Good evening ASI...
00:00:19.98\00:00:22.05
lots of active young people...
00:00:22.08\00:00:25.95
well, you know why I am here,
00:00:25.99\00:00:29.82
I just want to
00:00:29.86\00:00:32.79
have your undivided
attention for a moment.
00:00:32.83\00:00:34.80
Since the
beginning of the Convention
00:00:34.83\00:00:37.43
we've attempted
to share with you
00:00:37.47\00:00:40.04
10 of the 42 projects
that are in your booklet
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to give you a sense of
00:00:44.54\00:00:46.71
the kind of effort...
00:00:46.74\00:00:48.84
and the commitment
that people are making
00:00:48.88\00:00:50.75
to reach our
world for Jesus Christ.
00:00:50.78\00:00:53.45
There are 42 projects...
in your booklet it says 41,
00:00:53.48\00:00:57.39
you remember... I mentioned
that we have an additional one
00:00:57.42\00:01:01.32
"The Creation Project"
00:01:01.36\00:01:02.69
for 40,000
dollars added to the list.
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What I'd like you to do is...
when you go back to your room
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I want you to pray
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over the projects
that are in this booklet,
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now, if you're like me,
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you'll want to take out
the envelope that is inside
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and fill it out so
that you can be prepared
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so that it's all
neatly taken care of,
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you would make your commitment
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and then you don't have
to worry about it anymore
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but I'm going to ask
you to do me a favor,
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if you are so inclined,
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you can go ahead and fill
out the demographic information
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but I would like you
to wait on the commitment
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and pray and ask for
the Lord to impress you
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as to what you really should do,
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"Lord, how do you want me to
be used to finish your work?"
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Not to hasten your
work... to finish it...
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because we want Jesus to
come soon... right now...
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and how can I make that happen?
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In order to prepare
your hearts for that prayer,
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we asked our Speaker
to share something that
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we believe would
be thought provoking,
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inspiring for you
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and would bring you
to a point of conviction
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about what you can do with
your life, with your tools,
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and with your
resources to finish the work.
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David Kim and his wife, Grace,
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their son, Solomon,
and daughter, Claire,
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live in Philadelphia.
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David is a Corporate Executive
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in Financial Services
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but prefers to think of
himself as a Bible Worker...
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a Bible Worker who
is fortunate enough
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to have God use
the Company to pay him
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so that everybody wins.
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David has spoken
around the Country
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sharing a message focused
on reaching the well-educated,
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worldly... wealthy...
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through a
ministry that he co-founded
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"The Nicodemus Society. "
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Now he shared just
a little bit with me
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about what he was
going to share with us
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and I know that we
will all be blessed
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but challenged to
think about what it is...
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where we are... in
our station in life
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as far as our
relationship with Jesus
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and then as far as the
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"Offering in
Action" is concerned,
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then where we are...
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what are we doing with
those resources that we have,
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in order to show what our
commitment to Jesus Christ is.
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After the special music,
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the next voice that you
will hear is that of David Kim.
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Debbie leaving the stage.
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"Go Ye" Piano playing...
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Piano playing...
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The Lord has really called
us to boldly take His cross
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to spread the gospel everywhere
no matter what the cost
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Proclaim the love of
Jesus so everyone may know
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the grace of God
the gift of His love
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and we should be sure...
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Go ye... go ye... in
the name of Jesus Christ,
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Take the gospel
everywhere make the sacrifice
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Jerusalem... Judea... all the
ends of the earth must know...
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Share the hope of every
man Christ and Christ alone...
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Shine the light in darkness...
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piano playing...
00:05:06.87\00:05:12.57
God calls us to be faithful
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To work and share in joy...
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To sow the precious seed of
faith and share the living Word
00:05:18.55\00:05:23.49
So tell about salvation
and make redemption known
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to all the world...
with all of your heart
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arise... and we go...
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piano playing...
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Go ye... go ye... in
the name of Jesus Christ
00:05:47.74\00:05:52.95
Take the gospel
everywhere make the sacrifice
00:05:52.98\00:05:58.25
Jerusalem... Judea... all
the ends of the earth must know
00:05:58.29\00:06:03.59
Shine the hope of every
man Christ and Christ alone...
00:06:03.63\00:06:08.90
Shine the light in
darkness let the message go...
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Piano music...
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Go ye into the world...
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Go...
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the gospel says... go...
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Audience: Amen...
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Audience clapping...
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Good evening and
happy Sabbath ASI...
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Audience: Good evening...
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David: Good evening...
Audience: Good evening...
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David: Happy Sabbath
Audience: Happy Sabbath
00:06:52.31\00:06:54.18
It is a wonderful,
amazing and God-given privilege
00:06:54.24\00:06:58.98
to be with you this Sabbath
evening to share my testimony.
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You see, despite
growing up in the church...
00:07:02.32\00:07:06.39
I was only
heart-converted seven years ago
00:07:06.42\00:07:10.43
and my very first ASI Conference
was shortly after that...
00:07:10.46\00:07:16.60
just five years
ago in 2010 in Orlando
00:07:16.67\00:07:20.27
and if you had told me back then
00:07:20.34\00:07:24.71
that I would be
standing on this stage,
00:07:24.74\00:07:28.61
this Sabbath evening...
to share my testimony,
00:07:28.64\00:07:30.95
I would have
thought that you were crazy
00:07:30.98\00:07:33.25
but this is evidence...
