Articles for the Benefit of Members and Ex-Members of the WCG

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47
Just What is 'The Work'?

You are not called to sit 'in church'. You are called to go and bear fruit (John 15:16). So, go and do the Works of God!

Members of the Worldwide Church of God were conditioned to regard their outreach as 'the Work'. For a long time they considered their organisation as the only bastion of 'truth'. Being the preservers of the 'true gospel', and the sole defenders of the faith once delivered to the saints (as they mistakenly believed), this vaunted exclusivism gave great justification to internal govern- mental abuses and excesses.

In Servants' News of December 1996 (under the title 'Independence Day'), David Cohen aptly described some of the dangers inherent in hierarchic church structures. He wrote:

Centralized church governments and hierarchical administrations have their positive traits, no doubt. All ministers and teachings must fall in line with whatever official proclamations come out of the church's headquarters. Any dissenters will be expelled. This produces a uniformity which gives security to those who are weak or young in the faith, as well as preserves the church as a corporate organization thereby ensuring a steady income. If the teachings and policies held by the administration are sound and biblical, those truths will be rapidly and consistently reproduced in all the local congregations. However, any errors, misunderstandings or personal whims of those at the top also become quickly fastened in the minds of all members as "truth".

Amen!

One of the errors that may still be fastened in the minds of many as 'truth' is this concept that the evangelical activity of the mother church was 'the Work'.

Was it? What is the Work which Jesus first commissioned His disciples to do, and how is it carried on today?

Let's take a look and see.

What is 'The Work'?

Jesus commissioned the first apostles to:

...go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matt 28:19,20).

So, preaching the gospel, evangelising, teaching others to change and become like Christ, is a fundamental part of the Work God has given His Church to perform.

Jesus gave us a special command. He said:

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another (John 13:34,35).

That is another fundamental part of doing the Work of God on earth. Tragically, the leadership of the mother church has deceived its members that, by mouthing these words and introducing a 'new' theology (which is lawless in essence), they ARE doing what Jesus said!

Hypocrisy and self-deception are often blood brothers. They both stem from strong delusions of Satan!

The Work of God conducted by Jesus' disciples began on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out in power. Jesus had told them to wait in Jerusalem until that happened (Acts 1:4). They were to be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). That occurred (Acts chapter 2). You know the story. That's when they became witnesses for God:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

They never went to the ends of the earth. That commission is still continuing today. Jesus prophesied that the gospel WOULD go to the ends of the earth before He came again. I'm sure you know the scripture well! (Matt 24:14.)

We are now very close to the time of Jesus' return, and the gospel IS going to the world! But WHO is preaching it? Do you see, or are you blind?

It is not the Worldwide Church of God, nor its offshoots, although some may lay claim to that honour. Their impact is so minimal it is almost not worth considering!

I will come to who is preaching it in a minute. First, let's notice something else that was hidden to us in the Worldwide Church of God.

There are two points about the Work which emerge from a careful examination of these verses:

1) The Work is carried on by the Holy Spirit, not just by men.

2) The Holy Spirit provides supernatural POWER which gains people's attention and inspires the preaching.

How is 'The Work' Done?

The Work of God is carried on through the agency of the Holy Spirit. It is not a work of man, although men (and women) are directly involved.

It is conducted by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Paul talked about the uselessness of trying to reach the minds of men with human speech alone (1 Cor 1:17). You can be the greatest orator the world has ever seen, but if the Spirit of God does not lead you, your words will do nothing to bring true life to your hearers.

This was part of the problem with all that transpired in the Worldwide Church of God, and why its work is finally disintegrating. Its operations were humanly directed, humanly governed, and humanly led. The presence of dominant hierarchy was one major indicator of this fact.

Seldom did evangelism occur under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

That may sound shocking to many ears, but there is much with which we should be shocked about our former association!

Paul's preaching was much different. He stated:

My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT'S POWER (1 Cor 2:4).

When have you seen a demonstration of the Spirit's POWER? I bet you haven't if all you have been exposed to is the preaching of the Worldwide Church of God or any of its offshoots!

