We may experience a degree of frustration when we don’t see, from time to time, much numerical growth in God’s Church. There is growth in numbers in the German-speaking areas, but this is not necessarily the case today in other countries such as the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.

What we have to bear in mind is that Christ is the Head of His Church, and God adds members to the Church according to His will and His pre-ordained plan for this time and age. Furthermore, growth can be measured in more than one manner. There is physical numerical growth of new members being added to the Church, and there is spiritual growth in grace, knowledge and understanding.

God warns us that in these end times, many members will be part of the Laodicea era. He challenges all of us to be zealous and on fire. Our Church group is small by comparison. We are truly a little flock. But what is most important to God? Does He delight in a large group of half-hearted, compromising individuals easily distracted by the cares of this world and delving in areas not related to the commission of the Church? No! Rather, He has pleasure in a dedicated focused group, doing the Will of God in supporting the preaching of the Gospel and overcoming their sins.

We are admonished not to despise the day of small things (Zechariah 4:10), and we must not forget Gideon’s army being reduced to three hundred men, yet accomplishing a great task.

Some of our members have died, and others have left our fellowship, reducing our numbers. Bear in mind that in addition to death, there are two ways people leave the Church: They “voluntarily” quit for some reason, usually because of compromise, their passing pleasures in the ways of this world and their unwillingness to deal with their sins; or Christ, the living Head of the Church, puts them out of the Church through His ministry.

If we are not growing and overcoming and if we refuse to utilize the talents God has given us and if we rather continue in a wicked and evil lifestyle, then Christ’s patience with us runs out. We read that He gave Jezebel plenty of time to repent but there comes a time when it is too late (Revelation 2:20-23). Christ will cut off from His body rotten apples or a cancer that is not healing or getting better. Christ will do so for the good of His Body since a little leaven leavens the whole lump. If the sinner does not repent and forsake his or her sin, he or she will suffer the consequences.

As an analogy, we might look at a business company. Some employees may resign or quit to their own detriment, or they can be fired or let go. Some companies have a “three strikes and you are out” policy. An employee may be given two chances to correct his or her behavior or lack of performance, but at the third offense, he or she is terminated.

When a person is actually put out by Christ, it is for the good of the Body. We should of course pray that the person would repent and could be reinstated, but sadly, many times a person who is being disfellowshipped or leaves voluntarily because of his or her sinful ways or a haughty and self-righteous attitude will not repent, at least not any time soon.

Let us keep our eyes on the goal and continue to grow in grace, knowledge and understanding, and let us allow God the Father and Jesus Christ to manage the true Church as They see fit. And, let us be grateful for the opportunity we have been given today to qualify for a glorious future in God’s Kingdom.

Children are good at coming up with excuses for not doing what they are told to do or for not carrying out a task by following precise instructions. However, adults are not that much different. We have a few impressive examples of this in the Bible which also show the consequences for such behavior.

The first is the example of King Saul. He was instructed by God to attack wicked and cruel Amalek and kill man, woman, children plus the animals, as we read in 1 Samuel 15:3:  “‘Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

What did he do? Verse 9 tells us: “But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.”

What was his excuse for his disobedience?

“And Saul said, ‘They have brought them [the sheep and oxen] from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed’” (1 Samuel 15:15).

He blamed it on the people and took no responsibility for what happened. What was the consequence? Samuel told him in 1 Samuel 15:23: “‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.’”

Being replaced as king was the price for his refusal to carry out God’s orders. His weak excuse was to blame the people but as the King, he was ultimately responsible.

It is important to do what God asks and requires of us.

Let us assume that an owner of a business tells an employee to paint the floor in the shop. Later he checks on how the task is progressing. The employee tells him that he painted the walls and the doors, repaired some of the lights and replaced a window. “What’s your excuse for not painting the floor?”,  the employer asks. The man answers he thought the other things were more important and that the employer would be impressed by what he had done. The  owner replies: “That’s nice that you did all that but you did not paint the floor as I ordered you to do, so you are fired.”

Sometimes people get all caught up in what they think is a priority and ignore clear instructions which they had received.

Let us look at what may seem to be a strange statement by Christ to a group of individuals.

Matthew 7:21 records  Christ’s words:  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’”

They thought they were followers of Christ, pointing out the “good deeds” they had performed, but what was Christ’s response? “‘And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:23).

This may seem like a pretty harsh response, but why do you suppose He said this? In what respect did they fail?

Matthew 24:14 tells us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

This is where their focus should have been. Their excuse was that they felt other things were more important, but that was not acceptable to Christ, and as a consequence, He told them to depart from Him.

Our individual responsibility is to support the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God among all nations as a witness, and if we fail in this task, we fail completely. None of the excuses we may present for not doing what Christ has clearly told us to do will be acceptable.

Let us put the excuses aside and remain focused on the job at hand so that we will be in a position to receive our crown at Christ’s return.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a time of great joy for us in God’s Church since for some of us who are scattered it is the one and only opportunity within a year to fellowship personally with God’s people. We renew old friendships, make new ones and with the spiritual food we receive, we continue to grow in grace and knowledge which is crucial for our walk with Christ.

What will it take to make you walk away from the Truth?  In the 70’s a couple we knew left the church because in their minds, prophecy was not being fulfilled fast enough. Even in the time of Christ, there were some who walked away. This seems somewhat incredible in view of the fact they witnessed firsthand all the signs, wonders and miracles which He did.

