Participants: David D. Kim
Series Code: 13GYC
Program Code: 13GYC000013
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00:13 Happy Sabbath GYC, and good afternoon.
00:19 Today, this afternoon we have the pleasure 00:22 to have as our speaker, David Kim. 00:27 But before we do so why don't we pray together. 00:32 Let us pray. 00:35 Dear Heavenly Father, what a privilege it is 00:38 to spend a Sabbath day in your presence. 00:42 Lord, as we're about to go with this afternoon program, 00:46 may your Holy Spirit be with us. 00:48 May you guide us and lead us into all truth. 00:52 And Father, may you come very soon. 00:56 In the name of Jesus we pray, amen. 00:59 Our speaker for this afternoon is none other but David Kim. 01:05 And I will read a short bio about David Kim. 01:10 David Kim is an Adventist business executive. 01:14 After earning his MBA from Stanford University 01:18 he built a career in business strategy 01:21 as a management consultant with Bain and Company. 01:27 He is now is senior executive at The Vanguard Group, 01:32 prior to his business career 01:34 David was a professional cellist 01:37 with a Hong Kong philanthro monic. 01:41 He earned a bachelor's degree 01:43 from the esteemed school of music 01:47 and a master's from Northwest University 01:50 in cello performance. 01:53 David has a passion for reaching the highly educated 01:57 and accomplish in the corporate world. 02:01 David lives with his wife Grace and two children, amen. 02:08 We'll have a brief announcement and after the announcement 02:11 we'll have a special music and after that special music 02:15 it will be none other but David Kim. 02:26 Hello, GYC. 02:29 Who has been through the prayer room? 02:33 Praise the Lord but we need more hands 02:36 and I'm hoping that Confiance, who is from France, 02:39 when you hear her experience 02:41 you'll be convicted to go to the prayer room. 02:43 Confiance, you experience a prayer room at GYC Europe 02:47 couple of years ago also ARME Bible Camp last year. 02:50 Tell us what was your experience in the prayer room? 02:52 Oh, wow. United prayer was amazing. 02:55 I just entered in and I felt peaceful like, 03:00 Jesus, and get the Holy Spirit presence. 03:04 Amen. It just fair that. 03:05 Amen. Yeah. 03:06 Now when you went back to France 03:09 how did this united prayer impact your prayer life? 03:13 Yeah. Now I'm just more organized. 03:16 When I pray I just talk to God like, 03:20 as my best friend, I'm going into details. 03:23 I used to pray no in generality or kind of the same prayer 03:27 and now it just like into details. 03:30 Yeah, I talk to Him as my best friend. 03:33 Now, that's how it impacted your prayer life 03:35 but listen how it impacted her church life 03:38 and the young people at church. 03:40 What happened? 03:41 Oh, then, when I went back home, 03:43 I just wanted to share it. 03:45 So what I have done is to create a prayer room at my, 03:49 at my home actually, at home. 03:52 So now we're like around 15-20 youth at home, 03:56 every Friday night just praying. 03:59 Amen. 04:00 And are they excited about prayer? 04:02 Oh, my. It's just amazing. 04:04 We just pray and sing and pray 04:06 and they remembered the first time 04:08 that was just amazing 'cause we finished to pray 04:11 and then said amen, and then one guy said, 04:14 oh, my God, that's the first time 04:16 I prayed for one hour. 04:18 It's just amazing. 04:20 She said it all come by the prayer room, 04:23 its room 330 on the third floor, 04:25 we're open this afternoon and tonight 04:27 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. 04:30 Don't miss it, God bless. 04:32 Just, I tried it, just by curiosity, I liked it. 04:36 It changed my life, my church life. 04:37 So I just tried it, try it. 08:32 Good afternoon, GYC. 08:35 It is a wonderful privilege to be with you this afternoon. 08:41 Would you please join me in prayer, 08:42 I'll kneel you may stay seated. 08:49 Our Lord God and Heavenly Father, 08:52 you are our God and we praise You. 08:55 We thank You for Jesus Christ, 08:58 the author and the finisher of our faith. 09:02 We pray Lord that You would be with us 09:05 in this plenary session. 09:08 We pray that you would speak through your humble servant 09:11 and that You and only You would be glorified. 09:16 We pray that the Holy Spirit 09:18 would give us hearing and comprehension 09:22 but even more important than comprehension, 09:26 we pray that the Holy Spirit would give us conviction. 09:31 Conviction of what it is that you have to say to us, 09:36 this Sabbath afternoon. 09:39 We pray this in Jesus' precious and lovely name, amen. 09:50 I'm the son of Korean immigrants. 09:53 I'm an elder brother, I'm a husband, I'm a father, 09:59 I'm a former professional cellist, 10:02 and I'm a corporate executive. 10:05 Yet, as important 10:07 and as defining each of these things is, 10:10 each of these facts is to who I am and my identity. 10:14 There is one fact that is more important 10:18 than any of these facts, to who I am, 10:22 what I am today and that is, 10:26 that I am the survivor of a chronic 10:29 and deadly disease. 10:33 It is a disease that affects millions around the world. 10:38 It is a, it runs in families 10:41 and is passed on through generations. 10:45 It is a silent killer. 10:49 There is no known cure for this disease 10:52 absent a literal miracle from the Lord Himself. 10:57 I am a survivor of Congenital Christianity. 11:07 Congenital Christianity is a spiritual condition. 11:11 It is in many ways similar 11:14 to Seventh-day Adventist Christianity 11:17 but it lacks one thing it is at its core superficial 11:23 and it lacks an authentic 11:25 saving relationship with Christ. 