Participants: Wes Peppers
Series Code: 12GYC
Program Code: 12GYC000009
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00:12 I've been inspired and challenged
00:14 by each morning devotional 00:16 what Brother Wes Peppers has been bringing. 00:18 And I trust and I believe that 00:20 we have a message from on high again this morning. 00:23 And we need to pray, 00:24 we need to pray for our speakers. Amen. Amen. 00:26 At this time why don't we bow our heads for a word of prayer. 00:31 Heavenly Father, we thank You so much 00:33 for how You've been speaking to our hearts this for in GYC, 00:36 we need to hear a fresh message 00:39 from on high this morning from You. 00:42 We pray that Your Holy Spirit would rest upon Pastor Wes 00:44 as he brings the message to us this morning. 00:48 Help our ears to hear 00:50 and help our eyes to truly see Jesus this morning. 00:53 We thank You and we praise You Lord 00:55 for what you're going to say 00:57 and help us accomplish 00:58 by Your spirit in Jesus name. Amen. 01:03 Beneath the cross of Jesus, 01:06 we can find hope and salvation. 01:09 And we shouldn't take it for granted 01:11 but every day we should meditate upon it. 01:14 And bring into our minds the great suffering 01:17 that Christ had gone through, 01:20 so that we can have eternal life. 01:41 Beneath the cross of Jesus 01:48 I have found a place to stand 01:56 And wonder at such mercy 02:03 That calls me as I am 02:10 For hands that should discard me 02:17 Hold wounds which tell me, come 02:24 Beneath the cross of Jesus 02:32 My unworthy soul is won 02:46 Beneath the cross of Jesus 02:54 His family is my own 03:00 Once strangers chasing selfish dreams 03:08 Now one through grace alone 03:14 How could I now dishonor? 03:21 The God who died for me 03:28 Beneath the cross of Jesus 03:35 See the children called by God 03:42 Upon that cross of Jesus 03:49 Mine eye at times can see 03:56 The very dying form of One 04:02 Who suffered there for me 04:09 And from my stricken heart 04:16 And my unworthiness 04:23 Beneath the cross of Jesus 04:30 Redeemed by unselfish love 04:49 Beneath the cross of Jesus 04:57 The path before the crown 05:04 We follow in His footsteps 05:11 Where promised hope is found 05:17 How great the joy before us 05:24 To be His perfect bride 05:31 Beneath the cross of Jesus 05:38 We will gladly give our lives 05:50 We will gladly give our lives 06:08 Are you awake today? Yes. 06:10 Are you excited to be here? Yeah. 06:13 Are you excited as I am? Yes. 06:15 I hope you are because I'm pretty excited. 06:18 It's a blessing to be with you again today, New Year's Eve. 06:23 Tomorrow starts a new year, 06:26 a next page in our chapter. Amen. Amen. 06:29 And we have the opportunity to serve God 06:32 more passionately than we've ever had before. 06:34 We have the opportunity 06:36 to be closer to Him than we've ever had before. 06:38 And I hope today that you're making your commitments, 06:41 not in your own strength but in His strength 06:43 to be faithful to Him in 2013. Amen. Amen. 06:47 How many of you went on outreach yesterday? 06:50 Praise the Lord. 06:51 The people that come to the morning devotionals 06:53 always go on outreach, right Yes. 06:56 How many of you had the opportunity 06:57 to pray with somebody yesterday? 07:00 How many of you had the opportunity 07:01 to give away some literature to somebody yesterday? 07:05 I want you to-- did it impact your life? Yes. 07:08 Was it powerful? Yes. 07:09 Did you sense the spirit of God with you? Yes. 07:13 The angels of God were told go with them, 07:15 so they are walking beside us as we go from door to door. 07:19 Do you realize that yesterday 07:22 you were fulfilling Bible prophecy? 07:26 Did you know that? Fulfilling Bible prophecy. 07:28 Ellen White had a vision where she saw on the last days, 07:31 young people going from door to door 07:34 sharing literature, having prayer. 07:36 Who knows that when she saw that vision, 07:39 she didn't see your face. Amen. 07:44 Light it with the glow of the glory of heaven 07:48 and with the love of Jesus in your hearts. 07:52 What a privilege it is to serve Jesus, amen. 07:56 That's what we're gonna talk about this morning. 07:57 I invite you to please pray for my wife this morning, 08:01 I just found out that my son 08:04 who is now getting a little bit better 08:06 has given this nasty thing to my wife. 08:09 So she is sick, the whole family is sick 08:12 and I have to go there on Tuesday. 08:14 So thankfully I didn't go there before I came to GYC. 08:19 But please pray for her if you would 08:20 and pray for my son as well. 08:22 By the way I don't think I've said his name, 08:25 his name is Levi, Levi Wesley. 08:27 So we gave him a Bible name and a family name. 08:31 And so he's the joy of our hearts. 08:33 I want to invite you this morning 08:34 if you would to kneel with me together 08:36 as we ask Lord's blessing to be with us. 08:48 Father in heaven, 08:50 it's great privilege to be here together today 08:55 as the people of God in the last days of earth's history. 09:00 Shining brightly for You, forsaking all. 09:06 Drawing close to our Savior in worship 09:09 and prayer and study and service. 09:12 And Lord today we want another outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. 09:16 We want to ask that Your spirit would come 09:19 and we're drawn near to each one of our hearts 09:21 and that we would be challenged today. 09:24 We would be inspired by the specially challenged. 09:27 And that Your word would open up to us 09:30 and convict us of those things 09:32 that we need to do and not do 09:35 and how we need to be closer to You. 09:38 And we ask in a special way today 09:41 that You would be close 09:43 in a way that You haven't been before. 09:45 And that You would transform us by the power of Your word 09:48 and by Your spirit. 09:50 And we ask today that a special outpouring spirit be given. 09:54 And we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 10:01 I remember a number of years ago 10:03 I was doing outreach, I was going door to door 10:07 and I was doing this in Denver, Colorado 10:09 when I was an AFCO student. 10:11 And it was in the middle of winter, it was February. 10:17 It was cold, there was a lot of snow in the ground. 10:21 And we had to do outreach 10:23 from early afternoon till late at night. 10:26 Excuse me. Pray for me this morning. 