What were the last words of Jesus on

the cross? What did those words mean to those who heard him and to us today?

Traditionally, there are seven sayings of Jesus dur-ing his crucifixion recorded in the gospels. The books of Mark and Matthew share one verse of the Lord’s last words. Three of the Lord’s last sayings are found in the book of Luke. In addition, the book of John records three more distinct sayings. Together, the Gospels share

with us a total of seven last sayings of Jesus before he died on the cross.

Jesus’ last sayings are filled with life-giving power. His words express a deep and abiding love that reaches across the centuries to touch each of us and encourages us to go and do likewise.

Just like those of us who treasure the final words of our loved ones, the final words of our Lord are his gifts to us. The final words

of a loved one are held as sacred and treasured by the entry family.

My father died more than a decade ago. Yet, I recall his last words to me. He said, “Come on, let’s go.” The subdued urgency in his voice recalled child-hood memories of hurrying to the place of his call. In my heart’s memory his invitation was to join him in a pleasant activity. My father’s final words are hid-den deep within my heart safe to treasure forever.

continued on page 1

The Last Words of Jesus by Pastor Mitch

Easter’s Promise

’Twas by a path of sorrows drear Christ entered into rest; And shall I look for roses here, Or think that earth is blessed? Heaven’s whitest lil-ies blow From earth’s sharp crown of woe: Who here his cross can meekly bear, Shall wear the king-ly purple there.

—L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert

INSIDECrossing the Line on page 3

Compliance or Commitment? is on page 4

Ginny’s Kitchen on page 5

What’s happening? see pages 6 & 9

Saving for the Wrong Reasons on page 7

Our Church Family page 10

Kid’s Page on page 11

For the members, family and friends of the Downey Adventist Church

Easter Sabbath

Easter is a day when we reflect on God’s love for us. John 3:16 says, “For God

so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” Another way to begin to understand God’s love, is to examine The Last Words of Jesus. When the testimo-nies of the gospel writers combine, the results are a legacy of divine love.

Please join us as we celebrate Easter. On Saturday, April 7th, we will have our Easter Celebration. Invite your friends

to join us for this important service.

Also, make plans to stay for a luncheon after the service. The fellow-ship and the food is great! =

THE LATEST WORD

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On Easter weekend, April 7, we will experience the last words of our Lord as he hung upon the cross. Our plan is to focus on three of his sayings but give the scrip-tures where all seven are found to look up and share with your family. When the testimonies of the gospel writers com-bine, the results are a legacy of divine love.

One way to interpret the Lord’s last words is to carefully listen to those around him and observe their reactions. We’ll hear the Lord’s word of for-giveness to those crucify-ing him; a word of assur-ance to a condemned thief; and a special word of love

to his mother and disciple. These words are a must for the entire world to know. What a heritage our God has left his believing fam-

ily to share.

This is an outreach event, so plan to invite neighbors and friends. A fellowship luncheon is planned that day.

Each year we set aside a special Sabbath to honor our military veterans. This year we want to include

those who serve in law enforcement and fire pro-tection as well. On April 14, we’ve invited Army Chaplain Lt. Col. James

Milburn as our guest speaker. Lt. Col. Milburn has been with us in the past and we look for-ward to his Biblical message. Milburn is assigned to the 79th Sustainment Support Command at the Joint Forces

Training Base in Los Alamitos, California.

If you grew up in the church, you probably grew up believing that God can do anything. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is too big or too small for God. That’s what we were taught. And there is real truth in those statements. However, you might be surprised to learn that there are some things that God can’t do. Not because they are too hard for him, but because these things simply violate the principles and character-istics that make God who he is. On Aptil 21st, Bill Aumack will bring us the first message in the series, Things God Can’t Do. The first message is titled God Can’t Break a Promise. How do we know we can trust what God says in the Bible? By one estimate, the Bible contains some

30,000 promises! That’s a lot of promises. How can we be assured that God will keep these promises? That’s something that many of us have wondered at one point or another. Bring a friend to see what the Bible has to say about this very topic. Also, watch for more messages in this series over the next few months when Bill preaches.

