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Having Supper with the Lord

May 16, 2020

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We see in this picture, the final supper our Lord had with all His disciples. A bittersweet moment as we know. His great sorrow for knowing He would soon leave them, but His preparation for His great act of salvational sacrifice in saving His people.

Yet this act of having “supper” with our King, can be viewed alternatively in another spiritual way, let us read —

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

Basically from how we understand communicating to our King, to a great extent, consists of two methods — Supping and Praying. Many know very well about prayer, but in this post we’d like to share some thoughts on supping, or as our Lord said “sup”.

We as present truth believers know well that Revelation 3:14-22 is prophetically addressing our King’s final church, the Laodiceans church aka. the Seventh-day Adventist church. So these words are made for us to know closely, the straight testimony to us. Sadly, it is mostly solemn and dreadful, for the Lord finds us “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17)

Yet as the Lord so often does throughout His word–He gives us hope. If we desire to be “hot” and buy the “gold tried in the fire” then we will not only see, but have the great reward of supping with Him!

Let us now put into perspective what we can describe this supping to be. As we know as family members, one of the closest and most intimate times we spend together as a family unit, is the experience of the family supper, usually dinner There we share our thoughts, our ideas, just good close conversations with each other.

So when our King said He will do something — “sup”, that means we are obeying His counsel and get the reward of intimate conversations with Him. And what specific counsel is that? Let us read–

“I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” (Rev. 3:18)

The Lord has gold (more Truth, specifically present Truth) for which we are to buy (read and obey). The Lord’s final message of Elijah explains —

 

“Come and see” for yourself, Brethren. Then, only, will you realize why the Lord makes the serious charge against all us Laodiceans:

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint shine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Rev. 3:17-20.

May it be fully realized now, Brethren, that to open one’s door to the Lord does not mean to open one’s ears to the so-called wise who never embrace unpopular truth, yet are ever fast on the run with theories of their own. The followers of Christ take time to examine for themselves what the Word Itself says, not what God’s enemies try to make it say. They know that “neither young nor old are excusable in trusting to another to have an experience for them. Said the angel, ‘Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.’ …

“Men, women, and youth, God requires you to possess moral courage, steadiness of purpose, fortitude and perseverance, minds that cannot take the assertions of another, but which will investigate for themselves before receiving or rejecting, that will study and weigh evidence, and take it to the Lord in prayer.” — Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 130.

In fine, God’s people are fearless, candid, diligent students, not automatons, not bigoted dogmatists, nor surface-skimmers.

“How many men in this age of the world fail to go deep enough. They only skim the surface. They will not think closely enough to see difficulties and grapple with them, and will not examine every important subject which comes before them with thoughtful, prayerful study, and with sufficient caution and interest to see the real point at issue. They talk of matters which they have not fully and carefully weighed.” — Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 361.

The Enemy will certainly do all in his power to make all believe that the scriptures treated of herein are erroneously interpreted, and that the Testimonies are “taken out of their setting.” Already he has firmly planted in the minds of both laity and ministry the fiction that there is “no necessity for more truth and greater light” (Gospel Workers, p. 300), and that the Spirit of Prophecy so declares! Both of these lies, of course, he planted in the minds of the people years ahead, in the effort to beguile God’s elect into tossing away their “pearl of great price.” Matt. 13:46.

The only defense and protection for anyone, therefore, will be not to let him control the mind: humans are not horses for riders to control with bits in their mouths. Let each vigorously assert his God-given right and responsibility to put every enemy claim to the acid test, and to respectfully demand that the Recruiter’s enemies produce something better, or at least as good, in the place of what It brings from the Scriptures, or else that they becomingly lapse into “golden” silence and start diligently studying the Scriptures.

Oblige them to produce chapter and verse, page and paragraph, proving the authenticity of the often quoted statements, “We have enough truth to carry us through to the end;” “We have all the light we need.” Of course no such proof will be forthcoming, for no such statements are to be found within the pages of Inspiration. Rather the very contrary is the fact, as is evidenced in the terrible Laodicean rebuke for their erroneous thinking. (See Testimonies, Vol. 3, pp. 252, 253). (White House Recruiter, p.68-70)


In closing, let us follow the Lord’s counsel and buy this gold tried in the fire, thereby enabling us to sit down with Him often and sup with Him.

Posted in Christian walk, Loving the Lord, Obedience | 1 Comment »

No Greater Love

June 8, 2019

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Our King said —

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

The Apostles, as we know, we all dedicated followers of Christ. All of them gave up all they had to follow the Lord of the Universe. Yet few of us know how and under what circumstances they died. The following is an Apostle by Apostle account of how they died.

1. Matthew. Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.

2. Mark. Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3. Luke. Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4. John. Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully

5. Peter. He was crucified upside down on an x shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6. James. The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller’s club.

This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7. James the Son of Zebedee was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.

As a strong leader of the church, James was beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial.

Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8. Bartholomew. Also known as Nathaniel. He Was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present-day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9. Andrew. He Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.

His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words, “I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it”. He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.

10. Thomas. He Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Subcontinent.

11. Jude. He Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12. Matthias. The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and then beheaded.

13. Paul. He Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

What faith! They held on to the very end. But the message tells us that soon some we seek to die for Christ but will not be able. Let us read —

“Despite great persecution against the faithful of the primitive Christian church, their vision of the world’s great need urged them on to preach the gospel of Christ at the cost of their lives.  And notwithstanding cruelest death awaiting them, they in faith and courage in God held the light of the gospel before the people as constantly as the sun holds its rays over the earth.

