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The Pen of Inspiration – The Living Testimony

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Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” [Malachi 3:16, 17.]

It is not enough to contemplate the glory of Christ; we should speak of His excellences. Isaiah not only beheld His glory, but he also spake of Him. While David mused, the fire burned; then spake he with his tongue. While he mused upon the wondrous love of God, he could not but speak of that which he saw and felt. Who can by faith behold the wonderful plan of redemption, the glory of the only begotten Son of God, and not speak of it? Who can contemplate the unfathomable love that was manifested upon the cross of Calvary in the death of Christ, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life, and have no words by which to extol the Saviour’s glory? We cannot become partakers of His love, and give no expression to our reverence and adoration.

As believers behold Christ, they will be led to assemble together and to speak one to another words that will express their fervent love. They will say, “He is the chiefest among ten thousand,” “Yea, He is altogether lovely.” “In His temple doth every one speak of His glory.” [Song of Solomon 5:10, 16; Psalm 29:9.] The sweet singer of Israel praised Him upon the harp, singing, “I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.” “And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts; and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness. . . . They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.” [Psalm 145:5–7, 11, 12.] This will be the character of the conversation of those who fear the Lord and think upon His name. God is represented as listening to their words, and writing them in a book.

God will be Glorified

John, the beloved disciple, bore a living testimony, saying, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This, then, is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” [1 John 1:1–5.]

Surely, those who speak one to another of the goodness of the Lord are highly privileged. Peter exclaims, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.” [1 Peter 2:9.] We have rich themes for thought and conversation; and those who are subjects of the grace of God, upon whom the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness are shining, are to be God’s witnesses. Should they hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. God will be glorified.

When the members of the church are one with Christ, there will be union one with another, and this unity will be a living testimony to the world of the power of the gospel. Why can we not see from the lessons of Christ, and especially from His prayer for the unity of believers, that Christians must be perfect in unity in order to represent the glory of their Redeemer? As believers in Christ, we are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” [Ephesians 2:20–22.]

Cause of Dissension

The believer in Christ should understand that dissension and division in the church are brought about through the working of the powers of darkness, in order that those who profess to be children of God may not present the oneness for which Christ prayed. God’s people greatly dishonour His name, and misrepresent His truth, when they manifest a lack of love one for another. As love for God grows cold, they lose the childlike simplicity that knits heart to heart in loving tenderness. Hard-heartedness comes in, and there is a drawing away one from another. When we fail to love others as Christ has loved us, Jesus can do little for us; for His words and spirit are not permitted to enter into the heart.

Many are in darkness, and know not the cause; they are not at peace with God, they are not one with Christ nor in unity with their brethren. By their words and actions they testify that they do not desire to be in union with those who do not exactly meet their mind, even though they are believers. They seem to think that they are at liberty to act out the natural feelings of the heart. All who entertain evil surmisings and cherish ill feelings to others, need to be converted. They need to learn to live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

How to Manifest Love

Love for one another is not to be manifested by praise and flattery, but by true fidelity. The love of Christ will lead us to watch for souls; and if we see one in danger, we shall tell him so plainly and kindly, even at the risk of his displeasure. The religion of Christ is not to be controlled by impulse. We need to pray much, and lean wholly upon God. We need to hold the truth with firmness, and in all righteousness; but while we speak the truth with fidelity, we should speak it in love, as it is in Jesus.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another.” How much?—“As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” [John 13:34.] Do we regard this commandment sufficiently? Do we permit it to control mind and heart, and mould the character? “By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” [Verse 35.] Thus believers are to bear to the world the credentials which will testify that they are indeed the children of God. Jesus says, “The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one. I in them and Thou in Me, that they may be perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” [John 17:22, 23.]

What can I present before my brethren and sisters in Christ, that is more important for their study and practice than the Saviour’s prayer for His disciples? The entire seventeenth chapter of John is full of marrow and fatness. Are there not urgent reasons why we should take heed to these words of Christ? Is it not time we sought for the unity for which the Saviour prayed? Shall we not open our hearts to the melting love of Jesus? May the Lord unite the hearts of all that believe His word, in that oneness for which Christ prayed, that we may be one, even as He and the Father are one.

The Bible Echo, April 23, 1894.

Children’s Story – Good Neighbor Policy

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When I was growing up, my father used to say, “No matter who they are or what they do, treat your neighbors with love.”

I did not fully understand what he meant until one Sabbath, when on our way to church, we spotted someone shoveling corn from our crib into a battered old truck. Dad stopped the car and got out. The man looked up and froze. I knew this man!

Everybody in town had suspected him of stealing their gas! No one had ever confronted him for fear of his violent temper. Now we had caught him red-handed! What was Dad going to do?

My father called to him and kindly said, “If that is not enough, come back tomorrow. Take as much as you need. Remember, you are my neighbor.” The man dropped his shovel and hung his head.

He never stole from us or anyone else in town again, as far as I know. Perhaps he learned how to be a good neighbor that day. I know I did.

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19:18.

Find the following words from this story in the word search puzzle.

CHURCH

NEIGHBORS

CORN

SABBATH

CRIB

SHOVEL

FATHER

STEALING

GROWING

TOMORROW

LEVITICUS

TOWN

LOVE

TRUCK

C B G H D M N D U C P F Q P L

D I N R H P E J N M I Q N E H

T R I D G N I L A E T S V T W

W C W S E B G X J C W I R C H

J O O M U J H P N Z T U X T N

N D R S X C B W Y I C C A R H

V R G R Y T O K C K S B Y E E

Y G O M O T R U M C B K H S Z

K N P C T M S D N A A H D A S

S D E J E F O U S C J C D I H

V R T U V O P T T Y H X C F O

F A T H E R V I P K E U U A V

D P D H R E V O L D E M R D E

R A A R W K B C G R F W L C L

S N F W C P O M U E Z W V T H

The Ten Commandments, Part VIII – The Sabbath is a Delight

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In Part VII of this series, we laid down some of the concepts about the seventh-day Sabbath. In this article, we will consider some of the things that God has asked us to do and not to do in observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.

In Isaiah 58:13, 14, we read: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it].”

Who is it that is telling us these things? Is it Isaiah? No. It says, “The mouth of the Lord hath spoken [it],” so this is an instant cue that this is more than just a prophetic utterance. It comes to us right from the mouth of the Lord Himself.

No Coercion

This passage of Scripture is telling us several things that we need to closely consider.

  1. In its broadest context, Isaiah 58 is, as a whole, telling us that it is necessary to have a proper attitude and observance of the Sabbath as a condition for receiving the Lord’s blessings.
  2. Proper Sabbath observance cannot be coerced. I have heard people say that they are not in favor of a Sunday law, but may be favorable to a Sabbath law! Would you be in favor of a Sabbath law? No, no! We cannot coerce Sabbath keeping. It is not God’s plan; it is not God’s will. He says, “Remember”; He says, “Whosoever will,” but He never coerces us into observing His Sabbath day. The text says that Sabbath observance is to be voluntary.

When this passage says, “If thou turn away thy foot,” it means that if you are walking, perhaps on a sidewalk, and see a coin laying on it, you would not want to step on top of the coin, because you would not then be able to reach down and pick it up. So you turn away your foot from stepping on it. This is what the Lord is talking about here, the fact that you are not to trample on the Sabbath day. If you turn away your foot from stepping on the Sabbath and from trampling it under your feet, a blessing is there for you.

The decision as to how we are going to treat the Sabbath rests with each one of us. Do not trample it under your feet, but do not force anyone to keep the Sabbath either. It has to be voluntary.

Own Way

  1. God’s people have been finding their own pleasure, going their own way, doing their own thing, speaking their own words on God’s holy day. They have been robbing God of what really and truly is His. They have been using it as if it were their own.

The Book of Isaiah was written in Old Testament times. You would think that the people, having lived under the economy of Israel, would have known better, because the whole economy was built around the Ten Commandments and the sacrificial system of the sanctuary. You would think that the people would have recognized this, but that was not the case.

Regardless of their culture, people are no different when it gets down below the surface. Character traits have not changed for 6,000 years. All have been sinful. All have fallen short. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Romans 3:10. “All our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6. That is why God has given us these principles—so the re-ordering of our lives can take place, and God’s will can be done in and through us. The Sabbath is very much a part of the whole programming system, if you please; it is basically the spiritual DNA that holds us together.

A Holy Day

  1. The only type of Sabbath keeper whom God can approve and bless is one who looks upon the Sabbath as a delight, because it is “the holy of the Lord” and therefore is worthy of honor.
  2. Because it is “the holy day of the Lord” and because God asked man to keep it in a particular way, the manner of one’s Sabbath keeping reveals the nature of the relationship between himself and God. This is a principle that Jesus outlined when He said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20. The manner of our Sabbath keeping is going to be in direct correlation to how we relate to God.

God-centered

  1. The express command not to do one’s own way, to find one’s own pleasure, or to speak one’s own words implies, in the light of this revelation, that the Sabbath is “the holy of the Lord,” and we are to keep it God’s way. We are to find pleasure in doing God’s will, and we are to find pleasure in speaking God’s words. Further, it states that if we will do this, such Sabbath keeping will make the Sabbath a delight. It will be a pleasure.

Such a degree of God-centered-ness—one that excludes all secular preoccupation on the Sabbath—is possible and pleasurable only for those whose lives on the other six days of the week are God-centered—God-centered in the middle of the secular world in which we live.

We will discover that, even though we are out in a secular world, as we are orbiting around godly things, the Sabbath will indeed be a delight to us. If we are orbiting about in a secular world with a secular mind, we will not find the Sabbath to be a delight, because we will not be looking forward to that holy time, as we should.

Saviour and Lord

  1. In these verses, God is pleading for His professed people to enter into a deep, loving, personal relationship with Him—fellowship that gladly responds to and delights in His lordship.

We often find it is easier to accept Jesus as Saviour than it is to accept Him as Lord. As we reflect upon our future, eternal life, we recognize that we need a Saviour. We know that, and we readily accept a Saviour. Most people, when asked if they want to go to heaven, will say yes. They do want to go to heaven. But when you ask whether or not they are willing to conform their lives to God’s requirements, a number of them begin to fall off on the wayside. They are not too sure if they want to change their lifestyles and bring them into harmony and conformity with God so that they can make it to heaven.

Christ is not only to be the Saviour, but He is to be the Lord. So we find in these verses that God is pleading for His professed people to enter into a deep personal relationship with Him, a fellowship that we will gladly respond to and delight in His lordship.

