Response to Prayer
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Posted:Apr 6, 2009 7:37 am
Last Updated:Jul 27, 2009 1:45 pm 3594 Views
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"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedest me with strength in my soul." (Psalm 138:3)
God's response to our prayers are delivered into two ways: practically, in the circumstances the direction, and spiritually, in the "inner man" (Ephesians 3:16).
We are often so focused on the physical or external event for which we are insistently praying that when the answer comes we fail to receive the full blessing--even if we read the practical answer correctly. Our heavenly Father is committed to providing our needs on earth (Philippians 4:19; Luke 12:30), but such supply is of minimal significance in the scope of eternity. The good thoughts (Jeremiah 29:11) and the good gifts of God (Luke 11:13) are toward the expected end, the ultimate conformity "to the image of his " (Romans 8:29).
While God responds to our physical needs, His heart and His purpose is to fill us "with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). He blesses us "with all spiritual blessings" (Ephesians 1:3) and has chosen us to be "holy and without blame" (Ephesians 1:4). God's Word is designed to allow us to participate in the "divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). God's desire in responding to our prayers is this: "that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfullness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:9-12).
But please be on notice! This internal and spiritual worship and praise cannot be kept private. The "internal" blessings of God will overflow in godly behavior and visible joy (James 3:13; 1 Peter 1: .
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Salvation Not Through Works of "THE LAW", but "THROUGH FAITH"
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Posted:Mar 11, 2009 9:39 am
Last Updated:Jul 27, 2009 1:45 pm 3819 Views
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As with Noah, God makes and everlasting covenant with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16). God promises this old couple that they will be the ancestors of nations, though they have no together. God will miraculously bring forth new life from Sarah's old womb. The name changes emphasize the firmness of the promise. When Abram was ninety-nine years of age, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty"; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for Me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your offspring after you". God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. "I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of people shall come from her."...
Paul presents Abraham as the example as for how a person comes into a right relationship with God not through works of the LAW but through FAITH. Though Abraham and Sarah were far too old for bearing , Abraham trusted God would accomplish what God had promised to accomplish.
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on FAITH, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descentants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations)-- in the presence of God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations." according to what was said, "So numerous shall our descendants be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness". Now the words, "it was reckoned to him", were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for justification.
After Peter confesses his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus tells his disciples for the first time what is to come. Peter's response indicates that he does not yet understand the way of the cross that Jesus will travel...
Mark 8:31-38...The he began to teach them that the of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief prists, and the scribes, and be killed, and after 3 days rise again. "He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." All this comes about through FAITH, not from the Old Law of the old testament or the Laws and doctrine of man!
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Divorce and Geography
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Posted:Jan 15, 2009 4:18 pm
Last Updated:Jan 28, 2009 6:55 am 3564 Views
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Want to Get Married and Stay Married? Get Hitched up North and Avoid Moving South
By DON MOORE
Americans who live in the south are more likely to get divorced than residents of the northeast, according to the Barna Group, a religious think-tank in Ventura, Calif.
According to the group, only 19 percent of those who marry in the northeast get divorced. The figure for the south is 27 percent, the same as the midwest. It's a point less, at 26 percent, for Americans who live in the west.
The divorce rate in southern states averages 5.1 percent per 1,000 people. This average rate in the northeastern states is 3.5 percent per 1,000. Nationally the average is 4.1 percent 1,000.
"People who stay put and don't move are less likely to divorce than people that move, like the people out west. That's one of the reasons the divorce rate in the Northeast is lower, they stay put," said Professor David Popenoe, co-director of the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University.
The National Center for Health Statistics says that Massachusetts had the lowest divorce rate in the nation. The other states with the lowest divorce rates in the U.S. are: Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York and Pennsylvania. The states with the highest divorce rates include Nevada, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wyoming.
Studies and experts say southern states may have higher divorce rates because:
Couples in the south marry younger, and younger couples are more likely to divorce.
Fewer Catholics live in the South, and it's still difficult to divorce and remarry in the Catholic church because it requires an annulment process for anyone previously married in Catholic church.
Family income in the south is lower than in the northeast, and couples with a lower income have a higher divorce rate.
The level of education is lower in the south than the northeast, and couples with a lower education level have a higher divorce rate.
