SOMETHING'S MISSING

Weekend celebration at Edmonton Central Seventh-day Adventist Church with Nwamiko Madden.

Submitted by Ina Martin, Edmonton Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, Children's Sabbath School

It was Friday evening, and we welcomed the Sabbath hours with songs of praise. The guest speaker for the weekend was Pastor Nwamiko Madden. The message for the evening was entitled "Something's Missing," with the key text being Acts 19:2. There was a sense of stillness; the audience was captivated by those words—"something's missing." Pastor Madden passionately shared a heart-stirring message as he gave two articulate accounts of his experiences with God. He noted that God had taught him a valuable lesson through those experiences and emphasized that there is something in the heart that lets you know that without the Lord, something is missing. As Christians, we live in this world that's material, but we also live in awareness of the spiritual. Madden also emphasized that God never gives up on us. Even if we have made poor choices in the past, He never stops loving us.

He Wants to Live in Our Hearts

We were also reminded never to underestimate the power of sincere prayer to God. However, we need to seek Him earnestly. He desires to live in our hearts, but sometimes, as believers, we reject that offer because of our human nature. Nevertheless, God continues to offer us forgiveness of our sins and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We were reminded of King Saul in 1 Samuel 10:6: The Holy Spirit fell upon Saul, and he prophesied. In 1 Samuel 16:14, the Holy Spirit departed from King Saul (and went to David). Pastor Madden challenged his audience to invite God's Spirit to live in their hearts.

"Save the Best for Last"

Our weekend celebration carried on with Sabbath School and into the divine service, with Pastor Nwamiko Madden preaching a sermon entitled "Save the Best for Last." Our hearts were lifted in praise as we united with the Ubuntu Choir from Burman University as they poured out their souls in praises to God. Again we were challenged and encouraged. Our weekend celebration concluded with a concert by the students from Burman University. What a choir! What a concert! We thank God for beautiful music, for it's like a preview of heaven, where His glory will dwell forever.