Gospel Workers Ministry

November / December 2004

"The work which the church has failed to do in a time of peack and prosperity she will have to do in a terrible crisis under most discouraging, forbidding circumstances. . . The members of the church will individually be tested and proved. They will be placed in circumstances where they will be forced to bear witness for the truth." 5T 563

If you are like me, there is a part of you that would welcome a time of crisis that would awaken God's church from its lethargic condition to become more actively involved in seeing souls saved in God's kingdom. But at the same time we know that it would be much better to have a burden to see a finished work before a crisis like that mentioned above develops. But knowing how the lower nature loves to procrastinate, I'm fairly certain that this work will be accomplished through force.

You may not think so, but I really am an optimist, however, I’m a realist as well.  This is not to say that all of us are studying our selfish ease.  There are some who are being spent for God’s cause, but the numbers are far too few.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God’s people would work during a non-crisis like they will during a crisis?

A little over a month ago I broke my left arm just under the ball of my shoulder socket.  For those of you who know anatomy it was the top of my humerus.  I was coming down a flight of steep and rather narrow stairs at home when I slipped and fell hard on my elbow, pushing up on my shoulder.  As soon as I made contact with the floor I knew that I had done something serious to myself.  I was immediately in a crisis mode.  All of a sudden it didn’t matter what my plans were for the day.  Everything else must take a back seat.  The crisis at hand must take the priority and immediately action must be taken.

As we think about the coming crisis, we tend to forget that there is a crisis going on right now.  Today multitudes are daily transgressing God’s law, and we know that these souls cannot be saved in transgression.  Yet we seem to have more interest in our jobs, our houses, our dress, and furnishing our own tables than in the souls of men and women that we must meet face to face in the judgment.

Day after day people are perishing out of Christ and we fail to see this as a crisis!  Don’t you think it’s time that we all get into a crisis mode?  Shouldn’t the less important things be put on the back burner to simmer for awhile and take some time to seek and save that which is lost?

As my wife drove me down our bumpy mountain road to the emergency room, I felt the jarring effects of every pothole and boulder as we made our way, but I knew where I needed to go to get help.  And you know friends, life is full of potholes and boulders, and there are many who are in excruciating pain as they travel down the road, and the real tragedy is, most don’t know how to get to the emergency room where the great Physician can bind up their wounds.

Could it be that we don’t know the way to the emergency room ourselves?  Is that the reason we must wait for a terrible crisis to come, and even then be forced to bear witness to the truth?

O brothers and sisters, let’s get with God’s program while we are still in a time of relative peace and prosperity!  We know a storm is coming that is relentless is its fury.  Let’s work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work.  

Life Incidents in Connection With the Great Advent Movement

The cause of the fall of Babylon is said to be because she “made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  Her fornication was her unlawful connection with the kings of the earth.  The wine of this is that with which the church has intoxicated the nations of the earth.  There is but one thing to which this can refer, and that is, false doctrine.  This harlot, in consequence of her unlawful union with the powers of earth, has corrupted the pure truths of the Bible, and with the wine of her false doctrine has intoxicated the nations.  As a few of the gross errors which she has caused the masses to receive as Bible truth, we mention the following: 1. That the soul is immortal.  2. That sprinkling and pouring are baptism.  3. That Sunday is the Sabbath.  4. That there are to be a thousand years of peace and prosperity before the coming of the Lord.  5.  That the saints’ inheritance is not the earth made new, but an immaterial, intangible region beyond the bounds of time and space.  6. That the second advent is to be understood spiritually, and that it took place at the destruction of Jerusalem, or that it takes place at conversion or at death.  7.  That it is right and scriptural to hold human beings in bondage; and  8. That it is of no consequence, if we may judge from their practice, to come out and be separate from the world.  Most of these pernicious errors Protestant sects have drawn from the Romish mother, and others they have themselves originated, showing conclusively that they are but the daughters of the great apostasy.