"The big factor in divorce is a person's level of education. The higher their level of education the lower the divorce rate. That's one reason Atheists have one of the lowest divorce rates. Atheists tend to be highly educated people. That's the story in the nut shell," Popenoe said.
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"Atheist Day" --A True Story About A Court Case in the State of Florida!
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Posted:Jan 9, 2009 10:49 am
Last Updated:Jan 25, 2009 3:42 pm 3792 Views
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Subject: Athiest Day
FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY
In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.
The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate
presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring,
"Case dismissed!"
The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your
honor,how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have
Christmas,
Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah,
yet my and all other atheists have no such holidays."
The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do.
Your , counsel, is woefully ignorant."
The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special
observance or holiday for atheists."
The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day.
Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.'
Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."
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"WHERE HAVE ALL THE LEADERS GONE?"
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Posted:Jan 7, 2009 10:10 am
Last Updated:Apr 28, 2024 11:16 am 3347 Views
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Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'. Keep in mind he is also a staunch Republican who has been friends and voted for both Bush men and Regan!
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.
We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.
Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble.
Our borders are like sieves.
The middle class is being squeezed every which way.
These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know
how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our , we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like me, believe in America'. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!!!
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"Familiar"...from my friend and Christian Comedian "Chonda Pierce"
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Posted:Jan 7, 2009 9:38 am
Last Updated:Jan 7, 2009 10:59 am 3595 Views
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January 5th, 2009
Happy New Year Road Kill!
Can I be honest? After being a public person for over 20 years - I find myself searching for a new and unusual way to talk to you about New Years. Trying to find something unique, something surprising! Believe me, LIFE surprises me - but I find it hard to believe that my life can still be of any interest to anyone else. I don't mean that self-loathingly or with false humility. Really, I don't. I feel overwhelmingly blessed in life. I just never take for granted that your life would pause long enough to intersect with mine! Many of us bonded together a long time ago by either our enthusiasm for laughter, by being Road Kill pals, turbo worker, fellow comic, PK, or just some random You Tuber that supports whatever this is that I've been doing these past 15 years.
Last night we drove to the cabin at the Funny Farm. (If you're a new friend then you need to know our "Funny Farm" has nothing to do with white coats and straight-jackets!) We always spend New Year's Eve at the cabin with our . This is our "empty nest New Year's Eve!" To tell you the truth we were too tired to lament - it was pitch dark and we were too busy trying to not kill ourselves walking up the steps! Since we got here late we thought it was best to ring in the New Year with those in the Eastern Time Zone!. Surely, NYC can cheer loud enough for we who live in Central Standard Time.
This morning I woke up to a familiar peace I find at the Farm. The air was cool and crisp and there was no sound except the occasional brush of a branch that sits too close to the screened in back porch. (I did check to make sure David was alive - since he had stopped snoring!) I slowly moved toward the fire place and placed another log on the fire... . As the embers puffed and crackled David cracked his eyes open, yawned and at the same time we said what we have said to each other every New Year's Day for almost 30 years... . "Man, I haven't seen you since last year!!" (See, I told you I couldn't find anything new and original to share with you!) Believe me, if our WERE here - they would roll their eyes and shake their heads with that familiar smirk, "Wow! You guys are soooo funny. How long did it take you to think that one up?" (Maybe THAT is why we don't lament the being gone now! They never appreciated our jokes! Ha!)
This morning I've decided that FAMILIAR is not a bad word. I'm ashamed to say that there have been times in my life when I linked the word FAMILIAR to words like: boring, stale... or the more familiar phrase: "same-old-same-old." Since childhood "Familiar songs" or "old-standard" hymns were replaced with praise music. We hear constantly that we must embrace "cutting-edge" technology. We must remain culturally viable. Blah, blah, blah! You see for me - when creativity becomes stale, or productivity becomes stagnant - the results are usually indifference or worse - ineffective and outdated ministry, performances or living.
Not TODAY. This morning, I could truly feel that inner voice whispering the word FAMILIAR until it began to resonate with words like: friend, foundation, inner peace, covenant relationship and quiet confidence. You see, I must confess to you: I am easily distracted. I hate that about myself. Some days God has used that slight character flaw "for good!" My manager, agents, producers, directors --most all my "people" drop their heads when they hear me say, "Okay, I'm so done with this. Here's what I want to do for the next project..." (I think it's because I usually say that as we are recording a new project!)
