Spring, 2000

THE REMNANT SPEAKS TO YOU

FROM THE EDITOR:

What is the Remnant and where did it come from? This question is being asked more frequently across this great country as more and more people are asking the question: can this be true what we are reading; does the arrival of this church on the scene prove that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent?

"Satan appears as an angel of light"

We of the remnant must let the word of God answer that question and many other questions as well, for only the word of God is true. You can trust very little of what you read and hear, as most of the knowledge of this world has been corrupted by Satan and his spirit. We read about that spirit in I Corinthians 2:12 where it is called the spirit of the world and is in opposition to the Holy Spirit of God which is given to the true followers of Jesus Christ. This spirit is sent out into the world by the greatest hornswaggler of all time, Satan the devil. Revelation 12:9 tells us that Satan has deceived the whole world by appearing as an angel of light. In other words Satan and what he proposes looks good and righteous while in most cases it is nothing but a slick counterfeit, which leads people astray. Notice 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Here we see that Satan has ministers whom he works through who also look good and righteous. Some are deceived themselves and some are in league with the master of deception. How can you spot or identify his ministry? Christ said there is only one way, (Matthew 7:15-20); by their fruits. What would their teaching produce if followed, good fruit or evil fruit?

Most of their deceptive teaching centers around the Commandments of God and their application under the new covenant. Many ministers teach that the Commandments of God have been done away with and need no longer be kept. Jesus said emphatically in Matthew 5:17 that he didn't come to do away with the law or the prophets, he came to fulfill them and he did. He fulfilled the prophecies and the law to its highest spiritual intent and he did it flawlessly without sin, so that we might be forgiven of our sins and receive salvation.

"Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say"

They also teach a false concept of grace described in Jude 4. They teach that all that is needed for salvation is belief in Christ as their savior; that you can live your life free from the law of God and still receive salvation, while God's word teaches no such thing. The word of God teaches us in I John 5:1-3 that we must strive to keep his commandments and Matthew 7:21-23 tells us that it's not enough to just believe in Christ, but that we must strive to do the father's will. What is the father's will? It is to believe on his son and to do what he tells us. Jesus even posed this question in Luke 6:46, why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say.

This is what the Remnant Church is all about. This is what we teach and what we live for. To believe in Jesus Christ as our savior and do what he tells us, live like he told us to live. This is called the testimony of Jesus and we read about it in Revelation 12:17.

"Remnant - a small remaining part"

Just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ we see a group of people arising out of the religious confusion of this world who are called the Remnant. The two main tenants of their faith are the commandments of God and the testimony of his son, Jesus Christ. The Remnant Church began with a small bible study group, which was trying to understand what the testimony of Jesus was. Little did I know, that the Worldwide Church of God, of which we were members and I was an elder for twelve years, was about to issue me an ultimatum? The ultimatum was that I could no longer preach or promote the seventh day Sabbath as the true day of worship or the seven annual Holy Days of God. Plus, I had to capitulate and preach and promote the Holidays that supposedly honor Christ such as Christmas and Easter. I also had to preach that the Ten Commandments of God including the seventh day Sabbath were not binding on Christians and instead promote Sunday worship. It was time for us to leave and time for the remnant to be raised up. The word remnant as defined by Webster's, is a small remaining part of a number of persons or things.

Remnant from the original Greek means remaining ones and is derived from a root verb meaning to leave. We of the Worldwide Church of God believed that the Laodicean Church age was to be the last, but now we understand that the remnant is to be the final age before Christ's return. Another meaning for remnant is the last remaining indication of what has been.

The emergence of the remnant should prove to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings is near; even at the doors. The remnant will never be a large part of the body Christ. The indication is in Romans 11:4-5 that it will be 7,000 members just before Christ returns and that it will not bow the knee to Baal; this means it won't embrace pagan religious practices such as keeping the world's holidays.

The Remnant Church is teaching, and will continue to teach, that the Ten Commandments of God, including the seventh day Sabbath, are binding on all Christians. We will also continue to teach that the keeping of the commandments will in no way gain an individual entrance into the Kingdom of God, but the breaking of those Ten Commandments could very well keep a person out of God's Kingdom and deny that person the salvation they seek after.

"The testimony of Jesus is what he had to say!!"

I had studied about the testimony of Jesus in 1968 with the Seventh Day Adventists who had taught that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy, (Rev. 19:10) but I had now come to understand that rather than define the testimony of Jesus, Revelation 19:10 describes it. In other words the testimony of Jesus, or the words that Christ spoke, are what inspires all prophecy. Most Christian theologians teach that the testimony of Jesus is our witness for him. But the scriptures don't say the testimony for Jesus or about Jesus, they say the testimony of Jesus. It is what the Son of God had to say, what he spoke.

In John 3:31-34, John the Baptist gives his own testimony, his own witness for Jesus. Here is what he says; (verse 31) He that comes from above is above all (meaning Jesus Christ). He that is of the earth is Earthly and speaks of the earth. (John describing himself not like Christ who speaks of heavenly things.) He that comes from Heaven is above all. (Showing the great power and authority of Jesus Christ.) (Verse 32) and what he has seen and heard, (Jesus Christ) that he testifies, and no man receives his testimony. What Jesus saw and heard from the Father he commanded to be written down in the red letters of your Bible, so they would stand out like a sore thumb and nobody then would have any excuse for not seeing them. What he commanded to be written down is called the Testimony of Jesus; it's what he had to say - it's his testimony.

