We have been called to Revival and Reforma on. I am concerned that many see
this as the call of a new administra on seeking to place a new emphasis for the ...
We have been called to Revival and Reforma3on I am concerned that many see this as the call of a new administra3on seeking to place a new emphasis for the Church. In reality this is the call of Jesus to the Church of Laodicea. It is the call to true righteousness corrected vision and purity of spirit as of refined gold.
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She stated: In visions of the night representa3ons passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God’s people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles wrought … hundreds and thousands were seen visi3ng families, and opening before them the Word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side doors were thrown open to the proclama3on of truth. The world seemed to be lighted with the heavenly influence. Great blessings were received by the true and humble people of God. ~Tes2monies to the Church, volume 9, page 126 2
Such a scene must have been a delight to Ellen white. She was witnessing the outpouring of what has been called the LaRer Rain – the heavenly influence. But imagine, as she awoke to the cold reality of day and she saw the church as it really was.
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She then wrote, in a Review & Herald ar3cle published in March 22, 1887: A revival of true Godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. ~Review & Herald, March 22, 1887
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She would also write, some five years later: Reforma3on will not bring forth the good fruit of righteousness unless it is connected with the revival of the Spirit. Revival and reforma3on are to do their appointed work and in doing this work they must blend. ~Review & Herald, February 25, 1902 We may well ask why, 111 years later, we are s3ll concerned with Revival and Reforma3on, and – indeed – that the Lord s3ll has not come? Has the Church lain dormant, and bere^ of the working of the Holy Spirit? Has the last century of Church life been wasted, and the Church been apostate?
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A revival of true Godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of our needs. We must have the “holy unc)on from God,” the bap3sm of His Spirit, for then is the only efficient agent in the promulga3on of sacred truth. It is the Spirit of God that quickens the lifeless facul3es of the soul to appreciate heavenly things and aRracts the affec3ons toward God. ~Gospel Workers, page 370 – 371 True revival does not come from our ac3ons but is the work of the hHoly Spirit our role is to yield to Him.
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The figure of the Early and LaRer Rains o^en experienced in Pales3ne, the former leading to germina3on and the laRer to ripen and swell the developing crop, ready for harvest, has been used by the Hebrew prophets to depict the unc3on of the Holy Spirit which we are told is; “The bestowal of spiritual grace in extraordinary measure upon God’s church.” Zechariah 10:1; Joel 2:23 Such an outpouring of grace requires in its recipients a measure of humility. Solomon had built a temple to func3on as a mee3ng place between the people of Israel and their God.
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Thousands upon thousands of Israelites sacrificed so much that the altar of the temple could not receive the burnt offerings and the peace offerings and the meat offerings. For seven days, they feasted, and on the 23rd day of the seventh month, Solomon sent the people home.
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Then, a^er finishing the temple, sacrificing the tens of thousands of animals, feas3ng, and rejoicing to the music of David, THE PEOPLE WENT HOME AND THEN THE LORD CAME T SOLOMON AT NIGHT SAYING II Chronicles 7:12 says:
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And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, “I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place to Myself for an house of sacrifice.”
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This story shows that, far more than the ceremony of sacrifice, the noise of trumpets, and cymbals, the song and the dance, the Lord requires humble contri2on and repentance. And that has to be of me! And you. Not another group. When Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit, He describes His work as of reproving us of sin, of righteousness and judgment. Revival and reforma3on is not the work of us as humans. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our work IS TO MAKE OURSELVES open to such work. The process for us as individuals must be that by which we become humble and contrite. Prayer is the major means by which we may achieve this readied state for the Holy Spirit’s in-‐ dwelling.