I've decided that FAMILIAR only becomes a negative word when I have spent too much time drifting. Drifting - now that is a dangerous word. If you are like me, too many distractions cloud the familiar.
Before I could allow myself to drift backwards and doubt God's patience or hang my head in shame about what I screwed up in 2008 - David pulled a really familiar devotion book off the shelf and began to read: "God requireth that which is past." Let me paraphrase this old familiar writer, Oswald Chambers: Anxiety about the past can be a catalyst to embracing again and again God's grace- in light of the memories of yesterday's sins and blunders. "God is the God of yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture for the future." I LOVE THAT... in other words - God uses the booboos, the blatant mess-ups and those old familiar moments to point the way to His grace and mercy. (Old Ossie has such a way with words!) "God will garrison where we have failed to. He will watch lest things trip us up again into like failure... . God's hand reaches back to the past and makes a clearing-house for conscience."
We must learn to leave the unchangeable past in HIS hands. The opportunities we missed, the pain we caused, the poor choices, the indifference, the drifting... every day of 2008 is now a day God will "transform into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future."For some of you, God has allowed a crisis in your life because you would not face Him any other way. Don't feel bad - I'm right there with you. I have often thought, "I could be a really powerful Christian if I weren't human!" The apostle Paul wrote, "My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed, but that now as ever I may do honor to Christ in my own person by fearless courage." (Phil. 1:20) Isn't that the coolest phrase? I never think of myself with "fearless courage." But here it is: My New Year's Resolution: FEARLESS COURAGE.
Never fear (no pun intended) Ossie and Paul gave us good instruction. It's as pure and simple, as familiar as WWJD? Or "God first, Family second..." Yep! FAMILIAR: "KEEP TO THE POINT!" That's it! God knows I battle ME more than anyone or anything else - now I'm beginning to think Oswald and Paul knew this too. Oswald says, "Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only --my utmost for His highest."
So, here I am... an old familiar comedy friend. A familiar struggle, a familiar note... and I thank God for FAMILIAR mercy and grace, forgiveness and encouragement. It is to THAT familiarity that I start a New Year! For my God is the same yesterday, today and forever. That is a same-old-same-old that is renewed every morning.
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"God Told Me
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Posted:Dec 31, 2008 12:12 pm
Last Updated:Jan 7, 2009 10:10 am 3474 Views
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I used to belong to a non-denominational charismatic congregation in Seffner, Florida. My former husband and I were in the music ministry for two years. We had some wonderful friends that we still call extended family today. We also had some self proclaimed prophets who used their "God Told me's and Thus Sayeth the Lords" to control church members; one of them being the pastor. I truly felt as though there was some truth to what these people were prophesying and bought in to it hook, line and sinker until I had a dream one evening. My husband and I had been trying to have for five years; tried fertility and then stopped because all it did was mess my hormones up so badly I didn't even want to be around myself. lol After we had given up for a year I had a dream that I was expecting. I said nothing to anyone at church because I knew it would be made a huge deal out of it and just waited to see what happened. The very next Sunday one of my friends at church said she felt the need to pray for me; and she laid hands on my abdomen during Sunday evening service. After the prayer she said she felt as though my womb was already full. I was still skeptical because I was having my monthly menstruations hard on. Another week went by and I came down with what I thought was a flu. I vomited solid for three days and then felt better, continued to go to work and by then was starting another heavy menstruation. Then out of no where the "flu like" symptoms returned but I was sick for a solid two weeks this time. All times day and night, sun-up to sun-down. I went and got a home pregnancy test and to my delight it came out positive. I made an appointment with my BOGON the following Monday morning. Got through the weekend without uttering a word to anyone other then my husband, until Sunday morning arrived and upon entering the prayer room at church was greeted by my friend Mary who said that our pastor wanted to speak with both of us. We both went to the pastor's office and he asked us to close the door. He stated he had been awakened in the middle of the previous night and that "God" had told him that neither one of us were going to conceive because we had something in our lives stifling us and that unless we "got right with God" over this we weren't ever going to bare . At that point I asked Pastor if God had