11:29 Some of you may be suffering from this very condition 11:33 and in order to help yourself diagnose 11:36 I'd like to share with you a non-comprehensive 11:40 list of potential symptoms you might observe. 11:43 Are you ready for the symptoms? 11:45 Do you want to know what they are? 11:48 Very well. 11:49 One, you avoid talking about your faith at work or at school 11:56 because you're not quite sure what your believe, 11:58 what you believe and your a little embarrassed. 12:03 Two, you know that Saturday is the Sabbath, 12:07 but what's the big deal it's just a day. 12:10 Three, you've heard that we have distinctive 12:14 biblical beliefs about death, hell and the sanctuary 12:19 but you have no idea what they are 12:21 and why they matter? 12:24 Four, you hear people refer to the Spirit of Prophecy 12:30 but you're ambivalent about it 12:32 even though you've never actually read any of the books. 12:37 Five, those beasts on the prophecy seminar 12:41 flyer look strange and bizarre to you 12:44 and you've got no clue what they mean. 12:48 Six, you think that mega church down the street 12:52 is a lot more fun and a lot more interesting 12:58 but you feel sort of bad that you think that. 13:03 Seven, you abstain from all unclean meats, 13:08 except for pepperoni, bacon and shrimp 13:10 because they taste so good. 13:13 Amen. Don't say amen to that. 13:19 You abstain from all alcohol 13:23 except for a little beer and wine socially. 13:27 But, well, in the hard stuff, only mixed with orange juice 13:31 or cranberry juice because then you can taste it 13:34 and if you can taste it it's not there. 13:38 Eight, you dutifully wait until sundown on Sabbath 13:45 before you head to the theater to see Twilight in IMAX 3D. 13:52 Amen. 13:56 You go out to lunch after Sabbath church service 13:59 because surely God does not want you to starve 14:03 and those garlic breadsticks are so much yummier 14:06 than what they got at potluck. 14:11 Ten, this is the last one, 14:15 you go to church or Sabbath school most weeks 14:18 but you go because you want your kids to have exposure 14:21 even though you don't have any personal conviction 14:24 or investment in the faith. 14:28 These are just examples 14:30 but they should give you an idea 14:32 of what we're talking about. 14:33 Does any of this sound familiar? 14:35 Of course, not you. This is GYC, right. 14:39 Of course, not you, but maybe your friend 14:42 or a family member or another church member 14:45 you observed maybe the head elder. 14:50 Well, I have good news and I have bad news. 14:53 Which do you want first? I think the bad has it? 14:58 So we'll go with the bad news first 15:00 which is what I was planning to do anyway. 15:03 Amen. 15:05 The bad news is that untreated Congenital Christianity 15:08 leads to eternal death 100% of the time. 15:14 The bad news is that while the disease 15:17 is passed down the cure is not, 15:19 you cannot be saved by your parent's faith 15:22 or the faith and anyone else. 15:25 The bad news is that you must 15:27 affirmatively choose to be cured. 15:29 It won't just get better, you can't walk this off. 15:35 That's the bad news. 15:38 Who wants the good news? Amen. 15:41 The good news is that there is a cure 15:43 and I stand before you as living proof, 15:46 a Congenital Christianity survivor. 15:49 I testify to you that I have been cured 15:52 of this disease by the love of Jesus 15:55 and the power of the everlasting gospel. 15:59 The good news is that if God can save a wretch like me 16:02 He can surely save you. 16:05 And the good news is that is not too late. 16:08 It's not too late for you even if you have been suffering 16:12 under the putrefying, malaise, 16:15 lukewarmness of Congenital Christianity 16:18 for years or even decades. 16:20 It is not too late for you. 16:23 God can still reach down from His throne, 16:25 touch your heart and turn your heart 16:27 from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. 16:30 I know that He can do this because He did it for me. 16:36 My story begins three generations ago. 16:39 In the early 1900s when my great-grandfather 16:43 was the second ever ordained 16:45 Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Korea. 16:49 Amen. 16:51 His son, my grandfather, also entered the ministry 16:55 and he became the first native Korean 16:59 to be the president of the Korean Union Conference. 17:04 Amen. 17:06 His son, my father did not go into the ministry 17:10 but he attended Adventist schools all his life 17:13 until he went to one on the top medical schools in Korea 17:16 where he scored number one on the medical board exams 17:19 that year all the while observing Sabbath in a country 17:23 which required attending class on Saturdays, amen. 17:30 And that's where I come in because I was four months old 17:34 when my mother, my father, two suitcases and a baby 17:38 showed up in Boston for his residency. 17:40 So while I am a 1.5 generation Korean American, 17:45 I'm a fourth generation Seventh-day Adventist. 17:49 My roots in the faith go all the way 17:52 back to its earliest days in Korea. 17:55 And while many blessings come 17:57 from having this heritage in the church, 18:01 it comes with a predisposition to Congenital Christianity. 18:08 My earliest spiritual memory 18:10 comes from when I was four years old. 18:13 I would come downstairs early on Sunday mornings 18:17 to watch television while my parent's slept. 