In a nutshell, fishbowl evangelism is a form of witnessing by placing small fishbowls full of audio cassettes with timely messages in business places with a small sign that says: “Free – Take one, Listen! Then pass it on. You will be blessed and so will they.” Check them each week and fill again or replace with a new tape—it’s that simple!
As I read the article I thought to myself that this project might be worthwhile. So the first thing I began to think about was, what kind of message would be appealing and yet not blow people completely out of the water. Then I got to thinking about the message that is to be our main focus in these last days of earth’s history—the third angel’s message of Revelation 14:9-12.
Now, in Review and Herald April 1, 1890 we are told very clearly that the third angel’s message is justification by faith in verity.
Some time ago I began contemplating what part of the third angel’s message deals with justification by faith, and as I read Revelation 14 I didn’t find it in verses 9-11, so I zeroed in on verse 12 and there it was; “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” In verses 9-11 we have a very serious warning about receiving the mark of the beast, but only in verse 12 does it tell us how to avoid it: we must become saints! And how is that done? Through justification by faith, of course.
The next logical question then is, what is justification? In Bible Commentary Vol. 6, page 1070 we are given a clear explanation: “Pardon and justification are one and the same thing.” That’s pretty simple, isn’t it? But does the Bible agree? Well, just check out what it says in Romans 3. I’ll quote verses 20, 24, and 25 so you can see that the context definitely speaks of justification by faith. “Therefore by the deeds of the law (ten commandments) there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. . . . Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;. . .”
As I was thinking about this whole concept, the thought came to my mind that the little book Steps to Christ is the one book we have that presents justification by faith in its simplicity.
So here’s what I decided to do; produce a series of short sermons covering each chapter of Steps to Christ that would be suitable for fishbowl evangelism and thirty-minute spots for radio. This is a project that we are in the midst of right now and it will take a few months to complete, but it’s happening, and we solicit your prayers. There’s editing to be done with an introduction, closing, and music to be incorporated into each message to make it complete and professional sounding; so think about how this might be a form of witnessing that you can do. Soon we’ll have a sample copy of the first sermon ready to go, and if you would like to hear how it sounds, let us know and we’ll send you one.
We’re also thinking about making this series available in tape album inserts so they can be protected and attractive to lend to someone who needs Jesus.
We all have different talents and we all need to be involved in some form of witnessing. Perhaps this is the one for you. We’ll keep you informed as things proceed.
“We are doubtless near that auspicious hour when the harvest of the earth will be reaped, as described in Rev. xiv, 14-16. The history of God’s people in this mortal state, as given in that chapter, before being glorified, is nearly complete. The everlasting gospel, as described in verses 6 and 7, has been preached unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. No case can be more clearly demonstrated with facts than that this message has been borne to every nation and tongue under heaven, within a few past years, in the preaching of the coming of Christ in 1843, or near at hand. Through the medium of lectures and publications the sound has gone into all the earth, and the word unto the ends of the world.”
But those were disappointed who expected the Lord would come in 1843 and in 1844. This fact, with many, is sufficient reason for rejecting all the testimony in the case. To them the position that the Advent movement was in fulfillment of prophecy, when at the same time those who took part in the movement were sorely disappointed, is an absurdity. We acknowledge the disappointment, but cannot acknowledge that this furnishes a just reason for denying the hand of God in that work. It is a fact that God‘s people have fulfilled prophecy, and at the same time been disappointed in their hopes. This was the case with the disciples and the shouting multitude on the occasion of our Lord meekly riding into Jerusalem, when they cried, “Hosannah to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosannah in the highest.” The prophet of God had said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zech. ix, 9. And his words must be fulfilled. That which inspired the shouts of the disciples was the expectation that their Master would then ascend to the throne of David and reign among them. But in this they were disappointed. In a few days their hopes died, as he expired upon the cross. Did they fulfill prophecy? No one will deny that they did? Were their expectations which moved them to fulfill the prophecy realized? They were utterly disappointed.
And while those were disappointed in every particular, Adventists, in 1844, were right in three of the four leading points of the Advent faith. These points were, first, the manner and object of Christ’s second advent; second, the application of the prophetic symbols of the book of Daniel; third, prophetic time; and fourth, the event to take place at the end of the prophetic periods. In respect to the first three points, the Adventists of 1844 were right. As to the fourth, they were mistaken. The angel did not tell Daniel that Christ would come at the end of the 2300 days. His words to the prophet are: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” The subject of the cleansing of the sanctuary of Dan.viii,14, is now understood, and seen to be quite another thing than the second coming of Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven, to redeem his people and destroy his enemies by the fires of the last day.
Disappointment by no means proves that God has no hand in the guidance of his people. It should lead them to correct their errors, but it should not lead them to cast away their confidence in God. It was because the children of Israel were disappointed in the wilderness that they so often denied divine guidance. They are set forth as an admonition to us, that we should not fall after the same example of unbelief.
But it must be apparent to every student of the Scriptures, that the angel who proclaims the hour of God’s Judgment, does not give the latest message of mercy. Rev. xiv, presents two other and later proclamations, before the close of human probation. This fact alone is sufficient to prove that the coming of the Lord does not take place at the close of the first angel’s proclamation.
The Second Message
“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
This angel is spoken of as the second, because the one following it is, in the language of inspiration itself, called the third. In commenting upon language so highly symbolic, the first point is to determine the meaning of the symbol introduced.
