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A Seventh-day Adventist Philosophy for Witnessing #6:
Providence and Personal Evangelism
Larry Kirkpatrick ++ Mentone Church of Seventh-day Adventists 11 April 2003
We've spent some time in this series about witnessing developing some ideas, but now we are going to transition to a practical phase. And today we are talking about divine providence. That is, God's special care over His creation, directing and guiding affairs. This topic opens the way for many fascinating questions, which I have sought to restrain myself from addressing. We have hardly an hour. Let's turn our attention to some Scriptures though as we open the way on this topic.
Philip the Listener and the Ethiopian Eunich
Open Your Bible with me to Acts, 8:26-40. This is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Here is an incident of special interest. It is the very thing the Lord might use you or I to accomplish. A man is traveling. God intervenes. He asks His servant Philip to move to such and such a location in order to intercept this person. God deploys His forces. Notice, there is no evidence in the text that Philip knew what was coming up. God had made an appointment for him, but the nature of it was unknown to him. Here is what the Spirit of Prophecy says: "While Philip was still in Samaria, he was directed by a heavenly messenger to "go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza. . . . And he arose and went." He did not question the call, nor did he hesitate to obey; for he had learned the lesson of conformity to God's will." (Acts of the Apostles, p. 107.
An angel directed Philip to this place and to this person. Providence had led him to a divine appointment. But now what? Now the Holy Spirit intervened. "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot." Apparently, only as Philip drew near did he hear this man reading from the Scriptures. Initially he was within visual range but perhaps not audible range. Now the Spirit told him to go to the chariot. The remainder of the interview is history today. Did the Spirit speak to Philip in an audible voice? Was it an impression? We are not told in any definite way. What we do know is that the Holy Spirit spoke to Philip in whatever way and Philip understood the direction: "Go near, and join thyself to this chariot."
Providence was working. This man was intercepted after leaving Jerusalem. Enough time elapsed for Philip to instruct this sincere soul and bring him to clarity of understanding about Isaiah 53 and its application to Christ and not John the Baptist. All this was accomplished before coming upon a good deep waterhole. Providence was working. Can this happen for us? Listen:
An angel guided Philip to the one who was seeking for light and who was ready to receive the gospel, and today angels will guide the footsteps of those workers who will allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify their tongues and refine and ennoble their hearts. The angel sent to Philip could himself have done the work for the Ethiopian, but this is not God's way of working. It is His plan that men are to work for their fellow men.
In the trust given to the first disciples, believers in every age have shared. Everyone who has received the gospel has been given sacred truth to impart to the world. God's faithful people have always been aggressive missionaries, consecrating their resources to the honor of His name and wisely using their talents in His service. (Acts of the Apostles, p. 109).
Joseph and the Intersection of Providence
Genesis 45:4-8 tells us another story. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. But what they meant for ill, God turned to His purpose. Years later it turned to a blessing. Consider these verses:
And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Whose decision was it to sell Joseph into slavery? His brothers made the decision. "But God meant it for good." Did God plan for Joseph to be accused of a sex-crime, spend years in prison, and eventually raise his children in a heathen environment? They had indeed made the decision freely. God had not caused them to. There is another agency involved in our affairs too: Satan and his imps. Satan planned to destroy Joseph. But at each phase of his experience he trusted God and God intervened to bring good out of it all. God looked ahead. God worked with His infinite subtlety; He worked out His purposes. He prevailed. He brought good that He intended out of evil that He hadn't indited.
Questions Concerning Providence
God's providence presents a challenging picture for some people. They seem to think that if He knows all and is all-powerful, that if He exercises His choice we cannot exercise ours. It is said that the existence of a being such as we understand Him to be means we have no real free will.
The complexity of what God is doing might seem to imply all this. The game of chess will provide an interesting comparison. Thirty-two pieces are on the board, twenty moves each are possible in the first move, and the possibilities expand from that point. It is understood that the total number of possible moves in chess is somewhere around 10120. For a reference point, it is also understood that there are but 1075 atoms in the entire universe. What can we understand about size and scale of atoms? Well, it one average grain of sand is said to have 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms, more atoms than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of this planet.
In contrast to this, what is God dealing with? Let us suppose just for the purposes of painting this picture, that there are today on planet earth six billion human agents with free will, two billion fallen angels with their own will, and two billion more unfallen angels with free will. This is represents moment by moment the computational grid that God is working with. There are (perhaps) ten billion pieces on His chess board. The total number of possible moves? Lots. With such a complex problem then, unless God takes control of all the pieces, will not the whole of creation run out of control and instantly vaporize in chaos? Imagine a chess game in which at any given moment the pieces themselves get up and make their own moves independently on your board! Isn't that what God is facing? Mustn't He lock everything down and control every piece top prevent everything from coming unwound? Nope.
