Evangelism

Prophets of Doom

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Samuel had died and had been buried, and now the Philistines had come up to attack Israel. In I Samuel 28:5, it says that Saul was terrified. Fear is part of the devil’s program. The devil has three objectives, three ways to try to destroy. First, he wants to seduce you through sensual temptations. If that doesn’t work, then he reverts to deception to involve you in his counterfeit for faith—presumption. If these two attempts don’t succeed, his third method is to endeavor to terrify you.

Interestingly, when you study the three temptations of Jesus on the mount of temptations, this is the exact order that the devil followed with Christ. First he tried to seduce Him with a sensual temptation. Then he tried to get Him to practice presumption, and finally he tried to terrify Him by implying that He need not go through the suffering of the cross. The whole world was offered to Jesus if he would just worship him. Suffering, of course, is something that terrifies people. The devil tried this on Jesus to no avail; however, he is more successful when he comes to us.

In I Samuel 28, it says that Saul was terrified. Verse 6 says that “Saul asked from Jehovah, and Jehovah did not give him an answer, either by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets.” God would not answer him, so Saul became desperate. Unfortunately, there are Adventists today who are desperate and want to know the answers to certain questions, and God hasn’t answered them.

In the book, The Great Controversy, in the chapter, “The Snares of Satan,” Ellen White said that it was one of the devil’s masterful temptations to get men to ask questions that God would not answer, even through eternal ages. People get so desperate to know the answer to a certain question that God hasn’t revealed that they try to find out the answer from somewhere else. That is precisely what Saul decided to do, so he told his servants to “find me a woman that has a familiar spirit so I can go and have a séance and find this out, find out what I need to know. I need to know what to do about this battle that’s coming up.” I Samuel 28:7.

So he disguised himself and went to this witch at Endor and persuaded her to bring up for him the person that he should name. He asked to bring up Samuel, and so it says that she had a séance for him and brought up Samuel. And Samuel said, “Well, why did you bring me up?” Saul said, “Jehovah doesn’t answer me by any way I ask, and I just have to have this information.” In verses 17 and 18 and 19, it says that Samuel, in effect, told him off. He told him you haven’t listened to Jehovah. You didn’t do what He told you to do, and that’s the reason He doesn’t answer you. And not only that, the Lord has taken away the kingdom from you and he’s going to give it to your neighbor, David. Tomorrow the Lord is going to give you, and all of the armies of Israel, into the hands of the Philistines. And you are going to die tomorrow. You and your sons are going to be with me.

That sounds like a prophet of doom, and not a prophet of the Lord. It was the devil speaking; the devil and his agents are the prophets of doom. It was not God’s message. God’s message is a message of the everlasting gospel and the judgment, and you can read it in Revelation 14:6–12. God does say that if you will not listen to the warnings there are going to be some terrible consequences; however, the Three Angels’ Messages open up by saying that the angel that flies in the midst of heaven has the Everlasting Gospel. The word gospel means “Good News!”

God’s message is a message of good news. When a Seventh-day Adventist studies with somebody, they ought to find out some good news. The world has enough messages about hell and damnation and awful things, and desperately needs good news. The good news, friend, is that Jesus is coming, and He is going to get you out of this place and take you to a place where there is no more sickness. There is not going to be any war there, and there will not be any cemeteries either. There’ll be no death, and no more pain. It will be a wonderful place, and that is good news!

Friends, the Christian is duty-bound before God to give the people of this world the good news of the coming of Jesus and how to get ready for it. That is the reason we are here, and that is good news. Publicizing every awful thing that may happen will never win anybody; it will only cause panic and terror. The devil is already doing that, and he needs no help. He is flooding the world with messages of doom, and wants you to be terrified so that you will make irrational decisions and do things that are rash and reckless.

In I Samuel 28, every specification the devil made came true. The devil can often very accurately predict events that are going to happen in the near future because he has access to all kinds of information that you and I don’t have. However, just because it turns out to be true, it does not mean that the message was from the Lord. It could be the devil trying to get you terrified, so you go into a panic.

The devil’s purpose in this was to discourage Saul and bring everlasting ruin, which he succeeded in doing. Saul will not be in the kingdom of heaven. In fact, it says in 1 Chronicles, the 10th chapter, that God killed Saul because he went and sought counsel from a woman who had a familiar spirit. God’s message is good news. Our message is the gospel, which is good news, and the good news is that Jesus is coming. If people could just get a little idea of who Jesus is and what He is like, and the fact that He is coming soon, it would be the most exciting thing in the world. When Jesus came, He always brought peace and hope and joy.

We often concentrate on how awful it will be for the wicked when Jesus comes and that they are going to be destroyed with everlasting flames of fire when He comes. But look at what happens to the righteous: “When He comes to be glorified in His Holy people, or in His saints, and to be astonished at, or to be marveled at, by all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” 11 Thessalonians 1:10. Oh friend, when Jesus comes He’s going to be glorified, and we are going to be astonished at how wonderful it is. In the Bible, that is called “the blessed hope.” Titus 2:13.

If you are one of the saved, the coming of Jesus will be more exciting than any experience that you have ever had. If you accept Him as your Savior, He has the power to take away all the guilt of your sins, and to deliver you from the power of sin in your life and to restore you, to sanctify you, and make you ready for His coming. Is that good news?

“Every man is free to choose what power he will have to rule over him. None have fallen so low, none are so vile, but they can find deliverance in Christ.” The Desire of Ages, 258. Our message is a message of good news. We are not predictors of doom. There will not be any doomsday for the righteous; that is only for the wicked, those who have rejected the message of salvation that has been offered.

The devil’s message is: first, he wants to seduce you; if that doesn’t succeed, then he wants to deceive you, and if that doesn’t work, then he wants to terrify you. Now think about this for just a moment from the devil’s perspective. If you wanted to get somebody terrified, how would you do it? You would bombard them with messages predicting doom, and that is precisely what is happening today. God’s people are more bombarded with messages talking about doomsday now than ever, and these messages have even hit the public press.

Evangelical preachers predicting Armageddon, political collapse, economic collapse, and the end of the world gain strength in their predictions through publications and the media. Many are alarmed by the status of the stock market, yet there have been over twenty stock market crashes since 1800. The stock market has crashed over ten times since the year 1900. The stock market crashed in 1973 and 1974, and it lasted over a year. Stocks decreased 45%.

People at present are scared to death that we are in a financial crisis, but the big question is, how should you react to the crisis we are in?

The first time I can remember that the public press was predicting a major stock market crash was in 1953. All the time I was growing up we’ve had all kinds of predictions of doom. When I was in high school in the United States, a Roman Catholic president was elected, which was the first time a Roman Catholic president had been elected in this country. When my mother was young, it was believed that a Roman Catholic would never be elected as president of the United States, with over 60% of the United States of America being Protestant. But we did, and that very next year, in 1961, the Supreme Court made a ruling that Sunday laws would become constitutional.

The prediction of something awful is not really the point, but how you react to it is what matters. I was just a young man at that time at the Seventh-day Adventist high school. I told my father that the people at the high school had told me that I would never get through college, that there would be Sunday laws and everything would close up. I reasoned that if I would not be able to finish college, what would be the point in even starting, and that I may as well just forget it. My father advised that if I intended to be a minister, I would need to be trained, and if Jesus came before I was trained, it would not be held against me, so I pursued my education.

While I was going to school, there was the Cuban Missile crisis, and for about 48 hours we were afraid that we were going to be in a nuclear war. Then we had the escalation of Vietnam. After that was the break-down of law and order in 1967 and 1968, and the reaction to the Vietnam War. Then in 1970 and 1971, President Nixon took us off the gold standard, and that began an interesting series of events which caused a double digit inflation. We had high unemployment. We were trying to conserve oil. People were afraid. The talk all over the Adventist community of Loma Linda at that time in 1973 and 1974 was that the Sunday laws would be passed to try to conserve oil by people not driving their cars on Sunday.

Between 1980 and 1982, we had a chairman of the Federal Reserve who decided that we had had enough of this high double-digit inflation. and decided that the problem could be cured by increasing the interest rate way up to around 14%. In the early ’80s you could get 14 to 16% interest on bonds, and that was an interesting time to go through. Right at that time, my wife and I received an invitation to go teach at Southwestern Adventist College in Keene, Texas. At the time, we were living in Washington State, so we needed to sell our house. With interest rates up at 10 to 12% not many people would qualify for a loan, and we were advised by a realtor that we would have to sell on contract because of the high interest. Some people started getting adjustable rate mortgages at that time.

We were able to sell our house on contract, but during that time, 1979, I had a friend who was a Seventh-day Adventist who came and told me that he was not going to plant his garden that year. This man owned a rototiller and for extra money used to till gardens for other people. He decided not to grow his own garden because he believed the Lord was going to come that October, which was only three months away. His belief stemmed from a new interpretation of Daniel 11, and those who could not see it were considered in a Laodicean condition. This belief just about split the church. That October in 1979 came and the world did not come to an end. Awful things were supposed to happen in 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2007, and April 2008. Many Adventists believed that the world was supposed to come to an end before the end of 2007.

What effect do all these prophets of doom have on God’s people? Many of God’s people become disheartened and discouraged. Friends, we should not be dwelling on all the awful things that are going to happen at the end of the world. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and what He’s going to do for His people at the end of the world. It is the devil’s business to get God’s people discouraged, and the way he does it is by sending you a constant barrage of predictions of doom. The doom either doesn’t happen at all, or it doesn’t happen the way it was predicted, so another twist and a new date is put on it.

“Look to the earth and behold distress, and trouble, gloom, and darkness. And they will be driven to darkness.” Isaiah 8:22. Is that the kind of experience you want as we approach the end of the world; distress, trouble, and gloom? Isaiah prophesied 2700 years ago, that is what they are going to do. To be driven to darkness is the devil’s program and, unfortunately, it is being very successful with God’s people.

This is what the Lord wants you to do. Isaiah 45:22 says, “Look to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, because I am God and there is not any other.” You can’t save yourself, but if you look to God, you will be saved. The devil says look to the earth. Look at the distress. Look at the trouble. Look at all the awful things going on.

If more time is spent by God’s people reading about all the trouble that is predicted to come in the world than on reading their Bibles, is it any wonder that they are discouraged and depressed? It is exactly what Isaiah said would happen, in Isaiah 8:22. They look to the earth. There is distress. There is trouble. There is darkness, and what happens? They are driven to darkness.

Many young people have left the Seventh-day Adventist Church because they have heard so many failed predictions that they have no confidence in Adventism. This is a stated fact. Some have heard it predicted that Christ would come before 1997 or before 1996, or before 1994, or for sure before 2000. They have heard the prediction that the whole world has to come to an end before the end of 2007, and numerous other things predicted, of which 50 to 75% of them have not come true. Some of them, of course, do come true because if you make enough predictions of doom you will hit it once in a while because this world is a bad place. However, the young people in the Adventist church have heard so much of this and seen so many failed predictions that they have lost confidence.

Some young people become passive and careless. They have heard so many predictions of doom that they say, “Who cares? I can’t do anything about it anyway. So I’m just going to live my life.” They become passive, careless, and indifferent.

For an example regarding this current stock market crash, some young people have said to me that they cannot do anything about it. What am I supposed to do? There’s nothing I can do about it.

If somebody is continually given a barrage of bad news of all the terrible things that are happening, but they can’t do anything about it, the effect is that they become passive, and they say, “So what!” This has become a problem in larger society.

In 1964 a lady was stabbed to death in New York, she screamed for help, but nobody came to help her, even though, when it was investigated, the neighbors had heard the screams. This situation is shocking, that no one would go to her aid, but people have been desensitized to others’ needs.

Here is how it happens. Television and radio are constantly bombarding the people with sensational news, most of it bad. The more sensational the programs, the more audience they get; the more audience they have, the more advertisers they get and the more profits they make, and so the cycle continues. The result is that people are bombarded with sensationalism so that reality loses its significance, and the end result is that you have a population who consider that there is nothing they can do about it and are so passive that they can even hear someone being murdered and not be stirred to help. We are living in the most passive generation that has ever been, and it has negatively affected our young people.

Many are so scared with the situation in the world economically and politically that they have decided to find security and safety in the caves or in the mountains. This is happening all over the world, not just in the United States. Some people who are already living in country areas are getting out into the mountains in places so deserted that a four-wheel drive vehicle is required to get there. These places are usually quite affordable because they are so isolated, but if everyone did buy a place in an isolated place that it took hours to get to, who would be left to take the messages of the three angels to the world?

