New Year’s Message 2003
The Lord in His mercy and great patience has granted us still another year to get ready for His coming. The believers in the Advent faith never thought that the time would last this long. Many faithful members have been laid to rest and others have taken their places; but the 144,000 number is not yet full.
According to the Spirit of Prophesy we are nearing the time of mighty shaking in our church. Some will not be ready for the Lord’s coming even if still more time would be granted. Therefore the Lord will suddenly cut His work short, and put an end to all sin and evil and reward His faithful servants.
Satan is also very active knowing that he has but little time left. He tries to lull all believers to sleep as the foolish virgins, unprepared. It is dangerous to allow sinful indulgences and neglected duties to continue, even a little longer.
Now is the time to make New Year resolutions again. One good resolution would be to get more involved in missionary work. Our publishing house is full of literature, which needs to be spread out like the leaves of autumn. Even the little children can get involved in this work; they can drop the various flyers in the mailboxes, which the church will provide free to them.
We in the last Reform movement have great knowledge of the truth. Therefore we also have great responsibility to put this knowledge into practice. This brings to us also the danger to sin with knowledge, which can drive the Holy Spirit away from us. In the last shaking only the members who have lost the Holy Spirit will be shaken out like the foolish virgins who had no oil in their vessels.
A member in the church who does not practice all his knowledge will lose interest in the meetings and also in the Bible study. Why should he learn more while he is not practicing his present knowledge.
Fearful and solemn is the time in which we live today. The signs of the times have been fulfilled to a great extent. There is no event to take place before our judgment in the heavenly court and the sealing. The mighty shaking and the latter rain will take place after the sealing work is done in the church of God. To sleep spiritually now can be fatal. To neglect our duty which the Lord has placed upon us can bring upon us the judgment, which came upon the servant with one talent.
The editors and the writers of the Reformation Messenger have a great burden to awake our people to see the seriousness of the time and the necessary preparation for the end.
“The word is: Go forward; discharge your individual duty, and leave all consequences in the hand of God. If we move forward where Jesus leads the way we shall see His triumph, we shall share His joy. We must share the conflicts if we wear the crown of victory. Like Jesus we must be made perfect through suffering. Had Christ’s life been one of ease, then might we safely yield to sloth. Since His life was marked with continual self-denial, suffering, and self-sacrifice, we shall make no complaint if we are partakers with Him.” Test. Vol. 5 p. 71
Courage, Brothers and Sisters, let us go forward to the victory. Let this New Year bring a change in our lives and deeper consecration to the cause of God.
This may well be the last opportunity to save ourselves. Consider this remaining time of probation more precious than gold.
May the Lord bless all the readers and writers of this magazine.
AMEN