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PASTOR GENERAL'S
REPORT
TO THE MINISTRY OF THE
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
VOL.7, N0.22
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
FROM MINISTERIAL SERVICES
MAY 31, 1985
Mr. Herbert Armstrong returned last Friday, May 24, from a very successful
and profitable tr1p to Europe and the Middle East. More details of his ac
tivities are in the May 27 WORLDWIDE NEWS.
Mr. Armstrong gave the afternoon sermon on Pentecost here in the Auditori
um. During the sermon, he cautioned us as ministers to be sure we are con
tinually reminding God's Firstfruits of the purpose of their calling--that
God wants His people to be preparing now to become teachers and rulers with
Christ when He returns to reestablish the government of God on the earth.
The ministers of this world simply do not understand the great· purpose God
is working out here on earth. They do not understand the truth about the
Kingdom of God and God's government. They do not know the purpose of God's
Church and of the meaning of Pentecost. Consequently, their sermons are
spiritually shallow, concerned almost entirely with the here and now,
focusing mainly on "getting saved" now--on personal salvation.
David alluded to the ultimate purpose of God• s First£ruits in Ps·
alm 51:12-
13 when he cried out, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold
me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sin
ners shall be converted unto thee.
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God has called us to repentance and
salvation for jus � that reason--that we might teach transgressors God's way
and have a part 1.n the eventual reeducation and conversion of the whole
world!
We must make sure that our sermons and Bible studies continually reflect
the purpose of our calling--the reason God has placed us in His Church now.
We must not preach as the ministers of this world do, about Christian living
as an end in itself, or for a personal reward only, omitting the real sub
stance andaepth of the meaning and purpose of what God has called us tone
a part of, and to be preparing for. Mr. Armstrong's article in the May 1985
issue of The GOOD NEWS pointed this out:
Jesus said
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No one can come to Me
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during this 6,000-year period
except
God
£neFatner specially calls them (John 6:44)--and He
has callea fn'Ts very few not Just for salvation, but for a spe
cial service preparing for"the"coming Kingdom of God, as well.
After that 6,000 years expires, Jesus Christ will come again to
earth, this time in SUPREME POWER AND GLORY, to set up GOD'S GOV
ERNMENT on earth••••
For us now, it is imperative that we understand that those CALLED
and inducted by God into His Church NOW have been called for MORE
THAN JUST SPIRITUAL SALVATION AND THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE. We
are called, every one of us, for a PART in preparing for the King
dom of God!
For our part now, in this present "Philadelphia era,
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each of you
is called for the mission of loyally backing up the GREAT COMMIS-
e
1886WortdwideCl'lwchofGod