The #Lord will always be with us, but the #Christian walk is not always easy. While there are days when our hearts are full of joy, there are other times when life brings its #challenges and we are not sure what to do. #Disappointments come. Promises are broken. Unwise decisions made. Friends become enemies. Families break up. Churches split. Sometimes situations need to change but you feel powerless to make any difference. Yet, there is good news! As followers of Christ, there is a lot we can do! In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson shares with you 7 action items that you and I can take to bring about significant #change through the Lord's power. 1. We can #pray. God will always hear your prayers. 2. We can be #faithful. Truly, no one has ever regretted being faithful to God, through the power of His grace! 3. We can do good. The Bible tells us very clearly in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 4. We can #love. In 2 Timothy 1:7 we read, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Notice the wonderful promise here—God Himself gives us love, and power, and a sound mind! 5. We can study the #Bible, accepting it as the true Word of God. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” we read in Psalm 119:105. 6. We can uplift #Jesus. Let’s look for ways every day to uplift Jesus in our own lives, and to others. And, number 7. We can wait on the #Lord. The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 27, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (verses 13, 14). When we are connected to Jesus, we are never truly helpless, and no circumstance is truly hopeless. We can always pray. We can be faithful through God’s grace. We can do good. We can love. We can study the Bible, and uplift Jesus. And, we can wait on the Lord. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkr0MCWA2eg

What keeps #young people in the #church? Why do they leave? Find answers to these questions in this week’s #ANN In-Depth. This episode is based on the “Reach the World: I Will Go” #Spiritual Growth Objective #2: To increase accession, retention, reclamation, and participation of children, youth, and young adults The focus is for improved retention rates of young adults, youth, and unbaptized children, based on the collection of specific statistics on those groups. It also focuses on a significant increase in the number of church members regularly engaging in family worship. This week we are joined by Gary Blanchard and Kevin Wilson. Gary Blanchard is the World Youth Director for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Kevin Wilson is the Associate Pastor at the Oceanside Adventist Church. He is also the CEO of chai on #TikTok. Learn more about our guests and their ministries: GC Youth Ministries
Website: youth.adventist.org
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GCYouthMinistries
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GCYouthMinistries/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GCYthMin
Instagram: @gcythmin Kevin Wilson
Website: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/crossculturechristian
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Spencer050890
Instagram: @crossculturechristian
TikTok: crossculturechristian Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjoQsdMHvDU

Southern Africa is rich with poignant mission stories. In this podcast episode, ESDA editors Dr. David Trim and Dr. Dragoslava Santrac unlock amazing stories again. Together with them are Dr. Passmore Hachalinga and Gideon Reyneke, editors from the Southern African-Indian Ocean Division. The gospel in Africa
It's fascinating to know that Seventh-day Adventism's history in the area did not start with missionaries. Dr. Hachalinga shares the incredible story: It began with a young, faithful Christian farmer, whose farm has diamonds bringing his family great fortune. He fell ill and claimed James 5:14-15 for healing. His recuperation strengthened his enthusiasm to share God's Word, which led his brother to challenge him to keep the Bible Sabbath. Astonished, he sought for the biblical truth and accepted the dare. His name was Pieter Wessels. The coming of the African missionaries
Pieter thought he was alone in keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. So he was shocked and pleased to know that there were around 30,000 Sabbath-keepers around the world. With a friend's suggestion, he wrote to the Church headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, to send missionaries, all at his expense. With the missionaries, the church grew in the area. Telling stories of generosity
It is also remarkable to note that the Wessels family are known for their love offerings for God. Not only did they assist the struggling church in Southern Africa, but globally. The monuments of their financial assistance still stand today. These include Helderberg College, Solusi Mission, Avondale, and Sydney Adventist Hospital. Church history also testifies how the family also directly helped Ellen White when she was in Australia. Read more about the inspiring testimony of Pieter Wessels here: https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=ACDF&highlight=peter|wessels. Other stories from Africa
Pastor Reyneke also shares tales about the graveyard at Solusi University, where missionary men, women, and even children lay. Most of them struggled with deadly malaria. Indeed, the Adventist church needs to heed to God's calling found in Psalm 78:3-8. The online Adventist encyclopedia tells and preserves God's beautiful messages, stories, blessings, and dealings alive. It plainly shows God in real life. For more stories, histories, facts, pictures, and videos about God's dealings, check this out: https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTlD0Bf3mAc

If our witness about #Jesus comes from a heart that has been transformed by His #grace, charmed by His #love and amazed at His #truth, others will be impressed with how the truth we believe has impacted our lives. The most powerful proof for the Good News is a changed life. People may argue with your beliefs. They may disagree with your Bible teachings. They may say that you do not understand the #Bible. But who can argue with
your personal story about what Jesus means to you and what He has done in your life? #Witnessing is sharing what we know about Jesus. Witnessing is letting other people know what Jesus means to us and what He has done for us. Some people think that witnessing is only about trying to prove what they believe is right and show that other people’s beliefs are wrong. But if we talk about Bible truth that way, we will not win many people to Jesus. Our sharing about Jesus must come from a heart that has been changed by His mercy and forgiveness, His love, and His truth. Then other people will see how the truth we believe has changed our lives. That is the best reason why we must live what we believe. We must show that every Bible teaching is about Jesus and shows His love too. Then people will want to accept what the Bible says. Sabbath School Lesson 11: https://absg.adventist.org/pdf.php?file=2020:3Q:ER:PDFs:ERQ320_11.pdf Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNixYStTjR8

Ellen White is the most translated American author of all time as well as the most translated woman in history. But who was #EllenWhite? She was a woman of remarkable spiritual gifts who lived most of her life during the nineteenth century, yet through her #writings she is still making a revolutionary impact on millions of people around the world. During her lifetime she wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books. Today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English, and many others in multiple languages. Her writings cover a broad range of subjects, including religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful #Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 140 languages. Seventh-day #Adventists believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; we believe she was appointed by #God as a special messenger to draw the world's attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ's second advent. From the time she was 17 years old until she died 70 years later, God gave her approximately 2,000 #visions and dreams. The visions varied in length from less than a minute to nearly four hours. The knowledge and counsel received through these revelations she wrote out to be shared with others. Thus, her special writings are accepted by Seventh-day Adventists as inspired, and their exceptional quality is recognized even by casual readers. However, as stated in the book, Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . . , “The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject” (p. 227). Ellen G. White was truly a remarkable woman who, meeting all the tests of a true #prophet as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, helped found the Seventh-day Adventist #church. And through the counsels given through this special messenger, God has blessed us immensely. Embrace this incredible blessing that God has gifted to His Church. I have found the more I read the Spirit of Prophecy, the most blessed I am. And today, all of her writings are available, not only in hard copy but online. Just go to egwwritings.org, choose your language, and start reading today. I am sure you will be blessed! Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbkAGvPfIIQ