Church

Organizational Unity

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It is the work of the Christian to mend, to restore, to heal. This healing process saves many a soul and hides a multitude of sins. God is love; God is, in Himself, in His essence, love. He makes the very best of what appears an injury, and gives Satan no occasion for triumph by making the worst appear and exposing our weakness to our enemies. The world must not be introduced into the church, and married to the church, forming a bond of unity. Through this means the church will become indeed corrupt, and as stated in Revelation, ‘a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ ” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 265.

Who is Babylon?

Do you understand the significance of this statement? If the world is introduced into and married to the church, it will become Babylon. She does not place it in a time frame, but she says it will happen. Our danger, as Seventh-day Adventists, is that we will be reading the statements Ellen White wrote in the 1893 Review and Herald (August 22, 29; September 5, 12), which say that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is not Babylon, and saying, “See, this proves everything.” It does not prove everything at all, friends. You have to look at all of the inspired statements before you draw your conclusions. Do not take one group of statements that were addressed to a specific situation in 1893 and then forget everything else that was written and assume that you know it all.

Who ever thought up this terrible heresy that has gone around among God’s people that professed Israel can never become Babylon? There are two cases in the Bible where Israel became Babylon, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. By the introduction of the world into the church, it can become Babylon. We have been inclined to believe that it is only the acceptance, and promulgation of such false doctrines as Sunday sacredness and the immortality of the soul that constitutes Babylon. But Ellen White is very clear that while these do clearly mark a church as being part of Babylon, it is the acceptance of these, and kindred heresies, and “the rejection of the truth,” which convert the church into Babylon. (See Selected Messages, Book 2, 68.) This should cause every Seventh-day Adventist great concern.

“Unsanctified ministers are arraying themselves against God. They are praising Christ and the god of this world in the same breath. While professedly they receive Christ, they embrace Barabbas, and by their actions say, ‘Not this Man, but Barabbas.’ Let all who read these lines, take heed. Satan has made his boast of what he can do. He thinks to dissolve the unity which Christ prayed might exist in His church. He says, ‘I will go forth and be a lying spirit to deceive those that I can, to criticize, and condemn, and falsify.’ Let the sin of deceit and false witness be entertained by a church that has had great light, great evidence, and that church will discard the message the Lord has sent, and receive the most unreasonable assertions and false suppositions and false theories.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 409.

Sin of Deceit

Friends, we have accepted false witness and been engaged in the sin of deceit for a long time.

One of the greatest shocks I have experienced came a few years ago when I was reading the book The Word was Made Flesh. (Ralph Larson, Cherrystone Press, Cherry Valley, California, 1986.) Toward the back of the book is a section that shows how some material is used in the book Questions on Doctrine. (Prepared by a Representative Group of Seventh-day Adventist Leaders, Bible Teachers, and Editors, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D.C., 1957.) The material used is a collection of statements by Ellen White, put together by a group of scholars or theologians. I had done some research in my life, and as I was studying over this material, I started comparing the sources and how it was put together. In just minutes I was in a state of shock. I said to myself, “No honest man could do this.” (See The Word was Made Flesh, Section 4, 219–275, especially pages 249–264.) You can disagree with me, but I do not believe that it is possible that anyone who is smart enough to do research could do this with an honest mind.

This took place a number of years ago, but have you ever noticed any public declaration that says we repudiate Questions on Doctrine and appeal to God and all of humanity to forgive us for publishing it? There are four steps that have to be taken before historic Adventists can ever be in harmony and unity with the world structure. They are repentance, confession, restitution, and a willingness to get back on and stand on the platform of truth. The only way to have unity is if we are all willing to repent, confess, make restitution, and stand together on the platform of truth.

“Infidelity has been making its inroads into our ranks; for it is the fashion to depart from Christ, and give place to skepticism. With many the cry of the heart has been, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ Baal, Baal, is the choice. The religion of many among us will be the religion of apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake the way of the Lord.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 467, 468.

The word Baal or Baalim in Hebrew means lord. When you are worshiping Baal, you are obeying and following a different lord. You think you are doing your own thing, following your own way, but the devil really has control of you, and you do not know it.

Be a Disturber

We are at a time when the trumpet must give a certain sound. We are to show people that there can be no unity between truth and error and that there can be no unity between those who are standing under Satan’s banner and those who are standing under the banner of the Lord.

“Evil must be assailed; falsehood and error must be made to appear in their true character, sin must be denounced; and the testimony of every believer in the truth must be as one. All your little differences, which arouse the combative spirit among brethren, are devices of Satan to divert minds from the great and fearful issue before us.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 3, 1014.

If you are a believer in the truth, you must stand against evil and apostasy. If you do not, you cannot be accounted today as one of God’s children. It is just that simple.

“All who live a conscientious life, who bear testimony of the claims of God, of the evil of sin, of the judgment to come, will be called the disturbers of Israel. Those whose testimony awakens the apprehension of the soul, offend pride, and arouse opposition. The hatred of evil against good exists as surely now as in the days of Christ when the multitudes cried, ‘Away with him!’ ‘Release unto us Barabbas.’ ” Ibid., 1013.

Anyone whom God commissions to do this kind of work is going to be accused of being critical. People are going to speak evil of them and try to destroy their influence.

Have you ever met someone who said, “I want peace; I just cannot stand all of this conflict”? Do you know when we will have true peace? “The true peace will come among God’s people when, through united zeal and earnest prayer, the false peace that exits to a large degree is disturbed.” Ibid., 1014.

There is a false peace in Adventism today, and we are out to disturb it! We want to shake people up right down to their shoes so that they no longer feel secure and make them realize that, if they do not do something different, they are going to go straight to destruction. We have to go through the steps of repentance, confession, restitution, and standing together on the truth.

“While we cannot fellowship with those who are the bitter enemies of Christ, we should cultivate that spirit of meekness and love that characterized our Master—a love that thinketh no evil and is not easily provoked. . . .” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 504.

Those who are followers of Christ cannot fellowship with those who are His bitter enemies. If you can fellowship with people who are enemies of the cross of Christ and are not teaching historic Adventism, there is something seriously wrong. You are not headed in the direction you think you are.

Unity in Diversity

Before Jesus comes, God’s people are going to have a true and perfect unity with one another. The question is not whether or not it is going to happen; it is a matter of prophecy. If those whom God has commissioned to have this unity do not come into line, He will raise up others who will. Those refused to be united will lose their souls.

Even when we do have unity, we will not have the type of unity that many people expect. We are not going to come to the point where we all have the same identity or have absolute uniformity. That is not what we are talking about when we talk about unity. Ellen White describes this with the phrase “unity in diversity.” (See Review and Herald, November 9, 1897.) We are all still going to be individuals. Like branches that are part of a vine, all are different and yet they are all united to the vine.

One of the problems that even historic Adventists are having today is that many people believe that in order to have unity, other people have to think the same as they think, sing the same, play the piano the same, preach the same way, and right on down the line. If this idea is a reflection of your thinking, not only are you never going to experience the type of unity you are hoping to achieve, but you are actually going to become a roadblock to true unity. In order to obtain unity, you are going to try to get everybody else to be like you are, and that is not the unity about which we are talking. All will, however, think the same with regard to the platform of truth. We will all agree on all the truths that God has given us.

Church Organization

“God is leading a people out from the world upon the exalted platform of eternal truth, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. He will discipline and fit up His people. They will not be at variance, one believing one thing and another having faith and views entirely opposite, each moving independently of the body.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 29.

Notice, if we are going to have unity, we are not going to have theological views that are absolutely contradictory to one another, each one of us moving independently from the body. How can you not move independently from the body and still have unity and not compromise any truth? If you do not understand who the true church is versus the professed church, you will never make it. You have an absolutely impossible situation.

“Through the diversity of the gifts and governments that He has placed in the church, they will all come to the unity of the faith.” Ibid. [Emphasis supplied.] Did you notice that coming to the unity of the faith has something to do with the governments that God has placed in His church?

In a book written by a person whom I used to consider a very close friend of mine, the author totally reinterpreted prophecy. The problem with the total reinterpretation is that some of the reinterpretations contradict the Spirit of Prophecy, so I cannot accept that. I am not saying this to criticize that person, because anyone can make a mistake. Fields of secular endeavor are not the only areas in the world where mistakes are made. You can make a mistake in theology, even if you are sincere. How am I going to keep from going off on a tangent independent of the body? Sister White points out that one of the purposes of governments in the church is to help us keep from going off on a tangent.

“If one man takes his views of Bible truth without regard to the opinion of his brethren, and justifies his course, alleging that he has a right to his own peculiar views, and then presses them upon others, how can he be fulfilling the prayer of Christ? And if another and still another arises, each asserting his right to believe and talk what he pleases without reference to the faith of the body, where will be that harmony which existed between Christ and His Father, and which Christ prayed might exist among His brethren?” Ibid., 29, 30.

If I am really going to find out the opinion of my brethren in some organized way, we must have some kind of church organization. That has to do, Sister White says, with the organization, the governments that God has placed within the body of Christ—so, unity in diversity. This unity can happen if I have regard to the opinion of my brethren and I am willing to keep myself from going off independent of the truth of the body.

“When ministering brethren come together in council, let deference be shown to the expression of intelligent principles, let intellectual freedom be freely accorded to all. There should be unity and love and freedom in communicating one with another. It should be a pleasure to consult one with another, to compare ideas and to review plans. An atmosphere of goodness, confidence, and love should be diffused; for this is the assurance of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The presence of God should be felt, and the soul should be humbled in acknowledging the condescension of God in planning for every soul for whom Christ has died, and thus hearts would be softened and broken.” Manuscript Release, No. 311, 30.

Harmony

I may not be in harmony with the professed church, but I must be in harmony with the true church. That is not optional. I must not go off independently on my own, out of harmony with the body. But I cannot be sure that I am in harmony unless we have communication, and that requires some type of association or “government.”

It is in the order of God that people who are widely different in character, disposition, background, and thought should get together to counsel and talk. This is one of the greatest safeguards of unity and the organization of God’s church.

“Perfection of character means perfection in unity.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 179. We will never have perfection of character until we have perfection in unity.

“An army in battle would become confused and be defeated if the individual soldiers should move according to their own impulses instead of acting in harmony under the direction of a competent general. The soldiers of Christ also must act in harmony. A few converted souls, uniting for one grand purpose under one head, will achieve victories in every encounter.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 139.

This is a wonderful promise. It is a statement that all of the people in home churches ought to learn. If you are united, if you have harmony and are organized, you are going to have victory at every step.

No New Organization

We have written a booklet entitled No New Organization. (Available from Steps to Life.) Do not get the idea that we are forming some new organization. We absolutely are not. The new organization has already been started, but we did not start it.

Do you remember that the early Adventists did not intend to start any kind of an organization? They were just going to work through the organizations that already existed. But as they began preaching the first angel’s message, they were thrown out of their churches. In the days of John Wesley, these Protestant churches were spiritual Israel. They did not have all of the truth, but they were living up to all of the light that they had. When they disfellowshipped the true body of Christ, they became Babylon.

You who belong to the Adventist world structure, please consider this. The Protestant churches in Ellen White’s day disfellowshipped the true body of Christ and rejected the first angel’s message. As a result of that, they became Babylon.

After these Adventists had been disfellowshipped, they were widely scattered, yet they resisted the idea of becoming organized. They knew that the churches they had just come out of were Babylon, and they did not want to be like them. Ellen White said that the Adventists were afraid to organize, because they were afraid they would become Babylon if they organized. But the churches in New York, because of their lack of organization in 1861, were already Babylon. (See Testimonies, vol. 1, 270.)

We have had the same problem of late. People have twisted statements, like the one about no new organization in Notebook Leaflets, vol. 1, 51 [“The Lord has declared that the history of the past shall be rehearsed as we enter upon the closing work. Every truth that He has given for these last days is to be proclaimed to the world. Every pillar that He has established is to be strengthened. We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. We cannot now enter into any new organization; for this would mean apostasy from the truth.—Manuscript 129, 1905.”], until historic Seventh-day Adventists are afraid to organize. If you do not want your home church to become Babylon, you are going to have to organize it.

Ordained Leaders

If you have a home church and you are going to be organized, you need to have one or more elders and deacons in your church so that you can be organized. Read the first part of the book of Acts, and you will find there the job of the elders and deacons in the church.

The first step in the organization of the Christian Church was in the ordination of the apostles. (See The Acts of the Apostles, 18.) We have had many letters and phone calls in which people say, “Well, couldn’t you do the same work if you did not ordain someone, because then it wouldn’t stir up so much controversy?” Well, that is just about the same as saying, “Couldn’t you be a Christian without getting baptized?” Listen, when God teaches you to do something, if you are not in harmony with divine counsel, you are an apostate. There is no other way about it. We do not ordain to stir up controversy, but because the Bible teaches it. We do it to be true to our conscience.

There are people who are saying, “You do not believe in organization.” The fact that we ordain people ought to prove the falsity of this accusation. If we did not believe in organization, we would not ordain anyone.

Unless we can learn to associate together and be able to call councils where we can get together and discuss what we need to do, as the apostolic church did, the devil has a very good chance of destroying us. This is one of the reasons why we are studying the subject of unity. We are determined that we are going to follow all of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy counsel in this matter. Are you willing to follow all of the counsel in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy? If you are, we must become more organized and, by the grace of God, we are going to do it.

Reprinted from LandMarks, November 1993.

Pastor Grosboll is the director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas.

The True Vine

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Nine years ago, after we had started our self-supporting daughter church in the parish of St. Thomas, Jamaica, West Indies, the then President of the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists at a convention notified his members and leaders about our off-shoot church. He stated that we were not Seventh-day Adventists and therefore they should be aware of us! Certainly, this did something to the minds of the sincere members and leaders who truly love their church. They were now put on guard against us by this president who had never spoken to me on the matter. We were now viewed as their enemies because we were presented to them as antagonistic towards the SDA church. It was conveyed to these honest SDAs that we have left “the church” and “the truth.”

Consequently, from that day forward, the majority of Seventh-day Adventists and especially those in the area where we operate despise us, while the others just tolerate us! All because of the irresponsible attitude of one husbandman.

To help you to see the far-reaching effect of this president’s action, I will connect another incident with this one which occurred on a Sabbath evening several years ago when an elder and I decided to pay a visit to an evangelist friend of mine who was conducting a meeting in the same vicinity where our daughter church is located. When we arrived on the site where the tent was erected, it was evident that there was a break in meetings so we went to the back of the tent to see the evangelist but were told by three women who were seated there that he had left for a baptism service at another location.

Interestingly, one of the ladies, who apparently recognized us, asked a very strange question: “Did you come here to be re-baptized?” What really prompted this poor lady to ask us such a question? Evidently, it had to do with what was told to her and others by the conference leadership; that we have apostatized from “the truth” and we are not “under the conference,” therefore we are no longer a part of God’s church.

This experience demonstrated that there exists a great degree of ignorance among many Seventh-day Adventists, members and leaders alike, concerning the phrase “off-shoot,” and equally, who or what is the true source of salvation and what are the qualifying characteristics of a true Seventh-day Adventist Christian! Sadly, this was the very same condition of the Jewish church in the time of Christ.

Isaiah says, “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:1, 2).

Israel was a vine planted by God for a special reason—that of being Jehovah’s representatives, fruitful in every good work.

“God’s law must be exalted, His authority maintained; and to the house of Israel was given this great and noble work. God separated them from the world, that He might commit to them a sacred trust. He made them the depositaries of His law, and He purposed through them to preserve among men the knowledge of Himself. Thus the light of heaven was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness, and a voice was to be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from idolatry to serve the living God.” Prophets and Kings, 16.

Israel was God’s choice vine, planted by Him to be the avenue to Christ—“the true vine”—the only source of salvation for the nations of earth. But ancient Israel did not fulfill God’s purpose. She failed to reflect the lovely character of Jesus to those in darkness. So the Lord reasons, “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me” (Jeremiah 2: 21)?

Through Hosea God said of His church, “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images” (Hosea 10:1).

In disappointment the Lord asked, “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. … and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry” (Isaiah 5:3–7, last part).

