Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW210042S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello, friends, and welcome to another edition 01:10 of 3ABN Family Worship. 01:13 And that's exactly what it is, 01:15 we don't have to take it any further than that. 01:16 It is family worship. 01:18 We are gathered around this table here tonight. 01:20 We know you are at home gathered with your family. 01:22 If you're not, you still have time. 01:24 Go and gather all the kids and mommy and daddy, 01:27 and uncles and aunts, and grandma, grandpa, 01:29 all the families even your enemies 01:31 as Brother Danny would say, "Gather everyone around." 01:33 We're going to have a good family worship 01:35 this evening. 01:36 Happy Sabbath, by the way. 01:38 My name is Ryan Day 01:39 and we have some special guests in the house 01:41 is going to be joining me 01:42 for this family worship tonight. 01:44 We have AWR Adventist World Radio. 01:47 And we are so blessed to have each and every one of you. 01:49 We have lots to discuss. 01:51 But I'm going to get right into our introduction 01:53 because there may be someone 01:54 who's catching this program for the first time right now 01:56 that doesn't know who each one of you are 01:58 and may not even know what in the world AWR is. 02:01 And so I'm going to start with Brother Duane 02:03 and Sister Kathy McKey. 02:05 It's a blessing to have both of you. 02:06 Tell us a little bit about yourself 02:08 and a little bit about AWR, and what you do for AWR? 02:10 Okay, thanks Ryan. 02:12 I'm Duane McKey, I'm president of Adventist World Radio. 02:15 And my sweetheart, Kathy, we been married a few years. 02:21 Actually... 02:22 Actually, I don't work for Adventist World Radio 02:26 but my heart is with Adventist World Radio. 02:29 No, I am social media and outreach coordinator 02:32 for auto presidential for the General Conference. 02:34 Praise the Lord. 02:36 And we're having a time of our life, 02:37 the best time in our life. 02:38 Amen. Just fantastic. 02:40 With Adventist World Radio, we have boots on the ground, 02:42 we have 1000 radio stations. 02:43 But more important than that, I think, 02:45 is the fact that we're able to reach 02:47 around the world and touch people's lives. 02:48 You're an evangelist? 02:50 That's right. That's what we do. 02:51 I believe in that with all my heart. 02:53 Praise the Lord. 02:54 And I believe in fulfilling the Gospel Commission 02:55 as you do and that's what we, that's our charge. 02:58 Jesus told us to go. Amen. 03:00 And preach and teach and baptize. 03:01 And that's what AWR is all about. 03:03 And we have a new element AWR 360, 03:06 and we added also boots on the ground. 03:09 And so we believe is you could sit in the office 03:11 in Washington DC 03:13 and we can tell lots of good stories 03:14 but when you're out there in the field, 03:16 when you're out there seeing people baptized. 03:19 We just saw how many was it 03:21 on Sabbath about two three weeks ago 03:25 Sabbath we saw, was it 700? 03:28 Seven hundred. 03:29 Seven hundred baptized. Wow. 03:30 Praise God. 03:32 Many of them were military, CIA. 03:35 Wow. Yeah. 03:37 Many of them were assassins. Amen. 03:41 You're going to talk a little bit about that 03:42 probably during our family worship tonight? 03:44 Real assassins. 03:45 Wow. 03:47 God still can change hearts. 03:48 Unbelievable. He still does. 03:50 I've never seen it like this before. 03:52 Wow. Never. 03:53 Praise the Lord. 03:54 You know it's amazing 03:56 because there may be someone watching right now 03:57 that says radio that seems so old school, right? 04:00 You know, in the world with, 04:01 you know, social media and internet 04:03 and, you know, satellite television 04:05 and all that's going around but yet still today 04:07 for my knowledge radio reaches still more people. 04:10 It's the media outlet reaches more people 04:11 than any other form of platform out there. 04:14 And so praise the Lord for that, 04:15 you guys are doing an amazing work 04:17 and we thank you. 04:18 That's just one portion though, 04:19 we do internet and we just like. 04:21 Oh, wow. 04:22 You know, we're going to partner with you guys. 04:23 We do radio. We do internet. 04:25 We did a series of meetings we had 10 million views. 04:29 Amen. Wow. 04:31 Yeah. Praise the Lord. 04:33 We're going to talk about 04:34 reaching the millions in our study today, 04:37 but I want to get down here at the end of the table 04:39 and talk to Mr. Kyle Allen, 04:41 you also worked for AWR Adventist World Radio, 04:44 and what is it that you do 04:46 for the mission of God? 04:48 I just like Duane said, every day wake up like, wow, 04:52 I get to be involved in this incredible work 04:53 of taking the gospel to the world. 04:55 Yeah, it's amazing. 04:57 So, you know, I'm blessed. 04:58 I'm one of the vice presidents and just enjoying 05:01 seeing how God is working in powerful ways, 05:03 how His Spirit's being poured out. 05:05 I believe we're living 05:06 just before the return of Jesus. 05:08 Absolutely. 05:09 So what a privilege to be able to see these things happening 05:11 before our very eyes. 05:12 Absolutely. Wow. 05:14 Praise God for that. 05:15 And we have Miss Sue Hinkle, 05:17 and tell us what you do for AWR? 05:20 Well, I'm the outreach manager for Adventist World Radio 05:23 and help coordinate different projects 05:26 in many areas of the world, 05:28 but also we have ambassadors 05:30 that I help coordinate in North America 05:34 and many have heard about God pods, 05:37 these little prerecorded audio players that we help. 05:41 Kyle and I work together on that 05:43 and, you know, what I love, one thing I love about AWR 05:47 is I think each one of our team members 05:50 are so passionate about finishing the work. 05:55 And when you invited us to talk about evangelism, Ryan, 05:59 this is our heart. 06:00 That's it. Amen. 06:01 I mean, we love evangelism. 06:03 So thank you for letting us be here with you. 06:04 Praise the Lord. 06:05 Yeah, when we were kind of gathering 06:07 and creating the content for this study tonight, 06:09 I thought to myself, 06:10 what better people to join me in this study 06:13 than our friends from Adventist World Radio 06:15 because this is what you live, eat and breathe, right? 06:18 You live evangelism. Yeah. 06:19 And you know, evangelism 06:20 is not something that we just do. 06:22 It's a lifestyle. It is. 06:24 It's a way of life when Christ just transformed you. 06:27 Now, He's going to use you as a tool 06:29 to go out and help transform others 06:31 for the good news and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 06:33 And so before we get right into our study, though, 06:35 because we have lots to discuss 06:36 and I know that you're going to be blessed 06:38 and I just want to say thank you again 06:39 for all of our viewers all around the world 06:41 who are participating right now 06:43 and watching this from wherever you are, 06:45 for your love prayers and support of 3ABN Ministry. 06:48 And before we get right into our study, 06:50 which is entitled Kingdom Agenda, 06:52 we're going to have a word of prayer and so, 06:54 Brother Kyle, could you have our opening prayer for us? 06:56 Sure. 06:57 All right, let's bow our heads. 06:59 Father in heaven, 07:00 Lord, it is good to be together tonight 07:02 for family worship. 07:03 And we thank You that it's the Sabbath 07:06 and that we can worship You together, Father. 07:09 And, Lord, as we come together tonight 07:12 as we open Your Word 07:14 and as we study and as we pray, 07:15 we ask that Your Holy Spirit would be the honored guest. 07:18 Amen. 07:19 Lord, we see the world in front of us 07:21 and the huge mission of taking this gospel to the world. 07:24 And tonight, Lord, as we read the scriptures 07:27 and as we read these passages from the Spirit of Prophecy, 07:30 as we talk about the needs around the world, 07:33 we pray that You would inspire our hearts 07:36 with the mission that You called 07:37 each one of us to, 07:39 because each one of us is called 07:40 to a lifestyle of evangelism, 07:43 is called to take be a part of that great commission. 07:47 So, Father, bless this worship tonight. 