A dictionary gives the definition of the word careless as: “without worry; negligent, slovenly; unvalued, disregarded.” To be careless means that I do not care about anybody, that I am negligent in doing that which is necessary to do.
God is not pleased with slothful servants. Slothful persons will not enter the kingdom of God, because they are ungodly; they are not concerned about a hereafter. They are not concerned about anything except themselves, what is theirs, and the right now.
Ellen White wrote: “When life is going on in its unvarying round; when men are absorbed in pleasure, in business, in traffic, in money-making; when religious leaders are magnifying the world’s progress and enlightenment, and the people are lulled in a false security—then, as the midnight thief steals within the unguarded dwelling, so shall sudden destruction come upon the careless and ungodly . . . .” The Great Controversy, 38. [Emphasis supplied.] Those who are careless in their Christian experience today are the ungodly of today.
If careless or ungodly persons are negligent in the things of the world, have they also neglected the things of God? Are they searching for truth? Are they following the counsel, “Study to show thyself approved unto God . . .”? 11 Timothy 2:15. If they have been careless in their position for Jesus Christ, they are in the ungodly group. Where do you stand? Each of us is on one side or the other. Are you with the ungodly or the godly?
Care Less
If we become careless in any aspect of the message that God has given us, we have begotten that care less attitude. The care less attitude occurs in the spiritual life, such as in our witnessing, as well as in the home life. We cannot be careless about anything that we do. If we are, it shows that we do not care about others; we do not care about God. Therefore, we have to tighten the grip that God wants us to have; we must not be careless or indifferent. Mrs. White wrote, “The Lord abhors indifference and disloyalty in a time of crisis in His work.” Prophets and Kings, 148.
To be indifferent in the hour in which we live is a sin against God. A number of Seventh-day Adven-tists are going to have to get off this rail fence, because they are getting splinters, and those splinters are becoming painful. God says, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.” Revelation 3:15. Each of us will have to get on one side of the fence or the other. We will each have to make a choice whether to be cold or hot.
Where is Persecution?
Where is persecution? Why are we not being persecuted today? There is something wrong, friend, with the fact that we are not experiencing persecution.
The devil did his best to persecute and to kill. The blood of the saints during the Reformation watered the seed that was sown. (See The Great Controversy, 78.) One historian wrote that the more the Christians were cut down, the thicker they became. The devil tried to destroy Christ’s followers, but more came. He decided that since he could not beat them he would join them.
Regarding this, Mrs. White wrote: “Thousands were imprisoned and slain, but others sprang up to fill their places. And those who were martyred for their faith were secured to Christ and accounted of Him as conquerors. They had fought the good fight, and they were to receive the crown of glory when Christ should come. The sufferings which they endured brought Christians nearer to one another and to their Redeemer. Their living example and dying testimony were a constant witness for the truth; and where least expected, the subjects of Satan were leaving his service and enlisting under the banner of Christ.
“Satan therefore laid his plans to war more successfully against the government of God by planting his banner in the Christian church. If the followers of Christ could be deceived and led to displease God, then their strength, fortitude, and firmness would fail, and they would fall an easy prey.” The Great Controversy, 42.
Devil in Church
You may think that the devil is not in your church. This is not realistic thinking! Do you know how the devil may come into your church? He may come in through you or another member experiencing depression. He may come in because you are aggravated or provoked about something, or perhaps because you have things on your mind that you should not have. Then the warfare begins. You leave the church services not knowing what was said. You do not remember anything, because in your mind, you were somewhere else. This is how the enemy comes in and the warfare begins.
But God will turn the world upside down for those people who are ready to meet with Him and whose hearts and minds are right—just as He came to His people who stood for Jesus in the past.
Forewarned
Jesus forewarned the people of the coming destruction of Jerusalem, but many did not believe or follow the signs of His warnings. (See Luke 21.) This is going to happen again in the last days. Jesus has told us what to expect, but many—even Seventh-day Adventists—will not believe.
Somehow we have the thinking that God is not going to let horrible things happen to His people. But consider what happened to Jerusalem: “Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: ‘Let us depart hence.’ . . .
—Milman, The History of the Jews, book 13.
“For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: ‘A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!’—Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: ‘Woe, woe to Jerusalem!’ ‘woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof!’ His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold.
“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign.” The Great Controversy, 29, 30.
The man who stayed in Jerusalem for seven years sighed and cried for the abominations going on, and he warned, “Get out! The city is going to be destroyed.” History records that this man had the right motives; he wanted to do the right thing. He thought that if he stayed a little bit longer he could help somebody else, even though he knew he was supposed to leave. He was telling other people to get out, but he stayed and was killed.
