Walking in my calling

What you have to know is, I'm not a denomination kinda gal. I'm a believer, looking forward to the second coming of Christ. I also believe the 7th day, Saturday, is the Sabbath. It was established during creation week, long before there were Hebrews/Jews. And there is all kinds of evidence that the seventh-day Sabbath observance was changed to Sunday, by man. And the New Testament account (1 Corinthians 16:2) that offering was to be taken up for the poor on the first day of the week, does not prove that Sunday was now the holy day, sanctified by God. It was the day Paul was coming through to pick up the funds! I could go on and on about how many continue to misinterpret Colossians 2:16, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days". (all must be understood within the cultural context, no one in Jesus' or Paul's day was recognizing/observing the first day as the Lord's Sabbath)  Add to that, there is Biblical support through the prophecies in Daniel, that man would change times and laws. And man did just that. Now, most of "Christiandom" recognizes the first day as God's holy day, for a variety of reasons. (and many go to church on whatever day simply because it's tradition/habit).

Having said all that, I was given the opportunity to teach a new believers' class of youth who have recently been baptized into the SDA church. For those who aren't familiar with that denomination, Seventh day Adventists are a Christian church who believe in the second coming of Christ, and they worship on Saturday, the seventh-day. I was born and raised in that church, but through intense Bible study and prayer, I found that I  honestly could not embrace all of the traditions and teachings of that denomination. However, where their teachings agree with the Bible, I agree with them ( and any other church, for that matter). There are some fundamental things of the SDA church that prevent me from labeling myself an Adventist any longer.  But I can't stress enough how GRATEFUL I am for parents who took me to church and got me started on the path to a relationship with Christ! If I had to give myself a label, I'm a Sabbath-keeping, Bible- believing, Jesus Christ-loving, daughter of the King! It was a wonder to me, since the pastor of that church knew he'd be rocking the boat with some of his more conservative members by asking me to teach "new believers" because: 1) I believe there are remnant people who may attend church; I do not believe the remnant church is an institution/denomination; 2) I believe there are people of God who have never and may never step foot inside a church 3) I believe there's a counterfeit church in full effect, causing multitudes to be led astray ("churchianity"). The pastor actually agrees with me on all three points, however, he's a "company man" and can't be as radical as I.

When he asked me to teach this class of new believers, I knew the answer was "yes". I had one condition - that our only source of study would be the Bible, and not the denomination's "study materials." When he agreed, it was a done deal! The mission is to show the young people how the Bible has answers to all their life's questions; how the Word of God is relevant to their daily lives. The focus is to help them strengthen their love relationship with Jesus Christ.

As I've blogged before, I'm involved in a Skype Bible study every weekend. It's a blessing to my soul every time we meet and I come away with wonderful insights shared by the other members. I know this is what I'm called to do. So when the pastor asked me if I would consider mentoring the youth, helping them grow in their knowledge of the Word of God, and their relationship with Christ, I smiled inside.

God has His way of letting us know what He wants us to do. I've learned to listen for His voice. It comes in many forms. Sometimes it's confirmation from another person speaking a word of truth, and sometimes it's Scripture that comes to mind....and sometimes, it's a pastor, who was agonizing over whether or not to even approach me, finally asking me the question.

There is absolutely nothing more gratifying than knowing what your purpose is in life. And you have to know, this process has been a long, long road. I am happy to assist people in their walk with the Lord. It will certainly help me with my own.