“Hindi na po ako Adventist”

* For my non-Filipino readers, the title means “I’m not an Adventist anymore”.

Lately, I’ve been asked frequently whether I’m still an Adventist or not. Maybe because I’ve been reconnecting with my old college friends these days. And, coming from 3 generations of Adventists and studied in an Adventist university, it’s not surprising that about 95% of my acquaintances are Adventists.

So, this small piece is an attempt to explain my answer to this question. For some reasons, I can’t explain in 2 to 3 sentences. So, allow me to use this domain for a few more paragraphs. Pardon me, my non-Adventist readers, you may not be able to relate to this.

So, the common question, “Adventist ka pa ba?” (Are you still an Adventist?) The quick answer is, “Hindi na” (Not anymore). Unfortunately, though, there are some misinterpretations to this answer :

1. So, Reform ka na? – “Reform” pertains to a group or groups of Adventist off-shoots, both liberal or conservative in belief system. Some of these off shoots give emphasis to vegetarianism or Ellen White writings. Some are simply against the General Conference. Some off-shoots I know are the “Davidians” and “Reformed Adventist Movement”.

I never joined any “reformed Adventist movements”.

2. Bakit ka nag backslide? – (Why did you back slide?) This question actually asks what caused me to “quit the Adventist faith”. In my experience (as I have asked this question myself to “former” Adventists), the common expected cause include, a) job related (because there is a Sabbath schedule and the Adventist chose job over Sabbath) and b) spouse related (“She married a non-Adventist, nahatak na sya ng hindi kapanampalataya“)

I wouldn’t say I backslid. I have never abandoned my faith in Jesus. I may have abandoned some Adventist doctrines, but never my relationship with Jesus. I can call it, on the other hand, forward-slide :D More of this later.

3. Sunday ka na pala ngayon! – (So you now belong to Sunday!). I’ve recently received this comment from a college friend who invited me to her wedding. Unfortunately, it fell on a Sunday so I politely begged off because of my responsibility to my church. In which she commented this. If you’ve been with the Adventist faith for a long time, you’re acquainted with the unending battle between Sabbath (Saturday) and Sunday. Adventists explain that since Saturday is the correct day of worship, worshiping on Sunday is, as Ellen White says, the “mark of the beast”. So there’s really a tension between these two days.

It’s really hard to explain in a paragraph why I joined a church that worships on Sundays and has stopped worshipping on Saturdays. I have written quite a lot about this subject 7 years ago. But the quick explanation is this: I’ve never joined “another camp” of Sunday worshippers. I don’t worship the day. I worship the creator of the day – Jesus. Bale wala sa akin kung anong araw ka sumasamba. The important thing is you are worshiping the right God any day you want (for instance, Christians, including Adventists, in the middle east worship on Fridays).

4. Kumakain ka na ng baboy ngayon? (Do you now eat pork?) Eating pork for Adventists are a big deal. It’s like the thing that separates the wheat from the weeds. :D

Opo, minsan po nakakakain na ako ng baboy. May baboy sa hotdog, sa cornbeef (yes!), sa chicharon, at sa paborito nating hamburgers. Yung mga processed meat, ok sa akin. For some reasons, psychologically I think, I still cannot eat foods with visible pork in it like liempo or lechon. And I don’t eat pork intentionally. I eat only if I’m presented with it. I still choose not to eat pork NOT for religious purposes but for health reasons.

So, ano ka na ngayon?

I’m a Bible-believing follower of Jesus Christ.

I believe I’m a sinner forgiven by Jesus through his work on the cross. I was saved not because I am good or I joined a religion or said a prayer or did some acts of kindness. It is only by this grace, this love that I don’t deserve that I am saved.

I now serve Jesus through a body of believer in a non-denominational, evangelical church called Grace Place.

What do you think of Adventists?

Make no mistake about it. I love Adventists. I love the Adventist church. Most of my friends are Adventists. Most of my family members are still Adventists. I love them and I have never seen them differently even after I “jumped ship”.

I left the Adventist church not for some disagreement with a member or with the organization. It is purely doctrinal. There are some Adventist doctrines that I now cannot support. And the only logical step is to leave and go where I can best serve God.

So there. That’s the explanation. Whew!

Falling In-love

Updates from its.not.about.me.

