Participants: Jim Gilley (Host), Dan Jarrard
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR001001
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00:59 Good morning and Happy Sabbath.
01:02 I'm gonna ask you now to stand with me 01:04 if you will and turn to hymn number 340, 340. 01:08 We want to sing the first 01:10 and last stanzas of that old standby, 01:13 "Jesus Saves." 340. 01:17 Let's sing it together. 01:20 Singing joyfully. 01:21 We have heard the joyful sound 01:25 Jesus saves, Jesus saves; 01:31 All around 01:32 And Jesus saves, Jesus saves 01:36 Bear the news to every land 01:40 The steeps and cross the waves 01:43 Onward, 'tis our Lord's command 01:48 Jesus saves, Jesus saves. 01:52 Now, I'm gonna need a little more 01:53 from you as we sing that last stanza. 01:55 I've been listening, not hearing what I want to hear, 01:56 but I want you to join with me. 01:58 We're gonna give the winds our mighty voice. 02:00 Now let's go. Here we go. 02:02 Give the winds a mighty voice Jesus saves, Jesus saves 02:09 Let the nations now rejoice Jesus saves, Jesus saves; 02:16 Shout salvation full and free Highest hills and deepest caves 02:24 This our song of victory 02:30 Jesus saves, Jesus saves 02:37 Amen and amen, please be seated. 02:43 You know, God is good all of the time. 02:45 Amen. And all of the time 02:47 God is indeed good and we welcome you 02:49 to the Thompsonville Seventh Day Adventist Church, 02:52 on this lovely Sabbath morning in the spring of the year 2012. 02:59 One more year closer, one more day closer, 03:02 one more Sabbath closer to the second coming of our Lord 03:05 and Savior Jesus Christ. 03:06 Soon and very soon, Jesus will come. 03:11 And today, we take one more step along 03:12 that road that leads to glory, 03:14 so we welcome our audience here at the Thompsonville church. 03:17 It's sunny, it's warm, and God is good. 03:20 And we welcome our audience from around the world 03:23 that is watching and listening even now. 03:27 We've got a very special service today. 03:30 Our speaker is someone 03:32 that I met all about 12 years ago. 03:34 He used to pastor in Toms River, New Jersey. 03:37 Church that I used to preach at two or three times a year. 03:39 We go down and preach. 03:41 We had some very good mutual friends, 03:42 Walter and Betty Izency. 03:44 And she was so excited to get their new pastor. 03:47 He was coming in. 03:48 He had a chance to go to a big church in California 03:51 or to come to their district there in Jersey 03:54 and they didn't think they would get this speaker, 03:55 because he was such a powerful man of God 03:58 and she called me to say, "We've got our new pastor" 04:01 and so we drove down 04:02 to Toms River to meet the new pastor. 04:05 And there over rice and beans and vegetarian meat, 04:10 we got a chance to meet pastor, 04:12 Dan Jarrard and his lovely wife, Rebecca. 04:14 Shortly thereafter he came to do some work here at 3ABN 04:18 and in just about a month ago, he came and did a program 04:21 and his wife also did a program. 04:23 She works with Alzheimer's patients 04:25 and those two programs were very well received. 04:29 We got a clue at that time as to his testimony. 04:33 He didn't start out as a Seventh Day Adventist pastor. 04:36 He started out in another fellowship 04:38 and God has brought him through many trials 04:42 and changes and challenges and triumphs in his life. 04:46 And we're gonna hear about some of that today. 04:48 So I won't give too much of his life story, 04:50 because you gonna hear about that in the message 04:52 that he shall speak today. 04:54 Safe to say, he pastors now in Clayton, North Carolina. 04:58 He's pastoring a church plant called Little Creek Fellowship. 05:02 He and his wife are the parents of two children and he says, 05:06 "Four grand with a giant G grandchildren." 05:10 In fact he says, GRAND, all capital letters. 05:14 Grandchildren that he is very, very proud of. 05:16 Maybe he'll tell us about that too. 05:18 He also has a very exciting dynamic revival ministry called 05:21 Message of Hope Revival Ministry. 05:23 This is a man who was on fire for the Lord, 05:26 who loves the Lord, who has a testimony 05:29 to bear for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 05:32 And I ask you to give him 05:33 your prayerful an undivided attention 05:36 because he has much to say to us 05:38 this day from the word of God. 05:40 Air he speaks, our special music 05:43 is going to be brought to us by Tammy Chance, 05:46 who will sing just a wonderful song 05:48 "He will carry you." And as she is coming 05:51 I ask you now to bow your heads with me 05:52 in a word of prayer. 05:54 You will hear, Tammy Chance, deliver our music ministry 05:57 and then the next voice 05:58 that you shall hear will be that of pastor, Dan Jarrard, 06:01 the pastor of the Little Creek Fellowship Church 06:04 in Clayton, North Carolina. 06:08 Father God, we come to you now 06:12 with open hearts and open minds. 06:17 We are thankful for the Sabbath. 06:20 We realize the power of a day of rest 06:23 and what it does to draw 06:25 our hearts and minds closer to you. 06:28 We also realize the power of the preached word 06:32 for you have designed 06:34 that through the foolishness of preaching, 06:37 men and women will be brought 06:40 into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. 06:43 And so now dear Father, 06:45 we ask from you for the speaker, 06:49 he whom you have chosen to give us the word this day 06:52 we ask for holy boldness, for holy unction, 06:57 for an anointing upon his lips and heart 07:00 and we ask for receptive hearts and minds, 07:03 so that as the word is preached 07:06 it will find lodging in our hearts and in our souls. 