| Author |
Message |
Flyinglady
Registered user
Username: Flyinglady
Post Number: 4165
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 9:42 pm: |     |
River, Do I understand your last comment..."every thing I keep getting into is so far from my idea about what he would have me do."
From Wednesday to Friday of last week I was at a Celebrate Recovery conference. I went to one workshop about international missions with CR. One of the pastors involved with this is my CR pastor. He had said earlier that everyone in there would be there because that is where they were supposed to be.
Saturday morning our group was sitting on the beach talking before we left for home and Pastor Bob asked us what we are taking away from the conference. When it was my turn, I said, Here I am 66 years of age and I would like to retire, but God has not given me the okay to do that. I do not know how God will use me in international missions.
Pastor Bob told me, "You cannot retire yet", that God had me there for a purpose and I have to agree with him. I have no idea what I will be doing tomorrow, much less next year.
One thing I have discovered for myself is that whatever God wants me to do is interesting and He gives me what I need to do it.
He is always awesome.
Diana
(Message edited by Flyinglady on August 19, 2007) |
River
Registered user
Username: River
Post Number: 1306
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 10:44 pm: | |
Dianna,
I don't know whether you understood my last statement or not, but yes, he keeps taking me into unfamiliar territory and meeting people I had no idea existed and I am involved in ministry's that I would never have thought of, didn't know they existed either.
Yes it is interesting and sometimes seems a little overwhelming, he keeps stretching me so to speak.
I am not complaining mind you.
I just can't get over what all is happening.
I am writing, I never did that before in my life, I am wearing the letters off my keyboard every four months and I have to buy a new one this week.
Last Wednesday at church the Pastor pinned me down publicly to play solo guitar for them, I have never played solo guitar tunes in my life for anybody, I just picked up the guitar again a few months ago after 25 years of not playing at all and I was no good at it then.
Things like that.
Thats what I meant.
River |
Wooliee
Registered user
Username: Wooliee
Post Number: 90
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 11:13 pm: | |
I don't post here often, but I do get a lot of encouragement from coming here. I am so thankful to the Lord for this ministry. Pastor Mark, that is a great example of Jesus using His children in ways that aren't how we would always expect. Jesus uses whatever it takes to get our attention. Eternity with Him is too important to miss out on. My grandpa was recently baptized at 86 years old. No one saw it coming, and he is a changed man. To borrow from Diana, God is awesome. He NEVER gives up. Ever.
Julie |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 6594
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 11:17 pm: | |
Mark, I can just see you running and jamming your foot in that door...what a great memory!
River, it's amazing the forms God's spiritual gifts take. It is just so cool that He has you writing and doing music!
Colleen |
Lucybugg
Registered user
Username: Lucybugg
Post Number: 70
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 7:08 am: | |
My mothers makes sure that I'm current on all that's happening with the members of our former church since she still attends.
Speaking of that, please pray. Mom and my brothers have a renewed religious fervor, and all of them attended church Saturday including one brother who hasn't attended in years. Mom was also telling my boys about a new Wednesday night youth program they've initiated and told my boys she'd take them if they wanted to go. She also told me that the church is having an evangelistic series in September and stressed to me that they've put on the flyer that ONLY the Bible will be used and studied. She also said the pastor is re-writing all his sermons and taking out any EGW quotes or references. I asked her if that's what it will be like from now on or will he revert back to EGW once people have been brought into the church. She couldn't answer my question with anything other than I don't know. She also said she can see God working in the pastor's life and God is reclaiming His church.
I know where my mother is coming from; she's struggling. When I was struggling with the Truth I thought if I fervently kept the Sabbath and obeyed the rules I'd quit doubting and could bring myself back into line. She's at a critical crossroad...either she'll give in and line up or she'll accept the truth and follow it. |
Philharris
Registered user
Username: Philharris
Post Number: 154
Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 7:30 am: | |
In response to the title of this thread:
Except for this forum, I have next to no contact with anyone in the SDA church or even ex-SDAs. This is largely because I live somewhat out in the boonies where we are pretty much scattered out amongst the trees and hills. To recoin a common phrase; "I met someone who thinks he may have seen one, but is not sure". The SDAs are active though, with "Signs of the Times" stands and the prophecy seminars. Of course few people realize who is behind these activities.
