Closer To Heaven
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A friend of mine wrote this note to me: I think our church falls under the fundamentalist umbrella—and the so-called progressives do not feel at home. The trouble with fundamentalism is that it is “kicking against the pricks” of reality, and cannot stand scrutiny. This would mean that the church will only be successful evangelically […] Source: https://atoday.org/editorial-fundamentalism-or-simple-faith/
Daily Lesson for Sunday 16th of February 2025
“God is sovereign,” the youth pastor taught his middle school group. “That means He controls everything that happens.” One puzzled middle schooler replied, “So God was in control when my dog died? Why would God kill my dog?”
Trying to answer this question, the youth pastor replied: “That’s a tough one. But sometimes God lets us go through hard times so that we’re prepared for even more difficult things in the future. I remember how hard it was when my dog died. But going through that helped me deal with an even more difficult time later when my grandma died. Does that make sense?”
Image © Rolf Jansson at Goodsalt.com
After a long pause, the middle schooler replied, “So God killed my dog to prepare me for when He’s going to kill my grandma?”—Marc Cortez, quoted in John C. Peckham, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021), p. 141.
People sometimes assume that everything that occurs happens just as God wants it to. Whatever happens in the world is precisely as God wanted to have happen. After all, God is almighty. How, then, could anything occur that God does not want to occur? Hence, no matter what happens, no matter how bad, it was God’s will. That, at least, is what this theology teaches.
While many people believe that God must always get what He wants, the Bible tells a quite different story. Again and again, Scripture depicts God as experiencing unfulfilled desires. That is, what happens often runs counter to what God states that He actually prefers to happen. In many instances, God explicitly declares that what is happening is the opposite of what He wants. He willed one outcome for His people, but they chose another instead. God Himself laments: “ ‘My people would not heed My voice. . . . Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies’ ” (Psalms 81:11,13-14, NKJV).
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Think through the implications of any theology that attributes everything that happens to God’s direct will. What kind of deep problems, especially in the context of evil, would such a theology create? |
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"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=PRGVud93pkA
LIBERO ARBITRIO, AMORE E DIVINA PROVVIDENZA.
Approfondimento dell'ottava lezione del 1° trimestre 2025 con Mariarosa Cavalieri, Tamara Pispisa e Luca Faedda. 📩 Risorse per il 1° trimestre 2025:
🔗 https://uicca.org/1-trimestre-2025-lezione-8
🔗 https://uicca.org/nocciolo-1-trimestre-2025
🔗 https://uicca.org/edizioni-adv-1-trimestre-2025
🔗 https://www.edizioniadvshop.it/libri/ellen-white/la-speranza-dell-uomo.html Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRDV5pFV-bw
At the darkest moment, when all seems lost, God’s people will see a sign of hope—a rainbow of promise—and then, they will see Jesus Himself!
In this episode of The Great Controversy series, Pastor Ted Wilson and his wife, Nancy Wilson, share how God will intervene to deliver His faithful ones. While the world is filled with fear and uncertainty, those who have trusted in Him will rejoice at His coming.
Are you ready to meet your Savior?
Download your free copy of The Great Controversy at thegreatcontroversyproject.org.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been an established Protestant denomination since 1863. It is a global Christian family with over 21 million members who hold the Bible as the ultimate authority. The Adventist Church promises to help people understand the Bible to find freedom, healing, and hope in Jesus. Want to learn more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? Visit our website at: https://www.adventist.org/ Click the notification bell so that you never miss a new video! Find us on social media by following the links below:
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