Participants: Eric Walsh, Water for Life Ministry
Series Code: 14ASIC
Program Code: 14ASIC000012A
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04:07 Welcome to another offering and action segment.
04:10 We are thrilled to be able to bring to you each program, 04:15 a project that your offerings 04:18 have supported, or will support. 04:21 With me is Gary Bartholomew. 04:24 He is the Director for "Water for Life Ministry." 04:28 And, Gary, I'd like for you to first tell us, 04:31 what will the offerings that you will receive, 04:35 because I know God is going to bless us this year, 04:38 how will that help "Water for Life"? 04:41 By providing funding for Bible workers, Debbie, 04:44 to do evangelism, outreach. 04:47 Okay, now, Gary, I'm a little confused. 04:49 You're talking about Bible workers. 04:52 I clearly see that this is not a Bible worker uniform. 04:55 No. 04:56 And I thought that your ministry name 04:58 was "Water for Life." 05:00 So what do Bible workers have to do with "Water for Life"? 05:04 Debbie, we drill water wells in remote villages of Guatemala 05:09 and that lays a foundation then, 05:12 to do evangelism. 05:14 We build a relationship in those villages 05:17 that we never lose, by providing safe water. 05:21 So you're doing exactly what ASI says and promotes, 05:25 that we don't look at ministry and business as separate, 05:30 but one and the same? 05:31 Exactly, exactly. 05:32 I see. I see. 05:34 So give us some examples of what, 05:36 "Water for Life" is doing. 05:38 I think you have some pictures that you want to walk through. 05:40 Yeah, we'll visit a little bit about 05:43 "Water for Life." 05:45 How many of you are thankful for safe water? 05:49 Amen. 05:50 1.2 billion people do not have safe water. 05:53 There's 10,000 a day, in the world, that die, 05:58 because of lack of safe water. 06:00 Most of those are children under five, 06:02 because they are the most vulnerable. 06:07 And three full-time clinics, another way of saying it, 06:12 three full-time clinics in a village 06:14 cannot do the same work as safe water. 06:17 So that's what we are up to, 06:19 and it is verifiable that where we drill, 06:22 mortality drops, Debbie. 06:24 Well, that's wonderful. 06:25 So you're saving lives not just so they don't die, 06:29 but so that they have a promise 06:30 for eternal life in the kingdom. 06:31 That's right. 06:32 We also provide dental 06:34 and medical help in the villages 06:36 when we are drilling water wells. 06:37 Wonderful. 06:38 Now I know that they have gone-- 06:40 They were scrolling through the pictures. 06:42 You had some descriptions 06:44 to go along with those pictures. 06:45 So we're gonna ask if we can maybe start those over. 06:48 And you were talking about, 06:50 on the first picture, "Slower is Better." 06:53 We're not used to that in North America, are we? 06:56 No. Slower is better. 06:57 You can see that's not a new rotary drill, 07:00 that's the old cable tool drill. 07:03 We spend a week or two in a village 07:05 and that's building a relationship. 07:08 Our well drillers there, by the way, 07:10 are non-Adventists. 07:13 "Water for Life" is an all volunteer project. 07:17 And we had one Adventist fellow come from New York this year. 07:22 He had a wonderful time, but we do-- 07:25 We build relationships with our drillers too. 07:28 They have a heart to help or they would not be there. 07:31 Tell us about that second picture 07:33 that's gonna come up? 07:34 Can you stick out your tongue? 07:35 ASI, can you stick out your tongue? 07:37 Okay, some of you can. This little fellow could not. 07:41 Our dental team came across him, 07:43 he was tongue-tied, he couldn't eat well, 07:46 he couldn't speak well, 07:48 and they were able to clip that tissue. 07:50 This was the first time he stuck his tongue out. 07:52 You know, I'm gonna-- I'm not a prophet, 07:55 but I'm gonna predict, 07:56 he may be preaching for God someday, 07:58 because he lives just across the trail 08:00 from one of the churches that we built. 08:02 Oh, isn't that wonderful? Yeah. 08:03 And, you know, we're about 08:05 building relationships and trust. 08:08 The next photo shows little Marlene. 08:11 I didn't show the picture before her surgery. 08:13 She had a huge, grotesque tumor, 08:16 right between her eyes. 08:18 It was large as an orange. It affected her eyesight. 08:23 They could not operate, you know, in Guatemala 08:26 because they figured it was too close to her brain. 08:29 We were able to find a Loma Linda trained physician, 08:33 sent her to the States, 08:35 they trusted that she would have the proper surgery 08:40 and now she's back in her village, 08:42 as that picture shows. 08:43 She runs like a race horse 08:45 with all the rest of the little kids. 08:46 The next picture, as ASI members, 08:51 we build up and support 08:54 the Seventh-day Adventist Church 08:55 and this is one of the little churches 08:57 that we've built. 08:59 It's actually fold-of-the-brim 09:00 we've added on to the back of it now, for the children. 09:03 There are so many children that come. 09:05 So you've not only drilled wells, 09:08 but you're building churches, 09:09 and I think you even have evangelistic series 09:12 you're doing that? 09:13 Yes, the next shows that. 09:15 Brenda, on the left, is 17 years old 09:19 and Adrianne, on the right, is 12. 09:22 She said, "I want to go do an evangelistic meeting. 09:27 And you know why? Because my brother did. 09:31 He went down when he was 12." 09:33 Well, they did a series of meetings 09:35 and they had 13 baptisms, praise the Lord. 09:37 Amen. 09:38 The total in the country of Guatemala, 09:40 at this point, is nearing 3,000 souls 09:43 that have given their lives to the Lord. 09:45 So you have quite a number of water wells 09:49 that have been drilled. 09:50 Yes. 09:51 And you have more that need to be drilled. 09:54 But you're kind of, had us at a wait-point 09:56 and that's why ASI's offering is gonna help 09:59 because we need to-- 10:01 Tell us. 10:03 Yeah, the Lord-- Help me figure this out. 10:04 The Lord blessed with so many wells last year. 10:06 Usually we drill six, or eight, or ten and last winter, 10:10 we drilled seventeen and so now, 10:13 we need help to catch up-- 10:16 With all the possibilities of evangelism out there. 10:20 And I do have a little story to tell about a orphanage. 10:23 Tell us that story. 10:24 A request came to us and said, 10:26 "Could you drill for the orphanage?" 