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Transcript

Well, good morning, everyone.

Sometimes people ask me, “what is it like to work at Headquarters?” It’s a question I get from time to time. And if I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be amazing. I still cannot believe that I get to work at God’s headquarters. I remember, I think it was around maybe twenty eleven, might have been late twenty ten, twenty eleven, the Director of Personnel approached me and asked me if I wanted to work at Headquarters. And my reaction was...I didn’t actually do that, at least I don’t think I did that in his face, but that’s certainly how I felt on the inside, because I’m like, what? Work at God’s Headquarters? I can’t believe it. And it took a little time before I started working at Headquarters.

It actually turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened, because when I was first approached, I thought I’d maybe start working at headquarters right away, but I ended up having to wait. And I learned later it was just because of some different things that were going on with field ministry and moving things around. And if you work at Headquarters for a while, you know that kind of stuff happens. So, I had to wait a while. But eventually, I did start working at Headquarters.

Now, I started in the Buildings and Grounds Department. You’ll remember for many years; Mr. Pack talked about building a campus. And I believe it was in the Work of God book. I remember, how many remember seeing those renderings in the, I think it was in the Work of God book, one of the books in the Splinter Packet. And, but it was all the renderings of the campus and everything that was going to be done. So, we finally got to the point, the Work had developed to a point where it was time to break ground and to build the campus. And the man who was in charge of that endeavor needed an assistant. And I learned about all this later, but he needed an assistant, and he asked for me by name. And I had a project management background. And he was asked, “Okay, you’re going to build this campus, you’re in charge, what do you need?” And we said, “I needed an assistant and Ed Wingfield, that’s who I want to assist me.”

So ended up starting in Buildings and Grounds, it was a fun opportunity. and I was still just wowed by the fact that I was at God’s Headquarters and eventually we went through the whole process. As you all know, the campus was eventually built. Then there came a point when we were finished with the campus, there was a chance I was going to be unemployed because he didn’t need me anymore. That department, that Buildings and Grounds Department, was pretty much not needed.

So, I was approached about the opportunity to work in the Editorial Department.

I can’t write. I remember reading the magazines and being inspired, not believing, you know, just amazing God’s truths, amazing images and everything in the magazines. But being asked to actually run the department was probably even more mind blowing than working in Buildings and Grounds and being asked to work at Headquarters in the first place. So, I eventually started working in the Editorial and Arts Graphics Department. And it turns out I was able to take those project management skills that I had developed over the years, and I was able to use those skills in the Editorial and Arts graphics Department. You know, brethren, I tell you once again just working at Headquarters truly has been amazing.

Now how many know about the concept of leverage? You know what leverage means? Okay it’s pretty simple. It’s using a small amount of force to have a big impact. So, think about a crowbar or a seesaw. You use leverage and through leverage you can use something small, and it can have a really big impact. God’s work, the work of God, is all about leverage. God uses a small people, a small group of people, to impact and bring about some of the most powerful things known to mankind. A small group of people impact and bring forward some of the greatest truths that men could ever know.

I was at a feast planning meeting, maybe about a month or so ago, we were in a feast planning meeting, we talked about many things, but one of the things we talked about was some of the different messages that we wanted to bring to the brethren. And the thought came up to why not talk to the brethren about Headquarters, about what it’s like to work at headquarters, some of the things going on at headquarters, very similar to Behind the Work. We all remember the behind-the-work videos. The same goal, to give, to take the opportunity to give all of you a behind-the-scenes look of what it’s like at God’s Headquarters, the place that you all know, the place that you all pray for.

So, we decided, you know what, we’re going to give a message at the feast about Headquarters. So that’s my task today. I’m going to talk to you a little bit about headquarters, give you somewhat of a behind-the-scenes look. I’ve kind of talked a little bit about my path to working at Headquarters. But today I’m going to cover several elements of God’s work, including what it’s like to work at headquarters.

So, I don’t typically give a title of a message up front. You end up seeing the title once it’s posted on the website. But the title of today’s message is, A Work Like No Other. A Work Like No Other. I broke this message down into several sections. And we’ll go through each of these sections. But the first section of the message is called Headquarters and You. Headquarters and You. And by you, I mean you. All of you. Any discussion about God’s headquarters has to include all of you. You think about, okay, headquarters and the field. And they’re different, sure. But any serious discussion about headquarters is really about a discussion about all of you.

Several people in this room work at Headquarters. I’m not the only one. Several people in this room work at Headquarters. We see some are working in the capacity that they do at Headquarters, whether it’s sound or on video. We have other people who work in various departments here at the Feast. Of course, those of us who work at Headquarters have to keep the Feast.

So, there are many people here that work at Headquarters. My two sons worked at Headquarters. They worked at Headquarters over the summer, and they worked in the Landscaping Department. Talk about a proud dad seeing both his sons. I think I was out jogging one day on the campus, and I saw both of them working together. They were getting along. It was like the kingdom.

