On Being First
My thanks to Gary Leonard over at Banned by HWA! for publishing my last post (That Great Day of the Feast). I am always surprised and grateful when he thinks that one of my pieces is worthy of sharing with his readers. For many years now, Gary has sought to challenge the followers of Herbert Armstrong's theology to reexamine their belief system and reclaim their ability to think for themselves.
Nevertheless, A few of the commentators on my post took exception to my remarks about their pride in being first - that my argument wasn't really with them but with God! One person even suggested that my own future in that regard may be uncertain because of those remarks.
This is a classic example of the kind of circular reasoning and mental straitjacket that has kept people in the clutches of Armstrong's theology for the last seventy years. They believe that God has revealed "His" TRUTH to them, and that if you don't see what they see you're WRONG. Worse yet, in their estimation, is anyone who has formerly accepted their position and now rejects it - that person is clearly not going to be first!
Nevertheless, in attacking me, these commentators failed to address the point that I was making in that post and my responses to them. Frankly, it DOESN'T matter what you or I think about what is going to happen to us when we die! It is what actually happens to us that matters. Likewise, our belief about the ordering of when we receive our invitation to accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins is a small matter when we compare it to the issue of whether or not we accept that invitation. The question is: Do we rejoice in the fact that ALL will/or have receive/d that invitation, or that we are the first to receive it?
Jesus Christ warned his disciples that "many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." (Matthew 19:30) He went on to say: "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." (Matthew 20:1-16)
I am thankful to have received an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and I hope and pray that I will be ready when the door to that celebration is opened! The order in which I received my invitation does not (and should not) matter to me. And, as long as I am there, I don't care if I'm the last person through that door! Does that make sense?
Nevertheless, A few of the commentators on my post took exception to my remarks about their pride in being first - that my argument wasn't really with them but with God! One person even suggested that my own future in that regard may be uncertain because of those remarks.
This is a classic example of the kind of circular reasoning and mental straitjacket that has kept people in the clutches of Armstrong's theology for the last seventy years. They believe that God has revealed "His" TRUTH to them, and that if you don't see what they see you're WRONG. Worse yet, in their estimation, is anyone who has formerly accepted their position and now rejects it - that person is clearly not going to be first!
Nevertheless, in attacking me, these commentators failed to address the point that I was making in that post and my responses to them. Frankly, it DOESN'T matter what you or I think about what is going to happen to us when we die! It is what actually happens to us that matters. Likewise, our belief about the ordering of when we receive our invitation to accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice for our sins is a small matter when we compare it to the issue of whether or not we accept that invitation. The question is: Do we rejoice in the fact that ALL will/or have receive/d that invitation, or that we are the first to receive it?
Jesus Christ warned his disciples that "many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." (Matthew 19:30) He went on to say: "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." (Matthew 20:1-16)
I am thankful to have received an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and I hope and pray that I will be ready when the door to that celebration is opened! The order in which I received my invitation does not (and should not) matter to me. And, as long as I am there, I don't care if I'm the last person through that door! Does that make sense?
Lonnie Hendrix
Err, no it doesn't make sense. Everything is wrong with this article. In Matthew 29:30, the wages of the labourers in the vineyard is eternal life. So if a person has spiritually laboured 20 or 60 years, both are given the same gift of eternal life.
ReplyDelete"Do we rejoice that all have received the invitation or that we are the first to receive it?" My answer, I rejoice that I am the first to receive it. If a person cuts themselves with the bread knife, they are more concerned with that cut than with thousands that might have died in a earthquake that day. That's the way it has always been, and always will be. This author advocating being more concerned with others than self, is Protestant lying religious mush. Ignore it folks. Does this author put other children before her own? I don't think so.
This article has conveniently left out the parable of the talents, with the best rewards going to the most productive.
I had as minister scold me for making a good comment in spokesmans club. He said I should take the lowest seat. So according to him, I should hide my knowledge and intelligence, and play stupid so that he can feel superior. By demanding that I and others bury our pounds in the ground, he's also guaranteed a top position in the kingdom. As far as I'm concerned, this author is guilty of the same thieving rule rigging. It's the fox preaching to the chickens, the wolf preaching to the lambs.
“I am thankful to have received an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and I hope and pray that I will be ready when the door to that celebration is opened! The order in which I received my invitation does not (and should not) matter to me. And, as long as I am there, I don't care if I'm the last person through that door!”
