Amen.
00:04:37.86\00:04:38.91
Good morning. Good morning.
00:04:38.94\00:04:41.60
When I arrived yesterday,
I looked on the schedule
00:04:41.63\00:04:45.53
and when I looked there it says,
00:04:45.56\00:04:47.43
Sebastian and then Pavel Goia
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and I said, man, I have to share
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my presentation with Sebastian.
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Who is this guy,
I got to meet him.
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So I asked them, "Where is my--
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where is the room where I speak
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and they said, Sebastian hall.
00:05:00.84\00:05:03.24
I said, okay.
00:05:03.27\00:05:05.35
So, he's not a
person, he is a room.
00:05:05.38\00:05:11.59
I remember when I
was driving my van,
00:05:11.62\00:05:13.40
it was the best car
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probably I had up to
that point in my life,
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it was a Dodge Grand Caravan.
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And before we have
a prayer and we start,
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I want to tell you
what happened to that car.
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The car that my best friend
helped me get in the auction,
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that car had a big
screen TV inside the car.
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For 1999, that was a big deal.
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And the car had
lights and we saw some bells
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and everything and videogames.
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Oh, when I
would get in that car,
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I'd keep the doors open,
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so everybody could
see what a car I have.
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And I would hope that
somebody would pass by
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when I-- the door is wide open
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and look inside and look outside
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and feel good about it.
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One day, I was in
vacation with my family
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and we were
driving to Washington D.C.
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and-- how many of you
have a Dodge Grand Caravan?
00:06:09.82\00:06:13.96
I'll pray for you,
I'm so sorry for you.
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God bless you.
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I was driving my
van and the van goes...
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It will not go from
second to third gear.
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So I stopped the
car, started again...
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It would not change.
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So, basically I had to
drive from Washington D.C.
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to Wisconsin in the second gear,
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it took me forever.
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I learned the patience of
the saints from Revelation
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but--
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I got a transmission
at a junkyard for $550.
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I paid another
$450 a church member,
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he put the transmission on.
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I drove the car for three months
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and the
transmission broke again.
00:07:01.90\00:07:05.28
Oh, I lost my holy patience.
00:07:05.31\00:07:07.66
I was so angry,
00:07:07.69\00:07:08.78
I started to hit the car
with my foot in the tires.
00:07:08.81\00:07:12.11
And it was in front of all,
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so my wife, honey,
calm down, people know.
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You just calm
down. Count to ten.
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I said, leave me alone!
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I don't have money
to spend in this junk.
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Eventually, I calmed
down, I hated the van.
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Bad transmission.
Dodge, bad transmission.
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I got another transmission
around $500 this time.
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I paid another $450, put
it on and put it for sale.
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Let somebody else have it.
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And then, I put it on
cable TV, I lowered the price,
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I put it on Craigslist
or whatever is the name
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and again and again and
again and again newspaper,
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nobody called, everybody knows
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Dodge has a bad transmission.
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So, I started to pray
Lord, you're wonderful God,
00:08:02.30\00:08:05.76
you see where I'm going.
00:08:05.79\00:08:07.46
You care for us.
00:08:07.49\00:08:10.03
Would You please
help me sell the van?
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And I prayed and even
had faith strong faith,
00:08:13.43\00:08:16.11
I believe the van would
sell, didn't, nobody called.
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And eventually I was in
Beloit giving a prayer speech
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and I said we
should never focus on self
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because God is more
important than you and me.
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And His plans more
important than our plans
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and you focus so
much praying for self
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and so little praying for God.
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So much on our plans
and so little on God's plans
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and you wonder
why God cannot work
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as He did during
Mosses or during Daniel
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or on and on and on.
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And as I was
driving the van back home,
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He talked clear to
me that I don't practice
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what I preach.
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So, I said Lord, forgive me.
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I'm not going to
focus on my van any more,
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help me focus on You.
00:09:02.94\00:09:04.80
And God spoke to
me instantly and said
00:09:04.83\00:09:07.65
you need to give up everything.
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I said, Lord,
if it was Mercedes,
00:09:09.50\00:09:11.76
I'll not give it up, but
this Dodge You can have it.
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And God said, all of it?
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I said, well, give me something
because I need to buy a car.
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Can you give me
instead of 4,000, 3, 000
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and the Lord didn't answer.
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I said okay, have it for three.
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And then I said, but would
you give me a little at least
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because I don't
want to be in debt.
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And the Lord didn't speak.
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And then instantly I
heard the voice in my mind
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that said, you have two options
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you give it all
up or you are lost.
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I said, Lord, I want to be saved
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and I want to serve You.
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And God said, then
you need to give it up.
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I said, okay,
You can have the van.
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And the Lord said, no,
you need to give it all up.
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I said, how much? He said all.
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I said, well, what if I'm trying
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but I'm not able.
00:10:02.68\00:10:04.18
Now He said, well,
I'll take it from you.
00:10:04.21\00:10:05.50
Is that okay?
00:10:05.53\00:10:06.56
I said, no, I would
rather give it up myself.
00:10:06.59\00:10:11.01
And I said okay,
you can have the van.
00:10:11.04\00:10:13.88
And God said, okay,
that's a good beginning.
00:10:13.91\00:10:16.67
As soon as I said
amen, I got a phone call.
00:10:16.70\00:10:19.56
A church lady and
maybe you heard the story
00:10:19.59\00:10:21.41
before she called me
and she says, pastor,
00:10:21.44\00:10:23.46
do you still have
that van for sale?
00:10:23.49\00:10:25.50
I said, Pam, I don't
want to sell you the van
00:10:25.53\00:10:27.55
because you'll hate me,
00:10:27.58\00:10:28.61
you'll never come back
to church, that's a junk.
00:10:28.64\00:10:31.90
I would rather have
somebody else buy it.
00:10:31.93\00:10:33.90
I said, same story pastor
00:10:33.93\00:10:35.51
somebody else is gonna hate you.
00:10:35.54\00:10:37.43
I said, yeah, but they
don't know me at least.
00:10:37.46\00:10:41.03
And then she said I know,
it has a bad transmission,
00:10:41.06\00:10:44.30
we even prayed for your van.
00:10:44.33\00:10:46.41
My brother fixed
it don't you remember?
00:10:46.44\00:10:48.00
I said, yeah, and I said
why would you want the van?
00:10:48.03\00:10:51.23
And she says, I just pray
that the Lord would use me
00:10:51.26\00:10:54.40
and the Lord
inspired me to drive people
00:10:54.43\00:10:56.53
who don't have transportation
to church, to drive children
00:10:56.56\00:10:59.49
who don't have
transportation to our school
00:10:59.52\00:11:01.53
and I have a little Dodge Neon.
00:11:01.56\00:11:03.40
A Dodge oh, men.
00:11:03.43\00:11:04.83
And so, she said I need a van
00:11:04.86\00:11:07.63
but I don't have the 4,
000 that you want for it.
00:11:07.66\00:11:10.40
I said, Pam, how
much do you have?
00:11:10.43\00:11:12.13
Oh, she told me she had
less than half but that's okay.
00:11:12.16\00:11:14.81
I said, okay, you
give me whatever you have,
00:11:14.84\00:11:18.41
whatever you can give
me, whatever makes you happy.
00:11:18.44\00:11:21.01
She said, really, can I
have it for this amount?
00:11:21.04\00:11:23.14
I said, yes, you can.
00:11:23.17\00:11:25.39
The bad part of the
story is that 10 years later,
00:11:25.42\00:11:27.70
she's still using the
van it never broke again.
00:11:27.73\00:11:33.51
Let's pray, and go
straight into the subject
00:11:33.54\00:11:35.87
without going around.
00:11:35.90\00:11:37.48
Just straight to the subject.
00:11:37.51\00:11:39.86
Father in heaven,
00:11:39.89\00:11:43.00
please come and open
Your word with Your spirit
00:11:43.03\00:11:45.48
that we may here Your voice
00:11:45.51\00:11:47.33
and we may fulfill the
plan that You have for us.
00:11:47.36\00:11:49.69
In Jesus' name, amen.
00:11:49.72\00:11:53.16
Jesus said, unless you
hate your mother and your father
00:11:53.19\00:11:59.52
and your wife and your children
00:11:59.55\00:12:01.43
and your husband you
cannot be My disciple.
00:12:01.46\00:12:07.20
Now, if Jesus said unless
you hate your mother-in-law
00:12:07.23\00:12:09.71
would have made it
easier but He didn't say that.
00:12:09.74\00:12:15.96
He didn't say that,
00:12:15.99\00:12:17.40
it is the principle
of self denunciation.
00:12:17.43\00:12:21.30
The principle of
giving up everything.
00:12:21.33\00:12:24.66
It's not the nice prayer
00:12:24.69\00:12:26.01
when you pray and get an answer,
00:12:26.04\00:12:27.53
but it's the prayer
when you don't get an answer
00:12:27.56\00:12:31.36
and you trust Him so much
that you rejoice and have peace
00:12:31.39\00:12:35.06
and know that
God knows everything.
00:12:35.09\00:12:37.80
Doesn't He?
00:12:37.83\00:12:39.74
She came to me,
00:12:39.77\00:12:40.82
the same lady
that bought the van
00:12:40.85\00:12:42.23
and she said
pastor, my husband left me
00:12:42.26\00:12:45.91
and my child is taking
drugs and he is in prison
00:12:45.94\00:12:49.21
and I'm sick and
I'm losing my job.
00:12:49.24\00:12:52.35
And I have been
praying for six months
00:12:52.38\00:12:53.74
and I have no answer.
00:12:53.77\00:12:55.90
And I said,
what do you pray for?
00:12:55.93\00:12:57.38
And she said, I
pray for these problems
00:12:57.41\00:12:59.26
and I said stop
praying for them.
00:12:59.29\00:13:02.04
Pray for God's plan.
00:13:02.07\00:13:03.11
And she said don't you care?
00:13:03.14\00:13:04.51
I said, yes, I does,
that's the reason I tell you.
00:13:04.54\00:13:08.37
How much time do
you-- do you or me
00:13:08.40\00:13:10.59
spend praying for our needs?
00:13:10.62\00:13:14.23
I'm not saying that
00:13:14.26\00:13:15.37
you should not
pray for our needs.
00:13:15.40\00:13:17.78
God said cast all your
needs upon Him, upon Jesus,
00:13:17.81\00:13:22.55
upon Him Jesus says.
00:13:22.58\00:13:24.28
He does care, if a father care
for his children more over God
00:13:24.31\00:13:27.76
who loves us would care.
00:13:27.79\00:13:29.37
He'll not give us
if we ask for a bread
00:13:29.40\00:13:31.70
but the Bible says, seek
first the kingdom of God.
