Within The Ark

As most of you know, I have been working on a series of studies related to evangelism, designed to teach our members how to reach out to those of other faiths, who hold other beliefs, and to show them the truth as it is in Yahshua. We need to be able to explain to them not only that our doctrines are “better,” but why they reflect the character of Yahweh, and how they lead us to properly develop and reflect His character.

I had originally planned to continue this series today, but Giselle’s parents are visiting us this weekend on the way to Colombia, and I had a conversation with them last night that led me to realize a more pressing need. Particularly in light of the recent developments in the courts… we must be able to express to those who know of us not only the need to keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the faith of Yahshua, but also what this means in a practical sense regarding the concept of the Covenant.

We have seen, in a number of previous studies, that Yahweh deals with His people in covenants. He loves all men, and blesses them as He can, and answers prayers as He can (and I will explain what I mean by “as He can” shortly) but He can only consistently bless and ultimately save, those who are united with Him in a Covenant.

The verses that demonstrate this include:

Isa 42:6-8

48:11

We read the words of Christ:

John 17:22

We see from this verse that by receiving the glory of Yahweh through the Son, we receive two visible benefits:

Unity – with Christ and one another

A Testimony – to bear of the Father’s love

It is unity with Christ that ultimately saves, for we read:

Mat 7:22, 23

Knowledge here is a much more intimate thing than merely intellectual understanding, as we have said in various places before.

We read the words of the covenant to Abraham, which covenant we as Christians have ultimately inherited. As we read we will notice several aspects of it:

Gen 17:1-14

1, 2 – Promise and condition

5 – Name

6 – Blessings

10 – Token or sign

13, 14 – Condition

We have had quite an emphasis lately on evangelism and Church Membership. These two concepts are not at all disconnected. In fact, one is necessary for the other to be meaningful.

One that brings a covenant but no evangelism, no good news to share, is an enslaver. He seeks, like the Pharisees, to bind the soul into a works-based system, an obligation, an exchange. Unfortunately there are many who treat Yahweh as if He honors such bargains, saying, “If you heal me from this sickness, I will give up X.” This reveals an unconverted heart, for if X is known to be a sin, why is it retained at all? And if there are other transgressions in the life, why is only one being sacrificed in order to “earn” Yah’s good will?

Yahweh says, “THIS is the covenant: I will be your Elohim, and protect you, bless you and save you. You will be my people, walking in all my ways and testifying of me.” This is the covenant, and there can be no other… that covenant is the Gospel, the Good News.

On the other hand, an evangelist who brings “Good News” of a type, but does not bring with him a covenant is nothing but a deceiver, for Yahweh is a God of agreements. Yes, we are saved individually, but some people take this knowledge and somehow, amazingly, come to the conclusion that this means Yahweh is suddenly against structure, order and Law, even though all of these were His own invention. These are not bad words, but unfortunately this world has seen the abuse of these good concepts for so long that it is difficult to separate them from the bad examples that are so abundant.

We read of such in verses like:

James 2:14-20

Some have tried to work for Yahshua without entering into His covenant. In the early days, the Church was new and well organized, so we have few examples of errors regarding this matter, nevertheless, a few very dramatic ones exist. We read of this incident:

Luke 9:49-50.

Acts 19:13-17

One of the questions that was asked of me last night was: Do I need to be a baptized member in order to evangelize? I replied with a parable:

Imagine a gigantic pool filled with water, and there are people in this pool. Suddenly the swimmers realize the water is poisoned. Now, there is only one way out of this pool, and it is a very narrow entrance. Suddenly, there is an earthquake and the land under the pool shifts in the direction of the entrance, and there is a strong current toward it.

There are five kinds of people now in the water. Some try to swim against the current, not believing there is an exit, or not desiring to find it.

Some stand still and wait to see what will happen.

Some swim toward the exit, hoping to find the way out. This last type is divided into three: those that find the narrow way and point to it, those who find the narrow way and go into it, and those who do not find it at all.

This is the meaning of the parable:

The pool is the world, and the swimmers represent all of humanity. The poison in the water is sin, which will ultimately kill all who remain in it. The earthquake is the judgment, which begins – and is designed – to move men closer to the exit, which represents Christ, the strait and narrow way to safety.

Those who swim against the current are those who love the pool despite the danger, and they will eventually die in the poison.

Those who stand still have not yet decided which they love more: safety or swimming. They also will die of the poison.

Those who swim toward the entrance are swimming with the current, so they believe in the judgment and want safety, but these are the people who are in the greatest danger, for they can hit the sides of the pool and are destroyed faster and more violently than those who swim away or stand still.

