| Author | Message | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 48 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hi everyone, I have been taking a break from posting on R/S, since I am on vacation. But I think we've gotten through more than we think. I thought I could see some softening at times with the Pastor, but Walk and Col were tough. Did any of you feel like you are in a tough spiritual battle. I sure felt like it, and at times came away from posting feeling really tired of it all at times. Stan | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 443 Registered: 10-2004  |
Yes, I felt that way at times also, Stan. One of Richard O'Ffill's posts from today is amazing:
Jeremy | ||
| Greg Registered user Username: Greg Post Number: 78 Registered: 2-2005 |
Yeah Jeremy, I was a bit knocked over by that post by Richard O'Ffill. It's just plain sad that he thinks Adventism isn't about saving the lost. The spiritual battle analogy is a good one. I think walk at least has a lot to think about...he hasn't posted since he called me a liar and was called out by one of the lurkers. We need to keep praying for those guys. Greg | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 377 Registered: 7-2004 |
This explains why a SDA told me this last weekend that she HAD to stop going to BSF (an excellent non-denominational Bible study). In her mind, during the study of Romans, BSF was "pushing" the idea of predestination. So sad...what a blessing to live in the love of Jesus instead of paranoia. GIVE ME JESUS! | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 445 Registered: 10-2004 |
Here's my response to O'Ffill's post that I quoted above:
Jeremy | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 1690 Registered: 11-2002 |
I agree with Greg. Although I think Pastor O'Fill is way spunout in his Bibical understanding I still like the man. He just plain seems like a nice and decent man who truly believes and wants to share his beliefs. He just doesn't seem to 'get it' but he does seem to be pretty nice, unlike some of the others on there who leave no stone unturned letting the fomers know they are lost, God doesn't hear their prayers, they are allowing satan to lead them, and so on. Pastor O'Fill is trying to understand and to reason. Bucky is fortnate to have such a wonderful grandpa. The reverse is true, too. But, to the comment about becomming perfect even as Jesus was perfect. For us hear on this earth it'll never happen. Having said that, as we grow and mature in Christ we will still be sinning. Hopefully our sins won't be the ones that everyone can see-mass murder, child molesting, burgurlery, drunk driving, all those really bad things. Nonetheless though we will still be by our very nature sinners. Do we always oeythe laws of the state we live in? Drive withi the posted speedlimits, etc.? The Bible says to submit to the cvil authorities. That would include the traffc laws. How about trying to get by with not declairing everything n the income tax? What about coveting and lusting? yeah, these things aren't as obivious as bold sins. They are however still sin and no matter how perfect we try to be we will no ever in this life achieve perfection from our own efforts. We are proclaied perfect before God WHILE STILL IN OUR SINS because of Jesus. And, that is where the SDA's just don't get it. You can read the book of Romans and find that it is a sin to worry. Are those SDA's then saying they don't worry? It seems to me they spend a lot of their time worrying, mostly worrying if they are perfect yet. Frankly, I've noticed the less I stresss about those sorts of things, food, clothing, what day of the week it is,all those things Paul tells us not to stress over the easier I am to get along with and the more contented I am and also the more I want to shae my peace and joy and well-being with others. So, my advice to Colporter, walk, Omnigirl and the others would be to read Romans, Pslams and Matt.5 and kick back and chill out a bit. Regardless of what they are planning on the world probably won't end today. They probably won't be alive at Christs next visable coming.However, weather they believe like I do about the state of the dead or like he Aventists do it still says we'll be with Jesus in the twinkling of an eye so they'd best chill and rejoyce in their Christ given freedom. And, this is why I believe all these local Christian ministries have such dedicated volunteers. The local Christians are so filled with joy in Christ that they extend this joy to feeding the poor every day at a local picnic grounds, they run the home for women with unplanned pregnancies and many other local outreaches. All from their love for Jesus they do these nice things. And, you know what groups in this community will not partisipate in these ecuminicial outreach programs? The initial religions, the SDA, the JW and the LDS. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1205 Registered: 3-2004  |
Greg, I was so frustrated at the pastor that I deleted the e-mail. When I registered under my real name I said that I was the Flyinglady in one of my early posts as Diana. In one of my early posts, as Flyinglady, I said I left the SDA church when I found out about EGW, her plagiarism, having other people write for her and that I believed she is a false prophet. Maybe, he put it all together that Diana/Flyinglady are the same and decided to restrict my writing on the web site. I really do not know. I feel like writing to him and asking him up front it he does not want me to write on that site. I will pray about it. I am one that says to another, "I am puzzled about the restriction. Would you tell me why? I am an adult and I can take whatever your answer is. Please do not play games with me. If you do not want me posting on your website, tell me why and I will not." Like I said, I will pray about it. Diana | ||
