Participants: Vincent Samuelson
Series Code: 12GYC
Program Code: 12GYC000010
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00:11 Have u guys been blessed so far.
00:15 Amen. Our speaker this afternoon is Vincent Samuelson, 00:20 he comes to us all the way from Australia. 00:23 And Vincent not only runs two businesses but he is a-- 00:29 an active lay member of his church and has a passion 00:33 for seeing Muslims have clear picture of a biblical faith. 00:39 And so my prayer this afternoon is that we pray for Vincent 00:43 as he delivers the word of life to us this morning as well as 00:47 prefer ourselves that we will pay attention and give him our 00:51 undivided attention as he delivers the word of life to us. 00:54 And so yeah, that just our prayer and there won't be 00:59 any distractions during this time 01:01 and that we can really hear those words. 01:04 Go ahead and bow your heads with me 01:06 and kneel if possible, where you are at 01:08 as we pray for Vincent this morning. 01:16 Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord, 01:19 for the experiences we've had this far at GYC. 01:24 For the messages that we've heard for the appeals 01:27 that we've heard and the decisions 01:29 that we've made and Lord we so thankful for 01:33 Your goodness to us and the good gifts 01:36 that You desire to give to us to, Lord. 01:39 Lord, we just pray for our Brother Vincent 01:42 this morning as he speaks, we pray that 01:44 you would hide Him behind your cross. 01:46 That he will not been seen-- his words we're not be heard 01:49 but truely You would be seen and heard through him. 01:52 And Lord, I just pray You would 01:54 put a hedge of heavenly protection around 01:57 this auditorium this morning and that's that no evil forces 02:02 or distractions would come in 02:04 but that we would give you attention 02:07 and that we would hear 02:08 and we would learn and we would grow. 02:11 Lord, send Your spirit here to be with us this morning 02:13 and we thank You for this things in Jesus name we pray, amen. 02:19 We will have a special music at this time. 05:55 Amen. Good afternoon, GYC. 06:01 It's long life from Australia but it's especially long life 06:04 from that back into here, I'll tell you. 06:08 Open your Bibles with me to John Chapter 3, 06:12 we're going to read verse 5 and verse 8 06:15 and then I'm going to pray. 06:18 John 3:5, Jesus speaking. 06:21 He says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, 06:25 unless one is born again, 06:28 he cannot see the kingdom of God." 06:31 And in verse 8 Jesus goes on to explain little bit 06:34 about that rebirth and part of that rebirth 06:38 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, 06:43 but you cannot tell where it comes from and where it is goes. 06:47 So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 06:52 As I share my testimony as I've been ask to do this afternoon. 06:57 In case any of my words are misunderstood 06:59 it needs to be very clear that, the things that I share, 07:03 the things I've been part of but these are 07:06 things of the spirit has done. 07:08 This is the way the spirit has blown 07:11 you could say in my life. 07:13 And it's my prayer this afternoon 07:15 that the spirit might blow through me into you 07:19 so that we can go into the world 07:22 and the winds of revolution that the Holy Spirit always 07:26 wants to accomplish through us would begin to blow 07:30 with great force than they have in recent times. 07:33 I am gonna kneel, you can stay seated, 07:35 I am going to pray. 07:38 Father in Heaven, Lord, You are a great God 07:41 and You gave us a great commission. 07:44 But you never gave the great commission 07:47 without having a promise of Your spirit 07:49 right there beside it. 07:52 And so Lord as I share my interactions 07:56 and my involvement in that great commission 07:58 that has brought such joy, such fulfillment to my life. 08:02 I pray that Your spirit would move into 08:04 the lives of each person hearing here, 08:06 through the internet and in future places 08:09 through future mediums. 08:11 And just pray Lord, that You would use this message 08:14 as I've been praying for months 08:17 to revive a missionary culture in our church. 08:21 May it start here at GYC, 08:23 we pray this in Jesus name, amen. 08:27 Imagine with me, that you are in the Middle East. 08:30 I am not gonna name the country because I wish to return there. 08:35 Imagine you are in the Middle East 08:38 and you're down the street shopping for the men 08:43 it's you down the street shopping 08:45 because in this particular country it's definitely Islamic. 08:50 So Islamic that the woman don't go out in public 08:52 and do business transactions. 08:54 So you've been sent down the street 08:56 by your lovely wife to get the groceries for the house. 09:01 You're in the grocery store and you're looking 09:05 past the foreign script at the pictures 09:08 on the packaging because you can't read the script 09:10 you definitely not going to read the ingredients list here. 09:13 And as you're concentrating making your decisions 09:16 in the foreign store your attention is grabbed by a voice, 09:22 one of the few people that you know in this valley. 09:28 Says your name and since we've got five minutes 09:31 to be at the madras or the school. 