THE CHURCH IS A NEW CIVILIZATION

By Herbert W Armstrong

June 1982

(PLAY FROM START)

[The beginning of this sermon is missing.] Now the Holy Spirit was not yet available. So Adam started a world, because he had children. He had Cain and Abel, and he had Seth. The Bible says he had others, sons and daughters; but it doesn't name them. Others came, and they had sons and daughters; and it came to the time when population was increasing at the time of the Flood. They were having a population explosion. God caused them all to be drowned because they were GOING THE WRONG WAY, except Noah and his family—eight people. ALL OF THE WORLD (except for those eight people) they were cut off without the Spirit of God, without the direction of the Spirit of God, without the Spirit which would open their minds to understand the teaching of God.

Now there was the kingdom of Israel raised up from slaves. God REVEALED His law to them. God REVEALED His truth to them. But they didn't understand it. They didn't have the Holy Spirit. So they were taught it, but it can only be understood through the Spirit to open up your mind to understand it. A cow can't understand what a man can, because it doesn't have the spirit of man. It's the spirit of man that makes your mind understand materialistic knowledge. I hope you can understand that.

But Adam's children, now, gradually got into a civilization. As they were then, there were many people. They began to realize they had to get some kind of organization. So they had men set up this, and that, and the other; but they didn't have right knowledge of how to get along with one another. The man at the head was always self-centered, and he tried to use those under him for his own good and his own benefit—where God uses those under Him for the benefit of the ones under it. God is a Giver, not a getter. But those that are heads over other people in this world try to get from them.

Now, the rulers over governments (and kings over governments) in this world, they pretend to be, and they pose and represent themselves to be, the benefactors of the people. They pose as the servants of the people. Politicians running for offices, try to tell the people how they are going to serve the people. Don't kid yourself! They want to get rulership over the people to serve themselves. Any time a person gets in a good-sized political office, he doesn't have to worry about where his money is coming from the rest of his life. You don't know how it's manipulated and how it's handled, but he finds a way; and he always gets along just fine.

Now the President of the United States, I remember when the President of the United States got $50,000 a year, ($50,000 a year.) Then I remember when it was raised to $75,000. Frankly, I really don't realize what it has been raised to now; but it's not so great. Many people in the large industries (presidents or board chairmen of large industries) get a much bigger salary than the President of the United States.

But no President of the United States ever needs to worry what's going to happen to him if he only serves his four years. Jimmy Carter will never have to worry. He doesn't have to live off his FEMA. For one thing, they can write their memoirs. Great money's going to come, and there's a great many little ways through politics that money can come in too—ways you don't know anything about; and I don't know either, so I can't tell you.

MAN'S CIVILIZATION (PLAY FROM 4:26)

But, anyway, a civilization got started; and man began to have his own government. Now first, after the Flood, there was the city—started by Nimrod; and his wife, Semiramis, started the religion. And so a religion, and different religions, came about; and other religions came. Then there were different cities, and there were just city-states. No countries, no nations yet, for a long.

Finally we came into ancient nations. There was Egypt; and, well, there was Greece, and Syria, and Assyria, and other nations like that. And then one came over Babylon and got many nations together into a united empire; and the first world empire was the Chaldean Empire, called Babylon. So we came to an empire, and ever since we have different nations or empires. Now empires are just about gone. The British Empire is almost dead, and it isn't really an empire any more. It's no longer Great Britain. It is just Britain.

But there came governments over the world. There came a system of education devised by man, and man believing in himself and teaching the psychology of 'believe in your own self but don't believe in God.' Different religions came, a different system of society (or a certain system of society); and it pooled into what we call civilization. That's the way people were living when Christ came; and that's the way people are living today, only it's ignorant and it's worse today than it was then.

Now the only reason they didn't produce material and physical things a lot sooner (Men could have gone to the moon and back a lot sooner than they did.) but they didn't know how to cooperate together. There was always competition. Man didn't know how to get along with man, so even his material progress was slowed down very greatly. It was almost stifled. But a human society was built, and human nature came. Now human nature came from Satan, the devil.

Maybe I should read from Ephesians 2 and verse [one]. Well, let me just tell you one thing. In Ephesians 2, it says we "were dead in trespasses and sins." We were, because you're just going to die. Anyone is subject to death in this life. People think they're going to live forever. You're not. In this life, we are only here for a short time.

