SDA -- Fastest Growing Church in US

By: Rob Peralta

In the USA Today article dated 3/17/2011 written by G.Jeffrey MacDonald we learn some surprising statistics.http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-03-18-Adventists_17_ST_N.htm Some good some not so good. The good--we are the fastest growing denomination in North America. The bad--the "growth" is too small (as compared to overseas).

Started in the mid 1800's the SDA church was kind of an off-shoot from the Anabaptists. The Europe based believers from the 1700's and 1800's. The Anabaptists were also Sabbath keepers until Satan and crew got a hold of them and brought them into compliance--hence today's 'Baptist" churches(Sunday keepers). But the SDA has remained firm in it's core doctrines, particularly the keeping of the Sabbath.

The article states the SDA is growing at a 2.5% growth rate. Sounds rather small in the general scheme of things but I guess it's because it's against the "Babylon" false teaching churches so prevalent in US today.

So If the SDA church is the fastest growing of the bunch, we must ask--why? I believe it's because God has put in motion His 3 Angels message and it going out right now in a BIG WAY. With 3abn (http://www.3abn.org/) Hope channel (http://www.hopetv.org/)
and Amazing facts (http://www.amazingfacts.com/) the message is being "shouted" to the world right now. The FINAL WARNING to God's people is taking place RIGHT NOW. People are being drawn to God's truth and His Holy Sabbath is being illuminated. God has opened many minds and hearts and those who truly SEEK the truth, now find it and see it clearly.

But whatever we do let us NOT sit upon our merits and fail to reach out to win souls. The Lord said to our church (SDA) "...Be zealous therefore and repent"(Rev.3:19) Zealous and repent, that is an interesting combination(?) We all can understand the "zealous" part but what about the "repent" part? Let me give you some good examples of why repentance is needed in our churches!

We as God's representatives of His church have a great responsibility. How we act and what we say and how good we keep our word is OMNI-IMPORTANT. Recently I found out an SDA church in my area owns a large plot of land next door to it. There is a business that rents from it. THAT BUSINESS IS OPEN ON SATURDAY!! What part of "within your gates" do they not understand? How can they be forgiven of this if they don't repent of it? Most likely they don't even THINK about their wrong doing--amazing! I will do my part to warn them-you can count on it and so too, I need your prayers.

Another example is my OWN CHURCH. The leaders have accepted a female associate pastor. God's word comes second to their decisions.

These are just a "few" of the things the SDA is in need of repenting for. While our "growth" beats the other churches, we need to pray that we can right the ship and continue to spread His last day message but also get the "logs" out of our eyes as well.

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