If you lived in the mountains in Colorado and most of the people live in the city of Denver, that is where you should be concentrating your effort: Denver. That is where most of the people live in the whole state. If you’re going to get your message to California, where do you need to concentrate your efforts? You need to concentrate your efforts in the Los Angeles area and in the San Francisco Bay area because that is where most of the population is.

Now I’m not saying that everybody needs to live in the middle of Los Angeles, but we do need to be somewhere that we can be of use and work. We have a message to get to the world, and we have such a barrage of prophecies of doom hitting God’s people from every direction day and night, almost seven days a week. People are so scared, they are so terrified, that instead of getting the message to the world, they don’t even want the book, The Great Controversy being distributed because they’re scared it will stir up trouble. People are scared and want to protect themselves, instead of getting the message to the world.

This reminds me of the story of Elijah in I Kings 19:9, 10. God gave him a message too, and where did God find him? He was in a cave, just where a lot of Adventists are—in a cave. So the Lord comes to him and He says, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” You know, the Lord needs to ask that question to some Adventists: What are you doing here? “Oh, Lord, I’ve been very zealous for your name and the children of Israel, they’ve broken down your altars, they’ve killed your prophets until I’m the only one who is left, and they are seeking my soul to take it away.” The Lord said to him again, “What are you doing here? What are you doing here?” Verse 13.

Don’t misunderstand; there will be a time to flee to the caves, but not until we have the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world. Our job right now is to ask the Lord, “Lord, how do you want me to relate to getting your message to the entire world? What do you want me to do? What is my part?” There is work for the retired to do also. Now some people think that when you retire you quit working, but let me tell you something. God doesn’t ever retire His people. God never retires His servants. God uses His servants as long as they live. He used the apostle Paul, and some of the most powerful books in the New Testament were written when the apostle Paul was in prison, such as Ephesians. And the book of Revelation was written when John the revelator was exiled on Patmos, and he was very, very old at that time. The Lord did not say, Well, you poor fellow, you’ve reached over sixty-five, so you can’t work for Me anymore. The Lord does not work that way. That is the way man works, but the Lord uses His people even after they get old. If your brain works and if you’re alive, God can use you if you surrender yourself to Him and say, Lord, what do You want me to do? The Lord will give you something to do. There are some who win more people to the Lord after they are retired than they won their whole life, so don’t be discouraged if you’re retired and you think you would just like to encourage one soul to Jesus. You can; the Lord might use you to raise up a whole church. Ask Him to teach you what you should do. Don’t just go off and run into a cave where you can’t work; you won’t raise up a church in a cave. No matter how bad it gets in this world, you and I are going to be here until we take the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world. Many of God’s people are trying to seek security and safety instead of taking the Three Angels’ Messages to the world.

Since a number of young people are passive and don’t even have confidence in Adventism anymore, and a lot of the older people are seeking safety and security in the mountains or the caves or somewhere, what is the net result? The net result is that the cities are neglected by the very people whom God has appointed to take to them the Three Angels’ Messages.

Hundreds of thousands of people die every day in our world who have never heard the Three Angels’ Messages. Some of them don’t even know anything about Christianity. The cities are neglected by the very people whom God has appointed to take them the message of hope. We are not going to get out of this world until we take the Three Angels’ Messages to all the world.

The sad part of it is that if you and I don’t do it, God is going to have somebody else do it. Ellen White says in the book Notebook Leaflets that God can finish His work with heathen princes if He needs to. God does not need the General Conference or the historic Adventists to finish His work. He does not need any of us. We need Him. We need to be involved in finishing His work because that is a part of the way He works out the plan of salvation in our own lives, but He does not need us. If we don’t do God’s work, the Lord can do it with somebody else.

When asked by the priests why He did not tell the children to quit crying out, Jesus said that if these children are silent, the stones will cry out, the rocks will cry out. Well, if the rocks cry out, God’s work will get finished all right, but then you and I will lose the blessing we should have had. Friend, you don’t want that to happen.

Let me just ask you this question in closing for you to think about. Where is the safest place on earth that you can be? A few years ago there was a couple who were retired, and they looked the whole world over to try to find the best, safest, most secure, nicest place they could go to retire, and they found it. The place they chose where they thought it would be the best place to go was the Falkland Islands. They moved there in 1980, and in 1981 war broke out in the very place where they thought it would be the safest, most secure place in the world.

You and I don’t know what is safe. The safest place for you in the world is the place where God wants you to be.

“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4.

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

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part 111

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We are here in this world for one reason. Isaiah 58:12 says that we are to be repairers of the breach. However, we have stood by without raising opposition as the heart of the gospel message has been removed. We have stood by until a mess has been made; then we have tried to undo the mess. We have been too ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the things that hurts me most in Adventism is when people—some who are in leadership positions and who know the gospel message and the Three Angels’ Messages—will not publicly identify the mark of the beast. They will not preach about the third angel’s message. This is hurtful, because it is the job that we have been given.

At your work, if you are told, “Today, what we need you to do is this over here,” and you go over and do the designated task, then, every day thereafter, when you are directed, “We need you to do this,” you respond, “Oh, I like to do this over here; it is much easier,” would you be accounted a worthy worker? I guarantee that you would not spend very many days in that job! You would be looking for another.

Well, the Lord is going to put you and me out to pasture too, if we do not start doing what He has asked us to do. He does not want to do that, but He has no other choice. We often choose to do our own thing, when He has called us to do another work.

Careless and Ungodly

Previously in this series, the careless and ungodly Christian was presented. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5; The Great Controversy, 38, 48.) If you are careless in the activities of your life, dear friend, you have become ungodly. Remember this! This means that when you mow the lawn, when you wash the dishes—whatever you do—you should complete the task with care. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.

Ellen White wrote that we are to rebuke “carelessness, backsliding, and sin, that the people may be brought to repentance and confession of sin.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 380. When we see carelessness in the cause of Christ, it must be immediately rebuked.

None of us want to be careless when it comes to Jesus, do we? If Jesus were in our homes today, would we be careless in the way we treated Him and talked to Him? I do not think we would be. We would be on our very best behavior!

What a stress and strain it would be for some of us to keep our minds straight for even 30 minutes! After all, Jesus reads our minds and hearts and knows our intents. If the heart and mind are truly converted, the way they should be converted, then it would be so much easier to have Jesus around all the time, but what a bind it would put us in if our hearts and minds were not right! We would be out scurrying, doing something else, and trying to avoid closeness with Him.

Needed Revival and Reformation

“A revival and a reformation must take place under the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Revival and reformation are two different things. Revival signifies a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the powers of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation signifies a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, habits and practices. Reformation will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit.” Review and Herald, February 25, 1902.

What will it take? “True holiness is wholeness in the service of God. This is the condition of true Christian living. Christ asks for an unreserved consecration, for undivided service. He demands the heart, the mind, the soul, the strength. Self is not to be cherished.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 48, 49. Are you whole in Him today? Is He your life? Do you not dare to go anywhere or to do or to say anything, unless you talk to Jesus about it first?

Principles of Heaven

How can you have a wholeness of heart? Mrs. White says that it is obtained by simply surrendering the entire heart to Christ. “Holiness is wholeness for God; it is the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwelling of the principles of heaven.” The Desire of Ages, 556. It is very simple! Just surrender! That means, give it up. Let go of it. Turn it over to Jesus. Oh, what He can then do!

Have you thought about the principles of heaven? Can heaven’s way of operation be applied down here on earth? Is this why we are told to make our homes, our surroundings, a little heaven on earth? “If this spirit [respectful demeanor] pervaded . . . leading everyone to manifest toward his fellow-workers a love that is without dissimilation, [it] would be a representation of heaven on earth.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 3, 1356. This can happen, as we totally surrender our lives and our hearts to Jesus. Only then can the principles of heaven begin to be lived out through us. As people then observe us, they will want to know more about God. They will want to be a part of this last day message.

How many of us really want this? Are we going to be careless? Are we going to be ungodly? “It is this halfhearted, indifferent, careless work that separates your souls from Jesus, the source of your strength.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 148. It separates us from God, because we get into the habit of being careless in the little things, and we are then careless in the big things. If you are careless in the things that are least, you are going to be careless in those that are much, and vice versa. God says, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” Luke 16:10. Carelessness separates us from God.

Those who shun responsibility and care-taking, who “neglect present opportunities, and let their duties and burdens fall upon others, will find that their responsibility remains the same, and they will reap in bitterness what they have sown in carelessness and neglect.” The Signs of the Times, September 9, 1886. “We want the living principle, and to daily feel individual responsibility. This is shunned by many, and the fruit is carelessness, indifference, a lack of watchfulness and spirituality.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, 200.

Rewards of Carelessness

Carelessness sounds like a big thing! Regarding it, Mrs. White wrote: “The case of the man who claims to know the truth, and yet neglects to become a doer of the words of Christ, is one to be pitied. He neglects to watch and pray, neglects to make God his counselor and dependence, becomes self-sufficient, and walks in the imagination of his own heart, as if he had wisdom, knowledge, and strength in himself. He fails to improve his talents, or works in a negligent, careless way, and thereby disqualifies himself for some place of usefulness he might have filled. But although he neglects the work God has given him to do, he is not released from the responsibility of the results of not doing all he might have done to bless humanity.” The Youth’s Instructor, December 21, 1893.

Carelessness creates bad habits, and, in the end, the careless will be shaken out of the church. “The careless and indifferent, who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonize for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 182.

“Oh, what can I say to those who are idle and careless and indifferent in regard to the work of the Master. Jesus has bought us with His own blood. Whatever may be our ability or calling, God has committed to us our individual responsibility, and to every man He has given His work. This work cannot be transferred to another. Individual effort is to be made to seek and save the lost. As he is God’s workman, he is required to become more and more efficient, by practice better qualified to work the works of God, educated and trained in the science of spiritual husbandry.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 344. It makes sense. When you find someone who bears responsibility in the workplace, at home, in the church, and in the cause of Christ, it is an indication that they are not careless.

Conformed to the World

Does this mean that heaven is not going to become our home just because we were a little careless here on earth? Absolutely! Why is the church not in a revival mode right now? Ellen White answers this question: “The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world’s standard.” The Great Controversy, 48. If we do not want to see the worldly standards come into God’s church, we must be careful in the way we talk, the way we eat, the way we dress, and the things we take into our minds.

Unfortunately, we have conformed to the world’s standards. This is why God is not in the church. We have conformed; this is why there is not a revival. This is why Mrs. White says that we are sick. We have a disease, because we have conformed. (See Testimonies, vol. 1, 693, 694.) Why is the church not being persecuted? There is no need to persecute a church that has conformed.

But, she says, “As the churches depart more and more widely from the truth, and ally themselves more closely with the world, the time will come when those who fear and honor God can no longer remain in connection with them. Those that ‘believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,’ will be left to receive ‘strong delusion,’ and to ‘believe a lie.’ [11 Thessalonians 2:11, 12.] Then the spirit of persecution will again be revealed.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 240.

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

A Finished Work—The Challenge

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Nothing should fill our hearts with greater joy, expectation, and zeal than thinking of the work that needs to be done—not just the work that needs to be done, but the climax and the finishing of this work.

Romans 9:27, 28 says, “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” It is not going to take a large number of people to finish God’s work. This passage says that although the children of Israel will only be a remnant, they will be saved, for the Lord will quickly finish the work upon the earth. This is a promise for which we should be glad, because God has said that He is going to finish the work.

How can we be a part of the finishing of God’s work? I believe that God, in His Word, has given us the battle plan for how the work will be finished in this day and age. This battle plan was given thousands of years ago, but it was not finished. There is a significant difference between the times in which we are living and the days of Israel. We must succeed where our forefathers failed in the finishing of this work.

Conquest of Canaan

Let us look at the finished work as typified in the conquest of Canaan. The Book of Numbers contains stories that are very familiar to us, but I believe they are stories that teach us what our position and duty are today. We find there the children of Israel journeying to that land of promise. We can imagine the joy and the expectation that filled their hearts as they came closer and closer to that land that had been promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob and to which all of their fathers had looked forward.

We pick up the story at the point when they had been traveling for about a year. Often, when we have been traveling for a period of time, our greatest desire is to return home! I have never traveled for a year, but I have been away from home for about three months at a time, and when I am able to return home, I am very, very happy. I can imagine that the children of Israel were longing for a permanent home, not continuing their journey in the wilderness and dwelling in tents.

