SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE CONGREGATION OF REMNANTS

SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN THE CONGREGATION OF REMNANTS

FOREWORD

In the time when obviously and literally all prophecies fulfill concerning major waste which will among Gods people be created in the last days; when even among the Congregation to which the last warning to the world is entrusted , less and less are those who do believe that He is alive and that is a real Person who will came in this generations time to give everyone according to his own deeds, according to His will and on the basis of the Holy Script and revelations I had received, I state all important facts concerning presence of spiritual gifts specially gift of the Spirit of prophecy in order that the work of the reform which would soon, to the extent, fulfill first among the members of the SDA church, could understand and accept by all those which hearts has open for truth.

“BUT UNTO EVERY ONE OF US IS GIVEN GRACE ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE GIFT OF CHRIST.”

Ephesians 4,7.

About the presence and expression of spiritual gifts in the membership of Gods people of the last time, Holy Script and writings of the Spirit of prophecy, which are created as the results of work of the first Gods messenger inside the SDA church - Ellen G. White, give non-ambiguous testimony:

"Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4, 8-13)

"When the Savior said, 'Go teach all nations,' he said also, 'These signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.' The promise is as far-reaching as the commission. Not that all the gifts are imparted to each believer. The Spirit divides 'to every man severally as He will.' But the gifts of the Spirit are promised to every believer according to his need for the Lord's work. The promise is just as strong and trustworthy now as the days of the apostles. 'These signs shall follow them that believe.' This is the privilege of God's children..." (DA 823)

"But as the church approaches her final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater power. He comes down "having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12). For six thousand years that mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God has been wholly bent to the work of deception and ruin. And all the depths of satanic skill and subtlety acquired, all the cruelty developed, during these struggles of the ages, will be brought to bear against God's people in the final conflict. And in this time of peril the followers of Christ are to bear to the world the warning of the Lord's Second Advent; and a people are to be prepared to stand before Him at His coming, "without spot, and blameless." (2 Peter 3:14.) At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is not less needful to the church than in apostolic days. (GC, preface - E.G.W)

“In visions of the night, representations passed before me of a great reformatory movement among God's people. Many were praising God. The sick were healed, and other miracles were wrought. A spirit of intercession was seen, even as was manifested before the great Day of Pentecost. Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families and opening before them the word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side doors were thrown open to the proclamation of the truth. The world seemed to be lightened with the heavenly influence. I heard the words of praise and thanks like it was the grate reform from 1844. again.” (9T 126)

“There is to be in the churches a wonderful manifestation of the power of God, but it will not move upon those who have not humbled themselves before the Lord, and opened the door of the heart by confession and repentance. In the manifestation of that power which lightens the earth with the glory of God, they will see only something which in their blindness they think dangerous, something which will arouse their fears, and they will brace themselves to resist it. Because the Lord does not work according to their ideas and expectations, they will oppose the work. "Why," they say, "should not we know the Spirit of God, when we have been in the work so many years?"  »For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  « (RH extra 23 December 1890; Isaiah 55, 8.9.)

Jesus send us message: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11,13) "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]." "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 14,14; 16,24) Take stand and hold onto this promise. 

“TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY...”

The truth, that the law and testimony are the only true mark of His people God also reveals to us by the description of His last church, which is found in the twelfth chapter of »Revelation«, where it says: »And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. « (Revelation 12,17.)

In this chapter, which is now historical, God's Word notes the sad experience of the Christian church during the dark ages of the pope's Roman Catholicism, which lasted for 1260 years, when it had its most difficult days up till now. With the fall of popery in 1798, when the prophecies from the book of the prophet Daniel 7,24-26 and Revelation 13,3 were fulfilled, the period mentioned above had started, when – as the prophesy says – the remnant of the God's people would appear, who respects His command and holds the »testimony of Jesus Christ«.

The adherence to all God's commandments, the acceptance of the Spirit of prophecy, which the God's word calls »the testimony of Jesus« (Revelation 19,10.), appears to be the necessary condition for salvation, hence it is written that »there is no light« for those who reject it. (Isaiah 8,20 ).

»The last big deception of Satan will be his attempt to annul the influence of the testimony of the God's Spirit. 'Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.' (Proverbs 29, 18) The Satan will work cleverly, in different ways and with different tools to undermine the trusting of the remnant of God's people in the real Testimony. « (1 SM page 48 – 1890.)

