And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:16.
Dear Sister Mary: While I have been writing out what has been shown me in vision while at Roosevelt [New York] in regard to individual cases, your case has come in order, and I will try to write you how you were presented before me. I was shown that you are not standing in the light and favor of God, but are too mixed up with the world; that your love for your Sabbathkeeping brethren and sisters … is growing cold….
Your influence of late has not been in union with the Spirit and work of God, and you are not going forward but backward. The opinions of unbelievers are having too great an influence upon your mind…. There is a work to be accomplished for you. You must possess deep humility of soul, and war against self and an unyielding will, or you will certainly be ensnared by the enemy.
Some who love to hear and tell some new thing have grieved you, have injured you, and you have in your mind censured those who did not deserve censure, and [have] been suspicious of those whom you could safely trust. When you take the position you should, then your heart will be strongly knit with your brethren and sisters, and their hearts will be knit with yours, but you have been weaning yourself from your brethren and the cause exists in yourself. You are not willing to be led and instructed. Darkness and clouds are gathering over you. Satan desires you that he may sift you as wheat….
God calls His church to be more separate from the world in their dress than you have thought. God is constantly instructing His people to flee from pride of appearance, from love of self, but you are working directly against the Spirit of God in this matter, hence you are walking in darkness and place yourself upon the battlefield of the enemy.
I saw that God loves you. The Good Shepherd has tenderly cared for you and preserved you amid your afflictions and sufferings of mind; yet you must yield your will and judgment, and be willing to be taught. None—no, not one—can go alone to heaven. God has a people whom He is leading, guiding, and instructing. They must be subject one to another. If one undertakes to go alone, independently, to heaven he will find he has chosen the … path that will not lead him to life.
Dear Mary, I love you. I have tried to write this matter as it was presented to me. May you see it as it is, is my prayer, and make sure and thorough work for eternity. From your sister, (signed) Ellen G. White—Letter 19, October 13, 1861, to a young Christian.
The Upward Look p.300
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Prayer Requests
—-My fiancé’ has been in hospital, then caught flu there, he is very ill. Stephanie
—-Please pray that God will take complete control of David’s life. Buck
—-Keep in prayer a local fair that’s going on in a particular city ….an Adventist booth is there with thousands of SDA books and literature to give away for FREE. The number of attendees may be down this year due to the pandemic, however, lets pray that God’s literature and books are not passed by as many from the area are still expected to attend. Monica
—-One of our elders at church has had a stroke and is on a ventilator. Please keep him and his family in prayers. He is much needed by all here. Ann
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in North Carolina, I worked at an assisted living center. Mary was my co-worker on the afternoon shift. We enjoyed working together and had many good conversations. Mary often talked about sending money to a tele-evangelist. She didn’t make much money, but she gladly gave to this man. I didn’t know much about him, but I had seen him on TV a few times. I had noticed that he didn’t really preach the gospel but only talked about and begged for money.
Around Christmastime, Ron’s folks took us to see this man’s “theme park” (for lack of a better word). Millions of Christmas lights decorated the trees and fences. Various displays were placed here and there along the way. I cannot even begin to describe the luxury of the buildings. The foyer of the main building rivaled any grand hotel with glass elevators going up and down between the many floors. Gold was splashed everywhere, someone was playing a grand piano, and people were coming and going or lounging around in that luxurious setting. To the side was a promenade of shops that rivaled Disney World. The ceiling was especially fascinating as it looked like the sky with puffy clouds that actually moved like time-lapse photography. As we walked around outside, we saw the many houses and apartments of their timeshare scam and even rides and a waterslide. Ron and I were horrified to think of all the poor people (like am coworker) who sent their money in thinking that they were furthering the gospel but in reality they were funding his little “empire.” Eventually his empire came crashing down and he was sent to prison for his deceit. Sadly, I saw recently that he is back to his old tricks.
Jesus warned us that there would be false prophets (this includes preachers and teachers who are misrepresenting Jesus or teaching false doctrines.) in these last days. “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matt 24:11,24,25 Notice that Jesus did not say, “Don’t believe any prophets: He said not to believe the false ones. The Apostle Paul advises us, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thes 5:19-21 Here is the key—our first test—“prove all things.” How do we “prove all things?” “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20. Thus we should compare everything that the prophet says (and does) with what the Bible has to say upon that subject. To find out what God’s Holy Word says upon a certain subject having a Strong’s or Young’s Analytical Concordance is a great help. Isaiah suggests this when he tells us, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Isa 28:10
Another test of a prophet is whether the prophet’s predictions come to pass—-all of their predictions, not just some of them. “When the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.” Jeremiah 28:9. However, we must remember that we have an adversary, who is walking about seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) He also has his prophets—the false prophets that Jesus warns us about. These prophets try to deceive us. God warns us in the book of Deuteronomy, “If
there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut 13:1-3 Again, He tells us, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” Deut 18:22
The loving disciple, John, gives yet another test of a prophet. “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” 1 John 4:2. Often, false teachings are promoted about the incarnation of Christ that spiritualize away this great mystery. Many times they deny the pre-existence of the Son of God before his birth or say that after Mary’s baby was born, God’s Spirit came into Him in a special way. Some of these false prophets say that Jesus’ nature was not like ours and that it was impossible for Him to have sinned. These teachers are to be avoided.
Jesus gives us another way that we can tell whether or not He is speaking through an individual. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20. Does the prophet keep all of the commandments of God? Do they teach their followers to do so? There have been many prophets and preachers in the past years that at first glance seem to be living holy lives, but eventually it has been revealed that they were committing adultery or stealing the money that their followers gave them for spreading the gospel. Does the prophet truly have love for others or is he using religion to further his own agenda? Sadly, many precious souls have been turned away from their Dear Saviour because of these so-called prophets and teachers. The blood of these precious ones will be upon these false prophets’ heads.
May we test everything we hear, everything that we read by Isaiah’s test, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa 8:20 May we cling tightly to the Bible as our rule of faith and practice. May we daily pray for the Heavenly Eyesalve that we may discern truth from error for the evil one has many teaching and preaching that which will lead us down the wrong path.
Rose