True
Conversion
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September 26, 1901 "A
New Heart Also Will I Give You"
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you,
and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will
I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh." {YI, September 26, 1901 par. 1}
Many who speak to others of the need of a
new heart do not themselves know what is meant by these words. The youth
especially stumble over this phrase, "a new heart." They do not know
what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings.
This they term conversion. Over this error
thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression, "Ye
must be born again." {YI, September 26,
1901 par. 2}
Satan leads
people to think that because they have felt a rapture of feeling, they are
converted. But their experience does not
change. Their
actions are the same as before. Their lives
show no good fruit. They pray often and long, and are constantly referring to
the feelings they had at such and such a time. But
they do not live the new life. They are
deceived. Their experience goes no deeper than feeling. They build upon the
sand, and when adverse winds come, their
house is swept away. {YI, September 26, 1901
par. 3}
Many poor souls are groping in darkness,
looking for the feelings which others say they have had in their experience.
They overlook the fact that the believer in
Christ must work out his own salvation with fear and trembling. The convicted
sinner has something to do. He must repent and show true faith. {YI, September 26, 1901 par. 4}
When
Jesus speaks of the new heart, he means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections
from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a
new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is
the sign of a new heart?--A changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to
selfishness and pride. {YI, September 26,
1901 par. 5}
Some make a great mistake by supposing
that a high profession will compensate for real service. But a religion which
is not practical is not genuine. True
conversion makes us strictly honest in our dealings with our fellow men. It makes us faithful in our every-day work. Every sincere
follower of Christ will show that the religion of the Bible qualifies him to
use his talents in the Master's service. {YI, September 26, 1901 par. 6}
"Not slothful in business."
These words will be fulfilled in the life of every true Christian. Even though
your work may seem to be a drudgery, you may ennoble it by the way in which you
do it. Do it as unto the Lord. Do it cheerfully, and with heaven-born dignity.
It is the noble principles which are brought into the work that make it wholly
acceptable in the Lord's sight. True service links the lowliest of God's
servants on earth with the highest of his servants in the courts above. {YI,
September 26, 1901 par. 7}
It means much to be a consistent
Christian. It means to walk circumspectly before God, to press toward the mark
of the prize of our high calling in Christ. It means to bear much fruit to the
glory of him who gave his Son to die for us. As sons and daughters of God,
Christians should strive to reach the high ideal set before them in the gospel.
They should be content with nothing less
than perfection; for Christ says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect." {YI,
September 26, 1901 par. 8}
Let us
make God's holy word our study, bringing its holy principles into our lives.
Let us walk before God in meekness and humility, daily correcting our faults.
Let us not by selfish pride separate the soul from God. Cherish not a feeling of lofty supremacy, thinking
yourself better than others. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall." Peace and rest will come
to you as you bring your will into subjection to the will of Christ. Then the love of Christ will rule in the heart, bringing
into captivity to the Saviour the secret springs of action. The hasty, easily-roused temper will be soothed and
subdued by the oil of Christ's grace. The
sense of sins forgiven will bring that peace that passeth all understanding.
There will be an earnest striving to overcome all that is opposed to Christian
perfection. Variance will disappear. He who
once found fault with those around him will see that far greater faults exist
in his own character. {YI, September 26,
1901 par. 9}
There are those who listen to the truth,
and are convinced that they have been living in opposition to Christ. They are
condemned, and they repent of their transgressions. Relying upon the merits of
Christ, exercising true faith in him, they receive pardon for sin. As they cease to do evil and learn to do well, they grow
in grace and in the knowledge of God. They
see that they must sacrifice in order to separate from the world; and after
counting the cost, they look upon all as loss if they may but win Christ. They
have enlisted in Christ's army. The warfare is before them, and they enter it
bravely and cheerfully, fighting against their natural inclinations and selfish
desires, bringing the will into subjection to the will of Christ. Daily they seek the Lord for grace to obey him, and they
are strengthened and helped. This is true conversion. In humble, grateful dependence he who has been given a
new heart relies upon the help of Christ. He reveals in his life the fruit of
righteousness. He once loved himself. Worldly pleasure was his delight. Now his
idol is dethroned, and God reigns supreme. The sins he once loved he now hates.
Firmly and resolutely he follows in the path of holiness. Mrs. E. G. White, {YI,
September 26, 1901 par. 10}
July 30, 1901 Co-workers
With Christ
Mrs.
E. G. White.
Among our workers are some who feel that a
great object would be gained if their feet could tread the soil of old
Jerusalem. But God's cause and work will never be advanced by His workers
wandering about to find where Jesus traveled and wrought His miracles. Would
you trace the footsteps of Christ, behold Him in that hovel, ministering to the
poor; see Him at that sick bed, comforting the suffering, and speaking hope and
courage to the desponding. Those who walk in the footsteps of Jesus will do as
He did. "Whosoever will come after me," He said, "let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 1}
The
city of Jerusalem is no longer a sacred place. The curse of God is upon it
because of the rejection and crucifixion of Christ. A dark blot of guilt rests
upon it, and never again will it be a sacred place until it has been cleansed
by the purifying fires of heaven. At the
time when this sin-cursed earth is purified from every stain of sin, Christ
will again stand upon the Mount of Olives. As His feet rest upon it, it will
part asunder, and become a great plain, prepared for the city of God. {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 2}
Note
by Ron: The above statement about
Jerusalem never again being a sacred place until it has been cleansed by the
purifying fires of heaven, sure strikes against the Shepherd’s Rod notion that
before the second coming of Jesus, they will rule the earth for 7 years from
Jerusalem! End note.
There is a work to do for God all around
us. There is a world to save, and God calls upon us to be co-workers with Him.