09:34 You've been invited to speak to all the staff and students. 09:39 Now this town that you're in the Middle East 09:42 just happens to be one of the foremost centers 09:46 for Islamic education in the world. 09:50 The leading Imam attached to the school 09:53 is ranked frighteningly close to the top of the list of 09:57 500 most influential Muslims in the world. 10:00 And so as you travel by a motorbike 10:03 at great speeds to the seminary 10:05 where you gonna share with the students and staff there. 10:10 You speak to the-- this messenger that's been 10:13 send to get you and who will also be your translator 10:16 and he say what is it that I am expected to speak about? 10:22 And he says calmly, whatever's on your heart. 10:27 See Arab hospitality doesn't always have punctuality 10:32 and it this situation he didn't have communication and planning. 10:36 And so tongue-in-cheek I though to myself thanks. 10:42 Just about to speak with 800 plus of the most influence 10:46 or the people would become future leaders 10:48 in the world of Islam and you've just help me 10:52 gain perfect clarity on what it is that I'm to say. 11:01 What would you say in that situation? 11:04 What would you do? 11:06 You arrived and you're ushered into the front row 11:09 and you sat down just moments before you hear 11:13 your English name midst all of the Arabic introductions 11:16 and you know that it's your time to speak. 11:18 You go up to the front with your translator 11:22 and you sit on the carpet like they do. 11:27 On you right is one of these most 11:31 influential Muslims in the world. 11:33 On your left is your translator and he given a microphone. 11:38 You haven't had time to plan what you're gonna say. 11:42 You only just had time to pray. 11:45 What would you say in this situation, what would you do? 11:49 Not sure, which makes me more nervous 11:51 speaking in front of 800 Muslims 11:53 so speaking here today with five minutes 11:55 planning or six months planning. 11:58 But here I am this is a situation 12:00 that my wife and I found ourselves in last year. 12:04 We had the pleasure and the opportunity 12:06 to travel to the Middle East 12:08 and we were doing humanitarian work. 12:13 But this is a situation we found ourselves 12:15 in because whatever we do in our lives 12:19 we've decided to do with the intention of sharing 12:22 wherever and whenever we can. 12:27 Now, I've asked you what you would do in the situation 12:31 and many of you are probably saying I don't know. 12:34 I just hope I don't find myself in that situation tomorrow. 12:38 Well, eight years ago I would--I had no idea 12:43 what to do in that situation, 12:45 you couldn't have convinced me 12:47 by any measure that I would find myself in that sort of scenario. 12:52 Eight years ago on the 11th of December, I was baptized. 12:59 That was the same day that I graduated from Arise. 13:05 And eight years ago, 13:10 I began to live the sort of life that Christ wants us to. 13:16 I've gave my life to Him 13:17 and to the service of His church. 13:28 But I hadn't been raised an Adventist. 13:31 How does a non-Adventist end up Arise 13:34 being baptized on graduation day? 13:37 Well, I was raised in home in Australia with a great family. 13:40 Not a Christian family even per-say 13:43 definitely not an Adventist family. 13:47 But a great family and one of the reasons 13:50 I say this is because my parents 13:52 saw the value of raising us 13:54 in a country leaving type situation. 13:57 And until you've grown up in that lived in that environment 14:00 you don't realize the impact 14:01 that has on molding your character 14:04 and I am thankful for up that bringing. 14:08 This up bringing along with influence of my grandmother 14:11 gave me a great love for the outdoors 14:13 and for nature and that was one of my passions 14:15 as young person before I was an Adventist. 14:19 Now my first exposure to missions which has later 14:21 become a passion in my life 14:24 and specifically missions to the Muslim world. 14:28 And when I say missions just so it's understood 14:31 by yourselves and if a Muslim ever ends up 14:35 watching or hearing this. 14:37 Missions to me is giving people 14:41 a clear revelation of biblical faith, 14:46 a clear understanding so that they can make 14:49 decisions for themselves. 14:53 My first exposure to mission was at a catholic high school. 14:57 The homilies that we given their by the priest 15:00 made an impression upon me about service 15:02 and I even responded to one of the appeals 15:04 one day to go to the pacific islands 15:06 and help this Catholic order 15:07 that my school belong to, to do mission work. 15:12 And confusingly my interest was never followed up. 15:17 But I graduated from catholic high school 15:19 and three months after graduating 15:20 I begin backpacking trip like many Australians do. 15:23 We grow up seeing all these famous sites on television 15:26 but they just so far away, so we finish school 15:29 and we book a ticket, we go overseas 15:30 and we stay out of the country as long as we can 15:32 to get our moneys without the ticket. 15:34 So for 11 months I travel through the UK, Scandinavia, 15:39 Europe, and North Africa just to see the world. 