Volume 17, Number 3

March 2002

The Proper Use

and Influence
of Words
The Seventh-day Sabbath

Christ Our Righteousness

The Non-Immortality of the Soul

The Immutable Law of God

The Three Angels Messages

The Sanctuary

editorial

Gods Ideal for His Children

W
hen Lucifer, the covering
cherub, revolted against
the law of Heaven, the
whole universe was in jeopardy.
God the Father, and His Son, Jesus
Christ, faced an enormous problem.
There was war in heaven, and
Christ and His angels won the first
phase of the great battle, which will
end in the second phase at the end
of the millennium, when the wicked
are destroyed.
When Adam and Eve sinned, the
enormity of their sin demanded the
eternal death of the sinner. However,
Jesus, our Creator, stepped in
between the sinner and the death
decree demanded by Gods righteous law. Here we see the matchless love of our holy God, even for a
race of rebels. In His great love He
was willing to risk everything to
save those who were willing to be
made willing to follow in His
footsteps. But first He must come to
the human family as one of them
born as every child is born. He came
to live in poverty, to work at a
carpentry shop with His father for
30 years, and then for three-and-ahalf years to minister to the great
needs of the human familyhealing
the sick, casting out demons, giving
sight to the blind, and restoring life
to those who had died.
In all things He was tempted as
every human being is tempted, but
He resisted every temptation by the
Word, saying, It is written.
Matthew 4:4. He never sinned. See
Hebrews 4:15. His perfect life is a
pattern which all who are seeking
salvation must follow. We can
overcome as He overcame.

To him that overcometh will I

grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame, and am set
down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 3:21. We can overcome.
Yes; fully, entirely. Jesus died to
make a way of escape for us, that we
might overcome every evil temper,
every sin, every temptation, and sit
down at last with Him. Testimonies,
vol. 1, 144.
Christs overcoming and
obedience is that of a true human
being. In our conclusions, we make
many mistakes because of our
erroneous views of the human
nature of our Lord. When we give to
His human nature a power that it is
not possible for man to have in his
conflicts with Satan, we destroy the
completeness of His humanity. His
imputed grace and power He gives
to all who receive Him by faith.
The obedience of Christ to His
Father was the same obedience that
is required of man. Man cannot
overcome Satans temptations
without divine power to combine
with his instrumentality. So with
Jesus Christ; He could lay hold of
divine power. He came not to our
world to give the obedience of a
lesser God to a greater, but as a man
to obey Gods Holy Law, and in this
way He is our Example. The Lord
Jesus came to our world, not to
reveal what a God could do, but
what a man could do, through faith
in Gods power to help in every
emergency. Man is, through faith, to
be a partaker in the divine nature,
and to overcome every temptation
wherewith he is beset. Our High
Calling, 48.

The enormity of sin demanded

eternal death, and all have sinned.
See Romans 3:23. Christ accepted
the penalty of the law, and by His
perfect obedience to it, He now offers
all who obey, by His grace, His
justification and His sanctification.
Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the
veil, that is to say, his flesh; and
having an high priest over the
house of God; let us draw near
with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience,
and our bodies washed with pure
water. Hebrews 10:1922.
We can overcome. Yes, fully!
Gods ideal for His children is
higher than the highest human
thought can reach. Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which
is in heaven is perfect. Matthew
5:48. This command is a promise.
The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from
the power of Satan. Christ always
separates the contrite soul from
sin. He came to destroy the works
of the devil, and He has made
provision that the Holy Spirit shall
be imparted to every repentant
soul, to keep him from sinning.
The Desire of Ages, 311.
Let us commit ourselves to follow
the example of Christ, seeking for
the filling of the Holy Spirit, and
allowing the plan of redemption to
be fulfilled in our lives today. !
Ron Spear, Executive Editor

Plan now to attend!

Hope International Camp Meeting 2002
Eatonville, WA July 16-21
Join us for a special time of fellowship, worship and spiritual enrichment!
For more information call Gwen Richter at (360) 832-6602.
2

Our Firm Foundation

table of contents
Volume 17, Number 3

It is the mission of Hope International

and the editors of Our Firm Foundation to
clearly present Christ and His truth. The
days that yet remain of this world are
few, and what we do we must do quickly.
We must boldly proclaim the historic
truths of Adventism that place us on so
firm a foundation in the midst of this
troubled world.
Editors

4
8
10
12
16
20
24
28

Executive Editor: Ron Spear

Administrative Editor: Bill Humeniuk
Managing Editor: Harvey Steck
Layout & Design: Kevin Patterson
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Copyright 2002 Hope International

Artwork and photos in this publication are the
property of their respective owners, and are used with
permission. Other items are Hope International.
Cover composition by Kevin H. Patterson;
Cover composition photos: PhotoDisc

Volume 17, Number 3

The Proper Use and Influence of Words

Bob Jorgensen
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your
mouth.

Holy in ConversationOr Jesting and Joking?

Bill Humeniuk
Are you ready to give an account to God for every
word that you speak?

Our First Love

Kurt Waldau
Are we as a church repeating the mistakes of the
church of Ephesus?

Tests of Christian Character

Ellen G. White
Our great need for experimental religion

Hovering Over the Churches

Colin Standish
Do we allow our ministers to focus upon soulwinningthe work for which they are set apart?

Gods Love and the Everlasting Gospel

Vernon Jennings
Gods love is central to the three angels messages.

SurrenderDrudgery or Delight?
Tom Waters
Can you say from your heart, I delight to do thy will,
O my God?

Should Christians Dance?

Ellen G. White
May we expect Gods blessing as we engage in such
entertainment?

departments
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March 2002

News Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Defending the Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
The Garden of the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3

The Proper Use and Influence of Words

Let no corrupt communication

proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of
edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29.

f those who will finally

compose the 144,000, who
will be translated without
seeing death, it is written that in
their mouth was found no guile: for
they are without fault before the
throne of God. Revelation 14:5. In
this characteristic they are following
in the steps of their Master, Jesus
Christ, Who, according to 1 Peter
2:22, had no guile in His mouth.
In both cases, the characteristic of
having no guile in the mouth
parallels the characteristic of being
without sin. It shows that Gods
people in the last days will have
gained a special experience in
things pertaining to the use of the
mouth. Uppermost among these is
their choice of words in conversation.
These last-day people of God are
noted in the prophecy of Zephaniah
3. Notice verse 9 where, according to
the margin, the Hebrew word
literally means people of pure lip.
In verse 13 they are described as not
doing iniquity, nor speaking lies;
neither shall a deceitful tongue be
found in their mouth.

The word guile in Revelation

14:5 is translated from a Greek word
which also means bait, according
to Youngs Analytical Concordance to
the Bible. The use of words in an
inappropriate way could be considered bait in the sense of not being
a correct representation of actual
fact, or it could also be bait in the
sense of an enticement leading
others to inappropriate words and
actions. Our use of the word bait
may fit either or both senses of this
word.
No doubt we all remember that
the apostle James tells us that
anyone who has complete control of
his tongue is a perfect person.

The Power of Speech

Have you ever thought of what it
would be like if you could not
speakif you were dumb? Think of
the frustration and the difficulty
which you would experience in
trying to communicate with others.
Many times we depend completely
on speech to get the attention of
others and to convey our thoughts to
them.
Notice the tremendous potential
contained in the power of speech:
The power of speech is a talent
that should be diligently cultivated.
Of all the gifts we have received
from God, none is capable of being a
greater blessing than this. With the

voice we convince and persuade,

with it we offer prayer and praise to
God, and with it we tell others of the
Redeemers love. How important,
then, that it be so trained as to be
most effective for good. Christs
Object Lessons, 335.
The gift of speech is a valuable
talent. Never despise or demerit this
gift. Thank God for entrusting it to
you. It is a precious gift; to be
sanctified, elevated, and ennobled.
As a sacred trust, the voice should
be used to honor God. It should
never utter harsh, impure words or
words of faultfinding. The gospel of
Christ is to be proclaimed by the voice.
With the talent of speech we are
to communicate the truth as we have
opportunity. It should ever be used
in Gods service; but this talent is
grievously abused. Words are
spoken which do great harm. Christ
declared, Every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give account
thereof in the day of judgment. For
by thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned. Matthew 12:3637.
The Voice in Speech and Song, 14.
Notice also the seriousness of
using the powerful influence of
speech in a wrong way: Men may
deny Christ by evil speaking, by
foolish talking, by words that are
untruthful or unkind. The Desire of
Ages, 357.

Our Firm Foundation

Composition by Kevin H. Patterson; Photos PhotoDisc

Bob Jorgensen

Unchristlike speech, lies at the

foundation of nine-tenths of all the
difficulties that exist in the church.
Satans agents are industriously
trying to get professed Christians to
speak unadvisedly. When they
succeed, Satan exults, because Gods
followers have hurt their influence.
The Voice in Speech and Song, 56.

Noah Websters 1828 dictionary as

the manner of speaking to another;
as, a man of pleasing address.
In this article we will make a
brief survey of some of the counsel
God has given for our use of words,
and then suggest some commonly
used words and phrases which may
need evaluation in our speech.

Part of Character Growth

Inspired Counsel

The work of cultivating Christian

character is one that includes all of
our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is
undoubtedly true, as some have
said, that thoughts are the seeds of
actions and words. Anything we say
was first planted as a seed in our
thoughts. It may have been just a
flitting, temporary thought or an
impulse momentarily cherished, but
the seed, planted and cultivated,
was sufficient to produce fruit. How
important then that we learn how to
direct our thoughts and steadfastly
pursue the work of refining and
purifying our words and language!
It is very interesting to note that
Inspiration oftens emphasizes the
importance of words as a part of our
influence and character development. Here are a few examples:
The cases of Moses and Aaron,
of David, and numerous others,
show that it is not a safe thing to sin
in word or thought or deed. Testimonies, vol. 4, 370. (All emphasis
supplied unless otherwise noted.)
Our words, our acts, our dress,
our deportment, even the expression
of the countenance, has an influence. Upon the impression thus
made there hang results for good or
evil which no man can measure.
Christs Object Lessons, 339340.
The Saviour of the world would
have His co-laborers represent Him;
and the more closely a man walks
with God, the more faultless will be
his manner of address, his deportment, his attitude, and his gestures.
Coarse and uncouth manners were
never seen in our Pattern, Christ
Jesus. He was a Representative of
Heaven, and His followers must be
like Him. Gospel Workers, 91.
Notice especially the phrase
manner of address. This usage of
the word address is defined in the

Our language should be modest

and elevated. Testimonies, vol. 4, 348.
All frivolity, all cheapness of
conversation, all jesting and joking,
weakens the soul, and weans the
heart from prayer. The Voice in
Speech and Song, 126.

Volume 17, Number 3

The workman for God should

make earnest efforts to become a
representative of Christ, discarding
all uncomely gestures and uncouth
speech. He should endeavor to use
correct language. There is a large
class who are careless in the way
they speak, yet by careful, painstaking attention these may become
representatives of the truth. Every
day they should make advancement.
They should not detract from their
usefulness and influence by cherishing defects of manner, tone, or
language. Common, cheap expressions should be replaced by sound,
pure words. By constant watchfulness and earnest discipline the

The Saviour of the world would have His co-laborers

represent Him; and the more closely a man walks with
God, the more faultless will be his manner of address,
his deportment, his attitude, and his gestures.
Gods Word condemns also the
use of those meaningless phrases
and expletives1 that border on
profanity. It condemns the deceptive
compliments, the evasions of truth,
the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, that are current in
society and in the business world.
Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay: and whatsoever is more than
these is of the evil one. Matthew
5:37, R.V.
As a mad man who casteth
firebrands, arrows, and death, so is
the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
Proverbs 26:1819.
Closely allied to gossip is the
covert insinuation, the sly innuendo,
by which the unclean in heart seek
to insinuate the evil they dare not
openly express. Every approach to
these practices the youth should be
taught to shun as they would shun
the leprosy. Education, 236.
According to Inspiration, the
disciples of Jesus were known for
their purity of speech. The following
counsel indicates the high calling to
which God is desiring to elevate His
people:

Christian youth may keep his

tongue from evil and his lips from
speaking guile.
We should be careful not to
give an incorrect pronunciation of
our words. There are men among us
who in theory know better than to
use incorrect language, yet who in
practice make frequent mistakes.
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and
Students, 238239.
The counsel which God has
given for ministers applies, no
doubt, to every individual who
professes to be a servant of Christ,
and who desires to do a faithful
work for Him:
He [the minister] should be
much in prayer, and should bring
himself under discipline to God,
that his life may reveal the fruits of
true self-control. His language
should be correct; no slang
phrases, no cheap utterances,
should fall from his lips. Gospel
Workers, 145.
The counsel which Inspiration
gives is that we should weed out
from our language all slang phrases
and common, cheap expressions,
including expletives that border on

profanity. Exaggerations are also to

be purged from our habits of speech.