   “I came into Asia,” testifies the death-bound apostle, “after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:…

   “And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God….

   “And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.  Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?  for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:18, 19, 25-27;  21:12, 13.

   By preaching in the name of Christ, the Christians in Paul’s time were indeed seeking death.  Esteeming it the greatest privilege and honor to die for Him, they desired to do so if others might by their death obtain eternal life.

   Though God’s people today shall go through a “time of trouble such as never was” (Dan. 12:1), when earthly tribunals shall cause to come to pass “that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15), yet the Word declares: “…at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Dan. 12:1.

   O what a promise and what assurance!  Who can comprehend God’s mighty power, and the glory of this long awaited deliverance?  Those who at all do, and who fully trust in the Lord will, for the good of His people, “go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” Heb. 13:13.

   In thus pursuing a course against all earthly favor (by proclaiming the message of the “hour”), they will be going “forth as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt. 10:16) — “seeking death.”  And although happy to “die” for Christ’s sake, or, as the Revelator puts it though they “shall desire to die,” the promise is that “death shall flee from them,” making it impossible for them to die.  Even the sword of the wicked that is raised to kill them, shall break and fall “as powerless as a straw” (Early Writings, p. 34), making them utterly invincible.

   “In that day,” saith the Lord, “whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” Luke 17:31, 33.  In short, only those who “desire to die” for Christ’s sake shall obtain eternal life.” (Tract 5 ,p.76-78)

Oh what a promise indeed! Those honored of God to be his very last day’s servants shall be so confident and connected to Him that death will be welcomed if it means they do it for Christ. But this will not be their fate as it was our beloved Apostles.

Posted in Courage, Loving the Lord | 1 Comment »

Zealousness

January 26, 2019

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In Rev.3:19 our King told us what to do after he gave us Laodiceans a scathing rebuke, He said “Therefore be zealous and repent.”

Zealousness, what does it mean, how can we know it and apply it to our Christian walk? One of the all- time most zealous preachers of our time was Billy Graham. I remember as a young teenager being enthralled with his sermons. I would lay in front of the TV and intensely watch  him speak. He seemed on fire for the Lord, zealousness indeed!

Many of you, especially the older generation probably have your own memories of watching Billy speak. The following link is one of his most powerful sermons given in Chicago in 1971. Notice the intensity in his eyes, totally focusing on the task at hand.

For many of us present truth believers, this ingredient is not only fulfilling the Lord’s command, but gives us fuel to keep going. Sometimes I truly wonder how can His truth get any more powerful, any more exciting. Sadly though even among us, this characteristic is often lacking.

Google dictionary describes the word —

zeal·ous —

having or showing zeal.
“the council was extremely zealous in the application of the regulations”fervent, ardent, fervid, fiery, passionate, impassioned,

Scripture about zealousness —

2 Kings 10:16 —He said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.” So he made him ride in his chariot.

Psalm 119:139 —My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.

Jeremiah 20:9 –But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.

 

2 Cor. 9:12 –for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the Macedonians, namely, that Achaia has been prepared since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

Romans 12:11 —Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Titus 2:14 —Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Isaiah 59:17 —He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

Psalm 69:9 —For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Time is short, let us have this zealousness for Him and the kingdom, which is at hand.

Posted in Loving the Lord, Our Lord's kingdom | 1 Comment »

Broken on the Rock of Jesus

October 6, 2018

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We have heard of the Christian saying “Broken on the Rock of Jesus”. What does this mean?

Apostle Peter is our classic example. Once a head strong, prideful follower of Christ, he went through being “broken” to become one of Christ’s main Gospel proclaimers in the early days. Let us read —

“Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them.  A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.  A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”“Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”  Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:54-62)

 No doubt Peter broke down knowing that after all Jesus did for Him, and Peter giving up his life to follow Him, he pitifully denied His King and Savior right when Jesus was in need of his support. This  moment, we believe, caused Peter to lose his prideful self. The broken pieces of self dropped down to the ground, so that Christ could uplift him with the Holy Spirit. Is this our experience?

“..Peter who denied Christ in the hour of His greatest need was impulsive and self-confident, differing widely from the Peter who was brought before the Sanhedrin for examination. Since his fall he had been converted. He was no longer proud and boastful, but modest and self-distrustful. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and by the help of this power he was resolved to remove the stain of his apostasy by honoring the name he had once disowned.” (AA, p.62)

I have posted before my own testimony of being “broken” and would like to share it again.

Back in late 2008, early 2009, I came to “know” Christ by picking up the Bible one day and never looking back. After discovering God’s Holy Commandments (specifically the Sabbath) I became a  Seventh-day Adventist. But it wasn’t until about two years later that I came to be “broken”.

My old self was still alive, although considerably altered and discovering Christ and His Truth more and more as my walk continued. But after those couple of years I started to notice some things within the church (careless Sabbath keeping, Women pastors, etc.) that made me start to think “what is really going on here”?

After all we as Adventists tell the world we are the “remnant church”, those keeping the Commandments of God. Yet, away from the world’s gaze , things like eating at restaurants on the Sabbath were common place for the “old timers” in my Church. This began to be quite puzzling to me. I came into the church thinking we were a light to the world in how Christians follow His Commandments.

But the big moment came one day about two years after joining the church. I was in a town close to mine and knew there was another S.D.A church in that town of which I traveled by it often in my work. Being happy with my own church I had never went to this church but for some reason I was guided by the Spirit to notice something with this church.