When President Clinton testified before the grand jury, what he had to say was his testimony; and if you ever have to testify in court it will be known as your testimony. Conversely, the red letters in your bible constitute the Testimony of Jesus Christ.

And notice verse 32 again; "very few receive his testimony." People read it but they don't receive it or they don't implement it into their lifestyle; they don't live their lives by it. (Verse 33) But those few who do read it and believe it enough to live their lives by its message, know that what God has to say is true. (Verse 34) For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. Now we understand even more. It would be extremely important if these were only the words of Jesus; but now we see that they are really the words of God the Father, given to Jesus to give to us.

Jesus not only came to this sin-infested earth to die for our sins, but God the Father sent him as a messenger, with a message, to the elect from himself. That message is written in red letters in your bible and is called the testimony of Jesus, which we preach and proclaim. Matthew 7:28 tells us that the people of his day were astonished at his doctrine, and in John 7:16 Jesus said, "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me". In John 8:28 Jesus said "I do nothing of myself, but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things".

So now we see and understand that the testimony of Jesus is really the doctrine of God and the most important doctrine of all time. It was given to Jesus to give to us and in essence explains to us how God wants us to live our lives in relation to him and our fellow human beings under the new covenant.

I think John 12:48-50 sums up the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Verse 48) "He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him". Notice very carefully. "The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day". Notice that every man and woman who has ever lived; white or black, red or yellow, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor will be judged by the words that Jesus spoke, the Testimony of Jesus, the red letters in your bible. The testimony that we the Remnant Church proclaim to you today is the most important doctrine of all time. (Verse 49) "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." (Verse 50) "And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."

In Revelation 12 we read about the history of the Church of God from it's humble beginning as the nation of Israel (called the church in the wilderness in Acts 7:38), to the beginning of the Christian dispensation in verse Rev. 12:5 when Christ was born and died for the sins of the world.

Also in verse 5 we read about Jesus ascending to the throne of God to be our high priest and in verse 6 we read about the persecution of Satan upon the Church of God promoted by the Roman Empire and the great false church. In verse 6 we also see the church fleeing into a physical wilderness where God feeds her the true bread from Heaven (Jesus Christ) just as he fed the ancient congregation of Israel physical manna in the wilderness of Sinai. In verse 7 we see Satan fighting God for rulership of the universe. In Isaiah 14:13-14 Satan fails in his war with God and is cast back to the earth. This is the point in time where Christ in Luke 10:18 tells us: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven". This takes place very near to the return of Jesus Christ, for in verse 12 we're told that Satan is very angry because he has but a short time left.

"Apostasia - a falling away from truth"

In Revelation 12:14 Satan tries to persecute the Church but finds her again in a wilderness where she is helped by the world. Instead of a physical wilderness the body of Christ is now in a spiritual wilderness having lost much of the original truth of God. In II Thessalonians 2:3, Paul tells us that one of the signs of the imminent return of Jesus Christ would be a falling away from the truth by the church. The word apostasia is used here and can mean only one thing, a falling away from the truth (not in numbers). Verse 10 tells us that their eternal life could be lost, not because they didn't receive the truth, they did receive it, they just didn't love the truth enough to keep it.

I Timothy 4:1-2 tells us there would be Christians, just before the return of Christ, who would leave the truth and believe doctrines of demons or false doctrines such as the satanic inspired doctrine of Jude 4, which is a false concept of grace. There are pastors who preach this doctrine that you can continue to sin and still be saved.

Just before his death Paul charged the elders of the Church of God. We read about this in II Timothy 4:1-4. He tells the elders in verse 2 to preach the truth of God. In verse 3 he says: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears", or in other words, teachers who will preach what they want to hear.

Again Revelation 12:12 tells us at some point in time Satan will challenge God's power and war with him. He will be thrown back to the earth and will be furious because he knows that his time is short. December 9th is the anniversary date of the times of the gentiles (spoken of in Luke 22:24) and the remnant feels that Satan was hurled back to the earth on December 9, 1999. If war, and violence, murder and torture, religious persecution and natural disasters increase dramatically this year then this date is probably correct and this event probably happened.

For the Remnant Church of God the immediate prospects are not pleasant. It's not very comforting to anticipate a war with Satan that we know can't be avoided. Why is Satan so angry with us? We are the last visible remains of the truth of God, which Satan wants to destroy? We keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ and we will not bow the knee to Baal. Satan hates us for this and the fact that we are going to expose him as the greatest hornswaggler of all time. The major mistake that the body of Christ has made is, she has allowed herself to be deceived into believing that she couldn't be deceived and Satan is laughing.

Next Issue: The truth about the Sabbath! Is it still in force and binding on Christians or not?

BE SURE TO REQUEST A COPY

THE REMNANT SPEAKS
WITH A PURPOSE:

BY: PASTOR, ROLLAND WILE

 

Are works required for a Christian? The bible tells us in many places that we are saved by grace, that works cannot save us. What is the answer? What does the truth of God reveal?

First we must realize that this is a very old question that has been argued back and forth for two thousand years; law or grace - faith or works. Many theologians tell us that works get in the way of God's grace. Does this reasoning come from the word of God or is it just another of Satan's deceptions.

It's imperative that we understand God's requirements for salvation and eternal life. God's word is the only source that should guide us in this most important question. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read: "By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." And in Romans 11:5-6 Paul tells us that in his day there was a small group who received salvation through grace and not works. If it were through works, grace would be meaningless and grace would no longer be needed.

