When in 1990 I attended lectures in the United States, at the health center directed by Dr. Agatha Thrash, given by Pastor Jack Sequeira, I was deeply impressed by what I heard. Although at that time I did not yet understand everything well, I sensed a special influence of the Holy Spirit, impressing me that what I had heard was the message that the Lord had given to His people, and that its acceptance would bear fruit in revival and in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Sequeira always was a loyal member of our church. He studied at Newbold College and Andrews University. For seventeen years he served as a missionary in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Later he served the church as senior pastor of Capital Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., and is now retired. This has not prevented him from spreading the gospel not only in the United States but also in many countries of the world, to which he is continually invited.
Fascinated by the truth I had heard, I bought several dozen audio cassettes with Pastor Sequeira’s lectures, as well as several commentaries on the book of Romans. After carefully studying them, I decided to prepare, on their basis, a series of lectures entitled: “THE TRUTH AS IT IS IN CHRIST.” Below I have included some of the extraordinary experiences shared by pastor Sequeira in his sermons and lectures.
Jack Sequeira
Conversion of Rebellious Students
Story as told by Pastor Jack Sequeira in one of his sermons:
“Toward the end of my stay at Andrews University, one of my friends directed my attention to the message of justification by faith which the Lord gave to His people in 1888. That truth made an enormous impression on me, so much so that from that time on I devoted most of my time to everything that could help me understand it better, praying that the Lord would also help me proclaim this wonderful truth. In 1973, shortly after completing my studies at Andrews University, I went to Ethiopia. Only a few days after my arrival, the president of the church in that country telephoned me and told me that Adventists owned a college in Ethiopia, but because of financial difficulties they had been forced to admit students who were not Adventists. This led to the point where non-Adventists made up as much as 75 percent of all the students at that college. The parents of these students were very wealthy. Unfortunately, the young people were especially unruly and rebellious, and at times even dangerous to those around them. For this reason they had previously been expelled from government schools. So their parents sent them to our school in the hope that perhaps Adventists would be able to change them. But these young people had no intention of changing and showed hostility toward everything connected with religion. Because of this, during a Week of Prayer, they even openly rebelled. They overturned two cars belonging to the school and three motorcycles and set them on fire. They did not want anyone to force them to attend worship services or Bible lectures. After this incident, the administration decided to close the school for a time. Shortly afterward, however, the government forced the school leadership to reopen it and even to readmit those rebellious students—the same ones who had burned the cars and motorcycles. The principal and the teachers then wondered whether it might be better to cancel the Week of Prayer. Finally, however, they said, ‘This is an Adventist school, and we cannot give up the Week of Prayer. This time, however, we will ask one of the national ministers to lead the meetings, not a foreigner, since previously the main speaker had been a pastor from Canada. When our own man speaks,’ they said, ‘they certainly will not harm him.’ So a speaker was chosen, but two days before the Week of Prayer began, that man changed his mind because he feared that this time his car would be burned. In this situation the church president desperately looked for someone who would replace him. The rebellious youth were so dangerous that no one wanted to take such a risk. Finally he contacted me, asking me to conduct the meetings. Before I gave him an answer, I prayed: ‘Lord, You said in Romans that the gospel is Your power. Please show now that this is true. You have allowed me to know this wonderful truth; now let me test its power on these rebellious young people.’ Immediately after that telephone conversation I boarded a plane, and shortly afterward I arrived in Addis Ababa. Several missionaries were waiting for me at the airport, and they told me I had acted unwisely by agreeing to do this. I replied, ‘Yes, you are right. It does indeed look like an unwise decision. So I have one request: if you have to bury me, remember that I like gladiolas.’ Finally I reached the college. I did not yet know that five leaders of those unruly young people had prepared a pile of stones in front of the church in order to stone me if they did not like what I said. When the service began, all five sat in the front row directly in front of the pulpit, looking me straight in the eyes. And so I began a series of sermons on the gospel from the book of Romans. But thanks be to God, I was able to speak without interruption. On the third day something extraordinary happened. One of those five leaders came up to me and said, ‘This is the most wonderful news I have ever heard!’ Some time later all five were baptized and joined our church, and the chief leader of those rebellious youth even graduated from Andrews University and now works in the church as a minister.”