Mostly, my SDA contacts have been a once-a-year thing at our yearly reunion. Aside from that, my next door neighbor was partially raised by his SDA grandmother and his sister is a stanch SDA. The local SDA church is so small they meet in the Lutherian facility. In Port Orchard, a nearby town, the SDA people rent out their building on Sundays to a congragational group that I plan on visiting soon. I talked to their pastor a couple a nights ago and he is very much up on what SDA theology teaches, which is a big praise on my part. When I told him it would feel strange walking into an SDA building, he basiclly said Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is in charge of the place on Sundays.
Phil |
Bsim
Registered user
Username: Bsim
Post Number: 8
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:03 am: | |
Just wanted to add my two cents. Since we have only recently left, we do still keep in contact with two other families from our church. But time seems to be stretching between the calls....one of the families wants us to join them for bible study and I agreed with the understanding that we would not be using any study guides, only going through books of the New Testament, from beginning to end. No proof texting....we'll see what happens there.
I remember once, about 8 years ago, our pastor commented to my husband and I that we were unlike most adventists in the church -- we had more friends that we regularly did things with who were non-adventist than adventist. Friends that we grew up with in our neighborhoods, high school friends, etc. He stated that it was very unusual for adventists to maintain that kind of friendship with non-sda's. I think it is because my husband and I never liked the adventist mentality of having to convert everyone to our beliefs. We were even more confused when an evangelist told my husband not to try to "convert" his grandfather who was such a strong christian and godly man. (My husband was not raised Adventist). Why was it ok for his grandfather not to need to hear the "truth" about the sabbath, but not ok for everyone else?
Ok, I am getting off track here, but wanted to respond to the topic.
Bsim |
River
Registered user
Username: River
Post Number: 1308
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 8:16 am: | |
Wooliee,
Thanks so much for the testimony about the 86 year old Grandpa, this encourages my soul so much, even we who have been associated with the Lord many years need the encouragement of these testimonies of what God is doing.
Lucybugg,
If they are not careful they will study themselves right out of the Adventist organization with that Bible only stuff. And the Pastor rewriting his sermons. I am with Dale on beginning to pray for the whole Adventist organization, nothing is too difficult for God.
What I said above there goes for you, thanks for that powerful testimony of what God is doing. You just must know how encouraging those testimonies are. It puts new spring in my step and hope in my heart as I am sure it does for others, it is God saying “Do not falter, be of good courage”.
Bsim, Praying that the Bible studies will go well.
River |
Jeremy
Registered user
Username: Jeremy
Post Number: 2045
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 11:02 am: | |
Actually, River, the stuff about using "only" the Bible for their "evangelistic series" and not "quoting" EGW in the sermons is common SDA deception tactics. The material still comes from EGW and her proof-texting interpretations. They are quite proud of their ability to hold "evangelistic series/prophecy seminars" to teach EGW/SDA doctrine by "only" using (abusing/misusing/twisting/changing) the Bible. They know that they would never be able to hold a seminar for the public, and quote from EGW!
Jeremy
(Message edited by Jeremy on August 20, 2007) |
River
Registered user
Username: River
Post Number: 1309
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 12:17 pm: | |
I see, well its too bad, they might rope in a few weak minded folk with no Bible knowledge. Holding them is another thing I guess.
I keep forgetting that evangelistic series to them is not evangelizing for Christ, but for their church.
Kind of sickens one to his stomach don't it?
River |
Asurprise
Registered user
Username: Asurprise
Post Number: 150
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 12:22 pm: | |
Bsim; the friend who (with God's help) led me out of the Adventist church, had a Bible study like that with an Adventist family several years ago. They just read and studied their way through the New Testament without any study guides. Sometimes one of the Adventists would add an interpretation to a verse, and my friend would say, "where does the Bible say that?" They wouldn't have an answer to that. Sometimes they would get into vigorous discussions, but by the time they finished studying their way through the New Testament, the Adventist family quit being Adventist  |
Helovesme2
Registered user
Username: Helovesme2
Post Number: 1019
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 12:25 pm: | |
'The Bible only' is not always done maliciously by SDAs. There are SDAs and even church workers who truely believe that the Bible teaches the SDAism they have been taught. Their 'we have the truth' superiority complex is honestly come by. It is my prayer that God will remove the glasses of presupposition and deception from each of us and will let His pure truth shine in!
