Wishing success for our Church in 2015

I collect meaningful devotionals through the years.  One particular devotional book I re-read so often, the 2009 daily devotional “Lest we forget” by George Knight, telling stories from Adventist Heritage.  From December 22 through 29 he lists reasons why small fraction of the MIllerite Advent movement succeeded and became the Seventh-day Adventist church, while other major fractions either disappeared or declined.

As we move forward into 2015 and beyond I ask you to consider these:

1)    amidst natural, economic, political, health, social and other disasters they offered hope, a pre-Millennial Advent (Return) of Christ, telling people that it will not be human genius that will fix this world, but Christ’s Coming.  Even today there is still confusion about secret rapture and other man-made theories of how it will all be in the end, we continue preaching the hope that Jesus is coming soon, and He is in charge of time.

2)    Their teaching was rational, it “made sense,” it was not built on emotionalism, or irrational fanatical extremism.  Early believers searched and studied the Bible for the truth, and presented doctrines that answered relevant questions.  Faith is connected to understanding.

3)    As kite flies against the wind, so there is dynamic in religious movements going against the flow.  Different doctrines gave the group sense of vitality, identity and meaning.  The truth they discovered in the Bible empowered them to go against conventional beliefs.  We should not downplay our differences, but gain strength from our uniqueness!

4)    The got organized!  Historians who analyze demise of other Adventist movements point out to a single major difference – other movements refused to organize, they remained congregational without ecclesiastical authority above the local church, and had no unity for mission, whereas our pioneers sought organizational unity to consolidate resources for mission.

5)    Their understanding of prophecies gave them urgency for mission.  In view of impending world’s crisis to come, they accepted responsibility for preparing people to meet it.  Our pioneers saw themselves as Watchmen on the walls of the moral world, calling to repentance.

6)    We started to be not just another denomination by a movement of prophecy, a movement of destiny, a movement called out in history by God’s providence to fulfill the Prophecy - the Three-Angels Message movement!

7)    The prophetic understanding of Revelation 10 moved our pioneers into mission to All the world.  We do not see ourselves as a homegrown and backyard homogeneous  group, but a world-wide church with responsibility to all nations, peoples, tribes, languages!  Mission first!

8)    Our pioneers were willing to sacrifice everything for mission.  They had received the Holy Spirit power to be witnesses, even at the cost of martyrdom, for God’s Kingdom sake. 

As I reflect on these points - our identity markers – my wish is for our church to continue in the spirit of our pioneers, in the Holy Spirit, not for our success sake, but to continue being the Kingdom Building movement.