Less than 28 years after the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s May 21, 1863 founding, Adventism came to Jamaica in 1891. I was born 71 years later, a year before the Adventist centennial. I am a fourth generation Adventist.
My great grandparents on both sides accepted the Advent Message. 111 Years after the birth of the church I was baptized (my spiritual rebirth) in Baltimore, MD, USA. You could say Adventism is in my blood. I am more enthusiastic about GC Sessions and church matters than some who attend sports events and concerts at these same venues.
Indianapolis, IN was my first GC. And Indianapolis will be my fifth and last in-person, God willing and if Jesus delays:
1990 - Indianapolis, IN
2000 - Toronto, ON
2015 - San Antonio, TX
2025 - St. Louis, MO
2030 - Indianapolis, IN
Before last week my sweet bride, Dorie, could not understand my enthusiasm for GC Sessions. One of my main reasons for attending this year was for her to experience at least one GC before Jesus comes. Yes, I could have stayed home, saved the money, and watched it from the comfort of my couch; but I would have missed so much:
taking Dorie to her first GC,
witnessing wonderful, powerful things we can do together (exhibits, presentations, reports, testimonies and interactions),
visiting the exhibition hall (grabbing goodies, treasures, taking pictures, ideas, relationships, networking…),
experiencing the exhilaration of singing together (there’s nothing like the sound, feeling, effect of singing “We have this hope that burns within our hearts…” together),
praying together (more powerful than we know…),
worshipping together, same mind, same judgment, one accord or at least that’s the potential and goal,
ministering together,
fighting together (as healthy families do… we have to come to the table, even the wayward),
getting washed behind the ears together (we all need cleansing, humility and spiritual alignment from time to time along the bumpy life of this sinful world, and this is a great opportunity),
witnessing together (the faithful, and even the false, because unbelievers recognize consistencies and inconsistencies…),
overcoming together, struggling, growing, maturing…,
My Takeaways
I often wonder if “not 1 in ten,” and “not 1 in 20” being ready for Jesus’ return really means not 1 in 400; yet I’m determined to be among the 144,000; and just that is a divine miracle!
Our beloved church is in critical need of divine CPR - Holy Ghost revival, reformation, and transformation which I am expecting the extremely violent shaking ahead will accomplish! See EW 41, 269-272.
Yet, I’m amazed that God can still carry out His redemption through the stubborn, rebellious, disobedient, unclean, unprepared, unkind, unloving people we have been. Given these concerns, one might ask why I still chose to attend the 62nd General Conference.
I am reminded of this familiar testimony:
“Although there are evils existing in the church, and will be until the end of the world, the church in these last days is to be the light of the world that is polluted and demoralized by sin. The church, enfeebled and defective, needing to be reproved, warned, and counseled, is the only object upon earth upon which Christ bestows His supreme regard. The world is a workshop in which, through the cooperation of human and divine agencies, Jesus is making experiments by His grace and divine mercy upon human hearts. Angels are amazed as they behold the transformation of character brought about in those who yield themselves to God, and they express their joy in songs of rapturous praise to God and to the Lamb. They see those who are by nature the children of wrath, converted and becoming laborers together with Christ in drawing souls to God. They see those who were in darkness becoming lights to shine amid the moral night of this wicked and perverse generation. They see them becoming prepared by a Christlike experience to suffer with their Lord, and afterward to be partakers with Him in His glory in heaven above”–TM 49.1
My Shepherd’s Rod Encounters (they were everywhere)
Dorie asked me what the Rods were all about, so we Googled their history and this generated a few questions. I asked them as we passed their perches. Do you proselytize others beside Adventists? One answered honestly, “no” and then started spouting a bunch of Ezekiel texts and such… I said “Thanks for your answer” and walked off. Another quickly tried to recover from my dismissal and attempt to walk away, and he said, “Yes, but only if they come to us…” I said thank you for your response and walked away from his attempted debate.
Especially after San Antonio, I have appreciated the fact that in order to be part of the Adventist family discussion and process, you have to have a seat at the table, you have to be part of the family. This is a lesson for not only Shepherd’s Rods and Jehovah’s Witnesses (and I sure would like to hear the rest of the story behind how JWs brought Potomac Conference President Charles Tapp to Adventism), but for independent ministries as well. We speak more effectively from inside the church than from outside, at least that’s how it should be in my opinion. I am glad to belong to such a movement. We must learn and move and hurt and grow together, or fall apart… We must clean up our own mess before we can effectively clean up others… But remember we are called to love and lead others to Jesus; Jesus does the cleaning (John 12:32).
Takeaways
God will finish the work, with or without me (so I may as well cooperate).
If you think this GC session was exhilarating, just wait and see what Christ’s second coming will be! Isaiah 64:4
There is no limit to what God can and will do in, through and to us when we cooperate. Ed 18.4
This one from our new president
“Our message is a message of salvation. Destruction is only to those rejecting salvation”—Erton Köhler, 2025-07-12
He encouraged us to stand with our feet on earth and our heads to the sky… I say our feet should be firmly planted on the word of God. Note that the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy are what God says, not “peer-reviewed science” falsely called science (1 Timothy 6:20). And we must keep our eyes fixed on the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus is right now closing off His essential ministry for us, restoring the divine image and permanently obliterating sin in us.
I appreciate Justin Kim’s 4 balancing acts of mission (on Friday):
Service & Proclamation
Sending & Receiving
Balance of the Advents
Mission & Theology
Let’s get ready, stay ready, and get others ready, by His divine grace. Let’s not miss the imminent GC in heaven where the church above is united with the church below for the greatest GC session ever!
Maranatha!
Geoff
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Geoff is a layman and proud father of three fine sons – Phillip, Sean and Michael. When he is not giving Bible studies, you may find him doing engineering work, installing a satellite dish, tinkering with some technical project, taking a brisk walk, or finally getting some much needed sleep.