Post Info TOPIC: Welcome
danny winters

Date:
Welcome
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New forum for discussing anything related to the work of spreading the 3rd Angel's Message. 


No logins, no emails logged, and no posts left on forum if abused.


Let's discuss the Great Controversy etc.



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Divine Comedy

Date:
Where are We?
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As an SDA attending a conference church here in Northern California, I'm perplexed at what I see.

Typical of a Laodicean, I go to church every Sabbath, discuss SS lessons, listen to (but I don't participate) contemporary gospel songs prelude to the second service, sing and sometimes play the organ for the opening hymn, listen to middle-of-the-road sermon, pay tithe and offerings on the collection plate, shake pastor's hand on the way out, drive a few miles home, cook little bit for lunch, take a big long siesta, wake up at around 3 or 4, browse religious topics from many websites such as this, wait for sunset, do evening worship, switch channels among Fox News, History Channel, Animal Planet, and sometimes say a prayer before hitting the sack.

I can't speak for everyone in our church, as some have varying degrees of faith. Some are advancing, others stagnating, and still others are retrograding. Bless those who are advancing. Advancing in what? Only in two areas as I see it--in putting away sin, or perfection and/or winning souls for the Lord. Each I suppose has his own problem in life. We're not all cut from the same cloth. I believe my experience is not unique. But the point is, we're a mixed bunch spiritually speaking at our local church. Many drive fancy cars and SUVs.

In terms of gospel outreach, the evangelistic crusades or Revelation Seminars have not been conducted for many years now. Growth comes mostly from accidental visitors wanting to transfer, and additional members from families. And very little at that. The seniors have mostly died off, just a handful remaining. Can't blame the church though, for not trying. In the 80s RS have been conducted almost every year with very few converts to show for. The neighborhood is pretty much stone-hearted.

I'm not a babe in Christ. I've grown in this message. I may be attending a conference church, but theologically, I'm with the historic SDAs. I'm aware of scandals, apostasies, and controversial issues in Adventism in the past and today. I know that doctrinal truths lie with hSDAs, not the GCSDAs.

Do I sense that something is wrong with this picture? You bet.

We're all waiting for the signs, especially the NSL. But we seem to be in a funk. No, we are in deep funk. We've all been waiting for the NSL ever since I was a kid. I'm mid-life now. You seach the bills coming down the pike for any sign of NSL legislation. Nothing. There have been talks, lots of talks, Pope's Dies Domini, etc., but there's been no follow-up legislation. Do I doubt that it will come? Absolutely not. NSL is an unconditional prophecy. It's like we're almost there, but we're not really there.

In the meantime we wait and wait and wait. What will precipitate NSL? 9/11 has come and is fading fast. Would a nuke from the religion of peace do it or other WMDs?

You look at the condition of the church as a whole. It's deplorable. In fact, instead of advancing it's retrograding in doctrines and practices, despite the fact that it boasts 12M members worldwide, which is only two tenths of 1 percent of the world population. Will bigger programs finish the gospel commission? Or would it be the Loud Cry. Of the 12M, how many are truly faithful? 4M? 2M? 1M? .5M? God knows. But we know it's a remnant.

Where do you see things going, Danny-san?







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daniel

Date:
RE: Welcome
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Well Divine Comedy, It sounds like you have described the PERFECT Laodicean church!  Isn't this basically what is expected, maybe even hoped for by the General Conference officials?  A quiet little church making no waves, requiring nothing more than a pastor to lull them to sleep on Sabbaths, and writing the big checks and putting them in the envelopes and dropping them in the offering plate.


What's the problem with that?


Everything.


We've lost our first love.   Jesus is not #1 in our lives.  I know, it's hard standing watch as a sentinel on the tower for years and years and years.  Surely God knows that is difficult too.  For some reason in his great mercy, he is doing all he can to save eternally that one extra soul.  He has and is doing so much for us, that anything less than full heart-acceptance leading to repentance and a new life in him, and living our daily lives as if we were in his presence, will prove to be a false hope in the day of trial.


I tell many of my friends here in Japan that we are living in a golden age.  There are no concerns about not enough of anything - if you're hungry, just go to the supermarket etc.  Nobody gives a rip if you are Christian or not.  There are basically no costs to being a follower of Jesus Christ in advanced countries.  Praise GOD!  But, the flip side of this unprecedented freedom to believe what you want, is that you don't tend to value it so highly.


Now of course God doesn't want to bring about persecution, but he will bring it about to test and refine a people.  What will do the refining?  Persecution, but first it will be from our close associates - not the world.  Chapter 32 of the original 1858 Great Controversy has some intriguing clues about what will happen.  In The Shaking, the angels will leave those who are not earnest in their faith, and provide a double layer of protection for those who heed and obey the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the true Witness to the Laodiceans. 


