Tried By The Fire

[Overaged]

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

What is this text all about? How do believers apply this to "life in Christ" today?

[Raphael]

It’s a horridly shivering experience and very true to its terribly undesired nature that even Christ our champion shrank from it but then decided against the strain of His own craving and submitted to His Father.

Perhaps on salvation in a nutshell, one could say that the price of heaven is hell on earth and the price of hell is heaven on earth… ha ha

[Gail]

These past few months I have sure learned how comforting Scripture is in forming our attitude towards our turn of suffering. It can be the difference between life and death for some people; certainly the encouraging words of God's word provide the peace and courage to help people face the toughest battles they face in their lives.

To be tried in the fire is to put our trust in God to the test. It is also trusting in God to be faithful in ministering to us through His power and grace, Christ our fellow-servant, and godly friends.

I love this verse! It is a nutshell in helping us to focus on what is important- bearing tribulation with patience, accepting the righteousness of Jesus and praying for wisdom and discernment for everyday living.

[Overaged]

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

What is this text all about? How do believers apply this to "life in Christ" today?

We are "counselled" to "buy" 2 things in this text:

1/ "gold tried in the fire"

2/ "and white raiment,"

Notice in #1 how that the word "the" is used just before "fire." That is as in "the fire." Not just any fire, but 'THE FIRE." In other words a very specific fire. What is intended by the Bible's use of "fire" here? And what is intended by the Bible's use of "gold" here?

What is this "white raiment?" What is meant by "buying" this "gold" and "white raiment?" Buy it how, with what? From who?

And how does "the helpless human agent" "annoint" their eyes with "eyesalve?" What is this "eyesalve;" what is this "annointing?"

[Musicman1228]

Rev. 3: (18) I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.

When you anneal a metal such as gold you first heat it to a high temperature and then slowly cool it in order to remove internal stresses and toughen it. This process does not remove impurities, which have already been removed. This 'gold' is the Truth. This indicates that the Truth that God gives His Bondservants is singular and absolute, and will change the person that believes this Truth into someone who is tough and can take the stress that this Truth brings to their lives; stress from family and friends who say that what they are believing is not what is being taught from the pulpit, by the church or by EGW and must therefore be wrong.

White garments indicate righteousness, nakedness is unrighteousness. Eye salve is used to heal blindness so a person can see the truth; and not just any truth, but the TRUTH that opens the narrow gate, which leads to the narrow way, which leads to life.

[Dr. Rich]

Overaged, actually there is lots more to learn from this text. Here is what I have learned:

First, this is the very LAST message of all seven that God has given only for and to His Kingdom of Heaven group that is the same group as we see in Matt. 25:1-13. Therefore, this message is not directed to the whole world nor to everyone who calls themselves a christian. It is to a select group, one that must make a serious choice because of the state Jesus finds them in right before He comes like a thief to seal the 144k and before the time of trouble starts.

This is a group that seriously believe they are in need of nothing more because of their strongly held but mistakenly false belief told to them by the same woman as found in Rev. 2:18-26 and in the writings of the one who called himself an apostle but was tested and found to be false as we see in Rev. 2:2. Yes, they mistakenly believe they are saved by grace because their faith in what they think Jesus is has caused them to become righteous just as Jesus was righteous. Oh, mind you, these people are good people and pay thier tithe and most don't eat meat, or unclean meat. But here Jesus says that He finds ONE thing wrong with them and that they still believe a lie--that they are rich, clothed and in need of nothing.

Jesus does not 'pull his punch' with His words and finding them only luke warm in their understanding. Sure, they have read and know what Jesus said and taught which is the HOT that Jesus is seeking, but they have cooled this off by mixing in the words and gospel of the false apostle and their own prophetess thereby causing them to become only lukewarm.