Israel, the church in the wilderness, was an off-shoot of “the vine” by God’s special favor and faithfulness, and by His goodness He made her into a choice vine. This the Jews should never have forgotten. An off-shoot by definition is a branch or lateral shoot from a main stem of a plant. So then, an off-shoot is not a different species from the parent stock. It has in itself the same nature and features like that of the parent stock from which it springs.

The Jews should always have remembered that they were but an off-shoot of “the vine” as was stated by God through their prophet Jeremiah: “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me” (Jeremiah 2:21)? The phrase right seed according to the Hebrew means a vine-shoot of the genuine sort. This is how an off-shoot comes about!

According to Ellen White, this choice vine that God planted was His church, His true representative on earth. “The Lord planted His church as a vine in a fruitful field. With tenderest care He nourished and cherished it, that it might bring forth the fruits of righteousness.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 240.

This choice vine was a representation of “the true vine” that God Himself planted in a manger in Bethlehem. Ellen White reveals what Jesus meant by these words, “ ‘I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman’ (John 15:1). Our Heavenly Father planted on earth a goodly vine, whose fruit would impart to the children of men eternal life. But this precious plant appeared to human eyes as a root out of dry ground, seeming to have no form nor comeliness. When it was claimed to be of heavenly origin, the men of Nazareth became enraged, and cast it from them. The inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem took this vine of God’s own planting, and bruised it, and trampled it under foot, hoping thus to destroy it forever. But now the Husbandman removed his precious vine, and planted it in his own garden, beyond the spoiler’s reach. The stock and root were concealed from human sight, but still ‘the branches run over the wall’ (Genesis 49:22). Thus grafts could be united to the vine, and, partaking of its nourishment, these became branches, and flourished and brought forth fruit.

“This figure of the vine is a perfect symbol. God sent His Son from the heavenly courts to a world seared and marred with the curse. In Christ was righteousness, peace, life—every blessing necessary for man’s happiness. But the world hated the Son of the infinite God. The world saw nothing attractive in Him. The best gift of Heaven was slighted and spurned. Christ was ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief’ (Isaiah 53:3). Yet ‘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’ (verse 5). Christ was hated by evil men because His character was spotless, His works righteous. He came to be the Redeemer of the world, yet He was taken by wicked hands, and shamefully entreated, and crucified.” The Review and Herald, September 20, 1881.

The Holy Scriptures state, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). “But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him” (Matthew 21:38, 39).

Ellen White continues her explanation, “God raised Him from the dead, and He ascended to Heaven to present His blood as the propitiation for our sins.

“Though hidden from mortal sight, Christ still lives as the world’s Redeemer, the representative of man in the heavenly courts, and the medium through whom all blessings flow to the fallen race. … In this vine is all spiritual life. From Christ’s fullness alone can we obtain nourishment unto eternal life. The vine stock is unseen; but the branches—members of His body—are visible.” The Review and Herald, September 20, 1881.

We see here that Jesus Christ is “the True Vine” and His presence constitutes the church! He alone is the source of salvation for whosoever will!

Whom do the branches represent? Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). “The branches” Ellen White wrote “represent the believers in Jesus Christ. Those who truly believe, will do the same works that He did. They are united to Christ by the faith that works by love and purifies the soul.” The Southern Work, 52.

It is evident from this next quotation that the branches (Christians) comprise the church and hence are nourished by Jesus Christ, the True Vine. “The branches do not sustain the vine, but the vine supports and nourishes the branches. The church does not support Christ, but Christ, by His vital power, supports the church.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 344.

How do the branches stay connected to the vine? In John 15:8, 9, Jesus said, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.” “Every branch of the vine, subjected to the pruning of the wise Husbandman, will bring forth clusters of precious fruit. ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love’ (Galatians 5:22). … The branch can maintain its connection with the living vine only on condition that it bear fruit. Said Christ, ‘If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love’ (John 15:10). …

“Love to God and love to our neighbor is the sum and substance of true piety. Those who are destitute of this love, and yet claim high attainments in spiritual things, may for a time deceive their fellow-men, but they cannot deceive God. Says the True Witness, ‘I know thy works’ (Revelation 2:2, first part). And in the great day of final accounts, God ‘will render to every man according to his deeds’ (Romans 2:6).” The Review and Herald, September 20, 1881.

Ellen White on another occasion explained the importance of unity in relation to this fruit of love that the branches must bear in order to stay connected to Christ. She wrote, “Unity, fellowship with one another and with Christ—this is the fruit borne on every branch of the living vine.” In Heavenly Places, 72. Unity is not a distinct, separate fruit that the branches must bear; it is an offspring of love. This is what the servant of the Lord explains: “The golden chain of love, binding the hearts of the believers in unity, in bonds of fellowship and love, and in oneness with Christ and the Father, makes the connection perfect and bears to the world a testimony of the power of Christianity that cannot be controverted.” Our High Calling, 173.

The Jewish church was destitute of the love of Jesus and the unity that it produces! Is the SDA church destitute of God’s love and unity? We get our answer from an article in The Review and Herald dated February 25, 1902, under the topic “The Need of a Revival and a Reformation.” It states, “ ‘Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent’ (Revelation 2:4, 5).

“I am instructed to say that these words are applicable to Seventh-day Adventist churches in their present condition. The love of God has been lost, and this means the absence of love for one another. Self, self, self, is cherished, and is striving for the supremacy. How long is this to continue? Unless there is a reconversion, there will soon be such a lack of godliness that the Church will be represented by the barren fig tree. Great light has been given to her. She has had abundant opportunity for bearing much fruit. But selfishness has come in, and God says, ‘I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.’ ”

Also, with reference to unity among SDAs, this is what she wrote: “There is a great and solemn work to be done by Seventh-day Adventists if they will only be converted. The great trouble is the lack of unity among them. This is a sin in the sight of God—a sin which, unless God’s people repent, will withhold from them His blessing.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 7, 1903.

Like so many SDA leaders and members today, the Jewish leaders and people failed to realize that their church was not “the true vine” but a choice vine, an off-shoot of “the true vine” – Jesus Christ. It was because of their constant refusal to understand this important truth that they rejected Christ and consequently were severed from “the vine.”

The Seventh-day Adventist church is, without question, God’s true church, just as the Jewish church was God’s true church in Christ’s time. The rejection of Christ and the path of rebellion and disobedience that the Jewish church took following that rejection led down the very same path the SDA church organization is pursuing. If she fails to repent, then a similar fate—final rejection by God—will be meted out to her that the Jewish church experienced.

It was out of this whole experience that Christ was forced to establish the new Christian church. In the book, The Desire of Ages, pages 231, 232, we see how this all happened. “If the leaders in Israel had received Christ, He would have honored them as His messengers to carry the gospel to the world. To them first was given the opportunity to become heralds of the kingdom and grace of God. But Israel knew not the time of her visitation. The jealousy and distrust of the Jewish leaders had ripened into open hatred, and the hearts of the people were turned away from Jesus.

“The Sanhedrin had rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death; therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations.

“As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers, that they may render obedience.”

If there is one reason for the existence of independent SDA churches or self-supporting SDA churches, this would be it: the desire to render loving obedience to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, the question must be asked, Is God opposed to self-supporting SDA churches or ministries? The answer is obvious: No, He is not! The evidence is clear.

“That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His church on earth today. He has ‘let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen,’ even to His covenant-keeping people, who faithfully ‘render Him the fruits in their seasons’ (Matthew 21:41). Never has the Lord been without true representatives on this earth who have made His interests their own. These witnesses for God are numbered among the spiritual Israel, and to them will be fulfilled all the covenant promises made by Jehovah to His ancient people.” Prophets and Kings, 713, 714.

Let us never forget these words written in 1903: “The Lord Jesus will always have a chosen people to serve Him. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, the Prince of life, He took from them the kingdom of God and gave it unto the Gentiles. God will continue to work on this principle with every branch of His work. When a church proves unfaithful to the word of the Lord, whatever their position may be, however high and sacred their calling, the Lord can no longer work with them. Others are then chosen to bear important responsibilities. But if these in turn do not purify their lives from every wrong action, if they do not establish pure and holy principles in all their borders, then the Lord will grievously afflict and humble them, and, unless they repent, will remove them from their place and make them a reproach.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 102.

Jesus appeals to you and to me, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. … If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:4, 6). The fruit that we all must bear to prove that we are connected to Christ is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is love (Galatians 5:22).

This is what the Jewish leaders and people failed to produce because from the very beginning they rejected the True Vine! Your prayer and my prayer should be, Lord, let this not be my attitude! Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). The question that Jesus is asking you and me today is “Lovest thou Me” (John 21:15)?

 

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

The New Testament Church

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He [Jesus] who was the foundation of the ritual and economy of Israel would be looked upon as its enemy and destroyer.” The Desire of Ages, 111. The reason for this was that those who were in charge of the system viewed themselves as being the church and they realized that if Jesus were to be accepted, many of them would lose their positions.

Today, there is a similar problem in the professed church of God. There are some inspired counsels we are willing to deal with but others that we are not. If many of the counsels of Ellen White were really advocated, they would be considered to be dangerous to the church, possibly even capable of destroying it. I do not believe, however, we will ever receive God’s blessing until we feed upon every word.

Principles of church organization affect every aspect of the church, from the youngest member on up to the General Conference. In the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, there is a great deal of information dealing with church organization that is written not only to those in leadership positions but to laymen as well.

Throughout history, whenever doctrine becomes corrupted, organization also becomes corrupt. In fact, in Revelation, God is as concerned about false organization as He is about false doctrine. In the writings of Ellen White there is a great deal written about doctrine, but I also find hundreds of pages written about church organization which we are afraid to touch, because if we even read the quotation, we will be accused of criticism. It is time, however, that we have the courage of John the Baptist and, with the spirit of love, humbly look at the things God has given to us, praying that He will help us to implement these things so He can pour out His Spirit and finish the work He is seeking to do.

The Church is the People

In 1 Corinthians 1:2 we are told how the New Testament church is organized. “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints . . . .” The church at Corinth, identified by Paul, is not addressed as the church that is registered, but that is not the point. Nothing is said regarding their organization or where they meet, but that is not the point. The church in Corinth is those people in Corinth who are sanctified and called to be the saints of God. Now the church was to be organized, but the organization was not the church. The people were the church. These people could work in harmony, because this is possible when God is in their hearts. So they would meet and work together, send out missionaries and take up offerings, and do all those things which are necessary for God’s work to progress. But the church itself was the people. This is what the church has always been.

In a special sense, the church is those people who are registered in the books of heaven. “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven . . . .” Hebrews 12:22, 23. The church, the true church of God, is composed of those people who are registered in the Book of Life in heaven.

Now this presents a very interesting situation. Who decides who is going to be a church member? Is it the pope who has the keys? If it is not the pope, is it the church board? Can they decide? What about the church body? Can we decide who is saved and who is not, whose name is written in heaven and whose is not?

Don’t we have anything to do? Oh, yes, we have something to do. We are called to recognize those whom God has registered in the books in heaven; and those whom He has registered there, we are to register here. He does not, however, follow our suit; we are to follow His, and there is a difference.

Let us suppose that God takes someone’s name off of the books in heaven, and they are disfellowshipped. Are they still church members? No. But suppose their name remains in the books on earth. This is an interesting dilemma. The church is purified when the books on earth match the books in heaven. You see, God has given mankind no authority to decide who can be a member and who cannot be a member, but simply to recognize those whom He has accepted or rejected.

God has local congregations here on earth, and we have organizations here to help organize the work, but the headquarters of our local church is in heaven, where only the sanctified are registered, not in some office in our state or some office in Silver Spring, Maryland. Some people find this rather disconcerting, believing such a policy could lead to all kinds of trouble.

Just suppose that a coup d’état took place in some local church or conference through politicking and some people who were not inspired by the Lord or filled with the Holy Spirit took over through manipulation, and because of their prejudices, certain people were unjustly disfellowshipped. Would those who were disfellowshipped cease to be church members? Certainly not! Suppose, on the other hand, that people were allowed to come into the church who were never converted. Because their names were in the books on earth, would they, therefore, be church members? Not in any way, shape, or form! God has never left His church to be manipulated and tampered with by the political whims of mankind. There is coming a time when He is going to turn and overturn the professed church that is called by His name. (See Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 372.) God’s true church remains the same as it has always been—those people who are registered in the books of heaven.

“God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments. ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:20). Where Christ is, even among the humble few, this is Christ’s church.” The Upward Look, 315.

Establish Churches

When Paul was ordained, he was ordained to baptize and establish churches—the two together. According to inspiration, the same ordination that gives people the right to baptize gives them the right to establish churches. More and more, however, there are increasing restrictions controlling the starting of new churches.

Not only has God alone reserved the right to start and to recognize a church, but if you and I decide to go out and start a church apart from His will, no matter what conference committee may approve it, it will never be a church. “For the presence of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” Ibid. If God’s presence is not the center of His church, He does not recognize it as His church—whether or not it is recognized by a conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

In New Testament times, the church was those who were called and sanctified. Wherever Paul went and converted a few people, he organized them into a church, right there and then, without seeking any other permission. It was not up to the church in Jerusalem to give permission or to decide if they were a church, but to recognize the fact that they were. Now, of course, if a church apostatized or if a local member apostatized, it was also up to the church in Jerusalem to decide that, as these people were no longer keeping the commandments of God, they were no longer recognized as being one of God’s churches.

For us individually to receive the Holy Spirit, we must study the Bible, pray, overcome sin, and witness. For the church body to receive the Holy Spirit, they must, as a body, also have these four things present. Not only is it necessary for us as individuals to be winning others to Christ, but God’s design for His church is that every church should start new churches.

Organization

One of the things that must take place, before God can pour out His blessing upon the church, is not only a revival of primitive doctrine but a revival of primitive organization. The New Testament churches had the freedom to go out and start new churches, but they were not just started and left to flounder by themselves; they were left with local organization. “And when they had preached the gospel to that city [Derbe] and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting [them] to continue in the faith, and [saying], ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’ So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” Acts 14:21–23.

Authority in the early church was to be earned because of a godly life, knowledge of the Scriptures, and the ability that God had given to one; but never was it to come just by virtue of office. Today our church is almost being destroyed in some parts of this world, because some have assumed the office of minister and decided that because they have that office they are the king of the local church. God never intended that office to be occupied by a king but a servant. (See Matthew 20:26, 27.)

Elders Protect

“From Miletus he [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.” Acts 20:17. What elders were these that he called? These were the elders who had been appointed. Notice, it is elders plural, not the elder singular. “Therefore take heed to yourselves . . .” this is the instruction he is giving to these elders “and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” Acts 20:28–31.

Paul called the elders to guard the church from wolves. In a correlating passage to this in Testimonies, vol. 5, 77, Ellen White, writing of her own experience, says that she could scarcely keep from weeping when she saw the people who were taking charge of the church who were trained by Satan. Paul had the same concern, and the elders were called to protect the church from these wolves.

Now the question is, suppose that a wolf came from Jerusalem. Were the elders to protect the church from that wolf? “Oh, no,” someone says, “not a local elder.” Let’s read a most interesting passage in the New Testament in regard to this. “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I [Paul] withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.” Galatians 2:11–13. Paul stood up and rebuked Peter, but Paul was not happy about this, because he was not the one who should have had to do the rebuking.

God had established a local leadership to protect the church. “Not from Peter,” someone might say. “He was from Jerusalem. He was one of the pillars; he knew Jesus personally. No, not from Peter. They were only Gentiles who had been newly converted to the faith. You do not expect them, these Gentile Galatians, who had just come into the Christian church a few years before, to stand up and rebuke Peter, who was from the Jerusalem church, who had been a Jew all his life, one of the pillars in the church, a follower of Jesus—not Peter! I mean, Paul was an apostle. He could do that.” But Paul was most unhappy that he had to do that. “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” Galatians 3:1.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1. Someone might say, “That scripture is dealing with circumcision and all those things.” Circumcision was involved, and eating with Gentiles was involved, but that was not the issue! The issue in Galatians was that Peter had caused them to transgress, and they were to stand in their freedom, even if it was Peter from Jerusalem who should come down and preach false theology.

