WARNING: Lots of questions

[JodyTJ]

First off I just want to say that I've been on this crazy journey to find the "right" church and I think (and hope) that the SDA is the one I've been looking for. I've considered the following churches: LDS church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Baptist and Anglican.

Now, I've only heard nothing but positive things about the Seventh-day Adventists, unlike the LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses, who have countless amount of negativity against them (some is warranted, but most is unfair, but that's for another thread). Really, the only thing I've heard that is negative is Ellen G. White, and the Clear Word "Bible" and that's really about it. The church is growing at a mind-boggling one million a year. The Mormons and JWs only get ~250,000 and they are supposedly the fastest growing Christian churches in the world, which they obviously aren't. Anyway here's my questions:

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?
2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?
3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?
4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?
5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?
6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?
7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.
8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?
9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?


And I just have to say that the Adventist website is absolutely beautiful (along with the Canadian version), so I commend who ever made the site! And it's more likely then not that I've found the church I have been looking for, but I just need some clarification and assurances.

 

[reddogs]

First off I just want to say that I've been on this crazy journey to find the "right" church and I think (and hope) that the SDA is the one I've been looking for. I've considered the following churches: LDS church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Baptist and Anglican.

Now, I've only heard nothing but positive things about the Seventh-day Adventists, unlike the LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses, who have countless amount of negativity against them (some is warranted, but most is unfair, but that's for another thread). Really, the only thing I've heard that is negative is Ellen G. White, and the Clear Word "Bible" and that's really about it. The church is growing at a mind-boggling one million a year. The Mormons and JWs only get ~250,000 and they are supposedly the fastest growing Christian churches in the world, which they obviously aren't. Anyway here's my questions:

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?
2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?
3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?
4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?
5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?
6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?
7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.
8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?
9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?


And I just have to say that the Adventist website is absolutely beautiful (along with the Canadian version), so I commend who ever made the site! And it's more likely then not that I've found the church I have been looking for, but I just need some clarification and assurances.

I have been one of the moderators here on the forum, but right now taking some time off, some may even say well deserved....

The church has been growing and now with the internet and all the information on the Bible and doctrines, people can look at the truth on their own, rather than have someone tell them. So many are seeing that the Adventist church does follow the Bible and is Christ centered, and it is growing. Now Ellen White was one of the founders of the church and like Martin Luther, she was led by God to help steer the church at its foundation. She was giving dreams and visions as the Bible says will be given at the end days by the Holy Spirit and wrote many books such as Steps to Christ, Christ Object Lessons, and Desire of Ages on the Life of Christ.

The Clear Word is a is an English-language "devotional paraphrase of the Bible expanded for clarity" written by one of the members as a study tool and devotional alongside the Bible so was never intended as Adventist 'Bible' or sanctioned as such, so has been the cause of some controversy. The Sabbath obviously sets Adventist aside, but we also hold that Gods Law as given in the 10 Commandments still apply and that Christ as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary of which the earthly one was a copy, ministers on our behalf. We also hold that the dead when they die, go to the grave to await the ressurection at the Second Coming of Christ in which the saints will be raised to go to heaven, and in the three angel’s messages of Revelation which is given to prepare for Christs return.

Most Adventist use the King James Version and there is no official one given, so you will find members who have other versions. The church started in the United States but now is world wide and growing. Adventist churches have a Sabbath School program in which the members study the Bible lessons prepared for it, then have a worship service in which the sermon is held. Then they may have a potluck afterwards, like we are going to have today, where everyone is invited, and we delicious dishes to choose from. Sometimes there is a special study on the Bible as we are having after potluck or one on specific themes such as music or on health in the afternoon or evening, then a small sundown program to finish the Sabbath.

If you look in Genesis, the Seventh day was set aside as a special holy day by God, made for man. It has never been changed or set aside and the Bible tells us will continue when we go to be with God.

Isaiah 66:23
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

Welcome and God Bless
Rick

 

[E.T.Elijah]

First off I just want to say that I've been on this crazy journey to find the "right" church and I think (and hope) that the SDA is the one I've been looking for. I've considered the following churches: LDS church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Baptist and Anglican.