07:11 Bless him and use him to be a blessing to us, 07:17 because we need to hear a word from the Lord. 07:20 And we thank you in Jesus name, amen and amen. 07:26 And now, Tammy Chance. 08:26 If He carried 08:28 the weight of the world upon His shoulders 08:37 I know, my brother that He will carry you 08:46 If He carried 08:48 the weight of the world upon His shoulders 08:57 I know, my sister that He will carry you 09:12 All who are weary 09:18 And I will give you rest 09:41 There is no problem too big God cannot solve it 09:52 There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it 10:02 And there is no storm too dark God cannot calm it 10:12 There is no sorrow too deep He cannot soothe it 10:21 If He carried 10:23 the weight of the world upon His shoulders 10:32 I know, my brother that He will carry you 10:41 If He carried 10:43 the weight of the world upon His shoulders 10:53 I know, my sister that He will carry you 11:03 I know my brother I know my sister 11:08 I know that He will carry you through 11:22 He will carry you 11:37 Wasn't that beautiful? Amen. 11:39 Thank you, Tammy for blessing our hearts 11:41 with that ministry of music. 11:44 I'm delighted to have the opportunity 11:46 of sharing with you today a part of my testimony 11:51 of how the Lord has led in my life. 11:54 I tell people sometimes you can argue with my doctrine, 11:57 but you can't argue with my testimony, amen. 12:01 Would you bow your heads together with me in prayer? 12:05 Father, we thank you for what our eyes have seen, 12:08 our ears have heard and our hearts have felt 12:10 during this time of worship and fellowship together. 12:14 And now, I offer myself as a vessel of fresh 12:17 and new into Your hands at this very moment. 12:20 Please cleanse me 12:21 with the washing of the blood of Your dear Son. 12:23 Please anoint me 12:25 with the power of Your sweet Holy Spirit, 12:27 so that the words of my mouth 12:29 and the meditations of my heart 12:31 will be acceptable in your sight, 12:33 so that your purpose, 12:35 your designed purpose might be accomplished 12:37 for each of us as individuals, as families, 12:41 and as a church collective, 12:43 because that's for I pray and praises for victories 12:47 I give in Christ name, amen, amen. 12:53 I was born on December 12, 1948, 12:57 but I was born again on May 24, 1964, 13:03 in a small Pentecostal church 13:05 outside my hometown of Augusta, Georgia. 13:09 We became members of the Congregational Holiness Church. 13:14 Shortly after that conversion experience, 13:16 I was reading through the Book of Psalms 13:20 and when I came to Psalms 31, 13:23 the Lord's Spirit wrote indelibly in my mind 13:27 and in my heart, these three verses. 13:32 "In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; 13:35 let me never be ashamed, 13:37 deliver me in thy righteousness. 13:39 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily, 13:42 be thou my strong rock, 13:44 for an house of defense to save me. 13:47 For thou art my rock and my fortress; 13:51 therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." 13:59 The closing words of verse 14:00 3 became a part of my daily prayer, 14:03 "For thy name's sake lead me, and guide me." 14:07 At that time in my life I thought I knew 14:09 what I was going to be when I grew up. 14:12 I was going to be professional baseball player, 14:16 but God had other plans. 14:18 As the summer of 1964 was coming to a close, 14:21 my stepfather and I attended a business session 14:25 of the denomination of which we were members 14:28 in the mountains of North Carolina. 14:31 And while there, God called me to preach. 14:35 For several weeks, 14:36 I shared that burden with no one. 14:39 Finally one Sunday morning, 14:40 I called my pastor aside and said, 14:43 pastor, God has called me to preach. 14:46 And I'll never forget the expression 14:48 that came across his face as he smiled and responded, 14:51 he has, huh? We'll see about that. 14:55 You're gonna preach this coming Wednesday night. 14:59 And so on Sunday evening, he announced to the congregation 15:01 that I would be presenting my first sermon on Wednesday 15:05 and I went home begin practicing 15:08 what I was going to say on that first presentation. 15:14 As a general rule, there were only a few folks 15:16 present for Wednesday evening prayer meeting, 15:19 but that night when we rounded the curve 15:21 and came in view of the church there were cars everywhere. 15:25 I went inside it was wall to wall people. 15:29 It seemed to me 15:30 as though the entire city of Augusta, Georgia 15:33 had come out to hear this young 15-year-old boy 15:36 preach his first sermon. 15:38 I sat on the front pew and we had our song service, 15:41 our prayer service, our testimony service. 15:45 And then the pastor announced that I was going to speak. 15:48 I jerked to attention, walked upon the platform, 15:53 took my place behind the pulpit, 15:55 opened my Bible, lifted my head, 15:58 and became petrified. 16:01 It felt as though someone had taken 16:03 a large piece of cotton 16:05 and was gauging it down my drying throat. 16:08 And that sermon that was to turn the world upside 16:11 down wasn't a sermon at all. 16:14 It wasn't even a sermon yet. 16:16 It wasn't even a good talk. It lasted for a few seconds. 16:19 I closed my Bible, 16:21 walked off the platform asking this question, 16:24 God, have you made mistake? 16:28 Have you really called me to preach? 16:31 As I was leaving the building that evening, 16:33 an elderly gentleman I'd never seen before 16:35 and never seen since approached me and asked, 16:38 son, may I share something with you? 16:40 And I said, yes, sir. 16:43 He said, son, if you had gone 16:44 into the pulpit the way you came out of the pulpit, 16:47 you'd have come out of the pulpit 16:49 the way you went into the pulpit. 