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I Love Simple!

20 May

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

The key thought in this week’s SS lesson reads, “Whatever the important proper training, we must first be grounded in our relationship with Jesus before we can be “properly equipped” to effectively witness for our faith.”

I love simple. Everything I own fits in the back of a small U-Hal truck with plenty of space left over. Still, about twice a year, I go through my apartment just looking for things to throw away to keep life simple and clutter free.  When I was a kid I loved Taco Bell. Back then they had 7 items on the menu board, and that was all I needed. I would choose the bean burrito. Today I walk into a Taco Bell and their menu board is all cluttered, and confusing with so many new fangled items to offer. I still choose the bean burrito. I love simple. I recently switched my homepage to Google. It is simple and not too busy like the other search engines. I love simple. Having a complicated life is not a status symbol to me and does not allure me.

Understanding how simple I am, you will understand how delighted I was when I discovered a concept I read in John 15:5. In the NIV I read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…” . Actually what delighted me is what I did not discover.  Jesus was not telling me that I needed a complicated, long planned out program and agenda in order to bear much fruit. It was really quite simple actually. I just need to live with Jesus and I will automatically bear fruit. Wow. What a concept. It reminded me of when I came home from College in the Spring of 1985. One Friday evening a friend from church called, and told me a couple of other friends were meeting at one of their homes to study the Sabbath School lesson, and asked me to join them. One of them brought their sister, who was not a baptized Adventist.  There was no agenda or schedule set in stone for our small study group. It was not even an “official” small study group. We just hung out together and studied the lesson, socialized, and even started hanging out on Saturday nights with a pizza, and or movie or bowling. A few months later my friend’s sister was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church. It wasn’t complicated. All we needed was to be living in Christ, in His word, and we bore fruit.

We don’t need a lot of complicated man made programs when: “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.”  {Ellen White, Gospel Workers, Page 363}  How simple! Simple does not mean there is no plan or method. It simply means the plan and method is simple.

“There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.” {Ellen White, Gospel Workers, Page 363} Here I would like to add another word to Simple. Practical. Jesus’ method was simple and practical. When I go to Taco Bell, I don’t need a mumbo jumbo burrito with a million toppings on it. It just isn’t practical. A simple bean burrito is practical for me. Jesus spent most His time, simply meeting the needs of the people. Most of His ministry was spent in simple one on one impromptu encounters like the woman at the well or the woman taken adultery. Whenever He did preach a sermon it was not a deep theological dissertation. It was simple and practical, and may I also add brief.

I love the simplicity of Jesus in John 15:5, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” One morning when I awoke, I picked up my Bible to read and spend time with Jesus. As soon as I started reading, I began to think to myself, “How can you just sit here and read when you need to see that church member in the hospital, and follow up on these leads for Bible studies, and plan that seminar that is coming up.” I could barely relax and read my Bible, thinking of all the things I needed to do, but I knew it was important to spend time with Jesus so I made myself do it. I wanted to abide in Him. Later when I got to the hospital, I prayed with the lady I had come to see, and as I left, the lady in the next bed, asked me to pray with her too. I prayed with her, and shared a verse and some comforting words God gave me to share with her. I gave her my number if she needed anything else and invited her to my church when she got out. Impromptu, simple, and yet fruitful. I love simple!

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Personal Evangelism and Witnessing

08 May

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

Friday’s section of this week’s SS lesson states: “One truth received into the heart will make room for still another truth.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 449. In what sequence should the truths we hold be presented in order to be most effective in our outreach? Why should Christ’s substitutionary death always be at the forefront of all that we teach?

I would like to answer the last question first. I would like to do so by sharing a passage from the book “Gospel Worker’s which has made the greatest impact on the way I do my ministry.

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption–the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers.–Gospel Workers, p. 315.

We are not saved by doctrines. We are saved by God’s grace. God reveals His love in each and every doctrine, in hopes that we will love Him too. Satan tries to skew Bible doctrine in hopes of skewing our concept of God’s love and thus make us not want to accept Him. This idea is what motivated me a few years ago to design the “In Light of The Cross” Bible study guides, which illustrate the love of God, and the cross in each doctrine, which is particularly relevant to Seventh-day Adventists. They are available free online in both English and Spanish. My passion is to promote the cross of Christ in everything I do.

