Proclaiming Salvation by Grace Through Faith in Jesus Christ, 856-667-7110

Archive for September, 2008

Cherry Hill Adventist Church is highlighted in this short video and recognized for its efforts to serve the community.

Have you ever experienced a dramatic change in perspective? In 1543,astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus published a theory that would transform how humans viewed themselves and their place in the universe.

Copernicus used mathematics and astronomical studies to disprove the belief that the earth was the center of the universe, around which all planets and stars orbited. Instead, he argued, the earth is just one of a number of planets that travel around the sun. Today we know that earth is an infinitesimal speck in the vast, unfathomably huge universe. But for the religious and intellectual leaders of the sixteenth century, Copernicus had advanced an unwelcome theory that required a shocking change in perspective. It was not something easy for people to grasp, and it took awhile before his position became accepted. Old and set ideas are not easy for anyone to give up, no matter how wrong they are!

Radical changes in perspective are rarely comfortable. In Isaiah 6 the prophet encounters the unfathomable vastness of God’s majesty, and it becomes a defining moment in his life; his perspective of God, himself, and his mission changes in an instant.

Have you had an encounter with God? This week, we’ll take a few moments to consider how our knowledge of God changes our perspective, priorities, and understanding of our place in the universe. We’ll think about how our views, as Christians, radically differ from those who believe that we live in a godless universe and that our existence here is purely by chance!

Join us for this vital discussion.

Ironically, The Good Shepherd is the title of a 2006 motion picture about a fictional American who helps start the Central Intelligence Agency, a spy service that may have reached its apex during the Cold War between America and the former Soviet Union. The life portrayed is one of substance and shadow, disguises and deceptions, all packed with drama.

For a life of intrigue, suspense, and thrills, however, you don’t have to look much farther than Philip, plucked from the ranks of day-to-day church members in Jerusalem, first to help serve meals, then to break the bread of life to others. His ministry crossed deserts, was carried (by others) into Africa, and even touched the “untouchable” land of Samaria.

Philip “got around” and brought hope and help to people in need. His active partner was God the Holy Spirit, and the results were something to behold. Philip was a good shepherd of the people he served, but, of course, he wasn’t the “Good Shepherd” that Jesus was. However, Philip’s readiness to tackle new projects and difficult tasks is one we would do well to emulate.

There are people waiting!

Join us this week as elder Richard White leads our discussion.

I heard this story some time in the past. I’ve shared this story many times in the past. It always brings a smile. Yet, I don’t know where, or to whom to give the credit.

~ ~ ~

A faithful and devout Christian woman, who lived in a tightly packed, trailer park community, lost her job at the local plant due to a work force reduction during a hot, sticky summer. Not able to afford air conditioning, she would open all the doors and windows of her domicile. Her next door neighbor also worked at the plant. Unlike her, however, he did not lose his job.

Each morning, the faithful woman would pray. In her fervor and pleading, she’d wake up her neighbor. When he’d return home from work in the late afternoons, he noticed that she was still praying. Even when he was about to go to bed, he could clearly hear the faithful woman speaking to what he considered to be no one in particular.

One night, after a particularly humid day, the gentleman was annoyed. He listened to the woman’s prayers.

“Lord, Father God, hear my prayer. I praise you. I thank you. I ask for your forgiveness for my lack of faith. I’m hungry, dear Lord. I need food. I’m out of work. I have no money. I know you see me. I know that you hear me. Feed me what you will, Lord. Thank you for the blessing of knowing you; for hearing your words, and being clothed in my right mind to discern truth from folly. Amen.”

“Would you shut up all that noise,” he yelled from his trailer to hers. “I’m trying to go to bed. Unlike you, I got a job. Maybe if you’d stop spending all that time on your knees and got up to look for some work, you’d have something to eat. Why waste your time praying to a god that doesn’t exist.”

“My God does exist,” she replied. “And, I pray that one day you will see His work.”

He scoffed and went to bed. The faithful woman arose from her knees and did the same.

And, so it went. Each morning, afternoon, and evening, the faithful woman prayed to the Lord, thanking Him, praising Him, seeking forgiveness, and asking that her needs be met, according to His will.

On Friday morning, she woke up her neighbor again with her prayers. He was livid.

“Woman,” he yelled to her. Do you have any decency? I have to work, but I don’t need to be up this early. It’s bad enough that I have to wait for you to finish that babble in the evening, but must you wake me up with it.”

She ignored him and finished her prayers.

As the gentleman rode to work, he devised a scheme to prove to his neighbor that God didn’t exist. He figured, since she’s always asking for food, he would go grocery shopping and get the food for her. Then maybe she’d finally shut up, he reasoned.

Later, just before sundown, the woman was praying, once again. As she finished, she heard the footsteps at her front door, followed by a knock. Seeing three bags, full of groceries, she fell to her knees and thanked God profusely. “Lord, Jesus, thank you for this blessing. You are truly my God.”

The gentleman was waiting close by, around the corner, and out of her sight. When he heard her giving thanks, he jumped out from hiding, “I told you,” he yelled.

“You told me what,” she asked.

“There is no God. The only god that brought these groceries to you is me. I bought these; with my money. And, I’m giving them to you. I’m so sick and tired of hearing you. Now, you can know what I know; the only thing you can depend on in this life is yourself. Now get up, take those groceries, and shut up once and for all.”

“Sir, without a shadow of a doubt, I know my God provided these groceries for me,” she responded, as she collected the bags. “I know Jesus. He loves me. And, he loves you. He provided these groceries for me. He just used a fool to deliver them.”

An article in the blogosphere, written by Steve Parker, asks if we, Seventh-day Adventists, are the only members of the Remnant church, the elite group of individuals that God has chosen for the last days. In it, Parker offers a contemporary adaptation to the Bible story found in Luke 18: 9-14.