15:44 But it didn't take long before I grew tired of seeing 15:48 this famous sight and that famous sight 15:50 taking a picture and getting on the next train 15:53 and the same thoughts that had plagued me 15:54 through high school about futility. 15:58 See, I though a lot like the Book of Ecclesiastes 16:01 reads even though I hadn't read it. 16:05 And I begin to yearn to do something more meaningful 16:08 and so I started to look for opportunities 16:10 to volunteer in environmental courses. 16:13 But I never found something that fit because 16:15 I don't wanted you to pay for the privilege of volunteering 16:18 because that's how they would raise money for their projects. 16:21 So I didn't get involved in service then 16:24 but once I returned to Australia 16:29 my uncle who had recently become a Seventh-day Adventist 16:32 invited me to go in mission trip with him. 16:36 And it was a mission trip organize through OCI, 16:39 who have booth and I encourage you to visit there 16:42 because that was a pivotal point in my life. 16:46 The young people that I met there 16:49 were the sort of people that I've been looking for. 16:52 People that had meaning in life 16:54 and people that were helping others. 16:56 Disinterested benevolence spirit of prophecy calls it. 17:00 And when I spent time with these people in Africa 17:03 seeing them serve I intend just to be there for three weeks 17:06 and then take off traveling around the rest of Africa 17:08 just using these Christians in essence to have a safe place 17:11 to go back to if anything went wrong. 17:14 But God had other plans. 17:15 I ended up driving from Zambia 17:17 where the mission trip was all the way to South Sudan 17:19 to set up an agricultural project 17:21 with Jabel Busl and Caleb Knowles 17:25 who run Frontline Builders. 17:29 And from the early age they had been 17:30 in the mission field supporting global mission pioneers 17:34 and frontline workers who were planting churches 17:36 but didn't have facilities and they would go along and help. 17:39 And in this incidence we're going to 17:40 set up an agriculture project. 17:43 And the impact that those guys my age 17:47 selflessly serving in Africa had upon me 17:50 was profound because they would rise 17:52 early each morning and they sit by the fire. 17:55 We were sleeping on a concrete floor 17:56 in a church that they had built. 17:59 They would sit by the fire and they would read 18:02 and seeing them serve others developed in me an interest 18:07 and what it was that made them do what they did. 18:10 And I began to ask questions and they began to point me 18:15 towards Arise thinking my interest 18:17 was enough that I could handle as a non-Adventist 18:20 going to a Bible college of that nature. 18:24 Now before that trip, before I would finish 18:28 back packaging in Europe I had one experience 18:30 with Muslims in the North of Sweden. 18:35 And I had arrived in a train station 18:37 the train was late and I missed my connecting bus. 18:41 And I was just planning to sleep because 18:43 I was on shoestring budget in the train station there. 18:46 But there was a problem there was three Algerians 18:48 that were in the train station and they asked me 18:51 where I was going to sleep. 18:53 Now they spoke Swedish and Arabic 18:55 and I only spoke English. 18:56 So just through gesturing we had this conversation 18:59 that I was gonna sleep in here they said 19:01 no this closes at 9 o'clock. 19:04 I said we'll all sleep outside and they just flat out refused 19:07 to accept that because those several feet of snow outside. 19:10 That wasn't an issue because I had been 19:12 camping around the place 19:14 and I had all the necessary equipment 19:15 but in their hospitality that was just unacceptable. 19:18 So they convinced me to follow them to their apartment 19:21 and this is in the year 2003, post 9/11 world. 19:27 So as I follow these three North African Muslims 19:31 to their place, I am thinking 19:33 this is the stupidest thing I've even done. 19:38 And I am sizing them up thinking 19:40 I've got everything on my back my passport, my money, 19:44 my food, my clothes everything that I have here in Europe. 19:48 And they could easily pull me in and take my bag, push me out. 19:52 These are the thoughts that I had but as soon as 19:54 we enter their home they treated me 19:57 with the hospitality that none of us deserve. 20:00 That fresh hot Arabic bread, a warm bed, a hot shower. 20:08 And when their brother came home who did speak English 20:11 we begin to converse about many things 20:13 and finally in the wee hours of the morning 20:16 while the midnight sun was still up. 20:19 I said I am going to sleep don't you guys ever sleep? 20:22 And they said we're waiting to pray. 20:24 And I asked if I could watch that. 20:27 And I sat down in their prayer room 20:29 and pick the only place that I shouldn't sit 20:31 and they ask me to move because they didn't 20:33 want to be praying towards me. 20:37 And I learned that lesson there. 20:41 And as I watch them pray in the early hours of the morning 20:44 and they did that because their prayer time are set 20:47 by the solar cycle and if the midnightsun 20:50 they had to be up it was about two in the morning. 