PSTC August 2019 Newsletter

Carry the Word of God to every man’s door. Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 388

“I want to say thanks again for the “Thank you for the many books and “I’ve already started reading
things I have received from ya’ll. I have articles about Jesus Christ and the Patriarchs and Prophets. It’s amazing!
really enjoyed all the reading. I am Bible and how it affects our lives. I can’t wait to get the next book in the
going through a very, very rough time These articles have made me stronger series.”
right now, and I don’t have any where as I go on my journey.”
else to turn except the Lord. I want to Peacefinders visitor, FL
ask if there are any other books besides Path to Peace reader, HI
the eight on the list I have been receiv- “I would love to do another Bible study
ing. Are there any other booklets or “I’m writing to request for any Bibles, again. I am learning so much. God
study guides? I just want to ask you to journals, devotionals, and/or Bible bless you for being there for me.
send me anything and everything you studies you can send me. Any or all Hopefully I passed the classes I
have to offer. I know I probably sound would be greatly appreciated. I was finished. Thank you for being a kind
greedy, but I am so, so interested in raised in the church and was baptized friend to me.”
learning everything I can about our when I was 15, but since then I have
Lord. You really don’t know how very drifted away from the Lord’s path. I Edge of Time reader, PA
thankful I am for everything.” didn’t like the path I was on, so I asked
the good Lord to take me away from it. “God bless you all! These books have
Great Controversy reader, SC That’s when He put me here. I really do brought new life to the word of Jesus to
believe that if He hadn’t, I wouldn’t be me. Thank you so much!”
“I very much enjoyed reading The Path alive right now.”
to Peace and wish to personally thank Inmate, TX
the author. No doubt he was anointed Inmate, IN
by the Holy Spirit to write the contents “I just wanted to write and say thanks
as well as he did. I look forward to “Mrs. Ellen G. White is for sending me The Path to Peace. It
reading On The Edge of Time for a awesome (she must have was a major source of inspiration and
similar blessing.” an eye opener.... I will continue to
been a prophet)! Her speak the Lord’s name and request for
Path to Peace reader, CA writing are so visual. more books. May God bless.”
I feel that sometimes
“I received your address from a fellow I am there with Jesus.” Inmate, FL
inmate serving time with me. I would
like you to add me to your list to review “I want to thank you for your insightful “Just a little note to thank you for sending
and request different religious books. I booklets. They have helped me on my me the three booklets from your
have lost my way due to prescription journey to becoming a better Peacefinders Abundant Living Series.
drugs and alcohol. I think God has a Christian.... I’m serving a 20 year They are wonderful and so helpful!! Yes,
plan for my life.... I have many ques- sentence and have two or three years they are a blessing to me. I am very
tions and I know God has the answers.” left. But since I have been locked up, I grateful. I live alone. I have relations
have really found my way back to God here in town, but they’re into their own
Inmate, KY and the blessings He has in store for lives and don’t bother to call or visit. I’m
me.” usually all alone on birthdays and
“I have been so blessed with the Bible holidays.... I feel blessed to have all of
Student Library Series books! I have just Inmate, AR you people who care about me!! I care
finished The Desire of Ages and can’t about all of you too!!”
wait to start on Christ’s Object Lessons. I “I need to say thank you. Today at mail
am sure it will teach me so very much call I received my order, and it feels Path to Peace reader, IN
just as the others have. I can’t thank you awesome to receive mail in here. I love
enough for providing these life- your books. My personal library has “Thank you for sending me Patriarchs
changing books by Mrs. White. I look never been as interesting or informa- and Prophets! Mrs. Ellen G. White is
forward to meeting her upon Christ’s tional as it currently has become.... awesome (she must have been a
return!” Your books help me understand where I prophet)! Her writing are so visual. I feel
am, why I’m here, and where I’m that sometimes I am there with Jesus
Edge of Time reader, MS going.” Christ, etc. She is very knowledgeable
and probably has helped to save mil-
“Great materials! Would absolutely Inmate, IN lions.”
love more.”
Edge of Time reader, NC
Great Controversy reader, MI
“But other fell into good ground, and
brought forth fruit....” Matthew 13:8

PROJECT: Steps to Christ, Inc. is a Seventh-day Adventist layman’s , 302 Foster Rd, Fort Covington, NY 12937
ministry instituted and designed to provide the opportunity for every ( 1-800-728-6872 / 1-518-358-2541
home in U.S.A. to have the gospel message delivered to their door. : [email protected]
þ www.projectstc.org
PROJECT: Steps to Christ, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

taking the hope of Jesus to every door

October 2019

What is Your PassPiaortn2?ByStevePeden,ProjectDirector
In our last newsletter we learned that Jesus came to this time. The world is full of good, religious, moral people who
world to ignite a new passion in the hearts of men, a aren’t even professed Christians. Jesus ultimately came into
passion for doing the Father’s will – the same passion He this world to create a people who know and love Him and the

had: loving God and loving one another that our joy may be Father in the most intimate way possible [Read John 17:1-4].

full. What was the primary work the Father gave Jesus to do?

