| Author | Message | ||
| Snali |
HI,to whomever might read this ,Iwould like to thank you for having a sight like this.My wife and I after much study and prayer have come to the conclusion that we need to leave the SDA church because of all the errors they are teaching as fact.This has been a hard thing for us to do because we have been involved in this church all our lives and just kind of took things for granted,now we dont know what to do from here or where to find a body of believers that we can trust.If anyone can point us in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. | ||
| Frances_jo |
You are not alone. We are in the same position as you, although 3 years ahead of you. We were told and have found that it takes at least 2 years or more to get over all the symptoms you go through. | ||
| Violet |
Hi, Snali, You are amoung friends here. I left in January and am still struggling trying to find a church, right now we go nowhere.--too scared to commit to another after a life time of Adventism. Praise be to God that you have found there errors and we will pray He will guide you to a family of believers where you can grow spiritualy. Vi | ||
| Lydell |
Welcome Snali and Frances-jo. There is a beautiful life beyond the walls of Adventism! Pray about it. God DOES have a church body for you out there. He only needs you to cooperate with Him by your openness to listen to His ideas instead of trying to force His answer into your own preconceived ideas. Pray, then listen for His answers. Step out and try the ideas that come to you. It's the only way to really know if you are hearing from Him or not. You have got to take the chance and get up and take a step outside your front door. Praying for you. I'm in southeast Alabama, new folks. Colleen, is there any way we can have a list on her somewhere of locations where folks are, churches we attend, something to help these kinds of folks to make contact with those of us who are already here instead of having to go over this again each time someone asks? And yes, I do know that was a good example of a run-on sentence. | ||
| Bob |
Snali, welcome to our fellowship! All of us who have made the sometimes long, always painful journey out of Seventh-day Adventism can empathize with you and your wife in your present state of uncertainty about finding a new church. I cannot improve on Lydell's advise to you - pray about it. The Holy Spirit will impress you, lead you, and if necessary, push you into the place He wants you to find Christian fellowship and Biblical teaching! Please keep talking to us in this forum - you need our encouragement, and we need yours! We are all praying for you! | ||
| Shephil222 |
Hello Everyone, I've been here before. It's been quite a while. I was reading what Lydell had written and I sure can vouch for his family's feelings on finding another church. My family and I left a year ago on July 29,2000 and we haven't found a church yet. We are kind of in a stuper as to where to go. We don't want to fall into another trap like adventism either. So I can truly understand exactly where you are coming from. I see it like this God will put us in the place he would have us to be at the exact time. God knows what we stand in need of and will provide. Word of encouragement for the day: When we don't get to where we need to be in life, or where we want to be. Don't get discouraged or frustrated. Just remember that "All things work together for the good of them that Loved the Lord who are called according to his purpose." So Lydell, and Snali... You were called and God is grooming you in to the persons he wants you to be and preparing you to be placed exactly where you are needed to be so that you can grow in Christ. Love always Rushelle | ||
| Larimobley |
Hello everyone, I can certainly relate to being confused about where to start and what to look for in finding a non-SDA church! When my husband and I first became Christians again after not attending any church for over 10 years, we became friends with the pastor of a great independent Bible church and began attending there. The only problem was it was over 90 minutes away from our house! Nevertheless, we attended faithfully for over a year. About a year ago, though, we decided to search for a more local church in order to become more involved. I really believe it's important to be involved in a church in order to fellowship with other believers. Here are a few of the things we looked for. First of all, we felt compelled to find a non-denominational church, because of our experience with Adventism. I'm not saying that denominations are inherently bad, but for us we were gun shy, if you will. Second, we really wanted a pastor who preached expositorily (is that the right word?), where the focus is on a passage of scripture in depth. For example, in the church we attended that was so far away, the pastor preached a series on Galatians, another in 1 & 2 Thes. and then 1 John during the year we attended. I guess this is in reaction to the SDA tendency to take scripture out of context when preaching on a theme. Third, we wanted a church with an active small groups program and children's ministries, in addition to