IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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The Lord is Coming! Are you ready? | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
IAUA
(ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly sabbath. I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of the Lord. In 1991 I was disfellowhipped from the Seventh-Day Adventist church. I fellowshipped with the Evangelical Congregational church for many years. I returned to attending the SDA church in 2002. I could no longer be separate in worship from those who believed as I did. You can read all the details here if you have not done so already. www.IAUA.name/Ministry.html#Personal+Testimony Initially I had no intention to seek membership in the church. I reasoned that membership in the church served no particular purpose. I was a member of the family of God and that was sufficient. I realize now that I was antagonistic because of the failings of the church organization and the realization that the official church doctrine did not fully live up to the standards of the Bible as I understood them. The first chink in my armor came when I received an email asking for advice about a school to attend that taught all Bible truth. The Holy Spirit spoke through me in words that I had to turn around and read for myself. www.IAUA.name/Archives/2005-03-25.html At the same time there was a presentation on the Prophecy Code series about baptism that spoke to me in a very strong way. I began discussing my thoughts and feelings about church membership with my wife. Then, while I was listening to the Seven Signs series I was also feeling a strong leading from the Holy Spirit. The next Sabbath at church one of the members approached me and commented that she had noticed that I often became emotional while reading Bible texts in Sabbath School class and asked if I was interested in being baptized. I told her that I have been baptized but I had been thinking about becoming a member and was already planning to talk to the pastor. The pastor met with my wife and I after church the next week and we had a good discussion. The pastor is working to bring Cindy and I into the church together. I realize now that I had not forgiven the church for its failings. I am reminded that God will not forgive those who do not forgive. I am reminded that whatever the shortcomings it is the most advanced organized church attempting to follow the Word of God. If the church does not reject me for following the statutes, I will not reject it. Many of those I know who are following the statutes are also church members. It may be that following the statutes is not a testing truth of the church for the last days. The Holy Spirit will guide. I certainly believe that those who see the truth must follow it. Following the seventh day sabbath is certainly a testing truth. The thought has crossed my mind about the possible apostasy of the church but I realize that it can never happen as long as the church has the name Seventh-Day Adventist. The healing I am beginning to feel in my heart is a very powerful thing. I have learned that I can accept the church with all its failings just as the Messiah accepts me with all my failings. I am not perfect yet and neither is the church. If the Holy Spirit leads me and there is any part I can play in leading those in the church to greater truth, it will happen from within. I have also just received encouragement from the Lord in the form of a clear sign of part of the direction for my life. I have been unemployed now for over a year and a half and my finances have reached a critical point. In order to go on will require major changes and drastic actions. I placed my house on the market and I asked the Lord for a sign of whether this is what He wanted. I priced the house ten thousand above what the realtor recommended. I "put out a fleece" that if this is what He wanted then the house would sell at that price. My wife and I discussed how this would give us confidence in the will of God. After a month the realtor was really pushing that we would lower the price but we didn't do it. Then the realtor told us an offer was coming. We assumed that the offer would be less than what was listed. We discussed what would be reasonable in light of our request to God. We decided that three to five thousand would be reasonable. Well... There were two offers! The first was seventeen thousand less. The second offer was eleven thousand less but there was an interesting stipulation. Closing would be required in less than 30 days but they would lease back until we could find a house. We were flabbergasted. "O ye of little faith." This was an answer to an unasked prayer. Let me explain. Because of our current financial situation and being unemployed for so long, we cannot obtain financing for another house until after we sell our current home. Normally people want immediate possession when they have bought a house. We were planning that we would have to put our stuff in storage and move into temporary housing. This would be a nightmare but there was no better option. Now we were being offered the opportunity to find another home and move directly from one to the other. Fantastic! The encouragement and opportunities didn't stop there. We countered the offer with a reduction of only five thousand. They countered with a reduction of seven thousand from the list price. That very day, we discovered that the list price of the house on the top of our list for possibilities was reduced seven thousand dollars. Also... This house is already empty so there will be no delays in moving in. Now... These events are still in process so we do not yet know how everything will work out. We do know that God has made it very clear to us that He is leading. Our faith is strengthened and we know that He will lead us no matter what happens. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (KJV) Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV) May we all find peace and unity in the soon coming of IAUShUO (Ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God. Shabbat Shalom
Frank T. Clark
Next: 2005-04-17 Do the Right Thing - Part V |
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Revised 2005-04-17 |