Issue: 2005 June

Ask the Pastor – Return to Which Roots?

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Question:

Certain individuals have told me that we need to come back to the teachings of the pioneers of the Adventist movement. These same people have also started teaching that Jesus was created, that there is not the person of the Holy Spirit, and that we need to call Jesus and Jehovah God by their Hebrew names. Can you help me work through these things?

Answer:

First of all, when studying a passage or statement, we must always look at the context surrounding it. These individuals who are saying that we need to get back to what the pioneers taught are, for the most part, over-reacting, because there has been so much apostasy taking place in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They are over-correcting in an effort to keep from being a part of the apostasy. Such individuals think that if they return all the way to what the pioneers taught, they will be safe. But such is not always the case.

If we go back into the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we will find that many things were being taught in its early years, which had not been thoroughly studied. True understanding developed with further study over time. One prime example of this would be the eating of swine’s flesh. “If God requires His people to abstain from swine’s flesh, He will convict them on the matter. He is just as willing to show His honest children their duty, as to show their duty to individuals upon whom He has not laid the burden of His work. If it is the duty of the church to abstain from swine’s flesh, God will discover it to more than two or three. He will teach His church their duty.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 207 [written 1858]. “God has given you light and knowledge, which you have professed to believe came direct from Him, instructing you to deny appetite. You know that the use of swine’s flesh is contrary to His express command, given not because He wished to especially show His authority, but because it would be injurious to those who should eat it.” Ibid., vol. 2, 96 [written 1868].

Just because something was taught at one time in the Seventh-day Adventist Church by the pioneers, does not mean that it is forever settled. The Bible says, in Proverbs 4:18, “The path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” The pioneers, who were searching and searching for truth, found it, because they gathered more and more light as they studied from the Word. Those who did not continue to study, guided by the Holy Spirit, were left in darkness. (See Proverbs 4:19.)

Many things about which the pioneers wrote and believed at some point in time, and which are being picked up and used by Seventh-day Adventists today, are like the statement quoted above from volume one of the Testimonies. More light has come, changing the understanding on these matters. Some pioneers may have believed in the calling of God by His Hebrew name, that Jesus was created, and the no-personhood Holy Spirit ideas, but light has replaced darkness on these subjects. We should not go back and pick up these errors and begin preaching them today, as, with continued prayer and study, additional enlightenment has been given.

Those who did not keep pace with the light, as it was leading forward, went off on many and varied tangents. Many people today who have not been able to understand the process of how truth developed have, as a result, gone off on their own tangents, regardless of what clarification the light has made on variant issues.

It is not enough to be historic in our beliefs. We must also, through the study of the Word, receive the truth as it developed.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.

The Pen of Inspiration – Camp Meeting Preparation

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Our annual camp meetings are of great importance, and all who possibly can should attend them. They should feel that the Lord requires this of them. If God’s people neglect the privileges which he has provided for them to become strong in him, they will grow weaker and weaker and have less and less desire to consecrate all to him! The object of these holy convocation meetings is that the brethren may be separated from business cares and burdens, and devote a few days exclusively to seeking the Lord. But some of these meetings are far from being what the Lord designed they should be. The people come unprepared for the visitation of God’s Holy Spirit. . . .

Examine Your Heart

While preparing for the meeting, each individual should closely and critically examine his own heart before God. If there have been unpleasant feelings, discord, or strife in families, it should be one of the first acts of preparation to confess these faults one to another and pray with and for one another. Humble yourselves before God, and make an earnest effort to empty the soul temple of all rubbish,—all envyings, all jealousies, all suspicions, all fault-findings. “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” [James 4:8–10.]

The Lord speaks; enter into your closet, and in silence commune with [y]our own heart; listen to the voice of truth and conscience. Nothing will give such clear views of self as secret prayer. He who seeth in secret and knoweth all things, will enlighten your understanding and answer your petitions. Plain, simple duties that must not be neglected will open before you. Make a covenant with God to yield yourselves and all your powers to his service. Do not carry this undone work to the camp meeting. If it is not done at home, your own soul will suffer, and others will be greatly injured by your coldness, your stupor, your spiritual lethargy.

Destroy the Idols

The words of the prophet Ezekiel are applicable to the people who profess the truth at this time: “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh, according to the multitude of his idols.” [Ezekiel 14:3, 4.]

If we love the things of the world and have pleasure in unrighteous-ness, or fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we have put the stumbling-block of our iniquity before our face, and have set up idols in our heart. And unless by determined effort we put them away, we shall never be acknowledged as the sons and daughters of God.

Work for the Families

Here is a work for families to engage in before coming up to our holy convocations. Let the preparation for eating and dressing be a secondary matter, but let deep heart-searching commence at home. Pray three times a day, and like Jacob be importunate. At home is the place to find Jesus; then take him with you to the meeting, and how precious will be the hours you spend there. But how can you expect to feel the presence of the Lord and see his power displayed, when the individual work of preparation for that time is neglected.

For your soul’s sake, and for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of others, work at home. Pray as you are not accustomed to pray. Let the heart break before God. Set your house in order. Prepare your children for the occasion. Teach them that it is not of so much consequence that they appear with fine clothes as that they appear before God with clean hands and pure hearts. Remove every obstacle that may have been in their way,—all differences that may have existed between themselves, or between you and them. By so doing you will invite the Lord’s presence into your homes, and holy angels will attend you as you go up to the meeting, and their light and presence will press back the darkness of evil angels. Even unbelievers will feel the holy atmosphere as they enter the encampment. Oh, how much is lost by neglecting this important work! You may be pleased with the preaching, you may become animated and revived, but the converting, reforming power of God will not be felt in the heart, and the work will not be so deep, thorough, and lasting as it should be. Let pride be crucified, and the soul be clad with the priceless robe of Christ’s righteousness, and what a meeting you will enjoy. It will be to your soul even as the gate of Heaven.

The same work of humiliation and heart-searching should also go on in the church, so that all differences and alienations among brethren may be laid aside before appearing before the Lord at these annual gatherings. Set about this work in earnest, and rest not until it is accomplished; for if you come up to the meeting with your doubts, your murmurings, your disputings, you bring evil angels into the camp, and carry darkness wherever you go.

Ministers’ Preparation

Because this preparation is neglected, these yearly meetings have accomplished but little. . . .

I looked to see the humility of soul that should ever sit as a fitting garment upon our ministers. . . . A few earnest humble ones were seeking the Lord. At some of these meetings one or two ministers felt the burden, and were weighed down as a cart beneath sheaves. . . .

These yearly gatherings should be meetings of earnest labor. Ministers should seek a heart preparation before entering upon the work of helping others, for the people are far in advance of many of the ministers. They should untiringly wrestle in prayer until the Lord blesses them. When the love of God is burning on the altar of their hearts, they will not preach to exhibit their own smartness, but to present Christ who taketh away the sins of the world.

In the early church, Christianity was taught in its purity; its precepts were given by the voice of inspiration; its ordinances were uncorrupted by the device[s] of men. The church revealed the spirit of Christ, and appeared beautiful in its simplicity. Its adorning was the holy principles and exemplary lives of its members. Multitudes were won to Christ, not by display or learning, but by the power of God which attended the plain preaching of his word. But the church has become corrupt. And now there is greater necessity than ever that ministers should be channels of light.

There are many flippant talkers of Bible truth, whose souls are as barren of the Spirit of God as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. But what we need is men who are thoroughly converted themselves, and can teach others how to give their hearts to God. The power of godliness has almost ceased to be in our churches. And why is this? The Lord is still waiting to be gracious; he has not closed the windows of Heaven. We have separated ourselves from him. We need to fix the eye of faith upon the cross, and believe that Jesus is our strength, our salvation.

Blessing or Spiritual Injury?

As we see so little burden of the work resting upon ministers and people, we inquire, When the Lord comes, shall he find faith on the earth? It is faith that is lacking. God has an abundance of grace and power awaiting our demand. But the reason we do not feel our great need of it is because we look to ourselves and not to Jesus. We do not exalt Jesus and rely wholly upon his merits.

Would that I could impress upon ministers and people the necessity of a deeper work of grace in the heart, and more thorough preparation to enter into the spirit and labor of our camp meetings, that they may receive the greatest possible benefit from the meeting. These yearly gatherings may be seasons of special blessing, or they may be a great injury to spirituality. Which shall they be to you, dear reader? It remains for each to decide for himself.

Review and Herald, August 15, 1882.

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 and help prepare people for Christ’s second advent.

The Ten Commandments, Part I: Hear, Listen, Keep, and Do

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When we refer to the Ten Commandments, we generally think of the Book of Exodus, chapter 20. However, in this series, I would like to study with you chapter 5 of the Book of Deuteronomy where the law is given again by Moses to the children of Israel, just before they cross over into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier, while they were camped at Mount Sinai, God came down in awful grandeur and spoke the Ten Commandment Law to the children of Israel. That law was to govern every moral aspect and attitude of their lives until they died. In conjunction with that, statutes and judgments were handed down to Moses, written down, and put into the side of the ark in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary. The Ten Commandments were housed in the interior part of the ark.

