A Time of Crisis
The
following paper was included as Appendix 2 (pages 30-39) in a 48-page
document, not prepared by the present writer, entitled “An Appeal to the
General Conference President.”
What
you are now going to read will provide you with a brief overview of the
crisis now existing in our denomination. This study deserves a thoughtful
reading and much prayer.
THE OMEGA OF
APOSTASY
In
Selected Messages, Book 1, God’s messenger tells us about the
alpha and the amega of apostasy. We would suggest that you very
prayerfully read pages 193 through 208. We are told that the Alpha of
Apostasy was the spiritualistic presentation of God contained in the book,
The Living Temple, by Dr. Kellogg. But the Omega will be of a
startling nature.
“Be not deceived;
many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of devils. We have now before us the Alpha of this danger. The
Omega will be of a most startling nature.”—1 Selected Messages,
197.
We
can quickly see that at the time of the Omega, many will depart from the
faith and believe the “doctrines of devils.” Surely it will be of a
most startling nature!
It
will also be an incurable rebellion against God, by making the Spirit of
Prophecy of none effect.
“Satan . .
constantly pressing in the spurious— to lead away from the truth. The
very last deception of Satan will be to make of none effect the testimony
of the Spirit of God. “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
Proverbs 29:18. Satan will work ingeniously, in different ways and through
different agencies, to unsettle the confidence of God’s remnant people
in the true testimony.
“There will be a
hatred kindled against the Testimonies which is santanic. The workings of
Satan will be to unsettle the faith of the churches in them, for this
reason: Satan cannot have so cleaar a track to bring in his deceptions and
bind up souls in his delusions if the warnings and reproofs and counsels
of the Spirit of God are heeded.”—1 Selected Messages, 48.
The
Omega will also work insidiously to make void God’s law through the
teaching of the Nicolaitans that the law cannot be kept.
“I question whether
genuine rebellion is ever curable. Study in Patriarchs and Prophets
the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. This rebellion waas extended,
including more than two men. It was led by two hundred and fifty princes
of the congregation, men of renown. Call rebellion by its right name and
apostasy by its right name, and then consider the experience of the
ancient people of God with all its objectionable features was faithfully
chronicled to pass into history. The Scripture declares, “These things .
. are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11. And if men and women who have the knowledge
of the truth are so far separated from their great Leader that they will
take the great leader of apostasy and name him Christ our Rigteousness, it
is because they have not sunk deep into the mines of truth. They are not
able to distinquish the precious ore from the base material.—2
Selected Messages, 393.
The
New Theology is nothing more than the old theology, as old as sin itself.
It is the devil’s attempt to make void the law of God. The Nicolaitans
in John’s day were already teaching that the law could not be kept and
therefore one could be save in sin instead of from sin.
“The doctrine is
now largely taught that the gospel of Christ has made the law of God of no
efficacy; that by “believing” we are released from the necessity of
being doers of the Word. But this is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,
which Christ so unsparingly condemned.”—7 Bible Commentary, 957.
“Do we then make
void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”—Romans
3:31.
“It is time for
Thee, Lord to work: for they have make void Thy law.”—Psalm 119:126.
“Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof . . For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under
the law, but under grace . . Being then make free from sin, ye became
servants of righteousness.”—Romans 6:12, 14, 18.
THE PREACHING OF
SATAN’S DOCTRINES
“Many will stand in
our pulpits with the torch of false prophecy in their hands, kindled from
the hellish torch of Satan.”—Testimonies to Ministers, 409-410.
The
law of God is made void in many of our churches today. Many Seventh-day
Adventist churches are receiving sermons from the sacred desk which could
be preached in any of the churches in Babylon without apposition, and, in
many cases, could be preached even better. What has happened to our
“peculiar” message?
STEWARDSHIP
“Some men or
councils may say, That is just what we wish you to do. The Conference
Committee will take your capital, and will appropriate it for this very
object. But the Lord has made us individually His stewards. We each hold a
solemn responsibility to invest this means for ourselves. A portion it is
right to place in the treasury to advance the general interests of the
work; but the steward of means will not be guiltless before God, unless,
so far as he is able to to this, he shall use that meaans as circumstances
shall reveal the necessity. We should be ready to help the suffering, and
to set in operation plans to advance the truth in various ways. It is not
in the province of the Conference or any other organization to relieve us
of this stewardship. If you lack wisdom, go to god; ask him for yourself,
and then work with an eye single to His glory.