18:21 And it didn't take me long to notice 18:23 that every channel I turn to, 18:25 actually wouldn't have remote controls 18:26 back then, I'm that old, 18:29 every channel I turn to and we didn't have cable 18:31 we only had rabbit ears, I'm that old. 18:36 Every channel I turn to, it didn't have cartoons. 18:39 Has anyone ever heard of Sunday morning cartoons? 18:42 Nope? 18:44 What do you have on Sunday mornings? 18:47 You have church services, right. 18:49 So every channel I turn to had church services 18:52 and even at the age of four I saw, are they confused? 18:57 What, what day is this? 18:59 This is why, why are they going to church on Sunday? 19:03 And after a little while of this 19:06 I decided I would ask my mother 19:08 and so my four-year-old feet walked to the kitchen 19:11 where my mother was doing the dishes. 19:14 And she was a very busy young mother 19:17 of a four-year-old and two-year-old 19:20 I said to her, umma, which means mommy in Korean. 19:24 I said, umma, why are all these people 19:26 going to church on Sunday? 19:28 Don't they know that Saturday is the Sabbath? 19:32 Now, before I tell you what she said, 19:34 I need to clarify something. 19:36 I thank the Lord for my mother's faith, amen. 19:39 She is a Bible worker, she's a church planter, 19:42 she is an evangelist amongst the Korean immigrant community. 19:46 But at the time of this 19:48 she was at a different place in her spiritual walk. 19:51 And so I said to her umma, why are these people 19:54 going to church on Sunday not on Sabbath? 19:57 And she said to me, 19:59 I don't know and left it at that. 20:04 Now I don't know why she said that. 20:06 Maybe she was just too busy right, mother of two 20:10 four-year-old and two-year-old known to be busy. 20:14 Maybe she was too busy 20:15 she don't want to take the time to explain it to me. 20:19 Or maybe she thought I was too young 20:21 to understand a fuller explanation. 20:23 I don't know what the reason was 20:25 but what I do know is that 20:26 I left that conversation scratching my head. 20:29 I was utterly confused 20:31 and I thought if my mother doesn't know who knows? 20:35 One of the primary risk factors 20:37 for Congenital Christianity is confusion. 20:41 From my earliest childhood experience 20:43 I was confused about what we believed 20:45 and I did not receive the instruction in the home. 20:49 Parents and future parents, this is why the Lord 20:52 in His divine wisdom told us in Deuteronomy 6:6,7, 20:57 "And these words which I command you today 20:59 shall be in your heart. 21:01 You shall teach them diligently to your children, 21:04 and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, 21:07 when you walk by the way, 21:08 when you lie down, and when you rise up," 21:10 which is Bible language for all the time. 21:14 Amen. 21:15 If you leave your children confused, 21:18 even when they're in beginners or kindergarten, 21:20 you increase their risk of Congenital Christianity. 21:23 You might think that they're too young to understand. 21:27 You might think that they're not paying attention 21:29 but they are paying attention and they are watching you 21:32 and they're listening to you more than you know. 21:36 And even from these early formative years 21:39 you have the opportunity to give them 21:40 the vaccine of a soundly biblical age 21:46 appropriate foundation for their faith, amen. 21:51 The ensuing years of my childhood and adolescence 21:54 read like a classic textbook case 21:56 of Congenital Christianity. 21:57 In the sixth grade I was pulled out 21:59 of the Adventist schools for two reasons. 22:02 Reason number one, the excessive PDA's on the part 22:07 of the high school kids at the co-located academy, 22:09 I don't mean iPhones, I mean public displays of affection 22:15 and it got into the point where my parents felt 22:17 that it was not an appropriate place for their sixth grader 22:21 and their fourth grader to be at school. 22:24 Reason number two, 22:25 the academics were not as challenging as I needed. 22:30 I must admit that I was getting bored even at that age. 22:34 And so my parents took me out and they put me 22:36 in a public school starting in sixth grade 22:38 which was actually quite good for me, academically, 22:42 but my faith was assaulted from all sides continually. 22:47 Specifically my faith with under assault 22:50 from the curriculum, the extracurricular 22:54 and the peer pressure. 22:56 We'll talk about each one, 22:57 let's talk about the curriculum. 22:59 The curriculum was 100% secular and humanistic 23:03 from biology to English literature 23:06 I was exposed to the breath of worldviews 23:08 in which humanism was glorified and God was torn down. 23:14 Now don't get me wrong, I presented a seminar this week 23:17 on witnessing to the wealthy, worldly a well-educated 23:21 and as a missionary to these people 23:23 we need to understand their mindset 23:25 and understand their culture. 23:26 We need to be able to speak that language. 23:30 But exposure to these worldviews can be dangerous 23:33 if we are not firmly grounded in the reality of God 23:37 and the truth of His word, amen. 23:40 By beholding you become change and if all you are beholding 23:44 as Darwin, Kant, Russo and Richard Dawkins 23:48 and you're not beholding Moses, Daniel, 23:53 John and Paul and the others then you will be changed. 23:59 Best case you set yourself up for confusion and doubt, 24:02 worst case you'll set yourself up 24:04 for apostasy or even atheism. 