INTERNATIONAL MISSIONARY SOCIETY - SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST REFORM MOVEMENT

The Body of Christ: The Church

The church in Europe: A spiritual feast was enjoyed by the participants at the Austrian Field Conference, held in Klagenfurt in June.

Thoughts concerning this term
Part 2

(See also Part 1)

In Part 1 of this series, we were able to see that Christ is the founder and sustainer of His church and that it is composed of all the believers around the world; at the same time, they are part of the great family of God in the universe. Ephesians 2:19; 3:15. Let us now take the comparison used by the apostle Paul of the church with the human body and verify the importance that unity has in the church (the body of believers) when it follows the instructions of Jesus, the Head, so as to be capable of fulfilling the mission to which it has been called.

The church’s mission

After man fell into sin–or better, before he was created–God had prepared a plan in case His creatures were disobedient–the plan of redemption. 1 Peter 1:18-20. Christ, God’s Son, would leave the glory that He had beside the Father before the existence of the world (John 17:5) and would descend to this sin-corrupted world.

And so it happened. Christ willingly veiled His divinity with a human body that bore the effects of 4,000 years of degeneration. He lived among men as man, experiencing the same needs and trials. He opened His mouth to reveal to them the most sublime truths that human beings had ever heard. Psalm 78:2; John 7:46. Out of love for the beings He Himself had created, to cleanse the sin of the world, He was taken as a lamb to the slaughter and did not open His mouth before His slayers. Isaiah 53:7. Through His life of self-denial and submission to His Father’s will all the way to the cross, He healed our wounds (Isaiah 53:5), “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. His crucifixion became His victory when He rose from the dead and swallowed up death in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:54.

When He ascended to heaven, He promised to return to take His people with Him to the mansions He would prepare (John 14:1-3); but He left a mission with His disciples, uniting the new covenant church for the purpose of spreading the knowledge of the gospel, the word of God incarnate in Christ (John 1:14), and converting each of His disciples into the light and salt of the earth. Matthew 5:13-16. He promised to be with them, and with all who would come after them, until the end of the world. Matthew 28:18-20. The light of the gospel could not be confined to a small group of people; the truth would reach “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Revelation 14:6.

Christ’s church has a sacred mission to preserve the truth in the world and to spread it. Our Lord Jesus Christ carried out this mission when He was on this earth, as summarized in His words: “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.” John 17:3, 4. To reach this objective, the church must uplift the Scriptures through example and teaching, verbally and in written form, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. There are three aspects of our mission that we need to analyze: Preservation, preaching, and living.

The church in Africa: A gathering in Congo.

Preserving the truth

The “truth” is God’s revelation to man. Everything else can be contaminated with error, confusion, and deceit. Therefore, Paul advised Timothy to guard what had been entrusted to him, “avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called.” 1 Timothy 6:20. What was entrusted to the young missionary? “…Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,… And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17. (Emphasis is ours.)

The church of the living God had the sacred responsibility to be “the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:15. We will first speak about what the ground is. The original word means “fortress,” a fortification constructed for defense. The church has been given the responsibility to defend, protect, and take care of the truth. The “ground” can be translated “foundation.” The word should be the foundation of all the plans, thoughts, and actions of God’s people. “Truth is a safeguard in all time to those who will hold fast the faith once delivered to the saints.” –(Manuscript 110, Aug. 6, 1899) The Upward Look, p. 232.

What matters is not what appears to me, what has always been done, or what the numerous religions say; what is written is God’s revealed will. One day someone I know said to me in relation to the Sabbath, “What difference is there between one day or another? What’s important is to keep one day.”

I answered, “What would happen if you told your son to go buy a liter of oil and he brings you a liter of lemon juice, because he prefers that? Is it the same?”

“That cannot be!” he said. “I wouldn’t like that! But I wouldn’t punish him for it.”

“And if every day he brings you something different from what you asked him for?”

“Well, I would think something is going wrong, and I would feel very bad.”

Something is going wrong when the people who say they belong to Christ’s church do and teach something different from the revealed message. This is the very cause of apostasy and departure from God’s principles. Jesus’ teachings rest on an “It is written.” Matthew 4:4. He never presented anything that was outside the framework of revelation that already existed or was contrary to it. He always directed His listeners’ attention to the inspired word: “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” Luke 10:26.

Christ would have worked closely with the Jewish leaders if they had accepted Him as the Messiah as well as His teachings. But they were heavily burdened with pride and were hungry for worldly honor; they led without keeping the truth and introduced their own doctrines in its place; so it wasn’t difficult for them to reject the Lamb of God and put Him to death. Christ had no other possibility except to pass over that organization and select others, who were few in number, having little ability to speak, wisdom or possessions, but were ready to preserve, live, and share the truth.