There WILL be a people who will give God their all, and proclaim the straight testimony.  Please do not despair, in my travels i usually see 2 or 3 diamonds in every church full of pew-warmers.  I would love to hear of your personal efforts to regain that heart-fire, and shine for our Lord and Saviour - Jesus Christ.



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The Perfect Laodecian

Date:
RE: Where are We?
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Hi


I liked your post... I just found it through a search.


You have a good way with words...


Why don't you right a book and call it the "Perfect Laodecian"


Then follow up with a book called Laodecia Perfected.


And wrap it all up with a book called


Laodecian No More!


Post here so I can read it!


I am not ready to post my e-mail and name since I don't know who and what this site is all about but I did like your post.



__________________
Divine Comedy

Date:
Where We Are
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Hello Danny-san,

It's very discouraging these days that I'm afraid that very few of the 12M SDAs are ready for Jesus to come. I count myself in the majority, although I don't want to be in that condition. Instead of striving for perfection, I still find myself committing besetting sins.

If you're living a perfect life with just a few blots of sin for let's say an entire year, more power to you. You know and you can tell if you're reaching the standard. It's only between you and God, of course.

I cannot change the true doctrine to suit my failings like the liberals do. If you cling on to the love gospel, new-theology, cheap grace -- it's worse because there's no salvation in it but the big lie according to Paul. In fact, whether we accept it or not, God's truth doesn't change. We either follow the light or we're left in darkness. God says go with the program. And the absolute truth is that we're left to remedy the defects of our character--Mrs. White says that. The keyword in a nutshell is cooperation--between God and man. God gives the power but man must act.

I do not berate God's word. I believe it and have full faith in it. But I'm frustrated at my performance. The true gospel as we all know has the power to overcome evem the power of sin. I have experienced it. But sadly, it doesn't last. I'd be lucky if a week or two goes by without me sinning in thoughts and actions. You know and I know that God demands perfection: "Be ye therefore perfect..." Plus only overcomers are welcomed. "He that overcometh..."

And yet we also find somewhere in Ecclesiastes there's not a righteous man that doesn't stumble. Even the beloved John says that if we say we do not sin, we're liars. God says that Job was perfect. But Job said though he were perfect, he wouldn't know it. He cursed his birth. Far be it from me that I would compare myself to Job. But here was a perfect man whose mind was far from ever thinking himself perfect wishing only that death would come to end his misery.

What was prophesied will happen. God will have a perfect people, the 144,000, that will give the loud cry which will be attended with miracles of conversion like in Apostolic times and also in Jesus' day when he sent the seventy. They healed the sick, raised the dead, etc. EGW says that too, in GC somewhere. Now the question is, are the 144,000 living among us right now?

I'm beginning to entertain the thought that that's years away and that our generation may have to pass from the scene. But does that mean that our generation of believers are hopelessly lost because the 144,000 is not made up in our midst? Perhaps not. Our best hope is to be counted in the ennumerable company standing in the sea of glass. To be in that number I consider to be a very good possibility as far as my chances of making it to the kingdom.

Look at the example of the Israelites in the borders of Canaan. Yes, all in that generation who crossed the Red Sea perished without seeing Canaan as God sadly pronouced that they would never set foot there because of their unbelief. But the question is, Was that generation all lost? They repented. Proof? We see in the story of Balaam that God blessed the entire nation years. They may not have reached the Promised Land but don't you think they will be numbered with the resurrected?

For crying out loud, even the most fervent of the time-of-the-end generation, that of EGW and the pioneers, were all laid to rest. You must admit that we're worse than that generation. A generation that saw through the Great Disappointment, and toil, ridicule, and hardship as they went abroad as fire-in-the-bosom type 3AM gospel missionaries. Yet, God in His wisdom laid them all to rest. How does our generation compare with theirs? Does that mean that just because they failed to bring the last day events for failing to heed the call in the crucial 1888 message of righteousness by faith they all therefore went to their graves condemned?

Our generation are avid watchers for signs. 9/11 was a watershed event, yes. EGW saw that in her vision. More would follow. She said she saw balls of fire with darting arrows of fire coming out of them. Might be some nuke blowing up somewhere. That hasn't happened yet.

But the main sign that we're all looking for that will signal the end of times is the National Sunday Law. Once it passes, every other baleful events (time of trouble, etc.) will follow in alarming rapidity. Now, where is NSL? Is it anywhere in the horizon? Is it in some legislation being considered by Congress? Don't get me wrong. I believe it will happen. Just maybe not in our generation.