24:10 So that was the curriculum but beyond the curriculum 24:13 or the extracurricular activities 24:15 whether sports, clubs, arts or academic 24:18 it seem everything conflicted with the Sabbath, amen. 24:24 If it's not can-- if you're in a public school 24:27 and the stuff is not conflicting for you, 24:30 you need to listen to the rest for this message. 24:34 It seems that everything conflicted with the Sabbath 24:36 and I struggled greatly with these conflicts 24:40 because my unconverted heart 24:41 wanted to achieve much in the world. 24:44 And I thought the way to achieve much in the world 24:46 was to receive the validation of the world 24:49 rather than relying on the mighty 24:50 right arm of the Lord. 24:55 In my case, I was gaining some success as a cellist. 24:59 I was one of the best in the State of California. 25:02 Now it's considering cello performance as a profession 25:05 and one of the ways that you develop a track record 25:09 and music performances, the competition circuit. 25:13 But time after time after time I had to decline participation 25:17 because all of these competitions 25:19 were on the Sabbath. 25:20 It was a difficult excruciating struggle in my teenage mind 25:25 and the struggle was compounded by the fact 25:27 that individuals in our own Seventh- day Adventist Church 25:29 were encouraging me to compromise. 25:34 By the way, we should not find it strange 25:37 that Satan would use the world 25:39 to make it difficult for us to keep the Sabbath. 25:45 There was a sweet older woman, 25:47 she was one of the pillars of our local church 25:49 and she was a strong supporter of the local music scene. 25:52 She knew of my talent as well as my struggle. 25:55 I will never forget one Sabbath afternoon, 25:58 when she pulled me aside 26:00 and she told me it would be okay, 26:02 it would be okay if I competed because two reasons, 26:07 one, I'd be playing good classical music 26:13 and that's another sermon. 26:14 Two, two, because I'd be glorifying God with my talent. 26:21 And so she said it would be okay. 26:24 I'm convinced that she meant well. 26:26 But this well-intentioned church member 26:28 was causing even more confusion for me 26:31 and setting me up for compromise 26:33 and ultimately full-blown Congenital Christianity. 26:36 We would do well to recall Jesus' words, in Matthew 18:6, 26:42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones 26:45 who believes in me to sin, 26:47 it would be better for him or her 26:51 if a millstone were hung around his neck 26:54 and he were drowned in that depth of to sea." 27:01 Church family, you don't have to be blood 27:04 related to someone to inflame their Congenital Christianity. 27:09 You can even be a well-meaning church member but be careful 27:13 because you may make yourself a contributing factor 27:16 to someone else's Congenital Christianity 27:18 and Lord have mercy on you if you do that. 27:24 So we've talked about the curriculum 27:26 and how it undermined my faith. 27:29 We've talked about the extracurriculars 27:31 and how they create a conflict in my heart 27:35 but the third factor, the most powerful 27:37 and potent factor with the peer pressure. 27:40 Beginning in the sixth grade, through my peers, 27:43 I was exposed to the range of filth and wickedness 27:47 that we unfortunately consider a normal part of growing up. 27:54 Between the school bus, the sleepover, 27:57 the field trip, the cafeteria, 28:01 the popular media and various and sundry 28:04 other settings wherever I turned 28:05 Satan was there to teach me 28:09 what was pleasurable and desirable 28:11 and required for social standing 28:13 and required for emotional fulfillment 28:15 and for physical gratification and ultimately happiness. 28:21 I'm being a little bit delicate 28:23 because this is a G-rated sermon. 28:27 But I hope you understand what I mean. 28:29 In fact, from all I can gather from the news 28:31 and the media today it is even worse. 28:35 Not a day goes by, 28:37 that I don't see another sensational, 28:39 salacious news story about what some young people did 28:43 and who they did it to and when they did it to them 28:46 and where and how often in the locker room, 28:49 behind the cafeteria, in the dorm, 28:52 on Facebook, with a cell phone or with the webcam. 28:58 Of course, there are exceptions. 29:01 There are exceptions. 29:03 But for every person who has managed to handle 29:05 the onslaught of peer pressure and emerge unscathed an untold 29:10 multiple of that number, see, hear, touch, taste, smell, 29:16 images, media, substances it have buried experiences 29:22 which leave deep mental, emotional 29:25 and even physical scars which will haunt them 29:28 for the rest of their lives. 29:31 There are many of you right here in this hall, 29:34 who know exactly what I'm talking about. 29:36 You've been there, you've done that 29:40 and you walk through life bearing the resulting guilt 29:44 and shame of what you've been through. 29:49 Satan uses these emotions and these experiences 29:53 to make you wonder if God is even there. 29:57 He uses these experiences to make you wonder 30:00 if God is even there and if He's there, if He cares. 30:04 Or if He cares whether He is even capable 30:08 of delivering you from this body of death? 30:14 Satan infiltrate your mind and your thinking 30:16 and he may even push you to the point 30:18 where you would wish that God did not even exist 30:22 because if God did exist as the Bible says, 30:25 and if you were as pure and as holy 30:27 and as righteous as the Bible says 30:30 then you would be certainly destined for eternal death. 30:33 And so you say to yourself 30:35 and Satan puts this thought in your mind 30:37 that if God doesn't exist then I'm okay 30:39 and you choose that point of view. 30:44 It is with this mindset 30:45 that I limped my way through high school. 