The final message on April 28 is called A Window in Time. What do you want your child to be when he or she grows-up? Dream large for your kids. We serve the Almighty God and are any dreams

WE

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ID

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The Latest Word V 24 N 04

BILL AUMACKresponsible for this

LINDA AUMACKcopy editor

HATZUKO AISPUROpaper distribution

MITCH WILLIAMSpastor

address mail to: Downey Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd.Downey, CA 90240office: 562.869.6013fax: 562.622.1691 downeychurch@gmail.comwww.downeychurch.com

distributed monthlyissue date: Apr. 2012 copyright 1992-2012

When the testi-monies of the gospel writers combine, the

results are a legacy of love.

“

”

The Last Words of Jesus (cont. from page 1)

continued on page 5

April 2012

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Webster says “renew” means “to make

like new ... restore to freshness or perfection... to make new spiritu-ally : REGENERATE...” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary).

God says, “Do not lie to each other, since

you have taken off your old self with its prac-tices and have put on the new self, which is being RENEWED in knowl-edge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10 NIV).

I have a little calendar that sits on my desk at work. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I get a new one each year, and they are always different. I’m really enjoying this year’s calendar, because it has

a new word for each day, together with a defini-tion, proper usage and a little historical fact about how the word came into existence. I have several pages that I have saved since the beginning of the year. One of them is for the word RUBICON. It means a “bounding or lim-iting line; especially one that when crossed com-mits a person irrevocably.” The sentence provided to bring home the definition is, “The college basket-ball player had to decide whether to stay in school . . . or cross the Rubicon and go pro.” The word’s evolvement stems from the time in history when Julius Caesar led his army to the banks of the Rubicon and, violating the law, he defi-antly led his army across the river, the boundary.

Ha! Who says words can-not be fun and interesting? Not me!!!

You know, I would venture to say that there is a Rubicon in the life of every Christian. Initially, it might have been the time in your life when you decided to accept Christ as your Savior. The time when, faced with the con-dition of your heart and life, that you chose to leave that life behind and ask God to make you new. At that point, you commit-ted yourself irrevocably. Am I right? But, you know, I would also venture to say we make that choice on a daily basis. A daily Rubicon, if you will. Each day we choose to walk in the flesh and live for self or choose to surrender to God. If I’m honest here, I’m going to tell you that I don’t always find that an easy choice. But I am encouraged by God’s Word and His promise of renewal such that I want to make the right choice. During my study time this week, I looked up the word ‘renewal’ in my study Bible. I really

like the commentary on Colossians 3:10 and the word itself which says: “. . . believers are exhorted to live with a new self-perception . . . in which each sees himself as hav-

ing become a ‘new man’ . . . The new man emerges or comes to expression in greater fullness as the believer apprehends with ever-deepening faith who he has become in Christ. This ‘restoration’ is indeed the gradual recreation of the image of God which man originally bore prior to the Fall” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, AMG International, Inc.).

In our case, crossing the daily Rubicon is not an act of defiance but an act of surrender and coop-eration with our Creator which leads to renewal. For some reason it reminds me of an old song. “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” =

April 7 Mitch Williams

EasterThe Last Words of

Jesus

April 14

Jim Milburn

April 21Bill Aumack

Things God Can’t Do #1

God Can’t Break a Promise

April 28Mitch Williams A Window in Time

Worship Schedule

God, Webster & You

by Linda Bewley Crossing the Line

THE LATEST WORD

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In this series of articles, I have been covering con-

trasts we face in Christian life. In chapter three of Alistair Begg’s book, Made For H-I-S Pleasure, he tells a story of an expe-rience while attending London Bible College. As part of their teaching and ministerial education, they were to preach to a group of street people, most of whom only came for the food which was served after the service. He writes, “Anyone who thinks he may be called to preach should be given the opportunity to test his gift in this envi-ronment.”