Now, I've only heard nothing but positive things about the Seventh-day Adventists, unlike the LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses, who have countless amount of negativity against them (some is warranted, but most is unfair, but that's for another thread). Really, the only thing I've heard that is negative is Ellen G. White, and the Clear Word "Bible" and that's really about it. The church is growing at a mind-boggling one million a year. The Mormons and JWs only get ~250,000 and they are supposedly the fastest growing Christian churches in the world, which they obviously aren't. Anyway here's my questions:

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?
2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?
3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?
4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?
5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?
6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?
7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.
8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?
9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?


And I just have to say that the Adventist website is absolutely beautiful (along with the Canadian version), so I commend who ever made the site! And it's more likely then not that I've found the church I have been looking for, but I just need some clarification and assurances.

Hi welcome to the forum! First let me commend you on your journey in search of truth. I too hope that you have found a home within the Adventist church. I hope I can answer your questions. I'll at least try to the best of my abilities.

1.) I believe the worldwide Adventist church is growing because the message we have is a message of hope. It focuses on Christ and His love for mankind. Through Jesus perfect life and sacrificial death, He has gained the victory over sin and given us the power (though His Holy Spirit) to be overcomers. And our hope resides in the promise of His return.

2.)Ellen White...the topic of much discussion. I won't try to go through everything, but will just sum her up by what the official church puts forth. We believe that she was given visions from God. Through these visions the gift of prophecy manifested itself within her writings. Although we do believe that her writings are inspired by the Holy Spirit, they are not placed above the Bible. The Bible is our rule of thumb for doctrine. Her writings help to clarify and enlarge our understanding.

3.)The Clear Word is not really meant to be a Bible. It is more of a devotional bible similar to that of the New Living Translation. It uses modern language and is written from an Adventist perspective. A lot of our detractors use this to prove we are changing the Bible, but unfortunately, I'm not even really sure how well it is selling lol. No one I know has a copy of it. But, nevertheless, that is really all it was ever meant to be, used for devotions.

4.)Our main distinctions would be: The Seventh-Day Sabbath, the state of the dead, and the Investigative Judgment. Since you asked about the Sabbath I will address that during that topic. As for the state of the dead, we believe that when a person dies they do not go to Heaven or hell, but remain in the grave awaiting one of two resurrection: resurrection of the righteous (at the second coming) or the resurrection of the wicked (at the end of the thousand years). We do not believe in the immortality of the soul. Only God has immortality and rewards the righteous at His coming. The lost will be consumed in fire until they are perished and destroyed. They will not burn forever in a place of torment. The investigative judgment in a nutshell...when Christ entered into Heaven at His ascension He became our High Priest. He entered into the Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary (in which the earthly was a pattern). In 1844 (end of the 2300 year prophesy in Daniel), He entered into the Most Holy Place. Corresponding to the Day of Atonement, began His ministry of judgment. This is such an indepth topic that it would take much more time to elaborate.

5.)Most Adventist use the King James Bible. We feel it is the closest to the meaning to the original texts.

6.)I think it is fairly well dispersed among North America, as well as throughout the whole world.

7.) Each church is different. I can only discribe mine. We start at 9:30am and begin with a song service, usually hymns. We then divide up into our adult and children's Sabbath school classes. At 11:00am, we begin our main service starting with song service (mix of praise, hymns, contemporary) and praise time (giving praises of what the Lord has done for us this week between each song), then move to offering, childrens story, family worship (prayer requests and a family will then lead in prayer), followed by scripture reading and then the sermon and closing prayer. Not only that but then we have a potluck fellowship dinner twice a month afterwards.

8.) Our church has many different Bible studies going. We encourage everyone to to attend or start one. We also have many different ministries as well (roller skating outreach for youth, cooking school, community services/food pantry, etc.).

9.) We believe that the Ten Commandments are still to be followed (the fourth being the Sabbath). We do not follow them as a means of earning Salvation, but as a showing of our love for the God who has saved us. Jesus commands us to love God with all our hearts (the first four show us how) and to love our neighbors as ourselves (the last six show us how). The Sabbath falls between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday (evening and the morning were the...day). Saturday is generally accepted to be the seventh day of the week and the Jews have been keeping it for 3000 years since God taught them of it in Sinai. We also believe that it was instilled at creation for all mankind.