Noah Webster
In studying the matter of slang
phrases, I discovered in the introduction to the 1828 Noah Webster
dictionary that Noah Webster
recognized that a national language is a bond of national union.
He wrote, Let us then seize the
present moment, and establish a
national language, as well as a
national government.
Webster keenly felt a burden that
a standard of language be established in America, seeing this as an
essential means of establishing a
bond of cohesiveness and national
identity. But he saw even morethat
an established standard of unified
language was essential to prevent
the demoralization of language
usage and meaning.
He felt that the demoralization
of the language would bring demoralization of the people. The
moral integrity of the national
conscience, the moral level of
peoples standards in communication and relationship, the American
identity by nations abroad, all made
it essential that high standards of a
unified language be clearly established.
Webster spent years in intensive
research, traveling thousands of
miles to trace down the roots and
usages of words, painstakingly
compiling his findings in handwritten notes. The results of his research
not only led to the production of his
well-known dictionaries, but also to
a translation of the Scriptures, as
well as numerous texts for spelling,
grammar, reading, history, geography, civics, and literature.
The orientation of the material he
prepared for educational purposes
reflected a Christian philosophy of
life, government, and education. As
a Christian scholar he laid his
foundation of etymology upon the
Scriptures, and his research into the
origin of language stems from this
premise. In harmony with this
outlook he often used Scripture as
the example of word usage in his
dictionary.

In his compelling ambition to

trace the origins and usages of
words, Webster learned 20 different
languages. He was convinced that if
the uprightness and correctness of
word usage and meaning were not
conscientiously protected and
maintained, national decline would
inevitably take place. This conviction led him through almost unbelievable efforts and accomplishments. More than that of any other
person, Websters work contributed
to a unified (and dignified) American language.
Noah Webster recognized that
each age is subject to the demoralization of its language by the
literary or modish segment of
society. Thus he put, as a check and
balance upon each other, universal
undisputed practice and the common law of language, or established
principles of analogy. Change for
the sake of change, or the use of
vulgarity, cant,2 or slang for its own
sake, was to Webster like the
principle of motion in physicsif
not controlled it became the principle of destruction. Thus expressions peculiar to, and generally
understood only by, members of a
particular sect, class, or occupation;
as (a) the secret jargon of thieves,
tramps, etc., (b) the special idiom of
a profession or trade, or, (c) a mode
of talking used merely out of convention; esp., the insincere use of
pious phraseology found no place
in Noah Websters dictionaries.
American Dictionary of the English
Language, Introduction, 10.

Slang
Slang is probably one of the more
elusive areas of language to evaluate
because the meaning of a word can
change over a period of time. An
expression that was once considered
slang may become generally accepted as a part of informal or even
formal speech. We can be aided by
looking at the origin of such words,
whether there are better words that
should be used anyway, by the way
they are most commonly used, and,
most of all, by earnest prayer for the
Lords guidance in what speech is
most representative of Him. Think of

how it would sound to hear Jesus

talking to His angels, or to His
disciples, and using the words that
are in question.
While we do not appeal to our
readers to make the dictionary their
moral rule of speech, it becomes all
of us to seek to avoid expressions
that are generally recognized as
inelegant, incorrect, vulgar, or
otherwise nonstandard.
Let us give consideration to some
examples of words and phrases that
would fit the descriptions given for
slang, or would otherwise be
unacceptable.
We realize that one can look at
various dictionaries and see that in
some cases a word that is labeled
slang in one era, or by one
language panel, may not be viewed
the same at a later time or by other
equally educated linguists. Even
among our readers, we know that
opinions will vary as to whether a
given word or expression is slang;
however, we encourage our readers
to think carefully about the usage of
such words as:
Cool, in the place of Good, Fine,
Wonderful, Ingenious
Guys, in the place of Fellows,
Men, Boys, Friends
Gals, in the place of Girls
Bucks, in the place of Dollars
Cop, in the place of Policeman,
State Trooper, and so forth.
Kid, in the place of Boy, Girl,
Child, or Youth
Kidding, in the place of Teasing
or Telling something not true. We
should also consider the propriety of
teasing, jesting, and joking: But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or
covetousness, let it not be once
named among you, as becometh
saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting, which are not
convenient: but rather giving of
thanks. Ephesians 5:34; see also
Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 26:1819.

Profanity
There is a class of slang that is a
form of profanity also. Many of these
words are used as exclamations. The
following are some examples of such
words that have no relevance to the
topic of conversation. They are

Our Firm Foundation

derivatives of sacred words used

totally out of place. Some of these are
forms of using Gods name in vain:
Gee, Gosh, Golly
Doggone
Heck
Damn, Damned, Darn, Darned
There are other phrases that are
often used in common language that
really need to be evaluated as well.
Consider the following:
Oh Dear!; Dear Me!Who is
dear in these phrases?
Oh, my!; Oh, my goodness!
The first is short for Oh, my God!
which is an obvious inappropriate
use of Gods name. We should
never make use of Gods name to
express our surprise at something.
Oh, my goodness! is a substitute
for Oh, my God! Furthermore, is
our goodness something to call
attention to when exclaiming our
surprise? A proper usage of reference to My God is in a very
serious and reverent way as in
Psalm 22:2; 25:2; 71:4; Daniel 9:18.

The Right Word in the Wrong

Context
Some words or phrases have
been adapted into slang usage that
often describes an otherwise normal
life experience expressed in street
language with sexual innuendos or
connotations. Though some may
innocently use these slang words
without being aware of the misappropriation of the meaning, it is
nonetheless true. These are terms
that should be avoided except in
their proper and obvious context of
meaning.
Though we will not give examples of improper and proper
usage of these terms, a few of these
expressions are: Screwed; Shafted; and
Riding me.

Exaggerations
Some phrases are exaggerations
and should be replaced with words
of correct meaning. Gross exaggerations have a tendency to develop the
habit of overemphasis for the sake of
causing an impression. Often such
exaggerations are an expression of
some complaint, which makes them

Volume 17, Number 3

doubly objectionable, for we are to

be training our minds to thankfulnessnot to habits of complaining.
Here are several examples:
That just blows my mind.
Im about starved to death.
I really got burned on that deal.
Im frozen to death!
He was scared to death!
While these expressions are
commonly used in our society, the
meanings of which we all understand, yet dont you think that as
Christians we ought to strive for
higher and better speech?

and asking for prayer for themselves

and for others whom they know.
Now into each of these situations
that you have pictured put sentences
using the words we have discussed
here, also considering how they
contrast with more appropriate
words. You may try this with other
words which may be in question
also. I think it will not be hard to see
which usages belong best with the
last scene pictured.
It is my hope that these thoughts
will suggest some areas in which we
may each give prayerful consider-

There is a class of slang that is a form of profanity also. . . .

Some of these are forms of using Gods name in vain.

Conclusion
Picture for a few moments several
groups of people: First, imagine a
group of criminals in a prison. They
are planning a breakout, which will
necessitate killing some guards.
What do you think their conversation would be like?
Next, picture a street gang in the
inner city that is making an excursion into some enemy territory.
They are advancing with chains,
pipes, knives, and other weapons.
Imagine the discussion they might
be having with each other.
Now picture a group of young
people in their teens. They are
wearing torn and flapping clothing.
Their pants are large and baggy.
Some of them have rings in their
lips, their ears, and elsewhere. What
words might you hear as they talk to
each other about their experiences of
the past few days?
Last, picture a group of earnest
Bible students who are meeting
together. They love their Redeemer
very much and want to please Him
in everything. They believe that He
is coming soon, and they are
striving by Gods grace to reflect the
character of Christ perfectly. They
are sharing some of their struggles

ation as to our choice of words, and

that we will choose those words that
minister grace to the hearers.
Would it not be a marvelous thing
in this world if there were a whole
generation of Seventh-day Adventists known all over the world for
their purity of language? Will God
ever be able to have a people like
that? It lies with you and me to
strive for that goal by faith in His
enabling strength. !
References:
1

An exclamation or oath, esp. one that is

profane, vulgar, or obscene. The American
Heritage College Dictionary, 483.
In this statement, reference is made to cant
and slang phrases or language. One of the
definitions of cant is: The language or
jargon spoken by gypsies, thieves, professional beggars, and the like, and containing many words different from ordinary
English; a kind of slang or argot.
The definition of argot is An esoteric
jargon or speech used by a group of
thieves or other disreputable characters to
conceal the true import of what is said;
hence, any slang.
The primary definition given for slang
is: Colloquial words or phrases having
hardly the stamp of general approval, and
often regarded as inelegant, incorrect, or even
vulgar. Slang may consist either of unmeaning jargon to which restricted specific meanings have been given, or of expressions apparently legitimate, but used in an arbitrary,
capricious, or grotesquely metaphorical
sense. These definitions are from Websters
Unabridged 20th Century Dictionary.

Holy in Conversation
Or Jesting and Joking?

t is no time now for lightness,

vanity, or trifling. The scenes of
this earths history are soon to
close. . . . The apostle Peter says,
Gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the
grace that is to be brought unto you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ . . .
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye
holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13, 15
16. Gospel Workers, 131. (All emphasis supplied unless otherwise
noted.)
When a minister bearing the
solemn message of warning to the
world . . . is careless in his example
and deportment, engaging with the
young in trifling conversation, in
jesting and joking, and in relating
humorous anecdotes to create
laughter, he is unworthy of being a
gospel minister, and needs to be
converted. Ibid., 131132.
A spirit of frivolity may be in
keeping with the profession of
clowns and theatrical performers,
but it is altogether beneath the
dignity of a man who is chosen to
stand between the living and the
dead, and to be a mouthpiece for
God. Ibid., 132.

As I read these statements the

strongest conviction came to my
heart and to my soul: Where do I
stand in this solemn hour of earths
history? Am I holy in all manner of
conversation, being sober in this
final hour, as each moment passes
by into eternity? Am I prepared for
translation as I walk with God?
One day, I made a joking remark
to a staff member. It was in no way
an off-colored joke or mannerism.
Oh, nojust a smart remark! While I
said it, another staff member, who
was standing close by, cast a
puzzled look at me. Just then an
arrow from the Holy Spirit cut into
my heart!
It is time that Gods people rise
above the earthly and carnal state.
Considering that angels of God are
leading us and guarding us until we
reach that heavenly home, where
does our conversation center?
Do we, by our lives and holy
conversation, show to those around
us that we are looking for the
glorious appearing of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ? or is it that
there is too much seeking after
amusements and things to take the
attention in this world. . . . The

tongue is engaged too often in light

and trifling conversation, which
gives the lie to our profession, for
our conversation is not in heaven,
whence we look for the Saviour.
Early Writings, 111.
On one occasion I attended a
meeting conducted by a selfsupporting ministry. It was a
solemn assembly; yet outside I
overheard a light and trifling
conversation which persisted,
much to my displeasure. Truly
Gods people are not ready!
We sit in judgment on our
beloved churchas apostasy grows
and multiplies. Yet right in our own
self-supporting ministries and in our
own lives, we need to search our
hearts and cry out: Lord, examine
my heart, please help me to see if
there be any wickedness within me.
See Psalm 139:2324.
Angels are watching over and
guarding us; we often grieve these
angels by indulging in trifling
conversation, jesting, and joking,
and also by sinking down into a
careless, stupid state. Ibid.
Every idle word that men shall
speak, they shall give account
thereof in the day of judgment.

Our Firm Foundation

Photo: PhotoDisc

Bill Humeniuk

Matthew 12:36. What solemn words,

solemn thoughts, for this solemn
hour!
For the hour of his judgment is
come. Revelation 14:7. For we
must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10. Yes, time is
winding down, my people. The hour
is late. Are we contemplating the
treasures of the redeemedthe Holy
City, our eternal home, and the joys
of heavenor is the earth and the
things thereof, including earthly,
carnal conversation, still dominating
our thoughts? See ibid., 112114.
Ministers of the gospel, where do
you stand? The minister is using
strange fire when he mixes
storytelling with his discourses. . . .
God is offended when His representatives descend to the use of cheap,
trifling words. The cause of truth is
dishonored. Evangelism, 210.
Strong words! Yes, the Holy
Spirit is speaking through His
servant. Are we listening? Yesare
we really?
Amusement is not to be interwoven with instruction in the
Scriptures. . . . The messages of truth
are to be kept entirely free from
cheap, common words of human
devising. . . . Ministers are to be the
mouthpiece of God, and they must
eradicate from their speech every
expression that is cheap or common.
Let them be careful lest by attempting during their discourse to cause
laughter, they dishonor God. Ibid,
211.
In my travels, visiting different
churches, my heart is saddened
when I hear much storytelling
created to draw laughter from the
congregation. God is dishonored. At
the General Conference Session, in
my beloved city of Toronto, Canada,
where I was born and raised, they
were employing clowns to promote
the gospel. What hypocrisy to the
gospel of Christ: for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth. Romans 1:16.
No light, trifling words will fall
from his lips. . . . All jesting and

Volume 17, Number 3

joking, all lightness and trifling, is

painful to the cross-bearing disciple
of Christ. Ibid., 206207.
Ellen White addressed these
words to ministers of the gospel, yet
it applies to all who live the gospelto you and, of course, to me.
Further, she adds the trifling
anecdotes, the words spoken to
create a laugh, are all condemned by
the Word of God and are entirely
out of place in the sacred desk.
Ibid., 643.
No wonder Peter wrote, Seeing
then that all these things shall be
dissolved, [speaking of destruction
by fire], what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. 2 Peter 3:11.
We are forbidden by God to engage
in trifling, foolish conversation, in

frivolity, in jesting and joking . . .

is a hindrance to spiritual growth
and a cause of grief to the angels
of God. Ibid., vol. 6, 173. If we
cause the angels grief, how can we
soon join their company and
fellowship?
Let not your tongue run at
random in jesting and joking. These
are signs that your heart needs to be
cleansed from its defilement. Sons
and Daughters of God, 180.
Into the city of God there will
enter nothing that defiles. All who
are to be dwellers there will here
have become pure in heart. In one
who is learning of Jesus, there will
be manifest a growing distaste for
careless manners, unseemly language, and coarse thought. When
Christ abides in the heart, there will

Let not your tongue run at random in jesting and

joking. These are signs that your heart needs to be
cleansed from its defilement.

jesting, joking, or speaking any idle

words. We must give an account of
what we say, to God. . . . Remember
that you are of value with God.
Allow no cheap, foolish talk or
wrong principles to compose your
Christian experience. Fundamentals
of Christian Education, 458.
Oh, what a God! We are of great
value to Himso much so that He
lovingly sends us a warning to be
holy not only in our conversation,
but also in our entire being. We are
preparing for translation and
eternitywhere only praise and
worship will proceed out of our
hearts and mouths.
God also speaks to the youth to
encourage sobriety: Lightness,
jesting, and joking will result in
barrenness of soul and the loss of
the favor of God. Testimonies, vol.
2, 236. God is calling everyone,
especially those who are members
of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church, to a higher calling, to a
holier lifestyle and to a holy
conversation. Why?Because

be purity and refinement of thought

and manner. Maranatha, 88.
As I review the Word of God,
and what the Holy Spirit reveals
through the Spirit of Prophecy, I am
thoroughly convicted that it is time
for Gods people everywhere to
stand up, lay aside self, and put on
Christ.
While in the Czech Republic
several weeks ago, I noticed a dear
sister of the faith, who dearly loves
the Lord, and who constantly spoke
soberly and thoughtfully, honoring
God in all her conversation. She was
such an inspiration to me, an
American! It humbled and inspired
me to resolve that in my walk with
God, my conversation will in the
future be centered only in Christ, on
the Holy City, in encouraging others,
and in uplifting Jesus before all
those around me.
We are on the very borders of
eternity! Will you join me in being
diligent, sober, and serious in all
manner of conversation as we hope in
the Lord? !

