| Author | Message | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2004 |
I just happen to find this site the other week. It was really nice to see that I didn't have to feel guilty about the decisions and topics that caused me to leave the SDA in 1987. I was only involved for 2 years but that was more than enough. I didn't know much about Christianity but always believed in Jesus. The SDA had a Revelation Seminar advertised in the paper and I went, not knowing what I was getting into. Thankfully I'm active in Calvary Chapel now. The one issue the SDA really messed up my viewpoint was the state of the dead and the lies about soul sleeping. I still sometimes struggle with it but I'm progressing. | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 27 Registered: 5-2004 |
welcome. I hope you find your time here edifying. remember God promises to give us wisdom, all we need to do is ask! And it sounds like you are asking. Trust Him. He will guide you as you study the Scriptures. | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2004 |
Thanks. It's nice to be able to learn about the Bible without someone trying to attach a Ellen White book with it. | ||
| Kme Registered user Username: Kme Post Number: 28 Registered: 7-2000 |
I agree with Tealeaves. The state of the dead and the Sabbath are the two most difficult issues to reconcile. They are two of the doctrines that are used as a so-called protection for not being led the wrong direction. I personally struggled with both for quite a while before I was willing to accept what the Lord was trying to show me in the Bible. Find someone in your new church to show you what they believe from the Bible and pray as you study about these topics. Just be patient, God will clear it up for you. Placing our trust in God. Have a blessed day! Kme | ||
| Dennis Registered user Username: Dennis Post Number: 84 Registered: 4-2000 |
Pw, A hearty FAF welcome to you! We are glad you found us. Dennis J. Fischer | ||
| Praisegod Registered user Username: Praisegod Post Number: 71 Registered: 3-2004 |
Welcome Pw. You will find a supportive community here who not only understands your issues, but can step you through how they resolved similar struggles. I've attended Calvary Chapel here off and on and appreciate their strong Bible base. Try checking the archives here as I believe you'll find a lot of help with Sabbath and state of the dead issues. Praise God... | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 29 Registered: 5-2004 |
Pw, My husband grew up SDA, but last attended an SDA church about 7 years ago. When he left, he didn't immediately start tearing and digging at the SDA beliefs. Instead, He simply concentrated on building a relationship with God. He trusted God's grace, asked for His guidance, and studied the New Covenant of Christ. He focused on what is right about the Scriptures instead of what was wrong with the SDA doctrines. Just this last few months, he felt led to take a hard look back at the doctrines of the SDA church. He has been reading Ratzlaffs books on the SDA doctrines. Having taken a "break" from tthe SDA doctrines, and focusing on Christ alone helped melt away the "EGW-lenses" he had on from years of indoctrination. He is finally able to see clearly the fallacy of her teachings. He needed that time to "rest and trust in Jesus" before he could take a hard look at it all from the right perspective. His conclusion: don't rush it. Under Christ you don't have to be doctrinally perfect to be under His wing. You just have to trust in Him. And He will be faithful to show you the biblica truth in His time! You are in my prayers, -tanya- | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 3 Registered: 6-2004 |
Thanks for all the great advice. I've been active with Calvary Chapel for 12 years now. It's been awhile since I've dealt with any SDA subjects, but I find this site very helpful in what others like myself were exposed to and how to keep growing. I really enjoyed reading the state of the dead section. Lots of great scriptures to disprove the SDA theory. | ||
| Qweary Registered user Username: Qweary Post Number: 6 Registered: 3-2004 |
Thank you, Tealeaves, for sharing your and your husband's experiences. You are a blessing to us new folk. How we wish our relatives would see the notes posted here! Maybe they could understand better. You all are such a compassionate caring group! God bless you ALL! You've helped us so much! Love in Christ, Qweary | ||
| Qweary Registered user Username: Qweary Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2004 |
Thank you, Tealeaves, for sharing your and your husband's experiences. You are a blessing to us new folk. How we wish our relatives would see the notes posted here! Maybe they could understand better. You all are such a compassionate caring group! God bless you ALL! You've helped us so much! Love in Christ, Qweary | ||
| Hoytster Registered user Username: Hoytster Post Number: 92 Registered: 9-2003 |
Let me echo Qweary's comment, since it seems I am often posting in a different spirit. You all are such a compassionate and caring group! This site is a constant source of renewal and inspiration for me. Maybe it is because you are so grateful to have found Jesus after being embedded in the darkness of Adventism. Whatever the reason, the spirit displayed here is beautiful. Thank you all. - Hoytster | ||
| Kme Registered user Username: Kme Post Number: 38 Registered: 7-2000 |
Hoytster, that spirit crops it's ugly head up in all of us occasionally. That's part of our growth process. Eventually we'll be so tall it can't do that anymore! Ha. Have a blessed day! | ||
| Debandhenry Registered user Username: Debandhenry Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2004 |
