Ministry in the New Testament Church

Ministry in the New Testament Church



Can the Good News be too good? This is a serious question! Conventional wisdom for thousands of years will tend to say yes. The masses have aIways considered the Good News to be impossible. This is evident in the fact that they generally take the broad way that leads to destruction and avoid the strait and narrow way (the way of faith) that leads to eternal life (Matt. 7:13, 14).

Jesus makes a fantastic promise, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ... And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues [languages, Greek]; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:15, 17, 18).

The disciples were given authority, power, and a mandate to heal disease, bring life, offer restoration, overcome evil, and serve generously. The difference the disciples were called to make was practical, responding to the real, physical needs of the people to whom they would proclaim the kingdom of God. Theirs was a direct extension of the ministry of Jesus, responding to His compassion for people in need and His prayer that more would join in the work He had begun (Matt. 9:35, 36, 38).

Social action as a partner of evangelism--an equal element in the mission of God, were to be partners--the two belonging to each other and yet independent of each other. Neither is a means to the other, or even a manifestation of the other. For each is an end in itself. Both are expressions of unfeigned agape. Evangelism and compassionate service belong together in the mission of God.

Matthew gives another version of what Jesus said: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. ... And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19, 20). And John adds what he remembers hearing the Lord say, which is even more astounding: "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12).

Are these promises too good to be true? The good news is that they will be fulfilled, without fanaticism and without extremism, in the glorious final message proclaimed by the fourth angel of Revelation 18:1-4. If the Bible is true, the whole world is to be "illuminated" with the glory of a powerful message. It would not be fair for Christ to return unless everyone has had a fair opportunity to hear it and to prepare for His coming.

The key to the fulfillment of these promises is in two significant phrases: a people must "preach the gospel," not legalism and not human philosophy; and, the fulfillment will come to him "who believesin Me." "The gospel of Christ ... is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). "He who believes in Me" means "he who has true faith," the kind that worksin transforming the life. In other words, there is tremendous power in true righteousness by faith.

God's people must not be powerless in the face of the moral and spiritual plagues that afflict society today. The world faces no end of human disorders now known as addictions--drug abuse, alcoholism, marital infidelity, sexual immorality, corruption, compulsive eating disorders, and widespread psychological depression. A steady and increasing deterioration of the human spirit is bringing millions close to the place where they may be mentally unable even to comprehend the everlasting gospel.

The Bible promises adequate power to cope with these tragic needs. That power is in the gospel. The Holy Spirit has promised to bless with His presence its true proclamation; but if the message is adulterated with legalism or spiritualism so that in any way it is a distortion of the true gospel, to that extent the Holy Spirit's blessing is negated.

Meanwhile the Lord has instructed "four angels" to "hold" the "four winds" of human passion "till we have sealed the servants of our God" (Rev 7:1-4). The sealing described in Revelation is the final work to be accomplished by the gospel.

The loosing of those "four winds" is a very sad thing, the complete breakdown of social order, decency, morality, fidelity, economic and political security. The Bible says it will be "Babylon" dropping into the sea like a millstone, the end of weddings, Christmases, shopping, sports, materialists' orgies, vacations, sensuality (see Rev. 18). Already we see around us the beginning of this final break-up of order and morality. Criminal gangs are terrorizing large cities, and police are increasingly frustrated in their efforts to maintain even a minimum of security for law-abiding citizens.

Meanwhile, what we define as the 1888 message is the special message which the three angels of Revelation 14 proclaim is "the everlasting gospel" in the setting of the cosmic Day of Atonement and the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. Christ and all heaven is concerned about very serious business--getting ready for the end and Jesus' coming.

If God's people will faithfully proclaim that pure gospel message, the Lord has promised that He will do His part to restrain the exploding evil in the world. But if they do not faithfully proclaim the message that alone can prepare a people for the return of Christ, He cannot hold in check those near-exploding global forces of evil. Merely to proclaim a message that prepares people for death is not good enough. That has been done in all past ages. The time must come when there is a message that prepares a people for His second coming.

God's plan is that His people will make a great impact on the world by proclaiming a unique message that Heaven can fully endorse. They must be like little David with five smooth stones facing Goliath, and they will be as successful. The gospel power to prevent those storms of human and national passion is to be in the message itself.

--Paul E. Penno

Notes:
Bible quotations are from the New King James Version.

Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhEFJF8wTH8

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 8: "The Least of These"

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

The Least of These:
Ministering to Those in Need
Lesson 8: "The Least of These"

 

The 1888 message was a discovery of a new kind of love which proclaimed and lived and turned the world upside-down. God's unconditional agapefor the world is demonstrated in the life of Jesus.

