For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church The Last Words of Jesus by Pastor Mitch What were the last words of Jesus on the cross? What did those words mean to those who heard him and to us today? Traditionally, there are seven sayings of Jesus during his crucifixion recorded in the gospels. The books of Mark and Matthew share one verse of the Lord s last words. Three of the Lord s last sayings are found in the book of Luke. In addition, the book of John records three more distinct sayings. Together, the Gospels share Easter Sabbath Easter is a day when we reflect on God s love for us. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. Another way to begin to understand God s love, is to examine The Last Words of Jesus. When the testimonies of the gospel writers combine, the results are a legacy of divine love. with us a total of seven last sayings of Jesus before he died on the cross. Jesus last sayings are filled with life-giving power. His words express a deep and abiding love that reaches across the centuries to touch each of us and encourages us to go and do likewise. Just like those of us who treasure the final words of our loved ones, the final words of our Lord are his gifts to us. The final words of a loved one are held as sacred and treasured by the entry family. My father died more than a decade ago. Yet, I recall his last words to me. He said, Come on, let s go. The subdued urgency in his voice recalled childhood memories of hurrying to the place of his call. In my heart s memory his invitation was to join him in a pleasant activity. My father s final words are hidden deep within my heart safe to treasure forever. continued on page 1 Please join us as we celebrate Easter. On Saturday, April 7th, we will have our Easter Celebration. Invite your friends to join us for this important service. Also, make plans to stay for a luncheon after the service. The fellowship and the food is great! = Easter s Promise Twas by a path of sorrows drear Christ entered into rest; And shall I look for roses here, Or think that earth is blessed? Heaven s whitest lilies blow From earth s sharp crown of woe: Who here his cross can meekly bear, Shall wear the kingly purple there. L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert INSIDE Crossing the Line on page 3 Compliance or Commitment? is on page 4 Ginny s Kitchen on page 5 What s happening? see pages 6 & 9 Saving for the Wrong Reasons on page 7 Our Church Family page 10 Kid s Page on page 11
THE LATEST WORD The Last Words of Jesus (cont. from page 1) 2 On Easter weekend, April 7, we will experience the last words of our Lord as he hung upon the cross. Our plan is to focus on three of his sayings but give the scriptures where all seven are found to look up and share with your family. When the testimonies of the gospel writers combine, the results are a legacy of divine love. One way to interpret the Lord s last words is to carefully listen to those around him and observe their reactions. We ll hear the Lord s word of forgiveness to those crucifying him; a word of assurance to a condemned thief; and a special word of love When the testimonies of the gospel writers combine, the results are a legacy of love. to his mother and disciple. These words are a must for the entire world to know. What a heritage our God has left his believing family to share. This is an outreach event, so plan to invite neighbors and friends. A fellowship luncheon is planned that day. Each year we set aside a special Sabbath to honor our military veterans. This year we want to include those who serve in law enforcement and fire protection as well. On April 14, we ve invited Army Chaplain Lt. Col. James Milburn as our guest speaker. Lt. Col. Milburn has been with us in the past and we look forward to his Biblical message. Milburn is assigned to the 79th Sustainment Support Command at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. If you grew up in the church, you probably grew up believing that God can do anything. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is too big or too small for God. That s what we were taught. And there is real truth in those statements. However, you might be surprised to learn that there are some things that God can t do. Not because they are too hard for him, but because these things simply violate the principles and characteristics that make God who he is. On Aptil 21st, Bill Aumack will bring us the first message in the series, Things God Can t Do. The first message is titled God Can t Break a Promise. How do we know we can trust what God says in the Bible? By one estimate, the Bible contains some 30,000 promises! That s a lot of promises. How can we be assured that God will keep these promises? That s something that many of us have wondered at one point or another. Bring a friend to see what the Bible has to say about this very topic. Also, watch for more messages in this series over the next few months when Bill preaches. The final message on April 28 is called A Window in Time. What do you want your child to be when he or she grows-up? Dream large for your kids. We serve the Almighty God and are any dreams continued on page 5 WE DID IT The Latest Word V 24 N 04 BILL AUMACK responsible for this LINDA AUMACK copy editor HATZUKO AISPURO paper distribution MITCH WILLIAMS pastor address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd. Downey, CA 90240 office: 562.869.6013 fax: 562.622.1691 downeychurch@gmail.com www.downeychurch.com distributed monthly issue date: Apr. 2012 copyright 1992-2012
