Weekly Bible Study, Wednesdays at 7: 30 PM via Zoom  History of God’s church 1000 A.D. to 1600s.                                                                                      Weekly radio program WKDW-FM 97.5 Sundays 10-11 AM                                                                                                                                                           Weekly webcast from Vero Beach, 2 PM

 

Pastor’s Letter, January 1, 2021

 

We are Spiritually Entering                                                                                                                                         the Age of Refinement

 

                                 

 

  Raw Metal ore                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           .                           to  Removing Slag                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  .                                                           to Removing dross                                                                                                                                                                                                     .                                                                                           to Additional Purification                                                                                                                                                           .                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                          ..to  God’s Ultimate Goal With Us                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Our Master Refiner promises to refine us as He also promises never to leave nor forsake us (Hebs. 13:5)

                                                            We are God’s Investment

There is so much uncertainty in this volatile time. Will there be civil war on America’s streets? Will the President impose martial law? Will China launch a run on the US dollar? Will a more dangerous virus come at us? Will the economy shut down? Will we be close to God or will we panic and get overcome by unbridled fear? Such events could happen very quickly. 

      Looking ahead, the upcoming months of our lives may be the most significant in our individual histories on planet earth. The events that are forecasted are bound to either stifle us or spur us on to more spiritual growth. As we have stated, we have to be ready meet our Master Refiner, whether He comes very soon or in years to come. And the big question is, “What do we have to show for ourselves?”  We need to be good time managers and use the time that God has given us wisely. Probably by far and away God is more interested in our spiritual growth and church service to Him than He is with how carnal man will cope with the Great Tribulation.     

         Amazingly, in the middle of all of this projected doom, God the Father and Jesus Christ remain very optimistic. God is using the events of 2020 and beyond to shape us and refine us to develop more Godly character by making right choices – even if they may become unpopular.

As is true with silversmiths that must refine their silver and gold in the oven of intense heat, God will test us and try us to spiritually develop more. (Acts 14:29, Psalm 34:19) The Bible says that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers them out of them all. We need to be in harmony with our Master Refiner

  So, when is God satisfied that He has tested and tried us as much as he needs to? – It is when God can see a reflection of Himself in our lives. 

 

 

 

We could see a reflection of ourselves in this decorative metal bowl.

Can God see a reflection of Himself in us?

 

 

Ocala

      We were glad to have several new people attending with us. Also we are thankful to have Charlene Bratnick in the Ocala group. (You don’t want to know how much we had to pay to make that happen. :)  ) We are happy to have Moses Summers give the sermon in Ocala this week.

 

Ft. Myers

      …is looking forward to hosting a legend of sorts in the US Ministry this coming Sabbath—Mr. Fred Kellers. Although technically retired, Mr. Kellers manages to live a full and active life. In deference to his and his wife’s health concerns, everyone in Ft. Myers knows to wear a mask to services this Sabbath. Giving the sermonette will be John White who is in the area with us for the next 6 weeks. He and wife Vicki live most of the year in Columbus, Ohio.

 

Tallahassee

      Tallahassee continues being a surprise with a surge in attendance. Can you believe that when all show up now, we have approximately 12 children with us! This Sabbath we will meet at the Marriott Hotel at 1:30 – which is a change in our starting time. This will help brethren that wish to arrive back home after services in the daylight. I will be speaking there this Sabbath. After that we will head to Florida’s east coast to meet with a newly-released prisoner that we have invested much time in.   Let us continue to make the most out of the time God has given us. 

 

Vero Beach   

      Last Saturday the brethren of Vero Beach plus several out-of-town guests courageously participated in an elaborate karaoke party with everyone, at one time or another, making a vocal contribution to the evening’s fun. Many thanks go to Bill Lofthus who made the evening possible with his elaborate collection of music from the familiar past.  

 

  For those who haven’t already heard, here is an announcement From Ministerial and Member Services...

Beginning on Jan. 30, the Vero Beach (Florida) congregation will be pastored by Chuck Smith, with Jeff Lockhart as assistant pastor.  Braden Veller will continue to pastor the congregations in Fort Myers, Ocala and Tallahassee, Florida, and will assist Chuck Smith in the Bahamas. We greatly appreciate everyone’s service to our brethren.

                                                    

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THE CAREFUL HANDS OF A SILVERSMITH THAT KNOWS JUST HOW TO APPLY THE HEAT THAT WE ENCOUNTER IN LIFE. 

 

"File:WLA nyhistorical Towle Silversmiths Punch bowl.jpg" by Wikipedia Loves Art participant 'shooting_brooklyn' is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5  "Silversmith" by matman730 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0   "The Silversmith’s Art - National Museum of Scotland" by gnomonic is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Silversmithing Museum Ioannina Greece" by Sofia AtmatzidouEulgem is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0  "Dross" by Ramones Karaoke is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0  "Kiln operation 117" by Kirt Edblom is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0"my great haul from today's kiln opening" by bptakoma is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "R-547-546 025" by Kirt Edblom is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0  "Fireplace Logs, Winter Heat" by moonjazz is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 "The Silversmith’s Art - National Museum of Scotland" by gnomonic is licensed under CC BY 2.0 "Watching silversmiths on Inle Lake." by brianholsclaw is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0