Saipan Adventure 2015: MARCH 20-22

March 20-22 (NOTE: the group picture will be added when it's available)

Here is the speaking list again:

For Saipan convention, there were about 8 visitors plus workers and friends, totaling about 30 altogether.Wednesday evening was actually our first convention meeting during "pre-convention" week.
Wednesday, March 18
Kent Williston
The Devil is a taker - he offered Jesus all the kingdom;s of the world. But whenever we take what he has to offer, we lose.
Jesus is a giver - John 10 - anyone who won't go through the door is a robber
Mt 25 - the man with one talent thought is master was a taker. He never took from the others, but gave them the original talents plus what they had earned.
God spared not his own son - God so loved the world that he gave . . .
Larry Taylor
The Hebrews were instructed to eat the Passover Lamb in haste, ready to flee. The Lamb was to be roasted with FIRE. Fire tests of what sort we are. Fire burns, but it also usually softens. Fire consumes. Our flesh needs to be consumed with the fire of God's Spirit. The flesh being cooked with fire is made smaller. We need to be made smaller in our flesh.The people were led in the wilderness with the Fire.

Friday, March 20
Dale Wipf
Five very important days in our lives
Birth - all of our life before us
Visitation - every living person throughout history and every living person from now until the end of time will have a day of visitation. No one else may know that day, but we will. God is not willing that any should perish. He speaks in different ways to different people, but if we look back on our lives, we may recognize that day when we had a thought about eternity and what our purpose here is.
Salvation - our day or days of visitation will lead us to a decision - accept or reject the visit. If we accept, we have begun our days of salvation. Rejection may not have immediate results, but on the last day, that moment will be remembered.
Death - everyone's experience unless translated at the Lord's return.
Recompense - the word "recompense" was chosen rather than "judgment" as those who responded positively to their day of visitation allow judgment daily. It becomes a day of reward. The King will remind those on His right hand of the many kind, generous and unselfish acts they did. Their response? When did we see you hungry, naked, thirsty, etc.?" Perhaps the Lord will show the ripples in all the lives touched by those acts. Truly a reward in itself.

Cheri Fisk
Jesus is the Great Physician.

Saturday morning - baptism

Baptism beach

Scene of the baptism

Saturday afternoon, March 21
Brian Frandsen
Jesus is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption

Kent Williston
Thoughts. We have our own. God has His. We can let ours be His, or we can keep our own. Is 55:8 "For your thoughts are not my thoughts and your ways are not my ways."In the days of Noah, the thoughts of men were only evil continually."
Jer 29:11 "I know my thoughts toward you -thoughts of peace and not of evil."
Eph 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
2 Cor 10:5 "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
David fought the battles of discouragement - no one had faith to go against Goliath. David fought the battle of bitterness, having been falsely accused by his brothers of wrong motives.
Phil 2:2 - be of one mind
2:5 - let this mind be in you (Jesus)
3:13 - forget things behind
4:8 - whatsoever things are . . . think on these things.

Saturday evening, March 21 gospel meeting

Marilyn Denio
Taking on the lesser place can be a strong place. In Joshua 8, some of the Israelite soldiers made as if they were beaten and retreating. The whole city pursued them and the rest of Israel took the city. We don't like to appear as losers.
Joshua 9 - The men of Gibeon made as if they were poor wayfarers, entreating Joshua to take them in and that they would servants. In this way, the Gibeonites prospered within the camp of Israel. We don't like to appear less than we are.
Luke 15 - the wayward son found his way back and was willing to just a servant in hs father's house. In Psalm 84 David said he would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of his God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
If we treat those above us with humility, it is a duty
Our peers - it is a kindness
Those less fortunate - nobleness
Everyone - it is safe

Larry Taylor
Urgency -salvation of our souls is an URGENT matter. The passover was not a party or a feast. it was a matter of salvation and deliverance.
We only have so much time and health - need to feel the urgency of our service - of our salvation. Noah felt the urgency of his task, continuing day after day. Lot failed to see the urgency of his situation. Two servants of the Lord came and impressed on him the urgency of the matter. When Jonah finally shared the message he was to give, the people felt the urgency. Rahab felt the urgency of salvation for herself and her family.

Sunday morning, March 22
Cheri Fisk
Jesus is a full and complete source:
Grace, truth, light, love, power, comfort, joy, peace, tenderness, zeal, knowledge, glory, submission, living bread, kindness, mercy, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, wisdom, understanding, humility, counsel, righteousness, obedience, purity, life, living water, virtue. Jesus wants to fill us to completeness.

Kent Williston
Another way to look at Mt 13:44-46 - God saw a treasure in the filed of this earth and saw a pearl of great price in you and me, so he "sold all", i.e., gave the best that He had to purchase the field and the pearl. God gave the most valuable gift He could.
1 Pet 1:18, 19 - we are not redeemed with gold or silver, that is corruptible things, but with precious blood of a life perfectly submitted.
1 Cor 6:19, 20 - we are not our own - we are bought with a price.
God's love = the ultimate price paid.

Sunday afternoon, March 22
Sara Stickland
We are called to journey. Abram was called to journey to a better country. Joueying means leavin the place you are. We need provisions for our spiritual journey.
Food - Jesus is the Bread of Life
Water - the Word
Clothing - humility
Light - Jesus is the Light of the world
Map - Jesus is the Way
The humility of Jesus is appropriate at every stop along the way on our journey.

Dale Wipf
Lean not on thine own understanding. Rev 19 - the Lord omnipotent reigneth. We live within the bounds of limitations of time, strength, knowledge and health. Can we have complete confidence in our heavenly Father? Trust is a great honor we can give to the Creator. How can we continue to trust our own thinking? Jer 17:5, 6 - the man who trusts in his own strength is cursed - is like a tumbleweed in the desert, not recognizing when good comes, just existing in a land that cannot produce anything. Jer 17: 7, 8 - the man who trust in his God is like a tree planted where the heat of the day as no effect and always lives a fruitful life. And then verse 9 lays out the truth: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?"

Departures
Sunday evening, our Guam friends headed out, followed on Monday morning by our visiting workers, Brian Frandsen, Kent Williston, Cheri Fisk, Larry T. and Dale Wipf. Many were headed to the Philippines for conventions there and elsewhere in the Orient. Marilyn Denio and the Sticklands, Dean, Marion and Sara, left on Thursday.