Our First Love

Reflecting Gods Love

On the other side of the coin,
God wants all of His children to
love Him in return. How can we
reflect Gods generous love back to
Him?At the top of the list, in
number one position, is: By obeying
what He commands us in His Ten
Commandments. These Commandments are not ten suggestions. God
expects all of His offspring to obey
them in every detailtotally and
completely.
God is a jealous God. He wants
all of our affections and loyalty. He
is not satisfied with second place.

10

He must be our first love in all areas of

our lives, or He is not our God at all.
In this day many of us are not
obeying God in all points of the Ten
Commandments. We who say we
love God must ask ourselves, Is
God our first love, or are we allowing our selfishness to put someone
or something else in the place of
God? We must ask ourselves this
question often. Do we take this
question seriously? What is our
answer?

The Sabbath
For example, how do we keep the
Sabbath? As we gather for worship
services or Sabbath School, are our
minds completely and totally on
God and Jesus Christ and the
worship that we owe God on His
day? Or are our minds more on
worldly matters and cares? Do we
attend Sabbath services to worship
God, or are we attending them in
order to see friends and talk about
the events of the past weekabout
work, or about problems we might
have had? Do we view this holy day
as sacred time, or as a time for social
gathering? Does our conversation
run in almost any channel except
what God would have us talk
about? I submit that this is the
experience of far too many of us
each week. Is God our first love on
His dayand every other day?

What about our dress on Gods

holy day? Do we come into Gods
presence with suitable clothing, or
do we dress like the world?We see
short, slit skirts on some of our
women, and common, everyday
clothing on some of our men. Is God,
our great Creator, concerned about
how we come before Him on His
day?Oh, yes indeed! Some of us
would show by our dress more
respect if the President of the United
States were to come to our services
than we do for the presence of God
at our meetings.
When we became baptized our
zeal for God and His love was
uppermost in our minds. However,
after a time, our love for God and for
one another began to dim. Coldness
crept into our hearts and minds, and
our first love became the second or
third love in the lives of many of us.

Thou Hast Left Thy First

Love
Our prophetess, Ellen G. White,
in the Testimonies for the Church,
volume 6, pages 421423, tells us,
The True Witness addresses the
church of Ephesus, saying: I have
somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candle-

Our Firm Foundation

Illustration: Bob Bresnahan

od is love, is a saying that

most people have heard of,
and many believe. Is there
more to this saying than meets the
eye? Gods Holy Word, the Bible,
tells all people that Gods love is
demonstrated by what He does.
For example, God is love because
He is willing to forgive our wretched
and terrible sins. Satan wants to
destroy us and keep us from eternal
life, but God has shown His love to
us by sending His only begotten
Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross
to rescue us from the snares of
Satan.
We see Gods love in so many
varied ways that our minds cannot
understand or retain them all in the
short span of life on this earth.

Kurt Waldau

stick out of his place, except thou

repent. Revelation 2:45.
At the first the experience of the
church of Ephesus was marked with
childlike simplicity and fervor. . . .
The believers rejoiced in the love of
God because Christ was in their
hearts. . . . The praise of God was on
their lips.
Was not this our experience
when we were baptized? Now we
must ask ourselves, Has our zeal for
God and His way in our individual
lives started to fade? Are we becoming too much like the world in our
music and in our preaching? Are we
as a church repeating the mistakes
of the Ephesian church in our
generation? Do we seek church
membership for the social events, or
are we members worshiping and
glorifying God in our livesall day
and every day?
In the lives of many of us, the
warmth and zeal of our first love is
becoming frozen up, replaced with
self and selfishnessthe foundation
of all sin. If we have a high esteem
of self, rather than the humility of
Jesus Christ, our first love will fade.
We lose a proper regard for Gods
Commandments, and instead of the
Sabbath being Gods day, it becomes
our day.
Many of us have forgotten the
wonderful manner in which we
received the truth. Our love for
God and for one another has been
on the decline in our church, and, as
a result, the love of self has sprung
up. We have followed too many of

the ways of the worlds churches.

Are we more interested in winning a
larger number of members than we
are in nurturing our present membership?
Jesus rebuke to the Pharisees is
applicable to those who have lost
their first love. A cold, legal religion
can never lead others to Christ and
eternal life because it is a loveless,
Christless religion.

Temptation comes suddenly, and

the light is quenched. Henceforth
light is to them darkness, and
darkness light. God calls for
repentance without delay. So long
have many trifled with salvation
that their spiritual eyesight is
dimmed, and they cannot discern
between light and darkness. Christ
is humiliated in His people. The
first love is gone; the faith is weak,

In the lives of many of us, the warmth and zeal of our

first love is becoming frozen up, replaced with self and
selfishness.

Has the light that gladdened

our hearts when we first understood the message for this time left
us? Has this zeal and fervor been
lost out of our hearts and lives? If
this is our position individually
and as a church, we are in a
perilous situation.
We are told, Leaving the first
love represents a spiritual fall.
Many have fallen thus. In every
church in our land, there is needed
confession, repentance, and
reconversion. The disappointment
of Christ is beyond description.
Unless those who have fallen
repent speedily, the deceptions of
the last days will overtake them.
Some, though they do not realize it,
are preparing to be overtaken.

there is need of a thorough transformation. Manuscript Releases, vol.

18, 192.
We must not trifle with our
salvation. Is our spiritual eyesight so
dimmed that we cannot discern
between light and darkness? Have
we as a church, the remnant church,
forgotten God? Do we extend to Him
only lip service?
God in His great mercy calls for
repentance and a return to our first
love. God tells us that unless we
repent, He will come and remove
our candlestick out of its place. See
Revelation 2:5. We are warned in
Revelation 3:1516 that if we are
lukewarm, we will be spewed out of
the mouth of God. We have been
warned. Watchmen, let us wake up! !

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Volume 17, Number 3

11

Tests of Christian
Character

e that saith he abideth in

him, ought himself also so
to walk, even as he
walked. 1 John 2:6. If any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his. Romans 8:9. Conformity to Jesus will not be unobserved
by the world. It is a subject of notice
and comment. Yet the Christian may
not be conscious of the great change;
for the more closely he resembles
Christ in character, the more humble
will be his opinion of himself. Those
who have the deepest experience in
the things of God, are the farthest
removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the humblest
thoughts of self, and the most
exalted conceptions of the glory and
excellence of Christ. They feel that
the lowest place in His service is too
honorable for them.
Moses did not know that his face
shone with a brightness painful and
terrifying to those who had not, like
himself, communed with God. Paul

12

had a very humble opinion of his

own advancement in the Christian
life. He says, Not as though I had
already attained, either were already
perfect. Philippians 3:12. He speaks
of himself as the chief of sinners.
See 1 Timothy 1:15. Yet Paul had
been highly honored of the Lord. He
had been taken in holy vision to the
third heaven, and had there received
revelations of divine glory which he
could not be permitted to make
known.
John the Baptist was pronounced by our Saviour the
greatest of prophets. Yet what a
contrast between the language of
this man of God and that of many
who profess to be ministers of the
cross. When asked if he was the
Christ, John declares himself
unworthy even to unloose his
Masters sandals. When his
disciples came with the complaint
that the attention of the people was
turned to the new Teacher, John

reminded them that he himself had

claimed to be only the forerunner
of the Promised One. To Christ, as
the Bridegroom, belongs the first
place in the affections of His
people: The friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth
him, rejoiceth greatly because of the
bridegrooms voice: this my joy
therefore is fulfilled. He must increase,
but I must decrease. He that cometh
from above is above all. John 3:29
31. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is
true. Verse 33.
It is such workers that are
needed in the cause of God today.
The self-sufficient, the envious and
jealous, the critical and faultfinding,
can well be spared from His sacred
work. God is not straitened for men
or means. He calls for workers who
are true and faithful, pure and holy;
for those who have felt their need of
the atoning blood of Christ and the
sanctifying grace of His Spirit.

Our Firm Foundation

Photo: PhotoDisc

Ellen G. White

When we see those who profess

the faith firm in principle, fearless in
duty, zealous in the cause of God,
yet humble and lowly, gentle and
tender, patient toward all, ready to
forgive, manifesting love for souls for
whom Christ died, we do not need
to inquire, Are they Christians? They
give unmistakable evidence that they
have been with Jesus and learned of
Him. When men reveal the opposite
traits, when they are proud, vain,
frivolous, worldly-minded, avaricious, unkind, censorious, we need
not be told with whom they are
associating, who is their most
intimate friend. They may not
believe in witchcraft, but notwithstanding this, they are holding
communion with an evil spirit.
To this class I would say, Glory
not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish. For where envying and
strife is, there is confusion and every
evil work. But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality, and
without hypocrisy. And the fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace of
them that make peace. James 3:1418.
When the Pharisees and
Sadducees flocked to the baptism of
John, that fearless preacher of
righteousness addressed them, O
generation of vipers, who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Bring forth therefore fruits
meet for repentance. Matthew 3:7
8. These men were actuated by
unworthy motives in coming to
John. They were men of poisonous
principles and corrupt practices. Yet
they had no sense of their true
condition. Filled with pride and
ambition, they would not hesitate at
any means to exalt themselves and
strengthen their influence with the
people. They came to receive baptism at the hand of John that they
might better carry out these designs.
John read their motives, and met
them with the searching inquiry,
Who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? Had they heard
the voice of God speaking to their

Volume 17, Number 3

hearts, they would have given

evidence of the fact, by bringing
forth fruits meet for repentance. No
such fruit was seen. They had heard
the warning as merely the voice of
man. They were charmed with the
power and boldness with which
John spoke; but the Spirit of God did
not send conviction to their hearts,
and as the sure result bring forth
fruit unto eternal life. They gave no
evidence of a change of heart.
Without the transforming power of
the Holy Spirit, John would have
them understand that no outward
ceremony could benefit them.
None are farther from the
kingdom of Heaven than selfrighteous formalists, filled with
pride at their own attainments,
while they are wholly destitute of
the Spirit of Christ; while envy,

not forth good fruit is hewn down, and

cast into the fire. Verse 10.
Those who laud and flatter the
minister, while they neglect the
works of righteousness, give unmistakable evidence that they are
converted to the minister and not to
God. We inquire, Who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? Was it the voice of the Holy
Spirit or merely the voice of man
which you heard in the message
sent from God? The fruit borne will
testify to the character of the tree.
No outward forms can make us
clean; no ordinance, administered by
the saintliest of men, can take the
place of the baptism of the Holy
Ghost. The Spirit of God must do its
work upon the heart. All who have
not experienced its regenerating
power are chaff among the wheat.

Those who laud and flatter the minister, while

they neglect the works of righteousness, give
unmistakable evidence that they are converted to
the minister and not to God.
jealousy, or love of praise and
popularity controls them. They
belong to the same class that John
addressed as a generation of vipers,
children of the wicked one. They
serve the cause of Satan more
effectively than the vilest profligate;
for the latter does not disguise his true
character; he appears what he is.
God requires fruits meet for
repentance. Without such fruit, our
profession of faith is of no value.
The Lord is able to raise up true
believers among those who have
never heard His name. Think not to
say within yourselves, We have
Abraham to our father: for I say unto
you, that God is able of these stones
to raise up children unto Abraham.
Verse 9.
God is not dependent upon men
who are unconverted in heart and
life. He will never favor any man
who practices iniquity. And now
also the axe is laid unto the root of the
trees: therefore every tree which bringeth

Our Lord has His fan in His hand,

and He will thoroughly purge His
floor. In the coming day, He will
discern between him that serveth
God, and him that serveth him not.
Malachi 3:18.
The Spirit of Christ will be
revealed in all who are born of God.
Strife and contention cannot arise
among those who are controlled by
His Spirit. Be ye clean, that bear the
vessels of the LORD. Isaiah 52:11.
The church will rarely take a higher
stand than is taken by her ministers.
There is need of a converted ministry and a converted people. Shepherds who watch for souls as they
that must give account will lead the
flock on in paths of peace and
holiness. Their success in this work
will be in proportion to their own
growth in grace and knowledge of
the truth. When the teachers are
sanctified, soul, body, and spirit, they
can impress upon the people the
importance of such sanctification.

