The Revelation Today meetings in Kansas City come to an end this Sabbath evening.
The series has drawn an average of 400-500 people four nights per week for the past month, with many area churches live streaming for people in their surrounding communities.
Stephanie Kramer, a Bible worker who has been studying with people in Kansas City for the last year in preparation for Revelation Today, shared the following testimonies from the meetings.
If you’ll be in the Kansas City area this weekend, don’t miss Revelation Today, live at the Reardon Convention Center in Kansas City, Kansas, at 7:00 pm Friday and 11:00 am Saturday.
Family Member Responds to Invitation
Elsie is a member of the Golden Valley Church in Clinton, Missouri, and she invited several family members in the area to come to the meetings.
When she walked into the Jack Reardon Center, I had the pleasure of greeting her and meeting her aunt, who she had brought with her. Her aunt said she really enjoyed the presentation and planned to come back.
Returning Visitor Credits Friendliness, Organization
During the first week of the series, I received a call from someone who had attended the first meeting.
She wanted to know what topics would be discussed throughout the series so she could plan to attend the ones she was interested in.
I let her know that each lesson would be building up to the next, so she wouldn’t want to miss any of the meetings, but I also shared that each presentation would be available on audio CDs or DVDs and that we could get other seminar materials for any meetings she missed.
She wanted to know what church was hosting the event, and I told her it was a combined effort between several local churches and It Is Written. She told me that she just loved the atmosphere in the Reardon Center when she had come to the first meeting, and that was a big reason why she was interested in coming back. She said everyone was warm and friendly and willing to help her in any way she needed. She said everything seemed well-organized and went smoothly. She was surprised to learn it wasn’t being hosted by a single group because everything just seemed so cohesive.
She shared with me a little of her story and told me she was looking for a church home. I told her I understood that feeling all too well, and that I found my church home after going to a series of meetings just like this one.
She thanked me for my time and said she really enjoyed our conversation. She asked if I would be at the next meeting, and I told her I would. I gave her my name and told her to ask for me when she came in and I would be happy to meet her. That evening, just before the meeting began, we were able to connect in person!
Neighbor Responds to Invitation
Julie is a lovely neighbor of two church members who I’m studying with, and I had the pleasure of studying with her a couple times earlier this year. Her neighbors had invited her to church around the time we were studying, and she had attended.
I hadn’t been able to connect with Julie for about a month and a half when I saw her at the third meeting. She gave me a big hug and told me she really enjoyed the message and was looking forward to coming back, when able. I told her that Wednesday night’s topic was one she wouldn’t want to miss, and she told me she would try to make it. It was an important topic, so I spent time in prayer that she would be able to attend. I was able to praise God that Julie did come again Wednesday night, and she told me she planned to keep coming.
Compounding Interest Through Bible Studies
Robyn and I have been actively doing Bible lessons for most of the last year. She has often come to church on Sabbaths and has invited family, neighbors, and friends to join her both in study and at church.
Her persistence is something I admire. She has had many struggles over the last year, and her faith has been repeatedly tested. Over the past several weeks, Robyn and I haven’t been able to meet due to spiritual warfare and scheduling issues, and she wasn’t able to attend church, either.
In the week leading up to the first meeting and for the first week of the meetings, I tried calling and texting her a few times and didn’t connect with her. I finally was able to reach her and she explained that she had dropped her phone in water and had it on rice for about four days.
I asked if she was interested in the meeting taking place that evening, The Second Coming of Jesus, and gave her the location and time. She told me she was really interested in going, but that she wouldn’t be able to make it tonight because she had just gotten off work and looked terrible. I reassured her she could come as she is and she ended up coming.
She gave me a big hug and told me after the meeting that the message was one she really needed to hear and that it restored her hope.
The next night, Robyn brought a friend with her, and her friend said she really enjoyed the presentation and asked me to pray she’d be able to continue coming with Robyn.
Inmate Convicts Preacher About Sabbath
One evening, during the second week of the meetings, I spoke with Rev. Marvin Hamilton and his wife, Anita. Rev. Hamilton gave me his business card and offered to pray over any requests I had.
After talking for a few more minutes, I asked him how he learned about the Sabbath. He said he has had a prison ministry for decades now, and that he became pen-pals with an inmate. During their exchange of letters, the inmate told the Reverend that the Sabbath, God’s day of rest, is on Saturday, not Sunday. The Reverend wrote the gentleman a 96-page letter arguing that the day of worship was Sunday. During their continued correspondence, the gentleman informed the Reverend that the Sabbath is mentioned in the New Testament 50 times, and the first day of the week is only discussed eight times. The Reverend said he spent some time studying and found out that he had been sharing the wrong information about the day of worship for his entire ministry!
He continued studying the Sabbath, and it was his continued research that brought him to Linwood SDA Church. He said he was reading a book on the Sabbath while he was at the dentist, and the dentist saw him reading it. He said the dentist offered to take him to a Sabbath-keeping church, and the Reverend and his wife have been attending Linwood SDA Church for a year now!
