Christian Life

The Black and White Christian, Part I

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Included in the category of black and white Christians is a very large percentage of people who profess the Christian religion. It includes an even higher percentage of those who are historic Seventh-day Adventists. There are also, in this category, a very large number of Roman Catholics and people of other religions.

Expectations

The Pharisees had terrible trouble when they got into discussions with Jesus. They would ask questions, expecting certain answers, but when they would ask Question A, expecting either Answer B or Answer C, they were given Answer R. The reason they were expecting certain answers was because they were black and white in their thinking. They considered an issue to be either black, of the devil, or white, of the Lord. Only these two alternatives were possible. When Jesus answered the question, He showed that there were other possibilities of which they had never even thought.

This is a very common problem, not just with the Pharisees, but with Christians as well. It has been a common problem all through Christian history, and it is a problem today.

An Example

Let us look at an example from Matthew 19:3: “And they came to Him, the Pharisees, testing him, and saying, ‘Is it allowed, or is it permitted, for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?’ ” If you have studied the nature of this question and that about which they were speaking, you know that this question caused endless disputes among the Jews, because their rabbis taught that a man could divorce his wife for any reason. They defended this view from the Bible.

Biblical Defense

This is always one of the biggest problems in dealing with black and white Christians; they defend their positions from the Bible. They are so sure that they are right; it is difficult to even talk to them or reason with them. They know they are right, because they read it in the Bible.

The Pharisees read their answer right out of the Bible. Deuteronomy 24 is the Scripture they used to defend their beliefs. It says, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she does not find favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her . . . .” Verse 1. What has he found in her? The Hebrew word is `ervah. The translators have had great difficulty trying to decipher the meaning of this word.

The linguists have given us five different possibilities for translation of the word, ‘ervah. Following are the various definitions of this Hebrew word from those who specialize in the study of languages:

  1. a situation or condition of nakedness;
  2. the pudenda—the secret parts or the sexual parts of a person, especially when naked;
  3. something that is shameful or something that is filthy;
  4. any physical defect; or
  5. ignominy or something that is dishonorable.

The Pharisees knew this word, and they argued about its meaning. Some of the rabbis held the position that if, after his marriage, a man found any defect in the woman whom he married—anything in her body, anything physically that he thought was defective, anything that he did not like—he could divorce her. In this case, the man was able to write a bill of divorcement, put it in his wife’s hand, and send her out of his house. This was the position of many of the Pharisees, based on their understanding of this word, ‘ervah.

The Pharisees were involved in endless arguments over this condition. There were some Pharisees who said, “No, this is an extreme position. You are making this text say something very extreme. It does not mean that just because the person does something you do not like, you can get rid of them.” But other Pharisees said, “Oh, no, this is what the word means. It means you can divorce the woman for anything you find to be defective.” They were involved in endless controversy over this.

Perfect Test Question

Of course, this was a perfect test question to present to Jesus. Either way He answered would involve Him in instant controversy with the opposition, because there were two sides to this issue, as there are in most controversies, and there were a number of opinions in between, as there are in most controversies. The Pharisees thought that they would instantly entangle Jesus in their religious controversies, because they thought in black and white. “Lord, which is it? Is it this way, or is it that way? Is it black, or is it white? Which is it?”

“In answering, Jesus said, ‘Have you not read that the One who created them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and, He said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be the two unto one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has yoked [or joined] together, let not man separate.” Matthew 19:4–6. This, friends, is a clear, simple, unequivocal explanation of the question.

What is the answer to their question? Can a man divorce his wife for any cause? Jesus answered the question with more than, “No.” A man is not to divorce his wife, period. Is that what you see in Jesus’ response? Is there an exception? Yes, there is an exception. The one exception is if she commits adultery against her husband. But the rule given is not to divorce at all.

Objections

The Pharisees thought for certain that Jesus was a false teacher, because He was contradicting what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 24:1. They thought they had Him! They could show to all the people that Jesus did not agree with Moses, and everyone knew that Moses was from God. They thought they had Him, and they were going to pin Him to the wall! They were going to quote the Scripture to prove that He was wrong.

Continuing in Matthew 19:7, the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Why, therefore, did Moses give commandment to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?” Notice Jesus’ answer to them: “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not like this. And I say to you that whoever shall divorce his wife, except for the cause of fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery.” Verses 8, 9.

Jesus is here teaching that some things are in the Bible because of the hardness of hearts. God allows us to do some things, not because it is His will, but because of the hardness of our hearts. If we really want to find the answer to what God’s plan is for our lives, we need to go back to the beginning of this world when God revealed His plan for humanity.

In the Beginning

Let us review a few of the things that happened at the beginning. Later, we will look at a few more things from the Book of Genesis. By way of introduction, think about these few facts.

In our world today, people are so confused that in Protestant churches there are those who cannot decide whether or not there should be clergy who are homosexuals. Now, think this through. When we look back to the beginning, how many people did God create? He created two, a man and a woman. He did not create two men, nor did He create two women, so there was no provision made at the beginning for homosexuality. (See Genesis 1:27; 2:20–22.) By looking back to the beginning, we can reason out what God’s will is and what His plan is. He did not make two men; He did not make two women; He did not provide for homosexuality.

Not only that, but as a result of sin, there have been men who have had more than one wife. We call that polygamy. There have also been, even in America, women who have had more than one husband. We call that polyandry. Did God make provision for either polygamy or polyandry when He created the world? God did not make two wives for Adam—or three or four or six; He made just one.

It is not essential to have all of the rest of the Bible to figure out what God’s plan is. God made for Adam one wife. Did God provide for divorce at the beginning? Did the Lord say, “Well, Adam is going to get tired of this one wife after a few hundred years, so We need to create two or three?” No, He made no provision for divorce. God created for Adam only one wife. He created for Eve only one husband. He made no provision for polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, or divorce at the creation of the world. Those were not part of the divine plan.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees, “If you want to find out what God’s will is, you have to go back to the beginning. Moses allowed you to do some things that were wrong because of the hardness of your hearts.”

Ezekiel 20:25 records the words God spoke: “Also I gave to them statutes that were not good, and judgments where they should not live in them.” Why? Jesus explained that it was because of the hardness of their hearts. You see, there are a lot of things recorded in the Bible which men did that were not right. Even godly men made mistakes and did things that were not right.

God’s Plan

How can you find out what is right? You look first of all, Jesus said, at the beginning. What was God’s plan, which He revealed in the beginning? This is one escape for us, one way to keep away from this black and white thinking which is so common in our society and among Christians today. One way to escape is to go back to the beginning and say, “How did God plan for me to live my life? When He created the world, what did He reveal as His plan?”

Steps to Life is currently recording a series of studies on the subject of health for its television broadcast. In this series, I have returned, over and over again, to the theme of God’s original plan. When you are trying to figure out how God wants you to live, so you will have good health, the quickest way to find out is to go back to the beginning of the world and study how God planned then for man and woman to live.

Have you ever heard someone say, “God wanted us to eat meat; that is why he created cattle”? Oh, really? Do you know that, in the very first chapter of the Bible, God considered your diet important enough to put down what He wanted the human race to eat? In Genesis 1:29, God specified this diet in detail. The fact that, later, people ate all other kinds of things does not change what Genesis 1:29 says, and it does not change what the ideal diet is. Just so no one will be confused, we need to be sure to include the fact that, after sin entered the world, God did change man’s diet.

I have studied nutrition, and there are many things that are of great interest to me regarding the diet God gave to Adam and Eve. One of the things I have learned is that the first diet in Eden was a very low sodium diet. After sin entered, God added foods to their diet whereby they would get more salt, because they were going to have to earn their bread by the sweat of their face. (Genesis 3:19.)

If you want to understand what God’s original plan was for exercise, for diet, for health, for living, for social structure, and for family structure, it is all right there in the first few chapters of the Bible. Those chapters are loaded with information that we need to study on how to live.

Another Lesson

Another lesson from God’s plan, when studying the Garden of Eden, is where God placed the man and the woman. Did He place them inside a building, or did He place them outside a building? He placed them outside. We should learn from that! One of the biggest causes of all kinds of health problems we have today is that we are so much indoors; we are rarely outdoors. Even invalids in wheelchairs should be taken outside for a brief period of time each day.

In lands where women have been taught the custom of purdah—the wearing of the berka robe, hood, and veil common in Muslim countries, whereby the body is covered except for a slit for the eyes—those women suffer terrible health problems, especially during childbirth, as a result of maldevelopment of their skeletons. Their bodies were never exposed to the sunlight all the time they were growing and maturing. As a result, they have terrible, terrible problems.

We need to study the original condition in which God placed man and woman, and we need to learn from it. In fact, Ellen White instructed men and women to, “Get outside; get outdoors every day.” (See Medical Ministry, 225, 232.)

There are a lot of things that we can learn from going back to the beginning. This is how Jesus directed the people who asked, “Can we divorce our wives for any cause?” He said, “Go back to the beginning.” God made no provision for Adam to divorce his wife. He made no provision for polygamy, polyandry, homosexuality, or any of those things. Jesus said, “If you want to find out what God’s plan is, go back to the beginning.” Going back to the beginning can save us from a lot of black and white thinking.

By What Authority

The cleansing of the temple is described in Matthew 21:12–17. After the temple was cleansed, verse 23 says, “And He, coming into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, saying, ‘By what authority do You do these things, and who gave You this authority?’ ” They wanted to know what He was doing, chasing people out of the temple. They wanted Him to prove that He had lawful authority to do this.

This was a question that caused endless dispute then and, for some interesting reason, is causing endless dispute today. People frequently want to know, “Do you have a right to preach?” As you are no doubt aware, there are many Seventh-day Adventist churches in which I cannot preach, because I do not have any right, authority, or invitation to preach in them. Of course, I am not forcing myself into places where I am not invited.

Jesus was in a very similar dilemma. He had been shut out of the synagogue. In fact, the leadership had already decided that if anyone chose to follow Him, they would be disfellowshipped from the Jewish commonwealth or synagogue. It is very clear in the Gospel of John that they had made this decision a few months before this event. They hoped that they would be able to prove that Jesus had no authority to do what He was doing; therefore, He was a false teacher. They were going to discredit Him among the people.

The same thing happens today. People come to us at Steps to Life, saying, “What authority do you have to do what you are doing? You do not have any authority to build a church. You do not have any authority to organize a church. You do not have any authority to ordain a deacon or an elder or a minister. You do not have any authority to baptize.” All of those questions and statements are based on the same kind of thinking.

Look at Jesus’ answer. When, as a teenager, I first studied this text, I thought Jesus was playing a trick on them. But as I studied more, I found He was not playing a trick at all. He was giving them a very straightforward answer to their question, and there, actually, was nothing tricky about it.

In verses 24–27, we read what was happening and what Jesus was doing. It says, “And Jesus, answering, said to them, ‘I will ask you also one thing, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? Was it of heaven or of men?’ They reasoned with themselves saying, If we shall say, ‘Of heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why, therefore, did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of men,’ we fear the multitude, for they all hold John as a prophet. And answering Jesus they said, ‘We do not know.’ He said to them also, ‘Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.’ ”

Providence of God

What was Jesus doing? He was taking them back in the providence of God. Do you believe the providence of God has worked in the second advent movement? Do you believe the providence of God has worked in your church? Do you believe that the providence of God has worked in your family? Do you believe that the providence of God has worked in your life? Can you look back and see that God has led you? I hope you can.