They have also said that they can see but clearly the eye salve shows that they are blind by choice. Jesus tells them and they MUST DO something, which is against their own mistakenly held belief that works will not save anyone. They MUST buy (pay for it) from JESUS, 'gold' refied by fire and white garmets to cover up their naked bodies. The payment for this is to give up the false and mistaken held belief that they have become righteous by faith and are saved by grace, just as all of the other people who call themselves christian are doing out there standing on on the wide road to destruction. (We see a parallel to this when the ten virgins have to trim their wicks)

But they must also REPENT which will be very hard for most because they just don't believe that God would allow Satan's influence in the bible. As one who has now seen what this all means, as I now see what the whole book of Revelation is about, it is clear to me that Jesus is shaking His head that these people in His own Kingdom would refuse to use the eye salve to see the truth. Yes, I could keep my fingers off this computer and not write this reply, but I too am shaking my head in disbelief that so many here honestly believe that they are in need of nothing. As for me?? The more I see, the more I lose my faith because I have replaced this faith with the knowledge of a wonderful God. One can't truely believe in Jesus without actually knowing what Jesus said and taught.

[Overaged]

These past few months I have sure learned how comforting Scripture is in forming our attitude towards our turn of suffering. It can be the difference between life and death for some people; certainly the encouraging words of God's word provide the peace and courage to help people face the toughest battles they face in their lives.

To be tried in the fire is to put our trust in God to the test. It is also trusting in God to be faithful in ministering to us through His power and grace, Christ our fellow-servant, and godly friends.

I love this verse! It is a nutshell in helping us to focus on what is important- bearing tribulation with patience, accepting the righteousness of Jesus and praying for wisdom and discernment for everyday living.

[Musicman1228]

Overaged,

All this is well and good, and it is true in some cases. But there is a power that can and does separate you from the love of Jesus, and that is the power of believing a lie as if it is the truth. There are many lies of Satan that do this, as I am sure you will agree. The bone of contention is 'what lies'.

Many Christians believe that as long as they say they love Jesus they cannot be fooled. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that what they do or don't do has no bearing on their salvation once they declare that they love Jesus and claim His blood as their righteousness. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that as long as they are 'in Christ' they will not be judged by whether they conformed to the Covenant by keeping the 10 Commandments. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Jesus died for their personal sins by taking their sins upon Himself, thus becoming sin for them, and bearing their sins to the cross. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Satan cannot masquerade as Jesus or an angel of light, and therefore any being that declares himself to be Jesus IS Jesus. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe the same as the above about the Holy Spirit; that God does not allow Satan free reign to masquerade as the Holy Spirit in order to fool people into believing lies as if they are the truth. This is a lie.

I could go on and on, but I won't right not. Suffice it to say that much of what Christians believe to be true comes from the idea that they cannot be fooled, and this is the biggest lie of all.

[Overaged]

Overaged,

All this is well and good, and it is true in some cases. But there is a power that can and does separate you from the love of Jesus, and that is the power of believing a lie as if it is the truth. There are many lies of Satan that do this, as I am sure you will agree. The bone of contention is 'what lies'.

Many Christians believe that as long as they say they love Jesus they cannot be fooled. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that what they do or don't do has no bearing on their salvation once they declare that they love Jesus and claim His blood as their righteousness. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that as long as they are 'in Christ' they will not be judged by whether they conformed to the Covenant by keeping the 10 Commandments. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Jesus died for their personal sins by taking their sins upon Himself, thus becoming sin for them, and bearing their sins to the cross. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Satan cannot masquerade as Jesus or an angel of light, and therefore any being that declares himself to be Jesus IS Jesus. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe the same as the above about the Holy Spirit; that God does not allow Satan free reign to masquerade as the Holy Spirit in order to fool people into believing lies as if they are the truth. This is a lie.

I could go on and on, but I won't right not. Suffice it to say that much of what Christians believe to be true comes from the idea that they cannot be fooled, and this is the biggest lie of all.

There is not one thing I wrote in that last post which is not true 100% of the time. You are wrong and the Bible is right. When the Bible says "nothing can separate us from" it means just that. You mistated the promise by saying that "nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus" is not true. But the Bible says "nothing can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus." Do you know what is really meant by that? You talked about believing the wrong thing; and in this case; I believe you really misunderstand this whole subject, or you wouldn't post what you did.

[Dr. Rich]

Hey Overaged, please explain why you don't believe that Jesus is God?

[Musicman1228]

Overaged,

You have stated that 'The Bible' is right, and that you are right 100% of the time. But you didn't qualify who it was in 'The Bible' that you believe to be true. You said that the 'Bible' says that 'nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus'. But the Bible doesn't actually SAY anything; Bible writers say things. So who said what you are declaring to be true? And how do you KNOW for sure that what this writer said is true? What proof can you offer that substantiates your claim? Be specific. Gross generalizations are the mark of intellectual laziness.