Begg continues with a story of a young woman from that class who felt she was called to the mission field. With her schooling complete and learning the local language she left for the small vil-lage where she would be teaching. Soon thereafter the village was raided by a band of militant gueril-las and everyone, young and old, was ruthlessly slaughtered. This young woman gave her life in service to God at the age of twenty-eight. Her brief life, however, was not lost in vain, for to this day, her story continues to be told by those whose lives were touched by her commit-ment to her Lord.

For the most part, sac-rifice of this magnitude is not known in Christianity today. Many Christians feel the concept of suf-fering unrewarded and unnecessary, perhaps even unbiblical. Begg writes, “This sacrifice is not two separate transactions-entrusting your life to Christ and

then offering your body as a living sacrifice-but one. Not everyone is called to the mission field, but all are called to sacrifice.”

One morning I heard a similar story on a radio program. The story was about Stephen and the impact his life of faith had on a certain Jew named Saul. After meeting Christ himself, Saul was a man whose life was completely changed from a life of strict compliance to a life of total commitment.

In Romans 12, Paul

has so much to say. He implores his listeners not to be conformed to this world (v2); to think with sober judgment and not arrogance (v3). He encourages them to use their various gifts dili-gently and cheerfully (v6-8); to love sincerely (9) and in verses 11 and 12, to serve the Lord patiently and joyfully. The notes in my study Bible state, “Paul goes into detail to show that Jesus Christ is to be Lord of every area of life…..God demands our action as well as our

believing and thinking.” Only in coming to know Christ will we have the desire and the strength to

abandon the powerful attachments we have to this world. It has taken me many years

to see the wisdom in this truth and I struggle daily with wanting to leave a life of mere compliance to one of true commitment. Let’s pray….

Father, help me live a life pleasing to You through Jesus. =

Before the Father

by Linda FernandezCompliance or Commitment?

So then, my friends... offer yourselves a living sacri-fice to God... Romans 12:1 (Good News Trans)

Many Christians feel the concept of suffering unrewarding and unneces-sary, perhaps even unbibli-cal.

April 2012

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Lime Tarts with Dark Chocolate

From Ginny’s Kitchen

¼ cup cocoa, I used “Ghirardelli natural unsweetened cocoa”

2 tablespoons Agave Nectar or 1/3 cup white sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cup1 plain soy milk or fat-free milk

2 large eggs

4 ounces dark choco-late, melted (I used 8 Hershey’s Kisses, special dark)

1 tablespoons grated fresh

line rind

8 prepackaged 3” graham cracker tart cups

Toppings:

fat free whipping cream

thinly sliced lime slices

Directions:

1) Place packaged gra-ham cracker tarts shells in refrigerator to chill.

2) Combine cocoa, Agave or sugar and cornstarch, whisk together in a sauce-pan. Add ¾ cup milk and

continue whisking together and cook-ing for 8 minutes until thick. Stir to blend.

3) Whisk eggs in a bowl and 1 and ¼ c. milk and then stir into saucepan, constantly stir-ring. Cook about 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, add & then fold into mixture of grated fresh lime rind. Set aside to cool.

4) Stir and fill each tart.

Cool a couple of hours before serving. Add 1 piece of lime across the top of tart and top with whipped cream and serve. =

too big for our children or ourselves with God at our sides? Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

The Lord is opening a window of opportunity for all of us to grow in him. Let’s seize the day of opportunity for our kids.

See you when the church gathers. =

The Last Words of Jesus from page 2

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7:22 pm sunset

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9:30 am S.S.10:50 am Worship Bill Aumack

9:30 am S.S.10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams

Visit www.downeychurch.orgS.S. – Sabbath School

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10:50 am Worship Mitch Williams

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7 pm Band Practice

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Downey Adventist Church

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

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7:17 pm sunset

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

9 am Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting

3 pm Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting

3 pm Pathfinder/ Adventurer Meeting

7 pm Women’s Prayer Group

7 pm Band Practice

7 pm Board Meeting

April 2012

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If you ask any reasonable person, “Do you think

it is important to save?” they will probably answer, “yes”. But if your fol-low-up question is, “Are you sav-ing con-sistently and regularly from your monthly income?” the sad truth may be that few would answer, “yes”. As Christians, we should know better because biblical wisdom explains when we fail to save we are living foolishly. “The wise man or woman saves for the future, but the fool-ish man or woman spends whatever he or she gets,” Proverbs 21:20, TLB.