ReplyDeleteAmen brother! :-)
People will understand what you say once they acknowledge that Elohim does not belong to a union.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot follow Armstrong into the kingdom. He will not be there.
ReplyDeleteHe has gone where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Lonnie, Welcome to the wacky world of some Banned commentators and their unsurpassed and awesome anal-yzing skills.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 10/27 @ 11:51,
ReplyDeleteHmmm, You sound like someone who is expecting a return on an investment. I'm afraid that you are going to be disappointed if you are doing what you're doing in expectation of an executive position in the kingdom. Do you think that Jesus did what he did for a throne?Remember, it's the downcast, mourners, humble, seekers of justice, merciful, pure-hearted, workers for peace and persecuted who will be rewarded in God's Kingdom. And it's not your works that will earn you a place in that kingdom, it is the works of Jesus Christ which have reserved a spot for you there.
And I thought that the Parable of the Talents was intended to show us that we are expected to do something constructive with the gifts which God has given to us - that God wants us to use/employ/grow/magnify those gifts, not selfishly sit on them and just use them for our own benefit. Notice too, the verses which immediately follow that parable, Christ said that his sheep would inherit the kingdom because they had ministered to those in need. In other words, the increase accrues to the benefit of those who have exhibited the fruits of the Spirit - not those who have pursued them to satisfy their own selfish ambition!
11:51 has confused salvation with reward. Salvation is a gift. It does not matter when a person receives salvation. Eternal life is eternal life. A reward, though, is based on the talents. I agree with Lonnie. I don’t care if I am at the end of the line. Salvation is assuredly mine.
ReplyDelete"The dead in Christ shall rise first," my Bible says.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for a COG group to show me the Scripture that proves they're going up second.
"I don't care if I am at the end of the line."
ReplyDeleteNature abhors a vacuum. First crown stealer Dennis retires, so now others step forward to take his place. This new batch takes the form of encouraging people to do the least with their talents. This is dangerous advice. Christ called the person who buried his pound in the ground 'wicked,' so this neighborhood should be avoided like the plague. Christ also condemned the lukewarm laodiceans, telling them He wanted them to be spiritually rich.
To me, the most frightening scripture in the bible is 1Peter 4:18 "if the righteous scarcely be saved.." If it's a struggle for the best to qualify for the kingdom, how much harder and precarious is it for others to qualify. Yet here we have posters advocating that Christians put their feet up, and try to barely qualify for the kingdom.
Do these advocates practise what they preach by telling their children and/or grandchildren to become bus drivers and janitors? And why don't they practise what they preach by giving away their wealth to a charity, and go live under as bridge?
Lonnie's concluding statement included the question: "...Does it make sense?"
ReplyDeleteAll the scriptures quoted were from Jesus Christ, who spoke all in parables; they all make sense.
What also makes sense is, whether one received an invitation or not, God will accomplish the reconciliation of the world:
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
Or, in other words, God has provided the necessary propitiation for the whole world:
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world." I John 2:2
Time will tell...
John
Here is the basic problem with this "being first" line of thinking. If HWA ends up being correct in believing that ultimately the vast majority of humans will end up being saved by God, then being first, elitism, and treating outsiders as being deceived and unworthy of kindness or compassion has no place in the lifestyle of Armstrongites. So much of that theology includes not so subtle messages that cause Armstrongites to look down on their family members, their neighbors, their colleagues at work or fellow students at school, let alone the poor homeless guy who just wants a bottle if wine to help him get through another cold night sleeping on the street. Me first, save my ass from the tribulation, I'm right and everyone else is wrong, are not attitudes that do what Armstrongites profess to do, which is to foreshadow the Kingdom through their customs and lives. If just about everyone is going to be saved, shouldn't that be the most basic assumption on which the treatment of and attitudes towards others is based?
ReplyDeleteBB
11:51 has confused nothing. Lonnie is the confused one, as are those who can't see Lonnie's error.
ReplyDeleteSalvation (parable of the workers) is a gift, all who receive it receive it equally. The reward (parable of the talents) however is our position in the Kingdom, which only lasts for 1,000 years.
In eternity we're most likely all equal, though we really don't know. Why don't we just let God decide?