Now to answer the first question,  about in what sequences certain truths should be presented. Speaking from personal experience over the years, when giving a series of personal or group Bible studies, I always begin with the Gospel Presentation. I want people to  make a decision to accept Jesus into their lives and have the hope of eternal life. The second presentation I give is on the Bible. At the end of this study I ask people to go by the Bible and the Bible only. This way, if someone later says they don’t have to follow a Bible teaching, because their pastor or friend said it was not important anymore, I remind them they made a decision to go by the Bible and not by what their friends say. The third study I do is on Love and Obedience, or trusting and obeying. In this study I ask people to make a decision to follow the Bible because we love Jesus. This way, if people later say they don’t have to follow a certain Bible teaching because “it’s not a salvation issue,” I remind them that the reason we obey the Bible is because we love Jesus, and not just to get to heaven. After those three studies, my sequence of Bible truth is based on each particular person and what is relevant to them.

In each study I want to encourage my Bible student in their personal relationship with Jesus. I am not looking for a quick baptism to make my numbers look good. Frankly it is not about me. I want to encourage my Bible student in a personal relationship with Jesus. The purpose of my personal and group Bible studies is to be relational. A foreign missionary now pastoring in Tennessee once told me, “small groups don’t work in America, because we are more concerned about being right then we are about being relational.” I knew exactly what he was talking about. With exceptions, a lot of American evangelism has been little more than telling people “I’m right you’re wrong!” That is not how Jesus won the hearts of people.

Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. He often repaired to the mountains for solitary prayer, but this was a preparation for His labor among men in active life. From these seasons He came forth to relieve the sick, to instruct the ignorant, and to break the chains from the captives of Satan.  It was by personal contact and association that Jesus trained His disciples.- Desire of Ages, p. 151

I am not downplaying being right. Jesus was always right, but He was also always relational. His agenda was to meet the needs of the people and not use them as pawns and numbers in meeting the goals and expectations of the church. Jesus did not call me to be a car salesman, pressuring people to “buy” Jesus before the end of the year so I will have a great report for the year. We must be patient with our personal and group Bible studies. We want to be right, but we also want to be like Jesus, and take time to be relational.

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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The Power of The Cross Revival-Seminar

01 May

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

I am very excited about my recent invitation to speak on the power of the Cross in Torrington CT.! I have never been to New England before and am really looking forward to meeting my brothers and sisters there. If you are in the area, I hope to see you there!

Also in the month of May I will be speaking May 5 at the Plant City SDA Church at 11am and for the first service (9am) at the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church. May 19th.

To schedule a seminar or workshop in your area please contact me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net

 
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Posted by on May 1, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

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Sequential Evangelism and Witnessing:

27 Apr

I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

For a video presentation of the Gospel click here.

Our key thought for this week’s SS lesson is, “In all evangelism and witnessing, it is important that we first present the simple truth of the gospel.”  Is this true in the last days with so many pressing issues confronting the church and world, as Bible prophecies reach their climax? Yes it is!

“More people than we think are longing to find the way to Christ. Those who preach the last message of mercy should bear in mind that Christ is to be exalted as the sinner’s refuge. Some ministers think that it is not necessary to preach repentance and faith; they take it for granted that their hearers are acquainted with the gospel, and that matters of a different nature must be presented in order to hold their attention. But many people are sadly ignorant in regard to the plan of salvation; they need more instruction upon this all-important subject than upon any other.” – Evangelism, Pages 185-186

With this in mind, I would like to share with you the same Gospel presentation that I have been sharing with people for almost 20 years now.  I encourage you, if you don’t already have a Gospel  presentation chain referenced in your Bible to chain reference this one.

If you choose to chain reference your Bible, you can write in the back of your Bible somewhere:

“Gospel Presentation   GP 1 John 5:13”  Gospel Presentation for the name of the study and “GP” for the abbreviation we will be using as we continue chain referencing the study. 1 John 5:13 is our first verse. At each verse just write nearby, “GP,  the key thought or question (can be abbreviated) for each verse followed by the next verse you will go to.”  Okay let’s go to our first verse now.

Key Question:  “If Jesus were to come today would you be saved?”

