PRESIDENT of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Jamaica, Everett Brown is warning that the Church is not insulated from false teachers and false teaching.

He issued the warning on Saturday during an ordination service for seven ministers at Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manchester, while speaking to the congregation and church leaders.

Referencing Jude 1: 20-25, Brown said: “You will have to contend for your faith and the faith, welfare, and spiritual well-being of the members under your care. We set you aside for this holy vocation, and I must remind you that Satan is waiting to deceive, use, and destroy you. Be on your guard.”

Pointing out that in their ministry there’ll be losses and gains, smiles and tears, victories and failures, laughter and sadness, he reminded them that through Jesus Christ, “you will be more than conquerors”.

“False teachers and false teaching posed a grave danger to the growth and spiritual health of the church that Jude’s letter addressed. The group of false teachers had infiltrated the Church unnoticed. They had a problem with everything and everyone. They were in the Church. They complained about everything; they were judgemental, hedonistic, and insincere, boasting only a form of godliness.

“The Church today is not insulated from false teachers and false teaching,” Brown
said. “My experience has taught me that these kinds of false people and false teaching are not figments of one’s imagination.

“They could exist in the congregation that you will pastor in the future. Hold on, may it never happen, but one of you, if you are not careful, could be led astray by the subtle deception of the evil one. With this, Jude cautions and urges us, and I also wish to caution and urge you, my brothers, to build your faith and your ministry on God through a consistent prayer life, daily communion, and reliance on Him,” Brown said.

He added that ministry in these last days of Earth’s history is “not for the lazy, not for the faint of heart, not for the weak in the faith, but for those who are prepared to deny self-imitate Jesus Christ and order their life and ministry after the self-sacrificing life and ministry of Jesus”.

The ordained ministers — Charvone Antoney Clarke, pastor of Cedar Grove District of Churches; Lascelles Vin Grant, pastor of Newport District of Churches; Peter Patrick Lopez, pastor of Tredegar Park District of Churches; Melvin Dameon Micheal Parker, pastor of Gregory Park District of Churches; Lenardo Turner, pastor of Clear Park District of Churches; Ikechukwu Michael Oluikpe, assistant professor in the School of Religion and Theology at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) and assistant pastor of the Church at NCU; and Odiaka Gregory Walker, assistant pastor in Cedar Grove District of SDA Churches and also an instructor in the School of Religion and Theology, specialising in Hebrew language and Old Testament theology — were presented with a copy of the Bible and a certificate of ordination.