Today, more than ever, we long to reach our final home. Therefore, “a revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs” (Selected Messages, vol. 1, 121).

“Revival means a renewal of spiritual life, a quickening of the faculties of mind and heart, a resurrection from spiritual death. Reformation means a reorganization, a change in ideas and theories, in habits and practices” (Last Day Events, 190).

A revived and reformed church accepts the challenge of being a receiver and continuer of the mission of Jesus Christ. “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.’” And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

The central expression “make disciples” is imperative. This verb form was not used between equals, but exclusively by kings. King Jesus, having received all authority in Heaven and on Earth, after having overcome sin on the cross and death in the tomb, commanded the church to carry out the mission of discipleship. The other verbs are in the gerund form: “go” (going), “baptizing” and “teaching”, and are components and dependent on the same mission.

We accept the call to revival and reformation as well as the mandate to make disciples, and we decide to live in “Communion, Relationship and Mission”. In communion, seeking God every day, in the first hour and in a continuous and permanent way. In relationship, making the Small Group a lifestyle that, following the apostolic model, strengthens our bonds while allowing us to reach others. And in mission, using all gifts and resources in such a way that each child of God leads, each year, at least one person to Jesus, to baptism and to the church. Recognizing our need and divine calling, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America invites all its members to study, with meditation and prayer, the following biblical and Spirit of Prophecy counsel:

Communion

Complete delivery

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service: and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1, 2).

God’s purpose has always been to establish a special bond with His children. Our first parents “were visited by angels, and were granted communion with the Creator, without any veil of separation” (Patriarchs and Prophets, 50). “A lesson for all time: the lesson that true happiness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God” (ibid., 49).

“Surely it would do us good to spend an hour daily in reflecting upon the life of Jesus … to let our imagination take possession of every scene, especially the closing ones” (The Desire of Ages, 83).

“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, Lord, to be wholly Thine. At Thy feet I lay all my plans. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be done in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Submit all your plans to Him, that they may be carried out or left undone as His providence may direct. Thus day by day you may give your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be patterned more and more after the life of Christ” (Steps to Christ, 70).

“Christ is waiting with great desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ is perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own” (Christ’s Object Lessons, 69).

Constants in prayer

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

“Our Saviour identified Himself with our wants and infirmities, and became a suppliant, a petitioner unto His Father, to seek from Him fresh supplies of strength, that He might go forth refreshed to duty and trial. He is our example in all things. He is a brother in our weaknesses… His humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege for Him. He found comfort and joy in communion with the Father. And if the Saviour of men, the Son of God, felt the need of prayer, how much more should we, feeble, sinful mortals that we are, feel the need of fervent, constant prayer!” (Steps to Christ, 93, 94).

“At the sound of earnest prayer Satan’s whole army trembles… knowing full well that their battle is lost.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 121). “We must watch and work and pray as if this were the last day ever given us.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 60).

In the spirit of fasting and prayer

“I turned my face unto the Lord God, to seek Him by prayer and supplication, with fasting” (Daniel 9:3).

“The object of the fasting which God invites us to do is not to afflict the body for the sin of the heart, but to help us to realize the offensiveness of sin, to humble our hearts before God, and to receive His pardoning grace” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 87).

“Now and henceforth, to the end of time, God’s people should be more earnest, more awake…. They should set aside days for fasting and prayer. Complete abstinence from food may not be required, but they should eat moderately, of the simplest fare” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, 188, 189).

“Fasting one day a week will be of incalculable benefit” (ibid., 189). “The spirit of true fasting and prayer is the spirit that yields mind, heart, and will to God” (ibid.).

Take care of your body

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with all things harmful and to use judiciously that which is wholesome” (Patriarchs and Prophets, 562). “This alone is the foundation of all the graces that come from God, of all the victories to be gained” (Temperance, 201).

“By the gratification of taste, the nervous system becomes irritated and the power of the brain is weakened, making it impossible to think calmly and rationally. The mind is unbalanced … and eternal and sacred interests are neglected” (Counsels on Diet and Foods, 151).

“The work of transforming man from wickedness to holiness is continual. Day by day God is working for the sanctification of man, and man must cooperate with Him in putting forth persevering efforts to cultivate right habits. He must add grace to grace; and thus working on a plan of addition, God works through him on a plan of multiplication” (Acts of the Apostles, 532).

Exalt the Scriptures

“For ye have been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living and abiding word of God. For all flesh is as grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass: the grass withereth, and the flower thereof fadeth: but the word of the Lord abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23-25).