If the Sabbath is not the delight that God intends for it to be for us, then something needs to be overhauled. The Sabbath does not need to be overhauled as far as God is concerned. Outside of this context, the words that we read in Isaiah about the Sabbath being a delight become to us just baffling conjecture.

In other words, anyone whose life is not centered in God can never understand these verses. But if the life is centered in God, then these verses make a great deal of sense.

Creative/Redemptive

How should the Sabbath work on our behalf? Ellen White gives some insight on this: “To all who receive the Sabbath as a sign of Christ’s creative and redeeming power, it will be a delight.” The Desire of Ages, 289.

In Part VII of this series, the Sabbath in Exodus 20 and the Sabbath in Deuteronomy 5 were studied. One shows the Sabbath as a memorial for the creation, and the other shows it as a memorial for redemption. This is what she is saying in this quote.

And then, in Evangelism, 233, she wrote: “Instead of the people of God becoming less and less definitely distinguished from those who do not keep the seventh-day Sabbath, they are to make the observance of the Sabbath so prominent that the world cannot fail to recognize them as Seventh-day Adventists.” That is quite a profound statement! The Sabbath is to be such a distinguishing mark for us as Seventh-day Adventists that the world can recognize it!

What do we find today? We find that the Church wants to take down its colors more and more and become less distinguishable. For example, the churches take the fact that they are Seventh-day Adventist off their signs and change their names to “Community Fellowship” or “New Life Fellowship” or something else—anything, it seems, to get away from “Seventh-day Adventist.” Many of the Church’s schools and colleges are abandoning the name. Today, they are called, for example, Southern Adventist University or Walla Walla College or some such name. “Seventh-day” or “Seventh-day Adventist” should be in the name, because it stands as a rebuke to the world, for the apostasy in which they have participated.

Do Not be Obnoxious

We do not need to be obnoxious about how we keep the Sabbath. Some people can be obnoxious as far as what they believe, and I have known some Seventh-day Advent-ists who are obnoxious about the fact that they are Seventh-day Adventists. We do not need to do that, but we do not need to soft pedal it either. What we need to do is to be tactful; we need to be helpful in every way that we can.

One of the things that encouraged me to become a Seventh-day Adventist was a neighbor who witnessed to me. He had a philosophy that, at the time, worked very well, although I do not know that I could particularly endorse it now. I did not have a tractor, so he said, “I do not use my tractor on Saturday; you may use it then.” So I did! That act of kindness helped more to win me to listen to what he had to say than if I had asked him for the use of his tractor and he had said, “Do you not know that I am a Seventh-day Adventist? My tractor is supposed to rest on the seventh day.” The idea is that we need to be kind and tactful and not obnoxious, because that is going to help us more in our witness as we draw near the end of time. We should be kind and possess the fruits of the Spirit.

Honorable

The Bible says that the Sabbath is to be honorable. We are to recognize it as the Lord’s Day. We should look forward to it during the week. Not just on Friday, but all week, beginning on Sunday, are we to plan for the Sabbath. We need to start getting things in order during our six days of work so that everything is in readiness for the Sabbath. There is probably nothing that is more harmful regarding Sabbath observance than to come down to the last 30 minutes before the sun sets and then decide that we must get everything squared away so that the work will all be done before the Sabbath begins.

We are not to be doing our own ways, or speaking our own words, or thinking our own thoughts, but, rather, we are to be seeking the ways of the Lord. We are to be thinking His thoughts and speaking His words.

Practical Application

The question that we need to ask ourselves then is, How do I observe the Sabbath in a workable, practical way? The messenger of the Lord gives, in one sentence, a fairly inclu-sive outline as far as being able to accomplish the instruction given in Isaiah 58. She says, “Devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to worship, and to holy deeds.” The Desire of Ages, 207.

I want to point out to you what this quote does not say. It does not say, “Devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, [or] to worship, [or] to holy deeds.”

The ideal that is being presented here is that the Sabbath is to be divided into these three categories. Each Sabbath’s observance should have some aspect of these three things included—rest, worship, and some kind of good deed for somebody.

Misapplication

This has taken some turns lately. Some think that good deeds comprise community service—painting people’s houses and cleaning up their yards. That is not the kind of good deeds spoken about here. What is meant is doing something that can be of an encouragement and a help to someone, such as Bible studies, visitation, hospital visitation, or singing bands. These types of things are holy deeds.

We need to have the balance of these three activities. The Sabbath is not the delight that it is intended to be if these things are out of balance.

Discipline

There has to be some planning put into the Sabbath. One of the things we need to understand is that Sabbath observance calls for discipline on our part. Sabbath observance does not just happen. Sabbath observance has to be planned, as God has told us time and time again.

“We should in no case allow burdens and business transactions to divert our minds upon the Sabbath of the Lord, which He has sanctified. We should not allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character even.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 583.

In other words, if the Sabbath is to be the delight God wants it to be for us, we must have our minds centered upon Him and off secular things. We cannot allow our minds to run undisciplined. It is not unusual for people sitting in the congregation to hear the words of the service, but not understand what is being said, because their minds are trailing off on something else. When this happens, and it can happen to any one of us, we must discipline our minds and bring them back on track. The devil knows that the message is something we need to hear, and if we do not exercise discipline, he can distract our minds so we will miss it. Many times— through a baby crying, a disruption, or a daydreaming thought—our minds can be drawn away from where they should be, so we must discipline our minds to keep them focused on Sabbath subjects.

Mrs. White wrote that, “God requires . . . [on] the Sabbath, . . . that the mind be disciplined to dwell upon sacred themes.” Child Guidance, 529. How many of us, and I include myself, discipline our minds to dwell on sacred themes during the Sabbath hours? If we can discipline our minds to dwell upon sacred themes, this then becomes a defense against those temptations that the devil brings to us to try to distract us.

To be continued . . .

A retired minister of the gospel, Pastor Mike Baugher may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Surrender, Part II

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When we are only committed to the cause, we are still in charge, for the most part, but we can still rebel. When we are surrendered, we cannot be rebels. When we surrender, we give up our authority, and we come under the authority of Another.

So, why do we not surrender? Fear could be one reason, but another reason is that we just plain do not know how. Commitment without surrender is what most people have been trying to do for the last 6,000 years, and this is why we are still here. It does not work any better now than it did the first time it was tried. It is insane to keep trying it, but we do just the same, perhaps because we do not know anything else to do. God, however, wants us to know another way—the only way that works.

The only way that works is so simple that we often miss the real meaning. It just does not sink in, but we cannot afford to miss it. Before we study it, though, we need to first consider how the mind works in the area of temptation.

The Bible presents, a number of times, the battle between the flesh and the spirit. Through the Spirit of Prophecy, we are told a lot about the higher powers and the lower powers of the mind. Think of your brain as being divided into sections.

Higher Powers

The higher powers are located where science calls the frontal lobe of the brain. That is where the Holy Spirit speaks to us. Romans 8:16 talks about how the Holy Spirit testifies to our spirits: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” This is referring to the frontal lobe of the brain where, Ellen White states, rests the higher powers. The Bible would call it the spirit. The higher powers contain the intellect, the reason, and the conscience.

The higher powers take in information and store it in the intellect. Then the reason takes that information and cogitates from cause to effect, based on your intellect or what you know. If you do such and such, what will or will not happen; if you do not do such and such, what will or will not happen?

You know what the conscience does. If you do not think or act according to reason and intellect, your conscience makes you feel bad. It is a warning signal. It makes you feel guilty. It pricks you.

Lower Powers

The lower powers would originate in the lower part of the brain, in what could be called the animal instinct part of the brain. It tells your heart to beat and your lungs to breathe without your thinking about those things. The lower powers are what the Bible calls the flesh.

The flesh contains the appetite, the passions, and the desires. God placed these things in you. In and of themselves they are not bad, but they are to be kept under the control of the higher powers. When Adam and Eve fell, the lower powers began to reign over the higher powers, and they have been in control ever since.

The appetite says, If it tastes good, eat it. The passions say, If it feels good, do it. Desire says, If you want it, get it. Satan knows how to work this system. Every temptation he sends to you enters through that channel—either through appetite, passion, or desire.

Galatians 5:16, 17 says, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” It does not say that you will not have the lust of the flesh; it says that you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to yield to the temptation. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

The Will

These two things are contrary to each other, so when temptation enters, the flesh votes one way and the spirit votes the other. They never agree, because they are contrary one to another. In order for temptation to pass, then, we need to have a third representative—the will. The will is the governing power in the nature of man.

I heard Stephen Vincent Wallace, several years ago, explain it this way: “This is the land of Me, and in the land of Me, the capital city is Mind. In the capital city of Mind is the House of Representatives, and there are three that sit in that House of Representatives. There is a representative from the kingdom of darkness (that would be the flesh). There is a representative from the Kingdom of Light (that would be the Spirit). Then there is our representative, the will.” For anything to pass, you must have a two-thirds majority, so the will decides if you are going to listen to the higher powers or whether you are going to listen to the lower powers. That is what makes the final decision.

This is why God gave us the health message and why the health message is so important. It is not just so we can be healthy, but it is to keep the frontal lobe of the brain clear. Things like drugs, alcohol, rock music, television, caffeine, and nicotine tend to numb the frontal lobe. When the frontal lobe is numb and it is supposed to be putting out an argument for righteousness, what kind of argument is it going to give? Not a very good one! The will may then listen to the lower powers.

The Will’s Authority

There are other verses in the Bible that speak of this, such as Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Romans 13:14 says, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].”

We are not to make any provision for it, so unless your will is surrendered to Christ and is under the authority of God, it is not going to have authority over the lower powers. This is why it is so important to surrender the will.

You need to understand that this is not talking about willpower. That is what the world uses, and most of God’s people have tried using their willpower for the last 6,000 years, and it has not worked. It might work with sins that are not that appealing to you, but if you encounter sins that really appeal to you, ones known as besetting sins, then you really do not have any willpower. Willpower is not what is meant, but the right exercise of the will. We need to surrender our wills to God.

In Luke 17:20, 21, some people talked to Christ about the location of the kingdom of God. He told them, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” In Part I of this study, the word kingdom was identified as coming from two words, king and dominion. Dominion is where one king has complete and total control and authority. Your heart is to be that place, that dominion, on this earth for God. Your heart is to be like a branch office of the kingdom in heaven. In the kingdom of heaven, one King has complete and total control and authority, and He is to have that same dominion in our hearts.

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6) and repeat the words, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” do you ever stop and think about what you are asking? You are asking that God’s kingdom come; His will be done here, on earth, in you, as it is in heaven.

