In Exile: Cadences of Home

Michigan Advance Partners

The early Christian church was marked by its deep love for the Lord and sacrificial giving to His cause. In Acts 2:44, 45 we read how “all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Two chapters later we are told that “all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:34, 35)

Amid this incredible tide of giving, the hearts of two believers, Ananias and Sapphira, were stirred as well. When selling a valuable possession, they enthusiastically pledged the proceeds to the Lord. But as the time to surrender their pledge drew near, their enthusiasm cooled, and they decided to only give part of what they had originally promised. You can read the tragic results in Acts 5:1-11.

The great sin of this couple wasn’t that they refused to give all. The Lord doesn’t ask us to give everything, but merely to give as our hearts are moved—and to give without wavering. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was making a covenant with God and then going back on their commitment. As we give for the work of evangelism today, let us do so without wavering. May the Lord remove any equivocation in our hearts and bless our humble offerings to His glory.

—North American Division Stewardship Ministries

ASM members and guests are invited to hear Dr. Randall Younker discuss his team's recent visit to Mt. Ararat and what they found, on February 12, at 1 PM. It's sure to be an exciting program. Bring some food and enjoy a potluck with your friends. Bring a new friend and invite them to join ASM for the remainder of the present term for only 1/2 of the annual dues.

Isn't It Romantic? In anticipation of Valentine's Day, join internationally renowned tenor, Charles Reid, and friends from the Andrews University Department of Music in an eclectic and fun evening on the theme of love.

We are excited to be one of 80 churches around the globe piloting the new Alive in Jesus Sabbath School curriculum for the first quarter of 2023. Our Kindergarten 5-6 Year, Primary Grade 3, and Junior Grade 5 Sabbath Schools are leading our pilot, fulling implementing, with parents and our volunteer teams providing research feedback. The Gracelink curriculum, developed 25+ years ago, will be replaced with new lessons for 0 to 18 years olds by 2025. The Alive in Jesus Curriculum is being developed to better assist families in discipling kids in this 21st century to deeply love and fully live for Jesus.

We invite members to pray for our parents and volunteers as they reflect on this pilot experience to provide rich data to improve the lessons for global use. Feel free to watch an introductory video and explore the online materials at https://pilot.aliveinjesus.info/, or come visit or volunteer in a Sabbath School this quarter.