DO YOU THINK IT MATTERS TO GOD? ***** CEREMONY AND DISPLAY **** " Form and ceremony do not constitute the kingdom of God. Ceremonies become multitudinous and extravagant as the vital principles of the kingdom of God are lost. But it is not form and ceremony that Christ requires. He hungers to receive from His vineyard fruit in holiness and unselfishness, deeds of goodness, mercy, and truth. Gorgeous apparel, fine singing, and instrumental music in the church do not call forth the songs of the angel choir. In the sight of God these things are like the branches of the unfruitful fig tree which bore nothing but pretentious leaves. Christ looks for fruit, for principles of goodness and sympathy of love. These are the principles of heaven, and when we are revealed in the lives of human beings, we may know that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. A congregation may be the poorest in the land, without music or outward show, but if possesses these principles, the members can sing, for the joy of Christ is in the their souls, and this they can offer as a sweet oblation to God." Manuscript 123, 1899
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 19:51:48 +0000
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