#BCStewardshipStories Pastor Doug Pond came out of retirement for the third time and at a crucial one to assist the Conference to revitalize the Nelson Church that was at the verge of being closed, which would have been very sad. Yes, we are in the business of opening churches and new frontlines for the spreading of the Gospel message in Christ, not closing them! After much prayer and dependence on God, Pastor Doug and Sis. Marilyn Pond humbly and committedly accepted the challenge to do “their part” in working hard, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to help the Nelson Church to remain open and be a witness of God’s love to all in that community. The Conference provided a small appropriation to that church as seed money to support the initiative to address the immediate and needed renovations to fix the critical physical structure of the church. That alone aimed to make the building sound, conducive, and attractive for the worship of our Heavenly Father. Then, the Ponds dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to reach out to church members, personal friends of theirs, and people from the community to accomplish the first part of the project – to deal with the church building itself. Once that was successfully completed they immersed themselves in a strong pastoral visitation program and creative evangelistic outreach and activities, even during the pandemic, to expand God’s Kingdom by allowing themselves to be directly used by the Holy Spirit of love and peace to win souls for our Saviour. This story will keep all of us “glued to the screen” as it unfolds with some important details and the presentation of answered prayers and miracles that took place in our congregation in Nelson, led by God’s Spirit. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Ql0lqX5mk
Thursday: Today I Have Begotten You
Hebrews 1:5 reports the following words of the Father to Jesus: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” (NKJV). What does it mean that Jesus was “begotten,” and when did this happen? Does not this show that Jesus was somehow created by God sometime way in the past, as many believe?
Read Hebrews 1:5; 2 Samuel 7:12-14; Psalm 2:7; and Luke 1:31-32. What promise to David did Paul in Hebrews apply to Jesus?
Jesus was begotten in the sense that He was installed, or “adopted,” by God as the promised ruler, the son of David. The concept of the divine adoption of the ruler was common in the Greco-Roman world and the east. It gave the ruler legitimacy and power over the land.
God promised to David, however, that his Son would be the true legitimate ruler of the nations. He would “adopt” David’s son as His own Son.
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Through this process the Davidic King would become God’s protégé and His heir. The covenant is fulfilled in Jesus as the Son of David. God would defeat His enemies and give Him the nations as His inheritance (Psalm 89:27; Psalm 2:7-8).
As we can read in Romans 1:3-4, and Acts 13:32-33, Jesus was publicly revealed as God’s Son. Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration were moments when God identified and announced Jesus as His Son (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5).
Yet, according to the New Testament, Jesus became the “Son of God with power” when He was resurrected and seated at the right hand of God. It was at that moment that God fulfilled His promise to David that his son would be adopted as God’s own Son and His throne over the nations would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-14).
Thus, Caesar (symbol of Rome) was not the legitimate “son of god,” ruler of the nations. Instead, Jesus Christ was. The “begetting” of Jesus refers to the beginning of Jesus’ rule over the nations, and not to the beginning of His existence, because Jesus had always existed. There was never a time when Jesus did not exist, because He is God.
In fact, Hebrews 7:3 says that Jesus does not have “beginning of days nor end of life” (cf. Hebrews 13:8) because He is eternal. Thus, the idea of Jesus as God’s “only begotten son” is not dealing with the nature of Christ as deity but with His role in the plan of salvation. Through the incarnation, Christ fulfilled all the covenant promises.
Amen!
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/thursday-today-i-have-begotten-you/
Sentenced to Death for Blasphemy, Adventist Man in Pakistan Freed After Nearly 10 Years in Prison
Sajjad Mashi Gill falsely accused of blasphemy in 2011. Gill spent nearly 10 years in prison before a court acquitted him due to insufficient evidence. Pakistan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors 2021 World Watch list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. 12 January 2022 | […] Source: https://atoday.org/sentenced-to-death-for-blasphemy-adventist-man-in-pakistan-freed-after-nearly-10-years-in-prison/
Wildfires Destroy Large Parts of Superior and Louisville
Massive wildfires raged through the Front Range on December 30, causing incredible devastation in parts of Superior and Louisville. According to the Boulder County Sheriff’s office, 580 structures hav…… Source: https://adventist.news/en/news/wildfires-destroy-large-parts-of-superior-and-louisville
Hope Radio Kiribati Marks Third Anniversary
A Kiribati government minister was among more than 300 people gathered to commemorate Hope Radio’s third anniversary on December 16, 2021. The ceremony, held in front of the Kiribati Mission office, b…… Source: https://adventist.news/en/news/hope-radio-kiribati-marks-third-anniversary