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.  1 John 5:13

God wants us to know we are saved. He does not want us, wondering or hoping, but knowing that we have eternal life. We have done nothing to earn this, but then again, what did the angels do to earn their place in heaven? Nothing! They were just created there. Before and after sin and the cross, life has always been a free gift and always will be.

Key Question: “If you were to stand before God and He asked you why He should allow you into His kingdom what would you say?” Please assure your Bible student that this is a hypothetical question. God wants you in His kingdom and won’t be saying, “Why should I let you in?” He wants you in!

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

I like to share that if I was asked that question, I would just point to Jesus and say “Ask Him?” Jesus would then explain that He was treated the way I deserve to be treated so I may be treated the way He deserves to be treated.

“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His.” Desire of Ages, page 25

Key Thought: “Why do I need grace?”

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

Key Thought: “What are the wages of sin?

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 6:23

I like to share right here, that the wages of sin is not eternal torment in hell. John 3:16 says those who believe shall not perish instead of being tormented for all eternity.

Key Thought: “What is sin.” Important to know since sin causes death.

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  1 John 3:4

Good news is, it is not a sin to be human or tempted. It is a sin to willfully and knowingly break God’s law. Obviously the law is still in effect. If there was no law I could not break God’s law and sin, and therefore I would not need grace. The fact that I need grace shows there is still a law.

Now if I run a red light just one time I deserve a ticket. Likewise one sin is all it takes for me to deserve death. This leads us to Romans 5:10,19

Key Thought: “How does God deal with the fact that I don’t have a prefect life to offer?”

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  Romans 5:10

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  Romans 5:19

I am not only saved by His death. I am also saved by His life! His life stands in the place of my life. Again, Jesus was treated as we deserve so we can be treated as he deserves.

Key Thought: “Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus took the punishment for my sins in which He had no share, so that I may have the reward of His righteousness in which I had no share. Jesus was treated the way I deserve to be treated so I may be treated the way He deserves to be treated.

Key Thought:  “Jesus gives us eternal life and then helps us to hate the sins we now love and to love the good things we now hate.”

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  1 Peter 2:24

If you are chain referencing your Bible, you will want to write “GP End” by 1 peter 2:24 so that you know this is the last verse and you don’t need to look for a next verse.

You want to ask the person you share this with to accept Jesus as their Savior. God already accepts them, the question is, will they accept God? Ephesians 1:6

Prayer: “Dear Jesus thank you for be treated the way I deserve to be treated so I may be treated the way you deserve to be treated. Thank you for dying for my sin so I may have the reward of your righteousness. Thank you for coming into my heart and giving me eternal life, and now please help me to love the good things I once hated and to hate the sins I once loved. In Jesus’ name Amen.”

May I suggest that if you are sharing this in someone’s home that you politely excuse yourself right after the prayer? This way they are left with the study and prayer lingering in their heart and mind instead of small talk after the study.

 
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Posted by on April 27, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Witnessing and Evangelism as a Lifestyle

20 Apr

I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:21

There was no magic in the prophet Elisha’s bones. The Israelites were in distressing times, and hope came to Israel that God was not dead and could revive them if they would heed the words of the prophet. Thus, even after his death, while resting in the tomb, Elisha was still influencing people’s lives for good. That is one of the things I love about writing. Granted I am no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but even when I am gone what has been written can continue to speak and hopefully bring comfort.

This reminds me of my uncle Bud. He has been gone about 20 years or so now. He had a sense of humor much like mine. He could really make me laugh. I remember he and my aunt Ellen visiting from Seattle, when I was about 15. When he left he smiled and said “I am glad you got to see me.”  I was expecting him to say, “I am glad I got to see you” instead of “I’m glad you got to see me.” The surprise made me laugh. Like me, he had a dry sense of humor that pretended to be arrogant but not really. I have been telling the same joke ever since, and for the last 31 years it brings a laugh most every time.  A couple of weeks ago I was visiting with some friends and when I left I did it again. I repeated Uncle Bud’s line, “I’m glad you got to see me.” Everyone laughed and told me how glad they were I could see them too. When I got in my car and drove off, it dawned on me. The smile on my friends face was caused by my uncle who has been sleeping for over 20 years! Then I thought of all the other people who have laughed after I passed his joke on, and realized all those smiles and laughs were caused by something my uncle told me 31 years ago.