00:13:31.73\00:13:36.98
It's a matter of
priorities and then trust
00:13:37.01\00:13:40.68
that I'll provide
above and beyond your needs.
00:13:40.71\00:13:45.41
I remember I would go to school
00:13:45.44\00:13:47.27
and the classmates
would make fun of me
00:13:47.30\00:13:48.85
and they would
say, you're an Adventist
00:13:48.88\00:13:50.27
there is no God, you are stupid.
00:13:50.30\00:13:51.93
And I would go home and cry
00:13:51.96\00:13:54.20
and my father took me by
hand through the cemetery
00:13:54.23\00:13:56.98
and my father told
me, do you see the grave,
00:13:57.01\00:13:59.10
I want you to curse that grave.
00:13:59.13\00:14:00.94
And I said I cannot
do that, you'll spank me.
00:14:00.97\00:14:03.59
My father said, I
want you to hit him.
00:14:03.62\00:14:05.15
I cannot do that. My
father said, hit him.
00:14:05.18\00:14:07.06
I said okay.
00:14:07.09\00:14:08.64
Why did he say? He is dead.
00:14:08.67\00:14:11.41
My father said unless you die,
people will keep hurting you.
00:14:11.44\00:14:16.65
Paul says in 1
Corinthians I die daily.
00:14:16.68\00:14:22.98
I believe it's
from Corinthians 15,
00:14:23.01\00:14:24.37
I'm not sure.
00:14:24.40\00:14:25.43
1 Corinthians I die daily.
00:14:25.46\00:14:30.64
Unless we learn to
die, God cannot use us.
00:14:30.67\00:14:34.98
We wonder where is
the God of Abraham,
00:14:35.01\00:14:37.29
the God of Moses?
00:14:37.32\00:14:38.54
Where is the God
that push the sun
00:14:38.57\00:14:40.36
10 hours back during Josiah.
00:14:40.39\00:14:41.93
What is Joshua? Sorry.
00:14:41.96\00:14:43.75
What is English?
00:14:43.78\00:14:45.11
English is the most horrible,
00:14:45.14\00:14:47.34
terrifying
language in the earth,
00:14:47.37\00:14:48.98
there is no rules.
00:14:49.01\00:14:50.55
The same
spelling you can read it
00:14:50.58\00:14:52.09
two different
ways, who knows why?
00:14:52.12\00:14:54.45
Anyway, the God of
Moses who split the sea.
00:14:54.48\00:15:01.15
Where is that God?
00:15:01.18\00:15:02.21
Why miracles don't happen today?
00:15:02.24\00:15:04.14
I was giving in Spain in
Madrid the prayer seminar
00:15:04.17\00:15:07.59
and after I gave
the prayer seminar,
00:15:07.62\00:15:08.98
I came back home
and then two years later
00:15:09.01\00:15:11.82
I get a phone call
from Italy, from Rome
00:15:11.85\00:15:14.83
and the union says from Italy
00:15:14.86\00:15:16.71
come and give the
prayer seminar here.
00:15:16.74\00:15:18.14
I said, I cannot, I just cannot,
00:15:18.17\00:15:19.94
I'm scheduled
two years in advance,
00:15:19.97\00:15:21.37
I cannot clear not gonna happen.
00:15:21.40\00:15:23.54
And they said,
we want you to come.
00:15:23.57\00:15:24.66
I said, you don't know English,
00:15:24.69\00:15:26.04
do you want me
to speak Romanian?
00:15:26.07\00:15:27.54
No, we don't know Romanian.
00:15:27.57\00:15:28.76
Then just I tell you
again, not going to happen.
00:15:28.79\00:15:31.43
I have a schedule
and I cannot change it.
00:15:31.46\00:15:34.61
And I said, you want to
get me two years in advance
00:15:34.64\00:15:38.35
and then they say, can
you come from your vacation
00:15:38.38\00:15:41.53
I said, why?
00:15:41.56\00:15:45.55
And they said,
have you been to Italy?
00:15:45.58\00:15:47.13
No.
00:15:47.16\00:15:48.19
What if we pay
for you and your wife
00:15:48.22\00:15:51.05
two weeks vacation
00:15:51.08\00:15:52.14
and you speak two Sabbaths.
00:15:52.17\00:15:53.86
And everything
in between is paid
00:15:53.89\00:15:55.52
I said well, keep
going I'm listening,
00:15:55.55\00:15:58.18
and they said, well,
we will get the hotel,
00:15:58.21\00:16:00.04
we will get the car, we
will get the food for you
00:16:00.07\00:16:01.79
and you go in your expense
00:16:01.82\00:16:03.32
whatever you
want you pay the gas.
00:16:03.35\00:16:05.13
I said, keep going
00:16:05.16\00:16:06.24
and you speak
first and second Sabbath
00:16:06.27\00:16:08.16
and we pay the
trip for both of you
00:16:08.19\00:16:09.46
I said, I'm coming.
00:16:09.49\00:16:12.34
I'm coming and I said
what do you want me to speak?
00:16:12.37\00:16:14.75
Well, we want you to
speak in four locations
00:16:14.78\00:16:16.65
Rome, Terrine,
Milan and I think,
00:16:16.68\00:16:22.43
it was trying to
remember Venice or whatever.
00:16:22.46\00:16:26.33
Anyway so I go
there when I go to Milan
00:16:26.36\00:16:29.20
something strange happened.
00:16:29.23\00:16:31.09
The church is totally packed
and they told me at the union
00:16:31.12\00:16:35.21
that the church goes in minus,
00:16:35.24\00:16:36.59
the church is
declining, it's dying.
00:16:36.62\00:16:38.48
It's -0.3 whatever I don't
want to you give you a number
00:16:38.51\00:16:41.97
that I'm not sure about.
00:16:42.00\00:16:43.03
I don't remember, my wife knows,
00:16:43.06\00:16:44.95
just pick these small details.
00:16:44.98\00:16:48.25
It doesn't matter, but anyway
00:16:48.28\00:16:50.08
so, sometime I
even confuse the stories
00:16:50.11\00:16:52.75
because there
are so many stories.
00:16:52.78\00:16:55.66
So, the church that I was told
that is dying it was packed,
00:16:55.69\00:17:00.82
there was no room on the seats
00:17:00.85\00:17:02.48
or between the
isles or in the back
00:17:02.51\00:17:04.48
or at the windows outside,
00:17:04.51\00:17:07.69
everybody was there
like the whole Milan,
00:17:07.72\00:17:10.61
exaggerating it little.
00:17:10.64\00:17:11.84
And so around 250 people I said,
00:17:11.87\00:17:14.41
how many members do
you have in the books.
00:17:14.44\00:17:15.95
Well, we used to
have 16. How many?
00:17:15.98\00:17:19.37
Sixteen people would
come to church, all old.
00:17:19.40\00:17:21.72
I said, how do you have
so many and they said well,
00:17:21.75\00:17:24.63
you preached on prayer in Spain
00:17:24.66\00:17:27.09
and somebody from
our church was there
00:17:27.12\00:17:30.68
and he did the
translation from Spain
00:17:30.71\00:17:33.61
from Spanish to Italian,
00:17:33.64\00:17:36.03
now wrote the 44 pages brochure
00:17:36.06\00:17:38.34
and gave it to the 16 coming
people to church to read it
00:17:38.37\00:17:42.08
and then they decided
to meet every morning.
00:17:42.11\00:17:44.37
Let me stop right
here for a second.
00:17:44.40\00:17:47.45
One of my church
members talked to me yesterday
00:17:47.48\00:17:49.31
and said pastor
what if we all prayed
00:17:49.34\00:17:53.00
and what if we all
had the prayer group,
00:17:53.03\00:17:55.63
a small prayer
group, two, three partners
00:17:55.66\00:17:59.62
that we would
pray for each other
00:17:59.65\00:18:01.30
like Moses and Har and Adam.
00:18:01.33\00:18:04.72
The Spirit of
Prophecy talks a lot about it.
00:18:04.75\00:18:07.33
And what if we
also pray in the house,
00:18:07.36\00:18:10.79
with our family and
then the spouses together
00:18:10.82\00:18:13.99
husband and
wife to pray together
00:18:14.02\00:18:15.61
and then we
would pray also alone.
00:18:15.64\00:18:17.61
What to do to our
churches and to our families?
00:18:17.64\00:18:20.50
I said, yeah, we are
speaking now, this is it.
00:18:20.53\00:18:24.56
Let's do it.
00:18:24.59\00:18:26.61
What if we did that? So
back to the story in Milan.
00:18:26.64\00:18:31.71
They said, we started to pray
00:18:31.74\00:18:32.97
every morning at
5:30 at the church,
00:18:33.00\00:18:35.17
that sacrifice
and we pray at 5:30
00:18:35.20\00:18:38.91
then we started to
pray in small groups at home
00:18:38.94\00:18:40.60
and then we started
to pray in the families
00:18:40.63\00:18:41.94
and then we
started to pray alone.
00:18:41.97\00:18:43.66
And our church
became just prayer
00:18:43.69\00:18:45.49
and we said we are
not gonna pray for self.
00:18:45.52\00:18:48.02
Give me this job,
heal me of this disease,
00:18:48.05\00:18:50.20
we are going to pray
for God and forget self
00:18:50.23\00:18:52.90
and even if we die
that's not important any more.
00:18:52.93\00:18:56.03
Whatever He wants,
whatever would glorify Him
00:18:56.06\00:18:59.90
and that's the prayer
that God cannot refuse
00:18:59.93\00:19:02.24
when you'll give up
self to the point that you,
00:19:02.27\00:19:05.98
remember David go to Psalm
63 in the wilderness of Judea
00:19:06.01\00:19:13.86
followed ten years,
that's not a short time.
00:19:13.89\00:19:18.13
Have you prayed 10 years
for something with no answer?
00:19:18.16\00:19:20.74
Would you keep praying?
00:19:20.77\00:19:22.28
Ten years being followed
by King Saul and his army.
00:19:22.31\00:19:26.57
David doesn't
pray for protection,
00:19:26.60\00:19:28.72
doesn't pray for
justice, doesn't pray for water,
00:19:28.75\00:19:31.64
doesn't pray for food
00:19:31.67\00:19:32.77
and he has an army
with him and their families.
00:19:32.80\00:19:36.01
David says, in a dry
land where there is no water,
00:19:36.04\00:19:39.63
I have seen You.
00:19:39.66\00:19:41.36
Your presence is
better than life.
00:19:41.39\00:19:43.40
Better than the richest
foods, better than the water.