Yet, even after Solomon’s wise proverb some believers might ask, “Are you sure we Christians should be sav-ing money?” Often Bible believers find themselves at opposite extremes of what God’s Word rightly indicates concerning the principles of saving. Some Christians emphatically claim that saving money demonstrates a lack of trust because God has promised that our bread

and water is assured. Others are convinced they must store up for seven

years of fam-ine like Joseph advised Pharaoh in response to his dream. And both could support their argument

by quoting Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke Jesus sent his disciples on their first mission with the admon-ishment, “take no provi-sions”, Luke 10:3-10. But on their second trip He directs them to “take pro-visions”, Luke 22:35-36.

A solution to this dilemma is to ask another question, “Why, as a Christian, would I need to save?” Would your reason for saving be because you fear of losing everything? Are you terrified of the future? Are you nervous about living without any emergency or reserve funds? Let’s try to deter-mine our underlining motives for saving. Here are four unhealthy reasons for saving:

Insecurity As a financial educa-

tor, I encourage individu-als and families to make as their first two savings accounts an emergency fund of $1,000 for life’s minor crises and at least two or three months of saved income as a reserve fund in the event you are “downsized” or laid off. This does not dimin-ish our confidence in our Heavenly Father. Jesus, when he was on earth, instructed his disciples to pray, “Give us our daily bread” as a contrast to those who constantly squirrel away money for a rainy day. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of our LORD our God,” Psalm 20:7.

Pride History often demon-

strates that the rich are more likely to be recog-nized and honored. In the foyer of a charity or displayed in the lobby of hospital you might see a tree-like icon with the names of the affluent families on the top of the tree because they donated millions, those who gave a few thousand dollars listed on the middle branches, and the names who con-tributed just a few hundred on the widening lower boughs. Similarly, among Christ’s followers there

Saving for the Wrong ReasonsStewpot

by Gordon Botting, DrPH, CHES.

continued on page 8

Nobody ever went broke saving money.

—Anonymous

Make money your God, and will plague you like the Devil.

—Henry Fielding

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is a tendency to treat the moneyed members better than those who are impov-erished. James writes of this attitude in his epistle this way: “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wear-ing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand here’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not dis-criminated among your-selves and become judges with evil thoughts?,” James 2:2-4 NIV.

Fear It could be said that

fear is insecurity on ste-roids. The reason some people fear never hav-ing enough is because they lived as children in an impoverished home, or early in their career they were let go, or they lived through the Great Depression. They now constantly save not because it makes them feel more secure, but because they are terrified of what the future holds. Fortunately, the remedy for their anxious existence is found in the scripture; “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me,” Psalm 23:4.

Greed One of the recurring

economic themes, par-ticularly for those who have lost their jobs, or their family’s home is in

foreclosure, is the widen-ing salary gap between the labor force and cor-porate executives and the financial gurus of Wall Street. Greed, as the step-sister to pride, has only one purpose - to amass as much wealth as possible and eagerly destroy any-thing or anyone who gets in the way. “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold, but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” (Psalm 52:7)

Donate for the Right Reasons

The four above reasons may make you agree with those who say Christians should never save. But the

explanation should lead you to save for the right motives. Here are three right reasons to save:

1) Save so you do not become a burden to your

children or family. Set aside adequate funds for your future needs. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliev-er,” 1 Timothy 5:8. TCW

2) Save so the local church will never have to use its limited resources to assist members who could have saved for them-selves, but to use them for the greater good of the surrounding community. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers,” Galatians 6:10.

