Sabbath Pulpit's Reflection on the Life of Samuel Bacchiocchi

It is with sadness that I report what many of you already know that Dr. Samuel Bachiocchi has died. Dr. Bacchiocchi was an interesting scholar, his writings were not confined to the libraries of the academically gifted, but was taken to common people. Certainly his writings were not "dumbed-down," but they were accessible to many.

I have the four volumes on the Sabbath in my library and refer to them often. Reading his book Divine Rest for Human Restlessness was the beginning of my thinking of the Sabbath along these theological lines. His book Advent hope for Human Restlessness and the book on Hal Lindsey's prophecies helped me to think about the end times in terms of more than just end time speculation and waiting for doomsday. I can't say that I always agreed with him, but I can say that I was always challenged by him to think Biblically and more deeply about the subject. My MP3 player right now has all of his available MP3s. I love to listen to his energy and enthusiasm.

But more than theologically, Dr. Bacchoicchi has challenged me in that while he was a professor at Andrews University, he still had his independent publishing ministry that was not beholden to anyone. I appreciate his willingness to step outside of the "regular lines" and thus provide a model for some of us younger ministers to follow.

My life has been enriched by my tangential acquaintance with him largely through his materials. I give my condolences to the family and I pray that God will protect the ashes of this man until the return of the Lifegiver.

Help from our High Priest

When one finds oneself in the depths of a temptation that is almost overpowering. And the enemy assails you, you ask Jesus for help. However when you ask Jesus for help you do it with a few things firmly in mind. First you ask for help knowing that Jesus Understands the plight of your soul for Jesus decided to place himself in the depths of human woe. It would have been an infinite humiliation for Jesus to come as Adam in the garden, but Jesus decided to take on the seed of Abraham so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest. (Hebrews 2:16-17).

Second you ask for help knowing that Jesus can help you in the problem you are dealing with. But more than taking on the seed of Abraham, Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). We can say with all assurance that Jesus Understand not just by omniscience, but by experience the depths of temptation for he was tempted and therefore he can be merciful and faithful (Hebrews 2:18).

So when temptation assails us, we can go to Jesus and call out to him. And when we call on Jesus, we can know we have a faithful and merciful High Priest listening. And that High Priest knows exactly how much strength is needed to overcome the temptation. That High Priest knows exactly how much grace we need. And thus we can boldy come to the throne of grace to obtain the mercy (Hebrews 4:16) that our brother (Jesus is not ashamed to call us Brethren Hebrews 2:11) will give us. And then after God gives us the grace that is needed to overcome, then Jesus puts on a little more extra grace for where sin abounds, grace much more abounds (Romans 5:20). And then we can sing the song with James Cleveland "Victory Shall be Mine."

Three Views on the Sabbath

I was reading Dr. Bacchiocchi's book The Sabbath in the New Testament: answers to questions. In the first chapter Dr. Bacchiochi presents three understandings of the Sabbath's relation to the New Testament which serves as a backdrop for this whole presentation.

Abrogation View

Certainly we as Sabbatarians have heard this view. The understanding is that the Sabbath of the Old Testament was removed at the cross of Jesus Christ. The view rests on the belief that there is a "radical discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments."

Throughout history Martin Luther, Anabaptists, leftist Puritans, Quakers, Mennonites, Hutterites, and many antinomian denominations have all held to this view according to Bacchiocchi.

The basic problem is that the view rests on an assumption of a radical break between the Old and the New Testament. The basic question is, was the break between Judaism and Christianity as clean as this view would have us to believe? There are many who would argue that Judaism and Christianity were not two religions at that time, but the Christians were simply "Jews who Believed in Jesus Christ." The idea of a radical break does not seem to be the view of the New Testament or early Christian history. We will come back to this in later posts.

Transference View

The next view is the transference view. This is the understanding that there is truly continuity between the Old and New Testament, and thus the Sabbath commandment still has relevance and validity for contemporary Christians.

However, proponents of this view state that the ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath commandment have been done away with. In this view the moral aspect of the commandment is in the principle of "one day in seven" while particularly the "seventh day" is a ceremonial aspect pointing back that was abrograted. St. Thomas Aquinas taught this moral-ceremonial distinction.

John Calvin, according to Bacchiocchi, clarified this understanding by stating that the moral aspect is the function of the day which was to allow God to "work in us, provide time for church services, and to protect dependent workers."

This view is largely held by those in the Reformed tradition like Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and English Puritans. You can find my own critique of a presentation by T. D. Jakes where he takes a view like this one.

The basic problem here is that it rests on an artificial distinction between moral and ceremonial aspects of the Sabbath. In short the Sabbath is never talked about in such terms. One would not be able to find this distinction taught in the scriptures themselves.

Permanence of the Sabbath View

Bacchiochi's (and my) position is that the New Testament does not nullify the Sabbath, but clarifies the Sabbath. As I continue to look at this book I will discuss more of what Bacchiocchi means by that.

Conclusion

The Sabbath is even today still in great dispute. I think some sort of classification scheme is necessary to understand different perspectives on the Sabbath. I am going to think about this scheme a little more especially in light of the "New Covenant Christian" argument against the validity of Sabbath keeping for contemporary Christians.

Be that as it may, Bacchiocchi distills a ton of information in this short chapter of this important work.

Sanctuary Message Pitfalls

A few years ago, an elder presented a series of studies on the Sanctuary to a church that I was visiting. In this particular presentation, the elder attempted to provide a synopsis of the Sanctuary message. In that presentation the elder decided to take a "celestial geography" approach to the Sanctuary message and went on and on about each piece of the sanctuary.

The elder described the table of shewbread and said that it represented Jesus as the bread of life. He continued and described the 7 branched candlestick and noted that Jesus was the light of the world. He finally talked about about the ark of the covenant and decided to ask the people if it represented Jesus' or the Father's throne. Finally, a middle aged woman asked a simple question, "What does this have to do with my salvation?" The elder never answered the question. He simply kept talking about arcane facts related to the pieces of the Sanctuary.

Just the Furniture

Most don't even begin to look at the subject, but many of those that do fall into one of a few traps. That elder fell into one of the common pitfalls that make the Sanctuary message irrelevant. Please note, the elder attempted to be "Christ-centered" in that the arcane facts were about Christ, but the message was not connected to humanity in any real way. The elder never tried to answer the question "so what." And then when the woman asked him "so what" he acted like he never even considered the question. Even if you are talking about Christ, you may even consider it to be "Christ Centered," but if it has no importance to daily living it becomes something that may be interesting to my head, but irrelevant for my feet or how I walk....

This is not to say that architecture is irrelevant, however I do question using a presentation on celestial architecture when you are attempting to introduce people to the essentials of that message.

Calculation Only?

Another pitfall that seeks to separate the Sanctuary message from human living is the one that makes it only about a mathematical calculation. There are some preachers who only talk about the sanctuary in terms of mathematics and thus people lose the connection to daily living. I do not wish to diminish the calculation, but simply going to Daniel 7 to demonstrate that the judgment takes place after 1798, and then moving to Daniel 8-9 to find a starting and ending point for the judgment still leaves us questioning "so what."

Judgment Only

Another component that is common is to only teach the judgment. And this judgment takes one of two forms. One is a scary "your name may come up tonight" kind of idea. Here the judgment is something you better be ready or else. Another approach is for the judgment to be an innocuous declaration of our salvation that we should spend no time worrying about. In the innocuous version we have an irrelevant appendage that does nothing for the gospel and in the other we have a fearful "get ready" command without any added help in the getting ready. In both cases we have the help missing.

Cleansing the Missing Component

While it was a strong component of our teaching by the pioneers, we have lost the cleansing aspect that was in the type and described in Leviticus 16:30. We have lost the cleansing on earth that is to correspond with the cleansing in the heavens.

Here is relevance. Now some would argue that it is not Biblical. Some may argue that it is not true, but no one will argue that it is irrelevant like the toothless declaration that you are saved only judgment or the mathematical calculation alone.

Conclusion

In short, the Sanctuary Message must be Christ centered, for that is the only place for power, in addition it must retain this connection to humanity, this cleansing of the world in preparation for the second advent of Jesus Christ. The Great High Priest in heaven is seeking to forgive and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, it is our job to work with Jesus in this great work.

