Evangelism

From Death to Life

by

I do not know how often I have searched the Spirit of Prophecy to find answers, but it has been many. I have never been disappointed. In fact, it has been a treasure. One of the most revealing excerpts I found focused on tobacco.

Looking for Answers

I was not looking for a specific answer the day I scanned the health magazine, but it came, for a question I had asked five years earlier. At the time, I lived in the world, and my entire behavior exposed a careless mind. I was the father of a new baby boy, and I took him for granted. I smoked the toxic weed, even while I assumed the role of parent.

Then, on Father’s Day, I awoke to find my son, Isaac, had died. I tried to breathe life into his little body, but it did not help. He was only six weeks old. Apparently he had died of crib death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as S.I.D.S. The reason for his passing could not be explained, but I always wondered why.

Ironically, tragedy became the pivot of my search for life in Jesus Christ. I did not know how Isaac had become a key toward true surrender to God, nor did I realize how soon my question of “Why, God, why?” would be answered.

Brought to My Knees

I wish I could say that these horrifying circumstances meant instant conversion, but God knew the hardness of my heart. However, in a short time, providence brought me to my knees in prayer, and I claimed the promises of His Word. Within a year I gave Him my so-called life, and He removed my desire for all chemicals, including tobacco.

Only afterwards did I discover the true health message in Testimonies to the Church and in Counsels on Diet and Foods. Cooperating with Jesus meant a clean mind, which paved the way to endless knowledge. Through my surrender and my diligent reading of Scripture, He kept His promise, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. I became a new man, always ready for more wonderful truth. That is why I was reading the health magazine.

Slow Poison

The article made reference to Selected Messages, Book 2, 467. “The infant lungs suffer, and become diseased by inhaling the atmosphere of a room poisoned by the tobacco-user’s tainted breath. Many infants are poisoned beyond remedy by sleeping in bed with their tobacco-using fathers. By inhaling the poisonous tobacco effluvia, which is thrown from the lungs and pores of the skin, the system of the infant is filled with poison. While it acts upon some as a slow poison, and affects the brain, heart, liver, and lungs, and they waste away and fade gradually, upon others it has a more direct influence, causing spasms, fits, paralysis, palsy, and sudden death. The bereaved parents mourn the loss of their loved ones, and wonder at the mysterious providence of God, which has so cruelly afflicted them, when Providence designed not the death of these infants. They died martyrs to the filthy lust of tobacco. Their parents ignorantly, but none the less surely, kill their infant children by the disgusting poison.…”

I read it several times and realized the grim responsibility of my actions. At that moment, the impact and consequences of my ignorance loomed in my mind. My selfish, narrow existence and temporary gratification carried an enormous price. I knew what I was, and the proof lay in the grave.

Dear readers, I still tremble, because it is only part of a bigger story. The only way I can tolerate such failure is to remember God’s mercy and His promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous-ness.” 1 John 1:9.

If You Want Freedom

I know that there are many others searching for answers. If you want freedom, do not wait for tragedy to happen before you fall down to your knees in prayer. “Ask, and it shall be given you…” Matthew 7:7. Then remember, “The Scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character…If studied and obeyed, the Word of God works in the heart, subduing every unholy attribute.” The Faith I Live By, 116.

Finishing the Reformation

by

Have you ever considered how the Reformation would be finished? It would be finished by people who had the same experience as the man who got the ball rolling in the beginning.
I believe that the people who will finish the Reformation, and who will receive the Latter Rain, will embrace Christ, as did Martin Luther.

A Great Desire

This was the great desire, the great goal of the man who started the Protestant Reformation: “An earnest desire to be free from sin and to find peace with God led him [Martin Luther] at last to enter a cloister and devote himself to a monastic life.” The Great Controversy, 123. That should be the great desire of everyone who finishes it; they should cry out to God as did Jacob and say, I will not let You go unless You bless me.

Martin Luther had a great desire, and it was his only desire. “As his convictions of sin deepened, he sought by his own works to obtain pardon and peace. He led a most rigorous life, endeavoring by fasting, vigils, and scourgings to subdue the evils of his nature, from which the monastic life had brought no ease. He shrank from no sacrifice by which he might attain to that purity of heart which would enable him to stand approved before God.” Ibid.

Is that your heart longing, to have purity of heart, to have purity of mind, for that old man of sin to die so that Christ can be formed within? That was Martin Luther’s great desire. That was his great goal, the focal point of his life and his eventual ministry. He said, “‘I was indeed a pious monk,…and followed the rules of my order more strictly than I can express. If ever [a] monk could obtain heaven by his monkish works, I should certainly have been entitled to it.’” Ibid.

But he then goes on, “‘If it had continued much longer, I should have carried my mortifications even to death.’” Ibid. Ellen White says that from those painful supplications, from those agonizing efforts to save himself, Martin Luther physically never fully recovered. But, “When it appeared to Luther that all was lost, God raised up a friend and helper for him.” Ibid.

Listening to God

God will raise up a friend and a helper for you. God will provide a way of escape for whatever your situation may be. “The pious Staupitz opened the Word of God to Luther’s mind and bade him look away from himself, cease the contemplation of infinite punishment for the violation of God’s law, and look to Jesus, his sin-pardoning Saviour. ‘Instead of torturing yourself on account of your sins, throw yourself into the Redeemer’s arms. Trust in Him, in the righteousness of His life, in the atonement of His death.…Listen to the Son of God. He became man to give you the assurance of divine favor. Love Him who first loved you.’” Ibid., 123, 124.

“After many a struggle with long-cherished errors, he was enabled to grasp the truth, and peace came to his troubled soul.” Ibid., 124.

The great truth that Martin Luther found was justification by faith. Did he keep it buried in the monastery cell? No! Anyone who has had that truth burn in their hearts, wants to share it all around the world.

I think Pope John Paul believes that, too. We will look at a statement a little farther on that will prove that point.

Exposing the Errors

Martin Luther accepted the marvelous message that the just would live by faith, and he began preaching it in Wittenberg. After he had been preaching for a few years, a gentleman named Tetzel came to Germany to raise money to erect the faith healers’ church at Rome. He was an agent of the Catholic Church. Tetzel started selling indulgences. He repeated the most glaring falsehoods and related marvelous tales to deceive an ignorant, credulous, and superstitious people.

It was then that phase two of Martin Luther’s work came into being. He not only had been called to preach justification by faith, but he was now called upon to expose the errors of the mother church. So he nailed the 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg on the day before the feast of All Saints day, and the Reformation began. (See Ibid., 127–129.)

Then came the Diet of Worms. Charles V convened it, but he certainly was encouraged by his friends in Rome. Eight years later, in 1529, the Diet of Spires convened, and a year later the Diet of Augsburg convened. One Diet after another convened for one purpose—to stamp out the Protestant Reformation. (See Ibid., 145–170, 197–210.) But they could not stop it because the gospel messages burned in the hearts of the people, and they were going to give those messages, come what may. They were living the messages, and they wanted to share them with everybody around them.

The Council of Trent

In 1546, the Vatican asked, How are we going to stop this Reformation? The Council of Trent was convened. Its only purpose was to destroy the Protestant Reformation. Vatican II was called by Pope John XXIII to absolutely demolish and destroy living Protestantism today.

To show you how successful the Catholic Church was in stopping the Reformation, the church at this very time period was identified in Revelation 3, as the church of Sardis. This was the church of the Reformation.

When the 95 theses were nailed to the door at Wittenberg, the Reformation began, as did the church of Sardis. “Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” Revelation 3:1.

What brought life to the Reformation church? It was the preaching of the message of justification by faith. Sola Scriptura, the Bible and the Bible only, and Sola Fide, by faith alone. As the reformers died, the church died with them, because the traditions that the papacy had planned began to infiltrate the churches that had been raised up in the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation died.

Was The Council of Trent successful? Yes, it was. When some Millerite preachers in the 1830s and the early 1840s, and then the early Adventists, began to preach Revelation 14, they said the Reformation churches had become so bad that by 1844 they were called Babylon.

Called to Restore the Truth

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8. God started the Protestant Reformation. God raised up a people, and as certain churches fell, God had somebody else to take their place. So He raised up the Adventist people in 1844. They began to preach and add to the messages that Martin Luther preached, and to carry them to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. God’s people could then go home.

They were called to restore the great message of Christ’s ministry in the Most Holy Place. They were called to restore the Law of God that had been trampled in the dust. In fact, they had been called to raise up and restore everything that pagan and papal Rome had tried to destroy from the earth for over 1,800 years.

That very work is outlined in Daniel 8:9–12: “And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. [Both pagan and papal Rome were persecuting powers.] Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host.…”

And who was the prince? Jesus! So pagan Rome thought to destroy Christ; it was a pagan Roman governor that gave permission to crucify Christ. But the little horn also identifies the papacy. They sought to attack Christ in many ways,—through His ministry in the sanctuary above and to destroy Him as the Word of God.

“By him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.” Ibid. Pagan Rome destroyed the sanctuary in 70ad and the papacy sought to destroy the sanctuary message throughout the entire period of the Dark Ages. Verse 12 continues, “And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.”

Pagan and papal Rome attacked the truth, and the truth, of course, is Jesus. He said, I am the way and the truth, but He also said His Word and His Law are truth. (See John 14:6; John 17:17.) Pagan and papal Rome would attack Christ; they would attack the Word of God, and they would attack the Law of God. So, through Daniel 8:9–12, we see a power that would attempt to destroy everything for which God stands and that wanted to be exalted in the earth.

That is Not the End of the Story

In Daniel 8:13 it says, “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?” How long shall the law of God be trampled upon the earth? How long will it be before God’s people will be vindicated?

The answer is in verse 14: “And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Adventists understood, after the great disappointment in 1844, that Jesus had begun the Investigative Judgment. They understood that prophecy had been fulfilled.