07:49 Thank You for each one that's watching 07:51 wherever they are around the world, 07:52 bless them, bless their families 07:54 and be with us now in this special time. 07:57 We pray in Jesus' name. 07:59 Amen. 08:00 Amen. Amen. 08:01 The Bible says that we must worship Him 08:03 in spirit and in truth. 08:05 And that's exactly what we're going to do this evening. 08:07 We invite you to get your Bibles, get your notepads, 08:10 you're ready to take some notes 08:11 because there's going to be some quotes 08:13 that we're going to be sharing from the Spirit of Prophecy 08:15 and many different Bible passages and texts 08:17 we're going to be sharing tonight 08:19 involved in talking around about 08:22 this subject of the Kingdom Agenda. 08:24 So I had a little bit of description 08:26 written up for this study. 08:27 And I simply asked the question, 08:28 what is the mission of God's Church 08:30 in these last days? 08:32 How can we ensure that we are doing our part 08:35 in fulfilling the kingdom agenda of Christ? 08:38 And, of course, we're going to be discussing 08:39 the divine commission given to us 08:42 in these closing moments of earth's history 08:44 here at this table tonight. 08:45 And, you know, a lot of people's idea 08:47 of Christianity, 08:49 their understanding 08:50 of what it means to be a Christian 08:52 and, you know, I haven't always been raised 08:54 as a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 08:56 And it's certainly real for me 08:57 because being raised in a non-Adventist setting, 09:01 is my family and many of our friends 09:03 and there was this idea that to be, 09:05 you know, being Christian 09:07 and living out Christianity is just, 09:09 it's more or less a personal little, 09:12 you know, bubble encapsulated little experience. 09:14 You know, it's, you believe in Jesus, 09:16 you express that belief in Jesus, 09:19 you know, you sometimes congregate 09:21 with other people that believe in Jesus with you, 09:23 you know, but there was no mission 09:26 mindedness or sharing the good news 09:29 in some of the churches and denominations 09:31 that I came from before but when I came 09:34 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 09:35 I was blown away by the fact that 09:37 they brought alive the reality and the truth 09:41 that we find flooded throughout the Bible, 09:43 which is God's divine commission 09:46 in many different forms and aspects about scripture 09:48 where God is saying, "You know what, 09:49 I don't just want to transform your life. 09:51 I don't want you to take that goodness 09:53 and all of that wonderful experience 09:54 you've had and just, 09:56 you know, encapsulated in your own little bubble 09:57 and in your own little world. 09:58 I want you to go out there and reflect the light of Jesus. 10:01 I want you to go into that same prison 10:03 that I saved you from. 10:05 And I want you to go back there and help." 10:06 You lead someone out of that prison 10:08 into the light of Jesus Christ themselves. 10:10 So tonight we're talking about 10:12 the divine commission of Christ. 10:14 We're talking about the Kingdom Agenda. 10:16 So let's start with Matthew Chapter 28. 10:18 I think that's the appropriate place to start 10:20 because someone may say, "Okay, Jesus, He's gone. 10:22 He's back in heaven, right? 10:23 He's ascended into the heaven, He's in the heavenly sanctuary 10:26 but what are we as Christians supposed to be doing now?" 10:29 And Matthew 28:18-20. 10:32 And who wants to read that for us? 10:33 Who wants to volunteer to read that? 10:35 Matthew 28:18-20. 10:36 I can read that. All right, thank you, Sue. 10:38 Appreciate it. 10:39 Okay, starting with verse 18. 10:42 "And Jesus came and spoke to them saying, 10:45 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 10:49 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 10:52 baptizing them in the name of the Father 10:55 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 10:57 teaching them to observe all things 11:00 that I have commanded you, 11:01 and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 11:06 Amen. Amen. 11:08 That's it, right? 11:09 The divine commission given from Christ. 11:12 So what's your response to that? 11:13 When you read that text, what comes to mind? 11:15 Right? 11:16 When I hear that text, Ryan, 11:18 the first thing that jumps out at me is go, 11:20 because, Duane, you know, you're always telling us 11:22 to get our boots on the ground, 11:24 get out there and do evangelism. 11:25 That word go, that is such a powerful word. 11:28 Jesus is saying that we need to go. 11:30 We can't just be timid and stay. 11:31 We've got a message that the world needs 11:35 and a message that people need to hear 11:36 as Seventh-day Adventists living 11:39 through 2021, 2022. 11:41 Right. 11:42 We need to go 11:44 because this is a powerful message. 11:45 And lives are changed when you do go. 11:48 And I picked up on the word, all in there too, 11:52 you know, all the nations. 11:53 So this isn't just some. Right. 11:56 This is all the world we need to reach. 11:59 You know, Mrs. White tells us that 12:02 I don't have the quote right here with me 12:04 but she says that the disciples went, 12:07 they went everywhere. 12:08 Amen. 12:10 They went to the ends of the world. 12:11 Right. They all died. 12:14 They had that passion. Yes. 12:16 Except for John. 12:17 But they went and they touched the whole world. 12:21 Amen. It's amazing. 12:23 Yes. Amen. It's powerful. 12:24 They went to the whole world, they went. 12:26 Yes, absolutely 12:27 because they took I believe the words of Jesus seriously, 12:30 you know, seriously when you know, 12:32 when I read John Chapter 4. 12:34 This is a passage that came to my mind 12:35 as I was preparing this lesson. 12:37 John Chapter 4, where Jesus 12:38 just had this powerful conversation 12:40 with a woman at the well, right, her whole life 12:42 was turned right side up in just a few moments. 12:46 But right there in John 4:34-35, 12:49 in the aftermath of that conversation, 12:51 Jesus had with the woman at the well. 12:54 His disciples have now come out of the city, 12:57 they've regathered with Christ and they have their, 12:59 you know, belongings and their food 13:00 and little resources, the things 13:01 that they've gathered to go on the road 13:03 because they're out evangelizing. 13:04 And so now, they come to them and they say, "Master, eat." 13:07 You know, here's some food. 13:08 And then Jesus responds, listen to this, John 4:34-35. 13:13 Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me 13:17 and to finish His work. 13:20 Don't..." Notice this. 13:22 "Don't you have a saying, it is four months into harvest? 13:26 I tell you open your eyes and look at the fields. 13:30 They are ripe for the harvest." Amen. 13:33 You know, how many people sit back 13:35 and they're blinded to the fact that, 13:37 you know, I've heard so many people say this, 13:38 oh, this is a hard area to reach. 13:40 You can't, you know, 13:41 we don't do much evangelism here 13:43 because people aren't interested. 13:44 And a lot of people, I think, sit back 13:46 and they have that mentality 13:47 that it's hard to reach the people, 13:49 therefore we should just not do anything, 13:51 there should be no response. 13:53 But you know, the beautiful thing about 13:54 the divine commission is that Jesus said, 13:56 not only go before that, He said, 13:57 you know, teach them, baptize them 13:59 and then continue to teach them. 14:01 It's a process, right? 14:02 It's an ongoing process that never stops. 14:05 Does anybody else have anything that they want to add to that? 14:07 I was just thinking because knowing you've often told me 14:10 that so many times, 14:11 people will say it can't be done. 14:14 It can't be done, like that's always, 14:16 it seems like it always happens 14:17 when you try to do evangelism. 14:19 We were in Africa a couple years ago 14:20 with AWR and they said, 14:21 "Oh, it's not going to work because it's winter." 14:23 You know, and then but that's June, 14:26 in Africa it's winter. 14:27 By God's grace 18,000 people were baptized. 