God, Webster & You by Linda Bewley Webster says renew means to make like new... restore to freshness or perfection... to make new spiritually : REGENERATE... (Webster s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). God says, Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being RENEWED in knowledge in the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:10 NIV). I have a little calendar that sits on my desk at work. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I get a new one each year, and they are always different. I m really enjoying this year s calendar, because it has April 7 Mitch Williams Easter The Last Words of Jesus April 14 Jim Milburn Crossing the Line a new word for each day, together with a definition, proper usage and a little historical fact about how the word came into existence. I have several pages that I have saved since the beginning of the year. One of them is for the word RUBICON. It means a bounding or limiting line; especially one that when crossed commits a person irrevocably. The sentence provided to bring home the definition is, The college basketball player had to decide whether to stay in school... or cross the Rubicon and go pro. The word s evolvement stems from the time in history when Julius Caesar led his army to the banks of the Rubicon and, violating the law, he defiantly led his army across the river, the boundary. Worship Schedule April 21 Bill Aumack Things God Can t Do #1 God Can t Break a Promise April 28 Mitch Williams A Window in Time Ha! Who says words cannot be fun and interesting? Not me!!! You know, I would venture to say that there is a Rubicon in the life of every Christian. Initially, it might have been the time in your life when you decided to accept Christ as your Savior. The time when, faced with the condition of your heart and life, that you chose to leave that life behind and ask God to make you new. At that point, you committed yourself irrevocably. Am I right? But, you know, I would also venture to say we make that choice on a daily basis. A daily Rubicon, if you will. Each day we choose to walk in the flesh and live for self or choose to surrender to God. If I m honest here, I m going to tell you that I don t always find that an easy choice. But I am encouraged by God s Word and His promise of renewal such that I want to make the right choice. During my study time this week, I looked up the word renewal in my study Bible. I really April 2012 like the commentary on Colossians 3:10 and the word itself which says:... believers are exhorted to live with a new selfperception... in which each sees himself as having become a new man... The new man emerges or comes to expression in greater fullness as the believer apprehends with ever-deepening faith who he has become in Christ. This restoration is indeed the gradual recreation of the image of God which man originally bore prior to the Fall (Hebrew- Greek Key Word Study Bible, AMG International, Inc.). In our case, crossing the daily Rubicon is not an act of defiance but an act of surrender and cooperation with our Creator which leads to renewal. For some reason it reminds me of an old song. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. = 3
THE LATEST WORD 4 Before the Father by Linda Fernandez So then, my friends... offer yourselves a living sacrifice to God... Romans 12:1 (Good News Trans) Many Christians feel the concept of suffering unrewarding and unnecessary, perhaps even unbiblical. Compliance or Commitment? In this series of articles, I have been covering contrasts we face in Christian life. In chapter three of Alistair Begg s book, Made For H-I-S Pleasure, he tells a story of an experience while attending London Bible College. As part of their teaching and ministerial education, they were to preach to a group of street people, most of whom only came for the food which was served after the service. He writes, Anyone who thinks he may be called to preach should be given the opportunity to test his gift in this environment. Begg continues with a story of a young woman from that class who felt she was called to the mission field. With her schooling complete and learning the local language she left for the small village where she would be teaching. Soon thereafter the village was raided by a band of militant guerillas and everyone, young and old, was ruthlessly slaughtered. This young woman gave her life in service to God at the age of twenty-eight. Her brief life, however, was not lost in vain, for to this day, her story continues to be told by those whose lives were touched by her commitment to her Lord. For the most part, sacrifice of this magnitude is not known in Christianity today. Many Christians feel the concept of suffering unrewarded and unnecessary, perhaps even unbiblical. Begg writes, This sacrifice is not two separate transactionsentrusting your life to Christ and then offering your body as a living sacrifice-but one. Not everyone is called to the mission field, but all are called to sacrifice. One morning I heard a similar story on a radio program. The story was about Stephen and the impact his life of faith had on a certain Jew named Saul. After meeting Christ himself, Saul was a man whose life was completely changed from a life of strict compliance to a life of total commitment. In Romans 12, Paul has so much to say. He implores his listeners not to be conformed to this world (v2); to think with sober judgment and not arrogance (v3). He encourages them to use their various gifts diligently and cheerfully (v6-8); to love sincerely (9) and in verses 11 and 12, to serve the Lord patiently and joyfully. The notes in my study Bible state, Paul goes into detail to show that Jesus Christ is to be Lord of every area of life..god demands our action as well as our believing and thinking. Only in coming to know Christ will we have the desire and the strength to abandon the powerful attachments we have to this world. It has taken me many years to see the wisdom in this truth and I struggle daily with wanting to leave a life of mere compliance to one of true commitment. Let s pray. Father, help me live a life pleasing to You through Jesus. =
