Vicki's Story: Jesus Kept Calling

For several years I had been interested in attending Celebration Center SDA Church near where my husband and I lived in Southern California. For some reason, something always seemed to block us from going. When we finally went, we felt comfortable there almost immediately. I told the pastor how happy we were to be in his church, and ironically, he informed us that he was resigning as pastor that very day. I thought, “OK Lord, what kind of ride are you taking us on?” Now I know what His plan was, but if I had known it that day, I would have run the other way.

My husband has never been an Adventist and found every SDA church we attended sadly void of the Holy Spirit. This one, however, was a little different. The members were at least seeking the presence of the Spirit, the music was contemporary, and I didn’t notice any preaching from Ellen White’s writings. Those were all plusses for my husband. The previous churches I dragged him to left me looking at him in dismay. I enjoyed them, even weeping during the songs. I prayed and drank in the sermons, finding them enlightening. Jim, however, avowed that the Holy Spirit was not there. I concluded that I knew the Holy Spirit and he didn’t. The teaching I had received in the Adventist Church regarding the Spirit was admittedly sketchy at best, but surely, He must be in the church that had the truth.

At age 27, I chose to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. For nearly 23 years I believed everything I was told and read. It didn’t all make sense to me and didn’t seem to completely line up with the Bible. My mentors assured me that my understanding would grow as the Lord revealed those mysteries in His own time. Finally, I stopped searching. Because of the certainty that had been instilled in me through my indoctrination process, I believed that I had arrived at The Truth. There was no need to look further. It was a complete package that needed no further investigation.

Shortly after arriving at Celebration Center, one of the members began teaching classes on the distinctive doctrines of Adventism. They were being approached from an inquiring vantage point that raised great uncertainty, and I wanted no part of them. But, resistant as I was, I felt the nudging of an unseen hand that got me there every time - usually right on time. I felt terribly threatened and afraid, but I knew that I needed to hear what she had to share. On more than one occasion I found myself in tears from the shock I felt in realizing that my world of religious certainty was being dismantled. My mind was obsessed with the thought, “Oh my, what will my family think when I tell them I was wrong about this religion after cramming the remnant church down their throats for years?” Even as I was thinking those thoughts, I realized they were not the most honorable approach to truth!

As I shared my dilemma with my children (who want nothing to do with Adventism), they said, “Mom, now be careful, you know this religion has seen you through a lot of trials.” The Holy Spirit used their words to wake me up. They were right. It was a religion I had learned to rely on, not Jesus. He was the One I wanted. He is the only One who could save me and carry me. My eyes were opened, and immediately I knew that I had been deceived by Adventism. When I returned to the classes, I began listening with a new intensity. What I discovered was the pure gospel without the distortions and twisting that had hidden it from plain view. The gospel of Jesus Christ entered deeply into my soul and took root. He first loved me and took the punishment for my sins on the cross. He rose from the dead and stands before the throne of God offering His perfect life as if it were mine. Because I have accepted Him as my Savior, I am saved and have no need of fear for the future. Jesus doesn’t love me for keeping the commandments. He kept them for me.

It was the Jews who promised to obey the Old Covenant, though they were unable to fulfill that promise, and broke it from the beginning. I am NOT A JEW. That covenant was never made with me. If I had been born a Jew I would have thrived on law-keeping because I wanted to please the Lord. Yet all my striving did nothing to make me holy. I no longer wanted to be confused by the indoctrination that had stolen my joy, so I threw all of my Ellen White books in the trash, and repented of the strongholds that were then broken by the blood of Christ. I no longer had to try to squeeze the statements of the Bible into shapes and molds where they didn’t fit. They stood on their own, towering with truth that refreshed my soul and rejuvenated my mind. How could I have missed the messages in Ephesians, Romans, and Galatians? How could my understanding be so veiled? It is really so simple, so plain. I praise the Lord for knowing that He could break through my conditioning and stubbornness. He never gave up – and He won! Thank God, He won. Since I had been baptized into Adventism rather than into Christ, I felt a strong desire to be baptized, for the first time, into Jesus and his love. So it was with others who had been through the same journey standing, sitting and kneeling around a hot tub that I became one with Jesus for all eternity.

It has become a joy to listen to the voice of the Spirit speaking to my spirit. It is my pleasure and privilege to obey His voice. In response, I fell on my knees and repented of grieving the Lord by refusing to use the gift of tongues the Holy Spirit had given me years before. I had been more concerned about offending other people than I was about the pain I brought to the Spirit by rejecting His precious gift. Immediately I was forgiven, and entered into the powerful gift of communion, warfare, worship, and edification with my spiritual language.

Today, I am not afraid to be bold for Jesus. He has heard and answered the cries of my heart for intimacy. He still desires to impart to His people the gifts of healing and prophecy. He still heals; He still brings visions and dreams – even through me. My constant prayer is that He will give me wisdom and maturity to use the gifts that He has imparted for the sake of His kingdom. There is a hurting world that needs to know that Jesus is real. The fulfillment of all things is near, and I am not afraid. We are safe in His hands. In Christ, we dwell in eternity and know that the best is yet to come. Because of Him, I am ready. Are you?