“Strange fire has been offered in the use of harsh words, in self-importance, in self-exaltation, in self-righteousness, in arbitrary authority, in domineering, in oppression, in restricting the liberty of God’s people, binding them about by your plans and rules, which God has not framed, neither have they come into His mind. All these things are strange fire, unacknowledged by God, and are a continual misrepresentation of His character.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 357, 358.

God Makes the Rules

The Lord established the church upon the Rock, Jesus Christ, and he is to be the head of the church. (See Ephesians 1:22, 23.) The issue in the days of Martin Luther was who was in charge of the church, the Lord or the pope. That was the issue in Wesley’s day, and it was the issue in 1888. I have been amazed at how little Ellen White deals with doctrine in relationship to 1888. The problem with Jones and Waggoner was that they did not go through the “proper channels.” They were not approved by the “proper people.”

The following statements are from a letter that Ellen White wrote to Elder Butler. “God designs that men shall use their minds and consciences for themselves. He never designed that one man should become the shadow of another, and utter only another’s sentiments. But this error has been coming in among us, that a very few are to be mind, conscience, and judgment for all God’s workers. The foundation of Christianity is ‘Christ our Righteousness.’ ” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 1, 112. She goes on to tell us what Christ our Righteousness means: “Men are individually responsible to God and must act as God acts upon them, not as another human mind acts upon their mind.” Ibid. God is to decide what is right, not some human committee. God makes the rules, not some human rulebook. The Bible is our creed. We always used to say: “We do not have a creed book; the Bible is our creed.”

“For if this method of indirect influence is kept up, souls can not be impressed and directed by the great I AM. They will, on the other hand, have their experience blended with another, and will be kept under a moral restraint, which allows no freedom of action or of choice. . . .

“If we would be wise, and use diligently, prayerfully, and thankfully the means whereby light and blessings are to come to His people, then no voice nor power upon earth would have authority over us to say, ‘This shall not be.’ ” Ibid., 112, 113.

In the book Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, Ellen White wrote a great deal of material to the leadership and ministry in general after 1888. Much of this book is dealing with the very principle of church authority. Among other similar statements, she said, “The high-handed power that has been developed, as though position has made men gods, makes me afraid, and ought to cause fear. It is a curse wherever and by whomever it is exercised.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 361. “The spirit of domination is extending to the presidents of our conferences. If a man is sanguine of his own powers and seeks to exercise dominion over his brethren, feeling that he is invested with authority to make his will the ruling power, the best and only safe course is to remove him . . . .” Ibid., 362.

In the chapter “Under Which Banner?” she says, “Humanity is hailed as God.” Ibid., 365. She is talking to us dear friends. She continues, “God will not vindicate any device whereby man shall in the slightest degree rule or oppress his fellowmen.” Ibid., 366. A curse is pronounced upon all who do this. (See Jeremiah 17:5.)

“State conferences may depend upon the General Conference for light and knowledge and wisdom; but is it safe for them to do this? Battle Creek [Silver Spring, Maryland] is not to be the center of God’s work. God alone can fill this place. When our people in the different places have their special convocations, teach them, for Christ’s sake and for their own soul’s sake, not to make flesh their arm. There is no power in men to read the hearts of their fellowmen. The Lord is the only One upon whom we can with safety depend, and He is accessible in every place and to every church in the Union. To place men where God should be placed does not honor or glorify God. Is the president of the General Conference to be the god of the people?” Ibid., 375. Following this counsel does not make a person very popular, but we are told we must obey God, regardless of man’s approval.

God Second, Man First

Instead of teaching the truth God has commissioned to be taught, do you know what Mrs. White says we have taught? “For many years an education has been given to the people which places God second, and man first. The people have been taught that everything must be brought before the council of a few men in Battle Creek [Silver Spring, Maryland].” Ibid., 325. I want you to notice that this is a serious matter, because it is breaking the first commandment. God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3. “Let me entreat our state conferences and our churches to cease putting their dependence upon men and making flesh their arm.” Ibid., 380. Today we have gone far beyond where they were in 1888.

“In reference to our conference, it is repeated o’er and o’er and o’er again, that it is the voice of God, and therefore everything must be referred to the Conference and have the conference voice in regard to permission or restriction or what shall be and what shall not be done in the various fields. . . .

“We have heard enough, abundance, about that ‘everything must go around in the regular way.’ . . .

“He [God] wants every living soul that has a knowledge of the truth to come to their senses.” Spalding and Magan Collection, 162, 163. “The Lord wants his Spirit to come in. He wants the Holy Ghost king.” Ibid., 166. Today, we have come to the point, in many places, that if you invite someone to come and speak in the pulpit, you have to first get the permission of the local conference.

God is looking for every one of us, from the General Conference president down, to be broken on the Rock. When Jesus is the King, unity, peace, and love pervade. This does not do away with organization. It is the only thing that creates a working organization. We still have offices, but when God’s plan is followed, no one is striving for office, because everyone is striving to serve one another. (See Matthew 20:25–28.)

The message of Christ our Righteousness has to become practical. We need to exercise less and less control over one another and do more and more praying for one another. Let us not decide that God has given any one of us authority to tell everyone else how they are to serve God. God is calling for much more freedom in His church than what we have been willing to allow. There is a place for order, a place for leadership, but dear friend, God is calling for us to be broken on the Rock, to be filled with the humility and the love of Jesus. Then we will find that once again the Holy Spirit will be King.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Reprinted from LandMarks, October 1993.

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life Ministry. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down killing all on board.

The Initial Steps Toward Unity

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The messenger of the Lord to the remnant church has told us explicitly that, unless we press together, we will be destroyed in the storm that is coming. (See The Signs of the Times, October 31, 1900.) Unity is not something that is just nice to study about; it has to do with our survival.

“Our only hope of reaching heaven is to be one with Christ.” The Upward Look, 141. Therefore, the most important unity that we need to seek is to be one with Jesus. Unless we are one with Christ, we have no chance of being saved. If we are one with Jesus, Ellen White continues, “then, in and through Christ, we shall be one with one another.” Ibid. As we come closer to Christ, we come closer to one another.

The Christian world today is seeking for unity, but they do not know how to find it. One of these days very soon, they will believe they have finally achieved it; they will believe that the whole world is in unity. (See Maranatha, 209.) The whole world is going to think that they are in unity, but their harmony will be with the antichrist.

Unity is a primary subject of Jesus’ prayer in John 17—how we might be one with Him. If I am not in harmony with Jesus on something, which of us do you think should change his mind? The Bible is crystal clear on this subject. “For I [am] the Lord, I do not change.” Malachi 3:6. “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. What Jesus said, when He was here almost 2,000 years ago, is still what He thinks; it is still what He believes; it is still what He is like. He is the same; His character has not varied. So, if I want true unity with Jesus, I must study what He is like, as recorded in His Word. Then, as I come into unity with Jesus, I will come into unity with others.

Puzzle Pieces

Coming into unity is like a jigsaw puzzle—it has more than one piece, and we cannot look at all the pieces at once. Right now, however, we will look at one of the initial pieces, a first step toward coming into unity.

You cannot imitate or emulate someone if you do not know what he or she is like. Therefore, we want to study to understand what Jesus is like. Though I do not spend a lot of time giving my opinions, I am going to share one of my personal opinions with you. As I have studied the life of Jesus, it does not appear to me that there are very many Seventh-day Adventists who know what Jesus is really like.

There are many people coming to historic Adventist preachers and saying: “You should not do that, or you should not say that; it is not Christlike.” When I hear that, the first question that comes into my mind is simply, How do you know that it is not Christlike? I personally believe that there are many Seventh-day Adventists telling us those things who have no idea what Jesus is like.

In Hebrews 1, we see a text that graphically tells us, in just a few words, something about what Jesus is like. “But to the Son [He says], ‘Your throne, O God, [is] forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness [is] the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness . . . .’ ” Hebrews 1:8, 9. This is the Father speaking to the Son, and He addresses Him as God—One equal in authority with the Father. And what does Jesus love? Righteousness!

Love is a Gift

We cannot generate love. Love is a precious gift that we receive from Jesus. (See The Ministry of Healing, 358.) If we are to become like Jesus, coming into unity and harmony with Him, we must learn to love righteousness just as He does.

A few years ago I read a story of a beautiful young lady who experienced an automobile accident. Not having her seat belt on, she was thrown through the windshield of her car. Though she survived, her face was badly disfigured. As a result of her change in appearance, her husband divorced her. He had married a beautiful face, and when that face was no longer there, there was nothing to hold the marriage together.

What is called love in the world today is often nothing short of selfishness. There are many people who have been married for years but who have never really loved each other. They have gotten married because of what the other person could do for them, and that is not godly love at all.

It took me a long time to learn that I did not have the ability to generate love of any kind, not even for my wife. But, Jesus’ heart is full of love, and He wants us to have that love. His final request, in His last prayer recorded in John 17, is that He would be in His followers and that His love would be in them.

Jesus loves righteousness, and if we ask Him for this precious gift of love, He will give it to us. (See Romans 8:32.)

Hate Lawlessness

What is righteousness? Sometimes the easiest way to explain an idea is to express it in opposite terms. What is unrighteousness? In 1 John 5:17, we are told that all unrighteousness is sin. And, what is sin? “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Then what is righteousness? It is being in harmony with the law.

Did you know that there are things Jesus hates? Though there are some people who do not seem to believe this anymore, Hebrews 1:9 (last part) tells us that Jesus not only loves, but that He hates as well: “You have . . . hated lawlessness.” So, if you are really going to be like Jesus Christ, you are not only going to have love in your heart, but you will also have hatred there.

Another text that reveals this hatred is Psalm 97:10, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” Some people think that they should just put up with everything, but Jesus is not like that. Jesus and His father have decided that lawlessness is something that they are going to obliterate, because they hate it. If you love Jesus, you will also hate lawlessness, especially when you realize that it was this lawlessness—this sin—that caused Jesus to go to the cross. You cannot love Jesus and also love the thing that caused Him to go to the cross.

The first angel’s message says to fear God. (See Revelation 14:7.) What does it mean to fear God? For one thing, it means to hate evil. “The fear of the Lord [is] to hate evil.” Proverbs 8:13. The idea that we can just live a good life, setting a good example, is not enough. If we are really going to be Christlike, we must not only love righteousness, but we must hate lawlessness. We will never achieve Christian unity until we hate lawlessness as much as we love righteousness.

Attack Evil

What are we to do in a world of evil, among people who profess to follow the Lord but who are not living righteously? The first step that must be taken before we can have Christian unity is that someone is going to have to stand up and attack the evil. It is not enough just to teach the truth, not enough just to set a good example. It is not enough to be loving and kind; we must attack evil. Now we will see the evidence for this from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

In the 1920s, Julius Gilbert White wrote a manuscript called The Alpha and The Omega of Apostasy. In this book, he accurately describes a departure from truth that was then taking place in Adventism, and that I have seen throughout my lifetime. The result of this departure from truth is the great apostasy that we see in the church today—the greatest apostasy that has ever been seen in the 6,000 years of this world’s history, except perhaps at the time of the flood.

“Those who reject the apostasy [he is speaking to Adventists] will be severely charged with criticism because they will protest against it. [Have you ever been accused of being too critical?] A great effort has been made for a long time to eliminate ‘criticism.’ ” The Alpha and The Omega of Apostasy, 57.

What is it that he says has been going on for a long time? “A great effort has been made for a long time to eliminate ‘criticism.’ ” Remember now, this was written in the 1920s. This plot of the devil was laid a long time ago.

“It [criticism] has been terribly condemned far and near in sermons, articles, conventions, institutes, camp meetings and conferences. Honest protest has been stifled and suppressed by branding it ‘criticism’ and then condemning it. A distinction must be made between ‘protest and criticism.’ For if not, no voice can be raised against wrong! Pernicious criticism is a wicked thing, and ought to be confessed and forsaken. Criticism of men is that bad. But there is another side to this question of criticism.

“If men have gone so far in criticism that they criticize the work of the Spirit of God and the messages from the Spirit of God and denounce those who are maintaining those messages as having the spirit of the devil, that would come terribly close to being a sin against the Holy Spirit and would call for alarm and utter humiliation and abasement, before such men should dare lift up their heads and ask God for the gift of His Holy Spirit in the latter rain.

“This criticism of the work of the Spirit of God is more heinous and disastrous to ourselves and to the work of God than is criticism of men.

“If leaders so criticize the Spirit of Prophecy that men are moved by the Spirit of God to protest against such apostasy, there must be a distinction made between such protest and evil criticism. When men are in the wrong and do not see it and God sends brethren to counsel them and they persist in denouncing such counsel as unjust criticism, they are indeed in a great delusion, and it is most difficult for God to reach them.

“According to Inspiration, there will be various voices in the church from this time forward till after the shaking is over. There will be false reformations that will sweep in thousands; there will be great worldliness and there will be those who ‘sigh and cry’ over the condition of the church as God sees it, and these will reprove and warn and ‘will not hold their peace to obtain the favor of any.’ ” Ibid., 58, 59.

In Testimonies, vol. 5, 210, Ellen White describes two groups of people. One group of people put a cloak over the existing iniquity, but another group will not hold their peace for anyone. They are going to protest. Now, if you would like to know who is sealed and who is not, you need to read the rest of the chapter.

Elijah Message

There have been times in the past when God has sent people to attack evil. Concerning these people, Ellen White says, “Those whom God has chosen for an important work have ever been received with distrust and suspicion. Anciently, when Elijah was sent with a message from God to the people, they did not heed the warning.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 261. They thought him unnecessarily severe.

Today, someone may ask, “Do you have to state the message so strongly?” Yes, I do, in order to have a clear conscience.

“They [children of Israel] even thought that he must have lost his senses.” What did they think about Elijah? They thought he had gone crazy! Why? “Because he denounced them, the favored people of God, as sinners and their crimes as so aggravated that the judgments of God would awaken against them.” Ibid.

Is there to be an Elijah message to the church just before the end? Do you know what the Elijah message is? It is a lot different than what many people have thought. Very soon the judgments of God are going to fall on apostate Seventh-day Adventists, and it is going to be worse than you can imagine. It is necessary to preach a message that will shake people right down to their toes and make them realize that if they do not change their ways they will be in worse trouble than they can imagine.

“Oh,” somebody says, “Pastor John, Jesus would never do anything like that.” Well, did Jesus approve of what Elijah did or not? Who was inspiring Elijah to denounce the children of Israel? Many people think that anybody that does something like that is the devil’s instrument, but according to the Spirit of Prophecy, Elijah was the Lord’s instrument. He denounced them because he was Christlike and was filled with the Holy Spirit.

“They [children of Israel] abhorred not the sins which had brought them under the chastening rod, but hated the faithful prophet, God’s instrument, to denounce their sins and calamity.” Review and Herald, September 23, 1873.

“But,” someone will say, “don’t you realize that we must respect our leaders?” Well, let me tell you, Elijah did not. “The prophet, as God’s messenger, had reproved their sins, and denounced the judgments of God because of their wickedness. Elijah, standing alone in conscious innocence, firm in his integrity, surrounded by the train of armed men, shows no timidity, neither does he show the least reverence to the king. The man whom God has talked with, who has a clear sense of how God regards man in his sinful depravity, has no apology to make to Ahab, nor homage to give him. Elijah, now as God’s messenger, commanded, and Ahab obeyed at once the command, as though Elijah was monarch, and he subject.” Ibid., September 30, 1873.

There is a time when a rebuke must be given. When God’s people are in apostasy, if we, as God’s messengers, do not stand up and rebuke it and reprove it, we will lose our own souls.

Stern Preaching

There was a time in the New Testament when there was perfect unity. It says in Acts 2:1 that they [the apostles] were all of “one accord in one place.” That is going to happen again. I long for it and want to be part of it, but do you know that that unity which they enjoyed would never have come to pass without the cross and the resurrection? Now the cross and the resurrection would not have done for the disciples what it did if they had not first been acquainted with Christ for three years and gotten to know what He was like. But, they would never have gotten acquainted with Jesus and found out what He was like, if it had not been for the ministry of John the Baptist. The ministry of John the Baptist was the initial step that finally brought that unity three and a half years later. What we are studying now is one of the initial steps that finally results in unity.