| Greg Registered user Username: Greg Post Number: 79 Registered: 2-2005 |
Diana, I'm almost positive Richard O'Ffill didn't write that email. Like I said before, if it was from him, I'd have an email just like it. Don't puzzle too long...there are much better things to think about.  I appreciate your gentle and humble posts, on this forum and the other one. Greg | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 446 Registered: 10-2004 |
Did you all see this post from Richard O'Ffill? "The fact remains. The Sabbath is eternal no matter how a person wants to cut it. If a particular prophet in Scripture had been an enemy of the Sabbath (which contrary to some, none were) then he would have been a false prophet. Isaiah is clear- to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word is it because there is no light in them." So he is saying that if someone could prove to him that Paul taught against the Sabbath, that he would say Paul is a false prophet and give him up, and hold onto Ellen! Yikes! Jeremy | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 1206 Registered: 3-2004 |
Greg, I am not losing sleep over it. There is a phrase I learned that says, "do not give anyone/anything rent free space in your head". In other words, let it go and I have. I have not studied like some of the others, but when I write, I always ask God to give me the words to say. But it has only been a year since I left adventism and I have a lot to learn. I want to learn it all at once. That is my nature. Thanks for your kind words. Diana | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 1691 Registered: 11-2002 |
I just finished reading todays postings on the Pastor O'Fill site. First, Belva, what you wrote today was truly wonderful. I wish I could print it out. It was the post you did at around four in the morning. It was truly wonderful. Now, did you all catch what the pastor said on his topic, Is It Ever OK To Tell A Lie section? He made mention of reading fiction books and watcing tv dramas. Come on now Pastor, reading fiction and wacthing pretend programs on tv is not lying. It's using immagination. It's entertainent. I, too was raised SDA. I was taught to read fiction is wrong. However, that is corny. It's not a matter of fiction or no fiction. It's a matter of decent, clean-cut entertainment verses degrading and not clean-cut entertaiment. Do you remember ever watching Leave It To Beaver? Every program taught a charactor value. I was fiction. I'm just not getting the words to put on here to go along with my thoughts but I know what I'm trying to convey. I guess if one is to avoid fiction the first author I would suggest be given up would be EGW. Great post, Belva! | ||
| Greg Registered user Username: Greg Post Number: 80 Registered: 2-2005 |
Jeremy, I gotta hand it to you. This post of yours was outstanding: Link here for anyone interested in reading the whole thing. Jeremy, you wouldn't happen to be a lawyer, would you? If you are, for my sake I hope you're not in medical malpractice! Greg | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 216 Registered: 7-2004 |
Dear Jeremy, Greg & Justin, Earlier today I was feeling over-matched against Pastor O'Ffill and I cried out for assistance. You guys were there in a jiffy, and in my opinion you are exceedingly capable. I don't know what came over me. I guess I'm in awe of the highly educated, and knowing that I never finished college made me doubt my ability to respond on the tough questions. Susan, thank you for the kind words, but that all came out of my Wednesday Night Women's Bible Study. Last week we covered, in depth, Romans 7. See how providential our Lord is. After reading some of the ensuing posts throughout the day I am again feeling sorry for the deluded who are still trying to prove EGW's authenticity. Then, of course, there is the other tired and overly abused subject of the Mark of the Beast, and how the deception will be so cleaver that "if it were possible" the very elect would be taken in. The mere fact that John used the phrase "if it were possible" means that it isn't possible. That phrase, however, has been used for around 160 years to scare the living daylights out of people. I guess that is what happens when you won't allow people to feel confident about having been saved. Sorry for the sarcasm, but fright religion is so awful, and I don't like to be reminded of those feelings of doubt. Give me Jesus Belva | ||
| Greg Registered user Username: Greg Post Number: 81 Registered: 2-2005 |
Belva, college or no college, we're all brothers and sisters in Christ. You did a fine job explaining your beliefs. None of us knows everything so we can all learn something from each other, regardless of our educational level. The problem for the educated folks is learning to see Christ through the eyes of a child. In Christ, Greg | ||
| Belvalew Registered user Username: Belvalew Post Number: 217 Registered: 7-2004 |