Blessings,
Mary |
Helovesme2
Registered user
Username: Helovesme2
Post Number: 1020
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 12:35 pm: | |
BSM,
That the experience you write about in post 150 reminds me of how a stretch of time shortly before I left Adventism when I read and reread the new testament from the Message Bible. Now the Message Bible is not a good translation to base doctrine on, but it did a good job of getting around my brain's 'religious language' filter, and helping me grasp the actual story of Jesus, and to hear more of the people behind the epistles. It did wonderful things for my walk with Jesus!
Mary |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 6598
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 2:54 pm: | |
Asurprise (Dianne), your story about your friend was exactly our experience, although we were the Adventist family studying with the Christian family. We were honestly trying to study the Bible for its own sake, and we had begun actively to pray to understand what the Bible said without EGW filters. We thought we were free of her—but as we read through the NT with our friends, we'd offer explanations sometimes only to have them look at us and say, "Where do you get that from the Bible?"
Mary's right about some Adventists really believing they are studying the Bible only. (I'm suspicious, however, of an evangelist saying "Bible only" without knowing he'd have to bring in Ellen later...) In fact, because they have been taught the Bible means Adventist teachings, even if they use "Bible alone" they believe those words mean what Adventists understand. Further, when they teach unsuspecting Christians using "Bible alone", they interpret the Bible to them so they see it with Adventist filters. I'm going to give you an example below from an email I received today from an Adventist. The first paragraph is a quote taken from our Galatians studies online on this website; the second paragraph is the SDAs response to it:
SDAs define righteousness as right doing. Here Abraham believed the Lord; God credited belief to him as righteousness. Righteousness is not right-doing. It is nothing less than Christ's perfection, and our belief/faith is what God credits to us as righteousness.
I happened to see this statement on the studies on Galatian, and I wanted to add a thought. Adventists do believe that righteousness is “right doing” ,but not any human beings right doing, but the perfect life of Christ. Our righteousness is the perfect righteousness of Christ, credited to us, and that righteousness is a perfect righteousness of love, of perfect sinlessness, which would be “right doing.” I don’t think that ‘s a correct analysis of the Adventist position. God bless
When the SDA says, "Our righteousness is the perfect righteousness of Christ, credited to us, and that righteousness is a perfect righteousness of love, of perfect sinlessness, which would be 'right doing'," he isn't saying the same thing Christians say. He is still saying that the perfect behavior of Jesus is what God will bring about in us. They have learned they can't openly say that we must "be perfect". Instead, now, they refer to Christ's perfection and say that's what is credited to us. What they mean is, once that's credited to us, we will begin to become more and more perfect by obeying Jesus because we are so grateful for His grace. We will actually, if we live long enough and in enough submission, gain that "right doing" ourselves. They're careful to say it's not our OWN works--it's Christ's works--but what they mean is that Jesus helps us achieve His perfect works.
It's terribly convoluted, but when Adventists say they're using the Bible only, they're still teaching Ellen because they deeply, sincerely believe that the Bible means what Adventism says it means. Sometimes they don't even know they're teaching Ellen-isms. Some, of course--especially among the clergy/evangelists, do know that there's disparity between Adventism and the Bible. But many of the lay people have no idea.
This misapprehension is one of the reasons that when a person discovers the true gospel of Jesus and is born again, he must follow Jesus, as hard as it is, and begin worshiping with "regular" Christians as soon as possible. People who have been steeped in Adventism have no idea how twisted their understanding of Scripture and of Truth is. Even if the Adventist church were to experience a great revival among the leadership, a phenomenon which would be a true miracle, those within the church would still need to begin meeting with people other than only newly-converted "formers". We all have so much to unlearn and also to learn. This really happens best in a context of studying with others who do not share our history of "Ellen filters".
Colleen |
Reb
Registered user
Username: Reb
Post Number: 586
Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 3:00 pm: | |
Colleen I am totally convinced that many Adventists do not know what is Bible and what is Bible twisted and infused with Ellenisms. Many are actually following the Bible twisted by EGW rather than the Pure Bible without even realising it.