Let us look at the following example in John 6:48-58, beginning with the words of Christ who said:

”’I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.’

“The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.'”

Note the reaction of many of His disciples, as recorded in John 6:66: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

Notice: “Many” just walked away and abandoned Him. In their minds what He was saying was against laws in the Old Testament. They reasoned: “‘Eating His flesh and drinking His blood’– That’s cannibalism, and we know we are not to eat human flesh and drink blood.”

What they failed to do was to ask for an explanation as to what Christ meant by His statements. He was referring to the new Passover symbols which would be introduced by Him shortly, speaking of eating a piece of unleavened bread and drinking a little bit of wine, to picture His suffering and death. This constituted a radical change from the current practice of sacrificing and eating a Passover lamb.

Why they never questioned Him is a bit of a mystery. They just walked away, rejecting His words. When you hear something from the pulpit which doesn’t seem quite right to you, do you head for the door or do you go and ask the speaker as to what he meant by what he said?

As a speaker, sometimes things don’t come out just right as intended. It is the responsibility of the hearer to ask.

As we head into the winter months which in the northern hemisphere are long and cold, we look forward to springtime and the spring Holy Days. We will face trials and tests, as Christ told us. It is important for us not to get rattled by anything which happens to us, including imagined or real offenses, misunderstandings and illusions of our own minds, but rather, to look to the purpose of our calling and to the reward ahead.

When we face serious trials and tests, just how strong will our commitment be? Will we hold fast or will we walk away?

Christ talked about two types of servants in the New Testament. We are familiar with His words which we would all like to hear at His return: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).

This is an awesome statement, pointing to our future reward for being faithful, ruling in the Kingdom on the earth in the Millennium (Revelation 5:10).

“Well done” is music to our ears if we were told this by our manager or supervisor at work since it would signify that we not only did a good job but that the boss is very pleased with the work we performed. Hearing a compliment like this inspires us to continue to do good and even make attempts to excel in the tasks we have been given to do.

Notice the word “good.” If something is good then it is not bad. The fact that Christ said the servant was good is a very positive thing. It is much more than a manager or supervisor telling us, “good job,” which implies a job well done, bringing a swelling of joy to the hearers of such a nice compliment. Here, Christ is calling the servant “good”—not just the work which he did.

Notice the word “faithful.” If that isn’t also music to our ears, I don’t know what would be. Being called faithful means we did what was required of us. We towed the line, we endured, we did not throw in the towel even in the face of trials and adversity. We kept the faith. We were engaged in the commission of warning the world of impending doom in the near future; of preaching hope at the end of the trials coming on mankind; of proclaiming the future for those faithful servants and the promise of the resurrection and potential for all as God’s plan is rolled out; of getting the gospel—the good news—out to the world. All these aspects are encompassed in the word “faithful,” as applied to the servants of God.

Notice the word “servant.” We are not slaves or servants of Satan but rather slaves or servants of the living God, with the potential of becoming God.

This statement of how Christ is pleased with our performance should inspire us to complete the task we have been given.

Here is the other side of the coin.

Matthew 25:26-30 says:  “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Notice the word “wicked.” This is not exactly what we would like to hear from someone above us. Wicked also means malicious and derelict, implying we failed to do the will and desires of what Christ expected of us.

Notice the word “lazy.” This is hardly a recommendation if we are looking for a job. Lazy implies neglect to do what was required of us; in other words, a miserable failure.

The unprofitable servant did nothing with his talent, not even putting it in a bank to draw interest, but he buried it. What was his reward? He lost the talent that he had been given. And he was cast into outer darkness. This is probably not what he expected, but he was a total let-down to what Christ expected of him.

So the question is this: what type of servant are you and do you want to be?

There is a lot of talk about making the world a better place, but the reality is that under Satan’s tutelage and administration, this world is not going to get better. Rather, it is heading for complete and utter annihilation.

Matthew 24:22 tells us: “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”

THIS LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY GRIM OUTCOME FOR MANKIND. Is there any hope FOR US?

We know that the only viable and enduring solution lies in the return of Jesus Christ to end the madness of man’s rule and to put Satan away for a long duration of time, to give some relief from his negative influence on this world.

When this has occurred, we read about the conditions in the Millennium in the book of Isaiah: “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:2-4).

These are encouraging Scriptures and should inspire us to maintain our zeal to complete the Work we have been given to accomplish, prior to Christ’s return. The end of war is just one aspect of the changes we will help to bring about in the future. We can also see that the worship of God will be established, including keeping the Sabbath and the Holy Days. Wanting to be taught God’s ways in the above Scripture in the book of Isaiah includes worshipping Him in the prescribed manner, as outlined in Leviticus 23.

It is really important for us to remain faithful to our calling and see the present job through, since we will have such a positive powerful impact on the world in the future. As sons and daughters of God, we will be able to really make enduring positive changes to this world.

Our training now will eventually qualify us to be involved in this worldwide effort to implement the changes to truly make the world a better place. Paul expressed the current situation and looked to a future solution in Romans 8:20-23:

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.   For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.  Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption [better: sonship], the redemption of our body.”

Notice, the creation will be delivered from the bondage of Satan. And it groans and labors with birth pangs, awaiting the arrival of the firstfruits of those in the first resurrection to change this current evil world. Let’s ensure we are up to the task in remaining faithful to the end. The world desperately needs us.