I’ve always referred to myself as a Christian. Whether that was growing up in an Assembly of God church, or now, as a 24 year old proudly identifying as a Seventh-day Adventist. Although I was always a Christian, I never understood what that meant until God lead me to an Adventist church.
The Adventist church was something that was never on my radar because I hadn’t even heard of the denomination until I was about 20. Even then, the only thing I knew about Adventism was that you went to church on Saturday, only ate vegetables and weren’t allowed to drink. Coming from a church that once hosted a beer and bible study night, I still vividly remember the first Saturday I stepped into an Adventist church.
“Happy Sabbath” the lady at the door cheered. ‘Um… hello?’
I had no idea what the Sabbath was or how I was meant to respond to that, but I felt warmly welcomed. And not to sound super cliché, but I immediately knew that there was something different about this church.
The Adventist church just seemed to have something that set it apart from the other churches I had attended. Baptist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Anglican, Lutheran and Pentecostal such as Assembly of God/Hillsong… You name it, odds are I’ve been there. But the problem was, although I believed in Jesus Christ, no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find an answer to the questions I had.
- If God is a good and powerful God, why does Evil exist?
- If I go to heaven when I die, why does Jesus coming back to Earth even matter?
- If God really loved me, would he actually send me to hell?
I wasn’t sure if the whole ‘Adventist’ thing was a good or bad thing yet, but it was something different. And something I wanted to know more about.
So, within 3 months of attending the Adventist church, I decided to pause my half-completed university degree and go to a 3 and half month Adventist discipleship training program called Arise.
There God changed my life.
I believed that Jesus was real, but I didn’t really believe anything the bible had to say. So, when an Arise teacher began to explain Daniel chapter 2, it’s safe to say I was completely shocked. The bible was able to predict future empires from Babylon to Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and then to the divided nations of Europe today. And the best news of all, the return of Jesus Christ.
I remember sitting with the Pastor as he finished the study. In complete shock and amazement, I had to ask… ‘If all this is true, why haven’t any of the other churches I’ve visited been able to explain this?’
The next 3 months of the Arise program taught me wonderful, amazing, biblical truths. Such as the controversy between good and evil, the origins of sin, the sabbath and Jesus’ second coming to name a few.
At the end of Arise, I finally realised what made the Adventist church different.
It was all of these wonderful, amazing truths and ONE specific and significant truth.
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.
Revelation 14:6
The 3 angels’ message, the everlasting gospel, grace and salvation, the good news. Without this, all of our ‘Adventist’ beliefs fall apart.
I realised the thing that makes the Adventist church different, the thing that I spent years looking for, the thing that ties all of our beliefs together… Is the story of Jesus, the everlasting gospel.
After Arise finished, I got baptised and decided to bible work for 6 months. I fell in love with God and the Adventist church, so I quit my half-completed degree and applied to Avondale College University. I am now completing a Bachelor of Ministry and Theology so I can be better equipped to spend the rest of my life, sharing the Adventist message, sharing the everlasting gospel and of course… sharing haystacks.
WRITER: Gemma Chapman, attends Raymond Terrace Mission Adventist Church.