Greetings,
In the latter part of October, the Vatican’s Secretary of State declared that the European Union could have a significant role in solving crises around the world, if it would get back to its Christian roots. He appealed to Europe to “speak with one voice” and that voice should be developed from its Christian history. He stated, “I believe that Europe is suffering of the common loss of historical memory, which forbids us to remember where we hail from and what are the deep roots of this Europe.” His concluding comment was, “There are no alternatives to dialogue, given that the only alternative is war, destruction, mutual destruction. Dialogue is indispensable.”
While we might think of these statements in light of the future of Europe, there is a certain train of thought appropriate to us in God’s Church. The Church of God should speak with one voice – a voice produced by the unity of the Spirit and anchored in its roots. Most of the older members are well aware of the modern aspects of the history of the Church. We have firsthand knowledge of how Herbert Armstrong was used by God from the 1920’s forward. But the roots of the Church go back much further than that.
The Church is made up of, “…members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Our roots begin in Genesis chapter one and develop through the ages of the prophets and ancient Israel into the fully fledged New Testament Church. To focus only on recent history is to miss the rich resource of understanding provided by the complete history of God’s Church.
Looking to these roots, we can then open a dialogue within the fractured Church. Being able to communicate is a valuable step toward eventually speaking with one voice. We have no need to be afraid to be open and friendly to other groups if the conversation or discussion is based on the common roots of the Church. Of course, we need to be confident of our own relationship with the Father and look to Him completely for His guidance.
In accordance with our goals set earlier this year, this week Steve Andrews and I met in Dallas with a number of the leaders in Church of God a Worldwide Association. It was a helpful and informative sharing of experience and lessons learned through our respective journeys. There was no agenda and we mutually agreed to keep lines of communication open. Their organization is successfully functioning well but our discussions also reaffirmed to us that the understanding God is giving us of the nature of governance is very important. Governance based on the Elohim family is not some newly humanly devised thing. It takes us back to our roots and allows us to stand firm in a family relationship – the Elohim family relationship. We should know our roots and not be afraid to engage in dialogue for the sake of God’s Church ultimately being able to speak with one voice.
The service this Sabbath will originate from Phoenix this Sabbath.
Warm Regards,
Brian Orchard
