The Only Guaranteed Way to Escape End-Time Catastrophes

CHAPTER 5

PHILADELPHIANS PERSEVERE IN DOING GOD’S WORK

Jesus Christ describes the Philadelphians as perpetually having an enthusiastic fiery zeal for doing God’s work while the Laodiceans are lukewarm. But what is God’s work in the end time?

Jesus Christ gave His Church a commission: to preach the gospel. The word gospel means good news. The central message of the gospel has been the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Wherever a description is attached to the word gospel, it is about the Kingdom of God. For example, Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV) shows that the gospel is about the Kingdom of God: “14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Matthew mentions the Kingdom when discussing Jesus or the disciples preaching such as in Matthew 4:35: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom…” and Matthew 9:35: “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom…”

When discussing Jesus’ preaching Luke also mentions the Kingdom of God such as in Luke 4:43, “And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent” and in Luke 8:1: “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him.”

Thus the works God requires His Church to do is to preach the gospel or the good news of the establishment of the Kingdom of God. The apostles preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. They expected Jesus Christ to return soon and establish the Kingdom of God. They felt an urgency to preach the gospel message as far and wide as they could. But Jesus did not return in their lifetimes. Gradually the focus on preaching the gospel of the establishment of the Kingdom of God was lost.

Preaching the gospel included preaching about the forgiveness of humanity’s sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which would have resulted in conversions to Christianity. This was also a part of the commission Jesus had charged His Church with as stated in Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV): “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Mark states Jesus’ command slightly differently in Mark 16:15-16: “15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke 24:46-47 words the command differently: “46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Mark says Jesus’ command was to preach the gospel to every creature, and he had stated in Mark 1:14-15 that the gospel was about the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Luke says that the disciples were commanded to preach about repentance and remission of sins which is the beginning point of conversion. When we put these scriptures together, it seems clear that Jesus’ command to His disciples was to preach the gospel which is about the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth and that humans could enter that Kingdom by repenting and forgiveness of their sins, becoming disciples of Jesus Christ and observing all things that He had commanded the disciples. When Jesus Christ did not return in the life time of the apostles to establish the Kingdom of God, eventually the Church no longer emphasized the Kingdom of God and the preaching focused mainly on repentance and remission of sins, and observing all that Jesus had commanded the disciples. But Jesus prophesied that the gospel of the Kingdom of God would again be preached in all the world before the end of man’s age and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. This prophecy is recorded by Matthew and Mark.

Matthew 24:14: “14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Mark 13: 10: “And the gospel must first be published among all nations.”

This is essentially the work God has charged His Church with in the end time that we now live in. This work was started by Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong and must continue till the very return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God. And when Jesus Christ returns, the task will be completed by a powerful angel (Revelation 14:6).

Question is, why does God want us to demonstrate fiery zeal and enthusiasm for doing His work, that of preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God on earth, and for His way of life?

The answer is: If you have not been enthusiastic about doing God’s work on earth in this end time with the promised reward of becoming immortal sons and daughters of God and ruling the universe with Him, then you are demonstrating to God that you may not even be enthusiastic about life in His kingdom. If you have no joy in being alive, then what use is it to be in God’s kingdom for eternity? That is why God will not grant eternal life to those of us who are not enthusiastic about His way of life and not diligent to live it and do His work while they are in His Church. You have to want to be alive because you enjoy living.

King Solomon had summed up the attitude about life and work in Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NKJV), “10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” That is the attitude God wants in members of His Church of the Philadelphian era because He has promised them rulership of the entire universe with permanent positions at His headquarters (Revelation 3:12).

So what does doing God’s work with fiery zeal and enthusiasm mean?

Actually if a person wants to enthusiastically live God’s way, he will be so busy that he simply cannot be bored. There are so many interesting and exciting things to do and not enough time to do them all. Here is how God expects us to persevere in doing His work with fiery zeal.