00:19:43.43\00:19:46.33
I would rather spend a
thousand days here with you
00:19:46.36\00:19:51.54
because one second with You
00:19:51.57\00:19:53.02
is better than a
thousand days in Los Vegas
00:19:53.05\00:19:54.95
so, what if I spend
the whole life with you?
00:19:54.98\00:20:00.39
Focusing on God to the point
that you forget your cancer,
00:20:00.42\00:20:02.99
you forget your foreclosure,
you forget your problems,
00:20:03.02\00:20:05.63
you forget your divorce.
00:20:05.66\00:20:07.01
Focusing to God
so much that you say,
00:20:07.04\00:20:09.68
does it really
matter if I live or die
00:20:09.71\00:20:11.35
as long as He's
glorified and his work goes on.
00:20:11.38\00:20:15.83
What if we do that?
00:20:15.86\00:20:17.53
We will not be
here, we will be at home.
00:20:17.56\00:20:20.32
All the Bible characters,
00:20:20.35\00:20:21.95
all, not one, all
have gave up self.
00:20:21.98\00:20:26.56
They had gave up self
00:20:26.59\00:20:29.48
and therefore God
did what He did to them.
00:20:29.51\00:20:32.71
And God will not use you
and me before we learn that.
00:20:32.74\00:20:37.42
And sooner or later we
will have to give it up,
00:20:37.45\00:20:40.70
because if not
we will not make it
00:20:40.73\00:20:42.86
when the crisis comes.
00:20:42.89\00:20:45.70
So, back to the
story and they said,
00:20:45.73\00:20:47.88
we loved that we
need to focus on God
00:20:47.91\00:20:50.56
and we need to
forget self finally,
00:20:50.59\00:20:53.67
and they said after a
week of praying together.
00:20:53.70\00:20:56.06
How many days? A
week, is that a long time?
00:20:56.09\00:21:00.27
But they said
we pray like crazy,
00:21:00.30\00:21:02.24
we pray like
there is no tomorrow,
00:21:02.27\00:21:03.76
we pray like Jesus
was coming tonight.
00:21:03.79\00:21:05.96
We're desperate, we
are losing, we are closing,
00:21:05.99\00:21:07.77
we are burying
our church, we prayed.
00:21:07.80\00:21:10.31
After a week somebody
came from the neighbors
00:21:10.34\00:21:13.07
and said what's
happening here guys?
00:21:13.10\00:21:15.05
You had just in the weekends,
Saturdays you have the few car,
00:21:15.08\00:21:18.01
now you have cars
every morning at 5:30,
00:21:18.04\00:21:20.31
is there something going on?
00:21:20.34\00:21:22.15
They said, no, we just pray.
00:21:22.18\00:21:23.22
What do you pray for?
00:21:23.25\00:21:24.69
Well, we just
pray for God's will
00:21:24.72\00:21:26.43
and God's
presence and the guy says,
00:21:26.46\00:21:28.12
well, you know,
my wife has cancer,
00:21:28.15\00:21:30.56
would you pray for her too
00:21:30.59\00:21:31.62
when you pray for
whatever you pray?
00:21:31.65\00:21:33.18
They said, yeah, and
they told me we prayed
00:21:33.21\00:21:35.93
but we didn't believe
that something would happen.
00:21:35.96\00:21:37.88
It didn't even crossed our
mind that something may happen.
00:21:37.91\00:21:42.43
Second week, a week later,
the guy comes and he says,
00:21:42.46\00:21:45.85
you know, my wife
was in the third stage,
00:21:45.88\00:21:48.32
she had several like 3,
4 whatever months to live.
00:21:48.35\00:21:51.50
She went to the doctor
today and the doctor said gone,
00:21:51.53\00:21:54.88
no trace of cancer.
00:21:54.91\00:21:57.19
What did you do?
00:21:57.22\00:21:58.25
And he says, you know,
I talked to my neighbor
00:21:58.28\00:22:01.21
and he came with me,
would you pray for his son,
00:22:01.24\00:22:03.40
he is in prison and they prayed
and then the next neighbor
00:22:03.43\00:22:06.43
and then the whole
street and then the next street,
00:22:06.46\00:22:08.55
the whole
neighborhood got baptized.
00:22:08.58\00:22:14.38
The Pentecost can repeat
again and it will repeat again
00:22:14.41\00:22:20.69
and should happen
today if not today then when?
00:22:20.72\00:22:25.22
And Jesus said, unless you
hate the word in Greek is miseo
00:22:25.25\00:22:29.42
that doesn't mean to
hate because Jesus said
00:22:29.45\00:22:30.96
we should love one another.
00:22:30.99\00:22:32.52
Jesus said, you should
love and respect your parents.
00:22:32.55\00:22:34.52
The word miseo
means to love less them.
00:22:34.55\00:22:37.75
Unless you love them,
them less than you love me.
00:22:37.78\00:22:41.09
You are not
worthy to be My disciple.
00:22:41.12\00:22:42.68
That means God
should come before job.
00:22:42.71\00:22:45.92
God should come before
your house and your mortgage.
00:22:45.95\00:22:47.89
God should come
before your husband
00:22:47.92\00:22:49.62
or wife or children or parents.
00:22:49.65\00:22:50.90
God should come
before anything else.
00:22:50.93\00:22:55.31
Unless that
happens, God cannot work
00:22:55.34\00:22:57.25
that's the
principle of self-renunciation
00:22:57.28\00:23:00.11
and then the second person
and unless you hate yourself
00:23:00.14\00:23:03.00
so God should come before you.
00:23:03.03\00:23:05.69
I tell you that's hard
00:23:05.72\00:23:09.35
because God doesn't accept 95%,
00:23:09.38\00:23:13.24
He takes it all or nothing.
00:23:13.27\00:23:16.29
Don't we sing I
surrender all to Jesus?
00:23:16.32\00:23:20.49
So, basically
this is the principle,
00:23:20.52\00:23:23.36
God says, I cannot save you
00:23:23.39\00:23:25.75
and I cannot use
you before you die.
00:23:25.78\00:23:32.98
And death is not easy.
00:23:33.01\00:23:34.98
Sinners have easier
time to be saved than saints
00:23:35.01\00:23:38.37
because sinners
know that they're wrong
00:23:38.40\00:23:39.98
and they give it up,
but saints never give up
00:23:40.01\00:23:42.05
and God doesn't ask us
to give up just our sins
00:23:42.08\00:23:44.23
but He wants us to give
up our righteousness too.
00:23:44.26\00:23:47.37
Whatever we are right, He
wants us to give it up too.
00:23:47.40\00:23:50.43
He just wants us
to give it all up
00:23:50.46\00:23:53.15
and not to be
controlled by our righteous
00:23:53.18\00:23:55.34
but be controlled by Jesus
and that's difficult to do.
00:23:55.37\00:24:00.39
I remember we started the
Bible studies in Lexington
00:24:00.42\00:24:03.11
and there were just a few people
00:24:03.14\00:24:04.29
before giving Bible
studies in that church.
00:24:04.32\00:24:06.62
We prayed and we sent
10,000 invitations in homes.
00:24:06.65\00:24:12.33
We made up a plan
00:24:12.36\00:24:13.69
that we will do
one zip code a year.
00:24:13.72\00:24:17.24
There are ten zip
codes that means in 10 years
00:24:17.27\00:24:19.20
Lexington is going
to be a evangelized.
00:24:19.23\00:24:21.22
So, we sent to
the first zip code
00:24:21.25\00:24:22.78
and we got like
300 responses back.
00:24:22.81\00:24:27.49
And in our church there are like
00:24:27.52\00:24:28.56
two, three people
giving Bible studies,
00:24:28.59\00:24:30.38
so we talk to the
church and we got 10
00:24:30.41\00:24:32.91
and then 20 and then
30 and then more people
00:24:32.94\00:24:35.60
and eventually we
gave 276 Bible studies.
00:24:35.63\00:24:40.95
I want to say amen.
00:24:40.98\00:24:42.06
Okay, 276, and I remember
having them tell the stories
00:24:42.09\00:24:46.71
in front of the
church and one lady,
00:24:46.74\00:24:48.52
I'm not going to
say the name comes to me
00:24:48.55\00:24:50.42
and she has a very dubious life.
00:24:50.45\00:24:52.68
And she says, pastor we
don't used to come to church
00:24:52.71\00:24:55.60
and I don't feel
worthy to come to church
00:24:55.63\00:24:58.69
and I don't even
feel worthy to pray.
00:24:58.72\00:25:00.80
That's nonsense.
00:25:00.83\00:25:02.23
When you say I'm a
sinner therefore I cannot pray,
00:25:02.26\00:25:04.76
it's like you say I'm sick,
00:25:04.79\00:25:06.10
so I cannot go to
the doctor, nonsense.
00:25:06.13\00:25:09.49
That's the reason
you go to the doctor.
00:25:09.52\00:25:11.07
You don't wait until you're well
00:25:11.10\00:25:12.33
and then go to the
doctor but anyway so, she said,
00:25:12.36\00:25:15.64
I cannot feel worthy
even to come to church
00:25:15.67\00:25:18.52
more over to give a Bible study,
00:25:18.55\00:25:20.18
but it's so exciting,
I want to be part of it.
00:25:20.21\00:25:23.49
And I said listen,
you will never grow,
00:25:23.52\00:25:26.77
unless you work with others.
00:25:26.80\00:25:28.11
Because God didn't ask us
00:25:28.14\00:25:29.94
to come to church to be blessed,
00:25:29.97\00:25:31.41
He called us to
come to church to bless.
00:25:31.44\00:25:34.44
You will never get the blessing
before you share a blessing.
00:25:34.47\00:25:37.17
You are blessed to
the degree that you bless.
00:25:37.20\00:25:40.49
So I said, you come to church,
you got to work with others,
00:25:40.52\00:25:43.40
as you work
with others you grow.
00:25:43.43\00:25:45.61
And she said,
00:25:45.64\00:25:46.67
but I'm not worthy to tell them.
00:25:46.70\00:25:48.46
I said, who told you
to tell them anything.
00:25:48.49\00:25:51.10
You just go there
and pray with them.
00:25:51.13\00:25:53.27
This is the DVD
this is the guide.
00:25:53.30\00:25:55.67
They play the DVD,
they read the guide
00:25:55.70\00:25:57.93
and you say good job,
00:25:57.96\00:25:59.21
let me have a
prayer and you go home.
00:25:59.24\00:26:00.92
Let them read it.
00:26:00.95\00:26:02.80
Oh, that's easy.
I said, okay, go.
00:26:02.83\00:26:06.10
She takes the
Bible study, she goes,
00:26:06.13\00:26:08.21
she calls me five minutes later,
00:26:08.24\00:26:09.98
God doesn't consider me worthy.