Such a view is forgetful of God's attributes. We do not say that God knows but a great deal mor ethan any other being, but we say that He knows all. The grid which we just described may be far beyond our capacity to even imagine, but for God it is nothing. One radio personality says that he keeps half his brain tied behind his back just to keep the show interesting, implying that his full intellect would overwhelm the audience. He paints a picture that makes the listener laugh. But the all-knowing God can deal with what we have just described (the ten-billion element chess board) with far less than half His mind "tied behind His back." I am persuaded that this is no challenge to Him at all.
Some want to make God so small that He may be bigger than the rest of us but He has to manage every detail, and we are not really left with any free will. They will even make God so responsible for everything that happens that He becomes the author of sin. I don't buy that. Because (1) He has complete divine awareness, and (2) He has complete ability to intervene, it does not follow that at every point it is necessary for Him to intervene. He does not have to control all of our thoughts and actions to achieve His will. He needn't micro-manage our thoughts and make our choices for us; then He would be running a herd of robots and proving nothing in the great controversy. On the contrary, our participation in things, our making of our own decisions is crucial. Ellen White makes an important comment here:
Men of science claim that there can be no real answer to prayer; that this would be a violation of law, a miracle, and that miracles have no existence. The universe, say they, is governed by fixed laws, and God Himself does nothing contrary to these laws. Thus they represent God as bound by His own laws-- as if the operation of divine laws could exclude divine freedom. Such teaching is opposed to the testimony of the Scriptures. Were not miracles wrought by Christ and His apostles? The same compassionate Saviour lives today, and He is as willing to listen to the prayer of faith as when He walked visibly among men. The natural cooperates with the supernatural. It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask. (Great Controversy, p. 525).
This statement is dealing primarily with the idea of God being bound by natural laws or His own laws, and it asserts His freedom to act according to His wisdom. But it also says that His actions are mediated in part at least by our own actions. Again, "The natural cooperates with the supernatural. It is a part of God's plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask." Did we not thus ask, God's superintendency of matters would take a different course than we have asked.
This shows us that yes, our choices, may affect others for good. Our prayers may ascend to the Father, joined by the incense of Christ's prayer's, weighted and freighted with help for ourselves and for others. If "The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray" (Steps to Christ, p. 94), then surely light from God surrounds those who persist in prayer!
Far from not mattering, your and my decisions, our requests to God, our autonomous choices within His kingdom, matter a great deal, and are freely made. Heaven does not impose upon us anything more than the moral domains as God has defined them and the responsibility of making our choices within this setting. He still shapes the larger background within which we live with infinite subtlety, but I am persuaded that He does not micro-manage. He is no puppeteer, nor are you and I mere automatons. God's providence is no prison-house in which we are trapped, forced and squeezed unfairly into God's purposes. These things are too large for us to understand well. But our basic approach to the mysteries of providence should be, "Lord, I do not know all, but I trust all to You. Permit me to play some humble role in Your overarching plan that I may freely glorify You."
EGW on Providence in General
All who choose Christ's kingdom of love and righteousness and peace, making its interest paramount to all other, are linked to the world above, and every blessing needed for this life is theirs. In the book of God's providence, the volume of life, we are each given a page. That page contains every particular of our history; even the hairs of the head are numbered. God's children are never absent from His mind. (Desire of Ages, p. 313).
Notice that (A) We may be linked with the world above, (B) Each Christian person has a page in the book of God's providence, the volume of life, and (C) We, on an individual, personal basis, are never absent from our heavenly Father's mind.
Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, "Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee." This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ. (Steps to Christ, p. 70).
Our first work each day is to consecrate ourselves to God. Mrs. White suggests a prayer to begin your day. You know, a good exercise for you would be to take up your copy of Steps to Christ this Sabbath afternoon, and read that page 70, and then put that prayer into your own words. Write it down. Perhaps you will choose to make it a practice to launch each and every day with this prayer. But again, I say personalize it, expand on it in your own words. Here is how I have rewritten it for me:
Larry Kirkpatrick's Initial Daily Prayer:
-1- Lord, I choose to be entirely Yours today.
-2- I choose to function today not only according to the plans I have made, but I open my schedule to anything You might do in my day, realizing that You may have plans for me concerning which I am unaware.
-3- I am not merely willing to be interrupted by You, but I solicit Your participation in this new day You have given me, that I may serve Your purposes.