If you cannot look back and see that God has been leading in your life, you had better surrender your life to Him right now. Pray, “Lord, I want you to lead and guide and direct me on a plain path, so I can see that You are directing the way I should go.” This is what God wants to do for you. He wants to lead you on a path that is plain enough for you to see that He is guiding and directing you. When you look back, if you have surrendered your life to Him every day, you should be able to see that God has been directing and guiding in your life. You should be able to see that God has been leading and guiding and directing in what has been happening in the second advent movement.

So Jesus took them back a few years in the providence of God.

Self-supporting Work

I developed a sermon, about 15 years ago, based on this passage of Scripture, entitled, “Has God Authorized Self-supporting Work?” Has God authorized people who are working for Him but who are not working with the organized conference? Some people cannot understand that. The way to figure it out is to go back in the providence of God and see how God has been leading in the second advent movement. Has God directed that this should happen or not?

Jesus took them back in the providence of God to the baptism of John the Baptist. He said, “John the Baptist was baptizing thousands of people in the Jordan River.” “They came,” it says in Matthew 3:5, “from Jerusalem, and they came from beyond the Jordan”—that is, on the east side where the two and one-half tribes settled—and were baptized by John the Baptist. So, Jesus said to them, “John the Baptist was baptizing these people. Was God leading in this or was it just the leadership of men?”

Think through the answer for a moment. If you believe that the ministry and the baptism of John the Baptist was merely human, that God was not leading, would you believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Absolutely not! But if you believe the ministry and the baptism of John the Baptist was something inspired of heaven, would you believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Yes, you would, because John the Baptist testified publicly that he was. He said, “I have seen the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on this Person. I did not know Him, but the One that sent me to baptize, He told me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit of God descending, and remaining upon Him, that is the One that baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and I am bearing testimony that this is the Son of God.” John 1:32–34.

So, if you believe that the baptism of John the Baptist was inspired by heaven, what would you believe about Jesus? You would believe that He was the Son of God, and that was the authority by which He was doing these things. The evidence was overwhelming, even to these people.

The whole multitude believed that John the Baptist was a prophet. They could not deny it, but they did not like John the Baptist, because he was an independent worker. He was not under their authority. He was not credentialed by them. He was not educated by them. He did not have permission from them, so they did not like him.

They could not deny the work of John the Baptist, but they did not want to acknowledge it either, so they said, “We cannot tell.” Jesus said, “Then I do not tell you either by what authority I do these things, if you do not know.” That is the answer we have to give to some people too.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

To Be Like Jesus

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Among Seventh-day Adventist Christians, it is popular to say, “I want to be like Jesus.” But what does this involve? Is it simply a nice sounding phrase? What really does it mean “to be like Jesus”? To answer this we must know the experience of the One we are trying to imitate. What was Jesus’ life like here on earth?

 

Jesus—The Man of Sorrows

 

Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 53: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth . . . For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken . . . Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin . . . He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities . . . He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:1–12.

To be like Jesus means to follow in His footsteps. To follow in the footsteps of the man of sorrows, to be despised and rejected of men as He was. Are we willing to face rejection, and misunderstanding by our closest friends and family? Jesus was. Not even His mother or His disciples understood His mission. Are we willing to be despised by those around us? Jesus was. The church leaders in His day hated Him so much that they sought to take His life. Are we willing to be mocked and scorned and lied about? Jesus was. He was called a winebibber and an illegitimate child. He was hated because He sought to help the publicans and sinners.

To be like Jesus is not always easy, but if you choose to follow Jesus, you can know that He will always be at your side, and, daily, you will be growing more and more like Him as you imitate His character.

 

Jesus—The Miracle Worker

 

Another aspect of Jesus’ life that God’s people are told that they will imitate is His miracle working power. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall He do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.” John 14:12. Think of Christ healing the blind man’s sight, making the leper whole, feeding the five thousand, restoring the lame man to perfect health, and raising a young girl from the dead. He was always working to relieve pain and suffering and to point people to God. This is the part of Christ’s life that many want to imitate, and Jesus has said that great signs, miracles and wonders will follow His people. But what are we doing now to help those who are in need? Are we feeding the hungry, using God’s methods to help the sick and helping the needy in any way that we can?

 

Jesus—A True Friend

 

The character of the One who we want to imitate was one of true love. He was a faithful friend, who would never forsake those that He loved. He loves us regardless of what we say, what we do or how we treat Him or anyone else. If we say we want to be like Jesus, then we must become loving friends. We must learn to be a constant friend, one who loves at all times, no matter the circumstances. We must learn to speak kindly and truthfully, not gossiping behind each other’s backs. And we must learn to have sympathy and compassion for those who have fallen, just as Christ is merciful to forgive us when we wander away from His loving care.

 

Jesus—A Rebuke to Hypocrisy

 

When Christ was here He had a two-fold ministry. In The Desire of Ages, 611, 612, we read, “It was His purpose both to warn the rulers and to instruct the people who were willing to be taught.” Not only did Christ preach and teach the people who where willing to be taught, He came to expose the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Because of “their reverence for tradition, their blind faith in a corrupt priesthood, the people were enslaved. These chains Christ must break. The character of the priests, rulers, and Pharisees must be more fully exposed.” Ibid.

Jesus was in the business of saving souls, but before the people could fully receive His message they had to be loosed from the bonds with which their leaders had shackled them. They had to learn that it was the commandments of God that they must keep, not all the rules and traditions that the Pharisees had set up. “Christ declared that they made void the law of God by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Ibid., 603.

Just think what it must have been like when Christ came, the humble carpenter, the Nazarene, and began preaching that the highest leaders of the church were making void God’s law. Are you willing to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and correct, with the holy Scriptures, those who are leading people astray?

Many people, today, think that we should never correct others. They say, “Oh, you are being critical.” But Jesus corrected those who were in error because He loved them and longed for their salvation. Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself that others might be saved. Our work must be along this same line. Are you willing to warn those you know of their desperate condition, even if you will be despised and rejected as Jesus was?

Many in Christ’s day were not willing to make this sacrifice. Many believed on Christ, even some of the chief rulers, “but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogues. They loved the praise of men rather than the approval of God. To save themselves from reproach and shame, they denied Christ and they rejected the offer of eternal life.” The Desire of Ages, 626. You and I are challenged with that same philosophy. Are we willing to be disfellowshipped or even killed in order to stand for Jesus?

 

Jesus—Tempted and Tried

 

Jesus came as our example. “He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. He suffered the worst temptations that Satan could invent. And these “most fierce temptations assailed Him in the time of His greatest weakness.” The Desire of Ages, 120. No one else has ever been tempted as severely as Christ was, yet through the power given Him by His Father, He resisted each temptation. All the hosts of the devil “could not bring Christ to yield even by a thought.” The Great Controversy, 623. Isn’t it comforting to know that someone has already fought the battle and won?

How did Christ receive the power to overcome from His Father? He prayed. The Bible says He spent hours in prayer, at the close of the day. He lived the life of prayer, praying for grace, strength and victory. Do you want to be like Jesus? How long has it been since you spent all night in prayer, as Jesus did?

Why were these long prayer vigils necessary? It was because Jesus understood the enemy He was dealing with. Today we are dealing with the same enemy, and if we are not watchful and vigilant, constantly in prayer that God will give us wisdom and strength to resist the temptations the devil throws at us, we will fail.

Inspiration says that Jesus prayed with strong crying and tears. His heart was so heavy with the burden for the souls that would reject eternal life. He offered it to them freely. He said, “Here it is. Just take it, please, I am giving it to you.” But the people rejected Him! While they were driving the nails in His hands and feet, spitting on Him and heckling Him, He prayed for them. How long has it been since you have reacted like that? Do you want to be like Jesus? What a challenge that is for us.

If we want to be overcomers and have heaven as our home, we must have powerful prayer lives. That means we might have to get up a little bit earlier in the morning, or sacrifice some treasured activity to find the time to spend with Christ. We might have to deny self. Are you willing to do it? Jesus did it for you. And if you choose to spend time in communion with Christ, I promise that you will come from those times refreshed and strengthened for the day ahead.

 

Jesus—The Only Way

 

The Scriptures say we must be like Jesus to enter heaven. Therefore, we need to understand what His character is like. In Exodus 33, Moses asked the Lord to show him His glory. The Lord answered him and said, “I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” “And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 33:19; 34:5–7.

Christ’s character is merciful, longsuffering, forgiving and abundant in goodness and truth. Do we have these character traits? If we are not merciful, gracious and longsuffering, then the Spirit of God is not living in us. It says in Mount of Blessing, 78: “If you are the children of God, you are partakers of His nature and you cannot but be like Him. Every child lives by the life of his father. If you are God’s children, begotten by His Spirit, you live the life of God. In Christ dwells ‘all the fullness of the Godhead bodily’ (Colossians 2:9); and the life of Jesus is made manifest ‘in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Corinthians 4:11) That life in you will produce the same character, and manifest the same works as it did in Him.”

Jesus is the perfect Pattern we are to copy. Some people say, “You will never equal the Pattern—He was perfect.” It is true that we are powerless to develop a perfect character on our own. But if we let Jesus come in and control our lives, His character will be revealed in and through us.

“Christ is the ladder that Jacob saw. The base of the ladder was resting on the earth, and the topmost round reaching to the gate of heaven . . . If that ladder had failed by a single step of reaching the earth, we should have been lost. But Christ reaches us where we are. He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might overcome. Made ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’ (Romans 8:3), He lived a sinless life. Now by His divinity He lays hold upon the throne of heaven, while in His humanity He reaches us. He bids us by faith in Him attain to the glory of the character of God.” The Desire of Ages, 311, 312.

“By passing over the ground which man must travel, our Lord has prepared the way for us to overcome. It is not His will that we should be placed at a disadvantage in the conflict with Satan. He would not have us intimidated and discouraged by the assaults of the serpent.” The Desire of Ages, 122.

The way of escape has been made for us. No matter how low we think we are, He will reach us if we are willing. Will we spurn His great gift? Will we turn away thinking that He is unable to perform the promise He has made? Or will we draw nearer to Christ, and surrendering our all to Him, begin to walk in the way that He tread before us?

“The nearer we live to Jesus, the more will we partake of His pure and holy character; the more offensive sin appears to us, the more exalted and desirable will appear the purity and brightness of Christ.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 141. The reason sin does not appear offensive to us is because we are living so near to the world. The closer we get to Christ, the more offensive sin becomes, and the more we long to be freed from it.

And dear friend, we can! The apostle John had this wonderful experience. “He (John) was not only self-assertive and ambitious for honor, but impetuous, and resentful under injuries. But as the character of the divine one was manifested to him, he saw his own deficiency and was humbled by the knowledge. The strength and patience, the power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness that he beheld in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration and love. Day by day his heart was drawn out toward Christ, until he lost sight of self and in love for his Master . . . The power of the love of Christ brought a transformation of character.” Steps to Christ, 73.