00:26:10.01\00:26:11.79
The apartment
building is locked,
00:26:11.82\00:26:13.60
I buzz the thing and
nobody opens the door for me.
00:26:13.63\00:26:17.41
I said I want you to stay there
I want you to get in your car
00:26:17.44\00:26:21.25
and pray until God
gives you an answer
00:26:21.28\00:26:23.26
and then you come back.
00:26:23.29\00:26:24.41
And she said, okay.
00:26:24.44\00:26:26.68
Five minutes
later, she called me,
00:26:26.71\00:26:27.75
God didn't give me
an answer I'm coming.
00:26:27.78\00:26:29.55
I said, you
didn't hear what I said.
00:26:29.58\00:26:31.17
I want you to pray
until you get an answer.
00:26:31.20\00:26:35.44
And she said, what if He
doesn't give me an answer?
00:26:35.47\00:26:37.25
Then I want you to
sleep there and wake up there
00:26:37.28\00:26:41.45
and go to sleep next night there
00:26:41.48\00:26:43.13
and I want you to stay there
00:26:43.16\00:26:44.62
and pray until you get an answer
00:26:44.65\00:26:48.05
because God is not
going to turn you down
00:26:48.08\00:26:50.42
but you don't give up.
00:26:50.45\00:26:52.90
And she said, pastor,
00:26:52.93\00:26:53.96
but if He takes two, three days.
00:26:53.99\00:26:55.74
I said that's what it takes.
00:26:55.77\00:26:59.05
And I said, I
want you to give up,
00:26:59.08\00:27:00.12
but I have a family
I said no you don't.
00:27:00.15\00:27:02.84
Well, yes, but I have a job.
00:27:02.87\00:27:05.32
No, you don't, you
don't even have a life,
00:27:05.35\00:27:06.99
live me alone, just pray.
00:27:07.02\00:27:08.69
I said, why would you say that,
00:27:08.72\00:27:10.24
I said you told
me that didn't you?
00:27:10.27\00:27:12.08
You just told me
that. Yes, I did.
00:27:12.11\00:27:14.45
Then pray, I'll pray
here for you in my office
00:27:14.48\00:27:16.91
and I'm not going to go
home before you have an answer
00:27:16.94\00:27:20.11
and she prayed and she prayed,
00:27:20.14\00:27:21.38
I said, Lord, you
got to answer now.
00:27:21.41\00:27:24.87
And she called
me two hours later
00:27:24.90\00:27:26.15
and she is like unable to talk,
pastor, you wouldn't believe-
00:27:26.18\00:27:30.51
calm down, tell
me what happened.
00:27:30.54\00:27:33.60
So, I was praying, I'm praying,
00:27:33.63\00:27:34.76
I'm praying and
it took like one hour
00:27:34.79\00:27:36.24
and they said
Lord I'm not worthy
00:27:36.27\00:27:38.40
but I'm not going to give up.
00:27:38.43\00:27:40.38
And she was I'm praying,
I'm praying, I'm praying
00:27:40.41\00:27:42.17
and somebody
comes through the door
00:27:42.20\00:27:43.65
go into the trash container
to clean out the garbage
00:27:43.68\00:27:47.70
and she said I run to
him, I said can you let me in,
00:27:47.73\00:27:49.61
I go to this apartment
to give her a Bible study
00:27:49.64\00:27:52.17
and he says, no.
00:27:52.20\00:27:53.74
If she is not
home to open the door
00:27:53.77\00:27:55.19
I'm not going to let you in
00:27:55.22\00:27:56.39
but guys, I'm angry with
you and she says with me?
00:27:56.42\00:28:00.86
And he says,
yes, because I asked
00:28:00.89\00:28:02.37
for a Bible study
and nobody ever came.
00:28:02.40\00:28:05.92
And she said, no problem,
I give you this Bible study
00:28:05.95\00:28:09.15
and I go back to the
church pick another one for her.
00:28:09.18\00:28:12.54
And the guy says, okay, come in
and she says, no, you're a man
00:28:12.57\00:28:15.38
and I'm a lady
alone, I'm not gonna...
00:28:15.41\00:28:17.88
Come in and she says, okay.
00:28:17.91\00:28:19.80
She comes in, he says, sit
down she sits down, he leaves,
00:28:19.83\00:28:24.01
he goes, he close the
door behind him and he is gone.
00:28:24.04\00:28:26.78
Now she is alone
in his apartment.
00:28:26.81\00:28:29.54
And she says, Lord, I
don't know what to do.
00:28:29.57\00:28:32.42
Just five, ten minutes later
00:28:32.45\00:28:33.60
he comes with
another 11 neighbors
00:28:33.63\00:28:35.40
they all want a Bible
study sit down, now, tell us.
00:28:35.43\00:28:39.98
And she says, I don't
know what to tell you,
00:28:40.01\00:28:41.72
I'm a sinner, my
life is horrible.
00:28:41.75\00:28:43.75
I left the church
so many years ago,
00:28:43.78\00:28:45.24
I'm not worthy,
00:28:45.27\00:28:46.30
I don't even
know what to tell you,
00:28:46.33\00:28:48.27
but this is what I
have the DVD and the guide.
00:28:48.30\00:28:52.33
Now, he says,
well, if a pastor came
00:28:52.36\00:28:54.23
we will not talk to him
00:28:54.26\00:28:55.30
because those are the
good people and we are sinners
00:28:55.33\00:28:57.91
but if you came we will do that.
00:28:57.94\00:29:00.23
So they played the DVD
and he says what do we do now?
00:29:00.26\00:29:03.01
And she says I'm supposed
to have a prayer for you
00:29:03.04\00:29:04.93
and she prayed for them
and she called me, pastor,
00:29:04.96\00:29:07.17
I gave a Bible
study to those people!
00:29:07.20\00:29:11.71
I said, don't
we have a good God?
00:29:11.74\00:29:14.64
How do you feel about it?
00:29:14.67\00:29:16.06
And she started
to cry and she says
00:29:16.09\00:29:17.46
God wants to
save me, doesn't He?
00:29:17.49\00:29:19.50
I said not just you.
00:29:19.53\00:29:21.07
God wants to use
you, not just to save you,
00:29:21.10\00:29:22.89
stop focusing on yourself.
00:29:22.92\00:29:25.41
I remember when our
son had a car accident.
00:29:25.44\00:29:29.20
I pray for my children everyday
and we should, shouldn't we?
00:29:29.23\00:29:34.70
There is
nothing wrong with that.
00:29:34.73\00:29:36.94
The problem is
priorities, who comes first.
00:29:36.97\00:29:38.79
There is nothing
wrong to pray for your job
00:29:38.82\00:29:40.94
or for your health
or for your children.
00:29:40.97\00:29:42.91
The problem is
priorities, who comes first.
00:29:42.94\00:29:46.83
Who is the leader? Who
is in control of your life?
00:29:46.86\00:29:49.26
And that's the biggest problem,
00:29:49.29\00:29:50.41
we have hard time
to give up control.
00:29:50.44\00:29:52.96
All the conflicts that we have
is because we never give up,
00:29:52.99\00:29:56.63
because it's our
kingdom against God's kingdom.
00:29:56.66\00:30:00.16
So I pray for my
child and my wife prays,
00:30:00.19\00:30:05.61
we pray for them quite a lot.
00:30:05.64\00:30:08.68
But one day my child had
a car accident, not a car,
00:30:08.71\00:30:13.18
I'm sorry, a four
wheeler accident in Collegedale.
00:30:13.21\00:30:17.53
Young people are stupid.
00:30:17.56\00:30:21.00
They may be smart
but they sometimes
00:30:21.03\00:30:24.11
there is a room here
00:30:24.14\00:30:25.52
but there is no
furniture inside.
00:30:25.55\00:30:29.30
And he... he called us
and he said, I love God
00:30:29.33\00:30:37.01
but I cannot go
to church anymore.
00:30:37.04\00:30:38.40
I said what happened?
00:30:38.43\00:30:40.29
During the week every
day I go to school and work,
00:30:40.32\00:30:43.30
Saturday is the
single day when I'm off.
00:30:43.33\00:30:45.31
I don't work, I don't go
to school, I don't learn.
00:30:45.34\00:30:49.15
God loves nature, doesn't He?
00:30:49.18\00:30:50.97
So what I do, I go on the lake.
00:30:51.00\00:30:54.46
It's my single day
when I can have fun.
00:30:54.49\00:30:56.64
I said, son, go to
church. Oh, I cannot.
00:30:56.67\00:30:59.82
I said, son, go to church.
You go on to lake Sunday.
00:30:59.85\00:31:03.76
No, Sunday I have to
learn, I have to write papers.
00:31:03.79\00:31:07.43
So my wife and I
were praying for him.
00:31:07.46\00:31:11.84
One day, he calls us
and he says from hospital,
00:31:11.87\00:31:16.66
I had an accident.
00:31:16.69\00:31:17.78
I was on the lake
00:31:17.81\00:31:19.15
and I flipped in
the air with a ski
00:31:19.18\00:31:22.43
trying to make to do a
trick and the handle came
00:31:22.46\00:31:26.34
and took my ear
off and I fished my ear
00:31:26.37\00:31:29.33
but then they got me in the boat
00:31:29.36\00:31:30.95
and then I fainted.
00:31:30.98\00:31:32.25
And I'm in hospital
and they put my ear back
00:31:32.28\00:31:34.34
and the doctor said
if the handle hit here,
00:31:34.37\00:31:36.63
I'd have been
dead instantaneously.
00:31:36.66\00:31:39.49
And he said God saved my life,
next Sabbath I'm in church.
00:31:39.52\00:31:42.76
Did he go? No, he forgot.
00:31:42.79\00:31:45.56
He said let me
explain how it happened.
00:31:45.59\00:31:47.16
He had an explanation.
00:31:47.19\00:31:48.35
We can explain every
miracle away, you know?
00:31:48.38\00:31:51.29
So a month later he
fell asleep driving the car
00:31:51.32\00:31:55.48
and he jumped 27 freefall,
27 feet freefall in a pond
00:31:55.51\00:32:01.29
kind of a whatever and
the car sank in the water
00:32:01.32\00:32:05.18
and there were
weeds and bushes around
00:32:05.21\00:32:07.37
and it took the
police six hours to find him.
00:32:07.40\00:32:10.47
And he called me and says
00:32:10.50\00:32:11.53
I'm gonna turn
around, but he didn't.