1. God Works Through Righteous People – The most important thing to remember is that God does not work through sinners. He works through righteous people. A Christian has a life-long battle to overcome sin. So overcoming sin must remain our top priority so that God can bless our efforts in doing His work, which will encourage us to do it with greater enthusiasm and fiery zeal. Overcoming sin requires diligently studying God’s word (a never ending exciting quest), regularly fasting, praying and meditating to stay close to God and staying focused on continually examining ourselves as well as asking God to reveal our hidden sins so that we can work to overcome them. More will be discussed on overcoming sin later.

In addition to overcoming sin, we are also required to improve ourselves to become better human beings. This means improving the ways in which we relate to others, and even personal habits to become more disciplined or efficient or in improving in whatever good trait we may be lacking.

Thus becoming righteous persons should remain our top priority so that God can use us effectively in His work and bless our efforts.

2. Remember God’s Work is our Family Work – Our motivation to do God’s work should come from the understanding that God’s ultimate purpose is to make all human beings His immortal sons and daughters, and members of God’s Church till the return of Jesus Christ are the firstfruits or pioneers in God’s plan to accomplish this. Literally, God’s business will be our family business for eternity. His business right now should be our own family business so that we can convince Him that His business will remain our family business for eternity. God will then be pleased to grant eternal life to such individuals as His literal spirit born sons and daughters.

Would a multi-billionaire’s sons and daughters not be enthusiastic about the family business in order to maintain their wealth and enhance it? In the same way we should own God’s work of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God as a witness to all nations (Matthew 24:14). The eternal reward God is offering us should be our greatest motivator to do God’s work right now.

3. Performing our Roles in God’s Work with Fiery Zeal – All of us in God’s Church have collective roles to perform as a Church in God’s work and then individual roles. Individually only a few are required to do the preaching. These would be presenters in the TV, radio and Internet based programs. They must give their best, backing up what they say with the latest research available.

Then individual roles that each of us need to perform with fiery zeal include:

i) PRAYING FOR GOD’S WORK – The Bible tells us in James 5:16-17 (NKJV): “16…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” God wants us to pray for each other which develops the habit of loving and caring for our brethren. In the same way how much we pray fervently for success of God’s work is an indicator of how much zeal we have for God’s work. To break down our prayers in fine detail, we need to be in touch with what is going on in God’s work. Then we need to give thought to what will make the work more successful. Then ask God in deeply felt prayer in detail to give the work success in that particular area as well as overall success.

ii) OFFERING SUGGESTIONS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT – Diligently praying for God’s work requires keeping in touch with the details of God’s work. We will be motivated to think about God’s work when we recognize that we own it in partnership with God, which will lead us to continuously think about the ways in which it can be improved and offering suggestions to do so.

iii) PHYSICAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE WORK – God’s work also involves physical distribution of literature, particularly the monthly magazine of the Church, through various retail outlets and waiting rooms of various professional practices. Each of us should get involved in these programs as our individual time allows.

iv) PROVIDE FOR THE FINANCIAL NEEDS OF THE WORK – God’s work needs to be financed without any advertising revenue, or public solicitation for donations. Therefore, these needs have to be met mainly by the tithes and offerings of members and prospective members who attend services. Each of us needs to be faithful in paying our tithes and offerings for doing God’s work.

v) BE A LIGHT TO THE WORLD - Members of God’s Church are to be a light to the world. Our lives should be examples of the gospel in action. Many conversions to the Church take place by the living example of members. A light does not make noise, but is seen. So people in the world should be able to learn God’s way of life by seeing how we live our lives as an example. Many people have joined God’s Church after seeing the godly life led by a member they came in contact with. This means constantly evaluating our conduct to make sure that it reflects God’s way of life at all times. And our example should be a shining example, visible for all the world to see, as a candle on a candle stick (Matthew 5:15, Mark 4:21, Luke 8:16). We let our light shine when we share our neighbors’ burdens by helping then in times of need.

vi) PROVIDE FOR AND RAISE GODLY FAMILIES - A Christian has an obligation to provide well for his family and raise godly children. This means working hard at one’s job or profession to earn a decent living, developing a close relationship with one’s mate that should last for eternity, and diligently raising children in God’s way of life.

