This week on ANN The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) stands ready to respond to needs in Tonga as more details emerge of the extent of the damage caused by a volcanic eruption and tsunami on January 15. Tongan government has issued its first official update, describing the situation as an “unprecedented disaster.” There are three confirmed fatalities, and a number of injuries have also been reported. Some of the smaller islands have suffered the worst damage. On January 19, the Philippine Publishing House officially moved to its new home in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. The inauguration program was held both virtually and onsite. Adventist leadership from the Adventist Church in Southern Asia- Pacific region, the three local administrative fields in the Philippines, Literature Ministry Seminaries, and literature evangelists joined the dedication ceremony of the new publishing facility. In Chiapas, Mexico, Adventist Church recently inaugurated a wellness center. The new facility, Centro de Vida Sana Dr. Filiberto Verduzco Avila, will provide natural remedies and preventative medicine focused on holistic health care for the mind, body, and spirit. ANN sat down with the Health Ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. Peter Landless, to discuss maintaining a healthy lifestyle during COVID-19 pandemic and building up resilience. For more news and current affairs within the Adventist Community, go to https://adventist.news/ Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC80rYDPxj4

Last week, we learned about the Godhead. In this episode, Pastor Ted Wilson focuses on God the Father. Jesus addresses the Father on several occasions. For instance, He mentions Him in His prayer in Matthew 6:9, 10: "Our Father Which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." With this, the third Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief states, "God the eternal Father is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. The qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also those of the Father" (adventist.org/beliefs). It is the same God in both the Old and New Testaments Who acts for the salvation of His people. For instance, in Hebrews 1:1, 2, we read, "God, Who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds." The Old Testament describes the Father in several ways. In Deuteronomy 32:6, Moses referred to Him as their Father, Who redeemed them. Also, God revealed through Jeremiah that He is "a Father to Israel" (Jeremiah 31:9). And in Isaiah 64:8, the prophet cried, "O Lord, You are our Father." In addition, Psalm 103:13 gives us a compassionate picture of God. The verse goes, "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him." In Malachi 1:6, God states, "I am the Father." And in chapter 2, verse 10, Malachi asks, "Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?" Throughout the Old Testament, God is acknowledged as a gracious and merciful God. David sings, "Our God is merciful," and affirms that "His mercy is everlasting" (Psalm 116:5; 100:5). His mercy cannot be earned. It doesn't blindly pardon but executes by the principles of justice and holiness. Those who reject it will reap His punishment. In addition, we see a God Who longs to be with His people. Exodus 25:8 mentions, "Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." Also, He is a redeeming God Who miraculously led a nation of slaves to freedom. Psalms 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Chapter 86 verse 15 adds that He is a "God full of compassion," and He is "gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth." Moreover, He is a God of forgiveness. In Micah 7:18-19, the prophet describes Him as a God Who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage. He "does not retain His anger forever because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities." And He will "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." He is a God of goodness, faithfulness, salvation, and vengeance. "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with the recompense of God; He will come and save you'" (Isaiah 35:4). In the New Testament, Paul distinguishes the Father from the Son. "There is only one God, the Father, of Whom are all things…" He continues, "and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things and through Whom we live" (1 Cor. 8:6). Also, the apostle worships the Father when he writes, "I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (Ephesians 3:14, 15). The complete revelation of the Father is given to us through His Son, Who came in flesh. "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son…has declared Him" (John 1:18). Jesus Himself also said, "He Who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). As one of the most well-known verses says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Indeed, God is a God Who gives and loves. He gave us His Son to die so we might reconcile with Him and enjoy eternity. He waits for us to return to Him, longing to place His robe of righteousness around us and welcome us home. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6f8GIeTpIg

We are the Apple of God’s eye. God created us in His image. We are the only creations who God shaped and molded by His own hands. God created us in perfection. But when transgression entered into the world, we became like rotten apples. The amazing news is, God still loves us! He could not just look at us suffering from afar. God wanted to bring us back to Him. He sacrificed His only Son to shed His blood on the cross for our salvation. Let us adore God as much as He adores us. We should glorify Him in all our ways. Proclaim His name and let others know of His eminence. Let Jesus be the apple of our eyes, for He is the most important treasure we could ever have. #shorts #AppleOfHisEye #GodLovesUs #GodsWonderfulCreation Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5R2BeI1jZc