the weekly service. You can go to www.calvarychapel.com for a national map of Calvary Chapel churches, and www.efca.org for evangelical free churches. But the most important thing is to pray. We started to pray for God to lead us to the right church, and shortly thereafter I found out that one of my clients was a Christian and attended a church just a few blocks from our house that met all of our requirements. We did attend 4 different churches locally, several times each, before finally deciding on the church my client recommended. If anyone is looking for a great church in San Diego, Redlands or Upland, California, I can recommend one! But in any case I believe that God leads us to the right church at the right time; all we have to do is trust Him to do so. In His grace, Lari | ||
| Snali |
Thank you for all the words of encouragement.We have had a very hard time with all this,its not so much that this has surprised us as much as it confirmed our greatest fears.We were both 2nd and 3rd generation adventist and were starting to raise our kids this way,I had been a rebel as a teenager and actually left the church then for some of the very reasons that Im leaving it now,though now I know for a fact that they are wrong.Both of us went through the school system,my wife went to college(Iwent to the Marines)and she worked for the confrence in our area.We both have had our world blown away,thinking that we were right and everyone else was wrong.WE are so scared of being messed up by some other church that while we have tried a few places we tend to stay away from people.We have had a few calls from the local SDA church trying to find out whats wrong but we are both so new to this that while we are convinced that they are wrong we dont want to do battle with them.IM thankful that you folks are here,and i dont mean to get massivley carried awaybut basically speaking life as we know it came to an end and we are trying to find the pieces.Again i say thank you and we will keep writing. Your friends,"snali" | ||
| Doug222 |
Lari, Its amazing, your wish list in a church is very similar to mine. I currently have feet in both camps. Physically, I am still a member of the SDA Church (spiritually and mentally I am no longer a member) and I also attend a nondenominational church regularly. I believe God is leading me to the place where I realize there is no "true" church as it is traditionally defined. God is looking for a relationship with each of us that transcends human organizations. He then calls us into fellowship with other Christians who are seeking that same transcendent relationship. Any church that hinders that personal relationship (by action or doctrine) is not where I want to be--which is why I have mentally and spiritually left the SDA Church. Therefore, whatever church I ultimately end up in has to have its sole mission as facillitating and encouraging my (and those it evangelizes) development of that relationship, and then getting out of the way so the spirit can work. I think that if we spend too much time looking for the "right" church, we run the risk of falling into the same trap of relying on the church to do for us those things that are best left to the Spirit. Jut my humble opinion. In His Grace Doug | ||
| Colleentinker |
Welcome, Snali and Frances-jo! I will also pray for you to find the fellowship that you need. The posts above are wonderful; I couldn't add anything to them! Snali, I hear how fragile you and your wife feel right now--life as you knew it will never be the same. I'm curious; have you read Dale Ratzlaff's books, Cultic Doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists and Sabbath in Crisis? They are really helpful, if you haven't, and they did much to help me feel biblically grounded and certain of WHY I had to leave Adventism. Pray that God will reveal truth to you and make his love real to you. His promise to us is his peace in our hearts. That doesn't mean we won't hurt and feel lonely and abandoned, but it does mean that his love will go with us into the suffering. That very suffering becomes the place where we discover how deeply Jesus loves us. Another thing you might consider (this in no way replaces a church) is joining a Community Bible Study or Bible Study Fellowship. These are non-denominationsl Bible studies, and they are held in many areas. Ultimately, though, God will lead you to a church where you can be spiritually fed through pure Bible teaching and where you can become involved in small groups and Bible study. Stay close to Jesus, and ask him to make his love and his rest real to you. He will do that! Ask Him to take your fear and to replace it with his love. Ask him to show you his will for your life and to glorify himself in your situation right now. God is so faithful! He will complete the work he has begun in you! Praise him for how he has led you and for where he is taking you now. You will be in my prayers. Colleen | ||
| Lydell |