It is of the utmost importance that you learn to surrender your will to God. You need to stop using the old willpower, grit your teeth, struggle and strain method, and start using the surrender method. When you do this, you will find that exercising your will with the higher powers of your brain will not be nearly as difficult. This does not mean you will have smooth sailing, but it will be a whole lot easier than the other willpower method.

You can read about the willpower method and how it works in Romans 7. That is the method of which Paul is speaking in this passage. You can just feel the frustration as he is describing it, because it does not work.

Born to Win

Christ had to deal with this problem too. He had a fallen nature with which to contend. (See The Desire of Ages, 112.) I personally believe that He was born with the equivalent of a born-again nature, and that is how He could win. This is the same nature we can have, and this is why we can win too.

When you are born again, you are born to win. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.” 1 John 5:4. Like Christ, you can have victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil, but to have it, it is essential that you learn to surrender everything to God, just as Christ did. You must learn to yield your will. If you do not, you are either going to get discouraged and give up or you are going to stay committed but not submitted and end up in the foolish virgin camp (Matthew 25:1–13) or the Matthew 7:21–23 camp: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Or you may end up in the 1 Corinthians 13:3 camp: “And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

Reprobate

If you are not careful, you will learn to ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings and pleadings. Romans 1:28 tells us that God gives such people over to a reprobate mind. “And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.”

The dictionary definition of a reprobate is “a thoroughly bad person.” I made up my own definition of a reprobate mind. You most likely will not find this in one of the more scholarly, theological resources, but it works for me, and I hope it helps you. To me, a reprobate mind means, “to have the brain in your head upside down.” In other words, letting the lower powers control the higher powers. So when God gives you up to a reprobate mind, He leaves you to being controlled by those lower powers. They will never be under the control of the higher powers. Your will will never be surrendered.

The best example of surrender and dependence, of course, is Christ. Just in the Book of John there are at least 30 verses where He says that everything He had and everything He did was totally surrendered to His Father. His will, His work, His words, His doctrine, His mission, and His decisions all came from the Father. They were all surrendered. Christ did nothing of Himself. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” John 5:30. How could He do that? Was it because He was committed only? It was because He was totally dependent and surrendered to the Father. When you are willing to be to Jesus what Jesus was to the Father, then Jesus will be to you what the Father was to Him.

Like Jesus

Philippians 2:5–11 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In other words, have the same attitude Jesus had. He made Himself of no reputation; He emptied Himself; He laid down His privileges; He took the form of a servant; He humbled Himself. You and I are to have the same attitude.

Verses 10 and 11 tell us that everyone in the whole universe, fallen and unfallen, will bow down and “confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” They will confess Jesus’ lordship and His right to reign, His sovereign authority, and His right to have sovereign authority. The whole universe, fallen and unfallen, is going to acknowledge this.

Prayer Life

How did Jesus keep His will surrendered to the Father? Oh, the secret seems to be in His prayer life. He spent time every day, before He did anything else, surrendering His will to the Father. Sometimes He spent all night in prayer. The best example of this is the night He spent in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42.) Three times He had to yield His will to the Father. It was a struggle, even to the point of sweating blood. Nevertheless, He was able to do it, and you can follow His example.

Impossible on Your Own

The following statements are some of the clearest on the surrender of the will and of the heart. I hope they will be helpful to you.

“It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them. ‘Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.’ ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.’ Job 14:4; Romans 8:7.” Steps to Christ, 18.

What an interesting statement! This is the part where I think a lot of people get confused and why they use that old method of willpower, which has been tried for 6,000 years. The next statement explains it. It says, “Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness.” Ibid.

“The Saviour said, ‘Except a man be born from above,’ unless he shall receive a new heart, new desires, purposes, and motives, leading to a new life, ‘he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ John 3:3, margin.” Ibid.

The word see means to “perceive with understanding experientially.” You know, when you have your own little kingdom going where you call your own shots and do your own thing, where you are in total and complete control and authority, you not only cannot see the kingdom of God, but you do not even want to know about it.

Ellen White continues, “The idea that it is necessary only to develop the good that exists in man by nature, is a fatal deception. . . .

“It is not enough to perceive the loving-kindness of God, to see the benevolence, the fatherly tenderness, of His character. It is not enough to discern the wisdom and justice of His law, to see that it is founded upon the eternal principle of love. Paul the apostle saw all this when he exclaimed, ‘I consent unto the law that it is good.’ ‘The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ But he added, in the bitterness of his soul-anguish and despair, ‘I am carnal, sold under sin.’ Romans 7:16, 12, 14. He [Paul] longed for the purity, the righteousness, to which in himself he was powerless to attain, and cried out, ‘O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?’ Romans 7:24, margin. Such is the cry that has gone up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages.” Ibid., 18, 19.

Have you ever longed for that for which Paul longed—that purity and righteousness? Have you figured out yet, as he did, that you are powerless to obtain it? The only way to receive it is to surrender your will to God. The quicker you figure it out, the better off you will be. “To all, there is but one answer, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ John 1:29.” Ibid., 19.

To be continued . . .

Steve Currey is a Bible worker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: stevecurrey@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Knowing the Time, Part I

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In Romans 13:11–14, we read: “And, knowing the time, that already it is the hour for you to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is far gone, the day has drawn near. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us be clothed with the weapons of light. Let us walk becomingly, as in the day, not with carousing and drunkenness and sexual orgies and sensuality, not with strife and jealousy. But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not make provision for the flesh that you should do its lusts.” That is quite a Scripture!

Paul says that now is the time. It is the hour already for you to awake out of sleep. Do you know the time? Do you know that now is the time? Now is the time to wake up, because we do not have very much time left.

Knowing the Time in the World

I would like for you to consider just two things. The first thing is knowing the time in the world. I will not take the space to prove this, although it can be proven. If we compare Daniel 7 and Daniel 11, we will see that the great time of persecution of God’s saints, which was to last 1,260 years, was to extend until the time of the end. When that period was over, then the world was going to enter the period called, in Daniel’s prophecy, the time of the end. Most Bible writers call it the latter days or the last days.

That period of time (1,260 days) came to an end in 1798. We, then, have been in the last days or in the time of the end for over 200 years. The last days—the time of the end—is the last epochal period of this world’s history. At the end of that time, probation will close, and Jesus will come, and that will be the end of this age, the end of the world, as we know it. We are not at the beginning of the time of the end; we are at the end of the time of the end.

Increased Travel

Daniel said, in Daniel 12:4, that at the time of the end two things would happen.

He said that many are going to travel to and fro. In other words, it is going to be a time of great travel. Are we living in a time of the greatest travel since the beginning of the world? There has never, ever been a time like today. Never!

Society thought we were living in a time of great travel when I was a boy, because we had airplanes. I traveled half way around the world when I was about seven years old. But let me tell you, it was absolutely nothing compared with today.

When I was boy, I used to go with my father to the Stapleton Airport in Denver, Colorado. My father was a businessman, and at times he would need to travel by plane. While waiting for my father to depart, I would look out the airport windows, and would usually see four or five airliners waiting there—DC7s and a few Lockheed Electras. Those planes could hold between 40 and 50 passengers. That was the total number of airplanes generally at Stapleton at any one time, and I was there many times.

How is it today? At the new Denver International Airport, there are between 50 and 100 airplanes at any given time, and those planes do not hold just 40 or 50 passengers, like they did when I was a boy. They hold 100, 200, or more passengers!

We are living in a time when there is more travel. I have done a little traveling myself, and I have been in the airports of London and Paris, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and Los Angeles. If you go to any one of these places, you will see people from all over the world.

There has never before been a time like this. We are living in the time of the end. In the time of the end, travel is going to be increased.

Increased Knowledge

The second thing mentioned, in Daniel 12:4, is that in the time of the end there is going to be a great increase of knowledge. It says, “Knowledge shall be increased.” Are we living in a time when there has been an explosion of knowledge?

Some of you are too young to remember how things used to be, just a short time ago. Do you realize that just a few years ago, if you had a cataract in your eye and you had it removed, that after the surgery you would be sandbagged? Sandbags would be placed around your head, and you would have to lie in a hospital bed, sometimes for up to two weeks or more. But do you know how it is done today? I recently took a close relative of mine to have a cataract removed, and it was an outpatient procedure. We walked in, got it done, walked out, and went home—pretty much business as usual the rest of the day. That is just one example; there are hundreds of other examples.

A second example of increased knowledge is our cars, our airplanes, and our machines. Computers now monitor these things, indicating to us when service, repairs, or changes are needed. I am old enough to remember when it was not that way. Things were mechanical, and we thought we had a great increase of knowledge then, but now things are electrical, and everything is connected to a computer.

I remember telling people 20 years ago that we were living in an age of an explosion of knowledge—that there would soon come a time when, through the computer, we would be able to access central data banks and find out whatever we wanted that is known to man. We have been doing that now for several years.

Earthquakes

Third, in Matthew 24, Jesus said that in the last days there would come a time when there would be great earthquakes. Have you noticed the increase of earthquakes lately?

We used to live in southern California, and, while residing there, we were always apprehensive of earthquakes. While traveling in southern California recently, I was shown a newspaper that identified the different areas where earthquakes had occurred in the last several weeks—there were over 60 places! We do not even hear about those earthquakes on the news, because the news does not report the little ones.

If you want to do an interesting study, look on the Internet for the web site that is just about earthquakes. Do you know when the incidents of earthquakes started increasing? About 1800. The time of the end is going to be the time of earthquakes. They started increasing at the time of the end. It is interesting to note that the number of earthquakes stayed about the same for many hundreds of years—for over a thousand years—until about 1800; then, for a reason no one can explain, they started increasing. Why? Jesus said that in the time of the end there would be earthquakes. Since 1950, the number of occurrences has skyrocketed. So much so that between 1980 and 1990 there were as many serious major earthquakes as the world had experienced between a.d. 526 and 1797. That is a period of almost 1,300 years. Somebody may challenge that in old times they did not record them all, but they did record them when something major happened. They did not have seismographs, but they recorded the big ones, when buildings started falling down. It is one of the signs that we are living right near the end.

Rumors of War

Another sign, the fourth, which Jesus gave, was that there would be “wars and rumors of wars.” We do not need to expound on this. World War I was going to be the war to end all wars. Did it end all wars? No, the United States was in another world war within 20 years after it ended. Since World War II, there has been a war somewhere in the world all the time—some coup d’état, revolution, or war somewhere in the world.