-4- Abide with me today, please my Father.
-5- Let all that I do today be done within the boundaries of Your kingdom.
They urged that Paul be brought to Jerusalem for trial, but Festus held firmly to his purpose of giving Paul a fair trial at Caesarea. God in His providence controlled the decision of Festus, that the life of the apostle might be lengthened. (Acts of the Apostles, p. 429).
God "controlled the decision" of Festus in order that He might extend the length of Paul's work.
The Lord has wrought for His servants and for the upbuilding of His cause at the present day as verily as He wrought in behalf of ancient Israel; but vain philosophy, "science falsely so called," has sought to destroy faith in the direct interposition of Providence, attributing all such manifestations to natural causes. (SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 1011).
This item is interesting because of its reminder that there is indeed such a thing as "the direct interposition of providence."
We need to follow more closely God's plan of life. To do our best in the work that lies nearest, to commit our ways to God, and to watch for the indications of His providence-- these are rules that ensure safe guidance in the choice of an occupation. (Education, p. 267).
Here again is the formula: commit ourselves to God and watch for His leading. Somehow, may people find such ideas a bit alien. But there is no reason why we can't focus on the horizon before us and begin this watching even now.
We are taught in God's word that this is the time, above all others, when we may look for light from heaven. It is now that we are to expect a refreshing from the presence of the Lord. We should watch for the movings of God's providence as the army of Israel watched for "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees"--the appointed signal that heaven would work for them. (Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 728).
We live in a fascinating time when we may be especially assured that God is ready to work behind the scenes. Here is a reference to David's military maneuvers in 2 Samuel 5:23-24. Again, here was a willingness to watch for the sign God had given and then to act as god had directed.
Sometimes we forget something. How aware is God? The answer:
Christ sought to teach the grand truth so needful for us to learn, that God is always with us, an inmate of every dwelling, that He is acquainted with every action performed on earth. He knows the thoughts that are framed in the mind and endorsed by the soul. He hears every word that falls from the lips of human beings. He is walking and working in the midst of all our transactions in life. He knows every plan, and He measures every method. (My Life Today, p. 290).
God is acquainted with every action performed on earth. He knows the thoughts that everyone is thinking. Notice also that He knows of the thoughts and their "endorsement" by the soul. "He is walking and working in the midst of all our transactions in life." These are big lines, are they not? Think of it! God is walking in all my transactions of life. He is working in all my transactions of life. Now this doesn't say He endorses every transaction of my life, or that He is running my life by remote control, that He is making my decisions. No, it doesn't say that. Let's not read into it what it isn't saying. But what it is saying is that at some extraordinary, infinitely deep level, the choices I make all are computed by God in the moment I am making them. Like a chess player on the infinite scale, He is continuously recalibrating His workings of providence in response to our choices. They do not surprise Him. They are indeed our choices, and He is able continuously to bend His plans so that He is working in the midst of all our transactions in life. We'll return to this in a bit. It has enormous implications for our personal evangelistic interactions in life.
What does God do in this world?
God is a vigilant observer of the actions of the children of men. Nothing occurs in earth or heaven without the knowledge of the Creator. Nothing can happen without His permission. He on whom the fate of an empire may depend is watched over with a vigilance which knows no relaxation by Him who "giveth salvation unto kings," to whom belong "the shields of the earth." And the poor man is as tenderly watched over as the monarch upon his throne. (My Life Today, p. 291).
Nothing can happen without God's permission. His permission is not endorsement. He has all power. He chooses to limit Himself, to measure His intervention in this world. Realize that if God intervened to prevent every evil thing from occurring, the great controversy would never be resolved. No evidence of the results of sin could be compiled, because there would be no evidence, there would be no results. The world would be sanitized, Satan would remain under his mask, and there would never be resolution. Jesus would never die on the cross. No sacrifice for sins would be offered because there would be no sins, God would have intervened to prevent each and every one. There would be no fall, there would be no salvation, there would be in fact, no real moral choices to make, and a robotic universe would continue indefinitely.
God's ideal will and His permissive will are two different things. We shouldn't forget that. To forget that is to make God the Author of sin and suffering, and to blur the great controversy so that it is altogether obscured.
How can we link to God? Three paragraphs help:
God is waiting for men and women to awake to their responsibilities. He is waiting for them to link themselves with Him. Let them mark the signal of advance, and no longer be laggards in working out the will of the Lord.
