by Eugene Gerasimov | 10 March 2020 | Once, in Sabbath School, a sister in my church shared her opinion that the reason why God had created humankind to populate the earth was that since one-third of the angels had fallen and had been expelled from heaven, God created humans to replace the followers that […] Source: https://atoday.org/our-strange-motives-for-evangelism/
Sharing Scripture for March 8 – 14
This is a tool for you to use if you lead a Sabbath School (SS) class or small group. It is keyed to the Bible texts used in the current week’s Adult SS Lesson and includes a brief story from current news you can use to introduce the discussion and then a series of discussion […] Source: https://atoday.org/sharing-scripture-for-march-8-14/
Agreement Reached for New Governance and Ownership of Parkview Adventist Academy
Burman University and the Alberta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Adopt Memorandum of Understanding.
Lacombe,
AB, October 23, 2019: In May 2019, Burman University initiated a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Alberta Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church regarding Parkview Adventist Academy (PAA). The goal of the MOU is to
transfer governance and ownership of Parkview Adventist Academy from Burman
University to the Alberta Conference. On Oct. 4, 2019, the Burman University
Board of Trustees voted to approve the offer of the MOU to the Alberta
Conference. On Oct. 20, 2019, the Alberta Conference Board of Directors voted
to accept the offer.
The
MOU between the two organizations, which goes into effect Nov. 1, 2019,
outlines that the Alberta Conference
will commence ownership and operation of PAA in the fall of 2020. Burman
University will also provide land and an endowment that will facilitate the
building of a new high school. The Alberta Conference will assume full
responsibility for the planning and construction of the new facility. PAA will
remain at its existing location until the new building is complete. A date for
construction has yet to be determined.
Burman
University and the Alberta Conference have worked diligently to ensure the
long-term success of PAA. The Alberta Conference is happy to accommodate the
transition of PAA from a Burman/Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada entity
to an Alberta Conference school.
–Republished from Alberta Adventist News
To view the entire Alberta Adventist News magazine, go to https://www.albertaadventist.ca/news/aan.
Wednesday: A Great Conflict
Read Daniel 10:20-21. What is revealed to Daniel here?
The heavenly messenger pulls the curtain aside and reveals to Daniel the cosmic war that transpires behind the scenes of human history. As soon as Daniel begins to pray, a spiritual battle starts between heaven and earth.
Heavenly beings began a struggle with the king of Persia to let the Jews continue the reconstruction of the temple. We know from the opening of Daniel chapter 10 that the king of Persia is Cyrus. However, a human king left by himself cannot offer significant opposition to a heavenly being. This indicates that behind the human king stands a spiritual agent who instigates Cyrus to stop the Jews from rebuilding the temple.
A similar situation occurs in Ezekiel chapter 28, in which the king of Tyre represents Satan, the spiritual power behind the human king of that city. So, it should not be surprising that the kings of Persia against whom Michael comes to fight include Satan and his angels. This shows that the human opposition to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem has a counterpart in the spiritual realm.
Read Daniel 10:13. What kind of battle is described here?
“While Satan was striving to influence the highest powers in the kingdom of Medo-Persia to show disfavor to God’s people, angels worked in behalf of the exiles. The controversy was one in which all heaven was interested. Through the prophet Daniel, we are given a glimpse of this mighty struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. For three weeks Gabriel wrestled with the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus; and before the contest closed, Christ Himself came to Gabriel’s aid. ‘The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days’, Gabriel declares; ‘but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia’. Daniel 10:13. All that heaven could do in behalf of the people of God was done. The victory was finally gained; the forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses, who reigned about seven and a half years”. — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 571, 572.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/0wNDSQvj4iw/
What Is the Source of Your Fire?
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. Revelation 3:4.
A few even in Sardis held fast their integrity. Their only hope was in holding fast to God, and in them the promise will be fulfilled, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir” (Isaiah 13:12)….
In the early Christian church there were men who were true disciples of Christ. They met often together where prayer was wont to be made. They could only work to advance those principles that bore the signet of heaven. They first talked with God, ascertained what spirit they themselves were of; then they could closely and critically examine every point, every method, every principle in the light reflected from the Sun of Righteousness. They did not accept strange fire. They took their fire from the divine altar. To them, holy and just principles were sacred, and by cherishing these they kept themselves unspotted from the world.
Ever looking to Jesus, they marked the spirit in which He worked and followed His example. They gave to others the pure principles of the Word of God. This Word was their counselor, their guide, their close companion. To them, the Scriptures were supreme authority. For every question agitated they had one standard to consult. It was not, “What saith men?” but, “What saith the Lord?”
Those who are constrained by the love of Christ will be faithful to the work and Word of God…. The true Christian is ever to feel that he is dependent upon his Maker. And he will not be ashamed to acknowledge his dependence. Like Daniel, he will not take credit to himself. He will give all honor to God, letting worldly men as well as his brethren know that he is depending upon the Lord, and weeding out of his life everything that would grieve His Spirit. Like Daniel, he will improve every opportunity of adding to his acquirements. He will trade upon the talents the Lord has given him, after the holy principles laid down in the Word. And this will give him multiplied ability….
If God gives a man wisdom, his course of action will be in harmony with the will of God, and those connected with him will have confidence in his wisdom to devise and plan for the progress and advancement of the work of God in saving souls that are ready to die. The apostle Peter says: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:2, 3).—Manuscript 66, May 24, 1898, to the General Conference and our publishing institutions.
The Upward Look p. 157
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Brenda, Fran, and Joyce who all have serious health issues. Also pray for Ron who is having eye issues. Rose
—-My friend is going in for cancer surgery on 3-10- 2020 and she is terrified that she won’t make it. just a hysterectomy with cancer.she is a church member who really needs to fall in love with Jesus..and trust Him for everything. thanks. M.
—-Please pray for my post open heart patient for healing. Emerson
—-Please pray for Linda and Lisa and all the family in the loss of their mother. Rose
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Dear Friends,
When Esther was young she often babysat for various evangelistic meetings that our church had. When the parents would leave the little children in her care, they would begin to cry and want their mother. Esther would pick up the crying child and talk softly. She would tell them how she remembered when I would leave her in the care of those who were babysitting for some meetings and how she felt. She felt as if those people were trying to steal her and she would never see her mama again. She would tell them that their mama will come back for them just like I had for her. The crying child would always calm down and cling to Esther because here was someone who understood his fears.
How often we feel like a crying child all forsaken and alone. Praise God! We have a Savior Who understands our sorrows for He left the glories of Heaven and the worship of all the beings in the vast Universe and became a man to save us. Isaiah prophesied of Him, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Isa 53:3-12
What a wonderful God we serve! Let us continually cling to our Loving Saviour Who went through so much sorrow and grief for us so that we can be saved.
Rose
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/gypPPnsriqs/what-is-the-source-of-your-fire.html