Falling In-love,
part 1
part 2, time together
part 3, listen
part 4, talk

What I HATE about the Christmas season

Three days before Christmas and you wouldn’t believe that I’m about to spoil the fun with this series of blog posts. I just want to let the grinch out of me and tell you about the things I hate about this season. Let me start with this:

Read the rest of this entry »

The realities of death

Death is real, if you still haven’t noticed.

Yesterday, our dearest hangout place, Glorietta, exploded. A bomb ruined the place. People are hurt. Some died. And if that happened the day later — making that Saturday, same time at around 1:30 pm, we could have been one of those who are affected. “Kids-at-work” located at the 3rd floor of Glorietta 2 is where Johann, my 3 year old kid frequents during weekends. Joy and I enjoyed window shopping along those clothing stores in that area. So, yes, if the terrorists decided to postpone the plan for another day, we could have been one of those who are hurt… or dead.

Two things running through my mind right now:

1. You’ve got to be ready to die anytime, any day. Even how hard it is to accept, that’s a fact. Bomb or no bomb, we can die anytime. You may be healthy today, you can be shot dead by some hot headed motorists tomorrow. You feel well today — then you receive a call from your doctor about the results of your physical exam, and it is devastating. So, yes, “life is like a mist”, apostle James said.

The real question is, are you ready to die anytime, any day? If not, how can you prepare yourself to the afterlife? Do you know where you are going? If not, what are you doing to know?

2. Live life to the full. Enjoy your time with your family everyday of your life. Don’t be afraid of the future, do what you have to do today. Stop doing the things that’s hurting you and straighten your life for good. It’s hard, I know. With your own strength, that is. You need help. Jesus, the one who came so that you can “have life and live it to the full” (John 10:10), can help you. He is, in fact, the missing piece.

Update from my Multiply.com blog: To the victims of Glorietta tragedy�

The real “F” word, part 3 (of 5)

Guest blog: Joyce Gamboa (yep! my wife!)

How can I forgive others?

There can only be forgiveness when you are hurt. Speaking of, how far can we go in forgiving someone? Is there a limit, like, “I can forgive him if he steal my car, but if he steal my promotion…well that’s a different story”, or what if, your siblings sold you to be someone else’s slave, amidst your vehement refusal? That situation means that you won’t be seeing your parents, you will no longer go to school, nor see your friends and you’ll be totally rubbed off of your youth. Can, and will you forgive your brothers? Joseph can! (Genesis 37-45) And so can we. Joseph, who like us, is just an ordinary guy, with an ordinary life and dreams. And just like him, we were all commanded by God to forgive; not just once, not even 7 times, but seventy times seven.

It will be hard for us to forgive, if we will base it on our feelings. That is because our feelings are erratic, We must forgive not because we want to, but because we have to. So, how do we forgive a person we really really hate?

Choose to pray for that person – not for his early demise, but for her hurts to heal (it’s true that hurt people, hurt people); pray for God to forgive their sins (pray for them to be sorry for their transgression); and pray for God to bless them. “Oh, what’s the use, this person is a hardcore thief”, well, your prayers may or may not affect that person directly, but it will definitely affect you. As you pray, there will be a transformation of the heart, and there will be compassion and understanding, and in the end you will see that person differently. Luke 6:28 says, “…bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

Choose to forgive. This is tough, but again, the bible is telling us that if we don’t do otherwise, the Father won’t forgive our trespasses either. (Matt.6:14-15) Yes, the Lord has already forgiven our sins –past, present, future- but if we don’t forgive we will always carry the guilt and it will make us feel unforgiven. Again, let’s take Joseph as our inspiration, when he saw his brothers who sold him to slavery, he must have wanted to kick them and throw insult at their faces. Instead, he gave them food. He must be a saint! No, at that time he was just a regular guy. Joseph chose to bless them. “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28 Instead of revenge, he opted to do something good to them. He did so because he knew that there was a reason for that offense in the past. And true enough, his hurts gave birth to the Jewish nation.

For most of us, forgiveness is the most expensive commodity around, but not with God. Everyday He’s been dealing with our petty sins, our big sins, He forgives us after executing one sin after the other. And our closet full of skeletons, well He accepted them all, no big deal. Forgiving is a staple thing for Him. The forgiveness that He is asking from us is just a fraction of what we are receiving from Him, everyday.

Forgiveness is not just for the saints, or the brave – it is for us, the mistreated, those who suffered pain from others. Because inside each one of us is a weak heart… and behind it is a strong God.