great controversy book work

David Gates kindly asked me to join GMI at the General Conference Session last June, and i went to volunteer my service there in July. I helped with odds and ends, and learned video editing, went on a couple of trips to run a video camera, and spent most of the time with media.

A little over 2 weeks ago now, i received a email from one of the leaders “J” with a very angry tone about what i had written concerning Br. Gates’ sermon “Converging Crises” in March of 2009. I had emailed the review of that sermon to Br. Gates before posting it, and am glad to say that several people have seen this review on my blog, and were benefited by it. But this leader did not know about it (as he was not even involved with GMI then i don’t think).

It seems like probably that email went to several other people at GMI, and one person talked to me about the mocking tone in my post. While not agreeing to having done anything wrong, i did see after our talk that i had used two words that were wrong, and repented, and deleted them the next morning.

Then on Sunday evening, exactly 10 days ago, the manager of personnel (J) talked with me. About 3 or 4 minutes into his talk, he said that if i write anything slanderous on my blog concerning him, that he would sue me. I could hardly believe my ears, and asked if this was the spirit of Christ. After that, not much else even registered, as the spirit of the dragon was abundantly evident. Near the end of his 45-minute talk, he asked me if i know what happened to “tattlers” in his elementary school. I told him i didn’t, and he said they got beat up. Of all the people who have threatened me with bodily harm in the last 20 years, why is it that they are ALL fellow-believers???

He asked if i had followed Matthew 18 in pursuing problems i have with Br. Gates’ sermon. I told him i did follow the first part, but not the second part. I did mention during his talk that we should rebuke public sins publicly, but i did not push that point. That was my mistake. When error is propagated publicly, Matthew 18 does not apply, as it is not between “he and you alone”. Of course it is best not to show dissension among God’s remnant people, so we should try to settle differences without going public, but as the response from Br. Gates in March 2009 was showed no sign of even discussing the problems in his sermon, i published the review, hoping it would help others of God’s flock who have questions regarding the message.

I’m thankful that i did not raise my voice during the “talk”, something which i no doubt would have been eager to do if this had occured 25 years ago. So i thank God for working on my emotions. I mean, how can we get too excited about ourselves when we think of what our dear Saviour went thru – and at the hands of his own people?!

One of the strange things is, is that Br. Gates, the man who originally asked me to join, has not contacted me at all on this…. Two of the other leaders had a problem with what i had written, and i’m cast out. Is this the way a Christ-centered, Faith-based ministry should be run? The personnel director gave me two days to find a new place to stay, and i’m very thankful that a couple did take me in quickly.

About 80-100 came every nite, and we heard some good testimonies from several individuals during the meetings saying that they feel a stronger need to prepare for Jesus’ coming. I handled one of the video cameras, and it was kind of hard to keep standing on a metal chair for 2 hours or more gazing at a tiny screen, trying to keep the head and sometimes body too not in the center of the screen where it would look unnatural, but in one of the “thirds” on usually the right side (i ran the camera on the right facing left), or on the left (when he would stretch over and look at the people to the far left of him. But it was fun too in a strange way, and i seem to be getting better at keeping the camera steady.

The pastor’s wife offered to proofread the Spanish 1858gc book and one other family offered their daughter’s services to translate the Portuguese one, but i know that offering other people’s time is usually not a profitable thing to do. One man who runs an evangelistic radio station talked about the “original books” with authority, which surprised me, and again gave me a little spark to keep at it for “there are those who care”. 🙂

The people there were quite nice, if a little disorganized and loud, they even gave me some donations, of which i’m sharing with others. God is good. It was amazing to see a pastor who really seemed to care about his flock, and wants to receive advice from others about what to do to make his church come more into line with the inspired counsel 🙂

We were able to give an overview Bible study to the lady at the counter of the Quality Inn where we stayed at. America is so amazing to be able to have sincere discussions openly with people like this. The pastor is really evangelistic minded, and was always talking to people and trying to open doors to them. That is one big area where i need to improve, because my nature is to shy away from people, and keep my nose stuck in a book somewhere.

