Elder Dorothy Mants has been "In His Service" for 56 years now. Here is what she has learned.

Elder Mants on Packing Your Spiritual “Luggage” 

Elder Dorothy Mants examines the stairway leading of to the main entry of the 1963 Berean SDA Church building. She was an eyewitness to its construction, as she has been a member of Berean since 1960.

INDEFATIGUABLE SINCE 1960 “IN HIS SERVICE”

When Elder Dorothy Mants was baptized back in 1960, she had had plenty of company, as 215 others souls were also baptized that day. There was some kind of major revival effort by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the southern states back at the dawn of the highly significant 1960’s. It was called “Operation Dixie,” but whether this drive was responsible for harvesting young Dorothy Mants for Berean SDA Church,  or whether she was simply drawn in by the ubiquitous and omnipresent evangelical net of H.L. Cleveland, she nevertheless made a commitment, at that time, that she has faithfully honored ever since; to serve God, and to be diligently about her Father’s business.
J.H. Wagner was the second president of the South Atlantic Conference. He was at the helm from 1954 until his death in 1962. Intermittently, he would compose  reports on conference happenings for the Southern Union magazine “Southern Tidings.” He was a very outgoing  individual, and did not feel the need to repress his ebullient personality when writing. He had gotten in on the ground floor of the formation of the “Negro” conferences back in the early forties, acting as secretary for the Columbia Union Conference. The following is a segment of the President’s comments from the August 31, 1960 edition of “Southern Tidings,” regarding events at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church:

Here in Atlanta the Lord is seemingly doing something unusual. Really the attendance and interests have been spectacular and tremendous. H.L. Cleveland and his corps of workers together with the membership of Berean are earnestly expecting a great success with many souls coming into the church. The problem will be where to house the many new recruits coming to the army of prince Emmanuel.

“This church was built by the members,” Elder Mants revealed during  a tour of the building. This picture was taken in the former media room. She meant literally built, through the “sweat equity” of the membership.

H.L. Cleveland, and the members of the Berean congregation (including Dorothy Mants) solved the space problems a few years later, erecting the 1963 facility that currently houses the Berean Outreach Community Center. Elder Mants can be frequently discovered at this operation, tending to the incredible assortment of irons that she always has warming in her good-works hearth. She is currently Senior Ministries Coordinator, and hostess of a weekly worship service dedicated exclusively to this growing demographic.

The short sermon she delivered to the 6/15/2016 Wednesday evening “War Room” prayer meeting was among the last of a series of ten presentations by church elders. A summary of remarks delivered on 6/8/2016 by Elder Brad Brod is pending.

Elder Mants’s sermon was structured like a single proverb, The first half was a warning as to what NOT to do, The second half was an exhortation of what we SHOULD do. The Bible is very clear about how we should live our lives. The speaker was not necessarily addressing her remarks to those outside of the church, but the message she imparted was a universally applicable one.  She was seeking to motivate lukewarm Christians to dial up the heat a few notches. Elder Dorothy Mants was attempting to get through to the “religious” folk who attend services every Sabbath, and faithfully remit their tithes, but do little beyond this to further the Kingdom. It is unfortunate that the very people she was trying to reach seldom attend Wednesday prayer meetings. Somebody ought to get the word out to them. They are behaving like Laodiceans, and are in danger of being spewed out.





WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND IN YOUR LUGGAGE?

“I want to thank each one of you for being here,” Elder Mants declared. “Tonight I am going to take you on a journey that won’t take long. I want to tell you that I am just a servant. I am thankful that God has given me all these years to serve Him.” A brief prayer followed this brief introduction.
“I like to travel,” the elder proclaimed. She said that she was not entirely sure of where she was traveling to or from when she once found herself seated beside a foreigner. The stranger remarked to Elder Mants “I can always tell an American by their luggage!” The foreign lady was on a ten day trip, and was only carrying a couple of small suitcases. Elder Mants, in contrast, was on a five day trip, but was carrying around an excessive quantity of luggage. This anecdote served to introduce the theme of the sermon, which was “Luggage.” What are you carrying around with you, on your journey through life?  Is it what you really need? Or is it excess baggage that is not merely superfluous, but downright harmful?