16:52 And I must confess to you that at first 16:54 I did not understand what he was saying. 16:56 But that night as I lay on my bed 16:58 it all made sense. 17:00 You see, I'd gone into the pulpit 17:01 with a great deal of confidence 17:04 and had come out with great humility. 17:06 And he was saying that, 17:07 if I had gone into the pulpit with more humility, 17:10 I would have come out with more confidence. 17:13 And I learned a very valuable lesson 17:15 that first encounter behind God's sacred desk, 17:19 the everlasting gospel is to be preached 17:21 not in my intellect and not in my emotion, 17:24 but it must be preached under the dynamics of God's 17:27 sweet Holy Spirit, amen. 17:30 Not to say the least that wasn't my last opportunity to speak, 17:33 invitation started coming in, and I started traveling around. 17:38 I graduated from high school 17:39 and went to a Pentecostal college in North Georgia. 17:44 And then transferred 17:45 to a Pentecostal seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. 17:49 At that time, it was referred 17:51 to as Holmes Theological Seminary. 17:55 Holmes was a very unique school. 17:58 It was a school of faith 18:00 and Holmes put a lot of emphasis on rules, 18:05 regimentation, and regulations. 18:13 To give you a little idea, 18:15 we'd to get up at 6:15 every morning. 18:18 And for the first hour, 18:20 we were not to speak a single word to anyone. 18:25 If we were caught talking to anyone 18:28 other than our Heavenly Father, we were in trouble. 18:32 Had a lot of rules and regulations. 18:33 One of those rules 18:35 was what we students refer to as rule number 12. 18:39 Rule 12 stated that there was to be no communication 18:42 between members of the opposite sex 18:44 who were single. 18:47 The young men would sit on one side of the dining room, 18:50 young ladies on the other. 18:52 Young men sit on one side of the classroom, 18:55 young ladies on the other. 18:57 Young men sit on one side of the church building, 19:00 young ladies on the other, 19:01 with the church members right down the center aisle. 19:05 There was to be no talking, no note passing, 19:09 no prolonged glances. 19:13 Now, this is not the Dark Ages. 19:15 This is the late 1960s I'm referring to. 19:19 At that time in my life I thought 19:21 I knew what I needed to be a successful preacher. 19:25 I had quite a bit of hair then, 19:27 jet black had a little wave to it, 19:29 combed it straight back. 19:32 And I thought with my black wavy hair 19:34 if I just had a Botany 500 suit, 19:37 Hickok belt, Florsheim shoes, 19:41 a white Cadillac with a black vinyl top, 19:43 a wife with blonde hair who could play the piano 19:46 with one hand and the organ with the other hand. 19:48 Watch out, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, 19:51 Jimmy Swaggart, here comes Dan Jarrard. 19:58 One day I stood up in Old Testament Bible class 20:01 as we brethren did to get the ladies 20:02 the courtesy of leaving first, 20:05 and I just happened to look across the room 20:08 and my eyes fell upon 20:11 the face of a beautiful young lady. 20:15 She had the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. 20:20 They reminded me of a little deer, 20:23 so full of passion. 20:26 Everywhere I looked the next few days 20:29 it seemed as though she was there, 20:31 but there was something wrong. 20:34 She didn't have blonde hair, she had dark hair 20:37 and I found out 20:38 she could not have played the piano or the organ. 20:42 But something started happening within my mind, 20:45 within my heart, 20:46 and I knew I was being attracted to this young lady. 20:53 Well, I fought it for two years and finally in our last year 20:57 I decided I needed to go 20:58 visit her over the Christmas holidays. 21:02 Now, you need to understand that in order 21:05 to go visit young lady either 21:07 during Christmas break or during the summer, 21:10 we had to get permission 21:11 from the president of the seminary. 21:14 If I had gone to visit her without his permission 21:18 and he found out, 21:19 we would have both been expelled, 21:21 no questions asked. 21:24 And so for weeks I'm working up nerve. 21:28 Finally my nerve was at the right level 21:30 and so I decided today is the day 21:33 and I went across the street, knocked on the door, 21:37 and Dr. Beacham answered. 21:40 He looked at me and said, 21:42 well, Brother Jarrard, what do you want? 21:45 And I said, Dr. Beacham, 21:46 I would like to talk with you. 21:49 And he said, sure. He invited me into his study. 21:52 He seated himself in his large chair behind his desk 21:55 and on the top of that desk was a small Chihuahua dog. 22:02 And that little Chihuahua dog 22:03 was barking and lunging at me 22:06 and I was becoming more petrified 22:08 with every passing second. 22:10 And finally, Dr. Beacham, leaned forward and he said, 22:13 well, Brother Jarrard, what do you want? 22:16 And with stammering lips, I said, Dr. Beacham, 22:21 I would like your permission to go visit, 22:23 Ms. Jenkins over the Christmas holidays. 22:26 When I said that, 22:27 he leaned back in his large chair 22:29 and he started to laugh. 22:32 And I can close my eyes now 22:34 and I can still see his 80-year-old cheeks 22:36 just bouncing up and down. 22:38 And I'm wondering, why is this man laughing at me? 22:41 Is my hair messed up? Is there something on my tie? 22:44 Why is this man laughing? 22:47 Finally he leaned forward 22:48 and there's a glimmer in his eye. 22:51 He cleared his voice and said, 22:52 well, Brother Jarrard, 22:55 there've been a couple of other fellows 22:56 that have also asked to see 22:58 Ms. Jenkins over the Christmas holidays. 