The parable of the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) warns us that we must not be presumptuous if we've been serving God longer than someone else. God is continuing to call people into His Church, as He sees fit.

We must be prepared for the possibility that God will call people who have not known Herbert Armstrong, and who may well be called to be teachers, deacons, deaconesses, elders and pastors. In fact, we must be prepared to be passed over for these roles and to see God choose people who, to our eyes, seem less qualified.

Those of us who have been in the Church a long time need to be prepared to handle these situations graciously. We must trust God to do what's best for the Church as a whole, even if it doesn't please us.

In the parable, those who had worked longer thought their employer was being unfair, but he really was being compassionate, giving all the day laborers what they needed to feed their families. We must trust that God will do what is best for the Church.