Life is not all jokes and my uncle knew that. Life wasn’t always a joke to him either, but he loved putting a smile on people’s faces. I wish he knew that he is still putting a smile on people’s faces today every time I tell his joke. Elisha had words that could still give life even after his death. Uncle Bud can still make people smile today when I remember his words. I want a witnessing lifestyle that will continue putting smiles on faces and hope in hearts, even while I am still sleeping and waiting for Jesus’ return.

You may study this week’s SS lesson here. You may download the Sabbath School lessons to your cell phone here.

 
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Posted by on April 20, 2012 in Glimpses Of Grace, Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Hey! That’s Not Tampa Bay!

15 Apr

I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

Hey everybody, hope your weekend has been as wonderful as mine, and that you are continuing to enjoy our current Sabbath School lessons on witnessing and evangelism. I have decided to have a little fun with my blog. You know how most all of my posts begin with a picture of the Tampa Bay area and my little caption, “I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.” Well, I have decided that sometime within the next few weeks or months, I am going to post a picture that is not within a 50 mile radius of Tampa Bay. I will still be writing from Tampa Bay most likely, but the picture will not be of the Tampa Bay area. If you notice the picture is not within a 50 mile radius of Tampa Bay (It could be as far away as Peru) and you are the first person to e-mail me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net telling me the picture is not of the Tampa Bay area, then I will donate $100.00 to your favorite Christian church or Christian organization. There is a catch. You only get one guess for the entire contest. This keeps people from randomly guessing and e-mailing me everytime I make a post. So, keep an eye on In Light Of The Cross, and be the first one to email me when you notice a picture not from the Tampa Bay area, above my caption “I am writing from the Tampa Bay area” and your favorite Christian Church or Christian organization will be awarded $100.00! And here is a hint to get you started. The picture in this current post is of Tampa Bay.

 
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Posted by on April 15, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Evangelism and Witnessing; Every Member A Minister

08 Apr

I am writing tonight from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

A while back a lady went into the hospital for a few days. While she was there, a local elder, deacon and an elderly lady came to visit her. However she was released from the hospital before the Senior or associate pastors of the church could come see her. After her release, she was commenting to me that none of the pastors came to see her in the hospital. I corrected her, and told her that three pastors came to see her. According to 1 peter 2:9 the local elder, deacon and elderly lady are all pastors.

The New Testament church was an active church with everyone pastoring and evangelizing. In Acts 8, Philip, a deacon is evangelizing and baptizing. In Acts 7 you have Stephen who was another deacon. While Stephen was “just” a deacon he was stoned to death, and it wasn’t for taking up the offering or adjusting the Sabbath School classroom thermostat. No, he was stoned to death for preaching the gospel! Wait a minute. I thought preaching was the pastor’s job? Not in the New Testament church! In the New Testament church all the members were ministering and evangelizing.

In the dark ages a wide separation was made between the clergy and the laity but that was not the Biblical design. As we progress out of the dark ages the gap between clergy and laity must be narrowed, in order to get back to being a remnant of the New Testament model church.

Around 20 years ago I moved to Texas to be a Bible Worker. The church had thousands of Bible study lead cards that needed to be mailed out. The pastor asked a lady in our church if she could take them to the post office to be mailed. She responded, “Well if I do that then what is William going to do?” She felt since I was the paid Bible Worker that I should be doing all the work, and should mail them myself. Wrong! Fact is, if I am doing all the work then I am not doing my job. My job, along with the pastor’s job is to equip and empower the laity to do evangelism.  If I go by myself to give a Bible study then shame on me! I should always bring another church member so they can be learning how to give Bible studies and also to bond with the student and be another link to the church family. Currently I have about 8 adults in my Bible marking class where I am teaching them how to chain reference their Bibles and give studies and get decisions for Christ. I have also been teaching a Bible marking class at Tampa Adventist Academy, where young people are learning how to share Jesus. At the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church our young people and lay members have been empowered to speak at our evangelism meetings, and to lead out in seminars. We also have several growth group Bible studies and the associate pastor and I are training and mentoring lay members to take over and lead out in these groups. We have also been taking members on door to door evangelism.