Should we despair about that? The problem is we're all looking for the much anticipated time of NSL and then we'll all know what to do almost by script, i.e., head for the hills hoping that we would be numbered with those who would be translated. Preparing for Christ's coming to us generally means having to live through the time of trouble and the plagues unscathed and in the end translated, never seeing death.

I, too, await these events with great anticipation. But I'm also preparing for the eventuality that the dreaded NSL may not happen in my lifetime, and I'm 46.

And now, now, I've realized that we should all be preparing for death as the main way to eternal life. They call it the underground train to heaven. There's truth in that you must admit.

So when Jesus said Watch ye therefore for in that hour ye know not when the Son of Man cometh. I've always thought and been taught that we have to be ready for the general close of probation when Christ would throw down the censer and proclaim that awful cry of Rev. 22:11.

Nothing wrong with that. But have we ever thought much of death as our personal close of probation? Not much, I'm afraid. Why did He say watch? Simply because we don't know when our time will be up. It so easy to die in this world, in fact, there are thousands of ways that we can die. Some of which are sudden, unexpected. We'll never know the future circumstance of our personal death. It could very well be sudden. And that's what Jesus is mainly talking about that we better heed because it can come so unexpectedly. And if we die suddenly with sin in our lives, then we're lost. Ezekiel says that you may have been righteous all your life and yet if you die with sin unforgiven, you're lost. That's reality we must accept.

But here's the comforting thought especially for our dear seniors just about ready to fold up their tents. THEY ARE CLOSER TO THE COMING OF CHRIST than most of us. The same is the case of our loved ones dying in bed of whatever sickness. In the blink of an eye they will see Jesus come. WONDERFUL THOUGHT ISN'T IT!! Thank God for giving us the true doctrine of the state of the dead. A few moments later they will see themselves lifting off the ground, all in a seeming second. In their own reckoning of time all that has gone by was but a mere second from when they lost consciousness to gaining it back once again. But in the parallel time continuum, which is the real time, hundred of years may have elapsed in that one second gap between consciousness before death and the moment of resurrection.

No wonder Christ said He that believeth in me shall never see death, believest thou this? Now you see this promise in a different light. Now you know its true meaning: "Behold I come quickly [i.e., the quickness and suddenness of death]." John understood: "Even so Lord, come."

Now this is the gospel that I truly believe in:

We must persist, remain in the faith, despite our shortcomings. The key is to never give up. The losers are those who give up and say "What's the use" and live out profligate lives. We should strive for the mastery. Perfection is when God sees as trying very hard to overcome and yet once in a while because of the pull of the flesh are overcomed, Jesus will fill in the difference that measures up to God's requirement of perfection. But only as long as we're in forgiven state. Christ will never make up for an unforgiven sin.

In other words, keep trying and never give up. God gave us the most beloved promises of the Bible for sinners: 1 John 1:9. We all can recite that in memory. Equally important key texts for the overcomed are 1 John 2:1, Matt. 11:28, John 6:37, Ps. 51:10, and many others. Will there ever be a time when God will not fulfill His end of the bargain in these texts? Of course. We know that to be the general close of probation. We know that time is near, but we're not there yet, thank God. If we ever live through the plagues, then these texts are worthless shortly before then.

Here's another wonderful though in terms of perfection. It can never be attained by our performance alone, although our performance is very important, and it's a definite requirement too, for it is part of our sanctification, or part of the process of salvation. So you see that man's salvation is always a cooperative effort between God and man. Man confesses, repents, is forgiven, performs acts of righteousness, falters, forgiven again, and then eventually dies, hopefully with all sins forgiven. See the process is intimately entwined between man's effort and God's promises claimed by man by faith.

Here's how we overcome: Rev. 12:11: "And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death."

What's that again? Did you get it? It says overcame by the blood of the Lamb? Do we have anything to do with the blood of the Lamb? Did we have to perform anything to get washed by the blood of the Lamb? Yes. We have to swallow our pride, and in humility, accept his offer of salvation, and its ours free. Perfection, or overcoming here means simply being in a forgiven state. The state where Jesus blood washes us of our sins. That's true perfection. The acceptance of the gift itself is itself part of our performance. This I believe is the true gospel.