13

The Lord has not closed Heaven

against His people, but their own
course of continual backsliding has
separated them from Him. Pride,
and love of the world live in the
heart. Few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual
power. The general opinion is that
the church is flourishing, and that
peace and prosperity are in all her
borders.
The warnings of Gods Word,
and the influence of His Spirit, have
alike been neglected. The result is
apparent in the deplorable condition
of the church. Impurity is today
widespread, even among those who
profess to be followers of Christ.
Passion is unrestrained; the animal
propensities are gaining strength by
indulgence, while the moral powers
are constantly becoming weaker.

of the depravity of the unregenerate

nature. The heart of stone is not
exchanged for a heart of flesh. Few
are willing to fall upon the Rock,
and be broken.
No matter who you are, or what
your life has been, you can be saved
only in Gods appointed way. You
must repent; you must fall helpless
on the Rock, Christ Jesus. You must
feel your need of a physician, and of
the one only remedy for sin, the
blood of Christ. This remedy can be
secured only by repentance toward
God, and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. Here the work is yet to
be begun by many who profess to be
Christians. Like the Pharisees of old,
they feel no need of a Saviour. They
are self-sufficient, self-exalted. Said
Christ, I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repen-

Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. What

we need is experimental religion. . . . Instead of relying
upon the word of another, taste for yourself.

Many are eagerly participating in

worldly, demoralizing amusements
which Gods Word forbids. Thus
they sever their connection with
God, and rank themselves with the
pleasure lovers of the world. The
sins that destroyed the
antediluvians and the cities of the
plain exist todaynot merely in
heathen lands, or with the avowed
unbeliever, but among professors of
Christianity. Base passions defile the
mind and corrupt the soul. Some
who are in the vilest iniquity have
borrowed the livery of Heaven, that
they may serve Satan more effectively. If God should present these
sins before us as they appear in His
sight, we would be filled with
shame and terror.
And what has caused this
alarming condition? Many have
accepted the theory of religious
truth, who have not been converted
to its principles. There are few
indeed who feel true sorrow for sin;
who have deep, pungent convictions

14

tance. Luke 5:32. The blood of

Christ will avail for none but those
who feel their need of its cleansing
power.
What surpassing love and
condescension, that when we had
no claim upon divine mercy, Christ
was willing to undertake our
redemption! But our great Physician
requires of every soul unquestioning
submission. We are never to prescribe for our own case. Christ must
have the entire control of will and
action, or He will not undertake in
our behalf.
Many are not sensible of their
condition and their danger; and
there is much in the nature and
manner of Christs work averse to
every worldly principle, and opposed to the pride of the human
heart. Jesus requires us to trust
ourselves wholly to His hands, and
confide in His love and wisdom.
We may flatter ourselves, as did
Nicodemus, that our moral character
has been correct, and we need not

humble ourselves before God, like

the common sinner. But we must be
content to enter into life in the very
same way as the chief of sinners. We
must renounce our own righteousness, and plead for the righteousness of Christ to be imputed to us.
We must depend wholly upon
Christ for our strength. Self must die.
We must acknowledge that all we
have is from the exceeding riches of
divine grace. Let this be the language of our hearts, Not unto us, O
LORD, not unto us, but unto thy
name give glory, for thy mercy, and
for thy truths sake. Psalm 115:1.
Genuine faith is followed by love,
and love by obedience. All the
powers and passions of the converted man are brought under the
control of Christ. His Spirit is a
renewing Power, transforming to the
divine image all who will receive it.
God spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him to death for our
offenses, and raised Him again for
our justification. Through Christ we
may present our petitions at the
throne of grace. Through Him,
unworthy as we are, we may obtain
all spiritual blessings. Do we come
to Him, that we may have life?
Experience is knowledge derived
from experiment. What we need is
experimental religion. How shall we
know for ourselves Gods goodness
and His love? The psalmist tells
usnot, hear and know, read and
know, or believe and know; but
Taste and see that the LORD is
good. Psalm 34:8. Instead of relying
upon the word of another, taste for
yourself.
Many believe in the wrath of
God, but put forth no earnest efforts
to escape it. They believe in Heaven,
but make no sacrifice to obtain it.
They believe in the value of the soul,
and that ere long its redemption
ceaseth forever; yet they neglect
precious opportunities to make their
peace with God. They read the Bible,
but its threatenings do not alarm or
its promises win them. They approve things that are excellent, yet
they follow the way in which God
has forbidden them to go. They
know a refuge, but do not avail
Continued on page 30

Our Firm Foundation

news
watch
JOHN PEARSON
They Shall Not Cleave. . . .
News Item: WashingtonTo
see the banknotes of Europes new
common currency is to see Europes
future. They are not pretty. . . .
Tuesdays introduction of the
euro marks a milestone on the
march to turn Europe from a
geographical into a political denotation. Enthusiasts say the march
leads to a sunny upland of a
perpetual peace produced by the
subordination of politics to economics. And they say it will put an end
to attempts to forge continental unity
by beating plowshares into swords
for Roman legions, Napoleonic
marshals or the German armies. . . .
The common currency serves
the political objective of changing
Europes civic discourse by supplanting political reasoning with
economic calculation. The euro is an
instrument for producing a European superstate, which requires
erasing from the nations populations their national identities, which
means their distinctive memories. . . .
Under the euro, nations cede
fundamental attributes of sovereigntycontrol of monetary (and
hence, effectively, fiscal) policy to the
European Central Bank in Frankfurt.
This advances the integration of
Europes nations into a continental
federation, under which nations will
be as sovereign as Louisiana and
Idaho are.
In addition to a currency, the
EU [European Union] has a parliament, a supreme court, a passport,
and is working toward a military
and a criminal justice system. It has
a flag no one salutes and an anthem
no one knows. Tacoma News
Tribune, December 30, 2001, George
Will, Syndicated Columnist.
End-Times Perspective: For
centuries man has tried to unite the
countries of Europe, which represent
most of the kingdoms that the
Roman Empire was divided into, but

the prophecy of God in Daniel 2:43

that they shall not cleave one to
another stands firm. As God
continued to reveal in Revelation
more details about the future, He
showed that at the very end of time,
when the beast receives authority
(Revelation 17:12), these ten kings
from the Roman Empire will also
receive authority (political power)
with him. Verse 13 tells us that these
kings (nations) have the same mind,
and that they will give not only their
authority, but also their power
(finances, military, population
numbers) to the beast.
We are witnessing the beginning
of this process of them becoming one
mind. Satan is succeeding with
money and riches where man could
not in the past through arms,
marriage, and treaties. In verse 14
our Lord tells us what the true
purpose of this unity is: These
shall make war with the Lamb,
who is represented by His followers.
As for who the victor will be, we are
not left to conjecture or doubt: and
the Lamb shall overcome them: for
he is Lord of lords, and King of
kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Natural Disasters
News Item: FrankfurtNatural
disasters caused at least 25,000
deaths worldwide in 2001, more
than double the previous year, the
worlds largest reinsurer said on
Friday.
Putting total economic losses at
$36 billion, Munich Re said catastrophes related to extreme weather
were a result of continued global
climate change.
It said the 2001 figureswith
14,000 people killed in an earthquake in India in January alone
compared with 10,000 deaths the
previous year and losses of around
$30 billion. . . .

Have a news item of interest?

contact [email protected]
To mail or fax us a copy, see page 3
Volume 17, Number 3

Munich Rewhich faces $1.85

billion in claims resulting from the
September 11 attacks on the World
Trade Center in New Yorksaid
losses from extreme natural disasters
would be even bigger than those
arising from the attacks on the
United States. Reuters, December
28, 2001.
End-Times Perspective: As God
withdraws His Spirit from this
world, we can expect wilder vagaries both in the weather and in mans
conduct.

Burning Books
News Item: Alamogordo, N.M.
As hundreds protested nearby, a
church group burned Harry Potter
[books] and other books.
Jack Brock, the Christ Community Church founder and pastor,
said the books burned Sunday were
a masterpiece of satanic deception.
These books teach children
how they can get into witchcraft and
become a witch, wizard or warlock,
Brock said. Members sang Amazing
Grace as they threw Potter books,
plus some other books and magazines, into the fire.
Across the street, protesters
chanting Stop burning books
stretched in a line a quarter of a mile
long. . . .
A letter to the Alamogordo
Daily News inviting the community
to attend the fire sparked debate in
the town of 36,000. On Tuesday,
protesters held signs reading Book
burning? Shame on our town in
front of the public library. Inside
was a display highlighting the
books. The Associated Press, December 31, 2001.
End-Times Perspective: Most
sincere, truth-seeking Christians
recognize the Harry Potter books for
what they are: instruments of Satan
as we near the end to more overtly
lead the innocent and unwary,
regardless of age, deeper into his
realm. But as we combat this evil,
we must be mindful of the counsel
of the Word of God to be wise as
serpents and harmless as doves.
Matthew 10:16. !

15

Hovering Over the

Churches
Colin Standish

he whole purpose of church

organization is to facilitate the
mission and destiny of the
church. This includes the following
goals:
1. To facilitate the spiritual
growth of the members of the
church;
2. To retrain the members of the
church in effective soul-winning
witness;
3. To prepare a people to receive
the latter rain;
4. Under the power of the Holy
Spirit to take the everlasting gospel
to every nation, kindred, tongue and
people; and
5. To prepare a people who will
stand unfailingly during the time of
Jacobs trouble.
The mission of the church is here
demonstrated to be soul winning in
focus. To accomplish these goals
God has entrusted His end-time
truth exclusively to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, and He has
ordained an organizational structure
that, rather than hampering these
soul-winning goals, provides the
fullest opportunities for their perfect
implementation. It is impossible to
accomplish the churchs mission

16

without following the God-given

organizational structure. Thus it is
essential that we constantly review
our churchs organization, at all
levels, in the light of Biblical and
Spirit of Prophecy directions.
The divine plan is that the
ministry should concentrate its
efforts on the spreading of the
gospel in those places where there is
little or no witness to the everlasting
gospel. However, following the
faulted principles of the fallen
churches of Babylon, we have
chosen rather to concentrate the
effort of the ministry upon nurturing
those who already have been long
exposed to the truth. This has led to
two catastrophic consequences(1)
the members of the church have
tended to become man-dependent,
spiritually indolent, and ineffective
witnesses; and (2) we have largely
left those areas without a Seventhday Adventist presence, to continue
in ignorance of the three angels
messages.

The Apostolic Model

The apostles (ministers), while
not neglecting the flock that they
had raised up in various places,

nevertheless, continued to press

forward bringing the gospel into
new regions. Once established, they
set up elders from the congregation
to nurture the flock, and to lead the
flock in soul-winning efforts in the
city, town, village or district in
which the community of the faithful
lived.
This then gave the minister
freedom to move to another region
where truth had not been established to raise up yet another
company of believers. The amount of
time spent in each area depended
upon the establishment of local
leadership who understood Gods
truth, and the speed with which the
minister was able to train the
members of the new church in
effective witnessing so that they
could fulfill, in their sphere of
influence, the continuing progress of
the gospel within range of the
location of the church.
Church members who attended
the church closest to where they
lived provided the fabric for a strong
outreach, with the church acting as
a lighthouse in that area to attract
others to the gospel truth. Too often
today members travel long distances

Our Firm Foundation

to go to the church of their choice,

far removed from their local habitation. Therefore, they are largely
unable to play the role that God has
ordained the church members to
fulfill in the local community.
With these alarming developments, both the ministry and the
laity have, to a great extent, lost their
direction, their vision, their purpose,
and their soul-winning ministry.
While the pastor baby-sits the
church members, there is little time
left to prosper the soul-winning
objectives of the pastoral ministry.
The members also fail to grow and
develop in their personal ministry.
In this article we will see that the
Lord gave much counsel urging the
pastors to leave the churches after
thoroughly preparing the members
for their role in spreading the gospel
in the local community. The pastors
were then to be free to launch out in
new fields where Gods work can be
prospered.
When we review the many
counsels that Sister White presented
to the church, urging ministers
against hovering over the church, it
is sad to realize just how our
insubordination in organizational
structure has hindered, rather than
facilitated, the entire mission of
Gods church.

putting forth some little effort, but

having next to nothing to show for
their labors. The field is the world.
Let them go out into the unbelieving
world and labor to convert souls to
the truth. Testimonies, vol. 3, 406.
The world is to be warned.
Ministers should work earnestly and
devotedly, opening new fields and
engaging in personal labor for souls
instead of hovering over the
churches that already have great
light and many advantages. In view
of the fact we are living so near the
close of this earths history, there
should be greater thoroughness in
labor, more vigilant waiting, watching, praying, and working. The
Indiana Reporter, January 20, 1904.
Brethren and sisters, why hover
about the churches? Study the
parable of the lost sheep, and go
forth as true shepherds, seeking the
lost one who is in the wilderness of
sin. Rescue the perishing. Christian
Service, 178.

the regions beyond, calling upon the

members of the churches to send
their prayers as sharp sickles into
the harvest field. Review & Herald,
December 1, 1896.
(2) Above all else, the calling of a
minister is enthusiastic soul winning:
Our ministers should plan
wisely, as faithful stewards. They
should feel that it is not their duty to
hover over the churches already
raised up, but that they should be
doing aggressive evangelistic work,
preaching the Word and doing
house-to-house work in places that
have not yet heard the truth. . . .
They will find that nothing is so
encouraging as doing evangelistic
work in new fields. Evangelism, 382.
In all lines of ministerial work
there is need of greater earnestness.
Time is passing, and work that
should be far advanced is almost at
a standstill. Ministers are not to
spend their time hovering over the

Brethren and sisters, why hover about the churches?