Many people today are repeating this man’s actions. As they see error creep into their churches, they continue to attend, thinking they can warn others, even though they are aware of God’s warning against going where error is taught: “I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their [professed Advent believers] meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 124, 125.
Are you not sure on which side you should be? Be on God’s side! Oh, friend, how important your decision is. The devil is within the church, and he has brought paganism within the church.
Different Kind of Persecution
You may say that you do not believe this. Let me tell you that just through Sunday celebration worship services with rock music and pagan rites and rituals, such as Halloween rituals, paganism has been brought into the church.
Ellen White wrote: “Now the church was in fearful peril. Prison, torture, fire, and sword were blessings in comparison with this [compromise with paganism]. Some of the Christians stood firm, declaring that they could make no compromise. Others were in favor of yielding or modifying some features of their faith and uniting with those who had accepted a part of Christianity, urging that this might be the means of their full conversion. That was a time of deep anguish to the faithful followers of Christ. Under a cloak of pretended Christianity, Satan was insinuating himself into the church, to corrupt their faith and turn their minds from the word of truth.
“Most of the Christians at last consented to lower their standard, and a union was formed between Christianity and paganism.” The Great Controversy, 42, 43.
Did you get it, friend? When the devil took the church, after he had killed and maligned and persecuted with the sword, persecution stopped, and he got inside the church around God’s people. Oh, the church was in trouble. Prison, torture, fire, and the sword were a blessing compared to having the devil within the church!
Some people still think that the devil will not get them if they are in the church.
Compromise
Here is what happened—and is still happening today. One group declared that they would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. Another group brought with them their paganistic ideas and thoughts. They did not want to leave paganism. They did not want to leave their idolatry, but they wanted to join the popular Christian movement. In the end, both groups agreed to compromise.
Be cautious of this. In the last days, people will say, “Let us just agree on what we can agree, and let all the other issues go. Do not worry about doctrine; do not worry about teaching. We agree on this point; that is good enough; that is unity.” This is unity of the world. It is ecumenism.
One group in the early church, after persecution ceased and the devil had set up shop in the church, said, “Let us not worry about all the differences that we have. Let us just agree where we can agree and unite.” But then others said, “We do not want to do that.”
Mrs. White wrote that, at last, the majority of the Christians agreed to compromise. So what did the pagans do? They brought back their altars and their images. They brought their idols into the church, because the church was willing to compromise the principles of God’s Word. All they had to do was change the objects they worshipped. They brought in images of Jesus, of Mary, and of the saints, and they began to worship them. Idolatry comes in any time the church compromises.
The majority of the church began to agree with this form of worship. More and more of the care less, ungodly attitude came into the church. However, the true church would not compromise the truth of God’s Word. They declared that, if necessary, they would separate. Why? Because of the paganism and idolatry in the church.
Compromise has opened the door to the enemy. What we need now is unity—but more than unity. Because we believe in the seventh-day Sabbath, it is going to take more than that. We must be unified on the pillars of truth that God has given His last-day people. We must keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.
Vital Godliness
In The Great Controversy, 48, Mrs. White states, “There is so little vital godliness in the church.”
What is something that is vital? I hear, when I visit patients in the hospital, the term “vital organ.” What does this mean? It refers to an organ that is necessary for life. Vital is something that you must have. There are some parts of the body you can get along without, but there are some parts you cannot. I would not, for example, say that you can get by without your heart or with just a little portion of it. No, it is vital. But there is little of something that is apparently vital to the church—godliness. That which is necessary for God’s church, for His people, to function is missing. We are eliminating God from the church and letting man rule and reign. We are setting God’s laws aside, and we are letting man make the rules and regulations. Vital godliness is not in the church.
So, we may ask, If we are lacking, by the grace of God, should we not remedy it? How do we attain godliness? I am not content to say, “That is right; there is a lack of vital godliness, but that is the way it is.” I believe it can be changed. I believe the lack has to do with you and me. God is still the same God. Christ is still the same Christ. They have not changed one iota, nor will they. Then, as you may recall, the Bible tells us that all who live godly lives are going to suffer persecution. (See 11 Timothy 3:12.)
What We Need
What do we need in the church? Is it more preaching? No, it is not more preaching. It is not more meetings. It is not necessarily reading—not studying but just reading—God’s Word, praying a little more, giving a little more tithes and offerings. The Jews did all of those things, but they did not do them from the right motives of the heart. When they began to do them from the right motives of the heart, God blessed them richly.
When our works come from the right motives, God does great things. We, however, are so satisfied with the little things. We pray for the Lord to give us a soul this year. Well, it is a good thought, but why does our faith stop with only one? If faith were working in our lives, we would be praying for the Lord to give us countless opportunities to witness. But we have lost that vitality, that true godliness.