I couldn’t believe it. They had their uniforms on, they were working and cooperating with each other. It was a moment. It was such a moment, I stopped and took a picture of them, and they both looked at me kind of strangely, but it was one of those proud moments. My wife: she works at Headquarters. She works part-time in the Church Administration Department. So, working at Headquarters is obviously a really big part of my life, a really big part of my family. But there are others, many others here in the room who work at God’s Headquarters.

With very few exceptions, the people who work at Headquarters started in the field. And they were one day asked, come to work at Headquarters. So, they started in the field, attended a congregation, and one day, just like I was, they were approached and asked to come start working at headquarters. Now, why do I stress that? Why do I stress the fact that people who are at Headquarters, with few exceptions, all started somewhere in the field? Well, brethren, the reason that I stress that is because the people at Headquarters are just like you. You’re just like us, we’re all the same.

Those of us at Headquarters were simply asked to come and serve where God’s leadership is. Many are still doing that, some have done it in the past, worked at God’s Headquarters for a period of time in the past, and they were able to take those skills, take that experience and take it back out into the field and make their congregations that much better. But brethren, all of us at Headquarters are just like you and you are just like us.

Brethren, I am one of you. You are like me. I simply serve in the capacity and through my job, my opportunity. I get to stand up and to talk to all of you. But brethren, I’m just like you. I’m no different. God called me. God opened my mind to his truths. And he brought me into his Church and has given me an opportunity at eternal life. I’m just like all of you.

Turn to Acts chapter ten. Acts chapter ten. It’s a common phrase we use; Acts chapter ten. But it’s important for us to understand.

Acts chapter ten, we’ll pick it up in verse thirty-four, Acts chapter ten, verse thirty-four. It reads, “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.” Okay, parents will tell you, and parents are often told not to play favorites when it comes to their children. Some parents violate that, or as a child, it can feel like the parents can violate that. But God, who is a perfect father, as we see here, he is no respecter of persons, “But in every nation,” it reads 35, “But in every nation he that fears him, and works righteousness, is accepted with him.”

Brethren, we’re all accepted of God if we fear him and we live a righteous life. God is no respecter of persons. God does not play favorites. Those of us who work at Headquarters are no better than you and you are no better than us. We’re all in the same boat. We all have the same mission. We all want to get the same things accomplished. We’re all the same. We simply have different roles that we play, different duties on this mission that we’re all pushing forward and that we all want to see happen. It is crucial to understand that. It’s very important to understand that.

Headquarters is simply where God’s leadership, his Apostle, the ministry, the support staff are at Headquarters. That’s the only difference. But all of us are members at God’s Headquarters are in the field, we’re all members of God’s Church. God loves all of us equally and he expects us to live according to his laws and according to his way equally.

A head, you think about Headquarters, of course Christ is the head of his Church, but speaking humanly, headquarters, it’s called that because that’s where the leadership is, that’s where the head is. A head cannot exist without a body. First Corinthians chapter three. First Corinthians chapter three. A head cannot exist without a body. That’s called being decapitated, you’re not alive. You don’t have a body... if a head doesn’t have a body. First Corinthians chapter three we’ll read verse nine.

First Corinthians chapter three verse nine look at this, “For we are laborers together...together with God.” So, all of us, Headquarters, field, we’re all laboring together with God. “...Ye,” which we understand is you collectively, that means all of us, “...ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” Brethren, Headquarters, the field, we’re all tools, a tool that God is using to accomplish his mission, to accomplish the things that he wants to accomplish.

We are all laboring together. We’re all working together with God to do the things that he would have us to do. How inspiring is that? How wonderful is that? How amazing is that, to use that term again? Very, very much so. Stay here in First Corinthians and go to chapter twelve, First Corinthians twelve, First Corinthians twelve, verse twelve, First Corinthians twelve, verse twelve, “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.”

Brethren, we are the body of Christ. We are all connected. We are all laboring with God to accomplish something that is extraordinary, something that is amazing. Some of those members of the body, some members of the body of Christ, just happen to work at headquarters. It’s the only difference. Something that I have shared with people over the years, and it may, you know, surprise you to hear, it would surprise them when I would say it, depending on the circumstances, but not everyone can or should work at God’s headquarters. Really? Not everyone can or should work at God’s headquarters.

Now that’s not speaking disparagingly about headquarters and that’s not speaking disparagingly about the person who may hear that. It’s simply a reality. Everyone, not everyone, can or should work at God’s Headquarters. It’s not everyone’s place in the body. It’s not where God wants everyone to be. Back to that decapitation comment, the entire body is not a head. It wouldn’t be a body; it has to have different parts that all work together.

The last thing we want to do brethren, consider this principle, the last thing we want to do is to place ourselves or try to place ourselves somewhere in the body where God did not place us. You can see in the context of working at Headquarters, I’ve seen it over the years, “I want to work at Headquarters.” That’s fine if that’s where God placed you in the body. If that’s not where God placed you in the body, whoa, woe unto you. Living in this world is a challenge. Working at Headquarters is a challenge. You certainly want to be there because God placed you there.

