71 King Street Hamilton, Victoria, Bulletin & News. Sabbath March 3rd, We WELCOME you to our Worship Services Today

Transcription

1 Issue No Taking the Three Angels Messages to the whole world King Street Hamilton, Victoria, 3300 Bulletin & News Sabbath March 3rd, 2017 We WELCOME you to our Worship Services Today Song Service Sabbath School Church Service 9:45 am 10:00 am 11:30 am "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." [ John 3:16-17, KJV ]

2 ~ Announcements ~ Welcome - We welcome Brian Way and his wife Caroline for Sabbath praise and worship today. May God bless you and lead you in His truth always. Building Fund - Today there is a special offering for the building fund to allow for upgrades etc. of our church building. Please dig deep to help with the repairs of God s house. Communion Service - This quarter s communion service is on March 17th. Please mark it on your calendars and begin preparations for this special time with Christ Jesus. C.A.R.E. Group Meeting - The next C.A.R.E. Group gathering will be on Friday, March 9th, 6:00 pm, at Amber & Krystal s place. (See Amber or Krystal for address and further details.) Prayer Meeting - March 7th at 5pm. Please join us each fortnight for prayer and a short Bible study. Let us always keep the communication channels to heaven open through our prayers. Season of Prayer - Please set aside some time each week and on Wednesday, March 7th at 5:45 pm for a special season of prayer. Big Camp March 28th to April 2nd - Make your plans now to attend this exciting Easter Weekend Program for We have exciting speakers and programs for all ages, together with great musical talent for The On Line Booking Site is now live ( registration/index.html?e=2810 ) so you have a choice how you book. Just don t forget to book! Applications are available from Amber & Krystal. Please see them for more information. Big Camp dishwashers needed. Friday to Tuesday. From Lunch time (3 hours approx.) and dinner time (1 hr approx.). If you are available to help any or all of these times, please contact Pam Stott on asap. ~ Prayer Requests ~ This Week s Prayer List: Sharon Sang, Jackie, Shirley Adelwohrer, Tania & Matthew McFarlane, Sunny Oberson, Shaun Keast, Shakil Munir, Joyce Bekker and her family, Darrell Chang, Shahbaz Gulzar, Joi Erb, Kyle Thomas, Youn & Lee Koh, Roger Pearce, Joan Ruthven, The Mocilac Family, Dale Mea, Olga and Simon Novak, Kezia Derksen, Trevor from the fish shop and his sister and workmates, Marilyn McDonald, Rebecca Prodduturi, John & Gloria Tyack, Suzi, Maria and John Franjic, the Recipe Club, The Hamilton Church and its members, and our Pastor, Duane Suffolk. 2

3 ~ Special Prayer Requests ~ Please pray for Shirley Adelwohrer, who needs God s mighty healing hand upon her. Please pray for Olga Novak, who is yet to have her surgery and please remember to give thanks to God for answering her previous prayer for accommodation and moving. Please pray for Simon Novak, that he may find accommodation as soon as possible and his legal hearing. Please pray for Pastor Suffolk as he deals with the Commission for Children and Young People. Please continue to remember 45 LE contact visits in your prayers and the members doing the visiting, that they will be instruments of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for Tania McFarlane s new baby Matthew who needs God s mighty healing hand upon her as he s very ill in the royal children s hospital. Please pray for Jackie who needs God s mighty healing hand upon her as he s very ill in intensive care in Melbourne. Please pray for Sharon Sang, for the healing of her hands. She is a handicapped woman that needs God's intervention for the strength, ability/ will and desire to stop picking at her sores, so they can heal fully. ~ Quarterly Prayer Vigil ~ Prayer Vigil - This quarter s prayer vigil topic: - "Personal Prayer and Evangelism in the Family Home" and also for our Pastor and the work that he is doing in our community. Time is short and we need to be ready now! Next quarter s prayer vigil topic - Church Growth and the Holy Spirit in our Halls Prayer Chain - If you are interested in joining our anonymous prayer chain, please visit our website and sign up via our mailing lists page. You will be ed with prayer requests as they become available. Thankyou. 3