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this is evidence
of the mercy and grace
00:07:37.15\00:07:40.86
and transforming
power of the Lord our God,
00:07:40.89\00:07:44.53
and it is... and it shows us
00:07:44.56\00:07:48.23
that there is hope for everyone
00:07:48.26\00:07:50.87
even those who
grow up in the church
00:07:50.90\00:07:54.40
but before I get ahead of
myself and steal my own thunder,
00:07:54.44\00:08:01.01
would you please pray with me?
00:08:01.04\00:08:03.68
Lord God, our Father in heaven,
00:08:03.71\00:08:09.62
hallowed be your name
00:08:09.65\00:08:11.42
you're so merciful to
us and you love us so,
00:08:11.45\00:08:16.83
Lord, I pray,
this Sabbath evening,
00:08:16.86\00:08:19.73
the Sabbath
day... you have set apart
00:08:19.79\00:08:23.60
that the Holy
Spirit would be with us,
00:08:23.63\00:08:27.27
would be upon me,
your humble servant
00:08:27.30\00:08:30.67
and that You and only
You would be glorified,
00:08:30.71\00:08:33.98
and Lord I pray that each
individual here in this room
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and whoever is watching on 3abn
00:08:38.98\00:08:41.85
would also
receive the Holy Spirit
00:08:41.88\00:08:44.65
and that the Holy Spirit
would give each individual
00:08:44.69\00:08:48.52
hearing and comprehension
but not merely comprehension
00:08:48.59\00:08:52.39
but conviction...
conviction of that message
00:08:52.43\00:08:57.53
which you want
each individual to hear,
00:08:57.57\00:09:00.80
I pray this in the
powerful and precious name
00:09:00.84\00:09:04.87
of Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior, amen.
00:09:04.91\00:09:08.91
I'm a son of Korean immigrants,
00:09:08.94\00:09:15.15
I'm an elder brother,
00:09:15.18\00:09:16.89
I'm a husband, I'm a father,
00:09:16.95\00:09:19.02
I'm a former
professional Cellist
00:09:19.05\00:09:21.99
and I'm a Corporate Executive
00:09:22.02\00:09:24.79
yet, as important and defining
00:09:24.86\00:09:27.56
each of these facts
are for my identity,
00:09:27.60\00:09:29.53
the most important and
most defining factor in my life
00:09:29.56\00:09:34.10
is that I'm a survivor of
the chronic and deadly disease,
00:09:34.14\00:09:38.64
millions around the
world have this disease,
00:09:38.67\00:09:43.01
it runs in families and
is passed on through heredity
00:09:43.04\00:09:48.55
it is a silent
killer there's no known cure
00:09:48.58\00:09:55.26
for this condition
00:09:55.29\00:09:56.62
absent a literal
miracle from the Lord Himself,
00:09:56.66\00:10:01.86
I am a survivor of
Congenital Christianity.
00:10:01.90\00:10:07.24
Congenital Christianity
is a spiritual condition
00:10:07.27\00:10:15.04
which in some
ways resembles true
00:10:15.08\00:10:17.55
Seventh-day
Adventist Christianity
00:10:17.58\00:10:20.02
but which is... at
its core... superficial
00:10:20.05\00:10:23.62
and lacks in authentic
saving relationship with God.
00:10:23.65\00:10:26.45
To make sure that we
share a common understanding
00:10:26.49\00:10:30.36
of this condition,
I'd like to share with you
00:10:30.39\00:10:34.23
a...
non-exhaustive list of symptoms,
00:10:34.26\00:10:36.56
are you ready for the symptoms?
00:10:36.60\00:10:39.07
You're ready?
00:10:39.10\00:10:41.50
Would you like to
know what they are?
00:10:41.54\00:10:43.57
Audience: Yes...
00:10:43.61\00:10:45.57
Very well, One...
00:10:45.61\00:10:47.81
you avoid
talking about your faith
00:10:47.84\00:10:50.51
because you don't want to
have to explain what you believe
00:10:50.55\00:10:53.28
because you're a
little bit embarrassed by it.
00:10:53.31\00:10:56.65
Two...
00:10:56.69\00:10:59.49
you know that
Saturday is the Sabbath
00:10:59.52\00:11:03.93
but come on... it's
just a day... right?
00:11:03.96\00:11:08.36
Three...
00:11:08.40\00:11:11.87
you've heard that we have
distinctive Biblical beliefs
00:11:11.93\00:11:16.37
about death,
hell and the Sanctuary
00:11:16.40\00:11:20.08
but you're not
quite sure what they are
00:11:20.11\00:11:23.68
or why they even matter.
00:11:23.71\00:11:25.05
Four...
00:11:25.08\00:11:27.88
you hear people talking
about the "Spirit of Prophecy"
00:11:27.92\00:11:32.45
but you're ambivalent about it
00:11:32.49\00:11:35.89
even though you've never
actually read any of the books.
00:11:35.92\00:11:39.43
Five...
00:11:39.46\00:11:43.73
those beasts on the Prophecy
Seminar flyer look strange
00:11:43.77\00:11:48.07
and bizarre to you
00:11:48.10\00:11:49.84
and you've got no clue
00:11:49.90\00:11:51.27
what it all means.
00:11:51.31\00:11:52.67
Six...
