the southern review · great plan of salvation, and the life of christ, the author and finisher of...

Official Church Publication of theSeventh Day Adventist

Reform Movement

“The age in which we live calls for reformatory action.”—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 488.

Editor: D. SureshkumarAssistant to the Editor: B. MonteiroCreative Services: D. Lee

Subscription rates are as follows:United States US $ 6.95Foreign (surface mail) US $11.00Foreign (air mail) US $15.00Single issue US $ 3.50

THE REFORMATION HERALD®(ISSN 0482-0843) features articles on Bible doctrine thatwill enrich the spiritual life of those who seekto know more about God. It is published quar-terly by the Seventh Day Adventist ReformMovement General Conference, P. O. Box7240, Roanoke, VA 24019-0240, U.S.A.Web: http://www.sdarm.orge-mail: [email protected] is printed and distributed by Reformation

Herald Publishing Association. Manuscripts,inquiries, address changes, subscriptions, pay-ments, and donations should be mailed to theaddress below. Periodical postage paid atRoanoke, Virginia 24022.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:The Reformation Herald, P. O. Box 7240,ROANOKE, VA 24019.Photos by Photodisc © 2006, except wherespecified.

34

15

8

12

18

2224

“As children of God, it is ourprivilege to be worked by His Spirit.When self is crucified, the HolySpirit takes the brokenhearted ones,and makes them vessels unto honor.They are in His hands as clay in thehands of the potter. Jesus Christ willmake such men and women supe-rior in mental, physical, and moralpower. The graces of the Spirit willgive solidity to the character.”

—The Southern Review, December 5, 1899.

GENERAL CHURCH PAPER OF THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST REFORM MOVEMENT APRIL–JUNE, 2006, VOL. XLVII, NO. 2

Editorial Our Continual Dependence.

Abiding Within Consecration With Christ dwelling in our heart, our moral charac-ter strengthens!

A Trip to the Potter's ShopLet’s see an object lesson in how the Lord molds us intoa work of art.

Friendship: Exclusive or Inclusive? In our fast-paced society, genuine friendship is a rarejewel to look after.

How to Preserve Peace and Unityin the ChurchThe church should be a safe haven for exemplary fel-lowship and friendship—a model of sanctified harmony.

Training Reverent Children . . .With our knowledge of the antitypical day of atone-ment, we should be the most reverent people in theworld. How about the generation we’re bringing up?

Worldwide Pictorial News A picture is worth a thousand words.

Children’s Corner A Perfect Ideal.

C O V E R P A G E

©D

esig

n Pi

cs

THERE was a group ofbotanists who were search-ing for a rare flower in theHimalayas. Upon findingthe desired plant on the

side of a steep cliff, they offered abribe to a young boy if he would letthem lower him over the cliff toretrieve the plant. The young boytold the botanists to wait a few min-utes and he ran home. He returned alittle while later with an older manand said that if they let his father holdonto the rope, he would permit themto lower him over the side of the cliff.

So it ought to be with ourChristian life. As long as God has ahold onto the rope, we ought to faith-fully follow His will for our life withcomplete confidence that He will notlet us go. For Jesus says, “without meye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

As a flower of the field has itsroot in the soil, so must we dependon God. “The Lord sitteth King forever. The Lord will give strengthunto his people” (Psalm 29:10, 11).The throne of grace is to be ourcontinual dependence. There isstrength for us in Christ. Hebrews4:16 says, “Let us therefore comeboldly unto the throne of grace, thatwe may obtain mercy, and find graceto help in time of need.”

Grace is God willing to give ussomething that we do not deserve,which, in this case, is salvation.

Mercy is God not giving ussomething that we do deserve which,in this case, would be punishment.

The Lord says, “My grace issufficient for you.” Grace is every-thing for nothing to those who don’tdeserve anything. His mercy goesbefore the unwilling to make him orher willing; it follows the willing tomake his or her will effectual.

Thanks be unto God that wehave been given access to His

throne, that we may obtain graceand mercy.

He sends His children to everycorner of the world to communicateHIS will to HIS people. He wants tosanctify and elevate His followers.The life and experience of those whobelieve in Him will be a savor of lifein the world. Knowing His will ismore valuable than all the treasureswe could ever have, and we mustalways esteem knowing His will asthe treasure, and therefore make itthe primary thing that we seek. Hehas given us a great work to do. Letus do it with faithfulness and deter-mination. Let us show in our life andtestimonies what Jesus has done forus. If we fill our heart with the holyoil, we may impart it to others. It isonly from Christ we receive all ourlight. No church can have light if itfails to distribute the glory it receivesfrom the throne of God.

“Consider the parable of the tenvirgins. All had lamps, that is, anoutward semblance of religion; butonly five of them had the inwardpiety. Five of them were wanting inthe oil of grace. The Spirit of life inChrist Jesus, the Holy Spirit, wasnot abiding in their hearts. Without

the oil of grace, of what use was it tobear about a lamp of profession?However high may be the profes-sion, however high may be the posi-tion held by a professor of religion,if the oil of grace is wanting, he hasnothing with which to feed hislamp, and it cannot send forthclear, shining rays of light.”1

When our heart is cleansedfrom sin, Christ is placed on thethrone of our heart. Then the imageof Christ will be seen in the life andexperience of His children.

Let us therefore give our heartto Jesus. Then He will occupy thethrone of our heart that we maybecome the instruments of right-eousness.

We are living in altogether toosolemn a period of the world’s his-tory to be careless and negligent. Wemust pray, we must believe, and wemust obey His words. We mustreflect Jesus in our life. At the end ofthe life of any individual the ques-tions will not be:

“How much have you won?” but“How much have you done?”

Not “How much have yousaved?” but “How much have yousacrificed?”

Not “How much were you hon-ored?” but “How much have youloved and served?”

Therefore, as the apostle empha-sizes in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christmay dwell in your hearts by faith,” weshould permit Jesus to be in ourheart. He has bought us, and Heclaims a throne in each heart. Ourmind and body must be subordinatedto Him. We can place no dependenceupon ourselves in anything. Ourprayer should be, Dear God, “YOURWILL—nothing more, nothing less,and nothing else.” Amen.

1 Sons and Daughters of God, p. 118.

T H E R E F O R M AT I O N H E R A L D , V O L U M E X LV I I , N U M B E R 2 3

E D I T O R I A L

Our Continual Dependence

IN PREVIOUS studies in TheReformation Herald, we exam-ined the principle of consecra-tion and the concept of abiding.Now let us consider a few ques-

tions: How can we be abiding inChrist if we are not consecrated toHim? How can we be consecrated toHim, if we are not abiding in Him?In this study we will take a peek intothe life of some of the individualswho have left us their example. Alsowe will be looking into the meaningof some of the words in some familiarBible texts, as we dig for truth as forhidden treasure.

In Exodus 25:8, God said toMoses, “Let them make me a sanc-tuary; that I may dwell amongthem.”

Here the word translated as“sanctuary” comes from a Hebrewword meaning “a consecrated thingor place.” The word “dwell” meansto “reside or permanently stay, toinhabit, abide, and remain (with theidea of lodging). “Among” here sig-nifies “in the center, in the midstof.” “Make” here signifies “to pre-pare or provide.”

The Lord wants us to provide(become) a dwelling place, an abid-ing place, a holy place, for Him, aplace for Him to lodge within our-selves. Jesus wants to dwell (abide;permanently stay) in our heart.

Imagine your heart as a holy placefor the indwelling Spirit of God asyou are being sanctified, being trans-formed into His likeness, havingyour character changed daily, fromglory to glory. See 2 Corinthians3:18.

“Consecrate yourself to God inthe morning; make this your veryfirst work. Let your prayer be, ‘Takeme, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I layall my plans at Thy feet. Use metoday in Thy service. Abide withme, and let all my work be wroughtin Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Eachmorning consecrate yourself to Godfor that day. . . . It is by loving Him,copying Him, depending whollyupon Him, that you are to be trans-formed into His likeness.”1

“Having therefore these promis-es, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our-selves from all filthiness of the fleshand spirit, perfecting holiness inthe fear of God” (2 Corinthians7:1). One of these promises is inJohn 15:7, “If ye abide in me, andmy words abide in you, ye shall askwhat ye will, and it shall be doneunto you.” Notice this promise ismade to those who abide in Christ!

Consecrated messengersNotable examples are found

both in the Old and the NewTestament.

“The life of Christ has shownwhat humanity can do by being par-taker of the divine nature. All thatChrist received from God we toomay have. Then ask and receive.With the persevering faith of Jacob,with the unyielding persistence ofElijah, claim for yourself all thatGod has promised.”2

“The consecrated messengerswho in the early days of Christianitycarried to a perishing world the gladtidings of salvation, allowed nothought of self-exaltation to martheir presentation of Christ and Himcrucified. They coveted neitherauthority nor preeminence. Hidingself in the Saviour, they exalted thegreat plan of salvation, and the lifeof Christ, the Author and Finisher ofthis plan. Christ, the same yesterday,today, and forever, was the burden oftheir teaching.”3

The example of Daniel “The life of Daniel is an

inspired illustration of what consti-tutes a sanctified character. It pre-sents a lesson for all, and especiallyfor the young. A strict compliancewith the requirements of God isbeneficial to the health of body andmind. In order to reach the higheststandard of moral and intellectualattainments, it is necessary to seekwisdom and strength from God and

4 T H E R E F O R M AT I O N H E R A L D , A P R I L – J U N E , 2 0 0 6

BY LES GIBSON

©D

esig

n Pi

cs

to observe strict temperance in allthe habits of life. In the experienceof Daniel and his companions wehave an instance of the triumph ofprinciple over temptation toindulge the appetite. It shows usthat through religious principleyoung men may triumph over thelusts of the flesh and remain true toGod’s requirements, even though itcost them a great sacrifice.”4 Howcould Daniel attain such preemi-nence?

