Melissa Schiffbauer

10/07/2022

I am fully convinced that everyone is a legalist prior to meeting Christ.

We either believe that Biblical law will save us, or we believe that self-made law will save us.

In this post I am going to focus on the self-made law aspect.

We hear people on the liberal/progressive side of Christianity say things like:

“Love is love.”

“Being a good person is enough.”

“The law was done away with at the cross.”

These statements are just as dangerous as the ones I have called out in other posts regarding God’s law.

Any theology that places our faith in anything other than Jesus is bad theology. If I am trusting that my salvation is secure because I keep the law, I am misguided. If I am trusting that my salvation is secure because I keep my own moral law, I am also misguided.

There is no substitute for studying the Bible in it’s entirety. Both variations of legalism- salvation by biblical works or salvation by personal works- falls short.

If I only focus on the biblical law, I will never enter into Christ’s rest. Yet if I only focus on my self-made moral law, I will never allow Christ to transform my character.

Perfect harmony is only found when I surrender self completely. I must give up both my biblical works and my self made works and trade them for the work of Christ.

Christ who is the perfect version of humanity will take the penalty of my sins and also write his law, a law of love, on my heart.

The biblical law without Jesus is dead.

My own personal law without Jesus is dead.

There is only one way to salvation- believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

10/07/2022

Changing our young adult church statistics one baptism at a time 🙌

09/07/2022

If I do not trust God, I cannot obey God. If I do not properly understand my role in the Great Controversy, and God’s good intentions for me- I cannot obey.

…and what is that role? To follow in the footsteps of Christ. My life on earth is a spiritual learning journey. I daily “take up my cross” by taking the time to learn more about God and also share what I know with others.

If the Bible only talked about initial steps into salvation, it would be a much shorter book. However it includes practical principles demonstrated through stories so that I can better understand God’s love.

Some of us have developed a bad habit. We have taken over the term “obedience” and re-defined it to our liking. Instead of considering that the Bible ONLY discusses obedience in terms of love, we have made obedience a matter of “holy living”.

I have experienced this scenario: someone will post a quote or a post online about the grace and mercy of Christ, encouraging people to trust fully in Jesus. Then, some well meaning Adventist will hop in the comment section and say, “Yes but don’t forget about the law! Don’t forget that we need to obey!”

I am genuinely asking- why do we do that? Do we not realize that if we teach people to trust God they will naturally start to obey?

Here is an example from my own life. Prior to accepting Christ for myself I watched R rated movies. People told me all the time R rated movies were bad. And honestly they didn’t even need to. I knew for myself they were not good. But I felt no need to give them up.

AFTER I accepted Jesus, I lost interest in R rated movies. I didn’t enjoy watching them. The bad language and s*x scenes started to really make me uncomfortable.

What changed? Externally- nothing. No one convinced me to stop watching them. Nothing bad even happened to me to make me “learn my lesson the hard way”. I simply accepted the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit led me to stop watching them.

THAT is obedience.

I would love to see less sermons on “obedience” and more sermons on how to practically trust God and receive the Holy Spirit.

I want people to know God’s love. I do not want to be everyone’s spiritual parent.

09/07/2022

It is easier to be a legalist than it is to be a Christian.

A Christian takes their spiritual walk by faith.

A legalist takes their spiritual walk by works.

It is easier and more common for people to believe that they are good or bad based on their actions. It is not so easy to confess that on our own we will never be sinless in this life. It is harder to believe that your salvation is secure in Jesus than it is to find security in your own performance.

Now, a lot of us are living in denial. We read posts like this and we say, “Praise God I am not a legalist.” Then we walk into our churches and we cast judgments on our fellow humans.

“Brother so and so just got a divorce for unbiblical reasons. We should pray for him since he is off the narrow path.”

“Sister so and so just found out she is pregnant but she’s not married. Let’s pray she gets back on the narrow path.”

