| Author | Message | ||
| Thomas |
This is probably more than a discussion topic. It is a genuine concern of mine. I was asked to remove myself from SDA membership in 1982. It seems the decision was made that marriage after divorce was more dishonorable than the co-habitation habits of my former spouse. Be that as it may, I hold no grudges or hard feelings against these people. Strange as it may seem, they were doing what they believed to be God's will. Many times since then I have thanked God for his mercy in allowing me to meet Him, one on one, through his word, without "quarterlies" and "red books" as filters. He is good and His grace is greater than ever I had known or imagined! The problem is, we can talk about our past and the hurts, and all of the legalistic memories until you know what freezes over. That doesn't change anything, though it may make us feel better! Jesus never told us to dwell in the past..He told us to love one another as He loved us. That means loving THEM even if they don't love you! That is the part that is hardest of all in this "grace" business. Many of us have families and friends that are life long, who are still members of the SDA church. One of the hardest parts of being a "former" Adventist, is remembering what it was like to THINK like an Adventist. For this reason, it is very hard to understand why you are viewed like an outsider and treated with suspicion even by people you love and respect. It is so very hard living in the same house with one who can tell of her Adventist beliefs and "end of times" theories and fears as normal conversation, but will become angry when I attempt to speak of faith and grace, and freedom and joy in Jesus! One of the good "sisters" of the local church came to my home when I was very ill, literally fighting for my life. Her attempt to cheer me was a nearly hour long disertation on the Sabbath and the "state of the dead" as the reasons why I should come back to church....never ONCE even mentioning Jesus or His wonderful gift! I wanted to weep, but did not argue the point. How do we witness to ones who we care so much about, when we speak a different language? Remember, they speak of salvation from a foundation of law and "earning" by doing and keeping rules and commandments which are too numerous to even remember! We believe in salvation guarenteed by Jesus' gift and His grace. It's like speaking to someone who only knows a foreign language and gets angry when you do not acknowledge that his is the ONLY way, the "true" way to communicate! Brothers and Sisters, These people are our Brothers and sisters, too! Sometimes literally, and our fathers and mothers and spouses, as well! How do we get to them? If we are followers of Jesus, and go by His name and claim to follow Him, this has to be one of our MAJOR concerns and questions in life. I hope that this will become an active topic of discussion. Perhaps it can spark a real movement that will help many who are still under the bondage of "another gospel". May Jesus softly walk in this forum, and may His spirit completely fill us with the love and grace that is needed, as we face this very real problem for many of us. Correction, for ALL of us. May we feel His hand on our hearts, and hear His soft and gently voice as we discuss this issue. In His Grip | ||
| Bruce H |
Thomas You are dead right, Love is what it is. And love is what they can see. I pray that the Lord will give me that love for these beautiful people! | ||
| Lydell |
Thomas, I think the answer to how to get through to the sda's is the same as it is for getting through to unbelievers. First you have to love them and genuinely care for them, you have to live that love out with your actions towards them, and then you have to often and freely speak to them about the things the Lord is doing in your life on a daily basis. "Man, the Lord really blessed me yesterday when He....." and "the Lord has really been showing me the truth of the verse that says....." needs to be spoken to them just as it would be to any of your christian friends. The sda's have all their pat scriptures to spout against the "evils" of attending church on Sunday, etc. But what can they say to someone who has joy in the Lord because they have seen the Lord move in their lives? Certainly they will try to haruump around with the attitude of "well satan is just deceiving you," but you know as well as I do that seeing this true joy in Christians DOES in their heart of hearts eat on the SDA. It is just real annoying that those whom they honestly look down on as not being a part of the "real" church seem to have such joy. I think you need to keep it before their face. And the day will come when they need help for something in their lives. Who will they go to: their friends in the Sda's who believe in praying because maybe God will decide to answer the prayer, or you who have been daily experiencing God answering your prayers? | ||
| Colleen Tinker |
Thomas: you raise a very good question. I think Lydell's right; we have to love them. The one (probably obvious) thing I would add is intercessory prayer. I read a quote several years ago that went something like this, "When we've exhausted everything we can think of in a given situation, we say, 'I guess there's nothing to do but pray.' This is like saying, 'All I have left in my arsenal is an intercontinental ballistic missle. Guess I'll have to use it now.!" One of my great discoveries since becoming part of a Christian community is that people actually believe in prayer and actually pray for each other. And it actually makes a difference! One thing I love about this web site is that the people here pray for each other. And I will pray for your family, Thomas. Colleen | ||
| Susan |
Here's a different twist. How do you convince other Christians that sda's are cultic/unbiblical? (Not sure if this goes in this discussion) Other Christians seem to think I'm crazy, when I mention that sda's aren't really Christian. I try to convey my opinions lovingly of course, but there is still a great deal of opposition. They tell me I shouldn't be making a big deal of little issues or that I shouldn't be legalistic. I don't get it! I think sda's have the core essentials of Christianity perverted. I think they've twisted the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are not little issues for me. If I can't stand for truth, what good am I? I don't think it's right to compromise on these truths. What do you guys think? How do you respond in these circumstances? I'd love to hear some feedback. Keep in mind I live in the sda capital and they're thought of quite favorably in my "neck of the woods". I'd just love to know how to present the errors of adventism to other believers as well as sda's and ex-sda's. Someone should write a book! (Colleen?) | ||
| Lynn W |
"If I can't stand for truth, what good am I? I don't think it's right to compromise on these truths." Amen, Amen! "How do you convince other Christians that sda's are cultic/unbiblical?" Try the Adventist tactic. I don't believe they call us the whore of Babylon until lesson 18. Don't use the word cult up front. I just show them scripture & compare it with Ellen White. Any true Christian with a little Biblical knowledge can easily see the difference. It's not long before they start using that word. | ||
| Russ |
Susan, a great book is Dale Ratzlaff's "The Cultic Doctrine of the SDA Church". I have just finished reading it and it's very good. It clearly shows the errors in Adventist theology, and also shows that those 'at the top' know of the errors but are not prepared to change the theology. The fear of a mass exodus, especially of the EGW faithful, not to mention the exodus of the asssociated cash is the reason they stay silent. The book is available through Life Assurance Ministries (623) 572-9549, orders only (800) 355-7073, e-mail dale@ratzlaf.com, web site www.ratzlaf.com Does anyone know of any ex-Adventist groups in England? |