30:50 All of this hurt shame, 30:52 conflicted emotion hid in beside of facade, 30:56 behind a facade of perfect grades, 30:59 musical accolades and admission 31:01 to world-classschools like Stanford University 31:05 and the Eastman School of Music. 31:09 I was chasing the world 31:11 and I was doing very well by its standards 31:14 but all the while I was ambivalent toward God, 31:17 I was resentful toward His church. 31:20 Now it's completely, spiritually ungrounded 31:23 cast adrift in a sea of worldliness 31:27 and secularism. 31:31 Against this backdrop I went off to Eastman 31:33 and as any newcollege freshman I was looking for affiliation, 31:36 I was looking for belonging and one of the places 31:38 I look for this without the local chapter 31:40 of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. 31:43 Of course there wasn't an Adventist group on campus. 31:48 Of course, there wasn't one and I was still glad to hear 31:51 what Elder Wilson said this morning about that 31:53 and I thank the Lord for the ground 31:56 that has been, the path that has been 31:58 laid by Campus Ministries in Michigan, amen. 32:03 So there wasn't an Adventist group 32:04 and it didn't matter to me 32:05 because I didn't know any better, 32:07 I don't know the difference. 32:08 I just thought we're like evangelicals 32:10 though we kept the Sabbath. 32:14 I will never forget the first Bible study I attended. 32:16 There were about 10 of us there, it was led by a senior, 32:20 a French horn player, his name was Drew. 32:23 And we went around the circle and we all said, 32:25 name, where you from, what you're studying 32:27 and something about your spiritual background. 32:30 So when it came to my turn a dialogue ensued 32:33 and sounded something like this. 32:35 Hi, my name is David Kim. 32:37 I'm from San Luis Obispo, California. 32:39 And I'm here studying cello performance 32:41 and my spiritual background is a Seventh-day Adventist, 32:44 my family is Seventh-day Adventist. 32:46 And so Drew then said to me, 32:47 oh, you're Seventh-day Adventist. 32:49 Huh, well, why is that? 32:51 And I said well my family is Seventh-day Adventist 32:52 then he, you know, I also think it's pretty clear 32:55 from the Bible that Saturday is the day of worship, 32:58 it's the Sabbath. 33:00 And Drew said, well, okay, 33:02 well, how about Colossians 2:16? 33:06 And I looked at him blankly, I said, oh, 33:08 you're gonna have to refresh my memory about that. 33:10 What you mean Colossians 2:16? 33:13 So Drew said, well, let's look it up, 33:15 let's look it up and let's read it together. 33:16 So I, I took my Bible out and I was, 33:19 I knew enough to know that Colossians was 33:21 in the New Testament, go eat popcorn. 33:29 Go eat popcorn, Colossians 2:16, 33:31 so we turn to it and so I started reading, 33:33 okay, I'll read this. 33:35 "So let no one judge you in food, or in drink, 33:38 or regarding a festival, or a new moon, or-- 33:47 Sabbath." 33:50 Does your Bible say Sabbath? 33:54 I will never forget that moment. 33:58 Drew says to me, right, 34:01 so by being so focused on keeping the law 34:04 you guys are just being legalist. 34:06 Jesus freed us from the law. 34:11 I'll never forget that moment. I was mortified. 34:15 I'd never seen that verse in my life. 34:17 I was completely out of laws to what to think. 34:20 You would think that someone who grew up in our church 34:22 would understand the difference between ceremonial Sabbath 34:25 and the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. 34:29 And if you don't understand what I just said 34:30 go talk to your pastor. 34:33 Amen. 34:35 But as you just heard 34:37 I did not learn about these things growing up 34:39 and so I felt confused, betrayed and humiliated. 34:43 I went-- never went back to that Bible study 34:45 and I stopped going to church. 34:47 My Congenital Christianity had him cast aside 34:51 and have checking out. 34:52 I never gave up on the idea of God 34:54 but I had no idea who He was, I had no idea what to believe, 34:57 I had no idea what church was the right one. 35:00 I was spiritually bewildered and so I left. 35:05 The next 14 years were blur. 35:07 I was in hot pursuit of worldly success 35:10 and I was succeeding. 35:11 Over that period of time I earned a bachelor's 35:13 and a master's degree in cello performance 35:15 from top schools with full scholarships. 35:18 I performed all over the world, 35:19 at some of the most prestigious venues, 35:20 under some other great conductors and orchestra. 35:23 I earned an MBA 35:24 from one of the top programs in the world. 35:27 I work at some of the most prestigious companies 35:28 in all of capitalism 35:30 and I married my beautiful wife and had two children. 35:34 I felt like I'd achieve the American dream. 35:38 I didn't have a white picket fence 35:40 but I had a solar heated swimming pool. 35:45 I'll take the pool. 35:48 Over the years the Lord had drawn me back in the church, 35:50 I married my wife in the church while we lived in Chicago 35:53 and I was even serving as an elder 35:55 when we went out to California 35:56 but I was not yet heart converted. 35:59 I was still just as confused about her message as ever. 36:02 My theology and my lifestyle were a mess. 36:05 The outside of the cup and dish were clean 36:08 but inside I was full of extortion 36:11 and self indulgence. 36:13 I was like a whitewashed tomb 36:16 which appeared beautiful outwardly 36:18 but inside I was full of dead bones 36:21 and all uncleanness. 