“ ‘Abstain from fleshly lusts,which war against the soul,’ is thelanguage of the apostle Peter (1Peter 2:11). . . . Any habit whichdoes not promote health degradesthe higher and nobler faculties.Wrong habits of eating and drinkinglead to errors in thought andaction.”5 “Even your thoughtsmust be brought into subjectionto the will of God and your feelingsunder the control of reason and reli-gion. Your imagination was notgiven you to be allowed to run riotand have its own way without anyeffort at restraint or discipline. If thethoughts are wrong the feelings willbe wrong, and the thoughts andfeelings combined make up themoral character.”6 “It is impossiblefor any to enjoy the blessing of sanc-tification while they are selfish andgluttonous.”7

Do we have any record of any-one that was sanctified (consecrat-ed)? Again we read about Daniel:“His purity of character and unwa-vering fidelity are equaled only byhis humility of heart and his contri-tion before God. We repeat, the lifeof Daniel is an inspired illustrationof true sanctification.”8

How did Daniel get such goodgrades? In Daniel 1:8 we read that“Daniel purposed in his heart thathe would not defile himself with the

portion of the king’s meat, nor withthe wine which he drank: thereforehe requested of the prince of theeunuchs that he might not defilehimself.” The verb here translated as“to purpose” means to determinesteadfastly. The implication also isthat he had, in essence, steadfastlypainted the order on the walls of hisheart that he would not desecrate,pollute, or stain himself. The origi-nal text also implies that since hehad already divorced himself fromthe old man of sin, he would notreclaim, purchase, ransom, redeem,or “buy back the widow” of thatrelationship. (Please understand thespiritual relationship here.) Whatwas the result? Sanctification. Whatwas the first step?Steadfast determi-nation.

When is sanctification impos-sible?

“It is not possible for us to glori-fy God while living in violation ofthe laws of life. The heart cannotpossibly maintain consecration toGod while lustful appetite isindulged. A diseased body and disor-dered intellect, because of continualindulgence in hurtful lust, makesanctification of the body and spiritimpossible. The apostle understoodthe importance of the healthful con-ditions of the body for the successfulperfection of Christian character. Hesays, ‘I keep under my body, andbring it into subjection; lest that byany means, when I have preached toothers, I myself should be a cast-away’ (1 Corinthians 9:27). He men-tions the fruit of the Spirit, amongwhich is temperance. ‘And they thatare Christ’s have crucified the fleshwith the affections and lusts’(Galatians 5:24).”9

“God requires of His peoplecontinual advancement. We need to

learn that indulged appetite is thegreatest hindrance to mentalimprovement and soul sanctifica-tion.”10

Do we have an example of any-one who completely, successfullyabided in Jesus Christ? “Johndesired to become like Jesus, andunder the transforming influence ofthe love of Christ, he became meekand lowly of heart. Self was hid inJesus. He was closely united tothe Living Vine, and thus becamea partaker of the divine nature.Such will ever be the result of com-munion with Christ. This is truesanctification.”11 “John clung toChrist as the vine clings to the state-ly pillar.”12

What was the result?Sanctification. He was closely unit-ed, abiding in the Living Vine.

What was the first step?Steadfast determination.

In an earlier study we saw thatthe same root word is translatedboth as consecration and as sanctifi-cation. Now we can see that Danieland John were abiding within conse-cration. This is to be a daily matterin our life.13 The result, as we haveseen, is true sanctification, becominga partaker of the divine nature ofChrist.

This is only a partial list—Daniel in the Old Testament andJohn in the New. However, asHebrews chapter 11 mentions, thereare a host of others. “He whobecomes a partaker of the divinenature will be in harmony withGod’s great standard of righteous-ness, His holy law. This is the ruleby which God measures the actionsof men. This will be the test of char-acter in the judgment.”14 (Rememberwe read that the thoughts and feel-ings combined make up the moralcharacter.)


©D

esig

n Pi

cs

A mystery to be made knownPaul refers to this concept of

abiding as “the mystery which hathbeen hid from ages and from genera-tions, but now is made manifest tohis saints: to whom God would makeknown what is the riches of the gloryof this mystery among the Gentiles;which is Christ in you, the hope ofglory: Whom we preach, warningevery man, and teaching every manin all wisdom; that we may presentevery man perfect in Christ Jesus”(Colossians 1:26–28).

“This union with Christ, onceformed, must be maintained.Christ said, ‘Abide in Me, and Iin you. As the branch cannotbear fruit of itself, except itabide in the vine; no morecan ye, except ye abide inMe’ (John 15:4). This isno casual touch, no off-and-on connection. Thebranch becomes a part ofthe living vine. The com-munication of life, strength,and fruitfulness from theroot to the branches is unob-structed and constant. Separatedfrom the vine, the branch cannotlive. No more, said Jesus, can youlive apart from Me. The life you havereceived from Me can be preservedonly by continual communion.Without Me you cannot overcomeone sin, or resist one temptation.”15

“As we partake of the divinenature, hereditary and cultivatedtendencies to wrong are cut awayfrom the character, and we are madea living power for good. Ever learn-ing of the divine Teacher, daily par-taking of His nature, we are made aliving power for good. Ever learningof the divine Teacher, daily partakingof His nature, we cooperate withGod in overcoming Satan’s tempta-tions. God works, and man works,that man may be one with Christas Christ is one with God.”16

“If Jesus resisted Satan’s tempta-tions, He will help us to resist. Hecame to bring divine power to com-bine with human effort. . . .

“In Christ dwelt the fullness ofthe Godhead bodily. . . . Are we not

also to become partakers of that full-ness? and is it not thus, and thusonly, that we can overcome as Christovercame?

“We lose much by not dwellingconstantly on the character ofChrist. ‘Believe me,’ He says, ‘that Iam in the Father, and the Father inme; or else believe me for the veryworks’ sake.’ ‘If ye love me, keep mycommandments. And I will pray theFather, and he shall give you another

Comforter, that he may abide withyou forever; even the Spirit of truth’(John 14:15–17). . . .

“Why are we so dull of compre-hension? Why do we not cling toJesus, and draw from Him by faiththe strength and perfection of Hischaracter, as the vine branch drawsthe sap from the living vine? We areto look to Jesus, and as temptationsclose us about, climb up step by stepin the work of overcoming. Abidingin Christ, we become one withHim. Then we are safe, entirelysafe, against all the assaults ofSatan. Christ living in the soul isrevealed in the character.”17

As the branch is grafted in, sowe must be grafted in. As the branchis transformed into the similitude ofthe rootstock fiber by fiber, vein byvein, so we must be changed,

thought by thought, feeling by feel-ing, rooted and grounded in ChristJesus our Lord. His thoughts andfeelings are to become our thoughtsand feelings—changed from glory toglory/character to character, into thedivine similitude of the Son ofGod/changed by grace through faiththat works in love.

As the life of the animal is in theblood (see Leviticus 17:11), so the lifeof a plant is in the sap. As thelifeblood of the plant moves up in theplant from the roots through thestem and branches and finally results

in the fruit, so through faith in theblood of the Lamb of God we are

to bear fruit. This process isexplained step by step in 2Peter 1:5–7, “And besidethis, giving all diligence, addto your faith virtue; and tovirtue knowledge; and toknowledge temperance; andto temperance patience; andto patience godliness; and to

godliness brotherly kindness;and to brotherly kindness

charity.” The last fruit is love.“By this shall all men know that

ye are my disciples, if ye have loveone to another” (John 13:35). “Ye

shall know them by their fruits. Domen gather grapes of thorns, or figsof thistles? . . . Wherefore by theirfruits ye shall know them” (Matthew7:16, 20). “But the fruit of the Spiritis love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gen-tleness, goodness, faith, meekness,temperance: against such there is nolaw” (Galatians 5:22, 23). In this case,love is the first fruit. “And nowabideth faith, hope, charity, thesethree; but the greatest of these ischarity” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Loveis the greatest fruit. Notice the inter-esting connection between love andconsecration:

“Faith, which takes hold ofOmnipotence and refuses to be baf-fled; hope, which turns the futuretriumphs of the good and the trueinto present encouragement and joy;and love, which consecrates all toGod and for God.”18

How do we understand this?Love is first, last, and greatest. Love


Phot

os:©

Des

ign

Pics

is the cement, the glue that binds thegraft together. Love is the sap of theplant, the blood of Christ that weare to drink in a figurative sense.This love is the fruit we are to bear,by which all shall know that we areHis disciples. Love is the catalyst,love to God and to our kindredhuman beings (see Mark 12:30, 31).Love is that which consecrates us toGod as we abide in Him. Love isthat which binds us within Christ aswe consecrate ourselves to Him.

The call of the hour“Wherefore take unto you the

whole armour of God, that ye maybe able to withstand in the evil day,and having done all, to stand”(Ephesians 6:13). The word translat-ed here as “stand” means to “abide,appoint, bring, continue, covenant.”We cannot abide in Christ or beconsecrated to Him if we do not“love him, because he first loved us”(1 John 4:19). Having our armor inplace is to guard the avenues of ourthoughts and feelings.

“And we have known andbelieved the love that God hath to us.God is love; and he that dwelleth inlove dwelleth in God, and God inhim” (1 John 4:16). Once again, theword translated here as “dwelleth” canalso mean to abide, continue, or stand.He that abides in love, abides in God.He that stands in love, stands in God.

