2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Dear Church Family,
On Sabbath mornings, we’ve been letting this text speak to us without our expectations of what we want it to mean. It would be easier for us if we could all just pray, ‘return to our Judeo-Christian roots’, and our Heavenly Father would make everything better.
But, as we saw last week, this text applies to the Biblical nation of Israel, and to no other nation. So, we asked, can it apply to us individually? We asked, and found the Bible answers to these questions:
1. “Are believers better off, because they believe?”
Generally, yes, we are better off; but we are not immune to the trials and ills of this sinful world.
2. “Does sin cause sickness?”
No, not always. God does not hurt people.
Sometimes, wicked people get away, unpunished, for a lot of bad behavior, for a long time.
But, they often do reap in this life the penalty of breaking God’s laws, and certainly there is a bitter harvest when their life’s journey is done.
3. “Does Praying help sick people get better?”
Yes. Sometimes they are healed completely. And yes, believers always have faith and receive God’s comfort and presence, by faith, even though they may not be healed until Jesus comes.
Now, let me be blunt, sometimes when I am hurting, or visiting with people who are hurting, even these answers are not enough. Hurting can be tough, and hard, and confusing.
When times are like this, there is one more answer, that has always helped me: Jesus suffered and died for me. He hurt. He begged Heaven for relief. He endured. And then He died for me. And He rose up for me, and for you.
He is my Answer. And He is enough, for me.
Pastor Albert
PS Next Sabbath, we are going to see how God does bless nations. He owns the world, and the nations that arise on the face of the earth.
7 in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Corinthians 12
Church is now open, albeit with several protective measures in place. We are still meeting online via Zoom for those who are still at risk.
Highlights:
Sabbath School Lessons: All sorts of lesson papers are arriving now, to be used for the month of July and forward. For example, a box of Adult Sabbath School Quarterlies has just arrived in the mail today, “Making Friends for God”.
If you would like a copy, call me at the church office, and I will either send one to you or you might want to swing by and pick one up.
I’m not sure when the crew will put together the lesson papers and mail them to the families with Children, but I’ll be sure to inquire and let you know in the next newsletter.
Slow News Week: I’m trying to think what else to put in here. And since I’ve stared at the screen for about ten minutes, I’m going to quit for now. I hope to have more next Thursday!
Reach Your Pastor: I am forwarding the church phone (310/541-1819) to my home phone (424/206-2949) and though it often has bad reception you can call my cell phone (626/826-8448) or text me. Email works, too: albertfrederico@gmail.com Read the rest of the news at rhsda.org/news.
With most of us at home, we may not have many opportunities to give out tracts, but we should attempt to use every little opportunity that may make a difference! Here is a tract made specially for this time: https://www.buyglow.org/coronavirus-and-immunity/. You can read it here. Consider ordering a pack of these to give when helping someone out, co-workers (if you are one of those essential workers), or leaving in a place that still gets some traffic, or share this link online.
This pandemic has forced us to start using long-neglected technology platforms to reach out to people. If you spend time on social media—Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and others—follow the various Adventist ministries that publish content that you can share. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and talk to Nathan about how you can help publish inspiring content on our church social media pages and our website.
Online Giving:Adventist Giving enables us to return our tithes and offerings online easily.Go to Adventist Giving
5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4 This passage will be feature in our mid-week Bible Study
