Were Adventist fail or do wrong.

[reddogs]

In my opinion Adventist have been treating other Christians as second class citizens because they are not part of the "remnant". They taken pride and put a chip on their shoulder for being part of the Laodicean Church of Revelation. This is wrong, we should share the light and let others see the full understanding of God and his truth and give them a helping hand with what we have, not hide it under a bushel and show the wrong attitude or spirit of love. Many have attacked Adventist for this belief and tried to wipe out the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy by attacking the source, but yet it still stands. God is keeping it under his protection for a purpose, and I believe that it is to give light for those who believe in the time of the end.

I read a great piece on this in the Adventist Review, here is a part of it by ROGER W. COON that came out on Adventist being the remnant and its characteristics:

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]..."Seventh-day Adventists, since their earliest days, have held that they are the corporate fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy in Joel 2:28-32, which links an end-time prophetic bestowal of the prophetic gift with a "remnant [people] whom the Lord shall call."[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]The New Testament counterpart of this prediction of a "remnant" is found in Revelation 12:17, where God's special people in "the time of the end" are identified by two chief characteristics:[/FONT] [FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica](1.) the keeping of all of the commandments of God—including the fourth, which calls for observance of the seventh-day Sabbath; and (2.) the restoration of the prophetic gift."....[/FONT]

 

[capnator]

Luk 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to [our] father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

 

[reddogs]

So if we have discovered these truths, (and dont just say "We have Abraham to [our] father") what are we to do to show others who may fight against it or that might not believe and still live our life in harmony with God? Since Jesus is the way the truth and the life, obviously our actions must be determined by His revealed will. The scriptures are our guide, and through them we can learn to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. The greatest commission ever given to man is to preach the gospel to the world.

...Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not will be condemned. Mark 16:15,16


He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Mark 16:16

It is not enough to believe the gospel. One must live it.
Not everyone who saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord', shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, cast out demons in Your name, and in Thy name done many wonders?' And then I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity!' Matthew 7:21-23

Those referred to in the above passage is a class who professes faith in Jesus, they preach His name, they even profess to have done great works in the name of Jesus, but they practice iniquity. The word iniquity that is used here is translated from the Greek "anomia", which means lawlessness or transgressing the law, and transgression of the law is the only definition of sin in the Scripture.

Whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4

Obedience is the fruit of a relationship with God. Understanding the character of God, His love and care for all His creation is vital if we wish to understand the demands of the law. Those who enter into the new covenant relationship with God will wish to keep the law because they understand the principle of love embodied in the law. Obedience is better than the fat of rams, and in keeping the law there is great reward:

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making the simple wise. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandments of the Lord are pure, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether, more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. And Your servant is warned by them; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11.

It is not enough to to have a theoretical knowledge of the law or to keep it because we know it is right (this is legalism). The law must be kept from the heart, it must become part of the character, only then will we be able to reflect the love of Christ to a world in need.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock... Matthew 7:24

The believer must be brought into harmony with God's law.
...for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13

 

[capnator]

To Love God is to Obey God.. John was big on that point

However we have no hope of keeping God's law without help but there is hope! we ARE God's temple and are always in his presence, and his law is written in our hearts.

1Cr 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Cr 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1Cr 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

We are the dwelling place of the most high! once we accept the great gift of salvation God comes and dwells in us, we have been BOUGHT for a great price, we are merely custodians of God's temple. To partake of the things of this world is an insult to God, the things that we watch and think on (TV/movies/computer games etc) enter the temple of God, the places we go surround the temple......are you defiling God's temple? God warns us the outcome of defiling his temple.

1Cr 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

To think that because we have been given such great grace that we somehow have the right to walk how we please is a mistake... we are called to holiness, living a life that reflects what is in us....IE. GOD HIMSELF.

Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

 

[reddogs]

The Holy Spirit is what Christ has left us and even though we are a temple of God, if we are not touched by the grace of God and the workings of His Spirit, it is impossible to obey God and keep His requirements. There may be a theoretical keeping of the law, but without Christ this translates into a form of godliness.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8: 7,8

It is the spirit of God that enables us to live in harmony with the will of God.

In John chapter 3, verse 5 Jesus states:
...Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5 NKJV

The spirit works inwardly to transform our bent characters into characters that will reflect the character of Jesus. The water at baptism is the outward symbol of one's willingness to accept the transformation process, and this willingness is demonstrated in baptism.

Obedience to God comes as a gift from God. Both justification and sanctification are gifts which we receive through faith in the Son of God.

... not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 NIV

 

[djconklin]

>In my opinion Adventist have been treating other Christians as second class citizens because they are not part of the "remnant".

Hmmm, in my hometown church we were explicitly told that there will be more people from other denominations in heaven than from ours because they were living up to the light they knew while we weren't!

>if we are not touched by the grace of God and the workings of His Spirit, it is impossible to obey God and keep His requirements. ...

The spirit works inwardly to transform our bent characters into characters that will reflect the character of Jesus. The water at baptism is the outward symbol of one's willingness to accept the transformation process, and this willingness is demonstrated in baptism.