14:30 Amen. Wow. 14:31 You know, and so that seems to be a theme. 14:33 People, man says it's impossible. 14:35 God says what's impossible with man is possible with Me. 14:38 That's right, Brother. Amen. 14:39 That's right. Amen. 14:41 You know, as I'm reading this John 4:35, 14:42 what sticks out to me here is, 14:44 He says, "My food is to do the will of Him 14:48 who sent Me and to finish His work." 14:50 And it's interesting because, 14:52 you know, my mind goes back to Genesis, 14:55 where on the seventh day God rested. 14:59 He blessed it. He made Holy. 15:01 He sanctified the seventh day. 15:03 And that word there for rested is Shabbat in the Hebrew, 15:07 which means to cease or to finish. 15:10 And so right there even in our very names, 15:13 Seventh-day Adventists, 15:15 you know, when we think of Seventh-day Adventists, 15:16 we think of Adventists, 15:17 you know, looking forward to the promising return 15:19 of Jesus Christ, 15:20 and of course, seventh day pointing back 15:22 to the keeping of all the commandments 15:23 but in this case the seventh day Sabbath 15:25 but right there even within our name, 15:27 Seventh-day Adventist, 15:28 not just pointing or highlighting the fact 15:30 that we were Sabbath keepers but also, 15:32 I believe God has divided, 15:34 He's commissioned us. 15:35 He has given us the divine commission 15:37 as His remnant church, 15:38 His remnant movement in these last days 15:40 to continue to work and finish that work 15:43 that he started to do 2000 years ago. 15:45 It's powerful. 15:46 Praise the Lord. It is. 15:48 It's interesting the next quote here from Testimonies. 15:50 Yeah, now read that. 15:51 Someone must fulfill the gospel commission. 15:54 Someone must fulfill the commission. 15:56 Someone must carry out the work which He began. 16:00 It's interesting. We... 16:02 I've always said anybody can preach, 16:04 anybody with series of meetings, 16:05 it's just, you know, we have all these materials. 16:09 And so even my wife, she volunteered to go. 16:12 She made a commitment to go. 16:14 I was scared to death. 16:16 I mean, I thought surely I won't have to go. 16:22 Right. 16:23 I won't have to. 16:25 But then when I was called and given a date, 16:28 when I would be going to go and preach in Kenya. 16:33 I started praying, you know, we cannot do this on our own. 16:39 We have to have the power of the Holy Spirit. 16:43 Amen. Absolutely. 16:44 Because it's not about us. 16:46 It's about Jesus. Amen. 16:47 And it was the most wonderful experience 16:52 of my life besides marrying this guy. 16:57 But it changed my life. 16:59 It changed my whole... 17:02 Praise God. Yeah. 17:04 My brother. 17:06 Before she got to that point she said, 17:09 "Why did you let me do it?" 17:11 Why? 17:13 I said to him. 17:14 She made the effort to go out and preach. 17:16 I said, "Why did you let me go forward?" 17:19 I said, "I wasn't near you." 17:22 I said, "Did you do it 17:23 because you're the conference president's wife?" 17:24 "No," she said, "Why did you let me do it?" 17:28 It was like the Holy Spirit pushed me out of my chair 17:31 to go forward. 17:32 Amen. And it was phenomenal. 17:34 Praise God. 17:36 Well, it's interesting because you said 17:37 it was like the Holy Spirit. 17:38 I believe it was the Holy Spirit 17:40 that pushed you. 17:41 Absolutely. 17:42 I know that's what you were saying. 17:44 You know, you started reading that quote 17:45 from Testimonies, volume six, page 295, which again says, 17:48 "Someone must fulfill the commission of Christ. 17:50 Someone must carry on the work which He began to do on earth." 17:52 And then I love this next part, it says, 17:54 "And the church has been given this privilege, 17:57 for this purpose it has been organized." 17:59 So what's our purpose? 18:01 Evangelism, this is what we're here for. 18:04 And it is a privilege. 18:06 It is a privilege. It is. 18:07 It's a privilege. 18:09 And I believe that with all my heart, like, 18:10 if every church had this statement, 18:13 if every church understood, 18:14 if every church member understand their purpose 18:16 was to go forth to carry that commission forward, 18:20 this world would be turned upside down so fast. 18:22 I know. 18:24 So Seventh-day Adventists, now is the time. 18:26 We need to answer the call, we need to go. 18:29 That's right. 18:30 And you know, Kathy, you were probably scared. 18:32 Well, you know, that I was scared to death. 18:38 But you know, the more I prayed, 18:43 the less fear I felt. 18:44 Amen. 18:46 And that first Friday night, when I stood up to preach, 18:50 I was totally blown away. 18:52 I mean, I could not believe 18:54 how my fears had been taken away. 18:57 Praise God. That's right. Wow. 18:58 And I had such a peace. Yes. 19:00 And that's way it was the whole series. 19:04 And when God blessed with baptisms, 19:08 I thought, wow. 19:10 Amen. Praise God. 19:11 And I would challenge anybody that says, 19:16 I can't do it. 19:18 They can do it with the Lord's help. 19:20 Amen. Amen. 19:22 It's like the Lord spoke to her 19:23 and the fear went away when He said, "It's not." 19:26 "It's not about me." That's right. 19:28 You know, I felt, 19:30 at first I was concentrating on myself, 19:32 you know, looking at myself, well, I can't do it. 19:35 But it's not about us, it's about the Lord. 19:39 Amen. 19:41 And I believe also just to say, 19:43 because I know you guys believe this, 19:44 and I know you believe this, 19:46 because I get the privilege of working with you. 19:47 Young people... 19:49 I mean, age is not a factor here. 19:51 No. That's right. 19:52 We've seen young, young, right? 19:54 And very... 19:55 Well, I don't want to say experienced 19:57 in life and everything in between. 19:59 Everybody can do it. 20:00 All they need to have is a willing heart. 20:02 I mean, Sue, I remember in Palauan, 20:04 you had young adults 20:06 that had never done this before. 20:07 Right. And it changed their lives. 20:08 It did change their lives. 20:10 And you know, some were, they had come to preach, 20:13 had never preached before, 20:14 didn't, weren't even solidified in our doctrine. 20:18 They had been baptized, 20:19 but they didn't really understand. 20:22 And this one young man, 20:24 he preached about the Sabbath. 20:27 And when he came back, he said, "Now I understand. 20:31 Now I know why we keep the Sabbath." 20:35 I mean, it touched his own heart 20:37 when he spoke the truth to other people. 20:39 Yes. 20:41 Then it did something inside like he was... 20:44 The Holy Spirit was teaching him as well. 20:46 Sure. 20:47 If the Lord can use a donkey, to make a donkey speak, right? 20:51 Yes, yes. 20:53 He certainly can use us, you know, you talk about, 20:54 you know, both the young and more experienced. 20:56 I remember years ago, when I just had, 20:58 just first become a Seventh-day Adventist. 21:01 I was, I mean, of course, I'm still on fire. 21:02 But I was, man, I was just so excited 21:04 about this new faith that God had brought me into, 21:06 and I wanted to share and I couldn't quite understand 21:08 why some of the people around me in the church 21:10 was a little more shy of sharing, right? 21:12 But yet, it just really brought a whole new world to me. 21:16 There was a mission trip 21:18 that was happening, conference wide. 21:20 I think it was maybe in the Philippines 21:21 or Africa or somewhere. 21:23 And the pastor's daughter, she was 11 years old. 21:27 And they gave her a series of studies. 21:31 Beautiful graphics, set her up at this location, 21:34 I think it might have been in the Philippines. 21:36 And she preached an entire evangelism. 21:37 Eleven year old girl preached an entire evangelistic series 21:42 and had multiple baptisms. 21:43 So if God can use a kid, He can use you, right? 21:47 He can use any one and that's the purpose. 21:48 We're all commissioned 21:50 to take this gospel to the world. 21:51 And there's no excuse. 21:52 None of us can say, "No, not me. 21:54 You know, God can't really use me 21:55 for whatever reason." 21:56 Yes, He can. 21:58 And God will if you will allow Him. 21:59 Amen. That's right. 22:01 Absolutely. 