New to SDA: Some questions

[Shrewsbury]

Hi! I am very new to the SDA church (I went for the very first time to my local SDA church yesterday - 5th February - and enjoyed it very much), and have some questions which I hope you won't mind answering, please?

1. The Sabbath. I understand how important Sabbath keeping is to the church, but am confused as to what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. What constitutes work? Can I work in my garden for example, and can I write a letter to a friend? Also, when exactly does Sabbath end? Is it when I need to put on my lights or is there a set time?

2. Are all SDA's vegetarian, and if not, which foods are not to be eaten?

3. Can you recommend which books about the SDA church and its beliefs I should read? I found the SDA bookstore online, but there are so many books I am confused as to which to buy! lol.

Thank you in advance.

 

[k4c]

Shrewsbury; Hi! I am very new to the SDA church (I went for the very first time to my local SDA church yesterday - 5th February - and enjoyed it very much), and have some questions which I hope you won't mind answering, please?

1. The Sabbath. I understand how important Sabbath keeping is to the church, but am confused as to what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. What constitutes work? Can I work in my garden for example, and can I write a letter to a friend? Also, when exactly does Sabbath end? Is it when I need to put on my lights or is there a set time?

Click here: http://looking4jesus.com/Jesussabbath.html

2. Are all SDA's vegetarian, and if not, which foods are not to be eaten?

Not all SDA members are vegetarians, it's a personal choice based on the desire to have optimum health and wellness.

3. Can you recommend which books about the SDA church and its beliefs I should read? I found the SDA bookstore online, but there are so many books I am confused as to which to buy! lol.

Thank you in advance.

There are many books but if you click here The Adventist Book Center online you might be able to get some good advise.

 

[Shrewsbury]

Hi! Thanks for the reply and the links. Appreciated.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

< staff edit > < staff edit > .

You should be ashamed of yourself!!

A new believer seeking what he is convicted is the truth and you offer him literature to make him doubt the very fundamentals of our faith before he even has a foundation.... what does the Bible say about one who causes another to fall?

This is getting reported to the admin BFA... you've gone too far this time.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Hi! I am very new to the SDA church (I went for the very first time to my local SDA church yesterday - 5th February - and enjoyed it very much), and have some questions which I hope you won't mind answering, please?

1. The Sabbath. I understand how important Sabbath keeping is to the church, but am confused as to what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. What constitutes work? Can I work in my garden for example, and can I write a letter to a friend? Also, when exactly does Sabbath end? Is it when I need to put on my lights or is there a set time?

2. Are all SDA's vegetarian, and if not, which foods are not to be eaten?

3. Can you recommend which books about the SDA church and its beliefs I should read? I found the SDA bookstore online, but there are so many books I am confused as to which to buy! lol.

Thank you in advance.

Praise the Lord that you have followed the Holy Spirits leading and welcome to Adventism!!

K4C gave you some excellent advice and I would add that the issues on things such as proper Sabbath behaviour, will be shown to you through the Holy Spirit as you seek God's truth in all things. I think that all of us Adventists have changed and come to a deeper understanding of what the Sabbath rest is about and how we can best honour and praise God on that day. The best advice I can give you is to listen to what the Spirit is leading you too and not what people tell you that you need to be doing. There are some within our church that can be a wee bit over zealous and dare I say judgemental if you don't do things their way. Good thing that it's God we have to please and not man.

If your desire is truly to obey God and do as He has asked, then you will heed what the Bible says about clean vs unclean foods. Vegetarianism is a step beyond what the Bible says and is, to some, a way to further honour their Temple with eating the best way possible.

Once you have enough posts on here to be able to Private Message, give me a shout and I will send you a DVD series called Revelation Speaks Peace that will bless your understanding of Adventism.

I hope you continue to post up with your questions and please do not regard the book that BFA has encouraged you to read. He is no longer in Adventism and is trying to draw you away from it. Be wary of ravening wolves who will seek out those they can destroy.