This encouraging experience confirms even more strongly that what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16 is true: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” — Romans 1:16. Some believe that in order to restore order and raise the level of morality—whether in the family, the state, or even the church—it is necessary to introduce more prohibitions, commands, and stricter laws. But such a method has more in common with communism and dictatorship than with Christianity. This goal cannot be achieved by any compulsion, external improvement of behavior, or superficial growth in morality forced by fear of punishment. Only the gospel can accomplish it—the gospel that is the power of God, the gospel whose acceptance leads to being born of the Spirit.
Ten Young Pastors Left Hartland
Pastor Sequeira was once invited by Hartland leaders for a public discussion. As a result of that debate, ten young pastors changed their views and couldn’t identify themselves anymore with Hartland’s teachings as they realised that their leaders were opposing the truth of the gospel using Bible verses and Ellen White quotes out of context instead of proving their point in a systematic biblical way. The above video is the best example of how they manipulate the Bible and the writings of Ellen White. Read or watch Sequeira’s seminars on Romans and you will see a huge difference.
Manuel Rodrigues Didin’t Allow Sequeira Preach at Camp Meeting
Unfortunately, Adventists who try to share either the message associated with the in Christ motif or His true incarnation often experience opposition or even hostility. One of them is Pastor Jack Sequeira who by the grace of God has been travelling all over America and the world proclaiming the good news of the gospel including its three most vital aspects (Christ’s experience of second death, His true incarnation and the universal salvation in Him). And during those years the SDA Biblical Research Institute (especially its former director – Angel Manuel Rodriguez) desperately tried to silence him. For example, on one occasion the pastor of the Spencerville SDA Church in Washington DC, who was Sequeira’s predecessor at the Capital Memorial Church (also Washington DC), asked him to be the main speaker at the annual Spencerville’s camp meeting because he wanted “his people to hear the true gospel”. The Spencerville Church, however, is attended by most of the GC brethren, including A. M. Rodrigues. Therefore, when everything was already arranged and elder Sequeira was supposed to be the main speaker at that camp meeting, Rodriguez, using his position, forced the Spencerville pastor to choose another speaker. When he asked for the reason, Rodriguez only explained he couldn’t allow Sequeira to speak there because he preached federalism. But when pastor Sequeira was told about that humiliating news and asked for a meeting with Rodriguez and the pastor of the Spencerville Church (to witness the conversation) Rodriguez refused to give him the opportunity to defend himself and his teachings.
It is true that we are not to allow heresies and false ideas to undermine the fundamental truths found in the Word of God but no one, including the leaders of the Church, has the right to threaten or deprive our pastors or members of the freedom of expressing their beliefs without proving that their ideas can’t be sustained by the Word of God. The Lord never gave leaders, pastors and men like A. M. Rodriguez authority to use their position in order to silence members because the ideas they try to share do not match their own preconceived understanding!
Using the authority of his position Angel M. Rodriguez committed the very same sin of the violation of religious freedom. He dared to deprive thousands of Adventists of the opportunity to hear the most wonderful message of the gospel of freedom that could had been presented to them by the SDA ordained Pastor (Jack Sequeira) who repeatedly risked his life while standing for the truth in Uganda under Idi Amin as well as in countries ruled by communist governments and religious leaders such as Abuna (patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church) who tried to kill pastor Sequeira for not submitting to his demand to refuse to hold an evangelistic crusade. As a result of that blessed and protected by God effort, seventy students were baptised and joined the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Pastor Sequeira’s Christian experience is blessed with numerous extraordinary stories proving God’s inspiration, guidance and protection while with regard` to Angel Manuel Rodriguez no such evidence is available.
When Apostle Paul was accused by false brothers (legalistic Judeo-Christians) of being a self-appointed apostle and proclaiming heresies, to prove he was called and guided by God Paul often denied those accusations by telling Christians how miraculously God protected him whenever he risked his life proclaiming the gospel. The same is true with regards to elder Sequeira who also risked his life while proclaiming the fully recovered everlasting gospel and was always protected by God.
Unfortunately, like two thousand years ago some Judaizers attacked Paul and the gospel he preached also today pastor Sequeira and the gospel he proclaims is opposed by some Adventists (modern Judaizers) such as Angel M. Rodriguez, Larry J. Kane, or Colin and Russell Standish.