10:28 I said, "Oh, we're probably 10:31 more then full already, we can't." 10:33 Well, our drillers found out about the orphanage 10:36 and they said, "Gary, we'll drill at night 10:39 if we need to." 10:40 Bear in mind, these are volunteers. 10:43 They are there because of the passion in their hearts. 10:47 I'll never forget my first visit 10:49 to that orphanage. 10:50 A little 11-year-old girl, nursing her newborn. 10:55 And we see things like that, 10:57 all the orphans have a horrible story, 11:01 but we can bring hope. 11:02 We brought water to that orphanage, 11:05 that's no longer a stress to them. 11:07 And we can bring the hope of the Water of Life. 11:12 Yes, absolutely. 11:13 Gary, thank you so much for sharing 11:15 and for "Water for Life" 11:16 does for the spreading of the gospel. 11:20 Thank you. Thank you. 11:23 Good evening, ASI. 11:25 It's my pleasure and privilege 11:27 to introduce our speaker this evening, Dr. Eric Walsh. 11:31 He's a graduate of Oakwood University 11:33 and the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine 11:36 as well as Loma Linda University School 11:38 of Public Health. 11:40 And he has had the distinction 11:41 of serving on several Presidential Advisory Councils 11:45 on HIV/AIDS for several US presidents. 11:49 He has also been on committees at the CDC, 11:52 as well as committees for a former Surgeon General. 11:56 He most recently was the Director 11:58 and Health Officer for the City 12:00 of Pasadena's Health Department in California. 12:03 And Dr. Walsh is also a much sort after speaker 12:06 on many contemporary public health issues. 12:10 But for many of us, 12:12 we know Dr. Walsh in a different capacity 12:14 and that's in his ministry capacity. 12:17 Although he stays very busy 12:18 in his professional career and public service, 12:20 he travels the world and, as I like to think of him, 12:24 he's a fearless preacher. 12:27 He is also associate pastor 12:29 of the Altadena SDA Church in California. 12:32 And I'm sure you've seen him in various youth conferences 12:35 such as GYC and in many places around the world. 12:39 Now from my knowledge 12:41 and acquaintance with Dr. Walsh, 12:42 one thing is for sure, 12:45 that is that he's not afraid to lift Jesus up 12:48 in all areas of his life, 12:52 and sometimes even at great cost to himself. 12:55 While exemplifying Christian excellence 12:57 in all his capacities, 12:58 he is a man who would rather go to the lion's den, 13:02 than to close his window because of popular pressure. 13:06 And as a frequent speaker on AudioVerse, 13:09 I've seen first-hand the impact that his preaching 13:13 as well as his recent testimony 13:14 has had on countless lives around the world. 13:18 And so tonight, as he presents God's word to us, 13:22 I pray that we may each be encouraged 13:24 to stand for the right, though the heavens fall. 13:33 Good evening ASI. 13:36 And happy Sabbath. 13:40 It's a privilege and an honor to be here tonight 13:42 and to share, for few minutes, 13:45 God's word with you as we wrap up 13:49 what was a very productive 13:51 and spiritual and powerful conference. 13:56 I want to ask if you have your Bible. 13:58 If you turn with me in your Bible 14:00 to the Book of Jeremiah. 14:02 Jeremiah, the 19 Chapter. 14:05 Jeremiah Chapter 19. 14:08 And I want to ask you to read with me verses 7 and 8. 14:12 Sorry, Jeremiah 20:7-8. 14:16 Jeremiah 20: 7-8. 14:21 Jeremiah 20: 7-8, now read in your hearing. 14:27 "O Lord, thou hast deceived me, 14:32 and I was deceived, thou art stronger than I, 14:36 and hast prevailed, I am in derision daily, 14:41 everyone mocks me. 14:45 For since I spake, I cried out, 14:48 I cried violence and spoil, 14:51 because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, 14:56 and a derision, daily." 14:59 A message this Sabbath evening 15:03 is entailed "Fire to Refine." 15:08 "Fire to Refine." 15:10 Let us pray. 15:12 Father God, we thank you, Lord, 15:13 for this opportunity to study your word 15:18 and Lord, to close out your holy Sabbath day in worship. 15:24 I ask now that You, Lord, 15:27 make me a clean vessel, an empty vessel, Lord. 15:34 And fill this vessel, Lord, with Your word 15:35 and with Your truth and with Your love. 15:39 Father God, let no one pay attention to the vessel. 15:42 Instead tonight, let us hear a word 15:43 from the throne room of grace, 15:46 as our prayer in Jesus is precious in holy name. 15:49 Amen. 15:51 If you go back to Jeremiah Chapter 19, 15:53 we're gonna look at Jeremiah's life, 15:57 a piece of his life and some of his story. 16:00 And we're gonna look at some of those verses 16:02 and how they are applicable to our lives today 16:05 and my life in particular, 16:06 with some of the things I've recently been through. 16:09 In Jeremiah Chapter 19, starting at verse 14, 16:12 The Bible says, "Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, 16:16 whither the Lord had sent him to prophesy, 16:18 and he stood in the court of the Lord's house, 16:21 and said to all the people, 16:24 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 16:26 Behold, I will bring upon this city 16:29 and upon all her towns all the evil 16:32 that I have pronounced against it, 16:34 because they have hardened their necks, 16:35 that they might not hear my words." 16:39 Jeremiah goes in, he stands in the outside of the temple, 16:43 he stands in a prominent place 16:45 and he had just come back from Tophet, 16:47 where he had pronounced very serious penalties 16:52 against the people there because of their sins. 16:55 He takes that same prophecy. 16:57 He brings it to the temple, brings to Jerusalem 16:59 and he begins to prophesy again, boldly. 17:01 Jeremiah is prophesying 17:03 and he is speaking what God asked him to speak, 17:06 warning the people of Jerusalem, 17:08 warning the nation of Judah, that time is running out, 17:13 that if they are not careful, 17:15 God is going to allow great destruction 17:17 to come upon them and they have an out, 17:20 they can always of course, repent, 17:22 they can come back to God 17:23 and he gives even other options that are interesting. 17:26 Jeremiah also says that, 17:28 it might be better to just go along with the Babylonians 17:31 than to fight the Babylonians on this. 17:35 But Jeremiah gets in trouble 17:36 because there are false prophets also working 17:38 and they are saying the opposite. 