This week on ANN. On January 18, 2022, delegates to a Special General Conference Session voted to allow the inclusion of a new section to the GC Constitution that would enable delegates to participate digitally in a future GC Session. Due to current travel restrictions, the delegates for the special January 18 Session were chosen using primarily individuals who currently work at the GC headquarters in Silver Spring. Adventists across the South Pacific are anxiously awaiting news of family and friends following the eruption of a huge underwater volcano near Tonga on Saturday. Communication with Tonga remains limited due to damage caused to the main undersea communication cable. The Adventist Possibilities Ministries of Eastern Nigeria Union Conference (ENUC) presented sets of braille Bible to blind students as a mission to the visually challenged. According to Solomon Nwaejike, director of Possibility Ministries for ENUC, the braille Bible will give the visually impaired a sense of belonging in worship and mission. Adventist Church in Ghana has submitted a memorandum to the Parliament of Ghana calling for an amendment to the date of General elections. Elections are held on the constitutionally mandated date of December 7 every four years. In 1996, the date fell on a Saturday, which Seventh-day Adventists recognize as the Sabbath. This disenfranchised many Adventists who chose not to go to the polls. The 2024 elections will also fall on a Saturday, and church leaders are petitioning Parliament to consider an amendment based on grounds of religious liberty. Keep yourself updated with the latest news and current affairs within the Adventist community. Visit Adventist News Network. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qgAQBvZW0E

In this episode, Pastor Ted Wilson answers the question, "Who is God?" God is a mystery, but He reveals Himself to those who are willing to see through the eyes of faith. He reveals Himself in two ways. One is through Creation. In Psalm 19:1-3, David says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." The Creator's hand is visible throughout nature. From the stars in the heavens to the creatures of the deepest sea, His amazing design can be seen. Now, the second way is through the Scriptures. Through the Word, God's supreme revelation is seen through the life and death of Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can know the Father. 1 John 5:20 says, "The Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him Who is true." Also, "This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent" (John 17:3). When we seek to know God from the Bible, we can't place ourselves above Him and treat Him as an object to study, analyze, and quantify. We must submit to the authority of His self-revelation. One way the Bible reveals God is through His recorded names. For instance, the Old Testament names Him El Elohim, which means "God." It also identifies Him as El Elyon, meaning "God Most High," and Adonai, signifying "Lord" or "Master." He also has the name El Shaddai, translating to "God Almighty," and Yahweh, emphasizing His self-existent nature and faithfulness. Meanwhile, in the New Testament, Jesus uses the name Father to bring us into a closer, personal relationship with God. God's activities give us a glimpse into who He is. Hebrews 1:3 shows Him "upholding all things by the word of His power." Isaiah 46:11 and Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God makes plans. Isaiah 46:10 says He declares "the end from the beginning." Also, He is faithful to forgive our sins if we confess to Him, as promised in Deuteronomy 15:6 and 1 John 1:9. In addition, we read in Exodus 34:6-7, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sins, by no means clearing the guilty…" Indeed, God is a God of mercy and justice. God is self-existent, for He has "life in Himself" (John 5:26). He is omniscient, for He knows the end from the beginning being the "Alpha and Omega" (Revelation 1:8). Also, He is omnipresent, for He transcends space and time and is present everywhere all the time (Psalm 139:7 and Hebrews 4:13). Lastly, He is omnipotent, for He is all-powerful. Nothing is impossible with Him. He is unchangeable and perfect (Malachi 3:6). While there is one God, there is plurality within the Godhead. The second Seventh-day Adventist Fundamental Belief states, "There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. God, Who is love, is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation" (adventist.org/beliefs). The three Persons of the Godhead were together during the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Here, the Father gave His Son (John 3:16), Christ gave Himself (Galatians 1:4), and the Spirit gave Jesus birth (Matthew 1:18, 20). Another instance where they were all present was the baptism of Jesus. The Father stated, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Christ gave Himself to be baptized as our example (Matthew 3:13-15). And the Spirit empowered the Son as He descended upon Him in the form of a dove (Luke 3:21, 22). Before His death, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as the Helper (John 14:6). Also, He commanded His church to baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Today, the Father and the Son reach out to us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "When the Helper comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26). In 2 Corinthians 13:14, we have the beautiful blessing—"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." Finally, Ellen White tells us, "There are three living Persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ" (Evangelism, p. 615). To learn more about who God is, find helpful resources at adventist.org/beliefs. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3wQKwOGFlo