I knew that the church has ownership of the whole corner block, as someone had pointed that out to me prior. There were small offices in the adjacent corner building next to the church. One of the offices had a sign saying “Chiropractor”. As I slowly drove by I noticed the phone number on the building. I decided to call it to see if it was open on Saturday. Surely my people, my beloved church would confirm to me its upholding our Sabbath publicly! Confirmation of my people’s dedication was all I wanted.

As the man answered I asked him if they were open for business Saturday. He replied “Yes we are, would you like to make an appointment?” Now, imagine a ton of bricks landing on you spiritually.  As I  hung up I very soon had to pull over. Devastating thoughts going through my mind. There was a big hit from  the past called “I’ll never fall in love again” by the famous singer –Tom Jones.  One of the lyrics says ” and I broke up all inside”. This happened that day.

My beloved church , how could they??? Tell the world to “keep the Sabbath” yet within our own gates break it right in front of the world for all to see! I did as Peter did, “wept bitterly”.

But in hind sight this was my “broken on the Rock of Jesus” moment. For never again was I to be the same person. Although I was Adventist, I had not quite had an experience like that before.

In Ezekiel 9 we read —

 “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side;  and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:3-4)

This prophecy came into true understanding soon after. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I was “sighing and crying” for abominations done in the midst (the church). The Lord began to work His divine plan in my life. About two weeks later I was online and heard a sermon on the 144,000. Ezekiel 9:3-4 came alive to me!

Now I KNEW what the Lord’s plan was for me and the church. So clear as to make me literally feel like I was walking off the ground for the next 6 weeks or so! True, it’s solemn yet for those who truly love Christ and His Truth, a most glorious final Gospel proclamation plan awaits!

Spirit of Prophecy tells us this same sediment–

“In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s honour and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favour of any. Their righteous souls are vexed day by day with the unholy works and conversation of the unrighteous.

They are powerless to stop the rushing torrent of iniquity, and hence they are filled with grief and alarm. They mourn before God to see religion despised in the very homes of those who have had great light. They lament and afflict their souls because pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church. The Spirit of God, which prompts to reproof, is trampled underfoot, while the servants of Satan triumph. God is dishonoured, the truth made of none effect.” (Testimonies, vol. 5, p.210-211)

Many of you no doubt have your own story of that special moment. But as SOP says  pride, avarice, selfishness, and deception of almost every kind are in the church and as such a vast multitude are NOT broken in our church. Some may find that they get broken bit by bit, beholding the vast sins prevalent among our people. But the fact remains we must get broken, self must be brought down.But once we experience it, we soon find that our King builds us up with His love and plans for us. The conversion is truly established.

“..if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:13)

Very soon we as Adventists will have to broken and dead to self when the Lord “suddenly comes to His Temple” (Mal. 3:1). If we are not this Rock may finally break us, but not in the way we want. Now is our time to submit and “sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst.”

Posted in Christian faith, Christian walk, Humility, Loving the Lord, Sighing and Crying | Leave a Comment »

The Laborers are Few

November 18, 2017

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In Luke 10:2 we read —

“Therefore said He unto them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest.”

Oh how true this statement by our Lord is today! The harvest is so great yet the number of Truth messengers–so few. Last week we posted on how some of our more active S.D.A leaders are not teaching the full truth. Falling short on the very important timeline and events to come. But that led us to think of the opposite–who is out there today doing the Lord’s work and spreading the Lord’s Rod (Micah 6:9)?

Sadly there is not many active and visible leaders among us present truth believers. The Scriptures show the type, the Apostles, the mostly uneducated and lowly laborers as the chosen to lead the work. So too today. In the following short list you will not find a college degree nor a degree in a school of religious training.

SOP guides us —

“Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning. There will be those among us who will always want to control the work of God, to dictate even what movements shall be made when the work goes forward under the direction of the angel who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the world. God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands. The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p.300)

“He will raise up from among the common people men and women to do His work, even as of old He called fishermen to be His disciples. There will soon be an awakening that will surprise many. Those who do not realize the necessity of what is to be done will be passed by, and the heavenly messengers will work with those who are called the common people, fitting them to carry the truth to many places.” (Manuscript Releases, vol.15, p.312)

“In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged…. God will work a work in our day that but few anticipate. He will raise up and exalt among us those who are taught rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the outward training of scientific institutions. These facilities are not to be despised or condemned; they are ordained of God, but they can furnish only the exterior qualifications. God will manifest that He is not dependent on learned, self-important mortals.” (Testimonies, vol. 5, p.80)

Indeed, God is not dependant upon “learned, self-important mortals”! The leaders  shown in our last post have books, organizations, seminars, all proclaiming a peace and safety message. But the common “fishermen” are not like that they have an unwavering desire–

“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” (Rev. 14:4)

Yes, they follow an unpopular path, filled with scornful looks, doubt, murmurs against, ridicule, demotions, even physical abuse at times.

Let us now look at some of these present truth leaders and what they are doing now to spread His Elijah message.

1. Jimmy Kakouri

Brother Jimmy has been a present truth believer for a couple decades now. He knows the message quite well and is gifted in being able to present it in video form. His ministry is primarily with YouTube but he is staying active right now on Facebook as well. We know brother Jimmy well and have found a good and faithful brother  who can be relied upon to give a study anytime. He travels occasionally to outside countries and is based out of London , England.