Morality and the Law

There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and then there is the morality that makes the law work. It is our morality that allows us to have freedom under the law. The less morality that a people have, the less freedom those people enjoy. That may sound like a strange statement, because many people think that if they are involved in immorality—which is no morality—they have all the freedom they could ever want, but, in fact, they are in slavery. This is why James calls the royal law, the Ten Commandment Law, the law of liberty.

Many of you will recall that just a few years ago there were reports concerning presidential scandals in the United States. As the scandals began to unfold in the news media, the reporters took polls to ascertain how the public was responding to the scandals. Interestingly, after the first couple of days, the report came back, “Do not tell us any more. We have heard enough. Leave us alone. We do not care what the President has done.” It seemed that the more information that was provided to the public, the higher were the ratings of the President. All the while, the reality was that the freedom in morality was vanishing. The less morality the people have, the less freedom they can enjoy and still have a civilization.

Do Not Indoctrinate

Too many of us have the idea that if something does not affect us directly, it does not concern us. This, I think, can be said of many, many issues of life. How did we come to a position where we accept this kind of thinking? It goes back a long way and a lot is involved. We cannot go through all the various stages and steps that brought us to this place, but the gist of it is that it started with the principle taught to young people that directs: Expose them to the ideas, but whatever you do, do not indoctrinate them. Give them the idea, and let them then make their own decisions. Let them do what they want to do. If they want to stay up late at night, let them stay up late at night. If they do not want to help with the chores, do not force them to help with the chores. Do not indoctrinate them.

In many areas, this is the popular thinking of today, especially, it seems, in regard to the bringing up of children. It has produced a generation that does not care about anything that does not directly affect them on a personal level.

Keep the Light Burning

The light is rapidly going out for the United States. The only hope that we have is to keep the light burning brightly in our own lives and then to try to share that light with others around us so they will see the light. That is basically Steps to Life’s mission. That is why the study of the Scriptures is so vitally important, because it contains for us light that we can, in turn, share with other people.

We know that we are in the last days, because the signs given to us in the Bible indicate that we are in that period of time when darkness is prevailing upon the earth. From what we read and hear concerning the daily events around the world, and as we look out on the horizon of society, we cannot doubt that we are living in the final time period of earth’s history. Therefore, it is important for us, as Seventh-day Adventists, to go back to the Bible—our foundation of morality and our foundation of freedom. There we find what God would have us to be and have us to do, so we can, with peace in our hearts, be ready to meet Jesus when He comes.

What to Say

This was the burden of Moses as he stood upon the mountain, knowing that he had lost the blessing of entering into the Promised Land. God had already told him, “Do not talk to Me anymore about this issue. It is over; it is settled. You are not going over.” So Moses had a burden. He searched for the words to say to those with whom, for the past 40 years, he had been in the wilderness. He wanted to share wisdom and encouragement, assuring that many would be in the kingdom of heaven with him when the saints would be resurrected. (He did not know that he was soon going to be raised and taken to heaven.)

“And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire. (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount).” Deuteronomy 5:1–5.

This is the second Sabbath message delivered by Moses. In this message, similar words are repeated over and over to try to emphasize the point. There are some people who become tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, but there is a need to repeat these things, because sin has clouded their minds. These words, spoken once in the Garden of Eden to Adam and to Eve, would never have been forgotten. We, on the other hand, can have things said to us and two minutes later ask, “What was it you said?”

We Quickly Forget

I was visiting with someone in my office recently, and as we stepped through the doorway, he said, “Oh, I think I left my water bottle in your office.” He turned around, went back into the office, did not see it, but then discovered he was holding it in his hand. The frailty of our minds necessitates the repetition of things. We cannot remember like we should. The lot of humanity has a tendency to forget all too quickly the leading of God.

Look back on your own life. You know that there were times when God met you right where you were. He performed a miracle for you right when you asked. Yet, when faced with another trial, on down the road, you have a tendency to forget that there even is a God in heaven. “Is God really here?” you question. “Is He really going to take care of me?”

There is a familiar hymn that describes the kind of experience God wants us to have: “Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life; Let me more of their beauty see, Wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, Teach me faith and duty; Beautiful words, wonderful words, Wonderful words of life.” P. P. Bliss, “Sing Them Over Again to Me,” The Church Hymnal, Review and Herald Publishing Association, Takoma Park, Washington, D.C., 1941, 574.

This is the kind of experience that God wants us to have. This is the kind of experience that Moses desired for the children of Israel.

Four Steps

Notice how Moses began: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.”

There are four steps given here that we are to apply to our walk with the Lord, so we will not develop the “I do not care” attitude. The first step is to have open ears. The second step is to learn what we hear. The third step is to keep what we hear and what we learn. And the fourth step is to do it. These steps are very essential for the Christian life, because they form the very foundation of all that we are to become through sanctified living.

Open Ears

First, Moses says that we are to have open ears, so we can hear. You see, if we have open ears, we also have open minds. There is nothing more dangerous to our spiritual well-being than to have closed minds.

How often have we gone to an individual to try to clarify an issue, but he or she has closed his or her mind, not wanting to hear? That closed mind is indicative that there are other areas of difficulty and problem. The way that God works in our hearts and minds is that our minds are to be open continuously, to hear all the counsel that comes and to then measure that counsel by the Word of God. If it fits with the Word of God, it needs to be incorporated into our lives. This is why the Bereans were so much nobler than those in Thessalonica. The Bible says that they received the word with all readiness of mind. They were willing to listen to what the apostle Paul had to say, but they did not leave it there. They received the word with all readiness of mind; then they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11.

Let me tell you something. If someone comes to you with a particular message, when you begin to search and study the Scriptures in regard to this message, the promise is that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction as to whether it is true or whether it is false. This is what happened to those in Berea. “Therefore many of them believed.” Verse 12.

That is the kind of experience God wants us to have. So, we are to have open ears, which are indicative of open minds.

Learn What We Hear

We know that God had called Israel to a teaching ministry. That was the great gift that God gave to the entirety of Israel. Oh, He had His prophets; He had His pastors, but the great gift that God had given to Israel was that of teaching. The very first step in teaching is to find those who have open ears to hear the word. When Israel failed, God gave this teaching ministry to the church, and that teaching ministry is still to be operational today.

Ezekiel 12:2 says: “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.” God wanted them to have open hearts and minds, so He could, through the prophets, pour His truths into them. Then they, in turn, could go out and teach what they learned to all the surrounding nations. But instead of having open minds, they rebelled and turned away. They closed their eyes and ears, because they were convinced that they would be all right if they followed their own way.

“Let Him Hear”

Jesus speaks to this problem, in Matthew 11:15, when He says: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus uses this same theme throughout all of His teaching. It was a little catch phrase to those who were listening to Him speak. He used it to get their attention.

If you have heard Pastor Kenny Shelton, of Behold the Lamb Ministries, speak, you probably remember him asking, during his sermon, the question, “Are you listening?” This device is similar to what Jesus used to capture the attention of the people. Usually what is spoken next is of tremendous importance, and Pastor Shelton wants to make sure the people hear it, as did Jesus.

Many times, throughout the gospels—in Matthew, Mark, and Luke—when Jesus taught a parable, He ended it by saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35. (See also Matthew 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; 7:16.) Then, of course, in Revelation we find the same phrase in the messages to the seven churches. Direct, stern counsel is given in those seven messages, and seven times the words are repeated: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.

It is important that we have open ears, which open the minds to hear. The cleverest thing that the devil can do to God’s church is to get them to close their minds to truth. If he can accomplish this, he then has them right where he wants them, because by closing their minds, he has very effectively closed them out of the kingdom of heaven. Now that is an awesome thought, but it is a true thought. Just stop and think it through for a moment. If you have a closed mind, is that godly? No. A godly mind is an open mind. A closed mind is a devilish mind, and a devilish mind is going to be closed out of the kingdom of heaven, because communication between heaven and earth cannot take place.

We need to hear, and then we need to learn what we have heard, to become acquainted with what God has told us.

“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.

“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.

In order for us to fill this important position, we need to hear, and then we need to learn the lessons so that we can pass them on to others.

Jesus Was a Learner

Jesus was a learner. In studying His life, we read, in the Book of Luke, how He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, and then his parents fled with Him to Egypt to spare His life. After that, there is a period of silence. Ellen White tells us that, during these years, Jesus learned the Scriptures from His mother. (See The Desire of Ages, 70.) During those formative years, Jesus learned the great principles of God’s Word. The next reference to Jesus finds Him in Jerusalem during the Passover. When His parents began to make their way back to their home in Nazareth, they had to retrace their steps, looking for Him, and they discovered Him at the temple, confounding the Doctors of the Law concerning the things of God’s Word.

Jesus was a learner. He heard the words from His mother, which were words of life, the principles of Scripture. When it was time for Him to be called upon to share the things He learned, He did it in a marvelous way. Jesus has left for us an example.

Learn the Lessons

“Untried character is not reliable. We are to be tried by temptation in order that we may learn to seek wisdom from God, and to flee to the stronghold in time of trouble. He alone will be successful in resisting temptation who finds help and grace from God. Individually we stand as did our first parents—face to face with manifold temptations that solicit mind and heart. All heaven is watching with intense interest, to see whether we will look unto Jesus and submit ourselves to his will, or whether in the temptation we shall follow the inclinations of the natural heart and the solicitations of the evil one. O, how often you have lost the battle because you have acted independent of him who has made you his own by creation and by redemption!” The Youth’s Instructor, September 26, 1895.

