The following is the sermon that Ted N.C. Wilson, leader of the Adventist world church, gave at the 2014 Annual Council on October 11 in Silver Spring, Maryland. 

1 Peter 5:8, 9: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 503, 504: “Satan is ever at work endeavoring to pervert what God has spoken, to blind the mind and darken the understanding, and thus lead men into sin. This is why the Lord is so explicit, making His requirements so very plain that none need err. God is constantly seeking to draw men close under His protection, that Satan may not practice his cruel, deceptive power upon them.”

As Seventh-day Adventists at this 2014 Annual Council, we affirm without hesitation that God has given us a special mission for these closing hours of Earth’s history, and the devil is furious.

We see this vividly portrayed in the book of Revelation. Chapter 10 foretells the experience of our Advent pioneers as they looked forward to Christ’s return. After the disappointment, an experience described as “bitter in the stomach,” their attention was turned to Christ’s work in the heavenly sanctuary and the divine mandate to “prophecy again to many people, nations, tongues, and kings.”

This prophetic movement, described in Revelation 12:17 as God’s remnant people who “keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus,” is constituted in only one body of faith today: the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Thus it is no surprise to see Satan warring against us with unbridled fury.

Chapter 13 outlines Satan’s twofold war plan to destroy God’s last-day people: 1. an ideological war of lies and errors challenging the truth; and 2. firefights — outright persecution culminating in a death decree against all who defy his presumed authority.

Yet, God’s people are not merely victims of Satan’s assaults. Revelation 14 reveals the Lord’s counteroffensive — His remnant people demonstrating His character and proclaiming His final appeal to the world. The three angels’ messages.

The powerful truth of these unique messages would break completely the deceptions of Satan if proclaimed as God intends. The message of the first angel gives the gospel to the world, announces that we are living in the time of the pre-advent investigative judgment, and calls on every nation, tribe, tongue and people to honor God as their Creator by keeping holy His seventh-day Sabbath. The second angel heralds Babylon’s fall. While finally the third angel warns us — in language too plain to misunderstand — not to worship the beast, the image of the beast, or receive the mark of his rebellion, which is a sign of disloyalty to God’s Word.

It is little wonder then that Satan is doing everything he can to attack the Seventh-day Adventist movement in an attempt to neutralize our influence in the territory he claims as his own. As we pray for the converting power of the Holy Spirit and for a revival and reformation of genuine godliness, the devil opposes every of us every step of the way.

In The Great Controversy, page 396, we are told, “The prince of evil contests every inch of ground over which God’s people advance in their journey toward the heavenly city. In all the history of the church no reformation has been carried forward without encountering serious obstacles.”…

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CENTRAL HAPPENINGS & NEWS

This Week (Oct. 6 to 11): Tuesday @ 7:00 PM – Prayer Meeting with Elder Ray Rengifo – The Mission of the Spirit; Sabbath @ 9:00 AM Morning Manna – JeAnn Davis; @ 9:30 AM - Central Study Hour with Pastor Steve Wohlberg + Children/Youth/Adult Sabbath School; @ 10:50 AM - Worship Service with Allen Davis – “The Power of the Everlasting Gospel”

Omega Emerging Church Symposium: As you know, the Emerging Church movement has been gaining momentum in Evangelical circles.  Is it possible that it has made inroads into the Seventh-day Adventist Church?  Our movement survived the alpha of apostasy during the Kellogg years, yet we were told the omega would be much worse.  Could this be the omega of apostasy?  “Operation Iceberg" was formed to educate our people on the dangers of emergent theology.  On October 17 and 18 we will host a symposium of speakers who are dedicated to sharing the truth about this subject.  Please join us for the following messages:

Friday, October 17: 6:30pm: Steve Wohlberg - "The Emerging Church Controversy within Adventism”; 7:30pm: Janet Neumann - “A Church in Change?”