Do we realize how large a number in the world are watching our movements? From quarters where we least expect will come voices urging us forward in the work of giving to the world the last message of mercy. Ministers and people, wake up! Be quick to recognize and seize every opportunity and advantage offered in the turning of the wheel of providence. God and Christ and the heavenly angels are working with intense activity to hold in check the fierceness of Satan's wrath, that God's plans may not be thwarted. God lives and reigns. He is conducting the affairs of the universe. Let His soldiers move forward to victory. Let there be perfect unity in their ranks. Let them press the battle to the gates. As a mighty Conqueror, the Lord will work for them.
Let the gospel message ring through our churches, summoning them to universal action. Let the members of the church have increased faith, gaining zeal from their unseen, heavenly allies, from a knowledge of their exhaustless resources, from the greatness of the enterprise in which they are engaged, and from the power of their Leader. Those who place themselves under God's control, to be led and guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place. Inspired with the Spirit of Him who gave His life for the life of the world, they will no longer stand still in impotency, pointing to what they cannot do. Putting on the armor of heaven, they will go forth to the warfare, willing to do and dare for God, knowing that His omnipotence will supply their need. (Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 14).
Who is waiting? God is waiting. Consider the verbs here. We should be quick to recognize, ready to seize opportunities and advantages. Whence arise these? "In the turning of the wheel of providence." The angelic host, God and angels are working to hold back Satanic forces why? So that God's plans will not be blocked. His plans are for His soldiers. He is holding back these forces so that we may move forward. He wants us to press the battle to the gates. Have we placed ourselves under God's control? Are we catching "the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place"?
How shall we be led by God? Here are two helpful paragraphs:
There are three ways in which the Lord reveals His will to us, to guide us, and to fit us to guide others. How may we know His voice from that of a stranger? How shall we distinguish it from the voice of a false shepherd? God reveals His will to us in His word, the Holy Scriptures. His voice is also revealed in His providential workings; and it will be recognized if we do not separate our souls from Him by walking in our own ways, doing according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an unsanctified heart, until the senses have become so confused that eternal things are not discerned, and the voice of Satan is so disguised that it is accepted as the voice of God.
Another way in which God's voice is heard is through the appeals of His Holy Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. If you are in doubt upon any subject you must first consult the Scriptures. If you have truly begun the life of faith you have given yourself to the Lord to be wholly His, and He has taken you to mold and fashion according to His purpose, that you may be a vessel unto honor. You should have an earnest desire to be pliable in His hands and to follow whithersoever He may lead you. You are then trusting Him to work out His designs, while at the same time you are co-operating with Him by working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 512).
Three ways are highlighted through which God reveals His will to us: (1) Through His Word (The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy writings), (2) His Providential workings, and (3) The appeals of His Holy Spirit. Notice again the purpose of this divine intervention in our lives, for such it is. It is "to guide us, and to fit us to guide others." Do not fail to understand that in part, our work here on earth is to serve as a divinely-appointed guide. First in line here is always the Bible. Then comes providence. But with providence comes a very wide-open field within which to interpret events. So how shall we understand these intricate and often mysterious workings? How shall we know the voice of the true Shepherd from the voice of the stranger? The promise, notice this, the promise is that we can indeed rightly interpret the guidance of providence, but we must avoid (1) the ruts of our own cherished ideas and reasonings, (2) doing according to our own wills, and (3) following the promptings of an unsanctified heart. These three potentially misleading avenues (intellectual, volitional, and emotional) are all means by which we may separate our souls from Him, and become confused about how He is leading us. The potential for misapprehension is such that we can lead ourselves to believe the disguised voice of Satan is the voice of God.
The question of guidance by the Holy Spirit is also important. Notice that when she cam to that she immediately reasserted the primal first place of the Scriptures. She indicates that your life will
Has not God said He would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? and is not this spirit a real, true actual guide? Some men seem afraid to take God at His word as though it would be presumption in them. They pray for the Lord to teach us and yet are afraid to credit the pledged word of God and believe we have been taught of Him. So long as we come to our heavenly Father humbly and with a spirit to be taught, willing and anxious to learn, why should we doubt God's fulfilment of His own promise? You must not for a moment doubt Him and dishonor Him thereby. When you have sought to know His will, your part in the operation with God is to believe that you will be led and guided and blessed in the doing of His will. We may mistrust ourselves lest we misinterpret His teachings, but make even this a subject of prayer, and trust Him, still trust Him to the uttermost, that His Holy Spirit will lead you to interpret aright His plans and the working of His providence. (Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1155).