I actually heard one Adventist say that the Bible says Adam was 12 feet tall and I had to show him the Bible and remind him that Ellen said that NOT the Bible. |
Dale
Registered user
Username: Dale
Post Number: 5
Registered: 4-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 4:13 pm: | |
Reb,
I, too, found that I often confused statements by Ellen White with the Bible. I remember when I was a pastor of the Neighborhood Church in Santa Cruz. There were several times in my teachings I made statements that prompted the class members to ask, "Dale, where did you get that?" and I had to confess that what I thought were biblical facts were concepts from EGW. It has taken me years of reading the Bible only to free myself from the confusion of EGW. |
Reb
Registered user
Username: Reb
Post Number: 591
Registered: 5-2007
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 4:18 pm: | |
And then they have that abomination they call the "Clear Word". |
River
Registered user
Username: River
Post Number: 1310
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Monday, August 20, 2007 - 6:47 pm: | |
What Colleen said is why it took my about four years to get to the bottom of it on my own.
I literally had to throw away my own up bringing and preconceived notions and study theology at the same time I studied what they were saying and trace many of the proof text they use.
What they say sounds much the same as you are saying, but they are saying something with a completely different meaning to it and it just tears up the salvation plan, and makes it difficult to communicate with them.
Its not only convoluted its just plain diabolical is what it is.
I got an e-mail from one of my Adventist friends today and he sounds like an evangelical right up to the end when he declares salvation is just ahead.
Everything with them is just right around the corner, salvation, Sunday law, you name it. But is a big, big mistake to say salvation is just ahead, but this deceiving spirit dangles it before them like a carrot on a stick, they are hooked to the buggy and the devils driving. He howls with glee at them chasing that salvation carrot.
The man that I got the letter from knows more about science and math than probably any three of us put together, maybe even ten of us, yet he can’t even follow the simple plan of salvation.
I brought up the thief on the cross to them one day and they even have that explained away, its just such a diabolical convoluted mess.
I get such a hopeless feeling in dealing with them that if I didn’t have this forum where I can come and shoot the breeze with actual people who have actually made it out I don’t know what shape I would be in by now to tell the truth.
Dale, did you ever think of writing a guide to the few of us who have missions to Adventist? It wouldn’t have to be anything elaborate just put down the questions to ask and the answers in scripture.
River |
Insearchof
Registered user
Username: Insearchof
Post Number: 147
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 6:09 am: | |
Colleen wrote...
"SDAs define righteousness as right doing. Here Abraham believed the Lord; God credited belief to him as righteousness. Righteousness is not right-doing. It is nothing less than Christ's perfection, and our belief/faith is what God credits to us as righteousness.
"I happened to see this statement on the studies on Galatian, and I wanted to add a thought. Adventists do believe that righteousness is “right doing” ,but not any human beings right doing, but the perfect life of Christ. Our righteousness is the perfect righteousness of Christ, credited to us, and that righteousness is a perfect righteousness of love, of perfect sinlessness, which would be “right doing.” I don’t think that ‘s a correct analysis of the Adventist position. God bless"
What a farce! That supposedly SDA understanding of Righteousness by Faith is actually the Evangelical understanding.
I was raised an SDA and was faithful for over 30 years. It was only near the end of my time as an SDA that I could honestly say that I understood Righteousness by Faith as the Bible defines it in Christ.
As an SDA, it is all about Christ giving YOU the strength to fulfill the law, not resting in HIS fulfillment of the law.
I have to go now. This kind of thing really upsets me.
ISO |
Patriar
Registered user
Username: Patriar
Post Number: 304
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 9:45 am: | |
In Search Of:
Unfortunately and sadly I must disagree. That is EXACTLY the Adventism that I grew up with. I have often said that I just WISH my family had the historic Adventist background (as Dale has defined it) because it's so much easier to point out the problems even if they don't comprehend them; they are much more black and white. The confounding nature of "evangelical adventism" is discernable by the Spirit and the Spirit alone.