Thou art the Man

So it is written in 2 Samuel 12:7. Nathan, the Prophet, had to inform King David that he was guilty of that very thing that incensed him when others did it. The other day I heard about a man who was obviously in the wrong and yet he accused his accusers of treating him incorrectly. While it is certainly possible that he was treated incorrectly on some level, it is amazing the ability of us human beings to notice slight wrong done by others and magnify that wrong, while at the same time minimize our own issues and problems.

Why Do We Hold Others to a Higher Standard?

What is it about us that makes many hold others to a higher standard than we hold ourselves? Part of it may be that we can rationalize our misdeeds because we know the full story. We know of our need for the money so we understand our taking it. We know we deserve the job for we cut corners to obtain it. We know we deserve the promotion so we do whatever it takes to get it including undermining others who we deem deserve it less...And yet at the same time, we don't use any such criteria to judge others.

Am I Guilty of the Same Thing?

Because I have seen this over and over again, I begin to wonder if I am guilty of the same thing? Am I guilty of the very thing that I accuse others of? Jesus said it best when he condemned some for straining at gnats while swallowing camels. The more camels you swallow the easier it becomes...Soon you make the camels gnats and the gnats camels.

Lord help us accept the eye salve that we may see. (Rev 3:18)

Sabbath and Creation/Redemption

The website 1888 Most Precious Message has posted an article by E. J. Waggoner titled "The Object of the Sabbath." In it Dr. Waggoner makes the following statement:

The Sabbath is the memorial of creation, but redemption is creation. David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart." Psalm 51:1. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Corinthians 5:17. The gospel "is the power of God unto salvation," (Romans 1:16), and the power of God is seen only in the things that he has made. Verse 29. So the power of the gospel is the power that created the worlds. Therefore, the Sabbath, in commemoration of creation, makes known to man the power of God to save from sin. As it calls to remembrance the power of God as shown in the works of his hands, it reminds us of the words of the apostle: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10

Creation and Redemption's Connection

This statement deserves contemplation. The connection between redemption and creation is an important one. When God seeks to do something with humanity, God is not simply doing a renovation project, God is engaging in creation. God has to begin again as in the original creation. God starts over and creates in us that which is not there. The only real way to understand or see this power of God to do something with us is to look at the creation. Look at how God can take nothing and make something. And to do that we need to look at the works of God's hands.

God Making a Way

I think it is interesting that just as what God does in us through creation, God does things for us through creation. When the old folks used to say, "God can make a way out of no way," they were simply saying that the creative power of God will be used to make ways where they were not before. All this is simply to say that when we speak of miracles, we are simply talking about the creative power of God, when we speak of hope in hopelessness, we are simply depending on God's ability to create.

Remembering the Sabbath

And the only mechanism that God has given us to celebrate this creative power is the Sabbath. God has called us to remember the Sabbath so that we can remember this power that does things in us and for us and through us. God calls us to remember the Sabbath so that we can let the world know that God "can-do..." And we as a people have been called to remind the world of this fact. If it had not been for the creative power of God where would we be? If it had not been for the creative power of God I would be nothing! If it had not been for the creative power of God, I wouldn't have any hope. This is why the first angel in Revelation 14:6-7 seeks to remind humanity of creation. And one day we as a people will proclaim this message "more fully."

Mega Church or Mini Church?

A while ago I ran a poll asking what size church did you prefer. The majority chose a church between 1 and 350.

Interestingly the Adventist Review has a discussion of very small "house" churches. Many leaders see this as more in line with the Biblical idea of church than what the church is doing today.

Celebrating Consumption

Brad Cecil argues that many churches today are "celebrating the idea that people show up and consume their sermons, songs, and ministries." Cecil argues that consumption is not transformative. In contrast the smaller churches change people by building relationships.

Small Groups or Small Churches?

This is interesting to me in that many of these larger churches are agreeing that the larger church is less transformative because of a lack of relationships. Many of these churches are trying to institute "small groups" so that they can have a "small" component to their church and presumably touch more people on a deeper level. I have seen larger churches institute this kind of thing with varying degrees of success.

However this movement towards small groups begs the question, if being small is what is desired, why not just go small totally and split up these big churches into a number of smaller ones? Instead of attempting to manufacture smallness in a large church which is very difficult to do, why not just have small churches?

On another note, is this a problem of the "consumption" mentality that the article states is in many of the churches? Is a smaller church a check against this? Can the smaller church have the same mentality? Many questions...What do you think?

Exodus 16:21-26 - Don't Gather on that Day

Exodus 16:21-26

To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD

It is sometimes argued that the Sabbath was instituted at Sinai, but here is unequivocal Biblical evidence that the Sabbath was instituted before the commandments were given. As we have noted, it was instituted at creation itself.

God rained a regular portion of bread from heaven on 5 days. The children of Israel were to gather it to eat, but on the 6th day they were to gather a double portion to experience on the 6th day and the 7th day. They were then to prepare for the 7th day. This was a day that they did not have to gather but simply enjoy the bread that was gathered and prepared on the 6th day.

bake that which which ye will bake to day, and seethe that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

The Sabbath was not meant for the same activities as other days. It was meant to be a day where you set these activities aside so that you can do other things that you normally would not be able to do. There is nothing wrong with baking or seething, but there is something wrong with anything that takes you from you Sabbath Purpose.

In this text, God is graciously providing a mechanism for the children of Israel to get ready for the day so that the gathering of bread, even though there is nothing wrong with that, will not deter us from the blessing of the Sabbath.

How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

Some instead of gathering the double portion on the 6th day waited till Sabbath to gather the food. They ended up missing the food that was provided on the day before. When God gives a blessing on the 6th day that is meant to be enjoyed on the Sabbath day, you can't attempt to get the blessing on the Sabbath and enjoy it on the Sabbath as well. God has provided for our tomorrow blessing today, but we must work to gather the double portion today so that we can enjoy the Sabbath blessing tomorrow. There are many people who are waiting to gather the Sabbath blessing on the Sabbath.

Summary

God provided the blessing of the Sabbath in this scripture in two ways. First God rained a double blessing of bread on the 6th day. They were to gather that double blessing and prepare it not only for the 6th day, but also for the 7th day. Then God protected the bread so that it would last through the 6th and 7th days. The blessing of bread that was meant for the Sabbath blessing would not be ruined by time, what God meant for the Sabbath would be there for the taking on the Sabbath.

God graciously provided one day where they would not have to worry about gathering. Why do we choose to labor when we do not have to? Perhaps we didn't do the double gathering on the sixth day. Or maybe we don't trust the double blessing of God on the Sabbath. Whatever the case, today we can begin celebrating the good news of God provided rest.

Sanctuary Power

May God send you help from the sanctuary...Psalm 20:2

Psalm 20 is a prayer for God to help someone else. The writer states many petitions for the hearer like: May God answer you in your trouble, May God protect you, May God remember all of your offerings, and here, may God help you from the sanctuary. As I think about this the startling conclusion comes that the sanctuary is not normally thought of much at all,and when it is through of, it is not seen in the context of Help coming from there.

Minutia diminishes the Big Picture

I know many members of the Second Advent Movement cringe when an Elder or minister gives a seminar on the Sanctuary. Sometimes it becomes a discussion of the color of the cloth that was used in the ancient service. Sometimes it becomes an intricate discussion of ancient religious choreography that outlines the priest's steps as he performed his duties. Most of us have heard presentations that were simply mathematical calculations that only sought to demonstrate that 1844 was the year on which the "cleansing" found in Daniel 8 began. And finally you may have heard of architectural descriptions of the celestial realities as someone delineates each piece of furniture and its connection to Jesus Christ. Each of these approaches can easily help us lose the forest while looking at trees.

What is the Sanctuary at Core?

While each of those other approaches have their place, we can never lose sight of the fact that deliverance comes from the Sanctuary. Our hope is in the Sanctuary. Salvation is in the Sanctuary. The conclusion of the Great Controversy is delineated in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is where God puts together God's plans to lead the earth to its conclusion. So, the next time someone speaks about the Sanctuary or the Sanctuary message, before you think about mathematical calculations, choreography, or architecture, just think about it being the place from which God sends help to God's people and try to understand it within that context. Perhaps then you will have a stronger understanding of the the architecture, choreography, and calculations.