There is something else that Daniel 8:13, 14 is telling us. That is that God would raise up a people, in and around 1844, to restore everything that the papacy had sought to destroy. God would raise up a people who would again exalt the Law of God. God would raise up a people who would give the message that Christ was ministering in the sanctuary above.

God is in Control

What would the papacy do? They would seek to turn every den of hell against this Advent people. The papacy would come against God’s last day people, at the end of earth’s history, with unbridled fury. (See Ellen White, in The Review and Herald, March 18, 1884.

God is responsible for the Protestant Reformation, and God is responsible for the finishing of the Reformation. God will have a people who will carry His messages to victory.

The Reformation today, is in the process of being finished. It is not something to which we look forward, something that will happen down the road. It is going on right now! People’s lives are being reformed because they are embracing the truth, and those people are on fire!

Renailing the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Door

The pope knows that the Reformation is being finished. In Exportation Article 73, entitled “The Challenge of the Sects,” he wrote, “The proselytizing activity of the sects and new religious groups of America is a grave hindrance to the work of evangelization. The success of proselytism by the sects and new religious groups in American cannot be ignored.”

Who is he talking about? Is he talking about a church that was started up 400 years ago? Is he talking about a church that was started over 100 years ago? Who could possibly get in the way of the papacy’s drive to take over this world? God’s people. We are identifying here God’s people with those who have the Advent message and are preaching it. We are not talking about those who had the Advent message and failed to share it.

“The proselytizing activity of the sects and new religious groups of America is a grave hindrance to the work of evangelization.” What does grave mean? It means serious. In Malachi Martin’s book, The Keys of This Blood, he makes it very clear that when Russia and the United States are in subjection to the Vatican, John Paul should be the only game in town. Does John Paul recognize that there is another game in town? John Paul recognizes that there are people who are still nailing the 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg.

In the early 1900s, the leaders of Seventh-day Adventism, including Stephen Haskell, W. W. Prescott, Willie White, and A. G. Daniels, began discussing the daily in Daniel 8. That became their focus, and that was all they could see.

Ellen White, with Christian graciousness, integrity, and firmness, told them to stop discussing this issue. She said they were getting distracted on something that was not important to salvation and was taking time from God’s work. (See Selected Messages, Book 1, 167.) Evangelize, put all our energy and all our talents into reaching lost people who do not know what Jesus can do for them. Jesus is coming soon. Do not get sidetracked, brethren.

Stopping the Message

John Paul said the papacy is going to figure out, in every country, how to stop this Advent message. He goes on to say to that, “there is need for an appropriate coordination of initiatives among diocese aimed at bringing about a more effective cooperation to shared projects which will produce better results.”

Now what in the world do all of those five-syllable words mean—appropriate coordination of initiatives, “effective cooperation,” producing better results? The papacy is saying that the Advent message from ministries and people all over this earth is pushing forward and it is hurting their efforts to take over the world. So they are going to have to figure out how to finally stop this message.

A Message of Judgment

Jeremiah 1:13, 16 tells us, “And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.…And I will utter My judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.”

The Message Will Not be Stopped

A family of 11 from Detroit, Michigan, received a copy of The National Sunday Law. They read through the book. As a result, the parents are now keeping the seventh-day Sabbath in their home.

It is their desire that their nine children will embrace the message of the Sabbath truth. The Reformation is being finished!

Do Not Go to Rome!

In North Carolina, a gentleman saw the “Earth’s Final Warning” ad in the USA Today newspaper. He read it and then contacted the Eternal Gospel Church for materials. After reading The National Sunday Law, he said he was in a state of shock for two weeks. He saw, for the first time in his life, that he had been duped, and he praised God that he saw God’s truth.”

At the time he was reading this book, his parents were on a world cruise that was to arrive in Rome on Easter Sunday. It broke this young man’s heart, so he e-mailed his parents a half dozen times, pleading, “Mom and dad, the pope is the antichrist. The papal power is running away from God. They are deceiving the world. Do not go to Rome!” This young man wants to tell everybody this message. The Reformation is being finished!

Out of Jacksonville, Florida, several people who have received materials and books have started keeping the Sabbath right in their home. Praise God, the Holy Spirit is working. The Reformation is being finished!

A Roman Catholic priest from Ghana in West Africa recently wrote to me. He said, “I went through Roman Catholic seminary. I was a priest. I was given one of the National Sunday Law books. He said that after reading it he could not be a priest anymore; he had to follow the truth of the Word of God.

Do you believe that the Reformation is being finished? A man from Nigeria wrote that they held an effort where they handed out truth-filled books. The people studied the books, and after reading them and attending the meetings, over 1,000 people embraced the Advent message. The Advent message is going forward!

Visions and Dreams

A very influential, Catholic gentleman in Uganda, who is quite well to do, received the little book, The National Sunday Law. That night he was deeply disturbed; he did not know what to do. But God knew his heart, and He knew what he was going through. That night the man had a dream. In his dream he saw his house burning, and he saw his entire village being destroyed.

As the man was watching this in his dream, he began to scream and to cry out, and his wife came running to him. She shook him and asked him what was wrong. He told her about the dream and about a voice that told him that the people who had come into the village that day were preaching the truth of heaven, and that the book he was reading had light from heaven that he must listen to.

This gentleman and his entire family read the whole book, and they went to the preacher who was sent into the village to preach. They are now Sabbath-keepers, and they are going everywhere through Uganda handing out books, tapes, and videos door-to-door. The Reformation is being finished!

The Ringing of the Bell

by

Creeping silently over the eastern hills, a big red moon rose up into the night sky. Higher and higher it rose, its shafts of light dancing from place to place as the landscape began to slip away into the darkness of the coming night. From a bunch of bamboo trees came the chatter of hundreds of sparrows gathered there for the night, holding their evening meeting to discuss the happenings of the day.

Suddenly the chatter would stop and all became quiet for a moment, as something interrupted them. Then, far away over the bush covered hills to the west, came the ringing of a bell, loud and clear. Soon the sparrows started chattering again, but the bell continued its clang…clang…clang.

To me, at three or four years of age, it seemed very eerie, especially when my father remarked that it was only the curfew bell being rung at the Maori Pa (Village) about a mile or so from us, as the bird flies, beyond the hills. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I imagined a band of Maori warriors charging out of the bush that covered the hills, and down towards us in the gathering dusk.

It did not ring every night, only at certain times, and then we could only hear it when the air was still and clear. Why did they ring that bell just as the darkness began to settle on the land? The ringing of that bell at dusk made a big impression on me as a boy, and to this day I can hear it as clearly as if I were still there on the old home farm.

Not until just before my 19th birthday did I realize the significance of the ringing of that bell.

The Story of the Bell

One night, 100 or so years before, an old Maori chief had a dream. In that dream he was shown, among other things, that Sunday was not the true Sabbath, but Saturday, the seventh day of the week, was God’s Holy Day.

From that day on he kept Saturday as the Sabbath and he taught the rest of the tribe to do likewise. Then, in true missionary fashion, he visited other villages and told them about his dream and led them to keep the seventh day Sabbath also. In these villages he also built churches in which they could worship.

At some time he visited the Maori village situated not far from where we lived. It was after I became a Seventh-day Adventist that I realized that the bell only rang on Friday nights, just as it was starting to get dark. It was the curfew bell, which rang each week at the start of the Sabbath, calling all the villagers home for the night to keep the Sabbath.

When I was a boy they were still very strict about not working on Sabbath. Sometimes a local farmer would offer the young fellows a very high wage to come and help him stack his hay on Saturday. If these young men gave in and went, as they sneaked back into the village that night they would be hauled before the tribal committee and fined for breaking the Sabbath.

They called their church the Ringatu church, and no Maori who belonged to it would work on Saturday. Also, for some reason I never was able to find out, they kept the 12th day of every month as holy and would not work on that day either. They would gather in their meetinghouse and stay there for 24 hours. They took turns, going around the room, as one would pray, another sing, another read from the Bible, another give a talk, and so on, throughout all the hours of the 12th of every month.

To a little boy, that bell ringing every Friday night just as it was getting dark, had an eerie feeling about it, and the hair would stand up on the back of my neck. I have been a Seventh-day Adventist for over 50 years, yet every Friday night I have rallied to the call of that bell in my mind. All of those years, in my mind, that bell has rung the curfew and brought my attention to the start of the Sabbath.

Just by Chance?

Coming in for breakfast one Sunday morning when I was six years old, my mother asked me which I would like to do. Go with her and my father to church at 11am, or go with my two older brothers to drive some pigs down from their farm to ours, ready for a truck to take them to market the following day. Now driving pigs between the farms was the most exciting thing a small boy could become involved in. For the first half mile after leaving their farm the road wound its way down through patches of bush with no fences on either side.

Just imagine what six big, fat pigs would do, who do not want to leave home. Every now and then they would dive off the road into the bush and scatter and there would be dogs barking, and pigs squealing, and men yelling and one little boy waiting on the road nearly dying of laughter. When the pigs emerged from the undergrowth back onto the road I was waiting to see if they turned down hill again. But if a big pig came charging towards me I would say “shoo,” and if he did not stop I would dive over the bank out of his way. Then I would get abused for not stopping him, and men and dogs would rush up the road to bring him back, by which time the others would have disappeared into the bush again. To me, this was too good to miss.

Unpredictably, I chose to go to church. I had no reason for going, but I believe I know why I was led to make that decision. When we got to church some of my mates from school rushed over and asked me to go with them to Sunday School, which I did. That was the one and only time in my whole life I ever went to Sunday School, and that day the teacher was teaching the Ten Commandments.

That is how I learned what the Ten Commandments were. We went over and over them until we all knew them by heart. From that day on they became the standard for my life.