23:00 I'm going to give you permission 23:02 and I want you fellows to fight it out. 23:08 Well, I was kind like 23:09 that little Chihuahua dog on his desk. 23:12 Same height I am now, 23:13 but I weighed less than a 130 pounds, 23:16 but I had a big bark. 23:18 And I found out who those other two fellows were. 23:21 And in no uncertain terms, 23:23 I told them I better not see you 23:26 near Wilson, North Carolina. 23:29 I better not hear of you being near Wilson, North Carolina. 23:32 I better be the only one to visit 23:35 Rebecca Jean Jenkins this Christmas season. 23:39 Well, my bark paid off 23:42 and I was the only one to visit her. 23:45 We spent a couple of days of romantic encounters. 23:47 Now, this is the first time 23:48 I had ever been with her and being the bold, 23:52 brazen young man I was then and still I'm today, 23:55 I decided to ask her to marry me. 24:00 Dead of winter 24:01 and I'm looking for the most beautiful place 24:03 in Wilson, North Carolina to ask this girl to be my wife. 24:08 Now, there was just no beautiful place 24:11 in Wilson in December. 24:13 I'm not being critical of Wilson, North Carolina. 24:16 And I had about given up 24:18 and was driving back down the road toward her house 24:20 and I see that little Pentecostal Holiness Church 24:24 where she was born and raised, 24:26 and to me that was the most beautiful place in Wilson. 24:31 And so, I wheeled my 1965 Burgundy Mustang 24:35 with a black vinyl top onto the parking lot. 24:38 Walked around, opened the door, 24:41 escorted her to the steps of the church, 24:44 took her by the hands 24:45 and looked deep into her eyes and said, 24:48 Rebecca, will you marry me? 24:53 Well, I was expecting her to throw her arms 24:55 around about me and yell, yes! 24:57 I will be Mrs. Danny Jarrard. 25:01 But, I had made her wait and now it was my turn. 25:05 And then I stood there until 25:07 finally she gave me a positive answer. 25:10 Took her back to the girl's dormitory 25:12 the 1st of January, 1970. 25:15 I saw her everyday for five and half months. 25:19 I knew she was making plans 25:21 for our wedding in June, could not talk to her, 25:26 could not write to her, 25:29 better not even be caught looking in her direction 25:32 in a prolonged fashion knowing 25:34 she had the engagement ring in hiding. 25:39 You're talking about agony? I was in total agony. 25:46 We graduated in May, 1970. 25:49 And after spending less than two weeks together 25:54 we were married on June 28th 25:57 in that little Pentecostal Holiness Church 26:00 in Wilson, North Carolina. 26:04 And I love that girl more today 26:07 than when I said, I do on June 28, 1970, 26:11 because there was a biblical principle 26:14 that if you and I will seek first God in His kingdom, 26:17 all of the things we need in our life for victory 26:21 will be plus or will be added and I believe that. 26:28 1970 was a good year for me not only did I graduate 26:32 with my bachelor's degree in theology, 26:35 not only did I married the girl of my dreams, 26:38 but I was also ordained 26:39 into the gospel ministry at the age of 21. 26:46 The fall of that year Rebecca and I were signed 26:49 to our first pastorate at the very church 26:53 where I've received my call to preach in 1964. 27:00 In 1971, the denomination of which I was a member 27:05 of the Congregational Holiness Church 27:07 decided to start its first Bible College. 27:11 I was working on my master's degree in theology 27:14 at that time from a Baptist seminary. 27:16 And so they invited me to come 27:18 and be a professor teaching Greek, 27:22 Old Testament, and biblical theology. 27:28 Just a few days after the school year open, 27:31 there was a young man 27:33 who came to our campus to check us out. 27:37 He introduced that he had grown up 27:39 in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 27:42 but had just recently become a Christian. 27:45 How many of you know there's a difference between 27:47 having your name on the church roll 27:49 and the Lambs Book of Life? 27:52 Well, this young man had grown up 27:54 in the Adventist Church had just recently 27:56 become a Christian and he told us 28:00 he just wanted to study the Bible. 28:02 He wanting to find out 28:04 if what he had been taught as a young boy growing up 28:07 was really correct or not. 28:10 When he found out a little bit about my background, 28:12 he approached me about purchasing his entire library. 28:17 He was selling all of his books. 28:19 The only book he wanted in his library was the Bible. 28:25 I asked what he had and he told me 28:27 that he had a number of books by various authors 28:31 and when he mentioned one of the authors name, 28:33 my interest was piqued 28:37 because I had been taught in Bible College and seminary 28:40 that this particular individual was a false prophetess. 28:46 She had been used under demonic impressions 28:50 to give rise to a cult called 28:53 the Seventh-day Adventist Movement. 28:56 He told me that there was an entire commentary 29:00 written by his denomination. 29:03 And so I purchased the entire library 29:06 of that young Seventh-day Adventist Christian 29:10 for the total sum of $20. 29:15 And I purchased those books with a motive in my mind 29:18 and in my heart that I was going to crucify them. 29:24 I was going to nail them to the wall. 29:28 I was going to expose to the entire Christian world 29:31 that indeed they were a cult. 29:36 And so with that motive in mind and heart, 29:39 I bought those books. 29:42 The next Sunday morning 29:44 I was on the way to a preaching appointment 29:46 and I was turning the radio dial 29:47 looking for some gospel preaching or some singing 29:51 and just as I pulled up into the church yard, 29:55 I heard a deep resonate rather compassionate 30:00 sounding voice as he was concluding 30:03 his lecture for that day and I only caught six words. 