Considering that much of Jesus' teaching was addressed to crowds of mostly poor, rural peasants, fishermen, and farm workers who were regularly exploited by their political and religious leaders and oppressed and brutalized by their Roman occupiers, it is hardly surprising that He privileged the underprivileged, offering a different way to be in the world and a distinct method to resist those who would abuse and exploit them. What might seem surprising is that He would command them to do this with agape.

Jesus' kingdom of heaven was markedly different from those proclaimed and sought by so many would-be revolutionaries and messiahs of His time and throughout history. For one, it was resolutely nonviolent, championing humility, kindness, and peacemaking. But this was not a recipe for passivity. Resistance would come in the form of integrity, determination, creativity, and sacrifice.

Living righteously by following Jesus in the ways He taught and lived would be countercultural in the truest and best sense. The kingdom of heaven was introduced by Jesus as a contrast to (and was sometimes in conflict with) the way the kingdoms of our world exercise power. By resisting the many forces, temptations, and ideas that default to the status quo, His followers were to live by different priorities and measure worth and goodness in transformative ways.

Coupled with the reality and power of Jesus Himself, his countercultural life also catalyzes our resistance to the injustice and oppression we see around us. People who believe that God will turn the world upside down with agape--people like Mary with her Magnificat, pulling down the mighty from their thrones and exalting the humble and meek (Luke 1:46-55)--are not going to be backward in getting on with some world-changing activities in the present. The kingdom of heaven is a revolutionary and present reality.

The word "beatitude" is a big word which in the Bible is rendered as "blessed," and that simply means "happy." It means that certain people enjoy a happiness that is the natural result of their faith and obedience; it can also mean that God in a supernatural way gives His love and happiness to such people. But we hasten to add that He does not show respect of persons, favoring one person over another (James 2:1).

Don't let Satan discourage you with his suggestion that you are not one of God's favored ones. You may feel that way, but that doesn't mean that his suggestion is true. Even Jesus as He hung on His cross cried out, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" No, because of Christ's sacrifice, you must believe that the Lord lovesyou and has chosen you to be His child. That's what the "believing" in John 3:16 means.

So, who are the "blessed" ones in the Bible? The answer has to be: those who believe God's gracious Good News. Their faith works, and that is why they obey, and the natural result is "blessedness."

There are well over 100 "beatitudes" in the Bible. But when Jesus came, He surprised the Jews of His day with "blessings" that seemed directly the opposite of their ideas: "Blessed are the poor in spirit," "Blessed are they that mourn," "Blessed are the meek," "Blessed are they who are hungry and thirsty," "Blessed are they which are persecuted," "Blessed are you when people revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsely," etc., etc.

Stunning! Those words awoke a class of people who had been educated to feel left out of the kingdom of God! Surely Jesus must have been impressed by that "beatitude" in Psalm 94:12 which says: "Blessed is the person whom you chasten, O Lord, and teach him out of Your law; that You may give him rest from the days of adversity." A happiness to be found in the most unexpected place! And Paul adds, "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son [daughter] whom He receiveth" (Heb. 12:6). Do you really want some evidence that He loves and receives you?

The Lord Jesus Christ is generous in His thanks and even generous in His praise to those who have wanted to serve Him, but have felt very unworthy.

To some He says with great enthusiasm, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

But they are surprised; they turn around to see if He is not talking past them to other people behind them; they themselves feel very unworthy of such genuine thanks and praise. He responds, No, it's you I mean.

They remonstrate with Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" There must be some mistake here; we are not worthy!

Then they hear the sweetest words anyone can ever hear from the lips of the world's Savior, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me" (Matt. 25:35-40).

The generosity of the Lord Jesus shines brightly through all eternity. He speaks to us a positive word through a double negative: "God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love(yes, the word is agape, not phileo) which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Heb. 6:10, New King James Version).

He remembers every effort you have made to reflect His agapeto others, weak and tremulous as it may be. That double negative is His assurance to you that He welcomes you as His co-laborer with Himself in His work for the world.

--Paul E. Penno

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnGCg2DxelQ

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

-- 

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

--

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 7: Jesus and Those in Need

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

The Least of These:
Ministering to Those in Need
Lesson 7: Jesus and Those in Need

 

God calls upon those who serve Him to minister to others in need. He told Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to the world: "Thou shalt be a blessing, ... and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2, 3). Jesus saw that His mission was to help those in need: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel [good news, glad tidings] to the poor [those who can't afford medical treatment]; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18). These "poor" may be in India, Africa, South America, Mexico, yes, in our inner cities, perhaps among our teens in high school, who knows, maybe your next-door neighbor whose tears you cannot understand.

Jesus' mother, Mary, was distinguished as quiet and thoughtful. She apparently loved beautiful literature, and was herself competent as a poetess. This is evident in her poem known as the "Song of Mary" (Luke 1:46-55). Her childlike faith was so mature that God could employ her as His agent in the greatest miracle of all time.