“We must go to the people with the solid word of God” (Selected Messages, bk. 2, 43).

“It is by the Word—not by sentiment or by exaltation—that we must influence men to obey the truth. We can stand securely upon the platform of God’s Word” (Last Day Events, 93).

Relationship

We were created to live in relationship with God and with our neighbors. When we integrate with friends and brothers, we become part of a community life that makes us happier and stronger. Therefore, we need to strengthen our relationship with God, our family and the church, through family worship, small groups, Sabbath observance, and the return of tithes and offerings.

Spiritualize the family

“Job called his sons and sanctified them; he rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all” (Job 1:5).

“Evening and morning join with your children in the worship of God, reading His Word and singing His praise. Teach them to repeat the law of God” (Evangelism, 499).

“Let the times of family worship be short and spiritual” (Last Day Events, 84).

“Let the father select a portion of Scripture that is interesting and easily understood; a few verses will suffice to give a lesson that can be studied and practiced throughout the day. Questions may be asked. Interesting statements may be made. Or some short, to-the-point incident may be presented as an illustration. At least a few verses of lively hymns may be sung; and the prayer offered should be short and to the point. The one who leads in prayer should not pray about everything, but should express his needs in simple words and praise God with thanksgiving” (Child Guidance, 522).

Living in community

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers […] Daily they continued steadfastly in the temple, breaking bread from house to house, and taking their meals with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people” (Acts 2:42, 46-47).

The early Christians lived in community, growing upward in communion with God, inward in faith and consecration, and outward in service and testimony.

“The formation of small groups as a basis for Christian effort was presented to me by Him who cannot err. […] Keep your bond of union indissoluble, clinging to one another in love and unity, encouraging one another to press forward, each gaining courage and strength from the help of the others. Let them manifest Christian patience and long-suffering, not speaking hasty words, but using the talent of speech to build up one another in the most holy faith” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 84).

Experience fidelity

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house: and prove Me herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing without measure” (Malachi 3:10).

“The Lord today calls upon Seventh-day Adventists everywhere to consecrate themselves to Him, and to do, according to their ability, the utmost they can to aid His work. … By their liberality in giving gifts and offerings, He desires them to reveal an appreciation of His blessings and a gratitude for His mercy” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 350, 351).

“We should not only faithfully return to God our tithes, which He claims as His own, but we should also bring into His treasury a tribute as an offering of thanksgiving. With glad hearts let us bring to our Creator the firstfruits of all His bounty—our most cherished possessions, our best and holiest service” (The Faith I Live By, 245).

“None whose characters are marred with the foul stain of selfishness can enter heaven. Therefore God tests us here by bestowing upon us temporal possessions, that the use we make of them may reveal whether eternal riches can be entrusted to us” (Counsels on Stewardship, 22).

Respect the Lord’s Day

“I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them…. Sanctify My Sabbaths: for they shall be a sign between Me and you” (Ezekiel 20:12, 20).

“Let us not be ashamed to wear the sign that distinguishes us from the world…. But God has a people loyal to Him. This work must be carried forward in the proper manner.

The people who bear His sign are to establish churches and institutions as monuments to Him. These monuments, however humble in appearance, will constantly testify against the false sabbath instituted by Satan, and in favor of the Sabbath instituted by the Lord in Eden” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, 105). “The Sabbath will be the touchstone of loyalty. […] When the final test comes upon all people, the dividing line will be drawn between those who serve God and those who do not serve Him” (Maranatha, The Lord Is Coming, 160).

Mission

Commitment to the mission

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19).

“Work, oh, work, with an eye to eternity! Remember that every faculty must be sanctified. A great work must be done” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 309). “God has sent message after message to arouse our people to do something, and to do it now” (ibid., 308).

“Long has God waited for the spirit of service to take possession of the whole church, so that every one shall work for Him according to his ability. When the members of God’s church do their appointed work in the needy fields at home and abroad, in fulfillment of the gospel commission, the whole world will soon be warned, and the Lord Jesus will return to the earth with power and great glory” (Acts of the Apostles, 111).

“The church of Christ on earth was organized for missionary purposes, and the Lord desires to see the whole church devising means by which high and low, rich and poor, may hear the message of truth” (Christian Service, 72).