When John the Baptist came, the angel told his father that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. So, what did John the Baptist do? “John denounced the corruptions of the Jews, and raised his voice in reproving their prevailing sins.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 5, 1089.

From time to time, someone will say, “Your preaching is not Christlike, because Jesus would speak in a calm, soft voice. He would never raise His voice like you historic Adventist preachers do.” But, John the Baptist did not speak in a soft, quiet voice—he raised his voice and shouted it out. “Amid discord and strife, a voice was heard from the wilderness, a voice startling and stern . . .” The Desire of Ages, 104.

Stern is another adjective that Ellen White uses quite often in regard to both Elijah and John the Baptist; they were stern in their preaching. When they were stern, were they Christlike or not? Were they filled with the Holy Spirit, or were they filled with another spirit? The Bible says that John the Baptist was full of the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:13–15.) “With the spirit and power of Elijah he denounced the national corruption, and rebuked the prevailing sins. His words were plain, pointed, and convincing.” Ibid.

Who will Come into Unity?

We want to have unity. Who is going to have unity in the last days? Let us consider what took place at the first advent of Christ, which is a type of our day, and find out who came into unity then. It was the people who listened to John the Baptist, accepted his rebuke and reproof, reformed their lives, and followed Jesus. Three and a half years later they were in a condition of perfect harmony. Do you think there is any parallel between then and our time?

Before Gethsemane, one of the last things Jesus told His disciples was that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will reprove, that is, rebuke. (See John 16.) If you are receiving the Holy Spirit into your life, you will be rebuked, but if you persist in rejecting that rebuke, you will eventually lose the Holy Spirit.

Who is it today that is going to come into unity? Is it those who are fighting the messengers that God has sent to denounce the apostasy and make a call to repentance? Will it be the people who are following the New Theology, who are stepping off the platform of truth? Or will it be the people who are listening to the messages of rebuke from the Bible and from the Spirit of Prophecy and reforming their lives?

The people who are going to come into unity in Adventism today are the people who allow the Holy Spirit to rebuke them in any way God chooses. It is the historic Seventh-day Adventists, those who stand on the Three Angels’ Messages and accept all of the Spirit of Prophecy, who believe the fundamental truths that the Lord revealed to our spiritual forefathers. These are the only people who are going to come into unity.

You can trust the One who loved you enough to be nailed to the cross for you, to not rebuke you more than you need. This does not mean, however, that you may not need a lot.

Sometimes we meet someone, who says, “I know that there are problems and that there is apostasy, but you are never going to get reformation by talking about the problems all of the time. You should talk more about positive things.”

Consider this: “They treated the warnings of the Spirit of God as a matter of indifference,—as though that voice were human in place of divine. What there was to make any demonstration of on their part they could not see. If they had done wrong, why dwell upon it so much?” Pamphlet 155, 1.

This is what they were thinking in their minds: “Just go on; let it all drop, and say as little about it as possible.” Ibid. Have you ever heard it said, “You are talking about this all the time; you should not talk about it so much. Talk about it as little as possible. Talk about positive things. Teach people how to develop their character and how to have love and how to be patient and kind; don’t be rebuking all the time”? That is what they thought in Battle Creek.

Do you know who Ellen White says would be pleased if they did that? The next sentence tells us. “This is the very thing the enemy of souls wants them to do.” Ibid. It was the devil!

Evil Must be Opposed

The problem, friends, is not going to be solved unless we face the issue straight on and attack it. Evil must be opposed.

Somebody has to attack what is going on today, and it has to be a firm, unflinching attack. It must not be some mild little talk; it must be presented like Elijah, like John the Baptist.

Ellen White says, concerning the rebuke that was given to the children of Israel, “This firmness was essential; in no other way could the existing evils have been rebuked. . . . The messengers of the Lord are never to fear the face of man, but are to stand unflinchingly for the right.” Conflict and Courage, 202.

“Never seek to cover sin; for in the message of rebuke, Christ is to be proclaimed as the first and the last, He who is all in all to the soul.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 380.

Friend, are you going to be one of those who come into unity? If you are, you will have to be humble enough to accept rebuke from whomever God chooses to send.

Anytime God sends anyone to reprove the evil, people do not like it, and the messengers of reproof are accused of being the cause of the division. Have you ever heard anyone accuse historic Adventists of being the cause of the division? Elijah was accused of being a troubler of Israel.

“God’s plan for the salvation of men, is perfect in every particular. If we will faithfully perform our allotted parts, all will be well with us. It is man’s apostasy that causes discord, and brings wretchedness and ruin.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 999.

So, what is the real cause of the lack of unity in Adventism today? It is not the people who are calling for repentance, but the apostasy that is responsible for the discord; and the only Adventists who will ever have unity again are those who will fight apostasy. Brothers and Sisters, we will never have unity until we are willing to stand up and fight the apostasy.

What is the purpose of rebuke? When we look at the preaching of John the Baptist and the early preaching of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 3 and 4, we see that the burden of both Jesus and John the Baptist was repentance. (See Matthew 4:17.) The purpose of the rebuke is that we may repent, and it is only when people are willing to repent that they are able to come into perfect unity.

[All emphasis supplied.]

Reprinted from the first issue of LandMarks, August 1993.

Pastor Grosboll is the director of Steps to Life Ministry and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas.

Four Old Things, Part II

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Why do you exist? Some people think that this question has already been answered, and if you know the answer, that is fine. But this is a question that I keep getting asked, and people are very sincere when they ask it. Why does there even have to be a place like Steps to Life? Why do independent ministries exist? Why do such special ministries have to exist?

There was a time when they did not exist. They did not need to exist, and they would never have had to exist. It would be just fine with me if we still did not have to exist, but we do. Why?

Not too long ago I went to talk to a young pastor of a conference church. Now he is your average, run-of-the-mill type pastor, and I do not know what happened in his life, but some time in the past he decided that he was going to start studying and reading the writings of a woman by the name of Ellen White. Surely the Holy Spirit was speaking to his heart! He started studying these books, and he made a 180-degree turn. All of a sudden his preaching changed; everything changed! It changed too much, according to some people.

About six months ago he preached a sermon in his church in which he dealt at great length with the subject of jewelry. He had been reading the writings of Ellen White; do you think he was for or against jewelry? He was against it. He not only preached against it, but he took the position that all conference pastors took when I was a conference pastor, years ago. When I was a conference pastor ministers could not baptize someone who wore a wedding band—not to mention any other jewelry. As this pastor was preaching, he said, “We cannot go on like this; we cannot have officers in our church who are wearing the kind of adornment that is forbidden in God’s Word.” Oh, oh! There just happened to be 60 or 70 people in that church who were adorned. When they found out that they could not be an officer of the church under this pastor, they decided that he had gone too far. They went to the conference office. The conference leadership asked this pastor to resign.

A friend of mine went to him and said, “You have not done anything wrong; do not resign. Let them fire you if they are going to.” He did not resign. The conference fired him. Do you think that he should keep preaching, or do you think that he should stop preaching? If you think he should keep preaching, where do you think he should preach?

Peace and Unity

Perhaps at this point we should take a look at the subject of peace and unity. We are approached from time to time by people who say, Why can’t you make peace and have unity with the conference today? There are even some people in some independent ministries and some special ministries and self-supporting work that believe that they can get along with the conference, and they say, Since you cannot get along with the conference, something must be wrong with you.

[Editor’s Note: Pastor Grosboll and his brother Marshall, the founder of Steps to Life, were raised in a Seventh-day Adventist family. Both became ordained ministers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and worked for several years within that organization. During the time of their ministry, several large issues rocked the church. They sought counsel from the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy to reaffirm the foundations of their faith and beliefs. While others seemed to be stepping off the Rock, they planted their feet more firmly on the Rock. As they endeavored to continue to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages, they encountered more and more opposition within the organized church from those stepping off the Foundation. They were finally forced out of its membership.]

I want to review with you some of the reasons why we are not seeking unity with the conference at the present time.

Because . . .

Because they are trying to destroy us. My brother wrote a booklet in 1989 called The Cost of Revival and Reformation, in which he described what happened in Wichita, Kansas, where he was pastoring when he was driven out of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Such action is so rampant all over the world that we no longer have to prove it occurs.

We were in a situation where we were working in a conference church—sending tithe to the conference church, trying to work with them in every way that we could. But every dollar—several thousand dollars—that we had in our bank account was suddenly taken, just like that! We had absolutely no money. We were not rich. We had a television program, and we had several office staff, so we had expenses. We have not seen that money since.

If I understand my Bible correctly, thieves are not going into the Holy City. (See Exodus 20:15; Revelation 12:17; 14:12, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.) When you are willing to rob someone of every dollar that they have, you are trying to destroy them. The wrongs we experienced against us at that time have not been made right. I am not pointing a finger at anyone, and I pray for these people. I believe that when we come to the end of time there will be a lot of people in high places, who call themselves Adventists, who are going to find out that they have lost their soul, because they have not made things right. They have lied and stolen, and they have never confessed or made amends. This is serious, friends. Many will be shut out from the Holy City on this basis.

In The Great Controversy, 608, we are told: “As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbathkeepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.”

If you decide to take somebody to court and put them in jail, like was done with John Marik [lay pastor of 12-member Seventh-day Adventist Congregational Church, Kona, Hawaii], you are trying to destroy them. Ellen White wrote that it is not the true church that makes war against those who keep the commandments! (See The Signs of the Times, April 22, 1889.) Keep that uppermost in your mind. Don’t ever forget that! The devil is trying to deceive people today, but when you see a group of Christians making war on another group of Christians who are keeping the Law of God, you know that the group who is doing the persecuting is not the true church. It is that simple!

I could go into great detail about how the conferences are trying to destroy the Revival and Reformation Movement all over the world. People are being taken to court and some are put in jail, not by unbelievers but by professed brethren. Although you may know about those things, it is necessary to review them once in awhile, since people come to us and want to know why we cannot work with the conference.

Because they are trying to control us. You may ask what is wrong with that. What is wrong is that it is forbidden in the strongest language in the Spirit of Prophecy. Ellen White repeatedly states that the church of God is not to be brought under human control. One reference is, “In his ministry, Paul was often compelled to stand alone. He was specially taught of God and dared make no concessions that would involve principle. At times the burden was heavy, but Paul stood firm for the right. He realized that the church must never be brought under the control of human power. The traditions and maxims of men must not take the place of revealed truth. The advance of the gospel message must not be hindered by the prejudices and preferences of men, whatever might be their position in the church.” The Acts of the Apostles, 199, 200. [Emphasis supplied.] Never is that to be done! The Lord has forbid it.

It is interesting how people’s minds work. In Wichita, at the same time they were trying to destroy us, they were trying to control us—telling us which people we should allow on our board. My brother said, “This does not make sense. Should we put people on our board of directors who have demonstrated that they are trying to destroy us?” We did not think we should do that!

Ellen White called it the “rule or ruin system.” “Men have taken unfair advantage of those whom they supposed to be under their jurisdiction. They were determined to bring the individuals to their terms; they would rule or ruin. . . .” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 360. “The rule-or-ruin system is too often seen in our institutions. This spirit is cherished and revealed by some in responsible positions, and because of this God cannot do the work He desires to do through them. By their course of action those who reveal this spirit make manifest what they would be in heaven if entrusted with responsibility.” Ibid., 280. We have seen this system—either we are going to control you or we will ruin you—in operation! Ellen White said that God would not sanction or serve with that.

Because of a difference in theological belief. Ellen White said, “We are to unify, but not on a platform of error.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 259. Our opponents in conferences claim that they believe in revival and reformation. They claim there is nothing they want more than that—until someone comes along to bring them that, then they try to destroy them. It has happened over and over throughout the world. In other words, their actions show what they really believe. The Jews said that they were looking for the Messiah, but when He came, they destroyed Him.

If you encourage celebration-style worship, the preaching and the teaching of the new theology, a new gospel whereby men are qualified for heaven on the basis of justification only—a teaching that the Adventist pioneers never taught or believed—then we are not dealing with just some minor difference in beliefs. We are dealing with the most fundamental teachings about how a person is saved and what the Christian life involves. We are dealing with the most radical differences about who and what the church is, and what is New Testament gospel order and discipline. There is a difference of opinion on that, and that is very basic and fundamental. We believe both in the New Testament definition of the church, and we believe in New Testament gospel order. Incidentally, New Testament gospel order excludes all hierarchical methods.

Because we cannot but protest the apostasy. This is one of the very reasons the conference thrust us out in the first place. When I was disfellowshipped, one of the four reasons given for the action was because I said the organized church was in apostasy. I had to agree with them, because I did say they were in apostasy, and they are. The apostasy is worse now than when I was disfellowshipped, a lot worse. The average Seventh-day Adventist in the structure church cannot seem to tell the difference between fault finding, back biting, and criticism and protesting on the basis of a “thus saith the Lord.”hvy5w12q

It is a frightful thing when God’s professed people cannot tell the difference between the work of God and the work of the devil. We should pity these people and pray for them, because they are the victims of false education just like the children of God were in Jesus’ day.

Because the organization is linking itself up with Rome. We cannot, with a clear conscience, do this or join or support an organization that is doing it. The evidence was hidden for a long time, but God has allowed it to be revealed, out in the open. When you take three hospitals [in the Denver, Colorado, metro area] worth millions of dollars and just give them into the control of the Catholics, you are linking yourself up with Rome. That cannot be denied. When this action was reported in a well-known church publication, it met no protest. In the Bible we are told, “be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing].” 11 Corinthians 6:17.

Because we must be free to preach our conscientious convictions. When I go out to preach, no one tells me what I have to preach. We have to be free to preach our conscientious convictions.

This is one of the major reasons that my brother, Marshall, was fired from the Kansas-Nebraska Conference. He was told, “You must not preach what you are preaching. You have to preach love and unity. You must not rock the boat so much.” And he said, “I have to preach my conscience, and if you are going to fire me for preaching my conscience, you will just have to do it.” They did.

Paul said, “For now do I please men or God? Or do I seek to please men? If yet I am a man pleaser, I am not a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10. He went on to say that the gospel that he preached did not come from men; men did not teach it to him; he got it from the Lord. The Lord is the One who gave Paul the message he preached, and he had to preach what the Lord told him. It is still true today. If you want to kill your church, institute a system where the preacher gets instructions on what to preach from some man. It takes the Holy Spirit completely out of the loop.

Because the organization is linking itself up with the ecumenical movement. We cannot be part of an organization that is linking up with that movement, which we believe is condemned in Revelation 13, 17, and 18. Ellen White wrote, “It is impossible for you to unite with those who are corrupt, and still remain pure.” Review and Herald, January 2, 1900. It is impossible!

When our brethren in Germany put out a newspaper containing the Three Angels’ Messages, they printed millions of them and started sending them all over. They put the local conference’s telephone number on it so that people could find out where there was a Sabbath-keeping church that they could attend. They sent these newspapers all over Eastern Europe. The conference took them to court, and these brethren were forced to remove the conference’s telephone number from the newspapers. Why? Because the conference is linked up with the ecumenical organization, and the Sunday-keeping churches came to them and asked them why they were allowing that paper to be distributed all over the country. They said, “Well, we can’t stop it, but we won’t allow them to use our telephone number.” So they took our brethren to court and sued them and forced them to remove the phone number. One of the brothers called and asked if they could put the phone number of Steps to Life on these papers. I told him, “Sure. I don’t know who will call us from Germany, but if you cannot find anyone there who will let you use their phone number, you can put ours on, and we will give information to anyone who calls.”

We cannot be part of the ecumenical movement. God has forbidden it, and for those people who link up with it, if they do not get loose soon, it will be too late for them.

Because the organization is practicing deception on all levels. There is much documentation that can be given on that. (See The Kulakov File. Compiled in 1993, this book contains correspondence written during the late 1970s between Russia and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.) An Adventist attorney was told that the reason the conference trademarked the name Seventh-day Adventist was because they did not want homosexuals to use the name. At that very time they were taking faithful Seventh-day Adventists in the South Pacific to court and trying to force them to stop using the name. That is double-talk, what we used to call a forked tongue.