I hope that helps answer your questions. If I have stated anything incorrectly, I'm sure someone will correct me

 

[Stryder06]

First off I just want to say that I've been on this crazy journey to find the "right" church and I think (and hope) that the SDA is the one I've been looking for. I've considered the following churches: LDS church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Baptist and Anglican.

Now, I've only heard nothing but positive things about the Seventh-day Adventists, unlike the LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses, who have countless amount of negativity against them (some is warranted, but most is unfair, but that's for another thread). Really, the only thing I've heard that is negative is Ellen G. White, and the Clear Word "Bible" and that's really about it. The church is growing at a mind-boggling one million a year. The Mormons and JWs only get ~250,000 and they are supposedly the fastest growing Christian churches in the world, which they obviously aren't. Anyway here's my questions:

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?
2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?
3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?
4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?
5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?
6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?
7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.
8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?
9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?


And I just have to say that the Adventist website is absolutely beautiful (along with the Canadian version), so I commend who ever made the site! And it's more likely then not that I've found the church I have been looking for, but I just need some clarification and assurances.

God bless you in your search for the place he wants you to be. You've already gotten some good answers to your questions, and I hope they've helped in your decision making. Have you visited an Adventist church yet? That would most likely be a good idea so you can get a feel for the worship service in your area. I can promise you that each service will vary depending on the congregation. If you have other questions please feel free to ask.

 

[JodyTJ]

Thank you for all the replies. All of them were very straight forward and easy to understand. I believe my decision is that I want to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nothing about it cries out "cult" or "non-Christian". It is totally Christian in my opinion. The one thing I absolutely love about this church is that it has a balance of orthodoxy and modernism. What I mean is that it has its members adhere to the bible strictly but also has the contemporary feel to it, which I really like. And what I really find amazing is that it's not American centred anymore, it covers the world! In my country, Canada, it has 65,000 members, and what I've heard is that it grows by about 1,500 a year. I hope to be apart of that 1,500.

The nearest SDA church is about 30 minutes from my house in a city called Belleville. The church is right beside Lake Ontario, and is fairly large, and the houses are very nice that surround it. There's also a college for the deaf there as well. This is a prime place for me to help people out, and the church is a perfect way to do that.

My one problem is my parents opposition to me leaving the Catholic church. They say that I was baptized Catholic and should stay Catholic, they're basically saying I don't have a say in my religious life.

Anyway, I am looking into buying the King James bible, but I'd like to have that SDA quality to it (preferably a medium sized bible, not a pocket or huge bible), and does anyone know of a site I could use, or could you give me a direct link to a bible that I could buy. Willing to spend about $80 dollars (Canadian).

Thank you and God bless you all. You have all been a HUGE help to me. All my answers were answered, and were answered so good that I am 100% sure the SDA church is my new home.

 

[Stryder06]

Thank you for all the replies. All of them were very straight forward and easy to understand. I believe my decision is that I want to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nothing about it cries out "cult" or "non-Christian". It is totally Christian in my opinion. The one thing I absolutely love about this church is that it has a balance of orthodoxy and modernism. What I mean is that it has its members adhere to the bible strictly but also has the contemporary feel to it, which I really like. And what I really find amazing is that it's not American centred anymore, it covers the world! In my country, Canada, it has 65,000 members, and what I've heard is that it grows by about 1,500 a year. I hope to be apart of that 1,500.

The nearest SDA church is about 30 minutes from my house in a city called Belleville. The church is right beside Lake Ontario, and is fairly large, and the houses are very nice that surround it. There's also a college for the deaf there as well. This is a prime place for me to help people out, and the church is a perfect way to do that.

My one problem is my parents opposition to me leaving the Catholic church. They say that I was baptized Catholic and should stay Catholic, they're basically saying I don't have a say in my religious life.

Anyway, I am looking into buying the King James bible, but I'd like to have that SDA quality to it (preferably a medium sized bible, not a pocket or huge bible), and does anyone know of a site I could use, or could you give me a direct link to a bible that I could buy. Willing to spend about $80 dollars (Canadian).

Thank you and God bless you all. You have all been a HUGE help to me. All my answers were answered, and were answered so good that I am 100% sure the SDA church is my new home.

Praise God for your choice!