I just wonder whether I'm going to live tomorrow. Early next month I will be ninety years of age, and I have to think about that. Now I know God can keep me alive. He could keep me alive for another thirty years. He doesn't do that for very many people very often. I know that He could, but I don't know that He will. But whatever is His will, He will do; and I have to be subject to it, and I am. I mean to be, and I want to be.

So here was this world, and we are the same as "dead" in trespasses and sins. But now God says, "You are alive." In other words, we have Life through the Holy Spirit. Jesus came and called His Church out of this world. Jesus came TO QUALIFY TO SIT ON THE THRONE OF THE EARTH, and He did before He came to preach a word. After He had qualified, He said, "THE TIME IS FULFILLED!" Now He had qualified and He could proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. That's the government of God, the Family of God that will rule a different civilization. He came to call people OUT of this world and to START that new civilization—The World Tomorrow. And that's what the Church is. It's a new civilization just begotten, just started.

FIRST WE ARE BEGOTTEN (PLAY FROM 9:27)

Let me explain right now, while it's on my mind, what that means. How were you born? I've explained this before. Let me go over it once again. I want to refresh your minds right at this point. You were an ovum in your mother's womb. You came out of one of your mother's ovaries. She had two of them, and you came out of one of them. You were a little tiny ovum the size of a pinpoint, the size of a period at the end of a newspaper sentence of just ordinary small type. It had no life except a maximum of not longer than twenty-eight days, and probably not that long. It's only a temporary existence. But you wouldn't have been born except a sperm cell from the very body of your father entered in to that ovum and imparted life to it, and it took the male to impart life. Otherwise, it would only have a temporary existence.

Then you became an embryo. You were an embryo human being, but you weren't a real human being yet. You didn't even have human form or shape, and you were as small as a pinpoint. After four months, you were beginning to take on human shape. There was a sort of a body, and off of that body was sprouting arms and legs; and there was a head. Things like that were beginning to appear. Inside of that body a heart was forming; and veins and arteries were beginning to form, and blood was beginning to circulate, and the heart was beginning to beat. You were taking on human form and shape; but you were still very, very tiny and just beginning to have human shape.

It took five more months for you to develop. You weren't born again. You weren't born yet. You were begotten. After five more months you were ready to come outside of your mother and be born and now to have your own life. But even now it was only a temporary life, and you had to grab your first breath. And you were yelling, "Whaaa, whaaa." I know. I've heard that three times, with three of my own children when they were born. I heard their first breath. I guess it hurts the lungs when they grab that first breath, and makes them yell out; and that's the way you were born.

Well now let me tell you: If you receive God's Spirit in the Church, the Church is merely an ovum with the Holy Spirit of God impregnated. We are an impregnated ovum; and we are therefore an embryo, impregnated by the Holy Spirit that comes from the very body of the Father, who is God. That's the divine Father coming in to us. His Spirit therefore mingles with our spirit; and the spirit in us (as we grow up) is the nucleus, and we… the human being (an adult human being) is an ovum. {1} An ovum only has a temporary life, and is not an embryo until the Spirit of God comes. When the Spirit of God comes in, that is, you might say, the earnest—and it is not a full down payment—on eternal Life.

But you are now BEGOTTEN to be in the Kingdom of God. So the Church is AN EMBRYO. THE CHURCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD, but not yet born—not yet with divine Life, only just the Life of the Holy Spirit in us with ours. Satan the devil is still getting to us. The Spirit of God now is going to open our mind to understand God's knowledge, and it's "as many as are LED by the Holy Spirit" as God, through the Holy Spirit, reveals knowledge.

God is the Teacher. The Holy Spirit opens your mind to understand that teaching. Does the Spirit of God open your mind to understand what I'm teaching you now today? How wonderful it is that we can be begotten into the Kingdom of God. We are begotten Gods! Children of God! Do you realize how great that is, brethren? Or isn't it of that much consequence to you? THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN! And we just take it as if "Well, everyone's supposed to go to church. I guess maybe we should have the Holy Spirit." But you don't know if you've got it or not. Is that the way you look at it? Is it just of no consequence? Or is it THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT EVER HAPPENED, OR EVER COULD HAPPEN, IN THE ALL THE UNIVERSE—TO ANYBODY! To be an actual CHILD OF GOD! Scripture says, "Beloved, NOW are we the children of God, and it does not appear [yet] what we shall be." That doesn't appear yet. It will appear, because then we'll be like Christ and this vile body will be changed into a spirit body like His when He comes.

