Author Topic: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination  (Read 55508 times)

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Wally

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #60 on: July 10, 2015, 04:18:06 PM »
There will have to be enforcement or else the vote didn't mean anything.

Yes, and the action needs to be swift and decisive, or we risk anarchy.  There are those out there who would accept practicing homosexuals into church membership if they could get away with it.  If nothing is done to reign in the rebellious elements on the WO issue, it will embolden those who wish to bring other "progressive" (i.e., heretical) policies.
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John Erickson

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #61 on: July 10, 2015, 08:12:22 PM »
Does anyone have a concrete definition of what a commissioned pastor is allowed/not allowed to do? The NAD just put out an article saying that they can supposedly do everything an ordained minister can do except for a few things. Read the excerpt from the article below:

The 1989 General Conference Annual Council vote which allowed for:
“Those who have, without regard to gender, been recognized as commissioned ministers or licensed ministers may perform essentially the ministerial functions of an ordained minister of the gospel in the churches to which they are assigned, subject to division authorization of this provision, if the following conditions apply:
“1) The individual has completed approved ministerial training.
“2) The individual has been called by a conference to serve in a full-time pastoral-evangelistic-ministerial role.
“3) The individual has been elected and ordained as a local church elder.”

 
North American Division Working Policy L 33 10 which states:
“A commissioned minister in leadership position is authorized by the conference, union or division to perform substantially all the functions of the ordained minister within the territory of the organization he/she serves. The functions that are excluded are those listed in the Church Manual as follows: Organizing of a Church, Uniting churches, and Ordaining local elders or deacons.”

I looked in the church manual and didn't find much except that they can conduct church services, communion, baptism (if an elder and with permission), can chair a business meeting (in the absence of a pastor and with his permission or that of the conference president and if an elder). I smell a rat here. My suspicion is that a commissioned pastor is more like a glorified elder. I'm thinking the NAD is using their own working policy and an annual council vote (both of which would be subordinate to the church manual, correct)? I think this is another use of local rules to get around voted church rules that apply to everyone.

Thoughts? What are commissioned pastors allowed to do? And if they can really do everything the NAD says they can do, then what was the big deal about commissioning them, letting them do almost everything an ordained pastor could do and leave it at that? As I said, I smell a rat.
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John Erickson

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #62 on: July 10, 2015, 08:13:07 PM »
The article I quoted from came out after Elder Wilson made his remarks after the Friday business session.
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Immanuel

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #63 on: July 10, 2015, 08:55:46 PM »
Commissioned ministers are not authorized on a world-wide basis, as is an ordained pastor. Their function is still tied to their role as an ordained local elder. In the manual there is not a concise list of what a commissioned pastor is able/unable to do, you have to look at the specific tasks to find that out. It is as the NAD statement said that the excluded functions are organizing or uniting churches and ordaining local elders and deacons.

Immanuel

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #64 on: July 10, 2015, 08:57:49 PM »
A correction in what I posted earlier in the licensed vs. ordained pastor roles that Hoover has asked about. In the 2010 church manual they made the change that now licensed or commissioned pastors can preside over local church business meetings where church discipline issues are being addressed. Prior to 2010 it had only been ordained pastors who could do that.

John Erickson

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #65 on: July 10, 2015, 09:50:10 PM »
Thanks Pr. Immanuel. Had I re-read some of your posts I would have gotten a good share of the answer I was looking for. Sorry for the redundancy. So do you guys think that the NAD will start commissioning a bunch of pastors but make them, for all intents and purposes, an ordained minister without calling them that?

As to the Netherlands, I think we would all agree that they are crossing the line by going ahead and stating that they plan to actually ordain women, period. Sorry I know it probably seems like I am going around and around here, it's been a long day and I've read so much and been trying to process everything that things are getting a little jumbled upstairs if you know what I mean. I really do hope they have a leadership shakeup or something to quell the rebellious actions over in the Netherlands and do it quickly as we have stated.

Also, we still don't have a clear answer as to the Sandra Roberts question whether she will be removed or will resign.