22:02 You know, we're going to get into in just a moment, 22:03 why God wants us to participate in this work? 22:06 But you know, I made a note here 22:08 that God technically does not need us to finish the work. 22:12 Let's give God the glory for the moment. 22:14 He is going to finish this work. 22:15 He doesn't technically need us. 22:17 In fact, that's what Romans 9:28, 22:20 is talking about here. 22:22 Romans 9:28, which says, 22:24 "For He will finish the work 22:26 and cut it short in righteousness 22:28 because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth." 22:32 And then when you couple that with these quotes 22:35 that I found in the Spirit of Prophecy, 22:37 I'm going to have someone read Testimonies 22:39 to Ministers, page 300. 22:40 If someone can prepare that, and also Review and Herald, 22:44 December 15, 1885, 22:45 it's really sets the groundwork here 22:49 and helping us to understand 22:50 that God will see that the work is finished. 22:53 But there's a purpose, there's a reason 22:55 as we're going to cover in a moment 22:57 as to why He wants us to co-labor with Him 22:59 and participating in this work. 23:01 And so Testimonies to Ministers, page 300. 23:03 Let's read that and talk about what it says there. 23:06 So who wants to read that? 23:08 "Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work 23:12 in a manner very much 23:14 out of the common order of things and in a way 23:18 that will be contrary to any human planning. 23:22 God will use ways and means by which it will be seen 23:27 that He is taking the reins in His own hands. 23:30 "Wow. Amen. 23:32 And I know you guys have had 23:33 to see something like that already. 23:35 I heard your stories all the time of like, 23:37 whoa, how did that happen 23:38 or how did this person hear the gospel? 23:40 And you hear these powerful stories about how, 23:43 the only way to explain it is God's in that. 23:44 Yeah. 23:46 God is the only one that made that happen, right? 23:47 And that's what that quote is talking about 23:50 and then Review and Herald, 23:52 December 15, 1885 with that. 23:54 Someone read that as well, 23:55 Review and Herald, December 15, 1885. 23:59 "When divine power is combined with human effort, 24:02 the work will spread like fire in the stubble. 24:05 God will employ agencies whose origin man 24:08 will be unable to discern. 24:10 Angels will do a work 24:12 which men might have had the blessing 24:13 of accomplishing 24:15 had they not neglected to answer the claims of God. 24:18 The work is now presented to man, will he take it? 24:21 There are at the present time many doors unbolted 24:24 and thrown open to the workers. 24:26 Will they enter these doors? 24:28 Who is ready at the bidding of the master to say, 24:32 'Here am I, Lord, send me.'" 24:35 Amen. 24:36 And it's powerful. Powerful. 24:38 It's powerful to consider the fact that 24:41 you know even at this present time, 24:42 I hear stories all the time of how people came to the Lord 24:46 and then they tell the story about how someone came 24:48 to their house and they, 24:50 you know, but you have that those people 24:51 just somehow just disappear. 24:54 They, you know, they spend a time 24:56 and then no one knows who they are 24:57 or where they came from. 24:59 And there's no doubt in my mind, God has angels, 25:01 ministering spirits as the Bible would call them, 25:03 working in the field out there, 25:06 you know, spreading the gospel in places 25:07 that perhaps we can't get to. 25:09 And you guys know this more than anyone. 25:10 There's places all over the globe that, 25:12 you know, it's hard to get, 25:14 you know, Christian presence in there 25:16 because of how difficult and challenging 25:19 and very dangerous it is in certain countries. 25:22 And so, yeah, what were you going to say? 25:23 Well, I was just going to say like, we never thought, 25:26 you know, we just, not long ago, 25:28 we're in the Philippines. 25:30 And we saw God unbolt doors and open ways 25:33 that we could never imagine a few years ago. 25:36 Miracles, Ryan. 25:37 Miracles that God has done 25:39 to reach communist rebels, Duane. 25:40 Yeah. 25:42 And who would have thought. Assassins. 25:43 Tell us about that. 25:45 Let's talk about this? 25:46 Really, real assassins. Right. 25:48 Real assassins in the Philippines. 25:50 They killed 40,000 people in the last 50 years. 25:55 Wow. 25:56 Forty thousand people. 25:58 And the government... 26:00 Well, the sheriff in the area said, 26:03 "We don't get it. 26:05 This war goes on and on, year after year. 26:08 And we've tried to bribe them. 26:10 We'll say just stop killing us. 26:13 Stop shooting us. 26:15 We'll give you anything. 26:16 We'll give you money, anything. 26:19 Just stop killing us, but doesn't help. 26:23 And all of a sudden, you guys come here. 26:25 And you start broadcasting the Bible 26:28 and health messages into the mountains 26:31 and they surrender and they're getting amnesty. 26:34 It is all over. 26:36 What is it?" 26:37 The sheriff. 26:39 Wow. Just absolutely amazing. 26:42 And then after they're baptized, 26:44 just this week, 26:49 they have made a goal to each one reach one 26:51 by the end of the year. 26:53 Wow. 26:54 And so they're going up into the mountains 26:56 with video projectors that we give them. 26:58 Amen. 26:59 Assassins, 700 of them 27:03 going up into these villages, 27:05 70 villages to reach the unreachable, 27:11 to share Jesus with them. 27:13 It's unbelievable. 27:15 I've never, I've been doing this kind of work 27:20 for years and years for years, for many years 27:23 and as an evangelist too and as a conference president, 27:26 union workers and general conference 27:29 but I've never seen this. 27:32 These are mean people. 27:33 Of course. They're killers. 27:36 We used to go there. 27:37 And we take groups in, in Mindoro in the Philippines 27:41 because it was an easy way to get there 27:43 and take young people there to preach. 27:46 But we didn't want to be shot. 27:48 So we were told, okay, 27:50 just give a 1,000 dollars for "medicines." 27:54 All right. 27:56 Give us a 1,000 dollars for medicines 27:57 and one of our friends, he was a chauffeur. 28:01 It was his cousin 28:02 who was the general up in the mountains. 28:06 And he said you won't be shot. 28:09 So we went there and we gave him a thousand. 28:11 That was a relief. Yeah. 28:13 We went there and we gave him a 1,000 dollars, 28:14 I think we're fine and then Sue begins to pray 28:17 that God will chase him away and they'll all surrender. 28:20 They all give their hearts to Jesus. 28:22 And I thought Sue's crazy. 28:24 Just give him the 1,000 dollars. 28:26 That's right. They're not going to listen. 28:28 They never have listened, we've tried and tried. 28:30 They don't listen. 28:32 They just kill. 28:33 Well. 28:34 But they're all gone. 28:36 This week, the last 17 surrendered. 28:40 Wow. 28:41 They got a full amnesty. 28:42 The President of the Philippines 28:44 gave them all a full amnesty. 28:46 Wow. 28:47 It's unheard of. 28:49 That's, yeah, that's just I couldn't wrap 28:50 my mind around it. 28:51 It's never happened that we know of 28:53 and it makes me think of what you this quote, 28:56 God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that 28:59 He is taking the reins in His own hands. 29:01 That's right. Yeah. 29:03 You know, otherwise how could this happen, 29:05 but the power of God. 29:06 And we were standing in that baptismal pool 29:08 not long ago, Ryan. 29:09 I mean, and it was an incredible experience 29:11 to see these former, 29:13 these were hardened killers like Duane said. 29:15 I mean, they had lived lives in the mountains, 29:19 not at peace with each other. 29:20 You know, can you imagine going to bed at night 29:22 thinking about the things you've done, 29:24 those bad things you've done, 29:25 and after all those decades of being just in anguish 29:29 over yourself and over the life you've lived 29:31 and then finally learn about the Lord Jesus Christ 29:34 and the reconciliation that He brings. 29:35 And then not only that, but to find that 29:37 the people that you were once shooting at 29:39 are now also getting baptized. 29:41 And they're also your brothers and sisters 29:42 and they're embracing in Christ. 