This means that Satan does not care about those who stand still, or move away from Christ. He is seeking to destroy those who are drawing near, and therefore, we have to be sure that if we are moving toward the exit, we actually find it… knowing the truth and doing it.

Now, I said there were three types. Those who never find it are the ones deceived by false doctrines, or tempted off the path of life.

Those who find it and point to it are the “mixed multitude.” They may actually help others find the way out, but they do not go in themselves, and will die. Judas was of this type, for he was loyal to Christ Yahshua in many ways, and was among those casting out devils and healing the sick… but he did not enter into the Way himself, and we know well what happened to him.

But those who both find the way out and go in are the Redeemed, and these are they who have a testimony that is irreproachable. They do not say, “Here is the way, go in.” Many evangelists will say, “Get to know Jesus. Do what He wants and He will save you. Learn His doctrines and you will please Him.” This is not the right approach.

The right approach is to do as Paul did, and say, without worrying about what nominal Christians will think of you:

1Cor 11:1

We are able to say, “This is the way, and we know for sure, for certain, because we are using it… we are escaping!”

So in essence, the answer to the question of, “Do I need to be baptized in order to evangelize,” the answer is, “No… however, the reason why one is not baptized is important.”

If one has not been baptized because of a lack of opportunity, that is one thing, and is perfectly fine. When the opportunity presents itself, that is easily rectified.

If one has not been baptized because of a lack of desire, however, that is a problem indeed. These are they who say, “I don’t see the need for the covenant, but the teachings are good.” Another parable will demonstrate who these ones are in a moment, but in terms of the pool symbolism, they are the ones who stay in the poison, but try to point the way out.

There are two problems with this approach. First, they don’t have a living testimony, and Satan can easily destroy their usefulness by simply having the ones with whom they are speaking as, “Why aren’t you a member?” If the reason why is because of a lack of desire, or not seeing the importance of membership, there is no good response to that question, and the evangelism is likely to fail.

Second, for the individual’s own sake, the question needs to be asked, why is there such a lack of desire? The CSDA Church is not about the doctrines. It’s not about the teachings, or practices, at its most essential level. What the CSDA Church is, and what membership within it means, is a representation in human flesh of the unity shared by the Father and Son. That’s it… that is all it means.

The keeping of the commandments is a result of this, because the commandments are a representation in actions of the character of the Godhead.

The faith of Yahshua is a result of this, because this is the mind that they have. The victory over sin, a connected concept, is a result of this, because: 1John 1:1-5.

The New Moons are a result of this unity, because by this ordinance in the time of the moon’s darkness we prepare our hearts to receive new light as we stand firmly on all that we have thus far received.

If one asks, “Can I be an evangelist without being a member,” it’s not necessarily a problem, but the reason why the question is even asked needs to be examined. A burning desire for unity with Yahweh and His people is direct evidence of the divine Spirit residing in the soul. A lack of that burning desire is a sure sign of something necessary for salvation missing, for if we do not desire to be with our brethren here on earth, we will not desire the Heavenly fellowship in the ceaseless ages of the New Creation.

We have done a number of studies on Covenants and Church Membership. In fact, an entire book, A Sure Covenant, is all about this subject. What I’d like to emphasize today, however, is the importance of presenting this in its true light to the people we evangelize.

During the conversation, as we were addressing this issue of evangelists and members, I pointed out the following situation. Let’s read first:

Luke 17:26-30

We know of the antediluvian world that a long period of warning was given, and then swift destruction. This is a lesson for us in the last days, for it is written that the time will come upon the unprepared as a “thief in the night.” Some may think that if the time of warning is long, the coming of the actual disaster will be easily seen… but this is not the case.

Some, when they hear our message, act as I imagine some did when seeing Noah building the boat. They may say, “That is a nice boat.” But seeing no value in it, for remember it had not rained before, they simply move on.

Others may say, “That is a nice boat,” and when Noah invites them inside, they say, “No, thank you… I like the idea of the boat, and I see the need for escaping the flood, but what I plan to do, since your boat is so large, is to stand on top of it, or hang on to the sides. When the waters rise, I will be safe, but I don’t need to go inside where there are animals of all kinds and close quarters. I want to keep my distance, and I value my space.”

Others, the very few, say, “That is a nice boat,” and when Noah says, “Come in,” they agree and enter.