The scriptures are very plain; salvation cannot be obtained through good works. Does this then mean that works are not needed? Some denominations actually teach this, especially if one tries to do good works through keeping the great moral law of God; The Ten Commandments.

Let me be emphatic! The Remnant Church of God teaches and will continue to teach that only through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ (as payment for our sins) can we be saved.

"We must be doing the will of the Father"

But is that enough? After God has granted you salvation through your faith in our Lord Jesus, can you ride the coattails of faith alone into the Kingdom of God? Some denominations teach that you can, but the scriptures describe a different scenario. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus Christ in his testimony explains to every one (who has the eyes to see and the ears to hear) the final criteria he will use to decide who receives salvation and who dies the second death in the lake of fire. Verse 21 says, "Not every one that says unto me Lord, Lord shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father". It's not enough to acknowledge Christ as our lord, master, and savior; we must be doing the will of the Father. What is the will of the Father? To believe on the Son and do what he tells us. And that's where things begin to break down. Many, many people have believed in Christ, but have refused to obey him, to do what he says. Jesus even posed that question in Luke 6:46 where he challenges professing Christians of all ages. "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and yet do not the things I say." Jesus calls these professing Christians who practice a lip service Christianity, hypocrites in Matthew 15:8-9. In verse 8, he says "This people draws near unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me". Verse 9: "in vain do they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men". An excellent example of this very thing is the fourth commandment in the Decalogue. In Exodus 20:8-11 God informs the ancient Israelites that the seventh day is his Sabbath day, not theirs, and that is certainly logical because he sanctified and blessed the seventh day in Genesis 2:3 long before the Jewish race existed. The reason for keeping the Sabbath is very plain in verse11, "For in six days the Lord made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it."

"Only God can sanctify or hallow something"

Only God can sanctify or hallow something; man cannot. God created the Sabbath Day by resting on the seventh day, a 24-hour period of time. This is something man could not do. This 24-hour period of time is not man-made. It will not rust or corrode, and will not rot or decay. God sanctified this time and set it aside as holy time to rest physically and to worship him. He commanded man to remember it and keep it holy. But man says no, we will work on the seventh day and keep the first day, in direct opposition to God's Commandment.

Back in Matthew 7:22 many will say to Christ, "Lord, Lord have we not preached in your name, cast out demons, and done many wonderful works." Verse 23, Christ will then profess unto these people who claim they knew him, "I never knew you, depart from me you that work iniquity" (evil). So here are people who are doing good things and bad things; a mixture of good and evil that God won't tolerate. Verse 24 then tells us it's not enough to just read or hear what Jesus has to say, we must act on his words and begin to live our lives by his testimony. Notice Revelation 2 and 3 in the messages to the seven churches in Asia Miner, Christ begins each message with: "I know your works"; and in Revelation 20:12-13 notice how everyone is going to be judged: by their works!

Are good works necessary? You bet! God's grace, not good works saves us; but when God applies that grace and grants us salvation - God demands good works.

In John 15 Jesus tells us that we must produce fruit in our lives or be burned in the lake of fire. He begins verse 2 by saying, "Every branch in Me", showing he is talking about Christians. He tells us we have to remain in a close, intimate relationship with him in order to carry out the good works from the heart that will produce fruit in our lives. Then and only then will God grant us eternal life. Matthew 25:31-46 tells us much the same thing. Verse 35 should not only be taken in a physical context but a spiritual context as well. For I was spiritually hungry and you fed me spiritual food. I was thirsty and you gave me spiritual water to drink. I was a stranger to the scriptures and your church received me and gave me spiritual understanding. I was spiritually naked and you clothed me (spiritually speaking). I was spiritually sick and you visited me, and I was in prison (or in bondage to sin) and you came to help me. In Hebrews 6:8-10 Paul (through a metaphor) tells us that we must bear good fruit and not thorns and briers or we will suffer the second death. James 2 tells us why we must do good works in our lives after God has granted us his grace. Verse 14: "What does it profit my brethren, when a man says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" What do you think? Many ministers teach that faith alone will save you. James tells us a different story. Verse 17, "faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead." Verse 18, "Yes a man may say; You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." God is telling us through James that he is tired of lip service Christianity. He is telling us that even though we are saved by his grace, good works are a must or that grace will be withdrawn. He is telling us we need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Our good works prove our love and commitment to him. Matthew 5:16 and John 15:8 tell us that by us doing good works and producing fruit in our lives God the Father is glorified.

So even though Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that good works can't save us, he tells us in verse 10 that the reason God called us to be Christians in the first place is to do those good works which glorify him.

So even though good works can't save us God demands that we do them. This is very easy to understand; I explain it like this: all the good works in the universe won't gain you entrance to the Kingdom of God, but the lack of good works will surely keep you out. May God give you the eyes to see and the ears to hear and the perception to understand his truth.

BY: PASTOR, ROLLAND WILE

THE REMNANT SPEAKS OUT

What is the greatest tragedy in this evil world today? Many would plead their case that this world is not evil and that human nature is basically good. The Bible reveals that this present world is in fact very evil and that human nature is basically evil thriving on the emotional treadmill of pride, vanity, lust and greed.

Many who agree that this world is indeed very evil would have many different thoughts on its greatest tragedy. Certainly the crimes of rape and murder would make the top ten. Child abuse would also be near the top of the list and the genocide-related atrocities committed throughout the earth are shocking. The corruption in politics and the wars fought in the name of religion are tragedies as well. But one tragedy stands head and shoulders above all the rest and that is, this world has forgotten the Eternal God, the God of our fathers.