I am afraid many of us have lost that joy, lost that To give us eternal life. And what is eternal life? “That they

passion. Or maybe like me, you never had it. What? You might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom

never had it? That’s quite a confession from a ministry Thou hast sent.” And that word “know” isn’t just a cerebral

leader. But it’s true. I might have a passion for the truth. I or intellectual knowing. It means to know God as Adam

might have a passion for doing the right thing. I might have a knew his wife. I’m not talking sexual intimacy here but

passion for ministry. But the truth be told, I don’t have a something even more intimate. To be one with God in heart,

passion for God Himself. Yes, I admire Him. Intellectually, I mind and emotion; in purpose, plans, and passion. To love

esteem Him as being great and awesome and wonderful. Him with every fiber of our being. You may not think it’s

He’s at the top of my list of favorite interests. But in my possible, but it is. This was how Jesus knew the Father. This

heart of hearts, I don’t have a passion for Him. I don’t desire is how Adam knew his Creator before the fall. And Jesus

Him above all things, even though I know I should. I go came to restore this deep intimacy between man and God lost

through my round of ritual devotions everyday making it because of sin.

appear that I do desire Him above all things. But do I really? “That I might know Him” was the cry of the Apostle

I came across a short video sermon on YouTube not long Paul’s heart. Is that your heart cry today? So it was with the

ago. And while I was watching it I knew the preacher was Psalmist: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul

speaking of me. God was speaking to me. The preacher said, pants for You, O God.” Are you panting for God, thirsting for

“Have you ever heard someone say, ‘Now love is not an God more than anything else in this world? When we know
emotion. It’s a verb. Loving God means keeping His and love God as it is our privilege to know Him; when God
commandments. Loving people means being patient and is our ultimate passion, then we will understand why Jesus
kind.’ I don’t believe that. I believe love is an emotion and so died when our sins made the final separation between Him
much more. I don’t believe love is just doing the right thing. I and His Father. It literally broke His heart. It crushed Him.
don’t believe love is just keeping commandments, and I don’t He could not bear to be separated from the Father’s presence
believe love is just being patient and kind. That’s what love for even one moment. To be in the presence of God was
looks like when it walks and talks, but that’s not love. Love is everything to Jesus. It was His life, His joy, His passion. For
passion. Jesus this scripture was a reality: “In Your presence is full-
ness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

“Let me ask you a question. DO YOU HAVE A PASSION Can you imagine knowing God’s sustaining presence like

FOR GOD? DO YOU DESIRE HIM? DO YOU LONG FOR that all your life and then to have it vanish and be replaced

HIM? If someone were to look at your life would they say with His wrath? That was Gethsemane! That was Calvary!

this person has a passion, not for ministry, not for missions, Let’s consider Jesus in the wilderness of temptation just
not for evangelism, but for GOD?” before He began His public ministry. The Bible says in

You see Jesus didn’t come just to make a bunch of good, Continued on page 2
religious, moral people who just faithfully obey Him all the