36:23 On the outside I appeared righteous to men 36:26 but inside I was full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 36:32 This period of my life was marked 36:34 by an intense ambivalence 36:35 toward God, Adventism and Christianity. 36:38 As far as I could tell Seventh-day Adventists 36:40 or evangelicals who went to church on Saturday, 36:42 I was sticking to the Sabbath 36:44 out of a desire to adhere to the fourth commandment 36:46 but I was being a completely legalistic mindset to it. 36:49 On top in this I'd been diagnosed 36:51 with a degenerative bone condition in both my hips. 36:55 I was suffering through multiple, 36:56 unsuccessful surgeries and I was in a lot of pain 36:58 for the greater part of ten years 37:00 I walked with some combination of a limp, a cane and crutches. 37:06 I don't have them today, praise the Lord. 37:09 Amen. 37:11 As far as I could tell God was leaving me alone 37:14 to deal with this and I was angry at Him. 37:17 So I focused on worldly success but I called it 37:19 providing for my family because it sounded better. 37:25 I didn't have personal devotion, 37:27 I didn't study the Bible, 37:28 I never talked about my faith because I didn't have any. 37:30 We had family worship only inconsistently, 37:33 only if I happen to come home early enough, 37:36 for the kids to still be up which was rare, I was prideful, 37:39 covetous and ambitious for worldly things. 37:41 God and church was something I did for my children, 37:45 just in case, it were true. 37:49 But I was angry at God and consumed with the world. 37:51 Yet, through all of this God was trying to reach me, 37:54 there would be time to church when I would hear a song, 37:57 or a testimony or something in a sermon 37:59 that would touch my heart and tears would come to my eyes 38:04 but then I would quickly wipe them away 38:05 as inconspicuously as possible 38:07 and hope that no one had noticed. 38:11 In these moments I knew 38:12 that Holy Spirit was working on my heart 38:15 but I refused to yield to his promptings, 38:17 I was still too proud, too angry, 38:20 too consumed by the world 38:21 and I didn't know God much less I trust Him. 38:25 I didn't understand the Bible and its message, 38:27 it didn't make any sense to me, 38:29 I was Congenitally Christian but my heart was unconverted. 38:34 In the spiritual context 38:35 I was sitting at a church board meeting, 38:37 yes, I was sitting on the church board as an elder. 38:43 It was spring of 2008 and we're talking of 38:44 putting up the first evangelistic series 38:46 in over 10 years at that church. 38:49 And the pastor was talking about the importance 38:51 of every member attending all the meetings 38:54 to support the meetings. 38:57 And I remember thinking to myself, 38:59 wait, five nights per week for five weeks. 39:06 Really? I'll come on the weekend. 39:10 And I'll write a check. 39:11 Hey, I'm all about writing the check. 39:16 But I'm not gonna come during the week 39:19 when I'm so busy with work, 39:20 you just heard how busy I am with work. 39:23 So there was no way that was going to attend. 39:27 Little did I know that God had different plans for me. 39:31 Come November, instead of being busy with work 39:33 I'd been told that I need to find a new job 39:38 which was a shock 39:39 because only six months before I was doing great. 39:43 But I'd been caught in the undertow 39:44 of the great financial crisis of 2008, like so many others. 39:50 So the bad news was that I had to look for a job 39:52 during one of the worst financial crisis 39:54 in the history of economics. 39:57 But the good news was that 39:58 I had plenty of time to go to the meetings, amen. 40:03 And I give thanks to God for the opportunity 40:05 to hear the entire gospel message 40:07 in a systematic way. 40:09 And there were actually two meetings 40:12 as Taj Pacleb and as Jeffrey Rosario 40:17 unfolded the message step-by-step, 40:21 night after night 40:22 I saw for the first time the logic the coherence 40:25 and the reliability of the Bible 40:27 and our gospel message, 40:29 for the first time I could cut through 40:31 all the clichés involved with our Christian faith 40:34 and see that the Bible can be trusted. 40:37 I could see why an all-powerful 40:39 in all loving God would allow evil to exist for a season. 40:43 I could understand the physics of Salvation. 40:46 Who Jesus was, why he had to die 40:48 and what it has to do with me? 40:50 I could see that God has given us prophecy 40:53 to get us safely from here through eternity 40:57 if only we will read it. 41:00 I could see that all the do's 41:01 and don'ts that are associated with God 41:03 and the Bible and even our health message 41:05 are not because God is picky or arbitrary 41:08 but because He is trying to prepare us 41:10 for the reality of life 41:13 in His direct presence for all eternity. 41:18 Amen. 41:19 I could see that every word in His word 41:22 is love intended to fit us for heaven and earth made new. 41:29 For the first time God was real to me 41:31 because for the first time He made perfect sense. 41:36 Amen, I'll never forget how I felt 41:38 sitting in that hall looking up at the PowerPoint 41:42 and realizing for the first time 41:44 that the 70 week prophesy of Daniel Chapter 9 41:48 perfectly pinpointed 41:50 the beginning of Christ's ministry 41:52 in the 15th year a Tiberius Caesar. 41:56 Amen. 41:57 If you don't know what I just talked about 41:59 go talk to your pastor. 