Happiness -Detre' -to be rather than to seem

2010-08-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

That night as Ellen White slept, a dream was given to her in which she observed a small company who had assembled for a religious meeting. The Lord appeared to them as a church visitor and spoke to them with love and tenderness. The next day, Sabbath, May 28, she wrote out this remarkable revelation, which obviously applied to the Vohwinkel company:

"Last night I dreamed that a small company were
assembled together to have a religious meeting. There was one
who came in and seated himself in a dark corner where he
would attract little observation. There was not a spirit of
freedom. The spirit of the Lord was bound. Some remarks
were made by the elder of the church and he seemed to be
trying to hurt someone. I saw a sadness upon the
countenance of the stranger. It became apparent that there was not
the love of Jesus in the hearts of those who claimed to
believe the truth and there was, as the sure result, an absence
of the Spirit of Christ and a great want both in thoughts and
feelings of love for God and for one another. The
assembling together had not been refreshing to any one.

The Stranger Addresses the People

"As the meeting was about to close, the stranger arose
and with a voice that was full of sorrow and of tears, he told
them that they had a great want in their own souls, and in
their own experience, of the love of Jesus which was present
in large measure in every heart where Christ took up His
abode. Every heart renewed by the Spirit of God would not
only love God but love his brother, and if that brother made
mistakes, if he erred, he must be dealt with after the gospel
plan. Every step must be followed according to the
directions given in the word of God. . . . The stranger continued
by asking several questions:
277

"You seem willing to wound and bruise the hearts of one
another. Is this the pattern Jesus has given you? Where is
His manner of dealing? Do you find yourselves sustained in
having so little love and forbearance, so little patience for
your brethren? Have you forgotten the words of Christ, 'A
new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another? [John 13:34, 35] 'He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest myself to him.' [John 14:21]

"You are not cultivating love to God or love to your
brethren. Be careful how you treat the purchase of the blood
of Christ. There will be need of plain and faithful reproving
of evil works, but let the one who takes this work upon him
know that he is not separated from Christ by evil works
himself. He must be spiritual and restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness. Unless he has this spirit he has no duty
to reprove or to correct his brothers, for he would create
two evils in the place of curing one. . . .

"That which distinguishes the character and conduct of
Christians from all others is the principle of holy,
Christlike love, which works in the heart with its purifying
influence. The true Christian will work the works of Christ in
giving expression in deeds of love one to another. With this
living, abiding, working principle in life and in character
no one can resemble the world. If you know the character
and works of Christ you will know the disposition and
conduct of Christians. Christ hated evil so much that sin and
evil met a strong rebuke from His lips and from His example.
While He hated sin He loved the sinner. . . .

"How much greater strength you might have had as sons
and daughters of God if you had loved God supremely and
your neighbor as you love yourself. How much higher
ground you might stand upon if you had been following
on to know more and more of the truth and gathering more
and more divine light to shine forth in good works to all
around you.

"Your works are not pleasing to God but pleasing to the
enemy. You have lessons to learn in the school of Christ
before you will be fitted for heaven. Your self, your ways,
your sharp traits of character make you unskillful in dealing
with minds and hearts. . . . If you allow yourselves to be
dictatorial, accusing, and judging your brethren, and with
unsanctified hearts and unholy tempers seeking to mend
their wrongs, you do unskillful work and drive souls away
from the service of Christ. . . .

"You must take hold of God with one hand while with
the other hand, in love, you lay hold upon the erring and
the sinner and draw them to Jesus. Pray with them, weep
with them, feel for their souls, love them, and never let go
of them. This is the love Jesus has expressed for you. You
must ever strive for unity and forbearance and love. Never
draw apart, but press together, binding heart to heart and
making supplications in the Spirit. Then the power of God
will work in your midst and many souls will be brought to
the truth through your influence."--Manuscript 32, 1887. {EGWE 276.2}

All of this seemed as real to Ellen White in her dream as if she had seen and heard the stranger in person. But who was he? The tone of his voice, his words and manner, seemed familiar. She continued:

