Closer To Heaven
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par Richard W. Coffen | 27 mars 2025 | Vous avez peut-être vu Tevye dans Un violon sur le toit chanter «Tradition, tradition, tradition!» C’est le thème de cet essai. Et plus précisément, le rôle de la tradition dans notre lecture des textes bibliques. Nos comportements, basés sur des traditions, ne sont pas nécessairement mauvais, […] Source: https://atoday.org/la-tradition-et-le-texte-biblique/
by Linda McCabe | 27 March 2025 | Once upon a time there was a church. (I won’t give the name or location, but the story is true. Anyway, it is similar enough to many other stories across the land that there is little danger of your identifying it.) Forty to fifty members in a […] Source: https://atoday.org/to-church-boards-everywhere-is-there-a-better-way-to-be-a-church/
27 March 2025 | News from Loma Linda According to a press release, “Loma Linda University School of Religion has launched two new certificate programs — one in Spiritual Care (13 units) and another in Bioethics (13 units). The school is accepting applications for the upcoming 2025 – 2026 academic school, and applications received before July 31 will […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-from-loma-linda-nicaragua-adventhealth-and-trans-european-division/
Inside Story for Friday 28th of March 2025
By Andrew McChesney
Maria is familiar with adoration. As an opera singer, she has sung before admiring audiences in the main opera house of her native country as well as in a dozen other countries. She has received several top prizes.
But nothing prepared her for the adoration that she witnessed in North Korea. The admiration was not for her performance. It took place at a 72-foot (22-meter) bronze statue of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
Maria is a faithful Seventh-day Adventist. For her safety, Adventist Mission is not identifying her by her real name or nationality. She spoke to Adventist Mission in a Zoom interview.
During the visit to North Korea, Maria and a group of other singers toured the Mansu Hill Grand Monument, a complex of monuments depicting heroes from the country’s revolutionary history, in Pyongyang. The centerpiece of the complex was the towering statue of Kim Il Sung. (A second 72-foot statue, of Kim’s son, Kim Jong Il, was later added to the complex.)
Crowds of people swarmed around the statue of Kim Il Sung. Maria saw foreign tourists from Italy, France, and other countries. She saw North Koreans. They all bowed before the statue. Then she learned that she also was expected to bow as a sign of respect.
“You need to bow,” an interpreter told her group.
Maria’s mind flashed back to the first commandment, which says, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3, NKJV).
Then she noticed a state video operator filming everyone. She didn’t want to get into trouble.
As she stood there, she remembered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refusing to bow to the 90-foot golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3:1-30. She thought, The book of Daniel really is not a legend or a fairy tale. That same scene is acted out in real life every day.
She stood straight and tall.
Some people might dismiss the bowing at Mansu Hill Grand Monument as a cultural experience connected to Kim Il Sung’s cult of personality, but Maria saw it as much more. For her, it was the moment when she was asked to take a public stand for who she adores.
Several days later, as she prepared to leave North Korea, she gave a copy of Steps to Christ to her interpreter. She prays that the interpreter and all North Koreans learn about Jesus, the Man whom she admires the most.
Reaching the people of North Korea with the gospel is an important focus of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, the recipient of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Pray for North Korea, and thank you for planning a generous offering this Sabbath.
(1)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-13-inside-story-bowing-to-an-image/
Daily Lesson for Friday 28th of March 2025
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Those who minister to others will be ministered unto by the Chief Shepherd. They themselves will drink of the living water, and will be satisfied. They will not be longing for exciting amusements, or for some change in their lives. The great topic of interest will be, how to save the souls that are ready to perish. Social intercourse will be profitable. The love of the Redeemer will draw hearts together in unity.
“When we realize that we are workers together with God, His promises will not be spoken with indifference. They will burn in our hearts, and kindle upon our lips. To Moses, when called to minister to an ignorant, undisciplined, and rebellious people, God gave the promise, ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ And He said, ‘Certainly I will be with thee.’ Exodus 33:14; Exodus 3:12. This promise is to all who labor in Christ’s stead for His afflicted and suffering ones.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 641.
Discussion Questions
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(1)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-13-further-thought-love-is-the-fulfillment-of-the-law/
SILVER SPRING, Maryland — Earlier today, General Conference (GC) linguists brought clarity to a matter that has plagued Adventism for decades: the correct way to pronounce the word “Adventist.” “The right way to say it has always been and will always be “AD-ventist” not “Ad-VEN-tist,” said GC spokesperson Hauju Seyit. “For years, our church has […] Source: https://atoday.org/satire-general-conference-clarifies-its-ad-ven-tist-not-ad-ven-tist/
King David's last words of advice to Solomon, his son, help us to understand what it means to be a man. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSOcmeMuN_Q
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) I’ve often shared experiences from our Nazareth, Israel, radio station, and how God is blessing the work of our station director, Pastor Wisam Ali. The AWR radio is a beacon of light amid the ongoing conflict in that area. As often happens, the darker the night, the brighter the truth of God’s light shines, and this is especially true of our work in that part of the world. God’s presence is being felt in a special way as our radio beams God’s truth through the airwaves. It’s a truth that brings hope to those suffering devastation and loss, and Jesus becomes very dear to them. But the work there is not without risk, and Wisam has witnessed more than one miracle as he ministers to the people who call the station searching to know more about Jesus. Here is a short video where I share the latest news of what God is doing and how He miraculously preserved Wisam’s life yet another time. There is no greater joy than sharing the good news of the gospel—and I especially love it when God uses Adventist World Radio to reach others for Jesus. Yours in the Blessed Hope, Duane McKey
President P.S. Look for the April newsletter, where I’ll be sharing the full story of how God worked yet another miracle in Wisam’s life! MB01OHCQKWLOOUF Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ0j5B9Hvo4
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22, NIV).
Tag someone in need of prayer, and kindly share your prayer requests here:
https://wkf.ms/3DBuapQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IygajHBtmkc
“Infatti siamo opera sua, essendo stati creati in Cristo Gesù per fare le opere buone, che Dio ha precedentemente preparate affinché le pratichiamo”. 📖 Efesini 2:10
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💌 Apri la porta del tuo cuore
🗣 Speaker: Liuanna Serra Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZltkhsOeqjU
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