“Sister so and so brought chicken to potluck. She must not be following the narrow way and upholding the health message.”

We say things like this and in the same way we say, “I don’t support legalism.”

But what are the implications of those statements? You are implying that those who don’t get divorced, pregnant out of marriage, or bring chicken to potluck are on the narrow way. Yet those who messed up, are not.

Where is Christ in any of those views? Does Jesus say that if someone makes a mistake they are no longer on the narrow way? Or is it possible that the narrow way IS Christ.

Total trust and reliance upon God is the narrow way. And it is hard to find because many Christians aren’t on it. Many Christians are on the broad way but telling people they are on the narrow one. You can tell by their advice.

If the advice is, “Make all these lifestyle changes so you can enter the narrow way.” It is much more likely that the advisor is on the broad path.

If the advice is, “Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.” you’ve found the narrow path!

We don’t choose our path by our behaviors, the path we are on influences our behaviors.

I will live like Christ when I am on Christ’s path.

I will live like a legalist when I am not.

09/07/2022

Sabbath vibes ✌️

08/07/2022

“Scientists say the odds of you being born are at least 1 in 400 trillion. Maybe even 1 in 400 quadrillion. That is incredibly unlikely to the point of impossible.” -Jake Humphrey

I often hear atheists use an argument against God that has something to do with the fact that they, “Didn’t choose to be born.” And this at times almost implies that if they had a choice, they would opt out of life.

Perhaps if we are wrestling with our mental health, non-existence sounds pretty appealing. But for the average healthy human, we would like to be alive. In fact even our bodies are constantly subconsciously trying to survive and live.

Why is it like this? Why are we alive and what is our purpose? This is a deep question that we could ponder for our entire lifespan and still not have a good answer.

Yet for me, when I look at the Bible, I find an answer that satisfies me. Not only do I find meaning and purpose, but the more I study God’s words, the more I develop an optimistic view of my value.

You and I were not born by accident, and we were not born merely to exist for 100 or so earthly years. When God gave you life, he pictured you existing for eternity.

Eternity can be a very overwhelming term for finite man! But if you really consider it, it isn’t too bad. It is actually just like your life today or tomorrow. Time passes and you grow, learn, and experience things. Your life’s journey is intended not only to bring you pleasure, but to also help you find your purpose in God who gave you your life.

And by the way it is a gift not a burden to be alive. Although we do have trials, we forget that if we believe in God and embrace our greater purpose, the good years will absolutely outweigh the bad.

How does it make you feel to know that your life is full of endless possibility when you meet Jesus?

As we embrace it for ourselves, let us also share it with others.

07/07/2022

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Luke 1:31

As Ellen White puts it, “It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like we are, and yet be without sin.”

Personally, I believe that Jesus accomplished this because he knew God intimately. He knew God is love. He knew HE is love.

100% faith in God means that everything God asks of us is good and worth trusting. Jesus had that 100% faith. He was tempted, but faithful nonetheless.

Although we are not Jesus, we are his brothers and sisters.

“Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men.” Romans 5:12

Through one man sin entered, and through one man sin was defeated!

“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” Romans 5:15

Your life is not about sin. Your life is about building trust in God. You have your whole life to study, and discover for yourself if God is good.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.”
James 1:13

Pain, suffering, confusion, shame- these come from the devil.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. Including the gift of eternal life… which you can access at any moment!

07/07/2022

We might not be able to find an official church statement on this topic, but praise God for the freedom to study it ourselves. Knowing what we believe (or in this case don’t) is very vital to our faith!

Based on my research and conviction, I believe LGT is anti-gospel and blasphemy. The reason I hold this view is because if we claim that Christ had a sinful human nature we run into the following:

- We reduce the value of the cross, because theoretically Jesus was sinful in nature and therefore not qualified to save us.

- We excuse the fact that Christ is CURRENTLY and ALREADY applying the benefits of his sacrifice, in the Sanctuary. He is not waiting on us to do so.