This world has forgotten the Eternal God

There are several reasons for this tragedy, the first being the many different religions in this world. This paradox has been around since creation, with humanity establishing many false religions and worshipping false gods in place of the one, true, Eternal God. People who adhere to religions other than the Christian or Jewish Religion, for the most part, have never had a relationship with the Almighty God and therefore, have completely forgotten him.

The second reason is priorities. Because of the cares of this world, as the Bible terms it in Matt.13:22, many people have forgotten God. God expects us to take care of our families and the widows and the fatherless in their affliction mentioned in James 1:27, but he also expects us to remember him as well. The other cares of this world such as our jobs, sports activities, and electronic communication, such as TV and computer programs rob us of quality time with our heavenly Father. If you add in the two twin factors of lust and greed we are robbed of even more time as we labor to keep up with other people in the acquiring of material things.

Then we come to the third and probably the greatest single reason of why God has been forgotten in the world today, and that is the religious deception that has crept into the Christian religion in the last two thousand years. The question of course is where did this deception, come from? The answer is, directly from Satan the Devil.

We read about this fallen archangel in Ezekiel 28:12-19. The King of Tyre is the type, in this sequence of scripture, with Lucifer the archangel the anti-type. Verse 15 tells us that he was perfect in all ways until iniquity was found in him. Verse 17 tells us he was the brightest of all the angels but his heart became vain and this vanity corrupted his thoughts and actions. In a nutshell he thought he was the "greatest" and that he should rule the universe in place of God. The story continues in Isaiah 14. Again in verse 4 we see the King of Babylon as the type and Lucifer as the anti-type; and in verses 13 and 14 we see Lucifer rebelling against his creator trying to take over God's throne and rulership of the universe. Lucifer and one third of the angels that follow him wage war against God but are defeated and hurled back to earth.

The story continues on in Revelation 12:3-17 where we see Lucifer not as a great angel of light but as an ugly red dragon. In verse 3 we see him described as a seven headed, ten-horned beast. We see this beast again in Revelation 3:1. This beast, in prophetic terms, is a great world-ruling empire described in Daniel chapter 7. This beast is described in verse 2 as having a combination of the characteristics of all the beasts (or world-ruling empires) in Daniel 7.

Lucifer and his angels now fight with God in Revelation 12:7 for rulership of the universe. Lucifer is defeated in verse 8 and is hurled back to earth in verse 9 where he begins his deceptive ways. We read about the beginning of this deception in Genesis 3:1-8 where he influences mother Eve to sin. His name is now changed from Lucifer to Satan the Devil in Revelation 12:9. In Revelation 13:2 he now gives his power and authority to this great world-ruling empire described as having 7 heads and 10 horns. In Revelation 13:4 we see the whole world worshipping not God, but this great empire and Satan. This great empire is identified through history books and Daniel chapter 7 as the Roman Empire.

"Satan has deceived the whole world"

Now in Revelation chapter 17 we see a great false church described as a whore riding or controlling this seven-headed, ten-horned beast. She is described as being filthy rich in verse 4 and called Babylon the Great in verse 5. She is further described in verse 5 as a mother church having harlot daughters. Verse 14 tells us this seven-headed, ten-horned beast controlled by this great false church will fight Jesus Christ when he returns.

Back in Revelation 12 verse 9 we see that Satan has deceived the whole world, mainly through false religion. The greatest mistake the church ever made was believing that she couldn't be deceived. Jesus Christ predicted false teachers would arise in Matthew 7:15. He described them as looking and sounding like sheep but acting like wolves. Paul described these false teachers in Acts 20:30 as men who would teach perverse things. The word perverse is translated from the Greek word diastropho, which means to distort, twist, or corrupt. These false teachers would distort, twist, and corrupt the scriptures to meet their own ends.

In his great Olivet Prophecy of Matthew 24 Jesus said in verse 5 that many false teachers would come in his name, saying that he was the Christ and yet deceive many. Peter mentions these false teachers in II Peter 2: 1 as does John in I John 4: 1-3. The book of Jude tells about this deception as well in Jude verse 4 where he tells us that many would be deceived through a false concept of grace. This heresy teaches that you can live your same old sinful life and still be saved by believing in Christ. The scriptures, on the other hand, teach that we must change our lifestyle from a sinful one to one of not sinning.

II Corinthians 11: 13-15 tells us that Satan appears to us as an angel of light and that he has ministers that appear to be preaching the truth of God. We must be very careful in proving all things, as Satan is a master of deception. P.T. Barnum was an amateur when compared to Satan the Devil. We of The Remnant Church call him the greatest hornswoggler of all time and he hates us for that. In II Thessalonians 2: 1-3 Paul tells us that the return of Jesus Christ cannot occur until a great falling away occurs in the body of Christ (the church). The phrase "falling away" is translated from the Greek word apostasia and can mean only a falling away from the truth. Paul mentions this again in II Timothy 4: 1-4 where he tells us that the time would come when Christians would not have sound doctrine. Instead they would seek ministers who would preach things that would sound good to them. They would then fall away from the truth of God and embrace the false deception, which Satan promotes.

"Iniquity means lawlessness or the breaking of God's law"

In Revelation 12: 17 we see Satan making war with the Remnant Church because we are exposing him for what he really is, the enemy of all humanity and the cause of all this world's pain and suffering. Satan works through his spirit, which blankets this earth. Paul calls this spirit the Spirit of the World in I Corinthians 2: 12. We learn in Ephesians 2: 2 that his spirit works in humans, influencing them to break God's laws and leading them into sin.