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to church to pray. One was a Seventh-day Adventist, and the other was a non-Adventist Christian. The Seventh-day Adventist stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a Christian like everyone else. For I am part of the remnant that believes in the seventh-day Sabbath and has Ellen White as a prophet. I’m certainly not like that non-Adventist Christian. I keep the Sabbath, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the non-Adventist Christian stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Seventh-day Adventist, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

One reader of the article responded by saying, in part, “…I sense need of caution here…If there is nothing special about our faith, what’s the point of even being a [Seventh-day Adventist]? What do we have to offer? I believe there is much to value about our message, yet struggle with how it is often delivered by ‘the faithful’.”

As an elder of this congregation, and a leader of one of our community outreach ministries, I also struggle at times with how our message is delivered. It’s the age old battle between the “liberals” and the “fundamentalists” that keeps this point of contention brewing in perpetuity. When frustrated by the argument, and/or the attacks from those that disagree with my efforts, and those of my local church to reach out to the community and share Him where they are, I remind myself of the words of Paul, in Romans 14:1 (NLT)

“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.”

Pastor Shawn Brace, in his response to the article, offers an ideal conclusion.

“There is no room at all for denominational arrogance. Any type of grace that God bestows on us should be received with humility and love…I believe, [that as Seventh-day Adventists] God has blessed us with a tremendous opportunity to not only herald the fourth commandment and the three angel’s messages, but to be the epitome of love.”

No one can look at the story of Daniel, I believe, without getting a chill up and down one’s spine. This is a thrilling story of four young men who could have elected to “go with the flow,” but instead held fast to the Lord their God and won promotion and honor for it!

You could argue, perhaps, that the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,and Azariah—the Jerusalem four—is in fact the Christian message. In this weeks lesson, we find young men totally dedicated to serving God. They won’t compromise principles at the dinner table. We see each of the four unwilling to “adapt” their faith to their new situation; telling King Nebuchadnezzar they’d rather die than dishonor God!

God delivers them in the midst of it all. Not everyone today, of course, will face the same earthly success that these four received. People are killed for their faith. But for every believer, there’s hope that God is true to His promises and that we can trust them, no matter our earthly fate.
May our love for Jesus and the crying needs of the world around us motivate us to “dare” something great for God.

Join us this week as Elder Joe Luste leads our discussion of this noteworthy lesson.

Having just started listening to the Book of John, I am moved by the Spirit to once again acknowledge and proclaim that it’s ALL about Jesus! Nothing in this life matters above our call to know, love, and accept the grace and mercy of Him, our Savior.

I recall in my early and first experience in the Adventist faith, I was taught primarily about the laws and proper code of conduct for disciples through the teaching of Ellen G. White. Many, who have come to know me today, believe me to be anti-law, and anti-Ellen White. While I would disagree with that connotation on so many levels, I would agree that I am first and foremost all about Jesus.

And what’s wrong with that?

Nothing. Even Ms. White herself wrote: “This hypocrisy [of the Pharisees] Christ declared would bring them the greater damnation. The same rebuke falls upon many in our day who make a high profession of piety. Their lives are stained by selfishness and avarice, yet they throw over it all a garment of seeming purity, and thus for a time deceive their fellow men. But they cannot deceive God.”— Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 614.

Jesus warned his disciples to be on guard against the yeast, or deceptive teaching of the religious leaders of the day. I believe the same can be said or us in this time. I recall a bible study lesson that I gave recently where one of the discussion questions was as follows:

Whatever we might have to say about the Pharisees, one point we shouldn’t forget. They were members of God’s remnant church, the elite of the only faith in the world that had present truth. What’s the message, and warning, for us in that fact?

I believe that occasionally, some Adventists adopt an attitude and behavior that can only be described as “holier than thou.” Because of their claim to the fullness of truth that the Adventist faith offers, some fall into the trap of hypocrisy. Their outward demeanor and interactions, or lack thereof, with others screams out load with their disdain for anything that is inconsistent with their understanding of the truth. And, they wear their disdain with honor, like the Pharisees wore their long robes with the extra long tassels.

They pay their tithes to the penny, but neglect to volunteer for community service, or social outreach. They claim enlightenment of healthful living and a vegan lifestyle as a manifestation of their faith. Yet, they’ll eat a cow when no one is looking. Or, they lie in waiting for a newcomer to visit, telling them to do this, or do that, but not this, or not that, in order to make disciples of ideals rather than Jesus. And the newcomers listen because these hypocrites appear righteous. But, on the inside they are full of selfish ambition and greed for attention.

The message, the warning for all of us is to remember that regardless of our station in life, or our current understanding of the truth we’ve been allowed to have, we are all the same; sinful, and unworthy of the gift we have in Jesus.

And, in the end, that’s why it’s all about Jesus.

Peter, Daniel, David, Isaiah, Moses, and Paul. The Bible is replete with the stories of men who have done great things for God and with God, and there’s no doubt about that. However, it would be dishonest—even foolish—to minimize the role of women in the Bible. From Eve, through whose seed the Savior Himself was promised, to Sarah, Rebekah, Esther, Mary, Martha, and others, the ministry of women is of inestimable value to God’s church and His people.

This week’s lesson explores some of the essential women of the New Testament church and their impact on the world around them. These women, and countless others, didn’t wait for marching orders from a field general or for a committee to meet and agree on their role. Instead, they fulfilled that old bromide about success: “Find a need and fill it.”

Join us, and Elder Calvin D. Lester, for our discussion this Saturday, September 6th. And when you do, remember gender is not a prerequisite for being used of God; a willing heart is the only necessary qualification.