30:11 "This is where we are today," that's all I heard him say. 30:18 The announcer came on and gave the name of the program 30:20 and I did not get that because I was watching out 30:23 for the car in front of me, 30:24 I didn't want to hit it in the rear, 30:25 but I did get the address, very easy to remember. 30:30 He said if we'll like more information 30:31 to write care of this place, 30:33 post office box 55, Los Angeles, California. 30:40 The next morning I wrote a note in question 30:43 from where I am today, sealed it, stamped it, 30:48 didn't put the name of the program, 30:49 just post office box 55, Los Angeles, California, 30:54 not knowing if I would ever hear anything. 30:58 Lo and behold, a few weeks later, 31:00 I received the whole stock of material, 31:02 a complete study course 31:03 on the Books of Daniel and Revelation 31:05 from the place called The Voice of Prophecy, 31:09 which I later learned was 31:11 a Seventh-day Adventist Media Ministry. 31:15 I started going through that material 31:18 and something started happening in my mind and heart 31:22 because every time I'd come up to something new 31:25 and different to me 31:26 and put it to the acid test of God's word, 31:29 it always came out right and across the pages of my note, 31:33 I started writing three words, it is written. 31:39 Not knowing that there was another 31:41 Seventh-day Adventist Media Ministry 31:43 by that same name. 31:45 In fact some of the professors 31:47 and some of the students started coming to me asking, 31:50 where are you getting that material? 31:52 That's the best stuff we have ever heard 31:55 and you think I was about to tell them. 31:59 I liked my little paycheck too much. 32:04 In 1973, God moved me 32:06 back into the pastora in North Georgia. 32:10 One day I was visiting at the hospital 32:12 and I was introduced to a gentleman 32:15 who was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, 32:19 his name was Woodrow Whitten, we call him Woody. 32:24 And I thought to myself 32:25 I need to get to know this man 32:28 because what I am reading in the literature is biblical, 32:31 but may be over the years, 32:33 they have digress from the printed page 32:36 and this is why they referred to as a cult. 32:39 I need to get to know this man. 32:42 Woody and I pastured about 18 miles apart. 32:45 He was interested in studying 32:46 the baptism of God's Holy Spirit, 32:48 I was interested in studying End Time Prophecy 32:51 and so periodically we got together for prayer and study 32:55 and his wife, Peggy would make us 32:56 home made bread and that was like kind of like a hook, 33:00 God put in our mouths 33:02 and we really never got away from it. 33:05 One day Woody called me and he said, 33:07 Dan I am leaving this area. 33:09 I'm going to New England 33:11 to pastorate district of churches there 33:15 and I must confess to you that I became bitter with God 33:20 because I discovered that this Seventh-day Adventist 33:23 pastor was a genuine child of my heavenly Father. 33:27 He was a born again Christian, 33:31 his spirit bear witness with my spirit that, 33:33 that we both loved the same Jesus 33:36 and I could not understand 33:37 why God had led him into my life 33:39 and now why God was taking him out of my life 33:42 and I became somewhat bitter against God. 33:48 In 1974, I was working on my doctorate degree in theology 33:51 and I was, my thesis was on Daniel 1260 days 33:57 with an emphasis on the 70-week Prophecy of Daniel. 34:03 And I thought to myself, 34:06 here I am about to become a doctorate in theology 34:08 and what that means, 34:10 I can now teach my congregation, 34:14 the correctness of End Time Prophecy 34:17 and so I started a series of lectures 34:19 on Daniel's 70 weeks. 34:23 Everything went beautiful until we came to the 70th week 34:30 but when I began to present the 70th week of Daniel 34:32 in the historical context, 34:34 a bad spirit developed in that church 34:37 and I was asked to cut the series out. 34:43 I became angry with God. 34:46 It became to infect my ministry, 34:49 my relationship with my wife and my child. 34:55 It came to the place 34:57 where I was asked to resign my pulpit. 35:03 In 1974, I moved my wife and daughter 35:06 and we were expecting 35:08 our second child back to my home 35:09 in Augusta, Georgia and I said, God, 35:13 I will never preach again. 35:18 I've given ten years of my life to Bible 35:20 exploration and proclamation and-- 35:22 and this is how I'm treated, 35:24 I'm asked to resign my pulpit in shame and humiliation 35:27 before the entire Pentecostal world. 35:31 Never again will I be treated like this. 35:36 I became a salesman 35:38 and for two years I kept that vow. 35:43 One day in 1976, 35:45 my wife and two daughters were out shopping, 35:47 would say loved to do and still enjoy doing 35:52 and I was home alone 35:54 and I was sitting in my easy chair that Rebecca 35:57 had bought me for Father's Day 35:58 and as I was started sitting there, 36:00 I began reflecting back over the past 12 years of my life, 36:05 some of it they've been very close to Jesus 36:07 and at that time I wasn't walking close to the Lord. 36:13 And as I began to reflect, 36:14 the tears started trickling down my cheeks. 36:20 I started to cry more robustly 36:25 until finally my body was literally quivering 36:29 and with all the strength 36:31 I had I pushed myself from the chair, 36:34 walked into our living room 36:35 where my small desk was located in the corner. 36:39 I leaned over and from that bottom drawer 36:42 I took out that doctoral dissertation 36:45 and I held it in my hands 36:49 and I've thought if it were not for this paper, 36:53 if it were not for my search, 36:55 and for my eagerness to share my findings, 36:58 I'd still be active in the gospel ministry today 37:01 and I started to tear. 37:04 And I tore, and I tore hundreds and hundreds, 37:10 thousands and thousands of words. 