29:44 That's right. Yeah. 29:45 That's the miracle of the gospel, man. 29:46 Absolutely. That's God unbolting doors. 29:48 That's only God. 29:49 Yes. Absolutely. 29:51 We've had the privilege of seeing that 29:52 and even the general himself 29:54 and his wife getting baptized 29:55 and the head Philippine army people getting. 29:58 Jesus is coming soon. 29:59 That's all I've got to say. 30:01 Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. 30:02 I mean, what you're seeing there is prime example 30:05 that the Spirit of God is far more powerful 30:06 than the spirit of the enemy. 30:08 Amen. 30:09 These are people full of demons. 30:10 I mean, it's the only way you can explain it, right? 30:12 Yeah. 30:13 Full of demons, but yet still the power of God 30:15 is at work to cast out those demons, 30:16 to transform hearts, 30:18 God wants to transform your heart. 30:19 Yes, He does. 30:21 And He wants to use you right now 30:22 wherever you are, whatever community. 30:23 Maybe it's in your own home, wherever it is, 30:25 God wants to use you to also shine that light 30:30 and share the light of Christ with someone else. 30:32 And again, had God not used you guys, 30:34 what would have come about, right? 30:35 If AWR had not been there and been, 30:37 you know, I'm sure God, obviously 30:38 but God used that avenue of AWR 30:42 and in you guys to take that light 30:44 into that very, very dark place, 30:47 that perhaps many other ministries 30:48 have said, "No, wait. 30:50 We don't want to get shot." Right? 30:52 But the Lord is using and working in mighty ways. 30:55 And what a privilege. Absolutely. 30:57 What a privilege to be used by God. 30:59 Yeah. 31:00 And, you know, we're just amazed 31:02 at what He's doing. 31:04 And I think just like we see these rebels, 31:07 you know, these hardened criminals 31:08 now are softened. 31:10 Yes. 31:11 And we see joy and peace on their face. 31:13 Right. 31:14 Now, do they think it's a drudgery 31:16 to have to go back up in the mountains 31:17 and tell the other people? 31:19 No. 31:20 They're excited now to share this. 31:23 Wow! Yeah. 31:25 What has happened in their own life. 31:26 Now they want to tell others and it keeps going and going. 31:29 I think, you know, sometimes 31:31 we get too comfortable in church. 31:34 It's easy just to be a pew warmer 31:37 and forget what our mission is, 31:38 like we talked about. 31:40 Right. 31:41 But when we really have that connection with God, 31:43 when He transforms our heart, 31:45 we're not going to be able to shut up about it. 31:47 That's right. Absolutely. 31:48 We're going to have to share Him with others. 31:50 Amen. Absolutely. 31:51 You know, that's really the key because there's a lot of people 31:55 that may be watching this right now 31:56 who may not necessarily be 31:58 a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, 31:59 but saying to themselves, 32:01 you know what, I'm saved 32:02 though, I'm already saved. 32:03 And, you know, witnessing is not a part of the, 32:07 you know, the salvational plan. 32:10 In other words, believe in Jesus and accept Christ 32:12 and you shall be saved. 32:14 So I don't really have to go out and witness to someone, 32:16 but yet what we're describing 32:18 is that when you genuinely accept Christ, 32:20 the natural response is going to be 32:22 you can't keep your mouth shut. 32:23 Absolutely. 32:24 You got to go out and tell someone. 32:26 And that's kind of sets us up for this next part, 32:27 which is, you know, if God can finish the work, 32:29 and I just asked this question here, 32:31 if God could finish the work by Himself 32:33 and why does He want us to participate in evangelism? 32:36 Why does He want us to cooperate 32:38 and co-labor with Him in this work? 32:40 And I think the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy 32:42 makes it ultimately clear. 32:43 Amen. That's right. 32:44 First of all, let me just bring about the fact 32:46 that love should be the motivation. 32:47 Yes. 32:48 You know, we love Him because He first loved us. 32:51 And then when we comprehend 32:53 and start to begin to comprehend and understand 32:55 that love that Christ has bestowed upon us. 32:57 Amen. 32:59 Then out of us flows that love, out of us flows that desire 33:04 for others to also want to participate 33:07 and partake of the goodness of Christ. 33:09 You know, I was thinking, 33:10 I was reading this 1 John Chapter 4, 33:12 come to mind. 33:14 1 John 4:7-11. 33:16 I'm also going to read verses 17, 19 through 21. 33:19 This is a powerful passage. 33:21 Probably many of us have read it many times. 33:22 But it's just a great reminder of the motivation 33:25 behind why we want to seek out others 33:29 and share the good news with them. 33:31 1 John Chapter 4, 33:32 we're going to begin with verse 7. 33:35 It says, "Beloved, let us love one another, 33:39 for love is of God. 33:41 And everyone who loves is born of God 33:43 and knows God. 33:45 He who does not love does not know God, 33:49 for God is love. 33:50 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, 33:54 that God has sent His only begotten Son 33:56 into the world 33:58 that we might live through Him. 34:00 In this is love," this is verse 10, 34:03 "not that we loved God, 34:05 but that He loved us and sent His Son 34:07 to be the propitiation for our sins." 34:09 And then verse 11, "Beloved, if God is so loved, 34:12 if God so loved us, 34:14 we also ought to love one another." 34:17 Amen. 34:18 Now, fast forward to verse 17 here. 34:20 "Love has been perfected among us in this," notice, 34:23 "that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment 34:27 because as He is, 34:29 so are we in this world." 34:32 And then verse 19, 34:34 "We love Him because He first loved us. 34:37 If someone says, 'I love God and hates his brother, 34:39 he is a liar, 34:41 for he who does not love his brother, whom he...'" 34:44 Excuse me, "'For he who does not love his brother 34:46 whom he has seen, 34:48 how can he love God whom he has not seen?'" 34:51 And then verse 21, 34:52 "And this commandment we have from Him, 34:54 that he who loves God must love his brother also." 34:59 What's the motivation behind evangelism? 35:01 It's love. It's love. It's love. 35:03 It's love. It's love. 35:04 Because when the Spirit of God is flowing through you 35:08 and using you, 35:09 it's, the motivation behind that is love 35:11 because God loved us to save us. 35:13 Yeah. 35:15 Now we want to go out and also love Him, love others, 35:18 just to see them saved as well. 35:20 You know, God wants us to share 35:24 because it helps us grow. 35:26 Amen. 35:27 And it helps us to keep that fire 35:29 in our hearts. 35:31 That's why. Amen. 35:32 Absolutely. I mean, another reason. 35:34 Yeah. Absolutely. 35:36 Kathy, that reminds me of this statement here 35:38 that we have in front of us, which is powerful. 35:41 God could have reached, 35:43 this is Desire of Ages, page 142. 35:44 Yes. 35:46 God could have reached His object 35:47 in saving sinners without our aid. 35:49 Because He's all powerful, 35:51 He could have send angels to do it. 35:52 That's right. 35:53 He could have written in the sky. 35:55 Right. 35:56 But in order for us to develop a character like Christ. 36:00 That's it. That's it right there. 36:02 The character of love. 36:03 We must share in His work in order to enter into His joy, 36:07 the joy of seeing souls redeemed by His sacrifice. 36:10 We must participate 36:12 in His labors for their redemption. 36:14 So that tells me it's not optional. 36:17 Right. Amen. 36:18 To evangelize, 36:20 to be a witness it's not optional. 36:22 It's not. 36:24 It's part of being a Christian. That's right. 36:25 Amen. That's right. 36:27 In fact, I was going to circle around 36:28 and you got right up to it. 36:29 Because again, I mentioned earlier, 36:31 some people's idea of the gospel is just believe. 36:33 Yeah. 36:34 They just mentally accept the fact 36:35 that Christ has died on the cross for my sins. 36:37 And now that that makes me, 36:39 you know, justified and saved through the blood of Christ. 36:41 But yet we know that the fullness of the gospel means 36:44 fully surrendering. 