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2. Glenroy Matthews

Brother Glenroy holds a special place in my heart. The Lord used him to bring me into the message. One day after church on a Sabbath afternoon in May of 2011, I happen to be online and saw a link to know more of the 144,000. It was brother Matthew’s audio presentation of “The 144,00 who are they ?” Glenroy is a full time worker for the DSDA organization based in Mountain dale, New York. He has a very well done video on Daniel 2 (DVD and YouTube). His clear plain teachings are truly a blessing for those who love Truth. To us the aforementioned Daniel 2 presentation is one of the best present truth studies we’ve ever seen.

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3. Dara Dietz

Sister Dara is a very experienced and long time believer in the message. Her great gift has been putting the Lord’s Rod online in a complete and well organized way. She has a health center and works as a health practitioner. We use her site regularly and send it out to many who wish to learn the message. By all means bookmark this site as it is priceless.

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site —

http://shepherds-rod.org/index.html

4. Rene Reyes

Brother Rene was the first brother we met in the message. His knowledge is extensive and we are blessed to know this brother. He serves as a fellow adminstrator on our FB ministry site–Truth Tellers. Rene speaks both English and Spanish and has a Spanish channel on YouTube. He also works for Mountain dale organization. One of the full time workers in the Lord’s vineyard, brother Rene is active and also supportive of our work in His vineyard, often joining us in our phone conference studies to contribute his thoughts and even do some studies.

5. Erik Bell

Brother Bell is one of the most knowledgeable brethren in the message. His CD’s have gained traction through out the field and are helpful to know much of the message. Bro. Erik has an DSDA organization called International Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists and is based in Florida as well as two online sites promoting the message. Serves as an administrator of Truth Tellers since 2014. He is active in our phone conference studies , often presenting a certain subject of the Lord’s Rod.

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6. Yours Truly

Your brother here (bro. Rob Peralta) is active as you might imagine. We are often amazed how the Lord took me, a heathen through and through, and changed this disaster into a worker for His cause. We often try to remember these words of the Lord —

“And now, says the LORD, who formed you from the womb as His servant to bring Jacob back to Him so that Israel might be gathered to Him— and I am honored in the LORD’s sight and my God has been my help. And He said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:5-6)

Our ministries involve three areas. Truth Tellers, the first active FB online Rod message site. The Lord has blessed and now we have hundreds of members from around the world who have joined during the last 6 years (began in Sept. of 2011). We keep active with our YouTube channel, where we have many videos/audios of the message (listed as robp123451). And of course this blog post site.

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We, the few are not as mentioned earlier, college graduates or religious accredited theologians. We simply love the Truth-Jesus. We care not for money or fame and wealth. We just want to win souls for Christ as we know that the Loud Cry hour is just about to strike and big changes are coming. Pray for us.

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”(Proverbs 11:30)

“In all diligence, therefore, give heed to any supernatural manifestation in the church of God, irrespective of source, whether it be human or brute, small or great, black or white, rich or poor. Unbiasedly compare its work with the Scriptures, and if it is in harmony with them, if it finds its foundation and prediction there, makes men loyal to the law and to the prophets, and adds light to the present truth, accept it whatever the cost in money, property, position, friends, and relatives, for it is your very life. He who will prove faithful in this responsibility will receive a hundred-fold for the sacrifice it has cost him to be true to the Lord’s voice (Matt. 19:29).” (Symbolic Code vol. 8, no.1-12, p.3)

Posted in General thoughts, Loving the Lord, Proper teachings, Witnessing | 2 Comments »

The Great Separation

May 6, 2017

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In John 14:6 we read —

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”

Such powerful truth indeed! But there is a concern today from one who is active in His vineyard, the middle description that our Lord gave “Truth” is often separated from Jesus. In other words some who claim to be Christian are trying to do what we call–the great separation.

But can we actually say we know Jesus yet not want or desire truth? Scripture warns us of the consequences if we do not “love and accept” the truth(Jesus) —

“He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.” (2 Thes. 2:10)

Recently an experience occurred that provoked thoughts for this post. Allow me to describe.

At one of our local SDA churches that we frequent, we have come to know 3 Elders there. They all appear good men, showing a Sabbath dedication to making our services pleasing to the Lord. But as I always try to do, let the Lord guide in outreach to our members with His final message of truth. I was led to get all three of these guys email addresses. My goal was to send them a couple of present truth studies each month.

They seemed interested in knowing more, so soon I sent the first study. It was concerning the subject of Rev. 17, the harlot woman and how she cannot be solely the Roman Catholic Church. As we posted a while back, we showed beyond doubt that the woman must symbolize the world’s false religions from Cain. So I felt this was a good starter as all of these guys most likely would be surprised to learn this as the vast majority of our leaders in the church believe the woman is the Catholic Church.

The emails were sent and I looked forward to the responses. I was ready for anything–good bad or inquisitive. One week went by, two weeks went by, then one month went by and–nothing! I was amazed. Here I was sending new truth, new revealing eye-opening truth yet not one of them were interested!

Ok, maybe they all were out or something so let’s try again. One month later I send them a new study, this time on Rev. chapter 3. About our Lord’s counsel on us, Laodicea. Again ,nothing, nada, zip.

The Spirit led me to shake my head in sad disbelief.  The message warns us not to reject even a part of truth.

“Even as it is a blessed thing to accept the truth, so it is a fearful thing to reject it.  And rejection need not include all truth.  To reject a part may be just as fatal as to reject the whole.  So all should beware.” (SRod, vol. 1, p.160)

You see brethren, the Truth is Jesus and if Jesus’s Truth comes to us, in any form, are we showing “love” for it by ignoring it or wholeheartedly welcoming with joy in our hearts? Let us use an analogy.

