ASI 2012: It's Time... To Be About Our Father's Business

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ASI 2012 Seminar: Spiritual Growth

Jeffrey Marshall

Jerlanda Marshall

The Mystery of God Completed

It's the church that's complacent, that thinks it has it and it sort of does, and sort of having it's 1 of the worst situations in the world.

I was the kid that got the pats on the back, but there's a saying that good is what?

I wanted this intimate experience with God, but I was good And it was the good that was really fighting the best.

I wanted to go on to more, and what we're talking about today really took me there.

Colossians chapter 2, we'll start at verse 1, it says, For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea.

And for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, so there's some that haven't even seen him yet.

He says, and this is really, really pay special attention to verse 2.

It says that their hearts may be encouraged to being what?

Knit together in love and attaining to all riches of the fullness of assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the what?

So what he's saying here is he's saying to these churches, what I really want for you is, even those that haven't seen me yet, I want you guys to be knit together in love by coming to a knowledge of the mystery of God.

Now that word for knowledge is not knowledge like I answer true or false on a test.

That word for knowledge is experiential knowledge.

It's knowing it and experiencing it as well.

So what he's saying is, I really desire, those that I haven't even seen, I desire them to be knit together in love by experiencing the mystery of God, By experiencing the fact that Christ came in flesh, lived a successful life on this earth, and went back to heaven and has been accepted in heaven.

Sounds abstract at first, but it gets very, very practical.

Verse 3, it says, in whom are hidden, this is talking about God, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Now this I say, lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.

And he goes on to sort of reiterate what he's already said.

He kind of expounds on what's been said prior.

Verse 5, it says, for though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

So he's saying, I'm not with you, but I'm with you in spirit.

Is there some kind of weird spirit guiding them?

If someone says I'm with you in spirit, they're talking about their ideas.

I mean, what I've already done there is still having an effect and you're still in my thoughts and mind.

I'm still focused on you, I still love you, I think about you, I pray about you, so I'm thinking about you, and things that I already left there, you're experiencing, so I'm with you in spirit.

It goes on, verse 6, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus, so walk in him.

He's saying don't just receive him, Don't just accept his salvation for your life.

So let's talk about this a little bit in the mystery of God.

I think it develops a really beautiful picture when we're talking about mysteries.

If I was to ask, if I was to hold a small child up here and I handed the small child and infant to someone and I said, okay, I want you to drop this child, how many of you would do it?

Because you know what would happen, right?

That's kind of a, some of you are thinking that's a sick illustration.

But it illustrates the point well, and that is that you know gravity.

We don't completely understand gravity yet.

We don't completely understand it, yet we know it.

And the idea now, now we can, we understand many things about it, but we don't completely understand it.

So the idea of walking, of walking, It makes perfect sense in describing the mystery of God because it's saying live your life connected to something that you understand a great deal about that maybe you've never seen but you experience intimately.

And in today's world, people are saying, oh yeah, you know, like biggest issues people have with God, problem of good God, bad world, right?

So, in essence, that can be deduced to I don't really understand him.

They're being held up every day by gravity, which they do not what?

Do not understand yet they know it and They're being held up and another thing is why I've never seen him He hasn't done this if you do a miracle if we do this, well, guess what?

They've never seen gravity, but they actually what actually know it very well.

You walked in here, you're sitting here, you're experiencing it in this very moment.

He's saying, I want your relationship to be intimate together.

Interesting that we're supposed to be part of a what?

And he's saying, I want your experience with God to be like the mystery of God.

And they knew that this concept wouldn't have been foreign to them back then.

He wants them to have this ongoing experience with God that's life changing.

Rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Wanna expound on that but let's go on for the sake of time.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ.

So Really would love to get into this because I love dissecting philosophy and showing how it can totally get us off track.

But in essence, he's repeating what he said before.

Don't go by the philosophical ideas of men.