A FEW CALLED NOW (PLAY FROM 16:18)

So I tell you: What is the solution of all of the troubles in the world? The world is in trouble. People say, "Well, Christ is the solution." What do you mean? Just believe Him, that there is a person like Christ? A great evangelist, well Billy Graham, has said that—"Christ is the solution." In other words, you just believe that Christ is and say "I accept it." Oh, no, that's not the solution. The solution is that the Spirit of God must come as a result through Christ's presence—the Door. But Jesus said, "NO MAN CAN COME TO ME EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF THE FATHER (or except the Father that sent Me) DRAWS HIM" and God is only drawing a few NOW.

I want to get to that now. Why is God only drawing a few now? WHY IS GOD CALLING THIS CHURCH? But He's not calling the people in the Methodist, or the Baptist, or other churches. Does that sound like I'm a competitor and I'm talking with prejudice? Not at all! We're not in any competition with anybody. I'm only stating the fact.

There's just as many of you sitting here as HAVE the Spirit of God, that are BEING LED BY the Spirit of God, that are really in the Church—because you are not baptized into the Church in water. You say, "Well I most certainly was, yes, I was baptized." What do you mean? "Well, so-and-so baptized me in water." Well, that didn't put you into the Church. Do you think it did? A lot of you have been thinking wrong! That didn't put you into the Church. Let me read it to you: Romans the 8th chapter, the 9th verse.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit [That's the Spirit of God.], IF SO BE that the Spirit of God dwells in you. NOW if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. [He is not a Christian, and he is not a member of the Church.]

BY ONE SPIRIT are we all baptized into the one body—the Church. BY ONE SPIRIT [I Corinthians 12:13], not by water! Water baptism is only something you are commanded to do to show that you are willing to do what God said, but that doesn't put you in the Church. So don't ever say "Oh, I'm a member of the Church because I was baptized (meaning you were baptized in water)." Not unless you have the Holy Spirit to open your mind to comprehend the teaching of God and unless you are being LED by that teaching—once you hear it, that you follow it. "NOT THE HEARERSOF THE LAW ARE JUST BEFORE GOD, BUT THE DOERSOF THE LAW SHALL BE JUSTIFIED." [Romans 2:13]

You first have to hear it, or read it. Then you have to DO IT! Just knowledge alone won't save you. You have to have the knowledge before you know what to do, but it's the doing that finally saves you then. Oh, I hope you can get these things straight.

Now then, I'm coming to the most important part of all. Jesus said, "I will build my church." But He said also…John 6:44. Read it in your Bible there. I've read it so many times.

John 6:44 NO MAN CAN COME TO ME…

Now, there's only one Door to God; and that's Christ. There's no other way you can get to God but through Christ; and yet He said:

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father draws him.

And God is only drawing a few. Why? Why isn't He drawing them all?

THE CHURCH IS STARTED (PLAY FROM 20:57)

Well, how did God start the Church? Now let's get to that. God… Jesus, I mean, called twelve disciples. Now, they didn't choose Him. He was walking along a place (I know I've walked along that same place many a times. I've been all around the Sea of Galilee; and I think there is only one place that could be the place where He was walking along), and He saw Peter and his brother Andrew out in a boat with their father. They were fishermen (You know—like father, like son.), and they were two sons of their father. It was 'Simon' and Andrew really because his name wasn't 'Peter.' His name was Simon. Jesus called them and said, "Come, follow Me. I'm going to make you fishers of men. You are through fishing for that kind of fish." And they came. Apparently the father didn't. Apparently Jesus didn't even call their father. But He called those two brothers, and they came.

When Jesus saw Peter (There's another scripture in John that indicates it was the first time He saw him.), He said "Thou art Peter (or Cephas, I forget which, it means the same thing.); and, anyway, Peter is merely a surname. It says that Jesus surnamed Simon 'Peter.' Now his real name was Simon the son of Jonah, and Jonah was his father. But Jesus surnamed him, and a surname is a title designating the kind of job or occupation you have. Now Peter is the title of a leader, and Peter was made to be the human leader in the Church of the apostles; and Christ made him the leader. He chose eleven others along with him.