10:30 And when you do outreach on times such as that, 10:33 you're out there in the middle of darkness. 10:35 So we're knocking on doors, 10:36 they told us, "Do not start before such and such a time." 10:40 Well, that was about 3 hours after it was dark 10:42 because it was getting darker, because it was the winter time. 10:45 So I'm going door to door and it's cold, it's raining, 10:50 it's snowy, it's dark and I'm hungry. 10:54 And every week after outreach 10:55 my partner and I, Adam Randen my friend 10:58 who preached on Sabbath morning. 10:59 We have this tradition every Thursday night 11:01 we would go to the Thai restaurant 11:03 and get some Pad thai. 11:05 How many like Pad thai, amen. 11:07 One of my favorite foods, I love it. 11:09 And so every week we would go 11:12 and that particular day 11:13 we didn't have a very positive experience on outreach. 11:16 There were lot of people that were rejecting us, 11:18 closing the door on our face, 11:20 getting in our face and etcetera. 11:22 And as-- as time was ticking, 11:25 I was watching the clock 11:26 and I said, "You know, it's almost time to go." 11:29 And all I wanted to do is go get my Pad thai noodles. 11:33 Go home and take a hot shower 11:35 and slide into bed 11:37 because it had not been a very good day. 11:39 So finally the time came and it was time to quit. 11:42 And so I said, it's time to quit, it's time to go. 11:45 And I took all my stuff and I threw it in my truck 11:48 and I got in the truck and I started it 11:49 waiting for my outreach partner. 11:51 The problem was is that there were three houses 11:54 left on the street that I had not done. 11:57 And I felt the prickling in my heart, 11:59 the Holy Spirit said, "You need to finish this street today." 12:04 And I said, "Lord, I'll be glad to finish this street 12:06 on our next day of outreach." 12:07 It's time to go. "You need to finish the street." 12:12 "Lord, it's getting late, 12:13 people are gonna start getting annoyed 12:15 if I come to their house this late." 12:16 "You need to finish this street." 12:19 Reluctantly I said, "Lord, please." 12:24 And the Lord said, "I'm telling you, please go." 12:29 I got my stuff back out, I went to the first door, 12:33 I knocked on the door, a young dude answered the door. 12:36 I said, "Hi, my name is Wes 12:38 and I'm with such and such 12:39 and I'm here to do a survey in your neighborhood," 12:42 just like you guys did yesterday. 12:43 The guy looks at me and he looks outside 12:47 and then he looks at me 12:48 and he looks outside and he says, 12:50 "Do you realize that it's dark, it's cold and it's raining." 12:53 And I said, "Yes." 12:55 I said, "That's exactly why I'm here." 12:56 He says, "You must be an absolute idiot," 12:58 and he slammed the door on my face. 13:02 I went to the next door, a lady answers the door. 13:05 I said, "Hi, my name is Wes 13:07 and I'm here to do a survey for you." 13:09 By the time I could get my name out, 13:11 she closes the door. 13:13 And I'm like, "Lord, are you testing my character?" 13:17 I said, it's time to go, 13:18 the Lord said go to the last house. 13:20 I was hearing voices 13:21 but you understand that impression in your heart. 13:24 And I went to the last door and I knocked. 13:29 And a lady opened the door and I said, "Hi, my name is Wes 13:33 and I'm here to do a survey." 13:34 And she says, "Please, come in." 13:37 I went in and when I went in I sat down 13:40 and she says, "What do you have to offer me?" 13:43 And I went through the canvas 13:44 and at the end of the canvas 13:46 I invited this lady to do Bible studies. 13:49 And when I did this, she sat there for a minute 13:53 and just had this blank look on her face. 13:57 And then all of a sudden she's like started to cry 13:59 and I was like, what in the world did I do? 14:01 You know what I mean. 14:02 And I was like "Ma'am, are you okay? 14:03 What did I--did I say something offensive? 14:05 Are you all right?" 14:06 And she says, "You don't understand." 14:09 She says "When I was growing up, 14:11 she says I lived in an abusive home, 14:13 my father claimed to be a Christian 14:16 when we went to church. 14:17 And on the way home, he would scream 14:19 and holler at us, kids and my mother. 14:22 And when we got home, 14:23 he would be beat us all the way into our rooms." 14:27 Claimed to be a Christian but he really wasn't. 14:29 And she says, "And as I grow up 14:31 I never was able to get over that." 14:33 She had a number of tragedies in her life. 14:35 And she said, "Three months ago, 14:37 I said to God." 14:38 She said, "God, if You're real, 14:40 I want You to reveal Yourself to me." 14:43 And she says, "If You have a purpose for my life, 14:45 You have meaning for me in my life. 14:46 I want You to reveal Yourself to me." 14:48 She says, "And if You don't." 14:50 She says, "I'm giving You three months, 14:52 three months to do this. 14:54 And if You don't, after three months 14:57 I'm going to end my life." 14:59 She was on disability, 15:00 she had all kinds of problems, she couldn't work, 15:02 she couldn't even really leave her house that much. 15:05 And she said, "God, I'm giving You three months." 15:08 And she looked me in the eye 15:10 and she said, "Every day I pray that prayer. 15:12 God, You have this many days left." 15:15 And she said today 15:18 is the last day of those three months. 15:25 What if I would have waited until Sunday? 15:30 What if I would have waited 15:31 and said, no Lord there's-- there's always another day, 15:34 there's always another time. 15:37 I don't need to go today, I can go tomorrow, 15:39 I can go the next day. 15:40 That day may have been too late. 15:42 When I knocked on that house the next day 15:44 there may have been yellow police tape around it. 15:49 I want to tell you today friends 15:51 that there are people all around the world like this. 15:58 I want to read a statement to you from the book, 16:00 Acts of the Apostles, page 109. 16:02 It's gonna be on the screen, 16:03 I asked them to put that on the screen. 16:05 And it says this, "All over the world 16:07 men and women are looking wistfully to heaven. 16:11 Prayers and tears and inquires 16:13 go up from souls longing for light, 16:15 for grace, for the Holy Spirit. 16:18 Many are on the verge of the kingdom, 16:21 waiting only to be gathered in." 16:24 Can you imagine that, friends? 