How does that happen? Because we have not learned the lessons that God has for us.

“Restrain every hasty speech that struggles for utterance. Before you speak that fretful, impatient word, stop and think of the influence that, if spoken, it will exert upon others. Remember that the ears of children are quick to hear every word and to mark every intonation of the voice. Remember, too, that angels hear the words you speak. You are a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Follow a course that will be an honor to Jesus, a course that will bring holy angels to your side. Let your home life be such that Christ can enter your dwelling as an abiding guest. Let it be such that people will take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus, and have learned of him.” The Southern Watchman, January 19, 1904.

These are the things that God wants us to learn, so we can develop a character that will rightly represent the life of Christ to others. This is the sequence that Moses was outlining to the children of Israel. Remember, Moses had what we might call a vested interest in the children of Israel. He loved them. He desired, more than anything else, for them to be unified and all together in the kingdom of heaven. But what happens to most people, most of the time, happened to them as well.

Keep It

Many people will listen, and they will learn and remember what they hear. Many can even repeat back what they have heard. Some attendees at evangelistic meetings will have others ask them, “What are those Seventh-day Adventists teaching?”

The attendees will reply, “They are teaching that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the text they are using is found in Exodus 20.” They heard it; they learned it; they can repeat it.

God wants the truths we learn to be in our hearts, so we will keep them. What does it say in Psalm 119:11? “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” That is why the Ten Commandment Law, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is to be written on our hearts. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15.

You cannot keep anything that is spiritual unless you love it. Jesus did not say, “If you love Me, hear My commandments.” He did not say, “If you love Me, learn My commandments.” We have to hear; we have to learn, but we also have to keep.

Keepers are Doers

“Some are hearers of the word but not doers. They receive the heavenly benefits, but feel no responsibility to advance the cause of truth and save souls by their personal efforts. The divine command is two-fold, to not only be hearers, but doers, of the word. We are to receive the word ourselves and impart to others the precious light we have received. As we accept the truth, we virtually pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ . . . .” The True Missionary, February 1, 1874.

Here, Ellen White is telling us that we, at the time we accept these words, enter into a covenant with God that involves more than just being hearers. We “pledge ourselves to be workers with Christ, and to be consecrated to his service, and no longer live to do our will, and serve ourselves, but to be faithful servants of the Master to whom we have yielded ourselves servants to obey. The commission of Christ to his disciples was, to go and preach the gospel to every creature.” Ibid. Then she says, “We have a world-wide message.” Ibid.

So, in this whole process that Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel, they were to hear; they were to learn; they were to keep; and they were to do. If we put those all together, the process that God has ordained, which should take place in our lives, results in character transformation for us. Character transformation does not come from just hearing or from learning. Character transformation comes when all of the four steps are incorporated and put into process, so they can do something for us and for others as well.

God was giving to the children of Israel, and is giving to us, the calling to share this message.

Deuteronomy 5:2–4 says, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.”

Tribalism, Corporatism, Congregationalism

There may be some who question the need to review these happenings from times of old, but we need to remember that each new generation has to hear, has to learn, has to keep, and has to do. It is an experience that each generation needs to have for themselves.

When the people were gathered to hear Moses’ message to them, he said, “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” An interesting dynamic is coming into play here—the dynamic of tribalism or corporatism. The people hearing this needed to feel a part of something larger than just their group. The accountability of those who were hearing Moses’ spoken words at Horeb was not as great as the accountability of those who had originally listened at Sinai. Those of the current generation may not even have been old enough to comprehend what had happened at Sinai. They could sense something great was transpiring there, as far as their parents were concerned, but many of them did not have the ability to grasp that God Himself was speaking to them out of the cloud.

Now Moses is telling them, “Listen, what you, in this generation, need to understand is that you, the children of Israel, entered into a covenant with God at Sinai.” That means that there was a much larger feeling of congregation than what is sometimes understood.

Importance of Congregation

Let us consider this in today’s terms. There are times when we cannot meet together in a congregational setting. God honors us when we meet at home, but I do not believe that God is going to bless us if we have the opportunity to meet together as a church and we neglect that opportunity. The Word of God teaches that we are to come together to worship. (See, for example, Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42; Psalm 66:16.)

Here, I believe that a tribal concept applies. Even though you may be a young member of a tribe, you are just as much a part of the benefit, the blessing, and the curse of the whole tribe, as if you were an adult, because the time will come when you will grow into adulthood. Then, as a part of the tribe, you will buy into the program as a whole, and you will own it as a tribe.

Bigger Than the Individual

Moses was trying to get across to the children of Israel that this thing was bigger than anyone of them individually.

“The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire.” That did not happen in fact, but corporately, tribally, it did. They were a part of the whole group.

This is why, I believe, when the apostle Paul was working so desperately for the Jewish people, he said, “All Israel shall be saved.” Romans 11:26. There is something that is corporate. There is something that is tribal, which is bigger than just the individual. God wants to deal with us on a congregational level.

I realize that we are not saved congregationally or tribally. We are saved individually. But there is something to be said about the congregational aspect that we read about in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it is called the church—God’s called-out ones who are gathered congregationally in a hall.

Frequent Review

We need to understand these things. This is why, in Deuteronomy 6:6–9, we are told: “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” Children buy into the corporate structure and will be taught and raised up so that when they are adults, they are able to have a part in the whole concept of the congregation. “. . . and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Those things were to be repeated over and over again, including the covenant that God had made with the children of Israel. I do not know of anyone, including myself, who has fulfilled the fullness of this instruction. The Jews, in later years, took this to an extreme, and turned it into a system of works. The Lord does not want that to happen. But the point here is that we are to be willing to have every aspect of our being constantly instructed and love to have it so. We must have an altogether different experience, if we are going to come through this life as God desires.

The Lord wants us to have open ears so we can hear; He wants us to learn; He wants us to keep; and He wants us to do. If we do these four things, we will be part of a tribal concept, a congregational concept where God can pour out His blessing upon His people. When we have such an experience, then we are going to have an attitude of caring rather than an attitude of “I do not care,” and God is going to be able to work for us and through us.

In the next article of this series, we will begin going through the commandments that God gave on Sinai. We will note the differences in the commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, and find out why those differences exist.

To be continued . . .

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. He may be contacted by e-mail at: mikebaugher@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Seventh-day Adventist Camp Meetings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter’s Counsel to Parents, Part VI: Christ the Youth’s Safeguard

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The first chapter of second Peter is full of instruction, and strikes the keynote of victory. The truth is impressively forced upon the mind by the way it is presented in this chapter. Let us more abundantly recommend the study of these words, and the practising [sic] of these precepts. The apostle writes, “To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” [11 Peter 1:1–3.]

What a grand theme this is for contemplation,—the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ! Contemplating Christ and His righteousness, leaves no room for self-righteousness, for the glorifying of self. In this chapter there is no standstill. There is continual advancement in every stage in the knowledge of Christ. Through the knowledge of Christ is life eternal. In His prayer Jesus says, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” [John 17:3.] In God we are to glory. The prophet says, “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” “Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.” [Jeremiah 9:23, 24; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31; 11 Corinthians 10:15–18.] The testimony of prophets and apostles is in full accord on this subject. We are to glory in the Lord our God.

Continual Advancement

Peter continues, saying: “Where-by are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” [11 Peter 1:4.] We have been called to the knowledge of Christ, and that is to the knowledge of glory and virtue. It is a knowledge of the perfection of the divine character, manifested to us in Jesus Christ, that opens up to us communion with God. It is by the great and precious promises that we are to become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Vital Relation with God Essential

What possibilities are opened up to the youth who lay hold of the divine assurances of God’s Word! Scarcely can the human mind comprehend what is the breadth and depth and height of the spiritual attainments that can be reached by becoming partakers of the divine nature. The human agent who yields obedience to God, who becomes a partaker of the divine nature, finds pleasure in keeping the commandments of God; for he is one with God; he holds as vital a relation with God as does the Son to the Father. He understands the oneness that Christ prayed might exist between the Father and the Son. Jesus prayed: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And 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 made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” [John 17:20–23.]

Lifted Standard

What privileges and blessings are granted to those who have obtained like precious faith with the disciples of Christ! Nothing is withheld from them. The apostle says, “His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” The standard is lifted up, and yet we are to reach it individually. We may attain unto glory and virtue, though weak, sinful mortals, by learning daily lessons in the school of Christ, by becoming conformed to the divine image, by manifesting his excellence of character, by adding grace to grace, by climbing round by round the ladder heavenward, by becoming complete in the Beloved. As we shall work upon the plan of addition, by faith adding grace to grace, God will work upon the plan of multiplication, and multiply grace and peace unto us. We are to be diligent students in the school of Christ, having a knowledge of his will, and becoming active laborers in his vineyard.

Plan of Multiplication

The apostle describes to us the plan on which we are to work. He says, “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” [11 Peter 1:5–12.]