They decided to send spies into the land. We can only imagine them waiting for the spies to return, waiting for the messages they would bring. Twenty days go by; then thirty days go by. Every day they are studying the horizon to see if the spies are returning with a message that they soon can enter this land of promise.

The Spies’ Report

Thirty-nine days passed, and then, on the fortieth day, the news began to spread throughout the camp—“The spies are here! They are going to give their report to Moses!” I am sure quite a crowd gathered rapidly, as they anticipated the report of the spies.

In Numbers 13:27, we read, “And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this [is] the fruit of it.” Oh, they reported, “The land is flowing with milk and honey,” and then they showed a cluster of grapes so large that it took two individuals to carry it. The grapes were the size of grapefruits. Those grapes must have looked quite enticing to the wilderness wanderers! As they looked and as they listened, their joy rose even higher, until the spies continued, “Nevertheless the people [be] strong that dwell in the land, and the cities [are] walled, [and] very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.” Verses 28, 29. Suddenly the hopes, the joy, and the expectations of the entire congregation deflated like a balloon. They thought, “Here is this good land, but it is so strongly guarded, so strongly fortified, we cannot take it.”

Effect of Discouraging Words

Even though Caleb urged that they go forward and possess the land, the other spies repeated how terrible it was, how strong the people were, how walled the cities were, and how large the giants were. The description became even more discouraging. (Verses 30–33.) The effect of these few discouraging words brought the death of hundreds of thousands of men and women. We never know what the effect of just a few discouraging words might be.

Have you ever noticed how, when you think about your trials or you repeat them, the giants seem to grow? This is what happened here. The giants grew. That is why we should never speak a discouraging word.

As a result of this unfaithful report brought back by the spies, the children of Israel, the Bible says, wept all night, and in the morning, they decided that the only safe recourse would be to return to Egypt. They saw only the difficulties. Were they real, legitimate difficulties? Yes, they were. There really were large giants in the land of promise. There really were strong tribes. The cities were strongly walled. Those were legitimate difficulties and challenges, but they allowed the difficulties to lead them to forget God’s power. Their response revealed the rebellion and the unbelief in their hearts, because when God told them to go up, they said, “No.” But when God commanded them to return back to the wilderness, they said, “Let us go up!” Because the difficulties and the obstacles in the way hindered them, they wandered in the wilderness for 39 additional years.

What is ironic about this is that the work got even harder while they were wandering. They went up to battle, but because God was not with them, they were unable to conquer the Canaanites. They were totally defeated before their enemies. The Canaanites, who had been afraid to attack the Israelites because of what they heard had happened in Egypt and because of what they heard had occurred at the Red Sea, decided these were just false rumors. They decided it would not be so difficult to resist the Israelites, and as the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, and it appeared that they were going nowhere and doing nothing, the Canaanites became emboldened. Because the children of Israel were hindered and discouraged by the difficulties and the obstacles in the way, the work was made much more difficult by their delay and by their wandering in the wilderness.

Giants in the Land

As we look at the work to be done today, are there giants in the land? Yes, there are giants in the land. Before our gaze today lies an unconquered Canaan, and God has commissioned us with a work to do—a work to warn the world, to bring His Word and His message to a complete and quick fulfillment. This is God’s calling to us. It is why we are here, but as we look about us, the people appear to be strong. They are hardened in sin. The cities are walled about on every side. There is television. There are movies. People seem to have everything they need; there are strong walls about them. There are giants in the land.

There are false doctrines that intoxicate the world such as, once you are saved, you are always saved, and the rapture theory that suggests you do not need to worry about the prophecies, because you are going to be raptured away. Yes, there are giants in the land. And there are the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Canaanites; there are already strong religions inhabiting the land. But God has called us to conquer Canaan. He has called us to fight the giants in the land. He has called us to take this message to anyone and everyone who will hear, but like the ancient Israelites, when we see the challenges and the difficulties, when we see the giants in the land, we want to go the other way. The challenges are formidable. No one is going to deny that, but the power of God is stronger than the formidable challenges in the world.

Work More Difficult

We have been wandering. Over a hundred years ago, we were told that if the church had done its appointed work, Christ would have come ere this. (Review and Herald, October 6, 1896.) We have wandered, and as we have wandered, the work has become more difficult, as we have been told it would. Ellen White wrote, “The time is coming when we shall not be able to travel over the country as freely and easily, or get access to the people as readily as we do now.” The General Conference Bulletin, April 5, 1901.

Is that time here? It is here. All we have to do to realize this is to go knocking on doors. People are afraid to open their doors. I visited a man one time who had been attending a seminar I was conducting. I knocked on his door—a solid door that you could not see through. I told him my name and why I was there. When I identified myself, he opened the door and said, “I know who you are and why you are here; that is why I did not shoot you,” and he took the gun he was holding from behind his back and put it on the desk.

People are afraid; it is harder to get access to the people, but this must not keep us from doing the work that God has given us to do.

In the book Evangelism, 31, Mrs. White wrote, in 1903, that the favorable time to enter the cities has passed. But then, in 1909, she said that we must enter the cities and do all we can while we still can. The favorable time is past, but that does not mean we can recline in ease. We must enter the cities and do all that we can now. When we look at Seventh-day Adventist evangelism, we realize that that statement is very true. During the time these words were penned, all that was needed was to set up a tent. The tent alone was enough advertisement to bring hundreds of people there to hear the message, but from that time the work has gotten progressively harder. It has become more difficult, because we have wandered in the wilderness.

“We have warnings now which we may give, a work now which we may do; but soon it will be more difficult than we can imagine.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 22. I believe the time referred to in this quote is here. When we think of Joseph Bates going into a town and in two or three days raising up a church, it is definitely more difficult now than what they could have imagined. The giants have grown taller through our unbelief and rebellion in the wilderness, and the work has become harder simply because of the sheer fact of the population increase.

A World to Warn

During the apostolic era, when the gospel went to the entire world, that was indeed a miracle of God. It is estimated that there were about 300 million people in the world at that time. During the time period that these Ellen White statements were written, around 1900, there were approximately 1.65 billion people in the world. Today, the estimate as of July 1, 2005, is that there are 6.45 billion people in the world and the number increases by 70 million a year. That is 6 million a month, almost 200,000 a day. Every second the world population increases by two people!

There is a world to warn. There is a work to do. God has admonished us to not be intimidated by the giants in the land. There is another side to the issue of giants in the land. The longer we delay doing the work God has given us to do, the taller the giants will become.

We are told, on page 33 of Evangelism, that the time is soon coming when laws will be framed that will close the now open doors. The longer we delay, the harder the work will become. In Testimonies, vol. 6, 22, we are warned that the passage from place to place will, before long, be hedged about with many dangers, and Mrs. White puts that in direct correlation with the finishing of the work.

Then, the familiar quotation of warning we perhaps all have heard, from Testimonies, vol. 5, 463: “The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peace and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. The warnings that worldly conformity has silenced or withheld must be given under the fiercest opposition from enemies of the faith.” God is calling us to look the giants in the eyes and to advance as rapidly and aggressively as possible to conquer them.

A Prophet’s Burden

The burden on Mrs. White’s heart in her latter years—her last will and testament to the church—was the work in the cities. She said, “Not one thousandth part of what should be done is being done by those who understand the plan of salvation.” The Watchman, January 15, 1907. The church, during her time, thought they were doing all that they could. They held meetings, and Elder Daniells, who was then the General Conference President, wrote to Ellen White, reporting that the church leaders were heeding the counsels that she had given and had allocated $11,000 to the city work. This was a very large sum of money at that time.

Later, Elder Daniells went to counsel with Ellen White about this, but she refused to see him, because she said that he was not doing the work that God had called him to do.

She wrote to him instead, saying that when the president is converted, then he will know what to do with the message that God is sending him. She further stated that he was not converted, because he was not working the cities as God’s messenger had told him to do. (See Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years 1905–1915, vol. 6, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., 1986, 219–227.)

That is a strong statement! What if we would receive a letter like it? As I see the work that we are doing, I am led to ask, Are we converted? Are we heeding the messages that God has given to us?

What are we doing with Mrs. White’s last will and testament to the church? Are we taking it up? Are we doing all that we can? I am glad for what is being done, but we need to do more. I am glad for what the little church I attend has been able to do, but we need to do more. There are 3.5 million people in its metropolitan area. I have talked to some of the members who said that they passed out literature but nobody seemed interested, so they guessed that was that. Praise the Lord that the literature got placed into people’s hands, but there is more that needs to be done.

An Army of Calebs

We are not to stop the work until the work is finished. We need the spirit of Caleb in our midst today, because when the spies presented that unfaithful report, Caleb said, “Let us go up and possess it, for we are well able to possess it.” There are giants in the land today. The giants have become taller through our delay and through our wandering in the wilderness, but let us go up and possess it, for we are well able with God’s power.

My favorite part of the story about Caleb comes when the Promised Land was being divided. Caleb went to Joshua and reminded him of how they had spied out the land and reported to Moses their findings. Caleb made one request: that he be given the mountain where the sons of Anak dwelled. He wanted the most difficult place—where the giants were dwelling. This was an 85-year-old man, yet he was asking to subdue the most difficult portion of the land, because he knew God was just as able to conquer it at this time as He was 40 years before.

We need an army of Calebs today, even 80-year-olds! We need Calebs to go door-to-door, to become involved in conducting citywide evangelistic campaigns. Whatever the work may be, we need Calebs to go out to conquer the giants in the land. May each one of us be a part of the army of Calebs who will finish the 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.

Commitment to a Lost World

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Week of Prayer for Sabbath

“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has love`d it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

How did Christ love the world? “The work of the good Samaritan represents Christ’s mission to the world. Our Saviour came to reveal the character of God, to represent his love for man. He acted just as the Father would have done in all emergencies. Christ manifested for us a love that the love of man can never equal. He died to save those who were his enemies; he prayed for his murderers. When we were bruised and dying, he had pity upon us. He did not pass us by on the other side, and leave us, helpless, and hopeless, to perish. He did not remain in his holy, happy home, where he was honored by all the heavenly host, who loved to do his bidding. He beheld our sore need; he undertook our case, and identified his interests with humanity. He became ‘a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief . . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.’ [Isaiah 53:3, 5.]” The Home Missionary, October 1, 1897.

Naturally, our hearts are cold and hard and selfish. This is not just a problem in the world but in the church as well: “There are sins among us as a people. Love is not cherished as it should be. A cold, selfish, indifferent hard-heartedness is increasing, and this has separated us from our God. There are reasons why the Lord does not favor us with his presence and love; there is great need of sharp, pointed testimonies, for selfishness has eaten out the love of God from our hearts. Hear what the Lord says to his people: ‘If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him naught; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land.’ [Deuteronomy 15:7–11.]” Review and Herald, March 11, 1884.

“Those who have the mind of Christ can not look with indifference upon human suffering. They can not be heartless, cold, and selfish. Those who are naturally inclined to tenderness and sympathy when unreservedly surrendered to God will cooperate with him in doing deeds of mercy, in relieving the distressed, tho it may call for the practice of self-denial. But those who do not cultivate gratitude to God for his mercy and love to them, who do not appreciate the great gift of Christ to our world, will not manifest sympathy for the suffering and needy, will not seek to comfort the bereaved, to minister to the fatherless and the widow. They may, like the Pharisees, make long prayers, and yet rob the widow and the fatherless, forgetting in their hardness of heart that the Lord will judge those who neglect the needy and the suffering as though they had neglected him in the person of his saints.” The Signs of the Times, January 23, 1896.

Disunity

The lack of love makes the gospel presentation nearly powerless, because what is preached from the pulpit is not matched up with what the unbeliever sees in the lives of the professed Christian believers. This is why the non-Christian world is not convinced of the superiority of the Christian religion. Non-Christians, who are called pagans and heathens by Christians, will say that they are more honest, truthful, pure, less covetous, or revengeful than some Christians they know. Christ is misrepresented in the lives of His professed followers, and the world is then deluded by the deceptions of Satan, which could not take effect if the lives of professed Christians reflected the life of Him whom they profess to be following as disciples.

At the same time, those who are in the valley of decision look at the professed followers of Christ and say that they certainly do not appear to be members of one family, since they are divided into almost countless schisms and divisions. Christian leaders for hundreds of years have known that the many divisions of Christians into various sects are a source of weakness to the Christian church. For many years, Christian leaders have been calling for Christian unity.