00:11:52.71\00:11:56.31
you think that
mega-church down the street
00:11:56.34\00:11:59.55
is way more fun,
way more interesting,
00:11:59.58\00:12:02.72
they've got great programs,
they've got a great band,
00:12:02.75\00:12:06.52
they've got coffee,
they've got doughnuts,
00:12:06.55\00:12:09.02
you think that
mega-church down the street
00:12:09.06\00:12:11.36
is way more interesting
00:12:11.39\00:12:12.73
but you feel a little
guilty that you think that.
00:12:12.76\00:12:16.80
Seven...
00:12:16.87\00:12:20.14
you abstain from
all unclean meats
00:12:20.17\00:12:24.21
except for
pepperoni, bacon and shrimp
00:12:24.27\00:12:28.28
because they taste so good
00:12:28.31\00:12:29.98
and you abstain from all alcohol
00:12:30.01\00:12:34.28
well, except for a
little bit of beer and wine
00:12:34.32\00:12:39.62
but just
socially... just socially...
00:12:39.65\00:12:41.16
well... and the hard stuff...
00:12:41.19\00:12:44.73
only when mixed with
orange juice or cranberry juice
00:12:44.76\00:12:48.66
because then you can't
taste it and it's got vitamins.
00:12:48.70\00:12:52.60
Eight...
00:12:52.63\00:12:56.67
you dutifully wait
until after sundown
00:12:56.71\00:13:00.58
on Saturday evening
before you head to the multiplex
00:13:00.61\00:13:06.25
to see "Twilight" in IMAX 3D...
00:13:06.28\00:13:09.58
Nine...
00:13:09.62\00:13:13.42
you go out to lunch
after Sabbath church service
00:13:13.46\00:13:17.03
because surely God
would not want you to starve
00:13:17.06\00:13:20.60
and what they got at potluck
00:13:20.63\00:13:23.40
isn't nearly as tasty
as those garlic breadsticks
00:13:23.43\00:13:26.23
and Ten...
00:13:26.30\00:13:30.54
this is the last one...
00:13:30.61\00:13:32.57
you go to church most weeks
00:13:32.61\00:13:34.58
because you want
your kids to have exposure
00:13:34.64\00:13:37.48
even though you
don't personally have
00:13:37.51\00:13:40.08
any investment in the faith.
00:13:40.12\00:13:41.45
These are just examples...
00:13:41.48\00:13:44.79
but they should give you an idea
00:13:44.82\00:13:46.15
of what we're talking about,
00:13:46.19\00:13:47.52
does any of this sound familiar?
00:13:47.56\00:13:49.16
Does any of this sound familiar?
00:13:49.19\00:13:51.56
Of course, not
you, this is ASI...
00:13:51.59\00:13:54.20
this is the
remnant of the remnant...
00:13:54.23\00:13:57.80
of course, not you,
but perhaps a friend
00:13:57.83\00:14:01.34
or a family member or
a fellow church member,
00:14:01.40\00:14:04.74
well, I have good
news and I have bad news
00:14:04.77\00:14:08.11
which would you like first?
00:14:08.14\00:14:09.48
Sounds like the bad
news which is wonderful
00:14:09.54\00:14:13.68
because that's
the way I wrote this.
00:14:13.72\00:14:15.05
Thank you...
00:14:15.08\00:14:16.99
The bad news is...
00:14:17.02\00:14:19.99
untreated
Congenital Christianity
00:14:20.02\00:14:22.82
leads to eternal death on
hundred percent of the time.
00:14:22.86\00:14:27.63
The bad news is that
while the disease is passed down
00:14:27.66\00:14:32.37
the cure is not,
00:14:32.40\00:14:33.74
you cannot be saved
by your parents' faith
00:14:33.77\00:14:35.84
and the bad news is
that you must affirmatively
00:14:35.87\00:14:40.98
choose to be cured,
00:14:41.01\00:14:42.58
this won't just
get better on its own,
00:14:42.61\00:14:45.18
that's the bad news
00:14:45.21\00:14:47.78
but who wants the good news?
00:14:47.82\00:14:50.15
Amen... the good news
is that there is a cure
00:14:50.19\00:14:53.89
and I stand before
you today as living proof
00:14:53.92\00:14:57.59
I testify to you
that I have been cured
00:14:57.63\00:15:01.30
by the love of Jesus and the
power of the everlasting gospel.
00:15:01.33\00:15:05.20
Audience: Amen.
00:15:05.23\00:15:06.57
The good news is that if
God can save a wretch like me,
00:15:06.60\00:15:08.67
He can surely save you
00:15:08.70\00:15:10.17
and the good news is
that it's not too late,
00:15:10.21\00:15:13.04
it's not too late for you
even if you've been suffering
00:15:13.07\00:15:17.11
under the lukewarm malaise
of Congenital Christianity
00:15:17.15\00:15:21.12
for years or even decades,
it is not too late for you,
00:15:21.15\00:15:23.89
God can still reach down from
His throne and touch your heart
00:15:23.92\00:15:27.32
and turn it from a heart of
stone into a heart of flesh,
00:15:27.36\00:15:29.42
I know that He can do this for
you because He did it for me.
00:15:29.46\00:15:32.53
My story begins
three generations ago
00:15:32.56\00:15:38.10
in the early 1900s
when my great-grandfather
00:15:38.13\00:15:41.30
was the second ever ordained
00:15:41.34\00:15:44.31
Seventh-day
Adventist Pastor in Korea...