I promise you that you will be blessed in this and that God will be with you. I unfortunately can't think of any place that you can buy a bible for around $80. I use an electronic bible on my tablet. Have you tried checking Amazon?

May I also suggest that you take a look at a few video series by David Asscherick? He is a powerful teacher with a wonderful testimony, and his lessons are always plain, enjoyable, easy to understand, and rooted in the scripture.

 

[Castaway57]

I have been one of the moderators here on the forum, but right now taking some time off, some may even say well deserved....

The church has been growing and now with the internet and all the information on the Bible and doctrines, people can look at the truth on their own, rather than have someone tell them. So many are seeing that the Adventist church does follow the Bible and is Christ centered, and it is growing. Now Ellen White was one of the founders of the church and like Martin Luther, she was led by God to help steer the church at its foundation. She was giving dreams and visions as the Bible says will be given at the end days by the Holy Spirit and wrote many books such as Steps to Christ, Christ Object Lessons, and Desire of Ages on the Life of Christ.

The Clear Word is a is an English-language "devotional paraphrase of the Bible expanded for clarity" written by one of the members as a study tool and devotional alongside the Bible so was never intended as Adventist 'Bible' or sanctioned as such, so has been the cause of some controversy. The Sabbath obviously sets Adventist aside, but we also hold that Gods Law as given in the 10 Commandments still apply and that Christ as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary of which the earthly one was a copy, ministers on our behalf. We also hold that the dead when they die, go to the grave to await the ressurection at the Second Coming of Christ in which the saints will be raised to go to heaven, and in the three angel’s messages of Revelation which is given to prepare for Christs return.

Most Adventist use the King James Version and there is no official one given, so you will find members who have other versions. The church started in the United States but now is world wide and growing. Adventist churches have a Sabbath School program in which the members study the Bible lessons prepared for it, then have a worship service in which the sermon is held. Then they may have a potluck afterwards, like we are going to have today, where everyone is invited, and we delicious dishes to choose from. Sometimes there is a special study on the Bible as we are having after potluck or one on specific themes such as music or on health in the afternoon or evening, then a small sundown program to finish the Sabbath.

If you look in Genesis, the Seventh day was set aside as a special holy day by God, made for man. It has never been changed or set aside and the Bible tells us will continue when we go to be with God.

Isaiah 66:23
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

Welcome and God Bless
Rick

Good post!

 

[Castaway57]

Thank you for all the replies. All of them were very straight forward and easy to understand. I believe my decision is that I want to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Nothing about it cries out "cult" or "non-Christian". It is totally Christian in my opinion. The one thing I absolutely love about this church is that it has a balance of orthodoxy and modernism. What I mean is that it has its members adhere to the bible strictly but also has the contemporary feel to it, which I really like. And what I really find amazing is that it's not American centred anymore, it covers the world! In my country, Canada, it has 65,000 members, and what I've heard is that it grows by about 1,500 a year. I hope to be apart of that 1,500.

The nearest SDA church is about 30 minutes from my house in a city called Belleville. The church is right beside Lake Ontario, and is fairly large, and the houses are very nice that surround it. There's also a college for the deaf there as well. This is a prime place for me to help people out, and the church is a perfect way to do that.

My one problem is my parents opposition to me leaving the Catholic church. They say that I was baptized Catholic and should stay Catholic, they're basically saying I don't have a say in my religious life.

Anyway, I am looking into buying the King James bible, but I'd like to have that SDA quality to it (preferably a medium sized bible, not a pocket or huge bible), and does anyone know of a site I could use, or could you give me a direct link to a bible that I could buy. Willing to spend about $80 dollars (Canadian).

Thank you and God bless you all. You have all been a HUGE help to me. All my answers were answered, and were answered so good that I am 100% sure the SDA church is my new home.

Welcome to the forum; I am glad to see you here with all those questions. I couldn't answer your questions any better than some of the other members here, but I just wanted to say I will be praying about your relationship to your parents in all this. I know that the changes you are making will be/are hard for them, as well as yourself, so just know that your family is being prayed for. Come back any time with questions.

 

[E.T.Elijah]

You should be able to find a King James Version of the Bible just about anywhere you can buy Bibles. I think even department stores (Walmart, Target, etc) have them for sale in their book section. You can also go to www.adventistbookcenter.org. I bought a nice study Bible there and spent about $70 I think. But you could probably get one for $20-40 at a local book or department store. I got a nice faux leather Bible for my teen son a couple years ago for like $12-15 at walmart.