In the history of the church down through the centuries, we find this phenomenon repeated over and over again. False doctrines introduced into the church or rejection of some of the sacred revelations undermined the observance of eternal principles; and the Lord had to look for other people who were prepared to uphold the standard of truth. Romans 11:17-20.

The great Reformation of the 16th century began as a consequence of the church’s departing from the revealed truth in a time of spiritual darkness. The motto of the brave defenders of the truth was: The Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty. Whenever Luther or other Reformers were called to testify of their faith, they firmly maintained this principle.
“In our time there is a wide departure from their doctrines and precepts, and there is need of a return to the great Protestant principle–the Bible, and the Bible only, as the rule of faith and duty.… The same unswerving adherence to the Word of God manifested at that crisis of the Reformation, is the only hope of reform today.” –Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 204, 205.

It would not have been necessary for the Lord to call the Adventist Church (the Laodicean period) if the Protestant movement from the period of Philadelphia had accepted all the Biblical truths that were preached at the beginning of the 19th century, truths that Luther didn’t preach, simply because he didn’t know. He was God’s instrument to introduce a Reformation that was adequate for his time, but there were deeper truths that needed to come to light in later times.

“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines, and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority–not one or all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.” –The Great Controversy, p. 595.

The church in East Europe: Participants at a youth seminar in Rumania listen to Brother Pablo Hunger.

Preaching the truth

The word “pillar” that appears in 1 Timothy 3:15 alludes not just to a pillar that supports a structure but also to the pillars erected in public places upon which announcements were placed. The church not only keeps and defends the truth but also preaches it. God has chosen a people to proclaim and present His message of salvation to all the nations that gather in the centers and travel the highways of this world. Matthew 22:9.

The three angels’ messages should be made known in this time. Let us carefully read the following quotations from the Spirit of Prophecy. “The word of truth, ‘It is written,’ is the gospel we are to preach.…

“The church of Christ on earth was organized for missionary purposes, and the Lord desires to see the entire church devising ways and means whereby high and low, rich and poor, may hear the message of truth. Not all are called to personal labor in foreign fields, but all can do something by their prayers and their gifts to aid the missionary work.” –Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 19, 29.

“Books containing the precious light of present truth are lying on the shelves of our publishing houses. These should be circulated. Canvassers are needed who will enter our large cities with these books. As they go from house to house, they will find souls who are hungry for the bread of life, to whom they can speak words in season. Canvassers are needed who feel a burden for souls. You may say, ‘I am not a minister. I cannot preach to the people.’ No, you may not be able to preach; but you can minister, you can ask those you meet if they love the Lord Jesus. You can be an evangelist. You can be God’s helping hand, working as did the disciples when Christ sent them forth. Young men, young women, you are called by the Master to take up His work.” –Ellen G. White, Colporteur Ministry, pp. 23, 24.

“Every follower of Jesus has a work to do as a missionary for Christ, in the family, in the neighborhood, in the town or city where he lives. All who are consecrated to God are channels of light. God makes them instruments of righteousness to communicate to others the light of truth.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 632.

“Not upon the ordained minister only, rests the responsibility of going forth to fulfil this commission. Every one who has received Christ is called to work for the salvation of his fellow men.” –Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 110.

“A great work is to be accomplished in setting before men the saving truths of the gospel. This is the means ordained by God to stem the tide of moral corruption. This is His means of restoring His moral image in man. It is His remedy for universal disorganization. It is the power that draws men together in unity. To present these truths is the work of the third angel’s message. The Lord designs that the presentation of this message shall be the highest, greatest work carried on in the world at this time.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 11.

“Every person, upon becoming a member of the church, pledges himself to be a representative of Christ by living out the truth he professes. The followers of Christ should carry forward the work which He left for them to do when He ascended into heaven.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 464.

We could fill page after page with quotations such as these, in which we are invited to proclaim to the world the truths of the One who has called us from darkness into His marvelous light. We can make a summary following the sequence of the above quotations to help us focus on the most important concepts:

1.	We should preach the truth–”It is written”
2.	The church was organized by Jesus for missionary purposes
	•	It should develop ways and means to reach all classes
	•	All can help through their prayers and offerings
3.	There are various methods established by heaven for doing missionary work
	•	Canvassing–occasional and full time
	•	Personal evangelism in the family, neighborhood, town, or city where one lives
4.	The entire church should fulfill Christ’s commission to go and preach
5.	The preaching of the truth benefits the world
	•	By restraining the wave of moral corruption
	•	By restoring the moral image in man
	•	By correcting universal confusion
	•	By uniting the people
6.	The truth should be believed and lived

Living the truth

The church in Europe: A spiritual feast was enjoyed by the participants at the Austrian Field Conference, held in Klagenfurt in June.