THE GREAT COMMISSION (PLAY FROM 23:30)

But now I want you to notice the Great Commission. Jesus taught those apostles for 3 ½ years. Now they went to school. They didn't sit in a classroom. It was a little different. They didn't follow Satan's system of a building, with seats, and a teacher with a desk up front. No, He followed His own system. They went from city to city, and they all went along with Him. They had to walk most of the way. I don't know how they slept. It doesn't say very much about that in the Bible.

But Jesus taught them, and they were listening. Jesus preached to the people, but as a witness. He didn't call them to be converted. He only called primarily these twelve. However, to those He preached He said, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel (the good news) of the Kingdom of God." It is recorded that on the Day of Pentecost there were a total of 120 (including those twelve) that had come and were there ready to receive the Holy Spirit when the Church was founded on that day.

Now, Jesus taught them so they could become teachers. I want you to get this principle! He didn't start a Church with a lot of members. He only started with a few students, so they could become teachers; and He could start the Church around them, and they would be the foundation of the Church. They would be the teachers! Do you get that, brethren? HE DIDN'T CALL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AT ALL! He called students, and they weren't members of the Church. They were taught so they could become teachers; and, when He started the Church, He had teachers already there. The teachers were the apostles. Now I don't think you've ever understood that before. Did you get that?

All right: He taught them. When He had finished teaching them; now He had some people taught to become teachers. They had been students, or… You see, if you look up in the dictionary… only it's in my desk, if I reach down in this drawer down here for a dictionary, but of course this isn't my desk. This is only the platform here. But in my desk in the office, I'd reach down for my dictionary; and I look up the word "disciple." What do you think I find in the dictionary? It means a student or a learner—one who is learning and who is the student. The disciples were students, and Jesus was the Teacher.

Now then, when they were taught and ready to be graduated (and they didn't graduate until they received the Holy Spirit, and that was going to come later—after Christ's crucifixion). But He called them, and I want you to notice now in Matthew 28. Matthew 28, verse 18; notice the Great Commission. Let's see if you don't see something here you never noticed before. Here's the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18 Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

He had QUALIFIED! Now He had ALL POWER in heaven and earth, and He said:

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, [In view of the fact I have that power, and you represent me. You have that. I am making you…giving you power of attorney to represent Me, and I am conferring some of that power on you. Go ye therefore…"] and [What? What is that next word? Can you read it? Go ye therefore, and…] teach.

They were now teachers. They were going to become the teachers, and the ones they teach were going to be the students. But no man is going to come to be taught spiritual knowledge except the Father draws them. But then He said to Peter, "Feed the flock." Go and teach.

Matthew 28:19-20 Go…and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name [or, into the name] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: (20) TEACHING [There again, teaching.] them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you.

He spent 3 ½ years teaching them the doctrine—the way of life, how to live; and it's all based on the word "love." It's all based on loving God first of all, and then on loving your fellow man as yourself; but you have to even love your own self because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You need to take care of it. Be sure of the food you poke into it. Be sure of the kind of mental food you poke into your mind.

Take care of this body. Most people don't! Most people don't know what they ought to eat. They have never studied to find out. A very large percentage of people are way over weight. They eat too much. They abuse their bodies by eating too much. They fill their minds on the wrong kind of food. You don't even love yourself like God intended you to. But it's love to God and your neighbor as yourself, and it's a responsibility towards your own self. So that's what He said to do.

GIVING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (PLAY FROM 30:34)

Now the Holy Spirit was not then given yet to everybody. Back in Joel 2:28, where Joel the prophet made this prophesy.

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterwards [Now actually this has not fully happened yet. "Afterwards…"], that I will pour out my spirit [That's God speaking. God says that He will pour out His Spirit] upon ALL flesh.

He's not doing that yet. He's only pouring out His Spirit on those that God called, because Jesus said no man could come except those that are CALLED by God. Oh, no. He chose twelve. He selected them. They didn't have anything to say about it. Peter didn't decide who He would call. Peter didn't decide he would be the head (the leader among the ministers of the Church, the apostles). Jesus decided it!