Study the parable of the lost sheep, and go forth as true
shepherds, seeking the lost one who is in the wilderness
of sin.

Gods Counsel
(1) Ministers are to direct their
ministry to those who know not the
truth:
Oh, what a work there is before
us! Our ministers are not to hover
over those who have received the
message. With Christs love burning
in their hearts, they are to go forth to
win sinners to the Saviour. Beside
all waters Gods messengers are to
sow the seeds of truth. Place after
place is to be visited; church after
church is to be raised up. Those
who take their stand for the truth
are to be organized into churches,
and then the minister is to pass on
to other equally important fields.
Pacific Union Recorder, April 24,
1902.
We feel pained beyond measure
to see some of our ministers hovering about the churches, apparently

Volume 17, Number 3

Our ministers are not to be

encouraged to hover about the
churches to repeat to the believers
week after week the same truths. We
have a truth that is saving and
precious. The Word of God must be
planted in many hearts; the bread of
life must be dealt out to many
hungering souls. . . . It is a blessed
work to lift up Christ before the
world. The Upward Look, 264.
The great object of our work is
to carry the light to those who are in
darkness. Our work is worldwide.
Gods delegated messengers are not
to hover about the people who have
been long in the truth. Altogether too
much labor is devoted to the
churches. Gods people are not to
depend on others to do their work
for them. Let the Lords messengers
carry the triumphs of the cross into

churches, laboring for those who

have already accepted the truth.
They are to go forth to proclaim the
message to those who have not
heard it. They must sow the seeds of
truth in fields that have not yet been
sown. Australasian Union Conference
Record, July 15, 1902.
Our work is aggressive; there
must be no halting. There must be
less, far less, hovering about the
churches, and far more lifting the
standard in new fields. Our ministers
must give the trumpet a certain sound,
lifting up Jesus and saying: Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world. John 1:29.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 15, 89.
(3) The servant of the Lord is
very specific that the regular
churches are not the dominion of the
ministers:

17

while thousands are perishing out

of Christ. The General Conference
Bulletin, April 12, 1901.
My heart has been filled with
sadness as I have looked over the
field and seen the barren places.
What does this mean? Who are
standing as representatives of Jesus
Christ? Who feels a burden for the
souls who cannot receive the truth
till it is brought to them. Our
ministers are hovering over the
churches, as though the angel of
mercy was not making efforts to
save souls. Ibid., April 16, 1901.

The ministers who are hovering over the churches,

preaching to those who know the truth, would better go
into places still in darkness.

work, showing the intelligence and

spirituality God requires in those
who claim to be members of His
church. Sermons and Talks, vol. 2,
156.

The Ministers Duty

What must the ministers do for
the church members?
(1) They must train the laity for
successful service:
Ministers are not to spend their
time hovering over churches,
laboring for those who have already
accepted the truth. They are to go
forth to proclaim the message to
those who have not heard it. They
must sow the seeds of truth in fields
that have not yet been sown. Work
is to be done in various ways.
Humble men, willing to make
sacrifices, to work as Christ worked,
are needed. And church members
are to be taught to work in the
Lords home vineyard. Pacific Union
Recorder, July 31, 1902.
(2) They are to work earnestly for
new converts to the faith:
As I traveled through the
south on my way to the Conference, I saw city after city that was
unworked. What is the matter? The
ministers are hovering over
churches, which know the truth,

18

There are important fields to be

worked. We shall not hover over the
churches but press into new territory
and raise the standard in places
where the message has not been
proclaimed. Manuscript Releases, vol.
17, 124.
What will happen if we follow
Gods counsel?
If our ministers, instead of
hovering over the churches to keep
the breath of life in them, would go
forth to work for those outside the
fold, those in the churches would
receive the vital current from Heaven
as they hear that souls were drawn
to the Lamb of God. They would
pray that God would give power to
the workers, and their prayers
would be as sharp sickles in the
harvest fields. The General Conference Bulletin, April 5, 1901.
What are the consequences if
ministers continue to hover over
churches?
Most clearly the answer to this is
that both members and ministers
will become impotent in their work:
The time that has been used in
preaching to our churches has not
strengthened them, but has made
them weak and helpless, to be fed
with milk and not with meat. God
has been calling upon His ministers

to leave the ninety and nine and

hunt for the lost sheep. Your experience is to be a lesson for all who are
hovering over the churches
consumers and not producers.
Manuscript Releases, vol. 10, 227228.
The ministry is becoming weak
and feeble, and under their tame
service the churches also are becoming weak. The ministers of our
Conferences have very little to show
in the conversion of souls as a result
of their labors. These things are
depriving God of the glory which
belongs to Him. The truth is not
carried into the barren places of the
earth. God calls for workers who
will be producers. There is a world
to be warned. Why are the ministers
who should be laboring in special
service earnestly to open new fields
and raise up new churches, hovering over the churches which have
already received great light and
many advantages which they do not
appreciate? Ibid., vol. 13, 208209.
The ministers who are hovering over the churches, preaching to
those who know the truth, would
better go into places still in darkness. Unless they do this, they
themselves and their congregations
will become dwarfed. Our religion
has become weak and sickly because
the members of the church have left
their first love. They might be strong
men and women in Christ if they
would obey the Lords directions.
Review & Herald, February 9, 1905.
Just as soon as the workers in
California stop doing aggressive
work, and hover over a few
churches, treading on one anothers
heels, their light will go out. The
General Conference Bulletin, April 5,
1901.
It will be noted that the dire
results have especially infected the
churches in the western world.

What Should We Do?

There is urgent, immediate need
to restructure the role of the minister
and of the laity. Educational programs for both will be necessary to
bring them into line with the only
infallible way to finish the gospel
commission. Let the laity from the
churches be trained to be effective

Our Firm Foundation

Illustration: Bob Bresnahan

Our ministers are not to hover

over the churches, regarding the
churches in some particular territory
as their special care. The members of
our churches are to have root in
themselves, striking firm root in
Christ, that they may bear fruit to
His glory. As one man, they are to
strive to attain one objectthe
saving of souls. Ibid., vol. 20, 126.
The idea that our ministers
must hover over the churches might
just as well be given up now as
later. The members of the churches
must be taught to keep themselves at

workers in the regions where they

belong. The pastors are to go into
new territory to lead men and
women to the kingdom and restore
Gods people to be active, fervent
workers for God.
When looked at objectively, this
is the only plan that will succeed in
spreading the gospel to the world. If
our ministers continue to hover over
the churches, the laity will depend
primarily on them for missionary
outreach, and those in areas where
there is no church will never hear
the gospel commission!
The laity already have become
impotent in the western world. In
the less affluent countries, that lack
of affluence has been a tremendous
blessing in disguise, for it has meant
that pastors have been placed in
charge of many churchesrather
than in charge of one, or at the most
two, churches. Therefore, the laity
have had to move forward in their
missionary endeavors. But this has
not been because of divine counsel
nor wise planning, it has been
simply a fiscal decision.
The pastors continue to be
frustrated in trying to meet the
multitudinous needs, if not whims,
of their church members. Many have
become dispirited. Many have
chosen to leave the ministry. Many
who continue in the ministry have
not been forced into deep clear study
of the pillar truths of the faith which
is so necessary to be successful in
evangelism and soul winning.
When the laity are witnessing
they will also become extraordinarily well-informed on the message,
and some will prove to be just as
effective soul winners as the trained
ministers. Instead of the church
breaking into schismatic groups and
disputing over trivia, the members
will be on fire, witnessing the
wonderful rewards of soul winning
in their community. New life will
come into these churches as new
members are added to the faith.
Strength will be multiplied as such a
work is accomplished. The opportunities to work in many fields are
soon to be closed up, and we must
not waste one more moment in
flitting away the purposes of God.

Volume 17, Number 3

The long-time and more experienced

members and pastors should be
taking others with them in missionary endeavors, training and encouraging them in the work of soul
winning.
This is the end of this old sinblighted earths history. It is time for
Gods ministers to do the work that
God has called them to fulfill and to
refuse to do the work for which God
has ordained the laity. How oft
repeated is the situation where
churches feel hopeless and helpless
if they are without a pastor. They

two-edged sword, cuts both ways,

will do the churches harm. They
will not work for the salvation of
souls that are in great peril because
they know not the truth, and they
will die spiritually themselves, and
trouble and discourage those who
try to help them. Manuscript Release,
vol. 6, 65.
Let Gods church return to His
plan that made the laity wholly
responsible for the operation of the
churches, and yet united in the
body of Christ and loyal to the
Conference. Many today would

It is time for Gods ministers to do the work that God has

called them to fulfill and to refuse to do the work for
which God has ordained the laity.

put great pressure upon the Conference to provide one, which only
continues to weaken the church.
Sister White has a serious message
for such churches:
The churches that have not life
in themselves, that have lost their
spiritual discernment, call for
ministers to come to their help, to
bring them the breath of life. But the
ministers have other work to do.
They must carry the message of
truth to those who know it not.
Those ministers who hover about
the churches, who have not a clear
cut message, which, like a sharp,

fear that without a church pastor

on the payroll of the Conference to
guide the church and to be the
liaison officer with the Conference,
mutiny and disunity would result.
But, on the contrary, when a
church is on fire, doing the work of
God, the elders, the deacons and
the members all uniting together in
soul winning and the study of
Gods sacred Word, a vastly
greater unity will be achieved than
we find in our churches today. As
has oft been said: Gods way is
not simply the best way, it is the
only way. !

Sundays Coming!
Reid, G. Edward

Clearly, the final countdown has begun. It is time

to get a vision of our Godhigh and lifted up above
this world. This book will strengthen your confidence
in the prophetic record, make an understanding of
prophecy real and permanent with you, and aid in
the realization that current events in the United States
reveal that Sundays Coming!
Paperback, 251 pages, 1996
Catalog # BERG-SCOM

Sale Price: $12.95

Regular Price: $14.95

Sale Ends
April 30

Please see page 3 for shipping and sales-tax information.

19

Gods Love and the

Everlasting Gospel

20

last more than a few years. We

believe earnestly that affliction will
not arise a second time. See Nahum
1:9. God is not willing, any more
than we are, to go through all of this
anxiety just to fail.
The three angels messages are
based upon the everlasting gospel.
No one can receive the latter rain
and the blessings of the seal of God
and yet not have his faith firmly
grounded in the true gospelwhich
is everlasting. We are clearly warned
that those whose faith is not
grounded in the truth will receive
the mark of the beastwith the
consequent seven last plagues, the
warning of which is the most fearful
ever given to mankind. Is the
everlasting gospel an integral part of
our preaching of the three angels
messages?
To answer this question we must
have a very clear and unshakable
concept of what the everlasting
gospel consists. I truly believe that
this question deserves a Bible
answer from Jesus Himself.
In the third chapter of John, Jesus
had an interview with Nicodemus.
Jesus made clear the essential
elements of the everlasting gospel.