Kameron DeVasher

The Manifold Wisdom of God

We're going to be talking about the circuit of beneficence today.

Basically what we're going to be doing is giving a theological or philosophical framework for practical Christianity in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

I think that there are oftentimes a Seventh-day Adventist mindset is such that we have a message which we do and a mission which we do and that our mission is to simply articulate a message and not participate in anything else.

So What exactly should our work look like and what are the frame, what framework, what philosophy underlies it, what is our theology that goes before our practice?

So before we get started with anything else, I'd like to just start briefly with a word of prayer, so would you please bow your heads with me.

Dear Heavenly Father I want to thank you so much for the opportunity to spend these few minutes together exploring deep thoughts from your word and from your inspired counsel in the spirit of prophecy.

Lord help us to understand what the message is for our time and help us to be part of that entire restoration of the universe that you have in store for us.

I'm going to start with a slight confession.

I have always really enjoyed the writings of Ellen White.

I very much appreciated what she had to say and the way in which she said it, I was always very drawn to.

But in my younger days, which I'm getting to the point in life where I can refer to my younger days, I would read the writings of Mrs.

White and kind of skip past the floofy stuff, kind of like the birds and the songs and the love and the children and the lambs, that kind of warm fuzzy kind of stuff.

I wanted to get to like the identity of the Antichrist and the 144, 000 and the great prophetic.

I wanted to get to the good stuff, you know.

But recently in studying, we have a weekly prayer meeting in Muskegon in Fremont where I pastor And we've been studying the desire of ages.

And recently a quote, a passage that originally left just a glancing blow in my mind hit me squarely in the eyes.

And everything that we're going to be talking about today comes from, is derived from that passage, which in your notes is right there, the very first thing under introduction.

It comes from Desire of Ages, pages 20 and 21.

So I'm just going to read to you about 3 paragraphs from the Desire of Ages, and that will set our course for where we're going today.

It says, Save the selfish heart of man that lives unto itself.

No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life.

There is no leaf of the forest or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry.

Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live.

And man and animal in turn minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf." And you would think this is a grand opus on the life of Christ.

Why is she talking about trees and shrubs and leaves?

The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world.

The sun sheds its light to gladden a thousand worlds.

The ocean itself, the source of all of our springs and fountains, receives the streams from every land, but takes to...

This is going to be an ongoing idea throughout this seminar today.

The mists ascending from its bosom fall and showers to water the earth that it may bring forth and bud.

The angels of glory find their joy in giving, giving love and timeless, tireless watch care to souls that are fallen and unholy.

They bring to this dark world light from the courts above.

By gentle and patient ministry, they move upon the human spirit to bring the lost into a fellowship with Christ, which is even closer than they themselves can know." which there's a whole sermon right in that phrase, that they have tireless care that we get connected to God in such a way that they cannot even personally appreciate.

But they know it's a benefit to us, so they just give for our benefit.

Goes on, but turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus.

It starts with like shrubs and trees and leaves and flowers, then up to men and angels.

And now she said, now all those are the lesser things, but we most fully see God in Jesus himself.

Looking unto Christ, we see that it is the glory of our God to do what?

Very simply, it is the glory of God to give.

I do nothing of myself, said Christ, the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father.

I seek not my own glory, but the glory of Him that sent me.

Notice now, in these words is set forth, and right here in the middle of all the floofy talk about flowers and birds and trees and shrubs is this statement.

In these words is set forth the great principle, which is the law of life for the universe.

Whatever we just talked about there in the trees and the shrubs and the flowers and the birds apparently is the great principle, the law of life for the universe.

She articulates, beings, through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all.

And through the Son, it returns in praise and joyous service, a tide of love to the great source of all.

And thus, through Christ, The circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the great giver, capital G.

And you picture a circuit, an electric circuit.

She says, in Christ, this circuit is now complete.

Everything flows through and everything flows out and there's apparently in heaven a harmonious principle where everyone takes only to give.