But probably more than any other woman, Mary had a capacity for sorrow. "Blessed" (happy) she was indeed, but her sensitive soul could also be rent with a pain that no other woman of all time could know. "A sword will pierce through your own soul also," said the discerning Simeon as a surge of inspiration thrilled his soul while he held her holy Child in his arms in the Temple (Luke 2:35). That sword was to pierce her soul many times during the next 33 years; then she had to watch her Son die on a cross. That was a pain infinitely beyond that of any ordinary mother who watches an ordinary son die in agony and abuse, for His death surpassed in magnitude all other deaths.

Jesus said in Mark 14:7 that as long as time lasts, there will be poor people all around us. In the final judgment day, we will be very much embarrassed if we have not helped them. In fact, Jesus' parable in Matthew 25 hinges our eternal destiny on how we have treated the poor. He says that He will tell each person, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Luke 4:40). In other words, Jesus identified Himself with poor, needy people.

Jesus loved both rich and poor, but He had nicer things to say to the poor. For example, He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3), and "Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth" (vs. 5). Or, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (vs. 10).

The word "blessed" means "happy." Not happy in the sense of fun and games, but happy with that deep inward sense of peace, living in the sunshine of God's favor. The Father of our Lord Jesus is pledged to "bless" the poor who appreciate His love. The Bible is full of encouragement for poor people: "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles" (Psalm 34:6). "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth. ... The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing [there is no promise that you'll never get sick, but there is the promise that the Lord will be your attending Physician and your special duty Nurse, for] Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness" (41:1-3). If you are poor, be thankful for the special blessings the Lord has promised you, and rejoice. It may well be that the Lord is favoring you especially so that you will be that much more happy in the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 41:1-3 has a very valuable promise: "Happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble. The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives; He will make them happy in the land; He will not abandon them to the power of their enemies. The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health" (Good News Bible).

Note the word "concerned" does not mean flipping a coin to a poor person now and then, and responding grudgingly to an appeal for help. It means a constant state of the heart, a constant feeling of concern for the needs of others, a habitual desire to help. The Lord notices when that kind of concern fills our hearts and He responds by helping us when we are in need. And note verse 2: He will make us happy, and will not abandon us to those who would harm us. And verse 3: This is especially precious--the Lord will help us when we are sick and restore us to health. All because we have a habitual concern for poor people!

There are many poor people in the world today and one wonders what to do to help them. One doesn't like to pour water down the drain; some people are poor because they waste what they have. In the long run, what poor people need most of all is a true knowledge of the pure gospel of Christ. Only at the cross of Christ can they learn the secret of true self-respect. Let's remember that nothing that we possess is really our own--we are just managers of the Lord's wealth!

Each of us who realizes his or her debt to the "Saviour of the world" will want to be ready to "know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary" (Isa. 50:4), because the Lord has sent us to do the work that He would do if He were here in person. As Paul says, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, that bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:15).

One of the great truths of the 1888 message is that In seeking us, Christ came all the way to where we are, taking upon Himself "the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Thus He is a Saviour "nigh at hand, not afar off." He "is the Saviour of all men," even "the chief of sinners." But sinners have the freedom to refuse Him and reject Him.

"The true faith--the faith of Jesus, is that He has come to us just where we are; that, infinitely pure and holy as He is, and sinful, degraded, and lost, as we are, ... by His Holy Spirit [He] will willingly dwell with us and in us, to save us, to purify us, and to make us holy." [1]

Ellen White wrote: "Many say that Jesus was not like us, that He was not as we are in the world, that He was divine, and therefore we cannot overcome as He overcame. But this is not true; 'for verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. ... For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.' Christ knows the sinner's trials; He knows his temptations. He took upon Himself our nature. ... The Christian's ... strongest temptations will come from within; for he must battle against the inclinations of the natural heart. The Lord knows our weaknesses. ... Every struggle against sin, every effort to conform to the law of God, is Christ working through His appointed agencies upon the human heart. Oh, if we could comprehend what Jesus is to us!" [2]

The ministry of Christ in His Most Holy Apartment in the heavenly sanctuary reveals Him as being close to us; as a true High Priest in ancient Israel who was always "for the people," always concerned for them, always revealing to them his nearness and his love, so Christ in His second apartment in the heavenly sanctuary, the Most Holy Apartment, is ministering His presence and His blessing to us as one who is described in Proverbs 18:24--He is "closer than a brother."

He took on Himself the fallen, sinful nature of our father Adam so that He might reach us where we are; therefore He was "in all points tempted like as we are [tempted], yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).

This is a revelation of Christ that millions don't as yet perceive: to be tempted is not sin: before temptation can be sin you must yieldto it, give into it, let the temptation become the sinful act. Christ has conquered sin, has trampled on it, defeated it, condemned sin in our fallen sinful flesh. "Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made likeunto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God" (2:17).

