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January - February 2001 The Sabbath Sentinel

A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada

by Max Mader

Following is an article about a Canadian ministry in Toronto. Besides the ministry described in this article by Max Mader, they also send regular electronic mail messaging to anyone who desires to receive them. To learn more about what they preach, please see the web site listed at the end of this article. -- Editor



A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada is not a denomination. Neither is it controlled, sponsored by or affiliated to any denomination.

The aim of A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada is to proclaim the most neglected part of the Everlasting Gospel, the part which calls upon the peoples of all nations to worship the Creator of the universe by observing the divinely appointed memorial of His creation-the True Sabbath Day (Saturday!).

Revelation 14:6-7 states: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people; Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." KJV.

The Everlasting Gospel, in short, is a call to Faith and Obedience; particularly obedience to the Sabbath commandment, which is the sacred and eternal memorial of Creation. The Sabbath is also the covenant Sign of Sanctification between the Creator and His people.These are eternal facts no amount of argument can dismiss.

A 'Voice' In The Wilderness aims to make these facts known to the peoples of the world. Why the urgency? The answer is because very soon all people will be obliged to choose between acceptance or rejection of the Sabbath commandment: a choice which is directly linked to the end-time prophecy concerning the deadly Mark of The Beast.

In addition to the basic aim of faith and obedience, our group also has specific and individual aims. Here are a few examples:

  • To put Bibles (or even smaller books, like one of the gospels) into the hands of those who are searching for truth.
  • To visit the sick or those who are in prison for the Word of God.
  • To help the aged, the orphan, the poor.
  • To speak or write against the popular evils being practiced in our society.
  • To highlight a particular truth that is in danger of being ignored: e.g. the Sabbath and Festival truth.

Personal Aims

Besides these group aims, each person in the congregation should have a personal goal. The best, in my view, is holiness - to be like Yahweh and His Son Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). Other personal aims could be:

Characteristic Demonstrated By
Patience Controling the tongue & temper
Meekness Giving others a chance
Hospitality Entertaining the needy
Generosity Financing church projects
Kindness Helping particular people
Diligence Maintaining church property
Wisdom Writing spiritual articles
Love Not as the world knows love, but as God loves us!

These on the left are, of course, the fruits of the Holy Spirit and every believer should aim to produce them. Understanding correct doctrine is important: but never forget that doctrine is merely the spiritual skeleton, the chassis, the framework on which character is built. The mature person, the grown-up believer, will always be recognized by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, endeavour to translate correct doctrine into holiness. A person's character, behaviour, manner, personality, thoughts, words and deeds constitute the flesh that covers the bare bones of sound doctrine. In the final judgement we will be judged by our behaviour, not our knowledge of doctrine. Remember this fact.

Leadership

The unseen leader of our group is the Almighty Himself. His Spirit should be allowed full sway to lead the leaders. Always bear in mind that Yahweh does not measure by human standards. He is not impressed by:

  • A man's good looks, wealth, educational qualifications
  • Social standing, fame, material possessions
  • Talents
  • Or even with his knowledge of the Scriptures.

Others are impressed by these things: but the Almighty is not! If you seek to establish a group in your area you should endeavour to judge as Yahweh judges: not by the outward appearances, but by spiritual fruit. Yahweh looks for:

  • Repentance, faith, gratitude
  • Faithfulness, honesty, diligence and dedication
  • A desire to understand His Word
  • Humility
  • Obedience, which is faith in action
  • Purity of heart, HOLINESS

Yahweh's warriors are often ignored by the world, ridiculed and rejected by those who judge by human standards; but in the final analysis they are the ones of worth and lasting fame. They will be the ones who will rule with Him during the coming millennium. Examples of the types of leaders Yahweh chose are:

Joseph: disliked by his brothers, but holy and wise.
David: not highly esteemed by his family, even by his father, but a man after God's own heart.
Jeremiah: Totally rejected in his day, but bold and true in the face of enormous odds.
John the Baptist: Forthright and very humble.
The Apostles: To all outward appearances, ordinary men, but men who will one day sit and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28)
Messiah: Rejected of mankind and crucified as a common criminal; but one who was faithful unto death and who is scheduled to rule the universe as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Location

The early church held most of its meetings in private homes. If, however, you can afford to build or buy your own meeting place, then go ahead. Our group, A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, meets in a private home or hired facilities. Sabbath Service is held at 2:30pm each Sabbath.