And So We Walk Together, My Lord and I

by

Our neighbor’s wife rang up one day and asked my sister and me if we would visit her father on our way home from church. A few months before, her father had a stroke and was now paralyzed down his right side. He got gangrene in his leg, and they had to amputate it. He could not use his right arm, and the eyelid under his right eye drooped and ran tears all the time.

Old Vic was a grizzly, whining, discontented old man, and he always had been. No one went to visit him, because they got tired of his continual moaning. I did not want to go visit him either. However, our neighbor had three daughters, and the oldest one and I were special friends, so to keep in her mother’s good graces, I agreed to go, and the next Sabbath afternoon we called in. He wanted us to come back the next week, so every week we had to listen to all his problems, and every few minutes he had to wipe the tears off his cheek with his good hand. All the while we sat and listened.

Then he started asking us who preached that day and what the sermon was about. After that he would ask who taught the Sabbath School lesson and what that was about. If we could not give a good account, he would ask us why we went to church. So, during the lesson and sermon, I would take special care to remember something I could later tell old Vic.

Trained by the Holy Spirit

It was not until years later, well after the old chap had died, that I realized that God had used old Vic to train me for a special part in His work. Ever since that time I have visited those who could not come to church for some reason and have given them the Sabbath School lesson at home. This I have done every year since that time, and for the last ten years I have recorded it on audio tape and delivered it and posted it to people all over New Zealand.

At one stage I tried counting those who were hearing the lesson each week, and there were over 60. Some ministers used to copy it and give it out to people in their churches as they visited, so it has gone far and wide.

I visited many people who had lost their faith, stopped coming to church, and I have seen a lot of them come back again and regain their faith. They can all thank a whining, moaning, old man, whom God used to train me to do that type of work. I have no idea how many have benefited from it over the years, but it must run into hundreds and hundreds of people in all parts of New Zealand, and at one stage, the Sabbath School tape even went to Australia.

The Sabbath School Extension Work

After leaving my old hometown, I went to live in Hamilton. Not long after arriving, I was nominated to the job of Assistant Sabbath School Superintendent, then another year to Assistant Sabbath School Extension Leader. The leader and I would go to homes in town to give shut-in members the Sabbath School Lesson. Some of these were too old to sit in church, or one could not hear in church with her hearing aid, or others could not attend for some other reason.

The next year they made me the leader and my wife the assistant, and we worked as a team. That year the Sabbath School Superintendent would study the weekly class reports, and if someone was away for more than two weeks running, she would give their name to me, and we would visit them to see what was wrong.

Sometimes they may have had the flu or been away on holiday and not told anyone they were going. But sometimes they had become discouraged and stopped attending for various reasons. We would visit them, and I think that work was the most rewarding work I have ever done for the Lord. Quite often they had become discouraged and had lost their faith and had not been to church for months or even years. Frequently, one visit from us and they would return to church and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.

Do You Remember Me?

My wife and I once visited a church where we had been members some years before. While talking to someone outside, after the service, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder from behind. Turning around I saw a woman whom we had visited some 20 years before. “Do you remember me?” she asked. Sure I remembered her, she had married a man who did not have anything to do with religion, and she stopped going to church. At the time she and her husband moved to our town, she had not attended church for five years. The Sabbath School Superintendent told us about her, and we visited her. The next week she was back at church with her two little girls, and she was still coming after 20 years.

Another family, who lived on a farm, lost their three-year-old daughter when she drowned in a cattle trough. They gave up their faith and had not been back to church again. My wife and I called on them one Sabbath and listened while they told us all their troubles.

As we were leaving, I asked him if he would like us to come back the next week and go through the Sabbath School Lesson together. He said they would like that. On Friday night the phone rang, and it was him. I thought he was going to tell us not to come, and he did. He said, “Don’t come out tomorrow, we are coming back to church,” and they did. When we visited that church some ten years later, there they were, up in the front seat, father, mother, and three teenage children, all still attending church.

A 70-year-old man, in another church, fell and broke his hip. They placed a pin in it, and soon he could walk again with the aid of a walking stick, but for a year he had never attempted to go back to church. One day, in Sabbath School, I talked another old chap who knew him into going with me to give him the Sabbath School Lesson. The next week he was back at church and continued attending until he died.

I could go on and on about all the similar experiences I have had. All have old Vic to thank for the training he unconsciously gave me many years before; a training that was to help many people. It might be something you would want to try in your church as a regular Sabbath afternoon activity. Someone might just be waiting for an invitation to come back.

To God be the glory; great things He has done.

Prisoners Can be Redeemed – Bible Notes from Inside Prison Walls

by

Our situation, our race, or gender should have no bearing on our acceptance or our relationship with fellow believers. But our faith
and loyalty toward Jesus Christ should.

Scripture

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free . . . .” 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13.

To the Galatians, Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28.

The thief on the cross is a primary example of how God uses each member of Christ to the advantage of glorifying His Son. The illustration also reveals that even a criminal can truly repent, defend the truth, and be accepted by Jesus: “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39–43.

The thief on the cross, in that day, believed and defended the truth. The Lord, through Paul and Silas, also drew the hearts of the prisoners, and a keeper of the prison sought salvation and was baptized. (See Acts 16:25–34.)

There were and will be individuals, convicted of wrongdoing, who follow the apostles’ ministry, who have and will continue to win souls in their situation. “Therefore judge nothing before the time.” 1 Corinthians 4:5.

Do We Remember Those in Bonds?

“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; [and] them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” Hebrews 13:3. Why? “The members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; . . . Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1 Corinthians 12:25–27.

Reproach

Paul revealed in his letter to the Romans, “The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” Romans 15:3. And the reverse is true; the same reproaches that fell on Jesus will also fall on us. “If they have persecuted me,” says Jesus, “they will also persecute you.” (See John 15:20–23.) Therefore, there is no room for anyone doing the Lord’s work to be reluctant or half-hearted in communicating with and encouraging those of us within prison walls who are receptive to the truth.

Scripture

Jude wrote, “It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude 3. Did this counsel end with the apostles? As evil as these days are, it would be a shame if it did. The conclusion, according to the Bible is this:

“If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin.” James 2:8, 9.

The Perfect Gift

by

“The holiday season is fast approaching with its interchange of gifts, and old and young are intently studying what they can bestow upon their friends as a token of affectionate remembrance. It is pleasant to receive a gift, however small, from those we love. It is an assurance that we are not forgotten, and seems to bind us to them a little closer. . . . It is right to bestow upon one another tokens of love and remembrance . . . .” The Adventist Home, 478.

“Do you have all your shopping done yet?” This question is often used as a greeting to our friends during the holiday time of the year. Even strangers ask strangers this question as they endure long cashier checkout lines. More often than not the answer is an agonized No!

There are some people for whom it is very hard to make the right gift selection. You have no idea what they need or want. You have no clue what their size or color preference might be. Perhaps the recipient is picky, or when you have decided, after days of struggle, on just the right present, you discover they have purchased the item for themselves. The biggest challenge in gift buying is purchasing for the person who seems to be in need of nothing; they have every necessity and imaginable gadget anyone could desire. But God knows exactly what each person needs.

Gift of the Saviour

If ever there was a gift where “everybody needs one,” “one size fits all,” or “you cannot do without it,” this is it! This Promised Gift became a need when, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to believe the smooth enticements of the serpent rather than the life-giving instructions of their Father.

“Plain and specific prophecies had been given regarding the appearance of the Promised One. To Adam was given an assurance of the coming of the Redeemer. The sentence pronounced on Satan, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel’ (Genesis 3:15), was to our first parents a promise of the redemption to be wrought out through Christ.” The Acts of the Apostles, 222.

God did not hold the human race in suspense as to when the Promised Gift would be given. He revealed the time: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Galations 4:4. “When the fullness of time was come, He sent forth His Son. The One appointed in the councils of heaven came to this earth as man’s instructor. The rich benevolence of God gave Him to our world, and to meet the necessities of human nature He took humanity upon Himself. To the astonishment of the heavenly host the eternal Word came to this world as a helpless babe. Fully prepared, He left the royal courts and mysteriously allied Himself with fallen human beings. ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ John 1:14.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 259.

Can any of you who are parents comprehend giving your only son to people who, for the most part, do not have an interest in him? That is exactly what God did for us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son . . . .” John 3:16. Imagine giving to someone an item that is very precious to you, that you have sacrificed greatly to give, and they put it away on a closet shelf and forget about it! “The priests . . . of Israel had been given the privilege of receiving Christ as their Saviour, without money and without price. But they refused the precious gift offered them in the most tender spirit of constraining love.” The Desire of Ages, 564.

“It is your Creator who has poured out to you all heaven in one wondrous gift,—His only-begotten Son. . . .” Counsels on Stewardship, 46.

You may have heard the phrase, “The gift that goes on giving.” That definitely describes what happens when the gift of the Saviour is given and accepted!

Gift of Salvation

After telling of the incomprehensible gift God gave, John 3:16 continues: “. . . that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

It is the desire of God’s heart to continue to give, especially to those individuals who accept the gift of His Son. Even to those who do not at first appreciate and accept the gift of His Son, He continues to offer the Gift—just as human parents desire to give special things to their children and continue to sacrificially offer gifts, even when their offerings are scorned and rejected. “The great gift of salvation has been placed within our reach at an infinite cost to the Father and the Son. To neglect salvation, is to neglect the knowledge of the Father and of the Son whom God hath sent in order that man might become a partaker of the divine nature, and thus, with Christ, an heir of all things. A neglect to lay hold of the priceless treasure of salvation, means the eternal ruin of your soul. The peril of indifference to God and neglect of his gift, is measured by the greatness of salvation. God has done to the uttermost of his almighty power. The resources of infinite love have been exhausted in devising and executing the plan of redemption for man. God has revealed his character in the goodness, the mercy, compassion, and love manifested to save a race of guilty rebels.” Review and Herald, March 10, 1891.