The Sabbath - Participation in the Coming Kingdom

On the Sabbath we are free to live in the coming Kingdom rather than being constrained by the current one. On that day we lay aside all that will stand in the way of living in the Kingdom of God. This will require knowledge of what the Kingdom of God truly is. To live in this day correctly one must contemplate God's intention for humanity and the world. The Sabbath reminds us that creation is a good resource to look at how the coming Kingdom will look for the Bible tells us that the Sabbath memorializes that event. In addition Revelation 14 reminds us that to fight the great beasts of the end time we must worship the God who made the world. This contemplation of creation and how things "could" be different and how things "should" be different is subversive to the present world. We learn that things do not have to be as they are. We learn this because we have contemplated it, and more than this we know it because we have participated in it by living in the coming kingdom.

A Sabbath keeping church must spend some time in reflection of how the coming kingdom will look and thus be able to live in that kingdom every week. We cannot live in the new kingdom without knowing how the kingdom will look. Something is wrong when we perpetuate the worst parts of the present evil world even on the Sabbath. Something is wrong when God has given us this gift to live in the coming Kingdom and we live it just as we live every other day. We continue to make differences between people based on class. We treat the rich tithe payer as of more importance than the poor one. Something is wrong when God has given us this gift to live in the coming Kingdom and we perpetuate the worst of the present order by placing the fight for justice on the same level as the fight for injustice (I once heard a Sabbath School teacher say that the NAACP was the exact same thing as the KKK). Something is wrong when we take principles of injustice and inequality with us into the Sabbath when according to the Bible ALL rich, poor, slave, free, male and female were nothing but simply "resters" on that day.

But thanks be to God, we may not have kept the Sabbath correctly and participated in the Coming Kingdom, but another Sabbath is coming...And God calls us to "Remember the Sabbath day...."

Genesis 2:1-3 - Blessed, Rested, and Sanctified

Genesis 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

The first chapter of Genesis provides a fitting backdrop for the institution of the Sabbath day. Here the scripture tells us that the containers were finished (heavens and the earth) and the inhabitants of the containers were finished (host of them). It is then that the Sabbath is created.

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made

God "finished" God's work or "ended" God's work on the Sabbath. Here God created something very valuable on the Sabbath, God created rest. We cannot be forever judged by what we do. We cannot forever place ourselves on the treadmill of mindless acquisition of resources. No if God can end God's work then certainly we can end ours.

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it

God rested, blessed, and sanctified the Sabbath on that first Sabbath. No other day in the history of mankind has been identified as being rested, blessed, and sanctified. Sanctification means to set aside for holy use. God has sanctified that day for a purpose. That purpose is to create a sanctified people. God blessed that day for a purpose, to create a blessed people. And God rested on that day for a purpose, to create a people that understand and appropriate the benefits of rest.

This is key, what God does to the Sabbath, God wants to do to humanity. God wants to bless us. God wants to sanctify us, and God wants us to rest.

In addition, God wants us to follow God's lead and be a vehicle for the blessing of the Sabbath to come to others. Thus we should bless humanity in our Sabbathkeeping. We should be a means of the sanctification of humanity in our Sabbathkeeping, and finally, we must provide means for significant and meaningful rest to humanity.

be­cause that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Why was the Sabbath created? The Sabbath is God's creation because God had created and God rested. We participate in and experience the Sabbath, but it is ultimately God's Sabbath. The Sabbath is ours by gift, God has given it to us. The Sabbath was given to us by God who is the ultimate owner the one who created and rested.

Another Sabbath to Keep

As we encounter another Sabbath day, I encourage you once again to keep the Sabbath as a day to set aside the things of this side of the Jordan so that you can more fully interact with family, community, and God. When we do this, we can truly begin to see the other side and more fully partake of the blessings of eternity.

The Perspective of Eternity

It is on the Sabbath day that we are to look at the world from the perspective not of one who is daily battling with the foes and constraints of today, but one whose vision includes an eternal frame that will change us as we pick up the mantle of working upon the first day of the week.

The Sabbath is truly the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God into human existence. All too often the cares of today push out this vision of eternity. The test we have to take, the paper we have to finish, the sermon we have to preach, the sick we have to visit, the meeting we have to attend, and simply the work we have to do, all push out the vision of the Sabbath. We allow all of these pressing concerns to rob us of Sabbath. It is as if we think we are going to miss something. If we are not keeping up, if we are not attending to our Instant Messager, cell phone, television, radio, and/or beeper, we will miss something that we need.

Setting aside Busyness

However, God has given us a 24 hour piece of eternity where we are taught to place our hope and trust in the eternal God. What a blessing God has given to us, and the only requirement to experience that blessing is for us to lay aside our symbols of "busyness" on the 6th day. I praise God for the day, and I pray that this week I will truly keep it.

Walking through the Open Door

I probably spend too much time wondering about what's behind many closed doors. I wonder if the closed door hides something that would be a blessing to me. You know what I'm talking bout. What is the closed door? It may be the school that hasn't accepted you for admission but you still want to apply for the fifth time. What is the closed door? It may be that special someone who has made it clear that there is no future between the two of you. What is the closed door? It may be on the job where the promotion that you desperately wanted eludes you.

But more than this, we see the same doors open to others who seemingly have have less talent then we have. We wonder if they are smarter than they look, but it seems like they have less brains than we have. Finally, we note that they have less ability and experience than we have. It can hurt to see the closed doors to us being opened to someone else. It can be draining and sometimes it feels like we are mostly banging our heads against closed doors.

Closed Doors are Blessings

But as we think on this subject we must recognize that closed doors are blessings. Humanity can't do all that we want to do. We are limited and finite. We can't do everything. Closed doors can help us determine what is really important to us and what is not important. If every door was opened we might simply go into the first open door without doing the real work of determining who we are and where we should be.

Closed Doors help us Determine God's Will

Closed doors also push us to determine what is God's will. Many of us would almost blindly walk through all the doors if they all stood open. It is a blessing that God sometimes closes doors that we shouldn't enter. It is a blessing when God shuts a door. That door may not have taken you to the place that God wants you to be at. Yes, God closes doors and it helps us to really agonize with God over what is God's will for us.

In addition, closed doors can help us appreciate the open door when it comes. If all the doors were opened we wouldn't fully appreciate the great blessing of an open door.

God told the church of Philadelphia that God has set before them an open door. Yes closed doors are a blessing, but a God given open door is the greatest blessing. My call to you today is to stop fretting over the closed doors and walk on through the open door that God has placed in front of us.

Following Jesus into the Holiest

The early Adventists saw in this a reference to the Second Apartment Ministry of Jesus Christ. Here we are called to go on further into the most intimate relationship with Jesus. Stop settling for any door, go into God's open door, the door that leads into the throne-room where we can now boldly enter. (Hebrews 4:16). Praise God for the open door that God has given to us and praise God for this open door that leads into the throne room of God where we can obtain mercy. Let us follow Jesus into the special work that we are called to live into today.

We Have an Anchor

Many websites and ministers are predicting or implying that this economic crisis will culminate in the final crisis that will usher in our Lord's return. I wish to repeat, it may do just that, but then again it may not, but in any case this crisis is a real one for many.

A Real Crisis

This crisis has caused many to lose their homes and wonder where they will live. The crisis has caused some to lose their jobs and economists are certain that there will be more job loss in the near future. We see signs of crisis all around us.

It was with this backdrop that I read the first part of a sermon by Pastor Kirkpatrick of Great Controversy.Org. He wanted to remind people of 10 things that were still true even in the midst of the economic storm we find ourselves. You can find that article at this link.

What is Still True in the Crisis

As I read these 10 things an old hymn hit me, "Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" Sometimes Christians like to believe that they will get through their whole lives without any storms, but we all will have storms in our lives. The songwriter takes for granted that "clouds unfold their wings of strife" and that "strong tides lift and the cables strain." You will have storms in your life. The false prophets of "prosperity" may tell you that will always have money if you are on God's side and the false prophets of universal and certain cure for all diseases may tell you that if you have faith you will be cured of any ailment, but they are simply telling you a falshood, you will have storms in your life. But the songwriter reminds us that we all have storms in our lives, but:

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

Sing the Song

Certainly the dark clouds will stare at us menacingly from the air. Certainly the winds will blow us like it blows everyone else. And yes the rains will pelt us. It is true we will feel the effects of the storm, but our boat will only rock...so much, because we are fastened to the rock that won't move at all. So wind do what you will, rain do what you gotta do, I ain't going nowhere, because I am fastened to the rock. So go on ahead and cry, its a storm, but as you cry sing the song so that you can remember that the Rock of Ages holds us up even in the midst of that storm and one day we will see the other side of it.

