Coming out of a world of error and spiritualism to Jesus

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Rom. 6:13-22).

Below is a conversation between myself and another YouTube testimonial enthusiast. Along with me he desires to follow Jesus…

“David Burdick 6 days ago

I agree with cl and Karl. When I heard you mention, priest, I immediately got concerned. But then I thought that perhaps you only meant “priest” in a general way—maybe it was a Protestant pastor, but you were so new in your walk with Christ that you didn’t think it necessary to make the distinction between Catholicism and Protestant Christianity. When you said that the “priest” began to quote scripture, i began to think it wasn’t actually a Catholic priest. Nevertheless, you are accurate to say that many Catholic and Protestant religious leaders alike have never met Jesus. When I read Malachi and hear the Jewish priests’ insolence against God I see that same thing in the Protestant churches today. Many of them have the Bible and know it pretty good. They have the key to knowledge, but they don’t enter into it and they bar the door to their congregations from entering in. (See Luke 11:52.) Still, having said that, many pastors and priests have never known how to enter into Bible truth, and neither have their higher-ups and can’t show them the way. Its such a confusing mess. I’m glad Jesus is judge and can figure out the solution on this. But, I feel certain that the volume of people coming to Jesus in very dramatic ways, such as you have and so many others we hear of in the YouTube testimonies, and all their commenters who say they had the same experiences, altogether tell me that there are many pastors and priest who must have been approached for help or guidance by these genuine new-born Christians, and the Lord has pricked those religious leaders’ conscience with what true Christianity is, what it means to be a true follower of Jesus, and that born again Christians do exist because Jesus is at work today. As Paul described, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil 3:3). The Latter Rain is coming when all decisions for the new-birth, or violently opposed to it, will be made. And I praise the Lord for so many early birds to the last call of Jesus, who are seeking Him before the Latter Rain has arrived when this gospel will be preached to the whole world for a witness to all nations. “I [the Word of God who was made flesh] love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me.” (Prov. 8:12,17).

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Justinpie9 12 days ago

David Burdick - what is meant in this context by “early”/“early bird”?

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David Burdick 1 day ago

Hi Justinpie91. What I meant by “early bird” is that before Jesus returns in power to take His children to His home (see Revelation 3:21; John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16,17) He must first awaken them from their spiritual sleep. We see this in Jesus’ parable of Matthew 25:1-13, especially verses 5-7. The Christian church was given the job of leading the world to prepare for Jesus’ second coming by fishing for them, and leading them to Jesus for repentance. But, the church is largely failing in this. So, Jesus is doing that work Himself, as we hear from so many YouTube testimonies. Jesus said, “Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For Mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from My face, neither is their iniquity hid from Mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled My land, they have filled Mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things. O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto Thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” (Jer. 16:16-19). In fulfillment of this prophecy Jesus told His disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt. 4:19). Jesus first came to His own people preaching the gospel, basing His gospel on the beautiful promise from Isaiah, “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:1,2). This whole process and message must be repeated again before judgment day when Jesus comes in power and destructive glory. Again, His sheep have been lost and He will fish them. But first He reproves the churches. “Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not My flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.” (Eze. 34:3-16).

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Justinpie9 11 day ago

David Burdick - Hmm, so Jesus is the early bird?

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David Burdick 20 hours ago

No, I didn’t mean that. The YouTube new-birth testifiers are the early birds that Jesus is preparing to preach the gospel to the whole world for a witness to all nations, per Matthew 24:14. Jesus has reached them earlier than the “great multitude which no man could number” (Rev. 7:9). Jesus cannot return until the final presentation of the gospel is given by His sheep, the people who He has justified at their new birth, sanctified, and taught the method of His kind of evangelism.