“The paternal character of God is revealed in his holy law, proving him to be full of mercy, goodness, and truth. God has manifested unparalleled love in giving his beloved Son to die for fallen man; but men have not appreciated this love, and have refused the gift of salvation. How patiently God has borne with sinners, and will still bear with them till the measure of ingratitude and iniquity is full, and the world is ripe for judgment and wrath.” Ibid., September 3, 1889.

He does not, however, want the action of acceptance to be based purely on the desire of future reward. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8, 9.

“The sinner views the spirituality of the law of God and its eternal obligations. He sees the love of God in providing a substitute and surety for guilty man, and that substitute is One equal with God. This display of grace in the gift of salvation to the world fills the sinner with amazement. This love of God to man breaks every barrier down. He comes to the cross, which has been placed midway between divinity and humanity, and repents of his sins of transgression, because Christ has been drawing him to Himself. He does not expect the law to cleanse him from sin, for there is no pardoning quality in the law to save the transgressors of the law. He looks to the atoning Sacrifice as his only hope, through repentance toward God—because the laws of His government have been broken—and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ as the One who can save and cleanse the sinner from every transgression.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 194.

“The gift of God is eternal life. The Lord desires all who receive His grace to trust entirely in Him. He calls upon us to exercise pure, simple faith, trusting in Him, without a question as to what recompense we shall receive. We are to work heartily in His service, showing that we have perfect confidence that He will judge righteously.” Lift Him Up, 343.

“The faith in Christ which saves the soul is not what it is represented to be by many. ‘Believe, believe,’ is their cry; ‘only believe in Christ, and you will be saved. It is all you have to do.’ While true faith trusts wholly in Christ for salvation, it will lead to perfect conformity to the law of God. Faith is manifested by works. And the apostle John declares, ‘He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ [1 John 2:4.]” Review and Herald, October 5, 1886.

Gift of the Holy Spirit

As we accept the gift of the Saviour and, subsequently, the gift of salvation, our loving Father has promised yet another gift: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” “But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:16–18, 26.

God desires to give this Gift to us that we, like Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, may be prepared for the coming conflict. (See Counsels on Diet and Foods, 153.) Instruction is given to us from the pen of inspiration on how we are to prepare for this Gift. We “should uplift the standard of temperance from a Christian point of view, showing that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and bringing to the minds of the people the responsibility resting upon them as God’s purchased possession to make mind and body a holy temple, fit for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 75. We are to control our appetites and passions so we “have a sound physical constitution, and mental and spiritual strength,” ready to accept the indwelling Spirit. Conflict and Courage, 271.

Other character weaknesses must be overcome as well. “The Holy Spirit does not abide in the heart of him who is peevish if others do not agree with his ideas and plans. From the lips of such a man there come scathing remarks, which grieve the Spirit away, and develop attributes that are satanic rather than divine. The Lord desires those connected with His work to speak at all times with the meekness of Christ. If you are provoked, do not become impatient. Manifest the gentleness of which Christ has given us an example in His life. . . .” Counsels on Stewardship, 115.

“Every individual must realize his own necessity. The heart must be emptied of every defilement, and cleansed for the indwelling of the Spirit. It was by the confession and forsaking of sin, by earnest prayer and consecration of themselves to God, that the early disciples prepared for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now. . . .” The Faith I Live By, 333.

As the Holy Spirit dwells within, additional gifts will be shared: “To hearts that have become purified through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all is changed. These can know God.” Reflecting Christ, 378.

“We do not see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through every one who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits [gifts] of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” The Faith I Live By, 57.

“The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit. ‘To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.’ 1 Corinthians 12:8–11. All men do not receive the same gifts, but to every servant of the Master some gift of the Spirit is promised.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 327.

Gift of Grace

The last precious gift God gives to us that we will address in this article is the gift of grace. ” ‘Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,’ the Spirit ‘dividing to every man severally as He will.’ Ephesians 4:7; 1 Corinthians 12:11. The gifts are already ours in Christ, but their actual possession depends upon our reception of the Spirit of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 327.

“The Lord saw our fallen condition; He saw our need of grace, and because He loved our souls, He has given us grace and peace. Grace means favor to one who is undeserving, to one who is lost. The fact that we are sinners, instead of shutting us away from the mercy and love of God, makes the exercise of His love to us a positive necessity in order that we may be saved.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 347.

“In the matchless gift of His son, God has encircled the whole world with an atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe this life-giving atmosphere will live, and grow up to the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.” God’s Amazing Grace, 238.

What do You do with a Gift?

Every parent has had the experience of searching for some special gift for their child and then, after all their effort, seeing the child spend more time playing with the box the gift came in than with the gift itself. The feeling you have at that time approximates the feeling God must have about the attitudes some of His children display towards the gifts He gives. What should our attitude be to God?

Express Gratitude

We should first express our gratitude. “Thanks [be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15. How we appreciate receiving a note of thanks for a gift we have given! Our feelings toward the gift recipient become more tender, and we look forward to the pleasure of bestowing more gifts upon them. But, how disappointed we become when we do not receive an acknowledgement of our carefully selected gift. Since we are created in the image of God, it would seem feasible that He experiences the same feelings from our reactions to His gifts.

“The thought that Christ died to obtain for us the gift of everlasting life, is enough to call forth from our hearts the most sincere and fervent gratitude, and from our lips the most enthusiastic praise.” Sons and Daughters of God, 238.

“Before angels and men we should reveal our gratitude for what he has done for us.” Review and Herald, September 12, 1899.

Use It

It is a pleasure to us to see a gift we have given being utilized. It makes us happy to know that it is benefiting the receiver. It gives God pleasure when we use His gifts.

“Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.” 1 Timothy 4:14.

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:12–14.

“As stewards of the grace of God, . . . It means much, very much to us to be strengthened by His rich grace day by day, to be enabled to understand His will, to be found faithful in that which is least as well as in that which is great. When this is our experience, the service of Christ will be a reality to us. God demands this of us, and before angels and men we should reveal our gratitude for what he has done for us.” Counsels on Stewardship, 111.

“The work of labor for the salvation of souls does not rest alone upon the delegated minister, but that to every man God had given his work. The Lord’s work is to be carried forward by the living members of Christ’s body, and in the great divine appointment of God each one is to be educated to act a part in the conversion of souls. He has enlisted in the army of the Lord, not for ease, not to study his own amusement, but to endure hardships as a faithful soldier of the cross of Christ. Every private must act his part, be vigilant, be courageous, be true.” This Day With God, 368.

Share It

A gift brings even more enjoyment and fulfillment when it is shared. “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:6, 7.

“There are some who are liberal with their gifts, and these gifts call forth the grateful praise of those who through them are given a knowledge of the gospel. The givers become the subject of the prayers of those who receive the benefit of the offerings made.” Pacific Union Recorder, November 14, 1907.

“As the plan of redemption begins and ends with a gift, so it is to be carried forward. The same spirit of sacrifice which purchased salvation for us will dwell in the hearts of all who become partakers of the heavenly gift. Says the apostle Peter: ‘As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.’ Said Jesus to His disciples as He sent them forth: ‘Freely ye have received, freely give.’ In him who is fully in sympathy with Christ there can be nothing selfish or exclusive. He who drinks of the living water will find that it is ‘in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ [John 4:14.] The Spirit of Christ within him is like a spring welling up in the desert, flowing to refresh all, and making those who are ready to perish, eager to drink of the water of life.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 730.

As you review your gift list this holiday season, consider sharing the Perfect Gift. Ellen White advises that “We should make our gifts such as will prove a real benefit to the receiver. I would recommend such books as will be an aid in understanding the word of God or that will increase our love for its precepts. Provide something to be read during these long winter evenings.” The Adventist Home, 479. What greater gift can be given than the knowledge of the Saviour who longs to give, through His grace, salvation? The recipient who receives and accepts this Perfect Gift will be offering praise and thanks throughout eternity.

Warn the Cities! Part I

by

Of all the gifts that we could bring to Christ, the most important gift is ourselves. In the whole universe, we are the most important of all things, to Him. That boggles my mind! You may feel the same way, as you look at your life. I wonder how He could love us so much that He was willing to go through what He went through for us, so we can spend eternity together and one day can walk and talk with Him. It is an awesome thought. How much do we love Him, today?

No Surprises

Even today, as we go about our busy lives, people are still talking about 9/11. [The terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, NY, and on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001.] That was certainly something very awesome that took place in the United States! I have often thought about it and wondered if that was the beginning of sorrows. (See Matthew 24:8.) Some of the big disasters, the big things that happen, lead us back to God’s Word. I am interested about what is going to take place in our land—present and future, and I believe that God’s last day people will be interested in the future to the point that they will want to get into God’s Word and study it like never before.

We know Who holds the future, and it is good that we understand what is going to take place, because God wants us to go out and warn others. What took place in New York devastated the world, yet although we could not have predicted that exact incident, we knew things like that were going to happen. Many of us Adventists know things that will be taking place in the future, yet we are not preparing for them. We talk about moving out of the cities and getting into the country, yet we stay right where we are. We are looking for something bigger to happen, so we will know for sure when the time is right. We really do not want to be put out; we do not want to make a time of trouble, so we are riding the fence.

I’m thankful today that God’s Word tells us, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7. Friends, I stand on that promise today. I am assured, because God’s Word has told me that God is not going to do anything that He does not reveal. He does not want anything to be a surprise to any of His people. He wants to reveal it so that we can be prepared for such a time as this.

An Active Prophet

Sometimes people say that the pulpit is not the place to read the Spirit of Prophecy. I disagree! If there was ever a time that we needed the Spirit of Prophecy, it is now. More than ever before we need these counsels. It is not a time to put it away, throw it away, or disregard it. Just open the pages and surely God will speak to you as He has to me. He is going to reveal things so that we can be ready.