Doug said: "I think that if we spend too much time looking for the "right" church, we run the risk of falling into the same trap of relying on the church to do for us those things that are best left to the Spirit." Excellent observation, Doug! I think that is what took us so long in finally listening for God's answer to our question of "where shall we go?" My hubby and I had in mind our idea of what a "perfect" church would be. The longer you stay out of church, I think the longer the list grows because you are just so SURE that you have this great fount of personal wisdom of what is what. Actually, you're idea of the perfect church is folks who are just like you. Yeah right! Don't forget, you already know you are messed up, right? The thing to keep in mind is that God loves ALL of His children. He cares deeply for ALL of His children. All through the history of the church He has been faithful not to abandon those children to struggle alone. His answers are always there for us....if we are willing to listen. But, I repeat what I said before, you aren't going to know if you have found His answer if you don't step out in faith. The most important key is our openness and willingness to follow. Yes, we were in a place that taught error and we are fearful of getting into error again. But how did we get there? Likely because we heard something that sounded good and ran with it instead of checking it out against the scriptures. Sorry, but you who were raised in the denomination aren't off the hook either. You still didn't check out for yourself what you were being taught,you relied on what others told you. If you are leaving sadventism, then you have likely stepped into the realm of now checking the scriptures out for yourself. It takes time. But it also means that you are now in a different position than you were before in sad land. Now you KNOW to listen. Now you KNOW to do your own study. It's a better place. One thing you have got to keep in mind is that God is going to be showing you truth. That means He is going to be unraveling an awful lot of stuff you have in your head from the SDA days. It places you in a position of being off balance. If you haven't been through this before in your Christian walk then you are going to feel scared and out of control, and you aren't going to understand what I am about to say, but ....what you are feeling is a GOOD thing! It means that you are finally moving away from relying on yourself and instead are relying on Him. You are in a learning process. As SDA you just "knew" the truth. Now you know you are clueless and have to rely on the scriptures and the Holy Spirit. So God has you right where He wants you! NOW He can DO something with you. It may be...just consider prayerfully this suggestion...that you haven't found the right church because you are looking for YOUR idea of the perfect church instead of His. Yes absolutely! you must hear solid Biblical teaching. It must be a place that encourages you to personally get into the word. A place of support and encouragement. But folks, beyond that, you don't really know what the packaging is going to look like. Big church, small church, denominational, non-denominational, typical church style, casual style, traditional, charismatic, or middle of the road of any of those. Those of you in particular who were raised in the denomination only know of "church" as being one basic style....traditional, quiet, sedate, and cookie cutter people. But you're in the land now of finding that "church" is this huge smorgasboard of styles. So please don't be afraid of denominational/non-denominational labels. Yes there are doctrinal differences. But a huge part of it just comes down to the people in all Christian churches are all different people on different stages in our walk with Him and different styles of expressing ourselves to our Lord. Those who are different aren't automatically dangerous, they're just different from you. So go SOMEPLACE! Check it out for awhile. If you feel you are being taught scripture there, stay and check it out for awhile. You can always move on later. But don't necessarily cut and run the first time you hear something that challenges you! Remember, God has to unravel some garbage that is in your head. Maybe you just heard something to challenge a preconceived and erroneous idea. Instead, take it home, pray on it, study it and ask God if this is something He wants you focused on right now. If the Lord doesn't start immediately showing you stuff on that topic, then likely He isn't much interested in it for you right then, and you can shrug it off for awhile, BECAUSE...it isn't important to HIM, just YOU. Then if it isn't a difference of major importance, something that that church doesn't seem to place alot of emphasis on, then why not stick it out for awhile at that church and see if the Lord has some stuff to teach you there after all. Again, it is a learning process. You likely aren't going to feel totally comfortable right away anywhere....you are the new kid in school after all. You are naturally going to feel a bit like your skin doesn't quite fit for awhile. I can say that we knew our church the moment we walked in the door. BUT! The Lord had already done years of unraveling with us. And even after that first sense that we were in the right spot, it still took months of continually looking to Him and asking questions and listening before I felt trully "comfortable". Lots of times of even grudgingly having to admit that they were right and I had been wrong. It wasn't that what that church taught on a particular topic was wrong. It was that I was wrong. Hey we all have a stubborn streak in us, we don't like to have to admit that we are wrong! | ||