If a pastor or Bible Worker thinks of themselves as the ones who are to do all of the preaching and evangelizing then they are not  Biblical but are stuck in the dark ages. Very few pastors today still want to create a huge gap between pastors and laity, while more and more pastors are like Moses, when he said, “would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!”   Numbers 11:29 With this spirit upon our paid clergy the gospel can spread like wildfire and turn the world upside down, just like it did in the book of Acts when every member was an evangelist! Please keep in mind that if the pastor or Bible Worker  are doing all of the preaching and teaching then they are not doing their job. You know the pastor and Bible worker are doing their jobs when they call you and give you work to do!

You may study this week’s SS lesson here. You may download the SS lesson guide to your cell phone here.

 
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Posted by on April 8, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Evangelism And Witnessing; Defining Evangelism And Witnessing

02 Apr

I am writing today from the beautiful Tampa Bay area.

 

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.  Matthew 28:18-20

 

Before Jesus gives us our job description He assures us that He masters all the powers in heaven and earth-the entire universe.  Though His church faces obstacles it will triumph!

 

“Through centuries of persecution, conflict, and darkness, God has sustained His church. Not one cloud has fallen upon it that He has not prepared for; not one opposing force has risen to counterwork His work, that He has not foreseen. All has taken place as He predicted. He has not left His church forsaken, but has traced in prophetic declarations what would occur, and that which His Spirit inspired the prophets to foretell has been brought about. All His purposes will be fulfilled. His law is linked with His throne, and no power of evil can destroy it. Truth is inspired and guarded by God; and it will triumph over all opposition.” Acts of the Apostles, Pages 11-12

 

“Christ rejoiced that He could do more for His followers than they could ask or think. He spoke with assurance, knowing that an almighty decree had been given before the world was made. He knew that truth, armed with the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit, would conquer in the contest with evil; and that the bloodstained banner would wave triumphantly over His followers. He knew that the life of His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here, but recognized as such in the great hereafter. 

 

     “These things I have spoken unto you,” He said, “that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Christ did not fail, neither was He discouraged, and His followers are to manifest a faith of the same enduring nature. They are to live as He lived, and work as He worked, because they depend on Him as the great Master Worker. Courage, energy, and perseverance they must possess. Though apparent impossibilities obstruct their way, by His grace they are to go forward. Instead of deploring difficulties, they are called upon to surmount them. They are to despair of nothing, and to hope for everything. With the golden chain of His matchless love Christ has bound them to the throne of God. It is His purpose that the highest influence in the universe, emanating from the source of all power, shall be theirs. They are to have power to resist evil, power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master, power that will enable them to overcome as Christ overcame.”  {Desire of Ages, page  679} 

 

When given an assignment we need to know where we have been assigned to work. A Tampa police officer has been assigned to Tampa, not New York City. However Jesus tells us to go to all the nations.

 

Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.  Isaiah 56:7

 

Jesus does not exclude anyone from His church.  

 

Jesus tells us to teach before baptism, so people will understand what baptism is all about. However that is not to imply that they must know it all before they can be disciples.  Jesus said, “and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Here we see teach, baptize, teach. The teaching continues after the baptism, so we can’t expect everyone to know it all before they are baptized. I find it interesting when people expect their kids to be perfect in order to be baptized when the parents aren’t even perfect!

 

“Ministers who labor in towns and cities to present the truth should not feel content, nor that their work is ended, until those who have accepted the theory of the truth realize indeed the effect of its sanctifying power, and are truly converted to God. God would be better pleased to have six truly converted to the truth as the result of their labors, than to have sixty make a nominal profession, and yet not be thoroughly converted. These ministers should devote less time to preaching sermons, and reserve a portion of their strength to visit and pray with those who are interested, giving them godly instruction, to the end that they may “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” 

 

     The love of God must be living in the heart of the teacher of the truth. His own heart must be imbued with that deep and fervent love which Christ possessed; then it will flow out to others. Ministers should teach that all who accept the truth should bring forth fruit to the glory of God. They should teach that self-sacrifice must be practiced every day; that many things which have been cherished must be yielded; and that many duties, disagreeable though they may appear, must be performed. Business interests social endearments, ease, honor, reputation, in short, everything, must be held in subjection to the superior and ever-paramount claims of Christ”.—{Evangelism, Pages 320-1}

You may study this week’s SS lesson here. You may download the lesson guides to your cell phone here.