00:15:44.34\00:15:46.81
second ever...
00:15:46.84\00:15:49.24
his son... my grandfather,
00:15:49.28\00:15:52.25
also entered the
pastoral ministry
00:15:52.28\00:15:54.85
and he went on to
become the first native Korean
00:15:54.88\00:15:58.85
to serve as President of
the Korean Union Conference,
00:15:58.89\00:16:02.96
his son... my father,
00:16:02.99\00:16:06.76
did not enter
the pastoral ministry
00:16:06.80\00:16:09.26
but he went to
Adventist schools all his life
00:16:09.30\00:16:12.40
until Medical
School at which point
00:16:12.43\00:16:15.80
he scored number one
in the entire Country
00:16:15.84\00:16:18.97
on the Medical
Board Exams that year
00:16:19.01\00:16:20.68
all the while...
skipping class on Saturdays
00:16:20.71\00:16:24.08
to observe the
Sabbath in a Country
00:16:24.11\00:16:25.68
which required going
to classes on Saturdays
00:16:25.71\00:16:28.78
and that's where I come in
00:16:28.82\00:16:32.59
because I was
just four-months old
00:16:32.62\00:16:35.39
when my father and
mother came to this Country
00:16:35.42\00:16:38.23
with two suitcases and a baby
00:16:38.26\00:16:40.76
to pursue his
Residency in Boston.
00:16:40.80\00:16:43.93
So, while I'm a 1.5-generation
Korean-American immigrant,
00:16:43.97\00:16:49.10
I'm a fourth-generation
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:16:49.14\00:16:52.51
the faith has
been passed down to me
00:16:52.54\00:16:54.98
from its earliest days in Korea
and while many blessings come
00:16:55.01\00:16:59.55
with this heritage in the Faith,
00:16:59.58\00:17:02.48
this history also brings with it
00:17:02.52\00:17:05.35
a pre-disposition to
Congenital Christianity.
00:17:05.39\00:17:09.46
My earliest
spiritual memory goes back
00:17:09.49\00:17:12.66
to when I was
just four-years old,
00:17:12.69\00:17:15.80
I would come downstairs
early on Sunday mornings
00:17:15.83\00:17:18.93
to watch television
while my parents slept.
00:17:18.97\00:17:22.37
It didn't take me long
to notice that it seemed
00:17:22.40\00:17:25.81
every channel I turned
to every Sunday morning
00:17:25.84\00:17:29.24
was
broadcasting a church service
00:17:29.28\00:17:32.51
and I was
completely perplexed by it
00:17:32.55\00:17:35.78
even at that age,
00:17:35.82\00:17:37.25
I knew that
Saturday is the Sabbath,
00:17:37.29\00:17:39.82
this continued for some
time until finally I decided
00:17:39.85\00:17:44.63
that I would get to
the bottom of this...
00:17:44.66\00:17:45.99
that I would go ask my mother
00:17:46.03\00:17:48.53
and so I remember
walking into the kitchen...
00:17:48.56\00:17:52.43
walking into the kitchen
00:17:52.50\00:17:54.30
where my mother
was doing the dishes
00:17:54.34\00:17:56.57
and I asked her, "Amma... "
which means "mommy" in Korean,
00:17:56.60\00:18:02.38
I asked her,
00:18:02.41\00:18:04.05
"Amma, why are all these people
going to church on Sunday...
00:18:04.08\00:18:07.65
don't they know that
Saturday is the Sabbath?"
00:18:07.68\00:18:10.05
Before I tell you what she said,
I need to set some context.
00:18:10.09\00:18:16.46
My mother is a Godly
Woman, she's a Prayer Warrior,
00:18:16.49\00:18:21.03
a Bible Worker
and Church Planter
00:18:21.06\00:18:22.86
in Korean Immigrant Community,
00:18:22.93\00:18:24.67
I thank the Lord
for my mother's faith
00:18:24.70\00:18:26.70
but at this time... at
the time of this story...
00:18:26.74\00:18:30.81
she was in a
different place spiritually.
00:18:30.84\00:18:33.98
So, getting back to
the story, I asked her,
00:18:34.01\00:18:37.08
"Amma, why are all these people
going to the church on Sunday,
00:18:37.11\00:18:40.22
don't they know that
Saturday is the Sabbath?"
00:18:40.25\00:18:42.05
And without missing a beat,
00:18:42.08\00:18:44.02
while she was
washing the dishes,
00:18:44.05\00:18:46.02
she said, "I don't
know... " and left it at that.
00:18:46.05\00:18:50.93
I don't know why she
said, "I don't know... "
00:18:50.96\00:18:55.13
perhaps she was too
busy, she was a young mother
00:18:55.16\00:18:59.33
of a four-year-old
and a two-year-old boy.
00:18:59.37\00:19:02.40
That's a pretty busy gig...
00:19:02.44\00:19:04.47
while your husband is working
00:19:04.51\00:19:06.51
over a 100 hours a
week at the hospital.
00:19:06.54\00:19:09.01
That's a busy time so
perhaps she was too busy,
00:19:09.04\00:19:12.88
maybe she didn't
know what to say,
00:19:12.91\00:19:15.12
maybe she didn't
know how to explain it
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.75
or maybe she thought
that even if she explained it,
00:19:17.79\00:19:19.72
that I wouldn't understand.