Do you want to have this experience? Do you want to be daily drawn closer and closer to Christ Friends, we must have this experience! For, “when the character of Christ is perfectly reproduced in His people, He will come to claim them as His own.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 69. I want to be ready! I want to be like Jesus!

Kenny Shelton is the director of Behold the Lamb Ministries, P.O. Box 2030, Herrin, IL 62948.

 

Pray Without Ceasing

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In the beginning, God spoke and made a world. David records: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth . . .For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:6, 9.

It was Jesus, in conjunction with His Father, that created this world and designed human beings to inhabit and fill it. (See 1 Corinthians 19:1–4; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16.) What we see of creation, in our world today, is but a pittance of what the original must have looked like.

On the morning of the sixth day of creation, the beautiful world was filled with animals of all descriptions roaming over the lush green hillsides and down through the valleys, blanketed with flowers. Birds, flying through the air, warbled their lovely songs of praise to their Creator.

After pronouncing all that He had made, “good,” this great Creator wants to make a caretaker for the beautiful garden. He decides to make man, in His own image, out of the dust of the ground and then breathe into him the breath of life making him a living soul.

After forming every feature with the greatest care, God looks down on this beautiful being. He might have said, “He looks like Me.” Then, kneeling down, He puts His mouth to the mouth of this beautiful being and breathes into him His breath. As the blood reaches the brain I can see Adam give a great gasp and suddenly the heart and all the organs begin to operate. Adam opens his eyes and looks into the face of God. I imagine his first words could have been, “Who are You?” Then he must have looked at himself and asked,” Who am I?” Now, this wonderful God reaches down, raises this beautiful being to his feet, and says, “Your name is Adam. You are My gardener. And I want to show you your garden.”

I can see God now putting His arm around this beautiful being and they begin to walk through this beautiful place. He says, “You, Adam, are in charge of everything. It is your world. You can name the flowers, trees, animals and birds.”

After they had finished their tour, I can hear Adam say, “God, everything is so wonderful, but I am wondering, why are there two of all the other creatures but there is only one of my kind?” And God replies, “I have a plan.” Then He lays this giant of a man down, puts him to sleep and takes a rib from his side. From this rib He creates the most beautiful being of all, a woman. Can you imagine when Adam wakes up and sees God and then looks past God to the woman? I can hear him say, “But who is she?” And God responds, “She is your wife.”

The shadows of the sixth day are leaning heavily upon the trees of this beautiful garden of God. The sixth day is ending and the seventh day, the Sabbath, is about to begin. As they stand before Him, God puts their hands together and He pronounces them man and wife. Then, standing in the shadows of that sixth day, He watches these two beautiful people, that He has created, walk away, arm in arm, talking about this beautiful place which He has created for them to live in.

Every day they had an opportunity to meet with God and the angels. I can see them running to meet their appointment with God. Wherever they were, they came hand in hand, leaping, running and racing to meet God, and casting themselves at His feet. Then I can see this great God raise them up to their feet, put one arm around Eve and the other around Adam and walk through the beautiful garden, explaining its wonders to them.

I can just imagine Adam looking at a magnificent tree, maybe a Sequoia Redwood tree, and asking, “But God, how does the moisture get from the root to the top?” And the Creator of the world explains how it all happens.

Eden was a wonderful place, a wonderful opportunity for two people. Yet, we know what happened. The picture now changes and we find these two people hiding. God comes for His daily visit, and walking through His garden, He calls, “Adam, Adam, where are you?” I can see them now, coming from their hiding place, no longer dressed in that beautiful robe of light, which He had made for them, but in fig leaves that Eve put together.

I can hear them cry, “God, we will never do it again. Please, God, do not send us away.” But sin was so terrible, and so infectious that they had to leave the garden. This was the only way that God could solve the tremendous problem that sin had brought.

I can see Jesus standing with both arms around them, hugging them close to His breast and explaining Genesis 3:15. He tells them that He will come and take their place. The law of God had been broken, and the wages of sin is death. Jesus tells them: “I have to die for you. I am the Lawgiver and the only way I can save you and your posterity, now, is to die in your place.” Then He explains the sacrificial system that pointed to the day He would die for their sins so they could live again and come back and be caretakers of His garden once more.

Can you see the picture of Adam with that first little sacrificial lamb, taking the sharp instrument in his hands, looking into the eyes of this little innocent creature, knowing that it had to be slain because of his sin?

 

God’s Sacrifice

 

The picture changes. For four thousand years the world looked forward to the time when the Messiah would come. Every Jewish mother looked at the man-child that came from her womb and wondered if he was the one—the promised Messiah. Then, just as the Old Testament prophets had predicted, the Christ child was born to bring hope and salvation to a perishing world.

What was Christ’s mission when He came to this earth?

“Christ came to our world to counteract Satan’s falsehood that God had made a law which man could not keep. Taking humanity upon Himself, He came to this earth, and by a life of obedience showed that God has not made a law that man cannot keep. He showed that it is possible for man perfectly to obey the law. Those who accept Christ as their Saviour, becoming partakers of His divine nature, are enabled to follow His example, living in obedience to every precept of the law. Through the merits of Christ, man is to show by His obedience that He could be trusted in heaven.” The Faith I Live By, 114.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Fallen humanity cannot measure that love. Our earthly minds cannot fully understand it. And even in heaven, we will continue to study it throughout all eternity. God’s love is so amazing! Jesus was born in a barn. He was willing to come, all the way down to where fallen humanity was, so He could show them how they could gain eternal life and go back to His garden as caretakers, for the beautiful world that He will re-create.

The cross was a tragedy, yet it was the only way God could solve the sin problem. We think that when we are taken out of our positions in churches, or are disfellowshipped, we have been mistreated; look at the cross and see what the church did to the Messiah. Yet, He uttered not a word of rebuke. He just put out His hands and they nailed them to the cross. The Roman soldiers picked up the tree and dropped it into the hole that had been prepared for it. You can imagine the physical agony 20 Land Marks

that He must have gone through, but it was not the physical agony that killed Him. It was our sins—yours and mine—that crucified the Son of God.

 

Christ Prays for Us

 

Just before Jesus was crucified, He prayed a very important prayer, not only for Himself, but also for His disciples. These were His words: “Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

“I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given Me are of Thee.

“For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them.

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept; and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

“I have given them Thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” John 17:1–19. What a prayer! I believe those words come closer to explaining the love of God than anything I have read in the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy.

Today, Jesus is our High Priest in the Most Holy Place. But He will not remain there long. Soon the censor will no longer sway; the cases will be decided. It is now time for us to study the Word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy earnestly, and pray like we have never prayed in our lives before. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” Often when I have read that I have wondered, “How can I do that? I would never get anything done if I prayed all the time.” But prayer is not only the position you are in, prayer is an attitude of mind that you start your day with, walk through the day with, and go to bed with, at night.

I praise the Lord for the relationship that I have with Him through prayer. It holds me in such a beautiful relationship and when I break that relationship by impatience, I weep. We must overcome this impatience. And our only hope of doing this is to pray more and take that prayer experience with us through the day. Practice the presence of Jesus and you will receive His power.

Christ’s Object Lessons, 174, contains a precious promise about prayer. It says: “Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart’s desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the Universe! They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are going on. Nothing can drown the soul’s desire.”

What a wonderful promise! The God of the universe hears our cries for help, and is never too busy to answer. As we lay our requests before Him, claiming His promise that we can overcome, He gives us the power to keep His law. Just as Christ was constantly in tune with His father through prayer, and thus able to resist temptation, we can receive the same power.

We need to learn to pray, as we have never prayed before. We need to pray for ourselves, for our children, our husbands, our wives, our friends and our neighbors. We must carry the burden of these souls upon our hearts.

 

The Secret to Answered Prayer

 

A lot of people have told me, “I pray and nothing happens.” And I say, “Have you laid your whole life at the feet of Jesus, surrendering your will, your mind, and your life to Him? Have you given up everything in this world?” The reason many of our prayers are not answered is because of how we live. We are not fully committed to God.

When my son was in Vietnam, God taught me some unforgettable lessons about prayer. At that time in my life, I felt that I had done many things and I was proud of everything I had done. I was a good preacher, because I had worked hard to be one. But through this trying experience, God taught me every day that I had to be humble. I could not do anything, but I believed that God could.

During the eleven months that my boy was on the battlefields I learned to pray as I had never prayed before. He told us later of the many miraculous ways the Lord had brought him through the most tragic, terrible circumstances. He was a commander and there were soldiers being killed all around him. A Vietcong shot at him from ten feet away, with an automatic weapon, and the bullets never touched him. Angels were deflecting the bullets.

The lessons I learned during that time have never been forgotten. God taught me that the first thing I do in prayer is to give my will to Him. When you give your will to God you give your mind to Him and His thoughts are your thoughts. Inspiration says: “By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ . . . the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 312.

During that time I memorized that passage, and began to study my Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy in a different way. I was not studying to be a good preacher. I was studying to fill my soul with the good things that God has in His Word and in the Spirit of Prophecy. I could not leave it alone anymore. I was getting up at 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning to study and my congregation said, “What has happened to the preacher?”

I was changed—not by what I did, but by what God was doing, and I wanted Him to do it. “Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. By prayer, by the study of the word, by faith in His abiding presence, the weakest of human beings may live in contact with the living Christ, and He will hold then by a hand that will never let them go.” Ministry of Healing, 182.

“When with earnestness and intensity we breathe a prayer in the name of Christ, there is in that very intensity a pledge from God that He is about to answer our prayer ‘exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.’” Christ’s Object Lessons, 147.

“Unwearyingly persist in prayer. The persistent asking brings the petitioner into a more earnest attitude, and gives him an increased desire to receive the things for which he asks.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 145.

“Cultivate the habit of talking with the Saviour when you are alone, when you are walking, when you are busy with your daily labor.” Ministry of Healing, 510, 511.

One of my greatest experiences in the morning is to walk in the trees and praise God. Praising God is prayer. I lift my voice in thanksgiving for the health and strength that God has given me. I praise Him with joy in my heart for the opportunity that He has given me to serve Him in this great and awesome time.

Through praising the Lord we receive a rich blessing for ourselves. “If we keep the Lord ever before us, allowing our hearts to go out in thanksgiving and praise to Him, we shall have a continual freshness in our religious life. Our prayers will take the form of a conversation with God as we talk with a friend. He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Often there will come to us a sweet joyful sense of the presence of Jesus. Often our hearts will burn within us as He draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 129.

“Whatever your anxieties and trials, spread out your case before the Lord. Your spirit will be braced for endurance. The way will be opened for you to disentangle yourselves from embarrassments and difficulty. The weaker and the more helpless you know yourself to be, the stronger will you become in His strength.” The Desire of Ages, 329. That is prayer.

 

Prayer—Finding the Experience

 

The only way we can face the tragedies of tomorrow, and the next day, and the months and years ahead of us, is by becoming a people of prayer. I pray that you are willing to be made willing to bring your life into such a prayer experience that you can have the joy of seeing your prayers answered. God does not always answer prayer the way you want it answered, but He answers every prayer.

Sometimes God says, “No,” and that means that you have to have the spiritual maturity to understand when He says “No.” When people tell me, “God does not answer my prayers,” I tell them that maybe God is saying “No” and you do not understand. I have had God say “No” many, many times to me. But I have always accepted the “No” as God’s answer.

