OUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS ALL POWERFUL AND ALL MIGHTY

  THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL

“He changeth times and seasons. He removeth kings and setteth kings.” — Daniel 2:21. The will of the Father is going to be carried out in the affairs of man, whether civil or religious. He has a definite program to be put over, which He has made known in the scriptures of truth, and He is abundantly able to see that it goes over. His arm is not shortened neither is his purpose changed. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever.”

Therefore, the only safe course to follow is daily seeking wisdom from the guiding hand of Him who has “declared the end from the beginning and from ancient time the things that are not yet done.” —- Isaiah 46:10. All of His counsel shall stand and He will do all of His pleasure (verse 10). If we are fully in line with the purpose and work of the Lord, our efforts will be assured of His blessings and will be crowned with success. It may not be success as men see it, but it will be according to the purpose of Him who has called us, and will be for the glory of His Name.

  Don’t Worry about the Church 

We often see people worried about the affairs of the church, and some even smite their fellow servants with gossip about the things they hear, because certain ones do not go along with or exactly follow them. Such things only bring down the wrath of heaven upon the cause they try to build. It is like the golden wedge and the Babylonian garment were to Israel. Such off course permitted and encouraged by any group of the Church of God, will assure their defeat today just the same as it brought defeat to Israel then. (See Joshua 7:1-20.

While this sin was stealing, which brought upon them defeat from their enemies, the other is bearing false witness and there is no difference. Ministers of any group bearing false witness, condemning and judging ministers of another, which has been practiced by some in the past, will bring the wrath of God with defeat upon them, and also upon the group by which they are authorized and sent out; just the same as it brought defeat upon Israel, as given in this chapter.

The Holy Spirit will not operate among any people who are openly violating the holy precepts of God. Any group that permit this will be overcome by this world, and Satan will soon have complete victory over them. Their ambitions will be for worldly show, and a display of ownership of the things of this world, just like uncovered Peter, who thrice denied the Lord.

It was also while in this same condition that his ambition was to build a great tabernacle: one for Moses, and one for Elijah and one for Christ. —- Luke 9:28 to 33. Our Savior told him that after he was converted he would strengthen the brethren. —- Luke 22:32. How true it was! After the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he became a powerful magnet, and drew sinners by thousands, as on the day of Pentecost when three thousand were baptized! —- Acts 2nd chapter. His ambitions were then to “feed the lambs and the sheep,” instead of to build great tabernacles for a show, and in this worldly way appeal to the lost and unsaved.

The minister of any group, who tries to make an appeal by driving a brand new up-to-the-minute model car, is on the wrong track, and needs just what Peter received on the day of Pentecost. The appeal of the gospel is the presence of the Holy Spirit, with the minister that spreads abroad a divine virtue of Holy magnetic power touching the hearts of sinners until they cry out: “What shall I do to be saved?”

The Power of Money, or the Power of the Gospel? 

Any group of the “Church of God” that may set their affections on the ownership and control of property, either to make an appeal to the world, or to hold a church congregation within a certain line, has drifted far away from the teachings of their Master whom they try to follow. Such conditions are always the fruit of the spirit. They spring forth from the lives of leadership void of the baptism or the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and as a result of a lack of prayer and holy consecration.

Any group looking to the power of money instead of the power of the gospel of Christ will be a spiritual failure. They may by erecting a mercenary system which makes a big show here from the viewpoint of the world, but will only be a very small spot in the kingdom of God.

Exercising Authority over God’s Children 

“Jesus called them unto Him (James and John), and said unto them: Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the gentiles exercise AUTHORITY UPON THEM. But so shall IT NOT BE AMONG YOU.” —- Mark 10:42, 43.

Whenever church leaders begin to practice this thing which our Savior here has positively forbidden, their power will cease in converting the unsaved to the way of eternal life. They may build up a big mercenary system with a show of worldly wealth, but void of the real Spirit and the “Power of the Gospel”, it will be mostly wood, hay and stubble. Therefore, let the laity watch, and the ministry beware how they proceed, and weigh carefully the precious words of the MASTER, in the foregoing text.

There Are Others Besides Ours 

There were different groups of the Father’s children two thousand years ago, just as there are today, according to the record of the gospel. The apostle John came across one of these, according to the following text. “John answered him saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and HE FOLLOWETH NOT US.” How similar is this conditions today, where one condemns and forbids another because he “FOLLOWS NOT US.”

What did the Master say? Dear reader, it was just exactly as He would say today. Here is His answer: “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give a cup of water to drink in my name, because YE BELONG TO CHRIST, verily I say unto you, HE SHALL NOT LOSE HIS REWARD.” —- Mark 9:38-41.

In the first part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians brethren, he speaks of these condition also and of finding those who were of Paul and some of Appolos, and some of Cephas and some of Christ. —- 1 Cor. 1:12, 2:5. He condemned this condition as one of carnality. —— 1 Cor. 7:4. Just so it is today. Let all of the groups of the Church of God remember that every member among each of them, if living the life according to Revelation 12:17, is one of the true Church of God, the body of Christ, with the only true record in heaven the Lamb’s Book of Life. Let us pray that every wall between them, that the enemy erects, shall crumble and fall.

When speaking of these carnal conditions in which the apostle Paul mentions the Appolos and Cephas groups, he also says in verse 8: “For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” —- 1 Cor. 3:9. “For other foundations can no man lay than that is laid, which is CHRIST JESUS.” —– Verse 11. “Fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.” —– Verse 13.

Vengeance Is Mine —– I Will Repay 

The apostles were winning the souls to Christ under the power of the Holy Spirit, and their ememies rose up to kill them. Gamaliel, a doctor of law, under whose teaching Paul had be taught the perfect manner of the law, etc., rose up in the council of the Pharisees and said:

The speech of Gamaliel 

“He said unto them: Ye men of Israel, take heed unto yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose u Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about 400, joined themselves: who was slain, and all, as many, as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to naught. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

“And now I say unto you: Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men it come to naught. But if it be of God ye cannot OVERTHROW IT, lest happily ye be found to fight against God. And to him they agreed. And when they had called the apostles and had beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.” —– Acts 5:35 to 40.

Here they smote them with lash, but today men of different groups in some cases are smitting one another with tongue, by spreading every evil report they can get, which in most cases is not true. Hence they break the commandment that forbids “bearing false witness” , and drive away the Holy Spirit from their midst. The work of the Church of God is to feed the “lambs and the sheep” (John 21:15-17), to strengthen the brethren (Luke 22:32), and to spread abroad “good tidings of good that publisheth salvation.” —– Isa. 52:7. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples. IF ye have love one to another.” —– John 13:35