The Adventist Raison D’être

The Adventist Raison D’êtreDisappointment or Misunderstanding? Do Seventh-day Adventists have a reason to exist? A unique brand proposition? Just another flavor on the religion buffet? Its October 23rd....Describe the last few months… (In 1844) –some of us have retired, quit our jobs, talk of the end of the world…. 177 years ago today… Ascension rock – The Miller Farm –  Those Millerite – Adventists - thought they had it all figured out…all the prophecies  They asked the question “Do we have a reason to exist”?…We should ask that same question 177 years later… They slowly but surely realized they missed something…learned new things, came from their different religious perspectives – Baptists, catholics, presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and more to become the Sabbath keeping movement of Christians who beleved in an immiment second coming. Today interestingly enough in a recent global church survey – the MAJORITY of Seventh-day Adventists reported that they do not believe in an immiment second coming and that its at least 2 decades into the future. In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention. 9T 19.1The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God's people are to be true to the trust committed to them. …. 9T 19.2 1st and 2nd Angels Message…. Read them – Revelation 14 – Give original interpretation 3rd – Read it – they didn’t understand this really  God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the mighty cleaver of truth, the messages of the first, second, and third angels, He has separated them from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time. Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world. The three angels of Revelation 14 represent the people who accept the light of God's messages and go forth as His agents to sound the warning throughout the length and breadth of the earth. Christ declares to His followers: “Ye are the light of the world.” To every soul that accepts Jesus the cross of Calvary speaks: “Behold the worth of the soul: ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.’” Nothing is to be permitted to hinder this work. It is the all-important work for time; it is to be far-reaching as eternity. The love that Jesus manifested for the souls of men in the sacrifice which He made for their redemption, will actuate all His followers. 5T 455.2 But what do these messages mean in yours and my life today? In 2021?  They were asking those same questions a few years after 1844. Caught in a civil war, the dawn of the electric grid, transportation was changing with flight and something called an automobile…. 1st and 2nd Messages – Explanation for today  3rd…what???? What does this really mean for us today? They began to seek to interpret it Several have written to me, inquiring if the message of justification by faith is the third angel’s message, and I have answered, “It is the third angel’s message in verity.”—The Review and Herald, April 1, 1890.  What is justification by faith? It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself. None but God can subdue the pride of man’s heart. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot regenerate ourselves. In the heavenly courts there will be no song sung, To me that loved myself, and washed myself, redeemed myself, unto me be glory and honor, blessing and praise. But this is the keynote of the song that is sung by many here in this world. They do not know what it means to be meek and lowly in heart; and they do not mean to know this, if they can avoid it. —Special Testimonies to Ministers and Workers, Series A, 9:61 (1897). – {TM 456] SUMMARY!!!   THIS IS WHY WE EXIST!!!!! God’s is working to lay the glory of man in the dust, and then do for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself—-in order to prepare a people to stand true to Him during the investigative judgment. But the years went by and Jesus did not come… They began to ask questions as to why not…then James White and others started to believe that the Protestant church that truly desired to hold to scripture….had lost its way and was foretold in Revelation 3 – they began to see themselves as guilty of being the church of Laodicea Revelation 3…. Read it  The gold is faith and love,  the white raiment is the righteousness of Christ,  the eyesalve is that spiritual discernment which will enable you to see the wiles of Satan and shun them, to detect sin and abhor it, to see truth and obey it. – {5T 233.2}—————— What does Revelation 3 teach us today?  1 – Faith is having confidence in God and His word – do we reveal that today? Second part - Show Unselfish Love to Others – this is done in different ways…not all the same  2- give people reason to believe God makes your life better than it would be without Him. This is your testimony. give reason for people to have more confidence in God. Give God the glory by sharing how you were lost and mean and prideful and now found and loving. His life is your ideal and you seek for Him to live through you by keeping your eyes on Him.  3- share what makes your life abundant. How Jesus, His example and promptings inspire you to live differently. That His ways are better than your ways. But that still the struggle continues.. Learn to love all that convicts you as truth. Seek to love truth and share it. Learn to hate selfishness and all that doesn’t lead to peace and love and joy.  3rd Angel’s message and the message to Laodicea are really apart of the same message -This warning message is a practical message  "Sanctification consists in the cheerful performance of daily duties in perfect obedience to the will of God.  But many Christians are waiting for some great work to be brought to them. Because they cannot find a place large enough to satisfy their ambition, they fail to perform faithfully the common duties of life. These seem to them uninteresting. Day by day they let slip opportunities for showing their faithfulness to God. While they are waiting for some great work, life passes away, its purposes unfulfilled, its work unaccomplished." COL 360  So why are we still here all these years later? That answer would come to realization as that first generation of Adventists were going to sleep not having seen the promise of Jesus coming in their life. Late 1800’s…. they would writeUnless the church, which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be converted, she will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor (detest, hate, despise) herself.  - 8T 250 Question for those of you who have been an Adventist for a long time….has this message – this movement, this faith - made your life better? Has it made you better? Would your friends and family agree that day by day, year by year, you become better and better, more and more kind,  more and more friendly, more and more unselfish, more and more giving and generous?  To those who may be new, or considering this faith, this movement – the mission statement, the vision statement, the reason for the movements existence is to tell all the world by word….but mostly by action that God is as good as Scripture says He is but to not take our word for it, but to watch God humble us, watch the selfishness that comes natural to us be replaced by a love that is often foreign to us.  Adventism will only complete its mission when this world…and the onlooking worlds can say – Wow, look what God has done…look at the most degraded, degenerate generation of the human race…and look how God has found the lost, given them eyes to see their true condition and how they Give God the credit for transforming their lives…how they overcome pride and sin and selfishness by the blood of the Lamb…and that now unlike any generation in history – they have a testimony for all the world to hear and see.  When this happens – this grand humbling of an entire movement - When God lays the glory of man in the dust, and does for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself.  And If this is to happen individually then I believe like ancient Israel it will happen to the Advent Movement as a whole – as well. In that moment, if Adventists have gloried in their educational system, their healthcare system, their religious system…God will help lay it in the dust in order to reveal his glory and His power.  When this happens --Then His work for us …and His work in us will be accomplished…Then and only then will the great controversy end and Jesus will come to claim us as His own.  If you’re an Adventist today and don’t think this describes your current experience and you want God to do for you what it is not in your power to do for yourself –- I’d like to invite you to stand.  If you’re not yet an Adventist but want to experience God working in your life like never before, I want to invite you to stand and pray with me.   
Newsletter Link - Click HereWatch Videos - Click Here