Canadian Field Conference 2005
” Love One Another”
On the evening of Friday, July 29, 2005 we assembled for our annual Field Conference. Members and visitors gathered from all over Canada as well as the USA and Holland.
Our motto, ” love one another” is taken from the book of John: ” A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34,35
Br. Morris Lowe opened the conference by reading these verses. In addition, Br. Lowe added 1 John 3:23, ” And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
Br. Lowe appealed to us to practice love and not just to speak the words. During the conference we would hear many speeches on the subject of love; we should think of our lives and how we live the principle of love personally. He challenged us to really fulfill the prayer of Christ so that we may be one. ” We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:14-16
With love in our hearts, we then rose and sang the theme song, ” Revive Us Again” , after which Br. Huur from Holland shared the opening message of the conference. Br. Huur posed a question to us; ” What can I tell you about this theme that you don’t know already?”
It’s not just a word or a phrase but it is a meaningful thing for an entire eternity, especially if we want to be in Heaven. ” We are all here, but how have we come here?”
” All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37. Jesus tells us that no one can ” come to Me” except I draw them. How can I love God and not my brother? Br. Huur explained the example of Elisha and the woman in 2 Kings chapter 4. ” Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” 2 Kings 4:1,2
He shared that Elisha first told the woman that she had to go out and borrow all the oil that she could from her neighbours if she wanted his help. She did, and she found that she not only had enough to then sell and pay her late husband’s debts but also more than enough for her family’s needs as well. This is the same way with love. We must go out to our neighbours and love them if we expect God to accept our love to Him. How can we love God who we have not seen if we do not love our neighbour who we have seen?
Br. Mitov, the bible worker in Vancouver, then opened the Sabbath. We are in the time when we are waiting for Christ to return. But what is our mission? Jesus commands us to preach the Gospel all over the world. But He also commands us to feed and clothe the hungry. Above all He commanded us to love one another. The most important thing for us is that we have this love for it will remain with us forever. ” Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” 1 Corinthians 13:8. True love is forever
Sabbath
On Sabbath morning we gathered again to praise the Lord as Br. Bob Johnson opened our Sabbath School with Mathew 16:13-18. ” When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
” And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
During Mission period many people shared missionary experiences from across Canada showing that God is indeed working through His people. After the Sabbath School Br. Larry Watts from Sacramento, California examined baptismal candidate Sis. Veronica Garcia and acceptance candidate Br. Parks. Br. Watts said that this was one of the most enjoyable parts of being a minister. Br. Watts asked the members if we loved these two people? Because we were now going to be responsible for their welfare. Br. Watts then said that a big problem sometimes is when we bury people alive. Baptism is a burial and we need to die to self completely. Sis. Veronica then shared her favourite verse, John 3:16, ” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” She said this really shows the love God has for us.
Br. Parks then shared a favourite verse of his, 1 John 3:16. ” Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
After the conclusion of the candidate examination, Br. Watts asked us ” Can we say anything that will change our lives?” When did Jesus say the words found in John 13:34, 35? He was in the upper room surrounded by His disciples, before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He would pray with blood and sweat for you and me. When Jesus said these words, His real hope and idea that He had was that we who had been bent by sin, could through Him be straightened back. Love is misunderstood and misapplied in our society today. Love is not a permission to sin. If we are afraid to die then we will never live. Jesus wants you to be straightened again.
” And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Luke 10:18. Why is there no love in the world? Selfishness. Do we ever complain about our brethren? Doubt? Covet? These are offerings to Satan. This means that for you, Satan hasn’t fallen from Heaven. Don’t give Satan even one nanosecond of your time!
After lunch we enjoyed a presentation by the Toronto youth. It was a multimedia presentation on Pilgrim’s Progress. What does it mean to ” take up thy cross and follow Me” ? Jesus asks us to go on a journey with Him. Where are we going? What is at the end? Why should we follow? What is the cross that Jesus asks us to pick up? It is a journey that we believe affects each and every one of us. You may find today that you are at the beginning of this journey, or are at a point where you have not yet decided to leave. Maybe you will find that you are already nearing the end, or maybe you are somewhere in between.
One thing is for certain, each one of us is represented in this story of the Pilgrim’s Progress, and it is of vital concern to each of us to not only know where we are, but where we are, in fact, going.
This is a story of the pilgrims’ journey to change their life from their sinful human nature to the divine nature of Jesus Christ. We could call this journey the Christ Our Righteousness journey or sanctification.
