Adventuring for the Lord
Present truth and present duty. Do we understand the connection between the two? Personally, is it just an abstract state of mind? Let’s find out, shall we?
The Lord, I think, would want us all as church members to have a complete understanding of this issue at this present time. Let’s take as an example the activities of Apostle Paul and ask ourselves, “do you think he had truth for his time?” And did he do his duty before God? What did the Lord say to him after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? We find the answer in Acts 26: 16 & 17, which says: “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee: Delivering thee from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee.” Come now to your own conclusions and then put your own experience to work for God. Maybe it will be a continuation of that experience or a new one. But whatever it is, let it be an adventure for the Lord after reading the escapades of Paul. He certainly had adventures, don’t you think? And this can be ours also. A spiritual endeavour and godly living that can only come from God the Father through Jesus His Son.
Please read John chapter 17. In this chapter you will realize the wonderful unity one can obtain with God and Jesus. The Holy Spirit will bring this about, and wonder of wonders, we can be part of this unity, as quoted in the middle of verse 21 which says: “That they (that’s you and I) also may be one in us.” What a great privilege awaits us in this great venture of present duty of doing missionary work within the church program. Yes, we are all concerned for our friends, our neighbours, our families, so let us pray to the Father through Jesus His Son that they too will have a road to Damascus experience as Paul did.
But let us have a goodly balance in our personal witness. Let us not go before the spirit of the Lord as did King Jehu of the Old Testament who loved doing his own thing without consulting the Lord first, and discussing it with the brethren.
The Spirit of Prophecy states that our meetings should be also of testimonies and of the experiences of the brethren. Here in New Zealand we make this a pleasant feature in our Sabbath School program. One testimony was told recently when a young man came onto our church property when we were having a Working Bee one Sunday morning, wanting to help us in our landscaping of the property. He professed to be a Botanist, especially with trees and we had just planted many trees. But this is not all. We found out that this young man is doing the “Know Your Bible” course which was a great surprise to us. Praise that Lord that he visited our church also last Sabbath and has become very interested in our present truth and promises to be back. Another man who is not so young was with us last Sabbath. We have been having Bible studies with him and although he had his own idea’s about present truth in the past, lo and behold he was impressed to keep God’s Sabbath after refusing to partake of alcohol and dancing at the Rest Home where he lives. Now he seemingly wants to be with Sabbath keepers. Praise the Lord that he has been impressed by the Holy Spirit. In the Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6 p. 56 it says this: “Arm yourselves with humility; pray that angels of God may come close to your side to impress the mind; for it is not you that work the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit must work you. It is the Holy Spirit that makes the truth impressive. Keep practical truth ever before the people” It also says in the same volume p. 151 that “Reformers are not destroyers and that human wisdom is foolishness; for it misses the whole of God’s providences, which look into eternity.”
James 1:5 says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him.”
AMEN