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January - February 2001 The Sabbath Sentinel
A 'Voice' In The Wilderness, Toronto, Canada
by Max Mader
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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:
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To put Bibles (or even smaller books, like one of the
gospels) into the hands of those who are searching for truth.
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To visit the sick or those who are in prison for the
Word of God.
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To help the aged, the orphan, the poor.
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To speak or write against the popular evils being
practiced in our society.
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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:
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A man's good looks, wealth, educational qualifications
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Social standing, fame, material possessions
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Talents
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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:
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Repentance, faith, gratitude
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Faithfulness, honesty, diligence and dedication
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A desire to understand His Word
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Humility
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Obedience, which is faith in action
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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
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