| Author | Message | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7789 Registered: 9-2006  |
I have written three stories concerning Adventism. I have no idea how God would use these stories to speak to a heart, but I strongly suspect that he uses many different resources to speak truth into our hearts. As Colleen likes to put it, he uses everything and wastes nothing. Of those 3 stories, my favorite is ‘The Seventh Stone’. Whether anyone else does or not, I think it is a very powerful allegory. The story is made up in fantasy format about 2 children who are born under a dome. The children find their way out of the dome, they go back to tell their parents and others and they realize that may must go back out of the dome before the escape route closes. You can read the story here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97365 It is free to download. You can read it in .pdf format or most other computer readable formats. The question I want to put fourth is, I think at least, a difficult question in which we may not be able to answer. Is there an escape route from Adventism? If there is, is there a limited time before that escape route closes forever for each person living under the influence of Adventism? That is the question. A forum member related some time back about sitting with an old Adventist until he died and he told us the old man was absolutely terrified of his coming demise. Was there a time when the old man could have escaped Adventism? I can’t answer that. Had the old man’s escape route closed? Most likely. I have a small leather bound New Testament that my Dad carried through his time in combat during the Second World War. The worn little book I placed on his folded flag along with 2 small pictures of him in uniform and a picture of his ship he came home on. I encased that in a flag holder and that is what I have left of my Dad. One day he faced death and on his death bed he kept saying the name over and over, Jesus, Jesus, the suffering to breathe was there, and there was some fear, but he was not terrified even though he was dying. I used to be terrified of death and one day I was thinking about it and I believe the Lord spoke to me, he said, “Do you remember how you used to leap across small streams as a child?” I said, “Yes Lord, I do” He said, “It well be that way, but I will be there to take you across that stream.” Ever since then I have not been terrified of death. We are all going to cross that stream to the somewhere. It just seems like yesterday when I too was a young soldier, Just yesterday my wife was a teen and now we have both grown old. Where did the years go so fast, life and time is like trying to hold fine sand in your hand, it spills through your fingers. Like sand rapidly running through an hour glass, the top rapidly shrinks, the amount running rapidly out. It is no different with Adventists. I know one old Adventist who lives in California. He is now 76 years old. I do love that man. I have often wondered if I should write him about his Adventism, yet I know in my heart it wouldn’t do any good. But is his escape route closing rapidly? Has it already closed? It is a question that bothers me greatly. I am not fearful of asking hard questions, I won’t steer around them. I have asked questions that I have waited for 20 years for the answer too. I am not afraid to put hard questions to God and some questions he has flat told me is none of my business and that’s a good enough hint to drop it. I don’t believe a concern for another’s welfare whom we love is a bad at all, the question is a fair question. In writing standard contracts a legal and binding statement is this, ‘Now time is the essence of this contract.’ Now time is the essence of our lives and that, I believe, is legal and binding. Even though we may not know how much, we do know that it will end and the escape route will close. It is taught in motorcycle riding to always look for an escape route. Motorcycling is a dangerous sport, people don’t see motorcycles on the highways and so you need to always try and have an escape route. The most of you formers have taken the escape route provided, but how many will not? Cognitive dissonance is a very important word in this context I think. It warns us a bridge is out ahead and if we don’t take an escape route, then there is great danger. It is just a way of saying that the Holy Spirit is dealing with our hearts I expect. River | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2457 Registered: 7-2007 |
Our part is to warn the person in the cult of their danger and then leave results up to God. If the person in the cult understands the warning but doesn't get out before it's too late, his blood will be upon his own head. I read a heart-breaking story where an old woman who was a Christian-Scientist died. As she lay dying, surrounded by her children and grand-children, she was terrified, not knowing what would happen to her after death. None of the people around her could help her at all and she died terrified and alone (even though she was surrounded by her relatives), because she didn't have Jesus with her. It really grieved me to read that. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7791 Registered: 9-2006 |
You may feel that its your job to warn them, I don't. They got Bibles and its not like they are unchurched. If you read the parable of the Rich man who died, here is what he was told. Luke 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13487 Registered: 12-2003  |