Sing Hallelujah, rejoice forever more!

--From the Writings of Robert J. Wieland

 

Endnotes:
[1] A. T. Jones, The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection, pp. 45, 46, Glad Tidings ed., 2003
[2] Ellen G. White, Christ Tempted As We Are,The Bible Student's Library, pp. 3, 9; 1894; LMN ed.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWeYvyP7Fro

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 6: Worship the Creator

Lesson 6: Worship the Creator

 

How is worship and how we treat the poor connected to the 1888 message?

Isaiah was known around the nation for his strident pronouncements and his claims to speak on behalf of God. He certainly caught the people's attention when he arrived at the temple and his proclamations echoed around the city like a trumpet blast. He had a message from God. But the people missed it, frustrated that their recent faithfulness had gone unnoticed.

"We have fasted before you!"...
"Why aren't you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don't even notice it!" (Isaiah 58:3, New Living Translation).

Isaiah reported that God had noticed their efforts to catch His attention, but He was not impressed. Their hard spiritual work was noted, but not appreciated. Their religious endeavors were somehow missing the mark of what God longed to see in His people.

Speaking through Isaiah, this is how God responds to His people in search of revival: the kind of worship I want from you is to serve those who need your help. Help people be released from the things that hold them back, help them live as freely as possible. Feed the hungry. Provide shelter to the homeless and those who need it. Share clothes with those who don't have enough (see Isaiah 58:6, 7). Even if we have only a little, it might be more than someone else has, and God calls on us to be generous with any resources we have to those who need help.

Such service is not merely a "nice" thing to do; these verses describe it as a way to worship God. It is not the only way to worship, but, speaking through Isaiah to His revival-focused people, God urged them to try this seemingly different approach to worship. In God's view, it seems this form of worship might be preferable to some of the people's more traditional worship practices, especially if that worship is conducted while ignoring the needs of others.

In the words of Amos, following his assessment of worship, he writes: "Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living" (Amos 5:24).

This kind of worship is something that flows outward. Worship is not inwardly focused but something that brings a blessing to all those around the worshipers of God. It is remarkable that the spirit of Jesus and the heart of faithfulness to God are so other-focused that even our spiritual renewal is not about us—reaching out instead to the poor, the oppressed, the hurting, and the hungry. "The true purpose of religion is to release men from their burdens of sin, to eliminate intolerance and oppression, and to promote justice, liberty and peace." [1]

In Isaiah 58:8-12, God promises blessings in response to this form of worship. God is saying that if the people were less focused on themselves, they would find HIm working with them and through them to bring healing and restoration. This was the revival the people were seeking, a renewal of their hope and purpose as found in God with a real sense of His presence in their lives and community: "Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' He will quickly reply" (Isaiah 58:8, 9, NLT).

Sharing Sabbath

Interestingly, Isaiah 58 also connects this serving-others kind of worship with a renewal of "delight"—filled Sabbath keeping, which is something that should catch our attention. Compared to their religious strivings described earlier in God's response through Isaiah, Sabbath is a gift. It arrives each week and only requires our remembering it for it to affect our lives. Sabbath is a symbol of God's grace by which our salvation is not earned but received.

There is something about Sabbath that should transform our relationships with others. In the form of Sabbath, this same grace and goodness is to be shared with others. Reflecting on these verses, Ellen White commented, "The prophet is addressing Sabbathkeepers, not sinners, not unbelievers, but those who make great pretensions to godliness. It is not the abundance of your meetings that God accepts. It is not the numerous prayers, but the rightdoing, doing the right thing and at the right time. It is to be less self-caring and more benevolent. Our souls must expand." [2]

Little wonder that Isaiah would describe the Sabbath as a delight as we set aside a day to focus on things that are more important than all the other things that keep us busy for the rest of the week (see Isaiah 58:13). Again these verses come with a promise of renewal, delight, and an ever-growing closer fellowship with our God (see verse 14) and by extension with ourselves, with others, and with the rest of creation.

The truth of creation vis-à-vis the loud cry message that lightens the earth with glory, is seen by E. J. Waggoner who offered a thoughtful comment: "An intelligent contemplation of God's creation gives us a true conception of His power; for His eternal power and Godhead are understood by the things which He has made. ... It is faith that gives victory; therefore, since faith comes by learning the power of God, from His word and from the things that He has made, we gain the victory, to triumph through the works of His hands. The Sabbath, therefore, which is the memorial of creation, is, if properly observed, a source of the Christian's greatest reinforcement in battle." [3]

We have long known that the message of Revelation 18 will be God's people presenting "the Sabbath more fully." [4] Obviously, that is what God intended the 1888 message to accomplish for us.