The only real problem i could tell, was the overall lack of solemnness. This is not just a problem with what i saw in Richmond, this is something that is all thru the ranks of us people who proclaim to have the last message of mercy to a dying world. Many times we like to saw joking things etc. that are not true, and then just write it off as a “joke”, and have a good laugh about it. Is this the way to act to help prepare a character to stand before a holy God?

Well, after 5 1/2 weeks of what appears to be mostly fruitless time spent in Malaysia (except for meeting one young SDA), wondering why pride, having maids work on the Sabbath, worldliness, and strange conspiracy theories (the last is probably stopped by now) had entered the church, and why not even one person would study the 1858 Great Controversy with me, i caught a late nite flight to Jakarta. The information on the internet was not good, saying that this city is bland, polluted, and a bit dangerous. Of course there was a bombing of the Marriott hotel here not too long back too, so that element is something to watch out for also. So i came a bit concerned about safety, and not expecting much in the way of spreading the Great Controversy book. But was i ever wrong! OK, the safety problem is mostly as described, but i didn’t actually encounter it. There are quite a few thieves, and the corruption of everybody, especially govt. officials, makes everybody out to be a thief it seems, but the reception of the 1858 Great Controversy book by Ellen White is just astounding! The only other place that has ever come close in reception of this book is Sabah Malaysia, and that was 4 and then 3 years ago. It is a different story there in both respects now tho.

At the Jakarta airport i had no hassle at all in purchasing a visa for 25 US dollars. The girl pasting the visa in the passport had the veil over her head, but her nice smile almost made me think i was at a tourist information center. I kind of made friends with one elderly man from Malaysia, and gave him a pamphlet on health, and then after around a 30-minute wait in a scene extremely different from the huge, efficient Bangkok airport, i walked thru customs and then into a little hallway lined with money changers and taxi booths. There were quite a few men there plugging for customers, but after changing 27sgd, i walked thru them just smiling and shaking my head “no”. Of course many of the taxi drivers would not take such an easy “no”, so they would follow me asking where i’m going, where i’m from, etc. etc. There was a large, outdoors all-nite fast food place, but that didn’t look too inviting outdoors, so i went back inside, and found a little cafe, and hung out there all nite nursing a cup of hot milk with some almond-taste chemical in it.
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blessing after blessing – indonesiaRead More »

I made it to the GMI “compound” near the McDonald road church near Collegedale Tennessee today after a couple of false starts the last two days 🙂 I have a nice room, and the people seem nice. Please pray that i can have patience, and do what the Lord wants me to do here. They provide lunch, but breakfast and supper is on my own, so am about ready to cut up that big green pepper i put in the bag last Tuesday and maybe munch on some peanut-butter crackers.

It sounds like lots of people have just moved out, and lots moved in, so things are in quite a state of flux right now. Sounds like my first work will be helping in tidying up and maybe a little construction, and then maybe they will train me in video editing. So even if i don’t get a whole lot of private time to work on my animation project, hopefully there will be good results from the editing training. Of course i hope to be of service to them too. I sure hope and pray that the 1858 Great Controversy book and animation project can get propelled forward by my association here.

even we just meet for three days but you as like a fire to burn my spirit up, now i more study about the bible and great controversy. you know, last sabbath I made a lecture in church about spiritism and this coming sabbath they asked me to continue it with Shaking, please pray for me to burn their spirit be faithful. and you know three of my high school students ask me to make a bible study, then suddenly one of them want to be baptized, so this coming sabbath they will come to my church for bible study and to hear the lesson of shaking. they are catholic, protestant, and pantecost. please pray for those students. I saw Jesus is coming soon, many people out side very hunger and thirst of the Words.
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Last Sabbath I preached about the “Great Controversy between Christ and his angels and Satan and his angels” and that all of us are involved in it, it doesn’t matter if we want or not. Day by day, with every decision, with every sought and word we are in one of the two companies: of the white banner or of the black banner.