told him what it was and he said he had not gotten an answer for either one of us. I kept this to myself, didn't utter a word about the home pregnancy test being positive to either Mary or our pastor. The following morning it was confirmed that I was indeed pregnant and because I had a pretty good idea of how far along I was my OB decided to do a sonogram right there in the office. That afternoon I decided to pay my pastor an unexpected visit. Presented him with my sonogram photo of my now 19 and a half year old Justin. Pastor's color left his face as I told him that I was pregnant, showed him the photo, etc. This was October 22, 1988-I gave birth to Justin April 16, 1989. The church still has the same pastor, we left the church after he called Dan and I before the congregation to announce that we were liars and couldn't possibly be pregnant, that our OB made a mistake and to pray for us to admit our sin and repent so we COULD have . As for Mary, she was never able to give birth, but I would say it was probably due to many medical problems that she and her husband still have today. One of them was age, you see Mary was 47 years of age and though she prayed for a and believed she could become pregnant just as "Sarah" did, she was already past menopause at the time. Our pastor had no idea of these facts when he was telling us that we had sin in our lives. So for anyone who believes they have the gift of prophesy or know someone who thinks they do, be careful. Sometimes that small still voice you are listening to may not be of God, His Holy Spirit or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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The Birth and History of the SDAs
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Posted:Dec 10, 2008 1:52 pm
Last Updated:Dec 29, 2008 8:35 am 3517 Views
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Here is the birth of the Seventh Day Adventist church and a little bit about it's history! I'm not condemming them who have been raised in the church and who do not know any better, but ask that they open their minds and their hearts, so that they know the Truth and the Truth shall set them free!
Gospel: A Review of Adventism, pp. 130‒33).
Seventh-day Adventist Church Profile
Timothy Oliver
Organization Structure: Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Organized as representative democracy. Lower echelons elect representatives to higher units; determination and administration of policy, enforcement of doctrinal orthodoxy, imposed from top down. President, and Executive Committee of General Conference are standing chief administrative offices. Lower administrative units are the General Conference, Divisions (over continents), Union Conferences, local Conferences, and congregations. Several small Universities and Colleges and numerous well respected hospitals are maintained worldwide.
Unique Terms: “Investigative Judgement,” “Spirit of Prophecy,” “Coming into the Truth” (believing and living the full SDA message and lifestyle), “Remnant Church.”
History
The world was predicted to end in 1844 with the Second Coming of Christ, by William Miller, a New England Baptist itinerant preacher. Miller's followers condemned all the churches of the day as apostate and “Babylon,” and warned Christians to come out of them. A great many did, and the “adventist” movement was born and grew rapidly (Melton, J. Gordon, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Vol. 2, pp. 21‒22).
Christ did not appear in 1844. After this “Great Disappointment,” one “little flock” still insisted the date of their original predictions had been correct. They decided the event marked by 1844 was not the Second Coming, but the entrance of Christ into the Holy of Holies in the Heavenly Sanctuary. There, they said, He began the “Investigative Judgement.” This doctrine was received and endorsed by Ellen G. White (Ibid., p. 680).
From 1844 to 1851 the group taught the “shut door” doctrine, based on Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins. Anyone who had not accepted the Adventist message by the time Jesus entered the Holy of Holies was to be shut out permanently, as were the five foolish virgins. Cut off from the Bridegroom, they could not join the Adventists or have any hope of eternal life. Ellen White not only approved and taught this doctrine, but her first vision experience was largely responsible for its being received by the Adventist group (Brinsmead, Robert, D., Judged by the Gospel: A Review of Adventism, pp. 130‒33).
By 1846 the group had adopted the Seventh-day Baptists’ view that the Saturday Sabbath must be observed by Christians. A highly elevated form of this doctrine, together with the doctrine of the Investigative Judgment, became the hallmarks of Seventh-day Adventism. In 1850 James and Ellen White began publishing a magazine, The Review & Herald, to disseminate adventist and sabbatarian doctrines. This helped many of the remaining “Millerites” to coalesce into a distinctive body which adopted the name of Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1860, and formally incorporated in 1863, with approximately 3,500 members in 125 congregations (Encyclopedia of American Religion, Vol. 2, p. 681).