A slight diversion was made in the direction of the topic of “Identification.” What we carry in our spiritual luggage serves to identify what kind person we are. Are we “religious?” The elder described this type as being attentive to the forms of worship, such as church attendance, and faithfully forking over a tithe. She contrasted this formalism with substantive “Christianity,” which requires a total surrender, and a total commitment. As noted, the sermon was split into Biblical descriptions of both the wrong way to live (the first half of the talk) and the right way to live (the second half of the talk, which, as noted, also happens to be the structure of most of the verses in Proverbs). Each point the elder made was illustrated by a projection of the key words on the church’s video screens. This made it easier for the congregation to follow the extremely fast-paced presentation.




First, the negative. These are attributes that we should all be on our guard against. Many of the “religious” types, though professing to be Christians, nevertheless still display these bad characteristics. Bad characteristics should be totally excluded from our spiritual baggage. You will not get your luggage cleared through Customs, should you be lugging around this kind of stuff come Judgment Day:

ENVY, JEALOUSY, AND STRIFE
James 3:15: For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. (NLT)

IDLENESS
Proverbs 19:15: Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. (KJV) Elder Mants advised anyone who intended to read the Bible through to start with the Book of Proverbs.

UNHOLY THOUGHTS
Matthew 15:19: For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies… (KJV) [I fera that this is not the exact verse the elder provided, but it should suffice.]

NEGATIVE PEOPLE
Second Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (KJV) [again, this particular citation is only conjectural, as they may have been another verse provided, or perhaps none at all.] Elder Mants furnished the following commentary on negativity: “If you surround yourself with negative people, you will be negative. Some people that you meet are all negative. I’m sure we all know someone like that.”

“Saul Attacking David,” an 1880 woodcut by Gustave Dore, selected to illustrate uncontrollable  “Anger.”

ANGER
Proverbs 15:1: A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (KJV) The speaker observed that these days you can’t  be to careful about what you say in front of others. Some people are just waiting for an opportunity to go off of their rocker [not the elder’s exact terminology]. “You have got to be careful in the grocery store to keep your buggy straight!” [This statement is very similar to the frequently employed Scriptural admonition to “turn neither to the right hand, nor the left hand.”]

STUBBORNNESS
Psalm 78:7-8: So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. Then they will not be like their ancestors- stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. (NLT)

UNFORGIVENESS
Colossians 3:13: Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. (KJV) “If you can’t forgive, the Lord can’t forgive you.” Elder Mants reminded us that this sentiment was expressed in the Lord’s Prayer. She related a tale of two aging church members who held a nearly lifelong grudge against one another, yet continued to assert that they were Christians.

PREOCCUPIED BY THE CARES OF LIFE
Luke 21:34: And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (KJV) [Luke 8:14 is a good one, too: And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. (KJV)]

A late Caravaggio: “Peter’s Denial,” from 1610, illustrative of the negative character trait “Lying.”

LYING
Colossians 3: 9: Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. (KJV) Elder Mants was very outspoken about this character flaw: “God hates a liar, and I do too!”

WORLDLINESS
Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV) [This point is similar to the “Cares of Life” point.]

GOSSIPING (AKA “TALEBEARING”)
Proverbs 20:19: He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. (KJV)

UNCLEAN LIPS {OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT]
Colossians 3:8: But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (KJV)

PRIDE
Proverbs 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. (KJV) [I am not certain that this is the verse that the elder quoted, but it will do quite nicely for now.]

One of the least salacious depictions of this scene, “The Feast of Herod,” featuring Salome, illustrative of the bad judgment that can result from catering to fleshly appetites. Herod now regrets the promise that he made.

WORKS OF THE FLESH
Romans 8:12-13: Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. (NLT)

HATRED
Proverbs 10:18: He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. (KJV) [Here is one that relates to the elder’s commentary on this point. It is Jesus speaking in John 15:25: But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. (KJV)] The elder illustrated this point by remarking that she had once known a lady in church, one to whom she had caused no harm at all. Yet this lady came up to Elder Mants and stated that she hated her. She “hated her guts.” The elder never did find out why.

Thus concluded the litany of negative attributes which may continue to distinguish, and perhaps even be cherished by “religious” people; the Sabbath worshippers, and the tithers, who nevertheless fall dreadfully short of God’s standards. These follies encumber the fool. The genuine Christian, in contrast, packs his or her luggage with apparel and accessories that are well-pleasing to God. Were the entire sermon indeed a single Proverb, the edifying second half had now been reached, and the spiritual content that fills the suitcases of the prudent was listed. The rhetorical scale was, heretofore, badly drooping in the negative direction. The scales were about to be thoroughly tipped back in the direction of virtue, just as good will surely triumph over evil with the coming of our Lord. What follows is the good stuff:

This composition has been unconvincingly converted to Christianity in the hymn “Joyful Joyful,” but Schiller’s original poem was so dreadfully pagan, it is now the official Anthem of Europe! What a mean thing to say!