 

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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Matthew and Samantha’s Baptism Pictures and Stories

31 Mar

Matthew and Samantha joined my baptism class at the Tampa First Seventh-day Adventist Church a while back. Later they invited me to their home, where we had studies on how to know Jesus and share Him with others. Later we had more baptism studies in the home, and today both Matthew and Samantha (Sammy) were baptized. All through the studies they both did a good job on their workbooks, and asked very good questions. Matthew asked a question that I had to do some researching to find the answer. He asked why the Bible is often printed in two columns on a page instead of one. We found out it saves money that way. Kewl! Good question Matthew! In the above picture, I am studying with Matthew and Sammy and their mother Sarah, in their home.

Before the baptism we went over the baptismal vows.

Before each baptism I like to pray with the person being baptized, asking God to keep them close to them all the days of their life. Thank you for joining me in prayer for Matthew and Sammy today.

Matthew writes: “I am getting baptized today because I believe in God and because I want to give my heart to Him. And so when He comes He will take me to heaven with Him.”

Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:3-6 NLT

Notice the smile on Matthews face after his baptism, as Sammy Writes: “I am getting baptized because I want to give myself to God and be reborn. Getting baptized means giving my heart to God and I am 100% ready to do that. I am so happy that I decided to get baptized and give myself to God. I think that everyone should be given the chance to be baptized and give themselves to God.”

Sammy is all smiles after her baptism as well.

I was very proud to give Sammy and Matthew their baptism certificates, which inlcude the Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs

Sammy writes that everyone should have a chance to give their hearts to Jesus and be baptized. Don’t let the sun set on you before you accept this wonderful opportunity. I would love to visit with you about this, so please contact me at LayPastor@TampaAdventist.net

 
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Posted by on March 31, 2012 in Baptism Pictures And Stories

 

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Glimpes of Our God; The Promise of His Return

24 Mar

I am writing tonight from beautiful Lake Placid Florida, which is famous for its murals on many of the town buildings, each one telling a story about the city.

As Seventh-day Adventists recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of our name, one important question comes to mind concerning our name. The “Advent” part pertaining to the second coming. Is the second coming still on? Are we still planning on it? Is it still a part of who we are?

 

Growing up a Seventh-day Adventist I remember hearing people talking about how Jesus was surely coming in the next five years. We thought for sure the oil crisis in the 70’s was the end of the world. I still remember looking at the form the Tulsa Roughnecks Soccer team sent me when I was a teen, asking me to renew my season tickets for the 1980 season. You are going to laugh at me, but I stared at that form in disbelief that I actually saw the year 1980 in print. There is no way the world will last that long I thought. Well that was 30 years ago and we are in a totally new century. So what happened to the second coming? Is it still on?

 

In the mid ‘80s I joined a new Adventist church in the suburbs of Tulsa. I had just started dating a girl who went to that church so I  switched from the central Adventist church in Tulsa to her church. We just started dating when she dumped me. Oh well, I still stayed at this new church for the simple reason that I did not want people to think I changed churches just for her. Besides, this church seemed to really be on fire. The weekly prayer meetings were very spiritual, and everyone was praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to prepare them for the second coming. We had about as many people attending prayer meeting that attended our Sabbath Worship services. We were sure Jesus was coming soon and we were getting ready. Then something sad happened. People stopped coming to prayer meeting. Some decided “Growing Pains” was just too funny of a show to miss for prayer meeting. People stopped coming to church all together. This was not suppose to happen! Discouraged, I asked God why He did not come back when our church was at its spiritual peak, when we had it all together. He waited too long and now look what happened. I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me why Jesus did not return when the church was on top of its game. Our church was on a spiritual roller coaster. Jesus is not coming back for a church on a spiritual roller coaster. He is not coming back for a people who walk with him off and on. A groom does not want to marry a bride who’s love and devotion goes in cycles. Neither does Jesus. Enoch walked with God many years before being translated. God will come back for a church who will consistently walk with Him year after year after year, and not on some roller coaster. The church is a woman. For centuries God’s church has loved to flirt with Him, but it also loves to flirt with the world. God’s church likes to date Jesus, but it also likes to date other things too. Jesus is not returning for a date, He is returning for a wedding. When God’s church decides to stop dating and flirting with Jesus and decides to get married He will return.