We also don't know if those women who were ordained during the period of rebellion will keep their credentials. I think they should be taken away because they did it before the church voted on it. Allowing them to keep their credentials would set the precedent of "grandfathering" in rebellion imo.
"Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" Matthew 28:20

Richard Myers

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #66 on: July 10, 2015, 11:10:15 PM »
You can't grandfather in someone who was not legally ordained.

The issue between division and union is interesting. The GC has direct control over the president of the NAD. He works for the GC.   The union officers do not. They have a constituency that elects and empowers them. So, the GC cannot fire a union president. The process is what we are pointing to. So, does that mean there is no discipline for those in rebellion? Not at all. They operate under a constitution and are bound to follow the GC as the supreme church authority. The GC cannot fire the officers of a rebellious conference, but they can separate the conference from the church. This is why we have not seen any action taken against the rebellion. Elder Wilson chose to allow the rebellion to play out until the studies were done and the vote was taken. If there is a Seventh-day Adventist Church, it is because there is an agreement between the churches. Break the agreement and what is left?  For a church that points to the need for laws to keep order, we cannot allow anarchy in the church. It misrepresents God and His plan for this world and the one to come.

It appears that the first order of business is to understand what Dan Jackson is going to do. If he does not reign in the rebellious conferences, then there is no reason to keep him in the employ of the church. He has led this rebellion with the help of Jan Paulson and other NAD and TED leaders. Paulson encouraged the SECC when they ordained women elders by indicating they were morally correct, but ought to have waited. They were not morally correct and because they thumbed their noses at the World Church, Paulson ought to have called for disciple and the undoing of the ordinations.

If Jackson does not repent of his rebellion, then after he is fired, what will happen in the NAD?  The GC will have to replace Jackson with a "consecrated" president. Until the GC leaders are consecrated, we shall continue to have support for unScriptural teaching and actions in the church. We thank God for Elder Wilson, but he cannot control unconsecrated leaders who are working counter to God and Elder Wilson. Women's ordination is only a symptom of a much deeper problem. Back to the rebellion. If the SECC continues as Sandra Roberts indicated, then there is little else the church can do except separate the conference from the church. That is how I see it, John. It would be nice if there were some other solution, but rebellion is often incurable. The conference selected their officers and it appears that most in the conference support their selection. Why would we want to keep those who are opposed to the Christian principles we follow and teach? There is no strong admonition in the Bible for error in the church than the words of Paul when he said "Accursed be the man that bringeth another gospel into the church." Let the false teachers who are in rebellion form their own church where there is no reproach brought upon God's church.

As another example of the refusal to deal with the situation, is the situation with Spectrum and A-Today. If the conference does not deal with the apostasy of ordained ministers, then the conference needs to removed from the church. Strong words, but it has gone on too long and too far.
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Plain Adventist

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #67 on: July 11, 2015, 04:07:33 AM »
I would say they should disband the rebellious conference, allowing the churches and members to become part of the nearest conference. If they would instead truly cut off the conference from the church, this would separate many members who live in those regions but disagree with the wrong actions of their leaders.

This would be a first, for this to happen. No one likes to be in the position to have to do it. Let's pray for Elder Wilson. I can sympathize with him, because I think he is like me in that he does not like conflict. I can so relate to that. However, I believe sometimes painful actions are necessary. If cancer is not cut out it will spread, and if we do not uphold church standards, and separate those who do not want to obey them, apostasy spreads. That is what we have so much of now in our church. God is working so wonderfully in our church, and we praise Him for that, and yet we must recognize that we are like the Israelites and are in a Laodicean condition, which is a very serious condition. And while we see all that is going on, and "'...sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done' in the church," (3T 267), we must never forget to search our own hearts first.
Amy Pavlovik ~~ “The strength and spirituality of the people of God are manifest by the distinctness of the line of demarcation which separates them from the world.” SW 17

Immanuel

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #68 on: July 11, 2015, 04:37:25 AM »
I wonder how to deal with rebellious unions. The unions are the ones who authorize the ordination, not the conferences. If the union does not authorize is then the conference can not do it. I wonder how that will work because there are some conferences within the rebellious unions that do not support WO, for instance the Mountain View conference in the Columbia Union. Larry Boggess, the president of that conference spoke out against WO both at the union constituency and at the GC. If the union was somehow disbanded how would that affect the Mountain View conference?