17:40 They are saying that God will not allow the Babylonians 17:43 to harm the nation of Judah. 17:45 Israel, of course, by now had already been taken in. 17:48 Their argument is that as long as they do 17:51 what they've been doing, God is going to protect them. 17:56 You turn to Chapter 20 in verse 1. 18:00 Enters in an interesting character name Pashur 18:02 the son of Immer, the priest, 18:05 who's also the chief governor in the house of the Lord. 18:08 He had heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 18:10 Now he was upset, 18:11 because he's one of these false prophets prophesying 18:14 against what Jeremiah has been saying. 18:17 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah. 18:19 The Bible says that he beats Jeremiah 18:22 and put him in stocks that were in a high gate of Benjamin, 18:25 which was by the house of the Lord. 18:27 Jeremiah's reward for preaching the gospel 18:29 is that he's beaten and he's placed in the stocks. 18:32 And the stocks, his arms and his feet are put in, 18:35 his head is put in, 18:36 he's in a very uncomfortable position 18:38 and he's left there overnight to suffer. 18:45 The next day, in verse 3 of Chapter 20, 18:49 the Bible says, "And it came to pass on the morrow, 18:52 that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. 18:55 Then Jeremiah said unto him, 18:58 The Lord hath not called your name Pashur, 19:00 but Magor-missabib." 19:03 Which means, terror on every side. 19:07 In fact the next verse was forced as, 19:08 "For thus saith the Lord, 19:10 behold, I will make you a terror to yourself, 19:12 and to all your friends 19:14 and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, 19:16 and thine eyes shall behold it: 19:19 and you Pashur and that dwell in that house 19:21 shall go into captivity 19:23 and you shall come to Babylon and there you will die." 19:28 And you will be buried there, you and all your friends. 19:31 Which friends does the Bible say? 19:33 The friends to whom you prophesied lies. 19:39 Jeremiah is a bold preacher, 19:41 after being punished, beaten, put in the stocks, 19:44 as soon as he is released from his punishment, 19:47 Jeremiah gets right back on the word 19:50 and actually condemns the man who punished him. 19:54 He is bold. He's fearless. 19:56 And if you stop the chapter there 19:58 and move on in the story of Jeremiah, 20:00 you will miss really, the crux of what's happening 20:03 because all of this is important as it is, 20:05 historically and in what's gonna happen 20:07 to Judah is secondary, 20:09 in my opinion, especially since what I've just been through, 20:12 to what actually happens 20:13 to Jeremiah in his spiritual life. 20:17 And the Bible begins to reveal to you, 20:19 what happens when you're persecuted. 20:21 What happens when you are the one speaking 20:24 an unpopular truth. 20:29 If you go down, the King James Version 20:33 and many of verses actually switch 20:34 from prose to a poetry form here, 20:37 where Jeremiah begins to pray. 20:38 He begins to speak to God, face to face, 20:42 almost as it were in terms of how open he is, 20:45 and how he allows himself to be transparent with God 20:48 and in verse 7 of Chapter 20, Jeremiah says, 20:52 "O Lord, You have deceived me 20:57 and I was deceived." 21:00 Now why does Jeremiah say that, 21:01 there's a lot of reasons people give for that, 21:03 but if you just go all the way back 21:05 to the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah, 21:07 you find that he has promised 21:09 early on in the Book of Jeremiah 21:11 that he should gird up his loins and that he-- 21:14 And in verse 18 of Chapter 1, the Bible says, 21:17 "For, behold, I have made you this day 21:19 a fenced city, Jeremiah. 21:21 You are an iron pillar, of brazen walls 21:23 against the whole land, 21:24 against the Kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, 21:27 against the priests thereof, 21:30 against the people of the land." 21:33 He says, "And they shall fight against you, 21:35 but they will not prevail against you, 21:38 for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you." 21:43 Now Jeremiah then goes to God and says, 21:45 look, I feel as if I was tricked. 21:49 I was promised that I would be protected. 21:51 I was promised I'd be a fenced city. 21:54 I was gonna be like an iron pillar. 21:55 All of these great promises when I began my ministry, 21:58 all of this was promised to me, but look what's happening. 22:01 I'm mocked all day long. I'm isolated. 22:04 I have been beaten. I've been put in the stocks. 22:06 God, it seems as if I have been duped, Jeremiah says. 22:15 There's often a misunderstanding we, 22:19 as Christians, have about what it means to serve God 22:25 and to sometimes, have to suffer. 22:28 And I could tell you that I've just through that. 22:30 Many of you heard or seen on the internet, 22:32 some of my story and... 22:35 I was there in Pasadena, 22:36 working in a public health department 22:37 in a local government role, a job I really enjoyed. 22:40 Really loved the job, I loved what I was doing, 22:42 I love that I was trained in our institution, 22:45 Loma Linda, with a Masters in Public Health 22:47 and a Doctorate in Public Health 22:49 and I was able to take those skills 22:50 and the skills I learned in medical school 22:52 and applied them to populations 22:53 and try and improve people's health. 22:56 In fact, a week before all the negative stories broke, 22:59 there was a very positive story 23:00 that we'd opened up a dental clinic 23:03 for HIV positive individuals 23:05 and we were able to fund this clinic 23:07 and allow those individuals to get care 23:09 and I took great pride in the idea 23:11 that those individuals, 23:13 often very poor and alienated in our society, 23:15 would be allowed the opportunity 23:17 to get first class, 23:19 first rate dental care and services, 23:22 to go along with the medical care 23:23 and the mental health care 23:25 and all of the other things that we did. 23:28 A week later, the story broke 23:30 and lots of negativity came against me, 23:33 most of it for Protestant Christian stands and values. 23:38 It happened because in the initial spea-- 23:41 I was asked to speak for commencement 23:43 for the Pasadena City College 23:45 and I didn't know that there was any back-story, 23:47 so I accepted the invitation to speak for commencement 23:49 and didn't think much of it, 23:51 but found out later on that there was a back-story. 