But the bottom line is, brethren, we at headquarters need all of you in the field just like all of you need us at Headquarters. It all works together. Very smooth, very cohesive. Not without its challenges, and we’ll talk more about that. But without each of you, without the members, Headquarters really wouldn’t have a purpose. Like why would you need, why would you have a Church Administration if there is no field of Church members to administer? Why have an Editorial Department? Why write the Pillar Magazine if there is no field, no members in the field to send it to? What would be the point in all that? Why have member services and websites and all of those things built out if there are no members in the field in order to serve in that way.

So, all of it works together. Headquarters is simply a part of God’s larger structure, a part of his Church, and again happens to be where the leadership is, where God’s Apostle is, where the ministry is, and where many dedicated staff are doing the work. God’s work would not exist without all of us. So, I say again, and I spend time here because you need to understand, remember this section is called “Headquarters and You.” So as much as this is a behind-the-scenes look at God’s Headquarters and what it’s like to work there, none of it really matters without all of you.

Exodus thirty-five. Exodus thirty-five. This is interesting here. We’re going to read. Notice we’re in Exodus, so this has happened a while back. Exodus thirty-five, we’ll read several verses here. Exodus thirty-five verse four, “And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, this is the thing which the Lord commanded.” So, God wanted something to be done. He wanted something to be accomplished. Okay. He said, “Take you from among you and offering unto to the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord; gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goat’s hair, and ram skins dyed red.

And badger skins, and shittim wood, and oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense, onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate.” So, all of these materials were to be brought by the people. So, everyone contributed, sacrificed, provided these goods, these things that were going to be needed. Verse ten, “And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord has commanded.” So, there were some who brought the materials and some who used those materials accordingly.

And what was the reaction of the people? Verse twenty-nine, “The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.” So, people obeyed. They were willing, the heart was willing, they were eager, they brought forward the things that God expected. They had those things available to them and God asked those things to be brought forward and the people brought them. They were generous. They had a willing heart and there were people who had the skills to be able to utilize those items the way that God wanted those items to be used.

I liken those who brought the materials, those who had the means, they had the resources available, I liken those people to all of those in the field. You had the means, you had the resources, and you had a willing heart to provide those items, to provide those things, to make sure that they were available. I liken those who had the skills to utilize those items, I liken those folks to those of us at Headquarters. We have the skills, the abilities to be able to take those resources that all of those in the field provided, to take those resources and to use them according to the way God would have us to use them.

So, you had the people providing the resources and you had those with the skills to utilize those resources. In both cases, those folks were willing. In both cases, they were led by God. Why? Because we’re co-workers. We’re co-laborers together. We’re all working together with God to accomplish the mission. Here it was to build a temple. Our mission is to do the work, is to do the Work of God. In either case, as I said, everyone was willing, everyone sacrificed.

Romans chapter twelve. Romans chapter twelve.

Classic verse. Romans chapter twelve, verse one. Romans twelve, one. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, your lives, a living sacrifice.” Typically, a sacrifice is slaughtered, used for that moment, dead. It’s time to sacrifice again. You get a new sacrifice, slaughtered, dead, and it goes on and on. Brethren, we are living sacrifices. We’re used over and over and over and over, all of us. And that’s by God’s mercies. We’re living sacrifices. “Holy, acceptable with God, which is your reasonable service.”

We’re being promised eternal life. It is more than reasonable for God to ask us to give up our resources, for those of us at Headquarters, to utilize those resources in a proper way. It is beyond reasonable for God to ask us to do that when eternal life is on the line. We have an opportunity to live forever, kings and priests, rule the earth, rule the universe, more than reasonable to sacrifice ourselves in this way. Brethren, you, we need you, we at Headquarters need you, and you need us. Just like a body needs a head and a head needs a body.

Now God works through flesh. God works through people. That means that we’re human and human beings have weaknesses. Human beings are not perfect. Human beings have challenges. Brethren, none of us are perfect, including and maybe even especially those of us who work at Headquarters. None of us are perfect. Mark fourteen. Mark fourteen. Mark chapter fourteen. Mark fourteen, verse thirty-eight, this is in the Garden of Gethsemane, the principle applies. Mark fourteen, thirty-eight, “Watch you and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” The flesh, brethren, is weak. I’m not telling you something that you don’t already know.

Sometimes, believe it or not, some people say it, some people think it, or they act like it. Sometimes people think those of us who work at headquarters are perfect. Well, you must be perfect, you work at Headquarters. That’s why God picked you, because you’re perfect. Sounds silly, right? But sometimes people think just because you work at Headquarters, you’re perfect and you know everything. No. No, that is not the case. That is certainly not the case.

It’s good, it is good to have a respect, a certain respect, for those who work at Headquarters. That’s good. That’s good. It’s where God’s leadership is, the decisions. Many of the decisions are made at Headquarters. Some of the higher offices in the ministry are at Headquarters. It’s good to have a certain respect for those at headquarters. But brethren, do not put us on a pedestal. Don’t put us on a pedestal. You’re setting yourself up to be disappointed. Don’t put the people at Headquarters on a pedestal. We’re not perfect, unless all of you are perfect. You are perfect. Are any of you perfect? Of course not. So why would we be perfect? We’re you. You’re us. We came from you. So be careful of that. Be careful of that.