00:19:19.75\00:19:21.62
I don't know why she said
that but what I do remember...
00:19:21.66\00:19:25.03
that I walked away
from that conversation
00:19:25.06\00:19:27.30
completely confused
and scratching my head.
00:19:27.33\00:19:30.57
This is why the
Lord in His divine wisdom
00:19:30.63\00:19:33.80
commanded us in Deuteronomy
chapter 6 verses 6 and 7,
00:19:33.84\00:19:38.51
"And these words
which I command you today
00:19:38.54\00:19:41.24
shall be in your heart.
00:19:41.28\00:19:42.61
You shall teach them
diligently to your children,
00:19:42.64\00:19:45.51
and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house,
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.52
when you walk by the way,
00:19:48.58\00:19:50.29
when you lie down
and when you rise up"
00:19:50.32\00:19:52.79
which is "Bible
language" for all the time.
00:19:52.82\00:19:55.29
If you leave your
children confused,
00:19:55.32\00:19:59.49
even when they're in Beginners
or Kindergarten or Primary,
00:19:59.53\00:20:02.76
you increase their risk
of Congenital Christianity,
00:20:02.80\00:20:05.60
you might think
that they're too young
00:20:05.63\00:20:07.80
to understand or to care
but they are paying attention
00:20:07.84\00:20:10.64
much more than you know
and you have the opportunity
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.68
to provide them the
vaccine of a strongly, Biblical,
00:20:13.71\00:20:16.64
age-appropriate foundation
00:20:16.68\00:20:18.08
or leave them
dangerously exposed
00:20:18.11\00:20:20.42
on the shifting
sands of confusion.
00:20:20.45\00:20:25.22
The ensuing years of my
childhood and adolescence
00:20:25.25\00:20:28.36
read like a textbook case
of Congenital Christianity,
00:20:28.39\00:20:31.49
in the Sixth Grade,
00:20:31.53\00:20:32.86
I was pulled out of our local
Seventh-day Adventist School
00:20:32.89\00:20:36.36
for two reasons,
00:20:36.40\00:20:37.73
the first reason...
was the excessive PDAs
00:20:37.77\00:20:41.57
on the part of the High
School kids at the Co-Ed Academy
00:20:41.60\00:20:45.41
we're not talking about
Personal Digital Assistance,
00:20:45.44\00:20:49.21
iPhones were not the problem,
00:20:49.24\00:20:50.78
the problem was
Public Displays of Affection
00:20:50.81\00:20:54.95
and it had gotten to a point
00:20:54.98\00:20:57.49
where my parents no
longer felt comfortable
00:20:57.52\00:20:59.95
having their Sixth-Grade
00:20:59.99\00:21:01.32
and Fourth-Grade sons
attending that school...
00:21:01.36\00:21:04.19
that Adventist School.
00:21:04.23\00:21:05.86
The second reason
was the academics...
00:21:05.89\00:21:09.23
I was getting
bored in the classroom
00:21:09.26\00:21:12.60
and I needed more challenge
00:21:12.63\00:21:14.57
and so, in the Sixth
Grade through High School,
00:21:14.60\00:21:20.04
I was in the Public Schools
00:21:20.08\00:21:21.68
which was actually
quite good for me academically
00:21:21.71\00:21:23.81
but my faith was under assault
from all sides continually.
00:21:23.85\00:21:27.98
Specifically, my faith was under
assault from the curriculum,
00:21:28.02\00:21:31.85
the extracurriculars
and the peer pressure.
00:21:31.89\00:21:34.62
We'll talk about all
three, first the curriculum...
00:21:34.66\00:21:37.83
the curriculum was 100
percent secular and humanistic.
00:21:37.86\00:21:41.00
From Biology to
English Literature,
00:21:41.03\00:21:43.53
I was exposed to the
breadth of world views
00:21:43.57\00:21:46.63
where humanism was
exalted and God was torn down.
00:21:46.67\00:21:50.41
Now don't get me wrong,
00:21:50.44\00:21:53.48
I have a passion for witnessing
00:21:53.51\00:21:56.04
to the wealthy,
worldly and well educated
00:21:56.08\00:21:57.91
or the W threes of our Society,
00:21:57.95\00:22:00.12
as missionaries to these groups,
00:22:00.15\00:22:02.25
we need to be able
to speak their language
00:22:02.28\00:22:04.39
and understand their culture
00:22:04.42\00:22:05.75
but exposure to these
world views... can be dangerous
00:22:05.79\00:22:09.79
if you're not
strongly, firmly grounded
00:22:09.82\00:22:12.96
in the reality of God
and the truth of His Word,
00:22:12.99\00:22:15.86
"By beholding
you become changed"
00:22:15.90\00:22:18.23
and if all you are beholding...
00:22:18.27\00:22:20.54
is Darwin, Kant,
Rousseau and Richard Dawkins
00:22:20.57\00:22:23.10
and you're not beholding
00:22:23.14\00:22:24.71
Moses, Daniel, John,
Paul and the others...
00:22:24.74\00:22:28.11
then you will be changed.
