| Author | Message | ||
| Raven Registered user Username: Raven Post Number: 1013 Registered: 7-2004  |
Today at church we celebrated the Day of Pentecost as the birthday of the church. There were red balloons everywhere (probably representing tongues of fire). The children's message explained that the day of pentecost is the birthday of the church. It finished with the whole church singing Happy Birthday, a cake with lit candles, and the kids blowing the candles out. I thought that was pretty cool - never even heard until well after I was out of the SDA church that Pentecost was literally the start of the church and that it took place on a Sunday. | ||
| Sparrow Registered user Username: Sparrow Post Number: 51 Registered: 10-2008  |
How exciting. Thanks for sharing. I like collecting ideas for Christian celebrations. | ||
| Doc Registered user Username: Doc Post Number: 408 Registered: 2-2003  |
You never even knew that? Wow, what on earth do they teach in the SDA church? We mentioned the "Happy Birthday" thing too! I suppose the SDA church started with Adam, did it? (Excuse the sarcasm) Adrian | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 2771 Registered: 10-2004  |
Adrian, No, that's not sarcasm--they actually teach that! Actually, they even say that God is an Adventist, and that Adam and Eve were Adventists. See this post: http://www.formeradventist.com/discus/messages/5369/2658.html?1107405754 (And here is the first post that I posted about it). Jeremy (Message edited by Jeremy on May 31, 2009) | ||
| Doc Registered user Username: Doc Post Number: 410 Registered: 2-2003 |
Wow again! Adam and Eve only talked to God once a week?!! The more I hear about this religion, the worse it gets. And I thought I knew something about SDA! | ||
| Doc Registered user Username: Doc Post Number: 411 Registered: 2-2003 |
(I talk to Him all the time. Don't you?) | ||
| Raven Registered user Username: Raven Post Number: 1014 Registered: 7-2004 |
The way I was taught about Adam and Eve was that they talked with God every evening, kind of like an evening worship thing, and then had a full day of time with God on Sabbath (probably from the Arthur Maxwell Bible Stories?). Either way, SDA's do not ever think about the fact that Adam and Eve's communion with God was 24/7 until sin entered. And to further explain how I viewed Pentecost as an SDA, I thought it was just some one-time special event to get the disciples started preaching about Jesus. I never heard it was the literal birth of the church, or that it was the beginning of believers being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Our sermon today focused quite heavily on the concept of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer, and that it first happened at Pentecost. | ||
| Doc Registered user Username: Doc Post Number: 412 Registered: 2-2003 |
Sounds good to me! | ||
| Psalm107v2 Registered user Username: Psalm107v2 Post Number: 267 Registered: 10-2008  |
Funny Thing Raven, at my church the sermon series has been about the Holy Spirit and today the pastor was talking about the birth of the church. No balloons or anything but I like that idea!!! I'm being recruited to teach Sunday school and I really like that idea---I may have to get some pointers from you! Enoch | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6995 Registered: 3-2004  |
Adrian, you would be further surprised to find out what SDAs do/do not teach. I learned Pentecost was a one time happening and not the birth of the church. Today I was at the base church with my DIL and grandson. The Nazarene chaplain spoke. Diana L | ||
| 4truth Registered user Username: 4truth Post Number: 22 Registered: 2-2006 |
At my church today we also celebrated Pentecost. We had 5 different people reading Acts 2 in unison in 5 different languages. A nice perspective. It was mentioned by the pastor that Pentecost is considered the birth of the Christian church. Interesting it happened on a Sunday! | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4901 Registered: 9-2006  |
I have never heard Pentecost described in those term 'Birth of the church exactly and in a sense I guess you could say that. It was the day this scripture came true: Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. That was the day the keys were delivered for the Holy Spirit is the 'Keys to the church'. Without him we can do nothing, with him and in him we can do all things. We are born of him and we cannot be defeated. River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9918 Registered: 12-2003  |
So cool, Raven! Adrian, we weren't overtly taught much about Pentecost or its significance because the True Church did not actually start until the mid-1800's. I remember thinking of the first years of the church (well, actually it was MOST of the years of the church...) as being "preliminary" pending "new light" which was delivered to us in the revelations of the founding Adventists. Sigh. Colleen | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4902 Registered: 9-2006 |
Boy! That just hit me right between the eyes! When I read that it was like exploding light. How stupid could I have been to have missed that all this time. I got to mull this over a while. I think I just got the keys to Adventism on a huge platter! God, what are you telling me? |