20:53 Now, after watching that I went to bed 20:56 and left early the next day to get my bus out of there. 20:59 But that left deep impression upon me 21:03 and I believe the Lord use that experience 21:06 and impressions and experiences 21:08 the interactions I had with Muslims 21:09 in North Africa in Egypt and Morocco 21:11 traveling around as an 18-year-old. 21:14 In Egypt I was there for three weeks 21:16 with my 16-year-old brother. 21:18 And we were just free and enjoying a company 21:20 and seeing the sites but that put within me 21:25 an interest in the Muslim world 21:27 and the Lord started to prepare a worker 21:30 before I had even given life to Him for a work 21:33 that desperately needs workers. 21:36 And so the Lord had been moving in my life 21:40 even before Arise but it was Arise 21:43 that I got into the scriptures 21:47 and I saw that full picture of Christ 21:51 and I've gave my life to Him and to His church. 21:54 Now what I didn't realize when I made a decision 21:57 to a attend Arise on a concrete floor in Africa 22:00 when I was in this delirious fever of malaria. 22:04 So I understand when Pastor Shin saying about 22:06 that mental clarity you get when you in the malaria fever. 22:14 I decided to get to Arise not knowing what it was. 22:17 I thought it was four months 22:20 going from Genesis to Revelation. 22:22 So it's quite surprise when they said 22:24 in the third week we would be going door knocking. 22:27 I hadn't signed out for that. 22:28 I had never received a personal Bible study at that point. 22:32 Little own given one but I found myself 22:34 on the doors in Michigan looking for people 22:37 that I could give Bible studies too. 22:40 And there is a principal here that I don't want to miss 22:42 and it something that I see 22:43 all the way through my experience with Christ. 22:48 When you get involved you get equipped. 22:50 When you get involved you get prepared. 22:55 The interactions in the relationships 22:58 that I've had with Muslims in the interfaith work 23:01 that I've been involved in knocking on doors 23:05 and giving Bible studies 23:06 before I had ever received Bible study personally. 23:10 The Lord taught me what I needed as I needed it. 23:14 If you sit on the sidelines, 23:16 saying when I am ready I'll go, you'll never go. 23:20 As soon as you go you will find that the Lord 23:23 takes you through 'A' to get you to 'B' 23:25 and once you've done 'B' He will open a opportunity 'C' 23:28 and you'll be prepared for that because if it. 23:31 And that was my experience in the Middle East 23:34 when I am sitting there next to these prominent scholar 23:37 with all of these future leaders of Islam 23:40 and you want to say because I got involved at the beginning. 23:45 Do what is at hand and the Lord will open up 23:48 avenues for you to do things that you would never imagine 23:51 yourself doing and that's the abundant life 23:53 and that's the joy of the Lord 23:56 that He is inviting us into is the sharing experiences. 24:02 Again at Arise took a class with AFM 24:05 and they did this illustration where they divided the class up 24:08 into all the unreached people groups. 24:11 And at the end of that illustration 24:13 we could say how many Muslims were in the world 24:15 by the class members that were standing over here 24:17 and all the Buddhist over here. 24:20 And they said which people group would you go to 24:22 and instantly without thinking 24:24 I just thought I would go to the Muslims. 24:27 And is because of those experiences 24:29 before Arise that I came to that. 24:33 Now wasn't until my second year of Bible work 24:36 that another Bible worker another Australian and myself 24:40 we've started to talk because he was continually 24:42 running into Muslims as he went door-to-door. 24:45 And we were curious how to share 24:48 our faith in a clear way with the Muslim. 24:51 And as we started to ask around we found that 24:54 there was this peculiar disinterest 24:57 in apathy towards the subject. 25:01 And it sadly a pattern that I have noticed is that 25:05 as Adventist we are so enthralled 25:08 with the signs of the times 25:10 in Matthew 24 and studying the news 25:13 and seeing the fulfillment of the signs of the times 25:16 and sharing them with people. 25:17 Sending emails to each other 25:19 about the latest article what the Pope's doing. 25:22 That we forget to get involved, that we neglect to get involved 25:26 in the one sign of the time 25:30 that we can have anything to do with. 25:33 And that is Matthew 24:14, where it says 25:38 "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world 25:41 as a witness and then the end will come." 25:44 That's our business, that's what we've been call to do. 25:47 And so let's get involved in that. 25:50 And as we get involved in that the character 25:54 that you need to get through those 25:57 other signs of the times that are coming, 25:59 that are upon us now, that are gonna intensify 26:01 closer towards the end that's where you develop 26:04 that character is when you participate 26:06 in the one sign of the time you've got anything 26:09 to do with that you can influence in anyway. 