Mission Statement

and Beliefs

Cedar Lane Chapel

Ministries, Inc.

Mission Statement . . .

"The mission of the people of God in this age is outlined in the words of inspiration that describe the work of the Messiah: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." 1

"We are to labor both for the health of the body and for the saving of the soul. Our mission is the same as that of our Master, of whom it is written that He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by Satan. Acts 10:38. Of His own work He says: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek." "He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18. As we follow Christ's example of labor for the good of others we shall awaken their interest in the God whom we love and serve." 2

"The same devotion, the same self-sacrifice, the same subjection to the claims of the word of God, that were manifest in Christ, must be seen in His servants. Our mission to the world is not to serve or please ourselves; we are to glorify God by co-operating with Him to save sinners. We are to ask blessings from God that we may communicate to others. The capacity for receiving is preserved only by imparting. We cannot continue to receive heavenly treasure without communicating to those around us." 3

"Action pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfill our mission we, too, must be active." 4

"We are Christ's representatives upon the earth. How do we fulfil our mission? Christ's representatives will be in daily communion with Him. Their words will be select, their speech seasoned with grace, their hearts filled with love, their efforts sincere, earnest, persevering, to save souls for whom Christ has died. Let all do their utmost to work for the salvation of the dear children and youth, and by and by they will listen with joy to the words of Jesus, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." What is this joy?--It is beholding the redeemed saints saved through their instrumentality, through the blood of Jesus Christ." 5

"When we cease to fulfill our mission, when the candlestick refuses to reflect light, and the great truths committed to us individually in trust for the world, are not given to them, then the candlestick will be removed. "I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place." Another will be placed in his stead and will shine. Let prayer be ascending now without delay to Him who walketh in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Take not thy Holy Spirit from us. "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways: and sinners shall be converted unto thee." 6

"Build up the work that represents the truth. Let this always come first, and the commercial work second. Our mission is to give to the world the message of warning and mercy. 7

A

DECLARATION

of the

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

Taught and practiced

by

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

"Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."

Ephesians 2:20

STEAM PRESS

of the Seventh-day Adventist

Publishing Association

BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN

1872

"Many of our people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith has been laid. My husband, Elder Joseph Bates, Father Pierce, Elder Edson, and others who were keen, noble, and true, were among those who after the passing of the time in 1844 searched for the truth as for hidden treasure. I met with them, and we studied and prayed earnestly...

"...The waymarks which have made us what we are, are to be preserved, and they will be preserved, as God has signified through His word and the testimony of His Spirit. He calls upon us to hold firmly, with the grip of faith to the Fundamental Principles that are based upon unquestionable authority." Series B, No. 2 pp 56-59

In presenting to the public this synopsis of our faith, we wish to have it distinctly understood that we have no articles of faith, creed, or discipline, aside from the Bible. We do not put forth this as having any authority with our people, nor is it designed to secure uniformity among them, as a system of faith, but is a brief statements of what is, and has been, with great unanimity, held by them.

We often find it necessary to meet inquiries on this subject, and sometimes to correct false statements circulated against us, and to remove erroneous impressions which have obtained with those who have not had an opportunity to become acquainted with our faith and practice. Our only subject is to meet this necessity.

As Seventh-day Adventists, we desire simply that our position shall be understood; and we are more solicitous for this because there are many who call themselves Adventists who hold views with which we can have no sympathy, some of which we think, are subversive of the plainest and most important principles set forth in the word of God.

With these remarks, we ask the attention of the reader to the following propositions which aim to be a concise statement of the more prominent features of our faith.

Declaration of Principles

1. That there is one God, a personal, spiritual being, the creator of all things, omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal, infinite in wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and mercy; unchangeable, and everywhere present by His representative, the Holy Spirit. Ps. 139:7.

2. That there is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, the one by whom God created all things, and by whom they do consist; that He took on Him the nature of the seed of Abraham for the redemption of our fallen race; that He dwelt among men, full of grace and truth, lived our example, died our sacrifice, and was raised for our justification.

He ascended on high to be our only mediator in the sanctuary in Heaven, where with His own blood, He makes atonement for our sins; which was by the offering of the sacrifice, is the very last portion of His work as priest according to the example of the Levitical priesthood, which foreshadowed and prefigured the ministry of our Lord in Heaven. See Lev. 16; Heb. 8: 4,5; 9: 6,7; etc.