 

[doc8645]

JodyTJ;
Welcome, you got some great posts. But just to give you another opinion, I know the King James Bible is pure and eloquent but quite frankly I don't talk that way and it was hard for me to concentrate on what was being stated, so I opted for the New King James, its written in regular english. I was told that the best Bible was the Modern King James as it follows more closely the original King James but its also very hard to find cause I believe its out of print.

Also, just suggesting (mainly cause I really like them and understand them) for study purposes you could try Doug Bachelor (amazing facts), Kenneth Cox Ministries, and 3ABN. I believe you can get all those on the internet and they have some good clear cut seminars that really helped me understand. Also Voice of Prophesy and It is Written, loved Mark Finley but he dosen't do it anymore, but just keep studying, its a wonderful journey.

God Bless;
doc8645

 

[Jake1958]

Greetings,

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular:[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Begins with man’s need for eternal security. Thus the appeal is self-[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']centered, and remains so throughout. Never gets beyond egocentricity.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Begins with the revelation of the love of God at the cross (1 Cor. 2:l5). Appeal is to a higher motivation—love and gratitude. Thus not egocentric.[/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular:[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Faith is "trust" in the sense of a grasping for the assurance of personal security in "salvation". Though there is much talk of "Christ" yet in fact everything centers in self and faith remains the means of satisfying personal insecurity[/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Faith is such a deep heart-appreciation of God’s sacrificial love that the believer is constrained to adopt Heaven’s principle of self-denying love as the motivation of all his acts. (He does right because it is right, not from hope of reward or fear of punishment.) Conquers egocentricity and luke-warmness.[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']This is just a couple, I have many, many more if interested[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Jake[/font][/font][/font][/font]

First off I just want to say that I've been on this crazy journey to find the "right" church and I think (and hope) that the SDA is the one I've been looking for. I've considered the following churches: LDS church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Baptist and Anglican.

Now, I've only heard nothing but positive things about the Seventh-day Adventists, unlike the LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses, who have countless amount of negativity against them (some is warranted, but most is unfair, but that's for another thread). Really, the only thing I've heard that is negative is Ellen G. White, and the Clear Word "Bible" and that's really about it. The church is growing at a mind-boggling one million a year. The Mormons and JWs only get ~250,000 and they are supposedly the fastest growing Christian churches in the world, which they obviously aren't. Anyway here's my questions:

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?
2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?
3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?
4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?
5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?
6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?
7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.
8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?
9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?


And I just have to say that the Adventist website is absolutely beautiful (along with the Canadian version), so I commend who ever made the site! And it's more likely then not that I've found the church I have been looking for, but I just need some clarification and assurances.

 

[Jake1958]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Greetings, [/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']These are a few of the differences between "popular" evangelical ideas and what SDA's should believe. ... I have many many more if interested.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Jake[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']: Begins with man’s need for eternal security. Thus the appeal is self-
centered, and remains so throughout. Never gets beyond egocentricity.[/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Begins with the revelation of the love of God at the cross (1 Cor. 2:l5). Appeal is to a higher motivation—love and gratitude. Thus not egocentric.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']----------[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Faith is "trust" in the sense of a grasping for the assurance of personal security in "salvation". Though there is much talk of "Christ" yet in fact everything centers in self and faith remains the means of satisfying personal insecurity[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Faith is such a deep heart-appreciation of God’s sacrificial love that the believer is constrained to adopt Heaven’s principle of self-denying love as the motivation of all his acts. (He does right because it is right, not from hope of reward or fear of punishment.) Conquers egocentricity and luke-warmness.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']---------[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular: [/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Jesus taught self-love is a virtue—"thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." But they are forced to misunderstand His command. The fundamental error of the natural immortality of the soul throws all their views of righteousness by faith badly out of focus.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Jesus taught that the converted person will love his neighbor as before conversion he found it natural to love self. Only when self is crucified with Christ can men have a true sense of self- worth. This takes place when self-love, the central pillar of Satan’s kingdom, is expelled from the soul by faith.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']----------[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Popular:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Sin is conduct unacceptable to the popular Christian community. Thus it does not include Sunday-keeping or Sabbath-breaking[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']True:[/FONT][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] "Whatsoever is not faith is sin" or "sin is whatsoever is not of faith." Sin is not the mere breaking of a taboo but a failure to appreciate Gods true character, revealed at the cross.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[doc8645]

Wow, didn't mean to start a firestorm, sorry if I put a burr under someone's saddle, was just throwin out alternatives.