Ellen White never held official title as the head of the church, but was one of its founders and acknowledged spiritual leader. She rather disingenuously declined to claim the title of “prophet,” calling herself a “messenger” instead (Damsteegt, P.G., et. al., Seventh-day Adventists Believe. . ., p. 224). But she claimed to have the “spirit of prophecy,” and that her messages were direct from God for the guidance and instruction of the church. With her knowledge and consent others called her a prophet, and even “the Spirit of Prophecy” (Barnett, Maurice, Ellen G. White & Inspiration, pp. 5‒17). Having only a third grade education, Ellen White said for years she was unable to read, bolstering the claim that her beautiful prose was inspired by God. **** However, it has been discovered that she not only read, but plagiarized other Christian authors throughout virtually all her writings.**** The sad facts of this matter have been thoroughly and indisputably established in several books. (e.g., see; Rea, Walter, The White Lie; and Judged by the Gospel, pp. 361‒83). Ellen White died in 1915 at age eighty-eight.
Historically, evangelicals have had difficulty defining and categorizing SDA. Much SDA doctrine is biblically orthodox. Within its ranks are many true Christians, some even in positions of prominence. At various points in its history, most notably in the 1888 General Conference, the SDA church has been shaken by the biblical gospel. In the 1970s this became quite intense (Se: Paxton, Geoffrey, J., The Shaking of Adventism). Unfortunately, it produced a polarization. The church administrators generally became more entrenched in the unorthodox positions of traditional SDA, while some pastors and even whole congregations left or were asked to leave the SDA church (“From Controversy to Crisis,” CRI Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 9‒14). In official publications the SDA church continues to defend Ellen White legends, and maintain there was no difference in the degree of inspiration she received from that received by Bible writers (Review & Herald, 4 October 1928, p. 11; “Source of Final Appeal,” Adventist Review, 3 June 1971, pp. 4‒6; G. A. Irwin, Mark of the Beast, p. 1; “The Inspiration and Authority of the Ellen G. White Writings,” Adventist Review, 15 July 1982, p. 3; Ministry, October 1981, p. 8; see also, Judged by the Gospel, pp. 125‒30). In their June, 2000, General Conference they voted to more aggressively affirm and support the “Spirit of Prophecy through the ministry of Ellen White”(Adventist Today, [online: July 2000] ). They also teach a number of other doctrines clearly irreconcilable with the biblical gospel (see “Doctrine,” below). So long as these things continue, evangelicals must persist in questioning the status of the SDA church organization in Christianity, and much more, her claim to be God’s only true, end-time “Remnant Church.”
Doctrine
SDA teachings most clearly contrary to the gospel and unorthodox in nature are its insistence on water baptism as an essential prerequisite to salvation, its teaching about the end time significance of sabbath observance to identification of true believers, and its doctrine of the Investigative Judgement.
Baptism: “…Christ made it clear that He required baptism of those who wished to become part of his church, His spiritual kingdom.” “In baptism believers enter into the passion experience of our Lord.” “…aptism also marks [a] person’s entrance into Christ’s spiritual kingdom.…it unites the new believer to Christ.… Through baptism the Lord adds the new disciples to the body of believers – His body, the church.… Then they are members of God’s family” (SDA’s Believe…, pp. 182, 184, 187).
The Sabbath: “…[T]he divine institution of the Sabbath is to be restored… The delivering of this message will precipitate a conflict that will involve the whole world. The central issue will be obedience to God's law and the observance of the Sabbath.…Those who reject it will eventually receive the mark of the beast” (Ibid., pp. 262‒63).
In one of her most revered works, Ellen White wrote that Sabbath observance would be the “line of distinction” in the “final test” that will separate God’s end-time people who “receive the seal of God” and are saved, from those who “receive the mark of the beast” (The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, p. 605).
Describing a supposed vision direct from God, Ellen White wrote, “I saw that the Holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers” (Early Writings, p. 33; emphasis added). She also wrote of some Adventists failing to understand that “Sabbath… observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers” (Ibid., p. 85).