00:32:11.56\00:32:13.38
but then eventually one Sabbath,
00:32:13.41\00:32:16.20
he took the four wheeler
00:32:16.23\00:32:17.78
and they went in
Collegedale up the mountain
00:32:17.81\00:32:20.82
and he tried to
get up the mountain
00:32:20.85\00:32:22.70
where nobody could
00:32:22.73\00:32:24.18
and the four wheeler tipped over
00:32:24.21\00:32:26.49
and cut his
head between the rock
00:32:26.52\00:32:28.51
and the four wheeler
and shattered his helmet
00:32:28.54\00:32:33.66
and not just his helmet
but took part of the skull
00:32:33.69\00:32:37.61
that there was naked brain here
and pieces of bone on the rock
00:32:37.64\00:32:41.30
and splinters of bone
coming through the eye,
00:32:41.33\00:32:43.79
so I got a phone call from...
00:32:43.82\00:32:47.29
I forgot the name
of the biggest hospital
00:32:47.32\00:32:49.26
in Chattanooga...
00:32:49.29\00:32:52.65
Erlanger. Erlanger, whatever.
00:32:52.68\00:32:54.81
And I got a phone
call and they said
00:32:54.84\00:32:56.56
he has about four hours to live.
00:32:56.59\00:32:59.54
My wife and I got in the
car and we drove from Wisconsin,
00:32:59.57\00:33:03.36
that was about
four, five years ago.
00:33:03.39\00:33:07.50
We didn't drive, we flew,
if they would have caught me,
00:33:07.53\00:33:10.26
they would have
taken my pilot license.
00:33:10.29\00:33:12.38
I mean, a 12 hour trip
00:33:12.41\00:33:13.86
we did in 9
hours and 15 minutes.
00:33:13.89\00:33:16.84
We drove like crazy.
00:33:16.87\00:33:19.79
And we prayed all the way
but we didn't pray the regular,
00:33:19.82\00:33:22.69
thank you for being with me
last night, be with me today,
00:33:22.72\00:33:24.77
ta-ta-ta, be
with my church, amen.
00:33:24.80\00:33:27.15
We labored in prayer.
00:33:27.18\00:33:30.23
We grabbed God's hand
and we did not let Him go.
00:33:30.26\00:33:33.96
And we prayed like there was
00:33:33.99\00:33:35.75
no other day of
life in our life,
00:33:35.78\00:33:38.52
that was the last prayer.
00:33:38.55\00:33:40.32
And we said,
Lord, we're not gonna
00:33:40.35\00:33:41.91
let You go before
You do something here.
00:33:41.94\00:33:44.23
And after five hours of
prayer, we changed our prayer
00:33:44.26\00:33:48.15
and we said, Lord,
we commit our son to You
00:33:48.18\00:33:52.54
and if You
decide to take his life,
00:33:52.57\00:33:55.31
it's hard to say, but
may Your will be done.
00:33:55.34\00:33:57.77
However, give him a
chance to be saved regardless
00:33:57.80\00:34:01.50
if he lives or dies, save him.
00:34:01.53\00:34:04.09
And when we switched the prayer
00:34:04.12\00:34:05.46
from save his
life to save his soul,
00:34:05.49\00:34:09.28
then God answered.
00:34:09.31\00:34:12.08
That's the prayer
that God cannot refuse.
00:34:12.11\00:34:14.39
And we said,
Lord, I'm not gonna pray
00:34:14.42\00:34:16.58
for his life
anymore, we accept it.
00:34:16.61\00:34:19.62
But please give him
a chance to be saved.
00:34:19.65\00:34:23.27
And I told Donna,
I said I have peace,
00:34:23.30\00:34:25.62
I know that God
answered this prayer.
00:34:25.65\00:34:27.34
I don't know what
He's gonna happen,
00:34:27.37\00:34:28.77
but I know that God
answered our prayer.
00:34:28.80\00:34:33.04
We got there and they
said, you know, it's strange,
00:34:33.07\00:34:35.10
we did CAT scans,
there is no brain damage,
00:34:35.13\00:34:38.34
you can see the
brain, there is no bone
00:34:38.37\00:34:40.63
but there is no brain damage
and then we did two CAT scans
00:34:40.66\00:34:44.39
and the eye, he has 2020 vision.
00:34:44.42\00:34:47.36
There is bone coming
through the eye but the nerve
00:34:47.39\00:34:50.44
and the vital parts of
the eye are not broken.
00:34:50.47\00:34:53.88
So he has 2020 vision.
00:34:53.91\00:34:55.43
Now we don't
know if he's gonna be
00:34:55.46\00:34:56.66
pricky anymore.
00:34:56.69\00:35:00.16
I said doesn't matter,
00:35:00.19\00:35:01.22
you know, you
don't have to be pricky,
00:35:01.25\00:35:02.28
you have to be good
Christian, you know.
00:35:02.31\00:35:05.99
He's a handsome guy, believe me.
00:35:06.02\00:35:07.25
But anyway and so
just like his father.
00:35:07.28\00:35:10.90
I'm kidding.
00:35:10.93\00:35:11.98
So they said he'll live
and he'll not be paralyzed.
00:35:12.01\00:35:17.91
Well, they did
five plastic surgeries,
00:35:17.94\00:35:20.04
built the right side of the face
00:35:20.07\00:35:21.96
to match the left
side with titanium
00:35:21.99\00:35:24.09
and you don't, if I
show you the picture,
00:35:24.12\00:35:26.17
you don't know that
he ever had an accident,
00:35:26.20\00:35:28.55
he doesn't even have a
scar, he's really good looking.
00:35:28.58\00:35:32.10
Anyway, so he
wakes up from the surgery
00:35:32.13\00:35:35.52
and you can see
nothing except the left eye.
00:35:35.55\00:35:38.35
Well, he says,
I'm not dead, am I?
00:35:38.38\00:35:40.17
I said no, son,
because you will not talk
00:35:40.20\00:35:42.12
if you were dead.
00:35:42.15\00:35:44.16
He says, and I'm
not paralyzed, am I?
00:35:44.19\00:35:47.48
Because I can feel
my hands and my legs.
00:35:47.51\00:35:49.01
I said no, son, you
can still do stupid stuff,
00:35:49.04\00:35:51.48
you can still move.
00:35:51.51\00:35:52.77
And he says, do I
have brain damage?
00:35:52.80\00:35:54.69
I said no, son, you
cannot have brain damage
00:35:54.72\00:35:56.32
because you don't have a brain.
00:35:56.35\00:35:59.88
And he says, haha,
haha, don't make me laugh
00:35:59.91\00:36:02.39
because it hurts, haha, haha.
00:36:02.42\00:36:05.95
And then he says, God
saved my life again, didn't He?
00:36:05.98\00:36:08.63
I said yes, He did.
00:36:08.66\00:36:11.09
And then he says,
00:36:11.12\00:36:12.30
I want to change but I cannot.
00:36:12.33\00:36:15.72
What should I do?
00:36:15.75\00:36:18.83
I said, son, we don't have
the power to change regardless
00:36:18.86\00:36:22.20
how many times we want to.
00:36:22.23\00:36:24.64
But we need to die
before God can make us new.
00:36:24.67\00:36:29.40
I said, son, you need
to make a decision today
00:36:29.43\00:36:31.50
and everyday from today,
every morning when you wake up,
00:36:31.53\00:36:35.56
you need to say,
Lord, help me die today.
00:36:35.59\00:36:39.82
Kill me today, and
come and live in me.
00:36:39.85\00:36:43.38
And if I forget for a
second, kill me again.
00:36:43.41\00:36:46.46
And please don't
let me live again.
00:36:46.49\00:36:50.14
And I said, son, you
could have been dead now
00:36:50.17\00:36:52.52
but God gave you life
to let Him live that life.
00:36:52.55\00:36:57.37
Now he got it.
00:36:57.40\00:36:59.05
And from that day,
00:36:59.08\00:37:00.30
every morning he
wakes up earlier,
00:37:00.33\00:37:02.04
he prays then he calls me
00:37:02.07\00:37:03.26
and he says look,
what God did for me today.
00:37:03.29\00:37:05.23
It's amazing that God
can do this miracle today.
00:37:05.26\00:37:07.99
It's not what He
did in the Bible,
00:37:08.02\00:37:09.55
it's what He did today.
00:37:09.58\00:37:10.91
He's not that God that
He did miracles for you
00:37:10.94\00:37:13.57
30 years ago or 40 years
ago when you got baptized,
00:37:13.60\00:37:16.22
He's the God
that is alive today.
00:37:16.25\00:37:20.68
We don't have time.
00:37:20.71\00:37:21.75
Oh, yes, we do have a
little time, that's good.
00:37:21.78\00:37:26.91
I went from Milan to Turin.
00:37:26.94\00:37:30.60
Turin, Torin, whatever you say
00:37:30.63\00:37:32.16
it in English, I don't know,
it's English, doesn't matter.
00:37:32.19\00:37:34.46
And in Turin, the
church was already packed
00:37:34.49\00:37:40.23
and there is a
guide called Funny.
00:37:40.26\00:37:42.80
I know that's
funny but whatever,
00:37:42.83\00:37:45.09
but his name was
Funny and his wife Dana.
00:37:45.12\00:37:48.64
And he comes to me
and he says, you know,
00:37:48.67\00:37:50.62
I got that brochure
44 pages prayer seminar
00:37:50.65\00:37:54.29
and I gave it to the church
00:37:54.32\00:37:55.35
but they are not
really interested.
00:37:55.38\00:37:56.95
They said yeah, yeah, it's nice.
00:37:56.98\00:37:58.86
But then my wife and
I read it and we said,
00:37:58.89\00:38:03.43
we cannot live the
way we live anymore.
00:38:03.46\00:38:05.86
This guy Funny used to own
a big construction business
00:38:05.89\00:38:11.43
and he used to have a
lot of money, well-to-do.
00:38:11.46\00:38:16.95
Very well-to-do.
00:38:16.98\00:38:18.58
And he was among those people
00:38:18.61\00:38:19.70
who're well-to-do
and they loved God.
00:38:19.73\00:38:22.76
And they're in fire for God.
00:38:22.79\00:38:25.77
And they want God
to be above themselves
00:38:25.80\00:38:29.47
and they want Jesus to come soon
00:38:29.50\00:38:31.34
and they do whatever
they can to help that.
00:38:31.37\00:38:34.81
So this guy Funny was
very involved in the church
00:38:34.84\00:38:38.05
and very
supportive of the church
00:38:38.08\00:38:40.66
and he says, I
got from this seminar
00:38:40.69\00:38:43.91
a different
level of understanding
00:38:43.94\00:38:45.94
is not that that I
go to church once a week
00:38:45.97\00:38:49.24
and to work
there and to evangelism
00:38:49.27\00:38:51.10
and I give so much,
that is way more than tithe.