When the famous charismatic leader Gandhi was asked why he was not a Christian, he answered: “Because of the Christians.” Without trying to justify his answer but seeking to understand his meaning, we can say that the truth is worthless if we do not live it. Unfortunately, the Christians he was acquainted with did not give a good testimony. A famous proverb says: “A road to a beautiful place is useless if we do not use it.” The Lord Jesus Christ said: “And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” “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.” Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21.

Is it easy to live the truth? No; we don’t want to try to fool anyone. It is impossible to live the truth if we want to accomplish this wonderful purpose by ourselves. There is not one human being in this world, no matter how intelligent, rich, or capable he is, who inherently has even a tiny bit of spiritual power that will make him able to reach the level of the divine precepts. “…Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. “He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin.” –Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 59.

When we look to ourselves, we can say as did Paul: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24. “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah 1:6. “There is no one, however earnestly he may be striving to do his best, who can say, ‘I have no sin.’ He who would say this would be under a dangerous deception. ‘If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us’ (1 John 1:8).” –The Upward Look, p. 53.

This is our picture! But we don’t need to despair; Heaven has provided everything necessary for you and me to receive pardon for our sins in Christ and power from His Spirit to live the truth. Ephesians 1:1-7; 1 John 2:1, 2; Hebrews 4:14-16; Philippians 4:13; Jude 24. “It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.” –Steps to Christ, p. 60.

“How then can we escape the charge, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting’? We are to look to Christ. At infinite cost, He has covenanted to be our representative in the heavenly courts, our Advocate before God.” –The Upward Look, p. 53. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.” John 14:15, 16.

“When it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit.” –Selected Messages, vol. 1, p. 382.

“When we trust God fully, when we rely upon the merits of Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour, we shall receive all the help that we can desire. Let none look to self, as though they had power to save themselves. Jesus died for us because we were helpless to do this. In Him is our hope, our justification, our righteousness. When we see our sinfulness we should not despond and fear that we have no Saviour, or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very time He is inviting us to come to Him in our helplessness and be saved.” –Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 432.

Let us look to Him who is almighty, full of love for His children, and ready to give us all things. Let’s not lose time lamenting, nor in things about which we can do nothing, nor searching, like detectives, for our neighbor’s mistakes. Let us look to Jesus and live; “…it is by beholding that we become changed.” –Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 441.

–José Vicente Giner, Spain

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(1)	“The Sanhedrin had rejected Christ’s message and was bent upon His death; therefore Jesus departed from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the religious leaders, the people who had been instructed in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim His message, and to gather out those who should carry the gospel to all nations. “As the light and life of men was rejected by the ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it has been rejected in every succeeding generation. Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal from Judea has been repeated. When the Reformers preached the word of God, they had no thought of separating themselves from the established church; but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light, and those that bore it were forced to seek another class, who were longing for the truth. In our day few of the professed followers of the Reformers are actuated by their spirit. Few are listening for the voice of God, and ready to accept truth in whatever guise it may be presented. Often those who follow in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn away from the churches they love, in order to declare the plain teaching of the word of God. And many times those who are seeking for light are by the same teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers, that they may render obedience.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 232.

(2)	On an occasion when I visited the city of Worms, Germany, with other brethren, we were able to see the following inscription on the front of the Church of the Trinity (Dreifaltigkeitskirche): “ ‘Since your most serene majesty and your high mightinesses require from me a clear, simple, and precise answer, I will give you one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the councils, because it is clear as the day that they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.’ “ –The Great Controversy, p. 160. This inscription is in German and is the answer that Martin Luther gave on April 18, 1521, before the emperor and the Diet.

“The church has, with open hand and heart, come forward to the work hitherto, and she will do it yet. We have confidence in her integrity, and she will not be the poorer for the multitude and costliness of her gifts. The offerings of the church have in many instances been more numerous than her prayers. The missionary movement is far in advance of the missionary spirit. Earnest prayers have not followed the workers, like sharp sickles, into the harvest field. It is true that there is an interest to see success attend the efforts to unfurl the banner of truth in foreign lands; but there has been a lack of heartfelt sympathy with laborers, a lack of real burden of soul, that the means invested may do its work.… Let every one who gives his means, also send up his prayers daily that it may bring souls to the foot of the cross. And in every church, once a week at least, let there be a season set apart for praying for this work. Let all be united, not mingling in their petitions other wants, such as blessings for the sick and needy, but having a specific object for their faith and entreaties. Brethren, move high heaven by your prayers for God to work with the efforts of His servants. The Lord has agencies which He will put in operation in answer to the importunate prayers of faith.” –Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, October 12, 1886.