The Battle
Inchelium SDA Church—Tony Evert—February 16, 2018
A. Christian Service, p. 81.
- “Not one in a hundred among us is doing anything beyond engaging in common, worldly enterprises. We are not half awake to the worth of the souls for whom Christ died.”
B. Christian Service, p. 81.
- “If the followers of Christ were awake to duty, there would be thousands where there is one today, proclaiming the gospel in heathen lands. And all who could not personally engage in the work, would yet sustain it with their means, their sympathy, and their prayers. And there would be far more earnest labor for souls in Christian countries.”
C. Review & Herald, Sept. 11, 1913.
- “So it is in the army of Prince Immanuel. Our General, who has never lost a battle, expects willing, faithful service from every one who has enlisted under his banner.”
- “In the closing controversy now waging between the forces for good and the hosts of evil, he expects all, laymen as well as ministers, to take part. All who have enlisted as his soldiers are to render faithful service as minutemen, with a keen sense of the responsibility resting upon them individually.”
D. Signs of the Times, Nov 20, 1884.
- “To every one Jesus has left a work to do, there is no one who can plead that he is excused. Every Christian is to be a worker with Christ. . . . Jesus carries his hearers forward to the general Judgment, when every man’s case will be decided according to his faithfulness in the work left for him to do. Men are justified by faith, but judged and rewarded according to their works.”
E. Signs of the Times, May 5, 1881.
- “God’s displeasure rests upon those who seek only their own ease and temporal prosperity, leaving their brethren to endure hardship and privation and to bear heavy responsibilities in the church. . . . All who claim to be children of God must be armed for the battle. God has not left this warfare upon a few soldiers, while the others rest at ease. Said the great apostle, to his Corinthian brethren, “I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened.” All who profess any interest in the cause of God, the advancement of truth, and the conversion of sinners, should be soldiers in the Lord’s army. They should have one interest, one motive, one object, as long as life shall last. The great reason why so little is accomplished in the cause of God is indolence and indifference of his professed people.”
F. Signs of the Times, April 21, 1881.
- “It is not enough that we have not blotted the page of life with revolting crimes; unless the record bears witness of noble deeds, of self‐denying efforts to save not only our own souls but the souls of others, we shall be found wanting.”
G. Jeremiah 18:7‐10.
- “If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey Me, I will not bless it as I said I would.” (NLT)
H. Last Day Events, p. 38.
- “It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.”
I. John 14:3.
- “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
J. Matthew 24:14.
- “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
K. Maranatha, p. 61.
- “God had committed to His people a work to be accomplished on earth. The third angel’s message was to be given, the minds of believers were to be directed to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ had entered to make atonement for His people. The Sabbath reform was to be carried forward. The breach in the law of God must be made up. The message must be proclaimed with a loud voice, that all the inhabitants of earth might receive the warning. The people of God must purify their souls through obedience to the truth, and be prepared to stand without fault before Him at His coming.”
- “Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, . . .the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward.”
- “But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment . . . the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness. . . .”
- “It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord’s professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years.”
L. Review and Herald, Sept. 11, 1913.
- “The work of God in this earth can never be finished.”
M. Review and Herald, Sept. 11, 1913.
- “The work of God in this earth can never be finished until the men and women comprising our membership rally to the work, and unite their efforts with those of ministers and church officers.”
N. God’s Amazing Grace, p. 348.
- “Jesus said, ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations’. His kingdom will not come until the good tidings of His grace have been carried to all the earth. Hence, as we give ourselves to God, and win other souls to Him, we hasten the coming of His Kingdom. Only those who devote themselves to His service . . . pray in sincerity, ‘Thy kingdom come.’”
O. 2 Peter 3:12.
- 2 Peter 3:12: “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (NKJV)
P. Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69
- “It is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.”
Q. God’s Amazing Grace, p. 353
- “By giving the gospel to the world, it is in our power to hasten the coming of the day of God. . . . Living power must attend the message of Christ’s second appearing. We must not rest until we see many souls converted to the blessed hope of the Lord’s return. In the days of the apostles.” {AG 353.4}
R. Steps to Christ, p. 81
- “The obligation rests upon all Christians. Everyone, to the extent of his talent and opportunity, is to fulfill the Saviour’s commission.”
S. The Steps to Christ
1 Realize God’s Love
2 Realize My Need
3 Repent
4 Confess
5 100% Commitment
6 Faith
7 Test
8 Connect to Christ
9 Unselfishness / Witness
10 Knowledge of God11 Prayer
12 Removing Doubts 13 Joy
T. Acts 1:8.
- “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (NKJV)
U. Redemption Vol 6, p. 58.
- “Here is a lesson to all who have a message of truth to give to the world: Their own hearts must first be imbued with the Spirit of God, and their labors should commence at home; their families should have the benefit of their influence; and the transforming power of the Spirit of God should be demonstrated in their own homes by a well‐disciplined family. Then the circle should widen; the whole neighborhood should perceive the interest felt for their salvation, and the light of truth should be faithfully presented to them; for their salvation is of as much importance as that of persons at a distance. From the immediate neighborhood, and adjoining cities and towns, the circle of the labors of God’s servants should widen, till the message of truth is given to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
V. Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 46.
- “Heavenly angels have long been waiting for human agents—the members of the church—to co‐operate with them in the great work to be done. They are waiting for you. So vast is the field, so comprehensive the design, that every sanctified heart will be pressed into service as an instrument of divine power.”