“The work is fast closing up, andon every side wickedness is increas-ing. We have but a short time inwhich to work. Let us awake fromspiritual slumber, and consecrate allthat we have and are to the Lord.His Spirit will abide with true mis-sionaries, furnishing them withpower for service. God is an over-flowing fountain of strength.”19

“By unselfish, consecrated life,through the power of the Holy Spiritworking on our minds, we are toreveal, not our own ways and wills,but the power of the love of Himwho gave Himself for us, that weshould be drawn out of and awayfrom our own traits of character tothe perfection of Christ’s character.He died that we should cultivate the

attributes of His character, and ele-vate, purify, and gladden the heartsand life of others. All who are con-nected with the work of God need tohave sanctified hearts, whereChrist can abide. This means thatthere is a positive necessity of yourclosely examining yourselves,whether you be in the love ofChrist. If you are individually attend-ing to your soul’s interest, you willhave a sense of your own shortcom-ings, and will not sow the seed thatChrist calls tares. If the truth youprofess to know in theory is in yourheart, you will reveal the truth as it isin Jesus. In every sphere of action youwill represent His character.”20

“ ‘I will pray the Father, and Heshall give you another Comforter,that He may abide with you forever’(John 14:16). The Holy Spirit abideswith consecrated laborers who in anylocality are seeking to advance thecause.”21

Closing thought “The people do not like to hear

the message of reproof in condemna-tion of wrong, but it is necessary; weneed it; the soul temple must becleansed from its defilement. I was upat two o’clock this morning, pleadingwith God for the people—pleadingwith Him as to how the tide of unbe-lief could be stayed; and the messageseemed to come to me, ‘Do the bestyou can, go forward and upward. Iwill be at thy side; I will sweep backthe darkness that is beclouding theperceptions of those who are honestin heart.’ It is time that the trumpethad a certain sound. The Lord iscoming, and we must be ready! Everymoment I want His grace—I wantthe robe of Christ’s righteousness.We must humble our souls beforeGod as never before, come low to thefoot of the cross, and He will put aword in our mouths to speak forHim, even praise unto our God. Hewill teach us a strain from the songof the angels, even thanksgiving toour heavenly Father. We can donothing of ourselves, but God wantsto touch our lips with a living coalfrom off the altar. He wants to sanc-

tify our tongues—to sanctify ourwhole being—that we may do thosethings that are pleasing in His sight.O how Christ longs to open beforeus the mysteries of redemption! Helonged to do this for His discipleswhen He was among them on earth,but they were not far enoughadvanced in spiritual knowledge tocomprehend His words. He had tosay to them, ‘I have yet many thingsto say unto you, but ye cannot bearthem now’ (John 16:12). “O howmuch better could they have bornethe terrible ordeal through whichthey had to pass at His trial and cru-cifixion, if they had advanced, andbeen able to bear the instruction ofChrist! Shall we not let Jesus openour understanding? Shall we not letHim abide in our hearts by faith?Shall we not consecrate ourselves toGod without any reserve? The trou-ble is, we only make half work ofour consecration; we do not sub-mit ourselves to carry the burden,to wear the yoke of the Master.May God help us that we may dothis without delay.”22

References

1Steps to Christ, pp. 70, 71 (emphasis supplied).2Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 149.3The Acts of the Apostles, p. 209.4The Sanctified Life, p. 23.5Ibid., p. 25.6Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 310 (emphasis supplied).7The Sanctified Life, p. 25.8Ibid., p. 52.9The Health Reformer, March 1, 1878 (empha-

sis supplied).10Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 156 (emphasis supplied).11The Sanctified Life, pp. 54, 55 (emphasis sup-

plied).12Ibid., p. 53.13See Steps to Christ, p. 70.14Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 314.15The Desire of Ages, p. 676 (emphasis supplied).16The Review and Herald, April 24, 1900

(emphasis supplied).17The Signs of the Times, October 10, 1892

(emphasis supplied).18Sons and Daughters of God, p. 193 (emphasis

supplied).19The Review and Herald, April 28, 1903

(emphasis supplied).20Pamphlet No. 162, pp. 1, 2 (emphasis sup-

plied).21Testimonies to Ministers, p. 218.22The Review and Herald, March 4, 1890

(emphasis supplied).


WHYshould we take a tripto the potter’s shop,what is there for us?We always want our

streets to be straight and our skies tobe blue; we want everything to gowell for us and at times we want totake the path of least resistance. But,is this always going to be realistic forus? Perhaps we need to take that tripto the potter’s house so that we canbetter understand ourselves and justwhat we need to learn when wearrive there. Let us examine closelyas we consider ourselves as “clay inthe Potter’s hand.”

Things are not always right“The word which came to

Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,Arise, and go down to the potter’shouse, and there I will cause thee tohear my words. Then I went down tothe potter’s house, and, behold, hewrought a work on the wheels. Andthe vessel that he made of clay wasmarred in the hand of the potter: sohe made it again another vessel, asseemed good to the potter to make it.Then the word of the Lord came tome, saying, O house of Israel, cannotI do with you as this potter? saith theLord. Behold, as the clay is in thepotter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand,O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:1–6)

We read in Isaiah 29:16: “Surelyyour turning of things upside downshall be esteemed as the potter’s clay:

for shall the work say of him thatmade it, He made me not? or shallthe thing framed say of him thatframed it, He had no understanding?”

Do we doubt who made us, orwho is shaping us?

“Woe unto him that strivethwith his Maker! Let the potsherdstrive with the potsherds of theearth. Shall the clay say to him thatfashioneth it, What makest thou? orthy work, He hath no hands? Woeunto him that saith unto his father,What begettest thou? or to thewoman, What hast thou broughtforth?” (Isaiah 45:9, 10).

We must be willing to admitour true condition

“For since the beginning of theworld men have not heard, nor per-ceived by the ear, neither hath theeye seen, O God, beside thee, whathe hath prepared for him that wait-eth for him. Thou meetest him thatrejoiceth and worketh righteousness,those that remember thee in thyways: behold, thou art wroth; forwe have sinned: in those is continu-ance, and we shall be saved. But weare all as an unclean thing, and allour righteousnesses are as filthy rags;and we all do fade as a leaf; and ouriniquities, like the wind, have takenus away. And there is none that call-eth upon thy name, that stirreth uphimself to take hold of thee: for thou

hast hid thyface from us, and hast

consumed us, because of our iniqui-ties. But now, O Lord, thou art ourfather; we are the clay, and thouour potter; and we all are the workof thy hand” (Isaiah 64:4–8).

We have to recognize that weall have sinned

“And the son said unto him,Father, I have sinned against heav-en, and in thy sight, and am nomore worthy to be called thy son”(Luke 15:21).

According to Romans 3:23, “Allhave sinned, and come short of theglory of God.”

There is hope for us, for Hewho made us is not willingthat any should be lost

This admonition is given to usin 1 John 2:1–6: “My little children,these things write I unto you, that yesin not. And if any man sin, we havean advocate with the Father, JesusChrist the righteous: And he is thepropitiation for our sins: and not forour’s only, but also for the sins of thewhole world. And hereby we doknow that we know him, if we keephis commandments. He that saith, Iknow him, and keepeth not his com-mandments, is a liar, and the truth isnot in him. But whoso keepeth hisword, in him verily is the love ofGod perfected: hereby know we thatwe are in him. He that saith heabideth in him ought himself also soto walk, even as he walked.”


©iS

tock

Phot

os.c

om

We are clay under constructionWe are to be sent to the Potter’s

shop for molding and reshaping.The finished product which is seenin the showroom is not the same asit was in the shop. Of what are wemade? Genesis 2:7 tells us, “And theLord God formed man of the dust ofthe ground, and breathed into hisnostrils the breath of life; and manbecame a living soul.”

How close we should feel toHim because He is our Creator! Itwas by His hand that we wereformed, and from His breath did wereceive life.

What are we like in our rough,unrefined condition since sinentered our once-perfectworld?

Are we at peace with ourbrother or sister and our neigh-bor? Are we free from the idols ofease, self-gratification, pride, pas-sion, self-exaltation?

The God who gave to us thehigh standard by which we are to liveand develop perfect characters givesus guidelines to follow. Let’s readLeviticus 19:9–18: “And when ye reapthe harvest of your land, thou shaltnot wholly reap the corners of thyfield, neither shalt thou gather thegleanings of thy harvest. And thoushalt not glean thy vineyard, neithershalt thou gather every grape of thyvineyard; thou shalt leave them forthe poor and stranger: I am the Lordyour God. Ye shall not steal, neitherdeal falsely, neither lie one to another.And ye shall not swear by my namefalsely, neither shalt thou profane thename of thy God: I am the Lord.Thou shalt not defraud thy neigh-bour, neither rob him: the wages ofhim that is hired shall not abide withthee all night until the morning.Thou shalt not curse the deaf, norput a stumblingblock before theblind, but shalt fear thy God: I amthe Lord. Ye shall do no unrighteous-ness in judgment: thou shalt notrespect the person of the poor, norhonour the person of the mighty: butin righteousness shalt thou judge thyneighbour. Thou shalt not go up and

down as a talebearer among thy peo-ple: neither shalt thou stand againstthe blood of thy neighbour: I am theLord. Thou shalt not hate thy broth-er in thine heart: thou shalt in anywise rebuke thy neighbour, and notsuffer sin upon him. Thou shalt notavenge, nor bear any grudge againstthe children of thy people, but thoushalt love thy neighbour as thyself:I am the Lord.”

“Examine yourselves, whetherye be in the faith; prove your ownselves. Know ye not your own selves,how that Jesus Christ is in you,except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corin-thians 13:5).

“ ‘Examine yourselves, whetherye be in the faith.’ Many . . . mayimmediately respond, ‘Why, yes; Iam in the faith, I believe every point

of the truth.’ But do you practicewhat you believe? Are you at peacewith God and with your brethren?Can you pray with sincerity, ‘Forgiveus our debts, as we forgive ourdebtors’? . . . Is there no bitternessin your hearts, no envying, no jeal-ousy, no evil surmising? . . . Isthere no emulation, no desire forspecial favor and honors, no wishto have the supremacy?

“We do well to examine our-selves to see what manner of spiritwe are cherishing. Let us learn tospeak gently, quietly, even under cir-cumstances the most trying. Let uscontrol not only our words, but ourthoughts and imaginations. Let us bekind, be courteous.

“Many are sensible of their greatdeficiency, and they read, and pray,


©D

esig

n Pi

cs

and resolve, and yet make noprogress. They seem to be powerlessto resist temptation. The reason is,they do not go deep enough. Theydo not seek for a thorough conver-sion of the soul, that the streamswhich issue from it may be pure, andthe deportment may testify thatChrist reigns within. All defects ofcharacter originate in the heart.Pride, vanity, evil temper, and cov-etousness proceed from the carnalheart unrenewed by the grace ofChrist. If the heart is refined, soft-ened, and ennobled, the words andactions will testify to the fact. Whenthe soul has been entirely surren-dered to God, there will be a firmreliance upon His promises, andearnest prayer and determined effortto control the words and actions.”1

“Candidly and seriously we areto consider the question, Have wehumbled ourselves before God,that the Holy Spirit may workthrough us with transforming power?As children of God, it is our privilegeto be worked by His Spirit. Whenself is crucified, the Holy Spirit takesthe brokenhearted ones, and makesthem vessels unto honor. They are inHis hands as clay in the hands ofthe potter. Jesus Christ will makesuch men and women superior inmental, physical, and moral power.The graces of the Spirit will givesolidity to the character. They willexert an influence for good becauseChrist is abiding in the soul.”2

The process of refinement The potter who is making earth-

en vessels has to go into the yard andgather dirt. He then adds water tomoisten it; then he will be able tomold and shape it into the type ofvessel he desires. So the same is withour Potter who is changing us intothe vessels of His desire.