Traditional Or Contemporary..So What?

How do you Praise God? Today we have battles over the music that is sung in church. We have the traditionalists calling us back to the solid songs of their youth. They argue that the best music supports the church theologically and musically. It is largely a call to the rich heritage of the church.

In contrast there are those who argue for contemporary music. They argue that the church must reach the youth with their music by speaking to the "felt needs" of this generation or we will lose them.

Is Worship Just Entertainment for Us?

However, what is often missing in this argument is that often whether contemporary or traditional, we go to church, be entertained by the music and preaching we like, and then we go home unchanged. We want our music so that we can enjoy the service. We want to either should and jump up and clap or sit there in contemplative silence, but the music too often doesn't call us to live a better life.

Something is wrong with that kind of worship that doesn't lead to changed people. It was this kind of worship that God said God hated. God was tired of the music. We can be so proud of our orchestra's playing "Holy, Holy, Holy" or our praise teams singing the latest praise song that we don't recognize whether it makes any difference in our lives or the lives of those who are touched by us. God would rather we shut the church doors than continue our useless worship (Malachi 1:10).

God is tired

God is tired of worship that ends at the door. God is tired of worship that is just so folks can "get their praise on" but doesn't help you live a better life. God is tired of worship that makes you proud of the great brass and string players in your orchestra. God is tired of worship that doesn't affect the people you come into contact with during the week. (Isaiah 1:11-13)

There is a cliche' int he Black church that says that "Hallelujah is the highest praise." It is a faulty one. God says, shut up and repent. God says, I'm tired of it. God says, obedience is better than sacrifice (worship).

Worship Battles Miss the Point

To often worship is an end to itself. We battle to make the pulpit acrylic versus wooden. We argue over whether to have drums versus whether to have strings. We argue over whether we sing hymns or gospel songs. But today, let us stop the singing and start ministering to each other and the larger community. Then let us come back to worship with the added perspective that doing God's will brings.

I love orchestras playing hymns and the great songs from the history of the Christian church. In addition, I love some of the great gospel songs of today. I pray that God will help me to love God's will as much as I love to sing and worship the Almighty and Just God.

The Actions of the Lamb-Horned Beast

Preachers are called to tell the truth. In this respect they are in the line of the Biblical prophets who had to tell truth to power. They had to say, like Nathan, thou art the man.

Bailout of the Super-Rich

This past week, the Senate and the House of the United States rushed together to push through a 700 billion dollar bill to support wall street and avert a collapse of the United States economy. The bill would help to bailout Wall Street executives who had engaged in unregulated speculations and had lost. To keep them from going down, the democratic congress and the republican executive branches rushed to essentially place a tab on the middle class to pay for a bailout of the super rich.

This past week the United States has demonstrated once again the wisdom of the early Adventists in calling it a lamb-horned beast. The democratic congress and the republican executive branches of the United States government rushed to place a tab of 700 billion dollars on the backs of the middle classes of America to bailout the super-rich who engaged in speculative practices that has placed the economy in peril.

Leaders Passed the Bill

As noted, the Republican president, the democratic house, the vast majority of the senate, as well as both major political party nominees for president all supported this bill. A bill that made no mandates for helping those who could lose their homes. Some say that those who lose their homes should lose their homes, but the super rich who created "investments" out of worthless mortgages, we assume, should be shielded from the results of their actions.

Speaking like a Dragon

The lamb horned beast has horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. (Revelation 13:11) Certainly it is a dragon that would support the rich on the backs of the middle classes fend for themselves. But the Bible is true. In the book of James we have a prophecy of the end where the gold and the silver is rusted out. Those who take advantage of the poor and the middle class workers will not escape the punishment of God. The democratic congress or republican executive branches may not do anything, but the "cries of the poor are entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts." (James 5:4).

Socialism for the Super-Rich

It is interesting that the government will pass this socialist plan for the super rich while extolling the virtues of the "capitalist market" for the poor and middle class. It is Babylon. But we can be certain that God won't be silent forever. Revelation 18 reminds us that the merchants of the world will morn at the downfall of Babylon. They will morn because there is no one to buy their goods. They also morn because they were made rich by the Babylon. (Revelation 18:15).

We have some challenging days ahead including a time of trouble such as there has never been (Daniel 12:1), but let us always remember that word that God has given to us as a people "Babylon is fallen" and let us look forward to that house not made with hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

The Signs of the End

The economic problems of the United States as well as the "Bible Prophecy Teachers" who have predicted the demise of the United States economy in September 2008, all have given SabbathPulpit a boost in traffic. As I noted in a previous post, people are wanting to see what the Bible says about the perilous times we live in.

Forgetting the Clear Signs

This is a good thing to go to our spiritual resources to seek to understand the time in which we live. What is interesting however, is that some of the plainest "signs of the times" are seldom referred to by these "Bible Prophecy Teachers."

Matthew 24:7 says that there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. While there are some who question whether the increase we see has to do with more sensitive instruments, there does seem to be an increase in the number of all three. The number of earthquakes seem to be on the rise. Luke 21:25 speaks of sea and waves roaring. Here we seem to have an increase in hurricanes and who can forget the Tsunamis. And let us not forget Matthew 24:6 which points to wars and rumors of wars. All of these things point to the blessed return of our Lord.

Yes Economic Distress

There is data in the scriptures that point to economic distress. James 5:1-4 tells us that the rich who hoard the wealth and take advantage of the laborer will be punished. Revelation 18:11, 17 tells us that the merchants will not be able to sell their goods.

While that is true, trying to pinpoint when this will happen is just as problematic as trying to date when the next war will be. God has given us certain benchmarks, let us read and understand those, and let us stop trying to invest our speculations with Biblical authority.

God will Destroy those who have destroyed the Earth

The Second Advent of Jesus Christ shows us the futility of environmental concerns. I am not saying that we should litter, but I am saying that environmentalism is a waste of time. God will clean up all of this pollution at the second Advent.

So said one of the pastors preaching a sermon that pointed to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The preacher perfectly articulated a common theme from the theology of many Christians who accept the Second Advent. However, it is my opinion that such a mindset is not only problematic and promotes poor stewardship of the earth, but it is also anti-Adventist.

The Health Agenda

One wonders if the same logic would be used with our bodies. Would they say that we should not worry about our bodies because at the second advent this mortal will put on immortality? The health agenda of Adventism is important in its personal implications, but also in its social as well. Certainly the health agenda (message) of Adventism has a social dimension. The health agenda includes drinking water. But what if our companies are polluting the environment? Does our Adventist idea of health push us to do all that is in our sphere to counteract this? Does it change our voting patterns to promote health in an ecological sense as certainly as we promote it in its individual sense?

I am happy that there are some who are recognizing that the Second Advent does not negate our responsibility to be good stewards of this land. In fact there is another website that seeks to promote environmentalism from an Adventist perspective. They seek to remind us that our Adventism must affect how we live especially during the ecological crisis.

Sabbath, Revelation, and Creation

Adventists have found their identity in the Sabbath and have found their message in the book of Revelation. The Sabbath is a day that we celebrate God's creative power through contemplation of God's creation. Certainly one must question our ability to celebrate creation if we are involved in actively destroying it.

And secondly, God has given us a message that is centered in reminding the world of the importance of the Book of Revelation. Our Revelation seminars are an example of this commitment. But perhaps we must read anew and look at such texts as Revelation 11:18 which states: "God will destroy those who destroy the earth." A part of Babylon is the destruction of the planet. If this is true, then we cannot cavalierly throw away our ecological senses by saying that God will take care of it.

While I am no environmental expert. Certainly there are scientists and even theologians who have put more thought and effort into this, I am just a preacher who recognizes that my Adventism pushes me to do better. I pray that when the Master comes, Jesus will not find that we have ignored a part of his message because we thought he didn't really care about it.