Remember, we’re just like you. First Corinthians chapter one, First Corinthians chapter one. First Corinthians chapter one, verse twenty-six. First Corinthians chapter one verse twenty six, “For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.” unless you work at Headquarters.

Oops it didn’t say that. Brethren, we all came from the same lump, the same batch, the same group of folks, the same group of people. Why? “That no flesh,” verse twenty-nine, back to the Bible, “...That no flesh should glory in his presence.” God doesn’t choose the mighty of the world. He doesn’t choose the wise of the world. He chooses the foolish, the weak, the base of the world. I said earlier that those of us at Headquarters can be especially prone to imperfections. We can be especially prone to imperfections, partly because God wants to do something very significant. “You did all that through those people? What?”

So, a case can be made, yes, we have to bring certain skills to Headquarters or certain things we have to do, but I think a viable case can be made that is, some ways the weakest people can be at Headquarters in certain ways. Because God really wants to prove a point.

But the other reason that many of us at headquarters can be especially prone to challenges is because we’re the place that Satan is going to attack the most. Any person, any, whether it’s war or battle something, a competition they know that if you strike the head the body will fall. A boxer will tell you; you hit him in the head that whole body will fall Satan knows that. Satan knows that. If you attack the head, if you attack Mr. Pack in a specific way, if you attack the ministry in a certain way, if you attack the staff at Headquarters in a certain way, then that’s going to have maximum damage. That’s going to cause maximum damage.

Yes, it could be significant if something happens in a congregation. Very much so. But even within a congregation, that minister of that congregation, the leadership, that minister’s wife, the leadership, a deacon, maybe a pillar in that congregation, attacking them can have the most impact. Satan knows that. So, brethren, I stress we, just like you, you’re just like us, God works through flesh. Those of us at headquarters are not perfect. We’re all striving, just like all of you. But we could not do what we do without you, and you could not do what you do without us.

Now, speaking of what we do, what do we do at Headquarters? What do you do? Well, that’s the next section. Turn to Matthew at twenty-eight. The next section of this message, this Work Like No Other, Matthew twenty-eight, we spent a lot of time on Headquarters and You. Let’s turn to Matthew twenty-eight. What do we do? What is our purpose. Matthew twenty-eight, verse nineteen. Matthew twenty-eight, verse nineteen, this is Christ. He’s been resurrected. He’s talking to his disciples. He’s giving them a mission, a job here.

Twenty-eight, nineteen of Matthew, “Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Brethren, the most important task we have at Headquarters is to preach the gospel to all nations. That is our most important task. That is the preeminent task that we have.

It’s called the First Commission. First because it’s number one in priority. It’s to teach and preach the gospel. The gospel is the good news about the coming kingdom of God. We’re at God’s Feast. Think about the good news of the coming kingdom of God. We’re here to learn about the kingdom of God. What we’re learning about is the gospel. That is that news, that good news, that message that God’s work, starting with his Headquarters, takes to the world.

Mark chapter one. Mark chapter one verse fourteen. Mark one, fourteen, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel.” The gospel is not about Jesus Christ. He was the messenger who brought the gospel. He’s obviously significant in that way. Christ is God manifested flesh. He died for our sins. He sacrificed himself so we would have an opportunity or a chance at eternal life. Jesus Christ is of supreme importance in Christianity. But he’s not the gospel. The gospel is the coming kingdom of God.

God’s Church, the body of Christ, the same Christ who just said that who brought that message, the body of Christ, all of us headquarters and the field, we are continuing that first commission. We’re taking the gospel to the world just like Jesus Christ did. That is what we do at Headquarters. That is the purpose. That is our purpose. That is our premier purpose, to bring the gospel to the world. And that’s where leverage comes in. Remember, we talked about leverage. A tiny group of people, whorey heads, foolish, weak base, remember all that, a tiny group in number, in might, in wisdom, tiny in all those ways are bringing the most wonderful and powerful message that the world has ever seen, that the world will ever experience.

First Corinthians chapter one. First Corinthians chapter one verse twenty-one. First Corinthians one, twenty-one. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God.” So based on the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of the world doesn’t know God. We have some very smart people in this world, people who can accomplish many great things. But that wisdom, the wisdom of the world, doesn’t know God. “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”

God takes this foolish concept of preaching the gospel, going out and proclaiming the gospel, proclaiming that there is a kingdom that is coming. It’s foolishness to the natural mind. “What are you talking about this kingdom of God? What are you talking about?” Some cases people that doesn’t even exist. God doesn’t exist. Or that’s not what God’s doing. God’s doing this, God’s doing that. God himself says through the foolishness of preaching, he’s bringing this amazing, amazing story, this amazing news, the best thing that the world could ever experience. Many in the world see the gospel as foolishness, but brethren, to us, it is the power of God.

Think about how powerful God is. Think about it. How powerful is God? Well, you can’t get your head around it. He’s powerful. He’s God. Well, preaching the gospel is the power of God. It’s foolishness to the natural mind, it makes no sense, but it’s true. It’s true. The first commission is preaching the gospel. The second commission is very much attached to the gospel. The second commission is feeding the flock, ensuring that all of us who heard God’s calling, who came into his Church that we stay focused on the gospel as well, that we stay focused on the fact that the kingdom of God is coming and we’re the ones that are going to help administer it.

The first and second commissions work together and it’s a big part of what we do at Headquarters. All departments at Headquarters are either indirectly or directly supporting the gospel. Whether it’s Church administration, working with Church inquiries, we call them CIs. We were all, many of us were CIs at one point. Church inquiries and working with those people, working with members.

In Editorial we bring forth the words and the pictures and we put the scriptures together and we expound on those scriptures and we do those things so those who are coming into contact with God’s Church for the first time or those of us who are already in God’s Church can understand the ways of God, that we can understand the details of this kingdom, that we can understand the details of God’s way of life.

We have web services who provide those texts and pictures digitally. How many people have a cell phone? How many people have computers in this world? Well, they’re able to, we’re able to reach them in parts of the world where we can’t get a minister, we can reach them because they have a cell phone. Because they can get to the website. Places where a Bible is outlawed, we have an opportunity to get the gospel to where it needs to go. Print Services, they’re printing and mailing booklets. I got boxes and boxes of booklets when I first started. And I read them all. We read them all. My wife and I read them all.

Well, those books and booklets are still being printed. They’re still being sent out. Those books, those pages contain elements of the gospel, elements of God’s way of life. All of those things come together. Our Landscaping Department, how do they preach the gospel? Well, they represent a campus, and they ensure that the campus is up to the level of God’s quality.

So, when we say we are God’s Church they don’t look at the campus and go, “Are you sure?” Grass is overgrown, buildings falling apart. All of those things work together and it’s a part of preaching the gospel. Housekeeping, maintenance, keeping all the buildings and all those things together. Brethren those are simply support departments that support this work of preaching the gospel. You have to have a personnel department. We have to make money. We have to be able to eat and put food on our tables to be able to keep the work going. Some people struggle with that. I don’t understand why. They struggle with this idea, “Okay, you pay people to do the work?” “Yes.” We have lives. We have to be able to survive just like anyone.

Back to the start of the campus, a common question and some things that’ll come up. It’ll come up with naysayers, people looking to attack the Church, or it can come up with someone maybe who’s sincere, just doesn’t really, and what they want to understand, but why do you have that campus? Maybe some of you, your family members may have asked you that. Maybe somewhere in the back or recesses of your mind, you may have wondered at one point, “Why do we focus and why do we have a campus?” Particularly a campus as magnificent, if I could put it that way, as we do. “Aren’t you supposed to be preaching the gospel? Why do you have that campus? I don’t understand.”

Again, some asking sincerely, it’s very, actually I’ll tell you, it’s not a horrific question. It’s actually not a horrific question, just depends on the attitude and how someone is asking it. They’re using it to, to attack us, then, you know, that’s, that’s certainly different. But why do you have a campus? Naysayers would say, that’s a shrine to a man. You’re doing all that for a man. Well, no, you’re confused. That’s not what we’re doing. That’s not what we’re doing at all.

God’s campus is a monument or a symbol, a reflection of the amazing and wonderful God that we serve. A God who created the trees, the plants, a God who created the minds of men to be able to put together buildings and to decorate those buildings in ways that reflect the God that we serve. Turn to Romans chapter one, Romans chapter one. God’s campus is a reflection of the God that we serve.

Romans chapter one, verse twenty. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world,” so God is a spirit, he’s invisible, we haven’t seen him. “But the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,” the things that God created and creates are clearly seen, “...being understood by the things that are made,” meaning all of us, “...even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” God understands that we are physical. We have to see things sometimes in order to believe it. We have to see it. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes.

Sometimes we have to see things, we, and I say we as human beings, we have to see things in order to understand them. We have to be able to touch it, taste it, smell it, hear it, experience it. But we’re very physical. We’re obviously physical people. God’s campus is a physical reflection of an invisible God. Is it perfect? No. I think I saw a crack on the sidewalk. Quite a few here and there. That’s just nature.

God’s campus doesn’t defy the laws of physics, at least not yet. We can’t do that yet. But as a whole, and you’ve all seen the campus, maybe you’ve been there, I got to live there. But to be in an environment as beautiful as it is, as serene and as peaceful as it is, it is a reflection of the God that we serve. It’s a continuation of the model of the Philadelphian era. So many people, many of you go back to that era. I do not. I’ve heard wonderful stories. But it goes back to this era where God’s campus in Pasadena would blow people’s minds, place is amazing. It won many awards. Mr. Armstrong would travel the world. He would talk to world leaders about God’s campus and the work that God was doing.

What we’re doing today, brethren, is simply a continuation of what took place during the Philadelphian era. We are in the delay; we are in the Laodicean era. But we’re taking the attributes, the things that worked in the Philadelphian era, and we are a continuation of that, including God’s campus. It’s not a bad question, people, if people ask that, if they’re sincerely asking, you know, why do you have that campus, why do you have that? Well, that’s why. That’s why. We have to have offices; we have to have the means to be able to do the work that we’ve been talking about up until this point.