Peace Movement

The fifth sign of knowing the time in the world you can study out for yourselves. Bible prophecy tells us that in the last days there is going to be a great, international religious peace movement. Predicted both in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4, it is not a true revival or a true religion. Read Micah 4:1–6 carefully, and you will see that is the case. They are going to be preparing for war at the same time they are talking peace.

Hearts Fail for Fear

And, then, number six. In Luke 21, Jesus said that the time of the end will be a time when men’s hearts will fail them for fear. Are we living in a time when men’s hearts are failing them for fear? People are afraid. One thing of which they are afraid is what is happening to the worldwide economy—not just the United States, not just Europe, but the economy of the world. The worldwide economy is shaky today, and economists are scared to death. People are saying that we are out of the recession, but we are deeper in debt than ever before.

We are concerned about the environment. We are destroying our environment. One reason for concern is the natural disasters.

Have you heard on the news of the concern regarding Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming? A certain part of the park has been closed off, because the experts are saying that this area in the park could blow at any time. If it blows, it will be the biggest volcanic explosion in history, and it will be heard hundreds of miles away.

At the huge crater, where the ground is lifting, the temperature is rising and has now risen so much that all the fish are dead and there is nothing living directly around it. Just a few inches under the soil, the temperature is 200 degrees. If it completely blows, the scientists are telling us that the entire United States will be completely covered with five inches of ash, and there will be no living thing within about a 600-mile radius—everything will die. It could bring on a miniature ice age; it could destroy crops all through the Midwest.

I am not saying it will be as bad as predicted; nobody knows. But the people who have studied this phenomenon are scared. Jesus said, “Men’s hearts would be failing them for fear because of the things that are coming on the earth.” Do you realize the economic consequences of something like that? If it occurs, just that one thing alone could cause a worldwide depression.

And then, of course, there is terrorism. Everybody knows about terrorism today—not just the United States. They know about it in Spain. They know about it in London. They know about it in the Middle East. They know about it in South America. Terrorism! And, of course, there is crime, crime, crime.

Pestilences

Number seven. Jesus said that in the last days there would be pestilences. We are experiencing pestilences like never before in world history. One example is cancer. Oh! Somebody may say that cancer has been around for hundreds of years. Of course it has, but in 1945, do you know how many people were getting cancer? One in fifteen. In 1945 (if you read the Spirit of Prophecy), the number getting cancer had skyrocketed from what it had been in the past. Do you know what the numbers are today? One in three. Is that a pestilence? It is a pestilence, friends.

Then we have the new pestilences such as Mad Cow Disease. If you have ever read the book Deadly Feasts (Richard Rhodes, Touchstone, New York, New York, 1998), you know that Mad Cow Disease is a ticking time bomb. It is a disease that, in the future, could absolutely decimate Western Europe, the United States, and many other countries of the world. Some people think this disease is even more dangerous than AIDS. Whether or not it is I do not know. It is one of those illnesses that has a long lapse from the time a person is exposed until symptoms develop. In addition to AIDS, we have the plague or the pestilence of all the old diseases that we thought had been cured.

For example, when I was in graduate school—less than 30 years ago—we were told that the disease of smallpox would be completely eradicated, because it is a disease peculiar only to human beings. We were told that vaccinations would be available to everyone, and this would eliminate it. It would die out and would be known only in the history books. Well, this we did not succeed in doing!

We are discovering that the diseases we were so confident in knowing how to control, we cannot control. For example, have you heard in the news that we now have new bugs or new microorganisms? They are actually the old ones, but they are now resistant to our drugs. This is serious. If an elderly person gets a staph infection that does not respond to drugs, they will be in a very critical situation.

Days of Lot

In Luke 17:27–30, Jesus said that in the last days it is going to be like it was in the days of Lot. You have read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis. You have probably read what Ezekiel said about it in Ezekiel 16:49, 50, what Jude said about it, and what Peter said about it in 11 Peter. Jesus told us that this is the way the world is going to be in the last days when the Son of man is revealed.

I studied this subject a few years ago, and what I found was shocking. Do you realize that never before in the history of the world has homosexuality been accepted worldwide, until our time? It was accepted in Sodom, and it was accepted among the Canaanites. In Leviticus 18, we find that that is one of the reasons why the Canaanites were destroyed. It was accepted in the ten tribes of Israel, and that is one of the reasons why they were destroyed, sent out as wanderers among the nations. At a later time, it was accepted in the city of Rome, and that is one of the reasons why Rome was destroyed. It later was accepted in the nation of France, and that is one of the reasons for the French Revolution. But in the last days, it will not be a country or a city only that accepts it; it will be accepted by the whole world. We do not realize how true prophecy always is. When it says worldwide, it means worldwide.

A few days ago my wife and I were visiting with our nephew who is serving in the United States armed forces. He told me something I did not know. You think you can never get shocked, but then you learn something new. He told me that among the Muslims in Afghanistan, where he served, and throughout the neighboring countries, homosexuality is rampant. He said that they do not want the Christians to find out about it; they try to keep it secret. The United States military has to instruct the soldiers to be careful in certain situations. The prophecy of Jesus has been fulfilled exactly. We are living right at the time of the end.

When homosexuality becomes accepted, study the story of Sodom; study the story of the ten tribes; study the story of the Canaanites; study the story of Rome; study the story of France. God is not going to let that go on, friends. It is going to end.

Great Unbelief

Number nine. In the last days, according to the Book of Revelation, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:24, there will come a time of gross darkness of the greatest deceptions ever to come on the world. We are living in that time.

And, finally, number ten. According to 11 Peter 3:3–7, the last days will be a time of great unbelief. The unbelief will be so great that it says that those living will deny that the heavens came into existence by the Word of God. That is exactly what has happened in the last few years—and all of it has happened since 1798. The theory of evolution to explain how we got here without God has been developed. We want a reason explaining how we got here without God. It says, in 11 Peter 3, that they would say that “since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning.” Do you realize that that is a word-for-word description of the theory of Uniformitarianism on which modern geology is based?

In 1979, my family and I traveled to the East Coast of Pennsylvania to visit my brother who was pastoring there. During Christmas time we went to the Smithsonian Institute, and while we were there, we split up to go to different places, because we could not see it all, and different people wanted to see different things. I decided that I wanted to see the geology building, which is where they tell you that this item is this many millions of years old and that item is that many millions of years old.

I visited every single exhibit to see what evidence they had for the age of each item. Do you know what evidence they had? They had only one piece of evidence for everything. This is the Uniformitarian Theory. Peter predicted the Uniformitarian Theory long before these people believed they invented it. The Bible predicted that it would be in the last days.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

The Remnant Church Not Babylon, Part II

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Those who advocate error, will say, “The Lord saith,” “when the Lord hath not spoken.” [See Ezekiel 22:28.] They testify to falsehood, and not to truth. If those who have been proclaiming the message that the church is Babylon, had used the money expended in publishing and circulating this error, in building up, instead of tearing down, they would have made it evident that they were with the people whom God is leading. There is a great work to be done in the world, a great work to be done in foreign lands. Schools must be established in order that youth, children, and those of more mature age may be educated as rapidly as possible to enter the missionary field. There is need not only of ministers for foreign fields, but of wise, judicious laborers of all kinds. The Macedonian cry is sounding from all parts of the world, “Come over and help us.” [Acts 16:9.] With all the responsibility upon us to go and preach the gospel to every creature, there is great need of men and means, and Satan is at work in every conceivable way to tie up means, and to hinder men from engaging in the very work that they should be doing. The money that should be used in doing the good work of building houses of worship, of establishing schools for the purpose of educating laborers for the missionary field, of drilling young men and women so that they may go forth and labor patiently, intelligently, and with all perseverance, that they may be agents through whom a people may be prepared to stand in the great day of God, is diverted from a channel of usefulness and blessing, into a channel of evil and cursing. The great day of God is upon us, and hasteth greatly, and there is a great work to be done, and it must be done speedily. But we find that amid the work that is to be done, there are those professing to believe the present truth, who know not how to expend the means intrusted to them, and because of a lack of meekness and lowliness of heart, they do not see how great is the work to be done. All those who learn of Jesus, will be laborers together with God. But those who go forth to proclaim error, expending time and money in a vain work, lay upon the true workers in new fields increased burden; for instead of devoting their time to advocating truth, they are obliged to counteract the work of those who are proclaiming falsehood, and claiming that they have the message from heaven. If those who have done this kind of work, had felt the necessity of answering the prayer of Christ that he offered to his Father just previous to his crucifixion,—that the disciples of Christ might be one as he was one with the Father,—they would not be wasting the means intrusted to them, and so greatly needed to advance the truth. They would not be wasting precious time and ability in disseminating error, and thus necessitate the devoting of the laborer’s time to counteracting and quenching its influence. A work of this character is inspired not from above, but from beneath.

Tares Among the Wheat

“Who is he among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.” [Isaiah 50:10, 11.] The message that has been borne by those who have proclaimed the church to be Babylon, has made the impression that God has no church upon earth.

Has God no living church? He has a church, but it is the church militant, not the church triumphant. We are sorry that there are defective members, that there are tares amid the wheat. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. . . . So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” [Matthew 13:24, 25, 27–30.]

In the parable of the wheat and the tares, we see the reason why the tares were not to be plucked up; it was lest the wheat be rooted up with the tares. Human opinion and judgment would make grave mistakes. But rather than have a mistake made, and one single blade of wheat rooted up, the Master says, “Let both grow together until the harvest;” then the angels will gather out the tares, which will be appointed to destruction. Although in our churches, that claim to believe advanced truth, there are those who are faulty and erring, as tares among the wheat, God is long-suffering and patient. He reproves and warns the erring, but he does not destroy those who are long in learning the lesson he would teach them; he does not uproot the tares from the wheat. Tares and wheat are to grow together till the harvest; when the wheat comes to its full growth and development, and because of its character when ripened, it will be fully distinguished from the tares. The church of Christ on earth will be imperfect, but God does not destroy his church because of its imperfection. There have been and will be those who are filled with zeal not according to knowledge, who would purify the church, and uproot the tares from the midst of the wheat. But Christ has given special light as to how to deal with those who are erring, and with those who are unconverted in the church. There is to be no spasmodic, zealous, hasty action taken by church-members in cutting off those they may think defective in character. Tares will appear among the wheat; but it would do more harm to weed out the tares, unless in God’s appointed way, than to leave them alone. While the Lord brings into the church those who are truly converted, Satan at the same time brings persons who are not converted into its fellowship. While Christ is sowing the good seed, Satan is sowing the tares. There are two opposing influences continually exerted on the members of the church. One influence is working for the purification of the church, and the other for the corrupting of the people of God.