Through the deceptive teachings of Satan and those ministers that promote his doctrine, most Christians don't really know the Great Eternal God or his son Jesus Christ. Notice Matthew 7: 21-23 where we see those individuals who think they know Christ, but really don't. Verse 21 tells us that it's not enough to just call Christ Lord. We have to be trying to do God's will in order to enter his Kingdom. In verse 22 we see people who appear to be good Christians actually being denied by Jesus himself because they retained iniquity in their lives. Iniquity means lawlessness or the breaking of God's eternal, moral law, the Ten Commandments.

I John 3: 4 tells us that sin is the transgression, or the breaking of God's law. Once again we see Satan's deception taking center stage. Satan has deceived almost all Christians in the keeping of the 4th Commandment. The one Commandment God commands to remember, most people tend to forget. God says to remember the Sabbath or 7th day and to keep it holy, while Satan's deception promotes the 1st day of the week in its place. Only God can create holy time. Only God can make something holy. Man cannot do this and neither can Satan, but his deception has worked. Most Christians worship on Sunday the 1st day of the week while retaining Saturday the 7th day as an ordinary workday.

This now is the key. Only the 7th day of the week refers back to creation and the great, Eternal, Creator God. The 1st day cannot do this. Almost all people who have forgotten the true Sabbath day have also forgotten the true Eternal God and his truth. The Remnant Church speaks out and will continue to speak out against Satan's deception and the greatest tragedy of all time; the fact that the world has forgotten the true Eternal God and the 7th day which reveals him as the Great Creator God. May God grant you the wisdom to understand.

BY: PASTOR, ROLLAND WILE

THE REMNANT SPEAKS ADMONISHMENT

Have you ever built a house? Have you ever seen a house being built? We all have one time or another.

"First and most important is the foundation"

What is the first and most important part that is built? Well you must start from the bottom and build up. The answer to the question is the foundation.

Every building is built on a foundation. Regardless of what kind of building you want to construct, it MUST be built on a good strong foundation.

Foundation is defined in Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary as, "an underlying natural or prepared base or support; the whole masonry substructure of a building; or a body or ground upon which something is built."

How do you build a strong foundation?

1). First you dig the footer. The footer is a ditch that is dug around the perimeter of the planned building. This ditch or footer must be deep enough to reach solid ground and beyond the level of deepest frost.
2). Pour cement into the entire footer so there will be a solid, flat surface to lay building blocks evenly. This cement must be level, straight, and true.
3). You begin to lay the building blocks. The first one you lay is the corner stone. This is what the rest of the foundation is built from.
4). Now you can proceed to build the foundation block by block with mortar between holding it together until you have a solid base to anchor the rest of the building to.

Why must we have a strong foundation? You've seen houses built close to the beach. What is the ground like near a beach? The ground is sandy. Care must be taken to build the foundation extra strong. If not, the waves will beat on the house during a storm. Eventually the waves will undermine the house's foundation and it will fall.

In California some houses are built on hillsides for appearance sake. The owners get a great view of the valley. But nevertheless when torrential rains come, the landslides that we've all seen on the news begin to occur. When the land gives away it then takes the houses down the hill.

Some foundations can fail quickly, like the beach house or the house built on the hillside. Some can fail over a period of time.

Some older foundations for smaller buildings were not built strong enough. The footer wasn't dug deep enough. The freezing and thawing of the ground over time makes the foundation crack and crumble. The blocks then move and threaten the whole structure. A strong foundation is vital to the strength and longevity of a building.

In the Old Testament of your Bible in the book of I Kings the construction of King Solomon's temple is described. In chapter 5:17-18 it identifies the stones used in the foundation. Then in chapter 7:9-10 the quality and size of these stones is described.

At the southeast corner of the Temple area the wall rises 77 feet. In 1868 a shaft was sunk 79 feet to native rock on which the foundation is set. From the base of the foundation to the top of the wall is 156 feet. Its' cornerstone is 14 feet long and 4 feet high. This cornerstone is pretty much immovable unless you have heavy equipment.

OUR FOUNDATION

What about our foundation? What about spiritual foundation? Does our spiritual foundation compare with the foundation under Solomon's Temple?

The cornerstone of our foundation should be Jesus Christ. The cornerstone of King Solomon's Temple seems impossible to move but it can be with the right equipment. Our spiritual cornerstone, Jesus Christ, cannot be moved or swayed in any way. He is solid, strong, and doesn't change.

If it weren't for Jesus what would we have? It's pretty plain to see that we would have nothing. Not one person alive would have a chance on their own without Jesus Christ. His birth was an awesome miracle. His life was full of amazing faith and obedience. It's a life we should pattern our own lives after.

Matthew 24:21-25 informs us about a coming time of great trouble. We know these things are coming because Jesus said they are. Look at verses 23-25. We read about various people claiming to see Jesus. People claim to have conversations with him and people even claim Jesus shows himself to them. Statues of Christ are said to shed tears and also bleed.

Jesus tells us in his testimony not to believe this! Where do all of these sightings come from? Since Jesus clearly tells us not to believe them, they cannot come from him. In our lives we will have to make choices as to what we believe. Will we be deeply rooted in Christ and choose to be loyal to him and believe what he says? Or, will we trust in ourselves and fall?