"He was again seated and the sun, which had been
hidden, beamed forth and shone full upon his person. What
a revelation! All knew in a moment who had been speaking
to them. They said one to another: 'It is Jesus; it is Jesus!'
and then such confessions of sins as were made and
confessions to one another. There was weeping, for the hearts
seemed to be broken, and then there was rejoicing and the
room was filled with the mellow light of heaven. The musical
voice of Jesus said, 'Peace be with you.' And His peace was."
-Ibid. {EGWE 278.1}

EGW in this vision was giving the direct quote of Jesus Christ speaking to the group - I emphasised His words in RED,

Secret of Unity

2010-08-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

Chap. 150 - Christ the Center of the Message
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By Mrs. E. G. White.
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The third angel's message calls for the presentation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and this truth must be brought before the world; but the great Center of attraction, Jesus Christ, must not be left out of the third angel's message. By many who have been engaged in the work for this time, Christ has been made secondary, and theories and arguments have had the first place. The glory of God that was revealed to Moses in regard to the divine character has not been made prominent. The Lord said to Moses, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee." "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." {1888 1225.1}

A vail has seemed to be before the eyes of many who have labored in the cause, so that when they presented the law, they have not had views of Jesus, and have not proclaimed the fact that, where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. It is at the cross of Calvary that mercy and truth meet together, where righteousness and peace kiss each other. The sinner must ever look toward Calvary; and with the simple faith of a little child, he must rest in the merits of Christ, accepting his righteousness and believing in his mercy. Laborers in the cause of truth should present the righteousness of Christ, not as new light, but as precious light that has for a time been lost sight of by the people. We are to accept Christ as our personal Saviour, and he imputes unto us the righteousness of God in Christ. Let us repeat and make prominent the truth that John has portrayed: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." {1888 1225.2}

In the love of God has been opened the most marvelous vein of precious truth, and the treasures of the grace of Christ are laid open before the church and the world. "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." What love is this,--what marvelous, unfathomable love!-- that would lead Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners. What a loss it is to the soul who understands the strong claims of the law, and who yet fails to understand the grace of Christ which doth much more abound. It is true that the law of God reveals the love of God when it is preached as the truth in Jesus; for the gift of Christ to this guilty world must be largely dwelt upon in every discourse. It is no wonder that hearts have not been melted by the truth, when it has been presented in a cold and lifeless manner. No wonder faith has staggered at the promises of God, when ministers and workers have failed to present Jesus in his relation to the law of God. How often should they have assured the people that "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" {1888 1225.3}

Satan is determined that men shall not see the love of God, which led him to give his only begotten Son to save the lost race; for it is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance. O, how shall we succeed in setting forth before the world the deep, precious love of God? In no other way can we compass it than by exclaiming, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God"! Let us say to sinners, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!" By presenting Jesus as the representative of the Father, we shall be able to dispel the shadow that Satan has cast upon our pathway, in order that we shall not see the mercy and love of God's inexpressible love as manifested in Jesus Christ. {1888 1225.4}

Look at the cross of Calvary. It is a standing pledge of the boundless love, the measureless mercy, of the heavenly Father. O that all might repent and do their first works. When the churches do this, they will love God supremely and their neighbors as themselves. Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not vex Ephraim. Divisions will then be healed, the harsh sounds of strife will no more be heard in the borders of Israel. Through the grace freely given them of God, all will seek to answer the prayer of Christ, that his disciples should be one, even as he and the Father are one. Peace, love, mercy, and benevolence will be the abiding principles of the soul. The love of Christ will be the theme of every tongue, and it will no more be said by the true Witness, " I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." The people of God will be abiding in Christ, the love of Jesus will be revealed, and one Spirit will animate all hearts, regenerating and renewing all in the image of Christ, fashioning all hearts alike. As living branches of the true Vine, all will be united to Christ, the living head. Christ will abide in every heart, guiding, comforting, sanctifying, and presenting to the world the unity of the followers of Jesus, thus bearing testimony that the heavenly credentials are supplied to the remnant church. In the oneness of Christ's church it will be proved that God sent his only begotten Son into the world. {1888 1225.5}