Do you believe that God has prophets in the world today? There are a lot of people who claim to be. I believe that Seventh-day Adventists have a true prophet of God. We can read the inspired writings and compare them with God’s Word. We can see these things are coming to pass, and we can know it is the truth. Then why are we not farther advanced than we are today? We have all of this information. Some people say we have to be careful about a church that says they have a prophet, but the Bible says, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” 1 Corinthians 12:28. The Bible is clear that God’s last day remnant church will be identifiable by an active prophet in the church.

God also says, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man . . .” Genesis 6:3. How many of you sense, today, that the Spirit of God is being withdrawn? If you do not, you need to get on your knees and ask the Lord to help you see the things that are going on in this world. There are scandalous things happening in this world, things that shock us. Yet some things that would have given us heart failure ten years ago, today we only shrug off and say, “Isn’t that sad?” We have become accustomed to disaster. God said that His Spirit would not always strive with man. God’s Spirit is being withdrawn, and when His Spirit is withdrawn, be assured that the enemy is going to run more rampant in the hearts of men than ever before.

Tell Me a Lie

There are people today who are asking questions they never asked before. People are ripe for the gospel harvest at different times, and we need to have an answer for every man that asks. God is speaking to His children, and He says, “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: [God is saying it is time to get our tennis shoes on and get out and get in circulation. Write it, publish it, and get the message out in any way possible.] That this [is] a rebellious people, lying children, children [that] will not hear the law of the Lord: [We all fit in that class, not just the young.] Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” Isaiah 30:8–10. How many say that today? Don’t tell me the truth; tell me a lie, because it is more pleasing. I can accept the lie more than I can accept the truth. The rebellious words continue: “Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” Verse 11. How many of us would have the audacity to say we do not need God any more? We don’t want Him in our homes anymore; we don’t want Him in the church anymore; we don’t want Him in this world anymore. The people are saying, “We don’t want God. Don’t prophesy about God; don’t talk about Him.” When we do talk about Him, we lose so many “friends.”

“Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters’ vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water [withal] out of the pit. For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not. But ye said,No . . . .” Verses 12–16. God is calling us back to a right relationship with Him. He is giving us instructions, yet we say, No, we do not want to hear. How many of us are heeding this warning today?

Devil Taking Over

In 1901, Ellen White wrote the following: “Men possessed by demons are taking the lives of men, women, and little children.” Maranatha, 175. Do you see that happening today? No one can figure out what is wrong with these crazy people. I can tell you right now—they have a devil in them! The devil has taken over, but in modern society we cannot talk like that; people don’t believe it. Crime, murders—”All these things testify that the Lord’s coming is near.” Ibid. These are signs in the air. We are overwhelmed by the kidnap-pings in broad open daylight, in the schools and in the homes. We can’t understand how these things can be taking place. These all testify that the coming of the Lord is near. “The restraining Spirit of God is even now being withdrawn from the world. . . . Even before the last great destruction comes upon the world, the flattering monuments of man’s greatness will be crumbled in the dust.” Ibid. Can you relate to these things? Some of the monuments that men have built, these tall, fireproof buildings, stand as if to say, Look what man has done! Ellen White says they are going to crumble to dust. “Costly buildings, supposed to be fireproof, are erected. But as Sodom perished in the flames of God’s vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes.” Ibid. Are we seeing it happen today? Yes, we are; it is taking place all around us. God says there is a reason for it.

“The time is near when large cities will be swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgments.” Evangelism, 29. So you say, I understand it; I know it. Now, what is our duty? What is our responsibility? All should be warned of the coming judgments. If the judgments are falling in the land today, it tells us that Jesus is coming soon, that His Spirit is being withdrawn from the earth and the enemy is trying to take possession. What a time! All should be warned.

What would happen if a couple of years before 9/11 someone had published a notice in the paper that said, After reading about some of these cities, I believe something terrible is going to happen in New York City; I believe there is going to be some devastation there. The police would have been on that person’s doorstep the very next morning after 9/11, wanting to know how they knew about it, asking with what groups they are associated. The authorities might even want to know what church this person attends and what they believe. They would certainly want some information.

You see, it takes courage to believe in God’s Word and strength to move out and say something before it happens, not necessarily after it happens. Do you dare to stand out, dare to be different? Ellen White said we are to “warn the inhabitants of our great centers of population of the judgments that will fall upon the transgressors of God’s law.” Medical Ministry, 300. How many of us are warning the world? How many are doing what we can in our area? Do we realize that we are just touching upon the edges of the coming disasters, sad as it might be?

Under inspiration, Ellen White wrote, “When God’s restraining hand is removed, the destroyer begins his work. Then in our cities the greatest calamities will come.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 314. If you know this, do you have family and friends who live in some of these places? What have you done to warn them? Or will they count you as some strange parent, aunt, uncle, or friend, because you plead with them to move out of these places, to get into a secluded place. “Why should we do that? We’re making a good living here, and we’ve worked here all of our lives.” They will think you are strange, but we should still warn them that these things are coming. That is our job! We can show them from God’s Word that these disasters are occurring one right after the other.

We see things happening even in smaller towns that we did not see before. Twenty years ago we did not worry about things that we worry about now; and ten years ago those in small towns did not worry about the things that they worry about now. I was at a Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City several years ago and there were bars on every window and on the doors. You could not leave your equipment inside the sanctuary while you went for fellowship lunch. This was inside a four-story building! I just put my Bible down and I was told, “Oh, don’t leave that lying there.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t have it when you come back.”

“You mean here in the church?”

“Yes, people come in whom we do not know, and it will be gone.”

I got there early and could not get in because the doors were barred. I had to wait for somebody to get a key so I could get in. It was like opening a cell. Then they had to have someone standing outside to watch for problems. That is not what we are use to experiencing when we go to church, but we are seeing the crime coming our direction.

Several years ago we thought we did not have to worry about locking our doors and closing our windows. But a dear sister of ours in her 80s, lived just a few blocks from our church. She was our church organist, and she loved the message of Jesus. She was murdered. A young man broke into her house, thinking that she might have some money. The reports told us that she awoke when the intruder entered, and he grabbed a pillow and smothered her. That is a horrible way to have a faithful life end.

Why in the cities? There is a good reason for it, and God’s servant tells us what it is. “O that God’s people had a sense of the impending destruction of thousands of cities, now almost given to idolatry.” Evangelism, 29. One of the first things God told His people was that they were not to have other gods before Him. (See Exodus 20:3.) Anything you have or do can become an idol. Now God is saying that the cities will be destroyed, because they are almost wholly given over to idolatry. Everything imaginable is going on.

What is our job?

Our job is to warn the people. God sent us the warnings, yet we don’t say anything for fear we might get in trouble. Ellen White said, “In the night I was, I thought, in a room but not in my own house. I was in a city, where I knew not, and I heard expression [explosion] after expression [explosion]. I rose up quickly in bed, and saw from my window large balls of fire. Jetting out were sparks, in the form of arrows, and buildings were being consumed, and in a very few minutes the entire block of buildings was falling and the screeching and mournful groans came distinctly to my ears. I cried out, in my raised position, to learn what was happening: Where am I? And where [is] our family circle? Then I awoke. But I could not tell where I was for I was in another place than home. I said, Oh Lord, where am I and what shall I do? It was a voice that spoke, ‘Be not afraid. Nothing shall harm you.’

“I was instructed that destruction hath gone forth upon cities. The word of the Lord will be fulfilled. Isaiah 29:19–24 was repeated. I dared not move, not knowing where I was. I cried unto the Lord, What does it mean? These representations of destruction were repeated. Where am I? ‘In these scenes I have represented that which will be; but warn My people to cease from putting their trust in men who are not obedient to my warnings and who despise My reproof, for the day of the Lord is right upon the world when evidence shall be made sure. Those who have followed the voices that would turn things upside down will themselves be turned where they cannot see, but will be as blind men.’ ” Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, 361.

What was that? “Those who have followed the voices that would turn things upside down will themselves be turned where they cannot see, but will be as blind men”? Do you believe that God has a true prophet in His church in the last days and that you can share these warnings with confidence?

How do we approach such a situation? How do we deal with this when we are commissioned that this is our job? Do you doubt that the Sunday law will happen? Do not doubt it; it is going to happen. Why? Because God’s servant has told us so. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 450, 451, 711, 712.) We can boldly step forward and say, “This is what is going to happen, and we know this because God’s servant told us that it would happen.” The people are going to be curious, and they will want to know how we know such things. Then we can open up prophecy to them. Oh the golden opportunities we missed, even at 9/11, to warn the people.

To be concluded . . .

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Heron, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at BTLM@GTE.net or by telephone at 1-800-238-2856.

Warn the Cities! Part II

by

God’s servant has written about the things taking place in our cities. His Word tells us that these things will happen. “I have seen the most costly structures in buildings erected and supposed to be fireproof. And just as Sodom perished in the flames of God’s vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 418.

Even at the Door

September 11, 2001, was just the beginning [the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, NY, and on the Pentagon in Washington, DC]; this is a foretaste, a warning of what is going to take place. How will we react as a nation? This one incident brought the United States to its knees. We said it did not, but it did. We have spent the time since then trying to get a grip, and many still have not bounced back. It devastated us. What if several incidents like that were to take place in different cities at the same time? Would fear be running rampant? How would the government react? Might such events bring about the Sunday law and the time that we have been talking about for years, a time when we will not be able to travel or enjoy the freedoms that we have today? We better believe it!

