God’s Work Characterized by Calmness

I … met a man and his wife who claim to follow the Word of God and to believe the Testimonies. They have had an unusual experience during the past two or three years. They seemed to be honest-hearted people….

I told this brother and his wife that the experience through which I passed in my youth, shortly after the passing of the time in 1844, had led me to be very, very cautious about accepting anything similar to that which we then met and rebuked in the name of the Lord.

No greater harm could be done to the work of God at this time than for us to allow a spirit of fanaticism to come into our churches, accompanied by strange workings which are incorrectly supposed to be operations of the Spirit of God.

As this brother and his wife outlined their experiences, which they claim have come to them as the result of receiving the Holy Ghost with apostolic power, it seemed to be a facsimile of that which we were called to meet and correct in our early experience.

Toward the close of our interview Brother L proposed that we unite in prayer, with the thought that possibly while in prayer his wife would be exercised as they had described to me, and that then I might be able to discern whether this was of the Lord or not. To this I could not consent, because I have been instructed that when one offers to exhibit these peculiar manifestations, this is a decided evidence that it is not the work of God.

We must not permit these experiences to lead us to feel discouraged. Such experiences will come to us from time to time. Let us give no place to strange exercisings, which really take the mind away from the deep movings of the Holy Spirit. God’s work is ever characterized by calmness and dignity. We cannot afford to sanction anything that would bring in confusion and weaken our zeal in regard to the great work that God has given us to do in the world to prepare for the second coming of Christ.—Selected Messages 2:41, 42.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 331
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—-Please continue to pray for E and her children. R
—- Pastor Evans asked for prayer for Ileen’s sister. Her sister’s son was killed yesterday. He was 47.Lift up our Pastor and also Ileen’s sister.
—-Asking prayers for the family’s of the 3 UVA football players killed Sunday. One of the players, Devin Chandler was the son and nephew of schoolmates of mine. We buried his father about 2 years ago. PL
—-There are some misunderstandings and hurt feelings in my church. Please pray that God will work on everyone’s hearts who are involved in it. Buck
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Dear Friends,
From the time he was a child; Ron had a fascination with airplanes and dreamed of flying one someday. When he reached his teen years, he began taking flying lessons whenever he had enough saved to do so. After we were married, he continued learning to fly (until his logbook got burned up when our house burned to the ground nearly thirty years ago and he would have had to start over again). While Ron was studying for ground school, he asked me to help him learn the material. During that time, I learned many things about airplanes. Together we learned how to figure weights and balances, how to plot our course, wingtip vortices, etc.
Those wingtip vortices were a phenomenon that I had never heard of before. It was fascinating to think that when an airplane flies through the air, it creates a whirlpool of air, much like a tornado, at the end of each wing that is so strong that it can flip over a smaller plane. It seemed so strange, so unreal, but the unfortunate pilot who enters one of these vortices soon finds out how real they are.
One day, many years later, the atmospheric conditions were just right to see that phenomenon. It was raining. I was in the car, waiting for Eileen to get something from the store, when a jet flew low above my head. It was landing at a nearby airport. As I watched it, I saw long, thin “tornadoes” coming from each wingtip. It was amazing to see the very phenomenon I had studied about many years before.
Just as an airplane affects the air as it slices its way through it, so our attitudes, our words, our actions affect those around us for good or for bad. Our Dear Saviour tells us, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:14-16 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” Isa 43:10-12
Think of it! We have the privilege, the duty, the responsibility to rightly represent the One Who left all the glories of Heaven to come down to this sinful planet, suffer at the hands of wicked men and give His life for us, that we might dwell with Him in His kingdom forevermore. Wonderful Saviour! How careful we should be in all we do and say and think. Our thoughts, our words, our actions can witness for our Great Redeemer or against Him. They can draw those around us to Jesus or cause them to turn away. One unguarded moment in our experience can turn someone away so thoroughly that they can never be reached again. Fearful consequences! How much we need the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, directing our steps, shining through us that we will never be the cause of someone being lost.
May we determine that our actions will match our profession. May we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, that we may become channels of blessing to the precious souls around us. May we pray as did David, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing.” Ps 141:3

Rose