A personal call

“If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity lies upon me: for woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

“Every day some man’s probation is closing. Every hour some pass beyond the reach of mercy. And where are the voices of warning and entreaty, bidding the sinner flee from this fearful doom? Where are the hands stretched out to turn him back from the path of death? Where are those who in humility and persevering faith intercede with God for him?” (Patriarchs and Prophets, 140).

“Let no one think that he has a right to fold his hands and do nothing. That any man can be saved in indolence and inactivity is an utter impossibility. Think of what Christ did during His earthly ministry. How earnest, how untiring were His efforts! He allowed nothing to divert Him from the work given Him. Are we following in His footsteps?” (Christian Service, 83)

“There is not an idler in heaven, and none will enter the blessed mansions who have failed to show love to Christ, who have not put forth labors for the salvation of others” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 208).

Solidarity and benevolence

“For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; sick, and you visited Me; in prison, and you came to Me…. As ye did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me” (Matthew 25:35, 36, 40).

“Christ’s methods alone will bring true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He manifested His sympathy for them, ministered to their wants, and won their confidence. Then He commanded, ‘Follow Me!’” (Gospel Workers, 363).

“It is necessary to bring oneself into close contact with the people by personal effort. If less time were spent in preaching, and more were devoted to personal service, the greater would be the results that would be seen. The poor must be relieved, the sick cared for, the afflicted and bereaved comforted, the ignorant and inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Combined with the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, and the power of God’s love, this work will never be without fruit” (Ministry of Healing, 143).

“The temporal wants of the poor must first be met and their physical privations and sufferings relieved, and then access will be found to the heart, where the good seeds of virtue and religion can be sown” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 226).

“It is in unselfish ministry that true happiness is found. And every word and act of this kind is recorded in the heavenly books as having been done for Christ” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 100).

The Only Hope

A time of testing

“Now the God of all grace, who hath called you to His eternal glory by Christ, after that ye have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

“God’s love for His church is infinite. His care for His inheritance is unceasing. He permits no affliction to come upon the church but what is needful for its cleansing, for its present and eternal good. … All that He brings upon the church in the way of trials and afflictions, He does that His people may gain deeper piety and greater strength to carry the victories of the cross to all parts of the world” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 392).

“Afflictions, crosses, temptations, adversities, and our various trials, are the divine agencies to purify, sanctify, and prepare us for the heavenly garner” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 313).

Set dates

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

“God hath not revealed unto us the time when this message shall be finished, or when probation shall end. The things that are revealed we will accept for ourselves and our children; but let us not seek to know that which hath been kept secret in the councils of the Almighty” (Last Day Events, 227).

“Some letters have come to me asking if I have any special light concerning the time of the close of probation; and I answer that I have only this message to give, that now is the time to work, while it is day: for the night cometh, when no man can work” (Selected Messages, bk. 1, 191).

Empowered by the Holy Spirit

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

“The Holy Spirit is the representative of Christ, but divested of, and independent of, human personality. Limited by humanity, Christ could not be everywhere in person…. Through the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all” (The Desire of Ages, 669).

“The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or race. Christ declared that the divine influence of the Spirit should be with His followers to the end. From the day of Pentecost to the present, the Comforter has been sent to all who yield themselves wholly to the Lord and to His service” (Christian Service, 250).

“Since this is the means by which we are to receive power, why should we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit? Why do we not talk about Him, pray for Him, and preach about Him?” (ibid., 252).

Like never before

“I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was lightened with his glory” (Revelation 18:1).

“The great work of the gospel is not to close with a less manifestation of God’s power than that which marked its beginning” (Last Day Events, 203).

“As He once called fishermen to be His disciples, so He will raise up from among the common people men and women to do His work. Soon there will be a revival that will astonish many. Those who do not see the necessity of what must be done will be passed by, and the heavenly messengers will work with those who are called the common people, enabling them to carry the truth to many places” (ibid., 204).

“The power that so powerfully stirred the people in the movement of 1844 will again be revealed. The third angel’s message will go forth, not in a still voice, but with a loud cry” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 252).

Moving forward together

“That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (John 17:21).

“Some have advanced the thought that as we near the close of time, every child of God will act independently of any religious organization. But I have been instructed of the Lord that in this work there is no such thing as every man being independent” (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 489).

“As members of the visible church, and workers in the Lord’s vineyard, all professing Christians should do their utmost to preserve peace, harmony, and love in the church…. The unity of the church is convincing evidence that God sent Jesus into the world to save it” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 619, 620).

“‘Be united.’ In unity is your strength…. The messengers whom the Lord sends bear the divine credentials” (The Remnant Church, 61).

