| Author | Message | ||
| Lynn W |
This brings up a similar question which could apply to Adventism. I once had a conversation with my Mormon Grandmother which basically consisted of me asking her all the usual questions about the Gospel: "Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins, rose again, etc.? Do you believe that you must accept Him as your personal Lord & saviour?" Plus a few specifically targeted to Mormonism: "Do you believe in multiple gods or mrs. god, etc.?" She responded with all the right answers & gave me no reason to believe she didn't have a clear understanding or reason to believe she wasn't saved. Then she told me, "and that's what Joseph Smith came to teach us." To this day, I've never known what to make of this. I'm not even going to try to guess if she was saved when she died. But I know Mormonism teaches that you will not enter Heaven without Joe Smith's permission. To the extent that she relies on the "grace" of JS, doesn't she rob Christ of His redemptive work? You can see how this applies to Adventism. Relying on our own works, letting Satan bear our sins for us, etc. - all these things rob Christ of His redemptive work for us. So what's our role in witnessing to others who appear to have a full knowlege of the Gospel - PLUS!? Plus a lot of contradictory, anti-Gospel stuff. Yes, I know that prayer is the answer, but in addition, is it best to leave them be - assuming that because they can say all the right words, there is no need for us to share the truth with them? Or should we make the attempt to dispel their false notions with the truth? WDYT? AIMAS? (Am I making any sense?) | ||
| Bruce H |
Lynn The Bible say's seek and yee shall find, not I give it to you and you will find. When our family members and our fellow Adventist brothers come to the point where they are seeking then they will ask questions, and not tell you what they think truth is. I believe that they come to this point by prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit. When we finally get to the point where we believe this then God will do his work through us. Bruce | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
Bruce, You make a great point by bringing in the Holy Spirit. You remind us that we must never forget the role of the Holy Spirit in witnessing. The Holy Spirit saves us tremendous amounts of worry, stress and strain. I don't have to worry about witnessing to my two brothers, since they know exactly where I stand. Example: My older brother sent me an e-mail asking me where I stood vis a vis the SDA church. Did I still believe "truth"? Meaning the 27 points of fundamental belief. Did I attend church on Sabbath? What did I believe regarding the true church? Meaning the SDA church. I e-mailed back that I believed in the gospel, that the true church was the body of Christ or the "kingdom of heaven" that is among us or the spiritual reality of the Holy Spirit that manifests itself in the holy behavior of all human beings for whom Jesus Christ is really and truly Lord in their lives. I never heard from him again over the Internet. Nor in any other way, except once. I sent him a Christmas card (December 1999). He took a black felt pen and scribbled out the stamped, addressed side of the envelope. Turned it over and re-addressed it back to me, re-stamped it, and remailed it. When I got it I opened it. The card I had sent him was still inside. When I opened the card, he had taken the same black felt pen and had written DITTO! in huge letters. From my long long knowledge of him I knew he "meant it for evil." But, like Joseph, I listened to the Holy Spirit in my heart and knew that God "meant it for good." And so I took it as him sending me greetings, at least, whereas my yonger brother totally ignored my Christmas greetings. And so my conscience is clear. I will keep sending both of them Christmas cards and birthday cards. And I pray for them. But I will not try to impose doctrine on them. And I don't feel as though the Holy Spirit even wants me to "cram gospel down their throats," if you know what I mean. I hold fast to the promise that "the Lord works in mysterious ways His wonders to fulfill." In faith, Jude | ||
| Patti |
Good points, all. I like to think of the work of the Holy Spirit as it was at Pentecost, when the disciples spoke in their own language and everyone heard in his own tongue. I pray that the Holy Spirit can take my fumbling words and make them intelligible to those who may be listening. | ||
| Allenette |
Hey Jude: Another poster here who wishes to remain unnamed, has asked me, I guess since I am also a Preacher's kid, to ask YOU, if you would care to elaborate on your background. We're NOT trying to be nosey per se, just curious. On another Adventist forum (the one Coleen was part of--ok, Atoday) there are a few of us formers posting who also qualify in that area. We are also definitely NOT evangelizing back into the SDA denom! If you would allow one here to transfer your very interesting posts, to that forum, I would like to know if I could, also? (with credit since you have chosen NOT TO, yourself...upon my email requests to you to do so, which there has been no reply) Hey you have a lot to say which is useful to those here and there, everywhere, questioning their allegiance to this theology or that! why limit your exposure to this forum which has virtualy no exposure to the 'net? i would have put this in an email, but I already have, with no reply. No offense meant, to the Tinkers....ok? :-) | ||
| Patti DeWitt Folkerts |
Hi, Allenette! I knew you in another life! :) I am a PK too. Not only that, a missionary and evangelist's daughter. | ||
| Allenette |
Patti.....if that's true you better reveal yourself...RIGHT NOW GIRL!!!!here's my email: josh1497@aol.com |