Jesus tells us that there is a lesson to be learned: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors.” Matthew 24:32, 33. We see the things that are taking place in the world today; do we not know that it is near, even at the door? The world is falling apart; men in high places are working very hard, but they can hold it together for only a short period of time—until God says, “That is enough.” Are you praying for the winds of strife to be held back? (See Revelation 7:1–3.) Friend, we need to be praying, because the signs all over the land today foretell His coming. We should know that we are living in a time of fulfilling prophecy.

Buried in Rubble

How many really thought, This is the end! on 9/11? Many miracles took place that day. As we listen to some of the accounts of people who were involved in this disaster, we are amazed. There were many people who cried out to God as never before; there were many people who turned to God right then and there. They had not looked for Him before in their life, but right then they needed a Saviour; they needed Somebody, and they lifted up their voice and cried, “God, if You are there, please, I need some help.” The many stories give us goose bumps, as we hear them.

One lady, trapped, prayed to God for somebody to help her. All of a sudden she saw a little ray of light; a hand came through the rubble, and she reached up and held that hand. A man talked with her, told her his name, and consoled her. When she was finally freed, she asked to meet this firefighter, but she was told there was no such man. No firefighter was there holding her hand, but Someone was there.

Do you think God does not care? Do you think God cannot get to you when you are buried beneath the rubble of this world? When it is impossible for man to reach you, God can reach you. He can be right there—reaching down to hold your hand, to encourage you and talk with you, until someone can come to your rescue. There is story after story of how God was there for His children on 9/11. He was there to hear every prayer at a very difficult time.

I have no doubt but that He was there. I believe that the only reason the fourth plane did not hit its intended target [United Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field] is because God said, No. God can rule those airplanes. God is not afraid of terrorists. He allowed so much to happen, but when it was enough, He said, That’s it! He stopped it, but He is warning us today. He is telling us that other things will take place.

Warning to the Cities

God’s servant had some things to say about New York: “His message must be given in Greater New York. The people must be shown how it is possible for God, by a touch of His hand, to destroy the property they have gathered together against the last great day.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 310, 311. God was in such a position at that point in time to say, It is going to be destroyed; something is going to happen. All eyes are turned toward buildings and the men who built them, and all the things that are going on in the world today, and God says, Just turn back to Me. We have gathered all of this property and all of these things, but by a simple touch, they can all be gone.

“Not many years ago, a brother laboring in New York City published some very startling notices regarding the destruction of that city. I wrote immediately to the ones in charge of the work there, saying that it was not wise to publish such notices; that thus an excitement might be aroused which would result in a fanatical movement, hurting the cause of God. It is enough to present the truth of the Word of God to the people. Startling notices are detrimental to the progress of the work.

“Under date of August 9, 1903, I further wrote regarding this sensational report:—

” ‘How comes the word that I have declared that New York is to be swept away by a tidal wave? This I have never said. I have said, as I looked at the great buildings going up there, story after story, “What terrible scenes will take place when the Lord shall arise to shake terribly the earth! Then the words of Revelation 18:1–3 will be fulfilled.” The whole of the eighteenth chapter of Revelation is a warning of what is coming on the earth. But I have no light in particular in regard to what is coming on New York, only that I know that one day the great buildings there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God’s power. From the light given me, I know that destruction is in the world. One word from the Lord, one touch of His mighty power, and these massive structures will fall. Scenes will take place the fearfulness of which we can not imagine.

” ‘But I have sent cautions to the brethren working in New York, saying that these flaming, terrifying notices should not be published. When my brethren go to extremes, it reacts on me, and I have to bear the reproach of being called a false prophet. . . .

” ‘The destroying angels are today executing their commission. Death will come in all places. This is why I am so anxious for our cities to be warned.’ ” Review and Herald, July 5, 1906.

Do you believe the prophet of God? Do you believe God’s Word? Absolutely! Friend, it is not finished yet, it is only the beginning. How will we endure; how will we deal with these issues when we see them come to pass? How is our faith and our love for Jesus today?

Destruction of Cities

I realize that we must work the cities. We are to go in, do our work, and then get ourselves out of there. Why? Because God’s servant said that these places are going to fall down; they are going to come to naught. The cities are going to be destroyed. One day these great buildings will be thrown to the ground by God’s power. This will certainly happen at the coming of the Lord, but Ellen White warned that some of these disasters would occur before Jesus comes. She wrote, regarding one of her visions: “On one occasion, when in New York City, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners and builders. . . .

“Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings and said: ‘They are perfectly safe.’ But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 12, 13.

On 9/11 the firemen realized how useless the fire engines were; they could not do a thing. However you associate these visions of current events, know that they are warnings that God has given us over and over.

Heed the Warnings

My question comes back as a challenge to you. I know that jobs are needed; I know that we need to support our families, but I do not know how any Bible-believing Seventh-day Adventist can decide to stay in the cities. If you stay, you can say, all you want, The Lord is going to take care of me, but friend, you may be at the bottom of the rubble pile when destruction hits your city. (Remember Lot’s family?) Because God’s servant has already told us that we need to get out, and she has told us what is going to happen. If the Lord’s servant told you, It won’t be long before the little town that you live in is going to be burned to a crisp, what would be your response? I would be saying, Get the suitcase!

How much warning do we need? Why do God’s people continue to live in these surroundings, knowing that this is just the beginning of the end. Let the government institute all the security precautions they want; they are not going to keep out the terrorists. The terrorists are living and operating right in our very midst today. They have other plans that are going to be put into action. This is simply a prelude for the devil to get his way and bring in the Sunday movement to get rid of God’s people who love Him and keep His commandments. All of these things are coming together to point a finger at God’s last day people, to rid the earth of them. The devil hates us, just as he hated Jesus, because we are a Sabbath-keeping, commandment-keeping people. This is his plan to bring in more restrictions of personal freedom by the government. After 9/11, 60–70 percent of the people who were polled said they were willing to give up a certain amount of freedom, in return for protection and security.

Have we Done Enough?

Have we not given enough already? How many of us are willing to say that we do not need to pass out literature and books anymore; we don’t need to preach our message anymore? That is right up some people’s alley, because a lot of Adventists do not want to preach the Three Angels’ Messages. They don’t want to talk about them, because it causes too many problems in the world. You better believe that God’s truth is going to cause problems in the world, when it is preached the way God wants it preached, when it is so plain and so simple that it cannot be argued against. Yes, it is going to cause an uproar. We are afraid to do it; we do not want that.

Someone once said it is good to put up signs along the highways and on marquees, but very few want to put signs in their own yard. I remember several years ago our church put a sign in the lot next to our building, and people were afraid someone would burn down the place. I said, “Let them burn it down. If God sees fit, let it burn. If He wants to keep it, He will protect it.”

Increased Disasters

God’s servant is warning us today, These buildings are coming down! “The ungodly cities of our world are to be swept away by the besom of destruction. In the calamities that are now befalling immense buildings and large portions of cities, God is showing us what will come upon the whole earth.” Counsels on Health, 268. Are you ready for it? Do you trust in God enough? Ellen White says that we are going to see trouble on every side. Is that happening? Yes, it is.

“We shall see troubles on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea. Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will break out unexpectedly, and no human effort will be able to quench them. The palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames.

“Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent; confusion, collision, and death without a moment’s warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near, probation is closing.” Messages to Young People, 89, 90.

Why are these disasters coming on the cities? Why is God saying to get out of the cities, and why will the majority of Adventists not listen? We always say that we are going to get out of the cities; how much more warning do we need? We have heard it over and over; God says to get out of the cities! When we see these things taking place, know that this is just a prelude to what is going to be happening; it is just the beginning. We must get out while we can, because He says the time will come when we cannot leave. (See Country Living, 11.) The time is coming in the United States of America when we will not be able to go from one city to another. When Martial Law is enacted, we cannot move about the country. Things are going to happen, whether or not we believe they can. God says that the cities have become the hotbed of vice. He is looking down from Heaven, and He says, That is just about enough!

Ellen White says that everywhere we look in the cities we see evil, enticements. The tide of corruption is swelling every day. Every day brings violence, robberies, suicides, murders, and crimes unnamable. Think about these things. She says that life in the cities is false and artificial. It is! It’s not real, with all the stone and concrete and with all the make believe that is going on, the intense passion for getting money, the whirlwind of excitement and pleasure. (See Country Living, 5, 6.)

I have had people tell me, “I wouldn’t live any place but the city, because there is always something going on. The best thing about New York City is that it is a city that never sleeps; everybody always has something to do. No matter when you get up or when you go to bed, something is going on.” When we were young, we always longed to stay up until 11:00 p.m. or midnight. My Dad said we never needed to stay up that late, because we would just find more things to do that we probably should not be doing. “Whatever you need to do,” he said, “you make sure you get it done before 10:00.” Strange how the most villainous things happen in the wee hours of the day.

What is our Work?

What is the answer? God tells us what to do. We must leave the cities; we must get away from them. What is our work today? Mrs. White writes: “The work of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force. In the world gigantic monopolies will be formed. Men will bind themselves together in unions that will wrap them in the folds of the enemy. A few men will combine to grasp all the means to be obtained in certain lines of business. Trades unions will be formed, and those who refuse to join these unions will be marked men.” Country Living, 10. Are you seeing it? I have never before seen such gigantic corporate monopolies. God’s servant saw these things and warned us of what was to come.

Are we ready today? God promised that He would do nothing but what He would warn His people, and He is warning us that the time is near, even at the door. Notice what is taking place in the economy; notice what is taking place in the cities; notice what is taking place on every side—it all tells of the soon coming of Jesus. We need to heed His warnings! If we will return to Him, if we will be still and know that He is God, He is calling us today to come back to Him before it is too late.

We have a work to do to warn the world of what is soon to come upon them as an overwhelming surprise. (See Prophets and Kings, 626.) Sad to say, most Seventh-day Adventists will be just as surprised and caught off guard, because we have not prepared.

