Is Your Heart in the "Work"?

Most of you long-time subscribers know that Tomorrow's World has a global mission.  It is the same mission Christ gave to His disciples in Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  What gospel was that?  What message did Jesus preach to the world, and what message will witness to the world before His Second Coming?  "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15). 

Our world needs the "good news" Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:14, "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." Thankfully that is taking place right now!  And it is taking place in large part because of the support of Tomorrow's World readers, who through their prayer and other means of support are backing this vital world-circling Work. Scores of thousands of you subscribers responded recently to Editor in Chief Roderick C. Meredith's offer, earlier this year, of our powerful DVD titled The Mission of God's Work. In that DVD, you saw the globe-circling impact of this Work made possible by dedicated Christian supporters and generous co-workers. If you have not already requested your copy of this inspiring DVD, you can write to the Regional Office nearest you (listed on page 4 of this magazine), or go online to TomorrowsWorld.org to order your own copy at no charge.

Truly, our world needs the coming Kingdom of God to rule all nations and establish lasting world peace under the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).  But before that time, the world will become increasingly deceived following a counterfeit Christianity.  Shockingly, the nations will even fight against Christ at His coming (Revelation 17:14; 19:16-19).  Even today, persecution of professing Christians is increasing in many parts of the world, including the beheading of many by the radical extremist group ISIS.

Persecution will test many of us. Jesus warned His followers: "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes" (Matthew 10:22–23).

Protection for God's People

God promises to protect His true servants.  Psalm 46 gives us this encouraging perspective: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah" (vv. 1–3). Furthermore, when seemingly unexplainable tragedies occur, as can happen to anyone (Ecclesiastes 9:11), God gives us the strength and wisdom to endure and even grow in the face of our most difficult challenges.

God promises to protect the most faithful and zealous Christians from the coming Great Tribulation. He will guide the "woman"—God's Church—"into the wilderness to her place" (Revelation 12:14).  It is those individuals who have their heart in God's Work in fulfilling the Great Commission, whom God will preserve from the Great Tribulation that Jesus' prophesied in Matthew 24:21-22.  We need that same dedication as our Lord in accomplishing our God-given mission.  Jesus proclaimed, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34).

God will give you more faith as you draw close to Him and study His word for total guidance in your life. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, quoting the prophet Isaiah: "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Be sure to read your Bible every day. As you know, we at Tomorrow's World are striving to practice the first-century Christianity taught by Jesus Christ and His apostles.  Sadly, that true Christianity has been corrupted by human organizations that mixed Christ's teachings with various pagan ideas and practices. As a result, the largest "Christian" churches in our day are actually in some ways far more pagan than they are Christian.

To make matters worse, some of these nominally Christian groups have spent the last few decades abandoning fundamental Christian teachings.  Even 30 years ago, can you imagine mainline Presbyterian or Episcopal churches hiring openly homosexual clergy and performing same-sex "marriages" for their members?

Sadly, many of these denominations—founded in protest against the errors they found in their Roman Catholic "mother church"—are now slipping into errors that even the mother church has not accepted!  To learn more about this, I urge you to read the article on page 5 of this magazine, "A Wake-Up Call to All Protestants!" by our Editor in Chief, Roderick C. Meredith.

Yes, we live in times of great turmoil. Some of that turmoil is economic. Many of us have lived through times of significant inflation, when goods and services rocketed to ever-higher prices as our paychecks remained about the same. And there are other economic dangers ahead. Consider what happens in times when the economy faces the opposite of inflation—deflation. To learn more about this phenomenon, why it matters and how it may affect our world as we approach the end of this present age, read "Deflation" on page 10 of this magazine, by Dexter Wakefield. In our modern society, most people would rather hear about pop stars or entertainment industry gossip, but Mr. Wakefield's topic is an important one, and even if you are not an economist I hope you will read his article carefully.

With traditional religion on the wane, and with the world economy in peril, it can be easy to lose hope and give in to pessimism and even depression. Yet there is always hope for true Christians. Please read my article, "Surviving Tough Times," on page 18 of this issue.  No matter what problems you may face, you can endure and even flourish if you follow the guidance God has provided for us in Scripture.

Keep Your Eye on the "Big Picture"!

One of the most important tools for surviving and going beyond survival, as you will read, is to put your heart and mind into the fulfillment of the Great Commission that Jesus Christ gave to His followers.  As you do this, you will find that your own problems seem far less important in the "big picture" of things.

Of course, you cannot give to others what you do not have yourself. Some of you reading this magazine may not yet have accepted biblical baptism, full immersion in water as a sign of your repentance and the symbolic "death" of your old carnal self-will. If you have repented of your sins, and you want to follow Christ's commands as fully as you can, and to receive God's Holy Spirit to help you overcome and grow as a Christian, please contact the Regional Office nearest you, and we will put you in touch with one of our representatives who will talk with you about repentance and baptism.

Truly, as you learn to practice the Christian way of outflowing concern for others, as you dedicate your life and heart—as Jesus did—to fulfill God's Work, you will find that He will increasingly bless your own life in ways you might never have imagined.