Sermons and Biblical Studies

by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," August 1998 Have you ever noticed the wide and sometimes even careless use we make of the word “good”? We use it so frequently that we do so almost without thinking. Yet a thing or experience you might consider good, someone else will consider only fair, poor or even … Continue reading “The Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness”

by Staff Forerunner, "Ready Answer," August 1998 During the last few years of crisis in the spiritual body, it has been very easy for almost everyone to engage in one activity God says He absolutely hates. Isaiah 58:9 gets straight to the point: Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, … Continue reading “Confessions of a Finger-Pointer”

by David F. Maas Forerunner, August 1998 Recently, we have received messages on the importance of unity and reconciliation. One major ingredient in unity consists of tact and diplomacy. We could easily consider the apostle Paul as one of the most skillful diplomats (second only to Jesus Christ) the world has ever seen. At one … Continue reading “Godly Tact and Diplomacy”

by Staff Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," August 1998 In the Worldwide Church of God (WCG), most generally presumed that the 144,000 represented “Philadelphia,” so we eagerly watched the Feast attendance figures as they climbed toward the magic number. This led us to think that the innumerable multitude (Revelation 7:9-17) was “Laodicea,” which would repent during the … Continue reading “The Innumerable Multitude”

by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," July 1998 The second of the three fruits most directly associated with personal, human relationships is kindness. The translators of the King James Version render this Greek word as “gentleness.” Even though gentleness is an aspect of being kind, this choice does not adequately describe the qualities the original … Continue reading “The Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness”

by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021) Forerunner, "Ready Answer," July 1998 Modern people do not talk about oracles very much. To many, oracle is a “religious” word, one used by those interested in religion. In that sense, it shares a place with words like redemption, justification, reconciliation and sanctification. These latter words (counting their derivatives), however, appear … Continue reading “The Oracles of God”

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, July 1998 Americans have a reputation for being short-sighted. While Japanese corporations plan for the next hundred years, American companies find it painful to plan for the next twelve months. Notice how well the American government planned the management of Social Security, knowing that massive numbers of baby boomers would … Continue reading “Legacy”

by Staff Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," July 1998 The Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 begins by telling us it describes elements of the Kingdom of God and what it will be like. Who is involved? Who is the bride? The guests? Is the setting described here just at the return of Christ or … Continue reading “Who Are the ‘Guests at the Wedding’?”

by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," June 1998 When the apostle Paul penned the nine qualities we call “the fruit of the Spirit,” he neatly divided them into three general groups, though some overlapping of application occurs between them. The first group—love, joy and peace—portrays a Christian's mind in its most general form, with special … Continue reading “The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience”

by Martin G. Collins Forerunner, "Ready Answer," June 1998 In Charlotte Bronté's novel, Jane Eyre, Rochester pleads with Jane to go away with him to the South of France—a wrong thing for her to do. She stands up against the temptations of his argument, saying, Laws and principles are not for the time when there … Continue reading “How Does Temptation Relate to Sin?”