|
|
||
|
|
|||
I’d like to begin with praise for the “traditional” way in which spiritual things are often taught. We know of, and the Scriptures describe, sermons, preaching, teaching, doctrinal exposition, Bible studies, and so on. One of the most famous conversions in the New Testament involved an exposition of Isaiah 53. We read, “And Philip ran thither to [the Ethiopian eunuch], and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, ‘Understandest thou what thou readest?’ And he said, ‘How can I, except some man should guide me?’ And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; and who shall declare his generation? For His life is taken from the earth.
“And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, ‘I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Yahshua. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water, and the eunuch said, ‘See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?’” (Acts 8:30-36)
We can immediately identify a few things, however, which are unlikely to occur in a modern environment. For one thing, the Ethiopian was reading the Bible, and not out of a sense of duty or mere habit. He was reading with a desire to understand what it meant, not that he was seeking a blessing simply by the act of opening a scroll. For another, when Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading, he was eager to be instructed. He knew that he didn’t understand, and he was willing to be educated by one who was offering to teach him. Third, the eunuch had never heard of, or knew very little about, Yahshua.
Now, this may seem like a bad thing. After all, everyone today knows the story of Jesus, who came down from Heaven to be killed for the sake of redeeming all of mankind. Isn’t it better, much better, that everyone on earth, practically, knows the basics of the New Testament? Well, as the phrase goes, “familiarity breeds contempt,” and in the case of the Scriptures, false familiarity absolutely does breed contempt.
It used to be that a Bible study was an effective way of teaching people about the principles of righteousness. Nobody knew the Gospel, and perhaps as little as twenty years ago, humanity was humble enough and willing enough to be taught things it did not know. Even if they has heard His name before, those hearing about righteousness by faith, the true effect of receiving Yahshua as one’s Savior, was experienced with fresh eyes, and ears, and minds. Today, people know a lot less about the Bible than they think they know, and what little they do know is deeply tainted by Satan’s deceptions, both those coming from non-Christians and, more damagingly, those incorrectly taught by churches as truth.
Those who believe they know the Word of Yahweh are not willing to be convinced that they are reading it incorrectly, or are being rebellious in not applying its proper principles to their lives. Yes, we have a complete Bible now, and more light shed on how to understand it, with its symbolism, prophecy, and parables. And yes, Christianity is familiar to almost everyone in the world. And yes, the Spirit of Prophecy which has never left Yahweh’s people without direction. Where, then, is the harvest? What can we do to find the crops ready for the barn, and what can we do to bring them in?
In a sense, this is a follow-up to last week’s Pearls of Great Price. We see that human souls are valuable, and worth our utmost effort to discover, and invite to the “polishing process” that we call sanctification. But how do we do it? More specifically, how do we do it in these days of false familiarity, rebellious spirits, and deep deception?
Of course, we have studies about Evangelism. We talk about the 3 Angels’ Message, and how to present them in their proper order. We have simplified that message, and we have expanded it, as the need arises. We have resources developed in the days of our Adventist pioneers and preserved by the SDA Church, which are still pretty good even after the fall of the Conference, to give us advice about how to win souls. However, for the EliYah message, with its two main goals, and in this last wicked generation, a formal Bible study isn’t always the best approach.
In the recent two-part study, As We Are One (and Part 2), we saw that the work of the prophet who prepares the way for Yahshua’s return is represented by two altars. The first is the Altar of Yahweh, representing the covenant between the Creator and mankind, which is built on His Law, and describes the commitment between the Father and the saint. The second is the Altar of Israel, representing the covenant that exists among the genuine people of Yahweh, which is likewise built on His Law, and describes Church Membership and the implications of being one Body under Christ within His faith.