42:02 I had two media thoughts, 42:04 my first thought was, wow, this is true. 42:11 And my second thought was, well, this is true 42:14 I better do something about it. 42:17 And my life has never been the same. 42:20 The Lord put me on the road to recovery 42:23 and I've never looked back. 42:25 That next month was GYC, San Jose. 42:30 Amen for GYC. 42:32 And I decided that I would take a step out into evangelizing. 42:36 I decided to be a local bus guide 42:40 and I thought I could handle that 42:42 because I wouldn't actually have to get off the bus. 42:46 And actually knock on a door. 42:50 So I survived, I survive that experience intact 42:54 and I started to look for other witnessing 42:56 and training opportunities. 42:57 I attended AFCOE to go the four-day program 43:01 where I learned how to give personal Bible studies 43:03 and I accompanied my church's Bible worker. 43:06 Thank you, Eaker... 43:10 to follow up leads from GYC. 43:15 On the job search front God was faithful. 43:19 In the worst job market, in a generation 43:22 the Lord gave me not just one, not just two, not just three, 43:28 not just four, not just 5 43:30 but six excellent job opportunities. 43:35 I had to pick up the litter and that's what brought me 43:39 to Philadelphia where I live today. 43:42 And as I embarked on a new job opportunity 43:44 and a new place just over four years ago 43:46 it is almost as if God gave me 43:47 a clean sheet opportunity to start over. 43:51 And I purposed in my heart to be faithful to God 43:55 in all aspects of my life professional, personal 43:59 to bring my authentic faith to everything I do 44:03 and it may has made all the difference. 44:05 The Lord has been so faithful, He's blessed so richly. 44:08 Let me describe to you some other differences 44:10 I've seen in my life. 44:11 Not to bring glory to myself 44:12 but so you can see practical tangible differences. 44:18 I just told you what I was like 44:20 and now I'm going to show you what the Lord has done, amen. 44:25 Amen. 44:26 I have a regular devotional life on a depth 44:27 and consistency I have never had before. 44:29 In particular I am praying more than I ever have before. 44:33 I used to pray like a minute maybe. 44:38 But now as my walk with the Lord has deepened 44:41 I'll pray 30 minutes or more. 44:45 Amen. Amen. 44:46 Every morning and I will pray without ceasing 44:49 during the day as I go to my meetings 44:50 and talk to people and see and interact. 44:52 The Lord is teaching me how to praise Him 44:55 like David in the Psalms. 44:57 The Lord is teaching me how to confess specific sin, 45:02 so I have to confront every morning a new, 45:04 the wickedness in my heart 45:05 and realize that I need a Savior 45:08 and He is showing me also that I'm gaining victory over sin 45:11 because there are things I used to have to confess all the time 45:13 which have sort of fallen off the radar. 45:15 Praise the Lord. 45:16 But there are also things 45:17 which I used to have to confess all the time, 45:19 which I still have to confess all the time. 45:22 But that shows us, that shows me 45:25 what is most deeply seeded in my heart 45:29 and it drags me to my knees. 45:32 The Lord is teaching me how to pray for others, 45:34 intercessory prayer gets us out of selfishness 45:37 and into the garden of Gethsemane, 45:39 where Jesus prayed for you and for me. 45:42 God has given me the boldness, that spiritual conversation, 45:45 with everyone around me 45:46 I have a dozen or more of these every week 45:49 with people at my work in my swerve of influence. 45:53 These special conversations have led to Bible studies, 45:56 personal Bible studies with a range of people 45:58 from atheist to Buddhist, lawyers to MBA's to PhD's. 46:03 The Lord has changed my family life. 46:05 I used to rush out the door in the morning, 46:06 you heard that right I told you that. 46:08 And I'd stumble back in when the kids were asleep 46:11 but did that today we gather every morning for family prayer 46:15 and every evening we come together for family worship. 46:18 The Lord has continued to deepen my appreciation 46:21 for what it means to be a godly husband and father. 46:24 He has called me to pray every morning 46:26 that I would love my wife as Christ loves the church. 46:29 Giving, being willing to give my own body for her 46:33 and treating her as a member of my own body. 46:37 God is so merciful and good. 46:39 I'm so thankful that He got a hold in my heart 46:41 while my children were still young. 46:44 By His grace, 46:45 my Congenital Christianity will stop with me. 46:51 And by no means perfect 46:53 but I'm better than I used to be 46:56 and by the grace of God I'll be better every day 46:59 day by day from faith the faith and from glory to glory. 47:05 The Lord is even using my musical talents 47:07 in a completely new way. 47:08 In my congenital Christianity, 47:10 my music was a way to glorify myself into feed my own ego. 47:15 I consider doing special music a burden and beneath me. 47:19 And when I would do it I would play a classical piece 47:21 to better showcase my abilities. 47:25 Over the last few years however, 47:26 the Lord has been teaching me 47:28 how to perform for His glory and not my own, amen. 47:32 The combination of this process has been my involvement 47:36 with an amazing recording project called the Lamb Wins. 47:40 It is an epic musical journey through the Book of Revelation, 47:43 the songs take you chapter by chapter, 47:45 verse by verse to the entire Book of Revelation. 47:48 It is textually rich, theologically powerful, 47:52 culturally relevant and eminently listenable 47:54 which is technical language for the tunes are really catchy. 