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David Burdick 19 hours ago

We have an exciting time ahead of us. It will be a repeat of history that we read in the gospels and the book of Acts. Despite all the Evangelical /Pentecostal hype, that gospel work has not been happening. The Pharisees of Christ’s day thought that all their religiosity and politicizing was advancing the cause of God. But we see that it was only Satan’s power driving them. The same is happening today by the denominational leadership in America. They have allied themselves with the Church of Rome, as of this past Halloween, and all their politicking and condemnation of Christ’s sheep lost in the world, is no different than the Pharisees and priests in the gospels. We are soon to see the demolition of the old secular America, and an ascension of a Christian America. All our freedoms will disappear. But in captivity the hearts that Jesus has reached will endure the punishment and shine forth with the truth of God. Many more people than those who have made videos are coming to terms with Jesus. You hear them in the comments of the videos saying that they had the same experience as the videos makers. But, we all need one last spanking. And its on the way, as the forces of nefarious conspiracies continue to coalesce before our eyes and ears. We need it like the Jews needed Nebuchadnezzar. My study of the Bible shows that this great demolition of Protestant America, and its blessing to the world, is the fulfillment of Revelation 11:12-14. But the beautiful punishment doesn’t end in demolition, but in the promise from Revelation 10:10 and 11, “And I took the little book out of the Angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”

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David Burdick 19 hours ago

Justinpie91, sorry I made a mistake when i wrote, “My study of the Bible shows that this great demolition of Protestant America, and its blessing to the world, is the fulfillment of Revelation 11:12-14.” I should have written, “My study ...Revelation 11:7-10.” The Revelation 10:10,11 foretells the experience of the Protestant revival and its restoration to God, seen in the verses of Revelation 11:11-14.

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Justinpie9 117 hours ago

David Burdick - That makes more sense, thanks. I have to say, throughout my online journey into pure, deep darkness I didn’t expect to see Christians at literally every turn (comment sections etc). It’s like Christianity is penetrating the evil at the core by spreading the gospel.

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David Burdick 4 minutes ago

Hi Junstinpie91. Isn’t it encouraging to see that true Christianity, biblical Christianity is still alive and well. I have been greatly strengthened by listening to the YouTube testimonies. I see genuine, sincere, principled hearts speaking the everlasting gospel. I hear them loving the Bible and Jesus who gave us the Bible. Loving the Bible was my first gift from Jesus when I fell on Him, the Stone, broken to bits. I’m sure that all of the YouTube testifiers have been broken, their own wisdom broken, their trust in man broken, their self-will broken, their heart broken. They are ready to do all that Jesus stood for and lived. This is the only shield we have against the power of darkness, with all of its intricate deceitfulness. The truth, loving the truth as it is in Jesus, is our only salvation as darkness is covering the earth and gross darkness the people, but Christ’s truths bring us to Him the first time and they keep us with Him. As Jesus said, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31,32). We must guard our new heart and mind from above and remember that we are still disciples and that Jesus is our Master. We must not run off into the battle with Satan like the stony ground in Christ’s parable of the seed (Matthew 13:20, 21). We need to remember that we aren’t yet fully His disciples (“indeed”) until we have a period of training from Jesus like He gave the 12 disciples and like Paul had for 3 years in the desert and in Damascus (Gal. 1:17). In many ways we can lose the beautiful heart and conscience that agrees with Jesus’ words. We live in a dangerous world of seduction and delusion. But if we keep ourselves in the word of God and keep praying for Jesus’ help to walk with that word in our thoughts and hearts, if we remain pliable and humbled and repentant children before Jesus, and keep going back with our failings for His forgiveness and justification and reconversion, then Jesus will bring us safely all the way through until His return. Only those who hold onto the love of the truth that can keep them saved will survive the “all power and signs and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness” (2Thess. 2:9,10) that is here now and much more so in the near future. “That which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star.” (Rev. 2:25-28). That rod of iron, I believe is the words of truth. Blessings to you Justinpie91. The Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

But, the enemy of souls has confused and corrupted the minds of the world, even of the Protestant world, so that the truth of the Bible isn’t nearly as clear and effective against the deceiver as biblical truth should be. Martin Luther penned the lyrics for “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” In that battle hymn of the Reformation he wrote of the power of God and the power of His word:

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.” (End of internet comments with Justinpie91.)