If you are willing to be made willing to bring your life into harmony with such a beautiful relationship with Jesus, you will walk with Him day by day. And that is a prayer experience. You know that Jesus is there because your sins are forgiven. You have confessed your sins (Acts 5:31), and God gives repentance. Learn to walk in this joyous living. Otherwise, you are cheating yourself of the greatest experience in the world.

But do not expect that the road will always be easy. Learn to accept every trial as a little stepping stone to a greater relationship to Jesus. Each hardship overcome, each temptation resisted, takes us a step forward in developing a character like Christ’s. It will take effort—prayer, study and a willingness to follow Christ, wherever He leads. Without this, you will not make it.

There is nothing you can do to be saved, but if you do not do something, you are going to be lost. God’s prophet wrote it this way, “It will require the strongest effort, the persevering and unfaltering determination, and the strongest energy to control self.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 92. But we are not left to struggle alone. “Every provision has been made in the word of God whereby all may have divine help.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 574.

We “must cooperate with divine power, and put forth” our “human effort to subdue sin, and stand complete in Christ.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 429, 430.

“Many never attain to the position that they might occupy, because they wait for God to do for them that which He has given them power to do for themselves.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 248.

“If we gain eternal life, we must work, and work earnestly . . . The characters we form here will decide our eternal destiny . . . Our part is to put away sin, to seek with determination for perfection of character.” Review and Herald, June 11,1901.

“This to us is a mournful statement, that there are those who will fail to enter in at the strait gate because they only seek to enter in and do not strive.” Heavenly Places, 263.

We have a part to play, but we have not done a very good job of playing that part. Discipline and human effort must be amalgamated with divine power before we can overcome. Too many of us have been trying to overcome in our own power. We have been trying to be good, thinking we will go to heaven “being good.” But we cannot be saved “being good.” We can only be saved being holy, and holiness can only come from the Holy One.

Let us study the word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy like we have never studied before. Dedicate yourself anew to God every morning by submitting your will to Him. You will be given all the power you need to do everything He has commanded you.

“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God and being clothed with humility, possessing that love that is pure, peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of gentleness and good fruits, is not an easy attainment. And yet it is his privilege and his duty to be a perfect overcomer here.” Testimonies,vol. 3, 106.

May God make us like that, today and every day, until eternity.

Duty of Parents to their Children

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One of the signs of the “last days” is the disobedience of children to their parents. 2 Timothy 3:2. And do parents realize their responsibility? Many seem to lose sight of the watch-care they should ever have over their children, and suffer them to indulge in evil passions, and to disobey them. They take but little notice of them until their own feelings are raised, and then punish them in anger.

Many parents will have to render an awful account at last for their neglect of their children. They have fostered and cherished their evil tempers by bending to their wishes and will, when the wishes and will of the children should bend to them. They have brought God’s frown upon them and their children by these things. Parents, have you forgotten that which is written in the Holy Word: “He that spareth the rod hateth his son.” Children are left to come up instead of being trained up. The poor little children are thought not to know or understand a correction at ten or twelve months old, and they begin to show stubbornness very young. Parents suffer them to indulge in evil tempers and passions without subduing or correcting them, and by so doing they cherish and nourish these evil passions until they grow with their growth and strengthen with their strength.

The house of God is often desecrated, and the Sabbath violated by Sabbath-believers’ children. In some cases they are even allowed to run about the house, play, talk and manifest their evil tempers in the very meetings where the saints should worship God in the beauty of holiness. And the place that should be holy, and where a holy stillness should reign, and where there should be perfect order, neatness and humility, is made to be a perfect Babylon, “confusion.” This is enough to bring God’s displeasure and shut His presence from our assemblies. His wrath is kindled for these things, and He will not while these things exist, go out with Israel to battle against their enemies. The enemies of our faith will be suffered to triumph on account of God’s displeasure.

Parents stand in the place of God to their children and they will have to render an account, whether they have been faithful to the little few committed to their trust. Parents, some of you are rearing children to be cut down by the destroying angel, unless you speedily change your course, and be faithful to them. God cannot cover iniquity, even in children. He cannot love unruly children who manifest passion, and He cannot save them in the time of trouble. Will you suffer your children to be lost through your neglect? Unfaithful parents, their blood will be upon you, and is not your salvation doubtful with the blood of your children upon you? Children that might have been saved had you filled your place, and done your duty as faithful parents should.

God says: “I know Abraham, that he will command his household after him,” and God gave him the honor of being the father of the faithful. Parents, it is your duty to have your children in perfect subjection, having all their passions and evil tempers subdued. And if children are taken to meeting, they should be made to know, and understand where they are. That they are not at home, but where God meets with His people. And they should be kept quiet and free from all play, and God will turn His face toward you, to meet with you and bless you.

If order is observed in the assemblies of the saints, the truth will have better effect upon all that hear it. A solemnity which is so much needed will be encouraged and there will be power in the truth to stir up the depths of the soul and a death-like stupor will not hang upon those who hear. Believers and unbelievers will be affected. It has seemed evident that in some places the Ark of God was removed from the church, for the holy commandments have been violated and the strength of Israel has been weakened. Parents, correct your children. Commence while they are young, when impressions can be more easily made, and their evil tempers subdued before they grow with their growth and strengthen with their strength.

You should correct your children in love. Do not let them have their own way until you get angry, and then punish them. Such correction only helps on the evil, instead of remedying it. After you have done your duty faithfully to your children, then carry them to God and ask Him to help you. Tell Him that you have done your part, and then in faith ask God to do His part, that which you cannot do. Ask Him to temper their dispositions, to make them mild and gentle by His Holy Spirit. He will hear you pray. He will love to answer your prayers. Through His Word He has enjoined it upon you to correct your children, to “spare not for their crying,” and His Word is to be heeded in these things.

It certainly must bring God’s displeasure upon parents when they leave Him to do what He has left, and commanded them to do. God corrects us when we disobey, and go astray from Him; and parents are bound by the word of God to correct their children when they disobey them, and show evil temper. Check the very first manifestation of passion. Break the will, (but do it with feelings of tenderness, and with discretion,) and your children will be far happier for it, and you will be happier. Your effort will be remembered of God, and He that is so particular as to observe the falling of the sparrow, He that noticed and commended Abraham’s faithfulness, will not pass by your efforts. He that never slumbers nor sleeps will be ready to aid you with His Spirit and grace, and will reward your feeble efforts.

Parents, above every thing, take care of your children upon the Sabbath. Do not suffer them to violate God’s holy day by playing in the house or out of doors. You may just as well break the Sabbath yourselves as to let your children do it, and when you suffer your children to wander about, and suffer them to play upon the Sabbath, God looks upon you as Sabbath-breakers. Your children, that are under your control, should be made to mind you. Your word should be their law. Will not parents wake up to their duty before it shall be too late, and take hold of the work in earnest, redeem the time, and make unsparing efforts to save their children?

Children are the lawful prey of the enemy, because they are not subjects of grace, have not experienced the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, and the evil angels have access to these children; and some parents are careless and suffer them to work with but little restraint. Parents have a great work to do in this matter, by correcting and subduing their children, and then by bringing them to God and claiming His blessing upon them. By the faithful and untiring efforts of the parents, and the blessing and grace entreated of God upon the children, the power of the evil angels will be broken, a sanctifying influence is shed upon the children, and the powers of darkness must give back. When the destroying angel was to pass through Egypt, to destroy the first-born of man and beast, Israel was commanded to gather their children and families into their houses with them, and then mark their door-posts with blood, that the destroying angel might pass by their dwellings, and if they failed to go through with this process, there was no difference made between them and the Egyptians.

The destroying angel is soon to go forth again, not to destroy the first-born alone, but “to slay utterly old and young, both men, women and little children” who have not the mark. Parents, if you wish to save your children, separate them from the world, keep them from the company of wicked children; for if you suffer them to go with wicked children, you cannot prevent them from partaking of their wickedness and being corrupted. It is your solemn duty to watch over your children, to choose the society at all times for them. Teach your children to obey you, then can they more easily obey the commandments of God, and yield to His requirements. Do not let us neglect to pray with, and for our children. He that said, “Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not,” will listen to our prayers for them, and the seal, or mark of believing parents will cover their children, if they are trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

  1. G. White

Review and Herald, September 19, 1854.

 

Seventh-day Adventist Camp Meetings

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The season of year when these meetings can be held with comfort is rapidly approaching. As the writer has attended hundreds of these gatherings, and has taken a prominent part in many of them, it may not be deemed improper for him to express some thoughts concerning them.

These meetings have been very important in the progress of this cause in the past, and it is reasonable to expect they will be still more important in the future. In the early growth of this work, a great need was felt for large gatherings of our people for consultation, for instruction, for seeking God, and for promoting unity and oneness of purpose in carrying on the great work that God has committed to His people. The lack of such opportunities was deeply felt. . . .

Our people believed that all gatherings for the worship of God should be orderly, reverential, and solemn, with everything savoring of fanaticism discarded. In short, if we were to have camp meetings, we should have them with as good order as meetings in a church. The question with our leading brethren was whether or not this could be done.

Our first camp meeting was held in Wright, Michigan. It was a matter of great importance, and our people were deeply interested in its success. Of course everything was crude in comparison with our camp meetings at the present time. We had no family tents, so we had to learn how to make them. The campers were made as comfortable as possible. The attendance was quite good. Our leading brethren were present to supervise, and the order was as good as at meetings conducted in a church. Best of all, the Lord was there by His Spirit, and those attending were greatly blessed. The meeting was a great success. . . .

The purpose served by our camp meetings has been similar to that of the great feasts celebrated by ancient Israel. God required Israel of old to attend these gatherings, which were considered very important. The people came hundreds of miles, in many instances on foot, to attend these feasts. In the Saviour’s time, when the Jews were scattered among the nations, many thousands gathered at Jerusalem on these occasions.

The spiritual life of our people is largely influenced by our camp meetings. At these gatherings, all important interests in the cause of God are considered and advanced. Through indifference in attending these meetings, some of our people are suffering great loss spiritually, and are in danger of getting worldly-minded and careless. A large number of souls will be lost because of this great mistake. The camp meetings are a very prominent means of grace, to keep us as a people spiritually alive. They cost considerable money, to be sure, but what is the loss of a little money in comparison with jeopardizing the salvation of our souls?

We are coming rapidly to the time when our people will be terribly tested. The time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation is just upon us. . . . My dear brethren and sisters, we must be spiritually awake or be lost. There is no escaping this conclusion. There will be a terrible shaking before this shaking time ends.

Many among us are liable to be shaken out and lost, lost forever. Shall we not use this blessed means of grace provided at much cost, preparatory to the terrible scenes before us? How can we escape, if we neglect the means of grace designed to warn and arouse us? May the Lord impress this thought on all our hearts.

Reprinted from The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 93, No. 26, Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C., May 25, 1916.

George Ida Butler, twice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (1871–1874 and 1880–1888), was a church administrator for many years.

The Never Ending Future

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Nothing brings more joy to the hearts of the followers of Christ than the thought of spending eternity in the presence of the One who died that we might enjoy a never-ending future. God’s word gives us unbridled hope in that regard.