00:38:51.13\00:38:55.06
It is that I have to
give everything, myself
00:38:55.09\00:38:59.09
and he says, it occurred to me
00:38:59.12\00:39:00.91
that Jesus said to the young
rich ruler, sell... how much?
00:39:00.94\00:39:06.03
All.
00:39:06.06\00:39:07.09
All. That's not easy.
00:39:07.12\00:39:10.29
How many of
you're willing to sell--
00:39:10.32\00:39:11.83
don't raise your hands
00:39:11.86\00:39:13.20
because we are not
allowed to lie, to sell all?
00:39:13.23\00:39:18.19
Sell all!
00:39:18.22\00:39:20.34
How much means all?
Pretty simple, nothing left.
00:39:20.37\00:39:25.47
Give it away and then follow Me
00:39:25.50\00:39:28.17
and you'll have a
room in the kingdom.
00:39:28.20\00:39:32.08
And Funny said to me,
00:39:32.11\00:39:34.13
that was a tough
decision, pastor.
00:39:34.16\00:39:37.30
And I was struggling and
my wife and I kneeled down
00:39:37.33\00:39:40.49
and we prayed the whole night
from 10 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.
00:39:40.52\00:39:45.10
and we said, Lord, you give
us the power to give it all up.
00:39:45.13\00:39:49.78
And we're not
gonna leave from here
00:39:49.81\00:39:51.15
before we give it all up.
00:39:51.18\00:39:53.71
And in the morning,
God gave them the strength
00:39:53.74\00:39:55.64
like Abraham to give up his son.
00:39:55.67\00:39:57.55
They got the strength
to give up their business.
00:39:57.58\00:40:00.00
And I'm not saying that
00:40:00.03\00:40:01.06
God wants you all to
give up your business,
00:40:01.09\00:40:02.84
God may want you
actually to keep it
00:40:02.87\00:40:04.06
and use it in a right way.
00:40:04.09\00:40:05.90
But God has a plan for everyone
and you need to seek that plan.
00:40:05.93\00:40:11.02
So God inspired Funny
to give up his business,
00:40:11.05\00:40:13.65
so his wife and Funny agreed
00:40:13.68\00:40:15.77
and that day they
sold their business.
00:40:15.80\00:40:18.64
And after they sold
it, within short time,
00:40:18.67\00:40:21.53
God inspired
them to go to Africa.
00:40:21.56\00:40:24.36
And I'm not
gonna give the names,
00:40:24.39\00:40:26.22
in details some
places, they went there
00:40:26.25\00:40:28.73
and they build two orphanages
00:40:28.76\00:40:31.88
and then they came
back and they prayed again.
00:40:31.91\00:40:34.02
And God said to
them, who called you back?
00:40:34.05\00:40:35.92
Go back to Africa.
00:40:35.95\00:40:36.98
And Funny said but
I have no more money.
00:40:37.01\00:40:38.60
And God said, who told
you that I need your money?
00:40:38.63\00:40:43.43
We too many times think
that God needs what we have.
00:40:43.46\00:40:47.02
It all comes from
God, folks. Remember?
00:40:47.05\00:40:49.98
So Funny said
but, Lord, I don't have
00:40:50.01\00:40:52.82
anything
leftover and God said, go.
00:40:52.85\00:40:56.42
He said okay.
00:40:56.45\00:40:58.11
They went to the airport
00:40:58.14\00:41:00.30
and while they're in the
line for security to check,
00:41:00.33\00:41:03.84
to be controlled
baggage and everything
00:41:03.87\00:41:06.07
and, you know, they're
in line, somebody comes
00:41:06.10\00:41:09.19
and he has two big
bodyguards with him
00:41:09.22\00:41:13.42
and he says I'm
Senator so and so
00:41:13.45\00:41:15.68
from the government from Italy
00:41:15.71\00:41:17.72
and I heard what
you have done in Africa.
00:41:17.75\00:41:20.80
And I want to be part of it.
00:41:20.83\00:41:22.60
And here it's a briefcase
that has 200,000 euros.
00:41:22.63\00:41:28.51
That's a big amount, believe me.
00:41:28.54\00:41:32.73
I don't know
300,000 or more dollars
00:41:32.76\00:41:35.51
but that's a big amount.
00:41:35.54\00:41:36.85
This is the briefcase, I know
you cannot go to the airport
00:41:36.88\00:41:39.70
so I'm a Senator, this
is a diplomatic briefcase,
00:41:39.73\00:41:42.99
it has diplomatic
immunity and I'm here with you.
00:41:43.02\00:41:47.17
And these guys are
gonna go with you in Africa
00:41:47.20\00:41:48.99
until you get to that place.
00:41:49.02\00:41:51.26
He went back and he
built more and did more
00:41:51.29\00:41:53.40
and he used all the money
and did great things there,
00:41:53.43\00:41:55.72
then he came back and
said, Lord, what is next?
00:41:55.75\00:41:58.46
And God said go to Romania
00:41:58.49\00:42:00.28
and built a nursing
home for the elderly.
00:42:00.31\00:42:02.11
He said I have no
money and God said
00:42:02.14\00:42:03.69
you didn't learn
the lesson, did you?
00:42:03.72\00:42:08.17
He's like the disciples.
00:42:08.20\00:42:09.58
Today God multiplies
the fish and the bread
00:42:09.61\00:42:12.33
and tomorrow they struggle
00:42:12.36\00:42:13.39
and they
wonder, we never get it.
00:42:13.42\00:42:16.87
So he goes to Romania
and he looks in the airport
00:42:16.90\00:42:20.38
but nobody came.
00:42:20.41\00:42:22.82
So he gets there and
he's waiting in the airport
00:42:22.85\00:42:24.63
and his wife says,
honey, we have been waiting
00:42:24.66\00:42:27.12
for the last
four hours, let's go.
00:42:27.15\00:42:28.56
And they go to the hotel
and they get in the hotel room
00:42:28.59\00:42:31.02
and they don't know
what to do and where to go.
00:42:31.05\00:42:34.05
And they start praying
and praying and praying
00:42:34.08\00:42:36.49
and they pray a whole week,
seven days and seven nights
00:42:36.52\00:42:39.14
in the hotel room and
after a week of prayer,
00:42:39.17\00:42:41.89
somebody knocks on the
door and says, you're Funny?
00:42:41.92\00:42:45.00
I found out what hotel you are,
00:42:45.03\00:42:46.56
I found out the
room and everything.
00:42:46.59\00:42:48.42
I have here some
drawings for you.
00:42:48.45\00:42:50.95
You told so and
so in Turin, Italy,
00:42:50.98\00:42:54.70
that you are here to
build a nursing home.
00:42:54.73\00:42:58.19
I'm an architect, I
also help the church
00:42:58.22\00:43:00.88
with drawings, blueprints,
00:43:00.91\00:43:02.96
this is the
blueprint of the building.
00:43:02.99\00:43:04.93
He said but the money?
00:43:04.96\00:43:05.99
He says all I have is
the blueprints and he goes.
00:43:06.02\00:43:09.76
And finally his wife
keep praying a week later,
00:43:09.79\00:43:12.52
somebody from
Croatia knocks in the door,
00:43:12.55\00:43:14.88
from different
country and he says,
00:43:14.91\00:43:16.82
I have some money and
he gives him to the penny
00:43:16.85\00:43:20.21
the amount from the blueprints.
00:43:20.24\00:43:23.67
God inspired me to
give you some money,
00:43:23.70\00:43:25.04
I have here the money for you.
00:43:25.07\00:43:26.77
And they get the nursing home
and then he goes back in Italy
00:43:26.80\00:43:30.98
and says, God, what is next?
00:43:31.01\00:43:32.22
And God says to
him, I want you to bring
00:43:32.25\00:43:35.06
some help to
Ukraine, to the poor people.
00:43:35.09\00:43:38.36
And he talks to the church
and they got four 18 wheelers
00:43:38.39\00:43:41.72
filled up with second
hand clothing and furniture
00:43:41.75\00:43:44.97
and food and school
supplies and everything.
00:43:45.00\00:43:47.82
And he gets three other drivers
00:43:47.85\00:43:50.03
and they drive two
days and two nights
00:43:50.06\00:43:51.81
and they get to
the border of Ukraine
00:43:51.84\00:43:53.49
and as they get to the border,
the guards don't let them go.
00:43:53.52\00:43:57.78
They say, you know what,
00:43:57.81\00:43:59.83
two luggages,
two-- how you call them?
00:43:59.86\00:44:03.91
The big... suitcases.
00:44:03.94\00:44:06.05
Suitcases, thank
you, English again.
00:44:06.08\00:44:09.49
Two suitcases per
person, whatever is over
00:44:09.52\00:44:12.70
you got to pay $2 per pound--
no, per kilogram, I'm sorry,
00:44:12.73\00:44:17.16
$2 per kilogram,
that's crazy, that money,
00:44:17.19\00:44:19.74
you can buy new clothing,
00:44:19.77\00:44:20.80
you know, you don't
use secondhand clothing.
00:44:20.83\00:44:23.49
And they pray and pray and pray
00:44:23.52\00:44:25.42
and pray and
pray, I mean that time,
00:44:25.45\00:44:28.70
that was several
months before I went to Italy,
00:44:28.73\00:44:30.82
I got an email from somebody
called Funny and he says,
00:44:30.85\00:44:35.43
I did what you said
in the prayer seminar
00:44:35.46\00:44:37.01
and God doesn't
answer, what should I do?
00:44:37.04\00:44:39.55
I don't know this
guy, I don't the story,
00:44:39.58\00:44:41.44
so I emailed him
back, I said keep praying.
00:44:41.47\00:44:44.96
So now back to
the story, he says,
00:44:44.99\00:44:47.02
so I got the email back from you
00:44:47.05\00:44:48.69
like you didn't
care, keep praying
00:44:48.72\00:44:50.78
but I didn't know what
to do, so we kept praying.
00:44:50.81\00:44:53.36
So we are here at
the border of Ukraine
00:44:53.39\00:44:56.30
for two days
already and we kept praying
00:44:56.33\00:44:58.71
and I said to myself,
these people want a gift.
00:44:58.74\00:45:01.44
So I go back to
them with the passport
00:45:01.47\00:45:03.07
and put 100 Euro
bill in the passport
00:45:03.10\00:45:06.57
and give it to them.
00:45:06.60\00:45:07.70
And the guy from the border
says I would love to take it
00:45:07.73\00:45:10.46
but nevertheless I'm
not gonna risk my job.
00:45:10.49\00:45:12.76
You cannot bring
your four wheelers
00:45:12.79\00:45:16.32
unless you pay customs.