Do we want to be ready for Jesus to come? Are we thankful for God’s servant today? Are we thankful for the Word of God today that tells us of these events? If we are, then we are going to go out and tell our neighbors and friends. Tell them what the Word of God has to say. We will not have to be embarrassed that perhaps it won’t happen, because it is going to happen; in fact, it is happening now.

Are you ready?

Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at BTLM@GTE.net or by telephone at 1-800-238-2856.

Out of the Darkness of Error

by

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I [am] of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” 1 Corinthians 3:4–10.

In the Corinthian church, they were having a bit of a controversy. Paul had raised up the church at Corinth; he had evangelized and started a church. Apollos was chosen by the church to do follow-up work by continuing to sow seeds and to water, or nurture, the church. Some church members were claiming to be of Paul and others were claiming to be of Apollos. Paul said, “You are yet carnal.” Paul was trying to make it very clear to the Corinthian church that no matter who did the sowing of the seed, all people are under the control of God. He said they were still carnal, because they were still looking to man.

Paul had sown seeds; Apollos had sown seeds, but the One that gave the increase, the One that transformed the characters of the Corinthian believers was God. It was His grace, shed in their hearts, that made that transformation. Not one soul will be converted unless the Holy Spirit is working on their heart, and that is what Paul is trying to get across to the brethren in Corinth.

Under God’s Control

Paul goes over the principle, time and again, that we do not own ourselves. We are only under the control of God. “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, [ye are] God’s building.” We need to understand that when God sheds light upon our paths we are then made stewards of the truth that God has given us. Paul states, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1. If God has worked within us, we are then made stewards of what He has done for us. We are made stewards to share it with other people “. . . according to the grace of God which is given unto me . . . .” When God gives us something, He then makes us stewards over that, and we will be held accountable in the Day of Judgment for what He has given us. What a precious opportunity God has given us to become laborers with Him, but what a weighty responsibility! The grace and the truth that He has given us make us want to become laborers together with Him, to sow the seeds of truth.

We are told, in 1 Corinthians 3:9, that we are God’s husbandry, or farmer. A farmer tills the ground, preparing it for planting; then he plants and waters. Those tasks are also our responsibility. We are to go out and sow the seeds of truth that God has given us.

God’s Building

In the verses given above, Paul was talking about our work, about the foundation that we lay, and upon what it is laid—whether earthly possessions such as gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble. These texts are useful when studying health principles with people: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” Verses 16, 17. The context in which Paul was speaking is our work. How can we defile our soul temples, our bodies, where God’s Spirit is to dwell? We defile it by not sowing seeds of truth, by locking up all of the grace and all of the truth inside, and not giving it to other people.

Think of the responsibility that we have, with all of the truth that we have been given. We can be like the Laodiceans, rich and increased with goods and feeling we are in need of nothing, not even knowing that we are poor, blind, and naked. We do not even understand our true condition. Keep these texts in mind—your body is God’s building.

Glorify God

Again Paul shows that God possesses us. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” We do not own ourselves; God owns us by creation and by redemption. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

Consider Jesus for a moment. How did He glorify His Father? “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” John 17:3, 4. Paul was telling the Corin-thians that they had accepted another Jesus. People can know some type of Jesus, but it does not mean that they know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. In Acts 4:13, it says that “they took knowledge of them [the disciples], that they had been with Jesus.” By their very acts, their words, and by the expressions on their faces, the people knew that they had been with Jesus. They were showing the true Jesus to the world through their characters because of what God had done for them in their lives. So Jesus says, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

A Work

The time of this statement was right before Jesus went to the cross. What work is it that He had finished? John 17:8 tells us, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.”

At the end of your life, can you say with Jesus, “I have finished the work that You have given me to do; I have done everything in my power to spread the gospel, to reflect Your character; I have done everything, by God’s grace, by the grace that has been given me; to reflect Your character and glorify Your name, and I have also spread the gospel truth”?

Live the Truth

If this is Jesus’ work, what is our work? “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” John 17:17–20. This is our responsibility as a church. Jesus has given us a commission that we give to others the words that have been given to us. What a responsibility we have of sharing this truth! Jesus said that we have to be sanctified through the truth in order for that truth to have any effect when we give it to other people. It has to be a living reality in our lives; we have to be living it out every day, because the truth that we give to others will have no power if we are not living it ourselves.

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” Verse 21.

Do you know what the world is looking for today? An unbeliever told me that they are looking for some people who live out the truth. There is nothing this world needs more today than a manifestation of the love of God in those who are claiming to be His people. We need to pray, asking the Lord to fill us with that kind of love. We must be living out that truth in our lives, sanctified by the truth that we know, or it will not do a bit of good, because we will be holding the truth in unrighteousness.

People in the world are looking at us, watching us. Paul says we are epistles known and read of all men. (11 Corinthians 3:2.) Are they taking knowledge that we have been with Jesus? Have we spent time with Him on our knees? The truth that we read every day—are we living it out in our lives? That is what the world wants to see.

From Darkness into Light

“Every truly converted soul will be intensely desirous to bring others from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.” Review and Herald, July 21, 1896.

That is a wonderful quote, but it is a hard one, because it shows whether or not we are truly converted. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I truly converted to the Lord, or am I connected to the vine but have no vital fluid running through it to bear fruit?” How do we know? If we are truly converted, we will be intensely desirous to bring others out of the darkness of error into the righteousness of Christ. This will take a searching of heart.

When I first came to the Lord, I could not help but share with others. I could not help it! I did not care who they were, what was their status, or what they looked like—I wanted to share with them! Why? Because I knew what God had done for me in my life. I have to ask myself if I am as intensely desirous now as I was then. Has that intensity lessened, or has it grown greater? It should grow day by day so that every truly converted soul will be intensely desirous of bringing others out from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Christ.

Mrs. White continues: “The great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with His glory . . .” Do you remember what His glory is? It is His character. It is going to be fully exhibited in His people, and it will fill the whole earth. That is what people are waiting for today—a people who will shine forth with the light of truth that will lighten the entire earth. “. . . His glory will not come until we have an enlightened people, that know by experience what it means to be laborers together with God.” Ibid.

Waiting for the Latter Rain

Do we have an experience of bringing souls out of darkness? We can all say that we are waiting for the Latter Rain, and we can say that we want it, but it will not come unless we have an enlightened people that know by experience what it means to be laborers with God. First of all, we need to be converted, and if we are converted, we will be intensely desirous of bringing others out of the darkness. We will do that by leading them step by step out of darkness into His marvelous light through God’s Word. It will not come, however, unless our people are enlightened and are sharing in the experience of bringing others out of darkness.

“When we have entire, whole-hearted consecration to the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an outpouring of his Spirit without measure; but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God.” Ibid.

If we have that burden for souls, we will start bringing people out of the darkness of error into the marvelous light of Christ. What a responsibility we have! “God cannot pour out His Spirit when selfishness and self-indulgence are so manifest; when a spirit prevails that, if put into words, would express that answer of Cain—‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ (Genesis 4:9).” Ye Shall Receive Power, 310. We can labor all we want, we can pass out literature and do all of the things that God wants us to do, but we must ask ourselves, “Am I truly converted? Am I intensely desirous for souls? Does selfishness and self-indulgence defile the soul temple?” It most certainly will, because “if the truth for this time, if the signs that are thickening on every hand, that testify that the end of all things is at hand, are not sufficient to arouse the sleeping energy of those who profess to know the truth, then darkness proportionate to the light which has been shining will overtake these souls.” Ibid.

Where are we?

Are we at the end of time? The signs are definitely thickening around us, and they should arouse the sleeping energies. We can become so accustomed to disasters and everything else that they just become a part of life, but we need
to look at these occurrences in a different light. We need to be thinking about the fact that Jesus is coming soon. Do we have selfishness and self-indulgence manifested in our lives? Have we backslidden a little bit? Are we still as intensely desirous of sharing God’s truth as when we first came to the Lord?

If we do not share the light that has shown upon our pathways, it is going to go out in darkness. Jesus said, in Luke 8:16–18, that if we have hidden our light under a bushel, it will go out, and it will be taken from us. “There is not the semblance of an excuse for their indifference that they will be able to present to God in the great day of final reckoning. There will be no reason to offer as to why they did not live and walk and work in the light of the sacred truth of the Word of God, and thus reveal to a sin-darkened world, through their conduct, their sympathy, and their zeal, that the power and reality of the gospel could not be controverted.” Ibid.

My Prayer

I pray that we can have a true experience and true conversion in the Lord every day, and that the love that has been implanted in our hearts by God will be a well of water, springing up into everlasting life for those weary people in this world who are suffering under the bondage of sin. We can have this experience, and I pray that as we look back to our beginnings with the Lord, we will ask ourselves, “Am I as intensely desirous now as I was then?”

I pray that we each may have this experience, so we can have the out-pouring of the Latter Rain power to finish the work and go home. Are you not sick of this world? The signs are thickening around us, so let us work, for the night is coming when no one is going to be able to work. Let us not hear the words from our neighbors, “You knew these things and you did not tell us.” (See John 9:4; Review and Herald, August 15, 1907.) What excuse are we going to give in the day of final reckoning? Are we going to say, “Oh, yes, I could have given them a book, but I was too afraid of what they would think about me; I was afraid I would offend them; I was afraid I would not have good relations with them”? Friends, it is better that we tell them now than at that time when it will be too late.

“God has appointed His children to give light to others, and if they fail to do it, and souls are left in the darkness of error because of their failure to do that which they might have done, had they been vitalized by the Holy Spirit, they will be accountable to God. We have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light, in order that we may show forth the praises of Christ.” Review and Herald, December 12, 1893.

Mike Bauler pastors the Historic Message Church in Portland, Oregon. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mbauler@molalla.net.