Most of our friends who are still in the SDA church use the very language with us that you saw in the quote that Colleen posted. We have tried to filter our response down to a few major points when dealing with this approach. I'll list a couple just for the sake of anyone who might be lurking. Just to be clear: let me spell out that Adventism reads the Bible through Ellen White's teachings. So even if they read the Bible alone they will still not be interpreting it rightly short of a miracle of the Holy Spirit. And by the way I never, not one time, read through a book of Ellen White yet still had these doctrines firmly planted in my understanding.
--To me the all-encompassing one is the nature of God. For example: that "God is Spirit" from John 4:24 is misunderstood and misapplied as some sort of "cosmic conscience" that is PART OF Elohim.
--The state of the dead doctrine is in direct contradiction to the teachings of the New Testament. In other words the blessings we receive under the New Covenant cannot translate into fruit if a person denies the very way by which those blessings occur (the regenerated spirit). (Please note: I am not suggesting that an Adventist can't be or isn't saved OR that they aren't good people...I'm simply stating Biblical facts as I understand them).
These are just a sample of the primary Adventist doctrines that are firmly planted in/with and by the roots of Ellen White. No serious Bible scholar outside of SDAism would even consider these things to be true and yet we who were raised with a false taste of grace accept them as undeniable "Bible only" truth and are absolutely SURE that Ellen had no part in forming our doctrinal stances.
Anyway, I don't want to get too windy here (I know...too late), but my point is that the post Colleen referenced is most often what my husband and I deal with. It's this unholy union of law and grace. I've been reading through Galatians again and MAN...could Paul have been any clearer? Our position in Christ not only IS, but by it's nature HAS TO BE, separate from the law (flesh/our own righteousness)?!! (Gal. 3-5) That doesn't mean that after justification we can then by Christ's abilities become holy. What Paul is saying is that THERE IS NO WAY to be righteous EXCEPT for the righteousness of Christ alone (that means without us!). The moment we add our perfection to the mix, EVEN under the disguise of being holy through the power of Christ, it by definition becomes a different gospel (Gal. 1). As we've all found out, our works play NO PART in our salvation; not justification, not sanctification, not glorification. We cannot be righteous in our flesh...EVER because our flesh is DEAD when we live by the Spirit. Dead things have nothing to offer the Kingdom of God. Christ doesn't regenerate our old nature when we accept Him, but rather He gives us a new nature and that is lived out by Him alone. To put it like my husband does: "any good thing that comes from me is His. I can't take credit for it because "I" am not a good person."
OK..I'm coming back up for air. ;) I guess you can see that was a serious hot button for me.
Patria |
Cortney
Registered user
Username: Cortney
Post Number: 26
Registered: 8-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 11:19 am: | |
I was raised non-denom but was shown the "truth" through my husband, who by the way, is a wonderful man.My parents and other family members were upset and concerned about my new found faith and beliefs and tried to convince me Adventism wasn't Biblical,but I would hear nothing of it.I was in the "truth" and they were being decieved.These new "truths and revelations" realy took a toll on my spiritual life.After accepting the "truth" I read the bible with Adventist glasses on.Instead of reading scripture with an "Christian Thirst" I searched for passages and texts that justified Adventism and proof that the Sabbath Law was still binding.It takes alot of prayer and rereading of scripture with a
'true christian intention' to fully understand the full and true message of the Gospel, after leaving Adventism.In Adventism the bible is like an incrypted code,you have to search and find any text in the new or old testament that will support SDA doctrine and truth, then after you find a text [usually taken out of context]you have to "fit it" to support Adventism.By the way,I thought at the time doing so,meant I was seeking a more fulfilling relationship with Christ! It only made me rely more on Adventism than Jesus.It drove me away from "genuine faith" and deeper into "Adventist faith and doctrine." Keep on praying for Adventist frinds and family, so they may have a more full relationship with Christ! |
Insearchof
Registered user
Username: Insearchof
Post Number: 149
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 11:45 am: | |
Patria,
I understand what you mean. I grew up with a strong belief in Historic Adventism. I was a supporter of Firm Foudation (Hope International) for a long time because 'their' Adventism was RIGHT and the Adventism preached by the pastor of my church was WRONG.
Isn't it strange that an Adventist might say the words but entirely miss the music of the Gospel because their focus is all on the Law and right living?
I have a friend that left the SDA church when I did. After 40 years of hearing Adventist sermons with their myopic focus on the Sabbath and prophecy, he could not abide it any longer and wanted to hear the Gospel as it was preached when he was teenager in another denomination.