36:46 And if we're fully surrendered, 36:47 then of course, what comes with that 36:49 is the desire to want to see someone else 36:53 changed and transformed as we are. 36:55 Amen. Absolutely. 36:57 That's right. 36:58 Fully reconciled, fully surrendered. 36:59 That's right. 37:01 We've been using those words with the rebels, 37:02 you know, their relationship with the military. 37:03 And it's amazing. 37:05 I was just thinking, Sue, when you were speaking 37:07 and why we do evangelism. 37:10 Another element is I remember, 37:13 it's been what, 20 years I think, about that. 37:16 We were in Malawi. 37:18 And you had a 13 year old son and we needed an extra speaker. 37:22 Someone didn't show up and I asked him to speak 37:24 and through a lot of fear and tears. 37:27 Amen. 37:28 He did a series of meetings and now he's a pastor. 37:30 Amen. Not far from here. 37:31 Praise God. Praise the Lord. 37:33 Praise the Lord. Yeah, changes life. 37:35 It's that power. 37:36 You know, you preaching it, just like I was saying, 37:39 this young man from Australia and went to the Philippines, 37:44 you know, when you come in contact 37:47 with the Word of God and you share it. 37:49 Yeah. It transforms. 37:51 And I can say that for me, too, personally. 37:53 My own testimony in that, you know, 37:56 I didn't want to be a pastor for a long time. 37:59 I had, I was afraid of getting 38:01 stuck in a church with lots of problems 38:03 and dealing with people's problems. 38:06 And having those burdens, but you know what the thing is, 38:09 God is so merciful. Yes, He is. 38:11 And He knows what we need more than what we want. 38:13 What's that? 38:15 He knows what we really need, I should say. 38:16 And I think for me, 38:19 just being able to be on trips like this, 38:23 going on mission projects, being able to speak. 38:25 You know, I didn't feel like I could, 38:27 I was doing very well. 38:28 And seeing God working through that and seeing His, 38:31 getting to know the love of Jesus personally, 38:34 it just changes your heart. 38:35 And it's like, I can't, I cannot live on this earth 38:39 without telling someone else about Jesus. 38:41 That's right. 38:42 I can't live my life and feel like I'm 38:43 doing what God has called me to do. 38:45 That's right. 38:46 If I'm not and so 38:48 it's not, it's not supposed to be like a burden. 38:49 No. 38:51 It's like a calling 38:52 in your fire in your bones type of calling. 38:54 And I believe, Ryan, 38:55 that for everyone who's watching this program. 38:58 Yeah. This is the thing. 38:59 Not everybody watching this program is a pastor. 39:01 Right. 39:02 Not everybody watching this program is a Bible worker. 39:04 Right. 39:05 Everybody watching tonight 39:07 has the same calling to take their, to do their part 39:11 in sharing the gospel with other people. 39:12 It's all our call. That's right. 39:14 Is that only for good people? 39:16 Only good people are called to preach and teach? 39:19 It's a good question. 39:21 Then I'm definitely not. 39:23 Now, a couple years ago, we were in Mindoro. 39:26 We were teaching some of the rebels 39:28 and military both were doing it to do evangelism, 39:31 giving them little battery powered 39:35 video projectors 39:36 and giving them materials to use 39:38 and this young man came up. 39:40 He was married, had a little kid 39:42 and he got tears in his eyes. 39:45 And he said... We were in the city of Rojas. 39:48 He said, "I killed the vice mayor here." 39:52 He said, "I have been assassin. 39:56 I killed many." Wow! 39:58 And I said, "God can forgive you." 40:00 That's right. God can forgive you. 40:03 That's right. 40:04 You used to be an assassin for the devil. 40:06 And now you're going to be an evangelist for Jesus. 40:10 Praise God. 40:11 Go into the mountains to teach people about Jesus. 40:14 He forgives you. That's right. 40:16 Just amazing. That's right. 40:18 Last three weeks ago, 40:21 we were sitting at a restaurant, 40:23 on the lake, on the... 40:24 Oh, near the ocean 40:26 and these military people. 40:29 And they had been baptized two days ago on Sabbath. 40:33 And these assassins, 40:35 they're sitting there talking together, 40:37 ladies and men. 40:39 And it was amazing. 40:43 They used to be bitter enemies. 40:46 And they started talking together. 40:49 This one says, "I was chasing you." 40:52 Another one says, 40:53 "I was commissioned to kill you." 40:55 Wow! 40:56 I was chasing you. 40:58 And they cry. 41:00 And then they hold hands and pray. 41:02 Wow! 41:03 And they're all Adventists. Amen. 41:05 They're Seventh-day Adventists. Praise God. 41:08 Military. Praise God. 41:10 Wow! Yeah. 41:11 And assassins, ex assassins. 41:13 That's only God. 41:15 Absolutely. Yeah. 41:16 I don't understand that. Yeah. 41:17 I mean, yeah, it's hard to fathom it 41:19 because we get, the Bible's flooded with examples. 41:21 I mean, Moses was a murderer. 41:24 Yeah. 41:25 Again, God used him, changed his heart. 41:27 God used him to deliver His people to witness, 41:29 and to deliver His people. 41:31 David, a man after God's own heart, 41:34 he was a murderer, 41:35 but yet God forgave him because he repented 41:37 and he confessed his sin 41:39 and he went about to do mighty things for the Lord. 41:42 You know, I think of... 41:46 Also came to mind was Paul. 41:47 Yeah. Paul was a murderer. 41:49 Yeah. 41:50 But yet again, you know, he was, 41:52 he repented and confessed. 41:53 And God went on to use him 41:54 to be the most popular evangelists 41:56 New Testament has to write about, right? 41:57 Yeah. 41:58 I was just thinking, as you were saying, 42:00 you know, we... 42:01 When we saw those former rebels, 42:03 we call them FRs. 42:04 That was the name that military gave them FR. 42:05 Right? 42:07 Because they're not rebels anymore. 42:08 They're former rebels. Okay. 42:10 But they didn't really like that name. 42:11 No. 42:12 Because they didn't want to be identified 42:14 as rebels anymore. 42:15 Oh, I see. 42:16 They preferred FR stand for something different. 42:18 Okay. Fully reconciled. 42:20 I like that. 42:21 They said, "We're fully reconciled." 42:22 And Elder Wilson, he said, 42:24 "I'm not going to call you rebels anymore. 42:25 You're now new creatures in Christ." 42:27 Oh my! 42:28 And, you know, I just have to say this, 42:29 the amazing thing, 42:31 the last night that they had a meeting. 42:33 We weren't actually there because we had gone on 42:35 but some of our team was there. 42:38 This group of 700 former fully reconciled. 42:41 Now, they actually had a program 42:44 where they gave testimonies 42:47 about what God had done in their life. 42:48 And they sang songs and they... 42:50 It was so sincere, 42:51 there were many tears that were shed. 42:53 That's right. 42:54 And at the end of that program, each one of them lit a candle. 42:58 And this whole group of hundreds of people 43:01 all around the baptistery, where we had baptized 43:03 just two days before, they all lit a candle, 43:08 as a sign of commitment that their light, 43:11 they wanted to share that light that God 43:12 had given them in the darkest places of that, of this world, 43:16 one of the darkest places on earth. 43:17 They want to win another soul for Jesus Christ. 43:20 Amen. 43:21 And if God can place that burden 43:23 in the heart of a former rebel, 43:26 God can place it in our hearts too. 43:28 That's right. 43:29 And God is calling us to take this light 43:30 and to win more souls for Him. 43:32 Absolutely. Amen. 43:33 You know what comes to mind right now, 43:34 there may be someone watching this. 43:36 It's super correct, I know I am. 43:37 I'm on fire right now listening to all these stories. 43:40 God can use anyone, 43:42 I think we've communicated that very clearly. 43:44 And we're talking about rebels 43:45 who were full of the spirit of the enemy, 43:48 who have done horrible things 43:49 that most people would probably think 43:51 is unforgivable, right? 43:53 But yet we serve a God that forgives and transforms. 43:55 God can use anyone, 43:57 but there may be someone watching right now 43:58 that says, "Okay, 44:00 I want to be a witness for the Lord, 44:02 I want to do my part now. 44:05 How do I make that happen? 