[Overaged]

"The Lord says, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:17, 18. The gold tried in the fire is faith that works by love. Only this can bring us into harmony with God. We may be active, we may do much work; but without love, such love as dwelt in the heart of Christ, we can never be numbered with the family of heaven. 159 {COL 158.2}"

"The great Redeemer represents Himself as a heavenly merchantman, laden with riches, calling from house to house, presenting His priceless goods, and saying, "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:18-20). {FW 84.1}

Let us consider our condition before God; let us heed the counsel of the True Witness. Let none of us be filled with prejudice, as were the Jews, that light may not come into our hearts. Let it not be necessary for Christ to say of us as He did of them, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). {FW 84.2}"

[Overaged]

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. Zechariah 13:9. {HP 269.1}

[Guest]

Originally Posted By: Musicman1228

Overaged,

All this is well and good, and it is true in some cases. But there is a power that can and does separate you from the love of Jesus, and that is the power of believing a lie as if it is the truth. There are many lies of Satan that do this, as I am sure you will agree. The bone of contention is 'what lies'.

Many Christians believe that as long as they say they love Jesus they cannot be fooled. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that what they do or don't do has no bearing on their salvation once they declare that they love Jesus and claim His blood as their righteousness. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that as long as they are 'in Christ' they will not be judged by whether they conformed to the Covenant by keeping the 10 Commandments. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Jesus died for their personal sins by taking their sins upon Himself, thus becoming sin for them, and bearing their sins to the cross. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe that Satan cannot masquerade as Jesus or an angel of light, and therefore any being that declares himself to be Jesus IS Jesus. This is a lie.

Many Christians believe the same as the above about the Holy Spirit; that God does not allow Satan free reign to masquerade as the Holy Spirit in order to fool people into believing lies as if they are the truth. This is a lie.

I could go on and on, but I won't right not. Suffice it to say that much of what Christians believe to be true comes from the idea that they cannot be fooled, and this is the biggest lie of all.

There is not one thing I wrote in that last post which is not true 100% of the time. You are wrong and the Bible is right. When the Bible says "nothing can separate us from" it means just that. You mistated the promise by saying that "nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus" is not true. But the Bible says "nothing can separate us from the LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus." Do you know what is really meant by that? You talked about believing the wrong thing; and in this case; I believe you really misunderstand this whole subject, or you wouldn't post what you did.

Just overlook him O/A. Attempting to highjack other people's threads over to his one and only topic, is all he knows.

[Dr. Rich]

Richard, that was very ugly of you. Testifying falsly of someone is a violation of the Covenant.

[Overaged]

All I know is that I love Jesus. I love the Jesus of the Holy Bible. The Bible is God's Word, and Jesus is God; and Jesus has cared enough to literally walk with me through the fire. I have been literally "tried by the fire" and in the fire. People do not understand what it is like to be burned beyond recognition, and to love Jesus because of it. But it is an awsome experience to have gone through; all 32 separate hospital admissions and the dozens of surgeries and treatments, and to come out of it all knowing that Jesus was in that fire with me. There is no amount of theorizing and apologetics that can tell me otherwise. I know every argument there is against our Lord; but I also know that he was with me every step of the way. Rev 3:18 speaks both literally and figuratively to the believer's experience today. Jesus knows our condition. Yet He still wants us to "buy from Him;" that grace and faith which worketh by love.

Stay tuned for the next post which I will entitle: The Broken Hands Of Revelation 3:18

[Musicman1228]

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Rev. 3:18.

I see no where in this passage any mention of 'grace and faith which worketh by love'. Please tell me how you came to understand this.

I am sorry to hear that you have had such an awful experience with fire, but I am also glad that you have overcome the aftereffects through your trust and love of Jesus. That is heartwarming.

I have had my own experiences with malignant melanoma and a full on heart attach, and know exactly what you had to overcome to survive. Without the love of Jesus in my life and my trust in Him I don't know that I would have survived and beaten the odds to still be alive today.

All of this is a tempering experience for both of us, that have made us stronger for service to our King. Blessings on you.

[Overaged]

I have had my own experiences with malignant melanoma and a full on heart attach, and know exactly what you had to overcome to survive. Without the love of Jesus in my life and my trust in Him I don't know that I would have survived and beaten the odds to still be alive today.