26:13 So with this lack of instruction 26:15 we were finding in the Adventist community 26:17 who lived amongst these Muslims 26:19 and you had just never thought that it would be 26:21 part of Matthew 28 or Revelation 14:6-7 26:26 that the gospel should go to the Muslims as well. 26:30 We thought the best way for us to learn how to reach a Muslim. 26:35 How to communicate clearly what the Bible says 26:37 about the character of God and why we should relate to Him. 26:41 We used to go to mosque 26:43 and so after weeks of prayer we begin to go to a mosque. 26:48 One day a week, it was our one day off as Bible workers 26:52 and we prayed before we went the first time. 26:55 We just open the phonebook 26:56 and found a mosque and we went. 26:59 And we prayed that we meet the right person. 27:03 And our first experience in mosque was this, 27:06 the first person we meet was answer to that pray. 27:10 He made us feel welcome. He asked us who were. 27:13 We said we're Seventh-day Adventist. 27:15 He had never heard of that. 27:18 And as we started to explain 27:19 some of the few things that we knew that we had in common 27:23 he looks out and he says, so you are Muslim. 27:29 We said, well, no, we are Seventh-day Adventist. 27:32 But he toured us through the mosque, 27:34 he is a kind of man you would pay good money to be a grader. 27:39 He gave us a tour of the mosque, 27:42 he explain the services we went through it. 27:45 And before we left that day he made sure 27:47 that we meet all of the elders and the Imam of that mosque. 27:52 And once again as you do in the Muslim world 27:55 we ended up sitting on the carpet 27:58 with all the ladies of this community 28:00 and he rehearsed that conversation that we had 28:03 when we first walked into the mosque 28:04 in front of all these ladies. 28:07 And they would say hold on, why do you not eat pork 28:10 and why do you abstain from alcohol 28:13 and where do you get this belief in the judgment and creation? 28:17 And we shared with them 28:18 the each of our beliefs comes out of the Bible. 28:21 And that was surprising to them because of the example 28:24 on the demonstration of biblical faith 28:26 that they seen in the rest of Christianity. 28:30 And guess what they said? You are good Muslims. 28:36 You're better Muslims than many of those 28:38 that come to worship at this mosque. 28:41 And so that was our first experience with Muslims 28:44 knowing nothing more then what you know right now 28:49 about sharing your faith with the Muslim. 28:52 Another experience that we had 28:53 and this was the straw that broke the camel's back 28:55 so to speak where we transition from one day a week 28:59 in that last half of my second year of Bible working 29:02 into full time interfaith work in this area. 29:07 And we went to the largest conference 29:11 in North America for Muslims. 29:13 Tens of thousands of Muslims gather there once a year 29:19 and have something very similar to GYC. 29:21 Workshops, prayer rooms, plenary sessions 29:26 and as we got to know people in the exhibit area, 29:33 they got to know us and we had this 29:34 Euro Muslim conversation many times. 29:37 And some of them saw an opportunity 29:40 that if we could just happen to run into 29:43 one of their most prominent speakers 29:45 that there is good chance we could become Muslim. 29:48 And so they made sure that we ran into him in the isles 29:52 and we had a conversation with him 29:54 and he ended up running late 29:56 for the plenary session that he was to deliver 29:59 before tens of thousands of Muslims 30:00 and many more through television. 30:05 And when he stood up the front to speak 30:07 he shared that he just had conversation 30:09 with two Seventh-day Adventist brothers. 30:13 And that we were brothers in his mind 30:15 against a common enemy and that enemy is evil. 30:20 And when my student colleague and I heard that we thought 30:23 if these are the kind of responses 30:25 that we can get from one day a week 30:27 or one day off as Bible workers 30:29 what could we achieve if we would do this fulltime? 30:33 And so we began by faith-- interfaith ministry 30:41 and I was involved in that for going on six years 30:46 just until September last year when I move back to Australia. 30:51 And one of the experiences that I had 30:54 during these interfaith work was to go and live with 50 Muslims 30:58 for a period of two months was in Arabic language intensive, 31:04 had an Islamic school here in North America 31:06 that since become the first 31:08 to credit to Islamic school in the nation. 31:11 And living with 50 Muslims there 31:13 was just such a sweat time of fellowship 31:16 especially in Berkeley, California 31:18 where the outside influences are very different in the values 31:21 that we hold in common with Muslims. 31:24 And spending that two months living with Muslims 31:26 has given us friendships that continue to this day 31:30 but a connecting point for me with people of other faiths 31:34 and in this case specifically Muslims 31:37 is been the environment. 31:40 And what the Lord has done in my life is 31:41 He's taken that first passion and that first interest 31:44 in conservation and environmental things 31:48 and he is fusing it with the other burden that He's given me 31:51 for communicating clearly the Bible faith to Muslims. 31:54 And as I meet with the Muslims there in that school 31:58 we learned of a lecture that was taking place 32:00 on something called permaculture. 