“A Call to the Churches in America” by Boris Sorokovsky
Review A-
I just finished reading this 35 page booklet.
I split it up into 3 time slots, and finished it all in about 45 minutes.
During my supper break, I watched a YouTube video where a pastor in a church somewhere covered “A Call to the Churches in America”.
https://youtu.be/EchJHxf3ZsQ
The middle half of the book was very interesting, and the first 1/4 and last 1/4 seemed to have a true message, except for one thing, and one other thing that gave me pause, perhaps some historical fudging, and then the thing about the Sabbath.
I really want something like this to happen. I would like to see the Holy Spirit working openly like in apostolic and Millerite days. It would be great to be part of something where one can be sure that God is directly leading. So I read with great wonder and happiness of the miraculous way God led this people. I like to watch videos of the “Old Believers”, many of whom are from Ukraine and Russia, and either still live in Russia, or else in Canada or America and even one group that went down to South America not long ago. Most of them are Mennonites and or Amish type people, and while I understand that they are somewhat different, I lump them pretty much all together in my mind. Just 2 weeks or so ago I watched a documentary on Old Believers in Siberia. It was quite fascinating.
Anyway, Boris Sorokovsky seems to be telling the truth about his parents’ and his personal experiences. I see no reason to doubt it.
God DOES raise up denominations
The one thing that is definitely not true is that he puts down denominations, saying that they are all man-made. We know from inspired writings that is not true at all. While it is true that just having your name on the church books does not guarantee that you will enter the marriage supper of the Lamb, we know that God personally raised up the Seventh-day Adventist Church, blessed it, and considers it as the “apple of his eye”. There is no greater object on this earth that God holds in higher regard than the SDA Church. It is in a Laodicean condition, but it is still one of the 7 churches of God, and is not part of Babylon.
The part of “A Call to the Churches in America” that gives me pause, is actually appearing larger to me as I write this. That is the idea that we must all be led directly, personally by the Holy Spirit, and if we are not getting that direct voice of the Holy Spirit, then we are not close to God. He seems to be saying that if we are not like Cornelius getting a message to send for Peter, and Peter getting a message to go with them, that we are not living close to the Lord. God sent a vision to Ananias to go to Saul, and to Saul he sent a vision telling him that Ananias was coming. This is all biblical and good and of the Holy Spirit, but just because someone does not receive direct instruction from the Lord like this, that does NOT mean that they are far from God.
Actually, the Holy Spirit usually does not speak directly, but thru the Bible
In fact, you will find, in reading the Bible, that God seldom works like that. Sure, he can pick up Philip and set him down by an Ethiopian eunuch, but he doesn’t normally choose to do that. God could have picked up these Russian people and dropped them down in their final destination, but he chose not to do that. So just because someone is not getting direct revelations from God, that doesn’t mean that they are far from God.
Historically, it seems odd that he says Russians had relative freedom in 1928. This is not supported much by facts such as these: “In total, it is estimated that 8,100 clergy, monks and nuns were murdered in connection the church-valuables campaign. Another 165 priests were executed after 1923.” In other words, things were already quite difficult in 1928, unlike what he writes. No doubt he is just using his mother’s memory, and it may either not have been very good, or else it may have been true for her isolated, country area, but it certainly was not true for the large population centers of Russia at the time.
Lastly, since we know from inspiration that God specifically raised up the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is sounding the Three Angels’ Messages everywhere, it seems highly unlikely that he would expressly send his Holy Spirit to work so closely with those who were not obeying or loving him. Yes, it is possible that they had no instruction other than what is in the Holy Bible that the 7th day is to be kept, but with that many people involved, it seems likely that someone would have opened the truth of the 7th day Sabbath to them, and they rejected it.
Pentecostal confusion?
One more thing, one person commented on Youtube that this whole movement was a “Holiness” Pentecostal movement, and was far removed from God. Hmmm, I don’t know what to say to that, but did get the feeling from reading this booklet that perhaps he has Pentecostal leanings. If SDA believers were to go with anything and everything that they think the Holy Spirit is telling them, even if contrary to the Holy Bible (like not keeping the Sabbath), then Satan would be happy to pick a few more off of the straight and narrow way. Ellen White warns of confusion coming in, and people trusting their feelings over God’s Word.
Let’s be good Bereans, and test the spirits.