The Undercover Adventist

  When Church Tradition Gets in the Way of God's Calling The Seventh-day Adventist Church has spent years debating the question of whether women should be ordained to the gospel ministry. It is a debate that has produced strong opinions on both sides. But perhaps we need to step back from the arguments, the policies, and the church politics and ask a much simpler question: What does the Bible tell us about the way God uses women? Before we get too caught up in the word ordination , we should remember what ordination actually is. Ordination does not give someone the Holy Spirit. It does not create spiritual gifts. It does not make a person capable of preaching the gospel. It does not make someone more valuable in God's eyes. And it certainly does not create God's calling. At its most basic level, ordination is the church's public recognition and setting apart of someone for ministry. The certificate is produced by people. The calling comes from God. That distinction matt...

  Sabbath School The Gift of Prophecy  The Creator Speaks Lesson 1 - Friday Further Thought  Ellen White: From Fear to Faith Ellen Harmon experienced serious physical and emotional struggles after a childhood accident. As a young Christian, she became deeply afraid of God and believed she was unworthy of salvation. Her understanding began to change through dreams, Bible study, and conversations with Methodist preacher Levi Stockman, who helped her understand God's grace and love. She came to see God not as a harsh ruler, but as a loving and compassionate Father. Her understanding of death and the rejection of an eternally burning hell also helped reshape her view of God's character. This experience led Ellen White to develop a deep love for Jesus and devote the rest of her life to serving Him. For the Adventist Church, this story emphasizes that God's character of love should remain at the center of its message . Ellen White's own experience illustrates how a clearer un...

  Sabbath School The Gift of Prophecy  The Creator Speaks Lesson 1 - Thursday God Still Speaks Sin changed humanity’s relationship with God. In Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed open fellowship with their Creator. They could hear His voice and walk with Him. But after sin entered the world, fear, shame, and separation entered with it. Yet God did not stop communicating with humanity. He continued to speak. Hebrews 1:1–2 tells us that God spoke in different ways through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. Throughout Scripture, God used prophets, visions, dreams, His written Word, and creation itself to reveal His character and His will. Romans 1:19–20 reminds us that even creation gives evidence of God's power and divine nature. Numbers 12:6 shows that God sometimes communicated through visions and dreams. Second Timothy 3:16–17 tells us that Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, correcting, and training us in righteousness. God...

  Sabbath School The Gift of Prophecy  The Creator Speaks Lesson 1 - Wednesday When Sin Changes Our Relationship With God Sin changed humanity in many painful ways. Genesis 3:14–24 describes some of those consequences: suffering, broken relationships, hardship, death, and separation from Eden. But one of the greatest changes was the way sin affected our communication and fellowship with God. Before sin, Adam and Eve enjoyed an open and beautiful relationship with their Creator. They had nothing to hide. But after they sinned, everything changed. Genesis 3:8 says that when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God.” Notice what sin produced. Instead of running toward God, they ran away from Him. Instead of enjoying His presence, they were afraid. Sin brought guilt, shame, fear, and a desire to hide. Exodus 19 gives us another picture of how sin affected humanity’s approach to God. When God des...

  Sabbath School The Gift of Prophecy  The Creator Speaks Lesson 1 - Tuesday When God Comes Looking for Us “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” — Genesis 3:9 There is a beautiful connection between Genesis 3 and Luke 15. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve had disobeyed God. Their sin brought shame and fear, and instead of running toward their Creator, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden. But notice something important: God came looking for them. He asked, “Where art thou?” Not because He did not know where they were, but because He was seeking them. Luke 15 gives us the same picture in a different setting. Jesus tells the story of a young man who leaves his father, takes his inheritance, and wastes it in a life of rebellion. Eventually, he finds himself broken and far from home. But when he finally turns toward his father, something remarkable happens. His father is watching for him. When he sees his son coming from a distance, he runs...

  Sabbath School The Gift of Prophecy  The Creator Speaks  Lesson 1 - Monday When We Try to Hide From God After Adam and Eve sinned, something changed immediately. Genesis 3:8 says that when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Think about that for a moment. They had known God as their loving Creator. They had enjoyed His presence. But after disobeying Him, they hid. Why? Shame. Sin often makes us want to do the same thing. When we know we have done something wrong, our first instinct may be to pull away from God. We may feel guilty, embarrassed, unworthy, or afraid of what He might think of us. We may tell ourselves, “I need to get my life together before I come back to God.” But there is a problem with that thinking. We cannot hide from God. Jeremiah 23:24 says, “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD.” Hebr...

  Paul ends 2 Corinthians with a beautiful picture of Christian fellowship: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14, KJV This is one of the clearest passages in Scripture where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned together. Paul does not present the Godhead as three competing beings or three separate sources of power. Instead, he describes grace from Jesus, love from God the Father, and communion through the Holy Spirit. There is unity, love, and fellowship within the Godhead. That has tremendous meaning for the church. God did not create us to live isolated lives. From the beginning, He created humanity for relationship—with Himself and with one another. Jesus prayed that His followers would experience the kind of unity that reflects the unity He shares with the Father. In John 17:21, Jesus prayed, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.” Chr...