If we would have the Mind of God….

Seven years ago at the 57^th General Conference of our Church in Toronto a church historian George Knight published an article entitled “If I were the devil…” musing how devil distracts the church from fulfilling it’s mission. Recently he published a book, critically expanding those concepts. He’s right on many negative trends that are obvious in many churches today. May I suggest that if the church would have the Mind of God the following would be true:

We would put the best energies into accepting and caring for the ideas and plans of the upcoming generation of youth, who are innovative and creative, and encourage the youth to take over responsibilities for the church;

church should think BIG – not just numerical increases, but reaching the entire world for Christ through the magnitude of the latter-rain faith;

people would be allowed to see many alternatives and ways of reaching different minds, different methods of evangelism, and of “doing’ church;

Amplify importance of new technologies in communicating the Message;

Pastors and administrators will not be seen as the main workers, but as equippers of every believer for the work of ministry; churches would be training centers for believers and not entertainment sets for spectators;

The importance of the local congregation should be vanguard, as the health of the larger body depends on the health of each of it’s constituent members;

We would have less administrators hid behind desks and covered with paper, busy with committee work, and more workers who are in touch with people, freeing people and money to finish God’s work of saving people;

Church would not be “afraid” of the Holy Spirit Presence and work among us;

We would stop playing the numbers game and put money where we can get the most conversions for the least investment, but take on the mission field in our own backyard, where it is the most difficult, costly and laborious;

We would never forget our apocalyptic heritage, our roots as a prophetic movement based on Revelation 10-14, we will continue to be a movement instead of becoming a monument or a museum; we would help people see the ongoing apocalyptic events in the framework of today;

We would focus on saving relationships with Jesus as the very center of Adventism, above all doctrines, recognizing that we have no creeds, and our doctrines are just a present-day expressions of ever progressing revelation;

We would never fight each other regarding worship styles and standards;

We would stop thinking tribally, nationally and racially, and develop mechanisms to enrich our multiculturalism and internationalism, emphasizing that we are from one flesh and blood, brothers and sisters, a family of God;

We would never look miserably on Sabbath, we would never treat Sabbath as a penalty for being Adventist, a price of getting a future rewards, but revel in Sabbath as a sign of our Salvation and the day of our blessings and intimacy with God.

We are what we think. Let’s think these thoughts, having the mind of God and beating devils game-plan everywhere we are.

(paraphrased from George R.Knight If I were the Devil. Seeing through the enemy’s smoke screen. A contemporary Challenges facing Adventism. (2007))