Matthew five. Matthew five. The beauty of God’s campus that I’ll tell you is maintained by a small group of people, including two teenagers that live in my house out in the audience, and several others, some even in this room, who take care of God’s campus. A small, tiny, tiny crew take care of 100 plus acres called God’s campus. Matthew five, Matthew five. Verse fourteen, Matthew five, fourteen. “You,” collective you, ye, remember ye, “...you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” There are certain things God wants us to be able to look at and see and know that they represent him.

“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house.” God’s campus is an example of that. But brethren, this verse is actually talking about all of us. We are the lights. We are the city that’s set on a hill that cannot be hid, that is not put under a basket where it’s hidden, and people can’t see us. We are the ones people should look to and see the light and we can brighten what is otherwise a dark world. That’s our responsibility. That’s what we’ve been called to do. That’s what we have the privilege of being able to do.

You’ve all heard this. Many of us will be the only Bible people ever read. They may never open that Bible that’s on their shelf. Bible is the best-selling book in the world, in history. But so many, I’ll say us, over time, prior to coming into the Church, so few people read it. Brethren, we, in many cases, we will be the Bible, the only Bible that people will ever read. They’ll see our lives, they’ll see how we conduct ourselves. They’ll see how we don’t overreact to offenses. They’ll see how we’re kind despite being persecuted. They’ll see how we’ll go away for eight plus days at this thing called the feast. What are you, Jewish? Oh yes, actually we are, we’re spiritual Jews.

But brethren, we are the light, we are the Bible that people will read. Our job at Headquarters, your job, is to preach the gospel, to live the gospel, to be the gospel. And that’s the good news of the coming kingdom of God.

The next section of this message, “A Work Like No Other”, the next section is called the Fingerprints of God. The Fingerprints of God. Fingerprints are evidence that are left behind, often at a crime scene, but it doesn’t have to be a crime scene. Fingerprints are evidence that are left behind. A fingerprint will tell you who’s been there even if you don’t see them. If you didn’t see them there, they left their fingerprints. Often a detective will come in and dust for fingerprints. The goal is to identify who was there even if they weren’t physically there to be seen.

We often say, and perhaps you’ve heard it, that the fingerprints of God are all over his work. The fingerprints of God are all over his work. We don’t necessarily see God’s hands, his actual hands in his work, but we see the evidence that his hands were involved. Hence, the fingerprints of God are all over his work. Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter four. Philippians chapter four, verse nineteen, Philippians four, nineteen. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

God supplies all the needs of his people, including his people in his work at headquarters. God supplies all of those needs and God is rich. He’s rich. He owns it all. He has it all. He has an abundance to be able to supply our needs.

Revelation chapter three. Revelation chapter three. God’s fingerprints are visible in the miraculous provisions of his Church. It could be financial blessings, and it could be open doors. Let’s read about that in Revelation three. Let’s read about this open door, Revelation three. I alluded to this earlier. Revelation three, seven, “And the angel of the Church in Philadelphia write; These things said he that is holy, and he that is true, and he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens; I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have little strength, you’ve kept my word, and you’ve not denied my name.”

A door, brethren, a door that God has opened, no man can shut it. No angel, no devil, no other force in the universe can close something that God has opened or open something that God has closed. No force is able to do that. Brethren, we have an open door. God’s work has an open door. No devil, angel, man, government, no one can shut a door that God has opened. It’s impossible.

Headquarters has experienced many open doors over the decades. Many open doors. So many stories. I could spend the rest of the time-sharing stories. Stories about Feast sites. You know, a Feast site, I spent a little time here, a Feast site is where God has placed his name. So here in Grand Junction, Colorado, God has placed his name here. Well, there is an administrative element to that. We didn’t just pick up the phone and get the hotel on the phone and says, “God has placed his name here We’ll see you in the fall.” It doesn’t work like that; it doesn’t work like that.

There are many steps that are involved to opening the opportunity to be at a Feast site and that comes through God, working through his ministry, through his administrative staff, many men and women, dedicated men and women, to be at a certain feast site. It is in that way God working through us, opening doors, opening opportunities, making sure things are affordable, making sure that the calendar is open. All of the things, you know, has to be open for more than eight days if we’re going to be here, for instance. The brethren have to be able to stay on site, for instance. Those are all the things that every hotel, every location can’t bring in the same way.

So, all of those things work together, God working through his ministry, through his administrative staff, all coming together to designate a place that God has placed his name. But many opportunities over the years where God has shown favor, picking the Ambassador Youth Campsite, the last one, the one prior we were running into some closed doors, which told us, you know what, God is not involved here. We need to go where there is an open door. We ended up outside the Poconos in Pennsylvania. And we’ve been there a couple of years. We’ve had other events there besides the Ambassador Youth Camp.