One example of that hope is given in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power” (1 Corinthians 6:14). This is just one of many texts that states firmly and positively the assurance of a never-ending future for God’s faithful people. However, reading this verse in context makes it clear that this assurance is only for those who glorify God in body and in spirit. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (verse 9)? Only through the righteousness of Christ, inherited by faith, can we hope to glorify God as we must.

There is a surprising number of texts that promise everlasting life to the faithful through the same experience of being raised from the dead just as Christ was.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:4–9).

Resurrection from the grave freed Christ from the dominion of death. That same deathless future awaits those who “walk in newness of life” and are united together “in the likeness of His resurrection,” symbolized through the act of baptism.

Paul gave further assurance to the Corinthians in his second letter to them: “knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you” (2 Corinthians 4:14).

It is clear that Paul understood the never-ending future that awaits those who fulfill the conditions of God’s promises.

As reassuring as Paul’s statements are, even greater assurance is found in the words of Christ Himself.

Following the healing of the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda, when the Jews were seeking to kill Him, Jesus gave a lengthy discourse in which He explained His relationship with the Father in fairly explicit detail, no doubt angering the self-righteous Jews even more. In that discourse, He spoke words that, had the eyes of their understanding not been blinded by the enemy of souls, should have given them either unbridled joy or left them quaking in fear, depending on whether or not they chose to accept Him as the Son of God.

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:26–29).

The day after the feeding of the five thousand, when the multitude were seeking Him for the loaves and the fishes, Christ explained that “the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). In response to their demand to “give us this bread always” (verse 34), Christ asserted that “I am the bread of life” (verse 35). Then He spoke words that further inflamed His opponents but gives us further assurance of a never-ending future:

“This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39, 40).

Christ again gives assurance of a never-ending future to the faithful just prior to the resurrection of Lazarus. After Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died,” Jesus assured her “Your brother will rise again” (John 11:21, 23). Martha, in an expression of her clear understanding of Jesus’ teaching, said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (verse 24).

Jesus then provided yet another promise of everlasting life when He stated, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (See John 11:21–26.)

It is critical to note in this promise the condition necessary for its fulfillment. It is exactly the same as that given to Nicodemus near the beginning of his ministry when Christ told him, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Clearly a never-ending future awaits those who truly believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and who have chosen to manifest that belief in their daily lives by taking up their cross daily and following the Lamb whithersoever He leadeth. That never-ending future can begin today if you choose to commit your life to Him who is “the bread of life.”

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Heavenly Laundry

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And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people’ ”(Leviticus 23:26–30).

“Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.” Early Writings, 55.

What does it mean to “keep” something? Is it possible to keep something if it is not in your possession in the first place? No, in order to keep it, it must be in your possession. So, what does this sentence mean, “keep your garments spotless?” To answer that we need to put the phrase into context. This phrase is taken from a vision Ellen White was given sometime before 1851, when it was first published.

“Then Jesus rose up from the throne, and the most of those who were bowed down arose with Him. I did not see one ray of light pass from Jesus to the careless multitude after He arose, and they were left in perfect darkness. Those who arose when Jesus did, kept their eyes fixed on Him as He left the throne and led them out a little way. Then He raised His right arm, and we heard His lovely voice saying, ‘Wait here; I am going to My Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a little while I will return from the wedding and receive you to Myself.’ Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by angels, came to where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot and was borne to the holiest, where the Father sat. There I beheld Jesus, a great High Priest, standing before the Father. On the hem of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate. Those who rose up with Jesus would send up their faith to Him in the holiest, and pray, ‘My Father, give us Thy Spirit.’ Then Jesus would breathe upon them the Holy Ghost. In that breath was light, power, and much love, joy, and peace.” Early Writings, 55.

This phrase, “keep your garments spotless” was spoken by Jesus to His faithful ones as He moved from the Holy to the Most Holy Place. That took place in 1844. Let’s turn to an historical account of His true people at that time.

“Those who sincerely love Jesus can appreciate the feelings of those who watched with the most intense longing for the coming of their Saviour. The point of expectation was nearing. The time when we hoped to meet Him was close at hand. We approached this hour with a calm solemnity. The true believers rested in a sweet communion with God—an earnest of the peace that was to be theirs in the bright hereafter. None who experienced this hope and trust can ever forget those precious hours of waiting.

“Worldly business was for the most part laid aside for a few weeks. We carefully examined every thought and emotion of our hearts, as if upon our deathbeds, and in a few hours to close our eyes forever upon earthly scenes. There was no making of ‘ascension robes’ for the great event; we felt the need of internal evidence that we were prepared to meet Christ, and our white robes were purity of soul, character cleansed from sin by the atoning blood of our Saviour.” Life Sketches, 56, 57.

Here is the key to that phrase “keep your garments spotless.” That work of purification, of cleansing, had been done prior to when Jesus moved from the Holy to the Most Holy Place! “Through the grace of God and their own diligent efforts” they had become conquerors in the battle with sin. Then Jesus says to them as He moves from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place, “Keep your garments spotless.”

That is still His instruction to us today. This is the unique, compelling, singular message of the Most Holy Place. Is this possible? The answer is a resounding, glad, and triumphant Yes. If it were not, God would never require it of us, and is it required? Again, the answer is a resounding Yes.

Long ago God said, “Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world-loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God—candidates for heaven.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 216.

Also, from Leviticus 23:26–30, in studying the “shadow” that was to teach us of the realities of the “true tabernacle” in heaven we read the following:

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.’ ”

It is so clear here that during the typical Day of Atonement, God required His people to humble themselves, to afflict their souls through deep soul searching. This was so important that those who did not do this were “cut off.” God said “that person I will destroy from among his people.” Here is revealed the destiny of those who do not “keep their garments spotless.” That is serious my friends. This is the true Most Holy Place message. This is present truth.

“Many seem to think that it is impossible not to fall under temptation, that they have no power to overcome, and they sin against God with their lips, talking discouragement and doubt, instead of faith and courage. Christ was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He said, ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me’ (John 14:30). What does this mean? It means that the prince of evil could find no vantage ground in Christ for his temptation; and so it may be with us.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 192.

“If you would be a saint in heaven, you must first be a saint on earth. The traits of character you cherish in life will not be changed by death or by the resurrection. You will come up from the grave with the same disposition you manifested in your home and in society. Jesus does not change the character at His coming. The work of transformation must be done now. Our daily lives are determining our destiny.” The Adventist Home, 16.

Does God ever lie? No, God cannot lie. He has laid out before us His expectation. He has outlined explicitly how this is to be accomplished. The real question is, Is heaven truly where your heart is?

“The true Christian’s joys and consolation must and will be in heaven. The longing souls of those who have tasted of the powers of the world to come and have feasted on heavenly joys, will not be satisfied with things of earth. Such will find enough to do in their leisure moments. Their souls will be drawn out after God. Where the treasure is, there will the heart be, holding sweet communion with the God they love and worship. Their amusement will be in contemplating their treasure—the Holy City, the earth made new, their eternal home. And while they dwell upon those things which are lofty, pure, and holy, heaven will be brought near, and they will feel the power of the Holy Spirit, and this will tend to wean them more and more from the world and cause their consolation and chief joy to be in the things of heaven, their sweet home. The power of attraction to God and heaven will then be so great that nothing can draw their minds from the great object of securing the soul’s salvation and honoring and glorifying God.” Early Writings, 112, 113.

Friends, have you studied, have you infused into your heart, the true Most Holy Place message? Is your character clean? Are your garments spotless? Are you keeping them that way? God is calling us to be a pure and holy people that we may be ready to stand?

Is your laundry done?

Brenda Douay is a staff member at Steps to Life. She may be contacted by email at: brendadouay@stepstolife.org.

God’s Sacred Treasure

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In 1 Kings 17, an enlightening story is recorded from the life of Elijah. The story took place during the time when the land of Israel was under the curse of God and was not receiving any rain or dew because of their rebellion against the God of heaven.

At the beginning of this three- and-a-half-year period, when it did not rain, the Lord sent Elijah to hide by the Brook Cherith to escape the grasp of King Ahab who was seeking for him all over the land. However, eventually, the brook dried up, and God gave Elijah further instructions. Notice: “And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which [belongs] to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.’ ” 1 Kings 17:7–9.

Elijah was sent out of the land of Israel to one of the most wicked areas of the world. There, in Zarephath, Elijah met a widow who was out gathering sticks to make a final meal for herself and her son. Despite her desperate situation, this widow shared what little she had with the prophet, and, as a result, wonderful things happened. The Bible records: “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for [many] days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15, 16.

This was not the only blessing she received from the Lord because she willingly gave her all. The story is later told of the death of her only son. In her great distress, she went to the prophet Elijah, and he cried to the Lord, saying, “ ‘O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?’ . . . Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives!’ Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now by this I know that you [are] a man of God, [and] that the word of the Lord in your mouth [is] the truth.’ ” 1 Kings 17:20, 22–24.

God sent His prophet to a woman who was very poor, so poor that she was at the point of starvation. When she granted Elijah’s request for a meal, she showed confidence in the man of God that had come and asked a favor of her. Before she received a favor from God, she had to demonstrate her faith.

It is interesting that God chose to send His servant to such a poor household to be sustained during this difficult time. I am sure there were plenty of rich people close by who had houses and servants and silver and gold, but God ordained that His servant should be sustained by a poor widow woman. It is an amazing thing, but over and over again I have seen the Lord’s work sustained by the widows and the orphans. Why is this? Is it because God needs the resources of the widows and orphans? No. The money is not important to the Lord. It is the motive of the giver that is important in His eyes.

Ellen White wrote about this in Testimonies, vol. 3, 382: “God could have reached His object in saving sinners without the aid of man; but He knew that man could not be happy without acting a part in the great work in which he would be cultivating self-denial and benevolence. That man might not lose the blessed results of benevolence, our Redeemer formed the plan of enlisting him as His co-worker.” God could finish His work without any of our help, but it is His desire that we learn the lesson of benevolence and self-denial, so He gives us the blessing of assisting with His work.

“Every good thing of earth was placed here by the bountiful hand of God as an expression of His love to man. The poor are His, and the cause of religion is His. He has placed means in the hands of men, that His divine gifts may flow through human channels in doing the work appointed us in saving our fellow men. Everyone has his appointed work in the great field; and yet none should receive the idea that God is dependent upon man. He could speak the word, and every son of poverty would be made rich. In a moment of time He could heal the human race of all their diseases. He might dispense with ministers altogether and make angels the ambassadors of His truth. He might have written the truth upon the firmament, or imprinted it upon the leaves of the trees and upon the flowers of the field; or He might with an audible voice have proclaimed it from heaven. But the all-wise God did not choose any of these ways. He knew that man must have something to do in order that life might be a blessing to him. The gold and silver are the Lord’s, and He could rain them from heaven if He chose; but instead of this He has made man His steward, entrusting him with means, not to be hoarded, but to be used in benefiting others. He thus makes man the medium through which to distribute His blessings on earth. God planned the system of beneficence in order that man might become, like his Creator, benevolent and unselfish in character, and finally be a partaker with Him of the eternal, glorious reward.” Ibid., 472, 473.

