2 January 2019 | The United States Congress has repealed what was being called the “parking lot tax” which had been part of a 2017 tax cut measure that would have taxed churches and other entities on benefits they afforded employees. Dan Jackson, president of the North American Division of the Adventist Church, had joined […] Source: https://atoday.org/religious-groups-relieved-at-house-repeal-of-parking-lot-tax/
News Briefs for January 2, 2020
News reports from Loma Linda University Health, Kettering Adventist Health Network, Isny, Germany; Dr. Richard Osborn, Andrews University and the Adventist Peace Fellowship: This week, Loma Linda University Health posted a short and very timely health tip on its Facebook page. It was labeled #NewYearsResolutions: The key to keeping resolutions is to keep them realistic […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-reports-for-january-2-2020/
A Faithful Steward | AWR360°
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qhcTgTjsOM
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:23) I’ve always loved this text, and I hope that one day, Jesus can say those words to me. But there is one thing the verse doesn’t say: “Well done, good and successful servant!” Because God doesn’t demand that we be successful. He only demands that we be faithful. Success is up to Him. Below is a short video we recently filmed with Dr. Robert Lang and his wife, Wretha. Dr. Lang graciously offered to share his testimony of his experience with Adventist World Radio. Sadly, he unexpectedly passed away a few weeks ago, but what better way to honor his memory than by sharing the video of this faithful steward? One day soon, Dr. Lang will hear Jesus say, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” What a day that will be! May that be our experience as well. —Duane McKey, President MB012QSUNQWGOPR Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qhcTgTjsOM
Dave Edgren 2020 Vision
Dave Down Under talks about his vision for 2020 and you can have one, too! To comment, click/tap here. Source: https://atoday.org/dave-edgren-2020-vision/
Inside Story: European Division
Make Friends, Not Adventists
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
Igor Gospodarets ordered 800 colorful evangelistic posters reading “Bible Opens the Path to a Healthy and Happy Life” from Moscow. He plastered the advertisements around his city in a former Soviet republic where a majority of the population is not Christian.
Image © Pacific Press
Then an elderly evangelist told him to start over.
“Order 800 new posters advertising the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s five-day stop smoking program”, said Arturo Schmidt, the evangelist from Argentina.
Igor couldn’t believe his ears. The posters had taken considerable money and time, and he didn’t want to start from scratch again. “Why?” he asked.
“Our goal is not to make Adventists out of non-Christians”, Schmidt said. “Our goal is to make friends”.
It was 1992, only a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Igor, a young Adventist pastor, was eager to take advantage of new-found religious freedom to share his love for Jesus.
He didn’t like Schmidt’s advice. It didn’t make sense to him to not preach Jesus. He didn’t see the logic of offering stop-smoking classes. He didn’t want to lose the money invested in the evangelistic posters. He prayed.
Finally, Igor decided to take a chance. Perhaps the elderly evangelist knew something that he didn’t. Igor ordered 800 stop-smoking posters from Moscow and placed them over the old posters.
A surprise greeted Igor’s eyes when he showed up for the first stop-smoking seminar. The rented hall was packed with 1,000 people. Most of the visitors were not Christians. Igor realized that the original posters never would have attracted such a large turnout.
Five years passed. After a Sabbath sermon, a stranger reached out to shake Igor’s hand in church.
“Do you remember me?” the man asked.
Igor didn’t.
“I was in that crowd of 1,000 people who took the stop-smoking class five years ago”, the man said. “I heard you and Pastor Schmidt speak”.
The man explained that he had been raised in a non-Christian home and had struggled to quit smoking. The seminars had helped him stop and, realizing that the Adventists were his friends, he had started attending church every Sabbath.
Igor couldn’t believe his ears.
“It was at that moment that I understood the importance of friendship evangelism”, said Igor, now 59 and a church leader in southern Russia. “Our goal is not to make Adventists out of non-Christians. Our goal is to make friends for Jesus”.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
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