Youth to be Witnesses for Christ

If our youth would take heed to the rules laid down in this chapter, and practise [sic] them, what an influence they would exert on the side of right, whether they were . . . in our institutions, or in any place of responsibility! They would see this truth, and their life-work would be successful. They would realize the need of being much in prayer, of being rooted and grounded in the truth, so that by precept and example they might be living witnesses for Christ. They would then be like Paul, who after his conversion was a channel through which bright beams of light were shed upon the great plan of salvation. They would be workers together with God in re-shaping moral character, and would be instruments through which the image of God might be retraced in man. They would respond to the working of the Holy Spirit, and become one with Christ in God. No longer would the law which they have transgressed be a yoke of bondage, but it would be the law of liberty, the freedom of sonship. Having repented toward God, having exercised faith in Christ, they have experienced forgiveness, and esteem the law of God above gold, yea, above fine gold.

Freedom of Sonship

Jesus is the sin-bearer. He takes away our sins, and makes us partakers of His holiness. O what tender, pitying love dwells in the heart of Christ toward the purchase of His blood! He is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto God by Him. There is power in these precious promises, and we should cooperate with the working of Christ, devoting all our God-given talents to the service of the Master, that the Holy Spirit may work through us to the glory and honor of Christ.

Learners in Christ

Students should have a growing, expanding idea of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian means to be a learner in the school of Christ. It means the connecting of soul, mind, and body with divine wisdom. When this union exists between the soul and God, we are taught of God, who gives wisdom and knowledge. His Spirit imparts thoughts that are clear and holy, and gives the knowledge that lives through eternal ages. Those who are consecrated, diligent, persevering laborers, putting to use every ability, employing all their faculties for the glory of God; who are not slothful in business, but are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, will reap an eternal reward. But it is our part to be courageous, to exercise firm faith in God.

Students to Share Knowledge

The end is near, and students should make most diligent effort to carry forward the work of acquiring knowledge that they may impart to others. If the converting power of God should come upon these souls, if they should come to realize that they need a power out of and far above themselves, they would not remain a day longer like mere machines, but would have a desire to work for God. Has the truth been lodged in the soul? Has the love of souls for whom Christ died become a living principle in their hearts? Unless they become vitally connected with God, they can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love and self-indulgence and temptation to sin. If they were soundly converted to God, they would experience the love that dwells in the heart of Jesus; and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it would well up like an irrepressible stream, refreshing their own sterile lives, and refreshing all those who are connected with them. I long to address the young men and women who are so willing to reach only cheap standards. O that the Lord might influence their minds to see what perfection of character is! O that they might know the faith that works by love, and purifies the soul! We are living in days of peril. Christ alone can help us and give us the victory. Christ must be all in all to us; he must dwell in the heart; his life must circulate through us, as the blood circulates through the veins. His Spirit must be a vitalizing power that will cause us to influence others to become Christlike and holy.

The Youth’s Instructor, October 24, 1895; October 31, 1895.

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.

Aim High

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I know little about guns, but I remember that, as a child at home, we would occasionally shoot a BB gun. My brother, Ronnie, was the best BB shooter, probably because he practiced more. In using some of the guns that are available today, a person has to learn to aim a little higher to hit the intended target, because of the way they project.

So often, in this life, we aim low. We are afraid, by faith, to aim high. We may ask God, every day, “Lord, send me one soul to whom I may witness.” This is a wonderful prayer, and we should continue praying it, but friends, why not say, “God, I want more than one today; let me be Your witness for dozens or maybe for hundreds”? Why not aim high? If you ask Him for one, He can give you ten. If you ask for ten, He can give you even more! Do not aim so low. Aim high, because there is something better. The Bible says, “Without a vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18.) Without hope, we are a most miserable people.

If I did not have the hope of tomorrow, of spending eternity with the Lord, I would feel like giving up, at times. How about you? There are times when feelings and emotions flood in and circumstances overwhelm—circumstances that may make me say, “Why continue on?” But, you know, there is a hope instilled within my heart that keeps me keeping on. Then is when I know that I need to take aim, a higher aim, because that is what God wants for my life today.

In Adventism, today, it seems that we are perishing a little bit. I know there is good here and there, and I am convinced that, to the very end of time, the Holy Spirit is promised to God’s last day church. Now, think about that. The Holy Spirit is promised to the true church until the end of time. Where the Holy Spirit is, there things will be happening. There cannot be a lifeless church, if the Holy Spirit is there. There cannot be a church in existence that could be doing what God would have it do, without the power of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it alone. Men can work hard; they can have meetings, but without the Spirit, their works have no effect. Their efforts are not lasting; they will not take hold.

The True Church

It is easy for us to identify the true church of today. I do not say this boastingly, because God’s Word identifies it, for anyone who wants to open His Book and read about it in Revelation 12:17: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

It is easy to identify God’s last day, true church. Will it have a name written on the outside? I doubt it. But God’s last day people will be known by specific, identifying marks, and it is much more than mere lip service. If you have been raised in Adventism, you know that it is easy to have lip service, because you continually hear the gospel, if you are consistent in your churchgoing. But it is not until it is heartfelt and the born again experience is realized that it really takes root and holds real meaning for you.

To identify, in a very real way, God’s last day church, look at those around you who are on fire for the Lord. Look at those with whom the devil is angry.

In verse 9, it says, “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” When reading verse 17, where it says that the “dragon was wroth,” or angry, we know, from verse 9, that the dragon refers to the devil. So, the devil is angry. He is furious. It is important to understand why he is furious. The devil does not really care whether or not you pay tithe. He does not care whether or not you attend church every week. He does not care whether or not you claim, “I am a Christian.” He does not care whether or not you witness. But he really becomes angry when you get on fire—when you want to talk about Jesus, when you want to tell others, “This is what Jesus has done for me . . . .”

If a church is working, the devil will be present to disrupt it. Where there is unity, he will cause disunity. He will use whatever means he can to upset the members. He will use little things, little differences of opinion that, I say, do not amount to a hill of beans.

Where do you think the dragon wants to work, and where does he work the hardest? He works among those of whom he is afraid, those who will rightly represent Jesus Christ, not just in word but in deed.

Woman Represents Church

So, “the dragon was wroth with the woman.” Some may wonder whom the woman represents. In the Old Testament, God compares the church to a woman. “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate [woman].” Jeremiah 6:2. (See also Isaiah 54:5, 6.)

There will be only two churches at the end of time. In Revelation 12, Christ speaks of the pure woman, the pure church, the one that is like Jesus, the one without spot and wrinkle. Then, in Revelation 17, the harlot is described.

Godly Jealousy

When Scripture says, “The devil was angry with the woman,” to which woman is this text referring? It would have to be God’s true church, if the devil is angry with the church. God’s true church is not a building; it is not a ministry; it is not a conference church; it is not an independent church. The woman in Revelation 12:17 represents God’s people—we say God’s church—His true and faithful people.

God talks about the pure woman; then He talks about the harlot. He talks about His people when they are serving Him, and He talks about His people when they are in apostasy. He refers to those things.

The Bible says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.” 11 Timothy 2:15. So, to help get this straight in your mind, read 11 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy.” The word jealousy may denote the feeling that is felt by an apprehension of departure from fidelity on the part of those whom we love; or it may denote a fervid and glowing attachment. Paul loved the Corinthians, and he feared that they were in danger of being seduced from the simplicity of the gospel.

Do you realize that there is a difference between human jealousy and godly jealousy? Godly jealousy is a jealousy that has God’s honor at heart. (For example, see 1 Kings 19:10.) Our human jealousy is of the devil. “All selfishness comes from Satan.” Lift Him Up, 292. We must be careful to guard ourselves from such jealousy. Self is the greatest enemy any of us will ever have, because selfishness affects the choices we make.

If you ask someone, “Why did you do this?” he or she may respond, “Because I wanted to.”

“Why did you eat this?”

“Because it is what I like to eat,” he or she tells you.

It all has to do with self—even becoming jealous of someone.

Two Identifying Marks

11 Corinthians 11:2 continues: “For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.” Once again, Christ refers to His church as His people. The devil is angry at the true church, and he has gone to make war with the remnant. The remnant refers to those few who are standing for truth just before Jesus comes, those few that are faithful to the end. Inspiration is quite clear that a very small number are going to stand the test. (See Last Day Events, 180.) A lot of people will profess Christ, but when the going gets tough, most of them will get going.

With whom is Satan angry? He is angry with those who keep the Commandments of God. You may hear churches or people say, “Let us not worry about keeping God’s Ten Commandments,” or “Yes, we believe in all of the Ten Commandments, except for the fourth one.” Dear friends, we must remove that kind of thinking from our minds. The Bible is very clear that the devil is angry with those who keep all of the Commandments of God. That is why the majority of the world does not keep them.

Do you see why the majority of the world today is living by situational ethics, in which absolute standards are considered less important than the requirements of a particular situation? The standards used may vary from one situation to another, and may even contradict one another. People think that in a given situation, something is all right to do, if they need or want to do it, even though it may not normally be okay.

Satan is mad at those who keep the Commandments of God. He likes for us to profess to be commandment keepers while breaking them in thought or action, because that is damaging to the cause of Christ.