This is the great operating premise of God's heavenly universe, the grand principle of life.

White's assertion, by the way, that selfless beneficence is the great principle, is the law of life for the universe, is firmly founded in Scripture.

Romans chapter 13, verse 8, he says, O no 1 anything except to do what?

Then he says this, for he who loves 1 another has done what?

Now, I know that there are some who have struggled with this.

Like we teach doctrine and doctrine and doctrine and somebody says, yes, but you're just supposed to love and that's the law.

And you're like, ah, that is in the Bible.

How do we, how does this fit into our understanding of our proclamation?

Paul goes on to say, Galatians chapter 5 and verse 14, for all the law, and of course he's speaking of the Old Testament law, the 10 Commandment law, the very law of God, all the law is fulfilled in 1 word.

Even in this you shall love and you would think it would be the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your strength, with all of your might.

All the law is fulfilled in love, particularly you shall love your what?

All the law is wrapped up in this 1 principle.

Just to think that, you know, well, Paul could be off, you know, he was culturally conditioned, as some might say, and maybe he just had this on.

White got this from Scripture and from direct inspiration, but notice that Jesus himself makes this point.

Matthew Chapter 7, this is in the Sermon on the Mount.

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.

If I were to summarize all the law and the prophets, Christ says, Paul says, If I were to summarize all the law and the prophets, Christ says, Paul says, if I were to summarize all the law of God, Mrs.

White says, the entire principle of the universe, the great operating scheme of God's government is simply this, give unto others.

Kevin Sears

A Deeper Experience

Well I welcome you to our seminar, my name is Kevin Sears.

The topic today, the title is, A Deeper Experience.

You know I believe that we are living in such a time that we need, every 1 of us, a deeper experience in our walk with God.

Father, we're so thankful that You've called us to be a part of this remnant Church in this specific time in history.

Lord, we thank You that You are the 1 that wants to have a deeper experience with us.

Lord, we ask for Your Holy Spirit to teach us here this morning, to speak to us with the power that only Your Holy Spirit can provide.

Ellen White says, in Fundamentals of Education, we all need to gain a much deeper experience in the things of God than we have gained.

Self is to die, and Christ is to take possession of the soul temple.

And so, it is time, I believe, for this to take place.

And I will tell you this, it's very exciting to be a seven-day Adventist in this specific time in the history of the world.

It's very exciting to be an Adventist in light of what's going on not only in the world but in our church.

You know there's a lot of divisive things that are taking place in our church, especially recently, but there's a lot of powerful things that are taking place in our church, and we're going to talk about that throughout the seminar.

So, we're going to talk about gaining a deeper experience in the things of God.

In the book of Psalms chapter 77 verse 13 it says, "...thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary." So, what way is this talking about?

The way of salvation, the way of sanctification, the way to gain a deeper experience in the things of God is found in the sanctuary.

And so, what we're going to do today is we are going to spend time in the sanctuary.

We're not going to get deep into the sanctuary per se.

We're going to look at how we can gain a deeper experience by looking at some, a few different things in the sanctuary, because in these last days, this is what we're gonna be needing.

What we're gonna do is we're gonna take a look at some basic concepts, you know, where, this is ASI.

And so we're gonna look at some basic concepts, but we're gonna take a little different approach to these basic concepts that we're all aware of.

And so first we're going, now, we're all familiar with the sanctuary.

What is the outer court in the sanctuary?

So you have, you have how many compartments in the sanctuary?

Everything points to Jesus, by the way, but it's the ministry of Jesus in all 3 compartments.

So the outer court represents justification.

The holy place, what does that represent?

The sanctification process, so we are justified, then we move into the holy place, and this is where the sanctification process takes place, then we move into the most holy place, and what does that represent?

So, before we get, so we get from justification, before we get to glorification, we have to go through what?

And so this is what we're going to spend our time in, is in the sanctification process found in the holy place.