JOY
Jude 1:24-25: Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (KJV: these are the words that immediately precede the Book of Revelation.) Elder Mants stated that “When you follow Jesus, He gives you joy inside.” If somebody comes up and gives you $40, you may be happy.  This is a transient and superficial emotion. “But joy comes from the heart,” the speaker testified. She seemed to imply that joy was light-years in advance of mere happiness [the topic of “happiness” would get revisited, however].

PEACE
Isaiah 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (KJV)
First Corinthians 14:23: For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (KJV)

TRUST
Proverbs 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (KJV)

HOPE
Hebrews 6:18-19: So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. (NLT)

“Beggar Seated on a Bank,” a 1630 etching by Rembrandt. Augustine provides an example of happiness: “a beggar who has gotten enough money to get drunk.” The Bishop of Hippo was a real comedian.

HAPPINESS
I missed this one, but here, as a stopgap, is Ecclesiastes 2:26: To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (NIV, and the KJV concludes with This also is vanity and vexation of spirit. I hope the Preacher is not referring to “wisdom, knowledge and happiness” as vanity! But he just may be.)

POSITIVE PEOPLE
As the pace of the sermon was accelerating, the verse relevant to this concept also slipped right by me. Positive people, such as Elder Mants, are frequently to be discovered at church. Here is First Corinthians 14:26, a description of those who are imbued with positive attitudes: How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (KJV)

CONTENTMENT
Philippians 4:11: Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (KJV- Here is verse 12, an elaboratin of verse 11: I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.)

WISDOM
Elder Dorothy Mants’s previous recommendation of the entire Book of Proverbs was here restated [Its wisdom is “Proverbial”].

“The Return of the Prodigal Son” was a very late work by Rembrandt, painted within two years of his death. I used this image just a few weeks ago, so it was very easy to grab and recycle as illustrative of “forgiveness.”

FORGIVENESS
This “better angel” of the nature of the previously cited topic of “unforgiveness” was described by Mark 11:26 (which is very much in the same vein as Colossians 3:13, an earlier reference): But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses. [The first move is up to you!]

The most important articles that should be packed in your spiritual “luggage” were mentioned at the end of the sermon, but when you are packing your baggage, you may wish to remember to throw these things in your suitcase first.

PRAYER
Wednesday night prayer meetings at Berean are all about prayer. In the series of ten guest sermons by church elders, I cannot recall that any of them neglected to include a reference to the significance of, and the utility of prayer. It was now Elder Mants’s turn.

First Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing. (KJV- short but sweet!) Elder Mants told a short story that proposed the question, “What if God had an answering machine?” Several humorous points were made in the course of her description of this fantasy scenario. An example: “Your call will be answered in the order that it was received.” Various options, depending on the nature of one’s request to God were provided: “To speak to Gabriel, press one; to speck to Michael, press two; for all other inquiries, press three” [Here is a link to Ray Reeves: Phone Call From God, a comedic monologue, but not the original, compact version].

“You can’t call Him too often,” Elder Mants continued. “Because of Jesus, you will never get a busy signal! He is the great ‘I am.'”




FAITH
The next to the last citation by Elder Mants was not from the Bible, but it was most assuredly inspired by the Bible. Its source may be found on Page 78 of the compilation of Ellen G. White writings known as “Faith and Works.”

You have to talk faith, you have to live faith, you have to act faith, that you may have an increase of faith. Exercising that living faith, you will grow to strong men and women in Christ Jesus.

The Elder mentioned Second Peter, Chapter 1, and the list of virtues contained therein that are the result of strong faith. Here is a lengthy excerpt from that chapter, including verses 4-7 :
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity [love].

The many articles that a genuine Christian packs for life’s journey are all just aspects of that overarching commodity: love. The last verse that Elder Dorothy Mants quoted was written by “the disciple that Christ loved.”

First John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (KJV)

“God bless you! Thank you for listening!”

Elder Mants has been blessed with a green thumb, and is an advocate for good nutrition. This image comes from this ARTICLE. Here is a LINK to a 26 year old article from the Orlando Sentinel that features Elder Mants, “Atlanta Poor Cultivate Seeds of Self-reliance.”