Continued from page 1 might truly know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
And when we know the Father and Jesus as they desire us to
Matthew 4:1,2 that “was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the know them, then doing God’s will will become a pure delight.
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had We will keep His commandments out of the highest and
fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an holiest motivation of love, not just duty. We won’t do right
hungered.” just because it is right. We will love the way, the truth, and
the life because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
You know we often times focus on Jesus’ wilderness
experience as primarily His victory over the temptations of But guess what? Such a passion for God does not come
the devil. And obviously that was an important part of it, but instinctively or naturally to any of us. The Bible says in Isaiah
remember Jesus wasn’t tempted for forty day and forty 53:2, speaking of Jesus, “For He shall grow up before Him as
nights. He wasn’t even hungry for forty days and forty nights. a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no
I don’t know for how long the temptations lasted, but it form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no
wasn’t the longest part of His experience in the wilderness. beauty that we should desire Him.”
The temptations happened after the forty days were over.
We have no natural desire or passion for God. There is
So have you ever asked yourself what Jesus was doing nothing in our carnal hearts that is attracted to the beauty of
those long forty days and forty nights in the wilderness? What His character or person. We can cultivate a passion for
would YOU DO if you were stuck in the wilderness for forty religion but that will do nothing to change our hearts toward
days and forty nights? I think the whole ordeal would have God. There are a lot of religious people out there, very
been a temptation for us. We would start complaining on day zealous and passionate about what they believe. But when it
one about our hunger and thirst. We might pray at times and comes to the person of God Himself, they are truly dead
study and meditate on the Scriptures, but for the most part we inside. They see no beauty in Him that they should desire
would be bored out of our minds, restless and irritable. Him.
There’s not much to do in the wilderness. There’s no TV or
Internet. No one else to talk to. Nothing to do but ponder your Then where does such passion come from?
misery. But what was Jesus doing in the wilderness?
“’Except a man be born from above, he cannot see the
The Desire of Ages tells us that…“When Jesus entered the kingdom of God.’ John 3:3, margin. Not by seeking a holy
wilderness, He was shut in by the Father’s glory. Absorbed in mountain or a sacred temple are men brought into
communion with God, He was lifted above human weakness. communion with heaven. Religion is not to be confined to
But the glory departed, and He was left to battle with external forms and ceremonies. The religion that comes from
temptation.” For an entire forty days and forty nights Jesus God is the only religion that will lead to God. In order to
was shut in by the Father’s glory. Jesus was totally and serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This
completely absorbed in communion with God. So much so will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new
that He was lifted above human weakness. Jesus didn’t even capacity for knowing and loving God.” The Desire of Ages, p.
feel the hunger of that forty day fast until it was over. And 189
then the Bible says He was afterwards hungry.
The capacity for knowing and loving God is the work of
I could never endure that, at least in my current spiritual the Holy Spirit in the heart. It is a gift of grace given to the
condition. I enjoy spending my hour or two with God in the helpless individual who recognizes that nothing but enmity
morning, but I don’t think I would enjoy being alone with exists in his or her heart toward God. But the gospel can
God for that long. I mean what could you possibly talk about change all that!
for forty days and nights? Can a human being even
contemplate and think on spiritual themes for that long Do you truly want a passion for God? Then we must ask
without having a total mental breakdown? for it, plead for it until we posses it. We must ask for a greater
capacity for knowing and loving God. And we must keep
Jesus didn’t just endure the time He spent alone with God asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Ask and it shall be
in the wilderness, He delighted in it. He was fulfilling His given unto you, seek and you will find, knock and the door
passion. “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right will be open unto you. This is what we were created for.
hand there are pleasures forever.” And this wasn’t just a Never, no never, should we be satisfied with anything less.
onetime experience for Jesus. There’s no record that Jesus
spent another forty days and nights alone with God, but it was In the end, God is going to have a people who are, like
His habit to spend entire nights alone with God, missing sleep Jesus, absolutely passionate about Him. They have learned to
and many a meal just to be with His Father. love Him so much that they can’t get Him off of their minds.
They can’t help but want to talk about Him all the time. You
Have you found such utter pleasure and joy in spending can’t shut them up. And they hate sin as much as Jesus did.
time alone with God? Do you long for His presence that Why? Because it’s the very thing that would separate them
much? This is what Jesus came to give back to us. That we from Him, their greatest joy and only passion.

42,955 Homes Saturation Mailing Update 37 ZIP Codes

Aug / Sept 2019

The GC Mailer

ZIP Code City State Target Carrier Routes Mailing Status Homes Reached
Partial 268
21791 Union Bridge MD B 1-6 Partial 958
30008 Marietta GA Partial 684
30135 GA C9 Partial 688
47231 Douglasville IN Partial 239
65101 Connersville MO R8 Partial 392
65109 Jefferson City MO C4 Partial 415
83201 Jefferson City ID H 33 424
85632 AZ C 40 Completed 205
88056 Pocatello NM C8 Completed
Portal Homes Reached
Rodeo ALL 1,323
2,426
ALL 212
883
On The Edge of Time 130
425
ZIP Code City State Target Carrier Routes Mailing Status 147
Shapleigh ME ALL Completed 1,767
04076 MS R 1-4 Partial 283
39574 Saucier OH C5 Partial 385
44121 Cleveland Partial 576
57006 SD B 1-11,13-16, R 2,3 Completed
61321 Brookings Partial Homes Reached
72956 IL ALL Completed
76436 Dana AR C6 Completed 1,835
76457 Van Buren TX ALL Completed 34
76637 TX ALL Completed
76649 Carlton TX ALL Completed 3,697
76690 Hico TX ALL
TX ALL 459
Cranfills Gap 471
Iredell
996
Walnut Spring 2,775

The Path to Peace 529
4,000
ZIP Code City State Target Carrier Routes Mailing Status 2,274
PA B 1-4, C 2,3 Partial 11,080
17554 Mountville* SC B 9-11 Partial 2,093
OH ALL 1,447
29036 Chapin IN C7 Completed 438
MI C 1, R 6 Partial 486
43019 Fredericktown Partial 987
WI ALL 793
47331 Connersville WI ALL Completed
WI ALL Completed
49935 Iron River Completed
KS C 3,4,6,7,9,10,12
54014 Hager City CO ALL Partial
CO ALL Completed
54021 Prescott CO ALL Completed
CO ALL Completed
54723 Bay City CO ALL Completed
CA C 18 Completed
66214 Overland Park OR ALL
Partial
80514 Dacono AK ALL Completed
Completed
80516 Erie

80530 Frederick

80643 Keenesburg

81091 Weston

90808 Long Beach

97431 Dexter

*Am99i9s2h1 Project Craig

*Amish Project