 

During this same time period our church in suburban Tulsa was also asking the Holy Spirit to get sin out of our lives so we could be ready for Jesus to come. We did not, or at least at the time I did not realize how legalistic that was. Jesus is not coming back for a legalistic group who get their act together so they can have some great reward like heaven. Jesus is coming back for a people who love Him because He first loved them. Today I ask the Holy Spirit to remove sin from my life, not because Jesus is coming back but because my sin breaks God’s heart. I do not want to break His heart anymore, regardless if He is coming back tomorrow or a hundred years from now.

 

Now that I am older I don’t hear people talking about Jesus coming back in the next five years. So is the whole thing off? One of Satan’s best weapons are over zealous religious fanatics. They tell people Jesus is coming back during a certain time table, and then when their “prophecy” fails, people then doubt that Jesus is coming back at all. However this is all Satan’s plan. To get us to give up right before it happens. Concentration camp survivors say they survived because they never set a date for their rescue. Some wanted to be rescued by Christmas, and then when that came and went, they wanted rescued by Easter, and then when Easter came when went they gave up hope. Others just knew that they would be rescued some day and they survived. As Seventh-day Adventists we must believe Jesus is returning, without setting dates. Some have gone to the other extreme now and don’t even preach the second coming at all. They preach social sermons which they find more practical in everyday living. While we must be practical we must also realize God formed our church 150 years ago for a specific reason. If we are just going to preach social sermons like the ones you can hear in any church or denomination, you must ask yourself why we even bother existing if we have no message to offer other than what the other denominations are preaching. Are we embarrassed by our message? I am sure the disciples were embambarrassed when Jesus was crucified, but there was no reason for them to be. Are we afraid people will not believe our message, so instead we just preach things we know the world will accept? If so, shame on us! We are doing our Savior and neighbor no justice by hiding our special message.

 

 There is no reason to water down our message. Several years ago I was leading out in a youth small group study with another family in my neighborhood. One Sabbath afternoon when it was time for our study, we received an invitation to a youth meeting at our church. There was to be a lot of contemporary music for the kids. I thought, why not? Lets skip our Bible study this week and go to this contemporary concert and show the kids that we have fun too. After the concert I asked one of the kids how they liked the concert, hoping they thought it was a lot of fun and that our church was really with it. This young person, about 13 years old at the time, looked at me with disappointment in their eyes and said, “I wish we would have had the Bible study instead.” People, there are kids out there starving for our gospel message! Why disappoint them by feeding them what the world is feeding them? Furthermore what is the point of a church that is just like the world? I am not saying all contemporary music is wrong and we should never offer that. I am saying let’s offer more than just that. And if the church only feeds people what is in the world then why does the church even bother existing? Have we given up on the second coming and decided to just join the world and be a social club with good morals? How legalistic is that!

 

The Seventh-day Adventist church has a message that will more than prepare people to live nice little lives in this world. We have a gospel that will prepare people for the world to come! We must let everyone know the second coming is still on! There are twice as many prophecies about the second coming than there were about Jesus’ first advent. He came the first time, so we know beyond a shadow of a doubt He is coming the second time. Jesus warns against setting times for His return when He tells us, “ in the hour you think not, the Son of man cometh.” Satan has been using religious fanatics for years to get us all excited and then disappointed that He has not returned. Satan wants us to give up and think Jesus is not returning at all. There is great danger in what I was always hearing growing up, about Jesus coming in the next five years, because it does two things, it makes you give up hope when He does not return in those five years and it also makes you think you have five years to prepare. One day we won’t have five years to prepare. We won’t have one year to prepare. In the hour we think not, He will come! Don’t get ready, be ready! Be ready not because He is coming back but because we love Him because He first loved us! The Adventist church, the church that believes the Bible prophecies about the second coming has a reason to exist! If we just preach social day by day sermons that you can hear anywhere else then we are not fulfilling our purpose for coming into existence 150 years ago.  A true Adventist more than believes Jesus is coming. We love His appearing! We have a message to give to world and believe it or not the world is hungry for our message so why not give it? Jesus loves them and wants to be with them forever!

You may study this week’s SS lesson here.  Download the SS app to your phone here.

 

For more studies on the second coming and our special message click here.

For my friend’s site on our special message click here.

 
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Posted by on March 24, 2012 in Sabbath School Lessons

 

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