2014 Feast Introduction

Plimsol left a comment:

On the PKG website they have put up a “Feast 2014 Introduction” from Ron.

There’s a new prophet!!! Guess who!

Without further introduction, here is a copy of Ron’s Introduction for your commenting:

———————————————————————————————–

Well, a special hello to everyone! Laura talked me into this short introduction this year for the Feast, and although it’s going to be a little short.

This reminds me of a greeting from Mr. Herbert Armstrong. In the last several years of his life he had a satellite hook-up to Feast sites around the world toward the beginning of each Feast of Tabernacles. And I can still hear that hearty, dynamic greeting. He would say, “Greeting’s, brethren, around the world!”

So again, greetings to all of you at this 2014 Feast of Tabernacles! Hello and greetings to all of you meeting together in Australia, New Zealand, to those gathered in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and to all of you in Canada and the U.S.

We also have some in a few other locations, scattered in different areas of the world, of those who could not be at sponsored Feast sites, but are at home by themselves observing this Feast and in some cases are able to get together with a few others. Now, we need to remember them as they’re not able to be in larger groups at organized sponsored sites, and they don’t have the opportunity that you do to hear this message. However, within a couple of days, it will be placed in with the sermon section of this years Feast sermons as a PDF (a written file only) so that at least everyone can read it.

Now, there is one other area that I’d like to extend a special greeting, as they must sometimes feel a little cut off, and that is to those of you gathered together in Hawaii, who, although you are part of the U.S., you are stuck out there a long way away from other church locations. So no one is forgotten and all of you are needed as vital parts of the begotten Family of God.

So you are all now observing a time that pictures the soon coming millennial period where this world and all its ways are to be put far behind you. So you are to do this at this time and enjoy and rejoice at this Feast – 8 full days together in God’s Feast.

Although I was sent to prison for serving God’s Church, as everything was actually about how God’s Church functions based on our beliefs of this being the end-time. So again, although I was sent to prison by the government where I live, it’s nothing new for God’s apostles and prophets. Now, Paul was in prison and later killed, just as Peter. And most of the original apostles were imprisoned and killed by the governments of their time. And we are only fairly certain about one, and that’s the apostle John, who was imprisoned in his time who was able to live out his life and die naturally. And we know of even John the Baptist who was imprisoned and then beheaded. Of course many of the prophets of old were imprisoned and many of those killed. So, as I was going to say, although I was sent to prison: God’s. Work. Did. Not. Stop. It has continued on, even as the “gates of hell” cannot stand against God, against God’s Church. In this case, the administration of the Church has continued on just as it was before, still being led by God’s last apostle in this age of mankind.

Today there is an important and strong message God is giving to His Church at the beginning of this Feast. During this final phase of the end-time, God has been pushing forward the recognition of women and their service to His Church. Now, I find that awesomely exciting!

Now, within the Church, God is giving us a wider, open window into changes that will occur in families, society, and the Church concerning the freedom from bondage that’s being given to women. This freedom is also a much greater freedom being given to both couples in a marriage, to all in the families, and even a greater, true freedom within God’s own Church.

Now, along those lines, what I mentioned a moment ago (repeating it): During this final phase of the end-time, God has been pushing forward the recognition of woman and their service to His Church. God has reserved this very time right now, while you’re listening to this, to make some very special announcements.

A while back I told the Church that there was the need for another level of service (of an office, of an ordination) that was needed in God’s Church. God is revealing that. That service was to be above that of a senior elder. God and Christ were showing me that it was to be a service, an ordination for both men and women. And as I mentioned then, I did not know what the description should be. Finally, when preparing this message, it was given to me, although we (Laura and myself) had considered other descriptions (or names) for this particular ordination, yet is has been made clear to me there is a term that we are already familiar with, and that is of that of a “pastor.” So that description is from the meaning of “pastoral,” which in this sense of the definition “is that of giving direct spiritual care or guidance as a function of responsibility within the Church,” and it ties in with further description in scripture that I’ll mention in a moment.

There is an order to ordinations that begins first under Christ with that of an apostle, then a prophet, and then followed by that of an evangelist, and now this reinstituted function just mentioned for a pastor. Now, the duties of a pastor are a part of the responsibility that already belongs to an apostle, a prophet, and an evangelist, and obviously they also have more duties that go beyond that of a pastor. This description of the work of a pastor is not one that is given to a senior elder. An elder may be involved in communicating such things to others as they have been instructed to do so from time to time by those over them; in other words, the source then of such spiritual care or guidance that in the past has only been coming from an evangelist, a prophet, or an apostle. Now that can also come directly from a pastor.

Now I’m going to read part of the primary description of such a service in the Church. It comes from Titus 1:9. It states that such a person is known for holding fast the faithful word as he (and now she) has been taught. During Paul’s time within the Church, and ever since then, and until now, that’s been the case in the Church as only men were in the ministry.

So reading it again: “Holding fast the faithful word as he (and now also she) has been taught that he (or she) may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince (and that word “convince” meaning in essence, “to expose”) the gainsayers.” It goes on in context that such responsibility also includes the authority to give rebuke, to give correction when necessary, when carrying out such duties.