Hear her description of the Holy Spirit: "a real, true, actual guide." Notice the conditions to having the Spirit's guidance: (1) Come to our heavenly Father, (2) humbly and with a spirit to be taught, (3) willing and anxious to learn, (4) trusting in His promises, (5) seeking to know His will, (6) believing that you will be led, guided, and blessed in doing His will, and (7) qualifying all with a humble self-distrust, a recognition that we are ever liable to misinterpret. When we meet these conditions we may trust God to lead us "to interpret aright His plans and the working of providence."
Consider the following reference:
It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time. God is the great Master Worker, and by His providence He prepares the way for His work to be accomplished. He provides opportunities, opens up lines of influence and channels of working. If His people are watching the indications of His providence, and stand ready to co-operate with Him, they will see a great work accomplished. Their efforts, rightly directed, will produce a hundredfold greater results than can be accomplished with the same means and facilities in another channel where God is not so manifestly working. Our work is reformative, and it is God's purpose that the excellence of the work in all lines shall be an object lesson to the people. (Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 24).
Preparing the way, providing opportunities, opening lines of influence, God is the great Master Worker. If we are watching the indications of His providence, if we are ready to co-operate with Him, he will aid us so that our efforts are rightly directed. And what is the promise? A hundredfold greater results than if we are working "in another channel where God is not so manifestly working."
EGW on Providence and Personal Work
Here are some insightful materials. See what you think.
There are numbers of families who will never be reached by the truth of God's Word unless the stewards of the manifold grace of Christ enter their homes, and by earnest ministry, sanctified by the endorsement of the Holy Spirit, break down the barriers and enter the hearts of the people. As the people see that these workers are messengers of mercy, the ministers of grace, they are ready to listen to the words spoken by them. But the hearts of those who do this work must throb in unison with the heart of Christ. They must be wholly consecrated to the service of God, ready to do His bidding, to go wheresoever His providence leads them, and speak the words He gives them. And if they are what God desires they shall be, if they are imbued with His Holy Spirit, they co-operate with the heavenly agencies and are indeed "laborers together with God." (Evangelism, p. 158).
Derived insights:
- As stewards of God's grace we must enter homes with the truth of God's Word.
- This is a barrier-breaking ministry.
- The vivid reality of our Christianity will change their perception of us, and we will be granted opportunity to share heaven's message.
In the providence of God, we are daily brought into connection with the unconverted. By His own right hand God is preparing the way before us, in order that His work may progress rapidly. As colaborers with Him, we have a sacred work to do. (Christian Service, p. 186).
God's providence brings us into connection with the unconverted on a daily basis.
Consider this item:
God has need of wise men and women who will labor earnestly to accomplish the work committed to them. He will use them as His instruments in the conversion of souls. Some will sow, and some will reap the harvest of the seed sown. Let every one do his best to improve his talents, that God may use him either as a sower or as a reaper. (Gospel Workers, p. 410).
Note this point especially: God will use you, either as sower or reaper.
Again:
God has provided divine assistance for all the emergencies to which our human resources are unequal. He gives the Holy Spirit to help in every strait, to strengthen our hope and assurance, to illuminate our minds and purify our hearts. He provides opportunities and opens channels of working. If His people are watching the indications of His providence, and are ready to co-operate with Him, they will see mighty results. (Prophets and Kings, p. 660).
Note that we must (1) watch for indications of His providence, (2) be ready to co-operate with God.
And another:
Heaven's plan of salvation is broad enough to embrace the whole world. God longs to breathe into prostrate humanity the breath of life. And He will not permit any soul to be disappointed who is sincere in his longing for something higher and nobler than anything the world can offer. Constantly He is sending His angels to those who, while surrounded by circumstances the most discouraging, pray in faith for some power higher than themselves to take possession of them and bring deliverance and peace. In various ways God will reveal Himself to them and will place them in touch with providences that will establish their confidence in the One who has given Himself a ransom for all, "that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments." Psalm 78:7. (Prophets and Kings, p. 377).
Note these points of interest:
- God is watching for those who sincerely long for that which is higher and nobler.
- He sends His angels to such individuals.
- In various ways (1) He will reveal Himself to them and (2) place them in touch with providences that lead them to confidence in Jesus and His capacity to empower obedience.
And another:
Many are praying for light and knowledge. They are not satisfied. God will answer their prayers through us, as a people, if we are not at such a distance from Him that we cannot hear His voice, and so selfish that we do not wish to be disturbed in our ease and agreeable associations.