- We elevate the “last generation” or those who will survive probation above any other previous Christian. This implies that different generations are saved by different standards- which is unbiblical.

- We turn the “investigative judgment” into a litmus test for salvation, because according to LGT our salvation is not secure until we have stopped sinning.

These concepts have brought about two MAJOR misunderstandings of Adventist Theology.

First- it has taught is that we are not saved by faith, but rather saved by faith + works/obedience

Second- it has taught us that after probation we won’t have an intercesor, and we must perform perfectly or be lost.

Both of these things are false.

You are saved by faith alone. Obedience is a response to being saved, not a way to earn salvation. Works are the fruits of our salvation, not the seeds.

Although you will feel alone in probation, when probation closes your salvation is already secure (or not based on your choice). Jesus promises, “I am with you always.” Matthew 28:20

God is a wonderful, loving God. He has paid the TOTAL cost for you to live with him. You do not have to prove your worthiness- because you can’t! All you have to do is repent and believe. Accept the GIFT (not the job) that God offers.

After you accept, God sees Jesus when he looks at you. Already sinless.

Your salvation is SURE.

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DM me if you would like more information on LGT including my sources for this post.

06/07/2022

I will never forget the day it clicked for me…

YOU ARE SAVED BY GRACE NOT WORKS.

I was driving, sitting at a stoplight. In that moment it was like I entered into a parallel universe. I felt a burden lifted both emotionally and even physically in my chest. A weight was lifted. I kept thinking to myself, “I am saved. I really am saved. Jesus really did it. He saved me.”

Even as I type this it makes me tear up. Because I was such a legalist in the past.

I think that is why my tone sometimes comes down so hard on legalism. It’s because I was so hurt by it personally. I ran away from God because I exhausted myself with works-based beliefs. But God has been really good to me. Much better than I deserve, and he hasn’t given up on me.

I remember shortly after I realized I was saved, I actually cleaned out my closet. I can’t explain where it came from aside from God, but in that moment I was convicted to dress more modestly. I also stopped watching R rated movies. I cleaned out my romance novels. I did not think twice about it. It was a natural thing to let go of. I think for me those were secret sins I had held on to prior to realizing how much God loved me.

I am not saying this to brag. I’m not saying this so you will now go clean out your closet. I’m saying that when we realize how much God loves us, we naturally change.

We naturally transform.

If you are stressed about your life, your salvation, your future spouse- anything. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Do whatever you can to believe that he really loves you.

He really saved you.

You’re really saved.

06/07/2022

As I have mentioned in the past, I was told by ASI Ministries several months ago that my ministry went against the spirit and/or values of ASI Ministries. After over a month of trying to get a specific example of what that meant, I was left with nothing. I was never told why I was rejected.

This sparked my curiosity as to what deems an independent ministry “acceptable” in the SDA world. In other words, why does the church support some independent ministries and avoid others? My research on this issue led to the creation of this post.

Although ASI rejecting me at their event sparked this research, I want to be clear about my thoughts on my experience. I am not mad about being barred from the event. If ASI determined that I go against the official church in some way, that is their opinion and choice to make that call. However, what made me passionate about this was the inequality.

It is fine if you do not like my work because I wear earrings and I do not make the health message a salvational issue, however you cannot reject ministries like mine while accepting ministries that are just as unbiblical (based on the official church stance) in different ways.

I am publicly vocalizing this for two reasons:

First, while attending the NAD’s CALLED Convention I saw that ASI was a top donor/sponsor to the event. If the official church is working this closely with ASI I believe the church needs to address the unbalanced way ASI is collaborating with SDA independent ministries.

Second, I believe this issue impacts the culture and reputation of the official church in a negative way. While it properly controls “progressive” bad theology, it does nothing to address “traditional” bad theology.

