On a beautiful Sabbath morning, October 10, 2015, members and visitors from near and far gathered near picturesque Boundary Bay in White Rock, British Columbia for the beginning of the Western Canadian Field Conference. The conference Motto was, “Prepare to Meet Thy God.” Amos 4:12 (last part)
Brother Jeffrey Ho welcomed everyone and then shared with us the words in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” We then began our Sabbath School by singing the hymn, “Anywhere with Jesus.”
Sister Franziska Pedersen taught the Lesson entitled, “The Gift of Grace.” We were reminded that God chose us and adopted us as His sons and daughters before the foundation of the earth was laid. “We ourselves owe everything to God’s free grace. Grace in the covenant ordained our adoption. Grace in the Saviour effected our redemption, our regeneration, and our exaltation to heirship with Christ. Let this grace be revealed to others.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 250. Our Heavenly Father is, “Merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:6. He, therefore, gave us His son, Jesus, to die for us sinners and has loved us without comparison. Jesus is waiting with open arms for each and every one of us to turn away from the old sinful ways. He is ready and willing to bury our past sins in the depths of the sea and give us strength to continue in a new life in Him.
Brother Evald Pedersen held the divine service entitled, “Prepare to Meet Thy God, O Israel.” “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:44. Here Jesus is comparing His coming to a thief in the night; and we must, therefore, be on watch and ready at all times because we do not know the exact time of His appearing. In the book of Matthew we have the parable about the ten virgins. Only five of the ten were ready to enter into the marriage feast. The others did not make the preparation which was necessary. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13
At the end of a school year the students have exams. Some students are so busy all year long and do not take the time to study. So, in the last week before exams, they stay up all night and try to catch up with their studies. That usually does not work too well. The best is to prepare throughout the whole year. This is also how it is with us Christians. We should be working on our preparation for our Lord’s coming every day.
If you were invited to meet the Queen of England, would you prepare? Then how much more must we prepare when we are expecting to meet the King of the Universe! In John 14:1–3 we read that Jesus is preparing a place for His children. How are we preparing?
Read Matthew 25:31–46. Our main preparation has to do with how we treat our fellow men. Do we keep the commandments, love the Lord, and love our neighbour as ourselves? “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth His coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of.” Matthew 24:45–50. We are to take care of the things that are given to us to look after: feed the hungry, help those in need, etc. We do not know how the end of the world will be. It will most likely be different than we imagine. But we have a loving Heavenly Father who will do all in His power to save us. Let us treat our fellow human beings the way God is treating us. He gave all for us; let us do the same for our fellow servant and we have no reason to fear when Jesus comes. Amen.
Sabbath afternoon, after a delicious lunch, Sister Marcela Castro shared her “Spiritual Cake Ingredients.” Sugar, oil, milk, egg, vanilla, yeast, spoon, and oven. When you put sugar under a microscope it will look very beautiful; however, it has many sharp edges and spikes as well. So it is with God’s people (you and me); we can sometimes be sharp and hurt each other. We need oil, the Holy Spirit, to soften us; and God’s Holy Word, the milk. We need new life in the Lord Jesus (the egg). Then we need flavour, praising our God through music. If we have the desire for God’s church to grow, we must be witnesses for Him. Our workers must stir us up and encourage us to go on when trials come. Amen.
Brother Nicholas Anca continued with “Signs of the Times.” “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7. “And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12. In Revelation chapter 1 we read that Jesus will come and in Revelation 22 we are told that He will come quickly. But, before that day, we are told that many signs will occur.
Jesus told His disciples/His people what signs to watch for before the destruction of Jerusalem. “And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matthew 24:2. “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” Luke 21:20. Everything was fulfilled which had been predicted and all Christians followed the instructions and were safe.
His disciples were looking forward to His second coming and asked Him when this would be. In Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 we read of about 20 signs named by Jesus. The Apostle Paul, who died in about 60–65 A.D. wrote in Acts 20:29, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” In Matthew 24:24 we read, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Many false prophets will arise and draw away many. Just to name a few in our day and time, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and Jose Louis. In Revelation 13:13–14 we read of the greatest deception. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
In the world of politics we find that fragile peace agreements are being made. Nations are angry, conflicts are many. (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 11:18). Worldwide woes are occurring more frequently: tornadoes, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, floods, etc. Then we have signs in society. Studies show that children who watch TV for three hours each day, by the age of 12 have seen 14,000 murders. Violence is increasing, families are falling apart. Financial crisis and economic uncertainty is prevalent. Knowledge is increasing and not just in the scientific world, but also in knowledge of the Bible. The Gospel of the Kingdom is preached all over the world as a witness, but many do not change their life. In Titus 2:13 we read, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Soon what is written in Matthew 24:27, 30 will be fulfilled. “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus did everything for you and me. On the cross of Calvary He did everything for you and me. Do not wait for the crises before you trust Him. The time to prepare is today. Let us get ready. Amen.