Also, I know that Dan Jackson is all for consolidating the church structure. While this may need to be looked at it seems his goal is to consolidate conferences into the size of the current unions. If he is able to do this what then happens to a territory like the Mountain View conference? They are now subject to the leadership of the newly formed territory. In that case the Mountain View conference member would be easily out voted by the larger conferences that support the rebellion.

I am not sure that Dan Jackson will be successful in implementing this, but we have already seen strange things happening so it not out of the realm of possibility.

Richard Myers

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #69 on: July 11, 2015, 12:40:38 PM »
Satan will come in an effort to discourage God's true children. We must look beyond what we see with our eyes to the things which are unseen and eternal.  The devil is at work and as Amy has said, if the cancer is not removed, it will spread. I want to go a step further than  women's ordination. What we have are many who are not converted. It is  no longer possible to ignore this. It is the problem, not women's ordination. Rebellion does not exist in the heart given to Christ. Therefore, a majority of the NAD leaders are in an unconverted state, and thus the great perplexities in the division.

Elder Wilson has done a good job of representing the truth as it is in Jesus, but I fear that Amy may be right. It is  not in th Lord's ways to extoll those in rebellion. To much has been said in allowing those whose hearts are set against the truth to be spoken  of in any kind of manner that would instill confidence in them. I understand  that is a Christian thing to do at some times, but in Daniel Jackson's case, it is not.  He has proved himself a rebel. Giving him  a second chance, fine, but do not encourage others to believe he  is a faithful minister of the gospel, not until he repents of the evil he has not only done, but caused by his example and  encouragement.

Pastor Immanuel, thank  you  for sharing what is under consideration in the NAD.  By so doing, the voice of the individual church member is substantially lessened. As it is now, we elect conference leaders that are more in harmony with what we believe. Fewer conferences means less representation.

Giving Paulson the platform allowed the church a clear picture of who he is. Giving Jackson another chance will also reveal who he is since the church has just told him "no" to women's ordination. What he does with the SECC will reveal where his heart is, with them or with the church. He cannot any longer fool some into thinking he is faithful to both parties. That is impossible. He either is serving God or Satan, but not both.
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Wally

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #70 on: July 11, 2015, 03:35:58 PM »
I wonder how to deal with rebellious unions. The unions are the ones who authorize the ordination, not the conferences. If the union does not authorize is then the conference can not do it. I wonder how that will work because there are some conferences within the rebellious unions that do not support WO, for instance the Mountain View conference in the Columbia Union. Larry Boggess, the president of that conference spoke out against WO both at the union constituency and at the GC. If the union was somehow disbanded how would that affect the Mountain View conference?



If a particular Union was disbanded, couldn't an individual Conference choose which Union to join?  And even if a Union went ahead and ordained women, the local Conference would not be forced to accept any of them into the local churches, would they?  I know that in our Conference, the local churches are given some choice in who they get as a pastor.  Thanks to that policy, we now have the best pastor we've had in the 30 years I've been here.  He's solid on the pillars of our faith, believes the SOP, and even likes Walter Veith.  :o
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

LindaRS

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #71 on: July 11, 2015, 04:00:08 PM »
I've had a bit of time to observe here and listen. I am also remembering the stories of rebellion in the Bible, such as King Saul. Why didn't God punish Lucifer immediately? Why didn't he do it when his rebellion ripened into war in heaven? Why did God give ancient Israel 1500 years where they went round after round of apostasy and repentance? Because their rebellion had to fully ripen. Everyone had to have an opportunity to see plainly what the rebellion was and who was involved. I don't believe that everyone who is a SDA in the world church is fully aware of the rebellion and its depths. Those living outside the NAD, TED, and Australia have not had the opportunity to see what we have seen. They have not had the propaganda, the deception, the books of a feminine order that the western nations have had. They must be able to see the rebellion for what it is.