A gal is a member of “I love Elvis” club. Someone reaches out to her and say’s “hey I just got a new song from Elvis, want to hear it”? She’s in love with Elvis, does she ignore that offer? Turn and walk away without saying anything? Of course not! She LOVES Elvis, she is a member of the club and would not for the life of her, turn down any new song from Elvis.

Yet some of us as symbolical Jesus fan club members think nothing of walking away from a new song (new truth) from Jesus! Do we really love Him (truth)? Our actions  speak volumes!

Tomorrow is not guaranteed and should God call us to rest the next day, what more opportunities to learn His new truths then? The Lord sends messengers into our lives, yet we often don’t know the time of our visitation. These three men, have willfully chosen to ignore Truth sent them.

The Spirit of Prophecy  says we are asleep and it’s not funny–

“Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled; yet the time is passing, and the people are asleep. They refuse to humble their souls and to be converted. Not a great while longer will the Lord bear with the people who have such great and important truths revealed to them, but who refuse to bring these truths into their individual experience. The time is short. God is calling; will you hear? Will you receive His message? Will you be converted before it is too late? Soon, very soon, every case will be decided for eternity.” (Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, p.260)

Yet these same three men can be found each Sabbath singing “Oh Lord come soon , we need you…” Really? You love the Lord yet could care less about His Truth? This is the great attempt at separation we all too often see today among us Seventh-day Adventists!

So why do we need to worry about the aforementioned brethren? SOP answers us.

“New light will ever be revealed on the word of God to him who is in living connection with the Sun of Righteousness. Let no one come to the conclusion that there is no more truth to be revealed. The diligent, prayerful seeker for truth will find precious rays of light yet to shine forth from the word of God. Many gems are yet scattered that are to be gathered together to become the property of the remnant people of God. (Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 34 (1892). CW 35.1)

These brethren are indifferent on “new light”. The studies we provided showed new light and as such should have struck a “truth chord” within, but sadly did not move them. “Gems” as Inspiration calls them are to become our property, within our knowledge.

We have pointed this out before, these final truths from the Lord gets the seal in our forehead . They give light to our final journey home, complete with today’s instructions for obedience He requires. Specifically to “sigh and cry for all the abominations done in the church” (Testimonies vol. 5, p.211).

We cannot separate Jesus from His Truth (Word). To love one without the other is to attempt– The Great Separation– which cannot be done. God is noticing whether we respond to His Truth or whether we could “take or leave it”.

“There is no excuse for anyone in taking the position that there is no more truth to be revealed, and that all our expositions of Scripture are without an error. The fact that certain doctrines have been held as truth for many years by our people, is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not make error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.”(CW p.35)
“The Lord designs that our opinions shall be put to the test, that we may see the necessity of closely examining the living oracles to see whether or not we are in the faith. Many who claim to believe the truth have settled down at their ease, saying, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” (The Review and Herald, December 20, 1892.)

“There is no Bible sanctification for those who cast a part of the truth behind them” (“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 1, p. 338), for “this work cannot go on in the heart while the light on any part of the truth is rejected or neglected. The sanctified soul will not be content to remain in ignorance, but will desire to walk in the light and to seek for. greater light. As a miner digs for gold and silver, so the follower of Christ will press from light to greater light, ever increasing in knowledge. He will continually grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.” (R. &, H., June 17, 1890.)

As The Lord promised in Mal. 4:5 there would be a final message given us. Are we welcoming it with all ears or throwing it aside cause we “love Jesus”.

Posted in Loving the Lord, The Spirit of truth | Leave a Comment »

Meet Sister Bonnie Smith

March 25, 2017

Image result for old lady praying in dark

Once in a great while, people are blessed and encouraged to meet a person who has “walked the walk” as well as “talked the talk” all their life. We’d like to introduce you to a very special woman, someone who has “fruit” of which any true-hearted Christian can recognize.

Our King said, “So then, you will know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:20)

The message tells us —

“..only a true Christian, one who has a personal experience with God, a perfect knowledge of His Word, and who is filled with His Spirit, can discriminate saint from sinner.  He, only, can recognize who has the seal and who does not have it, when the latter is cloaked in a counterfeit robe of righteousness.” (Tract 5, p.63)

So the Word tells us in two specific examples that we can know who truly has the “seal” of God. What a blessing and promise to those who are truly striving to make Christ the center of their life, to have such discernment!

Her name is Bonnie Smith. She is 85 years old now. At the end of this post you will be able to see a video of her just a few days ago, taken when she was invited to a Los Angeles church to testify of her Christian experience (She lives in South Carolina). One that very very few people have had.

Let us give you a little history of our sister. She is one of only two known survivors today, to have lived on the original property, known as Mt. Carmel, in Waco Texas. As far as anyone knows, sister Bonnie and a man known as Don Adair, are the only two active living proclaimers of the message who lived on the property.

She came with her family in 1936, one year after the beginning of the “camp”, as it was known back then, was established. She was but a small child. So her young life was an upbringing in the counsels and teachings of Victor Houteff, who many today believe was the prophesied “Elijah” to come as spoken of in Mal. 4:5.

Among other things she learned was that a reformed life was essential to knowing Christ. In his very first publication brother Houteff announced his intent of his mission–

“It is the intention of this book to reveal the truth of the 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 7, but the chief object of this publication is to bring about a reformation among God’s people.” (SRod, vol. 1, preface)

It is a well known fact that the “camp” was a model of pious Christian living, all was orderly, clean and everyone contributed. The present truth message was given often through the chapel on the grounds. The printing press was going almost non-stop, as brother Houteff worked tirelessly to give what some of us know as the last message to the SDA church.

