Steps to Life June NewsletterGreeting Steps to Life Friends, The UK is erupting this week as the issue of two-tier policing is further exposed when the case of Henry Nowak became world news. This is a terrible event where an 18-year-old English man was stabbed by an Indian Sikh with a religious knife. When the police attended, they handcuffed Henry and read him his rights and then Henry passed away and his last words were I can't breathe. This event exposed the two-tier policing in the UK a system that favors left wing views with more lenient policing of minority groups and harsher treatment of UK nationals and Christians. Laws have been introduced over recent years to make praying or preaching in public an offence. Earlier this month a retired pastor in Ireland was fined for preaching John 3:16 near a hospital. In Australia the so called 'Hate Speech Laws' were tightened earlier this year to make it an offence to cause a member of the public to feel intimidated or harassed. This legislation was changed in the wake of the Bondi terrorist attack and was aimed to prevent anti-semitism however the by-product of these new laws is a loss of freedom of speech and generally less tolerance toward Christian activities that spread the gospel. The ABC reported 'The legislation includes a narrow defence where the speech, writing or other form of public gesture was solely quoting religious texts for the purpose of religious teaching or discussion'. It seems we may have a limited time to openly speak in public to people about God and His plan for their salvation. I believe our calling as Seventh-Day Adventists is to openly speak to people in our community and circle of influence about God and His plan for their salvation. I recently heard a sermon about Seventh-Day Adventists and the purpose for our existence. As SDAs we have a different calling to other believers we are to be a lighthouse to the world we are to spread the gospel. Rev 14:6. To do this we must reflect the character of Christ and avoid the traps set by Satan the enemy. There are so many traps in our path to divert our attention from God these days. Our lives are so busy just with making a living, social media and entertainment that we have little time for God. Ellen White calls this worldly compromise or maxims of the world. We must also be vigilant to avoid false teaching and false gospel, I know I, and I'm sure many of you have lost close friends to this trap as it is a most effective tool of Satan. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Mathew 6:24. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Ellen White warned that neutrality in a crisis must be avoided, we can't be lukewarm we must believe whole heartedly in Christ so we can effectively reflect His character. We have an opportunity now to discuss God with people we encounter during our day to day lives without too much restriction from legislation. In the past we had learned or had been taught about God from history and things that have already taken place. Going forward to the second coming we must rely on prophesy. After all prophesy is history written down in advance. We must tell people what is about to happen and what we know about the plan for their salvation and how believing in God will translate to eternal life. What a privilege we have to do God's work and spread the gospel to the whole world in these last days.    
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