32:02 We were all interested in sustainable 32:04 agricultural or biological agricultural 32:06 and living system sustainability at large. 32:10 And his talk was recommended to us 32:12 and so we went along to that 32:14 and it was September last year that my wife and I stepped out 32:17 of full time ministry to go back to Australia 32:21 and get further education in this field 32:23 for the purpose of developing a tent making skill 32:27 that can get me into countries 32:29 the are otherwise would not be able to get into. 32:32 And it gives me a skill in which I can serve others, 32:36 so that they can see Jesus. 32:39 And maybe like I did desire to learn of Him 32:41 when I see Him in others 32:42 in the developing work and an aid work. 32:47 And so just months after finishing that education, 32:54 no, days after finishing that education 32:58 my wife and I boarded a plane to the Middle East 33:01 and we found ourselves in this Islamic setting. 33:05 And what I shared that night 33:10 with the students and the faculty of the seminary 33:15 gave me opportunity to do an interview 33:17 for the school magazine there 33:19 and they interviewed me from 9:30 33:21 till the wee hours of the morning. 33:23 And when they ask me if I could interview me 33:25 I wasn't about sustainable agriculture and permaculture 33:29 if it was about my faith but it became very obvious very quickly 33:33 that it was my faith that they were interested in. 33:36 Because when I was given 10 minutes 33:38 to share with that unique audience 33:40 whatever was on my heart, 33:43 guess what I choose to speak about? 33:46 It wasn't premaculture, that was my faith. 33:50 And I was able to build a relationship 33:52 over the three weeks that we were there was the translator 33:57 and it wasn't until the last night that I was in the country 34:01 that he begin to ask me questions about my faith. 34:04 Now my wife, she choose to wear the, 34:07 the conservative dress that was there 34:09 which was the burqa the fully black outfit 34:11 where all you can see is, eye should shows in that. 34:15 And respect that, that gained us in the community 34:18 gave me access and relationships 34:21 that I wouldn't otherwise have had. 34:23 And there's a lesson there for the young people here 34:27 especially young brothers. 34:29 The wife that you prayerfully choose 34:32 can build up or tear down your ministry. 34:36 And so I encourage you to prayerfully choose 34:39 when you're making that decision. 34:43 Now I was able the relationship with this translator 34:45 and at 1 a.m. in the morning 34:47 we had to end our discussion about faith 34:49 because I still had to pack my bags 34:51 and both of our wives had fallen asleep in the other room 34:54 waiting for us to finish talking. 34:57 But we agreed that when he returned to Australia-- 35:00 he was from Australia over there studying 35:03 that we would continue this conversation 35:05 because he developed an interest in how we understood Jesus 35:09 because of the differences that he saw 35:11 in our lives from other Christians that he knew. 35:14 And he also developed an interest in learning 35:16 the prophetic warnings that I spoke of 35:19 before that larger audience. 35:23 And so I want to comment to you 35:26 the blessings that come from interacting 35:28 with people of other faiths and cultures. 35:31 The things you see, the things you learn, 35:33 the questions they ask it will give you a new perspective 35:38 helping you to see relevance in our message 35:41 and to study it deeper and to grow in your understanding. 35:45 And also I want to comment to you 35:47 what Spirit of Prophecy calls welfare ministry. 35:51 Some people use welfare ministry or humanitarian work, 35:54 ablutions movements some what not 35:56 as an end in themselves 35:58 but the legitimate ways that we can get involved 36:00 and partner with people of other faiths 36:02 to built relationships for a greater purpose 36:06 that's been my experience 36:07 and I think there is a lot of people in this room 36:09 and this audience that are talented 36:11 and have things to share in that area. 36:15 We can't all be in full time ministry 36:16 but we can all be tent makers 36:18 and there is world to win out there yet. 36:23 As I prayed and prepared for this message 36:27 a real burden is come upon me to see and do whatever I can 36:32 to help revive a missionary culture in our church. 36:38 And they're four things that I've seen in the Book of Acts 36:40 and I've read about it in Sprit of Prophecy 36:42 and as I look back over my own experience 36:44 I say the Lord has led me through these four activities. 36:49 And these four activities are what made the Book of Acts 36:52 the church in the Book of Acts 36:54 a missionary movement that we should still be. 36:57 See revival and reformation is not named in itself 37:00 the capstone or the finish line 37:02 or the fruit of revival and reformation is missions. 37:08 And even of evangelism ministering to people locally 37:12 who may have heard of the gospel before 37:14 or is hearing of it for second time 37:16 is part of a bigger picture 37:18 and that's of the whole world learning about Biblical faith. 37:25 And these four things are these. The first is prayer. 