We've been told over and over to pattern our lives after Jesus Christ. What does that consist of? We need to read and study his life and try to imitate how he lived and try to handle different situations in our lives the way he would.

Please turn to Matthew 7:21-24 and understand, these are the words of Jesus. A strong foundation is built by doing what Christ says. These words Jesus speaks to us come from his Father. Remember Matthew 4:4? Jesus answered, "It is written; 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'." (N.I.V.)

Back to Matthew 7:25-27; the rock or solid foundation comes from the words of God through Jesus Christ; John 14:10. These words are instructions to us. The sand mentioned in Matthew 7:26 is the doctrines and commandments of men. (Matthew 15:3-9).

The example Christ gave us in Matthew 7:24-27 is a physical analogy of what will happen if our spiritual foundation is shaky. The rains, floods and winds represent trials that spring up in our lives. This can also come through persecution from man and from Satan himself. The streams that rise could be subtle things that creep up on us that we don't see right away.

THE BUILDER

We must remember one vital thing and that is we can't build the church, only God can do that (Matthew 16:13-18). This is the beginning of the spiritual structure and what God builds through us.

Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is just the beginning. We need to try to live as he lived. We know we cannot do it on our own. Trying to live a life patterned after Christ illustrates what is in our hearts as we look to God.

"Jesus is the chief cornerstone"

There are many examples in the Bible of how Jesus lived. We need to follow his example to be anchored to him; the foundation. Read Matthew chapter 5 and through the next two chapters. Jesus shows us how to live. The red letters in your Bible are the words of Jesus himself. There is no human alive who can follow these words with perfection, but we must try.

Read John 15:1-17. This describes the relationship that we need with Jesus Christ. This is what really anchors us to him. If we all have a relationship with Jesus Christ, our chief cornerstone, we will be anchored to him and to one another. This will make a strong foundation upon which he can build his church.

Look at I Peter 2:4-8, the most important part of a structure is the cornerstone. This is the beginning of a foundation and is also where the wall of the foundation ends. Christ is the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:12-14).

GOD IS BUILDING A HOUSE

God is building a spiritual house. He wants us to be part of the building with Jesus Christ. He makes available to all mankind the possibility to be a part of his household. Revelation 21:14 Now we have in our spiritual temple a whole structure built on a rock, and not just any rock, but Jesus Christ - the Word of God. Next we have the foundation stones of the prophets and apostles with Jesus being the chief cornerstone. What holds the foundation stones together? The mortar, the teachings Christ gave us, which is the Testimony of Jesus. These teachings are the words God has given to him to give to us. A foundation is only as strong as the mortar that holds it together. The Testimony of Jesus is the strongest possible mortar.

After the foundation is finished which consists of Jesus, His Testimony, and the apostles, we need something to support the roof, walls and the rest of the structure (Revelation 3:12). We the members and followers of Jesus Christ are the pillars firmly anchored in the foundation that Jesus and his Father have laid.

God has willed that we as pillars, should hold the rest of his temple together. This is accomplished by our unity, love, and faith; through the power of his Holy Spirit.

Just as the rains will come, so will afflictions. Like the floods, persecution will come. The winds will come and Satan will be ready to attack us from the outside as well as from the inside. We cannot allow Satan to sneak into the church. He will always try to divide and conquer. Satan can do nothing against the foundation God has laid. But he will continue to beat on and try to destroy the structure. II Timothy 2:19, God knows his people.

Read Hebrews 10:26-29; if we don't turn our backs on God and Jesus Christ he will never leave or forsake us. Then we will be shielded from Satan's attacks. If we stay anchored to Christ nothing can separate us from God's love and great power, John 10:27-30.

"God is the Master Builder"

Our spiritual foundation has already been laid for us. God is the master builder. All we must do is claim it and anchor ourselves to it (not with words but with actions). We must be securely anchored to our foundation so we don't fall like the house on the beach when hurricanes come or the house on the hillside when the ground gives away.

Jesus is the solid foundation that over the years will never crumble under the structures that it holds up. So hold fast to the cornerstone, which is Jesus Christ. Your spiritual life depends on it.

BY: ELDER, CRAIG LAMBERT

THE REMNANT SPEAKS
ENCOURAGEMENT

I can't remember a time when I didn't know there was s superior force in my life. I don't imply that I always listened to it, but I always knew it was there.

My family wasn't what you would call religious, but we weren't a bad family. My mother was a hard-working housewife and my father worked at a local mill. He was also hard working, but had little time for his family; except on Sunday, when he would load us up in the car and go visiting.

Dad had no time for church or teaching his children about God. As a matter of fact I can't remember him ever speaking about God, unless it was in his cursing. But all in all, his family didn't turn out too bad.

There were twelve of us to start, and now nine remain and out of those nine, seven know Christ. I would like to believe that my father knew the Lord before his passing, and although we never spoke about God, even as adults, I could see changes in him and I know they were for the better.

I don't remember ever going without food to eat or a house to live in. My mother always made do with what she had. I do know that my mother loved the Lord and gave her life to him several years before she went to sleep to await his coming.

I guess I had better get to the point of this article. Although I was introduced to the Lord in the army and again after I had married, I really had no concept of the things God was capable of. Oh, I took the family to church and I didn't take the Lord's name in vain, so I guess I thought I was a Christian.

My wife wasn't happy in the church we were attending and I wasn't happy with the way some in the church were treating the pastor and his wife, so we stopped attending that church. We didn't go to church for several years, although my wife always talked to her dad about his beliefs. He was what I called a Sabbath-keeper and I didn't want anything to do with that.