The papacy entered this challenge in a big way with the Vatican II Council held from 1962 to 1965, and today, the world is racing toward an ecumenical world church. One day soon, God’s remnant will have to face this ecumenical world church, headed by antichrist, which will include not just Catholicism and Protestantism but also the non-Christian world. In comparison with this colossus, God’s children will be a very small group.

Necessary Ingredient for Victory

We will never be able to successfully meet what is before us unless we have something to meet it with that our opponents do not have. What is this something with which we need to meet the future crisis and that the opposing side will not have but which will be powerful enough to win the victory over the whole world? The following quotations point out what the ingredient is that we must have in our hearts to meet the coming crisis.

“ ‘Behold,’ says the Scripture, ‘the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.’ Isaiah 60:2.

“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. . . .

“Those who wait for the Bride-groom’s coming are to say to the people, ‘Behold your God.’ The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. . . .

“This is the work which the prophet Isaiah describes when he says, ‘Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.’ Isaiah 58:7, 8.

“Thus in the night of spiritual darkness God’s glory is to shine forth through His church in lifting up the bowed down and comforting those that mourn.

“All around us are heard the wails of a world’s sorrow. On every hand are the needy and distressed. It is ours to aid in relieving and softening life’s hardships and misery.

“Practical work will have far more effect than mere sermonizing. We are to give food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, and shelter to the homeless. And we are called to do more than this. The wants of the soul, only the love of Christ can satisfy. If Christ is abiding in us, our hearts will be full of divine sympathy. The sealed fountains of earnest, Christlike love will be unsealed.

“God calls not only for our gifts for the needy, but for our cheerful countenance, our hopeful words, our kindly handclasp. When Christ healed the sick, He laid His hands upon them. So should we come in close touch with those whom we seek to benefit.

“There are many from whom hope has departed. Bring back the sunshine to them. Many have lost their courage. Speak to them words of cheer. Pray for them. There are those who need the bread of life. Read to them from the word of God. Upon many is a soul sickness which no earthly balm can reach nor physician heal. Pray for these souls, bring them to Jesus. Tell them that there is a balm in Gilead and a Physician there. . . .

“The whole earth, wrapped as it is in the darkness of sin, and sorrow, and pain, is to be lighted with the knowledge of God’s love. From no sect, rank, or class of people is the light shining from heaven’s throne to be excluded.

“The message of hope and mercy is to be carried to the ends of the earth. Whosoever will, may reach forth and take hold of God’s strength and make peace with Him, and he shall make peace. No longer are the heathen to be wrapped in midnight darkness. The gloom is to disappear before the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. The power of hell has been overcome.

“But no man can impart that which he himself has not received. In the work of God, humanity can originate nothing. No man can by his own effort make himself a light bearer for God. It was the golden oil emptied by the heavenly messengers into the golden tubes, to be conducted from the golden bowl into the lamps of the sanctuary, that produced a continuous bright and shining light. It is the love of God continually transferred to man that enables him to impart light. Into the hearts of all who are united to God by faith the golden oil of love flows freely, to shine out again in good works, in real, heartfelt service for God.

“In the great and measureless gift of the Holy Spirit are contained all of heaven’s resources. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If all were willing to receive, all would become filled with His Spirit.

“It is the privilege of every soul to be a living channel through which God can communicate to the world the treasures of His grace, the unsearchable riches of Christ. There is nothing that Christ desires so much as agents who will represent to the world His Spirit and character. There is nothing that the world needs so much as the manifestation through humanity of the Saviour’s love. All heaven is waiting for channels through which can be poured the holy oil to be a joy and blessing to human hearts.

“Christ has made every provision that His church shall be a transformed body, illumined with the Light of the world, possessing the glory of Emmanuel. It is His purpose that every Christian shall be surrounded with a spiritual atmosphere of light and peace. He desires that we shall reveal His own joy in our lives.

“The indwelling of the Spirit will be shown by the outflowing of heavenly love. The divine fullness will flow through the consecrated human agent, to be given forth to others.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415–419.

Love is Powerful

The love of God in our hearts will begin to impel us to do something for the salvation of our fellow men. Nobody can do everything, because God has not given all the talents to any one person, but everybody can do something. The question is, Are we doing what we can do? Jesus said, concerning Mary Magdalene, “She has done what she could.” Mark 14:8. In the day of judgment, will it be said, concerning you and me, “That person has done what he or she could?” When we have the love of God in our hearts, all of us can do a very great deal, because love is powerful. In fact, it is the most powerful force in the universe, as the following quotation shows.

“Love cannot live without action, and every act increases, strengthens, and extends it. Love will gain the victory when argument and authority are powerless. Love works not for profit nor reward; yet God has ordained that great gain shall be the certain result of every labor of love. It is diffusive in its nature and quiet in its operation, yet strong and mighty in its purpose to overcome great evils. It is melting and transforming in its influence, and will take hold of the lives of the sinful and affect their hearts when every other means has proved unsuccessful. Wherever the power of intellect, of authority, or of force is employed, and love is not manifestly present, the affections and will of those whom we seek to reach assume a defensive, repelling position, and their strength of resistance is increased. Jesus was the Prince of Peace. He came into the world to bring resistance and authority into subjection to Himself. Wisdom and strength He could command, but the means He employed with which to overcome evil were the wisdom and strength of love. Suffer nothing to divide your interest from your present work until God shall see fit to give you another piece of work in the same field. Seek not for happiness, for it is never to be found by seeking for it. Go about your duty. Let faithfulness mark all your doings, and be clothed with humility.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 135.

Strongest Human Impulse

When we have the love of God in our hearts so that we love the world the way Christ loved it, then Christ’s mission for us is complete, and we are ready to go to heaven! In fact, we have heaven already in our hearts! (The Desire of Ages, 641.)

This is no small order of change for us, because: “Selfishness is the strongest and most general of human impulses, the struggle of the soul between sympathy and covetousness is an unequal contest; for while selfishness is the strongest passion, love and benevolence are too often the weakest, and as a rule the evil gains the victory. Therefore in our labors and gifts for God’s cause, it is unsafe to be controlled by feeling or impulse.” Counsels on Stewardship, 25.

“A constant battle must be kept up with the selfishness and corruption of the human heart.” Manual for Canvassers, 60.

“Selfishness girds many about as with iron bands. It is ‘my farm,’ ‘my goods,’ ‘my trade,’ ‘my merchandise.’ Even the claims of common humanity are disregarded by them. Men and women professing to be waiting and loving the appearing of their Lord are shut up to self. The noble, the godlike, they have parted with. The love of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, have so fastened upon them that they are blinded. They are corrupted by the world and discern it not. They talk of love to God, but their fruits show not the love they express. They rob Him in tithes and offerings, and the withering curse of God is upon them. The truth has been illuminating their pathway on every side. God has wrought wonderfully in the salvation of souls in their own households, but where are their offerings, presented to Him in grateful thanks for all His tokens of mercy to them? Many of them are as unthankful as the brute creation. The sacrifice for man was infinite, beyond the comprehension of the strongest intellect, yet men who claim to be partakers of these heavenly benefits, which were brought to them at so great a cost, are too thoroughly selfish to make any real sacrifice for God. Their minds are upon the world, the world, the world.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 197, 198.

“Schism and division are not the fruits of righteousness; they are of the wicked one. The great hindrance to our advancement at this time is the selfishness that prevents believers from having true fellowship with one another. The last prayer that Christ offered for His disciples before His trial was that they might be one in Him. Satan is determined that this oneness shall not be, for it is the strongest witness that can be borne that God did indeed send His Son to reconcile the world to heaven.—Letter 41, February 24, 1903, to Dr. F. E. Braucht, a physician laboring in Chicago.” The Upward Look, 69.

Needed Change of Heart

How are we going to acquire the change in heart that we so desperately need so the devil may be forced to quit mocking Christ by the lives of His professed followers? This is what the devil is saying to the Lord about us now:

“Satan urges before God his accusations against them, declaring that they have by their sins forfeited the divine protection, and claiming the right to destroy them as transgressors. He pronounces them just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God. ‘Are these,’ he says, ‘the people who are to take my place in heaven and the place of the angels who united with me? While they profess to obey the law of God, have they kept its precepts? Have they not been lovers of self more than of God? Have they not placed their own interests above His service? Have they not loved the things of the world? Look at the sins which have marked their lives. Behold their selfishness, their malice, their hatred toward one another.’ ” Testimonies, vol. 5, 473, 474.

Counsel Given

Divine counsel is given for people in our condition:

  1. Because of our great need for a change of heart, we are counseled to pray every day to be delivered from selfishness: “Let our daily prayer go up to God that He will divest us of selfishness. . . .” Our High Calling, 242.
  2. Begin to practice self-denial for the good of others.

“What can I say to you, my brethren and sisters, that will arouse you to the importance of the times in which we live, and lead you to a faithful examination of heart and life? Are your lives in harmony with the life of sacrifice that Christ lived on the earth? In giving his Son to the human race, the Father gave to his church a wonderful example of self-forgetting love. Christ came that he might open to the comprehension of men and women the principles that underlie the great plan of redemption, that they might be led to cooperate with him in his work of sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. But the want of fervor, the lack of self-denial, on the part of many who bear Christ’s name, hinder the doing of the very work for which his church on earth was organized. The selfishness and indifference manifested by professing Christians soothes the consciences of many who would be aroused from their unbelief, had they before them in the lives of professing Christians, a living witness to the power of the gospel to transform the character.

“Self-sacrifice is the key-note of Christ’s teachings. Often this is enjoined upon believers in language that seems authoritative, because there is no other way to save men than to cut them away from their life of selfishness. Christ gave, in his life on earth, a true representation of the power of the gospel. He suffered the cruel death on the cross, that we might have a true conception of his love for us, and of the spirit of self-sacrifice that must take possession of every believer in him. He became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich. To every soul who will suffer with him in resistance of sin, in labor for his cause, in self-denial for the good of others, he promises a part in the eternal reward of the righteous. Through the exercise of the spirit that characterized his life-work, we are to become partakers of his nature. Partaking in this life of sacrifice for the sake of others, we shall share with him in the life to come the ‘far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ [11 Co-rinthians 4:17.]” Review and Herald, September 28, 1911.

  1. Do something active to help people who are suffering.

“There is a great work to be done in our world, and as we approach the close of earth’s history, it does not lessen in the least degree; but when the perfect love of God is in the heart, wonderful things will be done. Christ will be in the heart of the believer as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. But those who manifest indifference to the suffering ones of humanity will be charged with indifference to Jesus Christ in the person of his suffering saints. Nothing saps spirituality from the soul more quickly than to inclose it in selfishness and self-caring. Those who indulge self and neglect to care for the souls and bodies of those for whom Christ has given his life, are not eating of the bread of life, nor drinking of the water of the well of salvation. They are dry and sapless, like a tree that bears no fruit. They are spiritual dwarfs, who consume their means of self; but ‘whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ [Galatians 6:7.]” Ibid., January 15, 1895.

  1. Practice economy, so you will have money to give to the Lord’s cause in the world and be faithful in returning to the Lord His own in tithes and offerings.

“God calls upon his people to awake to their responsibilities. A flood of light is shining from his Word, and there must be a meeting of neglected obligations. When these are met, by giving to the Lord his own in tithes and offerings, the way will be opened for the world to hear the message that the Lord designs it to hear. If our people had the love of God in the heart, if every church-member were imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice, there would be no lack of funds for home and foreign missions; our resources would be multiplied; a thousand doors of usefulness would be opened; and we should be invited to enter. Had the purpose of God been carried out in giving the message of mercy to the world, Christ would have come, and the saints would have received their welcome into the city of God.

“If ever there was a time when sacrifices should be made, it is now. My brethren and sisters, practise economy in your homes. Put away the idols that you have placed before God. Give up your selfish pleasures. Do not, I beg of you, spend means in embellishing your houses; for your money belongs to God, and to him you must give an account for its use. Do not use the Lord’s money to gratify the fancies of your children. Teach them that God has a claim on all they possess, and that nothing can ever cancel this claim.

“Money is a needed treasure. Do not lavish it upon those who need it not. Some one needs your willing gifts. There are those in the world who are hungry, starving. You may say, I can not feed them all. But by practising Christ’s lessons of economy, you can feed one. ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.’ [John 6:12.] These words were spoken by him whose power wrought a miracle to supply the needs of a hungry multitude.

“If you have extravagant habits, cut them away from your life at once. Unless you do this, you will be bankrupt for eternity. Habits of economy, industry, and sobriety, are a better portion for your children than a rich dowry.” Review and Herald, December 24, 1903.