4 ~ Adventist Mission Story ~ Laura del Carmen Flores Dias, 23, is now a graduate student at Navojoa University in Mexico. (Andrew McChesney / Adventist Mission) SURPRISES WITH GOD Laura made a deal with God: If You let me study at an Adventist university, I will become a high school Bible teacher. Fast Facts Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous Mexican artists of the 20th century. Mexico has a variety of climates, ranging from tropical to desert. The highest peak in Mexico is a volcano that is 18,491 feet (5,636 meters) high and called Pico Orizaba. It is the third largest in North America. Chitzen Itza is a Mayan pyramid and a World Heritage Site, visited by more than 1 million people every year. In Mexico, there are jaguars, pumas, and huge iguanas. In the jungles of southern Mexico, you can encounter various types of lizards, monkeys, and colourful birds, such as parrots. Whales, manta rays, and manatees are common in the oceans and can sometimes by spotted off the Yucatan coast. Mexicans take sports seriously. In ancient times, losers of a ritual ball game were once put to death. In some dangerous sports, like bullfighting and rodeo (which was invented in Mexico), competitors still put their lives on the line. 4

5 To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, March 3. Click here for photos to share while telling the mission story. By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Laura s life has been filled with surprises in Mexico. When she was 10 years old, she went to a friend s house expecting a big party. Instead, she wound up at a small-group Bible study. She liked the Bible studies so much that she attended for a year and then started going to the Seventh-day Adventist church on Sabbath. When she asked to be baptized after the church conducted an evangelistic series, the church members replied with excuses. They said that she needed more Bible studies, that her parents were not Adventists, and that she was only 11. But in the end, she was baptized. When Laura finished high school, she wanted to enter an Adventist university but lacked the money for the tuition. Her desire to learn from Adventist teachers only grew when her pastor told her that Adventist universities offered Bible classes. She began to dream about becoming a Bible teacher. Laura made a deal with God. She prayed, If You let me study at an Adventist university, I will become a high school Bible teacher. But if You don t let me study, I will work now, get married, and study later. God answered her prayer to go to school. She was accepted into an Adventist university even though she only had enough to pay for half the tuition of the first semester. She worked as a housekeeper to earn extra money. The next semester, she received a full scholarship, and four years later she graduated with a degree in family science and without any debt. Seeing how God had answered her prayer, Laura decided to keep her promise to become a high school Bible teacher. But she needed to get a master s degree first, and again she had no money for tuition. Laura sent letters seeking a scholarship to two Adventist universities. Both wrote back that she should work as a literature evangelist to pay for her tuition. Laura didn t mind working, but she wanted an indication from God about which university to choose. She knew it was difficult to find a job that would cover her full tuition, so she prayed, I ll go to the university where You give me a job. Four days after graduating with her undergraduate degree, Laura received a letter from Adventist-owned Navojoa University. We have a job for you, and you can enrol anytime, the letter said. 5

6 Laura didn t have the money to travel to the university, but when her classmates heard about her plight, they pooled their money to cover the cost. Laura is now a graduate student at Navojoa University and looking forward to teaching the Bible to high school students. Her favourite Bible verse is James 1:12, which says, Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (NKJV) We have many trials as young people, she said. But we always can overcome them with God s help. God will give to those who love Him the ability to overcome all trials. Laura s life has been filled with surprises, and she likes it that way. Her advice to other students who don t have money for an Adventist education is to trust God. God is the owner of everything, she said. He will provide not only what you need but even more than that if you trust Him. Part of this quarter s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help the Seventhday Adventist hospital in Laura s hometown of Villahermosa expand with a building that will offer new health services to the community. Thank you for your mission offering. ~ Reflections ~ God destroys no one. The sinner destroys himself by his own impenitence. No one need look upon the sin against the Holy Ghost as something mysterious and indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to the invitation to repent. {The Faith I Live By pp } 6

7 Lesson 56 The Life of Christ THE HEAVENLY VINE AND ITS FRUIT Fourth Quarter,

8 LESSON 56 THE HEAVENLY VINE AND ITS FRUIT January 27, 1900 Near the Base of Mount Olivet, A. D. 31 (Matt. 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; John 15:1-16:1) Side Texts to be studied with 1. AFTER leaving the Passover chamber, what did Jesus call the attention of His disciples as a fit symbol of their relation to Him? John 15:1-5. Jer. 11:16 1 John 2:6 2. If one abides not in Christ, what is sure to be the result? Verse By living in Christ, what great benefit is secured? Verses 7, 8. See note 1. John 8: How may we abide in Christ? Verses 9, 10. See note Why did Christ talk thus to His disciples? Verse To what extent are we commanded to abide in the love of Christ? Verses 12, 13, If we follow this command, what relationship shall we sustain to Christ? Verses See note Will friendship with Christ shield from the rude touch of the world? Verses 18, How was Jesus treated by the world? What did His treatment signify? Verses What mission were the disciples to fulfil? By what were they to be prompted in their work? Verses 26, 27. Heb. 12:2; Thess. 2 :19, 20. John to : 11, 15. John 17:26. 2 Tim. 3:12. Ps. 69:1-4. John 5: 6. 8

