not used in the Temple system although they make false statements about aspects of it. It is easy for any disciplined mind to solve the problem and see what happened. When this system was tested it fell apart. It espoused Binitarianism and Ditheism. It kept the false calendar of Hillel with the Pentecost change, but in the wrong months much of the time.

Its ministry wondered why God did not hear them. They even held prayer vigils for God to restore the power of healing to the Church as none of them had such power. They had diseases and death and divorce and they did not understand why God did not listen to their prayers and intervene. A number had come to us for healing and were healed. Yet some did not repent or change. They went back to what they were doing.

The answer was simple. God did not hear them because they did not obey Him. They kept their Holy Days on the wrong days and even the wrong months for much of the time. 

Sometimes people are called that have serious mental problems and feelings of inadequacy. Faith and obedience will help you overcome those problems and your family can help, and it takes patient support from the Church.

There is, in fact, a group of people that have serious mental illness in their families and they go from church to church attacking each church and its officers, as they go on to the next. Some have been through a number of the Churches of God and attack each one as they move on. Much of it is through their serious feelings of inadequacy and rejection. Some of the things they say are straight out blasphemy. Much of it comes through their own illness and inadequacy and the fact that their families carry the hereditary mental illness they themselves suffer. They are to be pitied and prayed for in the hope that they are given peace from the mental torment they themselves suffer and inflict on others.

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God (Heb. 10:31).

Some people come to us for prayer, to heal, or to restore, or to get God to intervene in divorce. God does, but the people do not see that the intervention was in answer to our prayers because of our obedience to His Laws.

God will not be concerned about that unless you are called and in that case He will deal with you and you will be prepared for the First Resurrection no matter what it takes.

In some cases, we have been asked for prayer and then given a theological argument as to why we are not correct in our views. If we are in error and leading others astray, why would God listen to us and answer our prayers? If we are wrong, why come to us for assistance?

Some people don’t do that at all. Sometimes it is their spouses that come to us for prayer. Once we fasted and prayed for a woman that could not be cured by any other of the Churches of God. Her husband came to us in desperation and we prayed and fasted and she was cured and he thanked us, but that was the last we saw or heard of them.

One dear lady in CCG was miraculously cured of cancer and is still well and working in the Church.

Some people have problems with obedience. They follow pet theories and wonder why they are struck by misfortune and there is no answer. If you disobey God He will ignore you. You are back in the world, which is the realm of Satan. Then the further you go from God the more Satan will bless you. Once a member of CCG went to work on the Sabbath. She was not struck by lightning and so went back again and within a month she was working every Sabbath she wanted and was out of the Church.

It is written: Give your works to the Lord and He will establish your thoughts or plans (Prov. 16:3). It is not the other way around. In other words, do what the Bible says and He will develop the understanding of the Law and Mysteries of God. Don’t just think about God and expect Him to give you understanding. He gives you a Law and you keep that and then He gives you more understanding about what it all means. You begin to more fully understand the Plan of Salvation.

When you are baptised, God expects obedience. He gives you to Christ and if you are indeed predestined to be chosen and called you will not be lost. However, He does expect obedience and you must count the cost. If your spouse will not support you then you have to continue. Sometimes God may well remove them.

During your calling you have power over the demons as long as you are faithful. We all sin and we all discern the Body of Christ and keep the Passover with that Body. We are expected to tithe to the Body. If you keep the wrong calendar in the wrong system then don’t expect to be given the gifts of God.

Keep working together and love one another. By that you show that you love God.

Be patient with one another and follow the truth as God deals with you.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General