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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, MAY 22, 1981
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agreement with Christ--right in God's eyes. If the man were wrong, pro
vided he was in a right attitude, Mr. Armstrong would show him where he was
wrong. In this way we would all speak the same RIGHT thing.
At lunch several couples joined Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong at their table.
Actually, many ministers and their wives got acquainted with the Armstrongs
over lunch or dinner during the Australian trip. That is a blessing too few
elders have had recently. Where possible, Mr. Armstrong is trying to make
himself available for this kind of fellowship. He is as eager to know the
ministers as they are to know him.
Mr. Armstrong asked me to take the afternoon session while he sat in
the audience--in the front row! Man, does that help your prayer life! I
covered how God teaches His Church through the apostles and what being "on
the track" means. After a coffee break, I showed who the "angel of the
church of Philadelphia" is.
The next morning, Thursday the 14th, Bob Morton started off.
He
expounded on "those that endure to the end shall be saved." He showed how
the ministry has to set the example of faith and patience by trusting God
and waiting on Him.
Mr. Armstrong took the last 45 minutes of the morning session to give a
preview of his 1981 commencement address to be given in Pasadena May 22nd.
The title is "Education for LIFE!" That is all I can share at this time.
Don't want to steal his thunder!
Thursday afternoon, before Mr. Armstrong returned to the meeting, I
spoke for about 30 minutes on maintaining the unity God has been building
into the Australian ministry.
After he arrived, Mr. H.W.A. took over the meeting and began a father
ly talk to the assembled ministry. He said he was pleased that the Aus
tralian ministry was back on God's track. He was very pleased with what he
had found in Australia. He warned all present of the dangers they face when
they return to their assignments--exalting the self, seeking a bigger
position for self, and getting into a wrong attitude when we don't have
other ministers around to fellowship with. He said when we are small in our
own sight, God will use us. But if we become big in our own sight, we
become very small in God's sight.
There were many other points, but the most important that he stressed
was never to leave God out of the picture. So many had left God's Church
because they forgot that Christ is the LIVING HEAD of His Church. He is the
One who guides and directs this Work and He never falls asleep at the
switch. If we forget that, we will drop out. If we are looking to Him, we
will endure right to the end--and be given real LIFE with Christ.
Before the conference closed, the Aussie ministers presented Mr.
Armstrong a crystal whale with a lonely, worried looking Jonah inside. Mr.
Morton said, "We want you to have this as a reminder that as God took
drastic action to put Jonah back on the track, so we are grateful that you
took drastic action to put us back on the track!"
Then Bob held up a large kangaroo skin that had been signed on the back
by all the Sydney members and gave it to Mr. H.W.A.