9 11. Why had the Saviour thus instructed His followers? John 16:1 12. What did Jesus say His disciples would soon do on His account? What scripture did He quote as evidence? Matt. 26:31. Matt.11:5, What reply did Peter make to this sweeping prediction? Verse How did the Lord meet these boastful words of Peter? Verse What did Peter and the others still confidently affirm? Verse 35. READING " Desire of Ages," chapter 73 ; " Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 3, chapter 6. NOTES 1. The abiding in Christ is being as closely connected with Him as the branch is to the vine, which draws all its life and growth through the vine from its roots. This makes the branch so much a part of the vine as to be of the same nature; and, in fact, it is but an extension of the vine itself. To remain in that connection, the branch must bear only the fruit of the vine, which is the product of the life of the vine. To have such close connection with Christ is to receive life from God through Him, and to bear only that fruit which is the product of His life, in short, to be the extension of Christ in humanity. 2. To abide in Christ, then, is to abide in His love; not simply to accept forgiveness through His love, but to make His love our own, and live in it. This is the transforming power of Christ, which changes life's ambition, and directs the thoughts from a self-centred to seek the up building of the distressed and wretched. This is the fruit of the heavenly vine, which its connected branches must certainly bear. 3. How different is a friend from a servant! No servant is made a confident of family secrets; he has not the freedom of the family circle, does not participate in its united joys, and is not consulted in matters of family interest. He is just a servant, nothing more, doing what he is told, regardless of results. But a friend is welcomed in the family circle, is made a bosom companion, and given the place of honour as a guest. Matters of importance are confided to him, and his counsel sought. His is an enjoyable position. How much more so when we are counted friends of the Lord Jesus. 9

10 ~ Adventist Review ~ CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND METHODIST CHURCH ONE STEP CLOSER TO UNITING Wednesday February 28th, 2018 in Briefings, Prophetic Intelligence Briefings In the spirit of ecumenism, which it has learned from the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England s governing body has given its welcome to proposals which could unite the Church of England and the Methodist Church. Members of the General Synod backed a motion welcoming a joint report published last year, which sets out proposals on how clergy from each church could become eligible to serve in the other. The report, Mission and Ministry in Covenant, which was co-written by the two churches faith and order bodies, also sets out how the Methodist Church could come to have bishops in the historic episcopate. The motion acknowledges that there is further work to do to clarify a number of areas, including how the proposals would be worked out in practice. But an amendment to the motion speaks of confident hope that outstanding issues can be resolved quickly. I want to support this motion very strongly indeed, said Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. It seems to me that in voting for it we respond to the word of God in the scriptures where there is a clear command to unity in diversity and in responding to this paper positively we respond to the Spirit who is already working in both of our Churches bringing us together. After the debate, Gareth J Powell, Secretary of the Methodist Conference, said: We recognize that these are matters of significance to all within our Churches. As we move forward, we will continue to discern the will of God and deepen our understanding of each other through ongoing dialogue. The report builds on the theological merging established by An Anglican- Methodist Covenant, signed in 2003, and subsequent work. In 2014 the Anglican 10

11 General Synod and the Methodist Conference mandated the faith and order bodies to bring forward proposals that would enable ordained church leaders in the two churches to serve in the other. It is the Catholic Church that has initiated the ecumenical movement to bring the churches back into the bosom of Rome in full, visible, sacramental unity. But now it is spreading to reconciliation efforts between other churches with the same aim. The reconciliation of Anglicans and Methodists is only leading to one ultimate destination unity with Rome. All the world wondered after the beast. Revelation 13:3. Source References Church of England and Methodist Church one step closer to uniting ~ Religion News Service ~ INDONESIA: CHRISTIANS FLOGGED IN PUBLIC FOR PLAYING BANNED CHILDREN'S GAME The pair were among five people including a couple whipped or showing affection in public who were lashed with a rattan stick Agence France-Presse, Wed 28 Feb AEDT 11 [Left] People watch as Tjia Nyuk Hwa is publicly flogged outside a mosque in Banda Aceh Photograph: Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP/Getty Images Two Indonesian Christians were publicly flogged in conservative Aceh province Tuesday for playing a children s entertainment game seen as violating Islamic law. Hundreds of onlookers ridiculed and took pictures of the pair were who were among five people including a couple whipped two dozen times each for showing affection in public who were lashed with a rattan stick.