The Investigative Judgement: “In 1844…[Christ] entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgement which is part of the ultimate disposition of all sin… It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgement vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom” (SDA’s Believe…, p. 312; emphasis added).
“…[O]ur High Priest enters the holy of holies [in 1844]…to perform the work of investigative judgement and to make an atonement for all who are shown to be entitled to its benefits… Every man’s work passes in review before God and is registered for faithfulness or unfaithfulness… The law of God is the standard by which the characters and the lives of men will be tested in the judgement… As the books of record are opened in the judgement, the lives of all those who have believed on Jesus come in review before God… Names are accepted, names rejected… as they have become partakers of the righteousness of Christ, and their characters are found to be in harmony with the law of God, their sins will be blotted out, and they themselves will be accounted worthy of eternal life… Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father… Sins that have not been repented of and forsaken will not be pardoned and blotted out of the books of record, but will stand to witness against the sinner… [Christ] had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him… this is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble” (Great Controversy, pp. 480, 482‒84, 486, 623).
According to Ellen White one must believe this doctrine to be saved. “Those who would share the benefits of the Savior’s mediation should permit nothing to interfere with their duty to perfect holiness in the fear of God… The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgement should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position [in the Holy of Holies] and work [investigative judgement] of their great High Priest. Otherwise it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential at this time or to occupy the position which God designs for them to fill. Every individual has a soul to save or to lose. Each has a case pending at the bar of God… All who have received the light on these subjects are to bear testimony of the great truths which God has committed to them. The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work in behalf of men… It is of the utmost importance that all should thoroughly investigate these subjects… The intercession of Christ in man’s behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon a cross. By His death He began that work which after his resurrection He ascended to complete in Heaven” (Ibid., pp. 488‒89; emphasis added).
Other distinctive SDA teachings include vegetarianism and other “health” issues; the doctrine of “soul sleep,” a misnomer for the belief that between death and resurrection one is essentially non-existent except in the memory of God; the annihilation of the wicked (as opposed to conscious torment for eternity).
Biblical Response
Baptism: Rom. 3:21‒26, 28; 4:4‒6, 23‒24; 5:1; Gal. 2:16; 3:26; 5:1‒6; Eph. 2:4‒10; Col. 1:13‒14; 2:13‒14. These passages make it clear that salvation is entirely by God’s grace alone, apart from any works, and laid hold of by faith alone. Baptism is mentioned in close proximity to some of these passages, but the New Testament uses the word baptism in various ways. Clearly, the “one baptism” (Eph. 4:4‒5) that is essential is the baptism of the Spirit. If a passage makes baptism essential to salvation it can only refer to the baptism of the Spirit, or it would conflict with other Scriptures which plainly teach salvation is apart from any human work.
The Sabbath: The quoted statements above, particularly Ellen White’s, are crystal clear. Sabbath observance, not trust in Christ alone for complete forgiveness of sins and eternal life, is to be the dividing line between the saved and the lost in the end time. This is certainly antithetical to the gospel defined by the passages above. See also, Rom. 14:5‒6; Col. 2:16‒17. The Old Testament Sabbath was never anything more than a shadow of the substance. The reality of the New Testament Sabbath rest of God, which Paul and the writer of Hebrews make clear, is Christ Himself, and the rest one experiences from one’s own works when one enters into Christ (Heb. 4:1‒10).
The Investigative Judgement: the whole concept of the investigative judgement is antithetical to the Gospel. Jesus did not wait until 1844 to enter the Holy of Holies in heaven (Heb. 1:3; 6:19‒20; 8:1; 9:6‒12, 24; 12:2). Neither is he still making an atonement in heaven (Heb. 9:25‒26; 10:11‒14). The investigative judgement proposes to “vindicate the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus,” by showing they were “loyal,” “penitent,” and “faithful” commandment keepers. This is an outrage. God’s justice in saving sinners is vindicated by Christ’s death on the cross, period (Rom. 3:24‒26).
Even when speaking of being saved by the righteousness of Christ, Adventist writers refer to imparted righteousness, seldom to the biblical concept of imputed righteousness. Calling it “Christ’s righteousness,” while insisting on the believer’s perfection of character as a prerequisite to salvation, is at worst a thinly veiled works salvation, or at best an attempt to mix grace and works, something the Bible says is impossible to do (Rom. 11:6). Mrs. Whites words are crystal clear–one will not be forgiven until all sins are eradicated from one’s life and one’s character is perfected. Precisely the same heresy is found (besides many others) in Mormonism. It is not the salvation by grace alone through faith alone offered in the Bible.