Also, the solution here is not to call or email me. The solution is to discuss it among yourselves with your board members and see if there is some truth to my points. I am not trying to defend my ministry. I am trying to bring balance to the SDA church in this area.

Without balance we are hypocrites and living in error.

05/07/2022

I did not return to the Seventh-day Adventist Church because I thought I needed to give up cheese or dress differently. The lifestyle habits of the SDA denomination did nothing to persuade me.

Instead, I returned because I saw the true character of God displayed in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What the SDA church promotes is what I myself discovered through my own prayer and Bible readings.

God is love.

Many Christians say this. They put it on t-shirts, stickers, and coffee mugs. However, when you dig a little deeper into what the average Christian church is teaching- you face a conflict of interest.

Nearly every church denomination today teaches that when you die you go directly to heaven or hell. Then, if you end up in hell, you live there is perpetual agony for eternity. Of course each church has its own variation of this concept, but this is what is taught at the core.

This is not biblical.

Beyond this one majorly flawed concept, we also see many churches disregarding the law of God, telling people they don’t have free will, or promoting some sort of legalism. The more you study the Bible, the harder it is to find a church denomination that actually matches what scripture says.

How can we navigate all of this? There is only one way. We must study the character of God for ourselves. We must deeply ponder what scripture says. We must listen to many different views and interpretations to see which one demonstrates love.

Although my experience with SDA culture has been less than ideal, I remain an Adventist for the upholding of biblical teaching.

I hope that each of us will choose a church not based on feelings or personal preferences alone, but on biblical teaching. Does my pastor speak the truth about what is shared in scripture?

I am confident that with time, effort, and prayer- we can improve any denomination’s culture. But we can’t improve bad doctrine. You can’t improve upon the teaching that people live in hell. Bad doctrine must be totally thrown out.

Unfortunately a lot of churches are choosing to keep their bad doctrine, despite having appealing church culture.

What is your choice?

04/07/2022

We have reached a point in our lives where many of us cannot keep waiting for our local church to foster a welcoming environment.

We have talked to the pastor. We have gone to the church board. We have written to the conference. But for whatever reason, the majority of the congregation does not want to address the legalism or unkind culture we have pointed out.

When this happens, some of us face a big decision: leave our local church or stay at the expense of our spiritual and mental health.

As admirable as some people make it sound to, “Stick it out” the reality is, for some of us it isn’t possible.

Not every church that exists today is a safe space. This is the sad truth.

I have watched many of my friends stop identifying as Seventh-day Adventist because of these challenges. They say something like, “I am an SDA in my heart, but I attend a non-denominational church.”

What does this mean? It means that they believe in keeping the Sabbath, they agree with the state of the dead, they view hell as annihilation, and they affirm the prophetic gift of EGW. But their local SDA church is toxic or dead. So they don’t go there. They sacrifice their doctrinal preferences for a loving local community.

Many non-SDA churches are very loving. It is ignorant of us to view everyone outside of Adventism or our church denomination as “bad”. There are also often more to choose from. You’re lucky to find one SDA church near you.

I speak from experience. My local non-denominational church is amazing. But theologically I can only go so far with them.

This is where small groups come in. Small groups offer a chance for SDAs to gather outside of their local church, and find like-minded friends. They can be hosted in person, or online. Starting a small group provides a potential alternative to having to compromise your theology for community.

If you are currently in this position, pray about starting a small group. Comment below what tips or questions you have for those of us who are in this situation.

03/07/2022

I have received comments and DMs like the one in these slides for over 2 years. Every time I get one I wonder how many other people this individual has turned away from the SDA church.

I have dialogued with church leaders regarding lifestyle issues. Some leaders see the need for major reform, other people tell me it is a non-issue because they personally haven’t witnessed it.

Let me tell you right now- when it comes to young people in the church and outsiders looking in… IT IS AN ISSUE.

You cannot tell someone that they are not an Adventist, not a Christian, or not a believer based on what they wear or eat. The spiritual wellness of a person is so much more than such things!