If you ever have a doubt as to the idea of striving over the mastery of our carnal nature. Or in a word--trying. Then here's a comforting quote:

"Every time you are called upon to meet temptation, it is your duty to obtain a victory through the grace of Christ; and when you endure temptation in the strength of Christ, you are a conqueror. Cease worrying, and begin to count up your blessings and privileges. Your temper will be tried. Your patience will be tested. Prayer alone, and earnest faith, will bring you through these things like a Christian. We are in the school of Christ. We are to be disciplined and trained, until our characters shall become Christlike. We are to grow daily in spiritual loveliness. We shall fail often in our efforts to copy the divine Pattern. We shall often have to bow down to weep at the feet of Jesus, because of our short-comings and mistakes; but we are not to be discouraged. Pray more fervently. Believe more fully, and try again with more steadfastness to grow into the likeness of your Lord. As we distrust our own power, we shall trust the power of our Redeemer, and we shall praise God who is the health of our countenance." {RH, August 7, 1888 par. 13}


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daniel

Date:
RE: Welcome
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Konnichiwa Divine Comedy-san,


How can someone know my deepest thots when i haven't said them?  How can someone write my words when they haven't even been formed in my head yet?  Are you my alter-ego in a different time-space dimension?


The sighings and crying over my own faults, the commanded standard, the bewilderment over seeing Bible figures who were "loved of God", or "upright", "blameless" or even "perfect" (Noah, Abraham, all of Israel, David, Asa (??!!), Hezekiah, John the Baptist's parents etc. etc.), yet failing God so miserably....


God has made the provision, and i must accept it, and give my will to him, to be molded, and fashioned after his character.  Every time i fall, and when i unwittingly fall too by giving offenses etc., i wonder "How can it be - BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT"?  I can only cling to the arm of our Saviour who will assuredly keep us in his grasp if we make the intelligent choice to follow him wherever he leads.


I really, really want to be one of the 144,000.  It is my life goal - to be a representative of God when the darkness in the world is at its greatest.  Yet the years drag on......My mom said: "Danny, no use in thinking about college because the Lord will come back before then".  I'm 43 now.


He WILL come back.  No doubt about it, but why so looooong?  Why do we have to go thru all this earthly hell?  Very possibly i will not even be in the generation when the 144,000 are made up.  That may be many years after i've turned to dust.  Statements like this don't mean i'm saying my Master is delaying his coming so i can go eat and drink and beat - no, no, i'm just saying what could be fact.  I don't know God's time table.  He will accomplish it in the best way at the best time - hallelujah!


Yes, of course many in the Israelite multitude will be eating of the tree of life.  Usually they all get a bad rap for some of their more noticeable sins, but if we were in the same place, we most likely would have done the same.  Can you imagine - leaving behind all your house and civilized things to wander around in a hot desert living in tents with a bunch of smelly animals?  Not an easy task.


Their failings and returnings to God are somewhat of an encouragement to us today.  God didn't forsake them, he tested and tried them to build them up, and they followed sometimes, and they rebelled sometimes.  It looks to me, that we are doing even worse than they, as we have their example as a reference.  Yet God has not thrown us off yet, and keeps telling Laodicea to buy from him the good things.


In reading the original 1858GC, i get a bit different picture of last day events from what my upbringing taught me.  It really looks like the National Sunday Law is NOT the big event for the 144,000.  The NSL is not mentioned by name at all in the 1858GC, and only obliquely as "measures taken" in chapter32, AFTER they are shaken, and while the Loud Cry is going on when the Holy Spirit is poured out in great quantities during the Latter Rain.


It looks like probation for the Seventh-day Adventist church is all over BEFORE the Sunday Law hits.  I could be wrong on this tho....


I first really understood John 11 where Jesus says: "whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" when my mom passed away several years ago.  If our names are in the Book of Life, then in God's eyes, the person has not died, they are just resting.  And vice versa applies too i think.  Those whose names are not in the Book of Life, even if they are walking and talking and breathing, they are dead.  Does this make any sense?  I wish i could write in the language of heaven so it would be easier to understand each other/everyone.


"man's salvation is always a cooperative effort between God and man."  You should write a book.  You really should.  All of us sheep need to hear this message.  Salvation is not works centered, and is not unconditional love either.  The center is Jesus Christ.  He is the all in all.  We must accept him, and give up our will and ego and everything to him, to be molded by him into his likeness.  The 144,000 WILL reflect the character of God perfectly to the world.


Your email is comforting, and exhorting.  Thank you brother.  May God keep you in the palm of his hand today, and please pray for me too, that i will represent him aright to my English students.


 



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Mr. Zohmachhuana Khawlhring

Date:
Request for CD Keys
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Dear Brother Danial,

After a long time.
This time I am in need of your valuable help!
I have obtained Mrs. White's Legacy of Light CD-ROM from a friend of mine.
But I do not have the CD Keys to install it.
Kindly send me the CD Keys for it, if you can do so.

