Answer to the condition of the church

We had a bewildering period in our church before. The Alpha apostasy. A period when men brought in their own human opinions. When the appearance of the church was of more interest then proclaiming the true message of God's love, obedience, righteousness and judgment. Read Omega II - God’s Church at the brink by Lewis R. Walton. We were told that a Omega apostasy would come.

Page 207. What must one do when the last tempests break out? Should individual Adventists feel concerned enough to act? And if that is the case, how do they act? Sister White prayed for help for a condition of physical pain. The relief came, but with it a message for the Church, that stated what ought to be done when the truth is endangered. That message can be found in Special Testimonies, Series B, Nr. 2, beginning at page 5. This should be read by every Seventh Day Adventist.

Page 208. She begins with the Revival call from Isaiah 58, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Then she gives a striking earnest advice as to what should be done when apostasies overwhelm and threaten the Adventist truth.

"In His work on earth, Christ saw how by neglecting God's commandments with respect to righteousness and the true doctrines, evil is almost indistinguishable from truth. He saw time and times again the misleading power of Satan, and saw that the wrong of the workers of iniquity should be arrested .... Should we be silent out of fear from hurting their feelings?"

Page 209. “Angels of God which excel in power, wait for us to call on to them for help, that our faith should not be overshadowed by the ferocity of the conflict ... My message to you is this: Do not longer listen without protesting to the perversions of the truth.” What should Adventists do when they feel concerned over the welfare of the church they love? The most fundamental rule of all is, stay in the church!

Page 211 “Weakened and depraved, constantly in need of exhortations and counsel. Despite all of that the church is still the object of Christ's unfaltering attention.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol; 7, p. 16. We should bring forth our concerns to the attention of the leaders in a kind and Christian manner. If we hold back from speaking, how can they know what we are thinking?

At last, we can be in distress from time to time, when principles are at stake and our concerns for the good case is swept away in the midst of the tempest. At that moment we have the most powerful provision: intercessory prayer.

When He looked at the negligent church, Daniel did the one thing what was left to do: He kept himself busy with intercessory prayer. In stead of being full of self-righteous praise, he identified himself with the sinful church. Here we see that only by that intermediate position, he finally got the key to the 2300 year day prophesy from the angel Gabriel. Intercessory prayer, Ezekiel 9 writes about how God's faithful people were occupied in a state of prayer in a time of great apostasy and danger. And this makes the difference between those who are sealed and those who are not.

Stay in the church. Let the brethren know - patiently and in a Christian manner - that you feel concerned. Pray for the church you love and keep on sustaining her with your attendance, your time and your means.

(Sister Lecomte, Belgium)