A story of Hornets, Standing Still, Idols, doing God's work and preaching the gospel. Please give us your feedback, thanks.
By Sam Jones
By Sam Jones
August 12, 2001. That was the date I decided to trim the shrubs and bushes around our house. I had the three youngest kids out there raking up leaves and picking up the branches. As I was using the electric trimmer on some particularly tall and dense shrubbery, I noticed a "black dot" darting around my face. I knew I had to move quickly and began to quickly remove myself from that vicinity as the stings began to hit my shoulders and the back of my head. I was desperately trying to shut off the electric hedge clippers before I dropped them, since I had the "on" button locked. That cost me a couple of seconds and a couple of stings. Finally I was able to shut the trimmer off, drop it, and run into a wooded patch in our front yard where I tripped, fell, and rolled over on my back to disengage any of the attackers that might still be on my back. Our kids had no idea what was happening to me, as they stood there watching this strange episode of my behavior. The oldest said he thought maybe I was having a heart attack! I got to my feet and told the children to move back out of danger, then noticed my hedge trimmer laying there on the ground. There were 50 to 80 hornets buzzing around and crawling over the hedge trimmer, attacking it with all the ability they could muster. Though they were buzzing all around, they did not seem to be interested in me......just that trimmer Later, I was able to see a huge hornets nest about 4 feet off the ground in the middle of the hedges which was about 2 1/2 times the size of a hard hat.
I waited for about an hour and a half and the hornets were still attacking that hedge clipper. Finally I went to Home Depot and picked up some wasp and hornet spray, returned and sent those on the trimmer to the "happy hunting ground" and discouraged the others from bothering it any more. I actually thought I might have to wait until winter to get rid of that nest, but waited until it was completely dark, (they were still buzzing around even "between the evenings", or dusk). Using a flashlight to see, I soaked that nest as much as I could and left it alone until the next afternoon when I returned from work. My counter attack had worked completely! They were all dead or gone. Without knowing it the night before, I was actually spraying directly into their main entrance hole and apparently wiped them out. I then removed the nest and still have it with some dead hornets still hanging on the outside.
NO DEFENSE
As I look back on this little episode, I realize how fortunate I am that these little ignorant, living by instinct creatures, had zeroed in on the hedge clippers as the enemy and target of their revenge and animosity instead of the real cause of their alarm which was me! There was nothing I could have done to avoid being stung possibly dozens or even hundreds of times. Nothing at all! I would have had to run for the water hose or something, and what if they had also chosen to strike at our children? Nothing at all that I could have done to prevent this.
This reminded me of what God told the Israelites in Exodus 23, beginning in verse 28. God said He would send the hornets before Israel a little at a time, driving the inhabitants out of the land little by little, leaving the land for Israel to occupy as they increased in numbers. You know what folks? There would have been nothing that the inhabitants of the promised land could do to stop it! They would have had NO defense against such an onslaught and would have had to move out quickly or die! Could any nation today stand against such an attack? I don’t think so! There isn’t enough wasp/hornet spray in Home Depot, or Lowes, or Walmart and Kmart to resist such an attack. We have all seen documentaries of the devastation that occurred when swarms of locusts have hit some country, and have read what happened to Egypt. Imagine hornets coming in the same numbers as those locusts! Who could possibly stand against such an attack?
ISRAEL CHOSE ANOTHER PATH
Now God had offered to send hornets, not locusts to drive out the inhabitants, and thereby the houses, crops, and former possessions would still be in place in good condition waiting for the Israelites just to walk in and possess. All they had to do was walk in and take what God was giving them by promise, but as we all know, they chose another way ----- a way of sight rather than faith, and had to take the promises by the sword, with God’s help. Somehow they just couldn’t believe and trust God, and had to enter with much suffering and bloodshed. As the physical nation and people of God, they were to enter into God’s "rest" (Heb.3:11), but the descendants of those who died in the 40 years of wandering had to fight their way in.
It was GOD who had chosen them. It was GOD who had determined to bring them into the promised land. It was GOD who was fulfilling His promises to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. This was GOD’S work! Yet Israel chose to do things their own ways, the way they saw the nations around them doing. How much suffering would have been avoided, and how different of better the entire world would have been if Israel had truly believed and trusted God to perform His work. How different the world would have been if they had truly sought and followed God’s will instead of making up their own rules of behavior and trying to turn God’s work into their own work!
*THE* WORK
There has been an unfortunate use of words in the modern COG’s from the Radio Church of God, then the Worldwide Church of God, and now in many of the "spin-offs" from this former unified group. Such words and terms as "the work", "the work of God", "doing the work". We thought that we were preaching the gospel, and many feel they are still preaching the gospel, but somehow we threw the "Ezekiel warning", into that mix called the work. Some still capitalize the Work, and it grew to tremendous proportions in the church. We were told under Herbert W. Armstrong that the reason we were called in this age was to financially support him in doing this Work. Perhaps this term was adopted stay away from any Protestant sounding terminology such as the gospel, (and other words we also avoided such as "Lord").
