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It was a blessed and joyous day at Smyrna.
A happy Michael
A faithful copy of The Great Controversy used
in the youth Sabbath School
After a hard winter, we look forward to Spring soon here in
West Virginia and the return of the butterflies.
This picture is on the front cover of
the March 2010
issues of Old Paths.
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Sabbath, March 6,
2010--Links
to Prior Reports
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and
liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as
silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou
understand the fear of the LORD, and find the
knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)
Sabbath was a day of rejoicing, fellowship, and
Bible study. Our Sabbath School began with prayer, and song service was
led by Brother Leon Holt and his granddaughter, Ashleigh Holt. Sister
Elaine Nailing welcomed us to Sabbath School, and Pastor Allen Stump
then shared a devotional based upon the word of God and with a quiz
encouraged us to recall some of the texts we studied together recently
on Jesus as the Son of God. Brother Michael Woodward guided the Sabbath
School as they shared the blessings they have received during the past
week and then he led the members in prayer. Brother Leon Holt continued
the adult Sabbath School lesson study of Revelation 6 and 7, and the
Junior class studied in The Great Controversy and reviewed how we
can place our faith in the Bible as the word of God.
The Worship Hour began with prayer and a Scripture
reading from Nehemiah 9:23-31. Brother Leon Holt then led the
congregation in the hymn “We’ll Build on the Rock.” After prayer
requests were shared, Brother Leon Holt led the congregation in
intercessory prayer. This was followed by a children’s story taken from
The Youth’s Instructor of 1872 about Eddie’s lunch basket. Sister
Onycha Holt was helped in telling this story by many members of the
congregation.
You may hear this story about how it is more blessed to give than
receive by clicking here. Then Pastor Allen Stump shared the
message of the hour, entitled “On What Track Is Your Train?” This sermon
was a blessing to all. It led us through incidents of church history and
then admonished us to rightly divide the word of truth, for the track of
error often lies very close to the track of truth. In closing, Pastor
Stump read these words from the book Early Writings:
“I saw that the saints must get a thorough
understanding of present truth, which they will be obliged to maintain
from the Scriptures. They must understand the state of the dead; for the
spirits of devils will yet appear to them, professing to be beloved
friends and relatives, who will declare to them that the Sabbath has
been changed, also other unscriptural doctrines. They will do all in
their power to excite sympathy and will work miracles before them to
confirm what they declare. The people of God must be prepared to
withstand these spirits with the Bible truth that the dead know not
anything, and that they who appear to them are the spirits of devils.
Our minds must not be taken up with things around us, but must be
occupied with the present truth and a preparation to give a reason of
our hope with meekness and fear. We must seek wisdom from on high that
we may stand in this day of error and delusion.
“We must examine well the foundation of our hope,
for we shall have to give a reason for it from the Scriptures. This
delusion will spread, and we shall have to contend with it face to face;
and unless we are prepared for it, we shall be ensnared and overcome.
But if we do what we can on our part to be ready for the conflict that
is just before us, God will do His part, and His all-powerful arm will
protect us. He would sooner send every angel out of glory to the relief
of faithful souls, to make a hedge about them, than have them deceived
and led away by the lying wonders of Satan.
“I saw the rapidity with which this delusion was
spreading. A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of
lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the
train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that there could not
be one left. Said the angel, ‘They are binding in bundles ready to
burn.’ Then he showed me the conductor, who appeared like a stately,
fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was
perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. He said, ‘It is
Satan. He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has
taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to
believe a lie, that they may be damned. This agent, the next highest in
order to him, is the engineer, and other of his agents are employed in
different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with
lightning speed to perdition.’
“I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade
me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a
narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, bound together by the
truth, in bundles, or companies. Said the angel, ‘The third angel is
binding, or sealing, them in bundles for the heavenly garner’”
(pp.87-89).
To hear an audio copy of this message please click here.
Following the sermon, Sister Elaine Nailing sang
the hymn “I Come to the Garden Alone” as special music, and the
congregation then joined together in singing the hymn “There Was One Who
Was Willing.”
At the conclusion of our service, we were very
happy to greet our long-distance church family by phone conference or
via the Internet, and we are very glad that our church family is
growing. We pray that God will richly bless you in the days ahead until
we meet again. May he fill your hearts and minds with his sweet Spirit
is our prayer.
Following a fellowship meal at the Smyrna Chapel,
those of us who could visited the residents of a nearby nursing home and
shared our faith in prayer and song.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
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Links to Recent Prior Sabbath
Reports
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