All of this is a tempering experience for both of us, that have made us stronger for service to our King. Blessings on you.

[Overaged]

I will comment on your faith & grace question later tonight!

[Overaged]

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Rev. 3:18.

I see no where in this passage any mention of 'grace and faith which worketh by love'. Please tell me how you came to understand this.

The Broken Hands Of Revelation 3:18

(this story taken from Young Disciple Magazine; Vol 15, #6)

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white

raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

What's Happening:

Pedro, a young village boy in Peru wakes up one morning to find that his most treasured possession, a clock, has quit working. He takes it to his teacher, hoping that it will work again.

Pedro's teacher took the clock and twisted the knobs. She shook it and twisted the knobs again, but still the clock would not tick. She shook her head, "I'm afraid that it is broken Pedro. I can't get it to go." She set the clock down on her desk. Pedro felt as if his heart would break. "Well then;" he mumbled, "I guess that's that." He shrugged his shoulders and tried to blink back the tears he felt pushing against his eyelids. "Wait!" bThe teacher touched Pedro's shoulder. "I don't know much about clocks, but there is a man in Lima who knows everything about them! He even makes clocks. Pedro; why

don't you take him your clock? I am sure he can make the hands go around again for you."

Lima!

The big city betyond the mountains! Pedro had never been to Lima, but sometimes his

Father went there. A ray of hope stirred in Pedro's heart. He turned and started for the

door. "I'll be back;" he called over his shoulder. "I'm going to ask Father if I can go with him next time he goes to Lima."

Playground Problem:

Pedro walked out onto the playground, still thinking about his poor dead clock. Suddenly, a dry ear of corn hit him just above the right ear. pedro turned to see a small boy cowering behind a nearby bush. "So you think you can get away with that do you;" Pedro shouted. "I didn't mean to" ---the little boy began. His eyes grew big as they met Pedro's threatening eyes. he turned and ran.

A few seconds later, Pedro caught up with the child, and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "Take this!" he shouted, "and this! I'll teach you not to throw things at me!" As he drew back his arm to strike the child once more, Pedro felt a hand on his arm. He looked back, and into the eyes of his teacher. "Come with me to the classroom Pedro; we need to talk."

Problem Hands (Broken):

Pedro stood in front of the teacher's desk, twisting his thumbs and hunching his shoulders. He looked up at his teacher with a nervous little smile, but the teacher didn't smile back. "Pedro," she began; "this is not the first time you have had trouble on the playground, is it?" Pedro looked at a spot on the wall behind the teacher's desk. "No senorita." "I thought you wanted to become a man of God; a real hero," The teacher's voice trembled. Pedro looked up at his teacher, then looked away. He couldn't bear to see the disappointed expression in her pretty brown eyes. "I do want to be a man of God senorita. Really, I do;" he mumbled.

"No man of God uses his fist to gain his point. Only cowards do that." "That's not fair,"

Pedro thought. I couldn't help what I did. He straightened his shoulders, "yes teacher; I do want to be a real man." His voice grew steadier as he spoke. "But there is something wrong with my hand. When another boy does something that i do not like, before I know it, my hand just hits him. I am sorry for it, but you see, there is something wrong with my hand; I cannot control it."

"Oh no," answered the teacher; "there is nothing wrong with your hand, Pedro. Your hand is quite alright; but there is something wrong inside. " Pedro thumped his chest: "Oh no teacher! There is nothing wrong inside! I feel alright in there!" "Yes Pedro," the teacher insisted; "I am afraid that you have something wrong inside that makes your hand do what it does. pedro; this is a wrong that only Jesus can fix. let's talk to Him about it right now."

Pedro scarcely heard the teacher's prayer..."I don't have anything wrong with me;" he kept telling himself. teacher is wrong this time!"

Problem Tongue:

A few days later, Pedro found himself in front of the Teacher's desk again. He groaned

inside as his teacher looked at him with that same disappointed expression. "Pedro, don't you want to become a brave, good soldier for the Lord?" "Si, senorita," Pedro muttered. "Then why do I sometimes hear you calling the children names? You say words that no Christian should ever say. Why do you do that?" pedro felt tears spring to his eyes. "O teacher; I do want to be a good boy; but there is something wrong with my tongue. When the boys and girls do things that I do not like; this tongue of mine says things that I do not want to say. I am sorry; but I cannot control it."