16:26 There are people all across secular Seattle 16:29 who are praying in their homes 16:31 that God would send someone to them 16:33 or in someway He would reveal Himself. 16:36 There are people in your neighborhoods at home 16:38 who are waiting for God to send someone to them, 16:42 it could be your neighbor, it could be your fellow student, 16:44 it could be anyone that is very close to you. 16:47 But there are souls who are waiting for God to show up. 16:52 And God wants to show up through you. Amen. 16:57 God wants to show up through you. 16:59 Yesterday, friends, we looked at 17:01 what drove the church 17:02 which was the power of the, what? 17:05 The power of the word. 17:06 And we are going today to look at 17:09 what it was that gave life to the church. 17:13 Mission and evangelism 17:15 brought life to the early testament church. 17:18 It was that which were always in history of humanity, 17:21 it is always that which has resurrected the church. 17:25 And in the last days it is when God's people get serious 17:28 about mission and evangelism 17:30 that God would do great things 17:31 in and through His church. Amen. 17:34 I want to invite you today to learn with me 17:36 to the Book of Acts, the Book of Acts 1, Acts 1. 17:42 And we are going to look at a very familiar text, 17:45 very familiar text to most of us. 17:47 Acts 1:8, are you there this morning? 17:54 The Bible says, "But you shall receive power 17:59 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 18:03 And you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, 18:07 and in Judea and in Samaria, 18:10 and to the other ends of the earth." 18:14 Here were the 12 disciples gathered together with Jesus 18:17 in the final moments of their time with Him. 18:19 These were some of the final words 18:21 that Jesus gave to them. 18:23 And He gave them one of the most impossible task 18:25 that humanity could ever have. 18:28 He gave them the task 18:29 of reaching the world with the gospel message, 18:33 something that was accomplished 18:35 only by the work of the spirit 18:37 and something that has not been accomplished 18:39 since that time. 18:40 They gave them-- He gave them impossible task 18:42 but He gave them a-- though the task was impossible, 18:46 He gave them a very possible promise. Amen. 18:49 He said you will receive, what everyone? Power. 18:51 Power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 18:55 I want to-- I want you to notice this 18:57 that the apostles is very powerful 19:01 because in John 14, 19:03 Jesus says that He would give them His spirit, 19:05 them His spirit 19:06 and He would be with them and in them. 19:09 The disciples didn't realize it in that moment. 19:13 But after Pentecost Jesus was closer to them 19:19 than He was when He walked with them on the earth. 19:23 Because instead of being standing beside them 19:26 in human form, 19:27 He was now dwelling in them 19:29 by faith through the Holy Spirit. Amen. 19:33 Christ wants to be so close to us 19:35 that He would dwell in us. 19:37 And the promise that was given to them 19:39 that they would receive all power 19:41 by the faith in Christ in the spirit, 19:44 He promises to give us today. 19:47 I want you to notice this very interesting statement 19:49 from the book, Acts of the Apostles, page 37. 19:52 It says this, "Like a procession, 19:55 scene after scene of His wonderful life 19:57 passed before them. 19:59 As they meditated on His pure, holy life 20:02 they felt that no toil would be too hard, 20:04 no sacrifice too great, 20:07 if only they could bear witness in their lives 20:10 to the loveliness of Christ's character." 20:12 Imagine that, friends. 20:15 How many of us today shrink from hardship? 20:19 How many of us today withdraw from the things 20:22 that we think are too hard? 20:23 We think oh, no, that's too hard for me, 20:26 somebody else will do it. 20:29 Well, what if everybody else says 20:31 somebody else will do it? 20:35 Then nobody else ever does it. 20:40 They were united in mission, 20:42 they recognized that this mission 20:44 that Christ had called them to 20:46 was so much bigger than themselves. 20:49 And it drove them to their knees in the upper room. 20:52 You see, brothers and sisters, 20:54 today I don't think that we truly understand 20:57 the greatness of our mission, 20:59 because if we did, 21:00 it would be driving us to our knees 21:02 in our local church. 21:04 It would be driving us to our knees at prayer meeting. 21:07 It would be driving us to our knees on Sabbath morning. 21:10 And God would want to do something great through us 21:13 if we could only have the picture 21:15 of the mission that He has laid before us 21:17 like He did the apostles. 21:20 They believed that they could not fail. 21:24 How many of us think that we cannot fail? 21:26 Let me ask you a question, friends. 21:28 Does Jesus ever fail? Yes or no. No. 21:32 If we have Christ dwelling within us, 21:36 we cannot fail, we cannot ever fail. 21:40 They had overcome the problems 21:42 that they had prior to the cross. 21:44 Jealously, arrogance, pride 21:48 had been dominating their hearts, 21:50 had been ruling their hearts 21:52 and through in upper room experience 21:55 Christ transformed them. Amen. 21:59 How many of us today are dealing with those same sins? 22:02 Don't raise your hand. 22:05 I want you to notice this other statement 22:06 here from Acts of the Apostle, page 37. 22:09 It says, "One interest prevailed. 22:12 One object swallowed up all others. 22:16 All hearts beat in--" what everyone? "Harmony. 22:20 The only ambition of the believers 22:23 was to reveal the likeness of Christ's character, 22:26 and to labor for the enlargement of His kingdom." 22:30 Can you imagine a church filled with people 22:33 that had this mission, 22:35 this desire burning in their hearts? 22:39 GYC is this, is this desire burning in your hearts today, 22:43 to be one with Christ is the only ambition in your life, 22:46 to reveal the character of Christ 22:48 to a lost and dying world. 22:52 Today we see so many problems in the church, 22:55 we see it even right here at GYC. 22:59 Pride, arrogance, jealousy. 23:04 One ministry is better than the other. 23:08 One evangelism training school is better than the other. 23:12 One university is better than the other. 