44:07 What do I do now to make that happen?" 44:10 So let's talk about, 44:11 you know, how do I carry out such a work? 44:15 How is, how can God use me? 44:16 First of all, what has to happen 44:18 in order for God to be able to use me 44:20 to carry out such an evangelistic work? 44:23 Amen. 44:24 So does anybody want to jump in here 44:25 and answer that? 44:27 I think the first thing you do is pray. 44:28 Yeah. Okay. 44:30 That's right. 44:31 You pray and ask for God's guidance, 44:32 you know, and even if you don't have that desire, 44:35 you pray. 44:36 Yes. 44:38 Tip for God to give you that desire 44:39 for you to be able to see people through His eyes. 44:43 Amen. 44:44 You know, see them being worthy of your witness to them. 44:48 And so I would say start with praying for it. 44:51 Amen. Amen. 44:53 Praise the Lord. Yeah, Lord. 44:55 I don't really have a desire 44:57 to be the person You want me to be, 44:58 but you know, what the Bible says 45:00 ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, 45:02 knock and it shall be open. 45:04 Lord, I'm knocking. 45:05 Maybe that's you right now at home. 45:06 Maybe you need to just call out to God and say, 45:08 "Lord, change me. 45:09 Give me that desire, 45:10 give me that hungering and thirsting, 45:12 that I need to be 45:13 that vessel of honor for Your kingdom." 45:14 So it starts by asking in prayer. 45:17 Of course now, when we ask in prayer, 45:19 what's God going to do? 45:20 What's going to come next? 45:21 He is going to pour out His Spirit. 45:23 Oh, I love that, Zechariah 4:6. Yes. 45:24 Why don't you read that for us, Kathy, 45:26 Zechariah 4:6 there. 45:27 "Not by might nor by power, 45:30 but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts." 45:32 Amen. 45:34 So it's by His Spirit, God is going to do this work. 45:36 He is going to finish this work through us and in us 45:38 by His Spirit. 45:40 Also Acts 1:8, if somebody wants to read that, 45:43 Acts 1:8. 45:45 Do you want to read that, Kathy, for us? 45:47 Oh, sure. 45:48 Acts 1:8? 45:49 "But you shall receive power 45:51 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you 45:53 and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem 45:56 and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." 46:00 Amen. And you know that... 46:02 Yes. 46:04 I claim that because 46:06 we cannot have power without the Holy Spirit. 46:09 That's right. That's right. 46:10 You know, we may be great preachers, 46:13 you know, be able to do a great delivery. 46:17 But without the power of the Holy Spirit, 46:20 we, you know, it doesn't have the power. 46:24 And it's encouraging if you're not a great speaker 46:27 or you don't know what to do. 46:29 Yes. That's right. 46:30 Just claim it, 46:31 and the Holy Spirit will take your feeble attempts. 46:36 Yes. 46:37 And make, 46:39 you know, touch people's hearts. 46:41 I just have to say just in the 30 seconds, 46:42 one of my favorite AWR stories 46:44 is a story from Tanzania where a woman I'll just say, 46:47 I'll summarize it. 46:48 She hears the pastor preaching a message like this 46:50 that she needs to use her talents for this. 46:52 All she has is a garden. Right. 46:55 And she has a radio 46:56 and in the garden she works every day. 46:58 She takes her radio, 46:59 she decides to put it in the garden 47:00 and turn it up really loud. 47:02 That's all, she said, "At least I have a radio, 47:04 at least I have a garden, I'll do that." 47:06 What she didn't realize was it next to her garden, 47:08 there was a shack actually was a bar 47:11 where men would come and drink every day. 47:13 What she didn't realize it as these men 47:14 were coming to drink in the bar, 47:16 they were listening to the radio. 47:18 They started listening to sermons. 47:20 They were drinking, listening to the sermons. 47:22 And you know what? 47:23 Eventually the owner of the bar said, 47:25 "Enough of this. 47:26 We need to get our own radio 47:28 because we have a hard time hearing from the garden." 47:30 So the bar owner buys a radio, 47:32 those guys listen to AWR 47:34 in the bar drinking, reading the Bible. 47:36 Well, eventually, you can't read the Bible 47:38 and drink at the same time. 47:39 That's right. So they give up their drinking. 47:41 All of them become Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 47:43 And the bar is now a Seventh-day Adventist Church. 47:46 Wow! 47:47 Because one lady said. Yes. 47:49 "I'm going to use what little I have." 47:50 That's right. Amen. 47:51 And let God bless it and look what God did. 47:53 Yes. 47:54 God can use you, whatever you have. 47:56 That is amazing. That's right. 47:57 It's an incredible story. I love that story. 47:59 I love it too. Yeah, we love it too. 48:01 It's amazing. 48:02 Straight from the garden, right? 48:03 That's right. Amen. 48:05 Yeah. Romans 8:11. 48:06 Just on that same note. Yeah. 48:07 It says, "But if the Spirit of Him 48:09 who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, 48:11 He who raised Christ from the dead 48:13 will also give life to your mortal bodies, 48:16 through His Spirit who dwells in you." 48:18 Never think that you can't be used by God 48:21 because there's too many examples. 48:23 There's too many, there's too much evidence 48:25 that is shown over time that God 48:27 can use anyone if all you have to be is willing. 48:30 All you have to do is say, 48:31 "Lord, I don't know what to do. 48:32 I really don't, I'm just, I'm an unworthy vessel. 48:35 But here I am, Lord, send me." 48:38 It brings me back to what we referenced earlier in a quote, 48:40 Isaiah's conversion experience where, 48:42 you know, God looks out and He says, 48:44 "Behold there was no man, right?" 48:45 He was looking out. 48:47 He didn't see anyone but yet 48:48 Isaiah stepped forward and said, 48:49 "Okay, Lord, here I am, send me." 48:51 Yes. This was a man of unclean lips. 48:52 This is a man that says, "Woe is me." 48:54 But yet he's repenting. 48:56 He's putting himself out there and saying, 48:57 "God, I'm unworthy, but yet 49:00 I'm sorrowful for what I've done 49:02 and for my sins." 49:03 He confessed, he repented and then 49:04 he, God sent him out as a powerful witness. 49:07 And God can do that through us as well. 49:09 And we've seen it too many times. 49:10 Yeah. Yeah. Praise the Lord. 49:12 And you know, we shouldn't get discouraged 49:14 if we go out and have evangelistic meetings. 49:18 And somebody that you think 49:21 is really going to be baptized 49:25 and join the Seventh-day Adventist Church from your, 49:29 the messages that 49:30 you have preached from the Word. 49:34 One time, Duane was having evangelistic meetings 49:37 and he preached on the state of the dead. 49:41 And this lady came out and she is very upset. 49:45 There were three that came together, 49:47 her brother and her nephew. 49:50 And she said, 49:52 "We do too have an immortal soul. 49:54 We do too have an immortal soul." 49:56 And I said to her, 49:59 I mean, I said her name and I said, 50:02 "What does Duane say every night?" 50:04 "If it's in the Bible, I believe it. 50:06 If it's not in the Bible, it's not for me." 50:08 That's right. 50:09 And I said, "That is not in the Bible. 50:13 We will not receive immortality until Jesus comes." 50:18 Well, we felt really bad, because she was precious. 50:23 But you know what? 50:24 About two or three years later, we went back to that church. 50:28 And there she was, 50:31 sitting at the table 50:34 going to eat the potluck dinner with her brother. 50:38 Amen. And they were being baptized. 50:41 Amen. So we shouldn't give up. 50:44 That's right. We should not give up. 50:46 Praise God. Amen. 50:47 I mean, that was so exciting. 50:49 The Spirit of God is powerful. 50:50 And that's the thing, you know, you never need to. 50:52 Don't overestimate 50:53 the power of God on a person's heart 50:55 because I have a very similar story to that. 50:56 I was preaching an evangelistic series 50:58 in Louisiana. 50:59 And I'll never forget the story. 51:01 Because I was actually up preaching, 51:02 I was right in the middle of my sermon 51:04 on the state of the dead. 51:05 Guy gets up, this is toward the end, 51:07 I was about ready to pray and in my sermon 51:09 for us to take a break. 