3) Save so you can be a generous contributor rather than one who is always in

debt. “The wicked borrow money with no intention of paying it back, but the righteous give with gener-osity,” Psalm 37:21 TCW.

Saving is a verb of being and doing. Hence, prayerfully scrutinize your saving-intentions and you will be saving with God’s purposes. =

References: Ford, Craig (2010, November). Five Spiritual Unhealthy Motives for Building up Savings, Soundmind Investing Magazine.

Saving for the Wrong Reasons (cont. from page 7)

I have learned that money is not the measure of a man, but it is often the means of finding our how small he is.

—Oswald J. Smith

April 2012

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April Birthdays

Jessica Michel – 6 Veronica Lozano – 7Gabriel Gomez – 7 Jessica Ramirez - 18Daniel Michel – 19 Judy Joseph – 19Edwin Morales – 20 Erik Concha – 20 Miranda Gomez – 21 Whitny Braun – 22 Ricardo Gonzalez – 24

If your birthday is left out in the monthly newsletter, please contact the church office so we can put it in.

Upcoming EventsThursdays - 7 p.m. Women’s Prayer GroupFridays - 7:00 p.m. Band Practice

Apr. 7 - Easter Celebration and LuncheonApr. 8 - EasterApr. 7 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 3pm Apr. 14 - Military Appreciation Day with Jim MulburnApr. 21 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 3pm Apr. 22 - Pathfinder/Adventurer Meeting - 9amApr. 25 - Administrative Professionals Day

The Latest Word deadline is the 5th of the month.

Coming Soon

May 12 - Mother’s Day Sabbath & LuncheonJuly 16-20 - Vacation Bible School

THIS MONTH

Check out the audio and video sermon podcasts at www.downeychurch.org/sermons.html

THE LATEST WORD

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The Latest About

Our Church FamilyMarylene Morris is

going to be moving to Redlands to live with her daughter, Kathi, and family. We will miss Marylene! If you need her new address, please contact the office.

We sor-rowfully

report the passing of Mario Delgado’s father. Remember the family in

your prayers.

Please remem-ber Linda Fernandez in your prayers. She is beginning cancer treat-ments.

Both Ava Meade and Xavier Garcia have been declared cancer free. Praise God! If you have any Church Family news, please con-tact the church office so we can get it into the newsletter. =

Thank you to everyone who has been saving Box Tops for Education. That is greatly appreciated.

For the Box Tops for Education, please save the Box Tops coupon.

Please give your labels to Linda Aumack. Thank you for your sup-port! =

When the disciples saw Jesus after his resurrec-tion, they believed. But Thomas, who was absent, doubted until he, too, got to see and even touch Jesus. For him, as the oth-ers, seeing was believing.

But what of us who don’t get to see Jesus in the flesh? If “seeing is believing,” are we out of luck? No. In fact, some-times it works the opposite way; sometimes “believ-

ing is seeing.”

Try this: Despite any doubts, choose to believe, trusting the wit-ness of someone who’s seen God at work — a biblical figure or present-day Christian. You’ll be amazed at the love, heal-ing, peace and new life that spring out of troubles. “With the eyes of your heart” (Ephesians 1:18, NRSV), you will see your Lord and your God. =

Believing is Seeing

In 1912, as Charles Austin Miles grabbed his Bible, it opened to John 20. Reading the account of Mary Magdalene outside the garden tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid, Miles felt powerfully that he was there. Inspired, he quickly wrote the poem “In the Garden” and later composed the music.

This hymn might seem sentimental and trite, if understood to refer to just

any garden. But the song takes on profound mean-ing when recognized as Mary’s personal encounter with the living Lord.

And he walks with me, and he talks with me, And he tells me I am his own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known! =

The Garden

April 2012

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April 2012

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Downey-Florence Seventh-day Adventist Church9820 Lakewood Blvd., Downey CA 90240

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= “Faith does not struggle; faith lets God do it all.” —Corrie ten Boom

= “Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs.” —Rick Warren