We have seen that Babylon is composed of several divisions; and we know that the name of the whole is frequently applied to any one of its parts.  Hence the name Babylon may be applied to any one of these divisions.  Consequently when it is announced that Babylon is fallen, it is not necessary to understand that as a whole it experienced a moral change for the worse.  It would be true if such change took place in any one of its great branches.  The cry, Babylon is fallen, being given subsequent to the first message, is evidence that the fall took place at that time.

The truths connected with the proclamation of the first angel were calculated to correct many of the fundamental errors of Babylon, and open the way for the reception of the whole truth in place of her false doctrines.  That these errors were honestly held by the different churches, is not to be questioned.  But after light has been given to a person sufficient to enable him to discard an error, he becomes guilty for longer retaining it.  So when Babylon, through the proclamation of the first message, was called upon to correct her errors, and redeem her influence over the people, and refused to do so, she then became guilty of willfully refusing the truth, and making the nations intoxicated with her false teaching.   Just as the people of God when they are called out after her fall, become guilty by longer retaining their connection with her.  Hence the proclamation of the fall of Babylon comes in after the first message, stating the consequence of her rejection of that message.  That message has already been located in the present generation; and Rev. xviii shows that Babylon’s fall must take place in the last days, as it is just previous to her final destruction. But as we look over apostate Christendom, we see that the Romish and Greek churches are no more corrupt, either in doctrine or practice, than they have been for ages past.  No marked change for the worse has taken place in those bodies within the present generation, nor is there scarcely room for them to become worse than they have already for centuries been.  We therefore look to the religious bodies composing the great Protestant family for the fulfillment of the announcement made in the second message, especially in our own country, where the first message was more definitely proclaimed.  The inquiry now arises, has there been any moral declension in these bodies within the memory of the generation now living?  Did any such change take place with them about the time of the first message, and have they since been filling up their cup of iniquity, as represented in Rev. xviii?  If so, we have the place for an unmistakable application of the second message.

But that we may not seem to judge these denominations ourselves, as we might be accused of not rendering impartial judgment, we will let their own members speak, and on their testimony will let the question rest.  To show that we are not alone in ranking the popular Protestant sects as a part of Babylon, we offer the following.  If they themselves claim it, we are not disposed to dispute it.

Mr. William Kinkade, in his “Bible Doctrine,” p. 294, says:

“I also think Christ has a true church on earth, but its members are scattered among the various denominations, and are all more or less under the influence of Mystery Babylon and her daughters.”

Mr. Hopkins, in a treatise on the millennium, says:

“There is no reason to consider the antichristian spirit and practices confined to that which is now called the Church of Rome.  The Protestant churches have much of antichrist in them, and are far from being wholly reformed from her corruptions and wickedness.”

Mr. Simpson, in his “Plea for Religion,” says:

“For though the Pope and Church of Rome is at the head of the grand 1260 years’ delusion, yet all other churches, of whatever denomination, whether established or tolerated, which partake of the same spirit, or have instituted doctrines or ceremonies inimical to the pure and unadulterated gospel of Christ, shall sooner or later share in the fate of that immense fabric of human ordinances; and that Protestant churches should imitate the Church of Rome, in this worst part of its conduct, can never be sufficiently bewailed.”

—to be continued 

From the Editor's Desk

Potpourri

We will keep you updated with more information in our next newsletter as the project should be done then.  We will also explain more fully how you can get started in this exciting witnessing program.

    Adding these natural remedies to the doctor’s regimen has helped him to be a week or two ahead of schedule for mobility.

We have three young men in the Texas prison system who are looking for pen pals—you will read letters from a couple of them below.  If anyone, preferably male, would be interested in corresponding with these men to give them a little encouragement from the outside world, let us know.

Several new countries have visited our web site since our last newsletter. Venezuela, European Union, Ireland, India, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Jamaica.