My friend’s mansion (Japanese-style! – meaning “small apt.”) is so very clean and quiet, very different from most of where i’ve been in the last 9 months. She likes to study the 1858 Great Controversy book, and we are spending good time going over the questions, and answering other questions raised by other church members around here. Her husband is non-christian, but doesn’t mind that i’m here. It is sad to see that while most all of the SDA church members are very compromised with the world, the few strong ones are a bit wacko.

Is it God’s leading? I believe so – a friend has given me a free ticket to go to Okinawa tomorrow for a camp-meeting to which the General Conference President himself will be attending!!! The problem is – it is the International Missionary Society Reform Seventh-day Adventist Church campmeeting

Please pray for me.

The main man who invited me to come loves this 1858gc book, and wants me to give a testimony about my work in spreading it. I really am happy that someone is interested in the book here in my beloved Japan, but afraid that the “Reform” label will somehow get attached to it, so am a bit wary. It is really too bad, because this man and the others in the group that my friend has met are really sincere, strong, faithful, loving Adventists, just not in the right Adventist camp. May God use me to bring them back into his body. Anyone with Bible or SOP quotes for them? When i visited him last year, i gave my personal testimony about my own mother leaving the SDA church over the gold medal to the pope scandal, but that i don’t agree with what she did. I also showed from Revelation 3:14-21 and Ezekiel chapter 9 how we MUST be in the SDA church. It is God’s last church, defective as it may be, he still loves it, and not those churches that draw people away from it.

updated 4/15 4:40pm — I went to the airport this morning, and was told by the ANA staff that as the ticket was purchased under a different person’s name, i cannot fly using that ticket. Well, maybe this is the best? I often wonder EXACTLY what is God’s will for me to do? I want to follow perfectly like Jesus did, and while i know for sure i fall many times, much of the time i just wonder what it is EXACTLY that i am to do every day…….

Then i went to see a formerly-homeless friend. I’ve known him for around 11 years, helped him with a tent, gave him food and money when he had no friends sleeping under a blue tarp by the river, helped him get into govt. welfare and get his own apt, and even tho we have studied a lot of the Bible together, he shows absolutely no interest. To tell the truth, he even told me today in a nice manner that i should stop trying to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, because many people don’t care to hear it. And he is about to die it seems. He cannot even hardly walk the 100m to the supermarket to buy his food. And he is telling me this…. I makes my heart almost burst with grief at my friend’s hard heart and his choice of eternal death. Nearly every country i travel to people say “our country is the most difficult for evangelism”, but like recently when i told them the story of this formerly-homeless friend, they just couldn’t believe it.

The 3 Indian guys in the booth don’t bat an eye, but quickly ring out the total on a paper and hand over the sgd. In counting it, i think i’ll have 19sgd left over after paying for my ticket. But, surprise! I didn’t count one 50 note, so have 69sgd – sweet 🙂 The elderly couple hosting me for the 5 days while here remind me that i sold 10 Thai 1858gc while here last time, and they need to pay for that – another 60sgd. wow! I’m up to almost 100usd, and still have my 30usd and 2,000jpy to spare. How’s that for being taken care of?!

India is really a country where the impossible, and totally illogical, is a daily occurence. How can it be that you see cows and dogs and pigs and humans all scrounging thru the trash bins (together sometimes!) and when mentioning how this is not seen in most of the world you get a blank stare like “that’s impossible”? How can you really call a populace civilized when they explode HUGE fireworks right in the middle of the street? What kind of education is it that produces many people that cannot explain a simple event with any sort of understandability? Or a culture where the rickshaw driver would rather yell and scream at you for 15 minutes (thus losing revenue) than accepting the fare he originally agreed to?