Satan is also angry with those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. What is the testimony of Jesus Christ? Revelation 19:10 tells us very plainly that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

If a group states, “We go to church on Sabbath,” that is wonderful, but they are still missing one of the identifying marks. In the Seventh-day Adventist Church today, if you hear a preacher say, “Yes, we keep the commandments,” but you see him and his congregation take their Spirit of Prophecy books and throw them into the trash can, would you think they are God’s last-day, remnant church? How may I be so bold? Because the Bible is so bold as to say that the remnant has these two identifying marks. That is clear for us today. It is easy to identify the true church.

What Motivates You?

What are some of the things that motivate you in this life? What, day by day, are some of the things that motivate you to do what you do? What are some of the things that motivate you to be a Christian? There are many Christians who are not motivated. There are many people who are not motivated to do anything. They just want to sit and do nothing or fill their minds with rubbish. A born again Christian will be a motivated individual. If we are not motivated, someone needs to encourage us to become motivated.

Grandpa Shelton wanted to know how motivated my brothers and I were when he gave us two shovels, on a day when we would rather have been out in the pond swimming, and put us in the grain bin to shovel corn. We were not too motivated, young as we were, to be in that old, windowless, hot barn, shoveling corn. But as Christians, we have to be motivated, no matter what tasks we are given.

One Step at a Time

One time, I was clearing glass and tin cans from under a house. In earlier years, someone must have used that spot as his or her trash disposal dump. As I shoveled and removed the trash, it was not long before I could almost stand up underneath the floor joists. But I began to get discouraged, because it seemed that the more I shoveled, the more trash there was. I knew, when I filled the five-gallon bucket and emptied it, that I was removing something, but there seemed to be more trash there. I said, “Something has got to motivate me here. I am getting a little discouraged.” Then a simple thought came to me: “If I take this one piece of glass, shovel it into the bucket, and then go empty the bucket, that piece of glass will not be here when I return.” When I dumped it out onto the trash pile, it was not coming back to be cleared again. I needed to realize that every time I removed a bucketful, it was one less bucketful I would have to take, and eventually the job would be completed. It would be done right.

That is the way it is in everything we do. We need to take each job, each challenge, one step at a time. It is that way even in our Christian growth. It is one step at a time, not a dozen steps at a time.

What motivates us in the spiritual realm of things? Maybe some of you are thinking that you do not really need to be motivated. But there is not a single person who, at times, does not need to be motivated. You will have a dirty house if you are not motivated, but perhaps your motivation to clean your house comes from knowing that you may at any time have unexpected guests. Most of you keep your house clean and your dishes washed, because you are motivated. No one has to tell you to do that. But when children are young, a lot of times the parents have to motivate them to complete their chores.

Definite Aim

The success in this life and in the life to come depends on being motivated, with a definite aim in mind. Friends, where do you want to spend eternity? What, in this life, would you like to see accomplished for God while you are here? Are you aiming low when you should be aiming high? When you are aiming low, friend, you are aiming for hell. You have to aim high, because God is high and uplifting. He wants to do great things for you and for me.

Drawing Power

Another question to consider is, What is the drawing power that has brought you to the present point in your life? Something has worked in every one of our lives to bring us to where we are today, but we are not to stay where we are now. God does not want us to become stale and stagnant, because then we are not motivated to go on or to go higher or to exercise more faith. God has another purpose in mind for each of us.

What is the drawing power in our lives? The power we each need in our lives is described in 11 Timothy 3:10: “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.”

Do you fully know the doctrine? Perhaps you have been cautioned to avoid attending a certain church or listening to a certain speaker, because all they teach is doctrine. We need doctrine! Doctrine is simply a teaching. If we did not have teaching, everyone would believe whatever they wished. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and we all need that spiritual discernment, that doctrine. Those who do not have spiritual discernment easily fall for erroneous teachings, simply because they do not compare “line upon line.” (Isaiah 28:10.)

God wants us to have good, sound doctrine, because there is truth. There is a truth about heaven and hell. There is a truth about which day should be held sacred and upon which we are to worship. There is a truth about the sanctuary. There is a truth about what happens when we die. There is a truth about whether or not there is a rapture. It makes a difference. There is a truth about whether or not the plagues are going to fall. There is a truth about probation, which is soon to close . . . and then what? These are truths that God has put in His Word. There is a truth that there is an enemy and that he is alive and well, working among the last day people who keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

The Purpose

If you wonder why people treat you like they sometimes do and why it seems as though everything you do goes wrong, maybe it is because the enemy has targeted you as someone he must discourage and try to destroy. He has realized that you love Jesus, and he is attempting to stop your witness. What is your manner of life, your purpose? We each have a purpose.

I keep a quote from Ellen White’s writings in my Bible, and I read it often; I am trying to learn from it. You may wonder why I have not yet learned it, if I read it often. Our problem is that we read something once, and we think we have learned it. But have we experienced it? Has it made a difference in our lives? We can read our Bibles from Genesis to Revelation, but what is the purpose? Are the truths we read changing our lives? We have to read with a purpose in mind.

The quote from which I am trying to learn is this:

“There is a counterfeit Christianity in the world as well as a genuine Christianity. The true spirit of the man is manifested by the way in which he deals with his fellow man.” The Upward Look, 66.

There is a true Christianity and there is a false Christianity, and we can tell them apart by how we treat our fellow man. Why? Because the motives are different.

Do our motives play a part? “Every action derives its quality from the motive which prompts it, and if the motives are not high, and pure, and unselfish, the mind and character will never become well balanced.” The Youth’s Instructor, April 7, 1898. Motives. Why do you do what you do?

Work From Principle

Sometimes, when you do not feel like doing what you know to be right, what do you do? Do you remember the motto, “Work from principle”? If you do not feel spiritual in the morning when you wake up, let principle motivate you; get your Bible and read it. If you do not really feel like praying, let principle motivate you, and begin praying. If you are tempted to skip church on Sabbath morning, let principle motivate you. I tell you, it works for hundreds and thousands.

Everything we do must be supported by high, pure, and unselfish motives. Do not do something just because your best friend wants you to do it, or your family pressures you to do it. Do it because, from the time you have devoted to Bible study and prayer, you really feel motivated to action. You really desire to do it.

If you want to be like Jesus, you need to daily behold the Lamb of God. Counterfeit Christians will not answer God’s call, when He calls them into action. I challenge you to remember that the true spirit of man is manifested by the way in which he treats his fellow man. What will you see in every person you meet in the coming days? Are you going to see the color of the skin? Are you going to muse whether they are wealthy or poor? Will you see a soul for whom Christ died—one whom He loves just as much as He loves you?

When we see each person as an individual whom Jesus loves, that person becomes valuable to us. That is what He requires of us. Unless we have the same kind of love for others that Jesus has in His heart for each of us, heaven will never be our home. Remember, every person you see is a person for whom Christ died; they are valuable. The world may not value them, but you and I should, as a child of God. If we do this, we will be motivated to labor and help where we can in times of need. We need to come to a point in our lives where we never meet a person whom we do not want to see in heaven.

May God help us to aim high—higher than we have ever before imagined!

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

The Man Who Would Not Give Up, Part I

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Several examples are given in the Bible of men and women who would not give up. One outstanding example of a man who would not give up is given in the Old Testament, and because he would not give up, you will meet him in heaven someday, if you are saved. You can be saved, if you determine to never give up. The Holy Spirit is working on your heart, but you have to make the decision. There have been (and are) people who have found themselves in a situation where they could be saved, but they gave up, and they lost out. There are several such examples in the Bible, but, in this study, we want to learn about the person who would not give up, and who was saved as a result.

This Bible story is about one of the most well-known men in the entire Bible. If you have started to read your Bible through, you have probably read the story of his life, because it is found in the Book of Genesis. This man was a miracle child. His father’s wife had been unable to have children. After his father and his mother had been married for about 20 years, his father prayed, “Lord, you have promised my father and me that we are going to have children, and through us all of the world is going to be blessed. My wife cannot conceive. What am I going to do?” The Lord answered his prayer. (Genesis 25:21.) His wife not only became pregnant, but she carried twins. While she was pregnant with these twins, they began fighting inside her womb. She talked to the Lord about it, and the Lord told her what it meant. (Verses 22, 23.)

When these twins were born, the coloring of the first one was red. That is why he was named Edom [Esau]. (Verse 25.) In the Hebrew language, Edom means “red.” When the younger one was born, the Bible says that his hand grabbed hold of the heel of his older brother. He was named Heel Grabber. Yàaqob in the Hebrew language means “the heel grabber.” In English, he is called Jacob. How would you like your name to be Heel Grabber? What does that name imply? It implies that a person is cunning, a person of which to be wary, because he will take advantage of you. That is exactly the kind of person Jacob developed into being. He was named correctly!

When I, as a young boy, first read the story of Jacob, I thought that Laban was the fellow of whom to be scared. But the more I read the story, I discovered that Jacob was actually just about as dangerous as Laban. I really do not think that I would have wanted to do business with either one of them.

Firstborn Responsibilities

Until modern times, it has been the custom—not just with the children of Isaac and Abraham, but throughout that part of the world—that the firstborn had certain responsibilities, which the other children did not have. For example, the firstborn child was always expected to be responsible for the welfare and well-being of his or her parents when they became old. When the firstborn child became an adult, that child was expected to resolve any of the problems of the other brothers and sisters, as well as to support the parents in their old age. Because the firstborn child had these extra responsibilities, it was an ancient custom that, when the father’s inheritance was divided among his children, the firstborn was to receive a double portion.