--Paul E. Penno

Endnotes:
[1] Nathan Brown, "The Withness of God; the Them-ness of 'Us,'" Adventist World, November 2015.
[2] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 36;  "Doing for Christ," The Review and Herald, August 16, 1881.
[3] Ellet J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, pp. 36, 37, 1890 ed.; p. 43, Glad Tidings ed.
[4] Ellen G. White, Early Writings, pp. 33, 85.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eTErxrtsyA

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 5: The Cry of the Prophets

Lesson 5: The Cry of the Prophets

 

The prophets used colorful and poetic language to express their outrage at the sins of the people, contrasting the people's inhumanity and lack of compassion with God's concern for the most vulnerable. The prophets expressed God's particular care for the widows, the orphans, and the aliens or foreigners. Those who accumulated wealth at the expense of others and who live in luxury while others can barely survive were targets of the prophets' message. Leaders who failed to defend the poor or weak were addressed. Micah gives a colorful description of the rich, rulers, and officials: "The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice. Even the best of them is like a brier; the most honest is as dangerous as a hedge of thorns" (Micah 7:3, 4, New Living Translation).

The prophets called their nation, the leaders, and the people to a radical and practical repentance. To be true to their calling from God, they had to admit their wrongdoing and take practical steps to turn things around. Nathan Brown writes: "We have often thought of repentance as confessing and turning away from sin in our personal lives. But have we considered that this might also include realizing and acknowledging our complicity with--and sometimes even benefit from--larger evils in the world, with broken systems and relationships, and then seeking to reform these as we have influence and resources?" [1]

Repentance alone can prevent a repetition of the fathers' sins. The reason why the Lord requires repentance for the sins of "our fathers" is that without it we are programmed to repeat them. No one has any natural-born righteousness. "In Adam" we all partake of the sin of Adam in the same way that any lion partakes of the man-eating nature of all lions. Only fortuitous circumstances can intervene to prevent any hungry lion from eating people.

We share a common humanity. Because of our common solidarity with the human race, partaking of a common sinful nature, the sins of others would be our sins, but for the grace of Christ ministered in His gift of repentance. We are by nature no better than those who rejected and crucified Him. If we were in their place, we would have done the same. This is what Ellen White means, "The books of heaven record the sins that would have been committed had there been opportunity."[2]

The 1888 message points the way for in Christ's cross we see the ultimate sin which is the measure of our true guilt, for "all the world" is "alike" guilty, for "all alike have sinned" (Rom. 3:19, 23, The New English Bible). In our present state of Laodicean blindness we may not see this clearly, but the Lord has promised to convey to His people this realization of what "the books of heaven" record as our true human guilt: "... I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him ..." (Zech. 12:10).

This was partially fulfilled at Pentecost when Peter pressed upon the Jews the truth that "... ye denied the Holy One and the Just, ... and killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3:14, 15). Even though many who heard him may not have joined in that awful cry Friday morning, "Crucify Him," at Pentecost they saw how they shared a common guilt. That repentance prepared the way for pouring out the Holy Spirit in the "former rain." But a greater fulfillment must yet come.

The reason is that we also share that common guilt. When John Wesley saw a drunkard lying in the gutter and said, "There am I, but for the grace of God," he was expressing this same truth. We share a guilt for the sins of the whole world, including the crucifixion of the Son of God--apart from the grace of God, something which the 1888 message highlights.

That promise of Zechariah will meet its final fulfillment before the end, when God's people come to see its reality, which as yet is largely unrealized. Then the complement of Pentecost will come, as surely as day follows night--the "latter rain."

Again, the 1888 message is a Day of Atonement message. The practical results of the great cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary will be realized when Zechariah's conclusion to his prophecy is fulfilled: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).

Blessed cleansing! It can be accomplished only on the Day of Atonement. It will be the practical result of the "final atonement," a final heart reconciliation with Christ. Only from the Most Holy Apartment of the sanctuary can our great High Priest accomplish this work of justification by faith in the hearts of His people.

This is why Ellen White has so often declared that "the third angel's message in verity" is essentially "Christ and Him crucified."

Our denominational history is only one step away from Calvary. Once we see our true involvement in the crucifixion of Christ, we are prepared to recognize our involvement in the sin of rejecting the latter rain and the loud cry message of 1888. No longer can we smugly brush it off, saying, "It's no concern of mine, I wasn't even born then," any more than we can brush off our involvement with the cross. As surely as the shadow of Calvary hangs over the Jews as a nation, so surely does the shadow of 1888 hang over us as a church. "Just like the Jews."

With anointed eyes, we can see the innumerable evidences all around us that we are repeating that history today, the same spiritual and professional pride, the same resistance of self-humbling truth.