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I am afraid we o^en are fuzzy in our thinking when it comes to the Holy Spirit. For many of us, the terminology of “pouring out” of the Holy Spirit has led us to think of Him as a “liquid.” The term an “unc3on” from On High connotes an anoin3ng with oil. Yet the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. In other words, a real iden3ty; a dis3nct Person with His own character. The unity of the Godhead means the character is of love and grace. Just as the three persons of the Godhead are in RELATIONSHIP, so we, too, must be in RELATIONSHIP. This is why Mrs. White says the characteris3c of the LaRer Rain is the outpouring of GRACE. She says: Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace, will have power propor3onate to their daily need and their ability to use that power. Instead of looking forward to some future 3me when, through a special endowment of spiritual power, they
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This was a problem to our early Church, for when Waggoner and Jones presented their message in 1888, several asked Mrs. White of the message of “jus3fica3on by faith” is the Third Angel’s Message. She answered: It is the Third Angel’s Message in verity. ~Selected Messages, page 372 (1890)
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I have o^en pondered these words because the first angels message is readily comprehended as containing elements of the Health Ministry but the Third angel says Anyone who worships the beast and his image or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand must drink the wine of God’s wrath. How is this Righteousness or Jus3fica3on by Faith? The apostate Church has taught a salva3on by works philosophy and clearly failure to accept Jus3fica3on in Jesus means one is tainted by a Salva3on by Works mentality
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The Holy Spirit came to replace Jesus on Earth, and con3nue His earthly influence As Elder Finlay emphasized last night Health Ministry MUST BE ABOUT THE HEALING MINISTRY IN JESUS NAME. HIGH TECH LOW TECH SIMPLE REMEDIES STATE OF THE ART MEDICINE NON OF IT IS MINISTRY UNLESS JESUS IS SHOWN AS THE HEALER OF ETERNAL DISEASE
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The call to revival and reforma3on is, at its core, a call to reprove the sinner (and that means me and you) of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. This call does not originate with the General Conference Execu3ve CommiRee. It originates with God, Who – with immeasurable grace – seeks to redeem His children to Him.
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When we call for revival and reforma3on it is possible to delude ourselves into thinking we are on the side of the revived and reformed. It is very possible for us to suffer the blindness of Laodecea when it comes to ourselves.
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The story is told, in three of the four Gospels; we have it recorded in MaRhew chapter 12, Mark chapter 3, and Luke chapter 6. The life of this man remains hidden from us. Just why his hand was withered is also not clear. I remember a man, Desmond Paul, in Zimbabwe. He had pushed his arm through a glass pane, and lacerated the nerves and blood vessels. As a consequence, his lower arm and hand became withered and useless. The reason for this withering of what had once been whole was that the connec3on had been broken, with the central nervous system. Lacking communica3on, the arm shriveled and became useless. My mother suffered a stroke at age 66, and lived for 14 years paralyzed and withered on her right side. She came to live with us, and I remember dressing her for church. I would waken her,
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Health Ministry does not belong to any one of us, nor to any group of us. It is not some inherent power in the processes of ministry that heals. It is only in the power of the Spirit that there is healing. The call to revival and reforma3on is encapsulated in the miracle of that Sabbath and that Synagogue. I have liRle doubt that the right arm of Health Ministry has withered, from what was envisaged by God. It seems to me that we are witnessing some extremely disturbing events around the world. The Adven3st Health study suggests maybe 10 percent of our Adven3sts in the study use alcohol. In Australia, Kevin Price and Chester Kuma have major challenges with our younger members and alcohol. Here in the US, our promo3on of a vegetarian diet unwisngly aRracts the aRen3on of animal rights advocates, and
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The problem is not that of Health Ministry alone. It belongs to the Ministerial Associa3on, as well. Members o^en complain that pastors are disinterested in, or frankly opposed to, Health Ministry. One 3me recently, at a pres3gious seminary, a seminarian asked, “And what is this health message?” Health is not taught in many of our schools of religion. Even though Mrs. White taught that physiology ought to be the primary science we teach, many pastors would be at a loss to locate the spleen, let alone comprehend its func3on. It is my firm belief that what we need more than ever is a revival of true Godliness. However, we cannot create this ourselves. The objec3ve of our prayers must be the renewal of our rela3onship with Jesus Prayer can become as ritualized as a rosary, as habitual as the
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We must draw closer to Jesus by prayer without ceasing. When we prac3ce the awareness of the presence of Jesus and His Spirit, con3nually, we will be prepared for the LaRer Rain. Health Ministry should be the greatest manifesta3on of love the world has ever seen. The incessant quest for our personal welfare has to give way to a concern for others. We need to teach more of the love of Jesus, His method, and His focus on need. Only as my life becomes full of grace can others see Jesus in me. His balance and harmony, His tenderness and compassion. His love and His forgiving Spirit must possess us
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