This incident happened at the 2016 Big Camp South Australia.

On the Monday morning not long after arriving at Big Camp, I was pleading with God, “Why do I have to be here? There is so much error.” I am a convert to this church, and love the Truth that called me out of the world.

I cried and pleaded with God for a reason. God gave me peace in my heart and reminded me that He is in control. That was enough for me.

Monday

On Monday evening, my mother and I attended the night session. As we walked into the auditorium, I was surprised and horrified to see the music director teaching the crowd how to beet bop “Rap” music.

Mum and I did not join in with any of the “worship” service singing, we sat down in silent protest. While sitting I observed many people sitting down in protest.

On the Monday night whilst sitting I had a strange sense that God wanted me to do something. My heart was racing. It is hard to explain what happened, as I don’t have the words to describe what I experienced. I just knew that God impressed me about the music.

Tuesday

On Tuesday night, I had the same impression happen, and it only happened when the music was playing. I commented to mum “Do you remember me telling you of the dreams I’ve had in the past? In my dreams I was in an auditorium, the people were teaching heresy. I stood up and spoke out against the error, but it wasn’t my voice and there was light coming out of my mouth.” She said “yes.”

I said “I think God wants me to make a stand against the music.”
Mum said, “You do what God is calling you to do!”
I said, “Ok, if it is still happening on Sabbath I will make a stand.”

From that point on I did not think about what I had said.

During the coming nights, I was impressed to share Belt of Truth’s “Media on the Brain” with Layton the music director. God showed me very clearly that I was to present the DVD’s to him as a gift and blessing to his ministries. He kindly thanked me and took the materials.

During the week as I talked with people, I discovered many of the saints were not happy about the ‘worship’ music.

Sabbath

On Sabbath morning, mum and I arrived a little late and we missed the 15 students performing rap music. Probably just as well.

Shortly after we sat down, the first song started. It was titled ”Glorious Ruins”, and as soon as the music started I was struck by my convictions earlier in the week. I said to Mum “do you remember what I said during the week? If it was still happening on Sabbath I would make a stand!” She did.

Mum started to pray, and I too started to pray. I was praying “God if this is what You want me to do then You have to show me. I don’t want to make a spectacle and be against Your will. I don’t want this to be about me. It has to be about You and must come from You.” I prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me.

When I opened my eyes, I looked and mum was still praying. I leaned over and spoke to the woman sitting next to me. I said to her that I thought God was impressing me make a stand against the music. She said, “Go!”

As I stood up, an image of the three Hebrew boys from Daniel 3 came into my mind and the words, “It’s about worship” came to my mind.

We were seated at the back of the auditorium. As I walked up to the stage I kept praying, asking for the Holy Spirit to go before me, that my words would be Christ’s words, that I would not been seen but Christ be the glory.

As I approached the stage the band finished singing. I asked if I could please have the microphone and the women handed it to me and then I turned and spoke to the audience. When I finished I went back to my seat and listened to the sermon.

When the sermon was finished, I left the building. The youth pastor came straight over to tell me how angry he was with me and that I should have spoken to the leaders.

I responded “I make no apology, as I believe the Holy Spirit impressed me and I did what I was called to do.”

As I walked out, I was still praying — I said “God I want the earth to open up right now and swallow me up, as everyone here is looking at me”. I heard God say “Hold your head up high and walk across the oval, you made a stand for me today”. Therefore, I walked across the oval.

I was supposed to have lunch with friends but they changed their plans at the last minute...

One gentleman came over to speak to me, he said “Even Elijah had his 7,000.”

Many people came and talked with me and said that they had been praying right before I went on stage for God to do something about the music, and they were crying when I was on stage, as they believed it was an answer to their prayers. One woman told me that she had pulled out of the music group because she was convicted that it wasn’t right.

I was greatly encouraged in the months following how making a stand for truth had affected their lives. Some of the people were challenged by what God had placed in my heart to say, they went, and researched for themselves. Many saw the danger and were praising God.

I found out later that one of the Pastors — in a position of leadership — was trying to get the media to cut the live screening! However, the media kept on filming and airing. It went live around the world, some people in America were watching, they sent messages via text of “Praise to God.”

The microphone never was cut off either.

Fallout

The president at the time was Andrew Kingston. He came over and said we should talk, but he never did talk. However, at the end of the sermon he made an announcement about what I had done.

Kingston’s Talk

He defended the music by saying a lot of effort and planning had gone into preparing the music & worship for Big Camp meeting.
He said that the that the music and worship was ‘the same that was happening in our churches everywhere.’
“This is the first time we have bought the youth together with the adults and we didn’t expect to get it right the first time.” He said perhaps they should have music and worship for the youth and adults separate.
He said he defended my right to think differently about this matter, and we were all at a difference place in our journey.
He said cultural and generational differences justified this type of music.
He spoke about your hope that Christian love would prevail and the congregation would respect the different ways in which members accepted music and participated in worship.
“We need to support and affirm our youth.”

A friend of mine helped me to reply to his comments via an email. This I have attached to this article.

Summary

I hope that this message will be a blessing to others and an encouragement.

As Seventh Day Adventists, we are not to follow the world, in particular in our place of worship. We are to be a light in a dark place and God calls us to stand apart, to stand for truth in the love of Christ. We have a work to do.

I am no one special, I have no plans to be a troublemaker. I have come from the world and I love the true gospel message. I want to be a part of the final work and I want to win souls for Jesus. I want to go home.

Isaiah 58:1 & 13, 14

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”