37:30 Spirit of Prophecy poetically says 37:34 that our prayer should follow the servants of God 37:37 like a sharp sickle into the harvest field. 37:42 Now why do I think that a missionary culture 37:44 needs to be revived in our church? 37:47 Well, let me demonstrate by asking you this. 37:50 How many of you here regularly pray for a missionary 37:55 that's working among some rich people groups? 37:57 By a show of hands how many of you 37:59 regularly pray for a missionary? 38:03 Put them up high. 38:05 Not to embrace people, not to boast 38:08 but just so we can see 38:09 that we are not what the Book of Acts church is 38:14 that we are of one accord 38:15 that we are praying together in the upper room 38:17 and that's why they got the spirit 38:20 and we need the spirit for this work. 38:25 The second is offerings 38:26 and people are kind of shy to talk about money. 38:30 But my experience is with Muslims 38:32 and with in bordering in Islamic countries 38:33 has got me over that social fopa 38:37 and I want to talk to you about money. 38:40 See the sanctuary service in the Old Testament 38:43 was the vehicle for evangelism 38:45 and for missions for the Hebrew people. 38:48 And we learn as in the study of the sanctuary 38:52 that the Hebrew people gave up to one-forth of their income 38:58 for the sustaining and the work of the sanctuary. 39:02 And if you read in Patriarchs and Prophets 39:05 the chapter on tithe and offerings 39:08 Ellen White says that when you read of this 39:11 you would think that would bring the people to poverty. 39:15 But on the country the faithful observance of these regulations 39:18 was one of the conditions of their prosperity. 39:21 She goes on the say that the work of the gospel 39:24 as it widens requires greater provisions to sustain it 39:30 than was called for anciently. 39:33 And this makes the Lord of tithes and offerings 39:35 of even more urgent necessity now than in the Hebrew economy. 39:41 Now hear that, one-forth of the income 39:44 of the Hebrew people was to go to the sanctuary 39:47 so that the message could go to the world. 39:50 And as the work grows the resources required grows. 39:58 Again not to boast but just to exhort you to good works 40:02 maybe to encourage you 40:05 I can personally testify that this is true. 40:08 When I read this months after being Baptize 40:11 I committed in prayer to give one quarter 40:15 of meagerly bible worker salary 40:18 to missions through tithe and offering. 40:22 And for seven years as a Bible worker 40:28 and as someone in faith base ministry 40:31 on small stipend I never went without. 40:36 And I committed to do that until I got married 40:38 when I would prayerfully reconsider 40:40 that commitment with my wife. 40:44 In 1912, Adventist gave 40:46 three percent of their income to missions. 40:50 So for every $1000 that an Adventist made 40:52 they've gave $30 to missions. 40:55 In the year 2010, every $1000 that an Adventist made 41:03 $3.50 made it into missions. 41:09 Do I need to say anything more to convince us 41:13 that in order for us to hasten the second coming of Christ 41:17 we need to do something in our church, 41:20 we need to do something personally 41:22 to revive the missionary culture, 41:25 that saw in the life time of the earlier apostles 41:28 the message go to the whole world to every creature. 41:33 We need to pray, we need to give. 41:36 And there is another example, 41:38 there is a model in the Book of Acts 41:39 and it's reiterated in Spirit if Prophecy 41:42 in the Book of Evangelism on page 569 41:44 where this model for missionary work is given. 41:48 She says that in God's providence 41:50 He's brought people to very door 41:53 that they might receive the message for this time 41:56 and return to their kinsfolk and friends 42:00 in their country of origin and share it with them. 42:04 I want to give some of you a vision 42:08 for the work that you can do in finishing the great commission 42:14 and reaching unreached people groups 42:15 from right here in America. 42:17 How many of you would be willing to move to Kabul, Afghanistan 42:21 and give you life to missions? 42:24 I see one hand. Praise the Lord. 42:26 I see a few. Praise the Lord. 42:28 But how many more of you would be 42:30 willing to move to Fremont, California 42:33 the second largest Afghani city in the world? 42:38 How many people here would move to California? 42:40 Yeah, I could be convinced to move to California a lot quicker 42:44 than I could be convinced to move to Afghanistan. 42:47 There is opportunity at your door 42:50 to get involved in reaching unreached people groups. 42:54 Everyone can pray, everyone can give, 42:58 even without you moving yourself and your family 43:00 to foreign mission fields 43:02 if you are awake to the opportunities 43:05 that God is giving you to be a part of the great commission 43:09 than you can do something here 43:12 ministering to immigrants, helping refugees get settled. 43:16 You can do a powerful work. 43:18 One of our Muslim friends in Michigan, 43:21 we're doing Bible studies with her 43:23 and she would share everything that she learn for us 43:25 with her father who is from Syria. 