“By exercising your
judgment, by giving what you see there is need in any line of the work,
you are putting out your money to the exchangers. If you see in any
locality that the truth is gaining a foothold, and there is not place of
worship, then do something to meet the necessity. By your own action
encourage others to act, in building a humble house for the worship of
God. Have an interest in the work in all parts of the field.
“While it is not
your own property that you are handling, yet you aare made responsible for
its wise investment, for its use or abuse. God does not lay upon you the
burden of asking the Conference or any council of men whether you shall
use your means as you see fit to advance the work of God in destitute
towns and cities, and impoverished localities. If the right plan had been
followed, so much means would not have been use in some localities, and so
little in other places where the banner of truth has not been raised. We
are not to merge our individuality of judgment into any institution of our
world. We are to look to God for wisdom, as did Daniel . .
“Do we individually
realize our true position, that as God’s servants we are not to bargaian
away our stewardship; but that before the heavenly universe we are to
administer the truth committed to us by God? Our hearts are to be
sanctified, our hands are to have something to impart as occasion demands,
of the income that God entrusts to us.”—Ellen G. White Pamphlets in
the Concordance, Vol. 2, 467.
The tithe should go
to those who labor in word doctrine, be they men or
women.”—Evangelism, 492.
“The tithe . . is
to be especially devoted to the support of those who are bearing God’s
message to the world.”—Counsels on Stewardship, 103.
NEEDED: TRUE
CONVERSION
OF MINISTRY AND LAITY
“Will God send out
a man to rescue souls from the snare of Satan when his own feet are
entangled in the net? God’s servants must not be wavering. I ftheir feet
are sliding, how can they say to those of a fearful heart: “Be
strong”? God would have His servants hold up the feeble hands, and
strengthen the wavering. Those who are not prepared to do this would
better first labor for themselves and pray until they are endowed with
power from on high.”—1 Testimonies, 369-270.
“There have been
entire discourses, dry and Christless, in which Jesus has scarcely been
named. The speaker’s heaart is not subdued and melted by the love of
Jesus. He dwells upon dry theories. No great impression is made. The
speaker has not the divine unction, and how can he move the hearts of the
people? We need to repent and be converted—yes, the preacher converted.
The people must have Jesus lifted up before them, and they must be
entreated to ‘Look and live’ . .
“Here is the work
of the ministers of Christ. Because this work has not been done, because
Christ and His character, His words, and His work have not been brought
before the people, the religious state of the churches testifies against
their teachers. The churches are ready to die because little of Christ is
presented. They have not spiritual life and spiritual discernment.
“The teachers of
the people have not themselves become acquainted by living experience with
the Sourcce of their dependence and their strength. And when the Lord
raaises up men and sends them with the very message for theis time to give
to the people,—a message which is not a new truth, but the very same
that Paul taught, that Christ Himself taught—it is to them a strange
doctrine. They begin to caution the people—who are ready to die because
they have not been strengthened with the lifting up of Christ before
them—‘Do not be too hasty. Better wait, and not take up this matter
until you know more about it.” And the ministers preach the same dry
theories, when the people need fresh manna.”—3 Selected Messages,
184-186.
“The Churches must
arouse. The members must awake out of sleep and begin to inquire, How is
the money which we put into the treasury being used? The Lord desires that
a close search be made. Are all satisfied with the history of the work for
the past fifteen years? Where is the evidene of the coworking with God?
Where has been hearad throughout the churches the prayer for the help of
the Holy Spirit? Dissatisfied and disheartened, we turn away from the
scene.
“Our churches and
institutions must return to where they were before the backsliding
commenced when they began trusting in man and making flesh their arm. Have
we not seen enough of human wisdom? Shall we not now seek God in
earnestness and simplicity, and serve Him with heart and mind and
strength?
“The children of
Israel beheld the awful semblance of God’s presence in the mount; but
before Moses had been forty days away from them, they substitued a golden
calf for Jehovah. Things similar to this have been done among us as a
people Let us now return to God in penitence and contrition. Let us trust
in Him, not in man.”—Kress Collection, 120.
REPORTS
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