Ultimately, though, all of that boils down to a simple concept. We are here to turn hearts. We read directly of Eliyah’s work as follows, in the closing words of the Old Testament, “Behold, I will send you EliYah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of Yahweh, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal 4:5, 6)
When this passage is quoted in Luke’s Gospel, we see that inspiration has preserved the same idea, but given a different perspective. This is a statement by the angel sent to Zacharias, to tell him of the birth of his son, John, who will be known as “the Baptist.” We read, “For he shall be great in the sight of Yahweh, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to Yahweh their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:15-17)
The work of EliYah is two-fold, to preserve the earth against unnecessary curses, and to prepare a people for the return of Yahshua. John’s mission is that of the CSDA Church. His work was performed before the first appearance of Yahshua on earth, and ours is performed now, just before His second advent. The work itself is the same, however; it is to inspire affection between mankind and its Creator, and among our fellow human beings. It is no surprise, therefore, that the spirit of the final generation’s genuine fellowship is called philadelphia, the generation that comes just before Laodicea, and that represents all that is good and praiseworthy even in a time of judgment. Brotherly love is the love that exists between two hearts that are turned to one another, and it is the work of EliYah, as he builds his two altars, to use agape, the divine love, to bring forth the brotherly.
The work of EliYah is to win hearts. It is to reach the emotions, and though the proper use of the emotions, the spirit. It is to reach the intellect, and through the proper use of the intellect, the spirit. The Spirit is not the feelings, but it can be reached through the feelings. The Spirit is not the intellect, but it can be reached through the intellect. Unfortunately, Satan is the master of manipulating both of these avenues to the spirit, and so we must learn Yahweh’s plan to affect them the right way.
The methods I described earlier, Bible studies, doctrinal teachings, and so on, these will appeal to the intellect for certain people. Others will be affected by the sentiment that is touched by hearing of Yahshua’s sacrifice, and the labors of those who remained behind to take His message to the world. In order to be effective, we must be of Paul’s mind, who wrote, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” (1Cor 9:22) We must be able to speak to the intellect and to the inner feelings, that in whichever way we are able, we reach the spirit.
Today’s study has an unusual title: This Is What Happened To Me,” but it a fitting one, being about true evangelism. It describes a very effective way of reaching the spirit through the feelings primarily. Not everyone will become an eloquent teacher of the Bible. Men these days are proud of their intellect, and though I began by speaking of the benefits of a powerful and clever teaching of the Bible, these are not going to be very effective for every audience, not in this generation unless one is in a very specific setting, and under a very specific set of circumstances.
Of course, we should all know the Bible well enough to teach it to others, but when is the last time one of us, like Philip in our opening Scripture, was invited to explain a difficult passage to a stranger? Far more often, we will have the opportunity to just speak about ourselves, about our own personal experiences, and if this is done according to the Spirit’s leading, it can be a powerful way of doing the work of EliYah: turning the hearts.
I have been in the CSDA message for many years, and I can put together what I consider to be a good and effective Bible study. When Yahweh inspires me with something significant to be found in a verse or passage, I greatly enjoy bringing it to the Church in a way that will edify the Body. This is, though, a very special audience, a people already committed to righteousness, who are seeking a deeper and fuller understanding of the Word, and who are willing to be taught. In a very real sense, it is like the experience of Philip, being invited to come up into the chariot and speak of the Bible. Even so, I often find myself referencing my experiences in a way that would appeal, not only to a people who are walking in victory, but to a casual reader or listener as well.
I can expound on a spiritual principle without bringing the human element into it at all; however, my most effective, endearing, and arresting teachings, I think, begin by describing meeting an old friend in a bus station, or remembering song I used to sing in the local SDA Church, or worshiping Yahweh when considering the raindrops of a hurricane that was pouring down over my roof. Some of you may remember these studies. They are, to me, among the most memorable.
Once one knows the truth, he is called to be a teacher. That is really the only qualification, to know and to be willing to share, the truth as it is in Yahshua. It requires no particular skill – I do not mean that skill is not involved, but it will be provided as needed. It requires no detailed knowledge, but anyone who evangelizes will be taught by the Spirit as they go forth. We have all that we need, the resources, the writings, the friends who can explain difficult passages if necessary… but we must remember that our job is to turn the hearts, to seek the pearls of great price.
Trust in the Father and Son is more important than a structured approach, and through the work of Their Spirit, all we need to do is be sincere, to be committed, and to be willing to share ourselves. All we must do is choose to love others, and then to say to them, “This is what happened to me.”
