Laip bilong sikin Sevende manmeri i pulap wantaim pasin nogut na ol hevi bilong dispela graun. Olsem wanem, yu wanpela sikin Sevende o yu trupela Sevende? Olsem wanem, yu bihainim God tru na laip bilong yu i pulap wantaim bel isi bilong heven olgeta de? Olsem wanem, Kam Bek promis bilong Iesus Kristus na gutpela sindaun bihain taim wantaim laip i stap oltaim i mekim yu laikim Iesus Kristus moa yet? Olsem wanem Iesus Kristus i lewa tumas bilong yu?
Olsem wanem, yu bilip olsem Iesus Kristus i lusim na rausim olgeta pasin nogut na pekato bilong yu pinis wantaim blut bilong em taim em i dai antap long kruse? Sapos em i tru olgeta, orait yu bai i manmeri bilong hamamas olgeta taim (wankain olsem Pol maski long haus kalabus em i aiamapim nem bilong Bikpela long singsing na hamamasim ol manmeri).
Maski wanem kain birua o hevi i wiliwilim Kristen manmeri em bai i hamamas yet. Olsem wok meri bilong God i tok, “taim manmeri i tanim bel em bai i laikim tumas long tok autim poroman bilong em Iesus Kristus i go long arapela manmeri. Na tok i tru bilong God i save kisim yumi bek na klinim yumi ba i no nap stap pas insait long bel, nogat” (Desire of Ages, p 141.)
Olgeta Sevende Kristen manmeri Iesus Kristus i kisim ol bek ba i givim olgeta laip bilong ol long wokim misinari wok sios i wokim. Dispela ba i mekim ol hamamas tumas, bilong wanem marimari bilong Bikpela God na bilip insait long Iesus Kristus i strongim ol.
Bipo Ellen White, wanpela het meri bilong sios, i pasim ai na dai, pikinini boi bilong em i harim em tokim dispela laspela tok Aposel Pol i raitim long 2 Timoti 1:12, “mi save long husat mi bilip long en.” Tru tumas, dispela tok i mas kamap mak bilong olgeta kristen manmeri.
Ellen White i save olsem Iesus em i lewa poroman bilong em. Em i save olsem olgeta pasin nogut na pekato bilong em i lus na raus pinis. Em i save olsem Iesus i namel tru long olgeta wok misinari na laip bilong em.
Dispela bikmeri i dai pinis i bilip olsem trupela tanim bel tasol i ken kamapim trupela senis i save kamapim gutpela pasin na laip long olgeta bilip manmeri bilong Iesus.
Olgeta bilip manmeri i mas silip, kirap, kuk, kaikai, wokabaut, na wok wantaim Iesus Kristus olgeta laip bilong ol. Olsem Aposel Pol i tok, “Wanem samting gen, Mi skelim olsem olgeta samting long dispela graun i pipia na samting nating. Bikpela samting em long save long Iesus Kristus Bikpela bilong mi. Olsem na long kisim Iesus Kristus mi hamamas tasol long bungim bikpela hevi na lusim olgeta samting” (Filipai 3:8)
Maus Meri bilong God i tok, “Wankain olsem kaikai, wara, na pulim win i save givim laip na kamapim yumi, Kristus tu i mas kamap olsem win yumi pulim, kaikai, wara, blut, na bun bilong yumi. Iesus Kristus i mas kamap olsem lewa tru bilong yumi i nap laip, marimari pasin na gracia bilong em i kamap bilong yumi tu” (My Life Today, p 275). Em nau, autim gutnius, wok misinari, na bringim arapela manmeri i kam long Iesus ba i isi tasol olsem yumi pulim win.
Know Jesus, know Joy
Are you an Adventist by name only, your life wound and bound up with the agendas and issues of this world? Or are you living daily with the peace of heaven; with the hope and assurance of eternal life, knowing that Jesus means everything to you and that He is real in your life? If so, you ought to be the happiest person and the most joyful—like Paul in prison, singing praises and encouraging others.
That’s the result of true joy. As God’s messenger says: “No sooner is one converted than there is born within him a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus. The saving and sanctifying truth cannot be shut up in his heart” (Desire of Ages, p 141).
Saved to be totally involved in the life and mission of the Church is to be the driving motto for every believing Adventist Christian. It will be joy to the soul. It is not just impulsive feelings and false excitement based on religious pride, but joy that is built on the principles of God’s love. [pullquote]
Ellen White experienced speech problems and lost consciousness a few days prior to her death. But as the great leader of our Church lay dying she was heard by her son to echo these pithy words of Paul—what I deem should be the ultimate goal of every Christian: “. . . I know whom I have believed . . .” (2 Timothy 1:12).
Here was dying one who knew Jesus as a personal friend; who was absolutely certain that her sins were forgiven; who knew that Jesus had been the guiding principle for the entire course of her ministry and life.
It should be the ultimate aim of every disciple to know Jesus—not just about Him, but to know Him experientially; to be rooted and grounded in Him. Paul could not have expressed it better: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).
God’s messenger has this to say: “What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated” (My Life Today, p 275). Only then will witnessing and discipling become a spontaneous expression of joy—as natural as breathing.
Max Zaccias serves the PNG Union Mission in the areas of public evangelism, personal ministries and sabbath School.
