In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
Oh, how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene'er we hear that glorious Word!
We cling to the sacred Hope of the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Each day we live by faith, and under His grace, with the hope that we will be caught up to meet him when He returns. But how did we arrive here? What are the significant sacrifices that have been made to preserve and spread the Truth? Did the pioneers have principles that we should adopt to ensure that we remain a faithful movement? The Church Heritage component of the curriculum, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, will certainly help you to find answers to these questions. Now, there is more information to cover, than I can feasibly address in one blog entry, so I will link to different resources than can shed more light on the topic.
Let's set the stage for the beginning of the modern advent movement. In the 1830s, during a time of spiritual searching and religious revival in New England, William Miller came upon a prophecy with end time significance. He read in Daniel 8 and 9 of the 2300 days prophecy and set about to understand what it meant. He calculated the date to be October 22, 1844, and began to spread a message of Christ's imminent return. Only to be met with utter disappointment when he and thousands of believers did not see their hopes actualized.
Looking Past the Great Disappointment
It could have ended there. But God has never left His people alone! A few faithful persons went back to study the Word, to see where they had gone wrong. Even in the midst of this time of sorrow, the Lord sent visions to a few chosen vessels, but not everyone accepted the call to become the Lord's Messenger. Out of their diligence, arose a new hope, even though their message was not yet fully formed. Read their stories at:http://150.adventist.org/
http://www.heritagebattlecreek.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=95&Itemid=73
http://drc.whiteestate.org/files/1228.pdf
http://www.whiteestate.org/pathways/pioneers.asp
The Gospel to All the World
The publishing press made for the development of a literature ministry. Starting with publications of the Present Truth and The Youth Instructor, the message was spread to places that preachers could not readily reach. As the SDA church became organized, missionaries went out from the USA to spread the beautiful message across the world. Many persons sacrificed family, health and convenience to preach a gospel in whose Savior they were confident. Anna Knight, Abram LaRue and J.N. Andrews are among those who took great risks when they were called into service. Leadership can be taxing, but God has promised to equip us as He calls us (Isaiah 41:10).Nothing Good Comes Easy
Of course, it was not all smooth sailing. There were several instances of turmoil and disharmony among the believers. The Minnesota Conference of 1888 marked the beginning of one such time of discord. A.T. Jones and E.J. Waggoner stood against some of the strongest voices in the church to proclaim the message of righteousness by faith. This controversy spread over several years, and at the end many bright stars were fallen. Even in 1901, major decisions to decentralize the work took place, and some of those were met with controversy and discord. By understanding some of these issues, we can prepare ourselves to do a mighty work in 2016. This video (by General Conference) and article (Gerry Churleigh) will also open up a discourse on what took place.
As we move forward in earth's history and develop our leadership skills, it is essential for us to know the past and recognize the relevant principles for present day. Now fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim 6:12).
Faith of our fathers, we will strive
To win all nations unto thee;
And through the truth that comes from God
We all shall then be truly free.
More resources on SDA church heritage can be found a the previous post, titled A Full Man
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