There is no excuse to say, “I cannot teach the Gospel, I cannot share my faith.” All that is necessary is to have a testimony. And, consider how clear and irresistible this testimony can be. No false doctrines are possible, because you aren’t discussing theory or hypotheticals. You are saying, “I used to be a sinner, and now I am a saint.” How did that happen? Well, this is what happened to me…
We all have our stories, each unique, but each equally valid. We met someone. We found a website. We made a phone call. We were visited in our home by a messenger. All of us encountered this message in a different way, and this is why we humans are called to be the fishers of men. The angels were created in the light of Yahweh’s glory, and have always known Him to be true. The ones who remained faithful rejected new and cunning deceptions, but they have always stood before Yahweh and known Him. We are they who have been drawn out of sin, out of darkness, and in the rising to the light, we have each been given a priceless gift – the testimony of Yahshua.
In the CSDA church, we have been taught that the testimony of Yahshua is what Yahshua testified, what He said. “I have overcome the world.” “I do always those things that please my Father.” This is a true and valuable teaching, and it is to be found nowhere else in the world. But we cannot lose sight either of the fact that we have the true perspective of the original interpretation of that phrase as well, that the testimony of Yahshua is my testimony of Yahshua, and your testimony of Yahshua – it is our testimony of how we came to know and love Yahshua; that is a part of it as well. While this is the way most Churches and professed Christians would read that phrase, they still need to be taught, like that Ethiopian eunuch, what it means. It is not enough to know the words; we must know the meaning as well.
When I speak of how I came to be converted, I am giving my testimony of Yahshua. It is not the same as yours; in fact, my testimony of Yahshua is wildly different than anyone else’s that I know of, but it is mine, and it is an effective way of reaching the thoughts and feelings of a certain kind of person. I can speak of strange visions, and burning in my blood, and dramatic transformations… but not everyone is going to be affected positively by such an experience. On the other hand, they may be fascinated, completely arrested, by hearing what another member of the Church has to say about how they came into the truth. This is why, before that passage in Acts with Philip, we read, “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, ‘Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.’” (Acts 8:29) Phillip, and not another, was chosen for this specific purpose.
It is Yahshua, by His Spirit, that directs us toward those who are able to hear us. It is Yahweh, by divine providence, that places people in our paths, so that they may hear the testimony of Yahshua through the unique voice of one of His servants. When we look back, in the first thousand years in Heaven, we will see just how perfectly we have been suited to the work that has been set before us; but it might not always “feel” that way, and until we can “see” it, we must know it nonetheless, and we must act on it by faith.
Now, of course, as perfectly designed as all this is, that doesn’t mean we will always, or even often, succeed in winning a heart. Yahweh submits His plans, even His perfect plans, to the free will of humans. That is, after all, why we are here and not all living in Eden. We were created, all of us, for a perfect purpose, but through freely made choices, we find ourselves laboring in the heat of the day. So then, even with Yah’s providence, and the Spirit’s guidance, and even with our suitable testimonies, as simply stated as, “This is the story of how I came to know the truth,” there are few and very few who will find the way of life.
We will be rejected. We will be disbelieved. We will be minimized. We will be called liars, and prideful for saying that through Yahshua we have gained the victor over sin and self. We will be told that we are giving the message the wrong way, and that we are too earnest, too cutting with our testimony, even though in our minds we are giving a loving and gentle invitation. This is, by the way, another aspect of understanding the statement of inspiration that we will give a testimony more pointed than that of John the Baptist. It will not seem that way to us. We will be sharing our experiences, saying, “It’s so wonderful, so joyful, so freeing to be victorious over sin,” but to those who are not willing to give up their sin, this will seem like a terrible pronouncement of doom. In the Gospels, we hear John the Baptist calling hypocrites and unrepentant sinners “vipers,” but remember, this truthful evaluation of the religious leaders did not offend the common people… it did not prevent them from coming to him in droves for his baptism – a baptism that no tradition or religious expectation obligated them to receive. Remember that; it is worth emphasizing. They desired baptism purely on the strength of John’s own personal message. There must have been something extremely charismatic, and compelling, about the teaching of John the Baptist!