Dear Ministry, May God Bless You Always Jack & Cindy,
    While setting here in this sinful cell, I am working on the lesson plan that you sent to me. I really didn’t intend on doing it but something in my heart lead me to do it. So I say that it’s a good thing and it couldn’t & wouldn’t hurt me in the first place.
    Well, as you know my name is CH.  I am African American, I stand 6’ 5½” tall.  I am 27 years old, my birthday is March 8, 1977.  So I guess you can say that I’m pretty blessed not to mention my life has been rough, but I won’t give Satan full defeat over me, but for the most I’m in prison especially in my mind but I know that Jesus loves me no matter what I do.  I want to open up to you guys and tell you what’ up with me, because I’m dealing with a lot of issues in my life and sometimes it gets too rough to deal with, but let us get better acquainted with each other. In other words, let’s build trust J.  I only have 7 months left to do and I plan on getting into a church and choir to sing because I love gospel music.  It makes me feel good J.
    Sincerely,                  CH, New Mexico

P.S. Please pray for me, I need it.  Thank you.

Gospel Workers Ministry
    I would like to thank you for taking the time to work with me through these lessons.  I would like to let you know that I should be going home sometime this week, I’m praying tomorrow which is Nov. 1^st.  If possible please send more lessons to my home address with envelope.  I will provide my own stamp.  Only if possible with my return home I take home a lot more faith which I never had before.  I’ve had a year and a half that I’ve been studying the Bible.  A lot I don’t understand but in time it will come to me.   I know I will put the Lord before me, something I’ve never done. Once again I would like to thank you for your time and your blessings.
    Always,                  AG, Texas

Dear Jack and Cindy
    Thanks for writing back.  I was glad to get the study.  Here are my first answers.  I’ll try to not take up too much of your time.  I figure you’re pretty busy.  I hope you do find me a pen pal.  I’ll write to most anyone.  But I would kinda like to find some who likes to talk about out door things like fishing.  I have always wanted to visit your state, but I won’t ever get to.  I still like to hear about how the country looks, you know, out doors J.
    Thanks                          EH,  Texas

P.S.  My friend wants to start a study as well, he helped me with this one.

--A second letter from EH

Dear Jack and Cindy,
    I got your letter and study.  Thanks a lot.  My friend R got his first study and has already sent it off.  He was very happy to get it.  It’s a lot of fun doing these studies, I never knew it was like this or I would have tried it a lot sooner.
    Oh yeah, thanks for putting me in your next newsletter in search of pen pals.  Well, I’ll let you go.  God Bless you both.  You have already made a big difference in my life and ways of thinking.
     Your friend,      EH  Texas

    Thank you for enrolling me in this Bible study.  I look forward to future lessons and the learning I will get from working through this series.
    I am curious though.  Could you share with me, your affiliation (doctrine) and possibly some of the beliefs that your ministry bases your teachings on.  I do not mean to sound critical or judgmental, only that I am honestly seeking the truth in my studies and it helps to know how and why someone believes.  Maybe a sort of asking the teacher not only what, but how, why, when and where; so that I can not just learn the lesson but how to apply it to myself and others more correctly. [Ed note:  We sent him a Bible Readings for the Home Circle.]
    Also EH told me that you may possibly know of someone who would care to write and share their time and knowledge with a prisoner.  I can not correspond with only prisons or inmates (Texas rules), but would enjoy the exchange of information, ideas and other items of interest with almost anyone.  My special interests are in knowing more of what is out there in the world and how it will be in a few years when I am released.
    I am 56  years old, country raised, but lived in medium to large cities for about 25 years.  I enjoy reading, studying (both Bible and my college classes), rodeo and farm related topics.  I would have no preference as to age or gender of a correspondent.  Any age person can teach and learn from another.  The main thing is that our contacts “dry up” as time goes by and family and friends either drift away or forget.  I will answer as often as I’m able to letters—occasionally it takes a couple of weeks to get stamps and for envelopes but I will answer.
   Thanks again for the Bible study.  I look forward to many happy hours with that and hope you run across someone who wants to share their time via mail.
    Until next time – God Bless always.              RB, Texas

We send out a free monthly sermon cassette around the first of each month.

If you have not been receiving it but would like to, please let us know and we would be glad to add you to the list.   For the next several months we will be sending out a series on the sanctuary and how it correlates with the three angels’ messages—don’t miss it!

In His Service,

Jack and Cindy Jones

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