Messages
Pastor's Messages, reprinted from Cornerstone's monthly newsletter
What We Believe
“What do Seventh-day Adventists believe, anyway?”
Have you ever been asked this question? Maybe you’ve been asked this question’s cousin, “What makes Adventism different from other religions?” If you have, you know the temptation to launch into some lengthy explanation that lists every brand of SDA doctrine. And before you know it, people think you’re a Seventh-day Prophecy Soul-sleep Health-conscious Sanctuary Non-secret-rapture Adventist (SDPSSHCSNSRA, for short).
You might have noticed that this is not the official church name. Can you imagine having to write that on your tithe check? For some reason, back in the 1860’s, members of the advent movement thought that the name “Seventh-day Adventist” was sufficient for identifying the unique message of the church. The name basically means two things: 1) We worship on the seventh day, the Bible Sabbath. 2) We are preparing for Jesus’ second advent, the Second Coming.
Today, there is a lot of confusion. Are Adventists Mormons? Are Adventists Jehovah’s Witnesses? Is Adventism a cult?
When someone asks you the “what do Adventists believe” question, I think the best way to start out is by talking about Jesus. Even if they ask you the “how are Adventists different” question, you might want to back up and start by telling how Adventists are the same.
- We believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came to earth, lived a perfect life, and died to take away our sins.
- Because Jesus died to save us, we want to live our lives for Him.
The first statement points out that Jesus is our Savior. The second statement says that Jesus is our Lord. Every Christian will agree with these two statements. Immediately, they will know that Adventists are not some cult. Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have to do a lot of explaining and hemming and hawing to “agree” with these statements. Adventists don’t.
The fact that Jesus is our Savior and Lord makes a great launching pad for talking about the Sabbath and the Second Coming (the two doctrines in the “Seventh-day Adventist” name):
“Because we love Jesus, we want to obey Him in every part of our lives. This includes worshiping on the Sabbath (Saturday). The Fourth Commandment commands it, and Jesus said, ‘If you love me, keep my commandments.’ That’s why Adventists go to church on Saturday.”
“Because we love Jesus, we also look forward to His Second Coming. When we look at the world around us, it’s easy to see that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled all the time. That’s why we’re called Adventists. We’re looking forward to the Advent – the Second Coming of Christ.”
Instead of launching into a debate on theology and doctrine, the best thing to do is keep your answer simple and straightforward. And then invite them to Cornerstone some weekend so that they can experience it for themselves. What they’ll find is a group of great people seeking God and having an authentic Christian experience. Who knows? If they try it, maybe they’ll like it.
Email thisPosted 06/13/2010 by Pastor
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