Conversion Needed
We have such a wavering faith today. This is why, in Acts 3:19, we are told to repent. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted.” The church needs to be converted. How sad it is that, among Seventh-day Adventists who should know the message, who should be studying it and accepting it, there are some who do not know if they are converted.
It is the same thing as saying, “I do not know if I am in a saving relationship with Jesus.” Friend, why are you thinking this way? Jesus said, “I will wash you whiter than snow, though your sins be as scarlet.” (Isaiah 1:18.) “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9.) Ellen White, in her writings, says, “If they [men] confess their mistakes the Lord will forgive their sins, and pardon their transgressions. While they cannot say, We have never sinned, yet if they have the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the Lord will hold them more firmly than they can possibly hold the Lord.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 133. The world will not do that. They will mess you up time and time again. They will crucify you for the same thing for years to come. But Jesus will treat you as though you never sinned.
With that good news in mind, then, if we are to be like Jesus, we must treat others the same way Jesus treats us. We must be as forgiving and as loving as He is. The world teaches all kinds of love, but it has no real concept of true love. We see only a little glimpse as we look to the cross of Calvary where Jesus was nailed because of His love for you and for me. He says, “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19.) Friend, the church needs to be refreshed.
The Church
When I refer to the church, let me be very clear. The church is not a certain denomination. It is not the Seventh-day Adventists, the Baptists, the Catholics, or any other religion. The church is God’s people on earth—“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Ellen White wrote: “From the beginning, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” The Acts of the Apostles, 11. “All down through the history of the world, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth.” Our High Calling, 172. “The church on earth, composed of those who are faithful and loyal to God . . . .” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 931. “God has a distinct people, a church on earth, second to none, but superior to all in their facilities to teach the truth, to vindicate the law of God.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 58. No, God’s church is not contained in a building or single religious group. “God has a church. It is not the great cathedral, neither is it the national establishment, neither is it the various denominations; it is the people who love God and keep His commandments.” The Upward Look, 315. This is very clear!
I often hear it said, “The church is moving on.” To what church does this refer? The true church of God will be moving on. It will go on through. But this does not mean the true church is a certain denomination. There are many who believe the Seventh-day Adventist denomination is God’s true church. If it is God’s church, it will speak as does God. If it does not speak as God speaks, it is not His church—regardless of its name or where it is located. God does not speak with a forked tongue; He is “the same yesterday, today, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8.)
The church has lost its vitalness, its power. Mrs. White makes it very, very clear in Testimonies, vol. 5, 100: “If the church pursue a course similar to that of the world, they will share the same fate. Nay, rather, as they have received greater light, their punishment will be greater than that of the impenitent.” Some may say that we are doing the best we can; we have a lot of faults and failures, and there is a lot of sin, but we are going on through anyway. However, God says that we cannot enter heaven with one unconfessed sin, although many denominations teach that you can go to heaven with unconfessed sins.
Get Rid of the Disease
Mrs. White considered the Laodicean church and compared it to Adventism. Of the Laodiceans she wrote: “The only hope for the Laodiceans is a clear view of their standing before God, a knowledge of the nature of their disease.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 87. And she declared that Adventists have a disease: “Many Seventh-day Adventists fail to realize the responsibility which rests upon them to cooperate with God and Christ for the saving of souls. They do not show forth to the world the great interest God has in sinners. They do not make the most of the opportunities granted them. The leprosy of selfishness has taken hold of the Church. The Lord Jesus Christ will heal the Church of this terrible disease if she will be healed. The remedy is found in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah.” Review and Herald, December 10, 1901.
If you visit your doctor and, after examining you, he says, “You have a bad disease,” do you say, “Well, thank you, Doc. I will put the check in the mail”? No! You want to know what he means. What is the disease? Will it end in death? What treatments are available? You are not going to stay silent. You will want answers to your questions. All pride disappears. All manliness falls by the wayside. You ask innumerable questions—What is going to happen? What do I have? Can you treat it? Can you cut it out? Can you burn it out? Can you pull it out? How much time do I have to live?
We will go to great lengths to get rid of a disease. Why do we then, as Christians, not take such action spiritually? “God’s servants must, by laboring together with Christ, roll away the curse that has made the church so lukewarm.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 966. We must work with our Saviour to improve our vitalness. “A becoming zeal is called for by God on our part.” Ibid. God is calling for greater zeal, for excitement and involvement in the cause for right. We should be so excited that we will share the news of salvation with everyone we meet.
To be continued December 2005 . . .
Pastor Kenny Shelton is speaker for the television ministry of Behold the Lamb in Herrin, Illinois. He may be contacted by e-mail at: BTLM@GTE.net, or by telephone at: 1-800-238-2856.