| Lydell |
ahem...I'd like to apologize for the length of that last post! For those who are still looking for their niche in the kingdom, we are part of a Vineyard church. It should go without saying for any of the recommendations for churches/groups seen on this site that we individually believe them to be Biblically sound. The Vineyard is an association of churches (more autonomy for individual congregations, but still offers a framework of accountability). The style is casual, middle of the road between traditional and charismatic, contemporary worship, big focus on reaching the unchurched with the gospel(that means that you can end up with some "unusual" people attending, i.e. the person covered in tattoos and having a wild head of hair, the guy with the ring in his lip, the woman who is pretty clearly drunk, the kid with green hair.....um, that was my son). You can look up one in your local area by going to this website and clicking on "churches". http://www.vineyardusa.org | ||
| In_his_service |
Dear Snali, As one who was born and bred Adventist....and has been free for nearly 20 years, I can assure you that the first thing you have to do is "not be afraid" of brothers and sisters in Jesus. They are evereywhere and they aren't out to get you or hurt you or lead you to hell, as we have been taught. They are going to love you and help you to realize that there is only ONE truth and it isn't SDA or sabbath or the "spirit of prophecy", it IS Jesus. It took me a long time and a lot of study in the Scripture and (interestingly) in church history, before I came up with answers to the questions that I have always had. There are some great churches, both denominational and non. Each view has real value. There are some "congregational" denominations which hold the value of Non's, but still answer to a bit higher integrity. For myself I have chosed to join a Southern Baptist congragation. That was the right choice for me. Yours could be something else. But BELIEVE that if you ask, the Spirit WILL lead you home, before the dark. As He said, "Let not your heart be troubled, and never be afraid." In Christian Love <>< | ||
| Windmotion |
Greg (Nate) What a very long, ahem, awesome testimony. I do have one question with your interpretation of Isaiah 66. I have noticed the part about the new moons (there is no night in heaven, so how can there be new moon festivals??) but I have never heard it explained that it is a conditional prophecy based on Jews excepting the Messiah. Is that your own rendering or did you read that somewhere? This is one of my husband's scriptural Sabbath hangups, perhaps the only one. I just always thought it had something to do with eternal rest in Heaven or something. Again, really great testimony and Bible study!! I read every word. --Hannah | ||
| Dennis |
There really isn't a creature known as a "Lone Ranger" Christian. We Christians need each other in many ways. The author of Hebrews states, "let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25 NIV). There are many Biblically-sound churches that will enrich your relationship with Jesus. My wife and I visited several churches in our community (even three on one Sunday). We joined the third one, the Evangelical Free Church of America (www.efca.org), after additional online research and required classes. We have over 1,000 people attending our church weekly. Of that number, about 400 are official members. We feel so blessed to be a part of a solid Christian community. Pray that the Lord will lead you to a church family SOON. You deserve such a blessing after all the spiritual abuse you have endured. May God bless your search for His family! In Christ, Dennis J. Fischer | ||
| Shortwave |
Hello All, I too have left the vipers nest.... although MANY years ago compared to most of you. I've suffered with mental and spiritual angwish that I can't even express. Fortunately I married a wonderful woman who saw through the evil that had been foisted on me, and helped me through it. I'm looking forward to interacting with all of you as we heal, learn and love Christ together. Adventism is a violent and cruel taskmaster with a penchant for destruction of independant thought. I was "punished" with EGW until I hated our Lord and all religion. Having been through the educational machine I was confused and dis-allusioned.... I'll listen and learn here, pray and heal here, be thankful here. SW | ||
| Shortwave |
ahhhh.....the word is Anguish, sheesh! Guess I'm tired. shortwave | ||
| Colleentinker |
Welcome, Shortwave! We all understand the anger and betrayal when we realized we had believed a lie. How wonderful that God brought you to a wife who could understand what you've experienced and be helpful and supportive. Have you experienced Jesus as your Savior? I know that many here knew about Jesus and knew he was "necessary" for salvation but never really experienced that certainty nor a relationship with him until after they left Adventism. There is nothing so amazing and life-changing as experiencing God's love, Christ's forgiveness, and the reassurance of the indwelling Holy Spirit! You are in our prayers! Colleen | ||