37:14 And when finally I could tear no finer, 37:16 I warded it all together, 37:18 tossed it in the waste basket, dropped to the floor, 37:21 and begin pounding and screaming 37:23 at the top of my lungs. 37:25 God is there not a people. 37:30 Is there not a people on the face of this earth 37:33 that really want to hear all you have to say, 37:35 is there not a people. 37:39 And after all that bitterness 37:40 and all that anguish was released, 37:44 God through his Holy Spirit is only He can, 37:46 said son, just be patient. 37:50 There're a few more lessons for you to learn. 37:54 Few days later, my telephone rang 37:55 and the voice on the other end introduced himself as a man 37:58 who had known me from a boy growing up. 38:00 He'd just moved back into the Augusta area. 38:03 He was pastoring a small Pentecostal church 38:05 and he invited me to come over with a family. 38:09 And I said, Tommy, 38:10 you don't need me in your church. 38:12 Tommy, I'm not close to the Lord. 38:15 And when I finished, Tommy said, 38:16 son I know all of that. 38:18 But son I want you to never forget something, 38:20 God loves you and if you'll let him, 38:24 God will lead you and God will guide you for His name sake. 38:30 The next Sunday morning, 38:31 my family and I walked through the doors of that little 38:33 Pentecostal Holiness Church in Augusta, Georgia. 38:36 And those people reached out and welcomed us. 38:40 Not asking who we were? 38:41 Where we'd come from? What we believe? 38:44 They just loved us. 38:46 And as I sits myself 38:48 and drawn into a loving relationship with them, 38:51 I sits myself being drawn 38:53 into a closer relationship with Father God 38:56 and before I realized that I was preaching again. 39:00 Sunday morning, and Sunday night, 39:01 and Wednesday and holding revivals around the area 39:05 and I was like a bird let out of a cage 39:08 because until I die, a preacher am I. 39:14 We were assigned to a little church outside of Augusta. 39:18 Then were assigned to another church 39:21 outside of Greenville, South Carolina 39:25 and God began to deal with us 39:27 that He wanted us to move 39:28 into a larger metropolitan type ministry. 39:33 And so in 1979 we moved to Irving, Texas. 39:41 The Pentecostal Holiness Church in Irving, 39:43 Texas was a beautiful building. 39:47 It would seat several hundred people, 39:50 had a bus to begin a transportation ministry, 39:53 had recording ministry 39:57 that they wanted me to get involved in, 39:58 had everything I thought I needed except people. 40:01 The first Sunday morning 40:03 we were there counting my family, 40:05 we only had 25 in attendance. 40:09 But I knew that's where God wanted me 40:12 and so we begin to love those people, 40:14 we started to grow, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 40:17 one day when we broke a 100. 40:21 After two years, the church board met 40:23 and came to me and said pastor, 40:26 you have never taught us we-- 40:28 anything we disagree with yet. 40:30 We want you to teach us on End Time Prophecy 40:35 and I thought to myself, wow, 40:39 this is the Pentecostal Church. God's going to use to get 40:43 the attention of the Pentecostal world 40:46 relative to true biblical end time events. 40:52 And so with great excitement 40:54 I started that series of lectures on Daniel 70 weeks 41:00 and everything went beautiful 41:04 until we came to the 70th week of Daniel. 41:09 And when I began to present 41:10 the 70th week of Daniel in the historical context, 41:14 the same bad spirit that had developed in North Georgia, 41:18 developed in Irving, Texas. 41:22 The church board met came to me and said pastor, 41:25 we love you. 41:28 We don't want you to leave, just don't preach and teach 41:32 anymore in this church on the End Time Prophecy. 41:38 And I knew something was about to happen 41:41 because it was like fire shut up in my bones. 41:51 In the summer of 1981, my wife and I went 41:54 to General Conference in Oklahoma City 41:58 and on the way back from Oklahoma City to Irving, Texas 42:02 in between Dallas and Fort Worth, 42:05 I looked at Rebecca and said, sweetheart we need to pray. 42:10 Maybe God wants me to start my own church. 42:14 I won't had to worry about elders 42:16 and I won't had to worry about deacons 42:18 and I wont' had to worry about church boards, 42:20 all I had to worry about is preaching 42:22 the unadulterated word of God. 42:24 Sweetheart, we need to pray. 42:28 I was moving in that direction. 42:33 In November of 1981, I was out visiting one day 42:35 and I came home late that afternoon 42:39 and when I walked into our living room, 42:42 I saw two strange men sitting on our sofa. 42:49 And immediately I've recognized they were salesmen. 42:53 I mean I had spent several years in sales working. 42:56 They told me I was a pretty good salesman 42:58 and I could spot a-- I could almost smell a salesman. 43:03 But they weren't ordinary salesmen. 43:06 They were book salesmen. 43:09 Now the last thing I needed that time was more books. 43:13 I mean I'm a bookaholic. 43:14 I had stack upon stack upon stack of books. 43:19 They were book salesmen, 43:22 but they weren't ordinary book salesman. 43:24 They were what's called 43:26 colporteurs or literature evangelist. 43:32 They have been in the area and found out 43:35 that we were Pentecostal pastor 43:39 and so they decided to stop in and pay us a friendly visit. 43:45 My wife is a soft touch 43:48 and so when they walked into our living room on that piano 43:52 she never learned to play, 43:55 now I did get her to dye her hair blonde one time. 44:02 But on that piano she never learned to play 44:05 was a five volume black set of books 44:09 called the Conflict of Ages series. 