Runaway Train I

Extracted Verses and Quotes from the Sermon

Biblical Verses

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

1 Corinthians 6:19

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

Romans 2:14-15

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”

Daniel 12:1-2

“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.”

Ephesians 5:26

“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”

Memorable Quotes

“I want to thank you for the privilege of entering these Sabbath hours with these dear brothers and sisters here in Florida.”

“What I’ve discovered in the last three years is that many members actually have very little understanding how the church functions beyond their local congregation.”

“When we get baptized as Adventists we only agree to the 28 fundamental beliefs — these are the core doctrines of the church.”

“The Adventist Church has what is known as the Black Book — the Constitution and Working Policy of the General Conference — which states theological matters are entrusted to the General Conference in session.”

“There is no provision for official statements anywhere in our constitution or bylaws or fundamental beliefs or church manual. Official statements have just kind of appeared.”

“Only two of the 59 official statements were voted by the worldwide membership in a General Conference session. The rest were issued by smaller groups, often without lay input.”

“Some official statements have profoundly troubling content, such as the commitment to the UN’s climate change agenda, which could conflict with our biblical end-time understanding.”

“The 2015 immunization statement is based on peer-reviewed scientific literature alone, which is constantly changing and driven more by funding than by pursuit of truth.”

“The official statement on sexual behavior counsels that if members sin sexually, they should at least do so responsibly — essentially advocating ‘safe sex’ outside of marriage.”

“The October 2021 reaffirmation statement said Adventists have no religious liberty objections to employer mandates, which has been used worldwide to deny religious exemptions.”

“This statement caused immense pain and suffering to Adventists worldwide, leading to job loss, termination of professional status, and educational exclusion.”

“No man can tell somebody else what the Holy Spirit has impressed upon their conscience.”

“The church leaders arrogated unto themselves the right to determine what the Holy Spirit is or is not allowed to impress upon your conscience.”

“The precedent has been established that a small group of leaders can issue statements that override your conscience, and this can happen again.”

“It’s important to make your faith your own, to read the word of God for yourself daily, and to know what you believe so you can give an articulate and credible answer.”

“Our time is always up here tonight, but I hope it’s been somewhat interesting. We return to our fundamental beliefs and our baptismal vows — no member has ever agreed to any official statement in baptismal vows.”

“All official statements need to be set aside or withdrawn until the worldwide church can vote on each of them in a General Conference session.”

“Start replacing the time you spend on Netflix, YouTube, and other entertainment with the word of God, and you will find the character transformation that God promises.”

“The Holy Spirit is sovereign and will speak to your heart. God will not ask on the day of judgment if you followed the official statements but if you lived according to your conscience and the light you had.”

“As Adventists, our bodies belong to Jesus Christ, and how we use our bodies is an expression of worship just as much as what we say in church.”

“When we look after the bodies God has given us, we honor Him and show the world that we are in a trusting, loving relationship with our heavenly Father.”

“It’s very hard to come to agreement with a worldwide church with millions of members speaking every language, which is why the fundamental belief process takes many years.”

“The official statements are a quick and easy way for church leaders to issue theological statements that become normative without the long, participative fundamental belief process.”

“Official statements increasingly reflect a globalist and ideologically progressive outlook, excluding lay participation and moving away from biblical foundations.”

“The church, as a whole, needs to speak from the Bible as its only foundation, but some official statements are increasingly influenced by secular and humanistic ideologies.”

“The process of theological decision-making is being concentrated in fewer hands, which is problematic for a worldwide church.”

“In the last three years, the world changed in unimaginable ways. Institutions we thought we could trust were built on a pack of lies.”

“Each one of us had to make personal decisions on our own during the pandemic crisis, knowing we would live with the consequences one way or another.”

“The lady in Iraq sitting under a tree with a statue of Mary said, ‘They can take my family, my children, my home, but they can’t take my faith.’”

Other Quotations

Ellen G. White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (quoted in official statements)

“The Adventist health message is based on biblical revelation, the inspired writings of Ellen G. White, and peer-reviewed scientific literature.”