The apostle Paul didn't decide it. Jesus stuck him down, down; and put him through quite an experience to wake him up because he was going the wrong way; and Jesus just turned him around to go the other direction, so to speak. So it isn't a case of "whoever will" can come get into the Kingdom of God. No, not now; and there is a reason, and I want to explain that reason. I haven't come to the real crux of this sermon yet. All this is building up to it. Now we're coming to it.

The Day of Pentecost, He called 120 who were filled with the Holy Spirit that day. I don't need to turn and read that (Acts the 2nd chapter and beginning with verse 1). But now, with the spiritual mind, they were sent out to grow in grace and in knowledge. II Peter 3:18, where Peter said (It's the last words of Peter in his II Peter 3:18.) —GROW in grace and the KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now anyone who comes to have the Holy Spirit, now the Spirit of God will open their mind to understand when they are taught. So we must grow in spiritual knowledge. In other words, go to school. That's what it means. Go to school!

Next I want to read from Hebrews, the 5th chapter and verse 12. I want you to notice. Paul says here, in writing this book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers [He's talking to people in the Church and says "You ought to be teachers (you in the Church). You should have learned enough to be a teacher."], ye have need that one teach you AGAIN [because they weren't good students, and they weren't paying any attention in the 1st grade, and 2nd grade, and the 3rd grade; and they didn't learn very well. It says "teach you again"] …the first principles of the oracles of God [That is, in spiritual knowledge and the way of God.], and you are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

(Or solid foods—only just liquids and milk like a little baby.) A baby hasn't grown up yet. Although we are grown human beings, we are merely infants in Christ. We are merely in the embryo and the fetus stage of the Kingdom of God. Now you'll notice Revelation 5 and verse 10, where it is speaking here of Christ:

Revelation 5:10 Hast made us unto our God kings and priests ["Priest" means teacher, and we are to be teachers and kings—ruling and teaching.]: and we shall reign on the earth.

That's in the Kingdom of God. We're being taught. Everyone in the Church is now a STUDENT being taught so we can become teachers and rulers under Christ in the Kingdom. That's the point I've been trying to get over!

Now I want you to notice what Jesus said here in Revelation 3:21.

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh [overcomes the wrong things and goes by the way he's learning, and learning in spiritual knowledge] will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sit down with my Father in his throne.

And in Revelation 2, verses 26 and 27:

Revelation 2:26-27 And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give POWER over the nations: (27) And he shall rule them with a rod of iron.

COMPETITION VS COOPERATION (PLAY FROM 36:48)

But we're going to teach them a new way of living! The Kingdom of God will have to live a different way if we are going to have peace. We don't have peace in this world. We have some progress, yes; but even that progress has been retarded by competition—competition even within an organization. Capital is against labor, and labor is against capital. The laboring man is taught, "Give the boss as little work and cooperation as you can. Get all you can get from him. We'll go on strike for more wages, but let's give less. Let's not give him anything if we can get ours. Let's produce as little as we can." So in everything today it's man against man.

Brethren, listen. Take two people. (It started out with God and the Word—they being two beings.) Now take two people today. One is trying to get something for himself. He has to get it out of the earth, so he tries to get something for himself out of the earth. But here's this other person over here, and the other person is trying to keep him from getting anything, and trying to take away from him even what he already has and to stop him from getting any more. So this man is trying to prevent this other man from getting any thing, and to stop him from getting any more, and take away from him what he has.

No wonder it took them up into the last century (6,000 years) before we could send men to the moon and photograph Mars, and Jupiter, and Saturn; because man was working against man to stop his progress and to prevent. Competition: Everyone against everyone, everyone trying to get, and trying to keep the other person from getting.

Now then, you have two persons; and each is wanting to help the other. This person is interested in what he can produce out of the earth, and so is the other. But this man, 'A' over here, he tries to help 'B.' He says, "I'll do all that I can. I'll help him do what he can." And 'B' says, "Well, I'm going to help 'A.' I'm going to work with him. We'll cooperate and together we'll produce more than just the two who are fighting against each other, each trying to take away from the other, and be free from cooperation."

Now Satan argues that competition is better. He argues that, you see, if you're all for yourself that will spur endeavor, and to arouse you through ambition so you'll work harder, and therefore you'll produce more. Yeah? You produce more when you are working against the other guy and he's working against you, and he says he's trying to prevent the other from getting anything? Oh, no. You're worth more when you both put your heart in it and both try to help one another—when you work together!