River, very good question. When I ponder these things I confess I have no clear answers; what does become clear to me is that God asks ME to respond to Him in trust. I have to be willing to do whatever He puts in front of me on a daily basis—I have to trust Him with every step of my life. Sometimes those steps include witnessing of the Lord Jesus; sometimes they include letting go of my desires and allowing God to be all I need. Really important question, River—and each of us has to answer before God for our response to Him. Either we believe and pass from death to life, never to enter judgment, or we remain judged already because we do not believe (John 3:18; 5:24). Colleen | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7792 Registered: 9-2006 |
Asurprise, I believe what you are referring to is this: Ezekiel 3:16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. Ezekiel 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Ezekiel 3:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 3:20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Ezekiel 3:21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 3:22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee. I have heard Pentecostals use this, but is it correct? I don’t think so and here is the reason. The thing about this is, during the time of the old Testament, the Holy Spirit had not been shed fourth. God spoke to the people through the prophets during that time. I believe the mistake Adventist make is to view Ellen White exactly like an old time prophet, but that time has passed away. While God very well does use the gifts of the Spirit in the body to warn and to correct, the Holy Spirit will be working on the person warned or corrected at the same time. Now that the Holy Spirit has been shed fourth, God draws people to him by his Spirit. While it is very true that the Lord allows us to share in his harvest of souls, we go and preach the gospel to those that will listen because we love him, and it is out of love for him and it is out of our love for him that we love them. Jesus said in John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die. He did die and was raised the 3rd day and we point to the cross of Christ and we do it by his love, through his love, because through his atonement we have peace and joy just like the old song says, “Joy unspeakable”. Now if you go down to Wallmart, lay on your side and eat baked cow poop paddies, they will haul you off in straight jacket. River | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7793 Registered: 9-2006 |
I think the thing with my Adventist friend in California, is that as he grows older and more fearful of his coming death, the more he leans on Ellen White and the Adventist doctrines, out of fear. Who closes the escape route? I think they do. Just as I portrayed in the story, the children went back to give the good news of the world outside the dome, but the people kept on gathering the weed pods which contained no food substance. This represent you who go to your folks and joyfully report your findings, it represents them, because they go on depending on Adventist doctrines. Each thing in the story represents something,the dome, the seven stones, the water, the weed pods. I could wish that it was not Holy Spirit that help me in the writing of the story because of the closing of the dome behind the children, but I am afraid he did help me write it. I can track how many time the story has been download. It has been download 168 times. I can't track who the downloaders were, I can only pray that Holy Spirit will speak to hearts through the story. River | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2459 Registered: 7-2007 |
River; if that were so, then Jesus wouldn't have said: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 I had a Bible when I was an SDA, but someone warned me and I cannot tell you how deeply thankful I am that someone cared enough to tell me. It seems to me that it's crueller than even the worst tyrant to not warn the people in the cults as they go to hell. (Look at the setting of the story of the rich man and Lazarus. God's law was state law for the Jewish people. They ALL knew God's commands, both rich and poor. Remember how scared the parents of the blind man whom Jesus healed, were of getting thrown out of the synagog? All of the Jewish people were members. They all were taught about God. There were no cults, yet the rich man turned away from God.) Today is different. Many, many people are brought up in cults. They need to be told the gospel and warned! | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 7796 Registered: 9-2006 |
Asurprise, I would answer, but its just not worth the effort. River | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2461 Registered: 7-2007 |
Have you read the autobiography Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler? When he was nearly an adult, he couldn't stand the stifling lifestyle and so left. He came back after some time, but left again. Finally he joined the Amish church. (Amish people had to request that.) But he still couldn't stand it and left again. The thought that there was salvation only through the Amish church drove him nearly to madness and despair! Finally someone shared the gospel with him, the real gospel - not the Amish false "gospel." He writes, of his accepting Jesus free gift, [before the man witnessed to him, he had no idea that it was really a free gift]: "Almost immediately a huge load of despair and anguish was lifted from me, replaced with a deep, quiet sense of joy and an internal peace beyond anything I had ever known." | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 2978 Registered: 8-2004  |
Having the gospel shared is often the starting place for people. At the same time, we can trust our family and friends to God. We don't have to beat ourselves up because we don't have openings to share the gospel with them (of course, if and when the openings come, I think we'll WANT to share with them).) |