23:53 There was another person who was asked to speak 23:55 and then that person was later, 23:59 had their invitation rescinded and taken back from them. 24:02 And that person was quite upset 24:04 and it was because of some things 24:06 that were found on the internet 24:07 that weren't flattering for that individual. 24:10 And so the President said, "Hey, don't invite him," 24:13 and he looked around for who he could invite, 24:15 it was last minute and I saw the list, 24:17 I saw some pretty popular celebrity names 24:19 on the list and, I guess everybody else said no, 24:21 so finally they called me. 24:24 And you know, just wanting to serve in a community 24:28 and encourage students, I said yes to that. 24:32 What I didn't know was that basically sparked a witch hunt. 24:35 There were students who decided that, 24:38 it wasn't fair what was done to the original speaker 24:40 and so they were gonna come after, 24:42 I think, whoever was chosen to speak 24:45 and that was me. 24:47 And when they went online to find things 24:50 to damage my reputation or to cause the school to, 24:53 maybe not, chose me, 24:54 what they found wasn't any scandal, 24:56 there was no embezzlement, there was nothing like that, 24:59 it was just a lot of sermons. 25:03 And based on how the whole thing played out, 25:07 they had to have listened to a lot of hours of the sermons 25:11 because they just took little snippets and of course, 25:14 by taking them out of context and framing a new context, 25:18 they really were able to frame me 25:19 as a very terrible person. 25:22 I was called in the papers a bigot. 25:24 I was called a homophobe. 25:26 I was called all kinds of names that simply weren't true. 25:31 And what was shocking as we'll talk about is that, 25:33 many of the simple fundamental Christian things 25:35 that Christians of all denominations believe, 25:38 became fodder to burn and to fire against me. 25:46 And I was caught up in a media windstorm. 25:51 Wasn't prepared for it, 25:52 never thought I'd be caught in it, 25:53 never prepared for it, had no PR person. 25:56 I didn't have a fixer, as they-- 25:58 Some of these people on TV talk about. 26:00 I didn't have any of that stuff. 26:02 And I was beat up so bad. 26:04 The first couple of days, 26:05 I was where Jeremiah is in this text. 26:09 Lord, what did I do to deserve this? 26:12 At this point, it began to become clear 26:14 that my livelihood would be taken. 26:16 It began to be clear, after a few more days, 26:18 that not only would I lose my-- 26:20 Probably I have to walk away from this job that I love, 26:22 but I would probably, at some point, 26:24 lose even the ability to stay in this field that I was in. 26:30 That my name was being so maligned, 26:32 that it would be difficult for me 26:33 to get a job anywhere after this. 26:36 And I began to ask God, why? 26:40 I felt like I was tricked, I was deceived. 26:42 I thought if I did what I was supposed to do 26:43 and was a good Adventist and preach the gospel 26:46 and the three angels' messages and all of these things 26:49 that I've heard since I was a child 26:51 that I would be protected and that was a fence to city, 26:55 as Jeremiah puts it. 26:58 But instead the storm never stopped. 27:02 And it wasn't long before I was looking at the challenge 27:06 of leaving my job and the other thing 27:08 that happened was of course, I was offered a job. 27:11 At a third interview, 27:12 I thought it was this divine providence 27:15 and I guess it still is divine providence, 27:17 all things work together for good. 27:20 And on that Monday, 27:21 after the fire-storm hit that Tuesday and Wednesday, 27:24 I flew to Atlanta and interviewed for a job 27:27 with the State of Georgia and two or three days later, 27:31 I was offered that job. 27:33 And I thought look at it, God has worked it out. 27:35 I will be able to just transition from this job, 27:37 where I'm getting beat up in the press, 27:38 I move down south where it's, 27:41 maybe safer for me and I'll move down south 27:43 and I'll take that job and in the newspaper, 27:47 one of the activists there in Southern California 27:49 made the statement in the newspaper that, 27:51 they were gonna follow me anywhere I went. 27:54 And they would go after any job I would get, 27:56 and they would make sure that that job was taken from me. 27:59 And it wasn't long before the job in the south... 28:04 rescinded the offer as well, 28:06 and I was found to be without a primary job source. 28:13 That I was devastated, 28:15 at that point because I thought again, 28:17 well, God is gonna work this thing out 28:19 and He's gonna move quickly. 28:21 Because you see, I wanted to medicine, 28:22 I was in the second grade when I decided to be a doctor 28:25 and I just understood it. 28:27 One of the good advantages, 28:28 one of the nice things about medicine is, 28:30 you always know what you're gonna do. 28:31 Employment is never really an issue. 28:33 If you can get into medical school, 28:35 you'll get into a residency. 28:36 If you can get into a residency, 28:37 there are plenty of places that will hire you to work 28:39 and so I didn't ever have to worry about a job. 28:41 And for first time in many, many years, 28:44 I was looking at, "What am I going to do now?" 28:49 Lord, I feel as if You tricked me. 28:54 But here I am now, with uncertainty as my plight, 28:59 a family to support, reputation in ruins 29:04 and feeling more all-alone 29:06 that I'd ever felt in my entire life. 29:08 And I began to read the scripture. 29:10 And let me tell you, when you're persecuted 29:12 and we all better begin to get ready 29:15 because the time of persecution is coming for all of us. 29:19 The microcosm of what I just went through, 29:22 will one day be the macrocosm 29:24 for all those Bible believing Christians in the world. 29:28 But persecution does some things to you. 29:31 You begin to feel alienated and isolated and I get, 29:33 the Bible comes alive. 29:35 Psalms 35, Psalms Chapter 8, Psalm 23, 29:38 the Bible begins to come alive. 29:40 The Psalms, the spirit of prophecy tells us, 29:44 is the book that we're supposed to read 29:46 as we go through persecution. 29:47 And I was deep into the Psalms, 29:49 but God led me some other places 29:51 and one of them was here, to Jeremiah, 29:53 and as I'm laying on my face, 29:55 praying and asking God for mercy, 29:57 praying and asking him for deliverance. 