So as with all true Christians, brother Houteff walked the walk. He oversaw a camp that held to all the reformed ways of living as outlined in the Bible and SOP. This was a matter of careful obedience. And those who lived there showed it! Dress, worship , proper Sabbath adherence, etc. all was a way of life on the camp.

Today, we as present truth believers have much to be thankful for to sister Bonnie. She collected numerous photos of the old days and her knowledge of the message is still quite good. She keep many of the original writings of the message and has  been very instrumental in their preservation.

For some of her photo collection click here–
http://shepherds-rod.org/photo/index.html

When you open the photos take a close look at page 8, you’ll see that when the photo came out, the lights above the main office showed a cross appearing above the masonry clock.

I have coordinated a couple of phone conferences with her and many people have been blessed listening to her describe some of the events and happenings that took place back in the day. She tells of the many miracles that occurred, the true love that those on the camp experienced as team players of one accord for the Lord. Their utmost respect and admiration of the man they came to know as the last prophet to our SDA church– Victor Houteff.

Of course one can really never know these things unless one experiences it and decides to read the message carefully through and through. Afterall those who don’t put credence in the Lord’s word, that He will send a last day prophet “Elijah” just before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, are going to miss out on what was sent by our King. But not the case with sister Bonnie and other devoted families that lived upon the camp.

Obviously nearly all have passed away, yet God has preserved this one special lady that we may be encouraged and see her fruit, and that it is good indeed!

When you watch this video remember what God said through his word about those who He will call His own —

  1. God’s people are humble and sincere
    “If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chron. 7:14)

2.  God’s people pay attention to dress

“.. that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and              sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but with what is    proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.” (1 Tim. 2:9-10)

3.  God works through the pure in heart

“He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”(Isaiah 49:6)

“The Holy Spirit works in the children of obedience. He who is a partaker of the divine nature will think the thoughts of God. His perceptions will be sanctified by the grace of Christ. He will work in Christ’s lines, manifesting His kindness, thoughtfulness, mercy, and love, helping and not discouraging those around him.” (MS 73, 1901)

In closing, enough of the preliminaries, may you see for yourself who represents what is known as a “Davidian Seventh-day Adventist.” As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

 

Posted in Brotherly love, Christian faith, Christian walk, Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, Humility, Loving the Lord, Obedience, Witnessing | Leave a Comment »

Little Light Big Courage

September 5, 2015

Kim davis

We have posted many times about courage. How God time and again shows He values courage from His people. David was courageous and called a man after the Lord’s heart. Job was courageous and stood firm despite the horrible curses that God allowed to come upon him. Elijah was courageous as he took on the 450 prophets of Baal, only with God and himself.

This week the world witnessed a remarkable display of courage. One woman, has stood up against the “law” of the land for God’s law! She has claimed her actions are on “God’s authority”. Now can we who claim to love the Lord really take in what she has done?

To really comprehend what she has done we need to look at this from our view, we who are called “Seventh-day Adventists”. How should we relate to this act of courage? To begin with we should know the word of God says the following–

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”(Rev. 21:7-8)

The words of Christ are clear–Be a coward, and you’ll be the first not to inherit the kingdom. The cowardly are listed first and foremost in God’s word above. There is a purpose of each and every jot and tittle of God’s word.

The world is fast closing its probation, the final closing events are around the corner, and Satan has been given more free rein to start to set up his abominable ways into our society. Gay relations are clearly against the word of God. Sodom and Gomorrah is the primary example of the Lord’s view upon a perverted lifestyle.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous ones will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:10)

Her name is Kim Davis. She has been employed as the Rowan county clerk in Kentucky. As part of her duties she has to sign off on marriage certificates. Being a Christian she has steadfastly refused to sign off on couples who are gay and requesting a marriage license. This has caused an uproar not only in Rowan county but now across the nation. A real God-given test for all to see!

Now she has been booked in jail for refusing a court order to issue gay marriage licenses. But what i find truly remarkable is her prominent display of the Christian character in all this. After being told she must go to jail, she simply responded to the judge, “thank you”.

“Bless those cursing you, pray for those mistreating you.” (Luke 6:28)

What can we as SDA learn from this woman? First , we as SDA know that we have been granted “great light” on Bible prophecies and truth. We know much more Truth that the Babylon churches, yet what church does this woman belong to? A Babylon church! Despite her having little light as to God’s end time truths and even present truth–she is walking in the light she knows! She’s a doer of God’s word.

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

We as SDA often fall woefully short walking in our light. We claim to be messengers of God , telling the people the truth of the sanctuary, Sabbath observance, end time prophetic events, etc. Yet how many of us step forward with courage?

Here we see a woman not afraid to stand up for God and His word! Wow! Small light yet great BIG courage. We did a post called “If we talk the talk, we must walk the walk” a few years back. Kim Davis issued this statement.

“I’m very steadfast in what I believe. I don’t leave my conscience and my Christian soul out in my vehicle and come in here and pretend to be something I’m not. It’s easy to talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?”

In our history there stands out three specific examples of courageous stands for God.

David– While king Saul and his army were exceedingly afraid of the Giant 9 foot Goliath and his men, young David stepped out in total faith that God would back him up–He did.

Elijah– Elijah was not bowed down by being scorned and derided by the people. The whole land had laughed and scoffed that he was a man of God. His attire , simple and poor, led them to believe God was not with this poor deluded man. We all know the great courage Elijah showed in the showdown in front of the overwhelming majority. They forgot that God IS the majority.