From Ginny s Kitchen April 2012 Lime Tarts with Dark Chocolate ¼ cup cocoa, I used Ghirardelli natural unsweetened cocoa 2 tablespoons Agave Nectar or 1/3 cup white sugar ¼ cup cornstarch 2 cup1 plain soy milk or fat-free milk 2 large eggs 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted (I used 8 Hershey s Kisses, special dark) 1 tablespoons grated fresh line rind 8 prepackaged 3 graham cracker tart cups Toppings: fat free whipping cream thinly sliced lime slices Directions: 1) Place packaged graham cracker tarts shells in refrigerator to chill. 2) Combine cocoa, Agave or sugar and cornstarch, whisk together in a saucepan. Add ¾ cup milk and continue whisking together and cooking for 8 minutes until thick. Stir to blend. 3) Whisk eggs in a bowl and 1 and ¼ c. milk and then stir into saucepan, constantly stirring. Cook about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, add & then fold into mixture of grated fresh lime rind. Set aside to cool. 4) Stir and fill each tart. Cool a couple of hours before serving. Add 1 piece of lime across the top of tart and top with whipped cream and serve. = The Last Words of Jesus from page 2 too big for our children or ourselves with God at our sides? Jesus said, With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God (Mark 10:27). The Lord is opening a window of opportunity for all of us to grow in him. Let s seize the day of opportunity for our kids. See you when the church gathers. = Be sure to keep up with the latest news by signing up for the Wednesday email. You can sign up here www.downeychurch.org/signups.html or send us an email at DowneyChurch at gmail dot com and we ll add you. 5
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Downey Adventist Church 2 3 4 5 6 7 7:17 pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7:22 pm sunset 3 pm Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Jim Milburn 15 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice 16 17 18 19 20 21 7:28pm sunset 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack 9 am Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Board Meeting 7 pm Women s Prayer Group 7 pm Band Practice 7:33 pm sunset 7 pm Band Practice 3 pm Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting 9:30 am S.S. 10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams Visit www.downeychurch.org S.S. Sabbath School C.S. Community Service
Stewpot by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES. If you ask any reasonable person, Do you think it is important to save? they will probably answer, yes. But if your follow-up question is, Are you saving consistently and regularly from your monthly income? the sad truth may be that few would answer, yes. As Christians, we should know better because biblical wisdom explains when we fail to save we are living foolishly. The wise man or woman saves for the future, but the foolish man or woman spends whatever he or she gets, Proverbs 21:20, TLB. Yet, even after Solomon s wise proverb some believers might ask, Are you sure we Christians should be saving money? Often Bible believers find themselves at opposite extremes of what God s Word rightly indicates concerning the principles of saving. Some Christians emphatically claim that saving money demonstrates a lack of trust because God has promised that our bread Saving for the Wrong Reasons and water is assured. Others are convinced they must store up for seven years of famine like Joseph advised Pharaoh in response to his dream. And both could support their argument by quoting Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus sent his disciples on their first mission with the admonishment, take no provisions, Luke 10:3-10. But on their second trip He directs them to take provisions, Luke 22:35-36. A solution to this dilemma is to ask another question, Why, as a Christian, would I need to save? Would your reason for saving be because you fear of losing everything? Are you terrified of the future? Are you nervous about living without any emergency or reserve funds? Let s try to determine our underlining motives for saving. Here are four unhealthy reasons for saving: Insecurity As a financial educator, I encourage individuals and families to make as their first two savings accounts an emergency fund of $1,000 for life s minor crises and at least two or three months of saved income as a reserve fund in the event you are downsized or laid off. This does not diminish our confidence in our Heavenly Father. Jesus, when he was on earth, instructed his disciples to pray, Give us our daily bread as a contrast to those who constantly squirrel away money for a rainy day. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of our LORD our God, Psalm 20:7. Pride History often demonstrates that the rich are more likely to be recognized and honored. In the foyer of a charity or displayed in the lobby of hospital you might see a tree-like icon with the names of the affluent families on the top of the tree because they donated millions, those who gave a few thousand dollars listed on the middle branches, and the names who contributed just a few hundred on the widening lower boughs. Similarly, among Christ s followers there continued on page 8 April 2012 Nobody ever went broke saving money. Anonymous Make money your God, and will plague you like the Devil. Henry Fielding 7