Does that mean we should not encourage modest, humble dress-code and healthy diet? No. We should encourage it. That is not the problem here. The problem is QUALIFYING people by these things.

Look friends, dozens of Jesus followers in scripture ate meat and wore jewelry. More than dozens… and when Jesus came to the earth to do his earthly ministry, did he say, “You are not my follower because you eat meat and wear jewelry?” No. He did not.

But look at what we are doing while claiming his name.

We need God to forgive us for using the blessing he gave us through the writings of EGW, for evil.

I have had many people tell me that the work I do is “dangerous” and “watered down” because I wear jewelry. To such an attitude I would like to point out that it is equally dangerous to believe that your works will save you, or that your identity is found in anything but Jesus Christ.

Perhaps someone feels I am speaking on this to “defend my sin”. It is your choice to view my words in such a light. However, my real intention here is to alert us to a very real and on-going problem.

Approx. 70% of our young people leave the church. We are well aware of this. This legalistic mindset plays a major role.

When I see young people leaving the church, I view this as an emergency. We say we want to help, but we don’t take action. I’m here to say, SPEAK UP. Stop allowing comments and attitudes like this to go on unchecked and undisputed.

They are killing our church.

02/07/2022

Quick glimpse at my time in AZ 😊

Red Hot Chili Peppers • Scar Tissue

01/07/2022

May God bless you and protect you.

May God show you favor and be gracious to you.

May God show you kindness and grant you peace.

יְבָרֶכְךָ ה׳ וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ

יָאֵר ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ

יִשָּׂא ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם

♥️

30/06/2022

Choosing to accept Jesus is the best decision of your life… but then what?

The Bible is a storybook of knowledge. By studying it for ourselves, we can gain infinite value and purpose for our lives.

Yet when you first accept Jesus or come back into Christianity- this can feel overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you know you’re doing it “right”? Instead of giving you a list of lifestyle requirements or standards I think you must follow, I want to simply share what worked for me (an agnostic who returned to the church).

1. Bible- if you only own the KJV Bible you likely need a new version. At least to start out. Look for a Bible that you WANT to read in wording you can understand.

2. Questions- think about all the things you want to know. This might include some of life’s hardest questions such as, “Why do people get cancer?” Make a list of these things and in your personal study time see if you can find some answers in scripture.

3. Study- there is a ton of information out there in regard to theology and faith. Sometimes we are wary to let “new” believers explore, but I am of the opposite opinion. I think you SHOULD study and consider different views. Understand that you won’t agree with everything, but you’ll definitely learn a lot!

4. Friends- it’s vital to find a community of Christ-centered people to discuss the Bible with. This can be local or online!

5. Praise- taking time to relax and celebrate God’s goodness is just as important as studying and learning about God. Music always helps me feel emotionally close to God.

6. Prayer- prayer is talking to God. If you struggle with staying focused in your prayers… try journaling! You can say whatever you want and it’s cool to look back over time and see how God answered your requests or responded to your praises.

7. Outreach- the true purpose of Christian living Jesus-centered selflessness. Learning how to be selfless includes sharing the gospel and serving others. Think about your own unique talents and natural abilities- what has God equipped you to do for his service?

29/06/2022

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but just because modern society tries to put you into a box… doesn’t mean you are in one.

Just because the church tries to put you in a box doesn’t mean you are in one.

Just because the social media keyboard warriors try to put you in a box doesn’t mean you are in one.

I’m not just saying this for myself, but for all the people DMing me expressing how hard it is to speak up against the status quo these days.

It’s sad honestly. Even I feel like I get unnecessarily defensive when I talk to people with different views from mine. Not because I don’t enjoy hearing their perspective, but because society has brainwashed me to think that anyone who doesn’t agree with me is my enemy.

Well, I refuse to play this game anymore. You’re not my enemy. You’re my brother or sister.