But, although they desire to follow Jesus, I see that most of these ex-New Age/ex-drug addicts/ex-gay life/ex-atheist/ex-occult/ex-etc. all of these brothers and sisters don’t have the knowledge of true doctrine, such as Jesus gave the Advent movement. This doesn’t mean that these newly reborn people are outside of the kingdom of Christ. But, it does mean that because of their misconceptions of biblical truth, they are subject to error and confusion that Satan will most assuredly use for their sliding back into his kingdom of sin and darkness. We must not cut them off, but must come close and help them see the truth that we Adventists have received from Jesus through the Spirit of Prophecy. They need what we have to offer them in the way of doctrine, as a strong barrier against the wiles of Satan. And we need what they have to offer us in the way of joy in the Lord.

So, although I have rejoiced with the YouTube testifiers, I also see problems in their doctrines, one issue in particular, I hear them focusing on “demons”. It’s true that many of the testifiers tie “demons” to UFOs and aliens, which I’m glad to see to the extent that they recognize that we aren’t dealing with science fiction or extraterrestrial enemies from space, but with spiritual wickedness in high places. However, they need to be calling those supernatural enemies, “devils” and not “demons”, as the KJV Bible calls them. They need to remember that the power of darkness is all about stealing the heart away from righteousness, rather than entities that dwell in the spirit world, and causes them to focus on spirits and the power of darkness and spiritualism, rather than to the precepts of God and His Law. They need to come further out of Babylon and its spiritualism, and see that sin is the real door that opens us up to devil possession. They need to see that righteousness, a love of the truth, is the true sword that makes the devils run away.

This is what Paul is teaching the Gentiles in Romans 6, as quoted above. He is tying deliverance from Satan to yielding to the Law of God, so that our “members” can do the works of righteousness. For many years I wrestled with the Romans 6 scripture that I used today to open this post. For years those opening verses looked like legalism because I couldn’t see Jesus in them. I wanted to yield myself to a Person, not to instruction in righteousness, or a list of do’s and don’ts. I had read Steps to Christ, a book which is heavily laden with what I must do and what I mustn’t do. I got real mad at the book and scribbled my anger all through the book with words like, “Where’s Jesus in all of this?” I think I know what Martin Luther was going through when he wanted to throw out the book of James. The truth coming out of The Desire of Ages was much easier for me to swallow because my friend Jesus was there. Recently, I was speaking to another person who told me that she experienced the same with Steps to Christ.

It is the gospel that God sent His son in the likeness of human flesh so that we could see more than just rules and regulations (see Romans 8:3,4). We couldn’t stand to behold boundless obedience and self-denial unless it was in warm, loving human flesh that was as weak as our own. But we can watch boundless sinlessness in Jesus because we could see boundless love in all of that boundless self-denial. Nevertheless, since watching these precious YouTube testimonies and reading their comments, my eyes have been opened to the great need for information in the form of doctrines and instruction in righteousness. Now the do’s and don’ts in Steps to Christ are becoming more of a real necessity to my mind, especially for people who have Jesus branded on their minds, but still lack in the wider arena of Christian living. And without the do’s and don’ts, a person can have a valid relationship with Jesus; he or she can be born again and truly be a Christian; but, without more truth in the way of doctrine and the rest of the instruction, Satan and his pervasive lies will erode the precious faith and love that fills the hearts and minds of Christ’s new-borns.