Please note that these are large generalizations. Saying that Americans are fat, or Japanese are clean is also a generalization. But these types of things are so common, as to almost identify a culture. Being someone who likes to ask questions, who likes to know the whys and hows of things, it was humbling to be told by so many people how to walk and talk and carry my bag etc etc. Yes, i believe this was God’s plan – to push down any pride i had remaining from my 48 years of life-experience. I can even be told now that i mustn’t clean the kitchen or toilet or floor etc., and keep on smiling and doing it anyway (only servants or women are supposed to get dirty inside the house it seems).

The purpose to come to India – to find young people willing to do animation to make the Great Controversy into a movie was stillborn. It is possible that a couple of people i met might help in the future, but as for setting up a little training school and doing the work – nothing got accomplished. But still i’m sure God DID lead me here. I had a wonderful, precious time homeschooling 2 children for the majority of the time. They taught me some more patience, and hopefully i got good experience that will be put into practice elsewhere as i hope to start or help in little schools and homeschools. If someone ever starts a “school of the prophets”, that would be a dream come true. And who knows, perhaps that is God’s will for me in the future. I had many wonderful talks, especially with the father at the house where i stayed most of the time, and i was fortunate to meet several people who are strong with Jesus.

And the last 2 weeks of my stay were like “icing on the cake”, and i mean that in a good way (mostly). It started out with a bus ride from Pune to Bangalore that was supposed to be 17 hours, but wound up being 23. The bedbug or whatever it was bites kept me itching almost uncontrollably for 2 days, and then normal painfully for about a week. Yes, the trains are much better, even with their stream of beggars, but i was just glad to get a ticket on any means of transport to reach my destination. I tried to call the pastor friend who said he would pick me up, but the call placed on the phone of a nice man i met on the bus wouldn’t go thru, so i asked a rickshaw driver at the ending point if he could call. He called somebody, then cut the phone, turned to me, and said “50 rupees i take you there”. I said “can you please call again and let me speak”? He agreed, and after satisfying him with a 10-rupee note for the call, he walked off, and i walked (dragged) the 40kg of books and calendars with me to the travel office down the road where the pastor met me. He was very gracious, and said something about being in the area since 4am when he had taken someone to the train station. It was after noon now, so i knew he had a lot of patience waiting for me. He took me to his church which is being renovated, and it was just good being with him again after a 6-week or so absence from our first meeting in Bombay.

After a bath and applying gobs of soothing jelly medicine that he so kindly purchased for me, i took a nap. He and his wife gave me their own cot-bed, and slept on the floor themselves on a little rice throw-mat. I felt bad putting them out like that, but protesting didn’t help things, so just accepted their hospitality cheerfully. That is one of the great things about India, there are so many bad things here i guess, that people who are in your group are looked after quite well, and worried over and watched over carefully. In all the 15 years i lived in the Japan with its 20+ landings at its airports, i never once was greeted by anyone. And i’ve never been taken all the way to the airport yet by anyone either, altho last time i was taken to a train station near the airport. But here, two pastors who have never met me before greeted me at the Mumbai airport in July, and, well, just tonite, i had three people go along with me to the Bangalore airport, just to make sure everything went well for me. That’s some hospitality! Of course, without that hospitality, it would be difficult to get here by public transport, as it is not connected well (hard to understand bus system and extremely overcrowded), and taxi drivers often charge what long-time foreigners here refer to as “skin tax” which is about a 5times surcharge.

People are lining up for my flight to Bangkok, so i better put this away for now. Thank you, some nice, dedicated people in this maelstrom that is called India, for making my stay profitable to my spiritual welfare, and i hope to yours as well 🙂

I’ll try to finish this now, a week later, typing in northern Thailand:
The pastor in Bangalore took me to many of his church members’ homes and businesses to talk and pray with them. He tries to meet with all his members in their homes once a week. This close contact is key, i believe, to keeping people healthy and strong in their church experience. I had many precious interviews, trying to lift the people up to look more closely to Jesus for everything.
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india! at lastRead More »