Isaac had only two children, so it is easy to calculate. If the firstborn received a double portion, it would mean that the firstborn would receive two-thirds of the family estate and the other child would be given one-third of the family estate. Jacob was just a few minutes younger, but he was a heel grabber. He was a smart businessman. He knew how to take advantage of circumstances. He knew when the opportunity was ripe.

Theft and Deceit

One day, Jacob, who was caring for the flocks and herds, had cooked some lentils. Esau, who had been hunting, returned ravenously hungry and, smelling the savory dish Jacob had prepared, said, “Please give me something to eat. I am so hungry; I am about to die.”

Jacob recognized a golden opportunity, and he responded: “I will give you a bowl of lentils, if, for it, you will sell me your birthright.”

Talk about a deal! Isaac was a very wealthy man. One-third of his estate would be worth several hundred thousand dollars in today’s money. How would you like to double your net worth for a bowl of lentils? That is one of the most expensive bowls of food mentioned in the Bible. Esau was so hungry that he said, “I will do it.” It was a foolish thing for Esau to do, but it was a sharp thing for Jacob to do, although not very righteous. In fact, it was not righteous at all. It was very wicked.

Are you aware of the meaning of the eighth commandment? If I sell you something for much more than it is worth, because you are ignorant and do not know any better, I have stolen from you. And if I buy something from you for much less than it is worth, because you do not know its worth, I have stolen from you. Jacob stole from his brother. He was a thief in the worst sense, because he stole from his own family. But it got worse. He eventually deceived his own father.

Jacob stole from his brother, and he deceived his own father. Do you not agree that those are heinous sins? It is terrible to steal from your own brother, and it is just as bad or worse to lie and to deceive your own father. God did not keep Jacob from having to bear some very terrible consequences for those two sins. He bore consequences all the rest of his life.

When reading the Bible, people read about the chief characters and say, “These are the chief characters of the Bible, and look at all of the awful things they did.” But what they are not looking at is that the chief characters of the Bible paid a terrible price for the terrible sins they committed. The Bible teaches that there are consequences for sin.

Esau became very angry with Jacob. It is not difficult to figure out why he became so angry. How would you feel if you had just lost several hundred thousand dollars to your brother—cheated out of it because you were nearly out of your mind with hunger? Would you become angry? I have seen people become angry for a lot less than that!

Jacob had to flee from home, because his brother said, “I am going to do away with him. If I do away with him, instead of getting one-third of the inheritance, as I am now supposed to receive, I will get the whole thing.” Incidentally, that still happens.

The Whole Inheritance

I remember when the very first airliner with a bomb on board crashed, in 1955. At that time, it was not mandatory for air travelers to go through security before boarding an airplane. A passenger bought his or her ticket, deposited their baggage, walked through a door, and got on the plane. I have done that, and I have seen my father do it many times. The world then was not as wicked as it is today.

This airplane came down in a field near Longmont, Colorado, within ten miles of where my family lived. A bomb in the baggage compartment had exploded, killing everyone on board. An investigation revealed that a man, whose mother was traveling on this plane, had hidden a bomb in her luggage. He had a time clock on the bomb, timed to explode over the Rocky Mountains. He planned that the plane would go down in the Rocky Mountains, and it would be considered just an accident. Everything would be in smithereens; nobody would know what had actually happened. But the plane was late. You see, Longmont, Colorado, is located about 15 or 20 miles east of the Rocky Mountains. Since the plane was late, when the timer went off and the bomb exploded, instead of going down in the Rocky Mountains, it went down in a field.

Why had this man performed such a deadly act? He wanted to receive his mother’s life insurance right then. He did not want to wait for her to die a natural death. He wanted his inheritance—the whole thing—immediately.

That was Esau’s problem. He wanted his inheritance, and he thought, “Jacob stole my inheritance from me. I will not only get back a double portion; I will get the whole thing.” Consequently, Jacob had to flee for his life. He went to his mother’s brother, Laban, and served him for 20 years. That is another story, which we will not study now. You may read it in Genesis 28–30.

20 Years of Guilt

We will pick up the story in Genesis 31. Jacob had been serving Laban for 20 years. He had been a fugitive. He had come to Laban with nothing, but the Lord had blessed him, and he had become a very wealthy man. Laban’s sons were jealous of all the wealth that Jacob had acquired. They said, “He has taken all of our father’s wealth.”

Laban had deceived Jacob, so instead of having one wife, he had two. Some men would say that two wives are twice as bad as one. I would not want to put it that way, because then it would seem like one is bad, and I am not trying to intimate that, but Jacob’s entire life was troubled, as a consequence of having two wives. He was in this situation as a result of his sin, and he knew it. He knew that the reason he had two wives instead of one, and the reason he had trouble with Laban, was because of his sin.

The sin that he had committed against his brother and the sin against his father bothered his conscience all those 20 years. That entire time he thought, “I would not be in this situation if I had not deceived my father. I would not be in this situation if I had not robbed my brother.”

Return to Your People

Then the Lord gave Jacob instruction to return to his people: “Jehovah spoke to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’ ” (Verse 3.) Jacob knew where that land was. It was where Esau lived. “Return to your own kindred and I will be with you.” The Lord promised to be with him.

Jacob called Rachel and Leah out into the field and talked with them. They agreed that Jacob, along with his household, should follow God’s counsel. (Verses 4, 14–16.) But he was afraid Laban would not let him go, so he decided to leave secretly. While Laban was in another place shearing his sheep, Jacob left, with his two wives, eleven sons, all of his livestock, and his servants. Because of the thousands of cattle, sheep, and goats, they were unable to travel very fast, so when Laban learned they were gone, he was able to overtake them. God had intervened on Jacob’s behalf regarding Laban, and the two parted peaceably.

Close to Home

Can you imagine the tumultuous thoughts in Jacob’s mind, as he drew close to his journey’s end? Think this through. For the last 20 years, he had been gone. During that time, what expectation would his brother, Esau, have had should their father die? How much inheritance would he have thought he would receive? He would have gotten it all. So Esau, for 20 years, had thought that whenever his father died, he would inherit everything.

But now Jacob returns. Jacob owns two-thirds of the inheritance. Esau’s net worth is going to drop by over 60 percent when Jacob comes home. This is on Jacob’s mind. He knows that the reason he is in this difficult situation is because of his own sin. He knows what is going to go through Esau’s mind.

Interests of Brothers

Let me tell you the difference between Esau and Jacob. Both Esau and Jacob wanted the birthright. The birthright involved more than a double portion of the family’s wealth. It also involved a blessing, that being that the one holding the birthright would become the progenitor of the Messiah. That is what Jacob wanted. Esau wanted the double portion of the property. He wanted the worldly wealth. Jacob wanted to be the progenitor of the Messiah.

Jacob, actually, in spite of all his character deficiencies, was a very, very remarkable person. Jacob was a person who chose spiritual blessings over temporal blessings. People like that are quite rare in this world. In spite of his faults, he was an exceptional person. Have you ever met someone who, if given a choice between receiving a lot of money or receiving a spiritual blessing from the Lord, would choose the spiritual instead of the temporal? Have you ever met someone like that? They are very, very rare.

Jacob knew that, when he returned, it would excite fear in Esau’s heart, because Esau would think, “My brother is coming to claim the inheritance.” Jacob knew that Esau could do him great injury. He thought that Esau could decide even now to kill him, and if he did take revenge and kill him, then, of course, he could have the whole inheritance.

Gifts of Appeasement

So, as you may read in Genesis 32, Jacob tried to appease Esau by sending him some very expensive gifts. Even today these gifts would be worth many, many thousands of dollars.

As I was driving recently to Independence, Kansas, I drove past the house where, several years ago, I had purchased one of the dogs that we now own. I noticed a sign in the front yard, as I drove past. The owner of the home has been raising cattle, and he has some good breeding stock for sale. He is advertising them for $800 to $1,200 each.

Good breeding stock is worth money, and Jacob gave a large herd to Esau as a gift that was worth many thousands of dollars. But when the servants who had delivered the gift returned, they reported that Esau was on his way, with 400 men, to meet Jacob. (Verses 3–6.) “Jacob was afraid exceedingly.” (Verse 7.) Terror pervaded the whole encampment. His wives, his children, and his servants knew that, in less than 24 hours, they could all be dead.

Jacob did everything he could. He sent expensive gifts to try to appease his brother. He divided his family into two camps, thinking that if the people in one camp were killed, the others would be able to flee on horses or mules and get away. He did everything he could, but he knew that it was not enough, and it was not enough. Esau was on the way. He was on his way with 400 armed men.

Divine Help Needed

Jacob learned something, friend, that you and I need to learn. He was shrewd; he knew how to make business deals. But he was in a situation now where those skills were useless. There was no business deal that he could make that would get him out of this. He knew that unless the Lord intervened, it was going to be all over.

