As if it were yesterday, I remember these clear, warning statements from my childhood, that echoed prophetic gravity. “There shall be wars and rumors of wars.” [i] “Bright lights will go out.” [ii] “Men will become lovers of themselves.” [iii] “Everything that can be shaken, will be shaken.” [iv] “The worst will come from within.”[v]
And so… here we are. The very realities we once read as distant prophecies have unfolded around us with unsettling accuracy.
Among the professed people of God, I see everything from irritation to complacency, concern to indifference. Urgency and excitement? Rarely. The church of Laodicea slumbers on, despite being offered every light needed to awaken.
Adventist
If there were ever time for an awakening among Adventists, it is now. But even that word – “Adventist” – what does it mean anymore?
Is it someone who gets out of bed in the morning saying “I know He is coming back. I hope it is soon”?
Absolutely!
Or is it those who are ready to sell their birthright for a bowl of relevance, garnished with a few Veggie Links™ and a cup of Sabbath? What is an Adventist, after all?
When I returned to God in 2009, I began to observe a dilution of messages from the pulpit. Sermons increasingly catered to emotional comfort, offering a theology of “feelings,” rather than one of surrender. Truth was being redesigned to meet the preferences of congregations, rather than calling congregations to conform to God. It became evident that messages once laced with holy urgency were being replaced with sermons soaked in emotional accommodation.
We appear to be like ancient Israel – dissatisfied with divine provision, craving earthly kingship and golden calves. Manna, heaven’s prescription, (essential diving into the Word personally), is too plain for us. Few call for repentance, and even fewer urge surrender. The once-common messages of overcoming temptation through Christ are now condemned as “legalistic” or “fundamentalist.” Holiness, once the standard, now seems a foreign concept, lost in the cultural fog of permissive spirituality.
So what exactly is God waiting for? Hebrews 12:14 commands, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Yet today, ask people to define “holiness” or “love,” and you’ll receive answers more aligned with culture than Scripture. What has happened to us? Are seminarians being trained to accommodate, rather than confront sin? Are pastors more concerned with being liked than being faithful?
Sobering sermons are nearly extinct. Instead of growing deeper in Christ, many are riding the wave of a love message divorced from sacrifice and transformation. The cross has been reduced to a decorative symbol., rather than a call to daily crucifying self. The words of Jesus – “if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” – have been replaced with messages of self-fulfillment and affirmations of sin.
Modern “love” dulls spiritual senses, removing the cross from the gospel and leaving congregations to drown in self-gratification. Activist demands, particularly among students, have transformed church and school leadership into echo chambers of cultural trends, devoid of biblical correction. These leaders, instead of shaping your minds with Scripture, have allowed Scripture to be rewritten by the demands of societal pressure.
Creeping Compromise
Permissive love has replaced redeeming love. Congregations, bound by addiction and apathy, go through the motions without the power of truth to liberate them. Federal funding and fear of discrimination have silenced the gospel. Campus ministries and pulpits alike are guarded against personal testimonies of transformation. Where freedom should ring, censorship has settled in. Lost in the shuffle are the loving promises of Jesus.
Recent years reveal the church riding a rollercoaster of topics like women’s ordination, the Trinity, vaccine mandates, LGBT+ advocacy, and cheap grace. Jesus has been replaced by causes, and Satan seems to be setting up shop in the sanctuary. These controversies, often elevated to paramount importance, become distractions from the foundational call to holiness and faithfulness to God’s commands.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3: 14-18).
Distractions
Satan is shaking those stuck in a routine-like, empty, form of Christianity. Chaos and drama erupt like a volcano. It simmers and smokes under an array of appetizing church potlucks sprinkled with copious amounts of “Adventist heroin,” (sugar) and gossip.
This is not a lamentation, but a shake and wake, desperately pleading for messages of reformation, reconciliation and restoration in Jesus. Cleary, I take these thoughts very personally, as I seek strength daily to walk in agreement with our Savior.
I look at my church and wonder: where is the difference we are called to embody? Other congregations often appear more alive and convicted. And yet, we have been blessed with a distinctive message—a light not meant to be hidden. But we cannot share what we do not live.
Are there different sections and gates in Heaven, to avoid a ministry partner or leader that brought about unforgiven offenses and prideful divides? Or will both miss out?
Will cherished sins become our anchor in the storm? The answer lies in how seriously we take the message to the Laodicean church. Have we allowed our pride to contribute toward our spiritual poverty?
Sixteen Years of Ministry
In sixteen years of ministry, I’ve spoken in churches that opened their doors to my testimony of leaving the LGBT+ culture and finding purpose in Christ. But even there, the message of redemption is sometimes muted or rejected. This community is not the enemy, it is a wounded body in need of God’s truth, love and compassion. Love must be both honest and healing.