We're going to look at and we're going to see how we can have a deeper experience in the things of God going through the holy place.

What does the table of showbread represent in the holy place?

First of all, let me ask you, what are the 3 articles of furniture, if you will, in the holy place.

Seven-branched candlestick, you guys with me?

Altar of incense and the table of showbread.

Each 1 represents a different area that we have to do in order to be involved in the sanctification process.

So, what does the table of showbread represent?

Now, everything points to Jesus, we know that.

But what does the table of showbread represent?

So, we must be in the Word of God to be in this sanctification process.

Now again, these are basic concepts, but we're going to look at some different things in these basic concepts.

So it represents the Word of God, but not specific, not just the Word of God, we're going to look at something very specific for our day.

Here in early writings, Ellen White says this, There are many precious truths contained in the Word of God, but it is what?

I have seen the danger of the messengers running off from subjects that are not calculated to unite the flock and to sanctify the soul." So in other words, what she's saying is present day truth is calculated to do what?

Do we as Seven-Day Adventists today need something to unite the flock?

You know, we're all aware of what's been taking place just recently, something that's been very divisive and is going to possibly split our church.

What we need to be focusing on is present-day truth and because it's calculated to unite the flock.

And in uniting the flock, it sanctifies the soul.

She continues, but such subjects as the sanctuary in connection with the 2300 days, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are perfectly calculated to explain the past Advent movement and show what our present position is, establish the faith of the doubting, and give certainty to the glorious future.

These I have frequently seen were the principal subjects on which the messengers should dwell." So the principal subjects that you and I as Seventh-day Adventists, as ASI members, should be dwelling on are present-day truth, the sanctuary, and all that is in the sanctuary.

In other words, the books of Daniel and Revelation.

In other words, even more pinpointed, the 3 angels messages.

These are the things in our personal study time that we should be studying as well.

You know a lot of times we hold evangelistic series, and I love holding evangelistic series, it's what the world needs.

But a lot of times we hold an evangelistic series but then that's the last time that we ourselves are in present-day truth until the next evangelistic series.

But The principal thing that we should be studying as Seventh-day Adventists in this last days that we're living in is present-day truth, the message that God has given to the entire world including Adventists.

As a matter of fact, Peter confirms this, 2 Peter 1, 12.

Peter says, Wherefore I will not be negligent to you, always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established in' what?

Peter says, "'We need to be established in present truth.'" You know it's interesting in this chapter as you go down a few more verses, verse 19, then he goes into prophecy.

We have also a more sure word of prophecy, you will do well to take heed, because it's like a light that shines in a dark place.

And so Peter is explaining here a little few verses later, in the context of present truth, we need to pay attention to prophecy, because it's like a light that shines in a dark place.

You ever go into a dark room and you can't find a light switch, and you're stumbling around trying to find that switch, and maybe you bang your knee on the table, you can't see anything, then you find that switch, the light goes on, and what happens?

So, Peter is saying, in the context of present truth here in chapter 1, study prophecy because a light will go on and you will see things clearly, but then the best part, the day star will arise in your hearts." So as we in the context are studying present-day truths, specifically the prophecies in present-day truth, Jesus will arise in our hearts, we will have a closer walk with Him than if we had not been doing this.

Eighth volume of the Testimony is 302, the solemn messages that have been given in their order in the Revelation are to occupy what?

So we should be in the Word of God, of course, but specifically in present truth, which is we find it in Daniel and Revelation and more specifically in the 3 angels' messages.

Talking about the book of Revelation again she says, when we as a people understand what this book means to us there will be seen among us A what?

Do we want a great revival in our church?

3 people want a great revival in our church.

Guys let me tell you this, I've had the privilege of traveling a lot since I've been working in the Adventist church, and I've had the privilege of working with young people.

I was a part of the Youth for Jesus program for 5 years here, And I will say this, the ASI Youth for Jesus program hands down is the greatest youth program in the entire world.

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