30:01 See where Jeremiah says, Lord, You deceived me. 30:07 And I was deceived. 30:08 You're stronger than I and that has prevailed. 30:10 I am in derision daily. 30:11 Everyone mocks me, Jeremiah said. 30:16 And I began to understand what it means to be persecuted 30:19 because when you're persecuted you will be mocked, 30:22 we will be made to look as if we're completely crazy 30:25 to believe what we believe. 30:26 The Los Angeles Times had an-- 30:28 Up an entire piece that was run on that Tuesday night 30:31 and at Wednesday, 30:33 that's when this all began and the writer wrote, 30:36 and beat me up about two things. 30:40 One of them was that I was a creationist. 30:43 And what they said is that, 30:44 if this person is a creationist, 30:48 by default they are unfit to hold 30:51 any scientific office of government 30:53 in the United States of America. 30:57 And they quoted from my sermon, 30:58 where I talk about and I said in one of my sermons, 31:00 I said, listen, 31:02 show me all of the evolving species in the world 31:05 that are in between stages. 31:08 I'd like to see that evolutionary evidence 31:10 of all of these missing links 'cause I don't see them 31:12 and I said in one of my sermons. 31:13 It's quoted and they bring it 31:15 an evolution specialist in evolution. 31:18 And a specialist in the LA Times says, 31:22 evolution, the theory of evolution 31:24 is like the theory of gravity. 31:25 You can choose to believe in either one. 31:30 Now I've an MD degree and Doctorate in Public Health. 31:33 I've done a little bit of science in my life, 31:37 and the challenge with that is that, 31:39 gravity is not a theory. 31:41 Gravity is a law. 31:43 And it's a law because if I take this iPad 31:45 and I throw it up in the air, 31:46 it falls back to the ground 31:48 at 9.8 meters per second square. 31:51 And it does that here, it does it in Australia, 31:53 it does it in the Caribbean. 31:56 It is a reproducible truth that gravity exists. 32:02 So I don't bungee jump, sky jump, none of that skydive, 32:05 none of that stuff, 32:07 because gravity works everywhere. 32:12 But what I want you to get, as Christians, 32:15 as God's remnant people in the last days, 32:19 is that although the science on their side 32:22 didn't add up in that article, 32:24 the comments underneath crucified me 32:28 for believing that God created the world in six literal days. 32:35 I want you to get this. 32:36 I'm beat up over it. 32:37 Now I've been a doctor a long time. 32:39 I've run an apartment for 3 ½ years 32:42 and I had run it flawlessly, 32:43 in fact, if one of the things you will not find 32:45 in any of these articles, 32:46 is anything that says, that any time, 32:49 I didn't do less then an A+++ job 32:53 and they were never any complaints 32:55 of bigotry or favoritism against me, ever. 33:00 But because I believe God created the world, 33:03 I am unfit for my job. 33:06 I remember when Sarah Palin 33:08 was being considered for vice-president, 33:10 and on one of the television show, 33:12 they were beating her up 33:13 and one of the things that one of them said is, 33:15 she can't be vice-president of the United States, 33:17 she's a creationist. 33:19 We don't want a creationist 33:20 as the vice-president of the United States. 33:22 Let me tell you why this is dangerous. 33:23 And why, we as a church, 33:24 have to be wise on this because, 33:26 you see, if God isn't telling us the truth 33:29 in Genesis Chapter 1 and Genesis Chapter 2. 33:32 If we can't believe God 33:34 in the beginning of the Bible, at its foundation. 33:37 If God is lying to us in Genesis 1:2, 33:40 how do we believe God in John Chapter 3:16-17? 33:47 That paddle that we just had on righteousness by faith, 33:50 how do we believe Paul in the Book of Romans 33:52 if we can't believe God in Genesis 1 and 2? 33:56 The whole Bible begins to come apart 33:59 if we can't believe 34:00 that God is the creator of this universe. 34:03 But something else, as Americans 34:05 we ought to be a little worried, 34:06 because you see, I believe that 34:08 there is a divine influence on the Constitution, 34:12 the Bill of Rights 34:13 and the Declaration of Independence. 34:14 I love this great nation. 34:15 I was born in the constitution state Connecticut 34:18 and I love the documents that undergird 34:20 and support our nation 34:23 and in those documents it is written and it says, 34:27 that we hold these truths to be self-evident. 34:31 That all men are created equal. 34:36 Here's the challenge. 34:38 If you replace the word "created" 34:40 with the word "evolve" it reads like this. 34:42 We hold these truths to be self-evident 34:44 that all men evolved equally. 34:50 And I would submit to you that stops making sense right away. 34:53 And if that's the case, 34:55 you can do away with all social welfare programs. 34:57 You could do away with any-- all public school. 35:00 You can do away with anything that tries to give, 35:02 anyone of a lesser advantage a leg up. 35:04 Because if evolution is the law, 35:07 why invest in anyone who can't keep up, 35:09 at the end of the day 35:10 what you want is for the most fit to survive? 35:17 But I was mocked. 35:20 I was mocked because I have a line where-- 35:21 In one of my sermons where I said, 35:24 "Disney teaches that when you wish upon a star, 35:27 it makes no difference who you are, 35:28 for when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true." 35:32 And I simply said in a sermon, 35:33 I don't want my children to wish upon a star. 35:35 I want my children to pray to the living God. 35:41 And I was mocked for that. 35:44 And I understand what Jeremiah 35:45 is going through because it says, 35:47 if once you begin to mocked, 35:49 than once this big light starts to shine on you, 35:52 all of sudden it's as if many people begin to fade away. 35:56 Many of my friends, 35:57 many of those who are worked within the city, 35:59 began to disappear and you begin to feel lonely. 36:01 Jeremiah 20:8 says, "For since I spoke, 36:04 I cried out, I cried violence and spoil, 36:07 because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, 36:11 and a derision, daily." 36:14 And all of a sudden you start thinking, 36:15 "What did I do wrong?" 36:17 when you're persecuted. 36:18 You just start to think, "Where did I mess up? 36:21 How could I've done this so wrong? 