wooster22.adventistchurchconnect.orgWooster Seventh-day Adventist Church Wooster OH

Wooster Seventh-day Adventist Church Home About Us Calendar Ministries Online Giving Contact Us Resources THE CHURCH IS CLOSED TODAY, JANUARY 18,2020, DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER. We are a community of Christian believers who love Jesus and want to share His love with you. Join us for Bible Study & Fellowship Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm. We are currently studying the Book of Revelation. Our Soup Kitchen and Clothing Pantry opens every Wednesday from 1:30 to 3:00 PM. Everyone is welcomed. Check out the photos from the Saved to be Holy Celebration About Us Who we are Events Upcoming Events Ministries Ministries Contact Us Contact Us Welcome! We are a Christian community and would love to have you join our family. To learn more about what we believe you can visit our About Us page. Please join us for Bible study, worship, and prayer. Looking Ahead It is January 1, 2020. Where has time gone? And how things have changed. It seems that life has become easier from a technological point of view. We work miracles with the push of a button. We can communicate with anyone anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds. So what is written at the end of the book of Daniel has come true... “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.” (Daniel 12:4, NLT) However, in spite of all the knowledge and advancements and conveniences of our modern life, we are ending a year also filled with sadness and tragedy and pain. And it is obvious that things will not get better in our society and world community. And what about us personally? What have we accomplished? How did we live this past year? 2019 is gone. What matters now is what disposition do we have as we look ahead. Before us a new year of opportunities is opening up for to start over, forgetting what is lies behind us. Why do I say this? Why is it important to forget the past and look ahead? Because the beginning of a new year brings new challenges and opportunities; new plans, new tasks, and new problems and trials that we must be ready to face. So I hope that we are all anxious for what 2020 will bring, and that is good. Those who keep their eyes set in the future are not distracted by things that are not that important, they don’t set crooked paths for themselves, and do not get discouraged by past failures. That is why Jesus emphasized the importance of looking ahead. And He warned his listeners in Luke 17:32... “Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!” We all know the story, right? God had to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah before he destroyed those two evil cities. As they were leaving the angels warned them not to look back, but Lot’s wife had her heart attached to the things of that sinful society. She could have escaped safely and taken to a place by the angels where she and her family could start a new life thanks to God’s mercies. But she had lost sight of what was truly important, the true objective in life. She was more interested and material things and pleasures than in the spiritual things. She loved the world more than God and heaven’s rewards. We read of her sad end in Genesis 19:26... “But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.” So as we begin this new year, let us march forward without looking back, with the resolution and determination to arrive at the port of salvation. We must be willing to make long lasting decisions, permanent ones, because our eternal destiny depends on it. Our salvation is closer now than when we began our Christian journey. We cannot hesitate. It is interesting that many people think that the first month of the year, January, is named after the Roman god named Janus. He was a mythological entity with two faces: he could look forward and backwards at the same time. He is considered, among other things, the god of duality. Now this concept of duality might be important in Roman and Greek mythology, and in the secular mind, but it is fatal in the spiritual one. That is because as Christians we must be of one mind to please God and live in harmony with Him and His word and will. James warned us about it in James 1:6-8... “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” If we have not done so in the past, from now on we must keep our eyes focused in only one direction, Jesus. “Let us fix our minds on Jesus–the perfect revelation of God–who establishes and fully matures our trust in God. For the joy of healing and restoring God's creation, Jesus endured the cross, nullifying its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, The Remedy) Dual-minded people generally try to serve two Lords, which is harmful to the spiritual life and our path to salvation. Jesus said that we cannot serve two lords, because we will end up loving one and hating the other while trying to serve both. We cannot love God and mammon. That is why Jesus encouraged us to put God first. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT) I know that this past year we faced many difficult situations, some more than others, or worse than the rest. And in our Christian walk the route to eternity is surrounded many times by dense dark clouds. The moral decay of our society does not help, and presents great challenges to our Christian faith. That is why our goals must be centered on things that are stable and noble. We must hang on to Jesus’ advise of seeking God’s kingdom first. He went to prepare a place of us because this world as it is today is not our final home. We must live this year and all the ones that may follow after this one with anticipation to that glorious day. Remember, our victory is in Christ, so it is fundamentally important that whatever goals we set for this coming new year be fixed on achieving our eternal objective. Jesus predicted that in our Christian walk there will be difficulties, but He also promised to be by our side, strengthening us, encouraging us, balancing the loses with the gains, helping us to deal with the trials that come our way, and leading us to the final victory. Paul wrote about it in Philippians 3:12-14 (The Remedy Bible)... “I am not saying that I am currently perfect in every way, but I strive with all my strength to experience this fullness, this healing, this ideal state of perfect existence that Christ longs to recreate within me. Brothers and sisters, I have not yet experienced this perfect, total, and complete restoration, but there is one thing I can do to assist God in his plan to heal and restore: I don't lament past mistakes nor grow content with past victories; rather, I constantly push for the perfection that still lies ahead. I press forward, constantly toward the goal of Christlike perfection–one day to experience the ultimate prize for which God has called me heavenward–the joy of seeing him face to face." While predicting that iniquity would increase and the love of many would grow cold, Jesus also guaranteed us power and courage to remain steadfast and overcome temptations. We should not fear anything because victory is assured to everyone who remains faithful to God till the end, not looking back. It’s time to make the right decisions. Some will be difficult, but necessary. Among those decisions needs to be taking time in our busy schedule to spend it with the Lord every day. We really need that intimate daily communion with the Jesus, specially first thing in morning, so we can begin our day with our Savior first. It will be impossible to continue our lives, more so to surviv...