When I was about 12 years old, my Father brought home a cute little puppy to replace our old faithful watch dog that had died. As time passed, and our neighborhood in the Bronx, New York became more and more crime filled; the importance of a watchdog grew.

One evening my brother who was in the kitchen with all of us noticed what he thought was a shadow pass by the doorway in the back bedroom. We went to look and saw the back door of the house standing wide-open. We also saw a man running away and scaling our back fence to escape. Someone had been in our house! The man had come right into our home without us knowing about it because our dog had not barked to warn us of the danger. And he was sleeping right in the very room that was violated! What good was such a watchdog? Needless to say, that dog did not stay long and was replaced by a faithful watchdog – one that knew how to bark when he saw possible danger approaching.

In Isaiah 56, Yahweh sent a strong message to the leaders in Israel. They had become complacent and their leaders had become “shepherds that cannot understand.” Verse 11. Instead of warning the nation of Israel of their spiritual danger, they said in their hearts, “Come ye. I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” Verse 12. Yahweh the Creator had this to say about this complacency in the shepherds of His flock. “His watchman are blind: they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, and loving to slumber.” Verse 10.

How full of import are these words to the people of God in 2006 and for the ministers whom Yahweh has called and appointed to lead His people! The pen of inspiration has told us this:

“The class who do not feel grieved over their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord commissions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weapons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eyes spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.’ Ezekiel 9:5-6. Here we see that the church – the Lord’s sanctuary- was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God, The ancient men, those to whom God has given great light and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of the people, had betrayed their trust . . . Thus ‘peace and safety’ is the cry from men who will never again lift up their voice like a trumpet to show God’s people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins. These dumb dogs that would not bark are the ones who feel the just vengeance of an offended God.” – Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 211.

One of the devil’s greatest deceptions to the ministers and leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the corrupted theology concept that preaching Christ and Him crucified somehow means down-playing holy living and the law of God. They therefore stifle the voice of rebuke. As a result spiritual declension has grown in the remnant church to the point where Bible standards of living are hardly ever mentioned from the pulpits. Praise Yahweh for the faithful ministers who take a stand for the truths of the Word of Yahweh.

Surely all sermons must be Christ-centered, and all ministers would do well to heed the following counsel:

“In every discourse, whether it is doctrinal or not, we want that Jesus Christ should be presented distinctly, as John declared, ‘Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.’” – Evangelism, p. 299.

“In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary.” – Evangelism, p. 190.

But the above counsels do not say that ministers should become like Eli and fail to reprove sin!

“Eli was gentle, loving, and kind, and had a true interest in the service of God and the prosperity of His cause. He was a man who had power in prayer. He never rose up in rebellion against the words of God. But he was wanting; he did not have firmness of character to reprove sin and execute justice against the sinner so that God could depend on him to keep Israel pure. . . . He did not add to his faith the courage and power to say No at the right time and in the right place. Sin is sin; righteousness is righteousness. The trumpet note of warning must be sounded. We are living in a fearfully wicked age. The worship of God will become corrupted unless there are wide-awake men at every post of duty. It is no time now for any to be absorbed in selfish ease. Not one of the words which God has spoken must be allowed to fall to the ground.” – Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 517.

The trumpet of warning must be sounded to those outside the church, and to those within. The virgins are all sleeping. The cry must go out, “Behold the bride-groom cometh, go ye out to meet him.” We have seen the events of 9/11, the growth of the churches power over the state, a supreme court now stacked with members who could easily pass a Sunday law, terrorism on a world-wide scale, the seas and the waves roaring as in the great tsunami, mind-boggling hurricanes like Katrina, Rita, and a record 27 named storms in 2005, Aids, a possible Asian Bird-flu pandemic, starvation, population doubling every 20 years, and on and on. Yahshua Jesus is coming soon! It is no time to be preaching milk-toast sermons that could be heard in any other church! Give the trumpet a certain sound brothers and sisters!

Rebuke sinners. Discipline them in Lord for their own salvation and for the health of the church. Brothers and sisters in the ministry, do what your conscience tells you to do irregardless who it upsets. Yahweh will bless your faithfulness! Yes, it is easier said than done, but whether it is hard or not, it is right. I have found that when you do what you believe is right without compromise Yahweh the Lord blesses, and the man in the mirror will always smile back at you!

I say this to fellow pastors, and it’s from the heart. I know it’s hard at times to do what has to be done. And right now as you read this I face the danger of being misunderstood and sounding holier than thou, which I am certainly not. I also may peeve you off for writing this article, but it needs to be written. I certainly know what it is like to take flack for standing for convictions about Bible and Spirit of Prophecy standards. But Yahweh our Father has always blessed when His Word is preached and the churches saw growth and many baptisms with fewer divorces and open sin. When we are true to the word the Lord will bless us even if the whole world disagrees!

As ministers we want to hear only One Person say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” And that One is Yahshua Jesus the Messiah and Savior of the world.

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1.