| Snali |
Hi and a greatful thankyou for the words of encouragement.Our eyes are being opened by the truth and its good to know that their are others who have and still are having the same strugles. A question for you who know all this more than I do, how do you know that you are saved,i know the texts,but how do you know for sure,and how can you tell the holy spirit is leading you? Im trying to grasp this, not because Ive never read about it,its just now everything has a diffrent light on it,and i want to understand. Thank you, Snali | ||
| Lydell |
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. According to these scriptures all of us are sinners in need of a saviour. It is our sin that seperates us from being able to experience fellowship with God. Have you ever confessed to God that you are a sinner? Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Even tho you are a sinner, God loved you enough to allow Christ to take the penalty of your sins and die in your place. By Christ's death, He made a bridge over the gap between you and God. Do you believe that Christ died for your sins, you personally? Rom. 10:9,10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved....Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." All that it takes for you now is to walk across the bridge that Christ has made for you. The way you do that is by believing with your heart that Christ died for you, inviting Him to be your Lord, and confessing that it is so. If you have confessed that you are a sinner, and invited Him to be your Saviour, confessed that it is so, then the scriptures tell us that you are now saved. You don't have to "feel" saved. You don't have to be perfect in your behaviour. II Cor. 5:17 tell us "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" And I Cor. 6:11 says that while we once were sinners, now "you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." You are, at the moment you accept Christ, as perfect as you will ever be. You, in your own power, can add nothing to the perfect work that Christ has already done on your behalf. His Spirit is already living in you. Your life now is going to be spent in living daily with Christ, allowing Him to teach you what He has already done for you. You'll still have rough edges he needs to work on. You'll still commit sins. But you are now just like a toddler learning to walk. Your father will pick you up, brush you off, and tell you, "come on, try it again." When you accept Christ as Saviour, you also accept his offer of eternal life. At the moment you receive him, you receive that gift of eternal life. You are now, right now, already that new creation, the one who is eternally living with Him. (which is why at the moment you die, you will immediately step into His arms.) If you have already received Him as Saviour, then ask for the Father to send His Holy Spirit into you to begin to overcome all the error and out right lies you were taught in Adventism. It might be helpful to you to memorize the following passage. Repeat it to yourself as often as you need to until the revelation finally gets down inside of you and takes hold. I'm praying the Spirit will breathe life into these words for you personally. I John 5:1,11-13 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well....And the testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son HAS life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. When the Holy Spirit is leading you, He tends to repeat Himself over and over. You won't just see something in one passage of scripture, but rather you will find passages all over the scripture suddenly leaping to life. You will suddenly see things tied together in a way you've never noticed before. And there will be a deep feeling of certainty that you are seeing truth. Maybe it is something you don't want to accept is so at first because it goes against what you have been taught in adventism. But there is such a stirring that it IS truth. And you won't be able to ignore it for long. He'll keep bringing it back to you. After all, the scriptures tell us that if we ask for the Spirit's guidance, we WILL get it. When He is leading you, He tends to confirm that direction in many ways. You'll suddenly become aware of words to songs that you had never noticed before. You'll overhear bits of conversation, you'll catch pieces of something said on the radio, you'll see something in a book or magazine that will hit home. And each time it happens there will be a calm peace that just testifies to your spirit that it is so. He'll just keep hitting you with it. IF you daily ask for the Holy Spirit's guidance, then you can have confidance that He IS going to lead you. Don't stress about every topic you want to know the truth about right now. Chill. He is a very faithful teacher. And you are in a process. If you are daily open to His leading, He'll get you back on the right track if you are a bit off. |