 

[k4c]

You should be ashamed of yourself!!

A new believer seeking what he is convicted is the truth and you offer him literature to make him doubt the very fundamentals of our faith before he even has a foundation.... what does the Bible say about one who causes another to fall?

This is getting reported to the admin BFA... you've gone too far this time.

Amen...

Anyone who has the Spirit of God and a love for God will know the Law is alive and well. Those who say the Law is done away with will say in the same breath we are not allowed to break the Law. This is confusion straight from Babylon. If we submit to the working of God's Spirit He will write His Law in our heart. When this is done His Law won't be a burden for us to keep. Those who teach against this are not of God and are working in direct opposition to the Spirit. It would be better to have a mill stone tied around their neck and thrown into the water.

 

[OntheDL]

Hi! I am very new to the SDA church (I went for the very first time to my local SDA church yesterday - 5th February - and enjoyed it very much), and have some questions which I hope you won't mind answering, please?

1. The Sabbath. I understand how important Sabbath keeping is to the church, but am confused as to what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. What constitutes work? Can I work in my garden for example, and can I write a letter to a friend? Also, when exactly does Sabbath end? Is it when I need to put on my lights or is there a set time?

2. Are all SDA's vegetarian, and if not, which foods are not to be eaten?

3. Can you recommend which books about the SDA church and its beliefs I should read? I found the SDA bookstore online, but there are so many books I am confused as to which to buy! lol.

Thank you in advance.

Hi,

Welcome! Here are some answers to your questions.

1. God in His divine wisdom gave no definitives/specifics in the bible on what can or can not be done on the sabbath. See how the Jews tried to create a thousand restrictions and where it went? He left it to be up to our each individual dictate of conscience. The spirit of the sabbath is an oasis in time God set apart for us to commune with Him. If you fall in love with someone and set a day to be with this person, you will know what to and not to do.

3. Here is a link to the now codified official SDA beliefs. Adventist.org: The Official Site of the Seventh-Day Adventist World Church But I recommend you to read the book 'the Great Controversy'. Read it with bible together. Another quick read/small book you can read on the side is 'Steps to Christ'.

Again, welcome to the SDA forum.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Hi,
But I recommend you to read the book 'the Great Controversy'. Read it with bible together. Another quick read/small book you can read on the side is 'Steps to Christ'.

Again, welcome to the SDA forum.

Two excellent reads!!

'The Desire of Ages' is another good book for learning about the life of Jesus and His ministry.

 

[Shrewsbury]

Praise the Lord that you have followed the Holy Spirits leading and welcome to Adventism!!

K4C gave you some excellent advice and I would add that the issues on things such as proper Sabbath behaviour, will be shown to you through the Holy Spirit as you seek God's truth in all things. I think that all of us Adventists have changed and come to a deeper understanding of what the Sabbath rest is about and how we can best honour and praise God on that day. The best advice I can give you is to listen to what the Spirit is leading you too and not what people tell you that you need to be doing. There are some within our church that can be a wee bit over zealous and dare I say judgemental if you don't do things their way. Good thing that it's God we have to please and not man.

If your desire is truly to obey God and do as He has asked, then you will heed what the Bible says about clean vs unclean foods. Vegetarianism is a step beyond what the Bible says and is, to some, a way to further honour their Temple with eating the best way possible.

Once you have enough posts on here to be able to Private Message, give me a shout and I will send you a DVD series called Revelation Speaks Peace that will bless your understanding of Adventism.

I hope you continue to post up with your questions and please do not regard the book that BFA has encouraged you to read. He is no longer in Adventism and is trying to draw you away from it. Be wary of ravening wolves who will seek out those they can destroy.

Hi! Thanks to everyone for their comments and recommendations. Thanks for the offer of the DVD series - that is very kind of you!

 

[stork321]

Praise the Lord that you have followed the Holy Spirits leading and welcome to Adventism!!

