May this message be an inspiration to you today!!

CONDITIONS FOR THE LATTER RAIN...

The biblical record of the experience of the apostles as they waited the ten days for the Day of Pentecost is very brief. Luke simply says, “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14), and that when the Day of Pentecost finally arrived, “They were all with one accord in one place’ (2:1).
But when the apostles returned to Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension, they did not wait in idleness. The ten days were filled with intense preparation. Their experience is a model for God’s remnant church as it prepares for the latter rain. Before looking at what the apostles did to prepare for the early rain, two of many statements by Ellen White are given here that point out the urgency for God’s people today to followed the apostles’ example and prepare for the latter rain.

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. . . . It is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the condition upon which God has promised to grant us His blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer” (1SM, p. 121).

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. Seek for it, pray for it, believe for it. We must have it, and heaven is waiting to bestow it” (Ev., p. 701).

Apostolic Model
Luke’s simple statements about the apostles’ readiness for the Day of Pentecost is expanded for us by Ellen White in The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 35-37. Briefly here is what happened during the ten days of waiting.

Witnessing. The apostles did not wait in idleness, she tells us. “The record says that they were ‘continually in the temple, praising and blessing God’” (p. 35). The temple was hostile territory, but they were there praising God for Jesus and His resurrection. Why is witnessing important as the church prepares for the latter rain? The answer is simple, “We shall be entrusted with the Holy Spirit according to our capacity to receive and our ability to impart it to others” (MR, vol. 6, p. 57). The more we witness our capacity to receive the Holy Spirit grows larger.

Prayer. The role of prayer in preparation for the early rain has already been stressed by Luke. But here is another statement that applies to us today, “We are not willing enough to trouble the Lord with our petitions, and to ask Him for the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants us to trouble Him in this matter. He wants us to press our petitions to the throne” (FCE, p. 537).

True repentance. Speaking of the apostles’ ten day experience, Ellen White says, “As the disciples waited for the fulfillment of the promise, they humbled their hearts in true repentance and confessed their unbelief” (AA, p. 36).

Willingness to give up all for Jesus. As the apostles progressed through their ten days of preparation, they experienced a growing desire to be like Christ. “As they meditated upon His pure, holy life they felt that no toil would be too hard, no sacrifice too great, if only they could bear witness in their lives to the loveliness of Christ’s character” (AA, p. 36).

Put away differences. Before Jesus’ death, there was competition among the apostles for the highest place at His side. This all changed during the ten days, “Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, they came close together in Christian fellowship” (AA, p. 37). This was what Luke referred to when he tells us that they were all of one accord.

Budding soul winners. The conviction deepened that they were to be soul winners, “They were weighted with the burden of the salvation of souls. They realized that the gospel was to be carried to the world, and they claimed the power that Christ had promised” (AA, p. 37). It was this conviction that turned Peter and the rest into such aggressive soul winners.

Christ’s intercession. As the apostles prayed, they had the assurance that Christ heard their prayers, “The disciples offered their supplications for this gift, and in heaven Christ added His intercession. He claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it upon His people” (AA, p. 37). He is waiting to do the same today.

God Challenges His Church
After giving us deeper insight into the apostles’ preparation for the early rain, Ellen White tells God’s church today, “The same work, only in greater degree, must be done now” (TM, p. 507).

George E. Rice, Pastor
Triadelphia SDA Church
Clarksville, MD 21029

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We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God!

Eternity

NOT HOME YET

An old missionary couple had been working in Africa for years and were returning to New York to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged, and afraid. They discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-game hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the President's entourage, with passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man. As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "Something is wrong." "Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us."

"Dear, you shouldn't feel that way", his wife said. He replied "I can't help it; it doesn't seem right."

When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President's arrival. No one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East Side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man's spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can't take this; God is not treating us fairly". His wife replied, "Why don't you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?" "The Lord settled it with me", he said. "I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said; "But you're not home yet."

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We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God!

Eternity

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"
Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.
The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.

Just a little thought for you: "Your Heavenly Father will never give you a command that is not accompanied by ample power to obey it." - Hannah Whitall Smith

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We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God!

Eternity

While walking down the beach, a man saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it in the ocean. As he came closer, he saw thousands of starfish the tide had thrown onto the beach. Unable to return to the ocean during low tide, the starfish were dying. He observed a young boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. After watching the seemingly futile effort, the observer said, "There must be thousands of starfish on this beach. It would be impossible for you to save all of them. There are simply too many. You can't possibly save enough to make a difference. The young boy smiled as he picked up another starfish and tossed it back into the ocean. "I don't know mister... it made a difference to that one," he replied.

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psalm 46:1-2