“God calls upon all who minister in word and doctrine to give the trumpet a certain sound. All who have received Christ, ministers and lay members, are to arise and shine; for great peril is right upon us. Satan is stirring up the powers of earth. Everything in this world is in confusion. God calls upon His people to hold aloft the banner bearing the message of the third angel.” – Gospel Workers, p. 395.

We have been given present truth. Again, the trumpet must have a certain sound. We have the Three Angel’s Messages to proclaim to the world, and a message also of preparation to the church. If in the sermons we deliver to the people each Sabbath sin is not called by its right name, or standards are not upheld or present truth is not presented in its prophetic setting, the church will not be kept pure, and its members will not be prepared for what ism soon to come upon them and the world as an over-whelming surprise!

If in our churches the people hear the same type of sermons they can hear in a Baptist, Lutheran, or Methodist church, or any other church, how then is the trumpet being given a certain sound? And what need then for Yahweh to have raised up the remnant church?

Satan would love to have our message watered down or abandoned entirely and hear our preachers preaching the same messages as the churches without the mission and message we have. We have been given a special message that is not being preached by any other people on the face of the earth. We have the greatest light ever entrusted to mankind. We have the accumulated knowledge of the Word of God. It is certainly no time to tell stories, intentionally tell jokes, and be a psychiatrist. It’s time to preach the word!

“The smooth sermons so often preached make no lasting impression; the trumpet does not give a certain sound. Man are not cut to the heart by the plain, sharp truths of God’s Word.” – Prophets & Kings, p.140.

Yahweh’s messenger for the end-times asks this question on page 141 of the book Prophets & Kings:

“When will the voice of faithful rebuke be heard one more in the church?”

We are told that ministers are to “show by their manners, by their acts and words, and by their preaching and praying that they believe that Christ is at the door. Men and women are in the last hours of probation, and yet are careless and stupid, and ministers have no power to arouse them; they are asleep themselves. Sleeping preachers preaching to a sleeping people!” Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 337.

Another vital area ministers need to give attention to is prophecy. The great lines of prophecy are to be first understood by the preachers and then made plain to the church and to the world. We need to know where we stand in the light of prophecy. This is greatly lacking in the churches. After I preached a message on the mark of the beast in one of our churches, a church member said to me, “I have been a member of the Adventist Church for ten years, and I have never heard a sermon like that!” I was amazed. The message had aroused her to the importance of the truth she had heard and she asked for a tape to share with her husband who no longer attended church. I wondered what she had been hearing for those ten years. Many pastors never give sermons on prophecy and the only way their members hear it is if the conference evangelist does a series in their churches, and many times the members do not attend on days other than Sabbath! We are plainly told this:

“Let not the solemn scenes which prophecy has revealed be left untouched. If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message.” – Testimonies to Ministers, p. 118.

Who will sound the warning about the best and his mark? If not you, then who? If not now, then when? Who will warn about the false Sabbath, about the image to the beast, about America speaking like a dragon, about the need for Laodicea to buy from the heavenly Merchant Man, about the work going on in the sanctuary, and about the call for the church to be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing? Let us preach the sure word of prophecy too! The church and the world need to hear it!

“Let us keep our souls in the love of God. The not of warning must be given. The truth must not languish upon our lips. We must rouse people to immediate preparation, for we little know what is before us.” – Evangelism, p. 217.

As goes the preacher, so go the people. There will assuredly be some in the church who will be offended by straight testimony. The world loving and unconverted mind always prefers to hear smooth things. The people in Isaiah’s time said, “Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” – Isaiah 30:10.

As ministers of Yahweh we are not to heed or cater to the desires of the carnal mind. Paul said to the people, “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” – Acts 20:27. He spoke all the truth the church of his day need to hear.

Yahweh the Lord said this to Jeremiah the prophet: “Thou therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee; be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.” Jeremiah 1:17.

We as ministers are Yahweh’s watchmen standing on the walls of Zion, looking for the enemy’s approach. When we see the enemy coming we are to sound the alarm. The people of God are asleep. The enemy is fast approaching and has made rapid gains. As Ministers we are not to give up the watch now!

“Some who occupy the position of watchmen to warn the people of danger have given up their watch and recline at ease. They are unfaithful sentinels. They remain inactive, while their wily foe enters the fort and works successfully by their side to tear down what God has commanded to be built up. They see that Satan is deceiving the inexperienced and unsuspecting; yet they take it all quietly, as though they had no special interest, as though these things did not concern them. They apprehend no special danger; they see no cause to raise an alarm. To them everything seems to be going well, and they see no necessity of raising the faithful trumpet notes of warning which they hear borne by the plain testimonies to show the people their transgressions and the house of Israel their sins.” Testimonies, Vol. 2, p. 440.

Paul’s instruction to Timothy was “Preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” - 2 Timothy 4:2.

Ministers are to reprove and rebuke sin. They are to do it in season, and out of season, even when it is not politically correct to do so. Yahweh never changes and His Word never changes despite the falling morals of the age. With hearts burning with the love of the Savior and true concern for His flock, and with the scenes of Calvary etched in their minds the ministers are to call for revival. They are to call for confessing and forsaking of sin and for a life of holiness and surrender to the will of the Lord. Preach the Word! Give rebukes as the Savior did with “tears in His voice” (Desire of Ages, p. 353) but do it!