“As divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire through straw” (Selected Messages, bk. 1, 118).

“The secret of our success in the work of God will be seen in the harmonious working of our people. There must be concentrated action. Every member of the body of Christ must do his part in the cause of God according to the capacity He has given him. We must join forces against difficulties and obstacles, shoulder to shoulder, and united in heart. If Christians would act in concert, moving forward as one man, under the guidance of one Power, for the accomplishment of one object, they would shake the world” (Christian Service, 75).

With everyone and to everyone

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

“Many, even among the unlearned, are now proclaiming the words of the Lord. Children are impelled by the Spirit to go forth and declare the message of heaven. The Spirit will be poured out upon all who will submit to His promptings, and, setting aside all human effort, its inhibiting rules, and cautious methods, will proclaim the truth with the power and might of the Spirit” (Evangelism, 700).

“This foretells a work of world-wide scope and of extraordinary power. […] Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message of Heaven. By thousands of voices throughout the length and breadth of the earth the warning will be given” (Last Day Events, 207, 208).

Thousands of conversions

“The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

“Many souls will fall away from the ranks of the world and the churches…. Many who have wandered far from the fold will return to follow the great Shepherd” (Last Day Events, 211). “Multitudes will receive faith and join the armies of the Lord” (Evangelism, 700).

“In…South America,…and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones who will shine forth amid the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the transforming power of obedience to His law. Even now they are appearing in every nation, among every tongue and people; and in the hour of deepest apostasy, when Satan’s supreme effort shall be made to have ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13:16), receive, under penalty of death, the sign of allegiance to a false day of rest, these faithful ones, ‘blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,’ will ‘shine as lights in the world’ (Philippians 2:15)” (Prophets and Kings, 188, 189).

“Then thousands in the eleventh hour will see and acknowledge the truth…. These conversions to the truth will take place with a rapidity astonishing to the church, and the name of God alone will be glorified” (Selected Messages, bk. 2, 16).

The return of Christ

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:27, 28).

“Immediately a small black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand, appears in the east. This is the cloud that surrounds the Saviour, and from a distance it appears to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of Man. In solemn silence they gaze at it as it approaches the earth, growing brighter and more glorious, until it becomes a great white cloud, with a glory like consuming fire at its base and the rainbow of the covenant above. Jesus, in the cloud, goes forth as a mighty conqueror” (Last Day Events, 274).

“With anthems of heavenly melody, the holy angels, in a vast and innumerable throng, accompany Him on His advance…. No human pen can describe this scene, no mortal mind is fit to conceive its splendor” (Last Day Events, 274).

“The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’ At the voice of God they were glorified; now they become immortal, and the resurrected saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. The angels ‘gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Little children are carried by the holy angels to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are reunited, never to be parted again, and with songs of joy they ascend together to the city of God” (ibid., 280).

“Upon the heads of the victors, Jesus with His own hands places the crown of glory […] Jesus opens wide the pearly gates, and the nations who have observed the truth enter in” (ibid., 282).

“There will be no one saved in heaven with a starless crown. If you enter there, there will be some person in the courts of glory who has found entrance there through your agency” (ibid.).

“The great controversy is over. Sin and sinners are no more. The whole universe is purified. A single pulse of harmonious joy vibrates throughout the vast creation. From Him who created all, life, light, and joy emanate throughout all the domains of infinite space. From the smallest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their serene beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love” (The Great Controversy, 678).

“On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, the people of God, so long pilgrims and wanderers, will find a home” (ibid., 675).

Heading Home!

“The Lord is coming. We hear the footsteps of a God approaching…” (Evangelism, 219).

“Oh, how glorious it will be to see Him, and to be welcomed as His redeemed ones! Long have we waited; but our hope must not be diminished. If we can but see the King in His beauty, we shall be forever blessed.” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 257).

“I feel as though I should shout aloud, Homeward bound!” (Evangelism, 219).

Questions for group discussion

Section I

Revival, Reformation, and Discipleship: Fellowship, Relationship, and Mission

What are the greatest difficulties in maintaining permanent communion with God?
What are the benefits of participating in a Small Group? And if you don’t participate, why don’t you? What’s stopping you from participating?
What is your role in fulfilling the mission of God’s church?

Section II

Revival, Reformation, and the Only Hope

What phrase, quote or text from this section of the document most touched your heart?
According to the text read, how will the church impress the world?
As you finish reading and discussing the document, what is your decision regarding Jesus’ return to Heaven and eternity?

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