Hi all, We are new to this site also and I have been encouraged with the interaction that we have read so far. Our bigest struggle is the Sabbath and death sleep. I am also as many of you reading my bible to find with the Holy Spirits guidence the truth, esp. the Sabbath, as my husband has a big issue with leaving this for Sunday worship. We are on the East coast and most of you are a long ways off, we really do not have any connections but through this site, praise God. We have had a hard time deciding which church to go to also, we were Eveng.Lutherans b/4 SDA's and their doctrine has changed so that we would probably fit the Missouri Synod better. We went to the web site select smart and really were in a way surprised at what came up. So maybe we should investigate those first. Q- Were any of you heavily involved in the church offices b/4 you left? We were, and are having the members of the board whom we are still close friends with tell us that the Pastor will not allow our names to be removed off the records. I am the former clerk and maybe should have done this as my last report. The Pastor, he sees this as a "breathing break" and not a true closing out of our membership in the SDA Church, how did you handle this? I am thinking of sending a letter to the Conf. myself, the same one we sent to the board and Pastor, has anyone done this and how did the results turn out? Lastly, keep us in prayer for final closures and finding a new house of worship. God Bless, Deb  | ||
| Tealeaves Registered user Username: Tealeaves Post Number: 31 Registered: 5-2004 |
DebandHenry, I will pray for you to find a church home, Deb... God has a plan for you! May I suggest something yo might not have thought of? You might want to look for small group or home church situation. It would be a good place to plug in and get some fellowhip and discipleship, and they often don't meet on Sunday. I know some people who leave the SDA church feel that Sunday churches are a large step for them, and a mid-week meet makes some people more comfortable. As always, opinions and advice are often only worth what you paid for them,(zero in this case), so I only offer this up as a thought to consider. Praying for you as you seek out His will, -tanya- | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 103 Registered: 3-2004 |
Welcome Debandhenry, You have a family here who will love you unconditionally. They will answer any question you have and if there is something you do not quite understand they will explain it to you. They are very compassionate people. God has led you here, you can be sure of that. As for a church to attend, pray about it, as I am sure you are doing. Visit a variety of churches, such as a Calvary Chapel, Community Christian, evangelical, as long as they focus on Jesus and use only the Bible. Some on this site belong to some of the denominational churches, but they are teaching the Bible only. Where on the East Coast are you? I just prayed for you and your husband, that God will lead you to where He wants you. God bless and love you Diana | ||
| Praisegod Registered user Username: Praisegod Post Number: 75 Registered: 3-2004 |
A hearty welcome, Deb and Henry. Yes, I was highly involved with church offices, even teaching the pastorís doctrinal classes much of the time. My guess is that your pastor and friends feel youíve only had your feelings hurt by someone and that when you get over it, you will return. At this point, I wouldnít be too worried about it because they will come to realize differently once you are rejoicing in your new-found freedom in Jesus. It could be partially because of what youíve just mentioned that the Holy Spirit directed me to ìfade outî rather than immediately make a big issue about it. I did that by not accepting any offices (I was on the nominating committee knowing that was my last ìofficialî act). Gradually they got used to seeing less and less of me. (My husband remains in that church.) Then when I did request my name be dropped, they knew I truly meant it and wasnít returning. I smile when you say you are looking for ìfinal closureî because that was so how I was as an Adventist. I had all the doctrines figured out and God neatly arranged in my SDA box. However, Iím now coming to terms that processing out has taken much longer than I could ever have dreamed of. And I believe itís because of the demonic hold that Adventism has on the minds of its people. Probably Iím a slow learner because I was SDA my entire life, but it took me months to study out all the covenants in order to figure out the Sabbath because I did it on my own. I still donít have ever-burning hell figured out, but I know the SDA positions on about everything are suspect. And Iím still not totally settled on a congregation. Because Iím involved with other area-wide ministries, I travel a lot from church to church so it was very helpful to get a broad view of different congregations, to worship with fellow believers and yet not feel I had to make a permanent decision of congregation. Now Iím finding that if Iím not ministering other places, Iíve been attending Calvary Chapel. Since Iíve got a ton of work to do today (better get off this computer) I caught the Saturday evening service at Calvary Chapel last night. For anyone that might not know, they preach through books of the New Testament. It was on Thessalonians 4 and 5 on Jesusí coming! Awesome, because it added some more pieces in my puzzles about understanding death, soul sleep (which he strongly addressed) etc. So just be confident that as you visit around, the Holy Spirit will direct you. Iíve been so excited in my new walk with Jesus to see how heís been opening and shutting doors. Iíll be praying for you to have joy for your journey! Praise GodÖ | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 4 Registered: 6-2004 |