We are not keeping pace with the opening providence of God. Jesus and angels are at work. This cause is onward, while we are standing still and being left in the rear. If we would follow the opening providence of God, we should be quick to discern every opening, and make the most of every advantage within our reach, to let the light extend and spread to other nations. God, in His providence, has sent men to our very doors, and thrust them, as it were, into our arms, that they might learn the truth more perfectly, and be qualified to do a work we could not do in getting the light before men of other tongues. We have too often failed to discern God's hand, and we have not received the very ones God had provided for us to work in union with, and act a part in sending the light to other nations. (Life Sketches, p. 212).
Note these important points:
- Many are praying for light and knowledge.
- God will answer their prayers through us if we are clear at the condition-points.
- These include (1) that we are close enough to Him to hear His voice, and (2) that we permit Him to adjust us so that we are unselfish enough to be disturbed, and (3) we have our spiritual discernment functional and operational, revealing the openings He makes.
- Jesus and angels are at work.
And, here's one concerning our church services.:
It is God's will that all parts of His service shall be managed in an orderly, becoming manner, which will impress those strangers who may attend, as well as the regular attendants, with the elevated, ennobling character of the truth and its power to cleanse the heart.
In His providence God impresses people to attend our tent meetings and church services. Some come from curiosity, others to criticize or ridicule. Often they are convicted of sin. The word spoken in the spirit of love makes a lasting impression on them. (Evangelism, p. 207).
How many are here today an account of God's providence? All of us. Some perhaps have not been here before, and are here because of the working of God's providence. Some will come here and be convicted of sin. They will want to step out and follow Jesus. They will want, having heard this word from God today, to win souls, friends, neighbors, and whomever heaven may send across their pathway. We are seated here in this place, perhaps side by side, with persons that have been brought into this place by our God. The wheel of providence is turning. Our lives intersect. Have we a word from heaven for our acquaintances?
One last extended quotation today beckons. Listen closely:
Among professing Christians of today there is a fearful lack of the sympathy that should be felt for souls unsaved. Unless our hearts beat in unison with the heart of Christ, how can we understand the sacredness and importance of the work to which we are called by the words: "Watch for . . . souls, as they that must give account"? We talk of Christian missions. The sound of our voices is heard, but do we feel Christ's tender heart-longing for souls?
The Saviour was an untiring worker. He did not measure His work by hours. His time, His heart, His strength, were given to labor for the benefit of humanity. Entire days were devoted to labor, and entire nights were spent in prayer, that He might be braced to meet the wily foe in all his deceptive working, and fortified to do His work of uplifting and restoring humanity.
The man who loves God does not measure his work by the eight-hour system. He works at all hours and is never off duty. As he has opportunity he does good. Everywhere, at all times and in all places, he finds opportunity to work for God. He carries fragrance with him wherever he goes. A wholesome atmosphere surrounds his soul. The beauty of his well-ordered life and godly conversation inspires in others faith and hope and courage.
It is heart missionaries that are needed. Spasmodic efforts will do little good. We must arrest the attention. We must be deeply in earnest.
By aggressive warfare, in the midst of opposition, peril, loss, and human suffering, the work of soulsaving is to be carried forward. At a certain battle, when one of the regiments of the attacking force was being beaten back by the hordes of the enemy, the ensign in front stood his ground as the troops retreated. The captain shouted to him to bring back the colors, but the reply of the ensign was: "Bring the men up to the colors!" This is the work that devolves upon every faithful standard-bearer
-- to bring the men up to the colors. The Lord calls for wholeheartedness. We all know that the sin of many professing Christians is that they lack the courage and energy to bring themselves and those connected with them up to the standard.From all countries the Macedonian cry is sounding: "Come over, . . . and help us." God has opened fields before us, and if human agencies would but co-operate with divine agencies, many, many souls would be won to the truth. But the Lord's professing people have been sleeping over their allotted work, and in many places it remains comparatively untouched. God has sent message after message to arouse our people to do something, and to do it now. But to the call, "Whom shall I send?" there have been few to respond, "Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8.
When the reproach of indolence and slothfulness shall have been wiped away from the church, the Spirit of the Lord will be graciously manifested. Divine power will be revealed. The church will see the providential working of the Lord of hosts. The light of truth will shine forth in clear, strong rays, and, as in the time of the apostles, many souls will turn from error to truth. The earth will be lighted with the glory of the Lord.
Heavenly angels have long been waiting for human agents
-- the members of the church-- to co-operate with them in the great work to be done. They are waiting for you. So vast is the field, so comprehensive the design, that every sanctified heart will be pressed into service as an instrument of divine power.At the same time there will be a power working from beneath. While God's agents of mercy work through consecrated human beings, Satan sets his agencies in operation, laying under tribute all who will submit to his control. There will be lords many and gods many. The cry will be heard, "Lo, here is Christ," and, "Lo, there is Christ." The deep plotting of Satan will reveal itself everywhere for the purpose of diverting the attention of men and women from present duty. There will be signs and wonders. But the eye of faith will discern in all these manifestations harbingers of the grand and awful future, and the triumphs that await the people of God.