Think of it this way, if you lived in a hut in central Africa, of a tiny mountain top village in South America, or a rice paddy in Asia, how much would you know of what is happening in North America? You may not be able to read or write, or if you can, English is almost not certainly a language you know. You know only what you hear at church, which probably isn't the news from America. Even if you heard something, it might not make much sense to you. I'm not talking about high church positions which are often filled with men who have been sent to the US or Europe for education. They know more, and may even support the rebellion in some degree.

Now, if the General Conference makes a move to disband rebellious unions before those in the rest of the world have a more complete understanding of the rebellion, what will they think of such a move? Would it not frighten them? Isn't it possible they would be confused, wondering why such a move was made? God did not destroy Satan because he had not fully ripened his rebellion when he was cast out of heaven. Samuel told Saul that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft when he performed the sacrifices rather than wait for Samuel to arrive. But he was not destroyed at that time. It took more time for his rebellion to fully develop. At the same time, he was also being given time to repent. Not until he went to the witch of Endor did his probation close. I believe that the rebellion in the SDA church is close to being fully developed, but is not quite there yet. The GC leaders need wisdom and prudence to know when and how and where to move on this issue. It must fully develop so there will be no doubt in anyone's mind that it is anything other than open revolt against God.
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LindaRS

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #72 on: July 11, 2015, 06:39:45 PM »
A couple of videos regarding the vote and the aftermath. First is a video from You Tube which shows the vote count being read and Elder Wilson's comments.




Second is from the NAD encouraging women pastors. Message of Encouragement to NAD Adventist Pastors
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah  10:23-24

Mimi

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #73 on: July 12, 2015, 11:26:52 AM »
It must fully develop so there will be no doubt in anyone's mind that it is anything other than open revolt against God.

I believe it as well, Linda. The vote was a gigantic first step in the right direction. God bless the faithful in His church!

Other issues having to do with WO, such as retaining local elders must be dealt with. Otherwise there is a glaring inconsistency. One cannot remove the illegitimate position of ministerial overseer for women while retaining her as an overseeing elder and expect to be taken seriously. There must be further action to remove the inconsistency.

It has taken me days to comprehend all of this and the process in my mind is still ongoing. I appreciate what has been written in these pages. From the appearance of all things considered, the corrections will be made incrementally rather in one fell swoop, which is, of course, our heart's desire. The rebellion must fully develop before it can be seen in all of its hideousness.

May God grant us grace-filled patience to wait on His timing rather than our own.     
  For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 

ejclark

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #74 on: July 12, 2015, 01:00:46 PM »
In the town where my local church is, there is another SDA church that belongs to a neighboring conference. There may come the day when our church will request to be removed from the conference we are in and be accepted into another that harmonizes more with our beliefs on this issue. And if a church can do that, then it would stand to reason that a local conference might be allowed to join a different union.

Sister Dee

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #75 on: July 12, 2015, 06:48:32 PM »
May God grant us grace-filled patience to wait on His timing rather than our own.     

Amen!

Ed Sutton

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #76 on: July 25, 2015, 09:14:43 PM »
The issues uncovered by the things leading up to the 2015 GC Session & the GC session it's self underscores this prophetic and multi layered question.

Luke 18:
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Faith - taking Scripture & SOP at Christ's Word & acting on it AS it reads.

Some back then had it, and some forward to the time then will also have it, but not everyone who names the name does now, or will have it.    If a tree has thorns, is it really an apple tree, or just a misplaced sign wrongly naming it in the arboretum ?  The gardener will know.

1 Samuel 7:8  And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

Isaiah 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Isaiah 33:22  For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.

Not all those who call themselves SDA's, today, are waiting for Him, not all SDA's, today, respect His laws, He is NOT THEIR King, why do they think He will save them when they do what proclaims them as saying He is not their Lord ?