In all of God’s dealings with His creatures, His purpose is our sanctification, the development of our characters that we might become like Him in character—unselfish and benevolent. It is His desire that our constant impulse will be to do something to bless someone else. And if we follow His instructions, with humble faith and obedience, the result will be the perfection of our characters. The problem is that so often we are haphazard or lackadaisical and do not follow God’s instructions exactly. Then we do not reap the benefits that He desires to bestow upon us.

The Tithing Plan

God has given implicit instructions throughout the Old and New Testaments in regard to our stewardship of both time and money. The fourth commandment deals with time. The tithing plan gives us instruction about our money.

Tithe is first mentioned in regard to Abraham in Genesis 14. Here the Bible records that Abraham “gave him [Melchizedek] a tithe of all.” Verse 20. So it is clear that Abraham understood the tithing plan.

In Genesis 28, we read, concerning the experience of Jacob: “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.’ ” Verses 20–22. Jacob also understood the tithing plan.

The Lord gave Moses very explicit instructions about the use of the tithe. He said, “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.” Numbers 18:21.

Because the Levites were faithful to God during the golden-calf apostasy, the Lord gave them a special blessing—the responsibility of the care of the sanctuary. Instead of giving them an inheritance of property in the Promised Land, the Lord instructed that they should be sustained by the tithe.

Paul wrote about this in 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14: “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat [of the things] of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of [the offerings of] the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

The apostle taught that just as the Levites, in the Old Covenant, received the tithes for the work that they did in the sanctuary, those who preach the gospel, in the New Covenant, are to live of the gospel (from the tithe). The Bible clearly tells us how and for what purposes the tithe is to be spent. Through God’s special messenger for the last days, the Lord sent even more explicit instructions about where the tithe is and is not to be used. We will look at several important passages.

“The Lord has specified: the tenth of all your possessions is mine; your gifts and offerings are to be brought into the treasury, to be used to advance my cause, to send the living preacher to open the Scriptures to those who sit in darkness.” The Youth’s Instructor, August 26, 1897.

“And He says to us, ‘A portion of the money I have enabled you to gain is mine. Put it into the treasury in tithes, in gifts and offerings, that there may be meat in mine house,—that there may be something to sustain those who carry the gospel of my grace to the world.’ ” Review and Herald, May 9, 1893.

“Instruction has been given me that there is a withholding of the tithe that should be faithfully brought into the Lord’s Treasury, for the support of the ministers and missionaries who are opening the Scriptures to the people, and working from house to house.” Ibid., April 20, 1905.

“The people today are to remember that the house of worship is God’s property and that it is to be scrupulously cared for. But the funds for this work are not to come from the tithe. The tithe is to be used for one purpose—to sustain the ministers whom the Lord has appointed to do His work.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

Ellen White made it clear that these ministers, or workers, could be men or women. When there were some who insisted that ministers’ wives should not be paid, even though they were working just as effectively as their husbands, she gave this strong rebuke: “There are ministers’ wives . . . who have been devoted, earnest, whole soul workers, giving Bible readings and praying with families, helping along by personal efforts just as successfully as their husbands. These women give their whole time, and are told that they receive nothing for their labors because their husbands receive their wages. I tell them to go forward and all such decisions shall be reversed.

“The Word says, ‘The laborer is worthy of his hire.’ When any such decision as this is made, I will, in the name of the Lord, protest. I will feel it my duty to create a fund from my tithe money to pay these women who are accomplishing just as essential work as the ministers are doing, and this tithe I will reserve for work in the same line as that of the ministers, hunting for souls, fishing for souls. I know that the faithful women should be paid wages as is considered proportionate to the pay received by ministers. They carry the burden of souls and should not be treated unjustly. These sisters are giving their time to educating those newly come to the faith, and hire their own work done and pay those who work for them. All these things must be adjusted and set in order and justice be done to all.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 360.

Why We Lack Ministers

Ellen White warned that a great mistake is made when the tithe is withdrawn from the object for which it is to be used, and she described the results that have followed. “There is a lack of ministers because ministers have not been encouraged. Some ministers who have been sent to foreign lands, to enter fields never before worked, have been given the instruction, ‘You must sustain yourselves. We have not the means with which to support you.’ This ought not to be if the tithe, with gifts and offerings, was brought into the treasury. When a man enters the ministry, he is to be paid from the tithe enough to sustain his family. He is not to feel that he is a beggar. . . . The tithe is sacred, reserved by God for Himself. It is to be brought into His treasury to be used to sustain the gospel laborers in their work.

“The tithe is to be used for the support of the ministry. The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have and there must be means in the treasury.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

We are living in strange times. Now, probably more than in any previous time in Adventism, this plain instruction is being overlooked, and people are spending their tithe for all sorts of projects. The result is that people who are trained to do Bible work cannot engage in the work full time, because they do not receive enough to support their families. Many times I have seen qualified gospel workers spending their days working as computer technicians, nurses, or carpenters, in order to feed and clothe their families, and then trying to work for the Lord in the time that remains. At the same time, we receive calls from people all over the country who are seeking for historic Seventh-day Adventist ministers and Bible workers to serve in their churches. The truth is that there are almost no historic Seventh-day Adventist ministers, and the reason can be summarized as follows:

The leaders in the revival and reformation movement in Adventism have often refused to organize home churches. And when home churches were organized, they were not organized into sisterhoods of churches that could help each other. As a result, only those churches large enough to support a pastor of their own could have pastors at all.

Now, if congregational church government is all you have—and that is all that Seventh-day Advent-ists had at one time—that, of course, is better than total disorganization, but we have never taught congregational church government. We have always believed in full New Testament church organization where the local churches work together for the common good of the cause of God. We must face the facts squarely. The work of revival and reformation in Adventism is years behind of where it could be if all historic Seventh-day Adventist believers would cease the rebellion against New Testament church organization and learn how to work together to plan more organized outreach and distribution of tithe in harmony with inspired counsel. We have to recognize the sad fact that God’s work is lame because of a lack of New Testament church organization.

Of course, the Lord is able to finish His work whether the work is lame or not. We read, in Micah 4:6, 7, “ ‘In that day,’ says the Lord, ‘I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; so the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.’ ”

The Lord is able to gather those that are lame, those that are outcasts and have been disfellowshiped from their local churches, into a mighty army to finish His work. The Lord is not dependent on you or me to finish His work. His work will go forward. But the problem is, if we do not follow divine instruction, we will not reap the blessings that God wants us to have. The Lord does not want us to work in a haphazard way. The Lord wants us to come into working order.

The Need for Human Workers

We can spend millions of dollars for all kinds of good projects—radio, television, literature—and I believe in all of these projects, but we will never finish the work with those means alone. The work can only be finished by human workers. That is the way God has ordained it. All of these other methods only plant the seeds, and then human reapers are necessary to gather in the harvest.

A farmer would never spend thousands of dollars to plant a crop, which he had no way to harvest. Yet that is what is done in God’s work all the time. People spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to plant seeds when there is no provision to send workers to reap the harvest, and then people wonder why there is so little harvest. One of the reasons is because the tithe is not being used to train and hire reapers to go out and reap the harvest.

Ellen White wrote, “The tithe is the Lord’s and those who meddle with it will be punished with the loss of their heavenly treasure unless they repent. Let the work no longer be hedged up because the tithe has been diverted into various channels other than the one to which the Lord said it should go. . . . The opening of new fields requires more ministerial efficiency than we now have and there must be means in the treasury.” Echoes from the Field, June 21, 1905.

“The light which the Lord has given me on this subject, is that the means in the treasury for the support of the ministers in the different fields is not to be used for any other purpose.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, No. 10, 18. (See also Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 193.)

A Blessing or a Curse

God is able to bless His people when they obey Him, but when they disobey, they are under His curse. In the Old Testament, the Lord told His people that they were under a curse because they were not returning the tithe. Notice what it says in the third chapter of Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.” Verses 8–10.

God has a specific purpose for the tithe. Hundreds and thousands of laborers are needed, and God has provided for their support, if men will simply listen to the divine instructions. “The Lord regards the tithe as His own, to be used for a certain purpose. . . . [It] should be used only to sustain the ministers in new fields as well as in other places.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 193.

“Let none feel at liberty to retain their tithe, to use according to their own judgment. They are not to use it for themselves in any emergency, nor to apply it as they see fit, even in what they may regard as the Lord’s work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 247.

We are not to use the tithe haphazardly or just decide we are going to use it on some missionary project that we see fit. We are to look and see what the divine instruction is, and follow it.

We must be careful that we do not use the tithe simply for things such as the church expense. Ellen White gave much counsel regarding this. She wrote, “The writers supposed that they were authorized to use the tithe-money in meeting the expenses of the church, as these expenses were quite heavy. From that which has been shown me, the tithe is not to be withdrawn from the treasury. Every penny of this money is the Lord’s own sacred treasure to be appropriated for a special use.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, No. 10, 16.

“I have been shown case after case where men are working in the ministry, who are just as deserving of their wages as those who are employed in the publishing houses, are left without sufficient means to support their families. . . . Let not those to whom are entrusted responsibilities, allow the treasury that God has appointed to sustain the ministers in the field, to be robbed to supply the expenses incurred in keeping in order and making comfortable the house of God.” Special Testimony to the Oakland and Battle Creek Churches, 11.

A Solemn Warning

In another place, this startling warning is given: “When the Lord’s portion, which He has reserved as His own in tithes and offerings, is used for common purposes while the church is displaying a love of self-indulgence and selfish gratification, the Lord will not, cannot bless churches and will withdraw His spirit from all who serve themselves and dishonor God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, 185.

This is one of the most frightful statements in the Spirit of Prophecy concerning the tithe question. If we take the tithe and we misappropriate it, God will not and cannot bless our churches, and He will withdraw His spirit from them.

Is there any use in even having a church if you do not have God’s spirit there? Of course not, “for the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” The Upward Look, 315. Do you realize, then, just how important it is that tithe be used for its divinely intended purpose?

“Those who have used the tithe money to supply the common necessities of the house of God, have taken the money that should go to sustain ministers in doing His work, in preparing the way for Christ’s second appearing. Just as surely as you do this work, you misapply the resources which God has told you to retain in His treasure house, that it may be full, to be used in His service. This work is something of which all who have taken a part in should be ashamed. They have used their influence to withdraw from God’s treasury a fund that is consecrated to a sacred purpose. From those who do this, the blessing of the Lord will be removed.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 183. This is a serious matter. Tithe is sacred, and we are not to take it and appropriate it to whatever project we deem best. Tithe is to be used to support the gospel ministry.

There is a desperate need among historic Seventh-day Adventists today for the churches to work together so that the tithe is used to enable gospel laborers to go forward in God’s work. Because of a lack of New Testament organization, people do not know where to send their tithes, so they send it to this ministry or that ministry, or it goes to this or that good project, but it is not distributed to the gospel workers in the field, as we are told, in the Spirit of Prophecy, that it should be. A reform must be made before the end of time. We cannot go into the kingdom the way we are right now, because we are not in harmony with divine counsel in regard to tithes and offerings.