Because the Spirit of Prophecy links up the idea of an image to the beast with the idea of a universal creed, which then becomes enforced. “Charles Beecher, in a sermon in the year 1846, declared that the ministry of ‘the evangelical Protestant denominations’ is ‘not only formed all the way up under a tremendous pressure of merely human fear, but they live, and move, and breathe in a state of things radically corrupt, and appealing every hour to every baser element of their nature to hush up the truth, and bow the knee to the power of apostasy. Was not this the way things went with Rome? Are we not living her life over again? And what do we see just ahead? Another general council! A world’s convention! Evangelical alliance, and universal creed!’—Sermon on ‘The Bible a Sufficient Creed,’ delivered at Fort Wayne, Indiana, February 22, 1846. When this shall be gained, then, in the effort to secure complete uniformity, it will be only a step to the resort to force.” The Great Controversy, 444.

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has formed such a creed. How do we know? Because they come into our churches and disfellowship us, not with the Bible, but with a little red book. They open that book, The Church Manual, and if you are not in harmony with the things written in that book, you are going to be disfellowshipped. If you can be disfellowshipped on the basis of that book, it is a creed.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that all these things are separating them from God, and we cannot go back into the organized church without the risk of losing our souls. We tried to stay in it as long as we could. For years we did everything we could think of, until my brother said, “I cannot violate my conscience.” Then we were separated.

Ellen White tells us what is going to happen, and it is very encouraging. It helps us understand what is going on right now and what is going to happen in the future. “As the last conflict with Satan will be the most decisive, the most deceptive and terrible that has ever been, so also will his overthrow be the most complete.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 317. I want to tell you, friends, the Three Angels’ Messages are going to triumph! We must stick with them and keep proclaiming them. We must keep telling the people. The people are judgment bound, and if we do not share this message with them, they will not be able to choose to save their souls. The Three Angels’ Messages are going to overthrow the whole government of Satan.

I want to be on the Lord’s side in this final controversy, how about you? It does not matter whether or not you are few or many. Look at Gideon’s 300; they took on an army of 120,000. (See Judges 7, 8.) Moses said, “Two of you will put to flight ten thousand.” (See Deuteronomy 32:30.) Do not worry about numbers. Actually, a few people who are fully converted are 100 times more powerful than a large group that is half converted.

Such a Time as This

Why do we exist? Oh, the Lord put us where we are for such a time as this. Are you going to be faithful to your calling? Will you say, “Lord, By your grace, if I am the only believer in this area, I am going to get the Three Angels’ Messages out, so the people have a chance to be saved.” The judgments are coming! We need to warn the people. If we are faithful, when the Three Angels’ Messages triumph, we will triumph with them.

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry 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.

Where God Is Working

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The third chapter of 1 Corinthians is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books in the New Testament. It is really one of the great books in the Bible about who and what the church is. Verse 2 of the first chapter says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . .” We see that the church in Corinth were those people in that city who were sanctified in Christ Jesus.

One of the most astounding verses in the entire Bible is found in the third chapter. In fact, verse 9 was the verse that my brother Marshall used for his very last sermon. It says, “For we are God’s fellow workers.”

If you study the Spirit of Prophecy writings carefully, you will find out that this was one of Ellen White’s favorite verses and that she used it over and over again to show how we become workers together with God. There is no higher privilege that any person could have than to actually be a fellow laborer, a fellow worker with God!

Where Is God Working?

If you want to be a fellow worker with God, do you think it might be important for you to find out where God is working? Ever since the beginning of time, God has been working. The inspired writings always focus the attention on where God is working.

When I studied ancient history, I found out that there were many things going on during Abraham’s time, but inspiration does not go into any of that. It focuses all the attention on where God is working. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you need to find out where God is working.

Even though Adam had many children, inspiration focuses only on a holy line of men through whom God was working. Seth had a son named Enos, and in his time, the Bible says that men began to call on the name of the Lord. That is where God was working. Then, in the seventh generation from Adam, Enoch was born. That is where God was working, and the people who chose to be fellow workers with God worked in cooperation with Enoch. After Enoch, there was Noah, and if you had been living in Noah’s time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, you would have been working with Noah.

By the time there had been 20 generations, the whole world had already rejected God twice. God looked over the world, and he found a man whose name was Abraham. He said to Abraham, “I am going to fulfill the plan of salvation through you and through your seed [Christ].” (See Genesis 12:3, 7; Galatians 3:8, 16.)

Conditional Promises

As you study the Bible record, you will find a certain characteristic in common among all those through whom God was working. In speaking of Abraham, God clearly identified what it is that qualifies a person to be a co-laborer with Him. “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient.

At the time that God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He made them a wonderful promise: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth [is] Mine.” Exodus 19:5.

Did this promise have conditions? God made a covenant with them. He said, “If you do this, I will do this for you; you will be My special people.” There have always been conditions.

Have you ever heard people say that there are unconditional promises? I decided to check this out in inspired writings, and when I looked in the writings of Ellen White, she says that all of God’s promises and threatenings are conditional. (See Evangelism, 695.) Do not let anyone tell you, unless they can show you from inspired writings, that any promise is unconditional.

Consequences of Disobedience

Israel wandered in the wilderness for 38 years longer than they had to because they were not obedient, and they rebelled. Finally, when they entered Canaan, they went into apostasy again and started worshiping idols. This went on for hundreds of years. During this time, the tabernacle was still with them, and they kept the yearly feast days.

Do you know where the tabernacle was located during all the period of the judges? It was located in Shiloh, in the land of Ephraim. Many people have almost forgotten that Ephraim was the center of divine worship for over three hundred years. The people of that time thought that it would always be that way. Look what it says about this in the Psalms. “Moreover He rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.” Psalm 78:67, 68.

Why did God reject Ephraim and remove the tabernacle from Shiloh? “The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli’s house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 514

The leaders of God’s people fell into apsotasy and sin. As a result, the Lord told Eli, “You are not going to be a priest for Me. Your descendants are not going to be My priests forever.”

They were descendants of Aaron—God’s people, but the Lord said, “You are no longer going to be priests.” He rejected Ephraim as the religious center—something that they thought could not happen, happened. “The sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance. There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood. Long afterward its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem.” Ibid.

A few hundred years later the people of Jerusalem thought the same thing. The temple there was the center of divine worship, and they believed that this was where God was working. Hundreds of years after the worship had been transferred from Shiloh, the Lord, through Jeremiah, said: “ ‘Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and [then] come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations”? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen [it],’ says the Lord. ‘But go now to My place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because you have done all these works,’ says the Lord, ‘and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren—the whole posterity of Ephraim.’ ” Jeremiah 7:9–15.

As you look at history, you see that God cannot work with people who are living in sin. If you want to be a fellow worker with God, you cannot link up and work with people who are living and working in sin. With God, character is what counts, and God is working with people who listen to His voice and who obey.

We are told of Israel: “Their calamities did not come because they kept the law of God, but because they disregarded that law. God had told them that if they did not obey His commandments, He could not keep His covenant with them. The history of the Israelites is portrayed for our warning. They had great light and exalted privileges; yet they did not live up to that light nor appreciate their advantages, and their light became darkness. They walked in the light of their own eyes, instead of following the leadings of God. Their history is given for the benefit of those who live in these last days, that we may avoid following the same example of unbelief.” The Signs of the Times, July 19, 1899.

Working Through His Son

Where was God working in the time of Jesus? When Jesus was brought to the temple to be dedicated, Ellen White says that the priest did not recognize anything unusual. Commenting on this experience, she says, “So it is still. Events upon which the attention of all heaven is centered are undiscerned, their very occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and worshipers in the house of God.” The Desire of Ages, 56.

The attention of all heaven was focused on Christ’s birth! And down here in this world the people who claimed to be God’s true people did not even know it had taken place. How could you be a laborer together with God if you did not even know where God was working?

So, during the time when Jesus was here, where was God working? God was working through His Son to bring salvation to a lost world. If you had wanted to be a laborer together with God, you had to connect yourself with Jesus and work with Him.

Be Not Deceived

The New Testament writers predict that a terrible change is going to take place among those who profess to be Christians. Paul speaks, addressing the elders from the church of Ephesus: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves [church leaders] men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Acts 20:28–30.

Speaking of this same great apostasy, Paul wrote: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for [that Day (the day of Christ) will not come] unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 11 Thessalonians 2:3, 4.

Peter talked about this apostasy, too. “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, [and] bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” 11 Peter 2:1, 2. [Emphasis supplied.] The word blasphemy means to speak evil of something. As a result of this new teaching, the real way of truth will be evil spoken of.

Notice that both Peter and Paul say that false prophets will secretly bring in destructive heresies. Whenever you find a book that is written to which the authors do not want to put their name, you ought to remember these texts.

Paul identifies this element as the mystery of lawlessness. This apostasy will, therefore, involve the breaking of God’s law and result in the way of truth being evil spoken of. Did this happen?

Keeping His Law

“The history of God’s people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome’s supremacy is written in heaven, but they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, she sought to destroy. . . . Before the invention of printing, books were few in number, and in a form not favorable for preservation; therefore there was little to prevent the Romanists from carrying out their purpose.” The Great Controversy, 61, 62.

If you were living in that time and you wanted to be a fellow worker with God, it made all the difference in the world whether or not you understood that God was working with people who were keeping His Law. If you did not understand this principle, you could not be a fellow laborer with God. Do you realize, friends, that there have been millions of people who have believed that they were working with the Lord but who were working with the devil the whole time?

We find that all of the sixteenth century Reformers upheld God’s Law. They did not all understand the binding claims of the fourth commandment, but they did not reject it. There is a great difference between not understanding truth and rejecting it. Martin Luther preached a great deal on the Ten Commandments and believed in them. God was leading a people on step by step.

Today’s Work

When you study sacred history, you find that in the latter part of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth century, simultaneously, all over the world, God started raising up people from all the various Christian churches with the message that Jesus was coming soon. The great second advent movement emerged. We are not able in our limited space here to go into detail about what happened in the second advent movement, but out of that movement there was a group of people that eventually formed who were called Millerites, Adventists, and later Seventh-day Adventists.

As this group studied, they discovered the messages of the three angels of Revelation 14. Having learned the meaning of the sanctuary message in the books of Hebrews and Daniel, they realized that the Day of Judgment was to begin on October 22, 1844. This is not a message that the apostle Paul preached, because it would not have been true during his lifetime. The apostle Paul taught that the judgment was still in the future. (See Acts 24:25.) Martin Luther did not preach it either. But here is a message that the hour of God’s judgment has come. You cannot preach that the hour of God’s judgment has come unless you know it has started. But how do we know for sure that it has started? There is only one way that I know of that we know that the hour of God’s judgment has started and that is from Daniel 8 and 9.

Now, do you understand why the devil has made our understanding of Daniel 8 and 9 a focal point of attack? If he can destroy a person’s confidence in that truth, that person can no longer preach the first angel’s message. And remember, the second and third angels’ messages are built upon the first. You cannot preach the third unless you preach the second, and you cannot preach the second unless you preach the first. And if you do not understand Daniel 8:14 about the 2300 days, you are no longer a Seventh-day Adventist.

Where is God working today? God is working today with the people who are proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages. That is where God is working today. If you want to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to join up with the people who are doing this.

Let me ask you this question. How can you preach the second angel’s message if you do not know who Babylon is according to Revelation 18:1–5? In order to be a fellow laborer with God today, you have to know this message.

The third angel’s message is a warning against the beast, his image, and his mark. Notice how the message concludes. “Here is the patience of the saints; here [are] those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. If you are not even sure that you can really keep the commandments of God, how can you be a fellow laborer with God and preach Revelation 14:12? Have you noticed that it does not say that here are those who are trying to keep the commandments? It says they keep them. You cannot be a fellow laborer with God and be involved in His last work for the world if you cannot proclaim the message, and you certainly cannot proclaim the message if you do not believe it is true. Do you see how dangerous this idea is when people say that you are going to keep sinning until Jesus comes?

If you want to know where God is working, the first thing you want to look for is a group of Seventh-day Adventists who really keep the commandments and do not play around and say, “Well, we are doing the best we can.” Listen, friends, the best you can do is not good enough, unless you are keeping the commandments by the power of God. If you give your life to the Lord, He has the power to give you so that you can keep them. If you fail to keep them, when Jesus comes He will be able to show you millions of people who had the same besetting sins that you had, and He will say, “I gave all of these people power to overcome.” What are you going to say then? I want to tell you, you are going to be speechless.

Four Characteristics

The people described in Revelation 12:17 not only keep the commandments but they have the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 19:10 says that the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen White fulfilled this prophecy of giving the gift of prophecy to God’s remnant people. If you want to find the people who God is working through, you want to look for a people who have, believe, and obey the Spirit of Prophecy. That eliminates the large portion of those who make a profession of waiting for the Lord to come.

Revelation 14:12 points out that God’s people not only keep the commandments but they have the faith of Jesus. You will never find somebody who has the first qualification and does not have the third one, because you cannot keep the commandments unless you do have the faith of Jesus. People who have the faith of Jesus will be a sanctified people.

There is another characteristic that, unfortunately, disqualifies many that qualify according to the first three characteristics. Revelation 14:6 tells us that God’s last people will be giving His last message to the world. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.” If you want to find the people through whom God is working and if you want to be a fellow laborer with God, you need to find the people who are determined to take the Three Angels’ Messages to every single person in the world.

When you find those people, you will know what group to work with; you will know how to be a co-laborer with God, because that is where God is working. He is working with the people who have these four characteristics: they keep his commandments; they have the spirit of prophecy and live by it; they have the faith of Jesus; and they are taking the gospel to every single person in the whole world.

No Halfway Business

The catastrophe that I see taking place in Adventism today is that the great majority of Adventists are going to destruction, and when I try to warn them, they say, “You say that we are in total apostasy.” Looking at the destruction of Jerusalem, we get just a little idea of what is ahead for Adventism. The only way that you are going to avoid being part of that destruction is if you are a coworker with God, working where God is working, obedient to His Law.

The gospel is not a halfway business. Either you have to get into it all the way, or you might as well get out. Soon time will be no more, and when it is all over, I want to know that I have given it everything I have. I want all of my money, my time, my talents, everything I have, to be used in the finishing of God’s work. How about you?

This article is reprinted from LandMarks, January 1994.

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life Ministry 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.

Shaken, Sifted, Settled, and Sealed, Part I

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It is sad to consider, but do you know that most Seventh-day Adventists will be lost? The reason is simple and yet painful to realize—we are making the same mistakes of the past. History is repeating itself. The reason most Seventh-day Adventists will be lost is because they know not the time of their visitation and will not take God at His Word.

The Straight and Narrow

Early in the experience of Ellen G. White, the Lord gave her an impressive dream, which describes what the future holds for the Seventh-day Adventist movement, particularly for the individuals who make a profession of it. Over 150 years ago, this vision was shown to this modern-day prophet for our admonition. (See Early Writings, 14–20.)

She shares with us that she saw a straight and narrow path, which had been cast up above the world. It was on this path that the Adventist people were traveling. The path is straight because God is straight, and His teachings (doctrines) do not deviate, neither can they be compromised. Also, the path is narrow, as the Bible said it would be—few would find it. This would not be a path where you would find the crowds and the pollution of popular opinion. You would find, rather, the purity of God’s calm assurance and trustworthy Word and the few who had learned to place their total trust in God.

There was a bright light—the midnight cry—illuminating the way for those traveling this path. This cry is “behold the bridegroom cometh” and He is none other than Jesus, Himself. In the vision, this light was given so the travelers would not stumble or, in other words, be caught unawares or deceived.

All in the group who kept their eyes on Jesus would be safe and sure-footed on the path. It was not long, though, before some grew tired of the rules and restrictions—the confines of the path. The journey seemed like it was taking longer than it should; some grew impatient. Remember what Jesus said: “Here is the patience of the saints.” Revelation 14:12. This is one of the identifying marks of the remnant.