First, He said, Except a man be

born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God. Verse 3. Second,
He emphasized that the Son of man
must be lifted upnot only as Lord,
but also in giving His life for the
world of sinners. Third, men must
have faith in Jesus, For God so
loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. For God
sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the
world through him might be saved.
Verses 1617. Here we see that the
basis of faith in Jesus is the love of
God in giving His only begotten
Son.
In Matthew 22 a Pharisee lawyer,
whose name is not given, attempted
to trap Jesus by asking, Master,
which is the great commandment in
the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first
and great commandment. And the
second is like unto it. Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. On
these two commandments hang all
the law and the prophets. Verses

Our Firm Foundation

Illustration: Gnther Schneider

he title for this study is taken

from the first angels message
of Revelation 14:6: And I saw
another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel
to preach unto them that dwell on
the earth, and to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people.
(All emphasis supplied unless
otherwise noted.) There are differences among us as to what constitutes the everlasting gospel. The
importance of the idea is inherent in
the adjective everlasting. We all agree
that we do not want a gospel that
lasts only a few years and is not
effective for eternity. Too many
zealous believers have failed in a
relatively short time to maintain
their faithin spite of their very
earnest and determined efforts in the
study of the Bible and the Spirit of
Prophecy, as well as in their devotional prayer life. They were model,
earnest believers, and yet they made
a shipwreck of faith, causing much
doubt in the minds of others.
We also want a gospel that will
last for eternity. Why go to heaven if
we could fail after we get there? Will
our faith last through the millennium? Many people cannot seem to

Ve r n o n J e n n i n g s

3640. In John 15:10 it says, If ye

keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love; even as I have kept
my Fathers commandments, and
abide in his love.
In preaching the everlasting
gospel we are obligated to teach the
gospel that Jesus taught. Jesus
taught that the keeping of the law is
essential, and that the love of God is
to be the motivation for obedience in
a true and lasting relationship with
God. Jesus says, This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater
love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his
friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you. Verses
1214.
In verse 17 the thought is reinforced: These things I command
you, that ye love one another. The
Ten Commandments, given by God
to the children of Israel, all hang on
the law of love and are a reflection
of the character of God, for God is
love.
Does love nullify the law? Some
people believe that if love is
preached as the basis of obedience,
people will think that they do not
have to obey the law, because God
loves them anyway. They believe
that preaching love as a basis of
obedience will give rise to backsliding in standards and in showing
disrespect for the commandments.
They say that only the fear of God
can get people to obey. It is then
thought proper to threaten people so
that they are, or will be, obedient.
Some people with this idea do not
believe in using the word love when
giving the three angels messages,
because in the Bible the messages do
not contain the word, love. However,
the first angels message has in it the
words the everlasting gospel in which
the concept and the preaching of the
agape love of God are the essence.
In Deuteronomy 6:48 we read,
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is
one LORD: and thou shalt love the
LORD thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all
thy might. And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in
thine heart: and thou shalt teach
them diligently unto thy children,

Volume 17, Number 3

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. There is no other way to
raise children that will be successful
than to diligently teach them the
everlasting gospel. That includes,
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the
Bible tells me so, as the good song
says. To not teach the love of God in
the context of the three angels
messages is counterproductive. Only
the love of God will last forever and
will be the basis of overcoming the
beast and his image!
Ellen G. White tells us that we
need to read 1 Corinthians 13 every
day. Those who expect to receive the
latter rain need to be especially
diligent in so doing: The Lord
desires me to call the attention of
His people to the thirteenth chapter
of First Corinthians. Read this

of lords and King of kings. Hope

will be consummated. Only love will
remain as a motive for eternal
obedience.
It was Satans charge that God
was tyrannical, and that He demanded obedience out of fear
(terror). However, it was to make
plain to the whole universe that God
is a God of love that He allowed
Satan to work out his plans and
thus to demonstrate his true nature.
The first sentence in the book
Patriarchs and Prophets is God is
love. The last sentence in the book
The Great Controversy is God is
love. So from the beginning to the
end, the love of God is emphasized.
I state truth. The souls who love
God, who believe in Christ, and who
eagerly grasp every ray of light, will
see light, and rejoice in the truth.
They will communicate the light.
They will grow in holiness. Those
who receive the Holy Spirit will feel
the chilling atmosphere that surrounds the souls of others by whom

It was to make plain to the whole universe that God is a

God of love that He allowed Satan to work out his plans
and thus to demonstrate his true nature.

chapter every day, and from it

obtain comfort and strength. Learn
from it the value that God places on
sanctified, Heaven-born love, and let
the lesson that it teaches come home
to your hearts. Learn that Christlike
love is of Heavenly birth, and that
without it all other qualifications are
worthless. Review and Herald, July
21, 1904.
Charity is translated from the
Greek word agape that means the
divine love of God. That is a gift of
grace which does not equate to other
kinds of love. Now abideth faith,
hope, charity, these three; but the
greatest of these is charity.
1 Corinthians 13:13. Faith is defined
as the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1. After Jesus returns to
this world it will not be a great act
of faith to believe that Jesus is Lord

these great and solemn realities are

unappreciated and spoken against.
They feel that they are in the council
of the ungodly, of men who stand in
the way of sinners, and sit in the
seat of the scornful. See Psalm 1:1.
Testimonies to Ministers, 90.
In commenting on the loud-cry
message, Ellen White says, It
presented justification through faith
in the Surety; it invited the people to
receive the righteousness of Christ,
which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of
God. Many had lost sight of Jesus.
They needed to have their eyes
directed to His divine Person, His
merits, and His changeless love for
the human family. All power is
given into His hands, that He may
dispense rich gifts unto men,
imparting the priceless gift of His
own righteousness to the helpless

21

human agent. This is the message

that God commanded to be given to
the world. It is the third angels
message, which is to be proclaimed
with a loud voice, and attended
with the outpouring of His Spirit in
a large measure. Ibid., 9192.
We are to manifest the love of
Christ through the indwelling of His
quickening Spirit. Those who differ
with us in faith and doctrine should
be treated kindly. They are the
property of Christ, and we must
meet them in the great day of final
account. We shall have to face one
another in the Judgment, and behold
the record of our thoughts, words,

as I have loved you, that ye also love

one another. By this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye
have love one to another. John
13:3435. These are the credentials
that Christs followers bear, showing
to the world that they are true
disciples. By their unity and love for
one another, they reveal to the world
the love wherewith Christ has loved
them. God would have us cherish
love for one another, that He may be
glorified in us. Love like Christs
will bear the stress of circumstances.
It will never abate nor change. As
He loved us, even so are we to love
one another.

When the heavenly principle of eternal love fills the

heart, it will flow out to others, not merely because
favors are received of them, but because love is the
principle of action.
and deeds, not as we have viewed
them, but as they were in truth. God
has enjoined upon us the duty of
loving one another as Christ has
loved us. He has exhorted us to be
one, as Christ is one with the Father;
and every true Christian should seek
to answer the prayer of Christ. The
Youths Instructor, December 9, 1897.
The Word of God is surrounded
by an atmosphere of inspired love.
But this Word is dimly comprehended and feebly appreciated.
During every hour of the Saviours
sojourn upon earth, the love of God
was flowing from Him, repeating its
gift in irrepressible streams. Every
hindrance He received in His work
of revealing Gods love, every
obstruction placed in His way, every
talent that was not used to advance
the work of God, inflicted a wound
on Christ, and strengthened Satans
kingdom. Even so, by cherishing
malice and hatred in our hearts
toward those who have been bought
with an infinite Price, we may
crucify the Son of God afresh, and
put Him to an open shame.
As His disciples, Christ says to
us, A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another;

22

Religion is founded upon love

to God, which also leads us to love
one another. It is full of gratitude,
humility, long-suffering. It is selfsacrificing, forbearing, merciful, and
forgiving. It sanctifies the whole life,
and extends its influence over
others. Those who love God cannot
harbor hatred or envy. When the
heavenly principle of eternal love
fills the heart, it will flow out to
others, not merely because favors are
received of them, but because love is
the principle of action, and modifies

the character, governs the impulses,

controls the passions, subdues
enmity, and elevates the affections.
This love is not contracted, so as
merely to include me and mine, but
is as broad as the world and as high
as heaven. It is in harmony with
that of the angel workers. This love,
cherished in the soul, sweetens the
entire life, and sheds a refining
influence on all around. Possessing
it, we cannot but be happy, let
fortune smile or frown. And if we
love God with all the heart, we must
love His children also. This love is
the Spirit of God. It is the heavenly
adorning that gives true nobility and
dignity to the soul, and assimilates
our life to that of the Master. Ibid.,
December 23, 1897.
One last thought from the
beloved disciple is found in 1 John
4:710, 1718: Beloved, let us love
one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is born of God,
and knoweth God. He that loveth
not knoweth not God; for God is
love. In this was manifested the love
of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through
him. Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins. . . . Herein is our love
made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment:
because as he is, so are we in this
world. There is no fear in love; but
perfect love casteth out fear: because
fear hath torment. He that feareth is
not made perfect in love. !

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defending
the faith
GWEN RICHTER

The Divinity of Christ

How to mark your Bible and be ready to share your faith

Sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts: and be ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh
you a reason of the hope that is in
you with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15. We need to be able to
give an answer for our faith. Marking your Bible can give you the edge
you need. It takes work, but the
rewards are worth all the effort.
We pray that you will be blessed
by these studies. As you mark them,
may you be encouraged to spend
more time in Gods Word and to
search out the hidden things of God.
Always be sure to look for opportunities to share them with others.
The Editors

1DC: John 1:1, 14.

Jesus Christ (the Word) is truly
God.

Bible Marking Directions

5DC: Hebrews 1:59.

God the Father acknowledged
the divinity of the Son.

Volume 17, Number 3

3DC: Matthew 1:23.

The title given to Jesus was
Emmanuel God with us.
4DC: Isaiah 9:6.
The prophet Isaiah identified the
child to be born for us as the
mighty God.

10DC: Matthew 11:27.

We cannot know the Father
except through Jesus.
11DC: 1 Timothy 3:16.
Paul understood that Jesus Christ
is divine. See also 1 Timothy
6:1516.
12DC: Acts 3:14.
Peter expressed his belief in the
divinity of Christ.
13DC: John 20:28.
Thomas expressed his conviction
of Christs divinity.

6DC: John 8:5658.

Jesus asserted His Own divinity.
See also Exodus 3:14.

14DC: Revelation 1:18.

Jesus was, is, and will be, forever.

7DC: Mark 14:6164.

Another time Jesus identified
Himself as I AM.

15DC: Philippians 2:911.

All created beings will one day
acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.

8DC: Luke 5:2021.

Jesus revealed His divinity in His
acts.

For more information on Bible marking, or for a greater selection of

studies, go to http://www.biblemarking.com or refer to Mark Your Bible!
in the August 2001 issue of Our Firm Foundation.

Photo: Corbis

On a blank page in the front or

back of your Bible, write the study
title, the code, and the first reference.
This months entry would appear as
follows: The Divinity of Christ,
1DC: John 1:1, 14.
Turn to the first verse and write
the comment (if you wish to use the
comments), and the next reference in
the margin near it. If the comment is
long, you can write it at the top or
bottom of the page, with an asterisk
or the code of the study to refer you
to it.
Turn to the next text and repeat
the process until you reach the end.
Beside the last text, write End DC.
Go through the study to check
for broken links.
Share the study with someone!

2DC: Micah 5:2.

Christ existed long before His
birth in Bethlehem. See also John
17:5, 24.

9DC: John 14:79.

One of the purposes of Jesus
incarnation was to show us the
Father.

23

Surrender:
Drudgery or Delight?
To m W a t e r s

all.
We love the song and believe the
message, but are we really surrendered? As you read this article,
pause and reflect, Are you really
surrendered, completely surrendered
to Christ? If not, why not? Maybe it
is because the kind of surrender you
have learned does not connect you
with the power of a living Saviour.
David was called a man after
Gods own heart. See 1 Samuel
13:14; Acts 13:22. What a statement!
Doing the will of God became
Davids highest delight. That is why
he said, I delight to do thy will, O
my God. Psalm 40:8. He learned
something that I am finding to be a
great blessing in my own lifereal
surrender brings real peace, real
power to obey, and real joy in
obedience.
You see, real surrender is a
choice to connect my weakness with
Christs enduring might. The other
optionwhich I experienced for too
many yearsis trying to do Gods
will in my own willpower and
strength. I call this drudgery, which

24

is not surrender at all. You compare

the difference: Real surrender brings
enabling power and delight, but
trying hard in my own strength
brings drudgery, dry formality, the I
have to attitude with the gritting of
teeth and no joy.

Motivation
One day a mother and her two
sons sat at the kitchen table home
schooling. The children had completed a math lesson, but it was not
done right. Mother asked them to do
it over again correctly, but the boys
did not want to. They began to
debate and argue with Mother. She
then faithfully called to their hearts.
Finally, one of them began to yield
to the influence of the Holy Spirit.
His countenance changed as he
chose to surrender to God and
honor his mothers request. Cheerfully he redid the math lesson.
However, the other boy continued to debate, entrenching himself
in stubbornness. In desperation
Mother finally said, You wait until
your father gets home. Then the
situation instantaneously changed.
The authority of the father influenced the boy to submit. He chose to

do the lesson over, and this time he

did it right. Yet his countenance had
no joy in it. He gave outward
compliance, but there was no
inward change of heart. His surrender was drudgery. The first boy
found peace. The second boy found
no peace. Can you relate to this
scene? This is not just a school
problem; this happens to adults
also.

Fear of the Cost

Often the reason that we are
unwilling to truly surrender to the
will of God is because we are afraid
of what it is going to cost uswhat
we might have to give up. What if
God asks me to stop surfing the
internet? What if God tells me to
stop studying prophecy, and to start
studying how to be a better husband
and father? What if I have to give up
my career and be a full-time parent
for my children?
The Desire of Ages, 330, says it
this way, Many who profess to be
His followers have an anxious,
troubled heart, because they are
afraid to trust themselves with God.
They do not make a complete
surrender to Him; for they shrink

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Photo: PhotoDisc

he old familiar hymn says, I

surrender all, All to Thee, my
blessed Saviour, I surrender

from the consequences that such a

surrender may involve. Unless they
do make this surrender, they cannot
find peace.
A husband and wife counseled
with us about contention in their
home. We asked them if they were
willing to yield a full surrender to
God. The woman turned to us and
said, Im afraid that if I give a full
surrender to God He will ask me to
love my husband just the way he
is. She was being very honestfor
which I was thankful. I could
understand that she was upset and
did not like her husband the way he
was then. But we helped her understand that wholehearted surrender
brings Christs power and Christs
perspective.
Two days later they walked into
the meeting while I was speaking. I
knew instantly that she had given
herself to Christ in full surrender.
Her countenance just glowed! As
soon as I finished the message I
went right up to her and said, You
have given all, havent you?
She said, Yes. I have freedom; I
have power; I have peace. I love my
husband for who he is. She was
not seeing him with her own eyes
anymore. She had connected herself
with the power of Jesus, and she
saw her husband differently than
ever before.
The husband said, There is
hope in this kind of gospel for me.
Before they left that Week of Prayer,
the husband, too, began to change.