There is going to be a people who will follow God’s instruction. Maybe they will be just the poor people, such as the widow of Zarephath. But there is going to be a people who will listen to what God says and determine to follow it exactly, and they will receive a priceless blessing from the Lord. God is not going to use people to finish His work who are taking His tithe and using it to sue the brethren or for all kinds of projects that He has not ordained. It is time for a reform. The question is, How is it going to be with you when the world closes up? Will you be under God’s blessing or under His curse? Part of that depends on how you spend your money and what you do with God’s tithe.

Reprinted from LandMarks, July 1999.

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

How Readest Thou? Part II

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The title of this article comes from the reply Jesus gave to a certain lawyer when he queried: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25. Jesus responded: “How readest thou?” Verse 26. The same can be asked of each of us. Do we study just to gain knowledge to settle theological questions or win arguments? Or do we study to be truly converted, having our eyes on Jesus? We must focus on specific things that are necessary to be converted and saved as individuals and as a people. We need to be focused on Jesus and learn of Him.

Our Greatest Need

Our greatest need is to get en-rolled in the school of Christ, to study His life as we have never before studied it.

“Heaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the Infinite One. A branch of this school was established in Eden; and, the plan of redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the Eden school.

“ ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’ 1 Corinthians 2:9. Only through His word can a knowledge of these things be gained; and even this affords but a partial revelation.” Education, 301.

“The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.

“But such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the subjection of the lower to the higher nature—the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man.” Ibid., 57.

Brothers and sisters, the highest and greatest education that man can obtain will be found in the Bible—Genesis to Revelation—and in the little books written by Ellen White. These are the greatest textbooks that have ever been written, yet they are the books that are collecting the most dust. They contain information for eternal life.

Steps of Repentance

“Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and inspires contrition in the soul.” Steps to Christ, 26, 27.

“Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.” Ibid., 23.

We Own Not Ourselves

Somehow Satan has given us the idea that we are complete owners of ourselves, that we can think, do, act, and worship the way we want. But consider this food for thought: “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” 1 Corinthians 7:23.

“How natural it is to regard ourselves as complete owners of ourselves! But the Inspired Word declares, ‘Ye are not your own.’ ‘Ye are bought with a price.’ 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. . . . In our relation to our fellow men we are owners of our entrusted mental and physical capabilities. In our relation to God, we are borrowers, stewards of His grace. . . .

“It is your privilege to obey the living Word of God as a truly converted and transformed soul, to perform the highest service as a free, heaven-born spirit, to give evidence that you are worthy of the sacred trust that God has given you by sending His only begotten Son to die for you. If you believe in Christ as your personal Saviour, you receive every grace, every spiritual endowment, necessary for the perfecting of the Christian character.” Our High Calling, 40.

Hunger and Thirst

Have you and I come to that real hunger and thirst for righteousness?

“[God] has promised, ‘I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.’ Isaiah 44:3. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit’s influence, or God’s blessing cannot be received.” Steps to Christ, 95. That quote should not be too difficult to understand, should it?

Let me ask you a question, Which has more faith, birds or man? Mrs. White explains this: “The swallow and the crane observe the changes of the seasons. They migrate from one country to another to find a climate suitable to their convenience and happiness, as the Lord designed they should. But God’s people sacrifice life and health by seeking to gratify appetite. In their desire to accumulate treasure, they forget the Giver of all their blessings. Their health is abused, and their God-given powers are used to carry out their unsanctified, ambitious projects. Their days are filled with pain of body and disquietude of mind because they are determined to follow wrong habits and practices. They will not reason from cause to effect, and they sacrifice health, peace, and happiness to their ignorance.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 335, 336.

Rejection of Truth

“Rejection of truth has produced [the] present condition. ‘The prevalence of sin is alarming; the world is being filled with violence as in the days of Noah. Would the world be in its present condition if those who claim to be the people of God had reverenced and obeyed the law of the Lord? It is the rejection of the truth, man’s dispensing with the commandments of God, that has produced the condition of things which now exists. God’s Word is made of none effect by false shepherds. The decided opposition of the shepherds of the flock to the law of the Lord reveals that they have rejected the Word of the Lord, and have put their own words in its place. In their interpretation of the Scriptures they teach for doctrines the commandments of men. In their apostasy from the truth they have encouraged wickedness, saying, “We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us.” [Jeremiah 8:8.] The words of Christ to the Pharisees are applicable to them. Christ said to these teachers, Ye are both ignorant of the Scriptures and of the power of God. [See Matthew 22:29.] . . .

“ ‘The condition of our world today is just as the prophet has represented that it would be near the close of this earth’s history.’ ” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1155.

A Skeptic’s Understanding

“How readest thou?” A choice example of the knowledge of the Bible possessed by skeptics is here related: Once a skeptic was at a dinner and sat next to a Bible teacher who engaged him in conversation and opened to him the subject of faith in Christ. The skeptic said that he had once been a reader of the Bible. He related, “I came across the story of Noah and the ark. I am a lumberman, and it interested me. I began to figure out its dimensions and how many feet of lumber went into it. I was astonished and impressed at its size. A few days later, I opened the Bible again and saw that the Levites took the ark on their shoulders and carried it around the wilderness. Such foolishness made me angry. I have never looked inside the Bible again.”

This is a sample of some people’s understanding of the Bible and the arguments used against authenticity of the Bible! The Bible needs to be studied prayerfully and earnestly to find the gospel plan of salvation. Oh, friend, how do you study the Bible?

“It is not by looking away from Him that we imitate the life of Jesus, but by talking of Him, by dwelling upon His perfections, by seeking to refine the taste and elevate the character, by trying, through faith and love, and by earnest, persevering effort, to approach the perfect Pattern. By having a knowledge of Christ—His words, His habits and His lessons of instruction—we borrow the virtues of the character we have so closely studied, and become imbued with the spirit we have so much admired. Jesus becomes to us ‘the chiefest among ten thousand,’ the One ‘altogether lovely.’ [The Song of Solomon 5:1, 16.]” Our High Calling, 58.

“The character of Christ was one of unexampled excellence, embracing everything pure, true, lovely, and of good report. . . . Not one of His hours from childhood to manhood was misspent, none were misappropriated. . . .

“Jesus was sinless and had no dread of the consequences of sin. With this exception His condition was as yours. You have not a difficulty that did not press with equal weight upon Him, not a sorrow that His heart has not experienced. His feelings could be hurt with neglect, with indifference of professed friends, as easily as yours. Is your path thorny? Christ’s was so in a tenfold sense. . . .

“Take Jesus as your standard. Imitate His life. Fall in love with His character. Walk as Christ walked.” Ibid., 59.

“For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26.

“How readest thou?”

Would You Deny Christ?

Would we even think of denying (crucifying) Christ today? Hastily we might respond with a definite “No way!” But let us take a serious look at this question.

“He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him. A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession. Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking, by foolish talking, by words that are untruthful or unkind. They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleasure. They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness. In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And ‘whosoever shall deny Me before men,’ He says, ‘him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.’ [Matthew 10:33.]” The Desire of Ages, 357.

“True, saving faith is a precious treasure of inestimable value. It is not superficial. The just lives by faith a truly spiritual, Christlike life. It is through faith that the steps are taken one at a time up the ladder of progress. Faith must be cultivated. . . .

“The life of obedience to all of God’s commandments is a life of progression, a life of constant advancement. . . .

“ ‘Grace and peace’ will be multiplied ‘through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.’ [11 Peter 1:2.] Here is the Source of all spiritual power, and faith must be in constant exercise, for all spiritual life is from Christ.” Our High Calling, 67.

Ladder to Heaven

How are you and I going to get to heaven? The only way is by the ladder that we must climb. You may ask what ladder that may be. Genesis 28:12 says, “And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”

“Let us consider this ladder which was presented to Jacob. . . . The sin of Adam cut off all intercourse between heaven and earth. Up to the moment of man’s transgression of God’s law there had been free communion between earth and heaven. They were connected by a path which Deity could traverse. But the transgression of God’s law broke up this path and man was separated from God. . . .

“Every link which bound earth to heaven and man to the infinite God seemed broken. Man might look to heaven, but how could he attain it? But joy to the world! The Son of God, the Sinless One, the One perfect in obedience, becomes the channel through which the lost communion may be renewed, the way through which the lost paradise may be regained. Through Christ, man’s substitute and surety, man may keep the commandments of God. He may return to his allegiance and God will accept him. Christ is the ladder. ‘By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.’ John 10:9. . . .

“The ladder is the medium of communication between God and man. Through the mystic ladder the gospel was preached to Jacob. As the ladder stretched from earth, reaching to the highest heavens, and the glory of God was seen above the ladder, so Christ in His divine nature reached immensity and was one with the Father. As the ladder, though its top penetrated into heaven, had its base upon the earth, so Christ, though God, clothed His divinity with humanity and was in the world ‘found in fashion as a man’ (Philippians 2:8). The ladder would be useless if it rested not on the earth or if it reached not to the heavens.

“God appeared in glory above the ladder, looking down with compassion on erring, sinful Jacob. . . . It is through Christ that the Father beholds sinful man. . . . The broken links have been repaired. A highway has been thrown up along which the weary and heavy laden may pass. They may enter heaven and find rest.” Our High Calling, 66.

Thank God that ladder, Jesus Christ, has been provided for mankind to have an escape to a better land through obedience to His Word.

“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:5.

Are You Enrolled?

Are you getting your education? Are you getting the right education? Are you enrolled in the preparatory school?

“Those who in this earth become sons of God sit together with Christ in the preparatory school, getting ready to be received into the higher school. Day by day we are to make an individual preparation; for in the courts above no one will be represented by proxy. Each one must heed for himself the call, ‘Come unto me, . . . and I will give you rest. . . .’ [Matthew 11:28.]

“The Lord Jesus has paid your tuition fees. All that you have to do is to learn of Him. The Christlike politeness practiced in the higher school is to be practiced in this lower school, by both old and young believers. All who learn in Christ’s school are under the training of heavenly agencies; and they are never to forget that they are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.

“They are to represent Christ. They are to help one another to become worthy of admission into the higher school. They are to help one another to be pure and noble, and to cherish a true idea of what it means to be a child of God. They are to speak encouraging words. They are to lift up the feeble hands and strengthen the feeble knees. Upon every heart there is to be inscribed the words, as with the point of a diamond, ‘There is nothing that I fear, save that I shall not know my duty, or shall fail to do it.’ . . .

“A self-controlled spirit, words of love and tenderness, honor the Saviour. Those who speak kind, loving words, words that make for peace, will be richly rewarded. . . . We are to let His spirit shine forth in the meekness and lowliness learned of Him.

“Jesus is the great Teacher. . . . He is so willing, so ready to take you into a closer fellowship with Himself. He is willing to teach you how to pray with the believing confidence and assurance of a little child. . . . Enroll your name anew as a student in His school. Learn to pray in faith. Receive the knowledge of Jesus. . . .

“Will you not sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of Him?” Our High Calling, 102.

“How readest thou?” Are you learning of Christ? Are you making sure you are not denying or crucifying Christ afresh? What is your answer today?

[All emphasis supplied.]

An ordained minister of the gospel, Howard Anderson, now retired, lives in Zellwood Station, Florida. He may be contacted by telephone at: 407-886-1951.

“How Readest Thou?” Part I

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As you read and study this article, I encourage you to ask yourself the question, How do I read God’s Word? Do you read to be able to win a biblical argument or to really know and understand what truth is? Do you let the Word of God speak for itself that you may be saved when Jesus comes?