"No Pedro," answered his teacher. "There is nothing wrong with that toungue of your's. It is quite alright. But there is something wrong inside of you." Pedro wiggled his tongue and thumped his chest. "No teacher;" he argued. "There is nothing wrong inside me at all. I do not hurt anywhere inside!" "Yes Pedro." The Teacher shook her head. "I am afraid there is something wrong inside. Until it is fixed, your tongue will keep speaking bad words." Once again the two knelt in prayer; and once again Pedro thought: "there is nothing wrong with my insides. Teacher doesn't know what she is talking about."

Lima:

As the days passed, Pedro tried his best to make his hands and his tongue behave. Sometimes he thought he was getting a little better; but then he would get into another fight or an argument, and find himself back in front of the teacher's desk. One evening, after a particularly hard day, Pedro's Father had the best news that Pedro had

heard in weeks. "Tomorrow, we are going to Lima, Get the cheeses ready, and we will start at sunrise." Happiness spread over Pedro like a warm summer rain. It would take time to walk to Lima and back. For a few blissful days he wouldn't have to worry so much about trying to make his tongue and his hands behave at school.

"I'll be ready" he shouted. "I'll start packing right now!" He took his pack basket down

from the wall and began to pack the cheeses. When he had laid the last one carefully in place, he lifted the basket onto his shoulders. "Whew! Heavy" he grunted. "If I added even one more thing, I think it would be too heavy to carry!"

He laid the pack by the door, then remembered his clock. That had to go! he took the clock off the shelf, and weighed it in his hands. "This thing is too heavy," he said to himself. He stood a moment, looking at his most precious possession. Well, after all, he thought, the metal case is as good as ever. The numbers on the face are still alright. And the back hasn't changed. Infact, the only problem is with the hands. Pedro took a knife and peeled the glass off the front of the clock, then carefully removed the two hands. "There!" he thought in triumph. "I'll take these old hands to the clock master."

Pedro wrapped the [broken] hands in a bit of paper, and tucked them into his pocket to take with him to Lima.

All day long, Pedro and his Father trudged up and down the narrow mountain trail that led to Lima. Finally, just as the sun began to set in the western sky, they reached the edge of the big city. The next day, as soon as the last cheese had been sold, Pedro hurried to the address the Teacher had given him.

Inside Trouble:

The watchmaker's shop was easy to find. A big clock hung over the front door, and dozens more clocks ticked away in the display window. Pedro pushed open the door, and stepped inside. He pulled the two old clock hands from his pocket, and held them out to a man sitting at a table near the front of the shop. "Senior, these hands will not go around, Can you please fix them so they will go?" The man frowned; "Sonny, I cannot fix those hands." Pedro looked at the man in confusion. The man could obviously fix clocks. Infact the pieces of a clock lay all over the table in front of him. Surely he could fix these old broken hands that would not go round? "Please help me Senior;" Pedro patted his pocket: "I can pay you."

The man pushed back his chair; "Now see here young fellow,"There is nothing wrong with those hands. They are alright; but there is something wrong with the inside of your clock." He pointed to the clock parts spread out on his table. "Inside your clock there are a number of tiny little screws and wheels, just like these you see here. When dust or dirt or water or rust gets into them; they stop; and that's what keeps these hands from going around." A hint of a smile played around the corners of his mouth; "Now if you want your clock fixed, I suggest that you bring me the inside of your clock. Then I will be able to fix it so that the hands will go around alright on the outside."

Pedro folded the paper around the hands and put them back into his pocket. "Gracious Senior. I will remember what you said. Next time I will bring you the whole clock." As Pedro plodded home, the watchmaker's words kept ringing through His mind. How very

strange that dirt and dust on the inside parts could keep the hands from going around on the outside! Suddenly, he thought of something else. "Yes!" he shouted. "I will ask teacher about it as soon as I get back to school."

Fixed!

