The title of this piece sounds like a beautiful utopia that doesn’t exist in the Adventist Church, but it isn’t. The presidents of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh Mission recently attended training for Conference presidents at the North American Division (NAD) offices in Washington DC. The British Union Conference President, Pastor Eglan Brooks, led the British delegation, while the two Conference presidents could not attend this event due to other commitments. The three days of presentations and…Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2022-12-01/1406/
9.The True Motive in Service (What is It?) – Pastor Ted Wilson
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH1svgVEpj0?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-GB&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=1280&h=720]
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). Here, Jesus strikes at the core of human nature—the desire for self-glory.
When we perform acts of charity, “we are to give in sincerity, not to make a show of our good deeds, but from pity and love to the suffering ones,” writes Ellen White. “Sincerity of purpose, real kindness of heart, is the motive that Heaven values” (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 81).
Unlike the Pharisees, who prayed out loud in public for self-glorification, Jesus instructed, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father Who is in the secret place; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).
Jesus had certain places for communion with the Father. Likewise, we should find a place where we can pour everything out to Him and only He can hear.
“The soul that turns to God for its help, its support, its power, by daily, earnest prayer, will have noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth and duty, lofty purposes of action, and a continual hungering and thirsting after righteousness. By maintaining a connection with God, we shall be enabled to diffuse to others…the light, the peace, the serenity that rule in our hearts” (Ellen White, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, page 85).
Jesus also urges us to “not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). In connection to this, we are to return a faithful title and support His work with financial offerings and our talents and gifts.
Also, He encourages whole-hearted devotion to Him, warning us that “no man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Instead of saying “will not” or “shall not,” He says that we cannot because there is no neutral position in choosing between God and anyone or anything else to serve.
Lastly, He says, “Do not worry” (verse 25), reminding us that He takes care of us and even the smallest creatures on earth. Instead of worrying, we are invited to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (verse 33).
On page 100 of her book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, Ellen White summarizes these principles, saying: “When we take into our hands the management of things with which we have to do, and depend upon our own wisdom for success, we are taking a burden which God has not given us, and are trying to bear it without His aid.”
“We are taking upon ourselves the responsibility that belongs to God, and thus are really putting ourselves in His place. We may well have anxiety and anticipate danger and loss, for it is certain to befall us. But when we really believe that God loves us and means to do us good, we shall cease to worry about the future. We shall trust God as a child trusts a loving parent. Then our troubles and torments will disappear, for our will is swallowed up in the will of God.”
In closing, may we have the true motive in service—to glorify not ourselves but God and God alone.
To learn more about this topic, read Ellen White’s book Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing and download its digital copy at https://egwwritings.org/.
Source: https://fulfilleddesire.net/9-the-true-motive-in-service-what-is-it-pastor-ted-wilson/
Inside Story: Modesty! Modesty! Modesty!
People came in a seemingly constant procession to look pityingly on 2-year-old Akurious in the hospital in Katima Mulilo, Namibia. The boy had been ill for months, and the people wept as they saw his terrible pain.
Image © Pacific Press
“The hospital is failing us,” one told Akurious’ parents. “You should consult with the witchdoctor.” “God will understand,” said another. “Just do it.”
After the last visitor left, Father turned to Mother. “What should we do?” he said. “Maybe the people are right. Jesus will understand.”
Mother couldn’t bear to see her only child in pain. She agreed.
The witchdoctor declared that witches had cast an evil spell on the boy and that he would recover with traditional medicine. The parents bought the witch doctor’s medicine and gave some to the boy daily. But the more medicine they gave, the worse he got. Father began to pray earnestly. “Lord Jesus, I know I’ve made a mistake,” he said. “I departed from Your saving grace. Speak to me, Lord, for the sake of my child. You healed lepers and made the blind to see and the lame to walk. Do that for my child, too.”
A short time later, Father had a dream. As he slept, he heard a voice call him by his name, Modesty. “Modesty! Modesty! Modesty!” the voice said. “This is My child. Why have you tainted him with evil spirits? I don’t want you to be involved with any witchdoctors if you want him to live.”
Shaken, Father got up and threw away the traditional medicine. He remembered hearing a Seventh-day Adventist physician give health presentations at camp meeting, and he took the boy to him. The physician diagnosed Akurious with pneumonia and tuberculosis and sent him to a hospital where he could treat him. Father continued to pray, and Mother joined him. They placed their full trust in Jesus. Akurious (pictured) now is 22.
Akurious’ parents, Modesty and Rebecca Kakula, went on to have four children. But with the birth of each child, they refused to take part in the traditional ceremony that townspeople hold for newborns. Instead, they took their babies to the Seventh-day Adventist Church to be dedicated to Jesus.
Dear reader, pray for people who sincerely accept Jesus but struggle to forsake traditions fully. These people end up with two levels of religion: a theoretical religion based on the Bible and a practical religion grounded in culture. They embrace Bible teachings but, when faced with real-life challenges, revert to tradition. Seventh-day Adventist missionaries seek to contextualize the gospel to facilitate personal Christian growth among these people and to help them realize that traditional practices don’t work. Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread a contextualized gospel around the world.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-modesty-modesty-modesty/
Friday: Further Thought ~ The Fires of Hell
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The First Great Deception,” Pages 531-550; “Can Our Dead Speak to Us?” Pages 551-562, in The Great Controversy.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
“Upon the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of consciousness in death — a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our feelings of humanity. According to the popular belief, the redeemed in heaven are acquainted with all that takes place on the earth and especially with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind. But how could it be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven’s bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an eternity of woe and sin!” — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 545.
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-fires-of-hell/
Donors and Recipients Respond to Cost-of-Living Crisis Appeal
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibres connect us with our fellow men.” Herman Melville
Responding to the cost-of-living crisis, increasing inflation, and rising energy and fuel bills, British Union Conference (BUC) director Sharon Platt-McDonald developed the LAYERS and SHARE outreach initiatives across her three departments of Adventist Community Services, Health, and Women’s Ministries. These interventions aim to mobilise churches to reach out to individuals struggling to cope…Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2022-12-01/1405/