We are not bad people just because we hold our own unique set of views and opinions on church or societal issues.

It is completely possible to believe that abortion is often used with selfish intentions, and to still support women who have had abortions.

It is completely possible to believe that LGBTQ relationships are not God’s ideal, but to still love, support, and want to see LGBTQ identifying people in church.

It is completely possible to believe that your church denomination is the most biblically accurate, but to still love and view members of other churches as equals.

The list goes on.

As Christians, we have permission to reject the narratives that the world tries to force on us. No amount of online bullying or media pressure should force us to change or feel ashamed of what we believe.

Instead let us go to the word of God. Let us read the Bible, pray, and discuss our views with other Christ-centered people.

Jesus can lead us to know what is truth. The world can’t. It has no idea what truth is.

Let us humbly listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and continue to share what he inspires us with.

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

29/06/2022

Note from Melissa: this post was anonymously written by one of my SDA LGBTQ followers. I chose to showcase this perspective because I think it’s an area of ministry that is lacking in the church. There needs to be a safe space for LGBTQ people to talk about their feelings freely, regardless of what their theology is at the present time. There needs to be a program or a way to connect these people with resources. They are people. Ignoring them or telling them to leave is not the answer. I hope posts like this can start healthy discussions on how we can love people wherever they are at in their spiritual journey.
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From the author: Christians often emphasize the danger of trusting one’s feelings over God’s word, which is true and biblical. But there is another biblical danger, and that is ascetic religion (dualism/legalism); the religion that demonizes human needs, hardens the heart, and destroys faith and health.

When Adam felt lonely in paradise, he was not told that it’s hard to be a God-follower. His longing for a human companion was not censured, but acknowledged as a reasonable and real human need. “God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone’” (Genesis 2:18). Jesus echoed this when He taught that not all are able to live in celibacy (Matthew 19:11).

This human need for companionship and love is equally shared by LGBTQs because they’re human beings. A legalistic approach to the LGBTQ issue leads to their spiritual and even physical death. If God’s law of perfection had the final word, all mankind would die since we all have a sinful nature and fall short despite our very best efforts. The good news is, Jesus came to save us.

28/06/2022

I knew my post regarding abortion would bring the heat, so I had this one lined up as well.

When I post on controversial issues, people usually don’t push back at me with facts or figures… often they push back with feelings.

For example, in this case of abortion, many people feel it is bad to say abortion is wrong because it might hurt the feelings of someone who has had an abortion.

If we are discussing the LGBTQ community, people do not want to say anything too strong because it will hurt people who identify as LGBTQ.

Even when it comes to the topic of young people leaving the church, we don’t always fairly address the hypocrisy among those who leave because we want them to stay in church and not be offended.

In fact, in this day and age we have a safe word for our lukewarmness- we call it “nuance.”

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, “Well it is more nuanced than that…”

And in some ways it is true- my posts on social media are a limited character count. They can’t always cover all the, “nuance”. Yet many times this issue is not a matter of nuance. Often, we are avoiding our own guilt or discomfort. We are avoiding any sort of personal accountability.

The problem is, when we sacrifice our morals for empathy, we start to lose our way. The more we avoid or water down the leading of the Holy Spirit for the sake of nuance, the less and less sure we become of what we believe.

This is a serious issue. It can lead us to ultimately commit the unpardonable sin- rejection of the Holy Spirit entirely.

When we reason away the clear standards of the Bible, we start to forget why we even need the Bible at all.

Friends, the Bible is very clear when it comes to issues such as s*x, marriage, and personal accountability. No amount of nuance will change the plain words of scripture.

Should we share truth in love? Should we support those in our community who are hurting? Always. However, we cannot sacrifice truth FOR love… because that is not real love.

It is not loving to water down the truth or turn a blind eye to our selfish nature.

The world’s version of empathy is not true empathy.

…It’s a selfish variation.