Next the children and young people presented their wonderful program about how we ought to live while we are preparing for Jesus’ soon coming. Several of the signs of the times were mentioned which have already been fulfilled, and the end is fast approaching. Some of the songs sung were based on the following scripture texts: Acts 17:11, they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so;” John 3:5, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;” Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” We were also blessed with many instrumentals on the piano, cello, and the violin. Some of these were, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” “Nearer My God to Thee,” and many more. We were encouraged to search the scriptures every day, pray, prepare for the coming of Jesus and endure unto the end.
The last meeting before the Sabbath came to a close was held by Brother Oscar Oviedo. He spoke on “The Conditions of the Church.” “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work.” –Christian Service, p. 41. In Matthew 25:1–13 we read the parable of the ten virgins. The sun is setting and a wedding is occurring. The maidens are God’s people on their way to meet the bridegroom —Jesus. They all had lamps containing oil, but five of them did not have extra oil in their vessels. Their hearts were not filled with the Holy Spirit. The bridegroom was delayed and so all ten of them got tired and fell asleep. But the midnight cry came and they were all surprised and woke up. They all needed to trim their lamps, but the foolish virgins discovered that they neglected to bring extra oil for their vessels. They then asked from the others to give them some of their oil; this, however, was not possible, since being filled with the Holy Spirit is a personal matter—it cannot be shared. In fear, the foolish virgins came to the wedding, but too late.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22–25. We cannot live godly lives unless the Holy Spirit works within us. We cannot be sanctified without the Holy Spirit. Only by the Holy Spirit can we be practical Children of God. “If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it. If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:14–17
Our most urgent need and greatest concern should be to pray for the receipt of the Holy Spirit, the Latter rain—a revival of true godliness. Unless our vessels are full we will miss the goal. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:5. Without the Holy Spirit we are truly “foolish virgins.” We need love, not fear, to meet our Heavenly Father. At the end of the day, it is not a matter of, do I love Christ, but how much do I love Him. No matter what condition we are in today, we still have hope. May the Lord help us to prepare ourselves to be ready when He comes. Amen.
Sunday morning we all gathered again and Sister Franziska Pedersen spoke on “Positive and Negative Influences on Body and Mind.” In Genesis 1:1–25 we read that God created the heavens, the earth, the waters, grass, trees, the sun, moon, stars, birds, all animals, both on land and in the sea. He then created man in the image of God. Man possesses spiritual qualities which no other being has. He was given the special blessing to fill the earth; he also received work which was to benefit his body, mind, and soul; and God gave him the responsibility of looking after everything, tenderly, with wisdom and care. A special diet was also given to him by his Creator—a diet to keep him in the best of health both physically and mentally. And who better to give this to man than his Maker!
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. “Obedience to the laws of health is to be made a matter of personal duty. We ourselves must suffer the results if violated. We must individually answer to God for our habits and practices.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 221
Worry, borrowing trouble, discouragement, anxiety, discontentment, distrust, and visible communications are just a few things which will affect our health, both in mind and body. These are robbers of vital energy. Studies have shown that individuals who are happy and have a positive, optimistic disposition have a much greater chance of recovery from disease than those who have negative thoughts. The condition of the mind affects the health of the body to a far greater extent than many people realize. Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; . . . Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:31, 33–34
David says in Psalm 101:3, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” Visible communication is the strongest impulse which plants thoughts into our minds. We must be fully aware of the potential power of suggestion and the influencing of the mind by all means of communication. This includes books, pictures, films, TV, Internet , etc. “My ears are the Lord’s, and I will not listen to the subtle reasoning of the enemy. My voice shall not in any way be subject to a will that is not under the influence of the Spirit of God. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and every power of my being shall be consecrated to worthy pursuits.” –The Adventist Home, p. 409 (emphasis mine)
“The true principles of Christianity open before all a source of happiness, the height, depth, the length immeasurable.” –Counsels on Health, p. 631. If we truly are in Christ, faith, hope, joy, obedience, optimism and love will fill our hearts. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–17. We can come to Jesus in prayer with all our cares and burdens and He will give us rest. “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Luke 18:1 (emphasis mine). In the New King James version of the Bible it says, “not lose heart.”