Every so often the Lord Jesus would raise His right arm and shine light on the company of travelers, giving them encouragement. But those who were becoming impatient and weary would dismiss this encouragement and claim that God would not have led this company out so far.

There is an alarming amount of liberalism in the Adventist ranks today, which is not only being tolerated in the movement but is actually promoted by many who claim to be true leaders. They make the claim that God has not called the Seventh-day Adventist people to be a peculiar people. They may not say it in these exact words, knowing that could be detrimental to their influence with some, but they say it in so many other ways. This liberalism is not the freedom of living completely in the Lord but rather living almost in, if not completely in, the world while still believing that we are in a saved condition. Brothers and sisters, this will never be.

Darkness

In the vision, we are told that the Lord finally turned off the guiding light to the above group of liberals, and they stumbled and fell off the path into the dark and wicked world below. We have a tendency to think that if this group falls off the path, back into the world of wickedness and darkness, that there will be some kind of mass exodus out of the church organization. Many are looking for that as some sort of sign. The Lord has not given us minute details about every particular in the end, but I ask, When the professed people of God killed His Son, how many people left the faith? How many people walked out of the synagogue—the church structure? The answers for these two questions are very different!

The point is that people can leave the faith without necessarily leaving the building! Please do not miss this point. The Lord counsels us to buy the eyesalve for the purpose of discerning these very things. (Revelation 3:18.) This is vital in our understanding the process of shaken, sifted, settled, and sealed.

College of Christ

On this path, we find the final schooling for a people being fitted for an immortal life with their Heavenly Father and His Son. This path represents the College of Christ—the School of Higher Learning. The students in this class who do not get cut from the roster will go on to character perfection and will end up perfectly reflecting the character of their Holy Teacher. Those delinquents who cut class or show no real interest in the lessons will not graduate but will flunk the eternal test of faith. They will not possess the other identifying mark of the remnant, which is the faith of Jesus Christ. What we need to understand is that there are no grades of A, B, C, D, or F in this school. We either pass or fail! We either make it or we do not!

We are living in this time of winnowing right now! This process started back in the days when Mrs. White was yet alive, but we are about to enter into the final exam stage. We are in the middle of the process of being shaken, sifted, settled, and sealed in its strongest sense right this moment!

Shaking Period

The final process begins with the shaking period. Mrs. White said the mighty shaking had commenced in her day and that it would continue: “The mighty shaking has commenced and will go on, and all will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth and to sacrifice for God and His cause.” Early Writings, 50.

It would be to our great advantage to analyze this statement. Notice that the Lord says that “all will be shaken out.” It does not say that all might be shaken out. It is vital that we understand that if we do not make it a matter of life or death to enter into the Lord’s leading in this process, we will be shaken out. There will not be a neutral group or anyone slipping under the door. If you are not in the program, you are out of the graduating class!

Bold and Unyielding

Just as important as understanding the surety and certainty of the in or out fact is recognizing the makeup of the characters of those in the respective groups. “All will be shaken out who are not willing to take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth.”

A simple question will demonstrate the seriousness of this: How many people do you know—and it is extremely important that you include yourself in the answer—who take a bold and unyielding stand for the truth? Of course, you cannot possibly know the exact number of those who do, but your answer should be a pretty good indicator of the enormous trouble we are in as a people.

We must understand the moment of time through which we are passing. This will be our last and only chance to take to heart the Lord’s process of perfecting character. And that is exactly what He wishes us to do. Those who realize that this process has already started and those who truly desire to be a part of God’s Holy kingdom will enter into the process of refinement.

Why do most Adventists not make this choice for life when they have heard how important it is? How in the world can people allow this last bit of time to escape, knowing that a day of immense trouble is on the horizon?

“The ‘time of trouble, such as never was,’ is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God.” The Great Controversy, 622.

Why does it say that many would not make it through to the end? Simply because they were too indolent (lazy) to obtain the experience they needed. What is the experience of which Mrs. White speaks, and why are people too lazy?

Practical Godliness

“Many of our ministers in their discourses dwell too largely upon theory and not enough on practical godliness. They have an intellectual knowledge of the truth, but their hearts are untouched with the genuine fervor of the love of Christ. Many have gained by the study of our publications a knowledge of the arguments that sustain the truth, but they have not become Bible students for themselves. They are not constantly seeking for a deeper and more thorough knowledge of the plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 158.

“Practical godliness must be learned. Those who study and practice the teachings of Christ will gain an essential education in Bible knowledge. By the standard of the word of God every teacher will one day be measured by the greatest Teacher this world ever knew. Belief in the grand truths He presented will work a reformation in all who truly receive them.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 362.

Then Mrs. White speaks specifically of those who attend the schools of theology:

“Many have gone to Battle Creek to obtain an education who could have been better instructed in their own country. Time has been lost, money has been needlessly expended, a work has been left undone, and souls have been lost, because of the miscalculations of those who thought they were serving God. The Lord lives, and His Holy Spirit presides everywhere. The impression must not prevail that Battle Creek is the Jerusalem of the world, and that all must go up there to worship. Those who desire to learn, and who make every possible effort to acquire knowledge, walking conscientiously in the light of the truth, need not journey to Battle Creek. God is our teacher; and those who would improve their talents where they are, will be blessed with teachers sent of God to instruct them,—teachers who have been preparing to do a work for the Master. To spend more time, to expend more money, is to do worse than to lose it; for those who seek to obtain an education at the expense of practical godliness are on the losing side. That which they acquire in educational lines during the time when they should have entered upon the work, is mere waste and loss.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 365.

Especially in the crisis in which we find ourselves today, the preceding counsel has increased in value.

What is this practical Godliness that is being spoken of? The following quotation will help our understanding.

“Your light shining in your business life, exhibiting the power of practical godliness, is worth vastly more to all with whom you come in contact than sermons or creeds. . . . What you say in the church is not of half as much consequence as what you do in your daily business.” Our High Calling, 225.

All-powerful God

This is the essence of what practical Godliness is! It means placing the values of eternal origin into your daily life. It means having the living faith that believes enough to do what the Lord asks in all situations—to go or not to go, as the Lord directs, and to make all decisions based on what the Lord would have you to do. It means exercising the spiritual power extended by God in your life so you choose not to be overcome. You place your will squarely on the side of the all-powerful God, and you become an overcomer, which is also an identifying mark of the remnant. This is what practical Godliness is all about, and it is this believer only who will pass the litmus test of the shaking.

Even as one who chose not to follow the Lord in my earlier days, I always knew it was the height of stupidity to say that one believed in an all-powerful God and, at the same time, claim they could not overcome sin. Here is why: The only reason for not becoming an overcomer is because we want to sin more than we want to overcome!

If one believes in an all-powerful God, Who literally holds the universe together moment by moment, then he or she also has to believe that He created Lucifer. The Christians I know have always claimed to believe in the Word of God, and therein we find that God will destroy Lucifer in the end for his rebellion. What utterly amazes me is that most people want others to believe that this all-powerful God, Who holds countless worlds in space, somehow does not have the power to help them overcome the sin in their lives! What a contradiction! That is as ludicrous as throwing away the fourth commandment, because we wish to do something else other than follow God’s Word. And that is the real problem—not God’s inability to supply the power. The only reason for not becoming an overcomer is because we want to sin more than we want to overcome!

Striving Against Sin

Either God is the Sovereign of the universe, or He is not! Either He is all-powerful, or He is not! If these people really understand what they are saying, when they claim in so many ways that God cannot overcome our enemy, what makes them think that when Jesus comes back He will be strong enough to overpower that same enemy to take His people home?

Rightly understood, to claim that God cannot overcome sin in the life is to disclaim that He is actually the all-powerful God. What is many times worse is that in His place, knowingly or not, these same people make Lucifer the one who becomes all-powerful because they make him more powerful than God. They make Satan their god just as he claimed he would make himself—and so he is in the life that refuses to overcome.

The reason why most will not become overcomers is simple and something we should all strive to understand right now. If you are anything like me, you have certain areas in your life which are more difficult to lay aside than others. How do we enter into the winner’s circle in these areas? Why do we continue to struggle? We find our answer in God’s Holy Word. “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Hebrews 12:4.

In these brief words are the blessings we should be seeking in this time of shaking. Here is found the key that opens the door to a higher plateau of experience and the essential knowledge of practical Christian living. But what do these words really mean?

Undoubtedly many will say, “I have been trying for years and I am still in the mess I have always been in.” But this verse means more than just trying, for it is true that all our trying will be nothing more than frustration and a deep sense of failure and discouragement. The verse goes much deeper in experience than just trying. The word resist means to sit down against or to stand firm against. The other word we want to briefly look at is striving, which means to struggle against, to box, fight, to war, or to wrestle with. And that is what makes this verse so important.

To be continued November 2004 . . .

[All emphasis supplied.]

Cathy Summers Timmons, a Steps to Life staff member and a member of LandMarks’ editorial staff, writes from her home in Wichita, Kansas. She may be contacted by e-mail at: cathytimmons@stepstolife.org.

Shaken In or Shaken Out

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In These days, we hear shocking news about prisoner abuses, same-sex marriages, and homosexuals being ordained as ministers, to say nothing of the many other immoral acts that are going on in our society. What a sad mess! We are experiencing war, terrorism, and political fraud. It all adds up to one thing—this world is becoming an unfit place in which to live!

But praise God! He knew all these things would take place, and He has made provision for His faithful children. He knew how mixed up this world would be, that it would be difficult to tell truth from error. It is recorded by inspiration that, “As we near the end of time, falsehood will be so mingled with truth, that only those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit will be able to distinguish truth from error. We need to make every effort to keep the way of the Lord. We must in no case turn from His guidance to put our trust in man.” God’s Amazing Grace, 201. And then, we read in Maranatha, 156,

“So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.”

The Greatest Event

We are living in an unfortunate age, but at the same time, we are highly privileged. Just think, if we are faithful, we will have the privilege of seeing Jesus come in the clouds of heaven, which will be the greatest event that has ever happened in the universe. No other generation has had such a privileged blessing. The closest thing to it was Christ’s first coming, but even when His people were able to see the character of God demonstrated in His daily life, they did not recognize Him as their God.

As we draw closer to the greatest event that will ever take place in the universe, astounding things are happening all around us. Human beings are being separated into two groups: those who are following the lovely Jesus and those who are following the hateful Satan. As each group follows its leader, the people become more and more like that leader.

God has given us the power of choice. But once we start on the path of our choosing and proceed farther and farther along with the leader of our choice, we will soon act out all our beliefs and intents. It will be easy to recognize the fruit that is being produced.

Hopefully, in this article, as we review some of the events that are taking place among our brethren, it will bring us to our knees to ask for wisdom to help us in always choosing the right leader. These events are not recorded for us to criticize or to make fun of, but to alert us as to the signs of the times that tell us of Jesus’ soon coming.

The distinguishing characteristics of each group are being acted out in reality. The wonderful thing is that we have the privilege of choosing whom we will serve. The Bible says, in Joshua 24:15, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” We are living in the time when we can choose, but the day is coming when our characters will be fixed and the choosing time will be over. We will live or die from the choices we have made.

What Is to Come

Before we begin looking at a few of the events that are taking place among our brethren in various locations at home and abroad, I think it would be beneficial for us to go over some of the texts in the Bible that may help us to understand what is really going to take place in the near future.

In Ezekiel 34:12 we read, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep [that are] scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Then, in Jeremiah 23:2, we read, “Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.” And Isaiah 18:7 says, “In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.”

This is only a sampling of the many texts found in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and in the Minor Prophets that mention a scattered and oppressed people. It would be profitable to make a study of the Lord’s Second Coming to see who will be His people and from where He will find His subjects who will make up His kingdom. We need to know whom the Lord is coming to redeem.

Scattered and Peeled

As the Lord gathers a scattered flock and people who have been peeled, where do you suppose He will find such people? Do you suppose they will be sitting on padded pews in a plush church building, or might it be that they will have been forced out of the church, becoming scattered and peeled?

There are several statements in the Spirit of Prophecy concerning the situation that now exists. Here is just one of them: “We have far more to fear from within than from without. The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world. Unbelievers have a right to expect that those who profess to be keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will do more than any other class to promote and honor, by their consistent lives, by their godly example and their active influence, the cause which they represent. But how often have the professed advocates of the truth proved the greatest obstacle to its advancement! The unbelief indulged, the doubts expressed, the darkness cherished, encourage the presence of evil angels, and open the way for the accomplishment of Satan’s devices.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 122.

We have been repeatedly saddened by the number of faithful Seventh-day Adventist people being forced out of the churches and disfellowshipped because they firmly stood for principles that are founded on the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. At first, there was only one here and one there, and we encouraged each one to remain faithful to their conscience. Today, it has become quite prevalent. We still say, “Stand fast for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.”

Now we have heard of one whole church being disbanded and the members being disfellowshipped. We have also learned of even one whole conference being disbanded. I ask myself the question, Who is on the Lord’s side—the ones on the inside or the ones on the outside?

Which Ship?

I am well aware that there are offshoots and that every wind of doctrine is blowing. I hear the oft repeated statement, “Stay with the ship; it is going through.” However, I also know of the statement that says that not one pin of the first, second, and third angel’s message is to be moved. “Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of these messages. The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.” Early Writings, 258, 259.

I do have a question, though. Which ship is going through? Is it one with worm-eaten planks? “Men may have excellent gifts, good ability, splendid qualifications; but one defect, one secret sin indulged, will prove to the character what the worm-eaten plank does to the ship—utter disaster and ruin!” Testimonies, vol. 4, 90.

I think of the oft quoted statement that Ellen White wrote, which is recorded in the book Upward Look, 315: “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” May I ask, Who are the people who are keeping the commandments—not just talking about them, but practicing them in their homes and in their churches and in their businesses?

Churches Destroyed

Recently, we have learned of more than one instance where the structured Seventh-day Adventist Church has taken it upon themselves to destroy church buildings. In one place, they employed a mob to club down the windows and destroy the roof of a church in which some independent Seventh-day Adventist people were worshiping. In another location, people entered the church building, knocked holes in its walls, and even took a jackhammer and tried to destroy the floor. I ask the question, Which leader do you suppose people are following who do such things as destroying churches?

Not only are they destroying churches, but they also are attempting to destroy the reputations of the people who attend these churches. It is strange; they will do many questionable things to keep peace with the Catholic Church, but they will tear down a church where people are keeping the Law of God.

There are many more very shocking instances that could be cited; however, if you throw a straw into the river, you can tell which way the water is flowing just as well as if you throw a log into the river. So I choose to only throw in a straw, so to speak. I would rather not list all of the atrocities that are being done.

The Shaking

With members being disfellow-shipped and churches being disbanded, I hear it said that we are in the time of the shaking. I truly agree with that, for I read, “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths.” Upward Look, 356.

Will History Repeat?

Let us look at a few Spirit of Prophecy quotes that may help us as we think about what is happening. Is the church going to be purified as it was in the days of Jesus and the apostles? The Jewish church did fall, and Jerusalem was destroyed, but Christ’s church went right on through. It was the people who had been disfellowshipped who became the true church. Could it happen again?

“Write in a book the things which thou hast seen and heard, and let it go to all people; for the time is at hand when past history will be repeated.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 113.

“How did men treat Christ when He came? . . . ‘He came unto his own, and his own received him not’ (John 1:11). Thus it is today. This history is being repeated, and will be repeated again and again before the Lord shall come in the clouds of heaven. The deceptions of Satan will be upon those who dwell on the earth. . . .

“ ‘But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. . . .’ After fitting up this world as the dwelling place of man, God looked upon it, and rejoiced in it, pronouncing it very good. So He will accept of and rejoice in the reformation wrought out by those who, receiving Christ as their Saviour, have obtained power to become the sons of God. . . .” That I May Know Him, 54.

“We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people on every side. Intensity is taking possession of the human family. It is permeating everything upon the earth.” Review and Herald, August 31, 1897.

