As we finished our sermon series on the Great Controversy, one of the points I wanted for us all to wrestle with was in Matthew 25 - the sheep and the goats. Jesus declares that these two groups are identified and divided by their deeds. These passages stand in harmony with what we read in Revelation 20 about the books being opened.

As Seventh-day Adventist's, our tradition has leaned heavily on our theological uniqueness: Three Angels Message, The Sanctuary, State of the Dead, and The Sabbath. These are our pillars and a potential crutch.

I love these pillars of our faith and how they push and pull me each day. Theology is meant to give us deep roots so that we grow into true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Paul pleads with believers to allow scripture to do its work within us. 2 Timothy chapter 3 reminds us that all scripture is God breathed. That helps me remember that just as God put life into Adam and Eve, so scripture does within us.

In these final days of earths history, or just another Monday or Thursday, I urge you to not let a day go by without God's word giving you breath.

~ Pastor Jackie James

Justice for the Hurt I Give

During my sermon last Sabbath, I shared a passage from Ellen White where she discusses how the saved, upon seeing Jesus returning, ask, “Who can stand?” (Great Controversy, 641) Remember, these are the saved, not the unsaved. Every time we hurt someone we have stolen joy, health, hope… from a child of God, and these debts are ones we can’t repay. At Jesus’ return, our brokenness is brought into contrast with His glorious wholeness, and we ask, “Who can stand?”

This event carries a difficult message for us.

We need to come to terms with the fact that we have hurt people, will continue to hurt people, and will feel the weight of this hurt. We’re going to ask that question, “Who can stand?” knowing the answer is, “Not me.” I have more examples than I can count of ways I have hurt people, and I will collect more. Then we have the hurt we can’t even begin to count. We support people, policies, and institutions that hurt people. We buy goods and services that exist because the powerful take advantage of the weak. No matter how much we educate ourselves or work to do otherwise, we hurt people. By our action and inaction, we will end the day with debts we can’t pay.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Ellen White reports the question gets a response from Jesus; “My grace is sufficient for you.” Then, for a thousand years, Revelation 20:4 says, the saved are able to look through the records, see Jesus’ work on behalf of humanity, and judge–discern for themselves–that Jesus’ grace is indeed sufficient. They will be convinced that God has done everything to make justice actually happen.

What shall we do, then, given these events?

Should we give up and live lives of selfishness? “Jesus will take care of everything, so I’ll just care for myself.” How could we? The love of Jesus is in us.

Should we expect flawlessness from ourselves, and ignore the marred parts of our actions, heroes, and institutions because we need them to be flawless, too? How could we? We know our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and we know the question the saved will ask.

What shall we do? Love, repent, and improve when we can. Trust God to fill where we could not instead of beating ourselves up for falling short.

Go with grace!

–Pastor Jonny Moor

The Great Tribulation

The Great Tribulation

For generations Adventists have asked themselves, “will we be the generation who will live through the time of trouble?” When I first became Adventist, I asked myself this question often. But slowly this question escaped my mind, replaced with questions concerning today rather than tomorrow. Frankly, being more concerned about the present is not a bad thing; in fact, Jesus encouraged it (Matt 6:34). But it is one thing to “worry” about the future and another to “prepare” for it. Jesus teaches us not to worry, but he also teaches us to prepare (Matt 25:1-13). The ant does not prepare for winter because it fears winter, but because it is necessary (Prov 6:6). It is the same for us. We prepare for the time of trouble not because we fear it, but because it is the wise thing to do.

Confusing “worry” with “preparation” can lead people down a path of fear as they seek an impossible perfection, which is why I believe so many Adventist view prophecy disparagingly. But if we can learn the difference now, then we can grab hold of wisdom and grow in our discipleship. So, what does preparation for the time of trouble look like? Sister White tells us:

“Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger... because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected, they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement…Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to him, to unite our weakness to his strength, our ignorance to his wisdom, our unworthiness to his merits. God's providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus.” (GC pg.621& 623)

Preparation is developing a habit to trust God. How do we trust God?

1.    By giving our weakness to his strength

2.    By giving our ignorance to his wisdom

3.    By giving our unworthiness to his merits.

Trusting God is our preparation. It is the school where God teaches us how to remain faithful under immense pressure. It is the school where God teaches us what is true, what is virtuous and of true value. It is where we develop character and true integrity. Trusting God is how, during the Time of Trouble, we will be able to say with Jacob, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”

–Pastor Alex Portillo

The Great...