God bless;
doc8645

 

[E.T.Elijah]

Wow, didn't mean to start a firestorm, sorry if I put a burr under someone's saddle, was just throwin out alternatives.

God bless;
doc8645

Nothing wrong with what you posted. It was helpful and given in the spirit of Christ. Most of these comments are made for the sake of those who want to push their own personal agendas against the church, in this case at the expense of scaring off potential seekers of truth. I'm all for discussion on any topic as long as it is within the thread it pertains to.

 

[Jake1958]

Greetings Jody,

I would like to reply to question four. I grew up in a few different denominations and found contrasts in regards to popular evangelicalism and the true gospel. Here are a few, if interested I'll share more.

Polpular: Begins with man’s need for eternal security. Thus the appeal is self-centered, and remains so throughout. Never gets beyond egocentricity

True: Begins with the revelation of the love of God at the cross (1 Cor. 2:l5). Appeal is to a higher motivation—love and gratitude. Thus not egocentric

Popular: Faith is "trust" in the sense of a grasping for the assurance of personal security in "salvation". Though there is much talk of "Christ" yet in fact everything centers in self and faith remains the means of satisfying personal insecurity

True: Faith is such a deep heart-appreciation of God’s sacrificial love that the believer is constrained to adopt Heaven’s principle of self-denying love as the motivation of all his acts. (He does right because it is right, not from hope of reward or fear of punishment.) Conquers egocentricity and luke-warmness.(Rom. 10:10)

Popular: Jesus taught self-love is a virtue—"thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." But they are forced to misunderstand His command. The fundamental error of the natural immortality of the soul throws all their views of righteousness by faith badly out of focus.

True: Jesus taught that the converted person will love his neighbor as before conversion he found it natural to love self. Only when self is crucified with Christ can men have a true sense of self- worth. This takes place when self-love, the central pillar of Satan’s kingdom, is expelled from the soul by faith.(Gal. 2:20)

Cordially, Jake

 

[Castaway57]

Nothing wrong with what you posted. It was helpful and given in the spirit of Christ. Most of these comments are made for the sake of those who want to push their own personal agendas against the church, in this case at the expense of scaring off potential seekers of truth. I'm all for discussion on any topic as long as it is within the thread it pertains to.

Yes; I would agree, nothing wrong with what doc posted. May the Lord continue to use this forum as a way to promote official Adventist teachings, and to witness for Christ to those who are inquiring and have questions.

 

[DarylFawcett]

Mod Hat On
This thread is being reopened. This thread has undergone a cleaning. If you notice a post of yours missing it was removed in the clean up.

Please stay on topic and refrain from debating. Remember the board rules when posting. Thank you.

Mod Hat Off​

 

[TheOmegaMan19]

1. Why is the church growing so fast? And why isn't the media even taking about this? How fast is it growing in Canada and the United States?

The world, ESPECIALLY the media does not want to give the 1844 message ANY exposure. Television media would prefer to sedate you with talent shows and Family Guy. The world would also prefer to have you spiritually poisoned by the mega churches (Osteen, Warren, etc.) if they give any exposure to things that resemble Christ.


2. Who is Ellen G. White, and what has she done for the church?

I could go on and on here. But a great video to watch is "229 - God's Guiding Gift / Total Onslaught - Walter Veith"...just put that in the search box on Youtube. It's very thorough.

3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?

I can't comment. I'm not familiar enough with this version to critique it constructively. It's probably been heavily altered, like the many bogus bibles.

4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?

Well, if we are judging between the denominations, then the Sabbath day, most obviously. There are so many other differences in doctrines between SDA's and the other protestant churches. Jesuits have infiltrated all churches to some degree (including the SDA church), which is why you must always verify your information through EGW's writings and the bible. In other churches, you will find things like futurism, the rapture, the charismatic movement, and many other odd teachings. (See Revelation 17 for Babylon the Great and her harlot daughters for confirmation)

5. What Bible translation is used most often, and is there an official Bible translation?

The KJV is widely accepted as the purest form of the bible. Watch Walter Veith's "Battle of the Bibles" video on Youtube. It's a part of the "Total Onslaught" series. It's terrific.