00:45:16.35\00:45:19.20
So Funny goes back
and they keep praying
00:45:19.23\00:45:23.44
and keep
praying and keep praying
00:45:23.47\00:45:24.87
and keep praying
00:45:24.90\00:45:25.94
and God doesn't
give them an answer.
00:45:25.97\00:45:29.17
And they keep
praying and keep praying
00:45:29.20\00:45:30.80
and God doesn't
give them an answer.
00:45:30.83\00:45:32.67
So Funny says there is
no answer to this prayer.
00:45:32.70\00:45:34.95
Folks, the Spirit
of Prophecy says that
00:45:34.98\00:45:37.42
no honest prayer
goes without an answer.
00:45:37.45\00:45:42.09
But it would be wrong to assume
that God would answer the way
00:45:42.12\00:45:44.70
we want in the time we want.
00:45:44.73\00:45:48.19
God answers every
prayer. We just don't see it.
00:45:48.22\00:45:53.72
And by the way,
00:45:53.75\00:45:54.78
most of the
time answer to prayer
00:45:54.81\00:45:56.57
it's a process,
it's not an event.
00:45:56.60\00:46:00.07
Back to the story.
00:46:00.10\00:46:01.27
So they decided to
unload the four wheelers
00:46:01.30\00:46:05.07
in some storage
place and go back home,
00:46:05.10\00:46:08.60
so they unloaded everything
paid the storage for a month
00:46:08.63\00:46:13.90
and they gave it
all up and went back.
00:46:13.93\00:46:15.95
And they called the local pastor
00:46:15.98\00:46:17.46
an older man, he says,
00:46:17.49\00:46:18.89
you know, get
your church members
00:46:18.92\00:46:20.66
and get as much as you
can and this is the password
00:46:20.69\00:46:24.32
from the lock, from the storage.
00:46:24.35\00:46:26.60
So the local pastor took
six retired elderly people,
00:46:26.63\00:46:31.47
they went there
each one two suitcases.
00:46:31.50\00:46:36.21
Today, tomorrow and the guard
started to make fun of them.
00:46:36.24\00:46:41.15
Four 18 wheelers, it's
gonna take you forever.
00:46:41.18\00:46:46.17
Day by day 14 suitcases,
00:46:46.20\00:46:50.18
seven people, six
plus the pastor two each
00:46:50.21\00:46:52.65
you know,
doesn't make much sense.
00:46:52.68\00:46:55.19
And the guard
says, why do you do that,
00:46:55.22\00:46:58.20
how much money do you
make selling this junk?
00:46:58.23\00:47:01.32
They said, you got it all wrong,
00:47:01.35\00:47:02.42
we don't make a penny.
00:47:02.45\00:47:04.08
We want to do what Jesus
did. We want to help the poor.
00:47:04.11\00:47:07.70
We want to make a difference.
00:47:07.73\00:47:09.34
We want to help
people and pray for people.
00:47:09.37\00:47:12.25
We care for people.
00:47:12.28\00:47:13.64
And the guard
says, there is no Jesus,
00:47:13.67\00:47:16.61
there is no God.
00:47:16.64\00:47:18.04
And the pastor says,
yes, you may not have a God
00:47:18.07\00:47:19.71
but I have one and I
know Him and I see Him
00:47:19.74\00:47:21.68
and I hear Him
daily, there is a God.
00:47:21.71\00:47:24.52
And he's very alive in my life.
00:47:24.55\00:47:27.35
And the guard says,
no, if you can prove to me
00:47:27.38\00:47:29.72
that there is a
God, I'll believe Him too
00:47:29.75\00:47:31.18
but I'm pretty
disappointed with you
00:47:31.21\00:47:33.21
and the pastor says, sit down,
00:47:33.24\00:47:35.09
I'm gonna show you
today that there is a God
00:47:35.12\00:47:36.98
and he gave him a
full Bible study on grace.
00:47:37.01\00:47:40.10
And the guard says, my
soldiers need to hear that,
00:47:40.13\00:47:42.70
so he calls them
and out of 12 soldiers,
00:47:42.73\00:47:46.21
one stays at the
customs and 11 listen.
00:47:46.24\00:47:51.04
And everyday as
they bring suitcases
00:47:51.07\00:47:53.47
they give another Bible study.
00:47:53.50\00:47:55.70
And a month later 11
soldiers get baptized.
00:47:55.73\00:47:59.71
Amen. Amen.
00:47:59.74\00:48:01.97
And the guard
says, you know what,
00:48:02.00\00:48:05.59
take all that is leftover,
you don't have to pay a penny
00:48:05.62\00:48:08.02
for the customs
and he lets them in.
00:48:08.05\00:48:10.75
So the pastor calls
Funny and says, Funny,
00:48:10.78\00:48:13.30
this is the reason God
didn't answer your prayer.
00:48:13.33\00:48:15.81
He answered better prayer.
00:48:15.84\00:48:19.97
And Funny said to me,
00:48:20.00\00:48:21.67
I just came
short ago from Ukraine
00:48:21.70\00:48:25.24
and I'm waiting
for the next step
00:48:25.27\00:48:26.99
and he says, since
I sold my business,
00:48:27.02\00:48:29.06
my life changed.
00:48:29.09\00:48:30.54
And he said, I never
had less food than before,
00:48:30.57\00:48:34.90
I never a month,
there is no month
00:48:34.93\00:48:38.59
that I didn't pay my
bills, God provided for me
00:48:38.62\00:48:41.73
just the same like
when I had my business,
00:48:41.76\00:48:44.47
but somehow God is using me now.
00:48:44.50\00:48:47.97
Folks, what if everyone in
our churches would do that?
00:48:48.00\00:48:54.71
Jesus would come tomorrow,
oh, no, today, tonight.
00:48:54.74\00:49:01.27
We need to learn the
principle of self-renunciation,
00:49:01.30\00:49:06.97
death to self
00:49:07.00\00:49:08.03
and if we don't
learn it today then when?
00:49:08.06\00:49:12.22
My time is almost up
but this is the harsh
00:49:12.25\00:49:16.99
side of discipleship
unless you die to self,
00:49:17.02\00:49:21.53
you're not worthy
to be My disciple.
00:49:21.56\00:49:24.38
Basically God
says, you may think
00:49:24.41\00:49:26.57
that you're My
disciple but you're lukewarm,
00:49:26.60\00:49:31.03
you're not hot, you're not cold,
00:49:31.06\00:49:34.28
you're somewhere in
between and Paul says,
00:49:34.31\00:49:36.35
if you're not with
God and not with Satan
00:49:36.38\00:49:38.96
is the most miserable position
because you lose it all.
00:49:38.99\00:49:42.19
Either left or
right, make up your mind.
00:49:42.22\00:49:46.63
The principle of
self renunciation,
00:49:46.66\00:49:48.95
the cost of discipleship
to give up everything,
00:49:48.98\00:49:52.80
to live for God, to
bless, to renounce to die daily.
00:49:52.83\00:49:56.72
By the way, I
remember, I talk to my wife
00:49:56.75\00:50:00.55
and I said,
honey, there is no month
00:50:00.58\00:50:03.22
that better be God who calls you
00:50:03.25\00:50:05.27
because if not
I'm going to answer.
00:50:05.30\00:50:07.43
Okay. So back to the story.
00:50:07.46\00:50:11.49
So, my wife and
I talk and we said,
00:50:11.52\00:50:14.38
God has been faithful to us.
00:50:14.41\00:50:16.03
We used to have a
big business in Romania,
00:50:16.06\00:50:17.87
we sold it all when
they called us to ministry.
00:50:17.90\00:50:20.79
And you're never sorry,
00:50:20.82\00:50:21.93
in fact we consider
it a privilege, a joy.
00:50:21.96\00:50:25.72
And my wife and I talk to them
and we said we need to learn
00:50:25.75\00:50:29.86
to be more
committed, 100% committed.
00:50:29.89\00:50:34.14
And they remember one morning,
00:50:34.17\00:50:39.60
I paid my bills, first I
put one side the tithe check,
00:50:39.63\00:50:45.56
and then the offerings,
00:50:45.59\00:50:47.19
I put some money for offerings,
00:50:47.22\00:50:48.49
and then for the poor,
and then I paid my bills,
00:50:48.52\00:50:51.04
and then I had the
money for my son's tuition,
00:50:51.07\00:50:53.13
and then nothing leftover.
00:50:53.16\00:50:54.65
By the way, when
you put God first,
00:50:54.68\00:50:56.99
God uses the chewing
gum principle for you.
00:50:57.02\00:50:59.77
You know what that is?
00:50:59.80\00:51:01.21
The chewing principle, you know,
00:51:01.24\00:51:03.36
that you can chew gum
for ever, it never ends.
00:51:03.39\00:51:07.19
God will make the
leftover money last for ever.
00:51:07.22\00:51:11.81
That's the chewing principle.
00:51:11.84\00:51:15.54
So that's what
God has done to us,
00:51:15.57\00:51:18.30
every single time
when we give up everything,
00:51:18.33\00:51:20.90
God makes it whatever
is leftover last for ever.
00:51:20.93\00:51:23.72
And we have a pretty good time.
00:51:23.75\00:51:25.05
I mean, I consider
myself extremely blessed
00:51:25.08\00:51:28.02
and I mean that, I'm
not trying to be humble
00:51:28.05\00:51:29.74
or to lie or to impress you.
00:51:29.77\00:51:31.53
I consider myself blessed.
00:51:31.56\00:51:34.45
And so, I had the
money for tuition,
00:51:34.48\00:51:39.63
and as I-- I said,
00:51:39.66\00:51:42.66
you know, if you keep them
in the house we may spend them,
00:51:42.69\00:51:44.48
let's go to school and
pay tuition for my son.
00:51:44.51\00:51:46.48
I got it in my
pocket, I got in the van,
00:51:46.51\00:51:48.41
now I had the Toyota
Sienna, not that Dodge.
00:51:48.44\00:51:51.31
That is a good van.
00:51:51.34\00:51:53.68
Anyway, so I got in the van,
00:51:53.71\00:51:55.34
it was pouring,
the rain was so heavy.
00:51:55.37\00:51:59.06
And I'm driving
four miles to the school
00:51:59.09\00:52:01.23
around the block four times,
00:52:01.26\00:52:02.63
so I go left and I go left
and I go left and I go left,
00:52:02.66\00:52:05.32
and I'm close to the school
00:52:05.35\00:52:06.67
went to turn in to
the school driveway,
00:52:06.70\00:52:08.80
somebody there after she dropped
00:52:08.83\00:52:10.79
her children to the school,
00:52:10.82\00:52:12.37
she is walking back
home through the rain
00:52:12.40\00:52:14.98
and she is crying
and cleaning her eyes.