Matthew 13:27, 28a

The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ 

After an awesome Youth Ignite Program, we are diving back into our new sermon series on the Great Controversy. We are exploring the grand narrative of God's story, in which we have a part to play, and I wanted to share with you the Bible texts we used as the starting point of our journey so you could study them for yourself.

• Tares and the Wheat Parable (Matthew 13:27-30, 36-43)

• Creation of the World (Genesis 1 and 2)

• War in Heaven (Revelations 12:7-9)

• Pride of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-15)

• The Fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-7)

• Declaration of Satans End (Revelation 12:10-12)

Some additional texts to consider:

• Ezekiel 28:12-15

• Romans 5:12-21

• John 3:16, 17

We invite you to pray along and study along with us as we continue this journey with "The Great . . . Tribulation" this week.

–Pastor Jackie James

Sola Scriptura

It means scripture alone and is the basis for our faith. Yet, we know this is not simple, no matter how much we wish it were. If I have learned anything in my years of studying the Bible, it is that I must be humble in my interpretations and applications of scripture. There is always more to know and new eyes to see it through.

The Great Revelation–our scriptures, give us a lens to see God. How we interpret it in our time on earth matters. There are good ways to wrestle together. This last Sabbath we touched on a few principles, and they are worth repeating.

When exploring a text, rather than assuming the verse stands as it sounds, dig deeper. If the text does not reveal the loving character of Christ, then it must be studied more and understood better. Any understanding that does not make us more loving and more Christlike is the wrong understanding.

Scripture is learned best when wrestled with in community. Everyone’s experience differs, but together we make a more complete picture. Questions must be welcomed and included, not feared or answered simplistically. 

And, finally, we need to lean into our questioning, always seeing texts through the eyes of Christ and who Christ has called us to be in service to each other. I know if we approach scripture this way, encouraging true searching and questioning, our individual and communal faith will grow beyond what we can imagine.

–Pastor Jana Lee

The Great Controversy

God is love. From the creation of the world, to its re-creation, woven within the tapestry of earth’s history is a compassionate, merciful, patient, loyal, faithful, and just God (Exodus 34:6-7). This is the conviction at the heart of what we call “The Great Controversy.”

As Seventh-day Adventists, we are unique in how we wrestle with the problem of evil. Why is there suffering? Why does sin exist? Doesn’t God have the power to end it? Instead of addressing the issue by referencing God’s sovereignty and omnipotence, we refer to God’s character.

God most certainly has the power to end things, but the Great Controversy is not a conflict that can be settled with brute force. Why? Because the issue is about character, not power. The real questions at the heart of the controversy are: “is God just? Is God fair? Is God loving?” not “Is God powerful enough?”

As the narrative of history unfolds through the pages of Scripture and time, we see a God who, despite being all-powerful, gives freedom to creation because He desires love, and love can only exist in a free world. Freedom, of course, comes with the risk of rejection but with opportunity. With all the pain and suffering that exists in the world, it is hard to imagine that freedom is worth the price we are paying. The Great Controversy is the wisdom that allows us to say now, “Alleluia! heaven is cheap enough,” (Spiritual Gifts 2:34, 35) as we wait for the day of the coming of our Lord. Our prayer is that at the other end of this series you may come to proclaim with all the saints that God is love.

–Pastor Alex Portillo

The Education of Community

Education does not stop once we earn our various degrees and certificates. Sometimes I wish it would. I would like there to be a time we can say “Ok, I’ve learned all I need for life, now let me just live it.” This is not reality. In reality, life continues to teach us. It is what we do with that continuing education that defines us.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us a little of how to work with each other. He says: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Paul does not reassure us that it will be easy to work with each other, quite the opposite. Diving into the word for “bearing” here, we see that “The word ἀνέχω (anechō) only appears in the middle voice in the NT and means here to patiently tolerate someone who is difficult or foolish... This is why Paul brings in ‘patience’ to qualify the bearing with one another. One can easily tolerate a mildly irritating personality, but patience is especially needed for the foolish or difficult brother or sister in Christ.”

During this hard time of recovery from the pandemic, we need to bear with each other, forgiving past hurts, and valuing the education each other has received as we move forward. This is the way of Christ.

In a year of difficulty in relationships, can we grow through it? See it as continuing education–that education takes many forms? This church body is not a competition to see who ends up the most right, but instead a united whole–we are connected. We can do it healthfully if we see each other as a valued part of Christ’s body–each part needing each other.

–Pastor Jana Lee