--Paul E. Penno

Endnotes:
[1] Nathan Brown, For the Least of These, Pacific Press Publishing Association, p. 46.
[2] Ellen G. White, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1085.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syBRJPz2VMU

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 4: Mercy and Justice in Psalms and Proverbs

Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic

The Least of These:
Ministering to Those in Need
Lesson 4: Mercy and Justice in Psalms and Proverbs

 

What is "injustice"? Injustice is defined in a law book simply as "an unjust state of affairs; unfairness, and unjust act." Which does not provide us with much information. We must learn what "just" and "fair" mean before we can understand what being "unjust" or "injustice" are. What is "just" and "fair" may mean different things to different people or groups of people.

What is "justice"? According the same law book, justice is the "fair and proper administration of laws." By this definition, we must have laws in effect before we can know how to administrate justice. There must be a standard in place by which we can make our decision about justice.

Both of these definitions have been developed through the concept of a social contract among persons or people groups, and are necessarily administrated through the "law of the land," or through the government of the nation or tribe of people who developed them and are willing to abide by them.

Is this the same thing as biblical justice and injustice?

An evangelical Bible dictionary defines "justice" in a general sense by saying that justice is the "practice of giving reward or punishment for what is rightly due to a person or group of people. From a theological perspective, because God is sinless and holy, the justice of God demands that all persons and nations receive punishment because of their sin. In Christ the requirements of divine justice are met, and as a result, individuals can find mercy from God through Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit draws them and convicts them of sin" (Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling; Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms, InterVarsity Press, 1999).

However, the SDA Bible Commentary Dictionary (vol. 8) gives us this definition of justice: This term is generally from the Hebrew sedeqor sedeqah, both of which mean righteousness and are generally so translated." The first instance in the Bible where this word is found is in Genesis 18:19, where God is speaking of His friend, Abraham, saying, "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice (sedeq) and judgment (mishpat)." Mishpat is related to sedeq and "closely approximates the meaning of justice as understood today" (ibid.), but mishpat is more centered in government or law.

From this definition we find that in order for us to know how to teach and administer justice we must first know God, as Abraham did, friend to Friend. Without this intimate and guiding knowledge of God, all of human "justice" and "judgment" will be self-centered. A false understanding of God will give us a false concept of justice and judgment, as we read above in the evangelical definition. In that definition God had no mercy toward the sinner, until Jesus "did something" by giving His life to satisfy the "justice" required and demanded by the broken law--only then can "individuals find mercy from God."

A current social construct of "justice" claims that for justice to rightly function, Jesus Christ must be considered "king of this nation" so that the "gospel" will be the foundation of all national law. The Christian movement promoting this idea has a deep taproot that goes back to the 1800s. In 1890 A. T. Jones addressed this error in an article of April 17, 1890, in The American Sentinel. After quoting from the National Reform magazine, Union Signal, which claimed that "every loyal Christian heart must answer the question in the affirmative" that Christ is King of this nation, and that the "gospel" must supersede the moral law, Jones stated, "Now this is worse than nonsense. The idea that the gospel shall supersede the moral law is destructive of the moral law, of morality, and even of the gospel itself." He proceeds with this argument:

"Now by any means to supersede or take away the law is to take away all transgression or imputation of sin, which at once nullifies the gospel; because it is alone the remedy for sin, and is the power of God unto salvation from sin. If there be no sin there can be no gospel. To offer pardon to the innocent, is an imposition and an insult; and therefore any proposition to supersede the law by the gospel, or by any other means, is worse than nonsense, because it strikes at the foundation of God's throne which is justice and judgment, and so uproots all morality. God is the source of morality, the foundation of his throne is justice and judgment, and the gospel is ordained in order that He might be just and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus."

And this brings us to the biblical definition and administration of justice found in Romans 3:23-26. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

E. J. Waggoner wrote in his great treatise on the Book of Romans, "The heathen idea, which is too often held by professed Christians, is that men must provide a sacrifice to appease the wrath of their god. All heathen worship is simply a bribe to their gods to be favorable to them" (Romans, p. 74; CFI Book Division ed., 2019) This is the idea behind the above quoted evangelical definition of "justice"--God must be appeased first then He will provide "mercy" to the sinner, who otherwise really deserves to die in the lake of fire.

Waggoner further stated, "God justifies sinners, for they are the only ones who need justification. The justice of declaring a sinner to be righteous lies in the fact that he is actually made righteous. Whatever God declares to be so, is so. And then heis made righteous by the life of God given him in Christ" (ibid., p. 75, emphasis supplied). And here is the definition of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. God makes the sinner righteous "in Christ" so that they who were formerly unrighteous and unjust are now, in Christ, declared by God Himself to be "made righteous by the life of God given to him in Christ."

That is powerful good news for sinners! We don't have to grovel like the pagans in the blood of slaughtered animals or even in the blood of Jesus before God will love us. No! He already loves us and gave His Son to be the propitiation for our sin. "For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" and while we were "enemies of God" we were "reconciled" to Him (see Rom. 5:6-10). "Of course the idea of a propitiation or sacrifice is that there is wrath to be appeased. But take particular notice that it is wewho require the sacrifice, and not God. He gives the sacrifice. The idea that God's wrath has to be propitiated in order that we may have forgiveness finds no warrant in the Bible" (ibid., p. 74).