48:01 God is revealed to me how much 48:02 He has changed me through this project. 48:04 This is the most gratifying musical endeavor 48:06 I've ever been a part of 48:07 because He has redeemed my musical talents 48:10 from glorifying my carnal self to glorifying God. 48:16 So what about you? 48:19 Are you suffering from Congenital Christianity? 48:23 Is your religious experience dry and barren? 48:27 Are you keeping up appearances at church 48:31 while feeling empty inside? 48:35 Do you feel as if your path in Christianity 48:38 and in Adventism 48:39 were predetermined for you by a genealogical heritage 48:44 from your parents or your grandparents 48:46 or perhaps you came later to the faith 48:47 but you've lost your first love. 48:50 I have good news for you. 48:54 You too have the opportunity indeed the obligation 48:57 to make your own decision for Christ. 49:01 You cannot be saved by your parent's faith. 49:04 You cannot be saved by your husband or your wife's faith. 49:08 You cannot be saved by your graduating class 49:11 that Adventist school can give you a degree 49:14 but it cannot give you salvation. 49:18 The choice is up to you. The cure is available to you. 49:23 Jesus is waiting for you. 49:26 He is out the door, He wants to come in, 49:28 He wants to destroy the Congenital Christianity 49:31 coursing through your veins 49:33 and replace it with the blood of Jesus. 49:37 Jesus knows your heart, He knows your confusion, 49:40 you're hurt, your guilt, your shame, your resentments. 49:43 He knows all these things but He still wants you. 49:48 You felt Him tugging at your heart this week. 49:52 You felt the desire to respond to this precious gift 49:55 if only you could believe, if only you could see past, 49:58 whatever barrier is standing between you and your maker. 50:03 If only you could believe that He can reach down 50:06 and touch your heart and make it new, 50:09 make you into a new creation. 50:13 If this is you, if you've been hearing the messages 50:17 and desiring to respond, if you've been suffering 50:21 under the crushing burden of Congenital Christianity 50:25 but are ready to be changed. 50:28 If you've been running away like the Prodigal Son, 50:31 it is time to stop running. 50:35 It is time to stop running 50:36 and to stand up and come to the front 50:39 to declare to the Lord that you are tired of running 50:42 and that you want to be cured of your Congenital Christianity 50:47 and you want to trade it 50:48 for an authentic relationship with God. 50:51 If this is you stand-up come forward 50:56 and say to the Lord 50:57 that you're tired going through the motions. 51:00 You're tired of pretending. 51:02 Come forward right now 51:04 if you're suffering from Congenital Christianity. 51:07 Come forward as we share this song 51:10 and ask the Lord to reach down to touch our heart 51:15 and to make it new to make all things new. 51:44 New world and no more sea 51:51 And from the sky, the city 51:58 The bride, the wife of the Lamb 52:02 The tabernacle, God with man 52:05 No more tears or pain or death 52:09 For Jesus says 52:12 Because I made all things 52:16 I make all things new 52:18 And because I died and rose again 52:22 I can give new life to you 52:26 I have written you into my plan 52:29 I will finish all that I began 52:32 I can make a change when nothing can 52:36 And I make you new 52:53 Those who fall away from Him 53:00 Good bye to life will be their end 53:06 And what a waste when Jesus suffered so 53:10 He bore the curse, and felt the woe 53:13 Come to Him, wanderer as you are 53:20 Because He made all things 53:23 He makes all things new 53:26 And because He died and rose again 53:30 He can give new life to me and you 53:33 He has written us into His plan 53:36 He will finish all that He began 53:40 He can make a change when nothing can 53:43 And He makes me and you 53:46 New 53:59 Broken bodies, broken hearts 54:03 Broken bonds, all broken parts 54:06 Bring them to the One 54:08 Who dries our tears and makes me and you 54:13 Broken bodies, broken hearts 54:16 Broken bonds, all broken parts 54:19 Bring them to the One 54:22 Who dries our tears 54:23 and makes me and you 54:30 New 54:51 Is there anyone else, 54:53 someone else suffering from Congenital Christianity 54:57 who's chasing the world, who needs to come forward? 55:00 Now is your time. 55:04 Amen, sister. Amen, brother. 55:11 Let us kneel as we approach the Lord in prayer. 55:22 Oh, Lord God our Father, our Creator, our Redeemer 55:28 and the one who recreates us. 55:32 We are but dust You are God but we forget so easily. 55:39 We're so quick to chase after 55:42 whatever bright and shiny object 55:45 the world hangs before us. 55:49 But Lord, we come before You because we want to change. 55:55 We come before You because we don't want 55:58 this Congenital Christianity disease. 56:06 Yet Lord, do You need us to do something, 56:09 You need us to choose and Lord, you see us here, 56:14 we've come forward as a token of our choice. 56:20 And Lord I pray that each one of us 56:24 would choose not only here and now 56:28 but every day, day by day until we see Jesus Himself 56:36 break through the clouds with all His glory, 56:40 with all of His angels to bring us home. 56:47 Lord, we have made this choice, we give ourselves to You 56:55 and we pray for the revival and the recreation 57:01 that You've promised us. 57:04 We pray that You would make all things new. 57:09 We trust in You and we trust in Jesus 57:14 and we pray in His powerful and holy 57:20 and His loving name, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17