When these YouTube testifiers were humbled by the revelation of their guilt before God, and they were born again, rejoicing in a real Saviour, they were true Christians. They have the authentic salvation that the apostolic church had. They are the one sheep that Jesus could save, when He couldn’t save the multitudes of sheep that never needed repentance because they had already been justifying (excusing) themselves and each other. (Those 99 million sheep had been celebrating their right standing before God without ever looking at the Law of God, which is the standard for their right standing before Him). Therefore, there was far more rejoicing in heaven for the YouTube testifiers than for the whole of Christendom. We can rejoice with the rejoicing from the YouTube testifiers, and fulfill 1 Corinthians 13:6 and especially Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”  Do we as SDAs weep with the YouTube testifiers as they wept upon rehearsing how Jesus had pity on them and showed them His love? Their repentance brings us back to our own repentance and conversion and re-dedication to Jesus.

So, as parents learn from their children, we are indebted to these new believers, and will learn from them because we have the opportunity to teach the ears and hearts that Jesus has opened. They need to know what we have learned from our distinctive doctrines and especially from the deep principles of righteousness outlined and explained by Ellen White. Mrs. White was led in this direction because it would keep us safe from the deceptions overspreading humanity in this time of “temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev. 3:10). The lessons Jesus has given the Advent movement need to go to these new members of the kingdom of God. And although they might have prejudices because they naturally see the need to protect the precious faith Jesus has already given them, still, they will listen to us if we are loving and tolerant, adding patience to our Adventist knowledge. “Giving all diligence, add to your … knowledge temperance (self-control); and to temperance patience.” (2Pet. 1:5,6). In fact, I have found them more open to Adventism than the already churched people.

Love these new children of God. They are our brethren, who have come out of the dark and into the light of life. We, in the Seventh-day Adventist church, who have been born again have an insight and a special attachment to these brothers and sisters. We have a sympathy and a brotherly love because we have suffered in sin and have known the redeeming power of Christ to change our heart. We have the ability to prevent prejudice in our heart toward these doctrinally erring members of God’s kingdom, and to trust them, commit ourselves to them and to unite with their experiences. Therefore, what Aquilla and Priscilla did for Apollos, we are duty-bound and love-bound to help our new YouTube brethren see the truth clearer, the truth that Jesus entrusted to His last day movement.

We must volunteer to bind our precious YouTube brethren with our hearts and minds. This is what Paul did. He wisely bound the Gentile churches to the churches of Judea because the Jewish Christians had the heavenly precepts of the holy Law of God deeply ingrained in their thinking.

“They [the Jewish Christians] would furnish an evangelical grasp of Christianity’s greatest doctrines which their background of Jewish history enabled them to appreciate more profoundly than could Gentile converts.” Truth Triumphant, p. 20.

“Paul was proud that he was a son of Israel, because he knew that fifteen hundred years of sacred teaching on each recurring Sabbath had enriched the Hebrews with a mentality in things divine which enabled them to grasp readily such truths as God, sin, morality, and the need of a Redeemer.” Ibid., p. 21.

“The churches throughout the world were almost universally patterned after the church of Jerusalem in belief and practice.... Paul wrote, ‘Ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus.’ (1 Thessalongians 2:14.)” Ibid., p. 52.

“The apostle Paul, therefore, is the author of the Judean pattern. How long did this pattern continue? The quotation given above from The Catholic Encyclopedia, article, ‘Calendar,’ reveals that vast numbers, not a scattered few, of Christians were converts from the Jews, so that the Judean type of Christianity was almost universal, and it so continued for a long time.” Ibid., p. 52.

“Then began what may be justly described as ‘the golden age of Syria.’” Ibid., p. 20.

We see, then from Truth Triumphant, that the church in Judea was the foundation for all the Gentile churches because of the Jewish church’s long exposure to divine truth. This same divine truth has been entrusted to the SDA church. We need to bring the new ex-Gentile believers into SDA truth, as Paul made the ancient sabbatarian adventists the benchmark for the non-adventist churches of his day.

Let us learn from Paul’s example as we join our hearts with the hearts of these new children of the living God. Let us be part of the start of the golden age of the next great refreshing by the presence of the Lord, during a miniature and shorter, final “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Rom. 11:25-27).

“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” (Eph. 2:13-18).