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!
(1)
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-drinking-with-villagers/
Friday: Further Thought ~ Jesus, The Promised Son
Further Thought:
The coming of Jesus to this earth as the Son of God fulfilled several functions at the same time. In the first place, as the Divine Son of God, Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. Through His actions and words, Jesus showed us what the Father really is like and why we could trust and obey Him.
Jesus also came as the promised Son of David, Abraham, and Adam, through whom God had promised He would defeat the enemy and rule the world.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Thus, Jesus came to take the place of Adam at the head of humanity and fulfill the original purpose God had for them (Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 8:3-8). Jesus came to be the righteous ruler God always wanted this world to have.
“The word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,’ embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. ‘He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.’ Ephesians 1:6. The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us. … The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 113.
Discussion Questions:
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Amen!(1)
(1)The post Friday: Further Thought ~ Jesus, The Promised Son appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-jesus-promised-son/
The “New Wine” of the Kingdom
And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles. Mark 2:22.
We need to be constantly filling the mind with Christ, and emptying it of selfishness and sin. When Christ came into the world, the leaders of the Jews were so permeated with Phariseeism that they could not receive His teachings. Jesus compared them to the shriveled wineskins which were not fit to receive the new wine from the vintage. He had to find new bottles into which to put the new wine of His kingdom. This was why He turned away from the Pharisees, and chose the lowly fishermen of Galilee.
Jesus was the greatest teacher the world ever knew, and He chose men whom He could educate, and who would take the words from His lips, and send them down along the line to our time. So, by His Spirit and His Word, He would educate you for His work. Just as surely as you empty your mind of vanity and frivolity, the vacuum will be supplied with that which God is waiting to give you—His Holy Spirit. Then out of the good treasure of the heart you will bring forth good things, rich gems of thought, and others will catch the words, and will begin to glorify God. Then you will not have the mind centered upon self. You will not be making a show of self; you will not be acting self; but your thoughts and affections will dwell upon Christ, and you will reflect upon others that which has shone upon you from the Sun of righteousness.
Christ has said: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Have you exhausted the fountain?—No; for it is inexhaustible. Just as soon as you feel your need, you may drink, and drink again. The fountain is always full. And when you have once drunk of that fountain, you will not be seeking to quench your thirst from the broken cisterns of this world; you will not be studying how you can find the most pleasure, amusement, fun, and frolic. No; because you have been drinking from the stream which makes glad the city of God. Then your joy will be full; for Christ will be in you, the hope of glory.—The Review and Herald, March 15, 1892.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 21
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Prayer Requests
—-Friend facing possible amputation. Please pray God’s will. Mel
—-Please pray for our family and our church family.
—-Prayers for my Brother! He and one of the older three boys tested positive for Covid, so he can’t go see his baby in NICU, but also they are having to monitor Liam in NICU more carefully in case my brother gave it to him. I feel so bad for my brother, it’s bad enough to be sick, but to possibly make the newborn babies (and potentially any other babies in NICU) sick with Covid…..So prayers for my brother and his little boy Nikolai, Prayers for mom Danielle as she will likely test positive as well, prayers for baby Liam and the other NICU babies (IDK if they are all isolated r not, but let’s jsut give them some prayers too) and then prayers for hte family as they can’t see him (but they will try to go every few days to drop off breast milk for Liam). Jennifer
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in North Carolina, the church we attended had a camp-out one weekend. It was the first time they had done so, and I hoped it would not be the last. We had a really nice time singing together and worshipping our Great Creator out in His Creation. Our pastor, John Earnhardt, took all the children on a nature walk and they had a fun time seeing the animals that he caught.
Ronnie Jay was about seven or eight at the time and always got up at dawn no matter how early that was. One morning Pastor Earnhardt got up about the same time as he also was in the habit of rising early. The pastor was his hero anyway, so this time when he got to be all alone with him was very special. He and Ronnie Jay talked for a while and then he showed our son how to play baseball. Ronnie Jay was thrilled!
When we awakened, we smiled at the two of them playing happily together. Through the years Ronnie Jay remembered this incident with fondness. One day he wrote the pastor and told him how much that morning together had meant to him. This pleased Pastor Earnhardt very much. He sent Ronnie Jay a nice letter, a brochure from the evangelistic meetings he was holding, and a postcard from the area he was in at the time. Years later, when Pastor Earnhardt held evangelistic meetings in our city, he and Ronnie Jay spent some time together. The pastor’s eyes just sparkled as he looked at our boy who was now a grown man.
Just as our son and the pastor had special fellowship, so our Heavenly Father longs to have a special fellowship with us. He desires above all things to have close communion with us, not just once or twice, but every moment of every day. He loves us “with an everlasting love.” Jer 31:3 In God’s Word is revealed His great love for us. That great chapter in Isaiah foretells Jesus’ loving sacrifice for us. “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire 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 52:13-53:12
Think of it! God made this great sacrifice for us, so He could bring us into right relationship with Himself. What love! What sacrifice! “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Cor 1:9 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. May we give ourselves to Him completely, develop the habit of holding sweet communion with Him as we go about our daily duties, and truly love our Great Redeemer more than anything else.
Rose
Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/the-new-wine-of-the-kingdom.html
