By John Thiel

In the society that we have been molded by we have developed a way of thinking in which we rely upon those who are in leadership to tell us what situations of life that we have to submit to. We wait for them to guide and tell us. The rulers of the world of society around us are the ones that dictate the condition that we are to be submissive to. The general populace do not exercise their mind in running the affairs of government. This mentality is translated into the church that ministers, presidents of conferences and Bible workers are employed as the workers that are to tell us what the truth is and tell us how we should function.

The general membership are mere attendees listening to the expectations of those who have gone to college who have listened and studied carefully the teaching of the hierarchical system. The membership simply listens to what they’re taught and are dependent on their leaders to explain to them what the Bible says. This spirit has been rampant right through the ages. It’s the spirit of the papacy. As we are living in the last days, Gods faithful people are identified in Joel. We have read this in the past, in the time of the latter rain. It’s the time of the last days under the three angel’s messages.

Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first [month].

In this time of the former and latter rain, we read;

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 2:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Here we see that it is the common people, the handmaids and the servants, those who have not received high education, the sons, the daughters and the old men who are regarded as old fashioned, God will convey prophecy and truth to preach. For common people, those who are ordinary members of the church who have not attended Bible seminaries, the common church members who have been educated by this modern society, are be subject to their leaders who have gone to college and ministerial education systems. To be subject to them the Lord says no, it is the maids and sons and daughters who will convey the message in those days. For common people to do this is thought of that some miraculous thing will happen that these people who’ve never been educated in the higher schools now all of a sudden will be able to convey the word of God. These common people are not suddenly influxed with information out of the blue.

Deuteronomy 32:1 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto

our God.

32:4 [He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he.

The outpouring of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit upon the common people, is the understanding of truth and of doctrine. The common people who will then under the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will prophesy and communicate truth and doctrine.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The five wise virgins had oil in their vessels and oil in their lamps. The lamps are the Bible. With the Bible in their hand, they can understand the events around them. It is the common people who will be able to communicate truth.

It is sometimes the case that men of intellectual ability, improved by education and culture, fail to comprehend certain passages of Scripture, while others who are uneducated, whose understanding seems weak and whose minds are undisciplined, will grasp the meaning, finding strength and comfort in that which the former declare to be mysterious or pass by as unimportant. Why is this? It has been explained to me that the latter class do not rely upon their own understanding. They go to the Source of light, the One who has inspired the Scriptures, and with humility of heart ask God for wisdom, and they receive it. . {5T 704.2}

Here we see the meekness of Moses. He was well educated and he had to go out of that education circle into the wilderness of sheep so he could learn to rely and ask for guidance on everything. This is the what every member of the church must do.

There are mines of truth yet to be discovered by the earnest seeker. Christ represented the truth as treasure hid in a field. It does not lie right upon the surface; we must dig for it. But our success in finding it does not depend so much on our intellectual ability as on our humility of heart and the faith which will lay hold upon divine aid. {5T 704.2}

This little statement is resplendent with understanding how it is the common people will ultimately be the ones who will do the closing work. Those who are well educated have exercised their minds and have become proud of their ability to work things out and they don’t relate to the one who illuminates. Or they have developed it through much prayer and study of the scriptures but they fall into a condition that their rational has been trained. This is why the angel of Laodicea is spued out. He is so illuminated by truth and studied it so well, he knows it all. There is the problem. To be able to preach the word and prophesy comes from a diligent and personal effort. It comes from studying the word for illumination. The people who are going to be the preachers and prophesy are the sons and daughters who may have never received education in seminaries but have searched the scriptures in their daily life. As the Holy Spirit gives them illumination, they take those principles and let them be inscribed upon their hearts and then when they are called upon to give an answer for their faith, they would have it straight from the Holy Spirit. At the end, every member of the church will have to stand singly and alone to proclaim the message.

I have been shown that many who profess to have knowledge of present truth know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for the present time. When the time of trial shall come, there are men now preaching to others who will find, upon examining the positions they hold, that there are many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested they knew not their great ignorance. {5T 707.2}

They are preaching but are ignorant, when the test comes, they don’t have the right answers.

And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe; but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused their ideas of what they had accepted as truth are. {5T 707.2}

We’ve had it drummed into us year after year and we think we know it. But when the test comes and we have to explain, we are in sixes and sevens.

Certain it is that there has been among us a departure from the living God and a turning to men, putting human in place of divine wisdom. {5T 707.2}

When we say, ‘tell me what this means’, we are asking men to explain to us. By doing that we are not developing an internal muscle from finding explanations from the Holy Spirit by reading the word of God.

God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat. {5T 707.3}

When error is being practised, it will create friction.