“But ‘if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He render to every man according to his works?’ Proverbs 24:11, 12. In the great Judgment day, those who have not worked for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of themselves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil. They receive the same condemnation.” The Desire of Ages, 641.

“To men he offers the kingdom of this world on condition that they will acknowledge his supremacy. He requires that they sacrifice integrity, disregard conscience, indulge selfishness. Christ bids them seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; but Satan walks by their side and says: Whatever may be true in regard to life eternal, in order to make a success in this world you must serve me. I hold your welfare in my hands. I can give you riches, pleasures, honor, and happiness. Hearken to my counsel. Do not allow yourselves to be carried away with whimsical notions of honesty or self-sacrifice. I will prepare the way before you. Thus multitudes are deceived. They consent to live for the service of self, and Satan is satisfied. While he allures them with the hope of worldly dominion, he gains dominion over the soul. But he offers that which is not his to bestow, and which is soon to be wrested from him. In return he beguiles them of their title to the inheritance of the sons of God.” Ibid., 130.

Our Influence

If we are not working for Christ by helping to save a lost world, if we are drifting along thinking about ourselves, caring for ourselves, serving ourselves, we are in as lost a condition as any evildoer. Many of us need to ask ourselves if we are not in a lost condition by our failure to be active in the cause of Christ.

We each have an influence. To every soul a trust is given. Someone is either going to be saved or lost because of our influence. What is our influence in our family? in our local church? in our workplace? among our social acquaintances? Someday, the Judge of all the earth is going to ask us to give an account of our influence. He is going to ask us where those people are whom He gave us to influence. “Of everyone the Chief Shepherd will demand, ‘Where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?’ And ‘what wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?’ Jeremiah 13:20, 21.” Ibid., 641.

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

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part II

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A dictionary gives the definition of the word careless as: “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” To be careless means that I do not care about anybody, that I am negligent in doing that which is necessary to do.

God is not pleased with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly; they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except themselves, what is theirs, and the right now.

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they also neglected the things of God? Are they searching for truth? Are they following the counsel, “Study to show thyself approved unto God . . .”? 11 Timothy 2:15. If they have been careless in their position for Jesus Christ, they are in the ungodly group. Where do you stand? Each of us is on one side or the other. Are you with the ungodly or the godly?

Care Less

If we become careless in any aspect of the message that God has given us, we have begotten that care less attitude. The care less attitude occurs in the spiritual life, such as in our witnessing, as well as in the home life. We cannot be careless about anything that we do. If we are, it shows that we do not care about others; we do not care about God. Therefore, we have to tighten the grip that God wants us to have; we must not be careless or indifferent. Mrs. White wrote, “The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work.” Prophets and Kings, 148.

To be indifferent in the hour in which we live is a sin against God. A number of Seventh-day Adven-tists are going to have to get off this rail fence, because they are getting splinters, and those splinters are becoming painful. God says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.” Revelation 3:15. Each of us will have to get on one side of the fence or the other. We will each have to make a choice whether to be cold or hot.

Where is Persecution?

Where is persecution? Why are we not being persecuted today? There is something wrong, friend, with the fact that we are not experiencing persecution.

The devil did his best to persecute and to kill. The blood of the saints during the Reformation watered the seed that was sown. (See The Great Controversy, 78.) One historian wrote that the more the Christians were cut down, the thicker they became. The devil tried to destroy Christ’s followers, but more came. He decided that since he could not beat them he would join them.

Regarding this, Mrs. White wrote: “Thousands were imprisoned and slain, but others sprang up to fill their places. And those who were martyred for their faith were secured to Christ and accounted of Him as conquerors. They had fought the good fight, and they were to receive the crown of glory when Christ should come. The sufferings which they endured brought Christians nearer to one another and to their Redeemer. Their living example and dying testimony were a constant witness for the truth; and where least expected, the subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ.

“Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God by planting his banner in the Christian church. If the followers of Christ could be deceived and led to displease God, then their strength, fortitude, and firmness would fail, and they would fall an easy prey.” The Great Controversy, 42.

Devil in Church

You may think that the devil is not in your church. This is not realistic thinking! Do you know how the devil may come into your church? He may come in through you or another member experiencing depression. He may come in because you are aggravated or provoked about something, or perhaps because you have things on your mind that you should not have. Then the warfare begins. You leave the church services not knowing what was said. You do not remember anything, because in your mind, you were somewhere else. This is how the enemy comes in and the warfare begins.

But God will turn the world upside down for those people who are ready to meet with Him and whose hearts and minds are right—just as He came to His people who stood for Jesus in the past.

Forewarned

Jesus forewarned the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but many did not believe or follow the signs of His warnings. (See Luke 21.) This is going to happen again in the last days. Jesus has told us what to expect, but many—even Seventh-day Adventists—will not believe.

Somehow we have the thinking that God is not going to let horrible things happen to His people. But consider what happened to Jerusalem: “Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: ‘Let us depart hence.’ . . .
—Milman, The History of the Jews, book 13.

“For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: ‘A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!’—Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!’ ‘woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof!’ His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold.

“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign.” The Great Controversy, 29, 30.

The man who stayed in Jerusalem for seven years sighed and cried for the abominations going on, and he warned, “Get out! The city is going to be destroyed.” History records that this man had the right motives; he wanted to do the right thing. He thought that if he stayed a little bit longer he could help somebody else, even though he knew he was supposed to leave. He was telling other people to get out, but he stayed and was killed.

Many people today are repeating this man’s actions. As they see error creep into their churches, they continue to attend, thinking they can warn others, even though they are aware of God’s warning against going where error is taught: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their [professed Advent believers] meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 124, 125.

Are you not sure on which side you should be? Be on God’s side! Oh, friend, how important your decision is. The devil is within the church, and he has brought paganism within the church.

Different Kind of Persecution

You may say that you do not believe this. Let me tell you that just through Sunday celebration worship services with rock music and pagan rites and rituals, such as Halloween rituals, paganism has been brought into the church.

Ellen White wrote: “Now the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire, and sword were blessings in comparison with this [compromise with paganism]. Some of the Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some features of their faith and uniting with those who had accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their full conversion. That was a time of deep anguish to the faithful followers of Christ. Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith and turn their minds from the word of truth.

“Most of the Christians at last consented to lower their standard, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.” The Great Controversy, 42, 43.

Did you get it, friend? When the devil took the church, after he had killed and maligned and persecuted with the sword, persecution stopped, and he got inside the church around God’s people. Oh, the church was in trouble. Prison, torture, fire, and the sword were a blessing compared to having the devil within the church!

Some people still think that the devil will not get them if they are in the church.

Compromise

Here is what happened—and is still happening today. One group declared that they would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. Another group brought with them their paganistic ideas and thoughts. They did not want to leave paganism. They did not want to leave their idolatry, but they wanted to join the popular Christian movement. In the end, both groups agreed to compromise.

Be cautious of this. In the last days, people will say, “Let us just agree on what we can agree, and let all the other issues go. Do not worry about doctrine; do not worry about teaching. We agree on this point; that is good enough; that is unity.” This is unity of the world. It is ecumenism.

One group in the early church, after persecution ceased and the devil had set up shop in the church, said, “Let us not worry about all the differences that we have. Let us just agree where we can agree and unite.” But then others said, “We do not want to do that.”

Mrs. White wrote that, at last, the majority of the Christians agreed to compromise. So what did the pagans do? They brought back their altars and their images. They brought their idols into the church, because the church was willing to compromise the principles of God’s Word. All they had to do was change the objects they worshipped. They brought in images of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints, and they began to worship them. Idolatry comes in any time the church compromises.

The majority of the church began to agree with this form of worship. More and more of the care less, ungodly attitude came into the church. However, the true church would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. They declared that, if necessary, they would separate. Why? Because of the paganism and idolatry in the church.

Compromise has opened the door to the enemy. What we need now is unity—but more than unity. Because we believe in the seventh-day Sabbath, it is going to take more than that. We must be unified on the pillars of truth that God has given His last-day people. We must keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

Vital Godliness

In The Great Controversy, 48, Mrs. White states, “There is so little vital godliness in the church.”

What is something that is vital? I hear, when I visit patients in the hospital, the term “vital organ.” What does this mean? It refers to an organ that is necessary for life. Vital is something that you must have. There are some parts of the body you can get along without, but there are some parts you cannot. I would not, for example, say that you can get by without your heart or with just a little portion of it. No, it is vital. But there is little of something that is apparently vital to the church—godliness. That which is necessary for God’s church, for His people, to function is missing. We are eliminating God from the church and letting man rule and reign. We are setting God’s laws aside, and we are letting man make the rules and regulations. Vital godliness is not in the church.

So, we may ask, If we are lacking, by the grace of God, should we not remedy it? How do we attain godliness? I am not content to say, “That is right; there is a lack of vital godliness, but that is the way it is.” I believe it can be changed. I believe the lack has to do with you and me. God is still the same God. Christ is still the same Christ. They have not changed one iota, nor will they. Then, as you may recall, the Bible tells us that all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. (See 11 Timothy 3:12.)

What We Need

What do we need in the church? Is it more preaching? No, it is not more preaching. It is not more meetings. It is not necessarily reading—not studying but just reading—God’s Word, praying a little more, giving a little more tithes and offerings. The Jews did all of those things, but they did not do them from the right motives of the heart. When they began to do them from the right motives of the heart, God blessed them richly.

When our works come from the right motives, God does great things. We, however, are so satisfied with the little things. We pray for the Lord to give us a soul this year. Well, it is a good thought, but why does our faith stop with only one? If faith were working in our lives, we would be praying for the Lord to give us countless opportunities to witness. But we have lost that vitality, that true godliness.

Conversion Needed

We have such a wavering faith today. This is why, in Acts 3:19, we are told to repent. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted.” The church needs to be converted. How sad it is that, among Seventh-day Adventists who should know the message, who should be studying it and accepting it, there are some who do not know if they are converted.

It is the same thing as saying, “I do not know if I am in a saving relationship with Jesus.” Friend, why are you thinking this way? Jesus said, “I will wash you whiter than snow, though your sins be as scarlet.” (Isaiah 1:18.) “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.) Ellen White, in her writings, says, “If they [men] confess their mistakes the Lord will forgive their sins, and pardon their transgressions. While they cannot say, We have never sinned, yet if they have the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the Lord will hold them more firmly than they can possibly hold the Lord.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 133. The world will not do that. They will mess you up time and time again. They will crucify you for the same thing for years to come. But Jesus will treat you as though you never sinned.

With that good news in mind, then, if we are to be like Jesus, we must treat others the same way Jesus treats us. We must be as forgiving and as loving as He is. The world teaches all kinds of love, but it has no real concept of true love. We see only a little glimpse as we look to the cross of Calvary where Jesus was nailed because of His love for you and for me. He says, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19.) Friend, the church needs to be refreshed.

The Church

When I refer to the church, let me be very clear. The church is not a certain denomination. It is not the Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptists, the Catholics, or any other religion. The church is God’s people on earth—“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Ellen White wrote: “From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11. “All down through the history of the world, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” Our High Calling, 172. “The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God . . . .” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. “God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 58. No, God’s church is not contained in a building or single religious group. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” The Upward Look, 315. This is very clear!

I often hear it said, “The church is moving on.” To what church does this refer? The true church of God will be moving on. It will go on through. But this does not mean the true church is a certain denomination. There are many who believe the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is God’s true church. If it is God’s church, it will speak as does God. If it does not speak as God speaks, it is not His church—regardless of its name or where it is located. God does not speak with a forked tongue; He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)

The church has lost its vitalness, its power. Mrs. White makes it very, very clear in Testimonies, vol. 5, 100: “If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Some may say that we are doing the best we can; we have a lot of faults and failures, and there is a lot of sin, but we are going on through anyway. However, God says that we cannot enter heaven with one unconfessed sin, although many denominations teach that you can go to heaven with unconfessed sins.

Get Rid of the Disease

Mrs. White considered the Laodicean church and compared it to Adventism. Of the Laodiceans she wrote: “The only hope for the Laodiceans is a clear view of their standing before God, a knowledge of the nature of their disease.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 87. And she declared that Adventists have a disease: “Many Seventh-day Adventists fail to realize the responsibility which rests upon them to cooperate with God and Christ for the saving of souls. They do not show forth to the world the great interest God has in sinners. They do not make the most of the opportunities granted them. The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the Church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.