“The potter takes the clay in hishands and molds and fashions itaccording to his own will. He kneadsit and works it. He tears it apart andthen presses it together. He wets itand then dries it. He lets it lie for awhile without touching it. When itis perfectly pliable, he continues the

work of making of it a vessel. Heforms it into shape and on the wheeltrims and polishes it. He dries it inthe sun and bakes it in the oven.Thus it becomes a vessel fit for use.So the great Master Worker desiresto mold and fashion us. And as theclay is in the hands of the potter, soare we to be in His hands. We arenot to try to do the work of thepotter. Our part is to yield our-selves to the molding of theMaster Worker.”3

In its early stages the clay ismarred, imperfect

The potter gives it every chanceto change, to be purified; “Who gavehimself for us, that he might redeemus from all iniquity, and purify untohimself a peculiar people, zealous ofgood works” (Titus 2:14).

“The Lord needs men andwomen who carry with them into thedaily life the light of a godly exam-ple, men and women whose wordsand actions show that Christ is abid-ing in the heart, teaching, leading,and guiding. He needs men andwomen of prayer, who, by wrestlingalone with God, obtain the victoryover self, and then go forth to impartto others that which they havereceived from the Source of power.God accepts those who crucify self,and makes them vessels unto honor.They are in His hands as clay in thehands of the potter, and He worksHis will through them. Such men

and women receive spiritual power.Christ lives in them, and the powerof His Spirit attends their efforts.They realize that they are to live inthis world the life that Jesus lived—alife free from all selfishness; and Heenables them to bear witness forHim that draws souls to the cross ofCalvary.”4

“The touch of faith opens to usthe divine treasure house of powerand wisdom; and thus, throughinstruments of clay, God accom-plishes the wonders of His grace.This living faith is our great needtoday. We must know that Jesus isindeed ours; that His Spirit is purify-ing and refining our hearts. If thefollowers of Christ had genuinefaith, with meekness and love, what awork they might accomplish! Whatfruit would be seen to the glory ofGod!”5

The purifying process may bedifficult for us

We are advised of this and of itsresult in 1 Peter 4:12, 13: “Beloved,think it not strange concerning thefiery trial which is to try you, asthough some strange thing happenedunto you: But rejoice, inasmuch asye are partakers of Christ’s suffer-ings; that, when his glory shall berevealed, ye may be glad also withexceeding joy.”

“In the full light of day, and inhearing of the music of other voices,the caged bird will not sing the song


©iS

tock

Phot

os.c

om

that his master seeks to teach him.He learns a snatch of this, a trill ofthat, but never a separate and entiremelody. But the master covers thecage, and places it where the birdwill listen to the one song he is tosing. In the dark, he tries and triesagain to sing that song until it islearned, and he breaks forth in per-fect melody. Then the bird isbrought forth, and ever after he cansing that song in the light. ThusGod deals with His children. He hasa song to teach us, and when wehave learned it amid the shadows ofaffliction we can sing it ever after-ward.”6

We have a part to play in thisprocess; we must place our-selves in His hands

“The Potter cannot mold andfashion unto honor that which hasnever been placed in His hands. TheChristian life is one of daily surren-der, submission, and continual over-coming. Every day fresh victorieswill be gained. Self must be lostsight of, and the love of God mustbe constantly cultivated. Thus wegrow up into Christ. Thus the life isfashioned according to the divinemodel.

“Let the hand of God work theclay for His own service. He knowsjust what kind of vessel He wants.”7

“While the human agent isdevising and planning for himselfsomething that God has withheldhim from doing, he has a hard time.He complains and frets, and has stillincreased difficulties. But when hesubmits to be as clay in the hands ofthe potter, then God works the maninto a vessel of honor. The clay sub-mits to be worked. If God had Hisway, hundreds would be worked andmade into vessels as He sees best. . . .

“Every child of God is to do hisvery best to uplift the standard oftruth. He is to work in God’s order.If self is exalted, Christ is not magni-fied. In His Word God comparesHimself to a potter, and His peopleto the clay. His work is to mold andfashion them after His own simili-tude. The lesson they are to learn is

the lesson of submission. Self is notto be made prominent. If dueattention is given to the divineinstruction, if self is surrendered tothe divine will, the hand of thePotter will produce a shapelyvessel.”8

What is the advice given to usso that these things may beaccomplished in our life?

Let’s read Psalm 37:5, 6:“Commit thy way unto the Lord;trust also in him; and he shall bringit to pass. And he shall bring forththy righteousness as the light, andthy judgment as the noonday.”

We are also to think upon cer-tain things. “Finally, brethren, what-soever things are true, whatsoeverthings are honest, whatsoever thingsare just, whatsoever things are pure,whatsoever things are lovely, what-soever things are of good report; ifthere be any virtue, and if there beany praise, think on these things”(Philippians 4:8).

We will become as polishedstones in the wall

Many noble builders of God’schurch fell by the hand of theenemy. They were the stones whichwere laid upon the true foundationof the church, Jesus Christ. Stephenwas stoned, James died by the sword,Paul was beheaded, Peter was cruci-fied, John was exiled.

Throughout the generationsmany others have carried on thework of God and have remainedfaithful in continuing to build uponthat wall. Is not this the faithfulnesswhich we are to exhibit today? Atthis time, we are the new workers,the stones being polished and laidupon that foundation. We are toshine forth to present the vastcontrast between truth and error.

“Nevertheless he left not himselfwithout witness, in that he did good,and gave us rain from heaven, andfruitful seasons, filling our heartswith food and gladness” (Acts 14:17).

Through our life we may showforth His loving kindness to thebelieving and obedient ones.

Before we become as polishedstones we must be molded bythe hand of the Potter

It is in the Potter’s hands that wemust be shaped and reshaped, testedand tried, until perfection comes. Itis then that we will be able to preachthe truth in all its purity, be able tostand the test of time and tempta-tion. When we have been to thePotter’s house, we will be refinedand be able to give up all thingswhich have been idols in our life.

ConclusionWhen we consider what must

happen to us as we are refined by theMaster Potter, we realize that wehave a lot of work which needs to bedone in our behalf. There are manyconditions in our life which must besifted out. We cannot continue toretain the spirit of variance againstour brethren and sisters, nor havethe narrow-mindedness which saysthat everything must be our wayonly. The combative and unlovingspirit must be softened so that it maynot remain hardened and insensitiveto the needs of others.

AppealDear brothers and sisters, we are

standing upon the threshold of eter-nity. That which must be done inour behalf must be done now. Let ussubmit our life into the willing handsof the Potter, Jesus Christ, so thatHe can reshape us and remove fromus all these impurities, that we maybe as polished stones laid upon thatenduring foundation, the temple ofGod. Amen.

References

1Our High Calling, p. 336 (emphasis supplied).2The Southern Review, December 5, 1899

(emphasis supplied).3Testimonies, vol. 8, pp. 186, 187 (emphasis sup-

plied).4Daughters of God, pp. 81, 82..5God’s Amazing Grace, p. 265.6The Ministry of Healing, p. 472.7Our High Calling, p. 335.8The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White

Comments], vol. 4, p. 1154 (emphasis sup-plied).


AS BELIEVERS, we oftenhave some difficulty under-standing in practical wayswhat it means to be “in theworld but not of the

world.” Being able to work within thesphere of our influence at home, atwork, and with our friends is after alla challenge, especially when we areinsecure in what we believe and whenour vocations take us into secularenvirons. Many have not taken up thework outside of the context of thefamily and the organized church,having developed a spirit of exclusive-ness rather than one of inclusiveness.The following has been given to usfor contemplation and meditation:

“Let those who desire to workfor God begin at home, in their ownhousehold, in their own neighbor-hood, among their own friends.Here they will find a favorable mis-sionary field. This home missionarywork is a test, revealing their abilityor inability for service in a widerfield.”1

Bread at midnightA most profound example of

friendship in the Scriptures is foundin Luke 11:5–8:

“And [Jesus] said unto [His dis-ciples], Which of you shall have afriend, and shall go unto him at mid-night, and say unto him, Friend,lend me three loaves; for a friend ofmine in his journey is come to me,and I have nothing to set beforehim. And he from within shallanswer and say, Trouble me not; thedoor is now shut, and my childrenare with me in bed; I cannot rise andgive thee. I say unto you, Though hewill not rise and give him, becausehe is his friend, yet because of hisimportunity he will rise and give himas many as he needeth.”

Jesus describes a neighbor whohas received unannounced friendsnear the midnight hour, arrivingwithout being forewarned, and thereis no bread to give to these tired,hungry, travel-worn guests. In hismoment of urgency, he knocks at thedoor of his neighbor-friend. Hehopes that his neighbor will soonhave a solution to this emergency.The neighbor-friend’s home is dark,the doors and windows are shut andlocked. He is asleep with his chil-dren and does not wish to get up andawaken them. The man in need ini-tially has knocked with some trepi-

dation. Since there is no solution tohis dire need, he continues to knockwith vigor, until finally his neighbor-friend is awakened and supplies himwith the much needed bread. Howmany friends today would respondto the need or request of a neighbor-friend at an inconvenient time orplace?

This question merits thought, asit is important for those that live inan upwardly mobile society withhotels and 24-hour stores, to “findtime” for even the most importantthings of life such as prayer and med-itation, let alone helping a friend inhis or her dire emergency or crisis,seemingly to occur at inconvenienttimes. At a time when friendshipstend to be shallow, let us take a lookat this topic and pray for the Spirit ofGod to give us a receptive heart.