This is how A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, operates. We are all unpaid workers: but Yahweh has blessed us bountifully. And, do not imagine it is all giving and no receiving. You may be sure that the Eternal will repay everyone who supports the work by blessing him/her in this life and in the life to come. God is no man's debtor. He will always give you back a lot more than you ever give Him.

Our Meetings

Divine Service / Sabbath (Saturday) afternoon: This is the main meeting of the week and normally lasts about one and a half hours. It is a time for prayer, Bible readings, sacred hymns and sermons.

Sabbath morning meetings: again a time for readings and prayer - though perhaps not a time for lengthy sermons.

Prayer meeting (on a Friday evening when the Sabbath is due to begin. During this meeting various books of the Bible are studied - one or two chapters per week. We discuss a few verses at a time and end with a session of prayer. We like to encourage several believers to pray short prayers of a few minutes each.

Family prayers: All members are encouraged to organize daily, family prayers in their own homes. This may consist of a Bible reading and prayer. I would rate family prayer & Bible study as the most important function in which a Christian family can engage. Disastrous consequences await anyone who neglects prayer.

Christian groups may start with 2 or 3 believers.

The Master has promised, "... Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst." (Matthew 18:20) He keeps his promises. It is, of course, nice to worship with a large group of several hundreds or even thousands: but small groups have some advantages which larger companies lack. The size of the group is not the critical factor, so long as the Spirit of Yahweh is present. If He is with you then you will be successful. If He isn't, then you labour in vain.

Bible Study

The most important aspect of our group's activities is prayer and Bible study. You will find that the strongest members of the group will be those who are at the Prayer and Study meetings.

Believers should be encouraged to read the whole Bible through - yes from Genesis to Revelation. It is surprising how many Christians have never done this. They have read parts of the Bible, but never the whole book. And yet it is true to say that no one will ever properly understand the message of salvation until they have studied the Bible. In it Yahweh has detailed His plan for humanity!

A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada works along these lines and over the years the Almighty has greatly blessed us. We have had our setbacks. Indeed had we known the guidelines we now use, we could have perhaps avoided most of them. Therefore, we pass on this information to you hoping that Yahweh will use them to guide those who are making genuine efforts to raise up a Sabbath-keeping congregation around this wide world.

It is so easy to make plans and ask the Most High to bless them with success. Better that we ask Yahweh to lead us, to direct us to do His will. If we do this, praying all the while that His Spirit will be with us, then success will be ours.

Conclusion

Is it possible to take the Everlasting Gospel to every hamlet and hut in the world? Yes it is possible. It is well within our reach with His help. Is it possible to proclaim Yahweh's law to every soul on earth and to demolish the errors, because of which, paganism and unbelief have invaded the Christian church? Yes, even this seemingly impossible task is well within our reach, if the Most High continues to be with us.

Is it possible to batter down the very gates of hell and rescue those who are virtually within the Beast's jaws? Absolutely so: this is not only possible but it is going to be accomplished - soon. Yahweh, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, is about to do a universe-shaking act of rescue, when He overthrows the Temple of Dagon, demolishes the altars of Baal and inscribes His law in the minds of His people. Oh what a glorious and awesome day that will be. It is fast approaching!

A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada, is greatly honoured to be engaged in this work, especially on the Internet. We are delighted to have this opportunity to share with you the great truths you have been studying lately. Pass them on! Meanwhile, we continue to pray to the Master that He will bless you abundantly with mercy, enlightenment, direction and spiritual strength to serve Him as we ought to.

In Messiah's Name,
Elder: Max W. Mader
Web-Site: http://webhome.idirect.com/~maderm/index.html
E:Mail: maderm@idirect.com
Telephone: 1 416- 604-1657

TSS

January - February 2001 The Sabbath Sentinel