They will know we are Christians by our love?  (Quote) Janelle, I …

Comment on New Adventist president envisions a church marked by prayer, revival by JohnB.

They will know we are Christians by our love?  (Quote)

Janelle, I absolutely agree with you, which is why Romans 13:10 is so applicable where it says that “love is the fulfilling of the law.” In other words, we’ll be known by our love to God and our fellow man, which will be dispersed throughout all of our acts in obedience. It is isn’t a mere formalism or legalism. It is the true and Everlasting Gospel, where God writes His law on our hearts, and then our obedience becomes just the outworking of God’s will in our lives. (But, it is obedience nonetheless).

JohnB Also Commented

New Adventist president envisions a church marked by prayer, revival
I agree wtih Pastor Wilson that we need to seek revival with prayer, but I would also like to note that it seems to me that God will refuse to listen to the unrepentant. Repentance, as we should all know is a sorrow for and turning from our sins (and true repentance is a gift to us from God–i.e. we can’t do it ourselves), and it seems like as a corporate institution we are still insisting on continuing our rebelliousness and disobedience, so how do we think we are going to have God listen to us?

As a church, we were specifically instructed to NOT concentrate our resources in small areas, but be as leaven that mingles with all the flour. Yet, in spite of this, we have our Adventist ghettos located in various cities throughout the country and throughout the world (not to step on any toes here, but for instance, Loma Linda).

In addition, we have been instructed to work the cities from rural outposts, yet where do you see this instruction being followed? (It is very rarely followed!)

I think emergency medicine is great, and indeed it is irreplaceable in a trauma situation. Yet, as a church, we have invaluable light on treatments that could be given for a fraction of the cost to treat the poor and sick, and in the mean-time be a real light that shines in this darkness of a sin-filled world (lifestyle treatments, and natural treatments including hydrotherapy, etc.). But have we followed the instruction given to us on this? Generally NO!

Our publishing houses were intended to be a means to distribute our literature throughout the world like the “leaves of autumn” and we have several of them that are world class institutions. I would think it the mission of these places to so cover the globe with our literature that there was no place that didn’t have any. Have we done that? NO! In fact, private ministry’s (for instance Light Bearer’s Ministry, in Oregon) have taken it upon themselves to publish literature by the shipping container full, and ship it to places around the world at no cost at all to the receiver. It is all accomplished by people supporting that ministry (If you really want to help God’s work move forward, support them!!!!). So, why haven’t our established publishing houses done the same?

We have a work (throughout the Church) that is being administered by ‘businessmen’ and while there is the need for accountability, there is also the need for a Holy vision and sacrifice. Mrs. White said something to the effect that our work begun in sacrifice, will also end in sacrifice. If we really want to see Jesus come, we all need to do our own part, and yes, this may include significant self-sacrifice. Remembering the poor widow and her two mites, how many of us have given of our dire want, and not merely of our abundance?

Going back to Pastor Wilson. I think it is important to proceed with prayer seeking a revival, but we also need to be obedient to the instruction that has already been given to us. If we aren’t obedient to what has already been told us, we can have no expectation of new light, or new outpourings of God’s Spirit.

God requires us to follow the light already given, and as a church, we are not doing that. No revival will come without having a reformation first. To expect anything less is mere folly.


Recent Comments by JohnB

The Heroic Crusade Redux

Professor Kent: Informed Seventh-day Adventists are well aware that the world of science rejects a supernatural creation, yet the vast majority still believe. You should not mock their faith.

Au, Contraire Monsieur professeur, it was no mockery of faith, but merely a statement that there is room in this discussion for both faith AND evidence, and also we should not demonize Dr. Pitman for presenting the evidence!

Perhaps you would see that if you re-read again what the good Doctor wrote?

Certainly within this body of believers there is room for both faith And evidence in this discussion, and as Dr. Kime suggests, we would do well to combine them both.

For any of us to attempt to cause needless division by distorting that point is in fact the real mockery here. It should be completely below any and all of us to engage in such tactics.


WASC Reviews LSU’s Accreditation

Ron: Don’t forget that Mrs. White implied that we would have to change some of our fundamental beliefs as truth progresses.

Ron, I think what you are implying is a very serious mis-reading of what she said and implied.

Also, how do you know she wasn’t addressing that to folks such as yourself that apparently don’t believe in the authority of Scripture? Maybe she was implying that you needed to come into closer harmony with Scripture?

I might remind you briefly of Proverbs 16:25 which says that “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

What I say doesn’t matter. What you say doesn’t matter. If either one of us is in rebellion against God, it won’t end well for for the one(s) in rebellion.
We might all do well to always remember that.


WASC Reviews LSU’s Accreditation
@Ron:
“I think WASC should be commended for defending religious freedom within our schools. I am still mystified how the church can claim to believe in religious freedom and persecute their teachers”

Ron, the issue is not one of religious freedom. Each of these teachers is free to think and believe what they want to. I have absolutely no problem with that, and would most rigorously defend that right. However, they don’t have a right to sabotage their employer, which is LSU, and by extension, the Adventist Church at large.
Having a secret agenda (and pushing that agenda) which counters the beliefs of the church cannot be anything more or less than sabotage.
Everyone must be aware of his/her influence, and especially people in positions of authority. Officials at a school always represent the school, and if they don’t want that responsibility (or can’t handle that responsibility) then they should not accept that responsibility. It is very appropriate to ask them to resign if they cannot properly represent the school.


WASC Reviews LSU’s Accreditation
I wish the leadership of our church would disavow all WASC and the like accreditations, and do self-accreditations instead. THAT would give the school TRUE autonomy.


The Metamorphosis of La Sierra University: an eye-witness account
It seems that ‘Conspire’ is more of an underhanded move by some in an unofficial capacity, while ‘ally’ is more of a sanctioned behavior. The difference between the two is primarily the one action being an allowed official behavior, while the other is a subversive behavior in rebellion to or against officially accepted behavior. In this context, ‘conspire’ is the correct word.

When I read the eyewitness account, I was struck by the similarity to the story of the rebellion in heaven, when Satan conspired against the government of heaven to ‘free’ its inhabitants from the ‘constraints’ of God’s Law. Revelation 12:7,8,9 goes on to say that “…there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out….”

In heaven, the ‘dragon’ and his angels were cast out. Will that happen at LSU? Only time will tell.

I think a battle is still brewing over this (with LSU) which will become more intense if the church does take a definite stand (which it should). We should all be prepared for it, because it will likely get pretty ugly.

As in heaven, so with LSU: Each person will have to take a stand. Each will have to take sides. These ‘conspirators’ are more out in the open now. They have prepared for battle, and I don’t think they have any intent of coming under the direction of or submitting to the control of the board (if it isn’t also compromised), nor of the church at large. They feel in control, and they aren’t going to back down. LSU as an Adventist university may be a lost cause.

Again, the similarities to the rebellion in heaven seem glaringly obvious. The words spoken by the prophet Samual to King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:23 seem applicable here too: “For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee….”