Hey praisegod! Which Calvary Chapel do you attend? I go to the one in Ft. Lauderdale with Pastor Bob Coy. PW | ||
| Melissa Registered user Username: Melissa Post Number: 338 Registered: 7-2003 |
"How we wish our relatives would see the notes posted here! Maybe they could understand better. " I wish that sometimes too. But I also enjoy the haven I see this form is too. I'm afraid if B were reading the posts, I wouldn't say much to avoid arguments. He so thinks anyone who leaves has had their feelings hurt. It is completely incomprehensible anyone could find different doctrines in scripture ... if they were really studying them correctly. He went to another website one time and rather than reading what they said to see what they were saying, he came away saying he knew where I was getting my information from without recognizing that I had reached my own conclusions long before I found those of like-mind, This site shows me my experiences, though unique, are also very similar to others. As others have said, I very much appreciate the honesty and openness people share here...without condemnation they offer support. That's hard to find in many parts of the body of Christ. Sometimes, we just get too busy to notice others. On this site, people are looking intentionally to help others. That's a great blessing. Somewhere in this string, I think, someone said to ask others in their new church why they believed what they did about the dead...and though it's great advice, I think the average person coming out of adventism might find the explanations they encounter weak. At least from the churches I've been in, an eternal hell is given merely because the Bible says it is. I only recall one sermon in my entire life where the reality of hell was the point start to finish and what the Bible says about it. The same would absolutely be said about going to church on Sunday. When we worship has never had significance...it's WHO. Those two topics are not really in dispute within my churches and a lot of assumtions are not really discussed that much. It seems that those two issues are critical to SDAs as almost cornerstones to their religion. Though hell is a critical understanding of eternity, most of us just haven't really considered the details of what it means in reality beyond horrible. So, don't get too discouraged or stop your search because someone can't give you "satisfying" answers. I think only former SDAs can truly answer some of those questions with any depth because they uniquely know the significance of the questions. PraiseGod, does your church have a web address that the sermon might be on...that sounds like one I'd be interested in.... | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 278 Registered: 12-2003 |
Welcome, PW! Melissa, I agree with you; I really do believe that in many cases, former Adventists really know best how to explain do doctrinal issues to a struggling Adventist. Only an Adventist really knows how Adventists use/twist Scripture. Richard and I were heavily involved in church offices before we left. We were on the board at LLU Church, and we were PR directors for about three years. (How embarassing!) We had many professional/ church contacts who were curious for a time but finally stopped asking questions. When we wrote our letter, the local church did, I believe, drop our names from the congregational roster, but they did not (apparently) send our names on to the Conference, because we still get the Union paper every month. At this point we're just ignoring it because the paper is somewhat informative, and it keeps us somewhat apprised of what's going on around us in this area. I have heard from others that when they wrote to the conference, they got their names dropped. Colleen | ||
| Praisegod Registered user Username: Praisegod Post Number: 76 Registered: 3-2004 |
PW and Melissa, you may contact me at formersdadventist@yahoo.com Praise God... | ||
| Debandhenry Registered user Username: Debandhenry Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2004 |
To All, Thank you for your many suggestions and concerns, and love. As you have said only Adventists (former) understand the struggles we have and it is not easy to go back with uncluttered mind to find the TRUTH, but I also know with my best friend the Holy Spirit we together will prevail. I do like the ideas you have all presented and will go forward SMILING with the Happy, Jesus in my life smile that I should have always. Diana, we are in Southern New Jersey, only 10 min. from Wilmington, Delaware and 20 min. from Philly, Pa. where my Henry works, have any people in our area? Again thanks and I too feel that our Lord did indeed guide us to this wonderful site. God Bless, Deb | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2004 |
Debandhenry, You are so right about how only a former Adventist can understand the struggles we all experienced. We could not relate to a former Mormon or Jehovah Witness unless we have experienced the exact same teachings they did. I did feel guilty about leaving the SDA (the SDA pastor was very condemning in my decision), but that quickly fades away as you start to grow in the truth and closer to God. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 287 Registered: 12-2003 |
Amazing, isn't it, how growing in Jesus and becoming immersed in His word dissolves the guilt and anxiety that harrass us as we leave? We truly serve a personal, intimate God. Colleen | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 6 Registered: 6-2004 |
Absolutely! I think too many people are concerned with trying to please their SDA pastors or fellow congregation by staying within their boundaries instead of discovering the truth, which indeed will set you free. |