Be Ye Also Ready

Yesterday the Stock Market lost over 700 points. Today there will probably be more loses. Many fear that a very severe recession is possible, and some even say a depression. The leaders of the United States are scrambling to shore up the financial markets.

In this trying and difficult time, many are looking for the Bible to tell them what is going to happen tomorrow. Some are looking at the Bible as a soothsayer looks at the crystal Ball. We gaze into it hoping to find the answer for tomorrow.

Why do you Want to Know?

But why? Is it so that we can know when to stock up on canned goods and bottled water? Is it so that we can show off our knowledge? In Matthew 24:42-44 we are told to be ready. Not because we know exactly when the end will be, but because we don't know.

Certainly there are signs that point to the end, and we can know when the end is near or even at the doors. (Mark 13:29). But that end is not necessarily tied to an economic implosion of the United States. We must remember that we have seen great economic crisis in this country, including the Great Depression of early 20th century, but the end was not yet. Perhaps we are looking in the wrong place.

What does God Say?

What does God say? in the scripture we are told to "be ready because we don't know." Today, I look at all the prophecy teachers and prognosticators telling us what will happen with certainty. I can't do that, but I can say "be ye also ready." Some still are telling me that the economy will crash today due to it being the last day of September, all I can say is "be ye also ready." Instead of trying to look into the crystal ball why not just do what we are told to do, be ye also ready.

What About Restitution?

In too many cases we think about sin and forgiveness as being a thing only between ourselves and God. We may lie on someone and think that our asking forgiveness from God is our only responsibility. We praise God for the blood and the damage that we have done stay unaddressed. We may steal from someone and we feel happy about the forgiveness that God has given to us without ever going to the one we have wronged asking for forgiveness and providing recompense for the wrong. In some cases I have known one to steal from someone and then condemn the one they have stolen from when they desired the stolen money back. They argue that "If God has accepted my apology why can't you?"

Restitution in the Tabernacle

The ancient Tabernacle Service had in them what are called "Trespass Offerings." These include making restitution for that which we have taken. (Numbers 5:6). Numbers 5:6-7 gives us the steps to be forgiven of sins. First was confession where the sinner acknowledges the sin. Second, there is restitution including an additional part (Numbers 5:7). Third, there is a sacrifice (Leviticus 6:6). Then there is forgiveness (Leviticus 6:7).

Zacchaeous and Forgiveness

When Zacchaeous was converted he caught a glimpse of this and was willing to do even more than the law required. He wanted to restore four times that which he had stolen in fraudulent dealings. (Luke 19:8-10). In today's era where we want a Christianity that makes no demands on us, Trespass Offerings remind us that we must make right the wrongs that we have done. It reminds us that the relationship that we have broken with others should be resolved to the best of our abilities. It reminds us that Zacchaeous demonstrates the mindset of those who are truly forgiven.

Sabbath Provides Time to See God's Work

We are commanded to remember that God created on the seventh day. (Exodus 20:11) We celebrate God's ability to make things out of things that do not appear. (Hebrews 11:3). In revelation we are reminded that there will be a movement and a message that celebrates God's creative power when it has the everlasting Gospel. (Revelation 14:7).

God Creates Out of Nothing

God creates out of nothing. When we celebrate this idea we celebrate that God needs nothing to make something. Such an idea implies that God has a way out of or through all of our situations because God doesn't need something that "appears" to create. When we find ourselves in need of rent money. We know that God can take care of it in God's own time and in God's own way. Even though we may not be able to see how God is going to do it, we can know that God will do it, because God specializes in making "something" out of things that do not "appear." It may not be money that God provides. I don't know what God will do, but how God does it is up to God, we just trust in the power and ability of God. In other words we trust God's creative power.

The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow

Our ancestors were right when they said, God will make a way out of no way. They were simply saying that God has the creative power to change any situation into a better situation. And even though we may not be able to see it, we can know it.

But how can we know it? God has commanded us to remember the Sabbath that we may have time to think about God's creative power. We can know it, because God has given us time to internalize the fact that God creates things out of things that do not appear. God has given us the Sabbath to remind us that when our back is against the wall, God is not surprised and that God can see you through the situation.

The Sabbath Helps Us Know It

If it weren't for the Sabbath, many of us would spend our lives in the constant worry of trying to take care of our needs and planning for our future needs. However, the Sabbath gives us time to sit back and think about how Jesus has been with us in our past, and anticipate God's continued presence with us.

What Happens When We Forget to Rest?

Wayne Muller writes in the book Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest:

If we forget to rest we will work too hard and forget our more tender mercies, forget those we love, forget our children and our natural wonder. God says: Please don't. It is a waste of a tremendous gift I have given you. If you knew the value of your life, you would not waste a single breath. So I give you this commandment: Remember to rest. This is not a life-style suggestion, but a commandment -- as important as not stealing, not murdering, or not lying."

Remember the Sabbath, remember to rest, and I would add remember to rest on the day that God created especially for that purpose. Don't get so caught up in work that you lose. Don't "waste a single breath." God has given us a commandment that we might be better spouses, community members, parents, church members, and human beings.

Can We Rest?

How often do we rob ourselves of the rest that God has provided because we want work?

Sometimes we want rest on our own terms rather than God's terms. And in the process end up with no rest at all. How many of us add "church" as simply another burden to the work that we already have?

Making Excuses for Our Work

How many of us try to make excuses so that our particular work might be considered "legal" to do on the Sabbath when this simply adds to the burdens? Some will theologically hide their desire to work by quoting the Biblical text which states "lawful to do good" when we really mean "lawful to do...." We want to do and thus simply add to our burdens.

Do we have the Sabbath rest that God has provided for us? I am sure many do, but many of us are constantly adding things to our plate and never taking anything away. We have much work, much good work, but it is still work. All of this sticks with us as we enter the supposed rest. Thus instead of uninhibited communion with God and our community (family and larger community) we get added work and burdens. And the amazing thing is that we bring it all on ourselves!!!

Our Identity is Work

It is as if we do not want rest...we are telling God, keep your rest, I want to work!! Or, I am too busy to rest. How often do I do that when God is offering the rest that comes in communion and trust with the Most High. Instead I tell God take your rest, I want to work. In American society where we place a premium on work, we have a blackberry cell phone, beeper, and a laptop. And we never slow down. Perhaps our identity is too tied to busyness. Perhaps the first step to rest is in realizing that we are more than what we do!!! Rest can only come from letting go of our desire and need to "do."

If we will rest according to the commandment, we must set aside our false need to "do" and live in our real need to "be." God help us to rest.

Bringing the Garden of Eden to America

One of my favorite Authors, E. J. Waggoner had an article entitled "The Sabbath and the Cross" in The Present Truth of July 20, 1893. You can find the full article at 1888 Most Precious Message. In that article, Waggoner states:

(W)e find that the Sabbath was given to man at the close of the creation of the earth, before the fall. It is an institution of Eden. See the second chapter of Genesis. Therefore the keeping of it as it was given, must bring something of Eden into this wicked world.

Forgetting Eden

Bringing eden to this world. Our attempts at rest and to set aside earthly pursuits is not to be a burden, but to be a delight. We are called to bring Eden into this world. As we go about doing what we must do in our daily lives, we can sometimes lose the big picture. We can lose focus even as we seek to do what God would have us to do. There are many obligations of family, community, work, spirituality, and other important pursuits that we must engage in as people who are productive citizens. All of these things can easily make us forget who we are and why we are here.

The Great Reminder

The Sabbath is the great reminder, ultimately we want the endless intimate community that consist of God and humanity. We want the close communion that Adam and Eve shared as the model community of faith and love. We want to be relieved of worries about jobs. We want to set aside the paper that we just turned in but fear its quality. We want an even deeper connection to God than we could possible have during this week. And yes "we want a place where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest." Praise God that even though Adam and Eve where thrust out of Eden, they got to take a little of Eden with them in the Sabbath.

We Have Killed the Sanctuary Message

We have killed the Sanctuary Message. We all have contributed to its demise. From the local elder who drones on and on about the color of the tassel the priest was wearing to the pastor who oftentimes just ignores the whole message. From the Bible Teacher who made it merely a mathematical calculation to the lay person who goes to sleep every time it comes up. We have Killed the Sanctuary Message!