Luke 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Jesus often used women as evangelists, and never as Apostles, Pastors, Elders, Deacons; why do they go where Jesus never leads, and refuse what He says ? 

Thus reassigning women away from organized evangelism infrastructures by changing the focus, and trying to reprogram hearers to believe the Bible didn't really say what it said .

Women should be non baptizing, non Minister evangelists, in such official positions of evangelism and paid by tithe, such a gender specific evangelist position does not exist, but it ought to. 

It would not be a parallel to a male pastor, elder, or baptizing pastor / evangelist . 

It would be built to focus on putting women into evangelism where SOP says they ought be, in the families in a way men can not go, and pay them the same salary as male pastors, because their work will equal or exceed male pastors in depth, quality, fruitful results, and not venture into male administrative pastoral roles as gender cloned ministers, which short changes their access into families as evangelists as SOP pictures them .

The NAD SDA view of both salvation and evangelism is myopic.  The view of salvation becoming an on paper salvation, the corresponding view of evangelism has become an on paper evangelism.  Indoctrinate and dunk = a new SDA.   But while union with Christ has given no evidence of soul winning zeal in the new convert, such "conversion" is ink on paper ascent and no actual evidence of heart change.

Using generalized tendencies

Women align more with relationships, men align more with goals and objectives,  in this case women's alignment is better for actually continuing with converts till actual converting to Christ occurs and the new believer settles into settled reality.  Men are lured by numbers, and the forces that pay male evangelists have financial clout and influence. 

A useful experiment would be a 5-7 yr creation of test run of a female infrastructure running a crew of female Bible Workers and Female Evangelists that focus upon the family, not the lightening campaign, not the Daniel Revelation Public Seminar, but a system built and geared to be grass roots into door to door families - more friendly to an underground campaign.  Persecution will soon all too soon start squeezing public efforts.  Grass roots efforts will be tougher to slow down.

A fully female gender exclusive office with a fully female infrastructure with no inclination to competition with males or aspiration to Scripturally male offices. 

We have female Bible Workers, by why not a tithe fund paid, organized infrastructure of women to enter and work in families door to door, doing the work of evangelists in the homes, and training and counseling the Church women and girls.

Females who are not designed to seek being elders, deacons, ministers, who cooperate with but do not compete with headship, and amplify fruitfulness in evangelism by being a multi stage evangelism, and provide follow up of female counseling female converts.

As a preexisting experienced workforce hopefully many of the women being empty nest minister's wives, now being in paid official capacity , helping their husbands take evangelism to Apostolic Era & pre John Harvey Kellogg days.  When Medical Missionary Evangelism followed the model of Christ.

Why not examine such by researching Scripture & SOP & history and see if lessons exist we can learn from.

After all -  Acts 5:28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.  AD 33

Were only the 11-12 Apostles do all the gospel spreading ?   There were 120 in the upper room all who received the Holy Ghost.  Men, women, kids.  None stayed silent after Pentecost, but the women did not go on strike and demonstrate or vote to become Apostles, Elders, Deacons, they did not compete, but they did do stuff.

What stuff did the women who had received the Holy Ghost - do ?

Maybe a good thing to research if SOP elaborates.

Quote
   What was the result of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost? The glad tidings of a risen Saviour were carried to the uttermost parts of the inhabited world. As the disciples proclaimed the message of redeeming grace, hearts yielded to the power of this message. The church beheld converts flocking to her from all directions. Backsliders were reconverted. Sinners united with believers in seeking the pearl of great price. Some who had been the bitterest opponents of the gospel became its champions. The prophecy was fulfilled, "He that is feeble . . . shall be as David; and the house of David . . . as the angel of the Lord." Zechariah 12:8. Every Christian saw in his brother a revelation of divine love and benevolence. One interest prevailed; one subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ's character and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.  {AA 48.1}
     "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33. Under their labors were added to the church chosen men, who, receiving the word of truth, consecrated their lives to the work of giving to others the hope that filled their hearts with peace and joy. They could not be restrained or intimidated by threatenings. The Lord spoke through them, and as they went from place to place, the poor had the gospel preached to them, and miracles of divine grace were wrought.
 {AA 48.2}   

Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

Richard Myers

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #77 on: July 26, 2015, 07:06:49 AM »
Ed has revealed something very important. We hear a lot about doing evangelism, but what do we hear about reflecting the character of Christ? One of the greatest evidences that something is terribly wrong in the church is that the power of the gospel to transform sinners into saints is not being preached from our pulpits. How many sermons have we heard from ordained women pastors that tell us every one  of the fruits of the Spirit are seen in the life of all who are abiding in Christ? The fruits of the Spirit are a revelation of the likeness of Christ's character. When we reflect Christ, then we can labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.

Every Christian saw in his brother a revelation of divine love and benevolence. One interest prevailed; one subject of emulation swallowed up all others. The ambition of the believers was to reveal the likeness of Christ's character and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom.  Acts of the Apostles, pg 48.
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Ed Sutton

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #78 on: July 26, 2015, 08:57:24 PM »
As far as the men who push the mother goddess feminism women's ordination agendas and what follows such agendas and the many women who accepted elder-ship or pastor-ship,  can you trust either group to do evangelism at any level till different fruits are seen in the life ?

The lure of power and the coveting of power and the coveting of what God withholds, is a seductive lure, till that is conquered and evidence of that occurring is seen, the words of Jesus are a warning.  Luke 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Beware of such individuals.
Grateful for Psalms 32 and Titus 2:10 - The divinity of Christ is acknowledged in the unity of the children of God.  {11MR 266.2}

LindaRS

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Re: 2015 General Conference vote on Women's Ordination
« Reply #79 on: August 18, 2015, 11:22:01 AM »
I believe that the rebellion in the SDA church is close to being fully developed, but is not quite there yet. The GC leaders need wisdom and prudence to know when and how and where to move on this issue. It must fully develop so there will be no doubt in anyone's mind that it is anything other than open revolt against God.

We are seeing the reactions that manifest that the rebellion is ripening. A couple of weeks ago Amazing Facts announced a week long series, called Heroes of Faith, to be broadcast from a church in Florida. I remember getting that email in my inbox. Just a day or two later, AF sent a second email stating the series had to be moved due to circumstances beyond their control. It will be held in Lansing, MI. It was only a short time later that the reasons why began to slowly, but sure come to light for why the series had to be moved. Spectrum, on 8-17, posted an email from Mike Cauley, president of the Florida Conference sent which I quote below as it appears at Spectrum:

Quote
Recently Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists recommended a change in programming to one of our local churches. Doug Batchelor, Speaker for Amazing Facts, had been scheduled for a one-week meeting this fall at Spring Meadows church.

However, the Florida Conference Administration views Pastor Batchelor as a polarizing influence in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This concern revolves around the subject of women's involvement in ministry, both as local elders and pastors, and that the position that he has taught openly for several years is not in harmony with the policy of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Florida Conference continued to support the 25- to 30-year old position of the General Conference of encouraging women to use the gifts God has given them for ministry, both as local elders and in pastoral leadership and ministry. Therefore, we discouraged Spring Meadows church from following through with the invitation of Pastor Batchelor.

Mike Cauley
Florida Conference President

It would be interesting to know just what form and substance that "recommended" "change in programing" took and what methods they used to "discourage" the church into withdrawing their invitation. According to the article at Spectrum, Cauley didn't intend to "make a public thing of this."

Numbers 32:23  But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

To the credit of AF and Doug Batchelor, they have made no public statement, not even a hint of why the venue had to be changed.

Not only is much of what Cauley says untrue, he is demonstrating what EGW called "kingly power." But this not a singular incident. The NPUC is debating whether to continue on with their 2012 plan to call a special constituency meeting this year now that the GC session is over. The NAD has been ramping up its internet, email, and video propaganda machine stating that it will be continuing along the same path it has been following for the past several years. Soon, it will come to a head just as a painful boil comes to a head and then ruptures. We wait now to see what, if anything, the Fall Council, which meets in a couple of months, will do.
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah  10:23-24