I'm going overtime. I'm going to have to stop; but I've given you the message. I didn't know I was going overtime. I get so interested in it myself. I don't go overtime very often. I hope you are interested too!

TAUGHT TO BE TEACHERS (PLAY FROM 40:38)

But the Church is the Kingdom of God in embryo. Now let me just… I have to give you this interesting proof. When I was over in Amman just recently, in Jordan, I found that the Princess, who is the wife of the heir-apparent to the throne (In other words, its King Hussein's brother—Prince Hassan.), she had started a school for the mentally retarded. I got interested in it, and I went out to see the school; and the Princess showed me all the way through. They had mentally retarded children, and they were trying to teach them. They even had to teach them how to put a button in a buttonhole. They had to teach them how to go to the toilet, and they had little plastic toilets for these little kids. They had to be taught how to do everything because they were mentally retarded, and their parents didn't know how to teach them.

Now they had just a little over 100 pupils there, I believe it was. I said, "Well, now, is this all of the mentally retarded people in your nation here?" She said, "Oh, no. It's only a small fraction." I said, "You mean you've got a lot more mentally retarded?" "Oh, yes." Well, I said, "Why can't you go on and teach them all?" "Well, Mr. Armstrong, we can't teach them until we first teach teachers. We have to get other people TAUGHT HOW TO TEACH them, and we can't do it; and we are trying to do that."

So, you see, Jesus couldn't start the Church until He taught some to be teachers! Jesus can't start the Kingdom of God until He has ALL OF US as TEACHERS to teach the millions. He called twelve to teach a few thousand, and there were 3,000 converted that very first day; and they were taught by the Twelve. Then they were multiplied for a few days. They must have gotten up to about 100,000 or so (about the size of this Church right now); and then they went backwards. Then the false doctrines came in, and false apostles; and the true gospel was suppressed and was not preached to the world.

Even the true Church began to lose most of the teaching that they had. When I came among them, they knew the right name—Kingdom of God. {2} They knew about the Sabbath; but, oh, there was so much they didn't know. They didn't know about the annual holy days. They didn't know the purpose of the Church. They didn't know the meaning of it. They didn't know what's going to happen in the Millennium. They did know there would be one, but they didn't know anything about it.

YOU HAVE TO TEACH TEACHERS to teach the others! Christ came to start A NEW WORLD! A NEW CIVILIZATION! People think this civilization is wonderful. Oh, it's Satan's civilization. Jesus came to start GOD'S CIVILIZATION. He started it with twelve. Then He started it with the Church. Now here are more than 1,000 with us right here today, and each of us is going to be able to teach several hundred (if not a thousand). A thousand of us need to learn to teach a thousand…a thousand, thousand, or a million. I guess so. How many does it take to teach the billions of the earth?

That's why God did not call everybody. He was not calling the world to salvation. The world can't be saved until they LEARN the way of God; and, to learn, they first to have the Spirit of God. Then they can begin to learn in the beginning of first and second grade. Then maybe the equivalent to junior high and high school, and then they can get into the college and university.

He's calling us NOW in order that, in the Millennium, we can teach the millions and even the billions. Listen: The world thinks that Jesus came preaching that you just say you've got the password, and "I accept Christ," and you go forward and get a little Billy Graham present. Then you go home and forget all about it tomorrow morning, and you're going to get into the Kingdom of God. Oh, no.

We have to learn the way of living of God—the way that is cooperation, that helps, that produces. And brethren, ultimately, after that thousand years and the Great White Throne Judgment, we're going to go to other planets; and we are going to raise up new people. We're going to start new worlds; and it's going to go on and on until there are BILLIONS TIMES BILLIONS of people; and God has started with a few of us.

Does that mean anything to you? Is that a challenge to you, to get on fire and to learn more? But learning alone isn't enough. We have to be DOERS of the Word, as well as hearers and learners. So God is developing character, and that is the knowledge plus the action of doing.

MEANING OF THE CHURCH (PLAY FROM 46:54)

Now I want to give you the MEANING of the Church. The people in the churches of this world haven't any idea as to why there should be a Church. Why has not God called everybody? It is first, just like in Jordan, they have to teach teachers before they can teach others of these kids. And God has to call and teach teachers before we can teach the others, and they have to be taught before they know how to live and the way to build a right society, and a right civilization—that will be both happy and productive, and everybody cooperating with everybody; and everybody at peace and enjoying life; and none of the troubles that we're having in this world today. Do you get the message, brethren?