My father-in-law and I would often talk about church and have friendly arguments over our different beliefs. I never heard him say an unkind word against anyone. He was just a lovable person and I'll be happy to see him again. I know he will be surprised to see me. His passing seemed to draw my wife closer to his beliefs and she started to attend a Sabbath-keeping church.

By now our children were young adults and had gone their own ways. My wife would get up most Saturday mornings and get ready for church. At first she never said anything to me, but then the morning came when she asked, "Do you want to come to church with me?" I declined and she never pushed the issue. This scenario continued for quite some time. Then the unexpected happened. One Saturday morning she asked me again if I wanted to attend church and I said yes. That day changed my life. I walked into the Knights of Columbus hall in Franklin, Pennsylvania (the church rented it for services) and fell in love. It didn't happen instantly, but it didn't take long. First I had to get re-acquainted with Jesus Christ and then he took over. He had already taken over I just hadn't perceived it yet.

To be honest, at first, I thought that the people were a bunch of losers, (you can see I still had a long way to go). This was my first encounter with a commandment-keeping church. I was soon to find out that these people, I had considered losers, knew more about the Word of God than I would probably ever know. I could also see a change in my wife's knowledge of the scriptures because her questions became more difficult to answer.

Well that church (as I knew it) is gone and a new one has begun. We have a lot of the same people in our new church and we still keep God's Commandments and we still love each other. I guess what I am trying to say is that the Lord spoke to me and for a change I listened, and I am so glad that I did. I realize that I have a lot of growing to do, but the greatest thing is that I have a lot of good Christian friends to help me.

"True happiness is not possible without Jesus Christ in your life"

God repeatedly tells us through his word that he wants us to be happy and prosper. Friends, it is not possible to be happy without Jesus Christ in your life. When he speaks about prospering he's not just talking about dollars and cents, he's talking also about relationships and spiritual knowledge.

I can truly say that I have never known Jesus Christ the way that I know him today and I know that it will be even greater tomorrow. So when Jesus calls you, don't turn away from him.

We, at The Remnant Church of God, want to be your friends and we will be waiting for you. You need no more invitation than the calling of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

BY: DEACON, GARY WEAVER

THE REMNANT SPEAKS
THROUGH THE SPIRIT

Believe it or not the Bible has much to say about the clothing that we should wear. Clothing, to a large degree, identifies an individual. For example: in a lineup you can easily pick out a football player, a fireman, a policeman, a soldier, or a bum simply by the clothes they wear. In Genesis 3:7, after Adam and Eve had sinned, their eyes were opened and they understood they were naked, and they desired to be clothed.

However in this article we are not dealing with physical clothes, but rather spiritual attire. Just as you can identify an individual by the physical clothes they wear, so too can you identify a Christian by their spiritual clothes.

In this article we are going to see and understand what types of spiritual clothes are essential for a person to wear in order to receive salvation and to enter the Kingdom of God.

In Zech. 3:3 we see Joshua the high priest clothed with filthy garments. In verse 4 we understand that God is talking about spiritual garments for God tells Joshua that he is taking his iniquities from him symbolizing his filthy spiritual garments. God then tells him that he is going to change his spiritual wardrobe and give him clothes that are spiritually clean and not filthy.

All people fall into Joshua's category of wearing clothing that is spiritually filthy. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and come short of God's glory; and Isaiah 64:6 tells us that God considers our righteousness as filthy rags.

God says that everyone who has ever lived needs to have his or her spiritual garments changed. The filthy clothes must be removed and replaced by clean clothes. This operation is termed salvation and begins by repenting of one's sins, (or telling God you are sorry for the way you've lived your life and you desire to change). Next, you must have the faith that Christ's shed blood will atone for your past iniquities and wipe your former, sinful life away. The next step, baptism, symbolically strips away the old sinful life, along with it's filthy clothes and enables a person to begin a new life with a fresh start.

In John 3:7 Jesus told Nicodemis that you must be born again, or you can't be in the kingdom of God. This born again experience begins at baptism and continues until death. We read about this experience in Romans 6:4-6. In verse 4 we read when we are baptized and put under the water, we are symbolically dead with Christ. When we are raised up out of the water, we are symbolically raised up to a new life patterned after our perfect example Jesus Christ. This is the born again experience and verse 4 tells us we "should walk in newness of life." Verse 6 tells us that our old man, (our old way of life), should remain at the bottom of the baptismal tank. Our soiled, filthy, spiritual garments should remain at the bottom of the tank as well, with that old life. As we rise up out of the baptismal waters, we are spiritually naked for a time, anticipating the new spiritual garments that God will give us.

We read more about this old life (the old man) and the new life (the new man) in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3.

In Ephesians 4:22-24 Paul tells us that a baptized Christian must put off the old man (sinful life) and be renewed in the spirit of one's mind. At this point in time we are spiritually naked having shed our old filthy garments and God still having not given us clean garments yet. Before we receive the new, clean clothes, we understand that we must be renewed spiritually in our minds. What does this mean?

Paul explains this in Philippians 2:5 and I Corinthians 2:16 where he tells us that we must have the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is a mind that is filled with humility and is very teachable and wants to obey God.

In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us that Christians must be transformed (changed) by the renewing of our minds. To renew something means to replace the old with the new. In this case, the old mind represents that mind which lusts and initiates acts of sin in our lives and the new, the mind of Christ which only wants to please God and do his will.