The sooner we learn what Jacob learned that night, the better off we are going to be. Did you know, friend, that you cannot save yourself? You cannot be good on your own. You cannot keep God’s Law on your own. You cannot get ready for heaven on your own, even if you are as smart and clever as was Jacob. The Bible speaks of this in Psalm 33. It says that a horse is a vain thing to think on for security. It says that the king is not saved by the multitude of his army. (Verses 17, 16.)

Jacob realized that unless he had divine help it was all over. We have a better chance of being saved, friend, if we realize that we cannot ever save ourselves by anything we do. We do not have the ability. We must have divine power operating in our lives or we are lost. The Bible is very clear about this. You may try your whole life, but you will never be able to develop enough self-control, enough power, enough might to be a good person.

I have been a preacher for some time, and I learned a long time ago that I am a lot more scared for the good people than for the bad people. People who think they are good do not realize that, as the Bible says, the “heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9. The bad people at least know they need help.

Jacob was a smart man, but the Lord allowed him to get into a situation where he recognized that unless he had divine help, it was all over. The sooner that you and I learn that lesson, the better off we will be.

To be continued . . .

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

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

The Seven Churches, Part IX: The Church of Philadelphia

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Verses 7 and 8 of Revelation 3 introduce the message to the church of Philadelphia: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’ ”

In this study, we are coming to a time when God, immediately preceding the Second Coming, is going to open a door. We read, in verses 10 and 11, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”

When speaking to this church, God refers specifically to a certain period of time. It is that time period shortly before Jesus’ Second Coming. The open door was the door that was opened into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. The opening of this door is also predicted in Revelation 11:19. We see then that the message to the church of Philadelphia is anchored in the opening of this door, which actually occurred on October 22, 1844.

Of this, Ellen White wrote: “I was shown that the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ relating to the shut door could not be separated, and that the time for the commandments of God to shine out with all their importance, and for God’s people to be tried on the Sabbath truth, was when the door was opened in the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary, where the ark is, in which are contained the ten commandments. This door was not opened until the mediation of Jesus was finished in the holy place of the sanctuary in 1844. Then Jesus rose up and shut the door of the holy place, and opened the door into the most holy, and passed within the second veil, where He now stands by the ark, and where the faith of Israel now reaches.

“I saw that Jesus had shut the door of the holy place, and no man can open it; and that He had opened the door into the most holy, and no man can shut it (Revelation 3:7, 8); and that since Jesus has opened the door into the most holy place, which contains the ark, the commandments have been shining out to God’s people, and they are being tested on the Sabbath question.” Early Writings, 42.

Let us review the seven churches, to help put the church of Philadelphia in perspective. The Lord, when returning to heaven, had left the church on a sure and solid foundation. It was in such a pure state that God poured out His Holy Spirit upon it. Before Jesus comes, the church will again be in a pure state, just as when He left it. We have two, great, anchor points for the church—when Jesus left the church, it was pure, and when He comes again, it will be pure.

The Wedding Garment

“They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” [Matthew 25:10.] They were not to be present in person at the marriage; for it takes place in heaven, while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are to ‘wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding.’ Luke 12:36. But they are to understand His work, and to follow Him by faith as He goes in before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go in to the marriage.

“In the parable it was those that had oil in their vessels with their lamps that went in to the marriage. Those who, with a knowledge of the truth from the Scriptures, had also the Spirit and grace of God, and who, in the night of their bitter trial, had patiently waited, searching the Bible for clearer light—these saw the truth concerning the sanctuary in heaven and the Saviour’s change in ministration, and by faith they followed Him in His work in the sanctuary above. And all who through the testimony of the Scriptures accept the same truths, following Christ by faith as He enters in before God to perform the last work of mediation, and at its close to receive His kingdom—all these are represented as going in to the marriage. . . .

“Previous to the wedding the king comes in to see the guests, to see if all are attired in the wedding garment, the spotless robe of character washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Matthew 22:11; Revelation 7:14. He who is found wanting is cast out, but all who upon examination are seen to have the wedding garment on are accepted of God and accounted worthy of a share in His kingdom and a seat upon His throne. This work of examination of character, of determining who are prepared for the kingdom of God, is that of the investigative judgment, the closing of work in the sanctuary above.

“When the work of investigation shall be ended, when the cases of those who in all ages have professed to be followers of Christ have been examined and decided, then, and not till then, probation will close, and the door of mercy will be shut. Thus in the one short sentence, ‘They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut,’ we are carried down through the Saviour’s final ministration, to the time when the great work for man’s salvation shall be completed. . . .

“This subject was not understood by Adventists in 1844. After the passing of the time when the Saviour was expected, they still believed His coming to be near; they held that they had reached an important crisis and that the work of Christ as man’s intercessor before God had ceased. It appeared to them to be taught in the Bible that man’s probation would close a short time before the actual coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. This seemed evident from those scriptures which point to a time when men will seek, knock, and cry at the door of mercy, and it will not be opened. And it was a question with them whether the date to which they had looked for the coming of Christ might not rather mark the beginning of this period which was immediately to precede His coming. Having given the warning of the judgment near, they felt that their work for the world was done, and they lost their burden of soul for the salvation of sinners, while the bold and blasphemous scoffing of the ungodly seemed to them another evidence that the Spirit of God had been withdrawn from the rejecters of His mercy. All this confirmed them in the belief that probation had ended, or, as they then expressed it, ‘the door of mercy was shut.’

“But clearer light came with the investigation of the sanctuary question. They now saw that they were correct in believing that the end of the 2300 days in 1844 marked an important crisis. But while it was true that that door of hope and mercy by which men had for eighteen hundred years found access to God, was closed, another door was opened, and forgiveness of sins was offered to men through the intercession of Christ in the most holy. One part of His ministration had closed, only to give place to another. There was still an ‘open door’ to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ was ministering in the sinner’s behalf.

“Now was seen the application of those words of Christ in the Revelation, addressed to the church at this very time: ‘These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.’ Revelation 3:7, 8.” The Great Controversy, 427–430.

Anchored

We have, then, two great periods of time. When Jesus left this earth, the church was on a sure foundation. It was pure. It did not remain in that state long. The first church (Ephesus) left their first love. When Jesus comes again, the church will be on the same pure, solid foundation. Between these two events, there is a great chasm of sin, but God has spanned this gulf of sin and fastened into two great foundation points—times when He has a pure people on earth.

During the second and third centuries after Christ (the church of Smyrna), many true followers of the Lord were tortured and killed by the power and authority of paganism exercised through the pagan Roman Empire. In the fourth to sixth centuries, the pure church of Smyrna, was followed by the compromising church (the church of Pergamos).

The Middle Ages

Jezebel was allowed into the church during the Middle Ages (the church of Thyatira). She killed the true prophets of God and put Baal prophets in their places. The priesthood of the Middle Ages did not descend from the Jewish priesthood; it descended from the pagan priesthood.

I have only read about priests in the Old Testament, so those people who only read their Bibles—not truly study them—might be inclined to think that the priesthood originated from there. But you have never heard a Catholic priest claim to have come from the Jewish priesthood. They do not claim to come from that origin at all. Their rites and ceremonies are completely different from that of the Jewish priesthood. All their rites and ceremonies are almost exactly the same—except for a little Christian flavor thrown in—as the pagan priesthood.

The Surprise Church

At the lowest point of the church, God began to bring the church back up again to His secure foundation. He brought reformers (the church of Sardis), great men such as Wycliffe, Luther, and Tyndale. The whole face of Europe was changed during that time of Reformation. Catholicism was checked, and Protestantism flourished. The reformers were ready to give their lives so that the Bible could again be given to the people. We may think it a wonderful time, but I call the church of that period the “Surprise Church.” As we read the histories of Luther, Melancthon, Calvin, Zwingli, Tyndale, Huss and Jerome, and all those others, we think that they are some of the greatest men that have ever lived. When we go to the Bible, we expect only good things to be said about this church, but lo and behold, only bad things are said.

The Bible says, about that church, “I will give you the bright morning star.” (Revelation 2:28.) That is how the period of the church of Thyatira ended, looking forward to the church of Sardis. Wycliffe was the “morning star of the Reformation.” The Great Controversy, 80. Other stars followed. These leaders were wonderful individuals, but the people did not follow them. The Bible says they had a name that they were alive, because they were following these leaders, but they were dead. (Revelation 3:1.)

The Reformation did not succeed in its fullest sense, and it certainly did not succeed at all the way God wanted. The Reformation was cut short, and the Bible tells us that the deadly wound was healed. It was healed so well that eventually, “all the world will wonder after the beast.” Revelation 13:3.

The Protestant church took in the message of Martin Luther, which states that we are saved by faith. You see, in Luther’s day, people thought they were saved by doing penance, by paying money, and by earning forgiveness. If they did not have enough money to pay for their sins, they could perform certain tasks to “pay” penance. Sometimes this involved killing a Huguenot or a Mohammedan or a Waldensian. If an individual committed such a killing, then his or her sins were all forgiven, and he or she could go to heaven without having to pay money for penance. I am glad that Martin Luther brought the message that we do not have to murder people in order to gain forgiveness!

I am thankful for the message that we are saved by faith, but Luther’s followers began to interpret that to mean that we do not have to do anything to be saved—all we have to do is claim to believe in Jesus Christ, and then we are saved.

