| Author | Message | ||
| Walkonwater Registered user Username: Walkonwater Post Number: 3 Registered: 9-2006 |
The voice at the other end of the phone line was a little unsteady and tentative. "Daddy, what would you say if I told you I had started attending a Methodist Church?" My daughter Jenny, is a forth generation Adventist and her daughter is fifth generation. I was raised Adventist, my mother was too and so were her parents. Adventism is part of our family DNA and here is my daughter, with a touch of concern in her voice, asking if it was okay to do the unthinkable - join another church. What should I say? But before I could say anything, she rushed on to explain how the Adventist Church she attended was dead and how she had found Jesus in a new way at the Methodist Church. As I listened to the excitement in her voice I knew what she had found was real and when she paused, I said, "Jenny, do you remember the story of Abraham and how God told him to leave home?" "Yes Daddy, I do." "Well" I said, "that call was not only for Abraham, it is a call to everyone. We must all leave home and follow Jesus. Sometimes that involves leaving a physical home. Or it could mean leaving loved ones, or a profession, or even a church. If God is leading you, then you must follow." Years before, I too had left the SDA Church. While I was gone I found Jesus in a way I had never known before. I was excited about sharing what I had found. And I asked the Lord to lead me to a place where I could share my new found Friend. And where did the Lord lead me? He led me right back into the Adventist Church. I didn't particularly want to go back but I found that sometimes God leads us back home again, even if we don't want to go. And God has blessed! For 5 1/2 years I have led a prayer fellowship in a local SDA Church and we have a group of born again prayer warriors that every Tuesday night go boldly to the throne of grace. In those 5 1/2 years we have seen amazing answers to prayer. But the most beautiful thing I have seen is how people are really learning to walk the walk of faith. They are learning to make Jesus the heart and soul of their life. We have one dear saint who is losing her eyesight. She is nearly blind. But what a tower of inspiration she is to the rest of us as she praises God in every situation. Is the Adventist Church perfect? No. Is Adventist theology perfect? No. Are Adventists perfect? No! But you know what? We don't spend a lot of time worrying about that. It's amazing how small those things become when ones vision is consumed with the light of His glory and grace. As for my daughter, will she return to the Adventist Church someday? I didn't tell her this, but yes, I would like her to return; return and share what she has found in Jesus. But that is God's job not mine. In the mean time I can rejoice that she is following Jesus where He leads. WalkOnWater _______________________________________________ The Walk of Faith is a miracle in action. | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 747 Registered: 7-2004 |
Walk, Welcome to FAF. Thank you for your voice and your story. As a daughter of SDA parents, I am so very happy for your daughter that she has a father she can open up her heart to and discuss her love for Jesus without fear of rejection or judgment. What a blessing you must be for her in her spiritual journey. I am also blessed by your own committment to follow Jesus. I will be praying for you as you continue to surrender to His will for your life and I will also pray for the prayer fellowship you led. Not only is God blessing others through your excitment for Him, I am sure you are blessed in your witness of God's faithfulness through the lives of those in your group. Walking together with Him, Denise | ||
| Snowboardingmom Registered user Username: Snowboardingmom Post Number: 190 Registered: 11-2005 |
Hi WalkOnWater! Welcome to the forum, and thank you for sharing your heart and your story. Like Dd, I am a daughter of SDA parents, and I am also touched by your response to your daughter. I love your statement, "In the mean time I can rejoice that she is following Jesus where He leads." That says so much. Not only does it show your huge faith in God (as you said "it's God's job not mine"), but it also shows faith and trust in your daughter's judgment and personal walk with the Lord. Glad you're with us, and sharing with us. Blessings, Grace | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 4784 Registered: 12-2003  |
Yes, WalkóI echoe Denise and Grace's appreciation for your response to your daughter. She is fortunate to have a parent who is so willing to let God lead her. God doesn't leave us where we are; He continues to reveal Himself to us and to teach us truth. Our pastor made a really good point yesterday. He said one of Jesus' lessons to us from His healing of the leper in Mark 1:35-45 is that Jesus' interactions were two-pronged: He taught, and He touched. "Teaching" means we preach the word of truth; "touching" means we show the heart of God. We can't focus on one more than the other. Both are mandatory in order to communicate the reality of Jesus. Experiencing His heart without an emphasis on truth leads people astray, and the end of the matter is people who do not come to know Jesus because they don't know Biblical truthóthey believe in an unbiblical Jesus. Focussing on truth without the touch of compassion freezes people and drives them away from the truth about Jesus because truth has been divorced from Jesus' touch. Glad you're with us! Colleen |