3. That the Holy Scriptures, of the Old and New Testaments, were given by inspiration of God, contain a full revelation of His will to man, and are the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

4. That Baptism is an ordinance of the Christian church, to follow faith and repentance, an ordinance by which we commemorate the resurrection of Christ, as by this act we show our faith in his burial and resurrection, and through that, of the resurrection of all the saints at the last day; and that no other mode fitly represents these facts than that which the Scriptures prescribe, namely, immersion. Rom. 6:3- 5; Col. 2:12.

5. That the new birth comprises the entire change necessary to fit us for the kingdom of God, and consists of two parts: first, a moral change wrought by conversion and a Christian life; second, a physical change at the second coming of Christ, whereby, if dead, we are raised incorruptible, and if living, are changed to immortality in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. John 3:3,5; Luke 20:36.

6. We believe that prophecy is a part of God's revelation to man; that it is included in that scripture which is profitable for instruction. 2 Tim. 3:16; that it is designed for us and our children, Deut. 29:29; that it is that which especially constitutes the word of God a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. Ps. 119:105; 2 Pet. 2:19; that a blessing is pronounced upon those who study it, Rev. 1:1-3; and that, consequently, it is to be understood by the people of God sufficiently to show them their position in the world's history, and the special duties required at their hands.

7. That the world's history from specified dates in the past, the rise and fall of empires, and chronological succession of events down to the setting up of God's everlasting kingdom, are outlined in numerous great chains of prophecy; and that these prophecies are now fulfilled except the closing scenes.

8. That the doctrine of the world's conversion and temporal millennium is a fable of these last days calculated to lull men into a state of carnal security, and cause them to be overtaken by the great day of the Lord as by a thief in the night; that the second coming of Christ is to precede, not to follow the millennium; for until the Lord appears the papal power, with all its abominations, is to continue, the wheat and the tares grow together, and evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, as the word of God declares.

9. That the mistake of Adventists in 1844 pertained to the nature of the event then to transpire, not to the time; that no prophetic period is given to reach to the second advent, but that the longest one, the two thousand and three hundred days of Dan. 8:14, terminated in that year, and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.

10. That the sanctuary of the new covenant is the tabernacle of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in Hebrews 8, and onward, of which our Lord, as great High Priest, is minister; that this sanctuary is the antitype of the Mosaic tabernacle, and that the priestly work of our Lord, connected therewith, is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests of the former dispensation. Heb. 8:1-5; etc.

That this is the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, what is termed its cleansing being in this case, as in the type, simply the entrance of the high priest into the most holy place, to finish the round of service connected therewith, by blotting out and removing from the sanctuary the sins which had been transferred to it by means of the ministration in the first apartment, Heb. 9:22,23; and that this work, in the antitype, commencing in 1844, occupies a brief but indefinite space, at the conclusion of which the work of mercy for the world is finished.

11. That God's moral requirements are the same upon all men in all dispensations; that these are summarily contained in the commandments spoken by Jehovah from Sanai, engraven on the tables of stone, and deposited in the ark, which was in consequence called the "ark of the covenant," or testament. Num. 10:33; Heb. 9:4; etc,; that this law is immutable and perpetual, being a transcript of the tables deposited in the ark in the true sanctuary on high, which is also, for the same reason, called the ark of God's testament; for under the sounding of the seventh trumpet we are told that "the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament." Rev. 11:19.

12. That the fourth commandment of this law requires that we devote the seventh day of each week, commonly called Saturday, to abstinence from our own labor, and to the performance of sacred and religious duties; that this is the only weekly Sabbath known to the Bible, being the day that was set apart before paradise was lost, Gen. 2: 2,3; and which will be observed in paradise restored, Isa. 66: 22,23;

That the facts upon which the Sabbath institution is based confine it to the seventh day, as they are not true of any other day; and that the terms, Jewish Sabbath and Christian Sabbath as applied to the weekly rest-day, are names of human invention, unscriptural in fact, and false in meaning.

13. That as the man of sin, the papacy, has thought to change times and laws (the laws of God). Dan. 7:25, and has mislead almost all Christendom in regard to the fourth commandment; we find a prophecy of a reform in this respect to be wrought among believers just before the coming of Christ. Isa. 56: 1,2; 1 Pet. 1:5; Rev. 14:12; etc.

14. That as the natural or carnal heart is at enmity with God and His law, this enmity can be subdued only by a radical transformation of the affections, the exchange of unholy for holy principles; that this transformation follows repentance and faith, is the special work of the Holy Spirit, and constitutes regeneration or conversion.

15. That as all have violated the law of God, and cannot of themselves render obedience to His just requirements, we are dependent on Christ, first, for justification from our past offenses, and secondly, for grace whereby to render acceptable obedience to His holy law in time to come.

