WHAT WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS? PAGE 6 …we have been released from the law so that we VOLUME 6 serve in the new way of the Spirit. Romans 7:6 NIV ISSUE 4 JULY AUGUST 2005 From striving to surrender TAMI CHESTER grew up in a staunchly legalistic Adventist family where had a fight with my sister! I cried as I realized I had “blown it” God’s mercy, love and grace were never a part of my theo - again and was far from perfect. I logical thought structure. Our family would gather most During the next several years I became increasingly despair - evenings for family devotions which usually consisted of a pas - ing. By the time I was 13, I had given up in my heart. I chucked sage from one of Ellen G. White’s books. As I grew older, my Adventism and anything else that had to do with God or reli - father would have me read books such as Patriarchs and gion. I continued to go through the motions, but my heart was Prophets, Desire of Ages , and many others and then write book hard and far away. In my later teenage years I began to rebel UPDATE FROM UGANDA reports on them. Needless to say, the picture of God that openly against God and all I had been taught. I figured since became ingrained in my heart, mind, and spirit was one of an Pastor Greg Taylor visits former Adventists angry, judgmental, distant Being who loved to execute revenge on anyone who crossed Him, a God whom I could never fully The morning of my baptism, I still remember please nor in whose presence I would be able to stand unless I ate in 2002, Life Assurance Ministries, Inc. Late in 2003, LAM, Inc. received some disturbing somehow mysteriously reached a state of perfection. I grew up thinking very clearly to myself that from that voted to raise support for a number of reports that some of these Ugandan pastors were terrified by the thought of Jesus’ coming, the L former Adventist pastors in Uganda who engaging in behaviors that were not honoring the “end times”, and the persecution I would had studied the New Covenant and had left the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consequently, LAM did not undergo as an Adventist. moment on I would finally be able to live a Seventh-day Adventist church. The LAM, Inc. board renew its financial support of this movement, but it did At the age of 12, I was baptized into the agreed that this support continue to supply books and magazines for those Adventist church. The morn - perfect life that was pleasing to God so that He We now have seen that some seven would be for a limited who persisted in their outreach to the community. ing of my baptism, I still time to allow these men CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 remember thinking very churches have been born out of to establish a church and clearly to myself that would love and accept me. become financially inde - from that moment on I the one series of meetings we led pendent. In addition to would finally be able to God would never accept me the way I was, I wanted nothing to funds, Life Assurance live a perfect life that do with Him, either. One day I shook my fist in his face and here two and a half years ago. Ministries helped to send was pleasing to God screamed, “Go ahead, burn me up. I’d rather go to hell than Greg Taylor to Uganda to so that He would spend eternity with you and a bunch of Adventists!” (I had no meet with the former Adventists there and to love and accept real fear of hell, believing that I would burn up in an instant, any - encourage them in the gospel. Further, LAM Inc. me. way!). As an adult I left the Adventist church and for many years contacted Stan Lincoln, an American missionary in Unfortunately, lived a life that was far away from God. It never occurred to me Uganda with Mission Aviation Fellowship, to meet by 3:00 that that I was defiant, rebellious, bitter, or angry towards God. I just with these men on a regular basis to provide direc - afternoon I knew I didn’t care at all about having anything to do with Him. tion and outreach assistance including the Campus Crusade Jesus film, as they conducted public meet - CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 ings and formed a congregation. Tami Chester and her husband Ross live in Redlands, California, and have three children. They Greg Taylor along with his wife and sons left Adventism worship and serve God together as a family at Pathway Church. Tami is involved in discipling during the summer of 2001. Since 2002 Greg has been children and reaching out to unsaved children in the local community, as she believes bringing Life Assurance Ministries, Inc the pastor for spiritual formation at Crossroads Church in the good news of the gospel to children is the greatest commission in the world! MISSION Hagerstown Maryland, and he and Paula also operate To proclaim the good news of the One Flock Ministries, an inter-denominational ministry new covenant gospel of grace in which help those caught in sectarian systems to find Christ and to combat the errors of legalism and false religion. freedom in Christ and community with other believers. Life Assurance Ministries, Inc. NON-PROFIT This photo shows Greg standing in front of a typical vil - PO Box 905 MOTTO lage church in Uganda. US POSTAGE Truth needs no other foundation Redlands, CA 92373 PAID than honest investigation under Address Service Requested ONTARIO, CA the guidance of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to follow truth when PERMIT No. 1 it is revealed. CONTENTS Case study of God’s Sovereign grace STAN ERMSHAR 3 MESSAGE “For by grace you have been saved What was nailed to the cross? MCGREGOR WRIGHT 6 through faith; and that not of your - selves, it is a gift of God; not of Reflections on justification by faith 13 works, that no one should boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9 From striving to surrender TAMMY CHESTER Back page Editor’s COMMENTS JULY JULY AUGUST AUGUST 2005 2005 My son, my sin and the New Covenant COLLEEN TINKER t was late on a Saturday night. Energized by his 7:00 AM obligation to prepare the worship agitation, I rushed from cleaning the kitchen slides for that morning (where had I gotten the I sink to finishing the dessert for Sunday lunch. idea he was irresponsible, anyway?), I apologized. I Our younger son could push my buttons in confessed I had been wrong and pledged with ways few could. His quiet but stubborn refusal to God’s help never to speak that way to him again. do his chores triggered my feelings of both insult His eyes softened. “I forgive you,” he said. and failure. What self-respecting mother raised a Since that day, God changed my heart. He has son who simply REFUSED to do his work? (Of taken away my knee-jerk response of frustration course, he was 15 years old. As a high school fresh - and insult when I deal with Nathanael’s open- man English teacher I understood 15-year-old ended (but highly intuitive and creative) personali - boys—unless that boy was my own son!) ty. God has given me His security to be able to deal I lost my temper. Frustrated beyond words, I with my son as himself instead of as (what I feared yelled at him. Volume seemed the only way to get was) an example of my flawed parenting. I praise his attention, I rationalized. God for His healing in my heart and for granting With a withdrawn expression and few words, Nathanael and me a bond of mutual love, enjoy - ment, and respect. I had no right to punish my son for my own feelings Many Commandment-keepers accuse New Covenant Christians of lawlessness. We say the law TOP LEFT: of failure and helplessness. For those I had Jesus. has been nailed to the cross, they accuse, so we Calvary Chapel ministers can sin and “do what we want” without guilt. Brian Kelly and Joshua Nothing could be less true. My encounter with Carson meet with former Nathanael grudgingly began scrubbing the bath - the Holy Spirit in the kitchen that night was an SDA ministers. room counter. example of New Covenant law at work. The Holy I calmed down as he completed his chores Spirit personally confronted me with my broken - TOP RIGHT: before finally going to bed without saying “Good- ness, and He lovingly and firmly brought me to Pastor Greg Taylor greets Founding Editor night”. repentance and restitution. a young Ugandan woman Dale Ratzlaff And then it hit me: an awareness so real and Further, this particular sin was not one listed in and her child at a former Editor powerful that it felt like a physical weight had the 10 Commandments. “Fathers [and mothers], do SDA church near Mukono. Colleen Tinker landed on me. My heart broke, and I began to cry. not exasperate your children,” admonishes Paul in Copy Editor Standing there in the kitchen at 10:00 on a Ephesians 6:4. New Covenant “law” goes far RIGHT: Cristine Cole Saturday night, I realized that I had been hurting beyond the outline of the 10 Commandments. A new Church Plant near my son. Not just hurting him—deeply wounding Because Jesus died and opened a new, living way Design Editor Kajansi, Uganda.