We all had a Hand in this

Part of it is the culture that doesn't want to work for anything. We would rather sing "Jesus loves me this I know..." for the rest of our lives than to put forth any effort to provide depth to our religious experience. Part of it is due to the whole tabernacle service being so alien to us. We do not know anything about sacrificing animals and priests representing the people. The sanctuary illustration doesn't make sense to us. Part of it is due to the issues over the years that external and internal theologians, preachers, and Bible teachers have had with parts of the message. Part of it is due to the fact that few seem to be able to give the "cliff note" version of the message which might provide the context to understand the message.

I have been reading the evangelistic messages of some of the great evangelists of our past. One thing that is interesting is that oftentimes the Sanctuary was given to open up the way for the Sabbath. We preached the Sanctuary in heaven where the very Law of God was placed in the throne of God. S. N. Haskell used to use the Sanctuary as his organizing principle for his teaching all of our doctrines. He spoke of everything through this model.

Understanding from the Sanctuary

The simple fact is that we don't know as much as we think we know without referring to the Sanctuary. We cannot understand the "lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29) without referring to the tabernacle services. It is problematic to attempt to speak of the "priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6) without looking at the sanctuary. And even what we think we know takes on added significance like why and how we can come "come boldly to the throne of grace." (Hebrews 4:16) Without the sanctuary as a model we would miss some of that imagery.

But we have missed it. The Sanctuary message has not been "seeker-sensitive." It is deemed not "relevant" and even called "valueless. Yes we have killed the Sanctuary message, but what is perhaps more interesting than that is that few seem to notice or care.

Can We Survive Without It?

Certainly there are quarters of Adventism where the sanctuary message is all you hear. And the leadership of the church still produces Sanctuary materials from time to time. The Seven Volumes of the Daniel and Revelation Committee definitely seek to affirm the value of the message. The upcoming Sabbath School Lesson makes reference to this subject. In addition, Clifford Goldstein has made a career out of reminding us of the importance of the sanctuary. There are others who teach this as well, but the majority of American Adventists, those who proport to believe the teaching or not, have set it aside for more "pressing" concerns. And there are some parts of Adventism that would tend to celebrate its demise. One can only hope that Ellen White was incorrect when she said that this is one of the pillars of our movement. In addition, when she said that this is one of the principal subjects we should be preaching, we have to hope she was wrong. Because if Sister White is right, we may have seen a part of our foundation leave...And if that is true, what will we do when all that can be shaken will be shaken?

Get Over It? - Race and Black Conferences Re-mixed

Someone emailed the following:

Discussions of white racism. You call for unity, yet insist on segregating yourselves from "white" people. Get over it! Jesus didn't segregate, and neither should you.

I assume this is in response to this balanced post

Would Jesus Attack Racism?

I can only assume that this person would deny that Jesus would attack racism. Would Jesus speak the truth about why these conferences were created? We are in a wold of hurt when we cannot acknowledge the fact of racism and discrimination. We will never get over this hump towards supposed unity by sweeping this under the rug and telling black folks to "Get over it!" I guess they would assume that Jesus would sweep this under the rug and call for a superficial unity not based in a true unity that comes from an acknowledgment and understanding of each other.

Who Should Get Over It?

No, it is time for those who do not wish to acknowledge the truth of the past to get over their blindness. It is time for those who think that unity comes from ignoring the pain and hurt and reality of continued problems to get over it! It is time for the strong to get over their use of power to attempt to silence others.

This sentiment reminds me that there is still a role and place for these conferences, because we cannot truly "get over it" by solely blaming black people for their creation or continued existence. I am seeing this argument more and more and find it offensive.

Should I Lie?

It is offensive to blame black people for the creation or continued existence of these conferences when they were created because of white racism. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? (Galatians 4:16) Should I lie and blame black people as too many are doing? Should I lie and ignore the years of mess that caused its creation? Would you be happy if I lied? Truth is truth, and I plan to say it and shame the devil.

I do reiterate as I wrote in that article under consideration, that we should come together and discuss when and under what circumstances we should move beyond this, but merely sweeping under the rug differences is not an acceptable strategy.

The Laughable Accusation of Racism

Finally, there is the laughable accusation of racism. There is simple minded idea that the elimination of the black conferences will eliminate the black and white churches.

But more than that, my accuser makes an unwarranted assumption about my church affiliation based on my recognizing that Black conferences were created because of white racism. This assumption is shown to be false by the fact that while I am not a member, the church I have been attending for the last 2 years is a mixed, but predominantly white church in a non-black conference. I wonder if my accuser would move beyond rhetoric and actually work towards the vision he or she describes, or simply make assumptions about those who acknowledge the truth...

Is it Time? - Frederick Russell, Calvin Rock, and the Black Conferences

In a very interesting move, the Allegheny West Conference has elected Pastor Frederick Russell to become its next president. What is interesting to me is that this happens during the discussion in the Adventist world over the existence of so called "regional conferences."

Russell has written an article that calls for the removal of the separated conferences in America. His plan, which looks like one of the plans presented in the General Conference document that we blogged on two years ago and can be found at this link, calls for the abolishment of both the local conference and the union conference levels and then create a new entity that is larger than a local conference, but smaller than a union conference.

In contrast, Dr. Calvin Rock disagrees with Russel. You can find his compelling piece at this link.

What to Keep in Mind

I think when we talk about the Black and White conferences we need to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost many of our brothers and sisters of other denominational traditions are being hypocritical when they condemn us for having black and white conferences. We must keep in mind that many of their denominations may not have black and white conferences, the reason being is because they have white and black Denominations. The Methodists split along the color line and so did the Baptists. Certainly today we see some black churches in predominantly white denominations, and a few in the other direction, but I have heard to many Adventists doing hand wringing when a baptist asks about Black conferences when we can at least say we didn't split the denomination itself.

Black People Can't Bear the Brunt of The Black Conference Existence

Another important point to keep in mind, Black people cannot bear the brunt for the reason for their existence. I sometimes hear black and white brothers and sisters blaming black people for the existence of "Black conferences." Their existence was due to white racism totally. This was not created by so called black racism, but white racism plain and simple. If we ever do away with them, we must recognize this and state it, if we don't it will demonstrate their need. A new way this is argued is to say "we don't' have white conferences we have black conferences and integrated conferences." This is attempting to sweep it all under the rug and blame black people for its current existence.

Structural Renewal Can't be Used to Sweep Under the Rug

Also, The real need for structural renewal cannot be used to sweep away the Black conferences without us fully dealing with why we created them in the first place.

Is it time to get rid of the Black conferences? I don't know, but I tend to doubt it. Is it time to get together and figure out when that time would be? Well it is way past time for that determination. We pray that Frederick Russell can begin that conversation in his new role.

Two Major Lessons of the Sacrificial System

M. L. Andreasen in his very helpful work The Sanctuary Service discusses two primary lessons that the sacrificial system impressed on the mind of the petitioner. The first lesson is Sin Means Death. We are told this explicitly in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is simply death. When we sin we are simply buying death, we are setting in motion a death cycle in our lives. We are simply setting ourselves up for future and sometimes present difficulties. The sacrificial system taught the petitioner clearly that sin means death.

The next thing that Andreasen notes is that sacrificial system taught is that forgiveness of sin requires confession and ministration of blood. Sin requires death, to be saved from sin requires the death of the sacrifice as well as confession of sin.

These two primary lessons were taught to those who offered a sacrifice in the typical service. Sometimes preachers note how difficult it was for those who lived under the Typical system. They "had" to bring a lamb, kill it, etc. Often preachers are attempting to describe the great difference between then and now where we presumably don't have to do any of these things, however, the system lets us know that while we don't kill a lamb, we kill the Lamb of God. While we don't go to Jerusalem, we do by faith go to the heavenly tabernacle where Christ ministers. We can never let the "ease" of our forgiveness hide from us the great cost of our salvation to the Son of God.

Is The Sanctuary Christ Centered

In the book The Andreasen File Compiled by LMN Publishing, M. L. Andreasen talks about a Sabbath School Quarter that promised to be one that presented "Christ-centered doctrines." This is found on pages 100-103. Andreasen was surprised to find that the sanctuary doctrine, the mark of the beast, the 3 angels message, health reform, and other related doctrines were not discussed that quarter. Andreasen wonders if this was done because these are the very doctrines that cause our evangelical brothers and sisters to question our orthodoxy as Christians.