“There is a spirit of desperation, of war and bloodshed, and that spirit will increase until the very close of time. Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads,—it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so they cannot be moved,—just as soon as God’s people are sealed and prepared for the shaking, it will come. Indeed, it has begun already; the judgments of God are now upon the land, to give us warning, that we may know what is coming.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 249, 250.

“In history and prophecy the Word of God portrays the long continued conflict between truth and error. That conflict is yet in progress. Those things which have been, will be repeated. Old controversies will be revived, and new theories will be continually arising. But God’s people, who in their belief and fulfillment of prophecy have acted a part in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angel’s messages, know where they stand. They have an experience that is more precious than fine gold. They are to stand firm as a rock, holding the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 109.

Out or In

May I ask the question, Are people being shaken out of the church, or are they being shaken into the church?

When Jesus was here on earth, He healed a blind man. And when the Pharisees learned of this healing and of his acceptance of Jesus, the Pharisees cast him out of the temple. Afterwards, when Jesus saw the man again, Jesus spoke to him, and the man worshiped Jesus. Who was really cast out?

Ruth Grosboll is an employee of Steps to Life. A retired, registered nurse, she worked for many years with her husband in the mission field. She may be contacted by e-mail at: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Seven Churches, Part I

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We are living in the last days of earth’s history. We can see the signs all around us. Everywhere we look there is an increase of knowledge, men running to and fro, and distress of nations. (Daniel 12:4; Luke 21:25.)

In the Bible, special books have been given for these last days—the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel. I like to preach from the Gospels more than from any other place, but when I preach to people who do not know the Lord, I usually preach from Daniel and Revelation about the prophecies of the end. Jesus specifically said we are to read and understand Daniel, the only book He mentions by name. (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14.) Revelation is the only book in the Bible that begins with a special blessing upon those who hear and understand. Certainly there is a message in these books for those who do not know the Lord, but there is also a special message in them for God’s people. We need to better understand them. We are told that if we understand these books, a revival will come.

As one who had a deep knowledge of the Scriptures wrote, “Those who eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God will bring from the books of Daniel and Revelation truth that is inspired by the Holy Spirit. They will start into action forces that cannot be repressed.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 116.

Before Jesus comes, there is going to go forth a message that will cut through prejudice, break through barriers, and reach the hearts and ears of all the people of the world.

We are told, in Revelation 14, that the Gospel will go to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. Of course, not all will respond. Not all will surrender, because it requires a humbling of self and an infilling of Jesus and His Spirit. Not all are willing for that to happen. The Gospel, though, will go forth.

Child Preachers

Ellen White wrote that the “lips of children will be opened to proclaim the mysteries that have been hidden from the minds of men.” Ibid. In some countries, during the Protestant Reformation, when all the preachers were put in jail, 5- and 6-year-old children at times were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to preach from the Bible things that were beyond their understanding. I believe that the children the Holy Spirit used were children who loved the Lord, even though they did not understand all the things that they were preaching.

Some day God is going to use children in that way again, children who love the Lord. They may not understand everything in Revelation or Daniel or in the entire Bible, but God will be looking into their hearts. Young children can give their hearts to the Lord just as adults do. They can choose to serve the Lord. Jesus, when He was 12 years old, taught the priests and Pharisees in the temple for three days, until His mother found Him. He loved God and the Scriptures. This is the character we need to be developing today.

Quick Fulfillments

“We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession.” Ibid. Jesus said, in Matthew 24, that the time—referring to the last days—will be cut short, and we will see prophecies fulfilled. Many of these prophecies will be fulfilled in quick succession. We are going to see one event after another taking place rapidly.

Life is in a faster mode today than it was 20 years ago. If you were to look at the time span of 1869 to 1889, you would not see much change there. People thought there was a lot of change because many small inventions had resulted, but from 20 years ago until today there has been a revolution in technology. There has also been a revolution in the morality and the thinking of the people. In America, people are different today than they were 20 years ago. Some obvious differences are drugs, abortions, homosexuality and same-sex marriages, business fraud, and the programs dominating television.

In the last days, we are going to see not only things in the world speeding up but things in prophecy as well. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people.

Intensity Building

On every side, intensity is taking hold of the human family; it is permeating everything upon the earth. Intensity is taking hold of humanity, of country, of people, of family, and of industry. We are living in the last inning of the seventh game of the World Series, you might say. When you get to the last inning of the last game of the World Series, you do not hold anything back for another day. You do not rest a pitcher for tomorrow, for there is no tomorrow. You do not save someone who may have a sore shoulder so that they can be better for tomorrow’s game. You use whatever you have.

As we look back in history, we find that Satan has held certain forces in reserve. He does not want to show all of his cards at one time. He has some game plans, and he is willing to wait years and years in order to fulfill them. For instance, consider the French Revolution and the Communist Manifesto—the groundwork was laid but results were not immediate. The French Revolution in the 1700s was not successful, so the game plan went underground, and for over 100 years people labored at developing the communist system. Finally, in 1917, there was the Bolshevik Revolution, and communism was born. Satan waited and waited, but there is no waiting in the last days. The wait-ing is over. There is nothing to hold in reserve for tomorrow. As we get closer and closer to Jesus’ Second Coming, Satan is going to put everything he has on the line. God is going to do the same.

The great controversy between Christ and Satan will become more acute, both in the world and in God’s church. We will see the old controversy reviving, because there is no tomorrow. We are told the reason in Daniel 12:1: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” I praise God that His people are going to be delivered.

Intensity is taking hold of the human family. Every temptation that has ever been wrought to cause people to be lost is being repeated today—whether it is in the area of drugs or sensuality or music or activity of any kind. Every temptation will surround us in the last days. Whatever happened in Jesus’ day is going to be repeated again—the same prejudices. Whatever happened during the Dark Ages that worked for Satan, he will try again; the same controversies will be repeated.

Heathenism Increases

“As we near the close of time, there will be greater and still greater external parade of heathen power; heathen deities will manifest their signal power, and will exhibit themselves before the cities of the world.” Ibid., 117, 118.

Today, we are finding heathenism taking control of even Christian countries. The heathen system of astrology was used in the time of Daniel. (Daniel 2:10.) Today, over 60 million people in America read their horoscope every day. Do you suppose that over 60 million people read their Bibles every day?

We see today a movement that began developing in the 1960s. We may think it began slowly, but it was something that had been well planned—the Age of Aquarius. A song was even written about it. The New Age movement sprang upon the world. It is simply Buddhism and Hinduism. It is nothing else but heathenism.

Part and parcel of the New Age is reincarnation. When Satan has gained enough converts, he will also display his power. He is taking captive the people of the world. Many people of the world say that Christianity has not brought desired results; Westernism has been ineffective; and they will turn to India or Tibet or Burma thinking that these heathen beliefs have worked there. I do not know why they would think that is so. My dad was a missionary in Burma and in India. Conditions are desperate there. Go and see how they live! Oh, it has left its mark, because they teach people not to worry about the sufferings of others, to just get into some kind of trance and you will not worry about being hungry or anything anymore—you can live with your suffering.

A Real Foe

In the last days, we are going to see Satan. Ministers do not like to preach about Satan. You do not hear much about Satan anymore, but Jesus spoke of Satan often in the Gospels. Satan was and is a real foe, and we need to know whom it is we are fighting.

Satan is going to pull out all the stops. Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusions that will take the world captive. By the Bible testimonies, these will detect the deceiver in his disguises. To all, the testing time will come. By resisting deceptive temptations, the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God so firmly established upon His Word that they will not yield to their carnal senses? Will they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way and tangle them with earthly treasure, causing them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden.

Daily Study

Are we allowing anything to keep us from the study of God’s Word? Do we know the Bible, or is it gathering dust? Seventh-day Adventists have been known as the people of the Book. The Seventh-day Adventist Church was started through the diligent study of the Bible. All of its beliefs are based upon the Bible. Protestants used to be known as people of the Book, but until about the 1920s, members of the Catholic Church were taught not to study the Bible, that it was a sin. Now they are allowed to study the Bible, and I am so thankful for that.

It is easy to become involved in too many things or to allow one thing or another to occupy our time so that we do not find time for God’s Word. Have there not been times when you fully intended on spending time with the Bible and the phone rang and then something else happened and then the kids needed something and pretty soon the day was gone, and the Bible had never been opened? We need a greater determination than we have ever had before to make time spent studying the Bible our highest priority. Most of us, no matter how many interruptions come, find time to eat our breakfast or our dinner during the day. Even with phone calls and everything else, we find some time to eat.

If we have to choose between spiritual food and physical food, we would be better off to choose spiritual food, would we not? Every temptation, every trick, every deception that has ever been used is going to be tried again. Making and taking time to partake of spiritual food is the only way we are going to survive in the last days and be found among those whom the Bible calls the remnant—those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Daily study of God’s Word is the only way we are going to keep from being among those who think they are saved when they are not saved, as it says in Matthew 7:21–23—those who, when Jesus comes, are found to be followers of the beast when they think they are followers of the Lord. You see, Satan is a deceiver. People are not going to believe that they are followers of the beast. The Bible says that in the last days, all of the world will follow the beast, but no one is going to believe that it applies to him or her; they are all going to be deceived. (Revelation 13:3.) The only way we are going to keep from being deceived is by being students of the Bible, by studying it with humility and prayer, asking the Lord to lead us and guide us in our studies.

When the shaking comes, when the introduction of false theories is given, surface readers, anchored nowhere, will be as sifting sand. Daniel and Revelation must be studied, as well as the other prophecies of the Old and New Testaments.

“Let us give more time to the study of the Bible. We do not understand the word as we should. The Book of Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it contains. . . . When we as a people understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival.” Ibid., 113. What will the study of Daniel and Revelation do for us? It will cause a great revival.

I want to see a revival, do you? I want to see a revival in my heart, in my family, in my church. I want to see a revival, because if we do not have a revival, souls will be lost. Satan has a revival going, I guarantee you. He has all of his pegs lined up. We are too often sleeping, but he is not sleeping.

I have one great goal; being saved is not my greatest goal. That is a great goal, but that is probably my second goal. My great goal is to be saved with a few other people. I want to see all my family in heaven. I want to see everyone with whom I work in heaven. I want to see every member of my church in heaven. I do not want to see anyone deceived or lost. I know the only way that can happen is by revival. We are told revival will happen by the study of Revelation. At the very beginning of Revelation, God pronounced a blessing upon its study.

Seven Churches

John heard a voice behind him “saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send [it] to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.’ ” Revelation 1:11. These were seven churches that were in existence in John’s day. They were located in what we call Turkey, then known as Asia Minor.

These seven churches bore characteristics of various churches that would exist in all ages. We can find churches similar to each of these churches today. These seven churches characterize various periods of earth’s history.

What is a Church

As we think of these seven churches and the message that God has given to the church, perhaps we should first ask and answer the question, What is a church? To whom is God speaking? Sometimes God has a message for what the Bible calls the world—that is not my terminology; that is what the Bible calls it. The Bible talks about the world and the church, and sometimes it talks about the world getting into the church. The church is to be in the world, but the world is not to be in the church.

At times, the Bible talks about the world coming into the church, but the Bible uses the term world to be the carnal—the world that is under the carnal influence of fallen humanity that has not been regenerated or converted by the Word of God.

What does a church mean? The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means “called out.”

In Revelation 18:1 and 2, we read, “After these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen . . . .” Sometimes the Bible calls the world Babylon.

What does God say to His people in verse 4? “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people . . . .” The words come out are actually the word church, ekklesia, come out, called out. The church is simply those people who have been called out of Babylon and who are united in the family of Jesus Christ. The church is those who have heeded the invitation. We think of a church as an organized group of people, and certainly God wants His people to be organized. They were in the New Testament, and they were in the Old Testament. They will be when Jesus comes again, but the organization is not the church.

The church is those people who spiritually come out of the world. Jesus does not ask that they should be taken out of the world but that they be saved from the sins that are in the world. The church is those people that have come out of the world emotionally and spiritually.

Paul defines the church in 1 Corinthians 1:2: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints . . . .” He addresses the church as those who are living in Corinth who have been sanctified.

So, we have to ask ourselves, are we part of the church? Are we a part of the real church, the church of God that has been called out, that has been sanctified or called saints?

In Colossians 1:18, Paul said: “And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” The church is that group of people who uplift Jesus before the world, who make Jesus first. It is His hands and feet on earth that do good to others, that heal the sick, and that preach the Gospel; it is His mouthpiece on earth. The church is simply the body of Jesus to do His work. It is the tool in the hand of Jesus, but Jesus is to always remain preeminent.

In the Jewish day, the church became preeminent and God became secondary. The church became more important than God. When Jesus, Who was sent from God, came, He was God, too. He was from God and He was God, the Bible says. (See John 17:21.) When Jesus came, the church decided to preserve the church and to crucify Him. The church was more important than God.

When Jesus comes, God’s church is not going to be uplifting the church. They are going to be uplifting God. Jesus is to be preeminent.

To be continued November 2004 . . .

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

The Ship

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In preparing for this Week of Prayer series, we believe it is important, in this first presentation, to discuss the subject of who and what is the church. Many of us have perhaps already studied this topic, but we are going to look at it from a little different perspective. I believe this study focuses on the concept of the theme for this week, “What Will it Take to Stand in the Last Days?”

Seventh-day Adventists have always had a great appreciation for the Bible books of Daniel and Revelation, because these are books about prophecy. Prophecy has established us as a people. It has given us meaning. It has given us understanding concerning end-time events.

When the end times do come, they will bring the world into a crisis and then into the end of the world, as we know it. We as Seventh-day Adventists have studied and restudied Daniel and Revelation, and we have interpreted and reinterpreted these books until it would seem that there is nothing new to uncover. But in our study of Daniel and Revelation, I believe we have neglected other books that have great prophetic significance as well.

One such book is the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts deals with end-time events, perhaps not in the same scope nor with the same focus as the books of Daniel and Revelation, but each has a special message for us.

Normally, we do not view the Book of Acts as a book of apocalypse; we only view it as a history of the early Christian church. We see it recording the acts of the elders, the deacons, and the apostles, and unfurling events of how the early church got its start and grew under the power of the Holy Spirit. But in this study, I want to take you on a journey through a passage of Scripture that I believe has real prophetic significance to us. It is the generally accepted understanding that, as we study books of prophecy and get closer to the ends of those books of prophecy, they seem to have more relevance to us as a people. The closer we come to the end of the Book of Revelation, the closer we come to the end of time and its importance to us as a people. The same thing is true of the Book of Acts. With this in mind, we will look at the next to the last chapter in Acts, chapter 27. But before we begin, there is needed a bit of background setting.

Background

The setting for this portion of Scripture centers on Paul’s arrest and his arraignment before Agrippa. It is here that we have Agrippa’s famous statement to Paul: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:28. Paul’s response to Agrippa was, “I would to God, that not only you, but everyone who has heard me today, would be like me, except for these chains,” with which he was bound. (Verse 29.)

The testimony was that nobody was interested. Life seemed to have too much to offer. Why should they restrict themselves by becoming Christians? No, they were satisfied to continue on as they had been doing before. The question facing them now, though, was what were they going to do with this man—Paul? He had not committed any offense worthy of death. He had not killed anyone. He had not violated any law of which they knew. “Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.” Verse 32.

I will have to confess that I do not understand everything that God does, but there is one thing I do understand: God is working to try to save as many souls as He possibly can. How God arrives at certain points where all things come together, I do not claim to understand, because I have finite vision. God is able to see, through infinite eyes, how all these things can work together for good, but in my humanity, this I cannot always see. The route that God takes, many times, is not a route that man would take to arrive at a certain point to accomplish the same thing.

Here is Paul, at one time a criminal, but now he is a converted man whose only desire is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of this service, he has been brought into a set of circumstances resulting in his arrest and has been charged with crimes that some deemed worthy of death. I do not understand this, but God works in mysterious ways.

Currently, there are individuals enrolled in Steps to Life’s ministerial training course who are behind prison bars. Their one desire is to learn as much as they can, so when they are set free, they will be able to carry the gospel message to whomever they can. When we go through experiences such as this, God has promised to be with us. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5.)