23:16 I used to work at AFCO, worked there for 5 years, 23:19 was some of the greatest years in my life. 23:21 And people when I would come, 23:22 they would come to me at the booth and they would say, 23:25 what makes AFCO better than Arise 23:28 or what makes AFCO better than Mission College 23:31 or Life or whatever. 23:32 You know what I would tell people, 23:33 I would say you know what. 23:35 God uses every school to reach different people. Amen. 23:39 There is no place in God's church 23:43 for competition among people up on ministries, 23:46 up on schools, none of that, friends. 23:50 They delighted when someone else 23:53 did better than them. 23:55 Sometimes we get jealous because people will ask 23:59 someone else to do special music, 24:01 someone else to teach Sabbath school, 24:03 someone else to preach, 24:05 someone else to do something in the church. 24:07 We get jealous about that. 24:11 When we ought to be praising God 24:13 that God has chosen somebody to do His work. 24:16 And God will use you according to His will. 24:19 There is no place for this. I got to tell you, friends. 24:23 I have a confession to make. 24:25 Several years ago, 24:27 I used to get very jealous over other speakers. 24:34 I used to look at youth conferences 24:36 and I'm just being vulnerable here. 24:39 I used to look at other youth conferences 24:40 and I would say, why does that person asked to speak? 24:47 I'm just as good of a speaker as them. 24:50 In fact, I think myself better than them. 24:55 I had that problem in my heart a few years ago. 24:58 And let me tell you what, friends. 25:00 It took me laying on my back 25:03 in the hospital dying from cancer 25:06 to realize that, that is a bunch of foolishness. 25:10 And there was no place for it in God's church. 25:13 And today by the grace of God, 25:15 I can honestly say I rejoice when I see other speakers. 25:19 And I say you know what, Lord, 25:21 that speaker has this talent, 25:22 he's gonna speak to the young people in this way. 25:25 And I praise God 25:28 that He taught me that important lesson. 25:30 Brothers and sisters, God was merciful to me 25:32 laying in that hospital bed and He raised me up 25:36 because He knew I was not ready to die. 25:39 He knew I was not ready to die. 25:41 He was merciful. 25:43 Friends, we see these problems in our church, 25:45 we're trying to compete with each other 25:48 while the world around us perishes, perishes. 25:54 Have you looked in the obituary section 25:56 of the newspaper lately? 25:59 Have you ever done that? 26:00 Sometimes I'll have a paper 26:02 and I look through the obituary section, 26:03 the section that announces the deaths. 26:06 And I think to myself, my goodness 26:09 I wonder if this person died without Christ. 26:13 I wonder if this person knew Jesus before they passed. 26:19 Currently we assume 26:20 that we're continuing in the Book of Acts, 26:22 we're continuing the revelation or the revolution. 26:25 But really we are like the apostles, 26:28 some of us are like the apostles 26:30 before the cross in the upper room asking, 26:34 who is going to wash my feet? 26:42 Which one is the greatest? 26:44 These are the reasons why young people 26:46 leave the church today? 26:47 We need to be unitedly working together, 26:50 enough of selfish competition, 26:53 whether it's in your church, 26:54 whether it's in this conference or whether it's in your heart. 26:58 God says enough is enough. 27:02 We need to have an upper room experience. 27:04 Notice this statement, Acts of the Apostles, 37, 27:07 "Putting away all differences, all desire for the supremacy, 27:13 they came close together in Christian fellowship." 27:17 If we could but see the depth of our mission, 27:21 the way that the apostles saw it, 27:24 how might our attitudes be different today? 27:26 How might our attitudes be different? 27:28 We need that upper room experience. 27:31 One of their greatest strengths was that 27:33 they had a collective mission to accomplish 27:36 and it drove them to seek Christ 27:39 like they had never done before. 27:42 Mission, revolutionary mission, amen. 27:45 That's what we need. 27:47 The second thing that we need 27:48 is to have revolutionary evangelism. 27:52 Revolutionary-- what everyone? 27:54 Evangelism. Evangelism. 27:55 Are you guys awake this morning? 27:56 Yes. All right. 27:57 Look with me in the Book, 27:58 Chapter 2 of Acts, Chapter 2 of Acts, 28:01 I'm gonna jump to the very end 28:04 of Acts in our very end of the Chapter 28:06 and then we're gonna come back. 28:07 Acts 2:46, 47. Notice what it says. 28:12 The Bible reads so-- 28:14 I'm sorry verse 46, 47, it says, 28:17 "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 28:21 and breaking their bread from house to house, 28:25 they ate their food with gladness 28:27 and simplicity of heart, 28:29 praising God and having favor with all the people. 28:32 And the Lord added to the church 28:34 how often daily those who would be saved." 28:39 Think about this, friends. 28:40 They were not having baptisms once a quarter. 28:43 They were not having baptisms once a year. 28:45 They were not having baptisms once a decade, 28:47 like some of our churches do today. 28:49 They were having baptisms, how often? 28:51 Daily. Daily. 28:52 And what do you see, there's two words in there 28:55 that I want you to take note of. 28:57 What was the church doing 28:59 when evangelism was taking place? 29:02 What were they doing? Praising God. 29:07 You know what the solution is 29:08 for many of our churches today who have problems? 29:11 Go win somebody for Christ. 29:13 You know what the solution is for you 29:15 and self pity and self-- feeling sorry for yourself. 29:20 Get out of yourself and go win somebody for Jesus. 29:23 Get over yourself. 29:25 The best way to get over your own problems 29:28 is to help somebody else, help with their problems. 29:30 What I found many times that 29:32 people come to me with problems 29:34 and they say I had this problem, 29:35 that problem and I think, man, 29:37 I don't want to talk to you about your problems, 29:38 I have my own problems, right? 29:41 But, you know, in talking with them 29:43 and counseling through with them, 29:45 I find the answer 29:47 and the counsel to my own problem. 29:50 And God gives me what I need 29:52 by helping somebody else. Amen. 29:54 Evangelisms. 29:55 Thousands were converted in a day. 29:58 What a real evangelistic series. Amen. 30:01 They were experiencing baptisms daily. 