Those are all instances, situations where God has opened the door. We’ve gotten favor over the decades from vendors, people who you would think would just hate the fact that we’re God’s Church, claim to be God’s Church, as they would put it. But so much favor. There are times that vendors will do things for us, and they don’t even realize why they’re doing it. We just, we’re just doing it. Why? It’s because God is working and moving them to do things that are beneficial to His Church. Many financial blessings. People, just anonymous donors will just send in, in some cases, six-figure level, five figure level income. We don’t even know who they are. It’s just income will just come into the work of God. Remember, God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory. God makes all those things happen.

God has blessed many of you to be able to be a support to his Work. And as you’ve obediently done the things that you need to do, He’s blessed you, accordingly, made sure that you didn’t go without. All those things, brethren, coming together. Zechariah four. Zechariah four. Verse six. Zechariah four, verse six. “Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.’” We know who the Lord of hosts is. But it is by the spirit and the power of God the Father, not by might, going back earlier, not by our wisdom, not by luck, flip of a coin.

That’s not how God’s work moves forward. It’s not the luck of the draw. We’re not rolling dice. God is directing and supporting and strengthening his work. God uses a tiny people to usher in a most powerful kingdom. Back to leverage. We cannot, field; headquarters, none of us, we cannot take credit, we cannot personally take credit for what God has done, what God is doing. It is God’s fingerprints that are on his Work. Mr. Pack cannot take credit. The ministers cannot take credit. None of the members can take credit.

Brethren, when I write an article, when I get to write an article for one of God’s magazines, I can’t take credit for that. Believe me, you don’t want me just writing. You wouldn’t want to read it. When I preach a sermon, I can’t just take credit for that. I know me. I know what I came from. I know what I’m capable of. And it’s not good. Now, do I have to say yes at a point? Sure. Am I a conduit or am I a pipe? Sure. Did I have to say... When God says, I want you to do this, I had an option to say yes or no. I said yes. And the times I said no, I learned better and then later said yes. I don’t always get it right.

So, did I have some role to play? Sure. Sure. But I’m simply a pipe. I’m simply a conduit. I’m simply a path, a tool that God is using for his purpose. You’re no different. Mr. Pack is no different. None of the ministers are any different. When you’re at your job and you’re being that light, when you’re in your neighborhood and you’re being that light, and you’re in the grocery store, doing whatever you do, you’re simply a tool.

The things that you get to know, the simple things, the things that are very simple to us that would just blow the minds of people, theologians, people around, you know, people in the world, the things we get to know, we can’t take credit for that. We can’t take credit for that. That’s God’s doing. It’s not by our power, not by our might, but by God’s spirit that we get to see and understand those things.

John five. John five. God deserves the credit. John five. I know you believe me when I say all that. Let’s bring it home, John five, start in verse nineteen. John five, verse nineteen, and notice who’s speaking. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, truly, truly...” so He’s putting emphasis on this, “...truly, truly, I say unto you, the Son, meaning me, can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for what things soever he does, these also does the Son likewise.” Let’s go over to verse thirty, “I can of mine own self do nothing.” That’s Christ. Jesus Christ is saying that. “I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me.”

Brethren, if Jesus Christ, God manifest in flesh, the spokesman, the being that’s been here for eternity, if He can say that He can do nothing of himself, of course, none of us can do any things by ourselves. Of course, we need God working with us and through us, whether at Headquarters or in the field. We all need God and God’s work at Headquarters, and the field has his fingerprints. It has the evidence that God has been involved. God is the one moving it and pushing it forward.

Now, the next and final section of the message. This one goes back many decades. It’s a saying that goes back many decades. It’s credited to Mr. Armstrong, so I’m sure those who know Mr. Armstrong and know of him know he had a lot of sayings that stuck in his Church, and your Rolodex is probably going, “Okay, which one is he going to say? Which one is it? Which one is it?” But this particular saying was credited to Mr. Armstrong, and once I say it, you’ll smile. But Mr. Armstrong was known to say, “Government is everything. Government is everything.”

The government of God is not something that should cause us to fear. It shouldn’t bring fear, the government of God. It shouldn’t elicit phobeō, fear. That’s not the purpose of it. In fact, when understood, when properly understood, the government of God should bring comfort, should bring peace. It’s something that should make us feel good. Isaiah nine. Isaiah nine. Government is everything. Isaiah nine, let’s read about a being who is heavily involved in leading this government.

Isaiah nine, six. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder...” And look at his names, “...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.” God’s government brings peace. It brings prosperity. It should bring comfort.

Proverbs twenty-nine. Proverbs twenty-nine. Proverbs twenty-nine, verse two. Proverbs twenty-nine, verse two. “When the righteous are in authority, when the righteous are in charge of the government, the people rejoice.” So, when the righteous rule, the people are happy. They rejoice. Brethren, we’re here at God’s feast to do what? Rejoice. We’re all here under God’s government, representing God’s government, and we’re here learning about how we will be a part of ushering in the most wonderful government that the world will ever experience.

And when that righteous government is in place, guess what? The people will rejoice. So much different than what we see today. So much different. God’s government brings comfort, especially when we know that it’s God backing it. That’s the comfort. God is involved. How do we know? It’s his government. It’s God’s government. He’s involved. Everything will be fine. God’s government has many qualities, brethren. Turn to Exodus eighteen. Exodus eighteen. One of the qualities of God’s government and one of the things that helps us to prosper at Headquarters is that God’s government is efficient. It is efficient.