Thanks!

Yours in Jesus,

__________________
daniel

Date:
RE: Welcome
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It has been quite a while Brother Zohmachhuana.  How have you been?


In our emails before you showed that you were zealous, but not 100% for the Lord.  Now you show that you still put yourself above God.  How can you ask someone to help you in breaking the law?


Please give your life 100% to Christ today.  That would make him very happy



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Zohmachhuana Khawlhring

Date:
Permalink   

Dear Brother Daniel,

I am not a position to send you mail or browse internet after along time.
I am just returning from my ministry.
As you might know that Mizoram is a hilly area.
Its not llike other Indian cities/town.
I am preaching my health ministry around.
I am interested in natural healing.
Regarding Mrs. White's CD-ROM key,
A friend who is doing a missionary work in Tripura send me the CD, its not pirated one!
He forgot to send me the CD-Keys with it.
So, I asked your help.
I am not able to contact him for a long long time, since they are in a remote area.
Never mind if you are not able to help me.
Its not a matter with breaking tha law. ha!
Now I am helping building the church in Aizawl.
One of my friend, Pastor Daniel came from US and donating our needs.
I am translating his speech/sermons.
Atlast I found the true SDA Pastor, who is doing the practical works.

Yours in Jesus,

__________________
T.K.LIANA VAIPHEI

Date:
' THE CHURCH [ and the adventist ] THAT DOES NOT EVANGELIZE WILL FOSSILIZE'..........
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SIR,
I AM A YOUNG MAN FROM INDIA, 36 YEARS OF AGE.......AND....
........BAPTISED INTO THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH AFTER
A LONG WAIT OF 17 [SEVENTEEN ] YEARS IN FEBRUARY 10 , 2001.

I LIVE INTHE NORTH EASTERN STATE OF MANIPUR.

I AM INTERESTED IN SPREADING THE THREE ANGESL' MESSAGES TO
AS MANY AS I CAN.

I RESOLVED AND PROMISED LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT I WILL TRY
TO GIVE AT LEAST 15 [FIFTEEN] BILLION [FIFTEEN THOUSAND MILLION]
SDA BOOKS / TRACTS / CDS / CASSETTES......ETC... IN MY LIFE TIME.



ANYONE WITH SIMILAR INTEREST CAN CONTACT AND HELP ME.

MR.T.K.LIANA VAIPHEI,
SALEM HOUSE,
OLD LAMBULANE, IMPHAL-WEST,
795001, MANIPUR , INDIA

MY EMAILS: tklianavaiphei@gmail.com,
tklianavaiphei@yahoo.co.in,
tklianavaiphei@rediffmail.com

=================================================================


__________________
daniel

Date:
RE: Welcome
Permalink   


That is a breathtaking undertaking you are attempting Brother.  I wish you all the best.  Right now translation of the original 1858 Great Controversy is continuing apace in several of the northern Indian languages such as Miso and Khasis, and Assamese.  As you can see on this site, it is already in Nepali.


I'm very interested in your part of the world, as i believe the Holy Spirit is ready to work mightily there in the Himalayan region.


God bless you sir, and keep straight on the narrow path :)



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xangoboy

Date:
Permalink   

Hi


Divine Comedy, it's nice to be afraid of others situation since we don't have to be selfish. If this 12m members of SDA today will have the same interest and dreams, the problem will be minimized if not totally erradicated.


 Word of advice, as a friend and neighbor, you cant do t alone! you need a special someone to help you make things right! Take Jesus all the time...


Godbless you!


boy



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Valerie D

Date:
Permalink   

Hi Daniel
 
I so appreciated this entry.  It is very encouraging to know that others think and feel like I do about the situation in the church  etc.  I quote:

It looks like probation for the Seventh-day Adventist church is all over BEFORE the Sunday Law hits.  I could be wrong on this tho....


 


I have a feeling you may be right about this.  Many SDAs are in for a nasty shock.  Things are not going to happen exactly how many of them imagine.  Probation for the SDAs will close first and before the probation of others.  It does not happen simultaneously.  Everyone is waiting for the NSL but by then it will be too late for many SDAs.



__________________
webmaster

Date:
Permalink   

Hello Valerie-san,  I think you are very correct about many of us SDAs being surprised by the turn of events at the end.  Many of us have grown up fed prophetic interpretations that have put us to sleep.  The Jews were destroyed because they misinterpreted the prophecies, and we are following the same path.


We need to help get the Laodiceans on fire for Jesus



__________________
webmaster

Date:
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Please note that this site never sends out mass mailings.

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