00:22:28.14\00:22:30.05
At a minimum, you set
yourself up for confusion
00:22:30.08\00:22:33.82
and more likely you set
yourself up for Apostasy
00:22:33.85\00:22:37.52
or even Atheism,
00:22:37.55\00:22:38.89
so that was the curriculum
00:22:38.92\00:22:43.12
but beyond the curriculum were
the extracurricular activities
00:22:43.16\00:22:47.53
and whether sports or
clubs or arts or academics,
00:22:47.56\00:22:50.50
it seemed like everything
conflicted with the Sabbath
00:22:50.53\00:22:53.44
and my unconverted
heart struggled greatly
00:22:53.47\00:22:57.71
with these conflicts
00:22:57.74\00:22:59.07
because I wanted to achieve
great things in the world,
00:22:59.11\00:23:02.28
and I thought that
my success depended
00:23:02.31\00:23:05.15
on the validation of the world
00:23:05.18\00:23:07.02
rather than relying on the
mighty right arm of the Lord,
00:23:07.05\00:23:10.29
in my case... I was
gaining success as a Cellist,
00:23:10.32\00:23:14.02
I was one of the best
in the State of California
00:23:14.06\00:23:17.69
and I was considering a career
00:23:17.73\00:23:20.03
in music performance...
in Cello performance,
00:23:20.06\00:23:22.16
a key part of establishing
a track record in music
00:23:22.23\00:23:26.63
is the competition circuit
00:23:26.67\00:23:29.00
but time after time after time,
00:23:29.04\00:23:31.31
I had to decline
participation due to the Sabbath
00:23:31.34\00:23:35.74
and this struggle was
excruciating in my teenage mind
00:23:35.81\00:23:39.98
and the struggle was
compounded by the fact
00:23:40.02\00:23:42.48
that individuals in our very
own Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:23:42.52\00:23:45.05
would encourage me to compete.
00:23:45.12\00:23:48.49
There was a sweet older woman,
00:23:48.52\00:23:51.86
she was a pillar
of our local church
00:23:51.89\00:23:54.03
and a strong supporter
of the local music scene,
00:23:54.06\00:23:57.17
she knew of my talent
as well as my struggles,
00:23:57.20\00:24:00.04
I'll never forget
one Sabbath afternoon
00:24:00.07\00:24:02.37
after the church
service, when she took me aside
00:24:02.40\00:24:04.37
and she told me
that it would be okay
00:24:04.41\00:24:07.44
if I competed on the
Sabbath... it would be fine
00:24:07.48\00:24:09.88
if I competed on the
Sabbath for two reasons,
00:24:09.91\00:24:12.25
One: Because I would be
playing good classical music,
00:24:12.28\00:24:17.25
and that's a
whole 'nother sermon
00:24:17.29\00:24:20.99
but friends, I
will tell you this,
00:24:21.02\00:24:24.66
just because it sounds
classical does not make it good.
00:24:24.69\00:24:28.90
So that was the first reason.
00:24:28.93\00:24:32.50
The second reason
was that she said that
00:24:32.53\00:24:35.00
I would be
glorifying God with my talent,
00:24:35.07\00:24:37.51
I'm convinced
that she meant well,
00:24:37.54\00:24:40.58
I believe that she meant well
00:24:40.64\00:24:42.74
but this
well-intentioned church member
00:24:42.78\00:24:44.91
was causing even
more confusion for me
00:24:44.98\00:24:47.08
and setting me up for compromise
00:24:47.12\00:24:49.68
and ultimately full-blown
Congenital Christianity,
00:24:49.72\00:24:52.79
we would do well
to recall Jesus' words
00:24:52.82\00:24:55.32
in Matthew chapter 18 verse 6,
00:24:55.36\00:24:57.26
"Whoever causes one
of these little ones
00:24:57.29\00:25:00.10
who believes in me to sin,
00:25:00.13\00:25:01.46
it would be
better for him or her
00:25:01.50\00:25:04.57
if a millstone were
hung around her neck,
00:25:04.60\00:25:07.40
and she were drowned in
the depths of the sea. "
00:25:07.44\00:25:10.11
Friends, you don't have to
be blood-related to someone
00:25:10.14\00:25:16.34
to inflame their
Congenital Christianity,
00:25:16.38\00:25:19.11
you can even be a
well-intentioned church member
00:25:19.15\00:25:21.45
but be careful
00:25:21.48\00:25:23.69
because you might make
yourself a contributing factor
00:25:23.72\00:25:27.26
in someone else's
Congenital Christianity,
00:25:27.32\00:25:29.86
and Lord have mercy
on you if you do this
00:25:29.89\00:25:32.23
so we've talked
about the curriculum
00:25:32.26\00:25:35.60
and how it created
conflict in my heart,
00:25:35.63\00:25:38.63
we've talked about
the extracurricular...
00:25:38.67\00:25:41.57
the extracurriculars...
and how those created conflict
00:25:41.60\00:25:45.14
but the third and
the most powerful force
00:25:45.17\00:25:48.38
assaulting my faith
during my formative years
00:25:48.41\00:25:51.35
was the peer pressure.
00:25:51.38\00:25:52.71
Beginning in the Sixth
Grade... through my peers,
00:25:52.75\00:25:55.85
I was exposed to the
range of filth and wickedness
00:25:55.88\00:25:59.02
that we, unfortunately, consider
00:25:59.05\00:26:00.59
a normal part of growing up.