Work, oh, work, keeping eternity in view! Bear in mind that every power must be sanctified. A great work is to be done. Let the prayer go forth from unfeigned lips: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us. . . . That Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations." Psalm 67:1, 2.
Those who realize, even in a limited degree, what redemption means to them and to their fellow men, will walk by faith and will comprehend in some measure the vast needs of humanity. Their hearts will be moved to compassion as they see the widespread destitution in our world
-- the destitution of the multitudes who are suffering for food and clothing, and the moral destitution of thousands who are under the shadow of a terrible doom, in comparison with which physical suffering fades into nothingness.Let church members bear in mind that the fact that their names are registered on the church books will not save them. They must show themselves approved of God, workmen that need not be ashamed. Day by day they are to build their characters in accordance with Christ's directions. They are to abide in Him, constantly exercising faith in Him. Thus they will grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ
-- wholesome, cheerful, grateful Christians, led by God into clearer and still clearer light. If this is not their experience, they will be among those whose voices will one day be raised in the bitter lamentation: "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved! Why did I not flee to the Stronghold for refuge? Why have I trifled with my soul's salvation, and done despite to the Spirit of grace?""The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." Zephaniah 1:14. Let us be shod with the gospel shoes, ready to march at a moment's notice. Every hour, every minute, is precious. We have no time to spend in self-gratification. All around us there are souls perishing in sin. Every day there is something to do for our Lord and Master. Every day we are to point souls to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world.
"Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as we think not the Son of man cometh." Matthew 24:44. Go to your rest at night with every sin confessed. Thus we did when in 1844 we expected to meet our Lord. And now this great event is nearer than when we first believed. Be ye always ready, in the evening, in the morning, and at noon, that when the cry is heard, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him," you may, even though awakened out of sleep, go forth to meet Him with your lamps trimmed and burning. (Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 9, pp. 45-48).
We must come up to the colors. This quotation is not especially about church standards, although we must come up to those colors too. This is about sharing our faith. Mind you, not sharing today's compromised quasi-Adventism. This is about sharing the Savior Jesus Christ, and the present-truth of the third angel's message. Clearly. Provocatively. Wisely. Harmlessly. Thoughtfully. Prayerfully. Intelligently. Those are some of the adverbs that go with the idea of sharing. How shall we share? Those are the attributes that should characterize our work.
We don't need an executive order from the church president, r a note from our pastor. We are Christians, soldiers, front-line spiritual combat shock troops, God's earthbound military. We are authorized to share our faith. No note from mom is required. But we do want to be careful and sound.
Maybe some of us consider ourselves rough around the edges. Repine not. Instead, we need to go forward and share. Sometimes say less rather than more, but share. Sometimes make mistakes, sometimes enjoy success, but share. Your and my warm hearts, helped by God, our humble lips, in His service, will achieve something that He designs. And if we are shy, quiet, too rough in our sharing, too lacking in knowledge, guess what? We can share what we already know, and ask God to help us to learn to be atuned to His ways, to be available to Him, on call, learning, growing, permitting Him to take off the sharp edges. And He will come through. We can be praying for opportunities, and He will give them.
We won't share Ellen White first. We certainly won't share issue in our own denomination first, or the things that have saddened and disappointed us. People are looking for hope, not sorrows. But we can share good books like Great Controversy, Steps to Christ, Desire of Ages, Uriah Smith's or C. Mervyn Macwell's books on Daniel and Revelation. There are fantastic materials to share from ProjectRestore.com and others. There is always our own http://www.collisionwithprophecy.org (which will get an upgrade in a few months). And almost anything you can get from Amazing Facts is inevitably good. For a missionary magazine, it is hard to top Last Generation Magazine. I've just begun to sample the good stuff, and left out some good items. And with your computers there is always the opportunity to cut and paste and make your own. Now there is a plan!
Conclusion
The key point in all of this is, we need to be about our Father's work. We need to have our eyes open and be able to discern something of the operations of His providence. We need to be praying first thing every morning and saying, "Lord, make me an appointment with some soul today to touch for You." And He will do it. We need not only to be able to think to ourselves "God made this appointment!" but even as we are led by His Spirit to say to our new friend, "This appointment was by God's design. He caused our paths to cross." Now there is a motivator.