What is friendship?Friendship is an in-depth rela-

tionship which can be comfortableand relaxed and most importantlyrequires meeting the need of bothfriends. Building friendship takestime to develop. Researchers believeit takes almost three years to developa meaningful friendship from a casu-


BY REINER KREMER

©iS

tock

Phot

os.c

om

al friendship. This process requiresself disclosure and as such, anyfriendship has risks. One of the mostpowerful tools in building friendshipis talking and listening. This process,while appearing simple, requiresequality and loyalty from friends.What does this mean? This meansthat what is disclosed to a friendremains with a friend and is not dis-closed. Conversations within thefriendship stay within the context ofthe friendship, unless permission isgranted to disclose.

Maintenance of friendship iscrucial

Friendship cannot be neglected.One-on-one contact is a prerequi-site, and friends must be flexible.Conflict must be resolved beforefriendship can continue. Friendshipsalso end; they may not last. Theycan lose their importance and diegradually or end abruptly with unre-solved conflict. The worst enemy offriendship is change by one or bothparties. It is also to be expected thatthere is usually pain with the loss ofa friendship. Another important fac-tor is that of setting limits. All rela-tionships must have their limits, andsetting limits is done because youcare and not because you don’t care.

Manipulation testHere are some critical questions

we need to ask regarding whetherthis is a healthy friendship orwhether it is a friendship based onmanipulation.

Do we always go to the placethat my friend prefers, or do wealways go to places that we prefer?

Does my friend use humor toput me down or do I do likewise?

Does my friend seem to enjoycorrecting factual errors in conversa-tions?

Do I need my friend enough tobe the clutching type or does he orshe seem to be clutching at me?

Do I always seem weak or poorto my friend or does my friend seemthis way to me?

There are three types of manip-ulators:

One who needs to be needed.One who needs to take charge.One who needs to be pitied and

manipulates by appearing weak.

Toxic friendsThe Users. These people use

their friends for some purpose orgoal of their own. They are the mostharmful.

The Betrayers. Nothing hurtsmore than friends who have betrayedyou.

The Controllers. These are onlyfriends as long as they are in con-trol. The control freak often seemsto be helping yet refuses to breakcontrol. Be careful of these individu-als.

The Judges. Judgmental andcritical, these friends can erode yourself worth. They are faultfinders.These are toxic friends. They rarelyfind anything you do to be com-pletely right.

The Promise Breakers. Theserarely do what they say they will doand are found to lack dependability.

The Gossipers. They will betrayyour trust. Share with them confi-dential information and before youknow it, they will spread it aroundlike wildfire.

The Self-Centered. They aretoo busy with their lives that arefocused about themselves.

The Competitors. They arealways looking to be one up on youand everyone else.

The Leaners. These are the veryneedy friends who cling and may beat your doorstep every day. Usuallythey want most if not all of yourtime, and jealousy often enters thepicture when you cannot give themwhat they want.

A 12-step program to developfriendship

1. People equal friends. There isa certain chemistry with friends justas there exists in a love relationship.Therefore, contact with other peopleis the first building block to grow afriend. Friends can’t grow in a vacu-um. Best friends take time.

2. Talking is essential amongfriends. Talking between friendsrequires reciprocity. In a mutuallysatisfying friendship, both friendstalk and both friends listen. Friendstalk appropriately to each other.

3. Friends acknowledge friends.Friends acknowledge each otherwhen talking. Many conflicts in yourpersonal relationships can be avoidedif you will take the time to acknowl-edge others’ feelings and points ofview.

4. Friends listen to friends.Listening to friends is an importantstep in building closer friendships.


Friendship requires meeting the mutual needs of both friends.

©D

esig

n Pi

cs

We often take listening for granted,never realizing what it means toreally listen to a friend.

5. Friends attend to friends.Friends focus during conversations.Friends pay attention in conversa-tions. This means that your ears,your eyes, your body, and your feel-ings are all focused on that personduring your encounter.

6. Friends show sympathy withfriends. Empathy is identifying withyour friends’ feelings and seeing lifethrough your friends’ eyes. Confi-dences are freely given when theyare received with empathy amongfriends.

7. Friends touch friends.Touching is a warm form of commu-nication between friends. When yousee best friends communicating, youwill notice “friends listen with theireyes, staying close together andtouch comfortably.”

8. Friends praise friends.Affirmation is a powerful tool forgrowing a friend. Genuine praise canaffect your friends’ life. Be liberalwith praise for all of your friends,including casual friends.

9. Friends areloyal and trustwor-thy. Trust and loy-alty go hand inhand for friends.Friends can trustyou with theirsecrets, both largeand small becausegood friends neverbreak a confidence.Goods friends areforever loyal.

10. Friends areequal. Friends areon a see-saw. In ahealthy relation-ship friends areequals, not fifty-fifty every time, ofcourse, but with atrue lasting friend-ship it will alwayseven out in theend.

11. Friendsreveal their feelings.

We feel closest to our friends whenwe are suffering together, when wefeel that our friend needs us or whenthey feel a friend has shared some-thing of great importance to us.

12. Friends are not mind readers.A person who thinks “if you reallyliked me you could read my mind”cannot have an adult friendship. Nofriend can read your mind. And youcannot read your friends’ mind.

Solomon in Proverbs 27:6 statesthat “faithful are the wounds of afriend.” Friends are generallyencouraging, will speak the truth andtell it to you straight. Solomon con-tinues in Proverbs 18:24, for some-one to have a friend he must “shewhimself friendly.”

In James 4:4 we are told that a“friend of the world is the enemy ofGod” and in James 2:23 we findthat Abraham was called the“Friend of God.” As we study hisrelationship with God we learn thatfriendship is a day-by-day process.In prayer and in thoughtful medita-tion, Abraham developed such arelationship to be known as God’sfriend.

The Philip-Nathanael principleIn John 1:43–46, “The day fol-

lowing Jesus would go forth untoGalilee, and findeth Philip, and saithunto him, Follow me. Now Philipwas of Bethsaida, the city of Andrewand Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael,and saith unto him, We have foundhim, of whom Moses in the law, andthe prophets, did write, Jesus ofNazareth, the son of Joseph. AndNathanael said unto him, Can thereany good thing come out ofNazareth? Phillip saith unto him,Come and see.” Friends will sharewith others the great and excitingopportunities that are taking placehere on this earth in preparation forthe world to come. This friend-to-friend communication is effectivelyseen in the secular world in multi-level marketing. Friends share withfriends great and exciting opportuni-ties that they are told they absolutelycannot miss. Philip was called to be afollower of Jesus Christ. Philip wenthome and invited his friendNathanael to join him in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to become afollower of our Lord and SaviourJesus Christ.

“One of the most effective waysin which light can be communicatedis by private, personal effort. In thehome circle, at your friend’s fireside,at the bedside of the sick, in a quietway you may read the Scriptures andspeak a word for Jesus and the truth.Thus you may sow precious seed thatwill spring up and bring forth fruit.”2

Brethren and sisters, we arechallenged to share the gospel ofJesus Christ, particularly our person-al Christian experience with ourfriends and to nurture a spirit ofinclusiveness. Let’s invite those thatwe have been privileged to know toaccept Jesus Christ as their personalSaviour, obtain the forgiveness oftheir sins and receive that peacewhich only Christ can give.

Let’s invite them, like Philip, tocome and see how great God is!

References1Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 428.2Ibid., pp. 428, 429.


©Bi

ble

Pict

ures

W HOSESOEVER sinsye remit,’ said Christ,‘they are remitted; . . .and whosesoever sinsye retain, they are

retained’ (John 20:23). Christ heregives no liberty for any man to passjudgment upon others. In theSermon on the Mount He forbadethis. It is the prerogative of God. Buton the church in its organized capaci-ty He places a responsibility for theindividual members. Toward thosewho fall into sin, the church has aduty, to warn, to instruct, and if pos-sible to restore. ‘Reprove, rebuke,exhort,’ the Lord says, ‘with all long-suffering and doctrine’ (2 Timothy4:2). Deal faithfully with wrongdoing.Warn every soul that is in danger.Leave none to deceive themselves.Call sin by its right name. Declarewhat God has said in regard to lying,Sabbathbreaking, stealing, idolatry,and every other evil. ‘They which dosuch things shall not inherit the king-dom of God’ (Galatians 5:21). If theypersist in sin, the judgment you havedeclared from God’s word is pro-nounced upon them in heaven. Inchoosing to sin, they disown Christ;the church must show that she doesnot sanction their deeds, or she her-self dishonors her Lord. She must sayabout sin what God says about it. Shemust deal with it as God directs, andher action is ratified in heaven. Hewho despises the authority of thechurch despises the authority ofChrist Himself.

“But there is a brighter side tothe picture. ‘Whosesoever sins yeremit, they are remitted.’ Let thisthought be kept uppermost. In laborfor the erring, let every eye bedirected to Christ.”1

Right and wrong procedures“Men have no right to surmise

evil in regard to their fellowmen.Church members have no right tofollow their own impulses and incli-nations in dealing with fellow mem-

bers who have erred. They shouldnot even express their prejudicesregarding the erring, for thus theyplace in other minds the leaven ofevil.”2

“In almost every case wherereproof is necessary, there will besome who entirely overlook the factthat the Spirit of the Lord has beengrieved and His cause reproached.These will pity those who deservedreproof, because personal feelingshave been hurt. All this unsanctifiedsympathy places the sympathizerswhere they are sharers in the guilt ofthe one reproved. In nine cases outof ten if the one reproved had beenleft under a sense of his wrongs, hemight have been helped to see themand thereby have been reformed.

But meddlesome, unsanctified sym-pathizers place altogether a wrongconstruction upon the motives of thereprover and the nature of thereproof given, and by sympathizingwith the one reproved lead him tofeel that he has been really abused;and his feelings rise up in rebellionagainst the one who has only donehis duty.”3

“No church officer shouldadvise, no committee should recom-mend, nor should any church vote,that the name of a wrongdoer shallbe removed from the church books,until the instruction given by Christ[in Matthew 18:15–18] has beenfaithfully followed. When thisinstruction has been followed, thechurch has cleared herself before


©iS

tock

Phot

os.c

om

God. The evil must then be made toappear as it is, and must be removed,that it may not become more andmore widespread. The health andpurity of the church must be pre-served, that she may stand beforeGod unsullied, clad in the robes ofChrist’s righteousness.”4

“Truth and purity require thatwe make more thorough work tocleanse the camp from Achans. Letthose in responsible positions notsuffer sin in a brother. Show himthat he must either put away his sinsor be separated from the church.”5

“When [professed believers]show that they are following the cus-toms and fashions and sentiments ofthe world, they are to be faithfullydealt with. If they feel no burden tochange their course of action, theyshould not be retained as membersof the church.”6

“The church of Christ is in con-stant peril. Satan is seeking todestroy the people of God, and oneman’s mind, one man’s judgment, isnot sufficient to be trusted. Christwould have His followers broughttogether in church capacity, observ-ing order, having rules and disci-pline, and all subject one to another,esteeming others better than them-selves. Union and confidence areessential to the prosperity of thechurch. . . .