36:23 And what did I do, God, 36:24 that You separate Yourself from me?" 36:26 But I appreciate all of you who come to me and tell me, 36:29 you're praying for me and those of you 36:31 who were emailing me or sending me 36:34 a Bible verses to look at. 36:35 And one of the Bible versus that was sent to me was, 36:38 is found in the Book of John. 36:40 The gospel according to John 15:18-19. 36:45 And in John 15:18-19, 36:47 the Bible says this and it was very encouraging to me. 36:50 It says, "If the world hates you, 36:53 you know that it hated me before it hated you." 36:56 And verse 19 said, "If you were of the world, 36:59 the world would love his own: 37:01 but because you are not of the world, 37:03 but I have chosen you out of the world, 37:06 therefore the world hates you." 37:14 And I remember thinking, 37:15 "God, you chose the wrong person." 37:17 I didn't sign up for this. 37:20 I'm no super-courageous person. 37:22 I'm, you know-- 37:23 If I'm Clark Kent, there is no Superman. 37:27 Just a regular guy. 37:28 Just trying to do his job, 37:29 but I believe what our church teaches, 37:32 I believe our doctrines and so if I stand and preach, 37:34 I'll preach what we believe. 37:37 Didn't sign up for it 37:38 and I didn't know I would lose the career 37:41 and I didn't know all of these different things would happen 37:43 and I didn't understand even the full weight 37:47 of what all of it meant. 37:49 How it would affect the family? 37:51 How it affect my children? 37:55 I said this when I spoke about this, at Island Hope. 37:58 And my daughter was very much affected by this. 38:03 And I'd just been praying a week or two earlier, 38:08 just crying, asking God to make sure 38:11 that I don't mess up and lose my children. 38:14 Praying and agonizing with God 38:16 because the world is such a terrible place, 38:17 such a hard place to raise children now 38:20 Especially living in a city like LA, 38:22 right down kind of in the heart of it all, 38:24 praying and asking God for help. 38:27 When I went to pick my daughter up from academy... 38:32 while I was on a leave of absence-- 38:34 The paid leave during this time 38:36 where all this was being worked out. 38:39 My daughter, when I picked her up, 38:40 she slapped me on the shoulder, 38:41 she said, "Daddy, I want to thank you." 38:43 I said, "Jazz, what are you thanking me for?" 38:45 She said, "You know Daddy, 38:46 I'm not sure I was a Christian 38:47 before all of this came upon us." 38:52 All alone, my son and daughter, 38:54 all by themselves will begin fall on their knees and pray. 38:58 You see, persecution has its downside, don't miss this. 39:01 Persecution has the downside, 39:02 it hurts, it's ugly, it's painful, 39:05 it can be lonely and frightening, 39:07 but I can tell you that if you allow God 39:10 to place you in the crucible and in the fire, 39:13 by default you will be refined. 39:23 I will read from Ellen White. Ellen White says it like this. 39:25 She says, "To live such a life, to exert such an influence, 39:30 costs at every step, effort, self-sacrifice and discipline. 39:36 It is because they do not understand this, 39:38 that many are so easily discouraged 39:40 in the Christian life. 39:42 Many, who sincerely consecrated their lives to God's service, 39:45 are surprised and disappointed 39:47 to find themselves as never before, 39:49 confronted by obstacles 39:50 and beset by trials and perplexities. 39:53 They pray for Christ's likeness of character 39:55 for a fitness for the Lord's work 39:57 and they are placed in circumstances 40:00 that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature. 40:05 False are revealed 40:06 of which they did not even suspect the existence. 40:10 Like Israel of old day questioned, 40:12 if God is leading us, 40:14 why do all these things come upon us?" 40:19 Now let me get transparent myself, 40:21 now for a second. 40:22 You see, I had this meteoric rise in my career. 40:27 Things were going so well in the city, 40:29 they called me rock star. 40:31 You know they said, 40:32 "Man, you walk on water, you can do no wrong." 40:33 My department went from-- 40:35 almost doubled in the number of employees in a budget. 40:38 Doubled, and all the programs and services we were doing. 40:41 There were those who came to me and wanted me to be considered 40:43 for Sergeant General of the United States 40:45 and they wanted to be, to get a job, 40:47 a county in a higher position. 40:50 And I can tell you that it began to be a distraction. 40:53 I'm just gonna be honest with you. 40:55 And your career, this being ASI, 41:00 and this being Adventist, 41:01 an idea of lifting up Christ in the workplace, 41:04 your career can become the idol. 41:08 Our desire to do more and be bigger and do better, 41:11 innocent in many ways, but if we're not careful, 41:15 we can get caught up in how much our business makes 41:17 and how many clients we serve 41:20 and we can get caught up in titles and in degrees 41:24 and all of these different things. 41:26 And if you're not careful, it can just distract you. 41:28 Just a small bit, 41:31 but that little tiny bit of distraction, 41:33 if you follow the path all the way out, 41:35 if you're supposed to be going this way 41:37 and the distraction is just a little bit off, 41:39 you go far enough out 41:40 and you'll become a great distance from God. 41:45 And I can tell you that God had begun to work, 41:47 I mean, these versus, these words here, 41:50 from the Spirit of Prophecy, 41:51 began to really resonate with me. 41:52 She goes on, she says, 41:54 "It is because God is leading them 41:56 that these things come upon them. 41:58 Trials and obstacles are the Lord's 42:00 chosen methods of discipline 42:02 and His appointed conditions of success. 42:05 He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters 42:08 better than they themselves know them. 42:10 He sees that some have powers 42:12 and susceptibilities which, rightly directed, 42:15 might be used in the advancement of His work. 42:18 In His providence He brings these persons 42:21 into different positions and varied circumstances 42:24 that they may discover in their character the defects 42:28 which have been concealed from their own knowledge." 42:32 Now let me tell you something church. 42:34 The only thing we get to take with us, 42:36 to heaven is our character. 42:39 So God will sometimes allow fire to come upon us 42:42 because He wants to purify that character. 