Can Jesus still come while pastors, teachers, and church leadership suppress the truth? Or is the LGBT+ community simply seen as collateral for heaven? I’m certain their parents don’t think so. I’ve endured alienation and loneliness, seeking to find not only God’s love but His solution in the church. And still, we avoid the topic while activists advance.
There have been a few attempts to address these issues, but many come across as awkward and patronizing. Labels like 'non-practicing homosexual,' 'gay Christian,' and 'LGBT+ Adventist' often reflect cultural trends more than the redemptive power of the gospel. Yet Scripture is clear: 'Such were some of you'—not 'such are some of you.' Words matter. Identity matters. And redemption brings about transformation!
The Covid Culture
I also reflect on the COVID crisis. Government was in the business of proposed diagnosing and mandating. Even commissioning the medical community to carry out imposed orders of inoculation through a “government approved” vaccine, refusing to make its ingredients known. Really? You want to put something foreign in your body under an order, without knowing what it is? Insanity. Our church then aligned itself with government dictates without full transparency. Freedom of choice and conscience were sacrificed at the altar of compliance. And for what?
Now we’re paying the price with bans of speakers who promote informed choice. Good standing members. Are we in the middle of a denominational hierarchy that has turned dictatorial? What about all the other denominational speakers and employees who have promoted LGBT+ ideology, instead of God’s redemptive Words?
The Cancelled
This governmental alignment fractured congregations. Singing during COVID was silenced. Faith bowed to fear. Have we forgotten that church and state do not mix? Now we witness the consequences; deaths, adverse reactions, long-term, and short-term cardiac complications, and more, as a result of the mysterious jab. Was it a test of governmental control? Is it in line with destroying the very religious freedoms we should be taking a stand for?
Faith, health and government became a forced mixture, yet just like oil and water they don’t mix. Our church headquarters and institutions jumped in with their insistence, removing freedom of choice and freedom of conscience, and a right to knowledge. This led to a degree of mixture of church and state, money, non-profit status, and more. Corporate capitulated, seemingly without sound biblical counsel.
Where are God’s people? Will the faithful be punished? Is there room for discussion, or is silence mandated also?
Justified angst among members has come to a crescendo. At a smaller General Conference a couple of years ago, Adventist attorney, Jonathan Zirkle called for answers. He was silenced, and told; There will be no discussion. But wait! … We the people? Don’t we deserve truth and explanation? Particularly if we are to believe that our leaders are God’s commissioned representatives?
We are about to descend upon what could be the last, large General Conference Session. Will tens of thousands be silenced, with another refusal to discuss vital and important aspects of our lives? These are strange times indeed.
I’m gravely concerned with the status of my denomination. Clearly, the enemy is creeping about, like a lion. I’ve watched keynote speakers once faithful to the Word adopt worldly ideologies. Social justice and woke culture now shape their messages. Some throw stones at those in pulpits with contrasting messages. It is not lost on many of us who see these shifts. We mourn what was, and what could be.
Listeners are vulnerable to a “mob mentality.” I’ve warned my audiences: “Don’t say, ‘Wayne Blakely says,’ Go to the Word of God. Make sure that what I share aligns with Him.” We must be people of His Word, not followers of personalities.
I hope this article will give you pause. I ask you to revisit these concerns in heart-felt prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We need an intimate, Scripture-grounded Walk with Jesus more than ever. The time for surface-level spirituality will not hold.
We must not forget that God’s call to be a peculiar people – a remnant – comes with the responsibility of standing apart. That separation is not for superiority, but sanctification. In love and truth, we are called to be salt and light, to preserve what is pure and illuminate what is hidden.
Conclusion
We must keep our eyes and our focus on the “Guiding Light.”
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting “Psalm 139: 23,24).
Bitter appetizers are on the table, but the main course – eternal life with Christ – is still within reach. I am not ready yet, but I’m making a continued effort. God offers strength if we choose Him. We don’t have to sin (Psalm 119:11).
Whether in church, or home, under denominational rule or divine direction, I choose Jesus. Daily, I pray for our leaders, and for unity under truth, humility, meekness, and restoration,
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
That is our only hope. There will be a people.
Revelation 12:17 describes them: they will keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. Will you be one of them?
Or will you be found among those who confused tolerance with righteousness?
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Wayne Blakely
Over a year ago, I was invited to start a podcast. “Relevant Christianity” is now in its fourth month. It addresses many of these concerns. Not just LGBT+ topics, but the broader challenge of following Jesus in today’s world. These conversations are not merely commentary; they are invitations to transformation. If your heart resonates with any part of this message, come listen, and subscribe. Join the conversation. LINK