Transformed by Truth

Posted: February 9th, 2004 | Author: arnold | Filed under: Theology | View Comments

Transformed by Truth, written by Joseph Tkach, is the story behind the transformation of the Worldwide Church of God. Their story is one of those that influenced me during my “grace awakening” in summer of 2000.

I am currently conversing with a visitor at the Bereans forum. He claimed that the Worldwide Church of God is a mess — their Ambassador college shut down, many employees lost their jobs, etc. — because they rejected the Sabbath. I suggest that anyone who would judge the movement this way should read this book first to know first hand from those who experienced the transformation what kind of blessings they are experiencing right now.


  • http://www.deebeedee.com/blog/ daniel

    I heard about this church from Hank Hanegraaff’s radio show a few years ago. Its transformation fascinated me. I had forgotten the name of the church. Thanks for the link!

  • gary

    I bought that book from ABC (USA)in the same year of your ” grace awakening” together with the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado.I believe that Evangelical SDA leaders placed those books in Adventist Book Center giving us a clue that what had happened to the WCG might also happen to SDA with God’s grace.

  • http://sabbathinchrist.com Arnold

    It is my prayer too, that the church we both love so much will take a similar road that the WCG took. That is, of course, we can only pray. But honestly speaking, I believe it is next to impossible, at least at this point in time. Main reason: the two movements have different leadearship structure and leadership profile. The SDA church has a binding factor in Ellen White. Unless they will drop the idea that everything that she said in the past about the Adventist Church and other doctrines are not all correct (which is impossible to happen), there might be some changes. Another thing is that, as we both know, politics within the SDA church is much, much stronger than that of WCG. That alone can make us realize that it’s almost imposible to take the WCG road.

    Of course there are a lot of evangelical Adventist leaders and pastors within the church. But what I’m saying is that, organizationally speaking, a grace revolution cannot happen. It can only happen within individual Adventists — just like what happen to you and me.

  • leila

    i think it is a sacrilege to underestimate God’s power to change organizations (SDA church, WCG, CGF, etc, etc). the same power who has changed my life (which i truly think is IMPOSSIBLE), is the same power who can change this organization (and other organizations for that matter!!!). if we, sinful people, desire good to happen to the church, i cannot even start to imagine how much God desires his children (that includes you and me,the SDA church and other churches as well)to walk in the ways He so ordained. may God grant us the grace to open our hearts and minds so we will not close our doors and miss out a lot of miracles!!!

  • http://sabbathinchrist.com Arnold

    I’m sorry if somehow I offended you with my pessimism. My negative thoughts on the possibility of a “corporate” grace awakening of the Adventist church is based solely on human terms. It is a personal and yes, as far as my finite mind is concerned, realistic view on what is happening within the church. But of course it does not always end there …

    I mentioned in my reply to Gary, the one who initially posted a message on my site, that we all have the same prayers — we all wanted God to intervene and create a wave within Adventism with the same thing he did with WCG. And if it is His will, I believe it will happen in due time. On the other hand, my pessimism on this particular area was proven correct by some former
    Adventist congregations who expressed the same prayers but has decided to move out of the church instead of waiting for “what God can do for Adventism in the future” and make a “grace” difference ahead of time.

    Again, I’m sorry if I’m sounding “hard on Adventism”. I’m just expressing my opinion and my opinion is always superceded by the power of God — the same power that changed you and me and the same power that will change Adventism.

  • http://www.deebeedee.com/blog/ daniel

    I heard about this church from Hank Hanegraaff’s radio show a few years ago. Its transformation fascinated me. I had forgotten the name of the church. Thanks for the link!

  • gary

    I bought that book from ABC (USA)in the same year of your ” grace awakening” together with the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado.I believe that Evangelical SDA leaders placed those books in Adventist Book Center giving us a clue that what had happened to the WCG might also happen to SDA with God’s grace.

  • http://sabbathinchrist.com Arnold

    It is my prayer too, that the church we both love so much will take a similar road that the WCG took. That is, of course, we can only pray. But honestly speaking, I believe it is next to impossible, at least at this point in time. Main reason: the two movements have different leadearship structure and leadership profile. The SDA church has a binding factor in Ellen White. Unless they will drop the idea that everything that she said in the past about the Adventist Church and other doctrines are not all correct (which is impossible to happen), there might be some changes. Another thing is that, as we both know, politics within the SDA church is much, much stronger than that of WCG. That alone can make us realize that it’s almost imposible to take the WCG road.

    Of course there are a lot of evangelical Adventist leaders and pastors within the church. But what I’m saying is that, organizationally speaking, a grace revolution cannot happen. It can only happen within individual Adventists — just like what happen to you and me.

  • leila

    i think it is a sacrilege to underestimate God’s power to change organizations (SDA church, WCG, CGF, etc, etc). the same power who has changed my life (which i truly think is IMPOSSIBLE), is the same power who can change this organization (and other organizations for that matter!!!). if we, sinful people, desire good to happen to the church, i cannot even start to imagine how much God desires his children (that includes you and me,the SDA church and other churches as well)to walk in the ways He so ordained. may God grant us the grace to open our hearts and minds so we will not close our doors and miss out a lot of miracles!!!

  • http://sabbathinchrist.com Arnold

    I’m sorry if somehow I offended you with my pessimism. My negative thoughts on the possibility of a “corporate” grace awakening of the Adventist church is based solely on human terms. It is a personal and yes, as far as my finite mind is concerned, realistic view on what is happening within the church. But of course it does not always end there …

    I mentioned in my reply to Gary, the one who initially posted a message on my site, that we all have the same prayers — we all wanted God to intervene and create a wave within Adventism with the same thing he did with WCG. And if it is His will, I believe it will happen in due time. On the other hand, my pessimism on this particular area was proven correct by some former
    Adventist congregations who expressed the same prayers but has decided to move out of the church instead of waiting for “what God can do for Adventism in the future” and make a “grace” difference ahead of time.

    Again, I’m sorry if I’m sounding “hard on Adventism”. I’m just expressing my opinion and my opinion is always superceded by the power of God — the same power that changed you and me and the same power that will change Adventism.

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