A Finished Work—The Method

by

A very special promise for our time is given in Romans 9:28: “For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.”

The Lord is going to finish His work. In the first article of this series, you may remember that our study concerned the challenge that this presents to us today—the giants and the fortified cities that are in the land even now. In this article, let us look again at the challenge and also at a finished work—the method.

Entering the Promised Land

In the first chapter of the Book of Joshua, we find, in our study of the conquest of the Promised Land, that the children of Israel, having journeyed in the wilderness for 39 additional years, were to enter at last into the Promised Land. God presented the method by which they would finish the work that was given to them.

Notice the Lord’s introduction to Joshua: “Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel.” Joshua 1:1, 2.

This is the first recorded time that the Lord communicated directly to Joshua. Previously, when the Lord communicated to Moses, Joshua was a minister—a servant or co-worker—with Moses, and had not had that privilege. But now the Lord was communicating directly to Joshua and giving him the methodology he was to follow.

Crossing Jordan

The Lord’s introduction to Joshua was, “Arise, and go over Jordan.” Did the Lord tell him how this was to be done? We do not find it recorded here; we are only given the instruction that the Lord gave: “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, and I will be with you.”

Now, humanly speaking, did this make a lot of sense? Was it a good time to ford the Jordan? No! It was flood season! It was springtime, and the Jordan was a raging torrent. Raging torrents are not what someone would want to venture into, yet this was the direction that God gave to Joshua. He did not tell him how it was going to take place; He did not tell him to build a bridge; He did not tell him to go by another route and bypass the Jordan. He said, “Arise, go over this Jordan.”

The Lord expected Joshua to explicitly follow His directions, even when they made no sense. And they did not make any sense! How could a person cross Jordan at this time? The Lord did not try to explain all of the details of how it was going to happen. He wanted Joshua and the children of Israel to manifest faith that if God gave the directions, He would also supply the means for how the task could be accomplished.

In Joshua 3, we read of the children of Israel marching down into Jordan. The priests advanced first, and we may wonder what they were thinking as they started marching down the banks of the Jordan, far in advance of the rest of the congregation, carrying the symbol of the presence of the Lord. As they drew closer and closer to the raging water, what might have been the thoughts going through their minds? Then, as their feet dipped into the torrent, the waters were cut off. (See Joshua 3:13–17.) God called them to explicitly obey His directions and instructions, and they followed His command.

Another Sign of Obedience

“At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.” Joshua 5:2.

After they obeyed the directions to arise and go over this Jordan, the Lord came to Joshua and said, “Now I want you to again circumcise the children of Israel.” Since their rebellion, 39 years before, circumcision had been stopped—postponed to indicate the withdrawal of God’s favor and blessing. God now asked Joshua to obey Him, to follow His directions—not just when they did not make sense but when they hurt as well.

A Battle Plan

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art] thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but [as] captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy. And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:13–15.

His directions are recorded in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 6: “And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.”

March Around It

Here we learn that even when it does not make sense to us and even when it hurts, the directions which God gives are to be followed, for the Lord Jesus, Captain of the Lord’s host, directs the battle plan. What was the battle plan for the children of Israel to take Jericho? March around it!

Humanly speaking, is it possible to conquer a city by marching around it? Of course it is not. But here we see God asking Joshua and the children of Israel to explicitly obey His directions even when it seemed impossible. Even when it made no sense, He asked them to explicitly obey His directions. Even when it hurt, He asked them to obey His directions, and even when it seemed like an impossibility, He asked that His directions be obeyed.

The children of Israel could have done a number of other things. They could have taken an alternate course. They could have patterned after what the other contemporary armies were doing at the time, but God said, “In order to conquer Canaan, you have to be operating on a different principle than the Canaanites. To conquer Canaan, you have to operate by explicitly following the directions that I give to you.”

Still Applies Today

If the work is going to be finished today, we have to learn the same lessons as they did. We have to learn that the only way the work of God is going to be finished upon the earth today is by explicitly following the directions that He has given in His Word and in the Spirit of Prophecy.

I recently listened to an audiotape of a sermon that was recorded about 30 years ago. The minister who was speaking said that if God could have finished the work by using a plan other than the blueprint He has given, He would have already done it. The only way that the work is going to be finished today is by explicitly following the directions that God has given.

Forget the Side Issues

The devil brings about many traps. In Ellen White’s day, when she was urging and appealing for the church leaders and members to work the cities, a theological issue arose which resulted in a theological debate. There were prominent men on both sides of the question, debating this issue back and forth, and she counseled, “Do not speak about it. Do not worry about it. Work the cities!”

She said, “Wherever we go, we shall find men ready with some side issue.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, 245. She continued in telling of a man who had come to her with the message that the world was flat. She did not try to show from the Bible that the earth was round. She did not try to show from science that the earth was round; she referred him to Matthew 28:16–20.

Forget the side issues! Forget those minor theological issues. That is not our work. Those are not the directions God has given to us. God has directed for us to work the cities, to look those giants in the face, and advance as quickly and as aggressively as possible.

Worldly Pattern

Are we following the directions today? Are we studying the directions that God has given for the finishing of His work? A wealth of material is available for our use. There are people who tell us that we need new methods and new ideas, but those new methods and those new ideas need to be based solidly on the directions that God has already given us in His Word and in the Spirit of Prophecy.

We see many around us implementing contemporary methods. They look to other churches and pattern after the world, but the work will never be finished by patterning after the world. Joshua could not pattern after the world. If Joshua had patterned after the world, Jericho would still be standing. Are we patterning after the world today? Are we patterning after the world in our work? Are we patterning after the world in our own lives?

This has been one of the problems throughout the history of God’s people. They pattern after the world, without realizing it, because it is so prevalent around them. For example, consider when Sarah encouraged Abraham to lay with her handmaid, Hagar. It did not seem like such a wrong thing to them, because everyone else was doing it. They were just using then known contemporary methods. But, in doing so, they were not following God’s pattern.

There is nothing wrong with contemporary methods—just as long as they are based upon the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy. The only way God’s work is going to be finished is if we look at the directions—at the blueprint that God has given—and follow that blueprint. Anything short of this will fail.

Directions Given

Consider briefly some of the directions that God has given to us. In the Book of Colossians, a time is recorded when the work was finished. Paul said that the gospel had been “preached to every creature which is under heaven.” Colossians 1:23. The gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven in a day when there was no Internet, no satellites, no television or radio; there was not even a postal service per se.

Interestingly, when I was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I noticed that none of those things—electricity, postal service, etc.—existed there. It was amazing, however, when there were no modern methods of communication, how quickly news traveled. When my travel companions and I arrived in a village, a number of hours away from a larger city, it was only 10 or 20 minutes before a secret service agent was right there to get our names, to register us, and to check out what we were doing. Even though they had no telephone service or other modern modes of communication, notification occurred very rapidly. The “bush telegraph” worked better than some e-mails work today!

“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles. . . . Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” Acts 8:1, 4. The believers were scattered abroad, and they were preaching the Word. Not just the apostles were preaching the Word, but the believers also were preaching.

The Entire Membership

Sometimes it is easy for us to look to ministers or ministries to finish the work, but it is not going to be ministers and ministries alone that are going to finish it. They have a part to play, yes, and they need to be focused on finishing the work and laying broader and more aggressive evangelistic plans, but what finished the work in the days of the apostles, what took the gospel to the entire world at that time was not just the preaching of the apostles, but the sharing of the Word of God by every believer as well. It was people such as Aquila and Priscilla who, ministering at their workplace, led one of their co-workers, Apollos, into a more perfect way. (See Acts 18.)

“The work of God in this earth can never be finished until the men and women comprising our church membership rally to the work and unite their efforts with those of ministers and church officers.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 117.

Are the ministers and the church officers going to finish the work? The work will be finished by the entire membership rallying together, each one playing his or her part to complete the task. If we do not do it, God will use other means to finish the work, and He will finish it without us. The entire membership—that is you and me.

I read a statement recently that said, “I am just a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody!” That is what we need to do! We need to be nobodies trying to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody. We have a work to do, but until we unite and do what we can—not just in giving out literature, not just in sending our money to those who are doing big projects, but by ourselves personally taking up the work that lies nearest us—we will never finish the work. God will finish it, but He will pass us by.

A Personal Work

“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given.” The Great Controversy, 612. [Emphasis supplied.] How many voices? Thousands of voices. It will not just be one or three or ten major evangelists. There will be thousands of voices—the voices of God’s people.

“In visions of the night, representations passed before me [Ellen White] of a great reformatory movement among God’s people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles were wrought. A spirit of intercession was seen, even as was manifested before the great Day of Pentecost. Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families and opening before them the word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 126. [Emphasis supplied.]

This will be personal work. It will be personal voices. All of these other mechanisms—the Internet, television, radio, and satellite—are good, and they play a part in finishing the work, but the work is not going to be finished solely through them. It has to be finished by personal voices, by your voice and by mine.

The work will be finished by personal work. As quoted above, hundreds and thousands will be visiting families and opening the Word of God to them. This means we will be going to our neighbors, to our co-workers, and to our friends, giving them Bible studies.

You and I have a work to do. The only way that the work is going to be finished is if we look those giants in the face, if we look at those challenges and are not diverted by the difficulties. We must study and pray to learn what God’s methods are, what the instructions are that He has given for finishing the work. Then, as the Lord leads us to the area of ministry that He has for each of us and as we do our personal work, His work is going to be finished.

When a fire is lit, not just under the ministers but also under the entire church, God’s work is going to be finished. We need to listen, as did Joshua, for the Captain of the hosts’ voice. Listen to His voice; study the directions He has given, and lift up and do the part that God has given to us to perform. May we be faithful in that work.

Cody Francis is currently engaged in public evangelism for Mission Projects International. He also pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in Renton, Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.