51:10 And guy stands up right in the middle of my presentations. 51:13 And he's walking towards the front screaming, 51:15 yelling, shaking his finger at me saying, 51:17 "You don't know the truth. 51:18 You don't know the truth. You think you know." 51:20 And he's just, I mean, he's just, 51:21 "Let me have it." 51:22 Right there in front of everyone. 51:24 And I'm just like, oh, Lord. 51:25 I didn't really know how to respond at the moment. 51:27 But the Lord quickly pulled everything together. 51:30 Long story short, 51:31 we were able to talk with this guy, 51:32 get him calmed down. 51:34 But by the end of that series, 51:35 both him and his wife 51:37 were had been baptized and joined the church. 51:39 Praise the Lord. Praise God. 51:40 God can use anybody. 51:42 He can change people just like that and He will use you 51:44 if you are willing to reach out to these people. 51:47 Yes. 51:48 You know, we have about five minutes. 51:50 I got to get into this because there's so much 51:51 I wanted to read here and study. 51:53 But let's... There may be someone right now. 51:55 This is okay. I'm willing to share. 51:57 I have a willingness, I want to do this. 51:59 But I don't know 52:00 the first thing about what to share, 52:02 how to share, you know, what platforms to share, 52:04 what resources to share. 52:06 So let's first, I think what better place to start 52:08 would be with AWR, right? 52:10 I mean, AWR is available for people to share the gospel. 52:14 So how can people do that? 52:16 Share with our viewers, 52:18 how people can share the gospel, 52:19 just by sharing AWR? 52:21 What are some ways? 52:22 Well, we would love for you to connect with us, 52:24 because we have lots of resources 52:26 to help you share. 52:27 In fact, we'd love to help you be a digital missionary, 52:30 to use your cell phone, 52:31 to share messages of truth with people. 52:33 Everybody has one of these, right? 52:35 Yes, yes. 52:36 You know and you may not even feel like you can preach, 52:37 but you can share messages of hope and truth 52:39 through social media. 52:41 So you can come to our website awr.org 52:43 Find out about how you can be 52:45 a digital missionary using cell phone evangelism. 52:48 From their couch. That's right. 52:49 They can sit in their living rooms 52:51 and be a missionary. 52:52 You can go to Unlocking Bible Prophecies, 52:54 our YouTube page and share those videos 52:56 with your friends and your neighbors. 52:58 And we have these things called God pods. 53:00 What are those? What are those? 53:01 These guys work with... 53:03 We have these little solar powered audio players. 53:07 And we have them preloaded with the Bible 53:09 and Ellen White's writings and sermons and music 53:12 and help and all that. 53:14 And those can be shared with people. 53:16 We send those all over the world 53:18 into countries where people don't have access to radio, 53:23 maybe they don't have electricity, 53:25 maybe they're illiterate, they don't know how to read. 53:28 And these are going out all around the world. 53:31 And you can be a missionary 53:32 by helping to sponsor some of those. 53:34 It's amazing. 53:36 I just have to say before I forget. 53:37 We have two apps on the App Store. 53:39 We would love for... 53:40 Oh, sorry, Kathy, I didn't mean to steal your thunder. 53:41 No, it's okay. 53:43 We would love for you to download the apps, right? 53:44 Yes. AWR360 app. 53:45 You can go there type in AWR360, download it. 53:48 You'll find videos to inspire you. 53:50 You can share with your friends 53:51 about how you can be an evangelist. 53:52 Wow. 53:54 And our AWR digital evangelism mapper, 53:56 digital missionary app. 53:57 Find that on the App Store and right now from your couch, 54:01 you can literally be involved in winning a soul for Christ 54:04 through your phone. 54:05 That's amazing. 54:07 So we live in the day and age where you don't have 54:08 to even get up from your chair. 54:09 That's right. 54:11 You can be right there in your home. 54:12 Watching 3ABN. Yeah, right? 54:14 Watching 3ABN just like you're watching right now. 54:15 That's another option, another platform you can share. 54:17 Amen. 54:18 3abn.tv Send them to the website. 54:20 Amen. You know, buy mySDA box. 54:22 I mean, my goodness, we could sit here for the next hour 54:25 and talk about all of the endless 54:26 amounts of resources that are available. 54:28 The most important thing is that you have to a willingness, 54:31 a willingness to share. 54:33 Yeah. 54:34 And, oh, man, I'm just so excited. 54:36 We are just almost at the end of this thing here. 54:40 Let's get some final thoughts here 54:42 just before we, before we close off. 54:45 Brother Duane, I know that, 54:46 I know there's someone right now 54:47 that's watching and saying. 54:49 Just do it. 54:50 Yeah, just do it, he says, okay. 54:52 Just do it. 54:53 Like you said, you have all these options 54:54 through us and you and other ministries, 54:57 just do it because God is amazing. 55:02 When people see the gospel, when they see assassins 55:06 being changed 55:08 and they have stories to share and to take, 55:11 go to our app, your app, share the story. 55:15 Yes. Touches people's hearts. 55:17 That's right. Wow. 55:18 And they have to say, it's only God. 55:20 Yeah. Only God can do this. 55:22 That's right. Amen. 55:24 We just have to have willingness, my friends. 55:27 I can't repeat that enough. Yeah. 55:29 You may be at home right now saying, "You know what, 55:31 I want to be a witness for Christ. 55:33 But I just don't know how." 55:34 We have talked here today about all 55:37 the many different opportunities 55:39 just right from your seat at home, 55:41 you know, you could simply just copy a link 55:43 and send it in a text or maybe it's a website link 55:46 maybe, you know, maybe you have... 55:49 God has blessed you with resources and money 55:51 to be able to, 55:53 you know, go and purchase these items like this. 55:55 What was it called? A God pod? 55:56 God pod. God pod. 55:57 They are so cool, right? Yes. 55:59 Maybe there's maybe, right now, what better time. 56:00 You know, you can give it as a gift 56:02 or birthday gift or just a random goodwill gifts. 56:05 And just I had you in my mind 56:06 and I wanted to bless you with this. 56:08 Take your family's phone. 56:10 And if you could get access to it 56:11 and download those apps on their phone 56:13 and say, here is a blessing to you. 56:14 Amen. Listen to this. 56:16 There's so many different ways. 56:17 We have about a minute here. 56:18 Kyle, just want to give you an opportunity as well, 56:21 maybe to share some final thoughts. 56:22 Oh, well, you know what I saw Duane 56:23 pointing to a verse, Duane. 56:25 And I know that's your favorite verse. 56:28 It's Habakkuk, right? Yeah. 56:29 It's Habakkuk, what is it? 1:5. 56:30 1:5. What is that one? 56:33 "Look among the nations and watch. 56:35 Be utterly astounded! 56:37 For I will work a work in your days, 56:39 which you would not believe, though it were told you." 56:43 God is doing it now. That's right, Brother. 56:46 And He wants to use us to do it. 56:47 Yeah. 56:49 We have the privilege of being used by God to do. 56:51 And He is going to work that work in our day. 56:53 That's right. 56:54 Right now, we get the privilege of seeing that. 56:56 Amen. 56:57 And so God is inviting you to be a part of this great work 57:00 of taking the gospel to the world. 57:01 He's calling each one of us. 57:02 All we need to say is here I am, Lord, send me. 57:04 Amen. Praise God. 57:06 Thank you guys so much. Amen. 57:08 It's been a blessing to be able to share this time 57:09 and to worship with you guys with Adventist World Radio. 57:13 And, my friends, like I said, 57:14 don't think that you cannot be used by God. 57:16 There's someone in your community, 57:17 in your home, a family, coworkers, wherever you are, 57:21 share the good news with Jesus. 57:23 Contact us, we'll be glad to give you some resources. 57:25 Until next time, my friends, 57:27 God bless you all and we'll see you again. 57:28 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2022-01-13