In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson discusses the eighth fundamental belief of the Seventh-day Adventists—the great controversy. Wars and devastation. Sickness, disease, and death. Disasters of various kinds. Where is God in all these? If He is kind, loving, and good, why does He let these happen? To answer this, let's go back to the beginning of time. Following the creation of the world, "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31). Everything was perfect but what happened? Let's go back further—back into heaven where the trouble began. There were angels in heaven. "Bless the Lord, you, His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word" (Psalm 103:20). Hebrews 1:14 adds, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" Unfortunately, there was one angel named Lucifer who thought he knew better than God and determined to no longer follow His Word. He wanted to rise above Him and be his own god. Lucifer is described in Ezekiel 28:12-15 as follows: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty…You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you." Isaiah 14 adds, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High'" (verses 12-14). Therefore, sin was brought about by Lucifer's pride. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor" (Ezekiel 28:17). With this, Lucifer, then Satan, deceived one-third of the angels, who joined him in rebellion. "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan brought his deception to earth, particularly in the Garden of Eden. He won by convincing Adam and Eve to take the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, resulting in their disobedience to God, expulsion from the garden, and miserable life. Since then, the entire humanity has been in a cosmic battle between good and evil. As our eighth fundamental belief states, "All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe." It continues, "This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God's adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the global flood, as presented in the historical account of Genesis 1-11. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation." Indeed, the great controversy is real. This world and our hearts are the battlefield. Which side are you on? Pastor Wilson would like to invite you to surrender your heart and recommit it to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Learn more about this fundamental belief at www.adventist.org/the-great-controversy/. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmVpchDRi7Y

You’ve had Covid-19 but you are having a hard time getting back to work, back to school, back into your daily grind. The symptoms are continuing to linger. You are experiencing what some are calling “long covid” or “long-haul covid”. How can we minister to those experiencing long-haul Covid? How can we love our family, friends and fellow church members better? This week Sam and Jennifer sit down with Dr. Peter Landless, health ministries director for the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, about long-haul covid and the impact it’s having on our community. ___
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This week on ANN The Russian military invaded neighboring Ukraine, causing loss of life and more than 600,000 refugees to flee the country. Adventist World Church President Ted N.C. Wilson shared a message on Thursday asking all members to pray for our brethren in that part of the world. The Adventist Church and ANN will continue to give daily updates from Hope Channel Ukraine and ADRA. You can find these updates, as well as more information and Wilson’s full statement on Adventist News Network (https://adventist.news/) and on Adventist Church’s Facebook page. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is scaling up operations to deploy humanitarian assistance for children and families displaced by the war in Ukraine. The relief agency has launched a fundraising campaign to strengthen programs for refugees from Ukraine and other global communities. More than 600,000 Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes, and more than 5 million are expected to seek refuge in other countries, including the U.S. ADRA joined efforts with Hope Channel International, Inc (HCI) to mobilize relief for the people of Ukraine. The international humanitarian agency of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will work closely with HCI and Hope Channel Ukraine to deliver emergency supplies for displaced families, children, and individuals in the war-torn nation. ADRA workers, university student volunteers, and Hope Channel Ukraine staff will help distribute the food and provisions. Hope Channel Ukraine has been part of the global HCI network and broadcasting in the Eastern European nation since 2009. Extreme rainfall across South Queensland Conference and North New South Wales Conference has seen Adventist churches and schools evacuated and thousands of homes flooded. With New South Wale’s Northern Rivers region facing unprecedented flooding, several Adventist-owned buildings have been affected by floodwaters. The conference is working on releasing an initial amount of more than 21,000 dollars for immediate flood belief for impacted church members. In South-East Queensland, up to 18,000 homes had been flooded by Morning morning. According to South Queensland Conference ADRA director Irena Pule, ADRA is currently planning a response to Gympie—one of the worst hit areas. The sixth season of the documentary TV series Life on the Line is now available to stream online through PBS, bringing some of the unseen stories of the pandemic into focus. The season spotlights Loma Linda University Health (LLUH) hospitals as they fight the coronavirus pandemic. In five 30-minute episodes, Life on the Line presents an inspiring view of the strength and spirit of these people and their stories. Narrated by award-winning journalist Lisa Ling, each episode follows the experience of doctors and the patients they serve. The Emmy award-winning show has aired on hundreds of stations and markets in the United States. Every month, Adventist Mission shares a new song that goes along with the theme for that quarter. This week, they are sharing “The Desert Taught Me How” by Juan R. Salazar. Adventist Mission has more. For more latest news and current events within the Adventist community, visit Adventist News Network (https://adventist.news/) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyme6SouKEM

Sometimes we take the books of the Bible, and read them as if they are their own separate piece of literature. Forgetting that what happens in the beginning, has far reaching consequences and is reference throughout the entirety of Scripture. This week, Sam and Jennifer talk to Benji Maxon about how to read the first book of the Bible, why it’s important and how to see the stories played out throughout the whole of Scripture. ___
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In this video, Pastor Ted Wilson discusses the seventh fundamental belief of the Seventh-day Adventists—the nature of humanity. In Psalm 8:3-5, we see a beautiful song glorifying God the Creator: "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the Son of Man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor." This passage shows the value God has placed on human beings. He has made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor. Indeed, we belong to Him. Also, God created us perfect. "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27). God formed man with His own hands from the dust of the earth. Then, He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7). Out of this, Adam was created. He was made of a body and the breath of life. But God realized Adam needed a companion. "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him" (Genesis 2:18). When Adam slept, God extracted one of his ribs and made it into a woman. As he woke up, he met Eve. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). God placed Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden to live there forever in happiness. Unfortunately, they fell into sin after eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. This transgression caused them and the entire humanity pain, misery, and death. But God told them He would provide a plan of salvation for humanity, saving them from eternal ruin. To Satan, He said, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15). Although Satan had brought sin into humanity, he would be defeated. A way of escape would be made for all people who would choose Jesus as their personal Savior. This covenant of grace was made even before the fall. The members of the Godhead planned among Themselves to save the human race should it fall into sin. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Indeed, we are precious in God's sight. We are the work of His creation and recreation through His salvation. Our seventh fundamental belief states: "Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position. The image of God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care for their environment." In connection to this, Steps to Christ, page 15, reminds us that "through transgression, the sons of man become subjects of Satan. Through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the sons of Adam may become the sons of God. By assuming human nature, Christ elevates humanity. Fallen men are placed where, through connection with Christ, they may indeed become worthy of the name 'sons of God.'" What a wonderful Creator, Savior, Redeemer, and Friend we have in Jesus! Read more about this fundamental belief at https://www.adventist.org/nature-of-humanity. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpEOo4J6st0