10 June 2022, St Louis, USA [Ted Wilson]
Hold fast to:
1. The biblical truth that the Godhead is constituted by three divine and equal Persons who have and will exist from eternity to eternity.
2. Simplicity in Christian lifestyle, personal dress, conduct in church life, and everyday activities.
3. Biblical truths and their relevancy for today, despite persecution. Avoid issues that are distractions from God’s last-day three angels’ messages.
4. Your careful observance of the seventh-day Sabbath commemorating biblical creation, accomplished by God recently in six literal days.
5. A simple, healthy lifestyle, including a plant-based diet according to biblical and Spirit of Prophecy counsel.
6. The unity in the church that God provides to all who focus their lives on Christ and His full biblical truth.
7. God’s biblical institution of marriage between one man and one woman. God’s Word confirms biblical marriage, biblical human sexuality, and the biblical family as instituted by God at creation.
8. In humility to biblical respect for church authority, showing respect for God working in His church through appropriate bodies and careful observance of Bible and Spirit of Prophecy counsel.
9. Your great appreciation, use, and promotion of the Spirit of Prophecy—the writings of Ellen G. White. This is a heavenly gift to this church.
10. Biblical church growth principles as revealed in the Spirit of Prophecy.
11. Your faithfulness to God’s unique Advent movement, resisting any compromise with ecumenism and neutralisation of the pure Word of God.
12. The core of our salvation and the everlasting gospel—Christ’s justifying righteousness by faith and His sanctifying righteousness by the Holy Spirit working in us.
13. All the wonderful, Christ-centred 28 Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, including our understanding of prophecy.
14. Your daily leaning on the Lord through personal Bible study and prayer. God’s Word will sustain you in all that you face.
15. Simple biblical church worship patterned after Revelation 4, giving glory only to God and not to human beings.
16. Proactive and wide-scale circulation of heaven-inspired Spirit of Prophecy books.
17. Your firm belief that Jesus is coming soon and that you are to get involved!
18. Biblical inspiration, rejecting humanism and popular social culture that attempt to destroy God’s revelation.
19. The beauty of the sanctuary and its services which point to the everlasting gospel—Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain on the cross.
20. The biblical day/year principle of interpreting biblical prophecy allowing the Bible to interpret itself.
21. The historical biblical/historical grammatical approach to interpreting Scripture, the only hermeneutical approach approved by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
22. The biblical and Spirit of Prophecy understanding that the shaking and sifting of God’s church will take place before Christ returns.
23. The precious understanding we are God’s worldwide remnant Seventh-day Adventist Church in 200-plus countries supporting each other, avoiding the mission-destroying concept of congregationalism.
24. The wonderful foundation of God’s government based on love—His eternal law including His Ten Commandments.
25. God’s special plan of health reform and comprehensive health ministry as you advocate a healthy lifestyle of God’s eight natural remedies.
This article was originally published in Adventist Review
[Photos: Jim Botha]
