Triad Adventist Fellowship

Luke 15:7, 10: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. Evangelism is a celebration. Celebration is a better term than “effort” or “campaign” or “crusade.” What we are really doing in an evangelistic festival is uniting ourselves with the joy of heaven when a sinner repents. Only the devil takes exception, and since it bothers him, he wants it to bother you, too. Don’t listen to him. Cheer up!
2. We celebrate what God has done. It’s indeed true that God uses human beings to share the good news, but it’s God’s work to bring conversion. We are celebrating the work of God in conversion—His success. We should focus on the miracle of conversion, which God alone can do.
3. God changes all kinds of people. Remember the first day of these 40 days; we began praying for people in the following three categories:

• In Jerusalem—people close to you in distance and relationship.

• In Judea—acquaintances, but not deep friendships.

• In Samaria—persons hostile to the gospel.

Share It

Write down the names of the people who were baptized, for whom you will pray and serve as a spiritual mentor and friend.

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My Prayer Today: For steadfastness in Christ.

– Pray that every person baptized will remain steadfast with Christ, in the church.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Acts 22:16: “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. Get up. When a person decides to be baptized, his or her life begins to climb. Relationships improve. Health improves. Finances improve. Communion with God improves. The road to Jerusalem is always upward. When we make that marvelous decision, our self-esteem rises too.
2. Wash. Anyone who has gone more than two days without a bath knows how good it feels to have one again! Another blessing of following Jesus is the opportunity to leave the past behind—to wash it away. What an incomparable feeling of cleanliness!
3. Invoke. When we invoke, or call on, God’s presence, we enter the realm of prayer. A decision accompanied by prayer is secure and trustworthy. Whom do you turn to when you have problems? In whom do you trust when you need a confidant? When you invoke the name of Jesus at these times, His peace will flood our hearts as never before.

Share It

Begin to fast for all those who will be baptized in the meetings.

My Prayer Today: For those who have to make hard choices.

– Pray that God will hope them overcome any obstacle.

– Pray that they will be able to put God first in their lives.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Revelation 21:1-3: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. Heaven will eliminate bad memories. We all have bad memories of things done to us, or that we have done to ourselves or others. Sometimes these bad memories won’t let us move forward in life. In heaven Jesus will take charge of removing all bad memories. How nice it will be to live without trauma, guilt, and anxiety!
2. Heaven will increase all that is good. Heaven will take all that we regard here as good, wholesome, and beneficial, and will take to an unimaginably higher level. Think of all the attractive, pleasing, and great things here on earth. Then imagine what it will be like to live with those things multiplied and increased. We will go from one blessing to another. If we thought more about heaven, I believe, our attitudes would be more positive.
3. Heaven will allow us to be with Jesus, in person. Heaven has many positive things, but the grandest and best of all is the opportunity to maintain a visible, audible relationship with our Savior. The cuddly animals and breathtaking views, and even the absence of sin, do not ultimately define heaven. What gives it meaning is the constant presence of Jesus, of which we will never grow weary.

Share It

Study with your family today about heaven (if you are single, invite a friend).

My Prayer Today: For unity in the church.

– Pray that nothing will disturb the unity that God wants His church to have.

– Pray that God will grant a double portion of patience to all of us.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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1 Thessalonians 5:23: May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. The coming of Jesus will be a real event. Jesus will come, that’s the way it is. How will it happen? The Bible tells us that His coming will be audible, visible, and worldwide. It will not be here or there; it will be a single event and all will know what it is. When they see it, there will be no doubt. Don’t let yourself be deceived. While He comes, stay in the Word and continue you daily connection with Him.
2. Don’t focus on the time of His coming, but in being ready all the time. When will Jesus come? Many people throughout history have attached dates, but all have been disappointed. I once heard a song that said: “The day’s not so important, as the condition of my life; my main concern is my own heart, to be ready to meet our God.” What beautiful and true words these are!
3. Jesus’ coming will be soon. That hope brings joy to the heart, not fear. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior have no fear of His coming, but joy and happiness. Today we are nearer His coming than what we think.

Share It

Some share news of Jesus’ coming with a sense of alarm and fear. Today, share that news with someone in a very positive manner.

My Prayer Today: For consistency in attendance.

– Pray that God will keep visitors coming every night, without missing a meeting.

