Words to Church Members

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Dear Brethren and Sisters,- Scene after scene has been opened before me, and I long to present to the people the instruction that has been given to me for them. The words were spoken: A great work in spiritual lines is to be done for the Lord’s people without delay, else the enemy will deceive souls to their ruin.

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Every church member needs to feel the converting power of God upon heart and mind; then spiritual development will be experienced. Christ has for every true believer grace sufficient to make him a son of God. Angels are working in behalf of God’s people, that Satan may not gain the victory over them.

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It is Christian sanctification that is wanting in the so-called Christian world. Love for Christ, expressed in word and deed, will bind His followers together in bonds of perfect union. And in a special sense the love of God will be bestowed upon those who are one with Christ and the Father.

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The richest blessings will rest upon the humble worker. He who comes to the Lord in simple trust, will learn how to uplift the Saviour before men. Practical Christianity is the revealing in word and action the will of God. How is the world to know on whose side we stand unless we make it known? «By their fruits,» Christ said, «ye shall know them.» «He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.»

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The Lord is in earnest with His people. They are to have a more sacred sense of their accountability before God to teach the truth. The time has come when we should make decided reformations in our homes, when every family that has heard the message of truth should practice in their lives every principle of the truth. The wonderful mercy and grace and power of God has made it possible for the members of every family to become the sons and daughters of God. «He that spared not His own Son , but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?»

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It was a costly sacrifice that the Lord of heaven made. Divine benevolence was stirred to its unfathomable depths; it was impossible for God to give more. «God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.» Why is our gratitude so limited? It is only as a ripple on the surface compared with the great tide of love that flows to us from the Father.

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«And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God».

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«Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.»

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Those who have by baptism given to God a pledge of their faith in Christ, and their death to the old life of sin, have entered into covenant relation with God. The three powers of the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are pledged to be their strength and their efficiency in their new life in Christ Jesus.

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«If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

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«And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.»

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Study the whole of this chapter of Colossians carefully and prayerfully. Bear in mind that they are addressed who have been buried by baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. If you will ever remember that you are dead to worldly interests and attractions, and have risen to seek those things which are above, these heavenly powers are pledged to give you power to walk with Him in newness of life.

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In the eighth and ninth verses are presented the fruits that must not appear in the lives of those who have entered into this covenant relation with God. These are the fruits of the unregenerate heart; and they must not appear; for «ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.» The fruits of righteousness appear when the soul lives to fulfil his solemn vow to God.

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It is the duty of every believer to fulfil faithfully his baptismal vows. If earnest perseverance and diligence are needed in order to attain success in temporal matters, how much more important that we make earnest efforts to obtain the heavenly treasure!

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There is far too little of self-denial and self-sacrifice among those who claim church fellowship; far too little confession of sin. Church members need to be reconverted, and sanctified in soul, body, and spirit, if they would increase in faith, and grow in grace. But an unsanctified course of action has so long been followed that the church should now be alarmed. The power of the Holy Spirit, so much needed on the human heart, is not felt. Many who profess to receive and believe the Word of God are deceived; they are not practising the truth. They are not following on to know the Lord, that they may know that His going forth is prepared as the morning.

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I am made sad when I see how much of the Lord’s money is spent for dress and selfish indulgence,-money that God designed should be spent in saving souls who are perishing in ignorance of the truth and of God. Those who are thus tempted to extravagance and selfish indulgence should consider the words of Christ, «Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.» «Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

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«Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.»

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We have such a limited faith. Many of our church members need to be reconverted. They need to cultivate faith in God. Fervent prayer, offered in humility of heart, will be heard and answered. The desire expressed for a sanctified and purified heart, a refined and noble character, will bring the aid of the Holy Spirit to the petitioner. «If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask,» Christ says, «it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.» «Ask, and it shall be given you.» «He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?»

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I am instructed to say to those who profess to be Christians, but who are not doing the works of Christ: you are yet in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity, as verily as are the children of the wicked one. You are doing his works as verily as are they. God bids you now to come to repentance. Let your hearts be broken before God; confess your sins and be converted. Let there be humility of heart in seeking the Lord, and sincerity of purpose in carrying out His works. Angels of God will rejoice when ministers and people take up this work of repentance before God.

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Some who profess to be converted have never yet felt the converting power of the Spirit of God. Oh, that a reformation might be worked in heart and mind and life, and that every church member might become one with Christ as He is one with the Father. Christ is knocking at the doors of your hearts for entrance. He says, «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.» Yet many who hear Him knock, shut closer the door of the heart, and the voice of Christ pleads in vain.

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«I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. . . . He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.»

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We see from these words the necessity of sacredly cherishing every ray of light that the Lord Jesus sends to His church on the earth. The efficiency of any church depends upon its entire consecration. The church is not to conform to any one man’s mind or judgment or will, or depart in the slightest particular from the teachings of the Word.

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At this period of time a special work is to be done for the individual members of the church. With the Bible in your hands, you are to search the Scriptures with an earnest determination to know the words of Christ. «Search the Scriptures,» the Saviour said, «for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of Me.» «To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.»

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No man is left in uncertainty in his Christian experience and in his labors. The eye of God is upon every child of His who seeks to serve Him with humility of heart. There is a «well done» for every follower of Christ who witnesses for God before a world lying in wickedness. Every day we seek with sincere heart to follow the directions of the Word of God, and to become a laborer together with Him in the salvation of souls, there is written for us in the book of heaven the words, «Well done, thou good and faithful servant.»

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The professing follower of Christ is to overcome every selfish trait of character. By well-doing he is to form a correct pattern, and testify in his life to the character of Christ and to God’s unselfish love to the human race. In words of mercy and love and sympathy, by showing kindness on the right hand and on the left, he is to repeat the works of Christ. Christ came to the earth to give to men the pattern of the perfect character that all must obtain who would be welcomed to the future heavenly world. He found His pleasure in unwearied works for the good of men; His object in coming to our world was to leave an example of what the human character must become in order to be fitted for the society of heaven.

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The Holy Spirit leaves no member of the church to develop a character that is without comeliness. He claims for every man and woman the privilege of becoming a child of light, an influence for righteousness, an example of a Christlike life. This is God’s way of helping the church. Satan is working in every way to thwart the purpose of God, and God desires that His professing people shall make no mistakes, but that every move may be a right move. The Head of the church on earth requires the members of the church to surrender their will to the will of God, in willing obedience. God has united the agencies of the church on earth with the church in heaven.

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The subject of missions is to be under divine supervision. God’s church on earth is to be the bearer of light to the world. «Ye are the light of the world,» He says. «Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.» Ellen G. White.