With heartfelt greetings, I welcome all of God’s elect people, members of the body of Christ, including our friends and well-wishers to Mount Zion 7th Day Church of God UK International Conference 38thAnnual Conference.

I would ask everyone to join us in giving special thanks and praise to God our creator for His mercies, protection, goodness, blessings, and forgiveness to us all. Let us all continue to appreciate these good attributes from God as we worship and honour him.

Every year when I write my conference message, I always draw attention to world conditions and the attitude of ruling governments, etc. to their people.

This year, 2011, will be no different from the previous years. While reviewing the whole matter, the picture I see is that things remain the same in 2011. We are seeing the perilous times of unemployment, credit crunch, several countries and citizens of various communities facing bankruptcy, together with the repossession of properties.

Several banks have failed and are still failing.  We are seeing the breakdown of the family union, and the moral standard of society at large is spiralling completely out of control.

There is no justice, there is a high percentage of discrimination, and weather patterns have completely gone off earth’s normal cycle.  It seems no government can govern with a one-party majority anymore.  In the UK we have a coalition government – the first for many years.

There remains hatred, killings and wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya which are still raging I could write a complete book on the destruction that is upon our land.  I would call the above tragedies “metaphorically”  in the dust. We are in the lowest form of life since the civilisation of the western world.  Every country including the UK has lost control of economic stability.

I have highlighted the situation with our government and the secular part of our world.  Let me now move on to the church of Christ Jesus.

We the members of the body of Christ (the church, the called out ecclesia) do have problems.  Never in my lifetime have I ever seen such great attacks on the church as I have seen between 2010/2011. The devil has increased his SATANIC behaviour and attitude by invading the lives of God’s people, thus resulting in all different manner of evil, etc.  I am saying again we are in the dust.  There are so many people who are hurting badly from these attacks to the extent wherein some have even left the faith and others have withdrawn their service to God’s work.

This pressure from the enemy is being experienced by all of God’s people but we are confident that God will give the church strength to rise from degradation to His mighty glory.

In the latter part of 2010 the people of Mount Zion experienced a mighty revival and breakthrough to the extent that during August to December over 30 souls came to the Lord – “Praise ye the Lord”.   These experiences were classed as high times and out of the dust – it was an experience from dust to glory. 

At this present time we are very low and it is as if we are back in the dust, but by the grace of the Almighty we are not staying in the dust any longer.  Let all of us now come together in one spirit, one love, one determination, and move forward and reclaim what the devil has taken from us.  We want the glory of God to fill His temple and our hearts once again in order that we may rejoice once again – “glory, hallelujah”

This conference 2011 begs the question what has caused the world and the church to be in the state that we are in?  How can we move from dust to glory?

We reached the dust condition because the world and the church have been broken.  Isaiah chapter 24 verses 1-5 states (NKJV).

1)  Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface, And scatters abroad its inhabitants

2) And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.

3) the land shall be entirely emptied and utterly    plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word.

4) The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish.

5) The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.”

My recommendations are that we move “from dust to glory” by the government and the church immediately, returning to God’s righteousness, maintaining God’s morals of holiness, having peace with all men (if it is possible), giving justice and equality to all men, to do unto others as we would like others to do to us and I could go on and on.  The church is the greatest institution on earth and if no other institution can bring the glory of God back to humanity then the church is there to do it. To do so we all must return to God in humility, prayer, and fasting, seeking God through the medium of the Holy Spirit to the glory and power of God, in order for us to be equipped to move into the devil’s territory and regain God’s glory. Then we will all have the Ezekiel 37 experience.

It is apparent that we are all in a secular and spiritual dilemma (which we cannot deny) and God have chosen this topic for Conference 2011 “From Dust to Glory”.  I am hoping that as God’s anointed servants expound His Holy Word through the medium of the Holy Spirit, this will result in encouragement, and enable us to move from dust to glory, going forward to receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit so that we can be equipped for evangelism and using the gift that God has given us in glorification and praise.

It should be noted that my message is intended to reach the hearts of all people, especially those who are not committed to Christ.  I want you all to realise that you are in the dust of sin and degradation but God in His great mercy can and will lift you up by saving and reviving the souls of His people.  Matt 11:28 states “Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” etc… (NKJV)

Finally, on behalf of our team – the Mount Zion Ministry, I would like to wish everyone a spirit-filled 5 days of holy convocation and I hope that no one will leave without experiencing a spiritual uplift from dust to glory. Please do not be hindered by the surroundings, the external uncertainties, or your internal anxieties, but please do worship God as he alone deserves to be worshipped.  Thank you all for attending.

Shalom “Respect to Jesus”

Your humble servant in the Ministry of Christ Jesus

Bishop Eric Satford Henry Dip. Theo MIET

Click here to download Convention Programme.