• How to Be Strong in the LORD
• God Manifest in The Flesh
• Your Healing in the Lord's Supper
• Editor's Perspective: 4th July: Out of the Frying Pan
• E-pistles: Q and A: 'Adventists SDA: Christian or Cult?'
• Power Evangelism Tip: Take Aim... Target Locked... FIRE!
• Learn a Foreign Language on Your Way to Work
• Bibles in all Languages

Introduction

'He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.'
Holy Bible, 1 Pe. 2:24 NIV

To scoffers it's just another Scripture, for theologians a doctrine to debate: believers know it is a living reality.

Your sin problem is fixed: your sickness healed. Shout it from the rooftops, and wake up the dead.

Understand your healing in the Lord's Supper. This article will lengthen your life, and make it more productive for Christ.

From wimp to world-conqueror. You've read God's injunction to, 'Be strong in the Lord', this month you'll find out exactly how to do that.

Imagine you lived next to the Carpenter's shop in Nazareth a while back. Pleasant quiet chap. One day he closed the business and left town. There was a fuss in Jerusalem, and the Heavies arrive asking you questions about the son of Joseph nailed to a Cross in the Capital for claiming to be God manifest in the Flesh. What would you say?

An E-pistle reader asks if Adventists are Christian, and here's a Power Evangelism Tip for headhunters.

Discover the astonishing irony of Americans celebrating 4th July Independence Day.

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You're beautiful!

Colin Melbourne

How to Be Strong in the LORD

God Manifested in the Flesh

Your Healing in The Lord's Supper

E-pistles

Subscriber's Question and Answer

How is the determination made whether a group of worshipers represents a cult or not? What about Seventh-Day Adventists?

A pseudo-Christian group crosses the line to become a cult when they deny one of the basic tenets of the faith such as the deity of Christ, salvation by faith, atonement, the Trinity etc. Many cults lay claim to soundness on such doctrines, often including them in their creeds, like the RC cult, but in practice deny them.

The SDA are definitely a cult, and it is plain to see despite attempts to whitewash their disgraceful history. Some politically correct authors of books on the cults tiptoe around the SDA, but thank God JC isn't PC! Jesus will tell you the truth always; it's why we love Him. When I first came across the SDA, I asked Him, and He told me right off, they are a cult. Research their origin, what they really believe, and teach, it'll make your hair stand on end.

Here's a taster:

An American false prophet called William Miller declared that Christ would return to earth in 1843. When Christ didn't oblige, Ellen White took Miller's place continuing with a river of false prophesies adjusting the date of Christ's return (His Advent) each time she was proved wrong. The group she formed, based upon her false visions, was named Seventh-Day Adventists. She also claimed the world would end in 1843. You noticed it didn't, undaunted she prophesied the same thing again in 1844, once more in 1845, and also in 1851. How many failed prophecies do you have to make to be branded by God a false prophet? (See: Eze. Ch.13, Deut. 18:20-22, Mtt. Ch.24)

Seventh-Day Adventists deceptively claim to base all their teaching upon the Holy Bible, yet the final arbiter and interpreter of the Bible is invariably the proven false prophetess Ellen G. White. When, in the 1970's her plagiarized 'revelations' were exposed, many SDA pastors began to question her weird teachings. Some left, others were thrown out, but the official line was: 'We believe the revelation and inspiration of both the Bible and Ellen White's writings to be of equal quality.' The SDA President said recently that to leave the SDA would jeapordize one's salvation. That's cult-talk.

The SDA teaches that Jesus is both Michael the archangel, and God's Son.

They do not believe that the lost spend eternity in Hell, and like JWs, embrace the unbiblical doctrine of 'soul sleep'. Founders denied the Trinity emphatically, then changed their minds. Mrs. White also invented the 'Investigative Judgement' doctrine, where Christ allegedly began in 1844 deciding who was fit for Heaven.

Ellen White taught that unless you keep the Saturday Sabbath you will be lost. Adventists claim that those who worship on Sunday will receive the Mark of the Beast. The group is very legalistic and fashion an idol from their food laws. There's much, much more, however rather than be distracted or waste time arguing doctrine with cults, I prefer to warn them, leave them to their rebellion, and stay preoccupied proclaiming the Gospel.

Summary: Are Adventists Christian? No! They are a cult following the demonic teachings of the false prophetess Ellen White.

Power Evangelism Tip

Take Aim... Target Locked... FIRE!

In our enthusiasm for sharing the Good News it's easy to inadvertently make sinners feel like targets receiving a broadside, rather than sensing the sincere love and compassion of Christ in us. I've certainly fallen into this trap many times. Don't let it put you off, just learn to do better.

It can arise because we like to use a 'method' or 'presentation' learned in some evangelism course. To rely on a 'format' is easier for beginners, but you run the risk of appearing to be headhunting. Memorizing evangelistic Scriptures such as the 'Roman Road' is excellent, but it's better to use them like a surgeon's scalpel instead of a bludgeoning sabre.

The key to avoiding this embarrassment is to stay in step with Christ. The Spirit of God will fill you with His genuine love, compassion, and give you the right word for the right time. It's much more 'natural' and fun than following a tried and tested path.

Remember when the Lord was on your tail? He sent some clumsy learners, who splattered you with Scriptures, and made your ears curl. Bless em! He has. But it was the other Christians who really touched you and drove that Gospel Cross into your sinner's heart of stone. Perhaps you can't remember what they said, but you could see that they really cared about you as an individual. Made you feel genuinely loved, and treasured. It wasn't an act or an effort, they really did care: because He cares. Follow Him like they did.

And she said, "Jesus is the Good Shepherd... who gave His life for the sheep."

Leaving you like a stunned mullet, speechless, and concious of the gaping hole in your heart: that only God can fill.

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