Next: Part seven: How to Give Your Personal Testimony in an Adventist, Not an Evangelical, Way.
In choosing a home, God would have us consider, first of all, the moral and religious influences that will surround us and our families. We may be placed in trying positions, for many cannot have their surroundings what they would; and whenever duty calls us, God will enable us to stand uncorrupted, if we watch and pray, trusting in the grace of Christ. But we should not needlessly expose ourselves to influences that are unfavorable to the formation of Christian character. When we voluntarily place ourselves in an atmosphere of worldliness and unbelief, we displease God and drive holy angels from our homes. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 169).
It is important to believe God's word and act upon it promptly, while His angels are waiting to work for us. Evil angels are ready to contest every step of advance. And when God's providence bids His children go forward, when He is ready to do great things for them, Satan tempts them to displease the Lord by hesitation and delay; he seeks to kindle a spirit of strife or to arouse murmuring or unbelief, and thus deprive them of the blessings that God desired to bestow. God's servants should be minutemen, ever ready to move as fast as His providence opens the way. And delay on their part gives time for Satan to work to defeat them. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 423).
While we should be ever ready to follow the opening providence of God, we should lay no larger plans, occupy no more ground in branching out than there is help and means to bind off the work well and keep up and increase the interest already started. (Evangelism, p. 324).
We are to have clear spiritual discernment, else we shall fail of discerning the opening providences of God that are preparing the way for us to enlighten the world. (Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 173).
Caution is needed; but while some of the workers are guarded and make haste slowly, if there are not united with them in the work those who see the necessity of being aggressive, very much will be lost; opportunities will pass, and the opening providence of God will not be discerned. (Evangelism, p. 298).
God gives opportunities; success depends upon the use made of them. The openings of Providence must be quickly discerned and eagerly entered. There are many who might become mighty men, if, like Daniel, they would depend upon God for grace to be overcomers, and for strength and efficiency to do their work. (Messages to Young People, p. 147).
When Satan quoted the promise, "He shall give His angels charge over Thee," he omitted the words, "to keep Thee in all Thy ways;" that is, in all the ways of God's choosing. Jesus refused to go outside the path of obedience. While manifesting perfect trust in His Father, He would not place Himself, unbidden, in a position that would necessitate the interposition of His Father to save Him from death. He would not force Providence to come to His rescue, and thus fail of giving man an example of trust and submission. (Desire of Ages, p. 125).
The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 290).
A noble character is not the result of accident; it is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. It is the result of self-discipline, of subjection of the lower to the higher nature, of the surrender of self to the service of God and man. (Prophets and Kings, p. 488).
You are continually finding fault with circumstances, which is nothing less than finding fault with providences. You are continually casting about for somebody or something to answer the place of a scapegoat, upon which you can lay the blame of having brought you into a position to feel and speak unworthy of a Christian. Instead of simply censuring yourself for your defects, you censure the circumstances and occasions which led you to develop the traits in your character which lie dormant or hid beneath the surface unless something arises to disturb and arouse them to life and action. Then they appear in all their deformity and strength. (Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 571).
Let none cherish the idea that special providences or miraculous manifestations are to be the proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. When persons will speak lightly of the word of God, and set their impressions, feelings, and exercises above the divine standard, we may know that they have no light in them. (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 146).
Were the work of ministering to the flock left entirely to one man, there would be deficiency in the results. In His providence the Lord sends various workmen. One is strong on some essential point where another is weak.--Manuscript 21, 1894. (Evangelism, p. 104).
Some are always fearing, and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded with the tokens of God's love; every day they are enjoying the bounties of His providence; but they overlook these present blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something disagreeable which they fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist which, though small, blinds their eyes to the many things that demand gratitude. The difficulties they encounter, instead of driving them to God, the only source of their help, separate them from Him because they awaken unrest and repining. (Steps to Christ, p. 121).
Many theories would lead minds to suppose that nature is a self-sustaining agency apart from the Deity, having its own inherent power with which to work. In this men do not know what they are talking about. Do they suppose that nature has a self-existing power without the continual agency of Jehovah? The Lord does not work through His laws to supersede the laws of nature. He does His work through the laws and properties of His instruments, and nature obeys a "Thus saith the Lord."
The God of nature is perpetually at work. His infinite power works unseen, but manifestations appear in the effects which the work produces. The same God who guides the planets works in the fruit orchard and in the vegetable garden. He never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan's work, the result of degeneration, introduced by him among the precious things; but it is through God's immediate agency that every bud bursts into blossom. (Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 187).
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