E-mail: secretary@ccg.org

This paper is available from the World Wide Web page:
http://www.logon.org and http://www.ccg.org

In Matthew 28:18-20 Christ orders his followers to teach his commandments to all nations. Every baptized member of the Church is part of a new priesthood and is subject to this injunction. Withdrawal from this duty is directly condemned in Matthew 25:14-30 as the burying of the talent.

Those who are called and made to know the mysteries of God through the action of the Holy Spirit have a tremendous responsibility to act on the knowledge they have been given. This includes both obeying the commandments of God and teaching others to do so.

Part of obedience is paying tithes to the Temple. God’s temple is not defunct. The elect are the Temple (1Cor. 3:16-17; 1Pet. 2:5-10). At no time has there been a cessation of the body of Christ, for he promised he would be with his people to the end of the age. Therefore, the tithe system stands, and it is the duty of each individual to determine where the truth of the gospel is being preached and to place his or her efforts and resources behind that work.

Not long ago we were the children of wrath, dead in trespasses and sins, and under the power of Satan – just like everyone else (Eph. 2:1-3). Only by the grace of God have we been raised to a place as living stones in his temple (Eph. 2:4-10, 19-22). No man can boast of this construction.

All of the elect are a royal priesthood (1Pet. 2:9). The doctrine of the Nicolaitans seeks to divorce the elect into separate groups of priest and laity, denying franchise to the body of the Church. Christ hates this doctrine (Rev. 2:6). Members of organizations that hold this doctrine are by no means excused from the Commission.

The Church should be structured in an orderly and lawful manner to achieve the work of God. All who are part of it must work continually for the furtherance of the faith, each according to his gifts and ability. Eat no man’s bread without paying, and keep away from those who live in idleness (2Thes. 3:6-15). We have a duty to provide for our physical families, and this extends also to the family of God, which is spiritual (1Tim. 5:8). It is better to lose a hand or a foot than to miss out on the Kingdom (Mat. 18:7-9).

The Commission must be completed before the end can come. The 144,000 must be selected and sealed (Rev. 7:1-8). Most are tried and dead already, having been martyred for the faith. They await the Messiah. We carry on the work.

Recent systems of abuse are no excuse for failure to regroup and work together with like-minded believers. Trials are used to remove the dross from those who walk by faith: faith in God.

Organization is essential, as is local independence. Everyone must be prepared to exercise leadership. Any system that relies on a centralized ministry and does not educate its members in the exercise of reason and Spirit-led decision-making, will not survive under persecution. A true Christian leader makes himself the slave of all (Mk. 10:42-44).

No individual can be a church. We must work in groups and as a group, bound together in the Holy Spirit. If our group has no sound published doctrine, we should join one that does.

We should all ask:

Am I pulling my own weight?

Am I burying my talent?

What constructive work for the faith did I last do?

Am I sitting at home with a bundle of other people’s documentation and supporting none?

When was the last time I attended services or the Passover or the Feast with others?

There is coming a time when no one can work, but that time is not yet. There is much to do, and the labourers are few. Let us work the works of Him that commissioned us. Let us work while it is yet day.