K4C gave you some excellent advice and I would add that the issues on things such as proper Sabbath behaviour, will be shown to you through the Holy Spirit as you seek God's truth in all things. I think that all of us Adventists have changed and come to a deeper understanding of what the Sabbath rest is about and how we can best honour and praise God on that day. The best advice I can give you is to listen to what the Spirit is leading you too and not what people tell you that you need to be doing. There are some within our church that can be a wee bit over zealous and dare I say judgemental if you don't do things their way. Good thing that it's God we have to please and not man.

If your desire is truly to obey God and do as He has asked, then you will heed what the Bible says about clean vs unclean foods. Vegetarianism is a step beyond what the Bible says and is, to some, a way to further honour their Temple with eating the best way possible.

Once you have enough posts on here to be able to Private Message, give me a shout and I will send you a DVD series called Revelation Speaks Peace that will bless your understanding of Adventism.

I hope you continue to post up with your questions and please do not regard the book that BFA has encouraged you to read. He is no longer in Adventism and is trying to draw you away from it. Be wary of ravening wolves who will seek out those they can destroy.

ECR can you also send to me that DVD series?

 

[stork321]

Welcome!



These are great questions. I've been asking them for several years in this forum. Based on the answers I've received and my prior years as a member of the SDA denomination, it seems to me that the SDA perspective on sabbath keeping varies.



Not all SDAs are vegetarian. However, most do not eat pork, shellfish, etc.



K4C pointed you to some resources. If you're interested in looking at SDAism from more than one perspective, I'd recommend the book Sabbath in Crisis by Dale Ratzlaff. It includes the perspective of a former SDA pastor.

hmmmm....to my knowledge adventist dont really eat pork and shellfish, if they do eat pork and shellfish I think they are not adventist Correct me if Im wrong

 

[Stryder06]

Hi! I am very new to the SDA church (I went for the very first time to my local SDA church yesterday - 5th February - and enjoyed it very much), and have some questions which I hope you won't mind answering, please?

Welcome

1. The Sabbath. I understand how important Sabbath keeping is to the church, but am confused as to what you can and can't do on the Sabbath. What constitutes work? Can I work in my garden for example, and can I write a letter to a friend? Also, when exactly does Sabbath end? Is it when I need to put on my lights or is there a set time?

Not sure about the gardening. I would wager it depends on what kind of work you're doing in your garden. And I wouldn't think writing a letter would be wrong, so long as the content of the letter is focused on God.

2. Are all SDA's vegetarian, and if not, which foods are not to be eaten?

Not even Your best bet is to check Lev to see which foods we are and aren't suppose to eat. I keep it simple and when I do eat meat it's chicken or fish (the right kind of fish that is).

3. Can you recommend which books about the SDA church and its beliefs I should read? I found the SDA bookstore online, but there are so many books I am confused as to which to buy! lol.

Thank you in advance.

The writings from Sr White are amazing and you can find all of them for free here: Ellen G. White Writings

 

[Byfaithalone1]

You should be ashamed of yourself!!

Why?

A new believer seeking what he is convicted is the truth and you offer him literature to make him doubt the very fundamentals of our faith before he even has a foundation....

I certainly didn't hide the nature of the book I recommended; I was very open about it. Why wouldn't our new friend explore ideas from a number of different angles?

what does the Bible say about one who causes another to fall?

Does this suggest there is something salvational about the teachings of SDAism?

BFA

 

[Byfaithalone1]

hmmmm....to my knowledge adventist dont really eat pork and shellfish, if they do eat pork and shellfish I think they are not adventist Correct me if Im wrong

Correct. Most do not. There are a small number who do. For example, some have suggested that Mrs. White enjoyed oysters.

BFA

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

I certainly didn't hide the nature of the book I recommended; I was very open about it. Why wouldn't our new friend explore ideas from a number of different angles?

Does this suggest there is something salvational about the teachings of SDAism?