44:14 Now those literature evangelists 44:19 when they saw those books, 44:21 recognized them, and wanted to know 44:23 how that Pentecostal pastor living in a parsonage 44:29 had those Seventh-day Adventist Books 44:31 on public display on the piano 44:36 and so I shared with them the story 44:39 of how I came to receive those books? 44:45 How I had been studying the teaching 44:46 that the Seventh-day Adventist Church 44:48 for over ten years? 44:51 I had taken every teaching 44:54 of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Church. 44:58 I had placed it under the most powerful microscope, 45:02 my spirituality in academia would allow 45:06 and could not prove 45:07 the Seventh-day Adventist Church wrong. 45:12 And just before we knelt to pray 45:14 as they were getting ready to leave, 45:16 I made this statement 45:18 that if I wasn't a Seventh-day-- pardon me, 45:21 if wasn't a Pentecostal pastor, 45:23 I would probably be a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. 45:28 Jon Sanders and that other literature evangelists 45:32 rose from their knees taking me literally. 45:39 They contacted the closest 45:40 Seventh-day Adventist pastor in the area. 45:44 Few days later, he called me on the telephone, 45:46 introduced himself, and said when can we meet? 45:51 His name was Rene Kisbee 45:54 and I opened my mouth to say, no, Pastor Kisbee, 45:57 I will not meet with you 45:59 because I remember Woody Witten 46:02 and what God had done to me 46:04 with that other Seventh-day Adventist pastor 46:07 but when I opened my mouth to say, 46:09 no, pastor, Kisbee, I will not meet with you 46:12 to my utter amazement, it came out, yes. 46:19 And I'm standing there holding the telephone, 46:22 asking myself silently, you are a dummy, aren't you? 46:27 Why did you just say this? 46:31 We looked at our calendars, 46:33 the Thanksgiving season was coming up, 46:35 the Christmas season was coming up, 46:38 and so we decided we could not meet 46:39 until January of 1982 about two months away. 46:45 On January 21, 1982 when Pastor Rene Kisbee, 46:51 walked into my study 46:53 of that Pentecostal Holiness Church in Irving, Texas. 46:58 It was like, Woody Witten all over again. 47:02 He didn't have to tell me he was a child of God. 47:06 His spirit bear witness with my spirit 47:09 that we were both part of the same family of God 47:15 and I found that man to be genuine Christian. 47:20 Every few days, Rene would come back to visit with me 47:23 and the Lord just draw us closer 47:25 and closer and closer together and finally, 47:28 Rene started asking me questions about 47:30 what I believe and doctrinal and theological questions. 47:36 And as I would respond to him, 47:38 his lower jaw would drop a little lower, 47:41 and little lower, and little lower. 47:44 You see, I never been to Andrews University, 47:47 I've never been to Loma Linda, 47:48 I've never been to a single 47:50 Seventh Day Adventist School, 47:51 but the answers I was giving him 47:53 were those that he believed 47:56 because they were from the Bible. 48:01 In April, Rene called me to say, 48:04 Dan I've got good news and I've got bad news. 48:09 I am leaving this area, 48:12 I'm moving to Keene, Texas to be the senior pastor there 48:17 and I did not politely hang the receiver, 48:21 I slammed it down. 48:24 I stomped into my bedroom, flung the door closed, 48:28 dropped my knees, 48:29 buried my head under the comforter 48:31 and began screaming at the top of my lungs, 48:34 God you're doing it to me again, aren't you? 48:39 Why did you lead this man into my life 48:42 and now why are you taking this man out of my life? 48:45 God, you're doing it to me again, aren't you? 48:49 And before I realized what was happening, 48:52 my Pentecostal hands raised towards the heaven 48:56 and I started praising God. 49:00 I started praising God 49:01 not only for Rene coming into my life 49:03 but I also started praising God for Rene going out of my life 49:11 and there was just joy came over me 49:13 like I had not known in years 49:15 and God through his Holy Spirit is only He can, 49:18 said son, just be patient. It's just about over. 49:26 Few days later, Rene called me 49:27 and he said Dan I know 49:28 how interested you are in education. 49:31 He said we've got a nice college there in Keene, Texas 49:34 South Western Adventist College, now university. 49:37 Why don't you and your family just go down one day with us 49:41 and you'll see where we'd be living 49:43 and you can come out on Sabbath's and Sundays 49:46 and we can keep our fellowship growing. 49:49 And so we set the date for May, the 26th. 49:55 As we were leaving driving down south toward Keene, Texas, 50:02 Rene announced that we're going to stop 50:04 by the union office and pick up a man 50:08 by the name of John McFarland. 50:10 We call him Jack and I'm thinking to myself, 50:13 union office, union office, union office, 50:16 what is a union office? 50:19 Is this man involved in labor disputes? 50:22 What is a union office? 50:25 Well by the time we got there I knew what a union office was. 50:29 I'd found out that Jack McFarland 50:31 had come out of the Presbyterian Church 50:33 a number of years before 50:35 and was working with pastors of other denominations 50:38 who had shown in interest 50:40 in the Seventh-day Adventist Christian Movement. 50:44 When I was introduced to Jack McFarland, 50:47 he did not simply extend the hand in my direction, 50:51 he threw those long arms around about me, 50:54 drew me close to his chest and I whispered, wow. 50:58 Another Seventh-day Adventist Christian 51:01 on the face of this earth. 