Left Without Excuse

Jesus knew that Judas was defective in character, but notwithstanding this, he accepted him as one of the disciples, and gave him the same opportunities and privileges that he gave to the others whom he had chosen. Judas was left without excuse in the evil course he afterward pursued. Judas might have become a doer of the word, as were eventually Peter and James and John and the other disciples. Jesus gave precious lessons of instruction, so that those who were associated with him might have been converted, and have no need of clinging to the defects that marred their characters.

Some people seem to think that upon entering the church they will have their expectations fulfilled, and meet only with those who are pure and perfect. They are zealous in their faith, and when they see faults in church-members, they say, “We left the world in order to have no association with evil characters, but the evil is here also;” and they ask, as did the servants in the parable, “From whence then hath it tares?” But we need not be thus disappointed, for the Lord has not warranted us in coming to the conclusion that the church is perfect; and all our zeal will not be successful in making the church militant as pure as the church triumphant. The Lord forbids us to proceed in any violent way against those whom we think erring, and we are not to deal out excommunications and denunciations to those who are faulty.

Unity not Disunion

Finite man is likely to misjudge character, but God does not leave the work of judgment and pronouncing upon character to those who are not fitted for it. We are not to say what constitutes the wheat, and what the tares. The time of the harvest will fully determine the character of the two classes specified under the figure of the tares and the wheat. The work of separation is given to the angels of God, and not committed into the hands of any man. False doctrine is one of the Satanic influences that work in the church, and brings into it those who are unconverted in heart. Men do not obey the words of Jesus Christ, and thus seek for unity in faith, spirit, and doctrine. They do not labor for the unity of spirit for which Christ prayed, which would make the testimony of Christ’s disciples effective in convincing the world that God had sent his Son into the world, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” [John 3:16.] If the unity for which Christ prayed, existed among the people of God, they would bear living testimony, would send forth a bright light to shine amid the moral darkness of the world.

Instead of the unity which should exist among believers there is disunion; for Satan is permitted to come in, and through his specious deceptions and delusions he leads those who are not learning of Christ meekness and lowliness of heart, to take a different line from the church, and break up, if possible, the unity of the church. Men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves. They claim that God has given them great light; but how do they act under its influence? Do they pursue the course that the two disciples pursued on their journey to Emmaus? When they received light, they returned and found those whom God had led and was still leading, and told them how they had seen Jesus and had talked with him. Have the men who have claimed to have light concerning the church, pursued this course? Have they gone to those who are chosen of God to bear a living testimony, and given them evidence that this light would better qualify them to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God? Have they sought counsel of those who have been and are still bearing the truth, and giving to the world the last message of warning? Have they counseled with those who have had a deep experience in the things of God? Why were these men so full of zeal for the cause, not present at the General Conference held at Battle Creek, as were the devout men at Jerusalem at the time of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? At the great heart of the work, men opened their treasures of light, and while the Lord was pouring out his Spirit upon the people, did these men receive of the heavenly anointing? While the deep movings of the Spirit of God were made manifest among the people, and souls were being converted, and hard hearts broken, there were those who were listening to the suggestions of Satan, and they were inspired with zeal from beneath to go forth and proclaim that the very people receiving of the Holy Spirit, who are to receive the latter rain and the glory that is to lighten the whole earth, were Babylon. Did the Lord give these messengers their message?—No; for it was not a message of truth.

Light of the World

Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world, that is polluted and demoralized by sin. The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved, warned, and counseled, is the only object upon earth upon which Christ bestows his supreme regard. The world is a workshop in which, through the co-operation of human and divine agencies, Jesus is making experiments by his grace and divine mercy upon human hearts. Angels are amazed as they behold the transformation of character brought about in those who yield themselves to God, and they express their joy in songs of rapturous praise to God and to the Lamb. They see those who are by nature the children of wrath, converted, and becoming laborers together with Christ in drawing souls to God. They see those who were in darkness becoming lights to shine amid the moral night of this crooked and perverse generation. They see them becoming prepared by a Christ-like experience to suffer with their Lord, and afterward to be partakers with him in his glory in heaven above.

God has a church on earth who are lifting up the down-trodden law, and presenting to the world the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. The church is the depositary of the wealth of the riches of the grace of Christ, and through the church eventually will be made manifest the final and full display of the love of God to the world that is to be lightened with its glory. The prayer of Christ that his church may be one as he was one with his Father, will finally be answered. The rich dowry of the Holy Spirit will be given, and through its constant supply to the people of God, they will become witnesses in the world of the power of God unto salvation.

Perverse Things

There is but one church in the world who are at the present time standing in the breach, and making up the hedge, building up the old waste places; and for any man to call the attention of the world and other churches to this church, denouncing her as Babylon, is to do a work in harmony with him who is the accuser of the brethren. Is it possible that men will arise from among us, who speak perverse things, and give voice to the very sentiments that Satan would have disseminated in the world in regard to those who keep the commandments of God, and have the faith of Jesus? Is there not work enough to satisfy your zeal in presenting the truth to those who are in the darkness of error? As those who have been made stewards of means and ability, you have been misapplying your Lord’s goods in disseminating error. The whole world is filled with hatred of those who proclaim the binding claims of the law of God, and the church who are loyal to Jehovah must engage in no ordinary conflict. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12.] Those who have any realization of what this warfare means, will not turn their weapons against the church militant, but with all their powers will wrestle with the people of God against the confederacy of evil.

Those who start up to proclaim a message on their own individual responsibility, who while claiming to be taught and led of God, still make it their special work to tear down that which God has been for years building up, are not doing the will of God. Be it known that these men are on the side of the great deceiver. Believe them not. They are allying themselves with the enemies of God and the truth. They will deride the order of the ministry as a system of priestcraft. From such turn away, have no fellowship with their message, however much they may quote the testimonies and seek to intrench themselves behind them. Receive them not; for God has not given them this work to do. The result of such work will be unbelief in the testimonies, and as far as possible, they will make of none effect the work that I have for years been doing. Almost my whole life-time has been devoted to this work, but my burden has often been made heavier by the arising of men who went forth to proclaim a message that God had not given them. This class of evil-workers have selected portions of the testimonies, and have placed them in the frame-work of error, in order by this setting to give influence to their false testimonies. When it is made manifest that their message is error, then the testimonies brought into the companionship of error, share the same condemnation; and people of the world, who do not know that the testimonies quoted are extracts from private letters, used without my consent, present these matters as evidence that my work is not of God, or of truth, but falsehood. Those who thus bring the work of God into disrepute will have to answer before God for the work they are doing.

Divinely Appointed Ministry

God has a church, and she has a divinely appointed ministry. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.” [Ephesians 4:11–15.]

The Lord has his appointed agencies, and a church that has lived through persecution, conflict, and darkness. Jesus loved the church, and gave himself for it, and he will replenish, refine, ennoble, and elevate it, so that it shall stand fast amid the corrupting influences of this world. Men appointed of God have been chosen to watch with jealous care, with vigilant perseverance, that the church may not be overthrown by the evil devices of Satan, but that she shall stand in the world to promote the glory of God among men. There will ever be fierce conflict between the church and the world. Mind will come into contact with mind, principle with principle, truth with error; but in the crisis soon to culminate, which has already begun, the men of experience are to do their God-appointed work, and watch for souls, as they that must give an account.

Review and Herald, August 29, 1893; September 5, 1893; September 12, 1893.

To be continued . . .

Ellen G. White (1827–1915) wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books during her lifetime. Today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world’s attention to the Holy Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 12 and 13, Part I

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To the believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul delivered some of the most definitive and eloquent illustrations and instructions regarding relationships with one another. Beginning in chapter 12 of his first letter and continuing on through chapter 13, he clearly describes what must be for there to be unity and harmony among believers in the church.

These chapters are so important that we have been counseled to memorize them.

“The twelfth and thirteenth chapters of 1 Corinthians should be committed to memory, written in the mind and heart. Through His servant Paul, the Lord has placed before us these subjects for our consideration, and those who have the privilege of being brought together in church capacity will be united, understandingly and intelligently. The figure of the members which compose the body represents the church of God and the relation its members should sustain to one another.” Sermons and Talks, Book 2, 119, 120.

Different Gifts and Functions

In 1 Corinthians 12, the diversities of spiritual gifts given to the church are to help it become ready for the kingdom. They are to unite the church. After addressing spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul discusses how these gifts work together in the body. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body?” 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, 15.

The Church is compared to the physical body. One lesson we can learn from this representation is that all parts of the body do not do the same thing, but all parts of the body work together for the benefit and blessing of the entire body. Paul illustrates this by asking a rhetorical question, “If the whole body [were] an eye, where [would be] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [would be] the smelling?” 1 Corinthians 12:17. As each part of the body has different functions, so each member of the church has different gifts or functions. Thus the whole is blessed by a diversity providing a unity that is far more powerful.

“The vine has many branches, but though all the branches are different, they do not quarrel. In diversity there is unity. All the branches obtain their nourishment from one source. This is an illustration of the unity that is to exist among Christ’s followers. In their different lines of work they all have but one Head. The same Spirit, in different ways, works through them. There is harmonious action, though the gifts differ. Study this chapter. You will see from it that the man who is truly united with Christ will never act as though he were a complete whole in himself. . . .

“The perfection of the church depends not on each member being fashioned exactly alike. God calls for each one to take his proper place, to stand in his lot to do his appointed work according to the ability which has been given him (Letter 19, 1901).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1090.

Another lesson to be learned from the body representing the church is that just as the hand without the rest of the body is not much good, so one member working without the rest of the church is not much good. For the church to work as God would have it, each must fulfill a part. You may think that you cannot do very much, but every part has a necessary function. “By a comparison of the church with the human body, the apostle aptly illustrated the close and harmonious relationship that should exist among all members of the church of Christ.” The Acts of the Apostles, 317.

Notice something very significant about these gifts. They are given so that the body may work as a whole, not as individual parts. “God’s servants are to work together, blending in kindly, courteous order, ‘in honor preferring one another.’ Romans 12:10. There is to be no unkind criticism, no pulling to pieces of another’s work; and there are to be no separate parties. Every man to whom the Lord has entrusted a message has his specific work. Each one has an individuality of his own, which he is not to sink in that of any other man. Yet each is to work in harmony with his brethren. In their service God’s workers are to be essentially one. No one is to set himself up as a criterion, speaking disrespectfully of his fellow workers or treating them as inferior. Under God each is to do his appointed work, respected, loved, and encouraged by the other laborers. Together they are to carry the work forward to completion.” Ibid., 275, 276.