“God is leading a people outfrom the world upon the exaltedplatform of eternal truth, the com-mandments of God and the faith ofJesus. He will discipline and fit upHis people. They will not be at vari-ance, one believing one thing, andanother having faith and viewsentirely opposite, each moving inde-pendently of the body. Through thediversity of the gifts and govern-ments that He has placed in thechurch, they will all come to theunity of the faith.”7

“Perilous times are before us.Everyone who has a knowledge ofthe truth should awake and placehimself, body, soul, and spirit, underthe discipline of God. The enemy is

on our track. We must be wideawake, on our guard against him.We must put on the whole armor ofGod. We must follow the directionsgiven through the spirit of prophecy.We must love and obey the truth forthis time. This will save us fromaccepting strong delusions. God hasspoken to us through His word. Hehas spoken to us through the testi-monies to the church and throughthe books that have helped to makeplain our present duty and the posi-tion that we should now occupy. Thewarnings that have been given, lineupon line, precept upon precept,should be heeded. If we disregardthem, what excuse can we offer?”8

Entering through the doorChrist has taught us just how we

might distinguish between true andfalse shepherds.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you,He that entereth not by the doorinto the sheepfold, but climbeth upsome other way, the same is a thiefand a robber. But he that entereth inby the door is the shepherd of thesheep” (John 10:1, 2).

Those entrusted with theadministration of the church arewatchmen on the walls. It is theirsacred duty to preserve order andpeace. They should instruct thebeliever that those who do not go inthrough the door (by following theorder of the church), but try to scalethe fence (by moving and actingcontrary to this order) are thievesand robbers. Called with a sacredcalling as an apostle in the earlychurch, Paul warned the believers:“Now we command you, brethren,in the name of our Lord JesusChrist, that ye withdraw yourselvesfrom every brother that walketh dis-orderly, and not after the traditionwhich he received of us” (2 Thessa-lonians 3:6).

It is the duty of the ministry toinstruct the believer in gospel order.When the red light flashes, spiritualdiscretion bids us learn to stop (toprevent disorder in the church).

When the green signal is given, theroad is open to go straight ahead.(Church order also gives you free-dom to bring any question or com-plaint to the right place at theappropriate time.) All this is givennot to restrict liberty, but to preventcollision, confusion, and catastropheamong God’s people.

“Brethren, never allow anyone’sideas to unsettle your faith in regardto the order and harmony whichshould exist in the church. Many ofyou do not see all things clearly. Thedirections in regard to order in thetabernacle service were recorded thatlessons might be drawn from it by allwho should live upon the earth. Menwere selected to do various parts ofthe work of setting up and takingdown the tabernacle, and if onestrayed in carelessly and put hishands to the work assigned to anoth-er, he was to be put to death. Weserve the same God today. But thedeath penalty has been abolished;had it not been, there would notnow be so much careless, disorderlywork in His cause. The God ofheaven is a God of order, and Herequires all His followers to haverules and regulations, and to pre-serve order. All should have a perfectunderstanding of God’s work.”9

Korah, Dathan, and Abiramwere the chief conspirators in thegreat rebellion in the wilderness. Todeceive the congregation, they flat-tered the people and passed overtheir sins—even going so far as tomake the people believe that theywere holy, and that the cause of allthe trouble that had befallen themon the way was due to the leadershipof Moses and Aaron. The claim wasmade that if Korah, Dathan, andAbiram had been their leaders thesituation would have been entirelydifferent. By their words of flatterythey gained the confidence of thepeople until they felt sure they had amajority on their side. Only then didthey come out into the open. Thesemen always claimed that they werefor unity and peace, but their whole


course of action from the verybeginning belied their claim. Theynever entered by the “door”appointed by God for the settlementof difficulties, nor did they come totalk with Moses against whom theywere complaining. The Lord inter-vened in His own way to put an endto this rebellion.

Preserving peace in the familyand in the church

Nothing has caused greaterdamage and disaster in God’s churchthan the unsanctified tongue of thetalebearer and evilspeaker. Let usremember once and forever thatthose who indulge in this evil prac-tice are direct transgressors of themoral law and the order of thechurch. They are climbing over thefence and therefore must be classi-fied as thieves and robbers.

“Speak not evil one of another,brethren. He that speaketh evil ofhis brother, and judgeth his brother,speaketh evil of the law, and judgeththe law: but if thou judge the law,thou art not a doer of the law, but ajudge” (James 4:11).

Many church members aretempted to speak evil of othersbehind their backs. They have theidea that they are somehow justifiedin doing so. This does not settletheir complaints but only increasesthem. The evilspeaker never helps tobring unity into the church, butactually works hand in hand with theenemy to ruin the church and robher of love, unity, and peace. Suchpersons make themselves guilty ofhypocrisy. They may smile in yourface when they shake hands withyou, but behind your back they makea cannibal feast of your reputation.

“When he speaketh fair, believehim not: for there are seven abomi-nations in his heart. Whose hatred iscovered by deceit, his wickednessshall be shewed before the wholecongregation” (Proverbs 26:25, 26).

“Thou shalt not go up and downas a talebearer among thy people:neither shalt thou stand against the

blood of thy neighbour: I am theLord. Thou shalt not hate thybrother in thine heart: thou shalt inany wise rebuke thy neighbour, andnot suffer sin upon him. Thou shaltnot avenge, nor bear any grudgeagainst the children of thy people,but thou shalt love thy neighbour asthyself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus19:16–18).

“Unto the wicked God saith,What hast thou to do to declare mystatutes, or that thou shouldest takemy covenant in thy mouth? Seeingthou hatest instruction, and castestmy words behind thee. When thousawest a thief, then thou consentedstwith him, and hast been partakerwith adulterers. Thou givest thymouth to evil, and thy tongue fram-eth deceit. Thou sittest and speakestagainst thy brother; thou slanderestthine own mother’s son. Thesethings hast thou done, and I keptsilence; thou thoughtest that I wasaltogether such an one as thyself: butI will reprove thee, and set them inorder before thine eyes” (Psalm50:16–21).

“‘Thou shalt not bear false wit-ness against thy neighbor’ (Exodus20:16). False speaking in any matter,every attempt or purpose to deceiveour neighbor, is here included. Anintention to deceive is what consti-tutes falsehood. By a glance of theeye, a motion of the hand, an expres-sion of the countenance, a falsehoodmay be told as effectually as bywords. All intentional overstatement,every hint or insinuation calculatedto convey an erroneous or exaggerat-ed impression, even the statement offacts in such a manner as to mislead,is falsehood. This precept forbidsevery effort to injure our neighbor’sreputation by misrepresentation orevil surmising, by slander or talebearing. Even the intentional sup-pression of truth, by which injurymay result to others, is a violation ofthe ninth commandment.”10

“He that will love life, and seegood days, let him refrain his tonguefrom evil, and his lips that they

speak no guile: Let him eschew evil,and do good; let him seek peace, andensue it. For the eyes of the Lordare over the righteous, and his earsare open unto their prayers: but theface of the Lord is against them thatdo evil. And who is he that will harmyou, if ye be followers of that whichis good?” (1 Peter 3:10–13).

“Guile includes impurity in allits forms. An impure thought toler-ated, an unholy desire cherished, andthe soul is contaminated, its integritycompromised.”11

“Is it not time that we put awaychildish things? Shall we be of thenumber who are ever learning, andnever able to come to a knowledgeof the truth?

“God admonishes His people:‘Wherefore laying aside all malice,and all guile, and hypocrisies, andenvies, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes, desire the sincere milkof the word, that ye may grow there-by’ (1 Peter 2:1, 2). ‘Grieve not theholy Spirit of God, whereby ye aresealed unto the day of redemption.Let all bitterness, and wrath, andanger, and clamour, and evil speak-ing, be put away from you, with allmalice: and be ye kind one to anoth-er, tenderhearted, forgiving oneanother, even as God for Christ’ssake hath forgiven you. Be ye there-fore followers of God, as dear chil-dren; and walk in love, as Christ alsohath loved us, and hath given him-self for us an offering and a sacrificeto God for a sweetsmelling savour’(Ephesians 4:30–5:2).”12

(Continued in next issue)

References

1The Desire of Ages, pp. 805, 806.2Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 260.3Ibid., vol. 3, p. 359.4Ibid., vol. 7, pp. 262, 263.5Ibid., vol. 5, p. 147.6Testimonies to Ministers, p. 128.7Testimonies, vol. 3, pp. 445, 446.8Ibid., vol. 8, p. 298.9Ibid., vol. 5, p. 274.

10Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 309.11Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 177.12The Review and Herald, September 21, 1897.


©D

esig

n Pi

cs

Several years ago my husbandand I had the opportunity totour a world-famous basilica (atype of Catholic cathedral) inMontreal, Canada. What

impressed us most about the basilicawas not the grandeur of the building(although that was breathtaking), butthe absolute silence that pervadedthroughout the building. The roomwas silent, yet we were not alone.Tourists of all walks of life and of allreligions walked softly and spoke inhushed tones. People were worship-ping without disturbance at the frontand at the sides of the main sanctuarywhile tour guides gave bilingual toursto groups of 15–20 people! Everythingwas very hushed and a sense of rever-ence and respect pervaded. We werestruck by how extremely reverenttourists could be. How wonderful itwould be to see a similar respect con-sistently demonstrated by parents andchildren in our sanctuaries!