In Everything
One evening I knelt beside my
bed to pray before retiring early. My
schedule called for me to be up at
3:30 a.m. in order to meet a plane for
a weekend of meetings in Arkansas.
I needed a good nights sleep. As I
began to pray, I heard the sound of
a raging torrent of water just outside
the window! I knew that this was
not the usual sound of the little
creek located about 100 feet from our
house. With my ear to the window I
knew that there was a big problem
outside of our house which required
my attention. I did not want to go
out and deal with it, yet I had to.
I pulled on my clothes and
waterproof boots in drudgery. When

Volume 17, Number 3

I got outside, I groaned at what I

saw. It was February, and the
weather was supposed to be cold.
But the air was warm. A chinook, a
warm front, had come in that
afternoon and was melting all the
snow which was piled high around
my house and on the roof. The
ground was still frozen so the water
could not soak in. The snow was
melting so quickly that the water
could not get around the house and
down the hill fast enough. It was
rising toward the windows, and
pouring down into the root cellar.
The Lord called to my heart. I
recognized that my surrender in
coming out to face the problem was
only compliance so far. What I still
wanted was to be in bed so that I
could be rested for the meetings. But
now a late night of work faced me.

encouraged each other, instead of

giving way to irritation, anger,
frustration, chafing, and so forth.

Quench Not
The next verse after In every
thing give thanks says, Quench
not the Spirit. Verse 19. Then verse
24 follows with, Faithful is he that
calleth you, who also will do it.
God says to us, If you will not
quench My Spirit, if you will heed
My call, I will do it. What will He
do?He will empower us to live
above circumstances. And not only
that, He will empower us to face
them in delight, rather than in
drudgery. In choosing to give thanks
in each situation, we demonstrate
trust in the Power outside of ourselves that is bigger than the situation. We are allowing the Spirit to

I needed a good nights sleep. As I began to pray, I

heard the sound of a raging torrent of water just outside
the window!

The Spirit called to my heart with

the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
In every thing give thanks: for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you. No exceptions?
Everything. And the call was now!
With flashlight in hand, I faced a
decision: Would I continue in
drudgerywhich is not surrender?
Or would I choose to thank God
even for this trial? I made the
decision to surrender fully to God
and experience the power of His
Word. Immediately the peace that
passes understanding flooded
through me. I then went in and
recruited my whole family, who had
also been preparing for bed. For
hours in the darkness we dug
trenches into the frozen ground with
picks and shovels. Some bailed
water out of the root cellar as others
bucketed it away from the front of
the house. We actually had a good
time together as a family working
through this emergency! Because I
had surrendered, I could lead my
whole family to surrender. We

work in us, rather than quenching it.

The result is, Christ in you, the
hope of glory. Colossians 1:27. I
went to the weekend series with a
testimony of Gods power. And that
power is found in real surrender.
One morning I was having a
beautiful time with the Lord when a
gentle prompting came to me to miss
breakfast. Miss breakfast! But I really
like breakfast.
The Lord simply said, Would
you be willing to miss your breakfast just this morning to have more
time with Me? A wrestling went on
in my heart. Intellectually knowing
that I would not starve, but wanting
to have my breakfast, I had a choice
to make. To say, No, I dont want
to miss breakfast would have been
to quench the Spirit. Or to say,
Okay, if I have to, but I dont want
to would have been drudgerynot
surrender. Done with that attitude it
would not have accomplished the
purpose the Spirit had in calling me
to do this. It would be having a
form of godliness, but denying the

25

power thereof. 2 Timothy 3:5. The

third choice could be willing
surrenderreal surrender.
I said, Lord, I dont really want
to miss breakfast, but I really want to
do Your will. I know that You can
put the desire in me to delight to do
Your will. Then I missed breakfast
and had a wonderful time with the
Lord! While preparing a message to
share, the thoughts just flowed from
my heart. What a tremendous
blessing! Again, I had found the real
power that brings real joy in real
obedience.
My daughter asked me later,
Did you feel bad because you did
not get to eat breakfast?
I thought of the words of Jesus
when His disciples came to Him at
the well, I have meat to eat that ye
know not of (John 4:32). I said,
No. I had a wonderful time with
the Lord!

fire, might be found unto praise and

honour and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:67.
God knows what our characters
need. I needed to have Him put
forgiveness in my heart toward
someone who was not even asking
for forgiveness. That is a work of
grace, friends!
As I yielded a surrender of faith
and received that grace, I then
realized that His work in me was
why I could greatly rejoice!
Friends, our rejoicing is in the
great grace and power we receive to
take us above ourselvesabove self
and sin. We rejoice that our choice
to connect to a Power outside of and
above us, frees us from the power of
our human emotions and fleshly
reactions.
Apart from real surrender to
Christ and real dependence upon
Him for power, we cannot love and

Please do not give up on God! Rather, give up on

yourselfstop trying to do it your way, and find the real
peace, power, and joy that real surrender and real
dependence bring.
Chastening
One of the hardest areas for us to
surrender in is when we are misunderstood, maligned and misrepresented by someone whom we care
for.
On one such occasion Alane and
I were misrepresented and falsely
accused. I asked God for permission
to set the record straight, but He did
not give me permission. He assured
me that He could deal with my
reputation, but I must be concerned
with my character.
Then the Lord gave me some
straight counsel for character
building in circumstances like we
were going through: Greatly
rejoice! Now that is not what I felt
like hearing. Rejoice about what?
Here is the answer: Greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of
your faith . . . though it be tried with

26

forgive someone who hurts, maligns,

and misrepresents us.
Hebrews 12:11 says, No chastening for the present seemeth to be
joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby.
So what about you and your
present circumstances? Are you
surrendered? Is God in control of
you in this present moment, or are
you gritting your teeth, trying to look
like a Christian while in reality you
are living a life of drudgery?
Please do not give up on God!
Rather, give up on yourselfstop
trying to do it your way, and find
the real peace, power, and joy that
real surrender and real dependence
bring.
I am often reminded of my need
to surrender with this thought: Since
I will have to go through the trial
anyway, why not go through it with
God, governed by His grace, rather

than to go through it with self and

the Devil?

Trials
Thoughts From the Mount of
Blessing, 10, says, The trials of life
are Gods workmen, to remove the
impurities and roughness from our
character. If received in faith, the
trial that seems so bitter and hard to
bear will prove a blessing.
If we can see how the trial is
going to turn out, no faith is necessary. But when we are going
through a bitter trial, we may choose
to make the right kind of surrender
by faith. It seems impossibleand it
is impossible in our own strength.
However, in the power of Jesus and
in the power of surrender to His
holy will, in the power of His
gospel, it is possible. That is the
gospel that saves us to the uttermost.
I love being a Christian, and that
is because I am finding the delight
in surrender that David found.
Gods way is better; His power is
better, and His joy is better!
Our way does not work, and it
never will. Let us give God the
opportunity to allow His way to
make us be like Himthrough real
surrender, real power, and a real
delight to do His will. !

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Waters, Tom

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who come to Him
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Diligence
This month we share with you the
next in a series of articles that discuss
how we can cultivate Christian character
traits in the hearts of our children. The
Garden of the Heart, in the February
2001 issue of Our Firm Foundation,
laid the foundation for this series. It is
available upon request.
The Editors

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n a recent lesson we looked at

perseverance, and how important it is in the development of a
childs character. In this study we
will consider diligence. Diligence
and perseverance are like twin
brothers; they are very closely
related. Diligence is defined as
working carefully and steadily,
applying the mind attentively until
the job is done. It refers to the
accuracy with which something is
done, whereas perseverance has
more to do with continuing until the
job is completed. In Proverbs 10:4,
we are told, He becometh poor that
dealeth with a slack hand [is
slothful]: but the hand of the diligent
maketh rich.
How do we develop slothfulness
in our children? We can cultivate
this undesirable trait in several
ways: 1) when we do things for
them that they should be doing for
themselves, 2) when we do not
follow through with our expectations of them, and 3) when we
pamper a lazy attitude. Do we want
our children to have real happiness?
Do we want them to have a life of
rich experience, a pleasant adulthood, a fulfilling life as a Christian?
If this is our desire for our children,
then we must help them to develop
diligent hands with willing hearts.
To allow slothfulness is to train
them to become poor in their own
self-respect and handicapped for the

Volume 17, Number 3

responsibilities of real life in a

difficult world. Diligence is necessary for success in every aspect of
our day-to-day lives, and it is vitally
important for a Christian in the race
for eternal life. See Hebrews 12:12.

Use Motivators to Encourage

Diligence
Positive motivators can be very
helpful in teaching children to be
diligent. If there is a task that needs
to be done, give your child encouragement by offering something that
will motivate him to action. For
example, if you wish to have the
child clear the table, you might say,
When you have cleared the table
then you may take your ball and
play outside. Then, when the task
is done completely and thoroughly,
he should be given his reward.

Teach Thoroughness As Vital

to Diligence
Thoroughness is a very important part of diligence. It is not
enough for a child to clear all but
the last two dishes off the table. The
job must be completed well, or it has
not really been done at all. If the
towels need to be put away after the
laundry is folded, they should be
stacked neatly in the cabinet. How
easy it is to get into the habit of just
hurriedly tossing the folded towels
in a pile in the cabinet! How much
time is really saved this way if three
weeks later we need to have our
child spend ten minutes reorganizing everything in the cupboard
when he could have taken 30
seconds to put the towels in correctly the very first time? Diligence
means that we take the time necessary to do our task well, and then
we (both parent and child) will
experience self-respect because we
have done our best.

Another example of an activity

that you can use to teach your
children diligence is in washing the
family vehicle. In the summer, this is
a really pleasant job that everyone
can enjoy, but there are several steps
to the process. To teach diligence,
our children must gather the needed
suppliesa bucket, soap, and a
spongeeven before they turn on
the water. When the supplies are
ready, they need to hose down the
car, wash it carefully with the
sponge, and then hose off the suds.
Now is the job done?Not quite.
When the vehicle is dry, they should
look it over to see if there are any
spots on it they have missed. If we
teach them to be diligent and there
are still some spots on the car, they
must get out the sponge again and
wipe off the missed area and rinse
the car again. Then they can put the
hose away, take care of the bucket
and sponge, and experience the
genuine satisfaction of a thoroughly,
diligently, well-done job!
I hope you can see, through these
examples, ways in which you can
teach your children to be diligent
through the little tasks of daily life. I
encourage you to make these jobs
fun and enjoyable, and look for
opportunities to motivate your
children in a positive way.
Last, but not least, invest yourself
with them in this teaching and
training. Make life and its tasks
enjoyable. Let your young ones see by
your example to them in your own
tasks, and as you participate with
them in their tasks, that in companionship with Christ, diligence equals
happiness and satisfaction.
Let us be diligent as parents to
seek Christ for the best ways to
motivate diligence in the varied
needs and personalities of our
young people. !

27

Should Christians
Dance?
T

he following expression of
my views on the subject of
dancing, was written in
answer to a letter asking counsel
upon this point. As the principles
stated are of general application, I
here give my reply, for the benefit of
other inquirers:
Dear Sister in Christ,
You inform me in your letter that
you have been recently converted
from error to truth. You now see and
acknowledge the claims of Gods
law. You see the true Sabbath
plainly brought to view in the fourth
commandment, and have begun to
keep it. You feel a joy that you never
experienced before. In all this I
rejoice with you. Then you ask if it is
sinful to attend dancing parties. You
say that this amusement possesses
great attractions for you, but if sinful
you will relinquish it.
Before answering this question
directly, I ask you to consider briefly
the position and work of Gods
people at the present day. John the
Revelator, looking down the stream
of time, beheld the third angel flying

28

in the midst of heaven, crying: Here

are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus. Revelation 14:12. From the
prophecies we learn that this
heavenly messenger represents a
class of religious teachers who are
instructing the people to obey the
law of God and to look for His Son
from Heaven. The solemn message
of the third angel must be given by
those who see and feel its truthfulness. The world are going on
careless and Godless in the way of
error. Ministers are saying from their
pulpits: Be not troubled. Christ will
not come for thousands of years. All
things continue as they were from
the beginning. Others pour contempt upon the law of God, declaring that it is a yoke of bondage. But
while professed Christians are
asleep, Satan is manifesting intense
earnestness and persevering zeal.
His hellish work will soon be ended,
his power be chained; therefore he
has come down in great wrath, to
deceive, if possible, even the very
elect. See Matthew 24:24. Is this a
time for us to unite with the ungodly

in levity and worldly pleasure? Will

they be more inclined to accept the
solemn truths we hold, when they
see us in the theater or the ballroom?
Infidelity runs riot. Professed
Christians not only disclaim all faith
in the warnings of future judgments
upon the world, but they deny the
record of past judgments. There are
not wanting those who declare that
the Flood is a myth and the book of
Genesis a fable. But not so did our
Saviour. He refers to Noah as a real
person, to the Flood as a fact, to the
characteristics of that generation as
prefiguring the characteristics of
ours. See Matthew 24:3739. In the
days before the Flood, it is written
that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. Genesis
6:5. The earth also was corrupt
before God, and the earth was filled
with violence. Verse 11. Here is a
picture drawn by one inspired of
God; and such, it is declared, will be
the state of the world prior to
Christs second coming. In the days
of Noah, men found their highest