51:04 We went down to Keene 51:05 and had a pleasant visit and tour. 51:08 Then Rene took me inside of that large sanctuary 51:11 where he'd be the senior pastor and I looked around, 51:16 walked right down the central aisle 51:18 up onto the platform, stood behind the pulpit, 51:21 looked out across that empty sanctuary 51:25 and thought to myself, hmm. 51:30 I sure I'd like to preach in this church one day. 51:34 Went home that afternoon. 51:37 The next morning a little bit after 9 o'clock 51:39 I was in the church study and my telephone rang. 51:42 The voice on the other end said, 51:44 good morning, this is Jack. And I said Jack who? 51:48 He said Jack McFarland. 51:49 I said oh, Jack, it's good to hear from you. 51:52 We talked about the previous day 51:55 and then Jack became quiet. 51:58 Finally said Dan, 52:01 I spent a good part of last night 52:02 in this morning talking with Jesus. 52:06 God's Holy Spirit has impressed me 52:08 to give you a call and invite you 52:11 to become a minister in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 52:16 When those words fell on 52:18 my spiritual and physical eardrum, 52:20 the tears started streaming down my cheeks, 52:24 dropped to my open Bible 52:26 and I whispered that's what I've been waiting for. 52:35 Rebecca and I met on June 11th and June 22nd 52:41 with the brethren of the Texas Conference 52:43 and of the South West Union and after that second meeting, 52:49 they gave me an official invitation 52:52 to become a pastor in the Texas Conference. 52:57 And now if I accept the invitation, 53:00 I would be placed on the pastoral staff in Keene, 53:05 Texas to do my internship. 53:09 And when they announced that I knew while a few weeks 53:13 before I've been praising God 53:15 for Rene Kisbee going out of my life 53:17 because he wasn't going out at all. 53:19 In fact God was just moving him to the very place 53:22 where God wanted me to begin 53:24 my ministry as a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. 53:32 On Monday, July, the 12th, 53:34 I met with the other members of the pastoral staff 53:37 to learn my responsibilities, privileges, duties. 53:43 And on Sabbath, July, the 17th, 53:47 my wife and I were baptized in Keene, Texas 53:50 by Pastor Rene Kisbee, 53:54 and as he was lowering me into the water 53:56 and bringing me back up. 53:57 I was shouting on the inside, praise God. 54:02 I'm finally home, I finally found people 54:07 who really want to hear all God's word has to say. 54:10 I'm finally home. 54:14 I was standing at one the doors 54:15 after the worship service greeting as people left 54:19 and I can close my eyes now 54:21 and still see one of the dear saint 54:23 as he came up to me shaking her head 54:26 and she said pastor, this is the first time 54:31 in the history of this denomination 54:34 we've ever heard of anybody being placed on 54:37 the pastoral staff before they were baptized. 54:41 And I put my arm around about her and I said, 54:43 my sister, you don't understand 54:44 how God's been leading all my life 54:47 to bring thee to this very place. 54:51 Several years later, 54:52 I was preaching at camp meeting in Squaw, Central California. 54:56 When I've finished, 54:57 one of the brethren came up to me and said, 54:59 Dan would you tell me what you are? 55:03 And at first he caught me off guard, 55:06 but then I realized that he had heard part of my testimony, 55:09 so I put my arm around about his shoulder and I said, 55:12 my brother first of all I want you to understand 55:15 that I'm a Christian. 55:17 Because the Bible says unless we're born again, 55:19 we can't enter into the kingdom of God. 55:23 Secondly my brother I want you to understand 55:25 that I'm a Baptist Christian, 55:28 because I believe after a person 55:30 accept Jesus as their personal savior, 55:32 they're to be dipped just as deep as they can be dug 55:35 and come up walking not only serving Him as Savior, 55:38 but also as Lord of their life. 55:41 Next my brother 55:42 I am a holiness Baptist Christian, 55:46 because my Bible says holiness 55:48 without which no man shall see the Lord 55:51 and God is calling us to be a separated people, 55:55 a peculiar people, zealous unto good works. 55:59 Next, my brother, 56:00 I'm a Pentecostal Holiness Baptist Christian 56:05 because I'm just foolish enough to believe 56:07 if they needed the baptism of God's Holy Spirit 56:10 on the day of Pentecost for the church 56:12 to be birthing in ablaze of glory. 56:14 We need the same baptism of God's Holy Spirit 56:17 in the latter days 56:18 if the church is going to go out in a blaze of glory. 56:22 Next, my brother, 56:24 I am a Lutheran Pentecostal Holiness Baptist Christian 56:28 because Martin Luther was used by God 56:31 to bring about revival of the just shall live by faith 56:35 and my heart's desire 56:36 is that the faith of Jesus will be my faith. 56:40 Next I am a Seventh-day 56:42 Lutheran Pentecostal Holiness Baptist Christian, 56:45 because seventh day is the day of the Lord 56:49 and I've discovered its binding not only for time 56:52 but we will be observed in all of the eternity. 56:55 Next I am a Seventh Day Adventist 56:57 Lutheran Pentecostal Baptist Holiness Christian, 57:00 because Adventist is looking forward 57:02 to the coming of Jesus 57:03 and I want to be ready to meet Him 57:05 with clean hands and pure heart. 57:07 And finally I'm a Catholic. 57:09 Seventh-day Adventist Lutheran Pentecostal 57:12 Holiness Baptist Christian. 57:14 When I said Catholic, his lower jaw dropped 57:17 and I said you know what catholic means, don't you? 57:20 And he said yes and I said that's right 57:23 and I'm just foolish enough to believe 57:24 if it's good enough for me, 57:26 it's good enough for the whole world. |
Revised 2014-12-17