When have you seen blind eyes opened at public meetings when the gospel is preached? When have you seen deaf ears opened, lame people walk, cripples get up out of wheelchairs, various sicknesses miraculously cured, demons cast out of demoniacs, or even (dare I suggest it?) the dead raised?

You probably haven't! Well, sorry if this shocks you! I have! I have seen all those things occur at evangelistic meetings when those who preach also have the faith to rely upon Jesus to back them up. That is, I have witnessed all those miracles occur except one. I haven't yet seen dead people raised, but I have read several authentic accounts to know that it has occurred. Jesus said it would, and He gave the command to do so (Matt 10:8).

The trouble for us who keep the Sabbath is that all these miracles have been occurring mostly through the preaching of those who don't keep the Sabbath in the way we do. For want of a better description they are 'Sunday keepers'.

And these are the ones who are preaching the gospel to the world for a witness. They are taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the former communist lands of the USSR, eastern Europe, South America, Africa and around the world, even in the farthermost corners and underground in red China.

The Baptism of the Spirit

You have probably been baptized in water, but there is a baptism you have not been told about which is more important if you are to do the Work of God.

Jesus told those whom He had first commissioned that they would be BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT (Acts 1:5). That phrase usually falls on deaf ears. It means little to the uninitiated. But Jesus was telling them that when He baptized them in His Spirit, they would be clothed with power (Luke 24:49).

Paul was clothed with this power. When he preached, Jesus backed him up by performing miracles that convinced many of the presence of God. At Iconium:

Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders (Acts 14:3).

At Jerusalem:

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them (Acts 15:12).

There are many other places in the book of Acts describing the miraculous witness that accompanied the preaching of the gospel. That is because those who preached were baptized, as Jesus was, in the Holy Spirit AND power (Acts 10:38). You can have the Holy Spirit without the power, or you can have it with power. Miraculous signs and wonders will only follow if you believe for them. You've got to ask (Matt 7:7,11).

What is not generally realised in Sabbatarian circles is that the same miraculous signs and wonders have not ceased occurring where the gospel is preached and those preaching it have faith to receive demonstrations of miraculous power.

It is the power of God which authenticates the divine source of the gospel message. That is what it means to preach the gospel for a WITNESS! Supernatural power convicts more than words alone.

When the Holy Spirit came on that first N. T. Pentecost, it brought power. The Holy Spirit has not left. It is still with us today. How much is God's power utilized? It has been neutralised too often by false teaching that has elevated unbelief above faith!

Faith clothes us with power from on high. Unbelief undermines it. When the Spirit descended on the disciples in that upper room, manifestations of power erupted. If they had been as unbelieving as many of the onlookers, do you think God could have done so much through them? No. It was because of their expectancy, as well as their desperate need for help, that they were recipients. They were expecting something dramatic. Jesus had told them to wait and see what He would do (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5). Coupled with that, they felt vulnerable and knew their need for God after what had transpired. God could work so mightily through them because they were open to His Spirit.

By contrast, the self-righteous, smug, complacent climate engendered in a comfortable arm-chair church does nothing to aid the manifestation of the Spirit's power. It stifles it. But that is the tragic legacy the Worldwide culture has spawned.

The WCG Legacy

If you have been a part of the Worldwide Church of God and thought that its doctrines and spiritual experience were more or less complete, you won't have received this 'clothing' of the Spirit Jesus mentioned in Luke 24:49 - this power from on high. Why not? Because you were not taught to expect it, or to accept it. And what you don't believe you should receive, you won't. We all receive according to our faith. We were actually taught to distrust any 'Pentecostals' who promoted this baptism!

The Signs of This Baptism

Mark wrote Jesus' words about what it meant to be baptized with His Spirit. He wasn't just talking about receiving a small dose of the Holy Spirit, an 'earnest' or down payment. One talent, if you like. He was talking about an OUTPOURING that would demonstrate visible POWER through supernatural signs and wonders. This is what Jesus said:

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation... AND THESE SIGNS WILL ACCOMPANY those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues... they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well (Mark 16:15, 17,18).

Have you seen these visible demonstrations of supernatural POWER whenever the Worldwide Church of God preached the gospel to the world?

No.