Unfortunately, it is the unrepentant sinner and the hypocrite that make the most noise. It is they who will have the most memorable commentary on the invitation that we offer to the world. And so, we will indeed be called prideful and false. We will be told that our experiences leave no room for failure (and of course, the worldling and the nominal Christian must have room for failure!), and that our God must be without mercy to demand such perfection of character. Just as we each have our own testimonies of coming to the truth, so we have our own record of rejections and disappointments, from family members, and friends, and former co-members of various congregations. I have shared some of mine with the Church, and so have many of us all.
So, I am not saying that the sharing of one’s personal testimony of Yahshua is going to guarantee anything. What I am saying is that, with the intellectual route off the table for many people these days, here is a way of attempting to reach the spirit through connecting with people on a personal level. Here is an approach to evangelism that cannot be disputed effectively on Biblical grounds. If you don’t think you can convince someone that a certain Biblical passage means a certain thing, just share with them the blessing that your understanding has given you. When I speak to people these days of the appointed times, for example, we have a lot of verses that show that they were kept, by Christians, in New Testament times. In fact, we have more verses about Christian feast-keeping in the early Church than we do about them keeping the Sabbath, and that’s one of the 10 Commandments. Even so, people will argue the details. What I do instead is tell them that keeping the appointed times as the CSDA Church has done in recent years has been a genuine blessing. The times of fellowship and refreshing have led to us sharing some truly life-changing experiences, in addition to the studies and activities we have done together. If anyone thinks that such times are not important, that is their freedom to exercise, but in a variation on what Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will receive all the blessings that the Lord has offered us.” (cf. Jos 24:15)
I would like to close with a passage from the Scriptures that illustrates the principle behind today’s study very effectively. We actually saw this incident, as recorded in Matthew, a couple studies ago, but here is the Gospel of Mark’s version, which includes a detail that was absent from Matthew. Here is the record of what happened to Yahshua after he cast evil spirits out of a man, but permitted them to go into a herd of swine. The swine ran into the water and drowned and the people, rather than rejoicing that their fellow human being had been liberated from oppression, we find this: “And they come to Yahshua, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the Legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” (Mark 5:15) By the way, here is an example of the wording, like that in Romans 7, where the present tense (they come to Yahshua and see him that was possessed with the devil) is used to indicate a past event. We continue, “And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts.” (Mark 5:16, 17)
So far, this account matches that found in the Gospel of Matthew. But then we read this additional bit of information, “And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. Howbeit Yahshua suffered him not, but saith unto him, ‘Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.’ And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Yahshua had done for him, and all men did marvel.” (Mark 5:18-20)
May we, each and all, live always in this atmosphere of gratitude, where the joy of our redemption drives us to publish abroad, to speak aloud, to share our testimony, of how great things Yahshua has done for us. There are some who will never consent to a Bible study, or listen to our doctrine, at least not at first; but may be touched, through their thoughts and feelings, by the testimony of the truly grateful. For many, I suspect, this is how their hearts will be turned back to the Creator, and toward joining the community of the Divine Family.
David.
An Enduring Witness
“The two restored demoniacs were the first missionaries whom Christ sent to preach the gospel in the region of Decapolis. For a few moments only these men had been privileged to hear the teachings of Christ. Not one sermon from His lips had ever fallen upon their ears. They could not instruct the people as the disciples who had been daily with Christ were able to do. But they bore in their own persons the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. They could tell what they knew; what they themselves had seen, and heard, and felt of the power of Christ. This is what everyone can do whose heart has been touched by the grace of God.” [The Desire of Ages, p. 340]
“Your testimony in its genuineness and reality He will make powerful in the power of the life to come. The word of the Lord will be in your mouth as truth and righteousness.” [Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 148]
“‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ [Romans 10:10.] He then becomes a sanctified agent that God can employ to work out his noble purposes. He then represents Christ, holding forth to the world his mercy and love. He has a testimony that he is desirous that others should hear...” [Christian Education, p. 128]