Care for One Another

Continuing on in 1 Corinthians 12:25, 26: “That there should be no schism in the body, but [that] the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with [it]; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with [it].” From these verses, we notice that the body feels for (cares for) other members of the body. I should not be biting and devouring any part of the body of Christ, but I should be working together with the body to keep it alive by caring for it. In this life, no one in his right mind cuts off part of his body or bites it. Just so, I should treat the spiritual body with love and concern.

In Romans 12:10–16, several specific graces of the spirit are identified. We are to be of one mind, kindly affectionate, esteem others better than ourselves, and give preference to them. “In the Lord’s plan human beings have been made necessary to one another. To every one God has entrusted talents, to be used in helping others to walk in the path of right. It is by unselfish service for others that we improve and increase our talents.

“Like the different parts of a machine, all are closely related to one another, and all dependent upon one great Center. There is to be unity in diversity. No member of the Lord’s firm can work successfully in independence. Each is to work under the supervision of God; all are to use their entrusted capabilities in His service, that each may minister to the perfection of the whole. . . .

“He who claims to be a Christian should examine himself and see if he is as kind and considerate of his fellow beings as he desires his fellow beings to be of him. . . . Christ taught that rank or wealth should make no difference in our treatment of one another and that in the light of heaven all are brethren. Earthly possessions or worldly honor do not count in God’s valuation of man. He created all men equal; He is no respecter of persons. He values a man according to the virtue of his character.” In Heavenly Places, 287.

Christian Love

Concluding 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul pleads, “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” What is the “more excellent way”? It is Christian love, which we all must have. Love is one of the key ingredients for the body to stay together.

“The Lord desires me to call the attention of His people to the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Read this chapter every day, and from it obtain comfort and strength. Learn from it the value that God places on sanctified, heaven-born love, and let the lesson that it teaches come home to your hearts. Learn that Christlike love is of heavenly birth, and that without it all other qualifications are worthless.” Review and Herald, July 21, 1904.

The invitation contained in this short paragraph is to read, meditate, and learn of heavenly love. If we do not understand the value God places on heavenly love, all other qualifications, however wonderful they may be, are worthless. It is vital for all to become interested in 1 Corinthians 13 and to study what true love really is, for this is the kind of love that God wants His followers to possess. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35. The world must see that the followers of Christ have His love in their lives.

“In the thirteenth chapter of first Corinthians the apostle Paul defines true, Christlike love. It would be well to print this chapter in small type in every paper issued from our presses. Put it in the Gospel Herald that it may preach its living sermon wherever the paper may go. This chapter is an expression of the obedience of all who love God and keep His commandments. It is brought into action in the life of every true believer.” The Gospel Herald, January 1, 1901.

Study of Heavenly Love

We can begin a study of heavenly love in the first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become [as] sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

These verses tell us that we can do a variety of “good” things, but if we fail to do them for the right reason, which is love, they are worthless. What matters is the motive as to why I am doing the things that I do. Is it because I love God and my neighbor as myself? Having eloquent speech, understanding mysteries, obtaining knowledge, or giving to the poor are all commendable, but without love from a pure heart, what good are they? “The attribute that Christ appreciates most in man is charity (love) out of a pure heart. This is the fruit borne upon the Christian tree (MS 16, 1892).” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1091.

Practical Description

The apostle Paul continues his instruction in a practical description of heavenly love in verses 4–8: “Love suffers long [and] is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up [arrogant]; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether [there are] prophecies, they will fail; whether [there are] tongues, they will cease; whether [there is] knowledge, it will vanish away.”

From these verses we see that love is a very complex attribute that has nothing to do with selfishness. Love is always thinking of the other person. This kind of love is tough; it does not fail when put through the stress and strain of life. If each one possessed this kind of love, it would be wonderful to be around him or her. All too often we experience the opposite, as individuals become irritated, impatient, or proud. “Love is a plant of heavenly origin, and if we would have it flourish in our hearts, we must cultivate it daily. Mildness, gentleness, long suffering, not being easily provoked, bearing all things, enduring all things,—these are the fruits upon the precious tree of love.” Review and Herald, June 5, 1888.

“For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these [is] love.” These verses, in 1 Corinthians 13:9–13, conclude the picture of heavenly love that Paul paints in simple, yet eloquent language.

Cultivate This Love

We must cultivate this love, and it must be shown to those around us—especially to those in our families and within the “household of faith.” Galatians 6:10. It is a serious concern that we, as God’s professed people, are sadly lacking in this heavenly love. We do not demonstrate the care that we should have for one another. Instead, we are splitting up and biting and devouring one another. But heavenly love does not cover sin. Instead, it hates the sin and loves the sinner. If I really love God, I will demonstrate this heavenly love to all with whom I associate, in the home, at the work place, or in the household of faith.

“Let us bring into the daily experience the instruction contained in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Believers must bring into their lives a stronger love for one another, a growing interest in one another.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 143.

“O that there might be seen among our people a deep and thorough work of repentance and reformation! O that they would fall on the Rock, and be broken! Let us crucify self, that in our hearts may grow up a strong love for Christ and for one another. Let us bring into the daily experience the instruction contained in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Self must be surrendered to God before there can take possession of the life that strong, steady belief in the truth that is broad and comprehensive; that casts out from the heart all enmity, all petty differences, and transforms coldness into Christlike affection.

“Why should not believers love one another? It is impossible to love Christ, and at the same time act discourteously toward one another. It is impossible to have the Christ-love in the heart, and at the same time draw apart from one another, showing no love or sympathy. The deeper our love for Christ, the deeper will be our love for one another.” Review and Herald, February 24, 1903.

Heaven Begins on Earth

“To possess true godliness means to love one another, to help one another, to make apparent the religion of Jesus in our lives. We are to be consecrated channels through which the love of Christ flows to those who need help. . . . He who approaches nearest to obedience to the divine law will be of the most service to God. He who follows Christ, reaching out after His goodness, His compassion, His love for the human family, will be accepted by God as a worker together with Him. . . .

“When the Lord’s people are filled with meekness and tenderness for one another, they will realize that His banner over them is love and His fruit will be sweet to their taste. Heaven will begin on earth. They will make a heaven below in which to prepare for heaven above.” In Heavenly Places, 287.

Did you get that? Heaven will begin on earth when the Lord’s people are filled with meekness and tenderness for one another. God has made it necessary for us to work with one another.

Union is Strength

“Union is strength, and the Lord desires that this truth should be ever revealed in all the members of the body of Christ. All are to be united in love, in meekness, in lowliness of mind. Organized into a society of believers for the purpose of combining and diffusing their influence, they are to work as Christ worked. They are ever to show courtesy and respect for one another. Every talent has its place and is to be kept under the control of the Holy Spirit.

“The church is a Christian society formed for the members composing it, that each member may enjoy the assistance of all the graces and talents of the other members, and the working of God upon them, according to their several gifts and abilities. The church is united in the holy bonds of fellowship in order that each member may be benefited by the influence of the other. All are to bind themselves to the covenant of love and harmony. The Christian principles and graces of the whole society of believers are to gather strength and force in harmonious action. Each believer is to be benefited and improved by the refining and transforming influence of the varied capabilities of the other members, that the things lacking in one may be more abundantly displayed in another. All the members are to draw together, that the church may become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. . . .

“Those who wear Christ’s yoke will draw together. They will cultivate sympathy and forbearance, and in holy emulation will strive to show to others the tender sympathy and love of which they feel such great need themselves. He who is weak and inexperienced, although he is weak, may be strengthened by the more hopeful and by those of mature experience. Although the least of all, he is a stone that must shine in the building. He is a vital member of the organized body, united to Christ, the living head, and through Christ identified with all the excellencies of Christ’s character so that the Saviour is not ashamed to call him brother. . . .

“A church, separate and distinct from the world, is in the estimation of heaven the greatest object in all the earth. . . . The church is to be as God designed it should be, a representative of God’s family in another world.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 15–17.

What Weakens

“Nothing so manifestly weakens a church as disunion and strife. Nothing so wars against Christ and the truth as this spirit. . . .

“He in whose heart Christ abides recognizes Christ abiding in the heart of his brother. Christ never wars against Christ. Christ never exerts an influence against Christ. Christians are to do their work, whatever it may be, in the unity of the Spirit, for the perfecting of the whole body.” My Life Today, 276.

Manifest Christ’s Qualities

“The life of Christ was a life charged with a divine message of the love of God, and he longed intensely to impart this love to others in rich measure. Compassion beamed from his countenance, and his conduct was characterized by grace, humility, truth, and love. Every member of his church militant must manifest the same qualities, if he would join the church triumphant. The love of Christ is so broad, so full of glory, that in comparison to it, everything that men esteem as great, dwindles into insignificance. When we obtain a view of it, we exclaim, O the depth of the riches of the love that God bestowed upon men in the gift of his only begotten Son!” Christian Education, 76, 77.

“We are to be one with him as he is one with the Father, and then we are beloved by the infinite God as members of the body of Christ, as branches of the living Vine. We are to be attached to the parent stock, and to receive nourishment from the Vine. Christ is our glorified Head, and the divine love flowing from the heart of God, rests in Christ, and is communicated to those who have been united to him. This divine love entering the soul inspires it with gratitude, frees it from its spiritual feebleness, from pride, vanity, and selfishness, and from all that would deform the Christian character.” Ibid., 76.

“How tender we should be in our dealings with those who are striving for the crown of life. He who in love and tenderness has helped a soul in need may at another time be himself in need of compassionate words of hope and courage.—Manuscript 63, May 18, 1898, ‘Home Missionary Work.’ ” This Day With God, 147.

To be continued . . .

Jana Grosboll, an Electrical Engineering graduate student, serves Steps to Life as its Network Administrator. She may be contacted by e-mail at: janagrosboll@stepstolife.org.

Editorial – The “Impossible” Possibility

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There will be a people in the world, just before Jesus comes, who are able to get along peaceably together while upholding all the truth that Jesus taught.

“He [Christ] came to represent the Father. He said, ‘He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.’ [John 14:9.] He prayed that his disciples might be one with him, even as he was one with the Father. Men have declared that this oneness with Christ is an impossibility, but Christ has made it possible by bringing us into harmony with himself, through the merits of his life and sacrifice.” The Signs of the Times, April 15, 1889.

