Guest
posted on Sep 04, 2005 - 11:56 PM
Tit for tat. Adventists don't believe in marrying outside of their faith, either. However, from where I stand as an ex-SDA, marrying an Adventist was the biggest mistake of my life. Except for his gene pool--lol---I have two handsome and talented sons from that union. If I may digress for a moment, would a co from Egypt ever consider marrying a converted American co? Most people in church look at me sideways, that's why I wonder.
Well then,briefly and for a start, things CO's need to know about SDA's to facilitate discussion:
1.Adventists believe that the universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a widespread time of apostasy, a remnant has been called out to keep the (10)commandments of God (including sabbath fri night to Sat. sundown) and the faith of Jesus.
2.The Lord's Supper, offered once each quarter, is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus. Foot washing is also practiced as a reminder of humility.
3.God bestows upon every member spiritual gifts to build up the church. When members employ these spiritual gifts as faithful stewards of God, the church is protected from the destructive influence of false doctrines.
4.One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifest in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction and correction.
5. The 10 commandments are the precepts that form the basis of God's covenant with his people and the standard of God's judgement...The fruitage of salvation is obedience to the 10 Commandments.
6. The beneficient Creator, after 6 days of creation, rested on the 7th day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The 4th commandment of God's unchangable law requires the observance of this 7th day as the day of the Sabbath....The Sabbath is God's perpetual sign of of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. [SDA's consider themselves as the 2nd Israel].
7.Stewardship: 10% tithe, 10% offering
8.Behavior: simple dress, no jewelry, eat no unclean meat (Lev.) and preferably no meat at all, of course no alcohol, tobacco, drugs, swearing.
9. There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle which the Lord set up and not man. In it Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered on the cross. Christ was inaugurated as our great High Priest and began His intercessory ministry at the time of His ascension. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the 2nd and last phase of His atoning ministry. It is a work of investigative judgement which is a part of the ultimate disposition of sin, typified by the cleansing of the ancient Hebrew sanctuary on the Day of Atonement...There's a lot more to this...
10.Christ's coming is imminent.
11. First resurrection for resurrected righteous, and living righteous. 2nd resurrection of unrighteous happens 1000 years later. The thousand years in between are called the millenium, during which time the wicked will be judged. Battle of Armagedon at end; fire from God will consume sinners and cleanse earth.
There's more...much more. Adventists carry a heavy burden and church is usually very somber.
I can't say more tonight. It brings back so much sadness.
You can probably infer from these FEW insights, what Adveentists need to know about our Coptic Orthodox faith.
But I'll post the view from where I stand tommorrow.
Much love,
sparrow
|