16. That the Spirit of God was promised to manifest itself in the church through certain gifts, enumerated especially in 2 Cor. 12 and Eph. 4; that these gifts are not designed to supersede, or take the place of the Bible, which is sufficient to make us wise unto salvation, any more that the Bible can take the place of the Holy Spirit.

That in specifying the various channels of its operation, that Spirit has simply made provision for its own existence and presence with the people of God to the end of time, to lead to an understanding of the word which it had inspired, to convince of sin, and work a transformation in the heart and life; and that those who deny to the Spirit its place and operation, do plainly deny that part of the Bible which assigns to it this work and position.

17. That God, in accordance with His uniform dealings with the race, sends forth a proclamation of the approach of the second advent of Christ; that this work is symbolized by the three messages of Rev. 14, the last one bringing to view the work of reform on the law of God, that His people may acquire a complete readiness for that event.

18. That the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary (see proposition 10), synchronizing with the time of the proclamation of the third message, is a time of the investigative judgment, first with reference to the dead, and at the close of probation with reference to the living; to determine who of the myriads now sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who of its living multitudes are worthy of translation -- points which must be determined before the Lord appears.

19. That the grave, whither we all tend, expressed by the Hebrew sheol, and the Greek hades, is a place of darkness in which there is no work, device wisdom, or knowledge. Eccl. 9: 10.

20. That the state to which we are reduced by death is one of silence, inactivity, and entire unconsciousness. Ps. 146:4 Eccl. 9: 5,6; Dan. 12: 2; etc.

21. That out of this prison house of the grave of mankind are to be brought by a bodily resurrection; the righteous having part in the first resurrection, which takes place at the second advent of Christ, the wicked in the second resurrection, which takes place a thousand years thereafter. Rev, 20: 4-6.

22. That at the last trump, the living righteous are to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and with the resurrected righteous are to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, so forever to be with God.

23. That these immortalized ones are then taken to Heaven, to the New Jerusalem, the Father's house in which there are many mansions, John 14: 1-3; where they reign with Christ a thousand years, judging the world and fallen angels, that is, apportioning the punishment to be executed upon them at the close of the one thousand years; Rev. 20: 4; 1 Cor. 6: 2,3.

That during this time the earth lies in a desolate and chaotic condition, Jer. 4: 20-27; described, as in the beginning by the Greek term abussos, bottomless pit (Septuagint of Genesis 1:2); and that here Satan is confined during the thousand years, Rev. 20: 1,2; here finally destroyed, Rev. 20:10; Mal. 4:1; the theater of the ruin he has wrought in the universe, being appropriately made for a time his gloomy prison house, and then the place of his final execution.

24. That at the end of the thousand years, the Lord descends with his people and the new Jerusalem, Rev. 21:2; the wicked dead are raised and come up upon the surface of the yet unrenewed earth, and gather about the city, the camp of the saints, Rev. 20:9; and fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them. They are then consumed root and branch, Mal. 4:1; becoming as though they had not been. Obad. 15:16.

In this everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, 2 Thess. 1:9; the wicked meet the everlasting punishment threatened against them, Matt. 25:46. This is the perdition of the un-godly men, the fire which consumes them being the fire for which "the heavens and the earth which are now," are kept in store, which shall melt even the elements with its intensity, and purge the earth from the deepest stains of the curse of sin. 2 Pet. 3:7-12.

25. That a new heaven and earth shall spring by the power of God from the ashes of the old, to be with the New Jerusalem for its metropolis and capital, the eternal inheritance of the saints, the place where the righteous shall evermore dwell. 2 Pet. 3:13; Ps. 37:11,29; Matt. 5:5.

References . . .

1. The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 6-7-1887

2. Testimonies for the Church v. 6 p. 225

3. Christ's Object Lessons p. 143

4. Education p. 214

5. Bible Echo 9-1-1888

6. Lake Union Herald 11-11-1908

7. Testimonies for the Church v. 7 p. 163

Stewardship Statement . . .

In accordance with the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy we pledge to use all monies received for the glory of God and the furtherance of His kingdom. We do not make lengthy appeals for monetary support as we believe that God will move upon His true and faithful followers to lead them in their giving. We gratefully accept both the sacred tithe and the free will offering. The loose offering will be used as needed. Any funds marked as tithe will be used expressly for giving the Three Angels Messages in the surrounding communities and for the support of the minister. *NOTE -- This document was originally prepared for our local church body, not the internet. It is posted here for information puposes and is not intended to solicit funds from anyone. While we would welcome support from anyone, please understand that the materials and services that are offered on this web site are completely FREE to the user and we are in no way trying to ask for donations. We firmly believe that God will move upon His people to put funds exactly where they need to be.