It is really sad when an organization claiming to be a church of God cannot even proclaim the Good News of salvation without a 'BUT' in it somewhere.
ISO |
River
Registered user
Username: River
Post Number: 1315
Registered: 9-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 12:15 pm: | |
Patria,
If you are the same Patria who was on the video where you were talking about the resemblance in Adventist language to evangelical language, I just wanted to say that the video blessed me so much.
I viewed the video at a time that you were able to confirm and put into words what I had not yet done, your message confirmed the work of the Holy Spirit as he guided me through the maze of Adventism.
River
P.s And by the way those were good words up there, you can get windy any old time and I will listen. |
Asurprise
Registered user
Username: Asurprise
Post Number: 156
Registered: 7-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 1:42 pm: | |
Colleen, back when I was an Adventist, I don't know if studying through the New Testament by itself would have brought me out of Adventism; I had those Ellen White glasses so firmly in place. I had been taught that Christ was our righteousness and that He would impart righteousness to us - something like that. I believed in salvation by grace though, but didn't have the assurance of salvation. Well, not until I repeated that text in Ephesians 2:8 where it says that we "have been saved" and asked the Lord to forgive all my sins. Then I'd feel like I had salvation for a LITTLE bit, before I'd have to go through the process all over again. Since Ellen White said that we can't say we're saved, I'd have to balance the two (the Bible and her) and come out with a sort of happy medium. I actually didn't have much cognitive dissonance to speak of - I was SO certain that I was in the one true last days church. It wasn't until I saw clearly that Ellen White contradicted the Bible that I was able to drop her completely and see what the Bible ACTUALLY said. I still have a bit of that leftover baggage from Adventism and can hardly believe that salvation's REALLY a free gift, and that some sort of effort on my part isn't involved somewhere! |
Patriar
Registered user
Username: Patriar
Post Number: 306
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 2:56 pm: | |
River:
Yes it was. All I can say is that God is truly great and worthy of all honor and praise!
And by the way, I often lurk even when I don't write. I have been hugely blessed by your posts and the grasp you have of "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ".
Patria |
Colleentinker
Registered user
Username: Colleentinker
Post Number: 6610
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 5:10 pm: | |
Patria, thank you for you very clear post above. It's good to hear from you again! You are so right--you've perfectly explained the dilemma. No wonder the Christian community in general doesn't understand what's wrong. Because Adventists are taught to say exactly (or almost exactly) what Christendom says, even when a Christian questions them, they will say the proper words. NO ONE in the conversation will actually understand that each means something different.
As Richard said to me one time, the difference between Christians who know Adventists and think they're just quirky Christians and the few who know they are embracing heresy is one "simple" thing: those who know actually have studied the Bible with an Adventist. Unless one actually grapples with Scripture personally with an Adventist, it is unlikely he will see how "off" Adventists' beliefs are.
Colleen |
Dennis
Registered user
Username: Dennis
Post Number: 1226
Registered: 4-2000
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 5:11 pm: | |
Good points, Colleen! |
Patriar
Registered user
Username: Patriar
Post Number: 316
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 6:02 pm: | |
Colleen:
That's really interesting. I hadn't thought about that. I have often wondered HOW IN THE WORLD evangelical pastors can continue to think Adventism is orthodox or at least "close enough". I think Richard is right. And even then it takes the discerning of the Holy Spirit.
Patria |
Busymom
Registered user
Username: Busymom
Post Number: 64
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 23, 2007 - 12:12 pm: | |
Thanks 91 steps and everyone who participated on this thread. Reading it made me think about friends still attending the local SDA church. My children's adopted nana still attends. Lately I haven't initiated getting together with her, because it gets old hearing that I have left the truth or having her go behind my back to talk to the kids about potluck or church. Obviously I could set boundaries and tell her we can't talk about religion, but haven't felt like that is the right approach for us.
Anyways, today I packed up a basket of sunflowers, tomatoes, roses etc. and stopped by to visit her with the kids. We visited and when I mentioned my women's Bible study I did this summer on Joy, her response shocked me. She said "If I had known you were studying Joy I would have loved to have come."
I am praying the next study may be something appropriate for her to come to. |
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