Our Firm Foundation

Photo: PhotoDisc

Ellen G. White

enjoyment in the gratification of

sensual desires. This world was
their all. Eat, drink, and be merry
(Luke 12:19), was the cry echoed
from lip to lip. The same insane love
of pleasure, the same all-absorbing
spirit of worldliness, characterize the
people of this age. How little do they
consider that their deeds and words
are passing into judgment, and that
every sin must have its retribution in
the future!
There was a God to call to
account the inhabitants of the
antediluvian world. There is a God
to try the deeds of the men of this
generation, and to give every man
according to his works. The faithful
sentinels for God have a work to do,
to keep these things vividly before
the people. Every lay member of the
church has also a duty, to show that
there is a reality in the truth, that we
are indeed living in the last days,
and the Lord is at the door. The
words of the great apostle are
addressed directly to us: But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that
that day should overtake you as a
thief. Ye are all the children of light,
and the children of the day: we are
not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do
others; but let us watch and be
sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:46. The
great question for us to settle is,
What part are we to act in this
fearfully important period? Shall we
yield to the indulgence of worldliness and pride, or engage in mirth
and revelry?
The true Christian will not desire
to enter any place of amusement or
engage in any diversion upon which
he cannot ask the blessing of God.
He will not be found at the theater,
the billiard hall, or the bowling
saloon.1 He will not unite with the
gay waltzers, or indulge in any
other bewitching pleasure that will
banish Christ from the mind. To
those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot
indulge in them in the name of Jesus
of Nazareth. The blessing of God
would not be invoked upon the hour
spent at the theater or in the dance.
No Christian would wish to meet
death in such a place. No one

Volume 17, Number 3

would wish to be found there when

Christ shall come. When we come to
the final hour, and stand face to face
with the record of our lives, shall we
regret that we have attended so few
parties of pleasure? that we have
participated in so few scenes of
thoughtless mirth? Shall we not,
rather, bitterly regret that so many
precious hours have been wasted in
self-gratificationso many opportunities neglected, which, rightly
improved, would have secured for
us immortal treasures?
It has become customary for
professors of religion to excuse
almost any pernicious indulgence to
which the heart is wedded. By
familiarity with sin, they become
blinded to its enormity. Many who
claim to be children of God, gloss
over sins which His Word condemns, by linking some purpose of
church charity with their Godless

wide contrast between the better

class of select parties and the
promiscuous and degraded assemblies of the low dance house [hall].
Yet all are steps in the path of
dissipation.
The amusement of dancing, as
conducted at the present day, is a
school of depravity, a fearful curse to
society. If all in our great cities who
are yearly ruined by this means
could be brought together, what
histories of wrecked lives would be
revealed! How many who now
stand ready to apologize 2 for this
practice, would be filled with
anguish and amazement at the
result! How can professedly Christian parents consent to place their
children in the way of temptation,
by attending with them such scenes
of festivity? How can young men
and young women barter their souls
for this infatuating pleasure?

The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the

hour spent at the theater or in the dance. No Christian
would wish to meet death in such a place. No one
would wish to be found there when Christ shall come.
carousals. Thus they borrow the
livery of Heaven to serve the devil
in. Souls are deceived, led astray,
and lost to virtue and integrity by
these fashionable dissipations.
In many religious families,
dancing and card playing are made
a parlor pastime. It is urged that
these are quiet home amusements,
which may be safely enjoyed under
the parental eye. But a love for these
exciting pleasures is thus cultivated,
and that which was considered
harmless at home will not long be
regarded dangerous abroad. It is yet
to be ascertained that there is any
good to be obtained from these
amusements. They do not give vigor
to the body nor rest to the mind.
They do not implant in the soul one
virtuous or holy sentiment. On the
contrary, they destroy all relish for
serious thought and for religious
services. It is true that there is a

The great mass of mankind are

engrossed in the things of this life,
and divine truth can find no abiding
place in their hearts. And yet all the
blessings which the world can give
fail to satisfy the wants of the soul.
There is a nameless longing for
something which they have not, a
peace and rest that is not born of
earth. It was thus with the worshipers in the temple of old; amid the
imposing ceremonies, the dazzling
display, the music and rejoicing,
they were still unsatisfied. Then
how welcome the call that fell upon
their ears: If any man thirst, let him
come unto me, and drink. John
7:37. It was the same message that
had gladdened the heart of the
Samaritan woman, at Jacobs well:
Whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give
him shall be in him a well of water

29

springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:1314. Christ alone can
satisfy that sense of want in the
human soul. His gracious invitation
reaches down even to our time. From
the Fountain of life the cry still goes
forth to a lost world: Come unto
me, and drink.
Thousands of our race would
compass sea and land to gain
possessions which at best must soon
perish, and yet they turn away with
indifference from the proffer of
eternal riches. The Saviours loving
invitations, His earnest pleadings
and faithful instruction, fall upon
dull ears and hard hearts. To many
who have time and opportunity to
gain a knowledge of the truth and of
its Author, Christ will say: Ye
would not come to me, that ye might
have life. See John 5:40.
My sister, when you carefully
study the life of Christ as recorded
in Bible history, and when He is

forted, there is not one to console

Him in this dreadful hour. He is
betrayed into the hands of a murderous mob. Faint and weary, He is
dragged from one tribunal to
another. His own nation are His
accusers, the Romans His executioners. And thus He who knew not the
taint of sin, pours out His life as a
malefactor upon Calvary.
This history should stir every
soul to its depths. It was to save us
that the Son of God became a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief.
He was wounded for our transgressions, and with His stripes we are
healed. God holds us each responsible for the soul estimated of such
value. Let a sense of the infinite
Sacrifice made for our redemption be
ever with you, and the ballroom will
lose its attractions.
Not only did Christ die as our
Sacrifice, but He lived as our
Example. In His human nature He

Review and Herald, February 28,

1882.

themselves of it. They know a

remedy for sin, but do not use it.
They know the right, but have no
relish for it. All their knowledge
will but increase their condemnation. They have never tasted and
learned by experience that the Lord
is good.
To become a disciple of Christ
is to deny self and follow Jesus
through evil as well as good
report. Few are doing this now.
Many prophesy falsely, and the
people love to have it so; but what
will be done in the end thereof?
What will be the decision when
their work, with all its results,
shall be brought in review before
God?
The watchmen are responsible
for the condition of the people. If
they open the door to pride, envy,
doubt, and other sins, there will be
strife, hatred, and every evil work.
Jesus, the meek and lowly One,
asks an entrance as our Guest, but
many are afraid to bid Him enter.
He has spoken to us in both the
Old and the New Testaments; He
is speaking to us still by His Spirit
and His providence. His instructions are designed to make men
true to God, and true to themselves.
Jesus took upon Himself mans
nature, that He might leave a
Pattern for humanity, complete,
perfect. He proposes to make us
like Himself, true in every purpose,
feeling, and thoughttrue in heart,
soul, and life. This is Christianity.
Our fallen nature must be purified,
ennobled, consecrated by obedience to the truth. Christian faith
will never harmonize with worldly
principles; Christian integrity is
opposed to all deception and
pretense. The man who cherished
the most of Christs love in the
soul, who reflects the Saviours
image most perfectly, is, in the
sight of God, the truest, most noble,
most honorable man upon the
earth. !

References:

Signs of the Times, January 11, 1883.

My sister, when you carefully study the life of Christ as

recorded in Bible history, and when He is revealed to
you as He is, by the Holy Spirit, then you will be
convinced for yourself that dancing has no place in the
Christians life.

revealed to you as He is, by the Holy

Spirit, then you will be convinced
for yourself that dancing has no
place in the Christians life. When
you feel a desire to engage in this
amusement, go in imagination to
Gethsemane, and behold the anguish which Christ endured for us.
See the worlds Redeemer wrestling
in superhuman agony, the sins of
the whole world upon His soul.
Hear His prayer, borne upon the
sympathizing breeze: O my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me; nevertheless, not my will,
but thine be done. See Matthew
26:39, 42. The hour of darkness has
come. Christ has entered the shadow
of His cross. Alone He must drink
the bitter cup. Of all earths children
whom He has blessed and com-

30

Continued from page 14

stands, complete, perfect, spotless.

To be a Christian is to be Christlike.
Our entire being, soul, body, and
spirit, must be purified, ennobled,
sanctified, until we shall reflect His
image and imitate His example. My
sister, such is the work before us as
Christians. We need not fear to
engage in any pursuit or pleasure
that will aid us in this work. But it
is our duty to shun everything that
would divert our attention or lessen
our zeal. In this light, is it hard to
decide on which side dancing
should be placed? !

1
2

alley
advocate

Our Firm Foundation

letters to the editor

Have a letter to share?
contact [email protected] or see page 3 for our mailing address.
The valuable information in your
Our Firm Foundation magazine is the
very thing that our people need to
know. All articles are so timely, and
accurately portrayed. I look forward to
Our Firm Foundation every month. Can
hardly wait! I share the articles with
many Seventh-day Adventists who
do not receive your magazine.
Thank you again for the great and
noble work you are doing. May God
bless your entire staff as you continue
to instruct, warn, reprove, and guide
those who are searching for the truth.
PD, North Carolina
Thanks be to God, our Father, for
the wonderful, faithful, pure ministry
you provide.
May your work be blessed abundantly, and good health to each of
you.
BT, California
Although God considers wizardry, sorcery, and magic to be
abominations, we pronounce Harry
Potter and other spiritualistic stories
harmless fun, and read books, or
watch movies about them. Murder,
immorality, and violence are highly
offensive to God, but when its in
movies, on TV, or in video games, we
call those sins entertainment, and
actually pay to see or play them. Then
afterward, we pray God bless
America. Have we forgotten Psalm
66:18: If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear me?
JH, email

From Overseas
I thank you for the good work you
are doing for our Maker. Please go forward; dont be discouraged by the effort
from the division party on counteracting the three angels messages. Remember that He promised not to leave us nor
forsake us. We can do all things
through Him! Your publicationOur
Firm Foundationis inspiring a lot of
reformation in the willing servants of
God.
I am also giving a special thanks to
the editor and his associates. You have

Volume 17, Number 3

allowed the light to shine in this darkened world through upholding the
Spirit of Prophecy. Only a few editors
these days run Mrs. Whites articles in
their publications. I believe I now have
a clear understanding of the Spirit of
Prophecy after reading an article entitled A Sign of the Remnant. May
the Spirit of God confirm you until the
second advent.
CM, South Africa
I am with much gratitude to express my appreciation and thanks to
you for your magazine, Our Firm
Foundation. When I read it I was
shocked, so I asked myself what Adventists are doing today to spread the
gospel. I am a student of an Adventist
Institution.
I would like to read many books
written by Ellen Whitethe Spirit of
Prophecybut I do not have money to
buy all these books. Also, I have decided to share the Word of God about
our faith with other people who are
not Adventist, but I do not have
enough books to present these messages to others. I think about this and
become very sad.
I have found that the church here
is unproductive because members do
not know much about Adventism and
so they find it difficult to share the
Word of God with others.
Moreover, when I was reading
your magazine, I reached the topic,
Why Me, Lord? I learned that God
has a purpose for everyone in life. I
know that Jesus has a purpose for me
and I have decided to become a pastor in the future. I would like to thank
the Almighty God for your ministry.
FO, Ghana
Since I became an Adventist, I have
never been exposed to the full knowledge of the Spirit of ProphecySister
E. G. Whites writings. I have been
hoping to find books that could help
me explain to others about my
churchs origin and how the Spirit of
Prophecy is one of the most important
features for the last-day church. Those
who come to church every Sabbath

miss the meaning of most of the lessons because we have little knowledge about our church and lack material for our people of all ages. As you
know, time is running out and many
souls are perishing.
In other words, as someone who
has been called to serve in the field of
evangelism, Ill be grateful if some brethren with extra copies of the Spirit of
Prophecy books could send some to me.
I dont have any of them, or any other
literature to distribute to the people we
are meeting, who live as far as 12 kilometers from my village, and we are hoping to go even farther than that.
I pray for your success in all that you
do and that the Lord will bless you.
KK, Zambia
I really thank you very much for
the books ordered for me by a woman
named . I have written to thank
her.
Thank you for making it possible for
her to reach me. May God bless you!
We have planted a new church at
a village called and we have
to send the books to them. They have
requested some books and Bibles.
Therefore, could you send some Bibles
for them?
SK, Ghana
I am a newly converted Seventhday Adventist from the Roman Catholic church. I am requesting a few King
James Version Bibles with concordance and reference material.
I am requesting these Bibles because we are newly converted and we
have Bibles which we bought in Roman Catholic bookshops and most of
them have been tampered with, and
some dont even have the books of
Daniel and Revelation. I am also requesting any literature that could help
me and others understand Daniel and
Revelation.
If I could be able I would purchase
many Bibles for the many souls here
in Africa who are ignorant of the
Word of God, but I am unable since
my meagre salary is not even enough
to sustain myself and my family. May
the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, bless you for whatever you may
send me.
JO, Kenya

31

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