Report from Area 6A on Week of Prayer followed by a Week of Evangelism event in November 2021Source: https://adventist.uk/news/article/go/2022-01-14/area-6a-united-by-prayer-evangelism/
Is Mary the New Eve and Mediatrix? The Case for a Protestant Mariology
by Stephen Ferguson | 13 January 2022 | Is Christmas more about Mary than Jesus? This Christmas, I had an interesting discussion with a Roman Catholic friend about the role of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It occurred to me that as Christmas is the time of year when secular people seem open to discussing […] Source: https://atoday.org/is-mary-the-new-eve-and-mediatrix-the-case-for-a-protestant-mariology/
News Briefs for January 13, 2022
News reports from Andrews University, Brazil, Ethiopia, the United States and Zambia. Making Peace This weekend, Adventist Peace Fellowship (APF) will hold its second annual online/virtual event, “Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Unholy Trinity: Liberating the Church from Violence,” with the “Unholy Trinity” being racism, militarism and materialism. The event takes place Saturday, Jan. […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-for-january-13-2022/
January 2022 President’s Video: “Exceeding Expectations”
There are prayers that God always delights in answering. One is the prayer for the salvation of others. Exactly 30 years ago, I was pastoring a church in the small town of Pendleton, Oregon—population 14,000. It was the year the Harris Pine factory shut down—and with it, most of the town. It’s also the year we prayed, “Give us 92 souls for ’92.” Impossible for such a small community—but we baptized 93! In 2016, we held evangelistic meetings throughout Rwanda, and the church prayed, “Give us 100,000 souls!” Again, an impossible prayer, but by the time the meetings were over, more than 100,000 had been baptized! But this last one tops them all: Remember the amazing story of the 700 communist rebels baptized last month on the island of Mindoro, Philippines? They prayed that “each one win one” and pledged 700 new souls for 2022—and you’ll never guess what we just learned: they have already met their goal! Watch the video where I share these amazing stories of God’s grace and be inspired! God loves to exceed our expectations—and I love it when He uses Adventist World Radio to do it! Yours in the Blessed Hope, Duane McKey
President Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q00-ym4ptxs
Inside Story: Drinking With Villagers
Drinking With Villagers
By Koo Mingji
The villagers in rural northern Taiwan didn’t seem interested in Bible studies. Many worshiped at one of the two Christian churches in the village, while others spent their time drinking alcohol. The churchgoers shunned the drinkers.
Image © Pacific Press
What could I do?
I resolved to follow Jesus’ example and befriend the drinkers. “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me’” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 143).
I decided to drink with the villagers. After all, Paul declared, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (NKJV) in his powerful description of how to be an effective missionary in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
The drinkers didn’t have a problem drinking together. They wanted to drink with me. But I gave them tea instead of alcohol. After drinking copious amounts of tea, they didn’t have any room left for alcohol. Gradually, they stopped drinking alcohol and began to study the Bible with me. A few months passed, and two former drinkers gave their hearts to Jesus and were baptized in August 2019.
Tragedy struck six months later. One of the newly baptized Adventists, a young man, fell ill and died. His death hit me hard, and I cried out to God, “Why?”
Shortly after the funeral, the mother and brother of the deceased young man unexpectedly came to me and asked for Bible studies. Then other villagers followed their lead. In late 2020, they and other villagers flocked to a one-day health fair organized by the health ministries department of the Adventist Church in Taiwan. The day after the fair, five villagers were baptized.
God has infinite mercy and compassion, and He has prepared a way of salvation for every person on earth. The Lord says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways” (Isaiah 55:8). All glory belongs to Jehovah God!
This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Mission Objective No. 1, “to revive the concept of worldwide mission and sacrifice for mission as a way of life involving not only pastors, but every church member, young and old, in the joy of witnessing for Christ and making disciples” through “increased number of church members participating in both personal and public evangelistic outreach initiatives with a goal of Total Member Involvement (TMI)” (KPI 1.1); and Spiritual Growth Objective No. 5, “to disciple individuals and families into spirit-filled lives.” Learn more about the strategic plan at IWillGo2020[dot]org.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
Amen!
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