6. Where is the church mostly concentrated?

The sermons. Our service lasts roughly 70-90 minutes, with the sermons generally lasting 40-45 minutes. But I firmly believe that is how it should be. I was a Catholic for 26 years, so I've had enough "pomp and circumstance." I want the meat, not the "fluff"

7. What is the church service like? I hope it's not as boring as a Roman Catholic service.

Well, at the church that I've attended, we generally follow the following structure: opening hymns, tithes, children's story, prayer requests, special song, sermon, group prayer, closing hymns.

As far as the sermons, I guess it varies by location. There are days where I honestly find the guest speaker's sermon to by too basic or even bland to really get anything out of it. But the, there are days where we get compelling sermons where we all learn something new and fascinating..these are days where I actually wish I had packed a recorder or even had taken short notes. I love the health message/healing sermons, especially.

8. Is there a lot of Bible studies conducted in the church?

Yes..there are generally meetings at the church during the week... Also, the pastors that I have known have been enthusiastic towards meeting one-on-one for studies. To be honest, I have had my most in-depth studies meeting independently with church members at homes and such. After awhile, you will need more than the basic fundamental study books that you will find on the brochure shelf at the church.

9. Why do you worship on a Saturday, and does the Bible specifically say that Saturday is the Sabbath day?

http : // www .remnantofgod. org / SabbathJustified . htm (I don't have enough posts to be able to link things here yet)

^re-attach this and put it in your URL box and read it. I'd bookmark the site. Nicholas keeps an impressive amount of documentation on his website. He truly does a great job with it.


I hope I helped you some. Some of my answers may come off as bold, but I'd rather not sugar coat things. I'd rather you verify the information that I give you and take the truth for what it is, than tickle your ear. And ALWAYS verify information that you are planning to accept or reject - never take my, or anyone else's word as gold.

That principle helped me as God called me out of Rome in 2008. It's easy to leave a place, but it's harder to find the right place to go if you don't keep it in constant prayer.

 

[Castaway57]

3. Why is the Clear Word Bible so hated upon?

I can't comment. I'm not familiar enough with this version to critique it constructively. It's probably been heavily altered, like the many bogus bibles.

4. What is distinctive between the Seventh-day Adventists and your traditional Protestant in America and Canada?

Well, if we are judging between the denominations, then the Sabbath day, most obviously. There are so many other differences in doctrines between SDA's and the other protestant churches. Jesuits have infiltrated all churches to some degree (including the SDA church), which is why you must always verify your information through EGW's writings and the bible. In other churches, you will find things like futurism, the rapture, the charismatic movement, and many other odd teachings. (See Revelation 17 for Babylon the Great and her harlot daughters for confirmation)

Regarding item #3, The Clear Word, although the title says "Bible;" actually is not a Bible. it is simply a paraphrase of the Bible so it's easy for some to fall into the trap of just calling it a Bible. Most of it is very accurate and enlightening, but it just is not a Bible.

Regarding #4, your comment re verifying "through Ellen White's writings and the Bible;" is backwards, and gives people the wrong impression. You should have said we need to verify our information "through the Bible and Ellen White's writings." Adventists are a people of the Bible; first.

 

[TheOmegaMan19]

Regarding item #3, The Clear Word, although the title says "Bible;" actually is not a Bible. it is simply a paraphrase of the Bible so it's easy for some to fall into the trap of just calling it a Bible. Most of it is very accurate and enlightening, but it just is not a Bible.

Regarding #4, your comment re verifying "through Ellen White's writings and the Bible;" is backwards, and gives people the wrong impression. You should have said we need to verify our information "through the Bible and Ellen White's writings." Adventists are a people of the Bible; first.

Regarding #3 - Ok, I see. Yeah, that style wouldn't be my cup of tea.

Regarding #4 - Thanks for the catch. It wasn't intended to be an order of importance or anything, but nonetheless, I still commend you for pointing that out. Yes, the bible definitely is the first book to grab.