Oh, there may have been some healings in the church. I don't deny that. God is gracious. But when did an outpouring of power occur at the preaching of the gospel in public evangelism?

When did the church ever get involved in public evangelism, period? Rarely! Usually, 'preaching' was conducted low-key, so as 'not to offend'. Or it was reduced to 'secular' terms, to 'reach people on their level'.

Mr Armstrong talked about 'a strong hand from someplace' when meeting with world leaders, rather than declaring about Jesus the Saviour of the world. He hid 'the plain truth' in veiled language just in case they might see.

When did HWA ever dare to pray for a world leader and administer a gift of healing from God like Peter and John in Acts 3? He didn't. He didn't have any gift of healing to administer! He didn't have the faith to see healing occur in the dramatic way Jesus or the first apostles literally gave it to people as God led them to do so.

That's because HWA didn't accept the powerful giftings of the Spirit. He operated in the flesh, using human reason, human logic, human appeal. He never accepted a baptism in the Spirit. He never received an anointing from God to work miracles for Him. He didn't believe in that. He turned away from the power of God and He taught His followers to turn away from that power, too, despite the caveats in scripture not to do so (2 Tim 3:5; 1 Thes 5:19).

He decried all supernatural power manifested in the meetings of other Christians as demonic. Since he considered himself the leader of the only true Church on earth, "those miracles couldn't possibly be of God since those people don't believe the same as we do." Such was the perverse reasoning which Worldwide members were conditioned to accept.

However, when were doctrinal considerations top on God's list of priorities? Few ever paused to question the myopic WCG logic. Most blindly followed their leader.

When have YOU seen demons cast out? If you have been imprisoned behind the high walls the WCG erected to contain its members, you probably haven't. East Berliners knew more about the physical affluence outside their walls than you were permitted to know of the spiritual affluence in some other Christian groups. The WCG made sure its members were held in ignorance through strict organisational controls.

My wife and I have been out of the WCG for over six years now, and in that time we have hungered for more of God and the things of His Spirit. And He has taken us to the wells of Elim. We have drunk freely of the energising water of His Spirit. I joy to tell you of what you have been missing!

Of course, many will denounce my claims as preposterous. My words will seem like a fairy tale. I agree we are simply not used to hearing of the supernatural. We live in a natural world and expect only to see the natural. So that is all we do see!

However, Jesus came to reveal the supernatural. And you can share in it, no matter how new you are to His Word. He said:

I tell you the truth, ANYONE WHO HAS FAITH IN ME will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12).

The question is, do you have that faith in Him, or are you going to stay conditioned in the physical dimension only? If you can allow yourself to begin to think like He thinks, you can move into the realm of the supernatural and do the works Jesus did. He performed miracles. So can you, if you are a yielded vessel and want what He wants.

Now, you are in the position to begin to do so.

We are, as David Cohen said, in a time of independence. We have the freedom to question everything we were formerly taught. We have the freedom to examine, not just our beliefs, but the experience of other groups outside our former affiliation and even outside our Sabbatarian persuasion. We can examine them all in the light of God's Word and grow in grace and knowledge.

I am not suggesting that, in learning from others about spiritual warfare, about casting out demons, about healing the sick, about speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, about prophesying and working miracles, that we should give up our belief in the need to keep the Sabbaths. No, I am not saying that, most emphatically not!

But the fact that God uses others whom He has not given a conviction about the 7th day as He has to us, should not deter us from learning truth from them in other quarters.

You should learn from others where you have things to learn, but you should be prepared to give them what you have, too. That is what my wife and I have done over the past six years.

Our strengths, from the background in which we have been reared, ought to be in the law and understanding it as the foundation for a disciplined Christian life.

We were discipled in the law. Others have been discipled in working the wonders of God through faith. There needs to be cross-pollination, and a plant of great vigour can then result.

Are You Ready to Go?

I am a former builder. I am not a trained preacher. For years, I even hated the idea of ministering. But when drawn into a ministry by the Spirit of the Eternal God, you can't refuse. He prepares you. If you are willing to go, He will send you. Are you willing to pay the price? If so, get your running shoes on, because He can make you move for Him!