30:04 Evangelism brings new life to the church in a major way. 30:09 Many times we're spiritually dead 30:11 because we spend too much time studying, 30:13 too much time praying 30:15 and not enough time out there 30:17 sharing what we know with somebody else. 30:23 When Jesus said in Acts 1, 30:25 "You shall be witnesses to Me in all the world." 30:27 He wasn't just talking to those disciples 30:30 who were standing there in front of Him. 30:31 He was speaking to every disciple 30:34 that walks this earth claiming 30:35 the name of Christ, 30:37 claiming to be a Seventh-day Adventist. 30:40 You are not a Seventh-day Adventist 30:42 if you are not willing to share 30:45 what you know with someone else. 30:47 You are a seventh-day hermit. 30:53 Adventists believe in the advent of Christ, 30:56 the second coming of Christ. 30:57 And they proclaim 30:59 the second coming of Christ. Amen. 31:02 They proclaim it. 31:04 Each person in the early church 31:07 recognized, every person recognized 31:09 that they had an individual personal responsibility 31:14 and accountability to win souls for Christ. 31:17 The thought of precious souls being saved 31:20 in the kingdom eternally drove the disciples forward. 31:25 They thought about those people 31:27 in their homes who were hopeless, 31:29 who were-- who were sad 31:31 and who were ridden down with sin 31:32 and they went out of themselves to go and reach that person. 31:36 And God is calling that to us today. 31:39 Notice this statement, Christian Service, 145, 31:42 the ultimate, I call the ultimate challenge says this 31:47 "Let every Seventh-day Adventist ask himself, 31:51 'What can I do to proclaim 31:54 the third angel's message?' Amen. 31:58 Somebody should have said a louder amen. Amen. 32:01 Thank you, sister. 32:03 "Christ came to this world to give this message 32:05 to His servant to give to the churches. 32:08 It is to be proclaimed to every nation, 32:10 kindred, tongue and people." 32:13 Christ gave His best 32:15 when He came to this earth for you. 32:17 And He calls you to give your best 32:20 for somebody else today. 32:21 He calls you to win a soul to Him. 32:24 There is individual accountability 32:27 in spreading God's last day message. 32:29 Jesus said, "Go into all the world." 32:32 But we're often too afraid to even go across the streets. 32:37 You cannot go around the world 32:39 until you're willing to go across the street, amen. 32:42 1 Peter 2:9, 10 says, 32:44 "But you are a chosen generation, 32:47 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 32:48 His own special people, 32:50 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 32:53 who has brought you out of darkness 32:55 into His marvelous light. 32:57 Who once were not a people of God 32:59 but now are the people of God, 33:00 who once that had not obtained mercy 33:02 but have now obtained mercy." 33:05 There is no one better qualified 33:08 to share the message of Christ 33:10 and His last day truth with others than you 33:13 because you were called out of darkness. 33:16 Not even the angels are better qualified. 33:18 We're always so worried 33:19 that we're not qualified, friends. 33:21 We're always so worried that, 33:23 that we don't have what it takes. 33:24 If you have been delivered from the depths of sin, 33:27 the pit of sinning your life. 33:30 If Christ has drawn you out and given you new life 33:33 and new hope, 33:34 then you are the one He calls to go to someone else. 33:38 You are the one that He is depending upon. 33:40 You are the one that heaven wants to use. 33:47 When we look at the results of the Book of Acts, 33:50 we often think the excitement of the numbers, do we not? 33:56 We often think, oh, man, 33:57 3,000 in a day etcetera, etcetera. 34:00 But I want you to look at another perspective 34:03 that often times we don't see. 34:06 In Acts 2, very, very powerful Chapter. 34:10 Peter and the apostles in the upper room, 34:12 God begins to fill them with the Holy Spirit. 34:15 The Holy Spirit comes down on the day of Pentecost 34:18 and they go out to preach the message. 34:20 And here they are preaching their hearts out 34:23 full of the Holy Spirit. 34:25 And I want you to notice something that happens here. 34:28 Acts 2 and verse-- 34:32 well, let's just start, let's just start in verse 8. 34:35 It says, "And how is it that we hear, 34:38 each in our own language in which we were born?" 34:41 And then they go onto list them. 34:43 And I want you to drop down to verse 11, 34:46 "Cretans and Arabs-- 34:48 we hear them speaking in our own tongues 34:51 the wonderful works of God. 34:54 So they are all amazed and perplexed, 34:56 saying to one another, 'What could this mean?'" 34:59 And notice verse 13, 35:01 here is a passage, here is a verse 35:03 that is powerfully pregnant with meaning. 35:06 It says, "Others mocking said, 35:10 'They are full of--'"what? "New wine." 35:15 Think about this, the apostles were there that day 35:19 full of Pentecost power 35:21 preaching the gospel to thousands 35:25 in a divine miracle that was obvious to many. 35:29 And here somebody is standing beside and they said, 35:33 "These guys are a bunch of drunks, a bunch of fools." 35:41 And they are preaching 35:42 and speaking a bunch of nonsense. 35:44 They are full of liquor, look at them, fools. 35:50 What are the things that made the revolution in Acts powerful? 35:55 Was that despite what anyone said against them, 36:00 the disciples were wiling to endure 36:04 hard, cruel, ridicule for Christ. 36:10 They were willing to stand in the face of great opposition, 36:14 great opposition, people who were mocking them. 36:18 How many of you have ever been mocked for sharing Jesus? 36:22 How many of you-- and many times a day 36:24 when we get mocked, we don't like it, 36:25 we want to tuck tail and ran. 36:27 But disciples were willing to stand firm, 36:30 they were willing to press through that wall 36:32 and that wall being afraid of being mockers, 36:35 nothing but selfishness. 36:37 Because we're worried about what others think. 36:41 Many people are afraid to share Jesus for several reasons. 36:44 Number one, they're afraid 36:47 that they will say the wrong thing. 36:49 How many of you have ever been afraid of that before? 36:51 I want to give you a quick illustration. 