If you visit your doctor and, after examining you, he says, “You have a bad disease,” do you say, “Well, thank you, Doc. I will put the check in the mail”? No! You want to know what he means. What is the disease? Will it end in death? What treatments are available? You are not going to stay silent. You will want answers to your questions. All pride disappears. All manliness falls by the wayside. You ask innumerable questions—What is going to happen? What do I have? Can you treat it? Can you cut it out? Can you burn it out? Can you pull it out? How much time do I have to live?

We will go to great lengths to get rid of a disease. Why do we then, as Christians, not take such action spiritually? “God’s servants must, by laboring together with Christ, roll away the curse that has made the church so lukewarm.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 966. We must work with our Saviour to improve our vitalness. “A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part.” Ibid. God is calling for greater zeal, for excitement and involvement in the cause for right. We should be so excited that we will share the news of salvation with everyone we meet.

To be continued December 2005 . . .

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.

Why Is Persecution Sleeping? Part I

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If you were asked whether or not you wanted to be persecuted, would you be one to say, “Oh, yes, bring it on”? Be careful of your response. May I be so bold as to say, if you respond thus, you probably are not ready for it? I am not trying to judge your heart, but if we seriously study and consider persecution from times past, how many of us will be able to stand firm for truth as have millions of others?

Last Day Church

Jesus talks about His last day church in Matthew 24. “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” Verse 9. Does Jesus say that everyone is going to love you, that everything is going to be wonderful in this life? No! He says that they are going to deliver you up to be killed. That does not sound like a very nice walk in this life, does it? But Jesus is warning us, because He says that we will have to follow in His footsteps.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Verse 21. In this text, Jesus is telling His people that there is going to be a time of tribulation, or trouble, in this world that has never been. Oh, that sounds like a gloomy picture, but the question is, do we believe it? Are we looking forward to it?

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Verse 22. Praise the Lord!

These words were spoken as Jesus was overlooking Jerusalem and foresaw the coming destruction of this city. He knew something big was about to happen. Not only did He apply this prophecy to Jerusalem, but He also applied it to God’s last day people and what they would have to endure.

Are You Prepared?

Friend, are you ready for what is to come? Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him as you should know Him today? Jesus looked through time, and He saw the darkness that would encircle His last day people. I believe He looked at you and at me, and said, “They need some help! Because they need help, I am going to warn them of what is going to take place. I will not only warn them, but I am going to tell them, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ” Matthew 28:20.

What a blessing it is to know that He will never forsake us. He will never leave us when we are in despair, when we are discouraged, when things are going badly, when we are being fed—as many were in the Dark Ages—to the lions and to the dogs. We can be assured that God will never leave our sides.

What faith it takes, today, to believe this, because when the bottom falls out for us, we want to blame others; we even want to blame God. Think about it. We are always looking for someone to blame. But Jesus, looking down the stream of time, foretold how the leaders of the so-called religious movement will persecute the people of God in the last days.

If, today, you do not have an interest in fellowshipping with God’s people, you will not have the resolve to stand when things get tough. If you do not have a love for Christ, if you are not walking day by day with Him, if your faith is not being increased, if you are not being tested and tried, you will not be able to go through this time of which Jesus speaks. You will not want to go through it; you will not have the strength to go through it. In fact, you will not be able to go through it, because you are not holding the hand of Jesus today.

Walk the Path of Jesus

If you read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (John Foxe, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967), it is overwhelming to learn of the events of past ages and to know that Jesus looked down through time and foresaw every one of these events taking place. How His heart must have grieved. How His heart must have ached as He viewed the millions lost, because He knew they would not receive Him. No wonder He wept when he looked over Jerusalem.

Jesus said to His people, “You are going to have to walk the same path that I have walked.” What little I know about the path that He trod, I look at myself and say, “Lord, I am not capable.” And He looks down at me and says, “Kenny, I know you are not. That is why I will be there with you. I will help you.” Friend, you and I alone could not tread that path at all.

Can anyone say, “I am being persecuted”? Now, you may not have what you desire. You may be going through difficult times, but would you say you are being persecuted? If you truly understand what persecution means, and what it does to an individual or to a family, or what real torture is all about, you cannot say that you are being persecuted. You may have been maligned. You may have been hurt. You may have had your heart ripped out, as it were, but you are still walking around and still searching for some answers. God has all those answers for you.

But understand this: The powers of hell are being loosed upon God’s children, because the devil cannot stand you. In reality, he hates you. He does not want you on the face of this earth, because you represent Jesus. But friend, it is interesting to note that you are alive today. If the devil had his way, you would not be in existence. You would never have another Sabbath; you would never again be able to come together with like believers. You would never again have the association of your husband, your wife, your children, family, or friends. But you are here today; you are living because of Jesus.

History Repeats

Persecution for us could occur in the very near future. It is happening in other parts of this earth. But, because we have not directly experienced it, we keep living in this make-believe world thinking that it is not going to happen to us.

Look back over the years of your life. Of the significant things that have happened to you during the past 20 years, how many did you, at one time, think, “This could not happen to me”? But they did happen!

Jesus said that persecution is going to take place. What happened to the faithful, who have been persecuted throughout the ages, will happen again, because history repeats itself.

Falsely Accused

History bears the fact that God’s people were falsely accused. We are referring to the days of Paul and of Nero, who was one of the most barbaric persecutors of the early church. Even then there were people who were doing the work of the devil. Many Christians were killed by wild animals before crowds of spectators in the arenas, while others were tied to posts, covered with flammable materials, and used as human street lamps for Nero’s gardens. It is difficult to imagine a more evil man.

Ellen White wrote: “These persecutions, beginning under Nero about the time of the martyrdom of Paul, continued with greater or less fury for centuries. Christians were falsely accused of the most dreadful crimes and declared to be the cause of great calamities—famine, pestilence, and earthquake. As they became the objects of popular hatred and suspicion, informers stood ready, for the sake of gain, to betray the innocent. They were condemned as rebels against the empire, as foes of religion, and pests to society.” The Great Controversy, 40.

This persecution began when Nero suggested that the Christians were responsible for starting a fire in Rome that burned for nine days, destroying much of the city. Since that time, God’s true and faithful have been accused of being responsible for the tempests of the waters, for violent storms, for famines and earthquakes, and for the disasters in the lands at any given time. “The worldling is ever on the watch to criticize and accuse those who serve God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 266.

What If

Consider a recent great calamity. What if the people blamed you for the disastrous events of 9/11 (the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America at the World Trade Center Towers in New York City, New York, and The Pentagon in Washington, D.C.)? What if they looked around and said, “Brother _____ is responsible; he is preaching something different; he is an oddball in society; we believe he is linked to this terrible event”? Most certainly many people would try their best to get rid of this person, no questions asked. Mob excitement is easy to stir up in the world today. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, you had better have on your shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16.)

At the time of the sniper shootings in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., areas during the fall of 2002, Pastor Dennis Crystal and I were right in the middle of that area. We had driven here and there, and then the time came when we needed to stop for some gasoline. He looked at me and said, “Brother, it is time to get gas.”

I said, “Yes, it is, and you are driving.” He chuckled along with me. We had prayed that morning for God’s protective care, but we decided that, before we got out of the car to fill it with gasoline, we would pray for His protection again. We knew that God was in control, and we trusted Him.

We must trust God that He is going to take care of us in the midst of traffic, in the midst of natural disasters, in the midst of sniper shootings, in the midst of terror attacks. It does not matter what is going on in the world, for God has said, “I will be with you. I will take care of you. I will meet all of your needs.”

When circumstances seem dark, will you still trust Him? What if your faith is challenged, and you do not back down, so your child is taken from you, and, before your eyes, those who are under the control of the devil cut him or her a little bit here and there with a knife? Then they skin an animal, and while the blood is still dripping from this animal skin, they tie it tightly around your child, put your son or daughter in a public arena, and let hungry dogs or lions loose to attack and devour him or her. Will you then stand firm for your beliefs? Many people throughout the years denounced their faith rather than witness the suffering of their children, and they were still fed to the lions. It would be better, if you were going to be fed to the wild beasts, to go out on the side of Christ rather than on the side of denying Him. What faith that will take!

Pests to Society

As we read previously, from The Great Controversy, Ellen White states that God’s people will be considered “pests to society.” A pest! A fly may pester me to the point where I just cannot do anything until I get rid of it. I do not consider putting it in a cage and trying to keep it alive by feeding it. My only goal is to get rid of it. Why? Because it is a pest.

In the last days, you will be a pest. That is what society will call you. Can you bear that? You cannot, in your own strength; it is an impossibility.

During the days of persecution, life became so difficult that God’s people had to go to the solitary places of the earth. The earth around and under Rome had been riddled with tunnels and passageways, with Jewish catacombs located along the edges of the city. God’s people had to go underground and live in darkness and solitude, because they were hunted down like wild animals.

These were people who loved Jesus with all of their hearts—the kind of people you want to be around, from whom you want to draw strength. They were people who will have a home in heaven, but while still on earth, they made the catacombs of Rome their place to live. Why? They could have said, “We do not follow Jesus. We do not love Him,” and possibly life would have continued on for them without harassment. But they loved Him too much. They were willing to sacrifice all—family, friends, everything.

Sudden Destruction

I would like for you to consider two classes of people today. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–5.

Is verse 3, “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape,” a promise? Is it the truth? Yes, it is the truth. Now notice that it says, “sudden destruction comes upon them.”

Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.

Careless

We think that carelessness is not such a big deal—carelessness in church attendance, carelessness in tithe paying, carelessness in our witnessing. We think it does not matter whether or not we participate in church activities. Somebody else will do it. We are careless in the gifts and abilities God gives to us, talents that we should be using for His honor and for His glory. We have become careless. We have become sleepy. We have become Laodicea, the lukewarm people. And what did God say about those who are lukewarm? He is going to vomit them out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:16.)

God tells us that sudden destruction will come upon the careless and the ungodly. Until I began a study on this subject, I never quite understood the importance of not being careless. There have been times when I have been careless about things. Looking back, I know I should have done things differently, but at the time, I excused myself; I did not feel like doing better. How sad to go on emotional and physical feelings instead of operating on principles! Friend, if you are careless in the things of God, you care less about God.

Too Busy

We cannot say, “God really does not care about this little thing; it is not a big deal to Him.” If it separates us from Him, He cares about it. It does not matter whether or not it is good within itself; if it becomes our god, our idol, it is taking us away from Jesus.

In the past, I have been guilty of making things my god. For many years I worked in a business, made some money, and things seemed to be going right. “The Lord is really blessing,” I said. Yes, the Lord blessed me, or I thought He blessed me. But after conversion came, I looked around, and I said, “Why, that dirty devil.”

Somebody may ask, “How can that happen? God blessed with this and that; He gave you this and that. You helped this; you did all those other things.” Oh, friend, I was too busy doing the good things, and all those good things kept me from Him. The blessings were not coming from God; they were really coming from the devil. The devil will give blessings.

Do you think the devil is not blessing many churches, many ministries, today, with all kinds of things? They appear to have so much and look to be so successful. Do not take for granted that God is doing the blessing, friend. If the church is God’s church, it will speak as God speaks, or it is not God’s last day church.

As I look back, I realize that what I thought were blessings from God actually left no time for Him—no time for real personal study, no time for witnessing, no time to really search the Word, or do what God wanted me to do. Do you think God is going to bless you in a way that actually pulls you away from Him? No way! He wants a balance in our lives.

Ungodly

As soon as you hear someone say, “I could not care less,” stop him or her immediately. That care less attitude has put us in the societal mess that we are in today. In the spiritual realm, in the physical world, we deal with people who care less about anything but themselves.

I thought that I knew the meaning of careless, but when I looked to a dictionary for a definition, it said, “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” It means that I do not care about anybody; I am negligent in this or that.

If we are careless in the home, if we are careless in the raising of our children, if we are careless with paying our bills, if we are careless in the way we treat others, we are ungodly. There is no use for carelessness in the home or carelessness outside the home, because the Bible says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.

God is not happy with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly, because they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except me, mine, and the right now. If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they neglected the things of God?

One way we show ungodliness is by being inconsiderate. Many young people, and older people too, are so inconsiderate of anyone else. They knock into people and jump in front of people waiting in line. They do this because they are ungodly. They can claim to be Christians, but Jesus would never do those things. If we see our brothers or sisters doing things like this, we should remind them that they are representing Jesus.

