October 29, 2000

Last week we concluded the Feast of Tabernacles in beautiful Ventura, California. I have never attended a feast where everything about the services was so uplifting, inspiring as well as informative. I also found the love and fellowship to be without comparison. There were people from 7 or 8 well known church groups and others from lesser known independent groups. Despite that there was unity and harmony and love of the brethren.

This was the comment from a minister who was there after having observed more than 50 festivals: "I am not exaggerating when I say I found it (the Feast in Ventura) the most inspirational and worshipful festival I have ever attended."

What is the purpose of the feast? There seems to be different opinions. Some ministers say, "We are here to learn God’s government." To me that is a euphemism for, "You are here to learn to take orders from the ministers."

I believe we, as God’s people, came for this purpose: to glorify and worship God with reverence and to show our love for each brother or sister in Christ. We need the encouragement and instruction that will help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t need to feel discouraged and hopeless.

In time past, I have been to feasts and heard sermons that berated the Brethren, told them how carnal they were and how bad they were. I heard words like: "There is nothing good about you. You are totally carnal and evil. You need to believe that you are just a worn out hunk of junk. None is righteous, no, not one. You have a nature toward fornication, adultery and the other pulls of the flesh." Certain minority races were told they had tendencies toward violence and their nature was not good like that of the "Israelites."

While the motive was to make the Brethren more righteous and to try harder to live up to God’s standards, these sermons really amounted to accusations against the Brethren. People came away from these browbeating sermons with a hopeless attitude feeling they were not going to make it into God’s kingdom.

At the festival in Ventura we had no accusative sermons. Beating people over the head with God’s laws and their "human nature" is fine for the UNCONVERTED. See 1 Timothy 1:9. But, for people who have come to Christ, who want to do God’s will, who traveled many miles to attend the festival, this accusative approach from the pulpit is totally out of place! After all, WHO IS the accuser of the Brethren? Satan does his job very well and he does not need any help from the ministry!!

Here’s hoping you had an inspiring and uplifting festival wherever you were!

Television on Community Access

We just finished our second one-half hour television program. It was made in studio at the local Pasadena television station channel 56. The program is scheduled to air in Pasadena in January 2001. Shortly after it airs we will make these programs available for you to use on your local community access station as well. On the end of the program there will be room to put the name of your church group, where you meet, etc. as "sponsors" of the program.

The name of the program is, "Your Future Today." I have sent out an email letter to those of you who have email outlining the first program. (If you have email and have not received my SABBATH THOUGHTS and other information we send out by email, please include your email address on the return order form. Or you can email me at: drdaveca@earthlink.net and I will add your name.)

We believe that the title "Your Future Today" allows us a great deal of flexibility in talking to the audience about the Biblical message and also about practical things that will benefit their lives right now. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is at hand." He was really saying that the future had come into their lives today.

We will keep you posted on this new adventure. We have received incredible favor from those at the station who have heard our program. They believe it to be first rate and to have great potential. Naturally, I am an amateur when it comes to speaking in front of a television camera. But with time, I will improve. Nevertheless, those at the station thought our program to be one of the best religious programs produced at their facility!

LEARNING AND LEANING ON THE BIBLE

One of the passages of Scripture that was used to terrify the Brethren was this: "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:18).

The emphasis was on the word "scarcely." It made it look as though almost no one will be saved. I have puzzled over this verse for quite some time. Perhaps you have too. If you would like to learn more about this verse and at the same time learn more about how to study the Bible, please send for the first two messages in this series of four called "Scarcely Saved." You can follow along in your own Bible and understand this verse thoroughly as it is interpreted from the Bible itself.

Thank you for your enthusiastic support in wanting to hear these messages. But, please send in your request as soon as possible so we may get these tapes out quickly bulk rate. Our policy is that once the sermon tapes have been exhausted, we can not fulfill further requests. So please, if you want these messages, fill out the enclosed form and return it right away. Why not do it now?

Here is wishing you good health and prosperity during these times. Thanks again to those who through prayer and commitment continue to support our efforts to make the Word of God plain and meaningful in these times of lots of preaching but poverty of Biblical content.

With love in Christ,

David L. Antion

_____ Please send me the first 2 sermons entitled "Scarcely Saved"

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