God desires that His last day church (revealed in the book of Revelation as “the remnant” (12:17)) be radical. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word radical means “of, relating to, or proceeding from a root or origin”. The word radical can be better understood to mean “far-reaching” or “extreme”. Without a doubt, it can be agreed that this remnant is the Seventh-day Adventist Church (I can explain in another blog why this is so). My prayer then is that we as little Samuel, with a child-like faith, may answer the calls.
Call #1: Radical in keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus Christ
God’s radical church must be teaching truth, vindicating the law of God and presenting the Lamb of God to a world rattled by COVID-19, ravaged by locusts and reeked by death. Many delusions surround God’s radical but *her anchor should be in sound biblical doctrines, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20).
Call #2: Radical in Holding Biblical Doctrines as her Landmark
The Great Disappointment of 1844 opened the eyes of God’s people to new doctrines including the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven and the three angels messages. *She also gained a clearer vision of other doctrines: the temple of God in heaven, the Ark of the Covenant, the Sabbath and the nonimmortality of the wicked. God’s radical should hold fast the 28 fundamental beliefs organized into six categories—the doctrines of God, man, salvation, the church, the Christian life and last day events.
Call #3: Radical about Mission
Fanny J. Crosby’s hymn “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save” sums up the solemn work that God’s radical watchmen and light bearers must bring to a perishing world, not excluding the three angels messages.
A church that is radical should be organized. Order is the law of heaven and it should be the law of God’s people upon the earth. I’d like to think of organization here as looking at the exterior. God said man looks at the outside but He looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Thus organization her can be seen as the many unions and conferences into which this radical church is structured so as to take the gospel to the whole world.
God’s last day church must be organized…organized into varying focus groups attending to the abounding specific needs of its members, cell meetings which caters to their spiritual growth, just to name a few. Let the Holy Spirit lead to see how your local church can be coordinated.
Call #5: Radical with Special Invested Authority
God has given ‘His Voice’ to His radical faithful which marks its great power and authority. What she does with this special authority lies in her complete faithfulness to the great ‘I Am’ (Exodus 3:14). Spirit of Prophecy teaches that when His church proves unfaithful the Lord can no longer work with her.
Call #6: Radical about Reformation and Revival
God’s radical church has been given much light but her followers have not walked therein. His chosen are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. It is to this group that the Master is counseling to buy gold tried in the fire that they might be rich, white rainment that they may be clothed and anointing of their eyes with eyesalve that they may see. (Revelation 3:17-18).
If the men in positions of trust will only walk in His way and will, humbling themselves and confessing sins, putting pride aside then the presence of His Spirit would have been imparted and souls revived.
Call #7: …Radical about Reorganization
In Call #4 I talked about organization as the exterior. I’d like to think of reorganization then as the interior –a complete reorganization of our thoughts, motives, principles, priorities even our faith. Just as we rearrange furniture or groceries, so are we to commence reorganization of our lives by repenting and being converted so we may pour out grace, humility, truth, hope and love to a world dying in sin.
In concluding I would like to assert that if God’s remnant desires to be radical, far reaching in bringing the gospel to the world, a new foundation must be laid and principles of a radical faith built. There will not be another denomination springing up from the Seventh-day Adventist church – God will and is still working through her, which means you and me until the end of this age.
If there is anything COVID-19 has made plainer for us to see is that the church is not the building but a body of believers sharing the same faith. Do you make up part of the radical remnant or are you just playing church? My prayer is that you seek God and start acting on your radical faith today!
Will God’s Last Day Church be found radical or found wanting?
*refers to God’s Last Day Church
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