The Loud Cry

I recently had the privilege of meeting with new Sabbath-keepers—whole churches that have turned to the truth in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. What a glorious experience! These people love Jesus with all of their hearts. During some of the meetings, there were 25 or 30 different pastors in attendance from various areas. How thrilling it was to see people stand up in the pulpit and say, “I love Jesus, and I believe in keeping the seventh day of the week as God’s true and holy Sabbath. I came out of Babylon; I am forsaking those things and am following Jesus all the way.” On their church vans was printed, on one side, “God’s Eleventh Hour Workers,” and on the other side, “Repairers of the Breach.”

One person said, “God has told us that we are to give the loud cry to the world, and wake them up.” Some Seventh-day Adventists scratch their heads and say, “The loud cry; wonder what message that might be? Oh, whatever we do, we just do it loud.” Oh, friend, these new believers know what the message is. They have a desire in their hearts and the Spirit of God is inside them; they speak in such a way that people around them, who believe differently, are not offended.

We are counseled, “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Revelation 3:11. If the loud cry is really in our hearts and in our lives, if we really believe it, as do these people, then we must proclaim it. If we do not, others will.

To be continued . . .

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.

Testimony – From Prison in the Philippines

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My name is Amelia Sanchez.* I am 35 years old and I am currently incarcerated in a prison in Manila where I have been for about two years. I was a very successful business woman prior to coming to this facility. The events that caused me to be in this place happened rapidly and caused me to lose everything dear to me in this life: family and friends, possessions, a business, but most of all my dignity as a person.

On February 17, 2017, at my arraignment hearing I was surprised to see a familiar friend who I was allowed to speak with for a short while. He said that he would come to visit me with a pastor friend of his. He kept his word and did come to the prison with his Pastor friend, Joenel Panganiban. Pastor Joenel brought LandMarks magazine to me where I was able to learn Bible truth. It was through his personal efforts and visits that I came to learn the gospel of Jesus. He really showed me that knowing and living for Jesus is the only reason for this earthly life, and the bonus is that a large number in this jail have come to understand the truths that I have learned.

Because of Pastor Joenel’s faithful encouragement, I now do my very best to live according to the truths of the Bible. I now know how to pray. I encourage my fellow prisoners with the same Bible truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the good news of salvation. I continually encourage them (a group of 30 now) to read the Bible and now have regular devotional time before 6:00 a.m. This daily practice has given us the name of “prayer warriors.” This has also been noticed by the personnel in charge of the jail and testify how well behaved this group is since Pastor Joenel has been our mentor.

In December 2017, we were allowed a special time with Pastor Joenel and his team who brought us food and gifts. On this blessed day we enjoyed Bible themed events and all the inmates happily joined in. The Bureau officers so appreciated the assistance and sacrifice of Pastor Joenel and his team that they were requested to return for the celebration of Women’s Month in March 2018.

I want to thank all the LandMarks team for such a wonderful magazine. The magazine has been such a blessing to me and to my co-inmates. Thanks to all who write the articles that teach us Bible truth and help us to grow in faith. We enjoy all that is contained in the magazine from the health articles, current events, the children’s corner, and crossword. Again, thank you and God bless you.

* [A pseudonym has been used to protect her identity.]

If the Devil Were Your Pastor, What Would He Say?

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Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were the devil and were trying to deceive someone like you? Have you ever thought of that before? By the way, the devil has all kinds of advantages. You see, God has a great disadvantage, because God cannot tell you what you want to hear; He can only tell the truth. (See Titus 1:2.)

Have you ever heard someone say, “Well that just doesn’t make sense to me”? Do you know what the devil does? He is listening, and, he says, “Well, I can make something make sense to him. I will come up with just the philosophy that appeals to him and that he thinks makes sense. If he thinks God is a certain way, I will come up with a religion that presents God in that way. I will come up with a religion or a philosophy or an idea that tells him just what he wants to hear.”

Satan is a deceiver and, as we read in Revelation 12:9, he has succeeded in deceiving the whole world. The Bible says that if it were possible, he would “deceive even the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24.) And after all, the elect are who he is really after. In Noah’s day, there were only eight out of millions who were not deceived. In Jesus’ day, there were only a few humble disciples and even some of them did not fair so well. And in the last days, we are told that there will be only a small minority, even of God’s people, who are going to be saved. The rest are going to be deceived. Those who are going to be sealed in the last days are those who, because of the Word of God, see the deceptions that are creeping into God’s church today.

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’ To the others he said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill: do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old [and] young men, maidens, and little children, and women: but do not come near anyone on whom [is] the mark; and begin at my sanctuary.’ So they began with the elders who [were] before the temple.” Ezekiel 9:4–6.

Now, if I were the devil, I would study your life. I would put an angel by you, just like every other Christian. In fact, if I had enough, I would put two angels by each Christian, and I would say, “Listen, you go by each one of these Christians and find how they think, what they really like, and what their weakest points are and strike at those weak points. You find what they like the best, and we will deceive them on those points. Tell them a lot of good things; just weave in a few errors here and there so subtly that they can’t decipher where they are, and lead them to hell.”

If I were the devil, I would go to a revival meeting and be converted. But I would not stop there for sure. It would not be good enough for me to be just a common church member; I would want to be active in the church. In fact, do you know what I would really like to do? I would like to teach and preach. I think I would go to the seminary and become educated.

Suppose the devil became the pastor of your church. What kind of a pastor do you think he would be? I want to tell you what kind of a pastor he would be. He would be the best speaker you have ever heard. He would be the best administrator you have ever seen. He would be the most personable pastor you have ever had. He would be a pastor who would speak more love than any pastor you have ever heard; it would be love and righteousness. But the only thing that your faith should be based on is the Bible. “To the law and to the testimony: If they do not speak according to this word,[ it is] because [there is] no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. Paul says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily, to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11. He commended the Bereans because they did not accept what he said without going to the Bible first to see if it was according to Scripture.

I want to tell you something. Satan has lost none of his power and none of his guile and none of his ability, and he is working to deceive. “Who knows whether God will not give you up to the deceptions you love? Who knows but that the preachers who are faithful, firm, and true may be the last who shall offer the gospel of peace to our unthankful churches? It may be that the destroyers are already training under the hand of Satan and only wait the departure of a few more standard-bearers to take their places, and with the voice of the false prophet cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ when the Lord hath not spoken peace.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 77. Here we are told that when the faithful pastors are removed, pastors will take their places who have been trained by Satan himself; and they may take over all the pastorates.

The disciples were loath to believe that the Bible meant all that it said back in Jesus’ day. When Jesus told them that He was going to die, they said, “That really isn’t going to happen to You. You are speaking in parables.” I want to tell you, the prophets do not lie. Did you notice what the sign of a false prophet is and what they are going to preach? These people who have been trained under the hand of Satan are going to come with the voice of the false prophet and cry, “ ‘Peace, Peace.’ Oh, do not give us any straight sermons. Do not tell us, like John the Baptist, where we are wrong. We do not want to hear that. Do not tell us any of these things. That is being critical. Do not say any of those things. Just tell us how good we are.” I want to tell you, that is a doctrine of the devil!

“I seldom weep, but now I find my eyes blinded with tears; they are falling upon my paper as I write. It may be that erelong all prophesyings among us will be at an end, and the voice which has stirred the people may no longer disturb their carnal slumbers.

“When God shall work His strange work on the earth, when holy hands bear the ark no longer, woe will be upon the people.” Ibid. The ark is not dependent upon who is carrying it. It is still God’s ark. God has a church on earth today. It is defined and identified in Revelation 12:17, and throughout Revelation. It will be those who keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict.” The Great Controversy, 593. None! “Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures, and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive.” Ibid., 625.

I want to tell you something, friends. God inspired those words. He knew that we would need them in this day. And I want to tell you something about inspired words. Inspired words mean what they say. A lot of people think that there are exceptions. They think that if they are in the right church, they will somehow sail through as long as they keep their membership. Inspiration says that that is not so, that it is only those who have fortified their minds with the truths of the Bible who will have a defense against the powerful temptations of the evil one. You need to prayerfully open the Word of God. Study it, dear friends; study it day after day after day. Spend more than five minutes with it. You have to become a diligent student of the Word of God. It must become a personal Book to you. Jesus Christ must become your personal Savior.

Do you know what is the greatest deception in all the world? It is to think that you are right when you are absolutely wrong. We are told in Matthew 7:21–23 that when Jesus comes, many will be so certain that they are saved that they will argue with God about it. They will have done many things in Jesus’ name. They went to church and even paid their tithe in His name. They were Christians through and through. They held church offices. They may have even led many souls into the church. They have all the proofs and marks of salvation. Then they will hear those sad words, “I never knew you: depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!” Oh, I tell you, do not think that you are smart enough to outwit the devil. You can never do it.

But guess what? There is another power on earth besides the power of Satan. What power is that? the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit. God has promised to put a shield and a hedge around every true follower of His. If we will study the Bible daily and if we are following everything that it says, He will protect us from Satan’s deceptions. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32.

Now if I were the devil, I would do one other thing. Not only would I be converted at a revival meeting, but also I would go to the seminary and become a pastor and work my way up. You see, I would be interested in achieving. Not only would I seek to be a good pastor, I would seek to get into a position where I could hire those I wanted to hire and get rid of those I wanted to get rid of. In time, I would surround myself with men like me, and I would take control of whatever organization I was a part of. Now, thank the Lord, God has said that His church is going through, but in the meantime, He says that it is going to suffer. If you do not believe this is so, consider this statement: “Many will stand in our pulpits with the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from the hellish torch of Satan.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 409, 410. Do not think it is not possible for Satan to take control of any church in the land, even of God’s church.

Listen, dear friends, Satan is no dummy. He has his agents, and they are as good as any preachers you have ever heard. They are the best. They will do anything to achieve. They will do anything to get to the top, and they are getting there, dear friends.

Do you know what I would do first? I would try to get to the top and surround myself with people like me. Then I would start to weed out anyone who gave the straight testimony. If anyone thought that they were going to follow those who were giving the straight testimony, I would send out an avalanche of bad news, gossip, rumors, and bad reports about them so that everyone would be turned away from them.

Second, I would get my public relations department going and in four-color brochures, in pictures, and in every other way, I would tell people what a good job I was doing. I would build up all of my people and destroy anyone who was giving the straight testimony.

Dear friends, I am not talking in parables. I just read that someday, when the faithful, firm, and true pastors are removed, their places are going to be taken by those “training under the hand of Satan.” Now, God does not want us to judge others, but He does tell us that we are to be wise as serpents because He sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Many times the wolves are in the highest places. They are in places where they can influence our thinking and our actions.

Oh, dear friend, I have an appeal for you. You do not have to be deceived. Everyone is going to be deceived except those who study the Word of God every day. Pledge yourself to begin to faithfully study the Word of God every day.

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

I Was Hungry

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Spiritual Lessons from Matthew 25:31–33, 41–46, NASB

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. …

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Two parables immediately precede this proclamation: the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the three servants who were given different numbers of talents or gifts. It is no accident that these immediately precede Jesus’ instruction on the sheep and the goats.

Concerning this passage of Scripture, Ellen White wrote:

“Those on the left hand of Christ, those who had neglected Him in the person of the poor and the suffering, were unconscious of their guilt. Satan had blinded them; they had not perceived what they owed to their brethren. They had been self-absorbed, and cared not for others’ needs.” The Desire of Ages, 639.

We have an obligation to our brethren.

“To the rich, God has given wealth that they may relieve and comfort His suffering children; but too often they are indifferent to the wants of others. They feel themselves superior to their poor brethren. They do not put themselves in the poor man’s place. They do not understand the temptations and struggles of the poor, and mercy dies out of their hearts. In costly dwellings and splendid churches, the rich shut themselves away from the poor; the means that God has given to bless the needy is spent in pampering pride and selfishness. The poor are robbed daily of the education they should have concerning the tender mercies of God; for He has made ample provision that they should be comforted with the necessities of life. They are compelled to feel the poverty that narrows life, and are often tempted to become envious, jealous, and full of evil surmisings. Those who themselves have not endured the pressure of want too often treat the poor in a contemptuous way, and make them feel that they are looked upon as paupers.

“But Christ beholds it all, and He says, It was I who was hungry and thirsty. It was I who was a stranger. It was I who was sick. It was I who was in prison. While you were feasting at your bountifully spread table, I was famishing in the hovel or the empty street. While you were at ease in your luxurious home, I had not where to lay My head. While you crowded your wardrobe with rich apparel, I was destitute. While you pursued your pleasures, I languished in prison.” Ibid., 639, 640.