THE LATEST WORD Saving for the Wrong Reasons (cont. from page 7) is a tendency to treat the moneyed members better than those who are impoverished. James writes of this attitude in his epistle this way: Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, Here s a good seat for you, but say to the poor man, You stand here or Sit on the floor by my feet, have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?, James 2:2-4 NIV. Greed One of the recurring economic themes, particularly for those who have lost their jobs, or their family s home is in explanation should lead you to save for the right motives. Here are three right reasons to save: 1) Save so you do not become a burden to your debt. The wicked borrow money with no intention of paying it back, but the righteous give with generosity, Psalm 37:21 TCW. Saving is a verb of being and doing. Hence, prayerfully scrutinize your saving-intentions and you will be saving with God s purposes. = References: Ford, Craig (2010, November). Five Spiritual Unhealthy Motives for Building up Savings, Soundmind Investing Magazine. 8 Fear It could be said that fear is insecurity on steroids. The reason some people fear never having enough is because they lived as children in an impoverished home, or early in their career they were let go, or they lived through the Great Depression. They now constantly save not because it makes them feel more secure, but because they are terrified of what the future holds. Fortunately, the remedy for their anxious existence is found in the scripture; Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, Psalm 23:4. foreclosure, is the widening salary gap between the labor force and corporate executives and the financial gurus of Wall Street. Greed, as the stepsister to pride, has only one purpose - to amass as much wealth as possible and eagerly destroy anything or anyone who gets in the way. Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold, but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others! (Psalm 52:7) Donate for the Right Reasons The four above reasons may make you agree with those who say Christians should never save. But the children or family. Set aside adequate funds for your future needs. If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever, 1 Timothy 5:8. TCW 2) Save so the local church will never have to use its limited resources to assist members who could have saved for themselves, but to use them for the greater good of the surrounding community. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers, Galatians 6:10. 3) Save so you can be a generous contributor rather than one who is always in I have learned that money is not the measure of a man, but it is often the means of finding our how small he is. Oswald J. Smith
April 2012 THIS MONTH Upcoming Events April Birthdays Jessica Michel 6 Veronica Lozano 7 Gabriel Gomez 7 Jessica Ramirez - 18 Daniel Michel 19 Judy Joseph 19 Edwin Morales 20 Erik Concha 20 Miranda Gomez 21 Whitny Braun 22 Ricardo Gonzalez 24 If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in. Thursdays - 7 p.m. Women s Prayer Group Fridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice Apr. 7 - Easter Celebration and Luncheon Apr. 8 - Easter Apr. 7 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 3pm Apr. 14 - Military Appreciation Day with Jim Mulburn Apr. 21 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 3pm Apr. 22 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 9am Apr. 25 - Administrative Professionals Day The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month. Coming Soon Check out the audio and video sermon podcasts at www.downeychurch.org/ sermons.html May 12 - Mother s Day Sabbath & Luncheon July 16-20 - Vacation Bible School 9
THE LATEST WORD The Latest About Our Church Family Marylene Morris is going to be moving to Redlands to live with her daughter, Kathi, and family. We will miss Marylene! If you need her new address, please contact the office. We sorrowfully report the passing of Mario Delgado s father. Remember the family in your prayers. Please remember Linda Fernandez in your prayers. She is beginning cancer treatments. Both Ava Meade and Xavier Garcia have been declared cancer free. Praise God! If you have any Church Family news, please contact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. = Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated. For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon. Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your support! = Believing is Seeing 10 When the disciples saw Jesus after his resurrection, they believed. But Thomas, who was absent, doubted until he, too, got to see and even touch Jesus. For him, as the others, seeing was believing. But what of us who don t get to see Jesus in the flesh? If seeing is believing, are we out of luck? No. In fact, sometimes it works the opposite way; sometimes believing is seeing. Try this: Despite any doubts, choose to believe, trusting the witness of someone who s seen God at work a biblical figure or presentday Christian. You ll be amazed at the love, healing, peace and new life that spring out of troubles. With the eyes of your heart (Ephesians 1:18, NRSV), you will see your Lord and your God. = The Garden In 1912, as Charles Austin Miles grabbed his Bible, it opened to John 20. Reading the account of Mary Magdalene outside the garden tomb where Jesus body had been laid, Miles felt powerfully that he was there. Inspired, he quickly wrote the poem In the Garden and later composed the music. This hymn might seem sentimental and trite, if understood to refer to just any garden. But the song takes on profound meaning when recognized as Mary s personal encounter with the living Lord. And he walks with me, and he talks with me, And he tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known! =
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April 2012 Ponder This... = Faith does not struggle; faith lets God do it all. Corrie ten Boom = Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. Rick Warren Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church 9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240 DATED MATERIAL Return Service Requested 12