00:52:15.01\00:52:17.80
And I stopped and she--
00:52:17.83\00:52:19.89
I just baptized her
a few months before.
00:52:19.92\00:52:21.79
And I said, what is wrong,
00:52:21.82\00:52:23.03
why do you cry,
why do you walk home?
00:52:23.06\00:52:25.38
And she says, I cannot tell you.
00:52:25.41\00:52:26.58
I said, you got
to, I'm the pastor.
00:52:26.61\00:52:28.20
And she says, oh,
you're not the Catholic priest,
00:52:28.23\00:52:29.78
I don't have to
tell you everything.
00:52:29.81\00:52:31.16
I said, yes, you are right,
00:52:31.19\00:52:32.22
you don't have to
tell me everything
00:52:32.25\00:52:33.28
but you are crying and
I need to pray for you.
00:52:33.31\00:52:36.45
And she says,
well, I hate to tell.
00:52:36.48\00:52:38.03
I said, okay, hate but tell me.
00:52:38.06\00:52:40.70
She says, well,
they closed the business,
00:52:40.73\00:52:44.49
so we got laid off.
00:52:44.52\00:52:47.00
I lost my job and I
didn't pay the apartment
00:52:47.03\00:52:50.31
and the lady evicted me,
and she had two small children.
00:52:50.34\00:52:55.02
And then she
says, I had no food,
00:52:55.05\00:52:56.68
and I didn't pay electricity,
and I didn't pay gas,
00:52:56.71\00:52:59.02
and I didn't pay telephone,
00:52:59.05\00:53:00.37
and today we used
the last two potatoes,
00:53:00.40\00:53:03.41
and we don't know where to go,
00:53:03.44\00:53:04.51
and we don't know what to
eat, and we're in the street.
00:53:04.54\00:53:07.37
And she says my two children
are in the neighbor's house
00:53:07.40\00:53:09.76
but we cannot in
the neighbor too long.
00:53:09.79\00:53:13.86
And God spoke to me and said,
you need to solve this problem.
00:53:13.89\00:53:17.97
And I said, Lord, all I
have is the tuition money
00:53:18.00\00:53:21.51
and I've got to pay tuition.
00:53:21.54\00:53:23.15
And the Lord said death to self.
00:53:23.18\00:53:25.94
I said, Lord, but I
still have to pay tuition.
00:53:25.97\00:53:29.24
And the Lord said
you don't hear it.
00:53:29.27\00:53:31.12
Give it all up. So I said, okay.
00:53:31.15\00:53:34.45
I said, get in the van.
00:53:34.48\00:53:35.76
We went to Aldi store.
Do you know Aldi store?
00:53:35.79\00:53:37.82
It's the
cheapest possible store,
00:53:37.85\00:53:39.30
but still, you know, food.
00:53:39.33\00:53:41.97
And I got there, I
filled a cart with stuff
00:53:42.00\00:53:45.92
and she was kind
of smiling a little
00:53:45.95\00:53:47.62
and I said that's good news.
00:53:47.65\00:53:49.48
And then drove
back to the neighbors
00:53:49.51\00:53:52.54
and then after
we unloaded the van,
00:53:52.57\00:53:55.22
I called the
landlord and I said,
00:53:55.25\00:53:57.86
what church do you go to?
00:53:57.89\00:53:59.62
Oh, I go to the... and
I'm not going to tell you,
00:53:59.65\00:54:01.68
it was a different
denomination, not Adventist
00:54:01.71\00:54:03.65
but I don't want to tell you
00:54:03.68\00:54:05.10
because I don't
want to blame any church,
00:54:05.13\00:54:07.40
because it's not the
church that is good or bad,
00:54:07.43\00:54:09.42
it's the people, you know.
00:54:09.45\00:54:11.23
And they are
everywhere, good and bad people
00:54:11.26\00:54:12.72
and we are good
and bad it depends.
00:54:12.75\00:54:15.38
So, I said, it's that what
your pastor is teaching you.
00:54:15.41\00:54:19.61
He says, who are
you to talk that way.
00:54:19.64\00:54:21.68
I said, I don't care who I am,
00:54:21.71\00:54:23.43
I just tell it's that what
your pastor is teaching you,
00:54:23.46\00:54:25.87
I'm gonna call your pastor
and tell him what you did.
00:54:25.90\00:54:28.90
And she says, go
ahead, I don't care.
00:54:28.93\00:54:30.38
I said, hey, I'm
not going to stop there,
00:54:30.41\00:54:32.34
I call your pastor
00:54:32.37\00:54:33.59
and then I'm gonna
put it over the internet.
00:54:33.62\00:54:35.85
I said, I'm gonna go
against you full throttle,
00:54:35.88\00:54:38.00
I'm going to just?
00:54:38.03\00:54:39.23
How could you
learn from the Bible
00:54:39.26\00:54:42.16
to love your
neighbor as you love yourself,
00:54:42.19\00:54:44.75
to do like Jesus did?
00:54:44.78\00:54:46.37
You call yourself a Christian,
00:54:46.40\00:54:48.11
and when Jesus come and
says, I was poor, I was naked.
00:54:48.14\00:54:51.64
How could you call
yourself a Christian
00:54:51.67\00:54:53.34
when this lady is in the street
00:54:53.37\00:54:54.58
in the rain with
two small children?
00:54:54.61\00:54:56.45
And she was quiet.
00:54:56.48\00:54:57.53
I said, do you
have children? Yes.
00:54:57.56\00:54:59.36
Is this is the
example you give them.
00:54:59.39\00:55:00.72
Is this what you
want them to learn.
00:55:00.75\00:55:02.51
She said, but she didn't pay.
00:55:02.54\00:55:03.65
I said, she
doesn't have the money,
00:55:03.68\00:55:05.20
she lost her job.
00:55:05.23\00:55:07.26
I said this is the money
that I have in my pocket.
00:55:07.29\00:55:12.19
This is tuition
money for my son.
00:55:12.22\00:55:14.35
I'm willing to give them all up
00:55:14.38\00:55:16.63
but that's just about
half of what she owes you.
00:55:16.66\00:55:19.64
If you would
forgive the other half
00:55:19.67\00:55:21.84
and let me tell you,
you can afford more than me,
00:55:21.87\00:55:25.17
because you own
quite a few apartments.
00:55:25.20\00:55:28.53
And she says,
okay, I am gonna do that.
00:55:28.56\00:55:30.79
I said, praise the Lord.
00:55:30.82\00:55:32.77
And then I called my
elders and I said, this Sabbath,
00:55:32.80\00:55:35.83
you will not have a sermon
and you will not have a pastor
00:55:35.86\00:55:37.75
unless you did
what-- you do what I did.
00:55:37.78\00:55:39.97
And they said, what did you
do? And I told them the story.
00:55:40.00\00:55:42.21
And I said, I want you
to get the money together,
00:55:42.24\00:55:44.76
not from the church budget,
but from your own pocket,
00:55:44.79\00:55:48.11
and I want you
to pay electricity
00:55:48.14\00:55:49.98
and gas and power and telephone
for this lady, and they did.
00:55:50.01\00:55:55.49
Then I talked to
the lady and I said,
00:55:55.52\00:55:57.07
I want you to find
the job this month,
00:55:57.10\00:55:59.03
I don't care, work at Walmart.
00:55:59.06\00:56:01.14
And then while you work
here, you'll find the better job
00:56:01.17\00:56:03.82
and next month
we'll not help you again,
00:56:03.85\00:56:05.59
but next month you come
to me and you tell me that
00:56:05.62\00:56:07.75
from little salary that you got,
00:56:07.78\00:56:09.20
you help somebody else,
00:56:09.23\00:56:10.42
I want you to do
that for me, and she did.
00:56:10.45\00:56:12.78
She went to
Walmart, she got a job.
00:56:12.81\00:56:14.00
Next month she told me
that she helped somebody
00:56:14.03\00:56:15.78
and she gave me the name.
00:56:15.81\00:56:18.49
But after she was
back in her apartment,
00:56:18.52\00:56:21.66
she started to cry,
and I said, why do you cry.
00:56:21.69\00:56:24.52
She said, pastor,
00:56:24.55\00:56:25.58
I never had such a
good day in my whole life.
00:56:25.61\00:56:27.82
This is God's church.
00:56:27.85\00:56:30.69
This is not just sermons,
this is living like Jesus.
00:56:30.72\00:56:34.05
I feel home than any
home in my entire life.
00:56:34.08\00:56:37.63
I feel that this is the
church I should die for.
00:56:37.66\00:56:41.31
And she started to
hug me and to kiss me
00:56:41.34\00:56:42.60
and she would not
stop and she made my day,
00:56:42.63\00:56:44.30
believe me.
00:56:44.33\00:56:46.88
And so I went home
and I told my wife, honey,
00:56:46.91\00:56:48.87
I didn't pay tuition,
and I don't have the money.
00:56:48.90\00:56:51.40
She said, you lost the
money. No, this is what I did.
00:56:51.43\00:56:53.96
And my wife hugged me and said,
00:56:53.99\00:56:55.41
good for you,
good for you, pastor.
00:56:55.44\00:56:57.24
That's the way you should live.
00:56:57.27\00:56:58.30
That's what God called us to do.
00:56:58.33\00:56:59.82
And she said, God will provide,
00:56:59.85\00:57:00.99
and God did
provide, we did paid tuition.
00:57:01.02\00:57:04.07
That day I got the money back
from taxes and I paid tuition.
00:57:04.10\00:57:08.81
That very day at 2:30 p.m.
00:57:08.84\00:57:10.33
I got the money back
from taxes and I paid tuition.
00:57:10.36\00:57:13.90
The point is not what
you give, what you do.
00:57:13.93\00:57:19.07
But the point, the
secret to a new life,
00:57:19.10\00:57:22.04
the key to salvation,
the key to being used,
00:57:22.07\00:57:24.54
the key to growth,
00:57:24.57\00:57:26.30
the key to follow
Christ is to die to self.
00:57:26.33\00:57:30.65
I've been crucified
and I no longer live.
00:57:30.68\00:57:34.05
I die daily.
00:57:34.08\00:57:35.47
"Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and dies,
00:57:35.50\00:57:39.07
it remains alone.
00:57:39.10\00:57:40.49
But if it dies,
it bears much fruit."
00:57:40.52\00:57:43.11
The key to bear
fruit is to die daily.
00:57:43.14\00:57:46.91
And you'll never accomplish much
00:57:46.94\00:57:49.22
before we die and when we die,
00:57:49.25\00:57:51.71
God is gonna
live in you and in me.
00:57:51.74\00:57:53.61
He's gonna do what we cannot do.
00:57:53.64\00:57:55.71