Many are probably saying, “I know all that, AND I give to the poor. I am involved with this or that charity. Or, I give handouts to the homeless.” But if this is our thinking, we may still be among the goats.

Understanding this text in its correct interpretation was one of my struggles in coming to grips with the true understanding of Christianity and what it really meant. We are taught, even within Adventism, that this Scripture is about the physically poor, sick, blind and naked. We have A.D.R.A. We have Dorcas societies, soup kitchens and clothing banks. All of these serve a good purpose. However, let me paraphrase these paragraphs from The Desire of Ages with a spiritual perception and you will see that we get a vastly different view of this passage, and of our duty.

“To the rich in the knowledge of salvation, God has given spiritual wealth that they may relieve and comfort His children, suffering under the curse of sin; but too often they are indifferent to the wants of others. They feel themselves superior in the knowledge of the Scriptures, to their poor brethren who know not the way of salvation. They do not put themselves in the poor man’s place. They do not understand the temptations and struggles of the poor, without the armor of God for protection against the wiles of Satan, and mercy dies out of their hearts as they see these poor ones in their sin. In costly dwellings and splendid churches, with grand theological truths, the rich in their theories of God shut themselves away from the poor in spirit; the means that God has given to bless the needy is spent in pampering their pride of opinion and selfishness with the words of eternal life. The poor are robbed daily of the education they should have concerning the tender mercies of God, His forgiveness of sin, and His power to give victory over sin; for He has made ample provision that they should be comforted with the necessities of life—eternal life. They are compelled to feel the poverty that narrows life, restricting it to the poor and limited substitute for eternal life—the life of this world, and these poor are often tempted to become envious, jealous, and full of evil surmisings towards those whom God has set to be light bearers for His kingdom. Those who themselves have not endured the pressure of want for Bibles, for the riches of salvation, too often treat the poor in a contemptuous way, and make them feel that they are looked upon as paupers in eternal goods.

“But Christ beholds it all, and He says, It was I who was hungry for the bread of life eternal. I was thirsty for the living water. It was I who was a stranger to the Plan of Salvation. It was I who was sick with the leprosy of sin. It was I who was in the prison house, the bondage of Satan. While you were feasting at your bountifully spread table of the eternal truths of the Bible, I was famishing in the hovel or the empty street, without a Bible, without the knowledge of the way to the heavenly mansions. While you were at ease in your luxurious home, contemplating your eternal mansion, I had not where to lay My head, no comfort or peace. While you crowded your wardrobe with rich apparel, knowing of the robe of Christ’s righteousness, I was destitute, spiritually naked and cold. While you pursued your pleasures, I languished in the prison of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 639, 640.

And how is it that Christ could say this? Because, He says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me” (Matthew 25:45 NIV).

Let’s turn again to Inspiration to see just what is our obligation, our duty to our brethren. “The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs them to fill.” The Great Controversy, 488. [Emphasis supplied.]

“The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people.” Ibid., 423. [Emphasis supplied.]

“The work to be carried on by the people of God is declared in the words of Inspiration: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’ (Mark 1:2, 3). ‘Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. … He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for His law’ (Isaiah 42:1–4).” Testimonies, vol. 9, 64.

Jesus is coming again—SOON! He tells us, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” Can we do it if we do not have a clear understanding of the sanctuary message, of the investigative judgment taking place right now—a judgment before which every individual, whether they know about it or not, has to stand? According to the passages we have just read, we cannot.

“God invites all men to the fullest investigation of the claims of His law. His word is sacred and infinite. The cause of truth is to go forth as a lamp that burneth. Earnest study of the word of God will reveal the truth. Sin and wrong will not be sustained, but the law of God will be vindicated. ‘Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house’ (verses 5–7). Christians are to seek their light from the word of God and then in faith go forth to give that light to those who sit in darkness.” Ibid.

“When Christ came to the world, he found that Satan had almost everything under his own control. Christ announced His mission at Nazareth. He said, ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to teach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’ (Isaiah 61:1, 2). This was His work. He went about doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed of the devil. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. He had come to represent His Father to the world; and love, mercy, and compassion were displayed in every act of His life. His heart went out in tender sympathy to the children of men. This was His work in our world, to elevate humanity by combining divinity with humanity. He took man’s nature that He might reach man’s wants. With His human arm He encircled the race, and with His divine arm He grasped the throne of the Infinite, and united finite man with the infinite God, and earth with Heaven. Here was man, plunged in degradation, sin, and ruin, and Christ was willing to resign all His glory in order to offer to man the cup of salvation. Astonishment filled Heaven to see man’s indifference, to see man so lacking in appreciation of the things that would make for his peace.” The Signs of the Times, June 17, 1889.

The present truth message for Jesus and His disciples, the message of the angel at the first advent, was a message of peace and good will toward men. But now we see three angels flying in the midst of heaven proclaiming the present truth messages for our time. They are urgent messages of judgment, of consequences, and of protection from the consequences for being found guilty in the judgment.

These messages for our time are food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, freedom to those in bondage, healing for the sin-sick soul, the spiritually blind and naked. It is not some ecumenical, undefined, nebulous gospel of peace. Inspiration gives us ample, explicit and clear instruction.

“I saw the necessity of the messengers, especially, watching and checking all fanaticism wherever they might see it rise. Satan is pressing in on every side, and unless we watch for him, and have our eyes open to his devices and snares, and have on the whole armor of God, the fiery darts of the wicked will hit us. There are many precious truths contained in the word of God, but it is present truth that the flock needs now. I have seen the danger of the messengers running off from the important points of present truth, to dwell upon subjects that are not calculated to unite the flock and sanctify the soul. Satan will here take every possible advantage to injure the cause.

“But such subjects as the sanctuary, in connection with the 2300 days, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, are perfectly calculated to explain the past Advent movement and show what our present position is, establish the faith of the doubting, and give certainty to the glorious future. These, I have frequently seen, were the principal subjects on which the messengers should dwell.” Early Wrtings, 63. [Emphasis supplied.]

As a church, are we fulfilling the true gospel commission, preaching “this gospel of the kingdom” whose “present truth” message is the Most Holy Place message of the sanctuary in heaven? Or is our Lord saying to us that it was He who was hungry and thirsty. While we were feasting at our bountifully spread table, He was famishing in a hovel or empty street. While we were at ease in our luxurious homes, He had not where to lay His head. While we crowded our wardrobes with rich apparel, He was destitute and while we pursued our own pleasure, He languished in prison in the person of one of His children.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot’ (Revelation 3:14, 15 NASB).”

God sends His message of love to us. He sees that unless we repent, He will have to say to us that we sat spiritually rich (in our own eyes), feeling that we have all the truth (we have need of nothing) and yet in our spiritual arrogance, pride and self-satisfaction, left those destitute of the knowledge of His grace—His great, eternal, life-giving present truth messages on the outside, cold, hungry for the truths of salvation, naked without the robe of Christ’s righteousness, in bondage to the yoke of sin, in the prison house of suffering, and eventually eternal death. He sees us, by our actions, saying “peace on earth, and good will to men.” He will have to say to us “ ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me’ ” (Matthew 25:41 NASB). Oh, “Saddest of all words that ever fell on mortal ear are those words of doom, ‘I know you not’ (Matthew 25:12).” Christ’s Object Lessons. 413.

This is how these words we read earlier of Inspiration can be true. “Those on the left hand of Christ, those who had neglected Him in the person of the poor and the suffering, were unconscious of their guilt.” We do not recognize that it is our gift, our privilege, and our duty to know, to understand, to live, and to give the “present truth” message of Christ’s work in the Most Holy Place to those languishing in the bondage of sin. We do not really take in the fact that as we sit, complacent, self-satisfied, foolish virgins, having vast opportunity for and knowledge of the truth, but not the burning zeal of the Holy Spirit to share it, that we are Laodicea—we are to face the consequences—“I will spew [vomit forcefully] you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16 RSV) and His words, “depart from Me” “I know you not.”

Let us heed the voice of the “True Witness.” He knows our true condition. We may fool ourselves but we cannot fool God. In fact, according to our study of Inspiration, most people will be self-deceived. But the “True Witness” who KNOWS, has told us ahead of time that we may escape those “saddest of all words — ‘I know you not.’ ”

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

Testimony – Only Weak People Need God

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“Only weak people need God.” That’s what I used to tell my Christian friends when I was a young man. I perceived Christians as too weak to stand on their own two feet, needing the “crutch” of religion to sustain them in life. I mocked my Christian friends and ridiculed those who tried to witness to me of God’s love. You see, I grew up an atheist, having no belief in God. Both of my parents were from large families, so I had many aunts and uncles and cousins, all professing to be Christians. But it didn’t take long to realize that what they professed on Sunday morning was far from how they lived the rest of the week.

And so I concluded that Christianity was just a charade. And if the Christian life was not real, then how could God be real? I married my wife in 1969, and we moved to San Diego to begin our lives together.

We lived an indulgent, rebellious life there until 1986, when we moved to the Pacific Northwest. I became dissatisfied with my lifestyle and felt inclined for the first time in my life to search for something beyond myself. I decided to read the Bible, and then attended a Revelation seminar held in the town where I lived. I soon responded to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and after almost 20 years of selfish indulgence, I laid my sins of drugs and alcohol upon the altar of Christ.

Miraculously, my victory was immediate and complete, never having the desire nor inclination to take them up again. In 1988, I was baptized and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I was ordained as a deacon in 1989. I was asked to serve as an elder in 1990. And in 1992, I was asked to serve as the head elder, which I faithfully did for the next 21 years. In 2012, several members of our church became uncomfortable with some of the doctrines that were being taught by a young pastor that was now leading our church. I soon found myself at odds with this pastor with regard to the humanity of Christ, victorious living, and the character of the 144,000.

We found neither support nor cooperation from our local conference leaders.

Their support for their pastor was firm and we were told to cease our resistance and to move in harmony with the church. Finding ourselves unable to do so with a clear conscience before God, and no longer feeling welcome in our own church, we decided to separate from the church we loved and to start a home church. Having been in church leadership for so many years, it was natural that I should lead out in worship.

As our numbers grew, it became evident that we needed some structure in our church, and so we decided to rent a local Grange Hall every Sabbath. For legal reasons, we called ourselves the Little Flock Advent Church, and for the past 6 years it has been my privilege to serve as the shepherd of our little flock. In 2015, we contacted Steps to Life to inquire about becoming a part of the Free Seventh-day Adventist Church.

We soon realized that we were historic Adventists and that the doctrines and principles which we embraced were in common with the teachings of the Free Seventh-day Adventists. We were overjoyed to find that there were still many who had not bowed the knee to Baal! Today, we proudly bear the name Little Flock Free Seventh Day Adventist Church. I immediately enrolled in the Training Program for Ministers and Church Leaders offered by Steps to Life, to prepare me to serve as a pastor.

What a wonderful program this is. I highly recommend it, not only for church leaders, but for all who desire to better understand God’s purpose for His church and to experience His guidance that will lead us into His kingdom. The church has been warned that the last great deception of Satan would be to make of none effect the testimony of the Spirit of God (Selected Messages, Book 1, 48). We are seeing the fulfillment of this prophecy today.

This training program brings to light the counsel that God has given to guide His church through the time of trouble. It is Satan’s desire that the Spirit of Prophecy should go unheeded and that the church lose confidence in its counsel. Brothers and sisters, we cannot allow this to happen! Those who refuse to be guided by the testimony of Jesus will not fit the description that God has given of His remnant people in Revelation 12:17. Therefore they will not be among those who make up that happy throng.

I met Pastor Grosboll and Pastor Nunez last year when they were conducting a crusade south of Seattle. I have spoken with many over the phone at Steps to Life, and we now feel that we are a part of a much larger family.

Today, our average Sabbath attendance is about 25 souls. We are thankful to have a comfortable place to worship where we are surrounded by the beauty of the Olympic Mountains and plenty of trees and wildlife.

In late March of this year, Pastor Nunez traveled from Wichita, Kansas, to the Olympic Peninsula to meet with our church. On Sabbath, March 24, one day after my 69th birthday, it was a privilege to be ordained as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. It is the desire, as well as the delight of my heart, to serve the Lord and His church until the day He comes to take us home.

By the signs of the times, that day is not too far off. It is my purpose to be a good and faithful shepherd, so that you will meet me, as well as every other member of the Little Flock Free Seventh-day Adventist Church without the loss of one, on the day we stand together around the sea of glass. May the Lord find us faithful until that day. Amen.