00:26:00.62\00:26:02.09
Between the school bus,
the sleepover, the field trip,
00:26:02.12\00:26:07.06
the cafeteria, the popular media
00:26:07.10\00:26:09.16
and various and sundry
settings, wherever I turned,
00:26:09.23\00:26:12.97
Satan was there to teach
me what things are desirable,
00:26:13.00\00:26:16.71
what things are pleasurable,
00:26:16.74\00:26:19.34
what things are
required for social standing,
00:26:19.37\00:26:22.18
what things are required
for emotional fulfillment,
00:26:22.21\00:26:25.35
what things are required
for physical gratification
00:26:25.41\00:26:28.48
and what things are required
ultimately for happiness,
00:26:28.52\00:26:32.92
I'm being a
little bit delicate here
00:26:32.95\00:26:35.69
because this is
a "G" rated sermon
00:26:35.72\00:26:38.46
but I hope you
understand what I mean.
00:26:38.49\00:26:42.13
In fact, from all I can
gather from the news and media,
00:26:42.16\00:26:46.37
it is even worse today.
00:26:46.40\00:26:47.87
Seems like every day
there's another sensational
00:26:47.90\00:26:52.21
salacious news story about
what some young people did,
00:26:52.27\00:26:56.58
who they did it to,
when, where and how often
00:26:56.61\00:27:01.38
in the Locker
Room, in the Dorm Room,
00:27:01.42\00:27:05.02
in the Frat House, on Facebook
00:27:05.05\00:27:08.92
or Snapchat, with a
Webcam or a Cell phone,
00:27:08.96\00:27:12.73
of course there are exceptions
00:27:12.76\00:27:16.63
but for every person
00:27:16.67\00:27:18.13
who has managed to
navigate the peer pressure,
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.84
and emerge unscathed...
00:27:20.90\00:27:22.24
an untold
multiple of that number...
00:27:22.27\00:27:24.47
see, hear, touch,
taste and inhale substances,
00:27:24.51\00:27:28.38
images, media, and
have myriad experiences
00:27:28.41\00:27:32.21
which leave deep, mental,
emotional and physical scars
00:27:32.28\00:27:35.88
which will haunt them
for the rest of their lives.
00:27:35.92\00:27:39.15
There may be some of
you right here in this hall,
00:27:39.19\00:27:42.32
there may be some
of you watching on 3abn
00:27:42.39\00:27:44.99
who know exactly
what I am talking about,
00:27:45.03\00:27:47.60
you've been
there, you've done that
00:27:47.63\00:27:51.33
and you walk through life
bearing the guilt and shame
00:27:51.37\00:27:55.70
and fear of what
you've been through.
00:27:55.77\00:27:58.17
Satan uses these
experiences and these emotions
00:27:58.21\00:28:03.08
to make you wonder
if God is even there
00:28:03.11\00:28:04.85
and if He is there if He cares
00:28:04.88\00:28:08.45
or if He cares...
if He is even capable
00:28:08.48\00:28:12.22
of delivering you
from this body of death,
00:28:12.25\00:28:15.96
Satan infiltrates your thinking
00:28:15.99\00:28:19.49
and makes you...
drives you to the point
00:28:19.53\00:28:22.63
where you would even
wish that God did not exist
00:28:22.66\00:28:25.60
where you would
kill God in your own mind
00:28:25.63\00:28:28.20
because if God does
exist as the Bible describes
00:28:28.24\00:28:32.07
and if He is as pure and
righteous and holy and just
00:28:32.11\00:28:35.71
as the Bible says He is,
00:28:35.74\00:28:37.08
then you would be destined for
nothing other than eternal loss
00:28:37.11\00:28:40.02
and so you choose to
kill God in your own mind
00:28:40.05\00:28:42.78
and adopt that point of view.
00:28:42.85\00:28:44.25
It was with this mindset
00:28:44.29\00:28:49.39
that I limped my
way through High School.
00:28:49.42\00:28:52.76
All the guilt...
shame and confusion
00:28:52.79\00:28:56.67
hidden behind a
facade of perfect grades
00:28:56.70\00:29:00.50
and musical accolades
00:29:00.54\00:29:02.44
and admission to
world-class schools
00:29:02.50\00:29:05.37
like Stanford University
and the Eastman School of Music,
00:29:05.41\00:29:08.91
I was chasing the world
00:29:08.94\00:29:12.91
and doing extremely
well by its standards
00:29:12.95\00:29:15.75
but all the while I
was ambivalent toward God,
00:29:15.78\00:29:19.39
I was resentful
towards His Church
00:29:19.42\00:29:22.19
and I had no
idea what to believe,
00:29:22.22\00:29:24.89
I was completely,
spiritually... ungrounded,
00:29:24.93\00:29:27.26
cast adrift in a sea of
worldliness and secularism.
00:29:27.30\00:29:31.50
Against this backdrop,
00:29:31.53\00:29:33.60
I went off to Eastman...
00:29:33.64\00:29:35.64
to Eastman School of
Music and like any Freshman,
00:29:35.67\00:29:37.61
I was looking for a sense
of belonging and affiliation
00:29:37.64\00:29:41.74
and one of the places
that I looked for this
00:29:41.78\00:29:43.65
was the Local Chapter
00:29:43.71\00:29:45.05
of the Intervarsity
Christian Fellowship.
00:29:45.08\00:29:47.32
Of course there wasn't
an Adventist Group on campus
00:29:47.35\00:29:51.45
but...
00:29:51.49\00:29:52.92
I didn't really mind
because as far as I knew...
