Closer To Heaven
|
|
|
Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghPXoWvXrk&w=560&h=315]
(0)The post Mission Spotlight for July 2 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-july-2/
by Stephen Ferguson | 30 June 2022 | My wife and I just finished watching the sixth and final season of Lucifer, produced by Fox and later taken up by Netflix. With a solid 88% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes: “=This series follows Lucifer, the original fallen angel, who has become dissatisfied with his […] Source: https://atoday.org/can-lucifer-be-saved/
Meet our Master of Arts (Theology) course convenor Dr Anthony MacPherson, whose desire is to see renewal in the church “by rediscovering old or neglected essentials in a new way.” Source: https://wp.avondale.edu.au/news/2022/07/01/anthony-discovers-new-way/
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25 KJV
The Bishop, or as some translations put it, “guardian” of our souls is Christ Himself. When I was a very young Bible worker, I worked in a three church district in Texas. The senior pastor and I rotated preaching at two churches one week and then the other one the next. I was wherever the senior pastor was not. One day I shared with a retired pastor that because of this I felt like I did not have a pastor. The retired pastor shared with me that Psalm 23:1 says,
The Lord is my shepherd
He explained to me that Christ was my pastor. I found later that in Spanish it reads,
Jehová es mi pastor…Salmo de David 23:1 Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960)
Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com
Making it even more clear and literal that God is my pastor. Since that time I have learned to depend more on God and less on human pastors. When my sister and father and I met at my mother’s bed the night she died, we did not feel the need to call for a pastor to join us, for hope and comfort. God was with us that night. God was our pastor. He gave us all the hope and comfort we needed.
I have found it interesting over the years, how certain churches react to not having a pastor for a while. Some churches are afraid to make any kind of a move without a pastor. Several months ago I was called to do Bible studies for baptism in a church that had no senior pastor. I performed the baptisms because the associate pastors of that church did not want to study or baptize anyone without a senior pastor. When I heard this I could not help remembering Ellen White’s response, when members wanted to delay a general conference meeting until the GC president could arrive. She said,
God’s work waits for no man.- Ellen White, GCDB March 7, 1899 Page 161.
I have seen another church holding Revelation Seminars and evangelistic meetings without a human pastor, as it continued to grow and flourish. As a matter of fact another church plant sprouted from these meetings, and the local elder of the church became the pastor of the church plant. Remember while the world wanders after the beast, God’s people are not following humans, they are following the Lamb wherever He goes. See Revelation 14:4.
Jesus says,
I am the vine, ye are the branches: John 15:5 KJV
The branches do not rely on the other branches for their nourishment. They rely on the vine. Likewise, when I was a new Bible Worker in that three church district, I had to rely on the Vine, which is Christ Himself, instead of relying on a human pastor, another branch for my spiritual nutrition. I had to let Christ be my pastor. Of course I still have pastor friends to counsel with. Proverbs 24:6 says there is safety in many counselors. Still, Isaiah 9:6 teaches me that ultimately Christ is my Counselor. Psalm 23:1 tells me Christ is my pastor. Christ can be your pastor too.
(0)The post The Lord Is My Pastor appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Full episode here – https://youtu.be/Mn28W_0hnbQ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSb7bLKXt7s
You can view an in-depth discussion of The Shepherd’s Crucible; in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.
(0)The post 1: The Shepherd’s Crucible – HopeSS Video Discussion appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-the-shepherds-crucible-hopess-video-discussion/
Lawsuit alleges Glendale Adventist Academy and Southern California Conference knew about sexual abuse that was happening on campus but intentionally ignored and/or concealed it. In the past 9 years, two teachers at Glendale Academy have been convicted for child sexual abuse, with some of the abuse taking place on campus. Lawsuit also alleges that in […] Source: https://atoday.org/lawsuit-filed-against-southern-california-conference-glendale-adventist-academy-for-alleged-sexual-assaults-of-student/
Las pastoras premiadas por la División Norteamericana La Asociación Ministerial de la División Norteamericana (NAD) tiene como objetivo duplicar el número de pastoras en la División. El número de pastores que son mujeres en la NAD ha aumentado de 101 a casi 200. La Iglesia Adventista sigue luchando con la cuestión de la ordenación de […] Source: https://atoday.org/las-pastoras-premiadas-por-la-division-norteamericana/
In this video, Pastor Ted talks about being ambassadors for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5, Apostle Paul talks about what we are as followers of Jesus. And as we look forward to His second coming, God is calling us to represent Him through His power and by connecting with Him daily. Verse 17 of that chapter says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV). Indeed, when you become an ambassador for Christ, you are a new creature. Continuing in verse 18, Apostle Paul says, “Now all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (NKJV). In verse 19, he goes on, “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (NKJV). We need ambassadors of reconciliation who would unite people in the mission Christ has entrusted us of proclaiming His righteousness, sanctuary message, health message, three angels’ messages, and second coming. The time is now. God is calling us to be part of His mission. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV). “For He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (verse 21, NKJV). Also, “in a special sense, Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and lightbearers” (Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, page 19). We have been “chosen by God as a peculiar people separate from the world. By the great cleaver of truth, He has cut them out from the quarry of the world and brought them into connection with Himself. He has made them His representatives and has called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last work of salvation” (Testimonies for the Church, volume 7, page 138). May God bless us as we go forward as ambassadors for Christ! Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdPOIKjkMfg
News Briefs from ADRA, Brazil, Croatia, North American Division. Founder of Breath of Life Ministries Passes Away Walter Eugene Arties III, a Seventh-day Adventist singer and pastor known as the founder of Breath of Life Television Ministries, died from an acute neurological condition on June 26, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. He was born […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-for-june-30-2022/
Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]