We are saved individually, not in groups. Not understanding real truth can cost us eternal life.

The Question

The question was asked by a certain lawyer years ago, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The answer came by way of a question, “How readest thou?”

“And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him [Jesus], saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:25–27.

We need to ask the question again: “What must I do to have eternal life?” The answer to the question is the same: “How readest thou?”

Do we just study the Word of God to gain knowledge of the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy until we develop an “Excedrin headache”? Do we study to settle a theological question or to win an argument? On the other hand, do we study to have a converted knowledge of the saving power of God and Jesus Christ? Have we come to the point that we know Jesus personally? Have we come to know that, as The Song of Solomon 2:1 states, Jesus is “the rose of Sharon, [and] the lily of the valleys”?

In Revelation 22:16, Jesus states that He is “the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.” Jesus is King of kings, Lord of lords, Creator, Redeemer, Saviour, Intercessor, and Friend—our only Hope. Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6. This same Saviour who ascended to heaven and is now sitting on the right hand of God, making intercession for us and preparing a place for you and me, is coming back soon! (Mark 16:19; Romans 8:34; John 14:1–3.) Oh! how we need to take a new look at the cross and fall in love with the wonderful Saviour.

Stop Playing Religion

We need to have a Damascus road experience, as did Saul, who had an experience with Jesus and became a true, converted worker for God. Saul became totally God’s man. We, as individuals, need the scales lifted from our eyes, so we can really see the lovely Jesus, our precious Redeemer.

“The Lord requires of all who profess to be his people, far more than they give him. He expects believers in Christ Jesus to reveal to the world, in word and deed, the Christianity that was exemplified in the life and character of the Redeemer. If the word of God is enshrined in their hearts, they will give a practical demonstration of the power and purity of the gospel. The testimony thus borne to the world is of much more value than sermons, or professions of godliness that do not reveal good works. Let those who name the name of Christ remember that individually they are making an impression favorable or unfavorable to Bible religion, on the minds of all with whom they come in contact.” The Southern Watchman, January 17, 1905.

“In this age, just prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, God calls for men who will prepare a people to stand in the great day of the Lord. Just such a work as that which John did, is to be carried on in these last days. The Lord is giving messages to his people, through the instruments he has chosen, and he would have all heed the admonitions and warnings he sends. The message preceding the public ministry of Christ was, Repent, publicans and sinners; repent, Pharisees and Sadducees; ‘for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Our message is not to be one of peace and safety. As a people who believe in Christ’s soon appearing, we have a definite message to bear,—‘Prepare to meet thy God.’ ” Ibid., March 21, 1905.

Our message must be as direct as was that of John. He rebuked kings for their iniquity. Notwithstanding the peril his life was in, he never allowed truth to languish on his lips. Our work in this age must be as faithfully done.

It is time to stop playing religion, time to stop having merely a form or profession. Rather, we need to have a genuine, Damascus road, converted experience. It is time to get rid of pride, selfishness, and every other sin.

Our Need

“It is written, Man”—each person individually—“shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4.

What the world needs is Jesus; and we, as Seventh-day Adventists, need Him more than ever. Satan is, and will be, attacking you and me—the church—more than ever to get us to join his camp. We need to look at and study the cross. Jesus loved you and me so much He died for us. If we would just take time to capture the scene of the cross and understand the suffering He went through for each of us, we would see a revival and reformation, and our characters would be developed into the image of Christ. Oh, friend, let us become children of God.

A New Creature

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we [him] no more. Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 11 Corinthians 5:14– 17.

Now, what does that mean?

“The love of Christ in the heart is what is needed. Self is in need of being crucified. When self is submerged in Christ, true love springs forth spontaneously. It is not an emotion or an impulse, but a decision of a sanctified will. It consists not in feeling, but in the transformation of the whole heart, soul, and character, which is dead to self and alive unto God. Our Lord and Saviour asks us to give ourselves to Him. Surrendering self to God is all He requires, giving ourselves to Him to be employed as He sees fit. Until we come to this point of surrender, we shall not work happily, usefully, or successfully anywhere (Letter 97, 1898).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1100, 1101.

“When the soul is brought into close relationship with the great Author of light and truth, impressions are made upon it revealing its true position before God. Then self will die, pride will be laid low, and Christ will draw His own image in deeper lines upon the soul (MS 1a, 1890).” Ibid., 1099.

What Should We Do?

“How readest thou?” Do you read and study to be obedient overcomers, grateful for what Christ has done, so you can inherit a place in heaven? Or do you read to gain knowledge to establish opinionated, religious theologies or to win an argument?

Oh, how we need to look to the cross of Calvary and listen for the echoes of those who hated him and cried out, “Crucify Him; Crucify Him!”

In Matthew 22:29, we read, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.” And Colossians 2:6–10 tells us, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

We need to note the meaning of verse 9 as explained by Ellen White: “ ‘In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.’ Men need to understand that Deity suffered and sank under the agonies of Calvary. Yet Jesus Christ whom God gave for the ransom of the world purchased the church with His own blood. The Majesty of heaven was made to suffer at the hands of religious zealots, who claimed to be the most enlightened people upon the face of the earth (MS 153, 1898).” Ibid., vol. 7, 907.

“Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6. Mrs. White gives a very good explanation of this verse: “As you arose from the watery grave at the time of your baptism, you professed to be dead, and declared that your life was changed—hid with Christ in God. You claimed to be dead to sin, and cleansed from your hereditary and cultivated traits of evil. In going forward in the rite of baptism, you pledged yourselves before God to remain dead to sin. Your mouth was to remain a sanctified mouth, your tongue a converted tongue. You were to speak of God’s goodness, and to praise His holy name. Thus you were to be a great help and blessing to the church (MS 95, 1906).” Ibid., 908.

“We are to lift the cross, and follow the steps of Christ. Those who lift the cross will find that as they do this, the cross lifts them, giving them fortitude and courage, and pointing them to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.” Review and Herald, July 13, 1905.

Jesus “said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23. “These words are spoken to every one who desires to be a Christian. He who shuns the cross shuns the reward promised to the faithful (Letter 144, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1120.

Beware of False Doctrine

The following quote from Mrs. White is especially powerful: “Satan has wrought with deceiving power, bringing in a multiplicity of errors that obscure truth. Error could not stand alone, and would soon become extinct, if it did not fasten itself like a parasite upon the tree of truth. Error draws its life from the truth of God. The traditions of men, like floating germs, attach themselves to the truth of God, and men regard them as a part of the truth. Through false doctrines Satan gains a foothold, and captivates the minds of men, causing them to hold theories that have no foundation in truth. Men boldly teach for doctrines the commandments of men, and as traditions pass on from age to age, they acquire a power over the human mind. But age does not make error truth, neither does its burdensome weight cause the plant of truth to become a parasite. The tree of truth bears its own genuine fruit, showing its true origin and nature. The parasite of error also bears its own fruit, and makes manifest that its character is diverse from the plant of heavenly origin (Letter 43, 1895).” Ibid., 1094, 1095.

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26.

Converted, Christ-based Religion

To only develop a form of religion is very dangerous, when we need a converted, Christ-based religion. Consider the following statements penned by Ellen White:

“The young man [the rich young ruler; see Matthew 19:16–22] . . . had cherished an idol in the soul; the world was his god. He professed to have kept the commandments, but he was destitute of the principle which is the very spirit and life of them all. He did not possess true love for God or man.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 392.

“He chose his riches before Jesus. He wanted eternal life, but would not receive into the soul that unselfish love which alone is life, and with sorrowful heart he turned away from Christ.” Ibid., 393.

“In the parable [Matthew 25:1–13], all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that lives just before Christ’s second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ’s near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him,’ [verse 6] many are unready. They have no oil in their vessels with their lamps. They are destitute of the Holy Spirit.” Ibid., 408.

“The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a regard for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who believe the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit’s working. They . . . have been content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore they do not know how to trust, how to look and live. Their service to God degenerates into a form. . . . The apostle Paul points out that this will be the special characteristic of those who live just before Christ’s second coming.” Ibid., 411.

“Saddest of all words that ever fell on mortal ear are those words of doom, ‘I know you not.’ [Matthew 25:12.]” Ibid., 413.

The Bottom Line

“Why cannot those who claim to understand the Scriptures, see that God’s requirement under grace is just the same he made in Eden,—perfect obedience to his law. In the Judgment, God will ask those who profess to be Christians, Why did you claim to believe in my Son, and continue to transgress my law? Who required this at your hands—to trample upon my rules of righteousness?” Review and Herald, September 21, 1886.

“How readest thou?” Are you sure where you will spend eternity? Have you made your election sure? What is the bottom line to be ready for Jesus’ soon return? We need a new spiritual vision. We need a new converted goal. We need a new conviction. We need a full conversion. We need a true, personal relationship with Jesus. We need to get ready for His soon coming.

I do not know of a better quote with which to close this study than the following:

“Many who profess sanctification are entirely ignorant of the work of grace upon the heart. When proved and tested, they are found to be like the self-righteous Pharisee. They will bear no contradiction. They lay aside reason and judgment, and depend wholly upon their feelings, basing their claims to sanctification upon emotions which they have at some time experienced. They are stubborn and perverse in urging their tenacious claims of holiness, giving many words, but bearing no precious fruit as proof. These professedly sanctified persons are not only deluding their own souls by their pretensions, but are exerting an influence to lead astray many who earnestly desire to conform to the will of God. They may be heard to reiterate again and again, ‘God leads me! God teaches me! I am living without sin!’ Many who come in contact with this spirit encounter a dark, mysterious something which they cannot comprehend. But it is that which is altogether unlike Christ, the only true pattern.

“Bible sanctification does not consist in strong emotion. Here is where many are led into error. They make feelings their criterion.” The Sanctified Life, 9, 10.

The Center of My Hope

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14.

“Remove the cross from the Christian and it is like blotting out the sun which illumines the day, and dropping the moon and the stars out of the firmament of the heavens at night. The cross of Christ brings us nigh to God, reconciling man to God, and God to man. The Father looks upon the cross, upon the suffering He has given His Son to endure in order to save the race from hopeless misery and to draw man to Himself. He looks upon it with the relenting compassion of a Father’s love. The cross has been almost lost sight of, but without the cross there is no connection with the Father, no unity with the Lamb in the midst of the throne in heaven, no welcome reception of the wandering who would return to the forsaken path of righteousness and truth, no hope for the transgressor in the day of judgment. Without the cross there is no means provided for overcoming the power of our strong foe. Every hope of the race hangs upon the cross. . . .

“Through the cross we learn that our heavenly Father loves us with an infinite and everlasting love, and draws us to Him with more than a mother’s yearning sympathy for a wayward child. Can we wonder that Paul exclaimed, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’? It is our privilege also to glory in the cross of Calvary, our privilege to give ourselves wholly to Him who gave Himself for us. Then with the light of love that shines from His face on ours, we shall go forth to reflect it to those in darkness.” Our High Calling, 46.

To be continued . . .

[All emphasis supplied.]

An ordained minister of the gospel, Howard Anderson, now retired, lives in Zellwood Station, Florida. He may be contacted by telephone at: 407-886-1951.