1. What, then, is the Babylon of this message? It is here simply called “that great city.” But it is elsewhere spoken of in the book of Revelation in a manner which cannot fail to lead to a correct solution of this question. In Rev. xvii, 18, this same city is called a woman. “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Now a woman is always in the Scriptures, when used as a symbol, taken to represent religious organizations, the true church being represented by a virtuous woman, as in chapter xii, and the false by a corrupt woman, as in the text before us, and many other places. Babylon is something distinct from the civil powers of the earth; for with her the kings of the earth form unlawful connections. It is the place where the people of God as a body are, for they are at a certain time called away from her communion. These considerations show that we are not to look to any literal city for the Babylon of the Apocalypse, nor to any civil powers, but to ecclesiastical or church organizations. Is, then, any particular church, to the exclusion of all others, designated by the term Babylon? It would not be consistent to suppose this; for 1. The term Babylon, from Babel, where God confounded the language of men, signifies mixture, confusion. In the sense in which we have shown it to be used in the book of Revelation, it must denote conflicting and discordant religious creeds and systems. But this would not be applicable to any one religious denomination, as each of these denominations is more or less a unit. 2. The people of God who are called out of Babylon, are not as a body connected with any single denomination. Hence we must understand by the term all the false and corrupted systems of Christianity. That the Romish and Greek churches are included in these, few will be disposed to deny; while the Protestant churches, alas! more or less identified with war, for a long time the bulwark of American slavery, fatally conformed to the world, and guilty of the long catalogue of sins charged by Paul upon professed Christians in the last days, 2 Tim. iii, 1-5, must be reckoned as a member of the family. In this branch of the family we find that mixture and confusion in the multiplicity of sects and creeds which most fitly answers to the import of the term.
2. What is the fall of Babylon? Evidently a moral fall. In Rev. xviii, 1-5, where a second and subsequent announcement of this event seems to be given, we read, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” That is, as the result of her fall she had sunk to this deplorable condition. Having fallen, her iniquities rapidly increased, her sins reached unto Heaven, and God’s people are called out. Verses 4, 5. Hence this fall is a moral one. The absurdity of applying this to Rome or any other literal city, where but few, if any, of the people of God are, and out of which they could not be called after its fall or destruction, must be very apparent. The harmony of applying it to a religious body which can apostatize and become corrupt, and from which the people of God can be subsequently called out, is equally clear, and the necessity for such an application no less evident. No other is at all admissible.
—to be continued
Words of wisdom written to John Wesley by his mother during his college days can be words of wisdom for us as well. “Would you judge in the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pleasure, take this rule: Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind—that, to you, is sin.”
Echinacea has been a staple “antibiotic” in our household for several years now. Just last week my daughter and I took a trip to see grandparents. On the road we noticed that Cammie was beginning to manifest a cold. When we arrived at our destination I had her begin taking 2 Echinacea capsules every hour. 92-year-old Grandma didn’t need to catch this cold.
The next day she continued the every-two-hour regimen with her Echinacea. The following day she was most definitely improved, but did not cease taking the Echinacea for a couple more days.
The properties in Echinacea stimulate the immune system response, increasing white blood cell production. Now you understand why it improves the body’s ability to resist infection, making it a natural antibiotic.
Quoting from Today’s Herbal Health, by Louise Tenney, M.H., pg. 71: “It (Echinacea) improves lymphatic filtration and drainage, and helps remove toxins from the blood. It is considered a nontoxic way of cleansing the body.”
Our son, Andy, had an inspiring experience recently regarding how God answers prayer. A fellow student, a Sabbath-keeping Christian young man, is an international student enrolled on a rugby scholarship.
All rugby games are played on the Sabbath hours and he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to break the Sabbath, but on the other hand, he had no other monetary means to be enrolled in school. He couldn’t just go out and get a job since he has only a student visa, not a work visa.
Andy encouraged him to take his stand and the Lord would provide a way. Then Andy prayed with him.
After the prayer the young man went to his rugby coach and then his international advisor to explain his dilemma. His international advisor said, “Let me see what I can do for you.” Two weeks later Andy received a call from a very excited young man. He told Andy how his advisor had called him to say she arranged another scholarship for him that’s not a sports scholarship.
The monetary value, you ask? Exactly the same as his sports scholarship. Andy said his friend was so excited to see how the Lord answered their prayer that he could hardly stay on the phone.
Yes, God answers the prayers of young people.
We received some nice letters from prisoners since our last newsletter—
Dear Gospel Workers,
My name is JZ and I got your address from a friend. I have been getting interested in Bible studies and wanting to get to know about God more. He said you might be able to send me a Bible study so I can learn about God. The only thing is that I have no money for postage because I don’t make any money in prison. I would greatly appreciate any help you could give me. Thank you so very much
Sincerely, JZ, Texas
[Ed. Note: We always send a self-addressed stamped envelope for them to return their lessons in.]
Dear Sir:
The reason for this letter is to let you know that I would very much [like] to receive your Bible study courses that you are offering. Please mail them to the address at the top of this letter.
Also Sir if you may, my wife is a born again Christian, and wish to do Bible studies. Please send them to her address. . . As the saying goes, the more you study, the more that is revealed to us, and the more you give of God’s word, it is food for our minds, and it is renewing many minds.
Peace be with you and yours, CH, 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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