36:52 Let suppose that you had ten people 36:55 that you were going to witness to 36:56 and God impresses you to witness to those people 36:59 and you go to them and you say, 37:01 "Hey, you know, I want to tell you about Jesus. 37:03 Would you like to have Bible studies?" 37:05 And out of those ten people, four of those people say, 37:08 "Man, you must be a complete idiot, 37:10 you must be out of your mind. 37:11 Absolutely not, get out of my face." 37:13 And then the second group of people say, 37:16 "Yeah, sure, I'll study with you." Six people. 37:18 And then you study with those six people 37:21 and three of those people you say something really dumb. 37:25 How many of you ever said something dumb? 37:27 Yeah, I can--I'm gonna raise both hands on that one. 37:31 And the person says, you know what, 37:33 "Thanks but no thanks. 37:34 I'm not going to continue to study with you." 37:37 But three of those people say yes, 37:39 I will study with you 37:41 and you can learn from your mistakes. 37:43 And you continue to study with them 37:44 and they say, yes, I want to accept Jesus. 37:46 Yes, I want to be baptized. 37:47 Yes, I want to join God's end time church." 37:50 How many people have you won for the kingdom? 37:53 Think about this, if you say nothing 37:57 because you are afraid of saying the wrong thing. 38:01 How many of those people might be lost? All ten. 38:06 Is it better to say nothing 38:08 because we're afraid to say the wrong thing? 38:11 Or is it better to say something trusting 38:13 and believing that God will give us 38:14 the right words for the moment. 38:16 How many of you do believe that it to be so? Amen. 38:22 With people, it's not your mistakes 38:24 young people that hold you accountable 38:28 that God holds you accountable as much as your inactivity. 38:33 Did you hear what I said? Let me say that again. 38:35 It is not as much your mistake 38:36 that God holds you accountable for 38:38 as your inactivity. Do not be inactive. 38:42 God will help you learn from your mistakes. 38:45 God was gracious, He is merciful 38:48 and every mistake is an opportunity 38:50 to build and to grow. 38:52 Second thing, people are afraid that they will say no. 38:56 Are you afraid of that? Let me ask you a question. 38:59 Did people ever say no to Jesus? 39:02 John 6:66, John 6:66. 39:09 Many of His disciples turned and walked with Him no more. 39:13 Did people ever say no to the disciples? 39:16 Yes or no? Yes. 39:18 Absolutely. 39:19 Did anyone say no to you on outreach yesterday? 39:23 Was it the end of the world? 39:24 Are you still alive? Are you still here? 39:28 It doesn't matter if they say no 39:31 because you're bringing them to decision. 39:34 Did someone slammed the door in your face? 39:35 Let me see, your hands. 39:37 Some of you got door slammed in your face. 39:39 You know what I say to that? 39:41 Praise God. You know why? 39:43 Because it's teaching you to depend more upon Christ 39:45 than upon yourself. 39:47 It's teaching you to eliminate pride from your heart. 39:52 Praise God. That will build your character. 39:56 Jeremiah 12:5, "If you can't run with the footmen, 39:59 how are you going to run with the horsemen?" 40:02 What are you gonna do when the Calvary comes? 40:06 Look at the persecution. 40:08 The disciples were thrown in jail. 40:10 Disciples were beaten. Disciples were stoned. 40:13 They were dragged out, they were cursed, 40:15 they were even killed. 40:17 And brothers and sisters, it made them stronger. 40:20 We'd be willing to step out of our comfort zones. 40:23 God does not ask us to step out of our comfort zones, 40:27 He tells us, He tells us. 40:30 How comfortable do you think it was 40:32 for Jesus to leave heaven 40:33 and come to save your soul on this earth. 40:38 I don't think it was very comfortable for Him. 40:41 I got to tell you a story, I'm rapidly running out of time. 40:45 It seem like that clock went twice as fast today. 40:50 When I was in Ukraine, a few years ago, 40:51 there was a young man, 40:53 his name was Andre, 20 years old. 40:55 I was doing an evangelistic series, 40:57 the young man had never heard of God before in his life. 40:59 He came to this evangelistic series 41:01 and night after night he heard the truth about Jesus 41:05 and he accepted Christ into his life. 41:07 And he was embracing the truths that are unique to our church, 41:10 unique to our message. 41:12 And this young man was preparing for baptism 41:14 and I was so excited because he had come so far 41:17 and on the day of the baptism, guess what? 41:20 He didn't show up. 41:23 And I was like, what? 41:27 And so we called him and he said, 41:29 "I woke up to come to the baptism," 41:30 he said, "My heart began to skip beat." 41:34 And he said, "I went to the hospital 41:35 and they said I have a major heart problem." 41:38 And he says, "And they've kept me in the hospital 41:40 and they will not let me leave from the hospital 41:43 until like three weeks when the surgeon can come." 41:45 He says, "But I have to see you." 41:47 He says, "Is there gonna be another baptism." 41:48 I said, "This weekend there will be another one." 41:50 He says, "I'm gonna come to the church to meet." 41:52 I said, "How are you gonna get out?" 41:53 He says, "I don't know but I'll get out." 41:54 He says, "Meet me on this day at this time in the church." 41:57 I said, "Okay." I came in, there he was. 41:59 I said, "Brother, how did you get out?" 42:01 He said, "They had a guard beside my door 42:04 because I told them I needed to leave 42:05 and they said no." 42:06 He says, "So I opened the window." 42:10 In the second storey of the hospital, 42:13 he says, "I opened the window 42:15 and I jumped off the window 42:16 and I had to come here and talk to you." 42:21 He says, "I want to be baptized." 42:24 He says, "But there's a problem. 42:26 My parents have told me," staunch orthodox. 42:30 He said, "My parents told me that if I get baptized, 42:35 I'm no longer their son." 42:38 And they said, do not come home." 42:39 They said, "If you do come home, 42:42 we will kill you and they meant it." 42:45 He said, "But I have to get baptized." 42:49 That next Sabbath there he was, 42:51 I said, "Brother, how did you get out?" 42:52 He says, "I jumped through the window again." 42:56 And he gave his life to Christ. 42:58 Let me ask you a question this morning, friends. 43:01 If there are those who are willing to give all, 43:08 to come to know Jesus, to follow Christ. 