We are now entering a time of the greatest outpouring of the Spirit in miracle-working power the world has ever seen since the time of Jesus. How do I know?

I was praying one day and God spoke to me and told me just that!

"You mean God speaks to you?"

Yes, and He will speak to you, too, if you learn to listen to His voice. He doesn't usually speak in an audible voice, but He may give you a word of knowledge, or speak to your spirit, or put certain strong thoughts in your mind. Either way, when God speaks, you will know it! That is, if you are on His wavelength - if you are prepared to do whatever He says.

Jeremiah had no problem hearing God's voice. Nor Isaiah, or Hosea, Zechariah or any prophet. The only one who had some trouble was Jonah and that was because he didn't want to do what God said.

If you will do whatever God says, you can hear from Him. Only those who rebel, or refuse to believe, fail to hear from God.

Unfortunately, too many of us from the WCG have been cloned to follow a man, and not the voice of the Spirit. It's time to move on. It's time to follow God, not man. Are you hungry and thirsty enough for more of God? If you are, He will fill you.

As Jesus told His disciples, so I must also say:

I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear (John 16:12).

It's up to you. The choice is yours. You are not called to sit 'in church'. You are called to go and bear fruit (John 15:16). So, go and do the Works of God!

Malcolm B Heap

Further Reading

For more information regarding the publications listed below, and how to request these, please visit Publications of Midnight Ministries.

Listening to God: You can learn to hear God's 'voice'. He will speak to you if you put yourself in His service and trust Him. Hearing from God is not as esoteric as most people think!

An Introduction to the Spiritual Gifts: As its title says, this booklet is about the supernatural spiritual gifts God wants to bestow on all His children. You won't see much evidence of these gifts in the WCG, because the church leaders have ousted the Spirit and taken Jesus' place. Learn about these gifts, how you can receive them and how they benefit you.

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to Worldwiders (MG1): This booklet explains how and why God works. He is not confined to working through one church organisation, or within a clone of WCG-type churches. Even particular doctrinal persuasions may not exclude His activity. God works wherever people are open to the moving of His Spirit. This booklet explains -- and much more! It gives some remarkable prophecies of what is to come in the Church.

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to Law-Keepers (MG2): This publication goes further to explain some of the workings of God's miraculous power that have not been seen in ritualistic sectors of the Church. It also explains why signs and wonders are rarely seen in the most Sabbatarian groups.

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to Philadelphians (MG3): Is Gerald Flurry's group truly the Philadelphia element mentioned in Revelation 3? Or is it a clone of a clone, duped by a false 'prophet', who has led his followers into an idolatrous subservience to the teachings of the WCG's founder, HWA? What did Hitler and Flurry have in common? Read about it in this revealing publication!

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to Sabbatarians (MG4): This booklet reveals some of the heart-rending tribulations of Chinese Christians, and how God helped them to overcome. It explains why God works with other believers outside a doctrinal persuasion which many former WCGers assumed was the only one God could work through.

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to Sacred-Namers (MG5): A subtle but crippling philosophy grips the minds of those who insist on using Hebrew names for God and Jesus. This booklet contains revelations God gave us about those who hold to this dogma and why it is so limiting spiritually.

Understanding the Mind of God, A Message to the Charismatic Church (MG6): Whilst Worldwiders and ex-Worldwiders would do well to learn about true gifts of the Spirit (which many Charismatics have upheld and utilised), Charismatics are missing the mark in certain aspects of their biblical knowledge and understanding.

Holy Fire! This publication explains about tongues, interpretation of tongues, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, prophesying through the power of the Spirit, and how to properly use the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Who is the End-Time Elijah? He was not HWA, nor any other human. No one should get puffed up thinking such idle notions. This booklet reveals who He is and the amazing scope of his incredible worldwide work!

Faith -- Raising Our Level of Expectation: Without faith it is impossible to please God or appreciate His miracles. This booklet explains how you can raise your level of expectation to see the impossible become possible.

Prophets and Prophesying: You probably don't believe that prophets exist in the Church today. They are scorned by sceptics, but they are present, as are pastors and teachers. Jesus promised (Eph 4:11-13). The question remains: Where are they? Do you want to know?