A man named John Bunyan who was imprisoned for his faith wrote the Pilgrim’s Progress. It was from his prison cell that one night he had a dream and the next morning he began to write the story of the Pilgrim’s Progress. Are you on your way to the celestial city?
Br. Oscar Oviedo, the bible worker in London, Ontario then led us in a missionary meeting. Through slides and questions he inspired us to engage in spreading the Gospel message to those around us. ” How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” Isaiah 52:7
” But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.” Mathew 26:32 Why did Jesus want the disciples to go into Galilee? Jesus told them twice to go into Galilee. Why? He told them there that He wanted them to be His ambassadors. He wanted them to go into the entire world. But how do we reach this goal? God gives us each something, even one talent. There are many ways to spread the Gospel and each of us has a part to play, if we only trust God to help us.
Br. Kelly then spoke to us. He said that there is good news and bad news about loving one another. Br. Kelly told us ” I love God, isn’t it wonderful to love God?” God says that if ” you love Me” then love the people. ” So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:15,16 That’s the bad news. We must love one another. If you ” love Me…Feed My sheep.” The way we treat each other says a lot about how we think of the Lord.
” If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” 1 John 4:20,21
When Jesus spoke the words contained in the motto of this conference, He saw the fragmentation that would come within the movement that He was initiating. He knew that the only protection against this was for them to truly love one another as He had loved them. Br. Kelly pointed out that there is not one Christian church in the world that is known as the church that loves one another. He challenged us to become known for our love to one another, to be known throughout the world as the church that loves people.
Next, through music and narration, the youth from Mississauga brought to life the Seven Churches of Revelation. These were not just messages to churches long ago, but they are also cumulatively messages to us today. We need to study where we are in light of them and take the best characteristics for ourselves to emulate as God’s people.
After supper, Br. Martin led the testimony meeting. ” Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;” Psalm 103:1-3.
” O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;” Psalm 107:1, 2
It is good to praise the Lord. Malachi writes that Heaven has a book of remembrance that will last forever. Each deed done, each is recorded. Throughout eternity its pages will live as a testament to what was done at this time. We should ever praise the Lord for the many good things that He does for us in our lives even the things that are unseen by us. Many people shared their thankfulness for God’s working in their lives. Many an eye welled with tears as each testimony bore witness to the wonderful working of God in everyone present’s life. May we ever look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!
Sabbath was closed with a message from Br. Bosse, the bible worker from New Brunswick. ” He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:8-18.
There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. We must be bold in the day of judgment, and we can be if we love our brethren today. Today we must have the true love that Jesus had towards His disciples, a love that led Him to give His life for them and us. Today we must be true representatives of Jesus.
Sunday
On a warm sunny morning eighty souls gathered by the shore of Lake Ontario. The waves lapping the shore were a beautiful backdrop for the baptism of Sis. Veronica Garcia. Many souls were present to witness this wonderful ceremony. Br. Watts, who conducted the baptism, told of how this process symbolized the death of Sis. Veronica’s old life and her birth into a new life in Christ. Many people’s thoughts went back to their own baptisms and the commitments they had made then.
After the ceremony, Br. Watts conducted the acceptance into fellowship of Sis. Veronica and Br. Parks. Br. Watts chose for Br. Parks a verse from the Bible, 1 John 4:17, ” Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
Sis. Rose Powell chose Romans 12:12 as a verse for Sis. Veronica, ” Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” With this, these two dear souls were accepted into fellowship.
Sis. Helen Marttinen then conducted a health meeting in which she explained the benefits of different herbs that God has provided for us for our healing. She spoke of the proper use of such herbs as Dandelion, Horsetail, Echinacea, Gingko biloba, Yarrow and Chamomile. Proper use includes when to take them, when not to take them and what combinations of herbs to avoid.
Br. John Bescec then conducted the farewell meeting. He once more pointed us to the theme of our conference, ” love one another.” He said that during the conference God was sending us a message. The Lord has given us another chance, a chance to demonstrate that we have Jesus in our lives. He reviewed the many messages on loving our brethren that God had given us throughout the past few days. God has a plan for His people and it begins with love for our fellow man. Let us go forward from here and put into practice what we have learned. Let us be known as the church that loves each other and their fellow human beings!
During the conference there were presented many beautiful songs to the praise of the Lord. There were also wonderful meals prepared by members of the various churches, accommodations provided by brethren and many unseen duties done. Each contribution made by God’s grace, contributed to make what many there present, commented, a truly blessed and special experience. For more information: www.4truth.ca We hope to see you all at our next conference in 2006!
John Formosa
Canadian Field Secretary