Once again, back in Ephesians 4:24, Paul tells us that we must put on the new man (the new way of life with the mind of Christ) who desires to obey and please God. In Colossians 3 beginning with verses 1 and 2, Paul tells us after we are symbolically risen with Christ at our baptism and we begin to acquire the mind of Christ, we must begin to think on spiritual things and not on earthly things. Verses 3 and 4 tell us our old man (life style) are forgiven and forgotten by God. Verses 5-8 tells us the earthly things we must give up in our new life. These are the things that displease God and allow sin to live in our lives. Verses 8 and 9 tell us again that the old man with the filthy garments is dead and the new man emerges with the mind of Christ, which is renewed in the image of God himself.

After our filthy, spiritual, garments are shed and we appear spiritually naked before our Heavenly Father we need to acquire those clean, white, spiritual clothes that only he can provide. What do they consist of? At first, as babes in Christ, we need spiritual diapers and then children's clothes as we begin to grow spiritually. At his discretion, as we continue to grow older, God will provide adult clothing, beginning with the undergarments and then completing our wardrobe with outer white robes. Isaiah 61:10 tells us that God will clothe us with the "garments of salvation" and the "robe of righteousness".

"Humility and the fruit of the Spirit"

I Peter 5:5 shows us one of the undergarments we need to wear is humility. God will also cloth us with the fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. These fruits and humility are the spiritual undergarments, which are worn close to the heart.

Revelation 19:8 tells us that Christ desires his followers to be arrayed in white robes, denoting righteousness and purity. Again in Revelation 3:4-5, we learn that the individuals who overcome this evil world will be clothed with white robes. We also must make sure that these robes don't become spiritually defiled or soiled.

Of course, this is an analogy. This physical description is a type of our spiritual clothing, which in turn denotes our lifestyle; how we live our lives. The outer garments denote the way we live our lives for everyone to see and the undergarments denote the way we live our lives when no one is watching.

Occasionally, we slip and sin. Our spiritual garments then become soiled. We then need to go to God and repent of our sins and ask God to clean our soiled robes. Revelation 7:14 describes this process as washing our robes in the blood of Jesus Christ. Christ's blood is the only atoning factor for sin. It is likened in this instance as spiritual bleach that cancels out all the spots and stains from our spiritual clothes.

The hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, is not just a sentimental poem put to music. It should be taken very seriously, for we are in a war with Satan the devil. This is a war for our very, spiritual lives and one we cannot win without God's help. In Romans 7, Paul describes this war in which even he at times was mortally wounded. In verse 19, Paul tells us that Satan twists things that are evil to look good and things that are good to look evil. II Corinthians 11:14-15 tells us that Satan and his ministers preach a doctrine that is transformed from darkness to light. In other words, their doctrine looks good to humanity and humans are receptive to it. This great, false doctrine looks so good and appears so bright that it blinds people to the truth of God as II Corinthians 4:4 tells us. This verse also tells us that Satan is for now the God of this world and his spirit works in and influences those individuals who don't want to obey God and keep his laws. Paul calls these people "children of disobedience" in Ephesians 2:2.

"Satan and his ministers preach a doctrine that is transformed from darkness to light!!"

Satan is able to do this because of his great deceptive powers, for he is the greatest deceptionist ever. Revelation 12:9 tells us that he has deceived the whole world. We of the Remnant call him, the greatest hornswaggler of all time. P.T. Barnum was a pauper compared to Satan.

Satan's greatest deception is to deceive the Christian Churches into believing that they can't be deceived.

He deceives most of Christianity through the false doctrine of Jude 4. This is a false concept of grace, telling people that all they have to do is believe in Christ and don't have to keep his great moral law, the 10 Commandments.

The Remnant Church is going to expose Satan for the fraud that he is and he in turn is going to hate us and make war with us. Revelation 12:17.

Back in Romans 7, Paul admits that he slips from time to time and feels tremendous remorse. He tells us that on his own he can see no way out of his sorry situation. He then tells us that the only way he can be saved is through the grace of God and the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

"Put on the whole armor of God"

Throughout the testimony of Jesus, we are told that true Christians are going to have a hard and narrow road to travel and one that is paved with obstacles, such as deception and persecution. But, he promises us help through his Holy Spirit and a very special wardrobe that he makes available to us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11-18 that we need to constantly wear the whole armor of God to protect us and help us in our war with Satan.

Now we come to the final piece of clothing God desires us to wear. After putting on the undergarments of humility and the fruit of the Spirit, and wearing the our robe of righteousness, and the whole armor of God, we see in II Corinthians 5:1-4 that we must trade the robe of mortality for that of immortality. In II Corinthians 15:52-54, at the return of Jesus Christ, we read that the last piece of clothing we will have to replace is that of mortality for immortality; the robe of eternal life.

As the seventh trumpet sounds and Christ returns he will clothe his elect with white robes of righteousness, which they will wear forever. God speed that day and may he grant you the eyes to see and the ears to hear the truth of God.

If you would like to know more about the Remnant Church or would like
 to receive a free subscription to the Remnant Speaks,

write to:
THE REMNANT CHURCH OF GOD
P.0. Box 44
Jackson Center, PA 16133

Pastor Rolland Wile

 

|  Home  |  About Us  |  Beliefs  |  Holy Days  |  Remnant Speaks  |
|  Testimony of Jesus  |  Contact Us  |

 

© 2001 Remnant Church of God