Thanks Greg. I agree that we all could use a little childlike wonder. I was just over at R/S, and there is a new topic that I suggest we let them keep to themselves (unless they go on the offensive again). The name is "Is The Sabbath At Risk?" There was one post that a portion of it really tickled my funny bone. It was posted by our dear friend Colporteur and the excerpt goes like this: ---------- I am a little puzzled. Why is it so often, that when issues in the church are discussed, someone automatically reverts to the topic of judging another's salvation? ---------- I'll leave it up to you other folks who were posting in defense of Bucky, and then ourselves, to get the joke. Have a wonderful day! Belva | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 1692 Registered: 11-2002 |
I once again have been reading the most recent entries over on the Pastor O'Fil site. The more I read over there the more it seems to me that the most SDA someone is the less that person has the belief of Jesus being fully God. No one has come right out and said they don't believe Jesus is fully God but they do say we need to be perfect even as Jesus was perfect, that Jesus was tempted with sin just as we are tempted and He didn't bother to sin so it just seems implied that Jesus had "no avantage" of achieving perfetion than you or me do. Another ineteresting discussion over there is the new person who is saying that to take Communion is to worship the preist. In the new topic by the pastor on the Sabbath I would hope he reads EGW about the Sunday laws in Australia while she was there. EGW said to give the day to the Lord, wittness for Him, etc. | ||
| Riverfonz Registered user Username: Riverfonz Post Number: 50 Registered: 3-2005 |
Yes, Susan, it was interesting on one exchange I had with Colporteur, when we were discussing Lorraine Day, on the Temple Curtain Thread on pages 14 thru 16, I forget which one, but when he tried to point out that the reason we were against her health principles, was the fact that she was SDA. I pointed out to him, that on her own website, she denies being SDA, and not only that, she openly denies the Trinity, and the person of the Holy Spirit, and she literally believes in unqualified universalism. When I pointed this out to him, He answered back that he didn't know about the Trinity thing, and that maybe the church got it wrong about that, so there is proof that these people deny the basics. Also, I was briefly lurking yesterday on O'Ffill's church in New England thread, and noticed that he quoted approvingly the work of John Bunyan. I then suggested he go to www.johnbunyan.org, and check out John Bunyan's Treatise against the seventh-day sabbath, when he was arguing with 7 day Baptists. That article is in very old King's English, but the insights he had were remarkable, if any of you want to check it out. Maybe if O'Ffill sees that these great heroes of the faith did have knowledge of the Sabbath, and openly preached against it, --Who knows whether anything will soften that group. Stan | ||
| Greg Registered user Username: Greg Post Number: 82 Registered: 2-2005 |
Hi all, I just had another post deleted and it had absolutely nothing to do with EGW. In response to walk on the thread about "wondering after the beast" (link here), I posted the following quote: I asked walk if he disbelieved the trinity because it was a "Catholic doctrine," since that is his main argument against worshiping on Sunday. Evidently this hit a little too close to home, so it was deleted. Greg | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 131 Registered: 8-2004 |
Riverfonz, Thanks for that link to Bunyan's works! I've been wanting to read more of his stuff. I have 'Pilgrim's Progress' and 'The Holy War', but have wanted to read more. That's quite an article he wrote about the seventh-day Sabbath. I look forward to having the time to read it! helovesme2 | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 1693 Registered: 11-2002 |
Another thing over there that gets under my fingernails is weather worship is true worship or false worship. They are having a riproaring discussion on that. Frankly, I belive it if is Christian worship then it is true worship and if it is nonChristian worship then it is false worship. Actually, I guess to use the words correctly it would still be true worship but it would be false worshipping, if I use language correctly. I have attended a lot of Hare Krishna gatherings. I used to live in a community heavely Sikh popluated and I'd occassionally be invited to various functions at the Sikh temple, and other differnt non-Christian worship services. Although these people are sincere in their worship it is not Christian worship and that to me makes all the difference. And, to say taking communion is worshipping the preist is just plain blasophmous. Some of the people over there are way farout in their conspiricy therories regarding what's to happen at the end times. Whenever my SDA kin get going about the end times I just tell them most peoples end time comes at their death and instead of being all worked up about a future event they most likly will never be alive to be privvy to they'd be better off to live their lives in the hear and now for the glory of Jesus is when their names come up they "are ready". My SDA kin love the phrases "be ready", "get ready", anything to do with a lot of effort on their part when thinking about being with Jesus. I went to the John Bunyon site and read part of it. It is interesting. |