Sabbath, October 18: 11:00am: Allen Davis - “The Power of the Everlasting Gospel”; 1:30pm: Alexa Hernandez - “Adventism’s Emergence"; 2:30pm: David Fielder - “When All Else Fails”; 3:30pm: Gerry Wagoner - “The New Evangelism”

In addition to the speakers above, Stephen Bohr and Dustin Butler will join the group for a town hall panel beginning at 4:30pm. This will be an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the issues as the speakers discuss more specific concerns and also field questions from the audience.  The program will be live streamed and CDs and DVDs will be made available for ordering. We look forward to seeing you there!

Central Study Hour Continues on 3ABN! 3ABN will continue airing Central Study Hour on their Proclaim! channel at the following times: Friday evenings @ 8 p.m. (PT) and Sabbath mornings @ 6 a.m. (PT). You can also view the final product of Central Study Hour by going to www.saccentral.org and clicking on the “CSH” banner on the home page. 

On Sacramento Faith TV: Receiving the Word (Central's worship messages) is being aired on Sac Faith TV (Ch. 14 - AT&T U-Verse; Ch. 19 – Consolidated Communications; Ch. 20 - Comcast) on Sunday morning's @ 11 a.m. and Wednesday evenings @ 8:30 p.m. These will also be made available on our own website – www.saccentral.org. Thank you for your continued support of Central's media ministry. Without it we would not be where we are today. 

Art Fair Coming to Central on Sunday, November 2 from 11 AM to 4 PM. Hundred's of landscape, flower, animal, and still-life oil paintings of various sizes on canvas, boxes, and baskets; all painted by Dorothy Angell whose paintings can be found at Loma Linda University and on restaurant ceilings in the area. Silent auctions on additional pieces will occur throughout the afternoon. Music and refreshments will be provided. All proceeds will go toward Central's growing media ministry. Tell your family or bring a friend to this delightful event. P.S. - To see what a special treat you're in for we'll be showcasing several of Dorothy's pieces each Sabbath in the church lobby leading up to the event. For more information please contact Marilee Angell Walker, Dorothy's daughter, at (916) 989-5433.

The Central Connection is Making a Come Back: We are pleased to let you know that our church paper, The Central Connection, is making a come back and will be published in time for the month of December. Presently a team of versatile and skilled individuals are working to put together a re-cap edition of the year 2014, a very big year for our church. 

Host Family Needed: A high school student from China is looking for a host family in the Sacramento area. Please call or email the church office if you’re interested. 

BULLETIN BOARD - An assortment of happenings, announcements, and resources from around the Seventh-day Adventist Church

News & Announcements

Day of Prayer: General Conference President Ted Wilson has called on Seventh-day Adventists to make Sabbath, October 11, a special Day of Prayer for all who have been impacted by the Ebola virus in West Africa. "Let us pray that God will put a halt to the spread of this virulent virus," said Wilson. News from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control projects that by January cases could number between 550,000 to as high as 1.4 million, coupled with a 71 percent fatality rate according to the World Health Organization.

Symposium on Women’s Ordination: Secrets Unsealed, the ministry of Pastor Stephen Bohr, has been hosting a symposium on women’s ordination over the past week.  A variety of speakers were chosen to present biblical messages on the subject dealing with the finer issues of headship and biblical interpretation.  To view the seminars go to www.youtube.com/secretsunsealed. 

Church Leaders to Tackle Ordination: Starting October 9, 338 leaders from 13 divisions of the world church will come together at the Annual Council to discuss among other things, women’s ordination.  The church has been engaged in a two-year study of the subject amid growing calls from some church leaders and regions to extend ordination to women. To learn more, go here.

Resources

Women’s Ordination Symposium: History, Issues, & Implications: The purpose of the symposium sponsored by Secrets Unsealed is to share the biblical foundation for male servant-leadership known as “headship” in the home and the church.  These presentations include the reasons from both the scripture and the spirit of prophecy as to why women should not be ordained to either the gospel ministry or to the office of local church elder.  Get your copies of the symposium today by clicking here.

365 Amazing Answers to Big Bible Questions. From Christian lifestyle and doctrine to Bible history and prophecy each day’s Bible answer is designed to bring you closer to Jesus and help you understand God’s Word. To pre-order you copy of Pastor Doug Batchelor’s devotional click here.