| The Manifesto Of Reform-Minded
Seventh-Day Adventists We Realize That The Majority of Seventh-day Adventists Will Forsake Us "Now
is the time for God’s people to show themselves true to principle. When
the religion of Christ is most held in contempt, when His law is most
despised, then should our zeal be the warmest and our courage and firmness
the most unflinching. To stand in defense of truth and righteousness when
the majority forsake us, to fight the battles of the Lord when champions
are few — this will be our test." 5T 136. We Teach That The Church Needs To Repent "Will the churches heed the Laodicean message? Will they repent, or will they, notwithstanding that the most solemn message of truth—the third angel’s message—is being proclaimed to the world, go on in sin? This is the last message of mercy, the last warning to a fallen world. If the church of God becomes lukewarm, it does not stand in favor with God any more than do the churches that are represented as having fallen and become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Those who have had opportunities to hear and receive the truth and who have united with the Seventh-day Adventist church, calling themselves the commandment-keeping people of God, and yet possess no more vitality and consecration to God than do the nominal churches, will receive of the plagues of God just as verily as the churches who oppose the law of God. Only those that are sanctified through the truth will compose the royal family in the heavenly mansions Christ has gone to prepare for those that love Him and keep His commandments." 19MR 176.The Church Reaching Her High Calling Is A Choice "Unless the church,
which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be converted, she
will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor herself. When she resists
the evil and chooses the good, when she seeks God with all humility and reaches her high
calling in Christ, standing on the platform of eternal truth and by faith laying hold upon
the attainments prepared for her, she will be healed. She will appear in her God-given
simplicity and purity, separate from earthly entanglements, showing that the truth has
made her free indeed. Then her members will indeed be the chosen of God, His
representatives." 8T 250-251. We Are Not to Draw Apart From The Church "No advice or sanction is
given in the Word of God to those who believe the third angel’s message to lead them
to suppose that they can draw apart. This you may settle with yourselves forever. It is
the devisings of unsanctified minds that would encourage a state of disunion. The
sophistry of men may appear right in their own eyes, but it is not truth and
righteousness. ‘In Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the
blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us; . . . that He might reconcile both unto God in one
body by the cross’ [Eph. 2:13-16]." 2MR 185. We Will Endeavor to Keep the ‘Unity of the Spirit’ In the Bonds of Peace and, at the same time, Not Cease to Protest Against Bigotry "I was confirmed in all I had
stated in Minneapolis, that a reformation must go through the churches. Reforms must be
made, for spiritual weakness and blindness were upon the people who had been blessed with
great light and precious opportunities and privileges. As reformers they had come out of
the denominational churches, but they now act a part similar to that which the churches
acted. We hoped that there would not be the necessity for another coming out. While we
will endeavor to keep the ‘unity of the Spirit’ in the bonds of peace, we will
not with pen or voice cease to protest against bigotry." 1888 p. 356-357. We Are To Stand By Our Post Of Duty "That night the angel of the
Lord stood by my bed and said to me many things which I will not attempt to write here,
but I was commanded to stand at my post of duty; that there was a spirit coming in taking
possession of the churches, that if permitted would separate them from God as verily as
the churches who refused light that God sent them in messages of warning and of light that
they might advance in regard to His second coming to our world." 1888 p. 296. We Are To Manifest Earnest Vigilance "If most earnest vigilance is
not manifested at the great heart of the work to protect the interests of the cause, the
church will become as corrupt as the churches of other denominations." 4T 513. We Aim For Separation From The World "The world must not be
introduced into the church, and married to the church, forming a bond of unity. Through
this means the church will become indeed corrupt, and as stated in Revelation, ‘a
cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ " TM 265. We Must Arouse And Cleanse Our Church "We must as a people arouse
and cleanse the camp of Israel. ... We are in danger of becoming a sister to fallen
Babylon, of allowing our churches to become corrupted, and filled with every foul spirit,
a cage for every unclean and hateful bird; and will we be clear unless we make decided
movements to cure the existing evil?" 21MR 380. We Don't Sit Idly Back While "Pride, Avarice, Selfishness, And Deception Of Almost Every Kind Are In The Church." "I
am instructed to say that we must do all we possibly can for these deceived
ones. Their minds must be freed from the delusions of the enemy, and if we fail
in our efforts to save these erring ones, we must ‘come out from among them’
and be separate." 7MR 190. Failure Means Separation "There is a little
hope in one direction: Take the young men and women, and place them where they
will come as little in contact with our churches as possible, that the low grade
of piety which is current in this day shall not leaven their ideas of what it
means to be a Christian." 12MR 333.
The Master SDA Index | Everything Important
|