“Just as long as God has a church, He will have those who will cry aloud and spare not, who will be his instruments to reprove selfishness and sins, and will not shun to declare the whole counsel of God, whether men will hear or forebear. I saw that individuals will rise up against the plain testimonies. It does not suit their natural feelings. They would choose to have smooth things spoken to them, and have peace cried in their ears. I view the church in a more dangerous condition than they ever have been. Experiential religion is known by but a few. The shaking must soon take place to purify the church.

Preachers should have no fears to preach the truth as it is found in God’s Word. Let the truth cut. I have been shown why ministers have not more success, they are afraid of hurting feelings, fearful of not being courteous, and they lower the standard of truth, and conceal if possible the peculiarity of our faith. I saw that God could not make such successful.” – Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 2, pps. 284-285.

The standards of Yahweh’s holy Word must not be lowered. All the counsel of God is to be preached, for inspiration tells us that the church is in grave danger. We as ministers are to preach the Word. And from the Word ministers are to preach the Bible principles more powerfully as clearly encouraged to do in the Spirit of Prophecy writings.

Shepherds are to declare to the flock the dangers of these last days. Remind your flock that the Chief Shepherd will soon appear. Tell them that “not one of us will ever receive the seal of God while our characters have one spot or stain upon them.” – Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 214. Tell them that “among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet.” – Counsels on Diet & Foods, pps. 380-381.

In these days of moral lapse, when television, videos, web-sites, and video games are filled with influences that are soul-destroying and if not carefully chosen will make perfecting holiness in the fear of Yahweh nearly impossibility! Warn the flock that if they do not guard the avenues of heart and soul they will see sights and hear sounds that will stain the soul and corrupt the character.

In this age many young people are becoming involved in drugs, and are subjected to evil influences in the worldly music they listen to. Many young people leave the church not even realizing why they are doing so. Pastors, in loving concern tell them that “they have a keen ear for music, and Satan knows what organs to excite to animate, engross, and charm the mind so that Christ is not desired.” – Adventist Home, p. 407.

In an age of Godless fashion, tell the flock that “self-denial in dress is a part of our Christian duty. To dress plainly, abstaining from display of jewelry and ornaments of every kind is in keeping with our faith.” – Selected Messages, Book 3, p. 245.

At a time when many Seventh-day Adventists are sending their children to public schools, ministers must remind parents that “evil associates are teaching the youth lessons of crime, dissipation, and licentiousness that are horrible to contemplate. Many of our public schools are hotbeds of vice.” – Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 99.

If we are to “declare all the counsel of God” than all these Bible truths and principles must be preached. Yes! Preach them in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary, but preach them. If ministers won’t, who will?

“Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations.” Ezekiel 16:2.

“He that converted the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” – James 5:20.

Oh, for the approbation of Yahweh rather than the accolades of men! No better words can ever be heard from the Master than “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”- Matthew 25:21. The Good Shepherd Yahshua Jesus gave His life for the flock. He has entrusted it to the care of the ministers and teachers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. And Yahweh the Lord says to all under-shepherds, “I will require My flock at their hands.” See Ezekiel 34:10. In verse 5 of that chapter Yahweh says that His people become prey because “there was no shepherd.” Satan is roaming about like a roaring lion, and we are told that he “does not venture to show himself openly, lest he arouse the Christian’s dormant energies and send him to God in prayer.” – Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 294.

I must also speak to the leaders of the church who are above the pastors in the field. Just as pastors must shepherd their flock and be faithful to the Word of God and the Spirit of Prophecy, so must world church leaders be true to their calling. They should insure that pastors are supported when preaching the truth fearing not what a member with wealth might say. Support what is right. They are to see that when camp-meetings are held preachers and seminar speakers who teach and believe the truth and who have a message appropriate for the time in which we live and which build faith in our great mission are called to preach to and teach the people. The youth leaders must be young men and women who love the Lord and know what is appropriate in music and in life-style and example for the precious children of the Lord.

An enemy is sneaking in the back door of the church like that burglar sneaked into the back bedroom of my house years ago. It is no time to do what my useless watch dog did and fail to bark. Bark out the warning! Blow the trumpet in Zion! Lift up your voice. The honest of heart will thank you for the warning. The Lord Jesus will empower you and bless you as you proclaim the truths of His Word not in a “holier than thou attitude, but as a forgiven sinner who has found the Messiah. As you feed on the Word of God, you are then to feed the flock.

If you have found the Pearl of Great Price. If you have eaten of the Bread of Life, then as one enriched beggar, tell the other beggars where they can get some bread! Reproofs and warnings coming from the Lord through a humble-hearted servant who sighs and cries for the abominations in the church and who weeps not only for his own shortcomings and sins but also for those of his brothers and sisters will not go un-heeded and will have the convicting power of Yahweh the Lord! Preach the Word!

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Love in the Master – Pastor Tony Cirigliano