July 1, 2017 Steps to Life Newsletter

Dear STL Supporter

A Model for Meeting Challenges

At the end of 1 Kings 16 the Bible records Ahab becoming king of Israel - In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 Now Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him. 31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him. (vs 29 to 31).

The moral decent of the nation of Israel, accompanied by violent political intrigue, was at rock bottom. Would the spirituality of the nation of Israel sink much lower? The answer was 'yes' because king Ahab went and married Jezebel, the Baal worshipping priestess daughter of the king of the Sidonians and they built another temple to Baal in Samaria. The physical building was in defiance of God as were its sensuous and sexually perverted worship rites. Imagine trying to hold on to your faith as one who revered the Great Creator God of heaven and earth!

Into this context comes the prophet Elijah. How would you like to be a prophet? Quite often prophets are assigned by God to give the bad news, the warning and reproofs as His messenger. This was Elijah's calling.

Assignment number one for Elijah was to tell Ahab that God was causing a drought in Israel for an unspecified time. God knew that Elijah had developed the qualities of loyalty and character that enabled him to front up to an aggressive apostate king.

What were the qualities of character and commitment that had developed Elijah to the point where he could take on apparently suicidal missions for God? The next couple of chapters in 1 Kings show us what these qualities were. We would do well to develop the same qualities, as well.

Like it or not we live in an increasingly paganised world with the rising of subtle and overt worship of self and sensuality all around us. Gratuitous violence abounds. The last census in Australia tells us that fewer people acknowledge the Christian God, let alone have a relationship with Him or read the Bible for spiritual and moral guidance. The gay lobby - representing a whole expanding range of divergent sexual behaviours - is making wrong seem right and right seemly wrong and discriminative. Our children are told that their biology does not determine their sexual orientation, that their parents are not their moral compasses and that no one, not even their parents, have the right to advise them on their gender. Our young people from a pre-teenage age are told that they should experiment for themselves and then determine their sexual orientation. God created humankind in His image and Satan is doing his best to obscenely deface human beings that should reflect God.

Prophet Elijah is a person who won great victories for God in a hostile context. In the record of what follows his announcing of the prolonged drought to king Ahab, we can see the qualities enabling him to be an effective representative for God. They carried him through tough times.

• He had a close personal relationship with God, to the point where God could speak with him in some direct manner.
• He was obedient and did what God asked of him.
• He was persistent.
• He exercised faith even though he was asked to announce and do the seemingly impossible.

They gave him what it took to go and live in the wilderness by the brook called Cherith and just wait there living in the wild, totally dependant on God for food delivered by the ravens and water in a little stream that was dwindling to the point of drying up. How would you and I have lasted? Would we have said The ravens will die in the drought and then what for me? Would we have said, I'll go and find a better supply of water for myself somewhere, as the brook

dried up? Or would we have had faith and courage and waited for God to tell us what to do next?

Prophet Elijah had faith to follow God's instruction and go and ask a Phoenician woman (Not and Israelite) for the last of her food. He did it. She was blessed and so was he. Then he had to cope with her son dying. This did cause him to question God's justice and mercy, but he was honest in this, as he could not work out the reason why the boy had died when the woman had been so good to him. He persisted in prayer and a great miracle happened as the boy came back to life.

Then there was the show down between evil and God on Mount Carmel. Elijah's qualities of relationship, obedience, persistence and faith were seen in the way he carried out the assignment of building the altar and calling on God to accept the sacrifice. Then it didn't rain and he persistently and in great faith kept praying.! How are we with faithful persistent praying when things are tough for us? Hopefully like Elijah.

Can I encourage you to re-read 1 Kings Ch 16 to 19 to complete this part of the life the story of Elijah. Its inspiring! Ultimately Elijah was one of the few translated to be with God without seeing death.

Steps to Life is a Ministry Which Runs on Financial Gifts, Limited Product Sales and Your Prayers

If you appreciate the work that STL does could we remind you that we are dependent on your support in one or all areas mentioned above. We know that there are many good and worthy causes for your support but as you plan your giving we ask that you prayerfully consider the needs of STL.

• We have stepped out in faith and are major financial backers of the 1844: Our Only Hope film project. We have committed at least a five figure sum to support Joel, our Media Producer, to bring a message of affirmation of the ministry of Christ in the Heavenly Sanctuary post 1844 to the many younger people who have never heard a sermon preached or read a book on the topic. Yet, it's a crucial part of Christ's Work of Atonement. Its Joel's project, but we are financially backing him as best we can.
• We are an 'onshore' ministry that tries to encourage, uplift and inspire the faithful commandment keepers in Australia, even though our reach extends beyond Australia.
• We try through seminars, DVD production, printed resources and the Internet to meet the needs of people who are looking for the return of Jesus and find they are not having some of those needs met elsewhere.
• We try and encourage healthy living as a way of keeping our minds and bodies representative of those who would follow Jesus and to relieve unnecessary illness along with all the hardship poor health brings.
• We work to communicate the good news of Jesus Second Coming to a world that is falling apart.

Coming Seminars

• July 22 - Sabbath Afternoon Seminar - At the STL Studio, 4.00 pm - Desley Bailey - The Least of These My Brethren: Reflections on Kenya (See enclosed/attached flyer with full details). Desley will tell us of the challenges of her last medical missionary trip to Kenya.
• July 23 - Sunday Health Seminar - At the STL Studio, 10.00 am to 2.30 pm - Rod Bailey - Cultivate. (See enclosed/attached flyer with full details). Rod will tell us of the great home gardening ideas he learned at the 2017 Adventist Agricultural Association conference in Florida, USA. Bookings are essential by Tuesday, July 18.
• August 27 - 5.00pm Creation Ministries International presentation with Dr. Don Batten. CEO of CMI
• August 30 - 7.00pm Start of our next Depression Recovery Program. Registrations open. Also, 12th July in Sunbury phone Louise 0425 781 581

With Christian greetings

Cherryl and the STL team

Brian Way/Programs Coordinator