Teaching our children rever-ence

Difficult as it is to admit, ourchildren are all “born to evil”1 and“are the lawful prey of the enemy.”2

It is our job as parents to work fortheir salvation. We are told to “trainup a child in the way he should go:and when he is old, he will notdepart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Oneof the most important lessons ourchildren need to learn and that weneed to teach starting in infancy is toshow reverence for sacred thingssuch as the Sabbath, the Bible, thesanctuary, the pulpit, and musicalinstruments used in worship. It isabsolutely necessary to observe rev-erence and to teach it to our chil-dren. Parents are instructed to com-mand reverence from their children:

“The education and training ofthe youth should be of a characterthat would exalt sacred things andencourage pure devotion for God inHis house. Many who profess to bechildren of the heavenly Kinghave no true appreciationof the sacredness ofeternal things.Nearly all need

to be taught how to conduct them-selves in the house of God. Parentsshould not only teach, but command,their children to enter the sanctuarywith sobriety and reverence.”3

The house of God on earth isdescribed as “the gate of heaven.”4

How serious it is in God’s sight ifour child is a distraction to others!We are told that children should notbe allowed to become a distractionto those trying to worship and hearthe message being presented:

“Sometimes a little child may soattract the attention of the hearersthat the precious seed does not fallinto good ground and bring forthfruit. Sometimes young men andwomen have so little reverence forthe house and worship of God thatthey keep up a continual communi-cation with each other during thesermon. Could these see the angelsof God looking upon them andmarking their doings, they wouldbe filled with shame, withabhorrence of them-selves. God wantsattentive hearers. Itwas while men sleptthat Satan sowedhis tares.”5

The Lord hasmuch to sayabout those whodesecrate Hissanctuary. He isalso very clearthat when thesanctuary isdesecrated bychildrenthe con-sequencesextend totheentirecongre-gation:

“The house of God is often des-ecrated, and the Sabbath violated bySabbath-believers’ children. In somecases they are even allowed to runabout the house, play, talk and mani-fest their evil tempers in the verymeetings where the saints shouldworship God in the beauty of holi-ness. And the place that should beholy, and where a holy stillnessshould reign, and where there shouldbe perfect order, neatness and humil-ity, is made to be a perfect Babylon,‘confusion.’ This is enough to bringGod’s displeasure and shut His pres-ence from our assemblies.”6

We are instructed that parentsneed to be responsible for their chil-dren, especially while in the sanctu-ary. Even very young children needto be trained to be reverent andquiet in the sanctuary. If they growup to be irreverent in the sanctuaryit will be because the parents

neglected their duty by allow-ing their child to dishonor

God in His house:“Reverence is

greatly needed inthe youth of this

age. I amalarmed as Isee childrenand youth ofreligiousparents soheedless of

BY ALINA JOY DUBOIS

18 T H E R E F O R M A

the order and propriety that shouldbe observed in the house of God.While God’s servants are presentingthe words of life to the people, somewill be reading, others whisperingand laughing. Their eyes are sinningby diverting the attention of thosearound them. This habit, if allowedto remain unchecked, will grow andinfluence others.”7

The matter is of such impor-tance that we are even told that if aparent cannot control their child’sbehavior in the sanctuary, it is betterfor that parent and child to stayhome than for the parent to allowthe child to become a distraction:

“The house of God is often des-ecrated by Sabbath-keepers’ children. . . . If the parents have not govern-ment, and cannot control his or herchildren in meeting, God would bebetter pleased for them to remain athome with their unruly children.They had better suffer the loss ofmeetings, than to have a large num-ber annoyed, and their meetingsspoiled. If parents leave their chil-dren uncontrolled, unsubdued athome, they cannot have them do asthey wish in meeting. Who shouldbe the sufferers in this case?Certainly, the parents. They shouldnot feel afflicted if others do notwish to have their peace disturbedwhen they meet to worship God.

“Parents, you must be the suffer-ers in this matter, and it may lead youto see and fulfill your neglected duty.If you carry your children to the

house of God, they should bemade to understand thatthey are where God meetswith His people. There isnot that order observedamong Sabbathkeepers in thisrespect that there is in thenominal churches. Parents,you have a work to do.”8

Surely, our children mustbe taught to behave at least

as reverently as people in“nominal

churches”

do. They must be taught that eventhe talking that would be appropri-ate elsewhere on the Sabbath is notappropriate in the sanctuary:

“When the worshipers enter theplace of meeting, they should do sowith decorum, passing quietly totheir seats. . . . Common talking,whispering, and laughing should notbe permitted in the house of worship,either before or after the service.Ardent, active piety should character-ize the worshipers. . . . If when thepeople come into the house of wor-ship, they have genuine reverence forthe Lord and bear in mind that theyare in His presence, there will be asweet eloquence in silence. Thewhispering and laughing and talkingwhich might be without sin in acommon business place should findno sanction in the house where Godis worshiped. The mind should beprepared to hear the word of God,that it may have due weight and suit-ably impress the heart.”9

The best way to teach this toyour children is to set the exampleyourself!

Another principle teaches that itis of paramount importance to keepour children with us in the sanctuary.The Lord’s servant warns us thatthere are many spiritual dangers thatthe devil has lurking for our chil-dren. According to the Spirit ofProphecy, keeping our children withus in the house of God is a basic,protective measure that all parentsshould take. It was with deep con-cern that Sr. White wrote, “Someparents do not even take care tokeep their children with them whenin the house of God.”10

“The moral taste of the wor-shipers in God’s holy sanctuary mustbe elevated, refined, sanctified. Thismatter has been sadly neglected. Itsimportance has been overlooked, andas the result, disorder and irreverencehave become prevalent, and God hasbeen dishonored. When the leadersin the church, ministers and people,father and mothers, have not had ele-vated views of this matter, what could

be expected of the inexperiencedchildren? They are too

often found in groups, away from theparents, who should have charge ofthem. Notwithstanding they are inthe presence of God, and His eye islooking upon them, they are lightand trifling, they whisper and laugh,are careless, irreverent, and inatten-tive. They are seldom instructed thatthe minister is God’s ambassador,that the message he brings is one ofGod’s appointed agencies in the sal-vation of souls.”11

God has entrusted parents withan awesome responsibility. If welightly allow our children to sit withtheir friends in the sanctuary, we trainthem to treat the sanctuary as a placeof frivolous socialization and the holi-ness of the service is usually lost tothem. Spiritual things are spirituallyperceived and if our children’s mindsare focused on sitting with theirfriends, they will not receive a spiritu-al blessing from the service. “But mychildren are too young to understandthe sermon!” you may say. Well, theycertainly will not understand any ofthe sermon if they are distracted bytheir friends, coloring books, andother diversions, and you will betraining your child to not give his orher full attention to the speaker.However, if a child is trained to sitquietly throughout the service, he orshe is bound to hear some gems oftruth that will remain throughoutlifetime. More importantly, yourchild will be trained to give the min-ister the respect which is due to himand your child will not be guilty ofdistracting others who have come toGod’s house to worship Him.

Teaching our children to keepthe Sabbath holy

Sometimes the Sabbath after-noon can be the longest afternoon ofthe week for children of Sabbath-keepers. It will become a tediousburden if we give our children a listof “Thou Shalt Nots” and provide nodirection for what they can do onSabbath afternoon. Children—evenchildren of church members—haveunconverted natures and if they areleft to amuse themselves on Sabbathafternoon they will break the

R M AT I O N H E R A L D , V O L U M E X LV I I , N U M B E R 2 19

©Design Pics

Sabbath. We are commanded by Godto teach our children to keep theSabbath and we are told that when achild breaks the Sabbath, it is actuallythe parent who is guilty of the sin:

“Parents, above every thing, takecare of your children upon theSabbath. Do not suffer them to vio-late God’s holy day by playing in thehouse or out of doors. You may justas well break the Sabbath yourselvesas to let your children do it, andwhen you suffer your children towander about, and suffer them toplay upon the Sabbath, God looksupon you as Sabbathbreakers.”12

Guidelines for Sabbathkeepingchildren:

The following are some guide-lines the Lord gives us pertaining tohow our children should keep theSabbath, and the responsibility ofparents to teach their children prop-er Sabbathkeeping. Included aresome Spirit of Prophecy statementswhich support these guidelines.

1This first guideline is obvious:Parents need to be responsible

for their children. They shouldknow what their children aredoing on Sabbath afternoons.

“I have found that on theSabbath day many are indifferentand do not know where their chil-dren are or what they are doing.”13

2 In a previous statement wealso find our second guideline:

Children should not be allowed toplay on the Sabbath. Parents wholet their children play duringGod’s holy time are Sabbath-breakers themselves.

3 Children should be with theirparents on Sabbath afternoons:“The Sabbath school and the

meeting for worship occupy only apart of the Sabbath. The portionremaining to the family may bemade the most sacred and preciousseason of all the Sabbath hours.Much of this time parents shouldspend with their children. In manyfamilies the younger children are left

to themselves to find entertainmentas best they can. Left alone, the chil-dren soon become restless and beginto play or engage in some kind ofmischief. Thus the Sabbath has tothem no sacred significance.”14

4 Children should be taught tobe quiet and reverent, even

when outside the sanctuary:“Boisterous noise and con-

tention should not be allowed anyday of the week; but on the Sabbathall should observe quietness. Noloud-toned commands should beheard at any time; but on theSabbath it is entirely out of place.”15

5Do you know that childrenshould never be left together

without supervision? This beingthe case, they certainly should not beleft alone to amuse themselves onthe Sabbath. In its full context, thefollowing quote refers to any day ofthe week, but the principle especiallyapplies to the Sabbath day:

“Fathers and mothers, do yourealize the importance of the respon-sibility resting on you? Do you allowyour children to associate with otherchildren without being present toknow what kind of education theyare receiving? Do not allow them tobe alone with other children.”16

Guidelines regarding theresponsibility of parents totheir children on the Sabbath

1We are to teach our childrento keep the Sabbath:“When the Sabbath commences,

we should place a guard upon our-selves, upon our acts and our words,lest we rob God by appropriating toour own use that time which isstrictly the Lord’s. We should not doourselves, nor suffer our children todo, any manner of our own work fora livelihood, or anything whichcould have been done on the sixworking days. . . . God requires notonly that we refrain from physicallabor upon the Sabbath, but that themind be disciplined to dwell uponsacred themes.”17

2 We are to spend time with ourchildren, making the Sabbath

the best day of the week for them: “The Sabbath—oh!—make it the

sweetest, the most blessed day of thewhole week. Parents can and shouldgive attention to their children.”18

3We are to provide interestingand appropriate activities for

our children. “It is lawful to dowell on the sabbath days”(Matthew 12:12).