BFA

You weren't open about the nature of the book, you suggested it in answer to his inquiry about good Adventist literature. I suspected, because of your disdain for Adventist doctrine, that there was something to investigate. I Googled the book and had to read for myself the anti Sabbath nature of the book, so don't tell me that you were upfront about it's content.

And yes, there are salvational truths within the teachings of Adventism... just because you don't think so is of little relevance. So instead of infecting this new believer with your personal ideas of the SDA faith, leave him to discover what he will on his own.

 

[Kira Light]

You weren't open about the nature of the book, you suggested it in answer to his inquiry about good Adventist literature. I suspected, because of your disdain for Adventist doctrine, that there was something to investigate. I Googled the book and had to read for myself the anti Sabbath nature of the book, so don't tell me that you were upfront about it's content.

And yes, there are salvational truths within the teachings of Adventism... just because you don't think so is of little relevance. So instead of infecting this new believer with your personal ideas of the SDA faith, leave him to discover what he will on his own.

I'm always suspicious of people who don't want you to hear both sides.

I would recommend taking a gander at all information available when deciding what church to join.

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

I'm always suspicious of people who don't want you to hear both sides.

I would recommend taking a gander at all information available when deciding what church to join.

Really? Did you check into and read up on Luciferianism before you decided to become a Christian?

New theology (or Jesuitism as I call it) has confused and taken many people from their Adventist faith. The book 'Questions on Doctrine' caused many within the church to move away from the plain teachings of the pioneers and sister White and to take a more ecumenical position... not what our church stands for. Reading 'other points of view', which is looked at by some as 'enlightening', causes doubt and confusion which Satans MO, not Gods.

Tell me, did the Talmud enhance the Jewish faith, or divide and destroy it?

 

[Byfaithalone1]

You weren't open about the nature of the book

Indeed I was. I indicated that my recommendation related to other perspectives and that the book was authored by a former SDA pastor.

I suspected, because of your disdain for Adventist doctrine, that there was something to investigate.

Disdain for SDA doctrine? Seriously, you take things too far. I disagree with certain points of SDA doctrine. That hardly qualifies as disdain. Many of the questions I have are shared by current members of the SDA denomination. They're not unique to me.

And yes, there are salvational truths within the teachings of Adventism...

I hope you are simply referring to the completed work of Christ's death and resurrection.

So instead of infecting this new believer with your personal ideas of the SDA faith,

I offered nothing of my "personal ideas." In fact, I answered his questions with no judgments one way or another. I didn't tell him what he should eat or not eat. I didn't tell him what he should do or not do on the seventh day of the week. My response was completely devoid of my own personal ideas of the SDA denomination.

leave him to discover what he will on his own.

Why not follow your own advise and allow him to explore many different perspectives? If SDAism has the truth, he'll find it without your intervention or mine. I can understand why Kira is suspicious.

BFA

 

[EastCoastRemnant]

Why not follow your own advise and allow him to explore many different perspectives? If SDAism has the truth, he'll find it without your intervention or mine. I can understand why Kira is suspicious.

BFA

Yes, BFA, let's encourage him to look into Hinduism, Islam and other 'different perspectives' to give him a more rounded 'experience'. After all, he'll come back to the truth he is currently seeking and being led to, right??

 

[Kira Light]

Really? Did you check into and read up on Luciferianism before you decided to become a Christian?

New theology (or Jesuitism as I call it) has confused and taken many people from their Adventist faith. The book 'Questions on Doctrine' caused many within the church to move away from the plain teachings of the pioneers and sister White and to take a more ecumenical position... not what our church stands for. Reading 'other points of view', which is looked at by some as 'enlightening', causes doubt and confusion which Satans MO, not Gods.

Tell me, did the Talmud enhance the Jewish faith, or divide and destroy it?

I'm saying a person thinking of joining a church should take a look at all the information available regarding that church. I am not saying they should research every fact about every religion in the history of the world.

It is sad that "other points of view" are so feared.