“Without hesitation or argument we must close and guard the avenues of the soul against evil. . . . He must pray for divine help and at the same time resolutely resist every inclination to sin. By courage, by faith, by persevering toil, he can conquer. But let him remember that to gain the victory Christ must abide in him and he in Christ.” –The Adventist Home, p. 403. May the Lord help us to have the desire and the wisdom to follow His instructions to keep healthy in both body and mind, is our prayer. Amen.
Brother Nicholas Anca then presented, “Preparation for the Latter Rain.” “He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 123. Do you realize that your salvation depends on the preparation you make? Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of His father” (Acts 1:4) and then they were to be His witnesses, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“After Christ’s ascension, the disciples were gathered together in one place to make humble supplication to God. And after ten days of heart searching and self-examination, the way was prepared for the Holy Spirit to enter the cleansed, consecrated soul temples.” –Evangelism, p. 698
Compare the life of Peter before Pentecost, “And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the Man.” Matthew 26:72. Then after Pentecost, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20. Peter and the other disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and spoke boldly so that the listeners’ hearts were touched, and they asked what they should do. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38–39. The Word of God is living and powerful. This was the result of these faithful followers of Christ who were instructed to tarry in Jerusalem—God’s church. Together and united they presented their request to the Father. They knew they had an Advocate with the Father. (Hebrews 8:1–2). The 120 prayed and evangelized the world after receiving the Holy Spirit. They acknowledged their dependence upon God. They recognized that they were not able to do the work without the Holy Spirit. If we know Christ, but go against our conscience, Satan will take control of our mind and he will deceive us. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Mark 16:16
We have the freedom of choice. We can humble ourselves and make peace with our brothers and sisters. Let us study God’s word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. In order to receive the Holy Spirit, we must desire it with all our heart and pray for it earnestly, believing, and we will receive according to our faith. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2. Amen.
After a delicious lunch and a beautiful walk along the shore of Boundary Bay, Brother Evald Pedersen continued with the topic, “The Results of the Latter Rain.” We all like to see the results of our labour, but many times we do not see many results. The latter rain is in the future; so how do we know what it will be like? We do not know. But we are told that it will be even more marvelous than the Early Rain, where 3,000 souls were baptized in one day. Now we are happy when five or six souls are baptized in one year in our Canadian Field.
Wonderful things happened in the days of the Early Rain. The Apostles spoke with power—not a trace of fear. People were amazed and miracles happened. As the Gospel was preached with boldness, so also the persecutions grew stronger. The Latter Rain will also make Satan angry because he knows he has only a short time. We can expect when the truth is preached, the persecutions will increase. Most likely, the Sunday Law and the Latter Rain will come at the same time. We have not seen it, so we can only imagine what it will be like. “The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was ‘the former rain,’ and glorious was the result. But the latter rain will be more abundant.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 21. Let us pray for the Latter Rain and the soon coming of Jesus.
The Early Rain was the beginning of the Gospel. After the Former Rain a long time of trouble and persecution came. After the Latter Rain, the work will be finished. It will be the end of suffering and sorrow, and we can go home. Therefore, let us look forward to that time and lift up our heads. May we all be ready when Jesus comes. Amen.
The farewell meeting was held by Brother Oscar Oviedo. He first refreshed our memories of the many wonderful messages we were privileged to hear during the two days together. He then continued to speak on “The Condition of the Church.” Many of the signs of the times have been, and are being, fulfilled. The ten virgins all fell asleep while the bridegroom delayed. In Matthew 24 the evil servant says, “My Lord delays His coming.” What is the purpose of the delay? “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Exodus 32:1. A delay shows our true colours. We know the signs of the times; we know Jesus will come, but during the delay, we may fall into temptation like Israel did with the golden calf.
When Samuel was delayed, Saul took matters into his own hands and performed the sacrifice which Samuel was to bring. This was a big mistake! (see 1 Samuel 13:8–9). A delay should not make us cold, but rather it should increase our love and make us stronger. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11. Let us not postpone our preparation for the coming of Jesus or wish He would delay, because we perhaps have some plans which we still want to accomplish. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. May we leave this conference remembering the blessing, encouraging messages we heard here by word and song and may we, with a deeper commitment, prepare for our Lord’s soon coming is our prayer. Amen.
Franziska Pedersen