When God's people are one in the unity of the Spirit, all of Phariseeism, all of self-righteousness, which was the sin of the Jewish nation, will be expelled from all hearts. The mold of Christ will be upon each individual member of his body, and his people will be new bottles into which he can pour his new wine, and the new wine will not break the bottles. God will make known the mystery which hath been hidden for ages. He will make known what are the "riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." {1888 1225.6}

Jesus came to impart to the human soul the Holy Spirit, by which the love of God is shed abroad in the heart; but it is impossible to endow men with the Holy Spirit, who are set in their ideas, whose doctrines are all stereotyped and unchangeable, who are walking after the traditions and commandments of men, as were the Jews in the time of Christ. They were very punctilious in the observances of the church, very rigorous in following their forms, but they were destitute of vitality and religious devotion. They were represented by Christ as like the dry skins which were then used as bottles. The gospel of Christ could not be placed in their hearts; for there was no room to contain it. They could not be the new bottles into which he could pour his new wine. Christ was obliged to seek elsewhere than among the scribes and the Pharisees for bottles for his doctrine of truth and life. He must find men who were willing to have regeneration of heart. He came to give to men new hearts. He said, "A new heart also will I give you." But the self-righteous of that day and of this day feel no need of having a new heart. Jesus passed by the scribes and the Pharisees, for they felt no need of a Saviour. They were wedded to forms and ceremonies. These services had been instituted by Christ; they had been full of vitality and spiritual beauty; but the Jews had lost the spiritual life from their ceremonies, and clung to the dead forms after spiritual life was extinct among them. When they departed from the requirements and commandments of God, they sought to supply the place of that which they had lost, by multiplying their own requirements, and making more rigorous demands than had God; and the more rigid they grew, the less of the love and Spirit of God they manifested. Christ said to the people: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do ye not after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. . . . Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." {1888 1225.7}

The remnant church is called to go through an experience similar to that of the Jews; and the true Witness, who walks up and down in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, has a solemn message to bear to his people. He says: "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." The love of God has been waning in the church, and as a result, the love of self has sprung up into new activity. With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren. The church may meet all the description that is given of the Ephesian church, and yet fail in vital godliness. Of them Jesus said, "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." {1888 1226.1}

A legal religion has been thought quite the correct religion for this time. But it is a mistake. The rebuke of Christ to the Pharisees is applicable to those who have lost from the heart their first love. A cold, legal religion can never lead souls to Christ; for it is a loveless, Christless religion. When fastings and prayers are practiced in a self-justifying spirit, they are abominable to God. The solemn assembly for worship, the round of religious ceremonies, the external humiliation, the imposed sacrifice,--all proclaim to the world the testimony that the doer of these things considers himself righteous. These things call attention to the observer of rigorous duties, saying, This man is entitled to heaven. But it is all a deception. Works will not buy for us an entrance into heaven. The one great Offering that has been made is ample for all who will believe. The love of Christ will animate the believer with new life. He who drinks from the water of the fountain of life, will be filled with the new wine of the kingdom. Faith in Christ will be the means whereby the right spirit and motive will actuate the believer, and all goodness and heavenly-mindedness will proceed from him who looks unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith. Look up to God, look not to men. God is your heavenly Father who is willing patiently to bear with your infirmities, and to forgive and heal them. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." By beholding Christ, you will become changed, until you will hate your former pride, your former vanity and self-esteem, your self-righteousness and unbelief. You will cast these sins aside as a worthless burden, and walk humbly, meekly, trustfully, before God. You will practice love, patience, gentleness, goodness, mercy, and every grace that dwells in the child of God, and will at last find a place among the sanctified and holy. {1888 1226.2}

2010-07-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Does Happiness come from power, rulership, authority, if the posessing of those things requires trampling others to obtain it?

Does Happiness come from influence and being a looked up to expert ?

Does Happiness come from any form of excapism including getting high ?

If happiness comes from these things as if they create it, why do these behaviours destroy reasonable freedom - and security from abuse - the only climate Happiness grows in ?

A Worldwide search for happiness-worth in all eras

2010-07-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Every human ever living has searched for happiness.

What is happiness ?

It it something that exists by it's self, or is it the result of other happenings ?