“If parents neglect to turn theirchildren’s energies into useful chan-nels, they do them great injury.”19

4On the Sabbath we should con-tinue to educate our children

spiritually by reading attractiveportions of the Bible to them:

“Parents can and should giveattention to their children, reading tothem the most attractive portions ofBible history, educating them to rev-erence the Sabbath day, keeping itaccording to the commandment. Thiscannot be done if the parents feel noburden to interest their children. Butthey can make the Sabbath a delightif they will take the proper course.”20

5We should take our childrenoutdoors to learn of God in

nature:“During a portion of the day all

should have an opportunity to be outof doors. . . . Let their young mindsbe associated with God in the beau-tiful scenery of nature, let theirattention be called to the tokens ofHis love to man in His createdworks. . . . As they view the beautifulthings which He has created for thehappiness of man, they will be led toregard Him as a tender, lovingFather. . . . As the character of Godputs on the aspect of love, benevo-lence, beauty, and attraction, theyare drawn to love Him.”21

“The parents may take their chil-dren outdoors to view God in nature.They can be pointed to the bloomingflowers and the opening buds, thelofty trees and beautiful spires ofgrass, and taught that God made allthese in six days and rested on the


seventh day and hallowed it. Thusthe parents may bind up their lessonsof instruction to their children, sothat when these children look uponthe things of nature, they will call tomind the great Creator of them all.Their thoughts will be carried up tonature’s God— back to the creationof our world, when the foundation ofthe Sabbath was laid, and all the sonsof God shouted for joy. Such are thelessons to be impressed on the mindsof our children.”22

6 We are to plan suitable readingand conversations for our chil-

dren to engage in on the Sabbath.We cannot expect children (whoare by nature unconverted and donot have the same sound judg-ment as adults) to have appropri-ate discretion in this area:

“The children can be interestedin good reading or in conversationabout the salvation of their souls. Butthey will have to be educated andtrained. The natural heart does notlove to think of God, of heaven, or ofheavenly things. There must be acontinual pressing back of the currentof worldliness and inclination to eviland a letting in of heavenly light.”23

No doubt about it, the standardwhich God sets is high, yet this isthe way that we will keep theSabbath in Heaven. Thus it is thestandard that we are required toreach on earth. Are you making aconcerted effort to teach your childto keep the Sabbath this way?

Isn’t all this “overprotective”?At this point you may be won-

dering, “What? Don’t let the chil-dren color during the sermon? Makethe children sit with us during everyservice? Don’t let the children playat all on Sabbath? Don’t even allowthe children to have unsupervisedtime with other children? This sisteris just being too strict. She is overpro-tective!” Unfortunately, the word“overprotective” is too often used byparents who are not taking due dili-gence with their own children. TheSpirit of Prophecy commands that

we place our children under “strictwatchfulness” and firmness:

“Sabbathkeeping children maybecome impatient of restraint, andthink their parents too strict; hardfeelings may even arise in theirhearts, and discontented, unhappythoughts may be cherished by themagainst those who are working fortheir present and their future andeternal good. But if life shall bespared a few years, they will blesstheir parents for that strict care andfaithful watchfulness over them intheir years of inexperience.”24

“Even kindness should have itslimits. Authority must be maintainedby a firm severity, or it will bereceived by many with mockery andcontempt. The so-called tenderness,the coaxing and indulgence, usedtoward youth by parents andguardians, is one of the worst evilswhich can come upon them. In everyfamily, firmness, decision, positiverequirements, are essential.”25

Some (or all) of these suggestionsmay seem unrealistic, or radical.However, it is vital that parents dowhatever is necessary to avoid theexamples set by Aaron and Eli in theBible. If we do not do what we read inthe Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy isbest for our children, we are guilty ofsin and will be held accountable:

“Parents stand in the place ofGod to their children and they willhave to render an account, whetherthey have been faithful to the littlefew committed to their trust. Parents,some of you are rearing children tobe cut down by the destroying angel,unless you speedily change yourcourse, and be faithful to them. Godcannot cover iniquity, even in chil-dren. He cannot love unruly childrenwho manifest passion, and He cannotsave them in the time of trouble. Willyou suffer your children to be lostthrough your neglect? Unfaithfulparents, their blood will be upon you,and is not your salvation doubtfulwith the blood of your children uponyou? Children that might have beensaved had you filled your place, anddone your duty as faithful parentsshould.”26

“Weakness in requiring obedi-ence, and false love and sympathy—the false notion that to indulge andnot to restrain is wisdom—constitutea system of training that grievesangels; but it delights Satan, for itbrings hundreds and thousands ofchildren into his ranks. This is whyhe blinds the eyes of parents,benumbs their sensibilities, and con-fuses their minds.”27

I do not want to see my child—or anyone’s child—join the ranks ofthe enemy. I want to see your chil-dren and mine in Heaven! ButHeaven is a place where we willspend eternity showing reverence toour heavenly Father. If our childrenare to be happy in heaven we musttrain them to show reverence hereon earth. If we do not train them atall or if we through our permissive-ness train them to be irreverent, ourchildren will not be fitted to enterthe kingdom of God.

With the Lord’s help, let noneof us be among those to receive thetragic verdict: “Where is the flockthat was given thee, thy beautifulflock?” (Jeremiah 13:20).

References

1See Testimonies, vol. 2, page 360.2See The Review and Herald, September 19,

1854.3Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 496.4Ibid., p. 491.5Ibid., p. 493.6The Review and Herald, September 19, 1854.7Child Guidance, p. 546.8Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, pp. 288, 289.9Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 492.

10 Ibid., vol. 2, p. 481.11 Ibid., vol. 5, pp. 496, 497.12The Review and Herald, September 19, 1854.13Child Guidance, p. 533.14Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 358.15Selected Messages, bk. 3, p. 257.16Child Guidance, p. 114.17Testimonies, vol. 2, pp. 702, 703.18Child Guidance, p. 532.19Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 417.20Child Guidance, p. 532.21My Life Today, p. 287.22Child Guidance, p. 533.23Ibid., pp. 532, 533.24Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 400. 25Prophets and Kings, p. 236.26The Review and Herald, September 19, 1854.27Child Guidance, p. 179.


©iS

tock

Phot

os.c

om


Baptism in Haiti, February 2006 Camp meeting in Florida, USA, December 2005

Camp meeting in Virginia, USA, April 2006

Camp meeting in Haiti, February 2006


W O R L D W I D E P I C T O R I A L N E W S

Believers in Moldova, August 2005 Young People’s meeting in Lindach, Germany, April 2006

Ministerial semi-nar in Trijullio,

Peru, July 2005

North German Field Conference, April 2006

P.O. Box 7240Roanoke, VA 24019

Return Service Requested

Periodical Postage PAID Roanoke, VA 24022

MOVING? Please let us know.

airs of superiority. Never did He bydisrespect cause His parents pain oranxiety. He delighted to honor andobey them. Although He was notignorant of His great mission, Heconsulted their wishes, and submit-ted to their authority.

“Christ had been Commander ofthe heavenly host; but He did notbecause of this excuse Himself fromlabor, allowing His parents to sup-port Him. While still quite young,He learned a trade, and faithfully dis-charged His daily duties, contribut-ing to the support of the family.

“Christ was the light and joy ofthe family circle. How many childrenand youth are seeking to be likeHim—kind, thoughtful, and obedi-

ent? How many, by follow-ing His example, are mak-ing their characters attrac-tive? Those who seek to dothis will enjoy the favor ofGod and man.

“There is a great dif-ference between Christand the youth of today.Many youth are restlessand selfish, content tospend their days in idle-ness while their parentstoil for them. They aredisobedient, unthankful,and unholy. Whatever nat-ural ability such youthmay have, they are notincreasing in wisdom andin favor with God andman.

“The youth may thinkto find happiness by seek-ing their own pleasure; but

true happiness will never be theirswhile they pursue this course. TheSaviour lived not to please Himself.We read of Him that he went about“doing good.” He spent His life inloving service, comforting the sor-rowing, ministering to the needy,lifting up the bowed down. He hadno home in this world, only as thekindness of His friends provided onefor Him as a wayfarer. Yet it washeaven to be in His presence. Dayby day He met trials and tempta-tions, yet He did not fail nor becomediscouraged. He was surroundedwith transgressors, yet He kept HisFather’s commandments. He wasalways patient and cheerful, and theafflicted hailed Him as a messengerof life and peace and health. . . .

“What a wonderful exampleChrist has left for us in His lifework.Who of His children are living, asHe did, for the glory of God? . . .

“Only by following Christ’s ex-ample can we find true happiness. . . .

“Young friends, remember thatin order to grow in favor with Godand man, you must follow the exam-ple Christ has left you. He loves you.It was because of this that He camefrom heaven to show you how to livea pure, true life. He knows everytrial and sorrow of childhood andyouth. He was once just your age.The temptations and trials whichcome to you came also to Him. Thesorrows which come to you came toHim. But He was never overcomeby temptation. His life held nothingthat was not pure and noble. He isyour helper, your Redeemer.”—TheYouth’s Instructor, August 22, 1901.

CHILDREN’SORNER

CHRIST . . . has left a per-fect example for childhood,youth, and manhood. Hecame to this earth, andpassed through the differ-

ent phases of human life. He talkedand acted like other children andyouth, except that He did no wrong.Sin found no place in His life. EverHe lived in an atmosphere of heav-enly purity. . . .

“In the sanctuary of the home,Jesus received His education, notmerely from His parents, but fromHis heavenly Father. As He grewolder, God opened to Him moreand more of the great work beforeHim. But notwithstanding Hisknowledge of this, He assumed no

A Perfect Ideal“. . . that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

©Bi

ble

Pict

ures

the southern review · great plan of salvation, and the life of christ, the author and finisher of...

Documents