Exodus eighteen. Exodus chapter eighteen verse thirteen. Exodus eighteen, thirteen, “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning to the evening.” So, the line was so long of people coming to Moses that they stood there from the morning to the evening, all waiting to hear their matter judged by Moses. “And when Moses’ Father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, ‘What is this thing that you do to the people? Why do you sit by yourself, and all the people stand by you from morning to even?’ And Moses answered, he says, he said unto his father-in-law, ‘Well, because the people come to me to inquire of God.’” That’s why they’re standing there.

“When they have a matter, they come to me; and I judge between one and the other, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses’ father-in-law said unto him, ‘This thing that you do is not good. You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you.’” So, you’re going to wear out, Moses, and the people are going to wear out if you keep this up. “For this thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it yourself alone.”

So, you can’t... “Moses, you can’t do all of this by yourself.” Imagine Mr. Pack preaching, writing all the articles, editing all the articles, building all the websites, cutting the grass, shoveling the snow from the parking lot. He would wear away. He can’t do it all himself. He needs help. He needs help. That’s a big part of what goes on at God’s headquarters under his government. We all work together to make sure that things get done.

Verse twenty-one. “Moreover...” Jethro speaking, “...you shall provide out of all the people able men...” and I’ll add women in the case of Headquarters, “...able men, such as fear God, men and women of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of ten: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto you, but every small matter they shall judge: so it shall be easier for yourself, and they shall bear the burden with you.”

So, all of us, men, women at Headquarters, many cases in the field, we all work together to support the work, to support the mission, to support the job that’s been given to God’s apostle. Just like Moses, who now, once people begin to help, he could attend to the weightier matters, the things that are of most significance, the things that the average person couldn’t handle. The average one of us couldn’t handle a five-hundred-and-forty-plus prophecy series. I couldn’t handle it. I would wear it away. I would turn into a pile of dust, I’d be gone. But what I can do, I do.

I can do my job. That’s one less thing that God’s leader has to worry about. Those at Headquarters can say the same. “I can do this in this department because that’s one less thing God’s serving will have to worry about.” And it all breaks out, it all works together, and it works together very efficiently. Why? Because God is behind it. It’s efficient. It works. First Corinthians chapter eleven. First Corinthians chapter eleven. Verse three, First Corinthians chapter eleven, verse three. God’s government works; it’s everything.

First Corinthians eleven, three, “But I would have you to know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God.” We just got a snapshot of God’s government, how it works. God’s government is top-down, it is vertical, it is not horizontal. Yes, it involves many people, as I just explained, many people doing many things, but God’s government is vertical. It’s top-down. God the Father is at the head at the top of his government. Under him is Jesus Christ. Under him are men, under them are women, under the women, I’ll add, are children.

God’s government is represented in his Church; God’s government is represented in families. God’s government is everything. Ephesians chapter four. Ephesians chapter four. Verse eleven. Ephesians four, eleven, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Why? “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” God’s government has a job to do. God’s government is top-down. The Father is at the top of his government. Under him is Christ who’s the head of the Church. Under Christ’s men is a man, his Apostle.

Prophets, no living prophets today, but when they come under Apostles, evangelists, preachers, teachers, all the way down. God’s government is top-down. When Mr. Pack or Mr. Schleifer, or any other God’s leaders at headquarters, when they give an order, the beautiful thing about it is we can implement things, in many cases depending on when it is, the same day or the same week, or things that in the world would take months, weeks, maybe even years, or just get thrown on the dustbin of ideas, they happen at God’s Headquarters. Why? Because it’s top-down and everyone respects and understands God’s authority.

They understand the requirement to obey, to come under that government. And we don’t do it grudgingly; we do it willingly. Why? Because it’s God’s government. We want to see it prosper. We want to see it happen. Same in a congregation. You have a minister. That minister is the head of that congregation. He’s in charge. He’s been given authority and is expected and held responsible by God to ensure that that congregation runs in a certain way. His wife supports him. The leaders within that congregation support them. It’s top-down. It’s vertical. It’s not horizontal.

But when we do it that... when we do it God’s way, we invite God into the process. We allow him into the process that He created, his government. It happens at Headquarters, it happens in the field, it happens throughout God’s Church. Brethren, as we conclude, turn to Romans chapter twelve. Romans chapter twelve. Romans twelve, verse four, Romans twelve, verse four, shall sound familiar. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ.”

All of us are not going to have the same role. All of us have a different role to play. Whether we’ve been asked to be at God’s Headquarters, whether we’ve been placed somewhere in the field as a part of God’s body, it says here we won’t all have the same office. However, we, being many, are one body in Christ and everyone, members, one of another. When it comes back to this idea and understanding of Headquarters, we need all of you. You need all of us. We all work together to move the ball forward, to make things happen on behalf of the God that we serve. Brethren, we’re all in this together. We’re united in purpose and contributing to this great work, a work that is like no other.