43:12 Should we not be willing to give up all 43:15 to lead them to Christ? 43:20 What about you today, friends? 43:25 "In a special sense we're told 43:27 Seventh-day Adventist," Evangelism, page 119." 43:30 Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world 43:33 as a watchmen and light-bearers. 43:36 To them has been entrusted the last warning 43:39 for a perishing world. 43:42 On them is shining 43:43 wonderful light from the word of God. 43:46 They have been given a work of the most solemn import,--" 43:50 which means importance. 43:52 "The proclamation of the first, 43:54 the second, the third angels' messages. 43:56 There is no other work of so great importance." 44:00 Not your career, not your doctor career, 44:03 not your nurse career, not your janitor career, 44:06 not your, whatever career. 44:08 But the greatest work to be done on this earth 44:10 is the proclamation of God's last day truth. Amen. 44:14 "They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention." 44:20 Not a boyfriend, not a girlfriend, 44:23 not school, not work, 44:25 I'm not saying school is not important, 44:26 don't come up to me and tell me all that, 44:29 I know it's important. 44:31 But this should be the first priority in our lives, 44:36 proclaiming Christ, living for Him 44:39 and telling others about Him. 44:42 Let nothing distract you, young people. 44:44 Let not a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a job, 44:47 let nothing distract you because the devil will always 44:50 have something for you, 44:52 some path for you to walk down. 44:55 But rise above it to accomplish great things for God. 44:58 Do whatever it takes to be 45:00 the most affective for Him. Amen. 45:04 Self is often the greatest obstacle of mission. 45:08 And if you are willing to get self out of the way, 45:12 God will finish the Book of Acts through your life, 45:16 God will finish the Book of Acts through your life. 45:19 The revolution was able to move forward 45:22 because they were willing to take the bull 45:24 by the horn so to speak. 45:26 And God today in this crowd, in this congregation, 45:29 God is looking for some young person 45:32 who will take the bull by the horns 45:34 and say, "Here I am, Lord, use me, use me." 45:40 The final point I want to make, we're drawing to a close. 45:44 Please turn with me to Acts 5. 45:46 This is a very crucial point. Acts 5. 45:58 Acts 5, we're gonna begin in verse 1. 46:03 The Bible says, "But a certain man 46:06 named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, 46:10 sold a possession. 46:12 And he kept back part of the proceeds, 46:14 his wife also being aware of it, 46:17 and brought a certain part 46:19 and laid it at the apostles' feet. 46:22 But Peter said, 'Ananias, 46:24 why has Satan filled your heart to lie," 46:28 to what everyone? To lie. 46:31 "To lie to the Holy Spirit 46:35 and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 46:39 While it remained, was it not your own? 46:41 And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? 46:45 Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? 46:48 You have not lied to men but to God.'" 46:53 I want you to notice several real quick points 46:56 about these people. 46:57 We read in the book, Acts of the Apostles. 46:59 There's a chapter on these people. 47:01 We read that they were there, 47:04 Ananias and Sapphira were there in the upper room 47:08 when the apostles prayed 47:09 and the Holy Spirit was poured out. 47:12 They were filled, filled with the Holy Spirit. 47:17 They were moved by his unction. 47:20 And they were moved to make a commitment, 47:22 to make-- what everyone? 47:24 To make a commitment 47:26 and a vow to sell a certain piece of property 47:30 and give the money 47:31 for the fording work of the gospel. 47:34 They were there, we're told in Acts of the Apostles 71 47:38 that "Under the direct influence of the spirit of God 47:42 Ananias and Sapphira made that pledge 47:45 to give the Lord proceeds." 47:48 But I want you to think about this. 47:49 After they made the pledge they then began to backtrack. 47:56 After the glamour of the moment passed. 48:01 After they had made that commitment to Christ, 48:05 they began to go the opposite direction 48:07 and the selfish desires of their hearts 48:11 began to drown out 48:12 the conviction of the Holy Spirit 48:15 to do what God had called them to do. 48:21 Do you see this, young people? 48:24 They talked it over and they both decided not to do it. 48:28 Beware of peep talk counseling with people, 48:31 we're gonna tell you what you want to hear. 48:34 They were ashamed to give nothing we're told, 48:37 so they gave just a little bit of what they have sold 48:42 to maintain their reputation with the church. 48:49 Today, are there not Ananias, 48:56 Ananias' and Sapphiras among us? 49:04 Some of you in past GYC's 49:10 have made commitments. 49:13 You have come forward for the appeals 49:17 to do something for Christ. 49:22 Some preachers, great preachers, 49:24 remember Jeffrey Rosario, a number of years ago, 49:27 Sebastien Braxton, all these guys, 49:29 they have made appeals for you to come 49:31 and to do mission work, to give your life 49:33 in the years worth of mission work. 49:35 They made appeals for you to go get training 49:39 from some evangels and missionary school 49:41 and you came forward for those appeals. 49:45 But when you got home the selfish desires of your life 49:51 took control once again. 49:53 And you said, "Oh, I didn't really think that 49:58 I would have to do this much to fulfill that commitment. 50:02 I didn't think that I would have to go this far. 50:06 I didn't really think that I had to quit my job, 50:08 I mean, I make six figures, 50:11 I support the church financially." 50:15 But God was calling you into ministry. 50:19 And you made a commitment to God 50:23 and you went home and you forgot about that commitment. 50:27 Is it not the same as what they did? 50:31 And the Bible says that God was so-- 50:34 that was such a tragic thing 50:36 in the early church that they died. 50:38 I'm not saying God's gonna kill you. 50:42 But a part of your spiritual life may die 50:46 because you've not been faithful to God. 50:47 It was a vow that you made. 50:50 All of those you have made vows to God 50:52 in different areas of your life. 50:55 And you've not been faithful in those vows. 50:58 Today, friends, 51:00 God is speaking to your heart like He spoke to Elijah, 51:03 when Elijah ran from what God called him to do 51:06 and he hid in the cave, God came to him and said. 51:08 "Elijah, what doest thou hear, what doest thou hear." 51:15 And young people today God is asking you the question, 51:19 if you have ran from your commitment to Him. 51:23 "What doest thou hear. 51:25 I have called you to do a work for Me." 51:29 And do not listen to anyone else 51:31 but listen to the voice of God of heaven. 