The record of the whole history of Church on the pages of the Old and New Testament shows undoubtedly that the gift of the Spirit of prophecy had been almost always inseparable companion of the God's people, that God used to teach and guide His people with a firm hand, guarding it against going completely astray and against many enemies it was surrounded by »By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved. « (Hosea 12,14.) In the God's divine plan the exodus of the Israel people from Egypt is a symbol of the last exodus of His people from contemporary world order, and as Old Testaments Israel had been guided by the Prophecy Spirit, so spiritual Israel would be guided on his way to the heavenly Canaan. The God's word says about the last days: »And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.« (Joel 2, 28)

“FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY.”

Revalation 19, 10.

One of the most important texts which give description of Gods people of the last time, so called Remnants, is just the text from 12. Chapter of the book of "revelation" which almost before two thousand years, on the request of Jesus himself, was written by one of the few to Him closest Apostles: "to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John." The text reads: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the Remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 12, 17) This description uncovers two basic notions by which you can recognize Gods people of Remnants: he will keep commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

According to basic and most important teaching of the Holy Script – science about justification by faith, keeping to Gods commandments understands thorough and unconditional respect of every and each of the ten determinations which God himself uttered on the mountain of Sinai three and a half thousand years ago, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all." (James 2, 10) To the question "what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” God Jesus answered: "if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Mark 10, 17; Matthew 19, 17) Inspired by the Holy Spirit Apostle John says: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But who keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him." (1. Epistle of John 2, 4-5)

Keeping to Gods commandments is something which is much elevated and sublime than intellectual acceptance and obeying of these determinations which is seen only to by formal – outside obedience without real change of the heart and character which only God could make to be with force by which he out of no substance created everything. It is the life of living community with God in which a man, from day to day, from hour to hour, through giving out all of his being, studying of Gods Words and many prayers, acquires new knowledge about his Creator and Savior, and through endless looking into His Bright complexion experiences always greater transformation of heart and mind,  until one day he experiences thorough cleaning and purgation from every sin – complete harmony with his Lord because "the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4, 18).  The whole process of cleaning of sins is followed by consciousness about inability to acquire mercy by its own efforts and or acquire victory over any fault of character “for without me ye can do nothing” said the Lord. (John 15, 5)

As the first characteristic of "remnants", keeping commandments, relates to every member of this group, in the same manner expression "has testimony of Jesus Christ" must be used in the same way, because, as it is unambiguously concluded from this text that the whole Remnant keep to the commandments, in the same way the whole Remnant will have testimony of Jesus Christ. This literally means that every member of Gods "Remnants" of the last time will have the gift of the Spirit of prophecy "for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19, 10). This interpretation which God gave me on one occasion while I was studying this text, confirms also the prophecy from the second chapter of the book of the prophet Joel which refers to the last time: "And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit... before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come... for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the Remnant whom the Lord shall call." (Joel 2, 28-31) This well known prophecy gives proof about great overflow of the Holy Spirit at the very end of the time of mercy, compared to the falling of "late rain", or better to say afterward raining that happened before harvest in great volume and soaked grain in spike in order to reach full ripeness and readiness for the time when the harvesters will reap and pile it into the granaries. According to the same principle which Creator himself established, revealing it and confirming it in different ways among which is  this image from the well know everyday events, Holy Spirit  would at the very end of the history of sin pour out in order to enable Gods people  to reach full spiritual ripeness and maturity "unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ",(Ephesians 4,13) and at the same time accept special spiritual gifts which would enable him for the termination of great deed of preaching the Gospel.

What is characteristic for this prophecy is the fact that in it there is the emphasis of expression of only one spiritual gift - gift of the Spirit of prophecy, who will be manifested into several different ways: sons and daughters shall prophecy, old men would dream dreams, young men would see visions, servants and maids would predict (Acts 2, 18). It is important to remember the fact that the Holy Spirit will pour itself onto "all flash". Promised Gift will receive all who would keep to the Gods Commandments: old men, young men, servants and maids. There would be no restrictions, "For there is no respect of persons with God." (Romans 2, 11) Although Gods people will not lack anything also in other gifts (1 Corinthians 1-4, 7), God find it necessary to emphasize especially all presence of the prophetic gift among the Congregation of Remnants in order that anybody whose heart is open for the truth could recognize and accept the last word of warning which is entrusted to him. Presence of this spiritual gift gives the seal of heavenly authority of news which is stated because only God has the power to perceive all the times and events inside of them: "Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times [the things] that are not [yet] done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." (Isaiah 46, 9-10)