The Church Appears About to Fall

Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths…. The remnant that purify their souls by obeying the truth gather strength from the trying process, exhibiting the beauty of holiness amid the surrounding apostasy.

I know that the Lord loves His church. It is not to be disorganized or broken up into independent atoms. There is not the least consistency in this; there is not the least evidence that such a thing will be. Those who shall heed this false message and try to leaven others will be deceived and prepared to receive advanced delusions, and they will come to nought.

I am encouraged and blessed as I realize that the God of Israel is still guiding His people, and that He will continue to be with them, even to the end.

We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. We cannot now enter into any new organization; for this would mean apostasy from the truth.

The church, soon to enter upon her most severe conflict, will be the object most dear to God upon earth. The confederacy of evil will be stirred with power from beneath, and Satan will cast all the reproach possible upon the chosen ones whom he cannot deceive and delude with his satanic inventions and falsehoods. But exalted “to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins,” will Christ, our representative and head, close His heart, or withdraw His hand, or falsify His promise? No; never, never.
Maranatha p.203
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Prayer Requests

——–Bob, 81 with dementia, wandered off a few days ago and was found dead yesterday. Please keep his wife and family in prayer. M

—–update—Peter’s test went well. Thank you for your prayers. Rose

—–update—Flu going around the nursing home. Jerry has a cough and his voice sounds raspy. Said his throat hurts. Pray he is not getting sick, he does not need it. Lesley

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Dear Friends,

Some years ago when Ronnie Jay came home for the weekend, he was playing a computer football game. Ron noticed that his son had chosen a particular team that he knew Ronnie Jay did not like to play against his favorite team. When Ron commented about it, Ronnie Jay answered, “Brian showed me how to make a team I didn’t like to lose.”

That seemed quite funny until I began to think of how many people think our Great Creator does the same. They imagine that He is up beyond the sky somewhere arbitrarily deciding who should serve Him and who should not, who shall be saved and who shall be lost. How sad.

Our Great Creator has given us the precious power of choice. He does not force us to serve Him like Ronnie Jay did when he played that computer game. He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 Our Loving Redeemer greatly desires “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Tim 2:4 He pleads with us, “choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deut 30:19 However, He does not make us serve Him. The only service, the only love that is acceptable to Him is that which comes from a heart full of love.

Indeed, He loves us with an everlasting love and draws us to Himself with kindness, grace, and mercy. (Jer 31:3) He assures us, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isa 49:15,16

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword [or geographical location, or ethnicity, or economic status, or our appearance]? . . . I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 8:35-39 There is only one thing that can separate us—-clinging to sin. “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isa 59:1,2 Even then, He loves us. Even then His Great Heart of Love yearns over us wanting above all things that we come to Him for the salvation He so freely offers. He sets about circumstances that we may choose to break away from sin and follow Him fully, walking in His ways. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:16-21

Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind. (Luke 10:27) “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:1,2

Rose

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