Worldly Christians by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 9, 1902

Worldly Christians

By Editor

Editorial

Worldly Christians

DID you ever hear of black whiteness? Such a use of words seems like a contradiction of terms. Is it not really just as much of a contradiction to talk about worldly Christians? A Christian is a follower of Christ. A worldly man is one who loves the world. But “if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” “He that is not with me is against me.” “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

“True-hearted, whole-hearted, Saviour all glorious! Take thy great power and reign there alone, Over our wills and affections victorious, Freely surrendered and wholly thine own.”

The Second Time

THE coming of the Lord is the subject of many prophecies. It may perhaps be correct to say that it is the one subject of the prophecies. This inference seems to be a natural one from the words of the martyr Stephen when he saw the purpose of his hearers: “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One.” This is more directly stated by the apostle Peter in his talk with the people who gathered about him after he had healed the lame man: “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.” The constant and all-absorbing theme of the prophets was the coming of the Lord, but they did not, in direct terms, distinguish between a first and a second coming. They spoke of events which we can now see clearly involve a manifestation of himself in the world as a sacrifice for sin, with his glory veiled in sinful flesh, and another manifestation of himself to gather his people, a coming “with power and great glory.” But after he had appeared once in the world, and had returned to the Father, the direct promise is made that “unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” It is for this second appearing that we look in this generation. He has visited this world once. He was rejected by his own people, and was put to death. He “was raised up from the dead by the glory of God the Father.” To the apostles whom he had chosen “he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs,” and “he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once.” While blessing his disciples, “he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” It is now more than eighteen centuries since he said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself.” Our faith rests upon his sure word of promise. He will come the second time. Signs manifested and prophecies fulfilled and fulfilling show that the second appearing is near at hand. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Arise and Build

ESPECIALLY applicable to our situation seem the words of Nehemiah as he saw how much was to be done to carry out “the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” After he had been out by night and secretly “viewed the wall,” he said to the people, “Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.” Those who heard this call to action responded by saying, “Let us rise up and build.” And the record further states, “So they strengthened their hands for this good work.” All this experience is an object lesson for us. It is our work to build up Jerusalem in this time, just as much as it was their work in that time. Then, they built a dead temple and a dead wall with dead material. Now, we are to build a living temple with living material. They built for time. We build for eternity. The building of the temple now is to be accomplished by preaching the gospel of the kingdom to all the world. This is made clear by the words of James at the conference at Jerusalem: “Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” In Nehemiah’s time there was a reproach in the fact that Jerusalem was lying desolate and not built up again. In our day there is a reproach upon the name and truth of God because of the long delay in preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. The scoffers say, “Where is the promise of his coming?” and the evil servant says, “My lord delayeth his coming.” The call of the hour is for consecrated service in giving this message to all the world, “that we be no more a reproach.” “Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem.”

Organizing for Service

THE work of reorganization which was begun at the last General Conference has been going steadily forward since that time. The purpose of this movement is not merely to make some changes in the outward forms of administration, but rather to open the way for the greatest possible efficiency in the actual work of giving the gospel message in this generation. During the recent meetings and councils in Europe some of the large European fields have been subdivided, and organized into smaller conferences and mission fields. In the United States a new union conference has been formed by readjusting the territory of the Northwestern and the Southwestern Union Conferences, so that we now have seven union conferences in this country, instead of six. Some of the large State conferences have also been divided, the latest instance being that of Michigan, where there are now three conferences and a mission field in the place of one unwieldy conference. There are at least two distinct advantages in following this plan: the burden of administration is shared by a larger number, and there is a much better opportunity to rally the people for service. Every believer of the truth ought to be a worker for the truth, and there is great need now that all the people be organized

for service. The hope of this movement, humanly speaking, lies in a united, well-directed effort in which every individual shall have a part. The idea that the work of advancing the interests of the kingdom of God in the earth has been intrusted to a few persons of a special class is a legacy of the papacy. To every one who is “in Christ,” and therefore “a new creature,” is given “the ministry of reconciliation.” To every man is given his work. The whole purpose of an outward organization is that as many as possible may work to the greatest possible advantage. The union in which there is strength for Christian effort consists in binding all hearts to God and the truth by the power of the endless life, and not in putting all administrative power in the hands of one or a few central organizations. In dividing up the burdens and sharing the responsibilities among many there is no danger of disorganization, provided each individual is himself organized by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. In this whole work of reorganization the preparation is being made, so far as human arrangements are concerned, that a mighty work shall be done in a short time. All things are in readiness for the people to work. May God grant to the people “a mind to work.”