“By submitting to God’s discipline, Moses became a channel through which the Lord could work. He did not hesitate to change his way for the Lord’s way, even tho it did lead him in strange, untried paths. He placed a very low estimate on his own ability to carry forward successfully the great work entrusted to him. But he did not endeavor to show the unreasonableness of God’s commands, and the impossibility of obeying them. To all human appearances, he had started out in a hopeless undertaking; but he put his trust in Him with whom all things are possible, and went forward without faltering.” Ibid., July 12, 1905.

“Let every one act his part in self-denial and self-sacrifice. Our people are not to wait for more appeals, but are to lay right hold of the work, making those things which appear impossibilities, possibilities. Let each one ask himself, Has not the Lord entrusted me with means for the advancement of his cause? Has he not bidden his servants in Washington arise and build? Shall I, at this time of great importance, withhold my means, which God asks me to invest in raising up memorials for him?” Review and Herald, July 14, 1904.

“Those persons who refuse to move forward until they see every step plainly marked out before them, will never accomplish much; but every man who shows his faith and trust in God by willingly submitting himself to him, enduring the divine discipline imposed, will become a successful workman for the Master of the vineyard. In their efforts to qualify themselves to be co-laborers with God, men frequently place themselves in such positions as will completely disqualify them for the molding and fashioning which the Lord desires to give them. Thus they are not found bearing, as did Moses, the divine similitude. By submitting to God’s discipline, Moses became a sanctified channel through which the Lord could work. He did not hesitate to change his way for the Lord’s way, even though it did lead in strange paths, in untried ways. He did not permit himself to make use of his education by showing the unreasonableness of God’s commands, and the impossibility of obeying them. No; he placed a very low estimate upon his own qualifications to complete successfully the great work which the Lord had given him. When he started on his commission to deliver the people of God from their bondage, to all human appearances it was a most hopeless undertaking; but he confided in him with whom all things are possible.” Special Testimonies on Education, 119.

“The apostle [Paul] could never forget his conversion from a persecutor of all who believe on Christ, to a believer in Him. . . . He received strength in prayer, and as a faithful soldier of Christ he ever looked to his Captain for orders. No amount of obstacles piled up before him, could cause him to regard the work as an impossibility, for he realized that ‘all things are possible to them that believe.’ [Mark 9:23.]” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 6, 1065.

Bible Study Guides – Covetousness, Part II

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April 23, 2006 – April 29, 2006

Key Text

“[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 3, 544–551.

Introduction

“My brother, you cannot be a Christian and cherish covetousness. You cannot be a Christian and not be a missionary. When you hear that there are thousands upon thousands who are in the darkness of error and superstition, knowing not the things that are coming upon the earth, how can you enjoy the truth and remain at ease? You may feel that the little you can do will be so inadequate to the demand that you will do nothing; but if each will do what he can, God will bless the effort, and the treasury will not be empty. If you were perishing from cold and hunger, would you call one your friend who refused even to attempt to relieve you? Think of the multitudes in foreign lands who are perishing for want of the bread of life in the precious, saving truths for this time; and remember that Christ identifies his interest with that of these needy ones. ‘Inasmuch,’ he says, ‘as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.’ [Matthew 25:40.]” Review and Herald, October 5, 1886.

1 What sin is unbecoming to even be mentioned, as Christians? Ephesians 5:3.

note: “The popular churches are filled with men who, while they make a pretense of serving God, are thieves, murderers, adulterers, and fornicators; but those who profess our lowly faith claim a higher standard. They should be Bible Christians, and they must be diligent in the study of the Chart of life. Carefully and prayerfully should they examine the motives which prompt them to action. Those who would put their trust in Christ should begin to study the beauties of the cross now. If they would be living Christians they must begin to fear and obey God now. If they will they can save their souls from ruin and make a success of winning eternal life.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 493.

2 What other commandment is broken by a covetous man? Can such ever enter heaven? Ephesians 5:5.

note: “The Scriptures speak of the large class of professors who are not doers. Many who claim to believe in God deny Him by their works. Their worship of money, houses, and lands marks them as idolaters and apostates. All selfishness is covetousness, and is, therefore, idolatry. Many who have placed their names on the church roll, as believers in God and the Bible, are worshiping the goods the Lord has entrusted to them that they may be His almoners. They may not literally bow down before their earthly treasure, but nevertheless it is their god. They are worshipers of mammon. To the things of this world they offer the homage which belongs to the Creator. He who sees and knows all things records the falsity of their profession.

“From the soul temple of a worldly Christian, God is excluded, in order that worldly policy may have abundant room. Money is his god. It belongs to Jehovah, but he to whom it is entrusted refuses to let it flow forth in deeds of benevolence. Did he appropriate it in accordance with God’s design, the incense of his good works would ascend to heaven, and from thousands of converted souls would be heard songs of praise and thanksgiving.” Counsels on Stewardship, 223.

3 What is one of the ways in which covetousness manifests itself? 11 Peter 2:2, 3.

note: “Our work is to lead all into the path of hope and courage and helpfulness. Thus we are to make our words and actions Christlike. We are to be actuated by the unselfish motives that lead men to make straight paths for their feet, lest the lame shall be turned out of the way.

“The Holy Ghost is the author of the Scriptures and of the Spirit of Prophecy. These are not to be twisted and turned to mean what man may want them to mean, to carry out man’s ideas and sentiments, to carry forward man’s schemes at all hazards. [11 Peter 2:2 quoted.] We must stand as vigilant soldiers, guarding against the entrance of one wrong principle.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 189.

“The Lord is guarding His people against a repetition of the errors and mistakes of the past. There have always abounded false teachers, who, advocating erroneous doctrines and unholy practices, and working upon false principles in a most specious, covert, deceptive manner, have endeavored to deceive, if possible, the very elect. They bind themselves up in their own fallacies. If they do not succeed, because their way becomes hedged by warnings from God, they will change somewhat the features of their work, and the representations they have made, and bring out their plans again under a false showing. They refuse to confess, repent, and believe. Confession may be made, but no real reformation takes place, and erroneous theories bring ruin upon unsuspecting souls, because these souls believe and rely upon the men advocating these theories.” The Kress Collection, 6.

4 How will the preaching of God’s word affect such persons? Ezekiel 33:31, 32.

note: “There are persons who believe that they are right, when they are wrong. While claiming Christ as their Lord, and professedly doing great works in His name, they are workers of iniquity. . . .

“A mere profession of discipleship is of no value. The faith in Christ which saves the soul is not what it is represented to be by many. ‘Believe, believe,’ they say, ‘and you need not keep the law.’ But a belief that does not lead to obedience is presumption. The apostle John says, ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ 1 John 2:4. Let none cherish the idea that special providences or miraculous manifestations are to be the proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. When persons will speak lightly of the word of God, and set their impressions, feelings, and exercises above the divine standard, we may know that they have no light in them.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 146.

5 What is the characteristic sin of this world? Jeremiah 6:13.

note: “In order to let Jesus into our hearts, we must stop sinning. The only definition for sin that we have in the Bible is that it is the transgression of the law. The law is far-reaching in its claims, and we must bring our hearts into harmony with it. Men may wrap themselves about with their own righteousness, they may reach their own standard of character, but they do not reach the standard that God has given them in his word. We may measure ourselves by ourselves, and compare ourselves among ourselves; we may say we do as well as this one or as that one, but the great question is, Do we meet the claims that Heaven has upon us? The reason why iniquity prevails to such an alarming extent is that the law of God is made void in the earth. His law spoken from Sinai and exemplified in the life of Christ, is perfect, converting the soul. It condemns every sin, and requires every virtue. Not only does it demand a correct outward deportment, but its principles reach even to the thoughts and affections of the heart. . . . In the light of the law, covetousness is seen to be idolatry, lust adultery, and anger murder. No wonder that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and not subject to his law.” The Signs of the Times, March 3, 1890.

6 When does this text (Jeremiah 6:13) especially apply? Jeremiah 6:14, 16, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 3; 11 Timothy 3:1–5.

note: “The Bible declares that before the coming of the Lord there will exist a state of religious declension similar to that in the first centuries. [11 Timothy 3:1–5 quoted.] ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.’ 1 Timothy 4:1. Satan will work ‘with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.’ And all that ‘received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved,’ will be left to accept ‘strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.’ 11 Thessalonians 2:9–11. When this state of ungodliness shall be reached, the same results will follow as in the first centuries.

“The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all were not agreed—however important they might be from a Bible standpoint—must necessarily be waived.” The Great Controversy, 444.

7 What is the difference between a righteous man and a covetous man? Proverbs 21:25, 26.

note: “This subject of the use of the means entrusted to us should be carefully considered; for the Lord will require his own with usury. While in poverty, many regard systematic giving as a Bible requirement; but when they come into possession of money or property, they do not acknowledge God’s claim upon them. They look upon their means as their own. But not so did King David regard his possessions. He understood that God is the great proprietor of all things, and that he himself was highly honored in that he had been taken into partnership with God. His heart was filled with gratitude for the favor and mercy of God, and in his prayer when presenting offerings for the building of the temple, he said, ‘Of thine own have we given thee.’ [1 Chronicles 29:14.]” Review and Herald, December 8, 1896.

8 For what did David pray? Psalm 119:36.

note: “When the truth is enshrined in the heart, it will be manifested in the daily life. The truth of the psalmist’s words will be realized: ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.’ ‘Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.’ [Psalms 19:7; 119:34–36.] The home will be sweetened by its influence, and the business transactions will be entered upon as if in full view of the heavenly universe.” Review and Herald, November 17, 1896.

9 What promise is made to him who hates covetousness? Proverbs 28:16.

note: “The path of obedience to God is the path of virtue, of health, and happiness. The plan of salvation, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, opens up a way whereby man may secure happiness and prolong his days upon the earth, as well as enjoy the favor of Heaven and secure that future life which measures with the life of God. The words of inspiration will never fail. Whenever we comply with the conditions, the Lord will surely fulfill his promises.” Review and Herald, October 16, 1883.

10 To what does the apostle exhort God’s people? Hebrews 13:5.

note: “The present is our day of trust. To every person is committed some peculiar gift or talent which is to be used to advance the Redeemer’s kingdom. All God’s responsible agents, from the lowliest and most obscure to those in high positions in the church, are entrusted with the Lord’s goods. It is not the minister alone who can work for the salvation of souls. Those who have the smallest gifts are not excused from using the very best gifts they have, and in so doing their talents will be increased. It is not safe to trifle with moral responsibilities nor to despise the day of small things. God’s providence proportions His trusts according to the varied capabilities of the people. None should mourn because they cannot glorify God with talents which they never possessed and for which they are not responsible.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 618.