Martin Luther– Even though not having the greatest light in his time, he nevertheless boldly took on the Roman empire single-handedly , and of course with God’s purpose and strength. He walked in the light he knew and stood up to the world’s hierarchy and empire when no one else dared.

These three men proved that God was with them. Their purpose and goal was achieved because God was with them and backed their courage to stand up for Truth and right doing.

Are we as SDA standing up for God today? Do we correct a brother or sister during Sabbath lunch time when they want to talk about the latest game or business transaction? Do we gently warn a sister when she continues week after week to walk into God’s presence in the Sanctuary in a dress that resembles a night club dress? If we can’t muster up the courage here,  do we at least tell the elder or pastor about such dis-honor in God’s house? Do we correct someone who says God’s name in vain in front of us?

Let us be just like Kim Davis, and be not afraid to do the right thing.

“It is the essence of all right faith, to do the right thing at the right time.” (Testimonies, vol. 6, p.24)

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deut. 31:6)

“But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” (Acts 5:29)

In closing, will you join me in prayer in behalf of this courageous woman?

“Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.” (Psalms 142:6-7)

 

Posted in Courage, Loving the Lord | Leave a Comment »

The Depth of God’s Love

January 3, 2015

Satan before fall

We as finite human beings can image just  a sliver of the depth of God’s love. But when we take the time to dwell on it, we find it really baffles our mind. Let us look into this subject and hopefully gain another small sliver of its depth.

In 1 Corinthians 2:9, we read, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

Our minds cannot truly envision the great things to come for those counted worthy to partake in eternity. We know that the streets shall be made up of gold, maybe similar as the below picture.

“And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”(Rev.21:21)

Gold street

In dwelling on this subject this week, I was guided to the subject of Satan. Why would Satan be connected to God’s great love? Let us look at this connection.

Ezekiel describes Satan’s beauty, “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 

You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.” (Ezekiel 28:13-15)

We see that God spared nothing in creating a most beautiful exalted creature. Satan was endowed with not only beauty but exceeding wisdom.

Ellen White describes more on Satan, “Lucifer in heaven, before his rebellion, was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God’s dear Son. His countenance, like those of the other angels, was mild and expressive of happiness. His forehead was high and broad, showing a powerful intellect. His form was perfect; his bearing noble and majestic. A special light beamed in his countenance and shone around him brighter and more beautiful than around the other angels..” (The Story of Redemption, p.13)

So what connection is there? I believe the depth of God’s love is this– God made a being so beautiful, so powerful, so intelligent, that God was putting Himself on the line! By that I mean, He took a daring chance that He created a being  too beautiful, too powerful, too intelligent. God’s love went out on a  limb, because He envisioned a being that the heavenly host could admire and love as well. The generosity of His love truly was a marvel.

But, as well all know, God’s hope and dream was  not to be. Yet, what does this show us? That His love is truly deep and generous. Being God , He imparted those majestic qualities in Satan, along with Satan’s potentially dangerous freedom to exalt himself, which unfortunately he did.

In explaining what love truly is, apostle John, gives the straight answer, ” Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.(1 John 4:7-8)

So we see that  one of the greatest ingredients of God’s love is to make beings that have free choice, free will. But included in this great ingredient is God’s divine rules and regulations, in other words–structure.

Some of us remember the hippie days of the 60’s. The popular phrase was “Free Love”. They had these bumper stickers on the back of their vehicles, often the popular Volkswagen bus.But we remember that often their free love turned out to be disease, fighting, murder and general destruction in many cases.

One of the great misnomer  and false ideas is that of–unconditional love. There has never been nor never will be what is called unconditional love. All thinking and speaking beings are made to love, yet they always come with conditions. God for example cannot love in such a way to create a being that could destroy Him. Nor can He create a being and forever accept them, if they reject Him. He extends His love but His righteousness cannot disappear for the sake of “love”.

God has His supreme Law of the universe, called the 10 Commandments. One of His greatest acts of love for us, His human beings, is showing His great Law through His Son, our Lord, King and Savior–Jesus Christ.

Our King has clearly described in one place within the whole Bible that shows how we are to show we “love” Him.

“If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”(John 14:15)

Our prophetess speaks about His great love as our “first step”–

“The very first step in approaching God is to know and believe the love that He has for us; for it is through the drawing of His love that we are led to come to Him.” (M.B. p.155, 156)

When we really take the time to dwell upon how great and deep is His love, we cannot  help but come to the conclusion that we are so blessed, as to be awe-struck at who our God really is.

When we draw close to Him we start to envision more about Him. For instance I have found myself in tears just thinking about His long-suffering and patience, He has had for my worldly sinful ways. Decades of them!

In closing, as Human beings, we cannot fathom the depth of God’s love but we can use our finite minds to try to put together some pieces of its depth. Our most important duty right now is–obedience. In His great and merciful love He has sent His last message of hope and instruction. After this message reaches His beloved church within His allotted time, He can do no more.

Let us learn from Satan’s mistake. We can become obedient to His word as said through His Elijah prophet, if we humble ourselves. Satan’s downfall was his pride. God’s deep love reached out to him, but he would not. Will we submit and believe and obey His last message to us?

“.. Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:13)

Posted in Heaven, Humility, Loving the Lord, Satan | 2 Comments »

The Great Orchestrator

March 23, 2013

As I go on in my walk I am more and more aware of how awesome of a God we serve. In Scripture we know that His word says, “..with God all things are possible” (Matt.19:26). The daily movements, the planning , the reactions, just the great orchestration of it all!  He truly is as the song says, “How Great Thou Art”. Let’s look at some of the specifics of the orchestrating of God.

