From: Gar
To: Adventist-fm@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 5:52 PM
Subject: [Adventist-fm] Builders, Not Destroyers
Has God no living church? He has a church, but it is the church militant, not
the church triumphant. We are sorry that there are defective members. . .
.While the Lord brings into the church those who are truly converted, Satan
at the same time brings persons who are not converted into its fellowship.
While Christ is sowing the good seed, Satan is sowing the tares. There are
two opposing influences continually exerted on the members of the church. One
influence is working for the purification of the church, and the other for
the corrupting of the people of God. . . . {OFC 84.6}
Ron responds: Defective members are not open sin apostates.
Tares are not open sin apostates. Corruption is not to be tolerated in the
church, for if one unites with the corrupt, he cannot remain/become pure:
"It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to
unite with those who are corrupt, and still remain pure. (II Corinthians
6:14-15 quoted). God and Christ and the heavenly host would have men know
that if he unites with the corrupt he will become corrupt." E. G. White,
Review and Herald, Vol. 4, p. 137.
Tares are those whose sin and
insincerity is so secretly concealed that we would have to judge their
motives in order to uproot them. In order to even attempt to judge their
motives, one would have to see their sin. And if their sin is seen, it should
be reformed and stopped or they must be removed from the church. That is what
God says.
"Thorns sprung up.--The thorns
made it impossible for the wheat to mature (see Luke 8:14). In the same way
secular interests prevent the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 23) from
reaching maturity. Religion is relegated to the subordinate position of being
only one interest among many. For lack of cultivation it withers and
eventually dies. That which the thorny-ground hearers lack is a moral
transformation [E.G. White, Christ's
Object Lessons, p. 50]. To them, justification is the sum and
substance of religion, and they fail to realize that the Christian life
consists essentially in the process known as sanctification--the process by
which evil traits and tendencies are replaced by the perfect life-pattern of
Jesus Christ." Seventh-day
Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, 405.
If it is impossible for the wheat to mature amongst thorns—who
lack a moral transformation, then the wheat would never mature and there
would be no wheat to save.
Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until
the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be
the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin. . . . {OFC
84.7}
There is but one church in the world who
are at the present time
standing in the breach,
and making up the hedge,
building up the old waste places; and for any man to call the attention
of the world and other churches to this church, denouncing her as Babylon, is
to do a work in harmony with him who is the accuser of the brethren. . . .The
whole world is filled with hatred of those who proclaim the binding claims of
the law of God, and the church who are loyal to Jehovah must engage in no
ordinary conflict. . . Those who have any realization of what this warfare
means, will not turn their weapons against the church militant, but with all
their powers will wrestle with the people of God against the confederacy of
evil. {OFC 85.1}
Those who start up to proclaim a message on
their own individual responsibility, who, while claiming to be taught and led
of God, still make it their special work to tear down that which God has been
for years building up, are not doing the will of God. Be it known that these
men are on the side of the great deceiver. Believe them not. {OFC 85.2}
Gar
Ron responds:
· Take special care to note
the words I have highlighted in yellow—“at this time.” That was 1883.
· Then notice the words: standing in the breach,
and making up the hedge,
building up the old waste places. The current new
movement has made a huge breach by tearing down the hedge of truth and adding
to the old waste places of error the church left in 1844.
· If evils in
the church meant gross apostasy, then we never would have had to leave Rome
and/or her apostate daughters.
· Christ
clearly said that open sin should be removed from the church. "Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin
must be separated from the church..." Christ's
Object Lessons, 71.
· Therefore, the evil that
exists is not supposed to be open sin. It is the cloistering (hiding) of
personal sin. This is how tares (evil) exists in the church till the close of
probation.
· “This labor of purifying the church
is a painful work, but one that must not be neglected, if the church would
have the commendation of God." E. G. White, Review and Herald Articles, 06-07-1887, paragraph 16.
· Ellen White said that the leaders
would NEVER AGAIN even show the House of Jacob its sins, let alone remove sin
from the church. Testimonies, Vol. 5, 211.
·
Jesus separated
the disciples from open sin apostasy. In every generation since there has
been separation because of ONE THING. The leaders would not accept light, DA
232.
·
In 1844,
Adventists separated from open sin apostasy. It is impossible for the wheat
to mature amongst open sinning thorns. Thorns are not tares.
·
“... The Lord will
not write as wise those who cannot distinguish between a tree that bears
thorn-berries and a tree that bears olives.” {EGW, RH, September 7, 1897 par.
15}
· There are true reformers who in every succeeding
generation have taken the individual responsibility (DA 232) of permitting
themselves to be called of God to repair the breach, restore the paths to
dwell in. They are always charged as being dissemblers and troublers of
Israel—wrongful accusers of the brethren. Though such exist, it is not the
true reformers who fall into that category.
· "Characteristics of True Reformers.--Here [Isa. 8:11-14] are
given the characteristics of those who shall be reformers, who will bear the
banner of the third angel’s message, these who avow themselves God's
commandment-keeping people, and who honor God, and are earnestly engaged, in
the sight of all the universe, in building up the old waste places. Who
is it that calls them, The repairer of the breach, The restorers of paths
to dwell in? It is God. Their names are registered
[written--Heb. 12:22, 23] in heaven as reformers, restorers, as raising the
foundations of many generations." E. G. White, SDA Bible
Commentary, Vol. 4, 1151.
“The
Sanhedrin had rejected Christ's message and was bent upon His death therefore
Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the religious
leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another
class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the
gospel to all nations. As the light and life of men was rejected by the
ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in
every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ's
withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word
of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church
but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore
it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our
day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their
spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in
whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of
the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order
to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who
are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of
their fathers, that they may render obedience." E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p. 232.
It is because smart people like Gar cannot see the
relationships and interpret the Bible and Ellen White so that nothing
contradicts, that God has to send men and women prophets to elucidate on the
facts and interpret so nothing contradicts, and even then, His messengers are
hated for what they do. And why is that so? It is because God’s people love
the false dealing of their leaders:
"The
Lord commanded one of his ancient servants, 'Pray not thou for this people
[Jer. 7:16 and 11:14], neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make
intercession to me for I will not hear thee.' The prophet thus describes the
sins which had called forth this fearful denunciation: 'The prophets prophesy
falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love
to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof?' 'From the
least of them even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to
covetousness and from the prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth
falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.' The apostles declare
that this state of things will find its COUNTERPART in the last days. Many
have a form of godliness, but in their daily life deny the power thereof.
They have ceased to be convicted of their sins or alarmed at their state.
They say in their hearts, 'The church is flourishing. Peace and spiritual
prosperity are within her borders.' The words of the prophet may well apply
to these self-deceivers, 'They have chosen their own ways, and their soul
delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and
will bring their fears upon them." E. G. White, Second Advent
Review and Sabbath Herald, 11-07-82.
—rwb
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