He calls upon us to work with earnestness and zeal for the unconverted. {RH,
July 30, 1901 par. 3}
We are engaged in an exalted, sacred work.
Those who are called to teach the truth should be bodies of light, living near
to God, where they can be all light in Him. Ministers need daily conversion to
the Lord. They should show an unselfish interest in His cause and work. God calls for self-abasement, for a putting away of all
evil-surmising, envy, malice, and unbelief. He calls for a transformation of
the entire being. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 4}
Many are in danger, after having preached
to others, of themselves becoming castaways; for they do not see the importance
of self-knowledge; they do not watch and pray lest they enter into temptation. By watchfulness and
prayer they might become acquainted with those points in their character where
they are most easily overcome by the enemy; by resistance of every attack,
their weak points might become their strong points. Every follower of Christ
should daily examine himself, and by constant prayer arm himself for conflict. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 5}
There are many who neglect
self-examination. This neglect is positively dangerous. The example of those who receive the words of God to
give to the people has a powerful influence. Unless they are sanctified by the
truth they profess to believe, they will raise their converts no higher than
their own low standard. It is seldom that a
people rise higher than the minister. His
ways, his words, his faith, his piety, are looked upon as a sample of what the
people's should be. If the people follow the example of the one who has taught
them the truth, they think they are doing their duty. Let the minister make the
actions of each day a subject of careful thought, that he may know himself. By
a close scrutiny of his daily life, let him seek to understand his motives and
the principles underlying them. This review of the words and actions is
necessary to all who wish to reach perfection of Christian character. {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 6}
The Lord does not desire any minister to
work in ignorance and rudeness. Neither is human elegance or learning to take
the place of prayer and a study of the Word. Education alone will never make a
successful shepherd of the flock. The
preaching of the Word is not alone to give information. Hearts must be touched.
Men and women must be directed to the path that leads to heaven. The teaching
that fails of this is of no value. {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 7}
Love for God and the truth, combined with
perseverance and determined effort, will accomplish much. If some who are rough and uncourteous
have blundered into the ministry, let them look to Jesus and follow His
example. Let them daily be fitting
themselves for the great work of God. Those who would excel must be toilers. They must work out their own salvation with fear and
trembling. Their work must be mingled with earnest prayer and meditation. Then
they will receive from Heaven grace to enable them to enlighten other minds. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 8}
The minister of God needs the Holy Spirit
every moment; he needs to be imbued with the
spirit of prayer, that the word he presents to the people may have force and
power. His language should be such as can be understood by the most simple, and
yet be refreshing to the most learned. He should become acquainted with those
for whom he works, and be to them a savor of life
unto life. He must participate alike in the joys and sorrows of the rich and
the poor, the high and the low; for there is no respect of persons with God.
{RH, July 30, 1901 par. 9}
Many who profess to follow Christ have not
genuine religion. They do not reveal in their lives the fruit of true
conversion. They are controlled by the same
habits, the same spirit of fault-finding and selfishness, which controlled them
before they accepted Christ. {RH, July 30,
1901 par. 10}
No one can enter the city of God who has
not a knowledge of genuine conversion. In true conversion the soul is born
again. A new spirit takes possession of the
temple of the soul. A new life begins. Christ is revealed in the character. The
spirit of a new life works within. Faith passes into knowledge, and the word of
God is understood. The branch becomes a living part of the Vine. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 11}
Truth must stand as a counselor by the
side of every worker. Charity must control
the life,--that charity which "seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things." Self must be
hid in Christ. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 12}
We are altogether too indifferent in
regard to the Holy Spirit, which is to take possession of heart and character.
Those who are unenlightened by the Spirit of God can see only the things which
are of the greatest importance in their human estimation. They mistake phantoms
for realities, and realities for phantoms, calling a world an atom, and an atom
a world. They need the Holy Spirit to
control heart and mind, and to mold the character after the divine similitude.
No one is safe in attempting to work without the Holy Spirit. The most powerful
sermons may be preached, but the word spoken will be valueless unless it is
accompanied by the Holy Spirit. {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 13}
We cannot
rightly estimate the value of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those who yield
themselves to the control of this Spirit are made pure and holy. Efficiency in
God's work comes not by wading through an immense amount of study, but by a
willingness to be guided and controlled by the Spirit. God only can give true
success. Yoked up with Christ, men will become more precious than gold, even
than the golden wedge of Ophir. {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 14}
God's workers need faith in God. He is not
unmindful of their labors. He values their work.
Divine agencies are appointed to co-operate with those who are laborers
together with God. When we think that God will not do as He has said, and that
He has no time to notice His workers, we dishonor our
Maker. We are to make God our trust. "Blessed is the man that trusteth in
the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the
river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and
shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding
fruit." {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 15}
The true ministers of God are those who
represent Christ. Men stand or fall, not by their own judgment, not by the
opinions of their fellow men, but by the unchangeable law of God. We are to keep self in subordination, and work out our
own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing nothing but Christ, and Him
crucified. Separation from the world,
obedience to the word of God, is the sure evidence of love to God. Christ
declared, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him." {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 16}
A
distinct work is assigned to every Christian. When a soul is converted and
exercises faith in Christ, when prayer is offered and obedience rendered in
accordance with the prayer, the active working of the Holy Spirit is revealed.
Spiritual quickening from above enters the life.
"I know whom I have believed," is the testimony borne as the newborn
souls work out the divine purpose. {RH, July 30, 1901 par. 17}
The God-fearing worker is storing up a
treasure in heaven. Earthly riches are not enduring: they are swept away in a
moment; but the love of Christ in the heart, expressed in deeds of mercy, love,
and benevolence, will endure through the eternal ages. E.G. White, {RH, July
30, 1901 par. 18}