Christ or Adventism?

Over the last few years I have heard some clergy and laypeople calling for a movement away from an emphasis on such things as the Sanctuary or Prophecy to a more "Christ-centered emphasis." While I certainly would have no problem with a Christ-centered approach, in that what else can we as Christians have at our center, I would strongly state that this idea places a false dichotomy. Is there necessarily a distinction between "Christ-centered" and "Adventist fundamental?" The reason why I am writing this is because I had another conversation with a preacher who is finding the present day relevance of the Sanctuary message. He is surprised to find that it is not irrelevant or boring, but a very relevant object lesson of how Salvation and the Great Controversy works. This is in stark contrast to the multiple preachers who think that their goal of preaching the gospel requires minimizing the teachings that make us who we are.

Sanctuary is Christ-Centered

For certainly it is difficult to argue that the sanctuary is not Christ centered. With Chirst being representing as at least the sacrifice, common and high priest, and even the various pieces of the tabernacle. Certainly with Salvation being illustrated in the services of the Sanctuary, it is difficult to make the argument that it is not Christ centered. One could argue that over time some have turned it into a mathematical calculation only, but as sister white reminds us "the sanctuary having a decided relation to the people of God." is one of the landmarks of the movement.

The Real Problem

I think that it is not that these doctrines are less "christ-centered" but that they are more "precise and end-time focused." The Sanctuary reminds us that Christ is doing a work to take care of sin. The Sanctuary reminds us what Christ is doing now. The Sanctuary reminds us that there is a judgment going on. The Sanctuary fits into our "Great Controversy" idea. And all of this is Christ-centered, but what Christ is it?

And here is the issue, you may not agree with the picture it paints of Christ, you may not believe that this picture of Christ is true, but please stop arguing that this doctrine does no have Christ at its center. Take Christ away from the Sanctuary and you have nothing but a shell. However, put Christ back into that heavenly sanctuary and you begin to catch a glimpse of the message that God has ordained that we preach in these final days.

Audio 42 - Sherman Cox II - These Are They.

What is God gonna do to create the people that is to stand through these last days? Listen as Elder Cox answers this along with providing a broad overview of the Adventist understanding of the Great Controversy in this sermon entitled "These are They."



Download file at this link

Was Public Worship a Part of Sabbath Observance?

I heard a Sabbathkeeper argue for a "deeper" understanding of the Sabbath. This is fine and I have argued for the same thing, however a growing number of people are saying that public worship was not a part of Sabbath observance. They argue that the Sabbath was primarily meant to be a one on one "date" between the individual and God and that there was no worship or communal component to the Sabbath.

The idea is that the Sabbath was a day for "individual rest" and not one of "corporate worship." One individual told me in an email, "Adventists took the Sabbath which was meant for individual communion with God and rest and made it a day of corporate worship." Then the person sought to defend this assertion by saying that "the fourth commandment says nothing about worship."

Independent Celebration

While it is true that the fourth commandment does not say anything about worship, one must recognize first of all that the commandment does not imply that it is a totally independent endeavor. The Sabbath commandment speaks of a rest that includes ones workers and others. It includes a manservent, maidservent, and even cattle. All of these are to be participants in the benefits of the Sabbath rest. In addition, the commandment was meant to "do good" to others rather than in an independent "me and God" experience.

Sabbath Include Worship?

Just as the Sabbath was not meant as an individualistic endeavor, it also includes a worship. The Bible says, in Leviticus 23:3, that the Sabbath was meant to be a Holy Convocation. A convocation is a gathering. The Sabbath was to include a holy religious gathering.

Thus the Sabbath was not meant to be a individualistic "rest" from others, but a corporate "rest" with others as we do good to others and we worship the Creator God.

What is Death?

The Bible provides a peek into understanding the state of those who die and wait for the resurrection at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist tells us that our thoughts perish at death in Psalms 146:4. In addition, the dead do not praise the Lord in Psalms 115:17. Certainly if one were to live in the state between death and resurrection, that one would praise God and have cognitive function.

Death as Sleep

In addition to the above, we should note that many Bible writers referred to the state of those in death as "sleep." For example in Psalms 13:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, Matthew 27:52. Even Jesus refers to it as sleep in John 11:11-14.

Thus from the above we conclude that the period between death and resurrection is unconscious because our thoughts perish, and it is a sleep that we shall awaken from because the many Bible writers call it that. Thus it is an unconscious sleep or sometimes referred to as a dreamless sleep.

Awaking to Jesus

But this is good news. For sin created death, but the resurrection of Jesus turned death into just a mere sleep. (2 Timothy 1:10) And in a little while we will see our Redeemer coming back to wake us up. We may lie down and rest, but we will wake up and the trumpet blast of our Savior and Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

The Joy of the Sabbath

The other day I was talking to a friend about the joy that the Sabbath brings. I do not have to work on that day. I can set aside cares and responsibilities that living in our contemporary world brings. I can take a nap in the middle of the day, I can reunite with members of my faith community, I can call friends, I can take a walk with my family.

I can do some missionary work. The Sabbath is a day that I can set aside worldly cares and be unencumbered in my kingdom living, however with a young child, I am beginning to wonder how to talk of and pass on the love for the Sabbath.

Many of us as children longed for the sun to go down on Sabbath because we didn't have the cares of the week. We didn't have the responsibililties waiting around the corner. We didn't have the daily grind seeking to call us back. And so we don't see that aspect of the Sabbath as welcome relief.

In addition, many middle class American children are shielded from the great pain and heartache arond the world. The Sabbath as a pointed to the coming kingdom is not as important when your present kingdom doesn't seem so bad.

But these things perhaps pushes me to realize that undestanding the Sabbath is my point. It is on me to pass on this important ideal. I pray that God will give me the patience and love to pass on this blessing. as children, we are shielded from the blessing that the Sabbath points to. There are

Powerful Testimony or Celebration of Sin?

Carl McRoy has written an article entitled Testipohnies. You can find the article at this link. In the article, McRoy chronicles the common occurrence of a preacher talking about his or her life of sin before coming to Jesus. We all have heard these stories. We listen intently as the preacher found his or herself in a tight situations. They have smoked cigarettes and done drugs, drank everything but Drano, stolen from the big pimp boss man, and some even killed other people. But GAAAWWWD brought them out of all that and here they are right now to tell you about it.

Glorifying Sin

McRoy makes a very startling point. Often in these "testimony" sermons the preacher only talks about the pleasurable things. They tell you about all the women they have slept with, but none of the diseases or the painful waiting for that Venereal Disease test to come back. They talk about the alcohol, but not the hangovers. They talk about the glamor of sin and not the underside of it. Certainly there are exceptions, but in many cases this is what you find.

Belittling Those Without These Experiences

But more than this, and I have experienced some of this, we have people who will actually belittle those who have not engaged in some of these practices. The preacher will take on a pious or sanctimonious tone and mock those who have attempted live a whole life in line with Christian principles.

Encouraging to Put Off Coming to Jesus

Finally, and McRoy brings this important point out, these stories can promote living a lifestyle that is not in line with Chrsitian principles, becuase ultimately you will have a later chance to come back to God. While it is true God will forgive, it is also true that sometimes we face the hard issue that we often do reap the harvest that we have sown. Testimonies are important and should be given, but we must never either glorify sin, belittle those who have not had the experiences of these sins, nor should we make people think that they can put off till tomorrow coming to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

There are More Questions!

One of the major impediments to a deeper understanding of the Sanctuary and the Sabbath message is the tendency to only ask one type of question of our doctrines.

The Only Question Some Ask

Some of us only have one question that we ask of theological doctrines. That question is "How am I saved as an individual?" That question overrides all other concerns. No doubt this is a very important question, but even those who think it is the primary question do ask other questions. Such questions as "How am I to live?" or "What is the ultimate destiny of the earth?" Both are questions that are important for us to ask. If we are to gain all the benefit from our doctrines, we must ask more questions and be open to the light that these doctrines will lead us into.