51:35 Dear friends, we cannot afford to go back. 51:38 I wonder friends, 51:40 if you had followed the conviction 51:42 that Gods laid in your heart 51:44 when you made that commitment to Him that year. 51:48 If we might not be having GYC in heaven today. 51:53 If you had fall through that commitment 51:55 and God could have used you 51:56 and the thousands of young people 51:58 who backtracked in their commitment to Him 52:00 to finish the work and we could be in heaven today. 52:04 I wonder, I wonder. 52:07 In the end it will not matter, young people, 52:09 if we say to God, I had a career to take care of, 52:14 I had a family to take care, well, those things are important 52:19 but God is calling us today, 52:21 be faithful in those commitments. 52:24 For the love of God GYC, do not go back home 52:28 and do nothing but do something for God, 52:32 preach an evangelistic series, 52:34 start learning how to give Bible studies. 52:37 Start a campus on your school, 52:40 do something for Christ, 52:42 make a commitment to Him today 52:44 that you will do something for Him. 52:48 We're gonna close with a story 52:51 and I'm gonna make a short appeal. 52:53 There was a man, a number of years ago, 52:55 who had a dream. 52:56 He was a new pastor 52:58 and he went to his new church and in a drawer 53:02 he found a number of Bible study interest cards 53:05 that no body had ever followed up on. 53:09 And he took those cards 53:10 and some of them were just a few months old. 53:12 Some of them were 8, 10, 15 years old 53:15 and no one had ever followed up on them. 53:19 And he said, man, he said, "I'm so busy, 53:22 I cannot follow up on these cards, they are old. 53:25 These people probably moved away, 53:26 it's going to be a big waste of my time." 53:29 And so he just pushed them aside, 53:31 he put them back in the drawer and closed it. 53:34 And one night he had a dream 53:37 and he dreamed that he was inside the holy city 53:44 and as he looked through the glass of those walls, 53:49 there were people who were coming up to the wall, 53:54 looking at him, 53:56 and they pulled out of their pocket 53:59 the Bible study interest card. 54:02 And he saw it and he recognized 54:04 the name that he had neglected. 54:08 And they said, we asked for Bible studies. 54:14 We asked you to come. 54:17 Why didn't you come? 54:19 Why didn't you do what God asked you to do? 54:23 And now here we are, outside the city. 54:27 Young people, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty today. 54:30 But I'm helping you see the reality 54:31 that those whom you neglect to share Christ 54:35 with whom He has impressed you to share with. 54:37 You will have to face those people in the judgment. 54:42 God today is calling us to be faithful 54:45 to the commitment that we made to Him. 54:48 Two appeals. 54:50 God is asking to do something extremely big for Him. 54:54 And it doesn't even always have to be big, 54:56 just do the work that lies near us. 54:58 And as your faithful in that, 54:59 God will increase your responsibilities. 55:02 But I challenge you today to lead somebody to Christ, 55:08 to witness when God impresses you, 55:10 to speak, to be bold, do not be afraid of ridicule, 55:14 but to be willing to say, 55:15 God, I will be a fool for you if that's what it takes. 55:19 There may be somebody here today that says, 55:21 I want to accept that challenge that Christ is giving to me. 55:24 I want to be the one that God uses, 55:26 not because it's about me but it's about Him. 55:29 And His glory is displayed when He does a work 55:32 through a sinful piece of clay like me. 55:35 If that's your desire, I'm going to ask you 55:37 to stand wherever you are. 55:39 Stand wherever you are. 55:41 The second appeal is very specific. 55:45 Some of you have attended GYC for the first time 55:48 and I'm not speaking to you in this moment, 55:50 I'm speaking to some of you who are here today, 55:52 who may be watching us well on the video. 55:55 May be you made that commitment to God years ago 55:58 or last year or whenever it was. 56:01 To go that year of overseas service. 56:04 To go to an evangelism training school. 56:07 To do whatever it was that God called you 56:10 and you've not fulfilled that commitment. 56:14 You made a vow before God 56:16 and He expects you to keep it today. 56:18 And you want to say in your hearts, 56:20 Lord, I'm going to fulfill that commitment. 56:24 I'm going to remember what I promised You. 56:28 I'm gonna invite you 56:30 to just raise your hand wherever you are. 56:32 Raise your hand and let the God of heaven see 56:36 that you're renewing by the strength that 56:38 He will give you to renew that commitment in your life. 56:42 May God help us friends, to make a difference, 56:44 to make an impact on the world around us for Christ today. 56:49 Is that your desire this morning? 56:51 I invite you to bow your heads as we close with prayer. 56:54 Father in heaven, we thank You so much 56:58 that You've called us as a people 57:00 to make a difference in this world for You. 57:04 To be faithful in the commitment 57:06 that You've called us to. 57:07 And Lord, we need Your spirit, 57:09 we need Your grace, 57:12 we need to recognize that we have personal accountability, 57:15 a personal responsibility to play our part in this church. 57:21 We are the only us that You have 57:24 and we have the unique personality 57:27 to reach some soul for You. 57:29 And I pray that You will empower us. 57:31 I pray that You will inspire us 57:33 and that the love for Jesus 57:37 and a desire to see souls won to the kingdom 57:39 will drive us on through the ridicule, 57:41 through the trial, through the complications, 57:43 through the difficulties. 57:45 And we will see Your glory displayed powerfully 57:48 in our lives today. 57:50 We ask it in Jesus' name. Let everyone say, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17