One in Ninety-nine

Dear Brethren,

About 33 years ago, after the death of Herbert W. Armstrong, things in the Church of God began to unravel. There were already signs of deterioration, but changes began to take place where all the brethren would have to make a decision about their faith.

At first, those in authority began to make subtle changes to our long held doctrine. Then the obvious and impudent destruction of our belief system rapidly came under attack by doing away with the Holy Sabbath and the Ten Commandments. All of the brethren were affected without exception. Some left early and others left later. It was a shattering time.

For a few faithful brethren it proved not to be so difficult an ordeal, for they were able to retain their meeting halls, song books, their seat at services, and many of their closest friends. But then there were the other faithful brethren who had to stand alone. They were marked, and disfellowshipped – not for sin or heresy, but for political expediency (Romans 16:17). They were shunned, rejected, ridiculed, and attacked. Their name and reputation was besmirched, and yet they continued to stand for the doctrine of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:1-2). They had left everything behind – home, family, profession, and security – devoting themselves entirely to the service of God’s people. One of the last things Jesus told His disciples was to expect that kind of treatment, even from the church rulers and powers that be:

John 16:1-3 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the assembly places of worship: yes, the time comes that whosoever kills you will think that he does God a service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Some brethren were resilient and able to bounce back, but to this day, many of the brethren are separated, hiding, scattered and living in trepidation. Many are hurt and fearful of the heavy-handed leaders who abused them and their families—who before God they were sworn to protect and defend. Other brethren were not strong enough to withstand the assault of the apostasy. Sadly, in many cases their antagonists were the well-known leaders in high church positions with all those years of training – all the big titles – big cars – big salaries – with the red carpet always laid out for them… And not a single one of those church leaders took a stand for the Truth of God or the weak brethren. The people of God had no man on earth willing or able to shepherd them in their time of great confusion and oppression. Those trained and leading men should have pulled together in defense of our faith. They should have descended on the office of the impostor, Joseph Tkach, and barred the door – putting him out on the street. Those leading men’s responsibility before God, and the brethren, was to stand strong in the faith. Their responsibility was to stomp out the fires of division and heresy that were sweeping through the church. But, those ministerial leaders lacked the will and fortitude to take a stand. Where were they when the church was becoming watered down and lukewarm. There were brethren that needed to be rescued, and that is still true to this day. And, so, the true Church brethren were shattered and scattered. 

Today, too many of the brethren of the Church of God accept our current division as an acceptable status quo. But it is not acceptable to Jesus Christ whose strong desire is that His people be one, not in corporate organization, but in Spirit and unity of the faith (John 17:11). There are church brethren who are sitting comfortable and content, while their brothers and sisters in the faith still cower in fear and rejection these many years later. The apostle James warns the Church of having an elevated concept of superiority. Those brethren who were driven away are considered by the brethren in secure congregations to be the riff-raff, the dregs of church society, the undesirables—all because they did not end up in some of the more acceptable and affluent congregations. It is a fact: Some secure brethren love their own church congregants much more than they love those who were driven away over the years.

James warnings fall on deaf ears today. We are writing the legacy of our Church era - and the Church is dying. Jesus tells us that we will not die out completely, but like the first century Church, soon there will not be many who retain the True Faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3)

James 2:1-4 My brethren, you do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, if you have respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in old clothes; and ye have respect to him that wears fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” and say to the poor person, stand aside, or sit there on the floor: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which He has promised to them that love Him? But ye have despised the poor.

James is not speaking only of those who are financially poor, but those who are poor in spirit – lacking the connections and acceptance of the larger groups. It is a sad excuse to say the scattered brethren could have found their way back if they wanted to. Do we possess the attitude of forgiveness and acceptance that the Father of the prodigal son exhibits (Luke 15:24)?

I plan to speak this Sabbath on the need for Church brethren to seek after that one lost sheep – not the ninety-nine who are safe. Jesus says, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. Seeking the fellowship of the scattered brethren is a message that applies to every member. Jesus said:

Matthew 18:12-14 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine, and go into the mountains, and seek that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices more of that one sheep, than of the ninety-nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

God cares for every last one of His sheep.

Your brother in Christ,

Warren M. Zehrung
 

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Today's Sermon:  "One in Ninety-nine"  

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