The next morning, Pedro arrived at school extra early. He told his teacher what had happened in Lima, and what the watchmaker had said. When he had finished, he stood shuffling his feet. "I wonder..." he began. "Yes?" "I just wonder," he blurted out, "what kind of screws and wheels are inside of me that need fixing?" The teacher's face crinkled into a beatiful smile: "Oh Pedro, I have been waiting for you to ask that question for a very long, long time! You see, when you allow bad thoughts to come

into your mind, it is just like that dirt or rust that gets inside of your clock." Pedro frowned: "What do you mean?" "Well, when you think of taking something that does not belong to you, or telling something that is not true, those thoughts are dirt that is coming into your mind; or that is already in there. When you think unkind thoughts about other people; or when you want to harm them, that is all just more dirt and dust in your mind."

Pedro shook his head: "I don't want dirt in my mind anymore. But what can I do? I can't get in there to clean it out!" He thumped his forhead: "Do I have to go to Lima and ask the watchmaker to get it out?" The teacher laughed: "No; the watchmaker could never get out that kind of dirt God has a much better plan. You can kneel down right here, and ask Jesus to clean you up inside! And, Jesus can do this in an instant!"

"Do you mean," Pedro's thoughts spiralled higher and higher, until he thought they might spin right out of his head. "Do you mean that when Jesus cleans up all the dirt in my mind, that my hands and my tongue won't do those bad things anymore?"

The teacher nodded: "That's right - as long as you keep letting Jesus take away the bad thoughts that keep trying to come. Satan will always try to crowd more evil thoughts into your mind, but you don't have to put up with them! As soon as one starts to come, ; you only need call to Jesus to help you. Jesus will never let you down." (John 6:37). "Senorita!" Pedro's voice was shaky. "What are we waiting for? Lets kneel right now and ask Jesus to get to work on all my terrible rust and dirt thats inside of me!"

Present Day Application:

Jesus describes the last days church, just as Pedro is described in the above story called "The Broken Hands Of Revelation 3:18."

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of

nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

The people in the church are described as thinking that the outward show was all they needed to accomplish; they would not consider the invitation of Rev 3:18:

Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Jesus Has Power To Save Every Soul

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7. {CTr 199.1}

We are not kept by our intelligence, by our words, or by our riches. In these we find no safety. We are kept only by the power of God through faith unto salvation. We are living in a period of time during which we must by faith be allied with an infinite God or else we cannot overcome the strong powers of darkness seeking to destroy us. . . . {CTr 199.2}

Temptations will come. But when Satan throws his hellish shadow before us, we should reach in faith through the shadow to the Light of life—to Him who has not only created us but who by His own blood has redeemed us. We are Christ’s cherished heritage. In living faith we must cooperate with Him in working out our own salvation. Amid trials and temptations His hand upholds and sustains us. . . . {CTr 199.3}

Those who hold fast their faith unto the end will come forth from the furnace of trial as

fine gold seven times purified. . . . When in trouble, remember that faith tried in the

furnace of affliction is more precious than gold tried with fire. . . . {CTr 199.4}

Do you suppose that after Christ gave His precious life to redeem the beings He created He would fail to give them sufficient power to enable them to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony? He has power to save every individual. At the time of His ascension He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” For our redemption all power is given to Him who stood at the head of humanity. For nearly six weeks the Sinless One fought a battle with the powers of darkness in the wilderness of temptation, overcoming not on His account, but on our account, thus making it possible for every son and daughter of Adam to overcome through the merit of His sinlessness. . . . {CTr 199.5}

Isa 55:1 The LORD says, "Come, everyone who is thirsty--- here is water! Come, you that have no money--- buy grain and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk--- it will cost you nothing! (GNB)

[John317]

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Rev. 3:18.

I see no where in this passage any mention of 'grace and faith which worketh by love'. Please tell me how you came to understand this.

....I have had my own experiences with malignant melanoma and a full on heart attach, and know exactly what you had to overcome to survive. Without the love of Jesus in my life and my trust in Him I don't know that I would have survived and beaten the odds to still be alive today.

You just described how grace and faith worked in your life while you were sick with the malignant melanoma. So how can you at the same time talk about how grace and faith are unimporant for the Christian?

John 1:16-17

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. [17] For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

And:

John 3:14-16

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

[15] that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

[16] "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

NOTE: "believing" here is the same as "having faith."

John 6:64

But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

NOTE: Jesus knew that Judas did not have faith in Him-- i.e., Judas did not trust Jesus.

Matthew 21:21-22

And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

NOTE: Jesus taught His disciples and bond-servants that faith is very imporant.