12 Aceh is the only province in the world s most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes sharia law and people can be flogged for a range of offences from gambling, to drinking alcohol to having gay sex or relations outside of marriage. On Tuesday, Dahlan Silitonga, 61, and Tjia Nyuk Hwa, 45, were flogged six and seven times respectively after being arrested for playing a long-standing game at a children s entertainment complex that lets users exchange coins for prizes or vouchers, including cash. The pair were accused of gambling while another man Ridwan MR got 19 lashes for being involved in the game. This is to create a deterrent effect, in order for people not to repeat violations of Islamic sharia law, Banda Aceh s mayor Aminullah Usman said. We purposely do it in front of the public... so it won t happen again. About 300 spectators, including some two dozen tourists from neighbouring Malaysia, jeered the gambling-accused trio as they were whipped on a makeshift stage outside a mosque. You are old, show remorse, the crowd screamed. Non-Muslim Tjia Nyuk Hwa tried to hide her face in a specially provided white cloak with head-covering hijab. The two Christians are among just a handful of non-muslims to be punished under Aceh s strict religious law since it was adopted in 2001 as part of a deal with the central government to end a long-running insurgency. In January, an Indonesian Christian was flogged for selling alcohol in the province at the tip of Sumatra island, which made headlines recently after local police publicly humiliated a group of transgender women. About 98% of Aceh s five million residents are Muslims subject to religious law. Non-Muslims who have committed an offence that violates both national and religious laws can choose to be prosecuted under either system. Christians and other non-muslims sometimes choose a flogging to avoid a lengthy court process and jail term. 12

13 ~ Bible Promises ~ For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [ 2 Corinthians 5:1, KJV ] ~ Memory Verse ~ "So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off." [ Proverbs 24:14, KJV ] We are not just another small group meeting weekly to read the bible and hang out together - we are a C.A.R.E. Group! C.A.R.E. stands for Christ's Attitude Reflected in Everyone - and that is exactly what we are all about. Our group meets on Friday nights from 6:00pm every week at Amber and Krystal's House. Next gathering - Friday, March 9th. ~ C.A.R.E. Group ~ EVERYONE is welcome to join in the fun of sharing and caring for one another and there is plenty of floor space. For more information contact Krystal/Amber (03) or visit / care_group.htm or find us on Facebook - Hamilton CARE group. See Amber or Krystal for more information. HAMILTON CHURCH WEBSITE Church Website: Church info@hamilton-adventist.net recipeclub@hamilton-adventist.net Facebook: Mobile App: Recipe Club: 13

14 ~ For The Kids ~ 14

15 ~ Weekly Devotional ~ March 3rd A Message for Our Time For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. Hebrews 3:14, NKJV And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer (Revelation 10:5, 6). This message announces the end of the prophetic periods. The disappointment of those who expected to see our Lord in 1844 was indeed bitter to those who had so ardently looked for His appearing. It was in the Lord s order that this disappointment should come, and that hearts should be revealed. Not one cloud has fallen upon the church that God has not prepared for; not one opposing force has risen to counterwork the work of God but He has foreseen.... All His purposes will be fulfilled and established. His law is linked with His throne, and satanic agencies combined with human agencies cannot destroy it. Truth is inspired and guarded by God; it will live, and will succeed, although it may appear at times to be overshadowed. The gospel of Christ is the law exemplified in character. The deceptions practiced against it, every device for vindicating falsehood, every error forged by satanic agencies, will eventually be eternally broken, and the triumph of truth will be like the appearing of the sun at noonday. The Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth with healing in His wings, and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.... Old controversies will be revived, and new theories will be continually arising. But God s people, who in their belief and ulfillment of prophecy have acted a part in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels messages, know where they stand. They have an experience that is more precious than fine gold. They are to stand firm as a rock, holding the beginning of their confidence steadfast unto the end. Selected Messages, book 2, pp. 108, 109. (To Be Like Jesus Ellen G White - page 71) 15

16 ~ Sabbath Services ~ Service This Week Next Week 3rd March 10th March Divine Service Brian Way Peter Roberts Divine Service Prelims Peter Tung Karen Roberts Sabbath School Peter Tung Peter Tung ~ Sunset Times ~ Sunset Sabbath (Tonight) 8:09 pm DST Sunset Next Friday 8:00 pm DST This Week: Next Week: ~ Church Offering ~ Local Church Budget Adventist World Radio February 25th March 10th 2018 ~ Church Cleaning ~ Coral Aisbett March 11th March 24th 2018 Neff Family February 25th March 10th 2018 ~ Garden Maintenance ~ Volunteer Needed March 11th March 24th 2018 Jay Neff ~ Church Website ~ Website : info@hamilton-adventist.net - Contact Details - Elder Peter Tung peter.h.tung@gmail.com Pastor Duane Suffolk duanesuffolk@adventist.org.au