BB, you are correct, and believe me when I say that I'm not defending Armstrongism but there are/were a few among us who still hold to the basic teachings who actually knew/know this. I think it was the chaff, the weeds or whatever one wants to call them who were among us who made WCG a living hell. And for the most part they are the same ones today bashing the whole system, the wrong and the right of WCG teachings. The ones judging now are the same ones who made WCG a religion of works and judgementalism. Now the judgmental among this blog can attack me as they used to judge all in the WCG when they brown nosed the minister. Most here had their nose so far up the ministers ass it wasn't funny.
ReplyDelete11.17 AM
ReplyDeleteThe number one rule of self defense, as in getting home safely, is awareness, ie constantly evaluating ones surroundings. Yet he's you ranting against people passing moral judgment. Try driving a car without constantly reading other drivers. It's only criminals and non winners who fear moral evaluation.
Since you missed it, the whole purpose of the feast of unleavened bread is evaluation.
Why fear moral evaluation? There is no need to fear that at all. We have been found worthy in Jesus Christ, so don't need to around beating ourselves up over seen and unseen "sins" That's the problem with those that still worship Moses instead of following Jesus, they constantly need to "moral evaluate" their worthiness in order to please the god they don't actually believe in or follow.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteLonnie's concluding statement included the question: "...Does it make sense?"
All the scriptures quoted were from Jesus Christ, who spoke all in parables; they all make sense.
What also makes sense is, whether one received an invitation or not, God will accomplish the reconciliation of the world:
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19
Or, in other words, God has provided the necessary propitiation for the whole world:
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world." I John 2:2
Time will tell...
John
October 29, 2019 at 9:34 AM
The Apostle John has spoken, time did tell.
I think the point the writer is trying to make is that it isn't about "being first". We already have one who was "first" and He is our King and Savior. He is the only one who qualifies to have bragging rights. The rest of us regardless of "order" fall in line behind Him! Those of us still in the cog movement have largely missed the point, and many of us continue to be motivated for the wrong reasons. One proof of this is how we talk about things like why we "preach the gospel", or how we think others are "called" or who, or how many, or how "few", or even what we think the gospel is. Our language is often exclusive, limiting, self absorbed, self serving, and arrogant.
ReplyDeleteMany cog groups who try and preach some sort of gospel do so not because "God so loved the world" that He would not have any perish, but instead out of a sense of duty and a fear that if they do not give a "warning message", that God will hold the "blood of the wicked" over their heads. Some think this warning primarily needs to go to those whom they believe are of Israelite lineage, or those they consider to be among their own, i.e. the US and Britain, with perhaps other nations coming in behind the big two. The mandate given directly by Jesus to "go into all the world" and "preach the gospel to everyone" only comes in for some as a secondary concern, if at all. I even recently heard someone say that God does not work directly with "gentiles" but only works through "His people". If this is true, than perhaps someone should have left the Apostle Paul a memo, because he spent an awful lot of time working directly with "gentiles", and in fact "gentile" congregations are the main examples we have in the New Testament. We don't hear a whole lot about how the other Apostles dealt with their "Israelite" or "Jewish" congregations. This perspective is exclusive, self serving, and just plain wrong. It is also ineffective. Our motivation for sharing the gospel message, which is a positive message, should be out of love and concern for others, not just because we want to save ourselves or just save those who we think are related to us somewhere on the way back to Abraham. If our motive is wrong, others will pick up on that. Jesus didn't come to share His good news out of fear that God would punish Him if He didn't. He instead voluntarily gave up His own life, so that all could benefit from that sacrifice. He considers all who accept Christ to be Abraham's seed and His people. It is about faith and acceptance of Him, not about pedigree, blood line, or being first in line. "And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham." Matthew 3:9
It is also not about the importance of the ministry. Most consider it their right and responsibility to be the mouth piece in preaching the gospel to the exclusion of the rest of the body of Christ, who are just there to "support the work" but not actually do any work themselves. It might be constructive to remind those with over inflated egos that HWA, whatever one might think of him, did not learn of the Sabbath from a minister, but from his own wife, who learned it through acquaintance and conversation with another woman. The best way to spread the gospel is person to person, with conversation and friendship, and everyone participating according to their gifts. Unfortunately the cogs have discouraged this, to our own detriment.(Acts 2:17-18)
If you want to know why the cogs are dying a slow death, it is because those in charge are more interested in building their corporate organizations than building up the body of Christ, and they have silenced their biggest asset, the rest of us.
Concerned Sister