Appeal Granted

This was not an easy time for Paul, but God was with him. You see, Paul was, in fact, a double prisoner. He was not only a prisoner of the state, but he was also a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. This event was allowed in Paul’s life so he could stand before the emperor and give testimony for his faith. God had a purpose. Paul appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar he would go.

Preparations for the trip were made. Paul, with over 200 other people, would make his way to Rome. “And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto [one] named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band. And entering into a ship of Adramyt-tium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; [one] Aristar-chus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.” Acts 27:1, 2. So Paul begins his journey by ship, with the idea that he is going to stand before the emperor and bring to him the gospel message.

Words of Bondage

Now, we are going to look at words that have been used to hold Seventh-day Adventists in bondage. These words, rightly understood, will free us, so we will be able to accomplish what God has called us to do. Verse 31 says, “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.”

This concept of the ship has been distorted; it has been twisted and made to say what is not in the teaching of this portion of Scripture. It has been used to scare people into submission, as they have been taught and repeatedly told that, except they abide in the ship, they cannot be saved. This has been used to frighten people from searching for the truth that would set them free.

The idea of the ship has been applied to the denomination, and this text has been interpreted to mean that unless we stay with denominational churches, we will never make it to heaven. I want to suggest to you that the ship is not the church. It never has been. We will see, as we study together, what the ship really is. It is imperative that we understand this, so we are not encumbered with haunting fear, and we can be free to move forward in God’s plan.

The Journey Begins

Now, we will return to the begin-ning of Acts 27 and analyze its message so we may better understand what is being said to us in these last days.

Verse 2 tells us that they boarded a ship of Adramyttium. This was a sturdy ship, known for its stability and its serviceability; plying the seas, it carried cargo safely to its destination. It was dependable. It had on board an experienced crew. The crew possessed wisdom, and when the weather and sea were threatening, they pulled into port so they and the ship were kept safe.

“And the next [day] we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave [him] liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, [a city] of Lycia.” Verses 3–5.

Contrary Winds

Any time you are in the service of the Lord, the winds will blow contrarily. At least three individuals on this boat had a mission for the Lord: Paul, Aristarchus, and Luke. Even though Luke does not mention himself by name, he speaks in the first person, so we know that he was there. The Bible says that the winds blew. You see, the devil did not want them to arrive safely at their destination. Remember, the ship was sound. This was a safe ship for them to be on—it was solid, it was seaworthy, and nothing is mentioned about it being leaky or having any problems that would cause difficulties.

Finally, they arrived at a city in Lycia. They could not go any further at that time, because contrary winds were blowing. But they were a long way from their destination.

Change Ships

Julius, the centurion, was in charge of the prisoners, and he had a decision to make. He could wait to complete his journey, staying on the same ship that they had originally taken, or he could make arrangements to secure another ship and continue on.

Verses 6–8 continue: “And there the centurion found a ship of Alex-andria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone; And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city [of] Lasea.”

This is where the story begins to take on meaning for us. They left the ship that was safe and sound and that would have carried them to their destination without any diffi-culty. We need to understand that fact! They left that ship, and they boarded another ship. Now consider this carefully. The centurion in charge of the trip was an agent of Rome. It was he that made the decision to put everyone on board another ship. It was a ship from Alexandria.

Alexandria

Alexandria was a city in the land of Egypt. The Bible has always used Egypt as a symbol for the land of sin, a place where the dragon dwells, a place known for idolatry and false doctrine. Alexandria was a metropolis of great learning. It had universities of higher education, and those with simpler educations could go there and be introduced to greater depths of philosophy, theories of knowledge, and critical study. That was what Alexandria was all about. It was a place where people could learn how to question their known truths. It was Alexandria and its universities that prepared the way for the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah at His first coming!

This came about as a result of the Babylonian captivity, where the Jewish nation had learned its lesson relative to the worshiping of false gods and idols. When they returned to their land, they determined never to be caught in that kind of situation again. They became so repulsed by the Gentiles and their worship of false gods that they would not even approach their neighbors to tell them about the soon-coming Messiah. It finally came to the place that if the shadow of someone who was unclean fell across them during the time of their special purification, they believed it made them unclean also. That is how much they were repulsed by the Gentile way of life.

Time Brings Change

But as time went on—and the progression of time is something we have to be cautious about, for time can change things—various groups developed within the nation of Israel. One group was very conservative—fundamental in its beliefs. They were known as Pharisees.

Whenever we discuss the Pharisees, there is a tendency for us to do so with disdain, because we do not like the Pharisees. They had their problems, to be sure, but it was the Pharisees who preserved what truth the church had in that day. They rejected all attempts to introduce new theology that was running rampant in those times. Do not think that the new theology is a new phenomenon. It has raged in every generation. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and he became a follower of Jesus. Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees, and he became a follower of Jesus. But, do you know that there is not one record of any kind or any historical documentation that a Sadducee ever became a follower of Jesus?

As time drew near to the birth of Jesus, a great persecution broke out upon the Pharisees. The persecution was so great that many of them were not only kicked out of their church offices and had their memberships taken away, but numerous ones paid the ultimate price with their lives, because they were standing for the truth that they understood and believed.

The Groups Differ

The other main party that formed in those days was the Sadducees. This group developed about the same time as the Pharisees. They were theologically similar, but there were some very major differences. The Sadducees came into being because those who were leading out in the Jewish denomination felt that the people, and those they were trying to win to the faith, could be better reached and served by an educated clergy. So certain ones were selected to go down to Alexandria in Egypt to receive the benefits of higher education. They went, and what they learned, they brought back to the nation of Judah and taught to others.

First, they learned liberal philosophies. Where the Pharisees were fundamental, the Sadducees were liberal. They learned what is today called “higher criticism,” and this led them to reject most of the Scripture. The only books that were acceptable, as far as they were concerned, were the five books of Moses.

The Pharisees were called “separatists”; they did not believe in being part of the world. They knew that they had to be in the world, but they did not get involved in all the trappings that came with it. They opted for traditions instead, and this is where they ran headlong into the teachings of Jesus.

Now, the Sadducees did not have any problem being a part of the world. They loved the world and all that it had to offer. They became involved with the politics of the day. They loved to rule. They had given up most of those characteristics that made them stand out from the other Jews. If you looked at a Pharisee, there was no question in your mind that here was a child of Israel. Not so with the Sadducees. The Sadducees wanted to look like everyone around them. They did not want to be peculiar.

Not being peculiar called for the Sadducees to give up certain fundamental doctrines for the new theology. This meant that they no longer believed in the resurrection of the dead. They did not believe in angels. They did not believe in devils. They did not believe in the punishment of those who were sinners. They were progressive. They were modernists in their thinking. The Sadducees were the ones in charge. They were holding offices in the church headquarters when Jesus began His ministry.

It was a Sadducee who, during a discussion, said, “It is better that one man die than the whole nation perish.” (John 11:50.) The Sadducees were thoroughly absorbed in their new theology, which they had learned in Alexandria, Egypt.

Prophetic Instruction

Returning to the journey of Paul and the prophetic instruction to us in these last days contained in the Book of Acts, the travelers changed ships under the direction of the leader of Rome. They boarded a ship from Alexandria, and after they were underway again, Luke records for us what was happening: “Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished [them], And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.” Acts 27:9, 10. This is very significant.

Paul respectfully goes to those in charge. Addressing them as “Sirs,” he told them that they were now on a ship that was going to cause damage to them; they were not going to come out of this trip without loss. Have you ever heard those kinds of voices before? Three things were going to be damaged—the cargo of the ship, the ship itself, and the lives of those on the ship.

Ship Defined

At this point, we need to define what is the ship. Many have tried to convince us that the ship is the denomination, and that if we will just stay with the denomination, we will sail right into the harbor with ease. Just stay with the ship. I would like to suggest to you, as I did earlier, that the ship is not the denomination at all. It is not the structure. It is not the General Conference. It is not the local conference. It has nothing to do with any structure of any kind. The ship is truth, pure and simple. Jesus is the Captain of the ship, and it is His truth that carries us along as a people.

Let me share with you some quotations from the Spirit of Prophecy, which should establish this more.

“God’s people must give to the world a representation of the character of God in Jesus Christ. The Christian churches are fast losing their knowledge of God. His character has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. But a message has come from God which must be proclaimed. The trumpet must give a certain sound. ‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to proclaim these things to the churches.’ [Revelation 22:16.] The truth, the revelation which Jesus gave to John, must be sounded forth everywhere. ‘Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ [Isaiah 40:9–11.]” The Signs of the Times, December 23, 1897.

“The only way in which men will be able to stand firm in the conflict, is to be rooted and grounded in Christ.” General Conference Daily Bulletin, January 28, 1893. Who is Jesus? He is the truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6.) The only way men will be able to stand in the last-day conflict is to be rooted and grounded in Christ. “They must receive the truth as it is in Jesus. And it is only as the truth is presented thus that it can meet the wants of the soul. The preaching of Christ crucified, Christ our righteousness, is what satisfies the soul’s hunger.” Ibid.

It is the truth, as it is in Jesus, that will carry us along in our experience of life as we go through the world. This is the only thing that makes any sense at all. We are not to depend upon anything in this world to carry us through. We are not to depend upon any person—nothing other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only One that is going to carry us through. He is the Truth. And the Truth will carry us through. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32.)

It is with this in mind that the next quotation, from the Review and Herald, September 20, 1892, makes any sense at all: “There is no need to doubt, to be fearful that the work will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and he will set everything in order.” Who is at the head of the work? God is! He will take care and set things in order. “If matters need adjusting at the head of the work, God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. Let us have faith.” Now, consider this very carefully! If you have only lightly read everything so far, concentrate on this: “Let us have faith that God is going to carry the noble ship which bears the people of God safely into port.”

The noble ship that bears the people of God is the truth. Nothing else can safely carry us into port. It is the truth, and when we begin to say that the ship is the denomination, we have missed the whole point of what inspiration is trying to teach us. I say that, because historically, we can look back and find that denominations fail. Truth never fails! Men can disappoint us and can take us into trouble, but truth never disappoints us.

Counsel of Man

“Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.” Acts 27:11. When God gives us the words of inspiration but we choose to take the counsels of men, we are headed for disaster. If this man from Rome had listened to Paul, they would not have had the problems that they encountered. “And because,” verses 12–15 say, “the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, [and there] to winter; [which is] an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west. And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained [their] purpose, loosing [thence], they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let [her] drive.”

The truth, distorted as it had become here, or as distorted as it may become in our own experience, is going to run into winds that are designed to totally destroy it. Any little remnant of truth—no matter where it is found—the devil will try to destroy, in any and every way that he can.

Theological Darkness

Do not ever forget that Paul was a prisoner on this journey. He was held captive. He was on board, but he was bound in chains, unable to counsel, unable to reason, unable to take any kind of command over what was going on, so the only thing that was left for him and the other two to do was to just let the ship sail. Did Paul know what was going to happen? Of course; he told them that they would experience damage.

“And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next [day] they lightened the ship; And the third [day] we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither the sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on [us], all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.” Verses 16–20.

They had changed ships. They had changed from a sturdy ship to a weak vessel from Alexandria. They had taken the word of Rome over the counsel of the prophet, and as they began to run into opposition because of this, they started throwing the tackling of the ship overboard. They were frantic to try to find some way out of the mess in which they had found themselves. Verse 20 says that they were plunged into darkness. There was no light. They could not tell what was going on. Do not tell me that the Book of Acts is not prophetic!

Theological darkness is a terrible experience to go through. Right in the midst of this entire situation, it became so bad that they thought they were lost. All hope was taken away that they should be saved. Does that say anything to us? Will it be easy for us, when we get into the end of time? How are we going to be able to stand when, in the end of time, darkness is prevailing? Are we going to sail into the harbor standing on deck with clowns and balloons and the band playing? I do not think so!

The Bible tells me that the just shall live by faith! (Romans 1:17.) When everything around is nothing but darkness, it is our faith that will light our way, because our feet are firmly grounded on the truth.

Abandonment Brings Death

Verse 21 says, “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.” Paul begins to give some counsel: “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of [any man’s] life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.” Verses 22–24. Nobody was going to die, but the ship—the truth—was going to be broken up.

“Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; And sounded, and found [it] twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found [it] fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship . . . .” Verses 25–30.

Some of those on board saw that there was a change in the situation, and they wanted to abandon ship. They were not an offshoot, as such. They were part of Rome. They did not have any better wisdom than to take off. (These were not the ones in Paul’s party.) Paul told the centurion about this, and said, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” Verse 31.

God does not save heathen just because they follow the counsel of the prophet. We need to understand that. Every person must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Truth, in and of itself, does not save anyone. The Holy Spirit blesses it, and it leads us into a born-again experience. When that happens, the truth becomes more blessed to us. Nicodemus had the truth. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but Jesus told him that he had to be born again. Just staying with the ship was not enough.

Ellen White tells us that if these sailors had left the ship, it would have been certain death for them. They could not have survived the raging sea, and the rocks would have torn them to pieces. (See The Acts of the Apostles, 439–445.) And so Paul, wanting them to be saved from death, said what he did. Staying with the ship was important. It was designed by God to give them one last opportunity to see His wonderful grace. But seeing it still meant that they had to make their own decisions on an individual basis—not on a corporate basis.

Iceberg of Error

Do you remember the story that Ellen White told in 1904 about the raging Alpha of apostasy? One night she had a vision from God. In this vision, she said, “A vessel was upon the waters, in a heavy fog. Suddenly the lookout cried, ‘Iceberg just ahead!’ There, towering high above the ship, was a gigantic iceberg. An authoritative voice cried out, ‘Meet it!’ There was not a moment’s hesitation. It was a time for instant action. The engineer put on full steam, and the man at the wheel steered the ship straight into the iceberg.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 205.

Under normal circumstances, the ship would have collided with that iceberg, and it would have gone to the bottom of the sea. But she said that when the ship hit that iceberg with a tremendous crash, it split the iceberg right in half in such a way that ice thundered down on the deck of the ship. She said that the ship rebounded from the contact and trembled like a living creature. It was damaged, but there were no lives lost. And after they hit that iceberg, the ship went right on and kept on its course. Do you know what that iceberg represents? It represents error. Do you know what the ship represents? The ship represents truth. This message comes through in the story of Paul as well. The ship had to meet error. The truth came into collision with error. The ship suffered damage, but it survived.

Working Together

“Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.” Verse 32. Problems were not yet over. It would take everyone at this point in time working together. God makes it very plain through inspiration that the heathen will be used of God to further His cause, and here is an instance of it right here in Acts 27.

They had been fasting. They had not been eating anything. Now the time had come for them to take some nourishment to deal with what was ahead. Notice what it says in verses 33 and 34: “And while the day was coming on, Paul besought [them] all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take [some] meat: for this is for your health.” Ah! I could mention here that the health message is part of the last-day scenario for God’s people.

“For there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken [it], he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took [some] meat. And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.” Verses 34–38. They started throwing all the cargo of the ship overboard. That tells us something about the purging of theological error.

“And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed [themselves] unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.” Verses 39, 40.

There is going to come a time for us when we will come under such trying circumstances that the only thing that will uphold us is the fact that we have committed ourselves wholly and completely to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will carry us through. That is what the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is about in these last days. We are to be sealed with the latter rain experience, and let that experience carry us on into the shore.

That is what the sailors did. “And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.” Verses 41, 42.

The Ship is Truth

Do you think it is going to be easy when we get into the last days? It is not going to be easy at all. Everything we know as the truth is going to go through some of the most wrenching, twisting, breaking-up experiences it can possibly experience. But notice verses 43 and 44: “But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from [their] purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast [themselves] first [into the sea], and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on [broken pieces] of the ship . . . escaped all safe to land.”

The ship was the truth, and even though the ship hit the rock and began to break apart, there were still preserved elements of truth there that would carry the survivors safely onto the shore.

If there is ever a message that we need to read, understand, and incorporate into our hearts, it is the fact that God’s truth will go through—regardless of what men do to it, regardless of what the winds blowing from the breath of Satan do to it. God is going to use, if necessary, just parts and pieces to carry His people on to safety.

If this ship were a denomination, it would have been scattered everywhere. Only the truth of God will carry us safely into port!