Obedience to God comes as a gift from God. Both justification and sanctification are gifts which we receive through faith in the Son of God.


Excellant!

 

[reddogs]

Here is some interesting comments on this I found in one of the Adventist forums:

"... Advnetists as a whole seem to be afraid to reach out to non-Christians, so they take the easier route by telling other Christians about the Sabbath as a substitute for winning souls. Not that this is wrong--it's fine. But it shouldn't be used as a substitute. On the other hand, just because that is the stereotype, it doesn't mean all Adventists are that way...."

"....I think that its important to share our belief in Jesus with everyone, Christians and non-Christians. I mean, when we love Jesus, and the more we learn from the Bible, the more we want to share it with everyone. I also think that we need to share what we learn with other SDAs too. Sometimes we think we know everything, but there's a whole lot in the Bible that we don't really study...."

So it does seem to be a known problem in many Adventist circles, we dont go around with our Bibles door to door like in the old days, we tend to just go with the nearest Christian so we dont bump into anything 'hard core' like a atheist or agnostic.

 

[capnator]

I disagree... I think the adventist church as a whole is into evangelism, I don't think many other christian denominations would be as big into it as the SDA church.

In developed countries it does seem that there are more pew warmers, however I think for most adventists evangelism would be high on the list of priorities for a christian.... even the ones not putting their faith into action.

 

[Strongcuppajoe]

I will disagree with post #7 as well. The wife and I used to be Baptists and you would think that they WOULD go out and knock on doors or hand out tracts in the malls and stores or at work etc BUT the majority of them do NOT! I have never seen any evidence of "visitations" by ANY other denomination BUT I have seen the members of the local SDA churches out and about. (that is how the wife and I became interested in joining)

 

[.chrys.]

As a "whole" the Adventist church seems to be highly interested in evangelism--at least, in the idea of evangelism. Here in the mid-western United States, it is the generation of Adventists who were born and raised in the religion that seem to do most of the evangelism. They were trained as children to go door-to-door and spread the three angels' message. Additionally, those that are new to the faith have a certain eagerness to do such cold calling. Over time, however, the eagerness wears off and pounding the pavement reverts to those who've been trained in the faith.

I have seen other denominations at my door: Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans and Baptists. I have never seen a Seventh-day Adventist, however.

~Witness

 

[Endium]

I'm not sure how Adventists compare to other denominations when it comes to evangelism. I do remember one time however when I was going door to door and hearing people say " oh there goes those jehovah's witness people." In my opinion certain groups have a reputation for evangelism more so than others.

Anyway, I think too many Adventists have the wrong idea of what it means to be Adventist. People mistakenly believe that by belonging to the Adventist church they are "in the right" or are somehow better off than others. Being an Adventist in name alone profits you nothing. Its the relationship with God that counts.

Personally I believe that in the end times the Adventist "Organization" may not even be in line with God. I believe there will be those true Adventists and others who are 100% true to God, but who knows if it will encompass the whole Adventist church. As far as I know, God never said that there will be a remnant church per se, just a remnant people.

 

[djconklin]

People mistakenly believe that by belonging to the Adventist church they are "in the right" or are somehow better off than others.

In my hometown church we were explicitly and repeatedly told that there will be more people from other denominations in heaven than there will be SDA's simply because they are living up to the light they know.

As far as I know, God never said that there will be a remnant church per se, just a remnant people.

Right on!

 

[.chrys.]

People mistakenly believe that by belonging to the Adventist church they are "in the right" or are somehow better off than others. Being an Adventist in name alone profits you nothing. Its the relationship with God that counts.

Over time, I have seen this attitude change. The younger generations are bringing in new understanding and new thought patterns. Some call it the thinking of the post-moderns. Whatever it is, it's a good thing; young Adventists are beginning to recognize the importance of a relationship with God, and turning from the "Abraham's Seed Syndrome".

~Witness

 

[OntheDL]

Over time, I have seen this attitude change. The younger generations are bringing in new understanding and new thought patterns. Some call it the thinking of the post-moderns. Whatever it is, it's a good thing; young Adventists are beginning to recognize the importance of a relationship with God, and turning from the "Abraham's Seed Syndrome".

~Witness

Are you saying the older generations or the historic/traditional adventism didn't focus on the relationship with God?

 

[.chrys.]

The Adventist church is in a transitional phase. As has the Christian church, from its inception, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever been transforming.

As a result of our varied and diverse upbringing, each individual has something unique and wonderful to contribute to the church. As a body, the church is experiencing the pull toward building and developing closer relationships with Christ. It is a pull being driven by the collective mind of the masses seeking an even closer walk with the Lord.

Is this not something you've experienced?

~Witness

 

[Jon0388g]

Personally I believe that in the end times the Adventist "Organization" may not even be in line with God.

Me too. I believe the Adventist church itself will feel the full force of Satan's attack in the future, and will fall in some way or another.

The Bible says there will be a remnant people. Not Church. The SDA church will stray just as Israel did.

Jon