Now this Church is doing everything it can to that end. We're trying to teach you every way we can. We're trying to not only put ministers over you and Churches all over this world; and now there are hundreds of ministers. God used me to start Ambassador College—not only here, but finally we started in Bricket Wood in England, and then we started in Big Sandy, Texas. I tell you: over 50% of all of the men who graduated from Bricket Wood over in England are in the ministry today. I think about 40% both here and in Big Sandy have become ministers. Many of the girl students that have graduated through these years have either married and become wives of these men (helping them), or they themselves are employed somewhere in the work of the Church.

The purpose of Ambassador College is merely to call and to teach and to train people for the work of the Church; and the purpose of the Church is to call people that GOD has called (and God selects them) to be EDUCATED, to be TAUGHT NOW as students so that we can become teachers when God does start to save the world. The world has to be TAUGHT how to live! The world has to be TAUGHT how to cooperate, and they have to be taught; but they have to have a Head, a Leader, who is God. God leads through Christ. Christ has to have human leaders. He leads on this earth through me, and I lead through different ministers and through heads of different departments, and through a man who is the head over in Australia, in South Africa, in England, in other countries around the world. There is organization—and there has to be such organization.

Satan has done everything he could to stop this. He tried to kill the Christ Child. Then he tried to get Christ tempted, when He was thirty years old, just before He began to preach. He has thrown everything he has at me personally! You don't know what Satan has thrown at me personally and what I've had to suffer. Satan is the accuser of the brethren; and he's accused me of this, that, and the other thing. Every rotten thing that Satan could think up he's picked it up and I'm supposed to be guilty of it.

Brethren, I want to tell you, those that were in the Church and have gotten embittered and have gone out, they are much more concerned about this Church and what goes on in the Church than you people who are in it. To them it's their life, where they get their energy. What's going on in this Church? They're against it, and they want to destroy it! With them, it's a passion! Is it a passion with you—to learn, to be a student, to get good grades at learning the way of God (the way of Life of God), and to be a teacher of others?

You don't just go out and get others to say "I receive Christ." It isn't like that. They have to be TAUGHT from the ground up the way of Life of God and of Christ. And you are all called, or otherwise what you are you doing here if God hasn't called you? Well, God help you to open your minds to see and to have a vision and to have ambition to get there, and for the Kingdom of God. Ambition is a desire plus the willpower or effort, to put forth the effort. The inspiration to want to do it! Is your whole heart in it, brethren? Or is it just a little something that; and are we just here to be amused and entertained, or were you here to learn something today?

Well, God help you. You were given the opportunity that Adam had, and you have to make the same decision that he did. But here now, you're teachers. What are you going to do? How much are you going to learn? As I say, we're doing everything we can. We not only have ministers, look at all the publications we send out. For the Church, we have the Good News. We have the Worldwide News. We have all kinds of booklets. We have the Bible Correspondence Course. We have a letter going out every month from me. We have the Plain Truth, and that's basic matter to feed our people as well as the outside world. And for children we have the Youth '82. We have all kinds of things to feed people.

We are trying to teach you. We are trying, and you are students. There's no Church like this on the face of the earth. The others are not Churches of God. They are churches of men. They are part of SATAN'S WORLD, and Jesus says that the people in them are the children of Satan. We're called to become the children of God. Oh, brethren, I hope you get it. I hope you can put the whole HEART into it! And some of you are. In fact, many of you are. I know that many good reports have come. But I feel that somehow we haven't really been stirred. We haven't really been gotten the message, and we don't have that inspiration we ought to have. Well, I hope that God gives me a little of that inspiration, that it's catching and that you catch it, and that you get to have that dynamic interest and vitality and will go ahead in it that God has given me. I've worn myself out, and I hope you'll do that a little too!

Well, I've gone overtime today. I don't do that very often. But you've needed it. Thank you very much, brethren.

{1} Editor's note: Mr. Armstrong said "is a fetus. A fetus…" when he undoubtedly meant to say "an ovum" in both places.

{2} Editor's note: It is possible that Mr. Armstrong meant to say "the right name—the Church of God" because he often mentioned the Sardis Era of the true Church had that.