The Lord calls upon all who believe His word to awake out of sleep. Precious light has come, appropriate for this time. It is Bible truth, showing the perils that are right upon us. This light should lead us to a diligent study of the Scriptures and a most critical examination of the positions which we hold. God would have all the bearings and positions of truth thoroughly and perseveringly searched, with prayer and fasting. Believers are not to rest in suppositions and ill-defined ideas of what constitutes truth. Their faith must be firmly founded upon the word of God so that when the testing time shall come and they are brought before councils to answer for their faith they may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear. {5T 707.3}

A hope that is in them with meekness and fear when we have to stand in the courts. How can you be one of the common people to be illuminated from on high to proclaim the truth if we have not personally entered into this deep searching of the scriptures to satisfy our own mind to give evidence what we believe? This is behind Joel 2. All the common people who have not done the teachings of the church seminaries, they themselves will be able to do the work which even ministers are not able to do. Jesus has said that when we have to go to the synagogue and have to speak evidence of our faith, we will be helped. When we are put to the test, we won’t have to worry what we are going to answer.

Luke 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and [unto] magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

The Holy Spirit is being poured upon Gods people and they will prophesy. They will speak what the Holy Spirit wants them to speak. This could be a trap as you may say I don’t have to study, the Holy Spirit will put words in my mouth. This magical religion has been affecting people for a long time.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being [yet] present with you.

14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jesus said don’t prepare yourself with some kind of speech that you’re going to answer the people when they ask you, don’t prepare yourself, the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what to say. In what sense? If we have not studied the Bible and understood the message for ourselves, the Holy Spirit will not be able to bring into our memory what to say. If we have studied, the Holy Spirit will bring into our remembrance if we have carefully searched the scriptures for ourselves. If we have not searched beforehand, how is it possible to bring it to memory?

Whenever men are not seeking, in word and deed, to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. {5T 705.1}

It is not safe to trust their explanations if they are not seeking in word and deed to be in harmony with God.

When we are truly seeking to do God’s will, the Holy Spirit takes the precepts of His word and makes them the principles of the life, writing them on the tablets of the soul. {5T 705.1}

As I search the scriptures and I’m seeking to do Gods will, that is the criteria by which we will be prepared to be able to return what has been inscribed.

And it is only those who are following the light already given that can hope to receive the further illumination of the Spirit. This is plainly stated in the words of Christ: “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.” {5T 705.1}

You certainly don’t have to go to college or to a Bible seminary to know what it is to do Gods will. Those who live up to the light, will be led on and on and the word of God will be inscribed in their hearts and when they stand in front of the people, they will be able to prophesy. The Holy Spirit will be able to bring into remembrance what has been put in the heart. If we rely on the ministers to explain everything to us, we will be caught without the ability to proclaim.

What Is the Purpose of Ministers?

The question comes, what is the purpose of the ministers? What is the purpose of the presidents of conferences? What should they be doing? Inspiration gives us the answer. As I’ve laboured through the years, I’ve wondered that the kind of ministry I’ve engaged in has been shied away from by leaders in the church. I’ve had difficulties with certain leaders. I’ve also wondered why the ministry I’ve engaged in and the leaders come along and say it’s different here.

There is danger that ministers, that presidents of conferences, will take too much upon themselves and manifest too little confidence in the people. The people should be educated in such a way that they will search the Scriptures for themselves. The Holy Spirit is to work to mold every man after the similitude of Christ. Men have made a great mistake in not considering that God works through His church. Ministers should give ample encouragement to the individual members of the church and to those whom God shall select to do a special work in maturing thoughtful plans for the saving of the souls of those who are in error. {9MR 146.2}

Even the maids and the servants are going to be chosen to help finish the work. The minister’s role is to encourage every common member of the church to study and search the scriptures to search and find their way through the word so they are equipped.

Then there would be no contention, no one striving for the mastery, or seeking to secure the highest places. The Holy Spirit has much to teach the church when it becomes attentive to the voice of divine truth. The Lord would have the teachers of the church lead the people upward, and in no case give the impression that the people have no need to fulfill their individual responsibilities. {9MR 146.3}

What is the work of the ministers? The shepherds of the flock, not for the sheep to say baa, baa where shall we go you tell us? No. The ministers are to exercise confidence in the people to dig deep and search the scriptures for themselves. This task I find is totally neglected. The people are not taught how to search the scriptures for themselves. The only reason why I am ministering is I have never thought for myself that I am any better than any other member of the church and if I can work out these things, then anyone else can. I have taught people they can learn what the Lord has taught me and that way no one is higher in capabilities. From the lowest to the highest all can be taught to find answers for themselves. As I was meditating upon this I thought of a man from another country that wants to come here to learn how to do missionary work. I thought Lord, I’ve been planning for this with our members. This has prompted me to understand what we should do when this young man comes and also others are coming. We will actually go through a program of missionary training of this nature.

Ministers should give ample encouragement to the individual members of the church and to those whom God shall select to do a special work in maturing thoughtful plans for the saving of the souls of those who are in error. {9MR 146.2}

In other words, prompt and provoke every human being how to exercise their own intelligence and ultimately under the influence of the Holy Spirit on how to prophesy. If you have a whole church doing that, haven’t you got a power there? Whereas if you have the ministers and everyone coming and listening and just sitting in the pews and then going home and saying wasn’t that a lovely sermon but not exercising their own diligence to become workers, that is not how it’s done.

May God give us the power to be thoroughly prepared because we have learnt individually to search the scriptures. The people should be educated in such a way that they will search the scriptures for themselves to critically examine every doctrine that we stand for.

Amen.