Now, for some men in the future who may be ordained to this position, their duties will likely be reflected in more preaching on their part, in other words, in split-sermons or sermons, but that will not be the case, basically, for women (that they do not give sermons). For women, this new role will entail more direct, administrative contact and involvement, and this will be for the men as well, that it will involve more direct, administrative contact and involvement in spiritual matters with an individual or a group of individuals.

Now, certainly much more can be said about these duties, but for the sake of time in this message I’m going to press forward in this by saying that the first, first ever to be ordained to this is a woman, and it is an ordination, not simply a raise in responsibilities from an elder to a senior elder that does not required an additional ordination. So the first woman to ever hold this office was ordained by her husband and my wife, Laura, just before the Feast, and she is Myrtle Harrell.

Now, there is another ordination that God has reserved to be announced at this time. It is one that God and Christ began revealing to me around Passover season (even before that) of this year. I even held off discussing it with Laura for a time. I didn’t follow through with what God was revealing clear back then at that point in time because I was waiting until God had made it highly and abundantly clear to me that this was to be done. Now, there’s much prayer and spiritual manifestation, in other words, proof, evidence, that came through answered prayer before I would proceed with this.

A little over a month ago I ordained Audra to a prophet. I deeply believe all ordinations are from God and Christ and it is up to each individual, how they yield to such, whether it be the one being ordained or others, the rest of the Church. This ordination, for me, was rather close to my own experience when God was revealing to me that He and His Son had made me a prophet. I resisted that for a time and wanted to be exceedingly certain before announcing it, just as I was in this case.

Now, these two ordinations, brethren, are exceedingly exciting! It needs to be clearly seen that these two ordinations were established by God and Christ and we are to collectively rejoice together in what they have given the Church.

Again, I’m going to repeat what I stated toward the beginning: “During this final phase of the end-time God has been pushing forward the recognition of women and their service to His Church.”

Well, brethren, the ordination of Audra also pushes forward the kind of importance that God places on His great desire to work in family. God has been working mightily within my family for great purpose, to powerfully magnify the great importance and focus He wants on family itself. WE are a family! And we are made up of many physical families whom God desires to work in and bless far more fully into the future!

The period of this Feast pictures the Millennium. It is indeed about true freedom being granted to women, and thus to families as well, where families will be able to begin experiencing the kind of fullness and excitement in life that can exist when division, opposition, and the destructiveness of sins that brings curses to families can be more fully conquered so that families can reap far greater and awesome blessings and riches in life, all of this so that the vision of God’s Family, Elohim, can be magnified far more greatly.

Well, brethren, we have a great work ahead of us. In little over a year I am to be released from imprisonment by a government where I reside, as it is not my government, for mine (and yours) is the Kingdom of God in which we are ambassadors. We reside in different nations of the world and we are to be good and law-abiding citizens, but we all belong to one Government, and that is the Government, the Kingdom of God.

That which you are witnessing right now in the Church would not be in this Feast if I were not in prison, so I do rejoice that this is where I am so that God can reveal more of His perfect purpose and will concerning what I have been blessed to tell you in this message.

You have been blessed to have much—much more revealed to you through posts at a time that sermons and the administration of the Church has continued, as God has pushed forward the importance and true role of women, and also as He has given further training and equal experience to more within the ministry.

Now the words, the things that I am going to be saying next do not adequately convey my deep feelings, happiness, and joy that by my being in prison I have been so incredibly blessed to see in the kind of strength, growth, and life that God is giving to His people in this phase of His work. I believe with all my being that I am exceedingly blessed above all people – yes, and especially even while I am here imprisoned—to see things that otherwise never would have
happened.

I have seen greater blessings and incredible spiritual knowledge, understanding, and potential wisdom being poured out upon God’s Church in posts and the blessings of growth and strength that have been produced in the Church in brethren in this Family. And I have been blessed to see my own son give a split-sermon mightily inspired by God to His Church. I’ve been blessed to see how God has already been using my own daughter as a prophet before she was ever ordained to it. She has been trained and given an ability to discern and judge the spirit of matters within the Church and ministry, that I have mentioned before, that exceeds that which has been given to the general ministry in the Church. In the past many months, that has been magnified to Laura and myself. It is something that only God and Christ can give, as it is with all spiritual abilities that are given within the Church. And I have been blessed to see the love of my life no longer being a silent witness but a prophet who is serving God’s Church in a powerful way, administratively and spiritually, in strong spiritual perception, discernment, and judgement as God has pushed her out in the forefront in an incredibly important role and function of service to the Church during this phase of God’s ongoing work.

Yes, brethren, I have been so exceedingly blessed. You, too, have been exceedingly blessed. You will grasp that in a much, much, much deeper way ten, twenty, and thirty years down the road in ways you cannot truly fathom right now, just as I would not have been able to begin to fathom what I have been blessed to see and experience within only nine years after having a heart attack where I could have died. But God had more for me to do and to witness and He does for you as well.

So, rejoice in this Feast. Give of yourself at this Feast! And above all, give thanks and love to the Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ, for all your blessings in life. Laura and I love each and every one of you and we encourage you to press forward in this fight that is before us and the work that is yet ahead, being ever faithful to God. Be strong and of good courage!