Wesley came along and preached on Romans 3:31: “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” In fact, the only way we can keep the law is by faith. If we do not have faith, the law does not do us any good at all except to condemn us. It is only by faith that we establish the law.

Philadelphia

God had little good to say about Sardis. He had to bring about another reformation to try to finish the work. When God commissions a work and it is not done right the first time, it never gets done as well as it could have been, had it been done right the first time. If the reformers, in the time of Sardis, had been true to the reformation, the deadly wound would never have been healed. But as time went on, it was healed, and the Protestant church was in a terribly decrepit situation, so God raised up some people to carry on the Reformation. They could not make up for all that had transpired, but they could bring new life into the church; they could bring a new reformation.

He raised up people such as Wesley, Whitefield, and Livingstone, and other great giants to carry on and finish the work that had been started 200 years earlier by Martin Luther and the other reformers.

The Bible has nothing but good to say regarding the church of Philadelphia. It did not have all the light that we have, but they lived up to all of it. God held them accountable for only the light they had.

God brought about a great reformation to prepare the world for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and for the giving of the message of Revelation 14 that must go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

I Am Holy

With this brief historical background, let us look at the message given, in Revelation 3, to the church of Philadelphia. “And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy.’ ” Verse 7.

It is interesting how God identifies Himself with each church. Each time He states who He is, and it is something unique for that church. To the church of Smyrna, He said, “I am the One who died and rose.” (Revelation 2:8.) To the church of Ephesus, that thought it was built on the apostles, God said, “I am the One who holds the seven stars; you do not own them.” (Revelation 2:1.) He told that church He would “remove your candlestick out of its place—unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5.) For every church, God gave a message that was just for that church, and always the message was found in who God said He was.

Here it says, “I am Holy.” You see, the Christian church had entered a time, as just mentioned, when they thought that they did not have to be holy to be saved, because they were saved by faith. They thought that all they had to do was to believe on Jesus. They had accepted salvation by faith alone as though that did away with the law. They did not consider Romans 3:31 or 1 John 3:4–7, which says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins,” or our lawbreaking, “and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you.”

The descendants of the sixteenth century reformers came to a place where they believed that a person did not have to keep the law, and, by their preaching, they deceived many people. This passage says, “Let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous,”—not he who declares righteousness, who thinks he has been forgiven apart from the law.

Wesley’s Message

God calls Himself holy, when addressing the church of Philadelphia, and that was the message that John Wesley came to preach to the world. The first religious organization that John Wesley established, while he was yet in college, was one that would be ridiculed today. Some people made fun of it then too. He called this organization The Holiness Club, and Wesley preached holiness. His followers were called Methodists, because they believed in methods, in doing things. They believed that there were such things as rules in the Christian life, and an individual had to do something to be saved—not just believe.

I have acquired and read a copy of Wesley’s diary. On October 30, 1743, he wrote the following about the sermon he had preached that day: “I showed in the plainest words I could devise that mere outward religion would not bring us to heaven, that no one could go thither without inward holiness which was only to be obtained by faith.” Almost 17 years later, on November 17, 1760, he entered: “The fundamental doctrine of the people called Methodist is this, ‘Whoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the true faith. The faith which works by love, which, by means of the love of God and our neighbor, produces both inward and outward holiness. He that thus believes is regenerate or born again.’ ” That is what it means to be born again, John Wesley says.

Wesley states that to be born again means that you are made holy by God’s indwelling Spirit. This holiness, this belief in methods, this belief in making one’s life holy, translated itself into areas of dress, diet, and witnessing. I found it fascinating to read that, in December 1746, he taught his followers to quit drinking tea in order to preserve health and to keep their bodies holy to the Lord. Wesley was ahead of his time! In fact, he, for quite a period of time, was a vegetarian! On December 29, 1746, he wrote in his diary: “I resumed my vegetable diet, which I had now discarded for several years and found it of use both to my soul and body.” He did not have all the health reform knowledge, but he did recognize that such a diet helped him spiritually, and it translated itself into many other areas of life.

Preparation for Canaan

Wesley’s message was similar to the message that God gave to the children of Israel before taking them into Canaan. Wesley came with a message for us, before we enter the heavenly Canaan.

God sent a message of holiness to the church of Philadelphia. “These things says He who is holy.” Before a message of holiness can be given to the world, we must recognize that God is holy, and the reason that we are to be holy is because we are to be His people. “You [are] a chosen generation . . . a holy nation,” it says, in 1 Peter 2:9.

The message Moses gave to the children of Israel before entering Canaan is found in Leviticus 19. “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God [am] holy.’ ” Verse 2. We are to be holy because God is holy.

This one phrase gives so much to contemplate. It includes the nature of Jesus and a number of other things. Jesus came to earth in our nature and developed a holy character so that we can develop a holy character too. We are to be holy, because Jesus is holy. We can be holy, because Jesus is holy. This is the message in the Old Testament. We are to be holy as He is holy. We are to be His children. We are to have His character written in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. We are to be like Him. As we are told, in 1 John 3:2, we are to be children of God. That is the message of the Bible. Because God is holy, we, too, are to be holy.

The Pattern

In order to preach a message of holiness, we have to preach a message of God’s holiness, because we are to pattern after Him. He is our Pattern, dear friend, not one another, not some philosopher’s maxim. We are to pattern after the Great Standard. We are to pattern our characters after the character of God, and so the Bible says that we are to be holy, because He is holy.

Leviticus 19:3 tells us, “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I [am] the Lord your God.” I am holy, and I show reverence, so you are to do the same that I do. I kept the Sabbath; you are to keep the Sabbath. “Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I [am] the Lord your God.” “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I [am] the Lord.” God is telling us that He is our Lord, and this is His character. We are to have His character—He is holy, so we are to be holy. “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God.” Why? Because we are to be like Him, and that is His character. “I [am] the Lord.” He is holy, and we are to be like Him. Verses 4, 11, 12, 14.

In verse 18, we read: “You shall not take vengeance . . . .” Oh, if only the world could learn this verse! When Jesus came to this earth, He did not take vengeance. His accusers spat in His face, and He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Matthew 26:67; Luke 23:34. To us, He says, “Be like Me”; do “not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people.”

What a happy people we would be, if we were holy!

To be continued . . .

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

Editorial – Types and Shadows, Part I

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Many people are being confused by teachers who are telling them that, since the cross, they are free from the law and no longer need to keep it. If this is so, then keeping the Sabbath is immaterial. Of the many arguments developed to promote the false teaching that the Sabbath is not important, one of the most fundamental is the confusion between the moral law and the ceremonial law so that texts referring to one are applied to the other. But God has, in His Word, made a clear and broad distinction between these two laws.

  1. First, God referred to the Ten Commandments as a separate and distinct law from all ceremonial laws. (See Exodus 24:12.)
  2. Second, much of what Moses wrote is not ceremonial at all, but a more complete explanation of the Ten Commandments. For example, Leviticus 18 and 20 contain a fuller explanation of the meaning and scope of the seventh commandment.
  3. A third, fundamental principle is the fact that “no lie is of the truth.” 1 John 2:21. In other words, the truth can never contradict itself; it must always harmonize and agree with itself. Ellen White wrote, concerning this principle, “All truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all its manifestations.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 114. If a Bible student discovers what appears to be a contradiction in any Bible verse concerning what the Bible teaches about the law, that person simply does not yet understand the truth, because the truth will have no contradictions against itself.

Aside from these often ignored three points, biblical evidence confirms that there are two laws—one unchangeable and eternal and the other temporary, ceasing at the cross of Christ. For lack of space, we will list briefly the points and allow the reader to study each one in more detail.

  1. The moral law existed at creation. The Sabbath is specifically mentioned as coming into existence at the end of creation week. (Genesis 2:1–3.) Paul is very explicit that there can be no transgression without a law, that Adam did sin, and that sin is not reckoned or accounted where there is no law. Even though the law was not formally given until Sinai, it existed at creation. (Romans 4:15; 5:12, 13.) A careful study of Genesis and the first part of Exodus will show that the people of those days knew each one of the precepts of this law.

The ceremonial law did not exist at creation. It was “added because of transgression.” Galatians 3:19. Without the Ten Commandment Law, there could not be a transgression, and the ceremonial law was added after man had broken the moral law and become a sinner. (See also Romans 7:7.)

  1. The moral law is spoken of in the Bible as unchangeable. It was called God’s covenant and included only what God spoke to the people. (Deuteronomy 4:13; 5:22.) It is something that God will never alter or change. (Psalm 89:34.) Jesus said, concerning this law, that it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for even part of a letter to fail. (Luke 16:17.) It would certainly appear to be absolutely impossible for Jesus to make a more emphatic pronouncement that this law is unchangeable! As long as this earth is in existence and as long as the heavens exist above, this law will be in existence, unchanged. (The Sabbath commandment is the longest commandment in the Decalogue—55 words—and not part of even one letter of one of those words can be changed.)

The ceremonial law is spoken of, in the Bible, not only as something that was changed by the coming of the Messiah (Hebrews 7:12) but also as a law that was no longer in effect since His coming. (See Colossians 2:14–17; Ephesians 2:15. Several lines in both of these references show that they are speaking about the ceremonial law.)