– Pray that God will help resolve any work-related situations the visitors may have.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Acts 16:30-34: “He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’  Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.  At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.  The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. A happy family is teachable. The jailer and his family displayed an exemplary characteristic—they were willing to be taught. No matter the hour; or that their instructor belonged to a different religion, they were ready to learn. When we allow ourselves to be taught, we grow. What would have happened if this family had held fast to its own traditions and rejected the new teachings Paul was sharing with them? Surely the story would have ended differently.
2. The happy family goes to Jesus just as it is. This family heard the call of God in the early morning, and at that very hour, in their home, all were baptized. Sometimes we wait a long time for the conditions to be just right to make a decision. Don’t make that mistake. Go to Jesus just as you are. No matter the time, no matter the place, God accepts you.
3. The happy family studies together. A marvelous blessing many families don’t know about or carelessly ignore is family worship. When the family gathers to study the word of God, good things happen. God promises His blessing. This family gathered around Paul to study the word. One would be wise to follow suit.

Share It

If you live with your family, gather your family and have worship today. Pray for the meetings.

My Prayer Today: For whole families who need to surrender to Jesus.

– Pray those families will be able to make decisions to be baptized.

– Pray that they will see the blessing that comes from that decision.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. Our good decisions help our children, too. We can identify the advantages of submitting our lives to Jesus: Forgiveness (takes care of our past) and the Holy Spirit (power for now and the future). Through an act of obedience to God and a covenant with our Creator, we can change the trajectory of our families forever. Even if your ancestors did not have the best life, that can all change.
2. God is calling parents—and their children, too. You may have children who have yet to make decisions for Jesus. Parents are responsible for making decisions themselves, and should invite their children to make positive choices. Sometimes parents worry about not forcing the decision to be baptized on their children, which is an appropriate way to approach. Yet, as parents, we have a responsibility to present that choice and should give ample thought to the eternal implications of discouraging or standing in the way of the decision your children would make.
3. The best gift you can give your child is a change to your own life. Birthdays and Christmas are traditional times for giving gifts to our children. Consider that most gifts we give end up broken, or are forgotten after a while. Not so with the gift of salvation. By changing your way of life, you are giving your children the most beautiful of all gifts.

Share It

If you know of a young person who has yet to make a decision to surrender or return to Christ, invite him to the meetings.

My Prayer Today: Children of an appropriate age who can be baptized.

– Pray that they can receive Jesus as their personal Savior.

– Pray that they their family will accept your invitation to attend the meetings.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Acts 16:13-15: “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  When she and the members of her household were baptized….”

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. Our good decisions help our family. The story of Lydia is powerful, not only because she gave herself to God, but her whole family did so, as well. Other members of our own families will be impacted in a positive way when we make good decisions. Lydia brought blessings to her own family and undoubtedly to many others.
2. Only God can open the heart. Converting others is not our task. We are responsible to introduce them to the message of Jesus. From there the Holy Spirit will do His work. God is working in the heart of every person. When the call was made that Sabbath there were probably some who rejected it. Don’t worry about the ones who reject it, rejoice with the ones, like Lydia, who choose Christ.
3. Worship is not enough; you must make a decision. The Sabbath Lydia accepted the invitation to give herself completely to God, wasn’t the first Sabbath she had gone to church. There are those, like Lidia, worshiping in our churches, but not yet committed. It is not enough to be a listener. One must take the relationship with Jesus to the next level. That level is to be baptized, into the family of God.

Share It

Do you know of a woman who needs to make a decision for Jesus, or return to Him? Invite her to the meetings. Offer to provide transportation.

My Prayer Today: For women who need to be baptized.

– Pray that God will remove all obstacles to making decisions.

– Pray that your invitation to the meetings will be accepted.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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Acts 8:35-39: “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.  As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Live It

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.

1. If a man seeks God sincerely, he will find Him. The eunuch had apparently failed in his quest for the true God. He was coming back from Jerusalem, and yet he was as confused as ever. He was not clear on the Bible’s central message: salvation in Jesus alone.  A great lesson taught here is that God wants to reveal Himself to those who sincerely search Him out. If you seek Him, he will surely reveal Himself to you, too.
2. Deciding to follow Jesus brings us joy. What brings joy to your life? Sports? Money? Friends? Some people have the mistaken concept that religion is hard, difficult, and boring, that true happiness lies outside our relationship with God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The man in today’s story discovered that which millions have also, that life with Jesus is worth the effort, it is the source of true happiness.
3. Don’t allow anything to stand in the way of your decision to follow Jesus. The question Philip asked the eunuch I now ask of you: “What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” Our enemy specializes in inventing stumbling blocks. Don’t allow anything to stand in the way of the most important decision of your life, and if you are already baptized, don’t stand in the way or discourage others from taking this important step.

Share It

Do you know of a man who needs to make a decision to either submit to Jesus or return to Him? Invite him to the meetings. Offer him transportation if you can.

My Prayer Today: For men who need to be baptized.

– Pray that they may overcome every obstacle standing in the way of their decision.

– Pray that they accept your invitation to attend the meetings.

My Thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________

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