The error is compounded by the teaching that this latter day 1844 event must be believed in to exercise the proper faith necessary to be saved. When Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” i.e. completed, paid in full, it cannot be that there is yet another salvation event more than 1800 years later, just as essential to salvation as Christ’s death on the cross, in which one must believe in order to be saved. This is clearly “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6‒9).
Other doctrines: Some of the SDA health message may actually be helpful, and it does not conflict with the gospel except when, as is often the case, spiritual stigma is attached to non-observance of its asceticism (Gal. 2:11-16). The soul-sleep doctrine conflicts with the gospel because, closely examined and fully understood, it actually constitutes a denial of the resurrection (though it is doubtful any SDA understands it to be so). Notwithstanding a smattering of “proof-texts,” the annihilation doctrine is definitely aberrant from the teaching of the Bible. It leaves the sinner facing no eternal consequences for his sin; angst over annihilation will not survive annihilation. Indeed, many people today think annihilation preferable to even this life. They live on only because they cannot shake the conviction that there is “hell to pay.” God has set eternity in their hearts (Eccl. 3:11).
Resources
Ratzlaff, Dale, The Sabbath in Crisis. Excellent book by a former SDA pastor, covers virtually every aspect of the Sabbath question. 345 pages, include. scripture index, $15.
Ratzlaff, Dale, The Cultic Doctrine of Seveth-day Adventists. Probaly the best popular, overall, treatment of Seventh-day Adventism, and especially the 1844/Investigative Judgment/Sanctuary doctrine, ever penned. Leaves no doubt. 384 pages, four appendices, incl. bibliography, $15.
Tardo, Dr. Russell, K., Sunday Facts and Sabbath. Presents “25 Reasons Why the Christian Church Worships on Sunday.” 144 pages, $5.
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Colossians 2:13 - 23 Abolishing the "Written Code"
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Posted:Dec 10, 2008 12:43 pm
Last Updated:Jan 12, 2009 5:14 pm 3920 Views
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When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive in Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the "written code", with it's regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphning over them by the cross.
Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or the Sabbath day. These are a shadow of things that were to come; the reality however, is found in Christ.
Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and is unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle motions. He has a lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by it's ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Col 2:13-23
We must conclude that the great teachers of the Christian church, from Ignatius to Jerome and from Augustine to Luther and Calvin, had valid reasons for saying that the Old Testament Sabbath laws are not binding on the Christian's conscience. That translation by which Paul spoke has been twisted by the SDAs and Jahova's Witnesses as mind control for their congregations. Colossians 2:16 is considered the final say in the Christian faith.
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Thankful Turkeys
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Posted:Nov 25, 2008 3:17 pm
Last Updated:Nov 25, 2008 3:20 pm 3381 Views
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Do any of you remember drawing turkeys from the silhouet of your hands in elementary school? I used to do this with my classes when I taught, only I added a new twist to them. I would tell my class that they were to think of 5 things to be thankful for and to write their blessings inside each one of the fingers (feathers). We would post them either in the room or on the bulletin board in the hall just outside my classroom. I was thinking about that as I was preparing for the Thanksgiving festivities we are about to experience this year. I so miss hearing and reading my students blessings. Some of the parents still let their make "Thankful Turkeys" each year as a way to celebrate all that God has given them. I've gotten notes telling me that some families have even started it as a tradition, where they each make a Thankful Turkey for their place settings and then before grace they go around their tables and exchange blessings that each of them have written on their own turkeys. Just thought this might give some of you a crafty idea, especially for or grandchildren that may be a little board between the Macey's Parade and dinner. All you need is assorted colors of contrustion paper and crayons. You may use the finished product as place mats for the . They feel as though they have participated in preparing for the feast. Anyone else have some great holiday ideas? Send them along! Happy Thanksgiving and many Blessings to all my friends at BC (Don't worry Dennis, won't force you or Corey to make a Thankful Turkey this year.) lol
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