by Herbert W. Armstrong

I am reminded, in line with the above, of one problem of the past. Many of our ministers, from about 1967, apparently began to feel that the organizational structure in God’s Church, from the top down, had a different meaning than it does.

In both I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 we find a chain of AUTHORITY in the Bible. God the Father is HEAD above all. Jesus Christ is next in line of authority. But GET THIS: UNDERSTAND IT! Although Jesus is the living HEAD of the Church, He has never CUT US OFF from going direct to the Father. In teaching us how to pray He did not say, “Don’t you DARE take any matter to the Father. You DON’T DARE go past ME! Although I am under the Father in authority I am OVER YOU, and if you dare take it over my head and go to the Father direct, I will CUT YOU OFF!” No, Jesus said, “When ye pray, say, Our Father,” etc. – go direct to the Father, but in Jesus’ name – by His authority. That is, Jesus gave us AUTHORITY to go to the Father direct.

But many in the ministry FEARED to come direct to me. The chain of authority is, first God the Father, next Christ, HEAD of the CHURCH, next, on the human level, Christ’s Apostle, then, UNDER, not over the Apostle, Evangelist, then Pastor, then Elder. But many FEARED for their jobs if they came direct about anything to the Apostle. The Evangelist-rank Executive Vice-Presidential office was considered the TOP and anyone above was CUT OFF! That really meant, if anyone stopped to consider it, that all above the office in charge of ministers, or the Executive Vice-President were CUT OFF! That means, actually, being CUT OFF from Christ and from God the Father:

Let me once for all make this CLEAR and PLAIN. NO ONE is CUT OFF from coming to me. No one is CUT OFF from going above my head to Christ or above His head to the Father!

Any major problem may be brought directly to me. NO ONE MUST FEAR to bring any such matter to me direct! NO ONE IS CUT OFF FROM me!

On the other hand I do want you to understand I can’t handle every routine matter, that’s what other offices under me are for!

But NO ONE SETS POLICIES BUT THE APOSTLE! And all major problems may be freely brought to the Apostle. The door is open. But please just don’t come to me with every little minor thing, for there are just not enough of me to handle so many matters. Use judgment and wisdom. “Nuff said”!!