These last ones are the redeemed. They go in, and as it is written of Noah’s family:

Gen 7:16

Now, some have used this verse incorrectly, and tried to apply it to the “once saved always saved” doctrine. It cannot, however, be so used. It is Yahweh who shuts the door, this is the “sealing,” but those who enter the ark have already been tested, and their faith confirmed, before they are so sealed. It is not merely those who say, “I am saved” that benefit from the closed door; they must actually go into the ark of the covenant, in this case the actual Ark.

The first group of people, who see the strength of the boat and move on, are those who don’t see the benefit of unity and covenants at all. They have a better idea, and Yahweh, they believe, must go by their rules. Obviously, they are going to be wiped away in the judgment.

The second class we are seeing more and more of… they say, “This is a good boat,” and they say, “The flood is coming,” and they say, “We must be safe from the flood,” but they think that by being near the ark, they are sufficiently “close” to salvation. This is a grave mistake.

Some may have thought that they could stand on the ark for a while, and when the waters went down, everything would be fine. But let’s see what would have happened if anyone had, theoretically, done this:

Gen 7:17-24

Gen 7:11

As can be clearly seen, the flood was not a mere raising and lowering of the waters. It was a cataclysmic event, and we understand from the SOP writings that even with the ark’s sturdy construction, were it not for the assistance of the angels in holding it together, the ark would have broken apart.

The trials of the last days will be exactly the same. Some see our message, our practices, our teachings on Victory, and they say, “Those are nice principles, but I don’t see the need to become a part of your organization, your body.”

They do not understand covenants, for it is not the practices, not even the principles that save us. It is Christ who saves His people, those in covenant with Him, though He loves and will help all as much as He can.

“Can” explained in terms of accusations. Satan has an accusation against all, and Yahweh lets him have his way to tempt and try men, as we may read from the Book of Job. Those who are in covenant with Yahweh survive these trials and are blessed by them more than before. Those who are not are overcome, for the temptations, like the waters of the flood, are too great for any creature to withstand. Remember, Lucifer was the greatest of the creatures, and maintains much of his power.

So then, we see by this that those who are trying to follow along, to stand on the principles of truth without uniting themselves with those who are OF the truth, have no way of withstanding the trials and temptations of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and it will be worse – at least in terms of the spiritual deceptions and testing, if not the actual physical danger – than they have thought.

The only true safety is inside the ark. The only true safety is in uniting with those who are heading heavenward, and this is true for two reasons, one directly spiritual, and one more practical.

The spiritual reason is as we have seen: Yahweh blesses people through covenants. He may, and has, answered prayers, led individuals, and prospered, those who are not in covenant with Him, and these blessings are designed to lead men to gratitude… however without the covenant in place such a one has not a perfect defense against Satan, against wicked men, or against the disasters that may seem to come by providence or cause-and-effect.

There is no natural way for one under Adam’s curse to avoid death forever, or the second death at judgment, therefore only supernatural means can preserve this person, and fit them for everlasting life. The covenant is the promise that Yahweh will do this, and as we saw in John 17, it is an individual covenant, but one that has a corporate identity. We belong not only to Christ, as many profess, but also to one another, as it is written:

Rom 12:5

1Cor 12:25-27

Eph 4:25

This is a profile of the community of individually saved saints that will be brought into the Kingdom of Yahweh.

The practical reason is that although it is Yah’s grace that saves, our faithful response to it determines if that grace will be of effect or not. This is our freedom that grace grants us. And a part of that faithful response is to develop a Christian character. Yahweh is no respecter of persons, but He respects character… and this is what is evidence of our covenant with Him.

Character is developed only in community, except under the most extraordinary of circumstances:

Pro 27:17

It is thus, by sharing experiences, that we come to know Yahshua “in His saints” as it is written in 2Th 1:10

When we therefore speak of Church Membership, and covenants, let us remember the parable provided by the history of the ark… we see that it is not enough to praise the ship-builders, or to plan to stand upon the boat when it is afloat (for this is what some propose to do) but they must follow on into the Ark itself, and be with the people when the door is shut. It is not that the people save you, or the fellowship saves you… but that people, and that fellowship, are where Yahweh happens to have those whom He will save.

To close let us read this passage:

Mark 10:17-27

Even if we are doing all the right “things,” and going to the right Church, and befriending the right people… even if we have all knowledge, and understand all mysteries, as Paul says. Even if we know and practice all the right principles, if we have not agape… if we have not Yahshua, we have nothing at all. And when we have Yahshua, we have His people, for we are not separate from Him any more than the Body is separate from its Head. This is what it means to follow Him, and this is what it means to be in Covenant.