vii) CARING FOR THE BRETHREN - This includes getting to know fellow members more intimately through regular fellowship, praying for them for help they might need, praying for the sick. showing loving concern with uplifting encouraging conversation and providing physical help as needed. Remember our reward: For Philadelphians it is eternity together as pillars (meaning positions of rulership) at God’s headquarters, and for all other eras of the Church as firstfruits ruling the universe. We will be working together for eternity. That’s why it is important to develop a caring and loving attitude towards all members of God’s Church.

viii) WATCH - Jesus Christ admonished us in Luke 21:36: “Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Make your calling and election sure. The Great Tribulation is almost upon us. We have been told to watch world events so that we are not caught unawares. We can watch and understand world events only if we thoroughly understand prophecy. God’s Church does understand very well the sequence of world events. But do each of us as members understand it individually? One’s life may depend upon it. The meaning of the 1,260, 1,290 and 1,335 days mentioned in Daniel 12 give us the precise time God’s Church will have to flee to the place of safety. We will have only a limited time to flee. If someone is not keeping up with world events, he or she may miss the signal to flee. This means that person will have to go through the Great Tribulation. It will be the most horrible experience in the history of man. That is how important it is to watch.

Collectively the works the Church needs to perform with fiery zeal include the following:

i) PREACH THE GOSPEL – The most important work the Church has to perform is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God to every nation on earth. This means God’s Church must allocate largest percentage of its resources for this purpose. The Church also has a unique message. It is a two-fold message: a warning to the world of the coming prophesied catastrophes, and announcing the good news of the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. For the Church’s message to remain credible it must be sound on prophecy. Only when the prophesied events come true as prophesied will the Church continue to gain more credibility leading to conversion of millions during the Great Tribulation due to the hope preached by the Church that the world’s nightmare will soon end and Jesus Christ will return, save man from Satan and himself and establish God’s Kingdom.

ii) EXHIBIT GODLY (AGAPE) LOVE – Jesus Christ told His disciples that the way the world will recognize us as His disciples is by the godly love with which we love one another. He said in John 13:34-35: “34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." This means showing care and concern for each member in words and deeds with no one being neglected, visiting one another and dealing peaceably with each other.

iii) LIGHT TO THE WORLD – Besides each of us being a light to the world, the Church collectively should be a light to the world. When the Church gathers for weekly or holy day church services or meets for the Feast of Tabernacles, the world deals with us as a Church. We should let our light shine in the way we conduct ourselves, how we do all things decently and in order, how we make the work of the service staff of the facilities we meet in easier, how our children behave in an orderly manner, how we enjoy ourselves without disorderly, rowdy or drunken behavior, how we travel on the road and obey all of man’s and God’s laws, and in how we deal patiently with the waiting staff at restaurants and hotels. Though as a Church, our main focus has to be preaching the gospel, we should make charitable contributions to the communities in which we hold the Feast of Tabernacles as our individual budgets allow. In short, every aspect of our dealings with the public should be an opportunity for the Church to let its light shine in exemplifying God’s way of life.

iv) UPHOLD GOD’S STANDARDS IN EVERYTHING WE DO – Mr. Armstrong set the highest standards in how we as a Church and individual members should behave and deal with the world. Jesus Christ’s command to the Church is to make the gospel to the world available free of cost as we have received it freely (Matthew 10:7-8: “7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”) In addition, our publications should remain free of advertising.

v) SOUND IN DOCTRINE AND ABLE TO GIVE AN ANSWER – God’s Church and each member should be sound in doctrine in keeping with the admonition through Peter the apostle in 1 Peter 3:15-16: “15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.”

Other Christian denominations may label us anything they like, but God’s Church should always be ready to soundly defend its doctrines from the scriptures. We should continue to answer all the criticism leveled at our beliefs through our publications so that anybody who wants to seek after the truth can find the answer there.These are the various ways we individually and collectively as a Church can do our part in doing God’s work with fiery zeal.

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