True justice comes only from God. It is part of His character. It is merciful and righteous, and will bring an end to all sin when the unrepentant wicked, evil angels (including Satan), and death and hell are all cast into the Lake of Fire after the millennial judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

The world's greatest need is the reception of the message of Christ and His righteousness. This message is the only "cure" for the problems this world is facing, whether they be related to lack of food, shelter and clean water, issues related to overpopulation or disease, "climate change" and serious weather shifts, pollution of land and sea, destruction of earth's habitats, or any other disastrous event that is currently making the news. All of these have only one solution: the message of Christ and His righteousness that will prepare a people for the second coming, and bring an end to suffering in this wicked and lost world.

Why hasn't it happened yet? We've been preaching the second coming as "soon" for 175 years! How "soon"is soon? Does the world have to reach a predetermined level of disaster, destruction, and sin before God says, "That's enough! I'm coming now"? Like those pagan priests on Mount Carmel, have we just not been crying loudly enough for the Lord to hear our pleas for Him to "Do something"?

"If Christ would only come the second time, He could end all this misery. Even the saints, who aren't supposed to be angry with Him, can raise serious questions in court: Why does the Lord wait so long to come? Doesn't He feelfor the world's woes? Why doesn't He dosomething? The only way that God can defend Himself against a charge of indifference [and injustice] is to plead some circumstances beyond His control which have delayed His intervention" (Robert J. Wieland, "The Greatest Court Case in History: God ... on Trial!"; Adventism Triumphant, vol. 1, no. 1).

Christianity is on the brink of repeating God's confrontation with ancient Israel on Mount Carmel. And just like them, we have difficultly answering Elijah's question: "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word" because they had slidden so far away from a real knowledge and experience with their Eternal Friend that they could no longer tell the difference between the false god of paganism and the true God of heaven and earth. In this condition, how can we "keep the way of the LORD, to do justice (sedeq) and judgment"?

Today Satan has created so many counterfeits to God's true Gospel message of Christ and His righteousness that it is difficult for most people to recognize truth from error. Error imbibed from broken cisterns is more pleasing to our unconverted hearts and therefore more easily accepted than God's truth that will work a transformation in our characters. "Our work now is to enlighten the world, in the place of bearing a peace-and-safety message. A banner has been placed in our hands, upon which is inscribed, 'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.' This is a distinct, separating message,--a message that is to give no uncertain sound. It is to lead the people away from the broken cisterns that contain no water, to the Fountain of living waters" (Ellen G. White, Letter 60, 1898).

"This means that Satan will endeavor to commandeer the whole system of substitution just as he took over the old sacrificial system to fight against Christ and the preaching of the new covenant. [Satan] will proclaim that the gospel of the Reformation, the preaching of Martin Luther is sufficient to prepare a people for the second advent and the Lord will come when we have done enough proclaiming. ... As long as he can veil apostasy in the garb of orthodoxy, he has the Remnant deceived in the same way he had the Jews deceived. As they were enveloped in the routine of the sanctuary services being the goal of life and guaranteeing their salvation, so we have been content to have the blood of the Lamb provide a legal cancellation of the record in the books of heaven without the law being written in the heart" (Donald K. Short, Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Cleansed, p. 97; CFI Book Division ed., 2018).

The only "song of hope" that will help the "oppressed" is found in Revelation 14:1-4, and 15:3, 4. This is the psalm that all the redeemed from the earth will be singing when Christ comes to take us to heaven with Him at the second coming. And all the people said, "AMEN! Even so come Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20).

--Ann Walper

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRBz87V1TlU

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz

Lesson 3: Sabbath: A Day of Freedom

Lesson 3: Sabbath: A Day of Freedom

 

Many of you have heard this story of the beloved Nduri, but it's worth repeating in the context of the Sabbath, a day of freedom:

Nduri was an African widow living in a village on the slopes of Mount Kenya who had been taught by the Presbyterian missionaries to reverence the Bible and the worship of God (thank God for their work!). In her "family worship" one day she read Hebrews 7, the story of the strange man, "Melchizedek," who served God all alone, "without father, without mother" (vs. 3). She marveled that any one could serve God all alone like that.

Then she hurried to sell her beans in the market, but had no success for three days. In desperation, she walked many miles to Tharaka, where people always had cash for beans. There she listened to Pastor Solomon explain Bible truths she had never dreamed were therein--the second coming of the Lord Jesus, the thousand years of Revelation 20, the glorious new earth yet to be created, and the news about the holy seventh-day Sabbath of the Lord.