Progressive Adventism is asking different questions and finding importance in the doctrines that we have been called to give and live in the world. I would encourage you to visit the site and think about living the Advent message in the contemporary world.

Begin Asking Other Questions

Here is a piece of the article. Agree or disagree, at least begin asking different questions of your doctrine than just the one, "What does this have to do with my Individual Salvation."

Being a community of the sanctuary means we seek to extend wholeness and justice to every member of society. It means to speak truth to power – not out of self-righteousness or vain heroism, but because that’s what priestly advocacy and intercession require.

Being a people of the Sanctuary means to extend the Sabbath experience to society in real practical ways: to all of creation – land and all of creation; the animal kingdom – the livestock were to rest; foreigners – strangers within your gates; the working class - servants; and children. Being a people of the Sanctuary and the Sabbath means to be real advocates for all of these in society. If we are indeed God’s remnant, we ought to be at the forefront of the advocacy for the environment, animal welfare, immigrant rights (even that of illegals), human trafficking, poverty, healthcare access, education, living wage, and children. There’s a fierce urgency of the now to each of these issues. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were the last generation that experienced problems in these areas? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were the last generation suffering from the horrible malaise of human suffering? Indeed, the Sanctuary and Sabbath message of Adventism offers us a compelling vision to be the final generation that knows evil in the great social arenas. It compels us – those who claim to be remnant – to live a life of real, meaningful, radical intercession and healing for the world.

Sabbath, More than a Day?

There are two prevalent attitudes that I have witnessed amongst Sabbatarians that can lead to neglect of the teaching, learning, and living the Sabbath.

Nothing Else To Learn

The first of these attitudes is the belief that we have learned all we need to learn about the Sabbath. Those who accept such a position feel the need to move on to other doctrines after they have learned that the seventh day is the Biblical Sabbath. After they discover this, they totally set it aside as the day in which "we go to church."

When we accept such an idea, the doctrine goes into hibernation until it is time to prove to someone else that they need to "go to church on" the Biblical Sabbath. The problem with such a view is that it does not recognize that the Sabbath is not merely to teach us the day to assemble. It also includes a prophetic portion of looking forward to the ultimate fruition of all things. This can be seen in the Prophets including Isaiah who said from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship(Isaiah 66:23).

The Look Back

But more than the future look, the Sabbath provides a look back at creation. We can look at creation and catch a glimpse of how we should live today, on the Sabbath, and will live in the world to come. Our brothers and sister who "already know everything" about the Sabbath will not learn of the way that the Sabbath trains us to live today and in the coming kingdom.

Looking for the Sunday Law

However, there is another prevalent view of the Sabbath that forever looks for manifestations of the coming Sunday law. Here the Sabbath is reduced to a mile-marker on the way to the second coming. We look for this "Sunday law" in every bill that comes around. We find non-existent bills that are very close to bringing in the second coming, however, just like the other view, we end up with a lack of understanding of how the Sabbath provides a glimpse of the coming kingdom and thus has a strong ethical component that directs our living. But even more than that, the Sabbath also provides strength for living the life of Christ. All of these themes are tied up in the doctrine.

Proclaiming the Sabbath More Fully

It is true that some reduce the teaching to simply the day we assemble for worship and others reduce it to a discussion of a coming Sunday Law, but there will be some who will preach the "Sabbath more fully" as Ellen White predicted.

Audio 39 - Healing in Jesus and a Sabbath Reflection

This audio post consists of two reflections. The first is on the woman who touched Jesus clothes to get healing. The second is entitled: "The Sabbath's Attack on Busyness."



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It Never Ends - Predicting the End

It never ends. In case you have not heard, the economy of the United States will Crash in September of 2008. Then, os some say, the global economy will crash. We can expect a war with Iran soon as well, presumably ushering in a full scale world war. Some say it is the work of the Illuminati, some say it is the New World Order, but whoever is behind it, it is a certain thing, so they say...

Predictions of the End

I am still a young man(will soon be 40), but I have heard many of these "predictions" by folks that I used to deem credible people. I remember the stories of Sunday law bills on presidents desk. In fact the same law has been on Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and presumably Bush II. The same law is about to be signed so we had better straighten up.

Then there were the economic crashes that were to come. Every recession that America entered in my life brought someone saying that this was gonna be the beginning of the BIG one. The one that is allegedly prophesied in the Bible. The economic crash that will bring in the one world currency. Yes it began in the dismal economic time during Carter's administration. Reagan was to use the poor economy to bring an end to all we know and love with the help of the Moral Majority. Again during the economic downturn during Bush I presidency when you add in the War against Iraq over Kuwait, we had another certain end...

These prognosticators had more opportunity for pessimism when the Dot Com bust happened and the stock market dropped. "We are certainly entering a depression!!" they told us. And we can't forget the 1999-2000 non-event that was to bring in global chaos at set the stage for the end of all things.

Here We Go Again

Well, here we are again, and I am tired of the prophets who are forever making predictions and never making apologies. I am tired of the Prophets who tell us what is gonna happen and then when it fails to happen hide their mistakes by making more predictions.

But perhaps the greatest problem that these preachers have is that they know more about speculation then they know about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are forever talking about what may happen and never what has happened in Jesus Christ for all of us. They are forever getting us used to thinking about the wrong things.

In addition, their answer to every problem is the same, hoard resources for yourself and forget about the world in which we are to live the life of Christ. Run away with your gallons of water and canned goods while we leave the rest of the world to fend for themselves in this coming global appocolypse.

Jesus comes to all of us, ultimately asking the same simple question that he asked Peter who sunk in the water, "Why did you fear?" It is time for many to stop teaching fear and start teaching faith.

The Bible also Says...

I don't know what will happen in September 2008. I am not a prognosticator, but one thing I do know, God is faithful to help us through any time that is to come. Certainly the Bible speaks of a time of trouble, but the Bible also speaks of a God that is with us in trouble. Certainly the Bible speaks of end time peril, but the Bible also speaks of a God who will never leave us nor forsake us, certainly the Bible speaks of trouble, but like my ancestors used to say, "I'm so glad trouble don't last always." I pray that I will live the life of Christ and that whenever the end comes, God will make good on the promise to wipe away every tear that this world has created.

Revelation 13, John Hagee, and Jeremiah Wright

If you want to see how crazy those who teach Revelation 13 as the Great Second Advent Movement has taught it then I would invite you to turn on the television.

America a Beast?

I invite you to look at how Jeremiah Wright was treated for saying that America would be punished for its treatment of African Americans. Others have said similiar things. Many preachers have said that America would be punihsed for its killing of millions of unborn and/or allowing homosexuality in its borders. Some would expand it to pornography and the like.

All of these things have in common, that America will be punished for wrongdoing. For some reason, many in America finds such sentiment as unpatriotic or problematic. To say that america will be punished for wrongdoing is seen as a great problem and issue. And yet in these last days, we must preach this. Revelation 13 speaks of a lamb coming up out of the land with two horns like a lamb. Christians connected to the Great Second Advent Movement has seen in this a look at the United States of America.

In the late 1800s some even said that Slavery was an example of the lamb horned beast speaking like a dragon. America will cease being the land of religous liberty and will speak like a beast. We can see movements now setting things in place for this.

And when you say that, you will be seen as just another kook.

Roman Catholic Church a Whore?

And if that is not enough, the first beast of revelation 13 which is the roman catholic church is none other than the whore of babylon. All of the reformers saw it as such. Many Christians throughout history have agreed. Here we have the reality that a system that thinks to change times and laws and set itself up in the place of God is a condemned system.

America as a lamb-horned beast and the Roman Catholic Church as the whore of revelation. Open up Great Controversy. If you don't think you are going to be seen as a kook member of a cult, then once again, just turn on the television and see what they are saying about others who say something similar. It will not be a hard sell to make you look like you are a member of a cult if you belive as much. In the end, we all have to make a decision. Will we follow a kinder-gentler message that is acceptable to all, or will we go the road that Rev. Wright and Rev. Hagee are showing us. The way of ridicule, but the way of being true to onesself and one's understanding of truth. Because agree or disagree with them, they show what happens when you say something that is unpopular.

Audio 37 - Doctrines or Jesus

Audio of the post Doctrines or Jesus.

The is read by Sherman Haywood Cox II.



Download file at this link