SDA Youth in the Last Days

“ Let there be light ” God’s thunderous voice booms across a shapeless, dark object. Immediately, you see streams of light flowing across a lump of darkness.    “ Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters ” God’s voice booms and you watch in wonder as clouds rise and form a blanket around a mass of swirling water.    “ Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear ” God says, and you watch in awe as dry land peeks out from beneath the rolling waves.    Then God says, “ Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth ” Immediately, the bare and desolate landscape turns a vivid green. You stare in delight as meadows bloom and forests appear.    “ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let t...

Last Friday night I was on my knees asking God what He wanted me to do, yielding my will to His. Suddenly I heard God speaking to me. Not audibly, of course, but I seemed to almost hear God calling me to give myself wholly to His plan for me. “Yes, Lord? Here am I.” And then it was really weird. I had this super strong impression. Go to 286 7th Ave S and offer them Bible studies. “No! I don’t want to, Lord!” Wait, didn’t I just say, “Here am I?” I wrestled for a while, unwilling to go. Finally, I hopped in bed and grabbed the magazine beside my bed. Adventist Frontier Missions. I read bit and then came across a section that said, “Will you answer His call to reach the unreached?” (Paraphrased) I lay down, giving myself all the reasons for why not to go. After a few minutes, I hopped out of bed and grabbed my phone. “Hopefully that address doesn’t even exist,” I thought to myself. Ugh, forget that, there it is. I finally fell into a restless sleep. Sabbath morning, I woke up. Guess ...

It’s dark. There’s no moon, and the clouds cover the stars. There is no light whatsoever, and you can’t see anything; not even your hand if you were to put it right in front of your face. You can hear sounds that only the night makes, and you begin to feel a chill creeping in. All you want to be is home! You’re out in the middle of the woods, lost in the darkness. You could find your way home— if only you could see something; anything! But alas, there is no light. All is pitch blackness.  Suddenly, you bump your toe on something. Jumping, you think it’s a wild animal but realize it’s only a rock. Wait a minute, this rock feels funny. You reach down and feel the object carefully, making sure that whatever it is doesn’t decide to bite. Your heart jumps; it’s a flashlight! In your joy you pick it up and fumble around a little. It feels kinda old, but you refuse to let your hopes down. You feel for the switch, and immediately there’s a beam of light stretching in front of you. Hap...

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:11    What's makes the Sabbath extra special?    “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Exodus 31:13    The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people—a sign that they are His obedient subjects, that they keep holy His law. The observance of the Sabbath is the means ordained by God of preserving a knowledge of Himself and of distinguishing between His loyal subjects and the transgressors of His law. CH 358.4    All of God’s commandments are important, but the Sabbath is extra special. The Sabbath is a special sign between God and us. It is a way He distinguishes between His faithful followers and the transgressors of His law. It is a test. A test of our loyalty to Him.  ...

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Pastor Jason Sliger baptized four young people on that hot summer day at Young Disciple camp. As I watched, I felt a burning inside me to be baptized as well, and throughout the rest of that day I thought about it. That evening, at campfire, I hardly heard half of the testimonies, because I was so deep in thought about baptism. About halfway through, I made the decision to go up, give my testimony, and say that I had decided to be baptized. It was a really solemn moment, and I guess I sort of broke down in gratitude or something. (hard to explain…) This was in July 2016, when I was 14. After YD I went and told my mom of my decision, and she agreed to get me started on Bible studies with our pastor. I could’ve gotten baptized at our church, but I decided that I wanted to get baptized at Young Disciple camp next year, in 2017. Months past, and around May we met with our Pastor. By this time, my sister...

A s mall figure of a girl runs down the street. Her clothes are in tatters, her hair is a mess, she has no shoes, and she looks like she hasn’t eaten in days. A chilly breeze blows, making her wrap her arms around herself and run to shelter. She stops short, in front of a nearby restaurant, smelling the delicious smells wafting out the windows. The warmth from the inside blows softly onto the little girl, and she smiles. Suddenly, the owner of the building comes outside, and yells at her, telling her to go away. She runs to a corner, curls up to try to keep warm, and quiet tears trickle down her cheeks. Why wouldn’t anyone help her? ~~~~~~~ People did the same to Jesus when He came down to earth. They rejected Him, throwing Him out of towns, including His hometown! Most people didn't want Him around, they even preferred Barabbas over Jesus.  “When Christ was upon this earth, the world preferred Barabbas. And today the world and the churches are making the s...

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Something beautiful happens when people give their lives to God. “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11) When we let the Holy Spirit fill our hearts and guide us towards heaven, we will receive the power to be filled with the fruits of righteousness. He will give us power to overcome temptation and have the victory, and He will create a complete change of character and purpose in our lives. There is an interesting verse in Isaiah that gives an amazing promise. “Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance” (Isaiah 19:25). In those days, Egypt, Assyria, and Israel had become full-on pagan countries. Both Egypt and Assyria had persecuted and hurt Go...