43:28 When my wife and I had opportunity 43:30 to go to the Middle East we made a point of visiting him. 43:33 And when we walked into his home 43:36 recipients of that traditional Arab hospitality 43:40 it was like picking up our friendship with his daughter. 43:49 And the other, fourth point 43:52 of course is going as foreign missionary. 43:57 Now I am gonna make an appeal here 43:58 but I'm not unrealistic about this. 44:00 There was 120 disciples in the upper room 44:06 when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place. 44:09 But only handful of those 129 44:12 who ever mentioned in the Book of Acts 44:13 is going abroad and reaching unreached people groups. 44:17 Many of them are involved in evangelism. 44:19 Peter, James and John stayed behind 44:22 and they would witness to the people 44:23 that came to the religious holidays and festivals 44:26 and they would take part in that third point by doing that. 44:30 Meeting people here in God's providence 44:32 and they took the message back 44:33 much like Philip with the Ethiopian. 44:36 But only a few names are mentioned 44:38 that went to Asia or went to Macedonia 44:40 or went far to reach unreached people groups. 44:43 And so when I make this appeal 44:45 I am not expecting that you will come forward. 44:49 I don't want you to all come forward 44:51 because an appeal in a church or in a group 44:54 that as missionary culture looks like this. 44:58 See in 1910, D. L. Moody made an appeal for mission volunteers 45:03 and 100 people came to the altar and a 100 people went. 45:09 What an appeal looks like in church 45:11 that needs revival of missionary culture is GYC 2004. 45:16 An appeal is made for people to give a tithe of their lives 45:19 and 204 people come to the front of this convention 45:23 may be some of you came forward. 45:25 And guess how many went eight years later. One. 45:32 We need a revival of missionary culture in our church 45:37 because the Lord wants to come. 45:39 One of my favorite lyrics written by friend says, 45:42 if we can hurt and feel and love 45:46 how much more can God above. 45:48 And day after day there is suffering in this earth 45:51 and we have part to play in finishing that, 45:54 hastening the second coming of Christ. 45:57 But what we're doing? 46:00 As GYC, we have an opportunity to lead by example 46:08 to demonstrate to our home churches 46:12 to the world church what missionary culture looks like. 46:18 And so with just a short time to go here 46:20 I just want to ask for people that would be willing 46:26 to do long term missions to stand and come to the front. 46:30 I am talking three to seven years of your life. 46:37 You don't have to come forward to make me feel better. 46:41 I made an appeal for missions one time 46:43 in a church here in North America 46:45 and it was only at the very end one little girl stood up. 46:51 Not a single adult, not a single young persons stood up 46:54 and I rejoice for that 46:55 because I preferred to have one little girl standup 46:58 then 204 people come forward, 47:00 make a commitment that they don't keep. 47:03 Now as you come to the front 47:04 if this is something the Lord is being speaking to you about, 47:07 if this is something that you're serious about. 47:10 The GYC mission's team is at the front here 47:13 and they are committed to helping you find a way 47:17 and a place to serve unreached people groups. 47:21 And I want you to turn around 47:22 and look at this audience if you've come forward. 47:27 And if you are willing to pray for these people 47:30 as you learn about how God's leading them 47:35 and to give sacrificially and prayerfully consider 47:39 even giving a quarter of your income 47:41 to support missions to the unreached 47:43 I want you to stand and show your support for them. 47:46 But if you stand for this commitment 47:48 the Lord says it and He hold you to it. 47:51 You have to answer for it. 47:56 This is the kind of response I expected from GYC. 48:00 But when we look back in the history of the moment 48:03 why don't we see more missions. 48:05 Let's use this as a turning point 48:08 to revive a missionary culture in the church 48:12 and let say all these decisions with prayer. 48:17 Father in Heaven, Lord, you are great God 48:21 and You've called us to a great commission 48:23 and we need Your spirit. 48:26 We are part of the world church 48:27 that Lord, is not worse off than us. 48:34 Lord, I pray that the people that have come to the front here 48:38 would keep their commitment that they would prayerfully 48:41 be lead by You into a place 48:44 where people have never seen and heard 48:46 the Biblical picture of You. 48:48 And the people that have stood up 48:50 pray that you would bless their businesses, bless their careers, 48:56 keep them faithful in their prayer life 48:58 and even lay upon them, Lord, commitment 49:01 to move to a place where they can minister to immigrants 49:05 and help refugees settled 49:06 and be a part of the great commission that way. 49:10 Lord, I pray that this message 49:13 and the decisions that are made here 49:14 would be sealed by Your spirit 49:16 and that it would be the beginning 49:17 of the revival of a missionary culture in our church. 49:21 And I pray these things humbly in Jesus name. Amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17