As he pleaded with the congregation for a decision to follow Jesus all the way, renouncing the world and its sinful ways, trusting in Him, taking up the cross to follow Jesus, her heart thrilled; she wanted to say "Yes!" but then she thought, "How can I serve the Lord all alone in my village? I would be the only one there who kept the Sabbath as the Bible says we should; no, I'm afraid that being all alone I might not remain faithful!"

But then like a flash there popped into her mind that story about that strange man, "Melchisedek." "If he could serve the Lord all alone, I can, too!" Then came that smile of victory.

When I met her, she asked me to baptize her, to seal her decision to follow Jesus every step of the way. (I'll never forget that clear ice water in the stream that flowed from Mount Kenya's snow.) Until her death, Nduri remained an inspiration to many in Kenya, and those around the world who have heard her story.

_____________________________

Like Nduri, as a member of the "body" of Christ, you will "grow up into him." You are like a branch united to the Vine. By faithful attendance at worship on the holy Sabbath day, the true "Lord's day," you gain an ever greater knowledge of his holy truth, and a closer, warmer fellowship with others of your brothers and sisters in faith. Thus, as a branch united to the Vine, you will "bear fruit" in holiness and purity of life, and in willing others to eternal life through faith in the Savior.[1] When you appreciate the Redeemer's love for you, you automatically find it possible to love others, even those who are unlovely, yes, even your enemies.[2]

You have begun to love God's law, His Ten Commandments as ten promises of victory over temptation Satan may bring against you; you love obedience to the fourth, keeping holy His blessed seventh-day Sabbath as a precious gift from Him.

But how is the Sabbath part of the 1888 message?

The sinner has no merits of his own, as he has no good works of his own; but to be reconciled means he is "made obedient."This is the 1888idea of being "made righteous." The sinner has "received the atonement" [3] and his deep-seated enmity against the law has been removed by the "mighty argument of the cross." [4] In justification by faith "the love of Christ constraineth us" and becomes the new motivation to holy living (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). Lukewarmness is done forever! Grace being stronger than sin, the 1888 messengers (A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner) grasped the astonishing idea that it's easy to be saved and hard to be lost if one understands and believes "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14).

Ellen White was overjoyed when she heard the two messengers tell this. She clearly said the message went beyond what she called "the good old doctrines," for it was "fresh light." This "justification by faith" will be "fresh" to us and to the Evangelical world for it's "the third angel's message in verity." [5]

"Every fiber of my heart said amen," she said, because here at last was the unique, distinct Seventh-day Adventist idea of the everlasting gospel "which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God." [6] Thus it had to go beyond that of the popular Sunday-keeping churches.

The Sabbath truth is embedded in a full and complete view of justification by faith because the Sabbath is the "sign" of that true faith. [7] Where the Sabbath truth is denied, there has to be either a counterfeit or an immature view of justification by faith. [8] Rightly conceived, justification by faith itself becomes the message that will raise up people all over the world to "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

But when we begin to exercise faith, we "cease" from our own works because we enter "into His rest" (Heb. 4:10). The Lord then works within us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. When all our works are wrought in Him, they are right. This is indeed rest. It comes when we realize that the Word which made the heavens and the earth and which upholds them has also redeemed us personally. This rest comes through the Sabbath. The same power that sanctified the Sabbath sanctifies the believer in Christ.

The Sabbath is the seal of a new creature in Christ, one who is united with Him by faith. Born a creature of the dust, He is now a newly born member of the heavenly family. The Sabbath is therefore the "seal of God" which is placed upon "the foreheads" of God's servants in these last days (Rev. 7:1-4). It came from Paradise and marks those who are destined to live eternally in Paradise. As they assemble through eternity from Sabbath to Sabbath, they will "sing for joy" because of what their Savior has done for them:

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches 
and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

--From the Writings of Robert J. Wieland

Endnotes:
[1]See John 15:1-3; Ex. 20:8-11; Rev. 1:10; Isaiah 58:13, 14; Psalm 92; Luke 4:16; Acts 2:46, 47; Heb. 10:22-25; Rev. 14:12.
[2] See Matt. 5:43-48; 1 John 4:11-13, 19, 20.
[3] See Rom. 5:1-11 for the heart of Paul's view of "justification by faith."
[4] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 375.
[5]Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, April 1, 1890.
[6] Ellen G. White, Manuscript 5, 1889; Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp.91, 92.
[7] See Ellet J. Waggoner, Christ and His Righteousness, pp. 37-45, Glad Tidings ed. (1999); "The Rest That Remains for the People of God," Bible Students Library, Jan. 1893; The Glad Tidings, pp. 140-144, CFI ed. (2016).
[8] See A. T. Jones, 1893 General Conference Bulletin, pp. 243-245, 261, 262, 342-343, 358.

Notes:
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJFOFovLcs

"Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888message.org/sst.htm

RR

Raul Diaz

https://about.me/raul.diaz