"The Work" took on great importance above that of any personal life of any member of the church. We felt and were taught that it was our duty and calling to do the work of God. Few of us ever looked into the scriptures to see what God’s work is described as being. "The Work", in a great sense turned into an idol ...... yes idolatry! We were cajoled to sacrifice this "Work", do without, borrow money and send it to "The Work", (not at all a biblical principal!), and God would bless us ------ well maybe not now, but we sure would be laying up treasure in heaven! After all the MAIN reason we were called was to "do the work", and our part was to send all possible funds to God’s end time apostle, and now to whichever person claims that HE is now doing that same "Work", that continuation of the "Work of God" which Herbert W. Armstrong was doing. Yes the same man who preached that God is a God of quality and we should always have the very best that we can afford, whether in food, clothing, cars, homes, etc. Then would demand, threaten and shame church members into sacrificing things that their family might need, and encouraged people to take out loans in order to further his concept of "the Work". Now HE had quality, and the best money could buy, saying that it was necessary that he have the finer things as he met and entertained the "wise" of the world, because HE represented God and had to impress the world as the end time apostle and representative of God. Please note that this "Work" had taken on such importance that HWA could not entertain the poor and weak of the world ---- his brethren ----- but the wise and worldly needed to be impressed through the power of the contributions of the poor and weak!
That "Work" is now in ruins. Could it be that God was not pleased with what was going on? Today there are those out there who will, in no uncertain terms, make it plain that they personally will do God’s Work if the brethren will just recognize them and send great sums of money to them. Roderick C. Meredith is one of those who claims that HE knows what the work is and just how to do it because HE was closer to HWA than anyone else! He wants to "shake the nations" and "warn our people", (with that Ezekiel warning). Yet Christ told Peter three times to "feed my sheep". I don’t remember Christ telling Peter to preach the Ezekiel warning, yet RCM sees this as one of the very major thrusts of the "Work" ........... as I wrote ........ this is how RCM sees the "Work".
GOD’S WORK
ALL we see is God’s work. Not only the church, but all the nations, the heavens, the earth, the future. God’s work is HUGE!!!! But in the COG we basically refer to the preaching of the gospel, perhaps the Ezekiel warning, and feeding the sheep as that work. Brethren, we are told that the OT was given to us as examples, that we should not make the same mistakes as Israel did. Israel chose to enter the promised land on their own terms, using their own methods instead of "standing still" and watching God perform His Work! God’s work, or perhaps better stated, God’s plan will be done because HE is God! Brethren ------ God can send the hornets!
How dare anyone claim he is doing God’s work? God is quite capable of doing His own work and seeing His plan to fruition. God’s hand is not shortened that He cannot perform what He has decreed and prophesied. It is ridiculous to assume that God’s plan might be thwarted in some way if the tithes and offerings don’t come in at the right time and in the right amount. All these different people out there claiming their right to God’s money, so that they can go out and do God’s work in the way that they personally choose, whether they claim to pattern it after HWA or not. It must be an absolute STENCH in the nostrils of Almighty God. God can send the hornets! When God moves, no one can stop His will. We all believe there will come two witness of God at the very end of the age. That is the work of God, and nothing can deter them from God’s purpose ----- it will be accomplished. God will give them power to witness and strike the earth with plagues as often as they will. This will be the work of God, and they will be carrying out His will by His power! Our God will send an angel with the everlasting gospel at the very end of the age. THAT is the work of God, and God will perform it! He doesn’t have to send hornets. He can send angels!
Brethren, no one or no thing can thwart God and His purpose. God is not bound by lack of money. Many well intentioned people have sought to do God’s work and have been successful in serving and doing good, but have we not sought to use our own means like Israel did in entering the promised land? Have we not set up hierarchies, (Israel demanded kings), demanded money from the poor in the name of the work of God? Have we actually had minimal success by using the methods of the world around us ------- even though God worked with us, just like He gave victories by the sword and suffering to Israel ------- when we should have been looking to Christ who is truly the head of the church and trusted Him to do His work in us? ALL things have been given to Jesus, the born again Son of God, and HE CAN SEND THE HORNETS!
Jesus knocked down perhaps the greatest persecutor of the Body of Christ, and converted him instantly! Changed his name from Saul to Paul and sent him out with great power to preach the gospel of Jesus Chris and the gospel of the kingdom of God. Yes, Jesus can send the hornets. THIS was the work of God. Paul did not have to politic for contributions to finance his interpretation of how to do God’s work for God! He obeyed the master and did what he was directed and commanded to do. Oh yes, there were false apostles that were around trying to usurp that authority over the Body of Christ for themselves and their own gain and bellies. But that was their work not God’s. Maybe that is why Paul did not get concerned about those who were preaching in the name of Christ, rather saying that he rejoiced that the name of Christ was being preached. Paul wasn’t their policeman. Paul was doing what he was specially called for and directed by God to do. He was a "policeman" of the truth, not of politics.
PREACH THE GOSPEL?
But shouldn’t we preach the gospel? Of course! We are all to be "ambassadors for Christ". Is it right that Mr. Meredith or any other group should try to preach on TV and publish helpful articles? It is good to try to do those things as a group. It is not good to claim to be the only ones doing the "Work". We must be witnesses and individually and collectively put forth the good news of the coming kingdom of God, and the gospel of Christ. It is wrong to claim to be doing God’s work ----- we ARE God’s work, and we are to proclaim His goodness, His way of life, his law, His coming, and His saving grace for all mankind. We are His servants. He directs us. God is not just sitting back hoping that we can get His work done for Him. That is why He has broken the Body up into small groups, so we will look to HIM and realize that it is HE that is performing this wonderful thing. It is a requirement that we should support those who we feel that God has set apart to teach and has given gifts to. We are to love one another, do good to all men, edify the church, and love our Father and Brother.
In one sense, our personal work is to live the gospel as a witness, be ready to give an answer, to work out our own salvation. Let’s stop claiming that we are "doing god’s work", even if it is just a poor choice of words, because that approach and concept has grown into a hierarchies, oppressive, divisive, "idol" to be served instead of serving the one true God.
Remember