Recently there were a couple of examples of God’s orchestrating . In my service repair business I am often called to several job locations around the city. About a week ago, I was called to do a repair job. I met a nice woman, we’ll call Laura (name changed).

We exchanged niceties and then she led me to the kitchen where her disposal was broken. But I stopped at her counter and looked at her many pictures of Jesus and some Scripture passages. We stopped there and I commented, “Oh I see you’re a Christian.”  Little did I know instead of continuing on and inspecting the unit, I would be there at that counter talking with her for what seemed like 30 minutes!

As we chatted I learned that she was a Catholic. I explained that I also was once a Catholic (being raised one). As we discussed the things of God, I sensed a very unusual dedication for the Lord. The Holy Spirit was working on me, saying to listen to her carefully. We both seemed to interact in a deeper level and I marvelled at how she really wanted to know the Lord more closely.

As we talked, I learned that she had been pleading with the Lord. She often wasn’t sensing His presence and her walk was very intermittent. She also had been sighing and crying. I had mentioned some of the basics such as keeping ALL 10 Commandments as the way to know God on a deeper level. Obviously as a Catholic, I expected her to politely disagree about which day was the “Lord’s day”. But she listened keenly as I explained how the Roman empire was instrumental in changing the Lord’s day from Saturday to Sunday.

She also told of her sighing at work. Her boss was a frequent 3rd Commandment breaker. He would say JC this and JC that. She had told him she preferred he didn’t say that, but that only fueled him for more breaking.

As many of you know from our studies in the Lord’s current message to us, the Elijah message, it requires us to show we really love our Lord by “sighing and crying” for the sins done in our own life and in the church. So it was clear to me she was sighing for the sake of the Lord. His Holy Name was being mis-used. Although she doesn’t have the light of the Sabbath and other truths, she was expressing true love for the Lord.

Finally after our lengthy discussion I finally got to check out the unit. But before we finished we agreed that I would lend her the 5 part DVD set of Hal Holbrook’s “The Seventh Day”. But it was clear to me that the Lord had guided me to her. She was honestly seeking the truth and as such I was part of His orchestration of events.

We are told in (John 16:13) “..When He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.”  So as a true seeker of the Lord and His truth, Laura’s path and mine came together. If she continues to want the truth and nothing but the truth, she’ll find it. “Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will  find, knock and the door shall be opened for you “(Matt 7:7).

The next story occurred about a week ago as well. Cathy (name changed) and I had been Facebook friends for about 2 years. She was a frequent Godsloveandlaw blog reader. She and I had emailed now and then and had a cordial friendly relationship. What struck me about her, was similar to Laura. She was a truth seeker and a walk advancer. They both had these  traits in common. They both mentioned to me that they would gladly accept being unpopular if it meant knowing the Lord and His straight truth.

What struck me is that both had mentioned that they knew that all who live Godly would suffer persecution. So Cathy and I chatted off and on and as many SDA were learning, she was interested in the Elijah message. As she was seeking to advance in her walk, the last light from the Lord, the Elijah message was very intriguing to her.  As she learned more and more, she would send a question or two to me for advice.  I sensed her progress was being guided from the hand of the Lord.

 A couple of weeks ago we finally had a chance to talk directly by phone. It was for over an hour. I had sent her some CD’s and DVD’s of the message and she had reviewed a some of it. So she had some questions.

But as we talked she gave me some of her history. Soon I learned that she also was a sigh and crier. She told of the story how she, being a health therapist, was appalled when her church had a lunch a while back and had donuts and pastries full of sugar for the members. Her field involves colonics and other clean out methods, to help rid the body of toxins which cause disease.

So she went to the lady in charge of the meals and let her know that those sugar packed denured of vitamins and mineral foods were worse than worthless. Instead of listening carefully to Cathy, who was trying to keep the Lord’s temple pure and clean, the lady took offense and later complained to others that Cathy was off base.

So what do we see from Cathy’s standing up for true principles? Mocking and derision from those who aren’t willing to be corrected. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble…” (James 4:6). Cathy assured me that her advice was given in a loving manner, yet even this approach was rebuffed.

From the stories we mentioned, one thing is common. The sighers and criers were heard from by our Great Orchestrator. He then guided them into my path, that I might help them further in discovering advanced light. This is how the Great I Am works. He knows our hearts and when we show Him we are for real and want to know of His presence and love, we’ll find Him. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to  you” (James 4:8).

Also they both are desirous of advancement in their walk. Our prophetess said some great words concerning this, “When God’s people are at ease, and satisfied with their present enlightenment, we may be sure that He will not favour them. It is His will that they should be ever moving forward, to receive the increased and ever increasing light that is shining for them.” (5T pp. 708, 709).

” Those who will devote their powers to the study of God’s Word, and especially the prophecies referring to these last days, will be rewarded by the discovery of important truths.” (Ms 75, 1899, pp. 4,5. [Untitled Manuscript, May 11, 1899] — may be found as Manuscript release #54 in Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, pp. 195-196).

“We must not think, ‘Well, we have all the truth, we understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge.’ The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing light.” (RH: March 25, 1890).

So let us be mindful of the Great Orchestrator, and how He is ever ready and willing to help us advance in our walk. We just have to “want to”. As Laodiceans we have to fight the ever tempting attitude of self complacency. If we seek–we find.

Posted in Christian walk, Courage, Loving the Lord, Sighing and Crying | 4 Comments »

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