Burt, Merlin D.

English

Andrews University

Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Faculty Publications 7-2017 Remembering the Mighty Acts of God Merlin Burt Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/pubs N O R T H  A M E R I C AGod has often chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible through stories. Most of the Bible is history. Many books of the Bible recount history, and the heart of the Bible is the Gospels, which contain the story and words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit uses them to connect us to God.God’s mighty acts are revealed in the Bible, but also in the formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Ellen White wrote: “In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what the Lord has wrought, I am filled with astonishment, and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”*The Seventh-day Adventist Church has, in the past few decades, acquired significant historical Adventist sites through Adventist Heritage Ministry (AHM). Each of these properties is intended to tell the story of both Adven-tist history and the teachings of the Bible. They are not shrines, but places to remember and learn. They play a special role in evangelism and education.Visiting historic sites, whether those mentioned here or other significant places in North America or interna-tionally, remind us of God’s mighty acts and message. These places tangibly connect us to what God has done in the past, and point visitors to the loving Savior who is coming soon.* Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 196.Left: The most recent property acquired by AHM is the home where Joseph Bates grew up. Bates helped James and Ellen White, Hiram Edson, and other pioneers to accept the Sabbath through his August 1846 tract The Seventh Day Sabbath, A Perpetual Sign. The Bates home will tell the story of God’s work in bringing the Sabbath message to the Advent movement, his time as a seaman, his emphasis on temperance, the abolition of slavery, and his Millerite and Sabbatarian Adventist influence.    By  Merlin D. BurtRemember the MightyActs of God24   Adventist World | July 2017P H O T O S  C O U R T E S Y  O F  T H E  C E N T E R  F O R  A D V E N T I S T  R E S E A R C H ,  A N D R E W S  U N I V E R S I T YLeft: William Miller led the Advent movement in North America in the years leading up to 1844. From this prophetic movement, Sabbatarian Adventism and the Seventh-day Adventist Church emerged. Miller was passionate about Jesus as a personal Savior and Friend. He was also passionate about the Bible. God used him to influence future leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to give their lives to the proclamation of the gospel in the light of the soon coming of Jesus.Merlin Burt is director of the Center for Adventist Research and Ellen G. White Estate branch office at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.C O V E R  F E AT U R ERight: The Historic Adventist Village in Battle Creek, Michigan, tells the story of how God brought the church from its fledgling beginnings to a worldwide evangelistic movement. Leaders moved to Battle Creek in 1855, and most of them remained there for 48 years. There the church adopted the name Seventh-day Adventist, organized the General Conference, officially organized the publishing, health, and educational ministries, and began international evangelism. The historic village includes James and Ellen White’s first home; the relocated Parkville, Michigan, church, in which Ellen White had her first vision about the U.S. Civil War; and other historic and replicated buildings. Important teachings of the church were developed here, including the great controversy theme, tithing, and righteousness by faith emphasized in the three angels’ messages. The visitor center also tells about John Harvey Kellogg and Battle Creek Sanitarium.Bottom: Hiram Edson was a faithful supporter of the Advent message, both in personal labor and finances. His farm in upstate New York was the location of important conferences and Bible study. Edson influenced O.R.L. Crosier in his promotion of the heavenly sanctuary doctrine. At Edson’s farm in late 1846 Joseph Bates likely made the connection between the Most Holy Place ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary and the Sabbath, which was then connected to the three angels’ messages. Edson accepted the Sabbath as Bates read from his Sabbath tract. In his barn, Hiram found peace that God would guide him to new light after the disappointment of October 22, 1844.July 2017 | Adventist World   25

Remembering the Mighty Acts of God

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2768&amp;context=pubs

Remembering the Mighty Acts of God

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Andrews University