Helmut Kramer
Upper Columbia Conference
Some 15 years have passed since the Biblical Research Institute first
published the book I authored, The Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement. When
the manuscript was first written, I was relatively new in my experience
within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. If you read the book today,
it is natural to ask if anything has changed between the time it was
first published until today. The answer is—not really.
My leaving the Reform Movement was based on doctrinal issues, not on
personal grievances. First of all, I want to say that there are
many wonderful people who are members of the Reform Movement, including
many of my own relatives. These people sincerely believe what they
have been taught. But sadly they have developed a mind set which
tends toward being critical of others who may not see matters the same
way they do. They believe that they are doing God’s will
when they look for faults, reasoning that they are fulfilling the commission
of Ezekiel 9:4 to “sigh and cry for the abominations that are done
in the midst thereof.”
They seem to be convinced that in order to remain pure they must remain
separate from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which they see as fallen
and rejected by God. This concept of rejection is based on the
mistakes made by some leading brethren at the beginning of World War
I. They fail to consider the extreme mercy of God toward
his imperfect people. Elijah thought that he was alone in upholding
the true worship of God within his nation, but he did not begin a new
organization or a new nation. In his hour of greatest discouragement,
God reminded him that there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed
their knees to Baal.
Having now served as a pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for
nearly 20 years, I would be the first to acknowledge that, as a people,
we have many problems. There are many who claim to be Seventh-day
Adventists who are not living out the truth they know. We are not
all that the Lord desires His Remnant Church to be. We are desperately
in need of a revival and reformation! Individually we need to heed the
counsel of the True Witness in Revelation 3:18-20.
Despite this realization, I am so very thankful to realize that, as it
was in ancient Israel, within the Seventh-day Adventist Church many of
God’s faithful servants are standing in the forefront, holding
up the standard of truth. I have witnessed a vast number of faithful
witnesses to the power of the gospel who are being marvelously used by
God in spreading the message of truth to the ends of the earth by every
means possible, ranging from personal witnessing to radio, television,
public evangelism, health outreach, etc.
While groups such as the Reform Movement spend a great deal of time and
effort pointing out the faults of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the
question is whether they are examining themselves and actually doing
better. What are the fruits of their ministry? You see, in the
days of Jesus, there was a group of people who, seeing the apostasy among
God’s people, made the decision to separate themselves from even
their fellow countrymen in order to avoid ritual and spiritual pollution. They
called themselves, “Pharisees,” or “the separate ones.” It
is interesting to note that this is the very class that was the most
antagonistic to the work of Jesus Himself. I am convinced that
this should serve as a warning today to those who feel that they must
separate themselves from the Adventist Church in order to remain pure.
According to Revelation 18, the final message will lighten the whole
earth with the glory of the Lord. Sadly, when one looks at the
impact of groups like the Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement, it is
obvious that they are making almost no impact on the communities where
they live. Their major mission is to draw people from the Adventist
Church rather than to evangelize the lost. The gospel commission
calls us to go to every nation, tongue and people, proclaiming the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to be a part of a movement that is making an impact for
Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. I think of the wonderful
reports of how the Lord is at work in Africa, India, Inter-America, South
America, and other places on earth. I praise the Lord that truly
the Holy Spirit is working through humble servants to reach the lost
on planet earth with the message of salvation. My mind goes to the innovative
approaches being used in an attempt to share the good news with people
in one of the most difficult mission fields, North America.
On the other hand, groups like the Reform Movement are content to mostly
address their message inward toward Seventh-day Adventists instead of
to the millions of lost souls about to perish in their sins. Their
appeal is that they have a “purer” message to prepare a people
for the coming of Jesus. This work could be done even more effectively
within the organized Adventist Church.
I want to appeal to all those in the Reform Movement and those who may
be considering becoming members of that or of similar movements: Instead
of preaching the message of separation, which is what Satan would like to accomplish,
heed the appeal from Jesus himself. When he prayed to his Father about
his disciples, he implored: “that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John
17:22.) Or, as the messenger of the Lord appeals, let God’s people “draw
together.” It is Satan’s desire to break up the work. The
Lord calls for unity.
“When the storm of persecution really breaks upon us, the true sheep
will hear the true Shepherd’s voice. Self-denying efforts will be put
forth to save the lost, and many who have strayed from the fold will come back
to follow the great Shepherd. The people of God will draw together, and present
to the enemy a united front. . . . The love of Christ, the love of our brethren,
will testify to the world that we have been with Jesus and learned of him.
Then will the message of the third angel swell to a loud cry, and the whole
earth will be lightened with the glory of the Lord.”–6T 401.
Let us all join together in proclaiming the Three Angels’ Messages
to the ends of the earth so that Jesus can soon return, and we can go
home.
7/03
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