42:46 "He gives them opportunity," 42:48 she goes on, "to correct these defects 42:50 and to fit themselves for His service. 42:52 Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them 42:55 that they may be purified." 43:00 I like this. 43:01 She says, "The fact that we are called to endure trial 43:04 because some of us in this room 43:06 are gonna continue to go into trial. 43:08 "The fact that we are called upon to endure trial 43:10 shows that the Lord Jesus sees in us something precious 43:15 which He desires to develop. 43:18 If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, 43:22 He would not spend time in refining us." 43:25 Watch this. 43:26 She says, "He does not cast worthless stones 43:31 into His furnace." 43:34 He does not cast worthless stones 43:37 into His furnace. 43:38 And this is why the Bible is clear, 43:40 tells us that we should count it all joy. 43:47 It's not easy. 43:49 But the truth is that it is a privilege for God to try us. 43:54 It's not pleasant, but the truth is, 43:57 as we move towards these last days and you, 43:59 and I'm sure all through this conference you heard 44:02 more and more but references to the science of the times 44:05 and the things that are coming upon this world, 44:07 that we're moving towards, rapidly towards 44:10 the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 44:13 And I submit to you that we ought to rejoice 44:16 when we are tried. 44:17 Why? 44:19 Because they are those that are watching us on our jobs, 44:22 customers of your business that are watching you 44:24 and how you respond to trial 44:28 will be a great statement about the God that you serve. 44:33 And you never know, that in your trial, 44:36 someone might be one to Jesus Christ, 44:40 who you couldn't convince with a doctrinal debate. 44:45 But when they see that in the darkest hour, 44:47 you never speak an ill word. 44:48 There were people who came to me and said, 44:50 in fact there were those who-- 44:51 Both-- Two sides of people. 44:53 One who said, "Look, fight it, go on. 44:55 So have a press conference 44:57 and fight tooth and nail and go after them." 45:01 And you know what came to me every time, 45:02 why the word of God is important? 45:04 Every time someone said it and I considered it, 45:06 a verse of scripture came to me, 45:08 out of the Book of Isaiah, 45:11 like a lamb led to the slaughter is dumb, 45:15 so said he not a word. 45:17 And God was telling me, 45:19 "You be quiet, let me fight your battles for you." 45:22 And then there were others who came 45:24 and sent me emails and messages and were saying, 45:27 "Listen, we want to hold a forum 45:28 and we want to give you an opportunity," 45:30 and what they were really trying to get around to is, 45:33 "We're gonna give you an opportunity to recant. 45:36 We'll give you an opportunity to apologize." 45:38 But I didn't do anything wrong. 45:42 "You can get your job back 45:44 if we work out this thing the right way." 45:49 But let me submit to you that 45:52 if you'll not be able to buy and sell 45:54 unless you have the mark of the beast, 45:56 you're gonna have to begin the practice 45:58 not being dependant on whatever 46:02 sources of support you get in this world 46:06 and that's a difficult thing. 46:09 But it means that you have to step out in complete faith, 46:12 in being persecuted, in being tried 46:14 and you've got to remember that David says, 46:16 "I have never seen the righteous forsaken 46:18 or his seed begging bread." 46:20 And you've got to understand 46:22 that God does not own a thousand cattle on a hill. 46:26 He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 46:30 And that He says more than you could ever imagine. 46:33 In fact, when I got the call-- 46:35 The one time I wept in this whole process 46:38 was when I got the job taken from me in Georgia. 46:42 Because at that point I just thought, 46:43 "Lord, this is getting to be too much. 46:45 This is overwhelming." 46:47 And I listened to the voice 46:48 where I knew that that was gonna happen 46:50 and I kept listening to my voice 46:51 as I was getting off the plane, 46:52 and when I got to the third or fourth voicemail below that, 46:55 it was from a clinic that had been moonlighting at, 46:57 and the medical director said, "Listen, we know what-- 47:00 We know what they are saying about you, 47:01 but we know you, we love you. 47:02 In fact, one of the doctors is going out 47:04 on a paternity leave and listen, 47:06 we could use you, 47:07 so, if they don't want you come on over 47:09 and help us out in the clinic." 47:12 And although I was weeping 47:13 because I said, "Lord, You've left forsaken." 47:17 God was like, "Man, been quiet. 47:20 I got you. 47:22 Just keep listening to the voicemail. 47:26 You stop too soon, you panic." 47:30 And sure enough, God worked it out. 47:38 Jeremiah 20:9, 47:40 "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, 47:43 nor speak any more in his name." 47:45 When you get to be persecuted, 47:46 one of the things that devil does is 47:48 he pushes you up in a corner and you get to-- 47:49 You start saying, 47:50 "Listen, I'm not gonna be a witness anymore. 47:53 I'mma shut up. I'mma put out that candle. 47:55 I'mma stick it up underneath the bushel. 47:58 I'm not gonna let anybody see my light anymore 48:00 because showing my light got me 48:01 into this mess in the first place. 48:02 Jeremiah said, "Listen, I'm not gonna mention Him anymore," 48:05 and that thought has come to my mind many times, 48:07 even getting this invitation to speak. 48:09 You start saying, maybe this is too much. 48:11 Maybe I ought to leave all the stuff alone. 48:13 You got all these other great preachers, 48:14 let them preach the word. 48:19 He said, "I will not make mention of Him 48:21 or nor speak anymore His name." 48:23 But look at verse 9, 48:25 look in the middle of that verse. 48:26 It says, "But His word was in my heart 48:32 as a burning fire shut up in my bones, 48:36 and I was weary with forbearing, 48:38 and I could not stay." 48:39 Jeremiah says, 48:41 it felt like fire shut up in my bones 48:44 and it wouldn't leave me alone. 48:48 When this gospel gets in you right, 48:49 when it gets in you good, 48:50 you can't help but tell somebody 48:52 how much and how good Jesus is. 48:56 You can't help but introduce to the savior of the world. 49:00 You can't help but introduce them 49:02 to the Redeemer of the planet. 