11 What is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? 11 Corinthians 8:9.

note: “Will the church arouse? Will its members come into sympathy with Christ, so they will have His tenderness for all the sheep and lambs of His fold? For their sake the Majesty of heaven made Himself of no reputation; for them He came to a world all seared and marred with the curse, He toiled day and night to instruct, to elevate, and to bring everlasting joy to a thankless, disobedient people. For their sake He became poor, that they through His poverty might be rich. For them He denied Himself; for them He endured privation, scorn, contempt, suffering, and death. For them He took the form of a servant. This is our pattern; will we copy it? Will we have a care for God’s heritage? Will we cherish tender compassion for the erring, the tempted, and the tried?” Welfare Ministry, 24.

Bible Study Guides – Covetousness, Part I

by

April 16, 2006 – April 22, 2006

Key Text

“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15.

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 493–498.

Introduction

“The system of benevolence was arranged to prevent that great evil, covetousness. Christ saw that in the prosecution of business the love of riches would be the greatest cause of rooting true godliness out of the heart. He saw that the love of money would freeze deep and hard into men’s souls, stopping the flow of generous impulses and closing their senses to the wants of the suffering and the afflicted. ‘Take heed,’ was His oft-repeated warning, ‘and beware of covetousness.’ ‘Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’ [Luke 12:15; 16:13; Matthew 6:24.] The oft-repeated and striking warnings of our Redeemer are in marked contrast with the actions of His professed followers who evidence in their lives so great eagerness to be rich and who show that the words of Christ are lost upon them. Covetousness is one of the most common and popular sins of the last days, and has a paralyzing influence upon the soul.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 547.

1 What is more than food or raiment? Luke 12:23.

note: “Men act as though they were bereft of their reason. They are buried up in the cares of this life. They have no time to devote to God, no time to serve Him. Work, work, work, is the order of the day. All about them are required to labor upon the high-pressure plan, to take care of large farms. To tear down and build greater is their ambition, that they may have wherewith to bestow their goods. Yet these very men who are weighed down with their riches pass for Christ’s followers. They have the name of believing that Christ is soon to come, that the end of all things is at hand; yet they have no spirit of sacrifice. They are plunging deeper and deeper into the world. They allow themselves but little time to study the word of life and to meditate and pray. Neither do they give others in their family, or those who serve them, this privilege. Yet these men profess to believe that this world is not their home, that they are merely pilgrims and strangers upon the earth, preparing to move to a better country. The example and influence of all such is a curse to the cause of God. Hollow hypocrisy characterizes their professed Christian lives. They love God and the truth just as much as their works show, and no more. A man will act out all the faith he has. ‘By their fruits ye shall know them.’ [Matthew 7:20.] The heart is where the treasure is. Their treasure is upon this earth, and their hearts and interests are also here.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 662, 663.

2 What assurance does Christ give that we shall be clothed? Luke 12:28.

note: “If God, the divine Artist, gives to the simple flowers that perish in a day their delicate and varied colors, how much greater care will He have for those who are created in His own image? This lesson of Christ’s is a rebuke to the anxious thought, the perplexity and doubt, of the faithless heart.” Steps to Christ, 124.

“Christ is here [Luke 12:27–31] teaching a precious lesson in regard to His service. Whatever experiences may come to you, He says, serve God. Whatever inconveniences and hardships you may encounter, trust in the Lord. We have no cause to worry and fear if we take our position for the truth, that we and our families will suffer. To do this is to manifest unbelief in God. . . . If we would study the Word more faithfully, we would increase in faith.—Manuscript 83, 1909.” Evangelism, 238.

3 Why would Christ not have us live in careful suspense regarding the necessities of life? Luke 12:29, 30.

note: “[Luke 12:30; Matthew 6:32, 33 quoted.] I have come to open to you the kingdom of love and righteousness and peace. Open your hearts to receive this kingdom, and make its service your highest interest. Though it is a spiritual kingdom, fear not that your needs for this life will be uncared-for. If you give yourself to God’s service, He who has all power in heaven and earth will provide for your needs.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 99.

“They only are truly blessed whose chief concern is to secure those blessings which will nourish the soul and endure forever. . . . God has a care for us, even to bestow His temporal blessings upon us. Our earthly good is not beneath the notice of our heavenly Father. He knoweth that we have need of these things.” Our High Calling, 196.

4 Of what does Christ exhort us to beware? Luke 12:15.

note: “One marked feature in the teachings of Christ is the frequency and earnestness with which He rebuked the sin of covetousness and pointed out the danger of worldly acquisitions and inordinate love of gain. . . .

“It is this increasing devotion to money getting, the selfishness which the desire for gain begets, that removes the favor of God from the church and deadens its spirituality. When the head and hands are constantly occupied with planning and toiling for the accumulation of riches, the claims of God and humanity are forgotten. If God has blessed us with prosperity, it is not that our time and attention should be diverted from Him and given to that which He has lent us. The giver is greater than the gift. We are not our own; we have been bought with a price. Have we forgotten that infinite price paid for our redemption? Is gratitude dead in the heart? Does not the cross of Christ put to shame a life of selfish ease and indulgence?” Testimonies, vol. 4, 82.

5 What parable is given to illustrate covetousness? How does this parable show the covetous spirit? Luke 12:16–20.

note: “The length and usefulness of life do not consist in the amount of our earthly possessions. Those who use their wealth in doing good will see no necessity for large accumulations in this world; for the treasure which is used to advance the cause of God and which is given to the needy in Christ’s name is given to Christ, and He lays it up for us in the bank of heaven in bags which wax not old. He who does this is rich toward God, and his heart will be where his treasures are secured. He who humbly uses what God has given for the honor of the Giver, freely giving as he has received, may feel the peace and assurance in all his business that God’s hand is over him for good, and he himself will bear the impress of God, having the Father’s smile.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 546.

“He [the foolish rich man] had an abundance; so have many who profess to believe the truth, and they are acting over the case of the poor, foolish rich man. Oh, that they would be wise and feel the obligations resting upon them to use the blessings that God has given them in blessing others, instead of turning them into a curse. God will say to all such, as to the foolish rich man: ‘Thou fool.’ [Luke 12:20.]” Ibid., vol. 2, 662.

6 What kind of men was Moses to select for responsible positions? Exodus 18:21.

note: “In His instruction to Moses the Lord very plainly set forth the character of those who were to fill important positions as counselors. . . . The Lord’s counsel has been strangely neglected. There are men in places of holy trust who, when reproved, have cared nought for it. Some who for years have stood as counselors have boldly stated that they would not receive the testimonies given. In triumph they have declared that many of our most responsible men have lost faith in the message coming from Sister White. Thus the rejecters of light have been strengthened in their unbelief, feeling that they had quite a strong confederacy. Men who have had the light have walked contrary to the light. These words are appropriate: ‘Truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.’ [Isaiah 59:14.] The malaria of unbelief has been diffusing its deathly atmosphere throughout the ranks, nigh and afar off. All this has been stated plainly, yet for years matters have been left unchanged. Can the Lord’s favor be expected under such circumstances?” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 341, 342.

7 Is the same instruction given to Moses also brought into the New Testament? 1 Timothy 3:1, 3.

note: “The same principles of piety and justice that were to guide the rulers among God’s people in the time of Moses and of David, were also to be followed by those given the oversight of the newly organized church of God in the gospel dispensation. In the work of setting things in order in all the churches, and ordaining suitable men to act as officers, the apostles held to the high standards of leadership outlined in the Old Testament Scriptures.” The Acts of the Apostles, 95.

8 What spirit should characterize a bishop or an elder? Titus 1:7, 8.

note: “The gospel net gathers both good and bad. It takes time for character to be developed; there must be time to learn what men really are. The family of the one suggested for office should be considered. Are they in subjection? Can the man rule his own house with honor? What character have his children? Will they do honor to the father’s influence? If he has no tact, wisdom, or power of godliness at home in managing his own family, it is safe to conclude that the same defects will be carried into the church, and the same unsanctified management will be seen there. It will be far better to criticize the man before he is put into office than afterward, better to pray and counsel before taking the decisive step than to labor to correct the consequences of a wrong move. . . .

“The leaders of churches in every place should be earnest, full of zeal and unselfish interest, men of God who can give the right mold to the work. They should make their requests to God in faith. . . . They must daily be connected with God, drawing their supplies from His exhaustless storehouse and bringing therefrom things new and old. If their own souls have been vivified by the Spirit of God, they will cheer, strengthen, and encourage others; but if they have not drunk at the living fountain of salvation themselves, they will not know how to lead others there.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 618, 619.

9 With what class of sins is covetousness placed? 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.

note: “The tempter is ever presenting worldly gain and honor to entice men from the service of God. He tells them it is their overconscientiousness that keeps them from prosperity. Thus many are induced to venture out of the path of strict integrity. One wrong step makes the next easier, and they become more and more presumptuous. They will do and dare most terrible things when once they have given themselves to the control of avarice and a desire for power. Many flatter themselves that they can depart from strict integrity for a time, for the sake of some worldly advantage, and that having gained their object, they can change their course when they please. Such are entangling themselves in the snare of Satan, and it is seldom that they escape.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 440.

10 Should Christians fellowship with those who are covetous? 1 Corinthians 5:9–11.

note: “In your connection with worldly societies, are you keeping your covenant with God? Do these associations tend to direct your own mind or that of others to God, or are they diverting the interest and attention from Him? Do they strengthen your connection with the divine agencies, or turn your mind to the human in place of the divine?

“Are you serving, honoring, and magnifying God, or are you dishonoring Him and sinning against Him? Are you gathering with Christ or scattering abroad? All the thought and plan and earnest interest devoted to these organizations, has been purchased by the precious blood of Christ; but are you doing service for Him when uniting yourselves with atheists and infidels, men who profane the name of God, tipplers, drunkards, tobacco devotees?

“While there may be in these societies much that appears to be good, there is, mingled with this, very much that makes the good of no effect, and renders these associations detrimental to the interests of the soul.” Evangelism, 618, 619.

11 How does God regard a covetous man? Psalm 10:3.

note: “Those who allow a covetous spirit to take possession of them cherish and develop those traits of character which will place their names on the record-books of heaven as idolaters. All such are classed with thieves, revilers, and extortioners, none of whom, the word of God declares, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [Psalm 10:3 quoted.] Covetous attributes are ever opposed to the exercise of Christian beneficence. The fruits of selfishness always reveal themselves in a neglect of duty, and in a failure to use God’s entrusted gifts for the advancement of His work.” Review and Herald, December 1, 1896.