49:03 You can't help but introduce them 49:05 to their creator and the one, 49:07 who'll one day, recreate this world. 49:10 Amen. 49:12 It gets to be like fire shut up in your bones 49:17 and you want to tell the world about this Jesus, 49:22 about His love, about the fact that whatever I suffer, 49:25 it pales in comparison to what my Jesus suffered. 49:29 My Jesus left His throne and glory 49:32 where angels 10,000 times, 10,000 angels worshiped him 49:36 and he was born in a manger, a filthy manger 49:42 and died an ignoble death 49:46 so that each one of us would have a chance at eternal life. 49:50 I don't know how you can be quiet about that. 49:53 I don't know how you can shut up 49:54 when you got a Jesus like that that you serve. 49:57 I don't know how the world could 49:58 corner you so much that you're not willing 50:00 to stand on top of whatever you need to stand on 50:03 and tell them that Jesus is real 50:06 and that He saves 50:08 and that His blood still washes, 50:11 His blood still cleanses. 50:15 And I like the way Jeremiah ends this, 50:17 if you look at verse 10, says, 50:19 "For I heard the defaming of many, 50:22 fear on every side. 50:24 Report, say they, and we will report it. 50:27 All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, 50:30 Peradventure he will be enticed, 50:33 and we shall prevail against him, 50:35 and we shall take our revenge on him." 50:37 Jeremiah says, "But the Lord is with me 50:40 as a mighty terrible one, 50:43 therefore my persecutors shall stumble, 50:46 and they shall not prevail: 50:48 but they shall be greatly ashamed, 50:50 for they shall not prosper: 50:52 their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten." 50:57 He says in verse 12, 50:58 " But, O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, 51:03 and seest the reins and the heart, 51:06 let me see thy vengeance on them: 51:07 for unto thee have I opened my cause." 51:10 Let me tell you something. 51:11 When you go into trials 51:12 and it may not in the magnitude of what I went through, 51:15 open your cause to the living God. 51:17 Amen. 51:18 Don't be afraid to take your trials. 51:20 You know what? 51:21 The devil wants to do when we go through these things? 51:22 He wants us to take our trial and our persecution 51:25 and run away from God, 51:27 that's what he wants to have happen. 51:28 I challenge you, the next time, 51:30 you're discouraged, that you have doubt, 51:32 that you're downtrodden. 51:33 I challenge you to pick up your doubt 51:35 and run to Jesus with it. 51:38 Because verse 13, 51:40 is how you get through persecution. 51:42 Verse 13 is the key. 51:44 You see, "Sing unto the Lord, 51:46 you praise the Lord for he hath to live 51:49 with the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers." 51:51 You do two things that will deliver you from persecution. 51:54 The first thing is, 51:55 you praise God in the middle of the storm. 51:59 You praise Him when it seems as if the ship is going down. 52:02 You open up to him and you begin to sing 52:04 what a friend we have in Jesus. 52:08 You start, you open up 52:09 and you start singing all of those black classic hymns. 52:12 You sing "Amazing Grace." 52:15 You sing "When we All Get to Heaven." 52:17 Because the second part of it is, 52:19 when you start going through trial 52:21 like I just went through, 52:22 you've got to have the last part 52:23 that verse down pat, 52:24 you've got to believe in his deliverance 52:26 before you see it. 52:28 Yes, yes. 52:31 You got to know, you serve a God who delivers. 52:37 Well, I'll close with this. 52:40 I think what frightened me the most was the idea 52:44 that I'd have nowhere to go. 52:49 The idea that I will be left in this limbo, 52:51 for months and months and months. 52:55 I was staying at my good friend, 52:57 one of my best friend's house, 52:59 out near Loma Linda and he was asking me, 53:02 "So what are you gonna do?" 53:05 I said, "You know, I have no idea what I'm gonna do. 53:07 I'm gonna have to wait and see what God wants me to do 53:08 because I have no leads and I'm actually, 53:11 literally afraid to even put an application out. 53:14 Because if anybody gets wind of it, 53:16 I think they'll try and do what was done before." 53:19 He said, "Man, what are you gonna do? 53:20 You know, you're working here, 53:22 but I don't think you're gonna wanna stay 53:23 in Pasadena too long." 53:24 I said, "I don't." 53:27 And I said, "You know, I've always 53:28 wanted to be a missionary. 53:31 And I always thought I'd love to do, 53:34 sometime, serve the Lord in Guam. 53:37 I talked to someone who'd been to Guam many times. 53:39 I thought that maybe God would lead me 53:41 to a place like that to serve." 53:44 And he said, "Well, maybe that'd be good." 53:45 And my 16-year-old daughter says, 53:47 "Guam? Guam?" 53:49 I say, "You be quiet. 53:50 You don't even know where Guam is." 53:56 And within 30 minutes, 53:59 an email came from the Guam Adventist Clinic. 54:02 "Dr. Walsh, would you be interesting 54:05 in serving in Guam?" 54:09 Let me tell you something. 54:12 You don't serve a God that isn't real. 54:16 You don't serve a God that doesn't suffer with you. 54:20 You don't serve a God who doesn't know your pain. 54:22 In fact, the scripture tells us 54:24 that He collects our tears in His hands. 54:28 As we suffer, He suffers, He moves with us, 54:31 He walks with us, He feels with us, 54:33 but God knows, sometimes, what's best for us 54:35 and He allows us to go through what we go through 54:38 because it's what we need at that time. 54:42 And if we can just step back and not panic 54:45 and not get nervous and not lose our faith, 54:48 if we can hold on to God's unchanging head, 54:51 if we can let go of this world and hold on to God, 54:57 every single challenge will become a testimony. 55:03 Every time we feel trapped, we will experience deliverance. 55:08 And every piece of doubt that we have to endure, 55:13 will eventually grow our faith. 55:17 And most importantly, like Jeremiah, 55:20 prepare us to hold up our candles. 55:24 Prepare us to tell the world about the love of Jesus. 55:31 God send you into the fire, He sends me into the fire, 55:34 He will send us collectively into the fire 55:37 so that we can be refined. 55:40 Well, like the Spirit of Prophecy says, 55:43 "He doesn't throw worthless stones 55:45 into the fire." 55:47 Amen. |
Revised 2015-06-25