00:29:52.95\00:29:55.52
as far as I understood,
00:29:55.56\00:29:56.89
other than Sabbath-keeping,
there really wasn't a difference
00:29:56.93\00:30:00.36
I will never forget the first
Bible Study that I attended,
00:30:00.40\00:30:03.90
there were about ten of us there
00:30:03.97\00:30:06.13
it was led by a
Senior, a French Horn player
00:30:06.17\00:30:08.90
his name was Drew
00:30:08.94\00:30:10.54
and to get started
00:30:10.57\00:30:12.77
we all went around
and introduced ourselves,
00:30:12.81\00:30:15.28
name, where you're
from, what you're studying
00:30:15.31\00:30:17.81
and a little bit about
your spiritual background.
00:30:17.85\00:30:20.08
So when it came to my
turn, a dialog ensued,
00:30:20.12\00:30:23.39
that went a little
something like this,
00:30:23.42\00:30:26.65
"Hi, my name is David Kim,
00:30:26.69\00:30:28.82
I'm from San Luis
Obispo, California
00:30:28.86\00:30:31.49
and I'm here
studying Cello performance
00:30:31.53\00:30:33.90
and my
spiritual background is...
00:30:33.93\00:30:36.26
is Seventh-day Adventist. "
00:30:36.30\00:30:37.80
So Drew says to me,
00:30:37.83\00:30:40.54
"Ha, Seventh-day Adventist...
that's interesting...
00:30:40.57\00:30:43.44
how did you become
Seventh-day Adventist?"
00:30:43.47\00:30:45.91
And I said to Drew,
00:30:45.94\00:30:49.11
"Well, my family is
Seventh-day Adventist,
00:30:49.14\00:30:51.65
I grew up in the Church
00:30:51.68\00:30:53.01
and I also think it's
pretty clear from the Bible
00:30:53.05\00:30:56.42
that Saturday, the seventh
day, is the day of worship,"
00:30:56.45\00:30:59.99
and Drew says to me,
00:31:00.02\00:31:02.99
"Ha, is that right?
00:31:03.02\00:31:05.36
Well, what about
Colossians 2:16?"
00:31:05.39\00:31:08.63
And I looked at him
with a blank look on my face
00:31:08.66\00:31:14.97
and I said,
"You mean John 3:16?"
00:31:15.00\00:31:17.11
"No, Colossians 2:16."
00:31:17.14\00:31:20.28
"You're going to have to
help me out with that Drew
00:31:20.31\00:31:21.98
because I have no idea
what that verse says. "
00:31:22.01\00:31:24.25
And he said, "Come on...
00:31:24.28\00:31:25.61
let's read it together,
let's all read it together. "
00:31:25.65\00:31:28.25
If fact, get out your
Bibles, let's read it together.
00:31:28.28\00:31:30.79
That was an
invitation by-the-way.
00:31:30.82\00:31:35.02
So, I had grown
up in the church,
00:31:35.09\00:31:38.46
I played swords... growing up,
00:31:38.49\00:31:41.83
I knew that Colossians
was in the New Testament,
00:31:41.86\00:31:45.03
in fact, I had
an acronym for it,
00:31:45.07\00:31:46.80
Go Eat Popcorn...
Galatians, Ephesians,
00:31:46.84\00:31:51.77
Philippians, Colossians,
00:31:51.81\00:31:54.04
so I knew exactly
where to find Colossians.
00:31:54.08\00:31:56.85
Colossians 2:16, you
should follow along...
00:31:56.88\00:31:59.61
join me, Colossians 2:16...
00:31:59.65\00:32:02.22
and I got there and Drew
said, "All right go ahead...
00:32:02.28\00:32:08.62
go ahead...
read this for us... "
00:32:08.66\00:32:10.06
and I walked right into
his trap... Colossians 2:16...
00:32:10.09\00:32:14.96
"So let no one judge
you in food or in drink,
00:32:15.00\00:32:19.90
or regarding a
festival, or a new moon,
00:32:19.93\00:32:26.14
or... "
00:32:26.17\00:32:28.44
what does your Bible say?
00:32:28.48\00:32:33.25
"Sabbaths... " my
Bible says Sabbaths too...
00:32:33.28\00:32:36.28
Drew says to me,
"Right... you guys...
00:32:36.32\00:32:44.79
by being so focused
on keeping the Sabbath,
00:32:44.83\00:32:46.73
you're just being legalists,
Jesus freed us from the Law. "
00:32:46.76\00:32:50.57
I will never forget that moment,
00:32:50.60\00:32:55.34
I felt mortified
as I read those words,
00:32:55.37\00:32:58.21
I had never seen
that verse in my life,
00:32:58.24\00:33:01.04
and I had no clue what to think,
00:33:01.08\00:33:02.78
you'd think that someone
who grew up in our church
00:33:02.81\00:33:05.71
who had this past...
this history that I did...
00:33:05.75\00:33:08.62
in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church,
00:33:08.65\00:33:10.35
you would think
that someone like me
00:33:10.39\00:33:12.05
would understand the difference
between Ceremonial Sabbaths
00:33:12.09\00:33:14.86
and the Sabbath of
the fourth commandment
00:33:14.92\00:33:16.73
and if you don't
understand what I just said,
00:33:16.76\00:33:18.53
you need to talk to your pastor
00:33:18.56\00:33:19.89
or one of the ministries
back there in the Exhibit Hall,
00:33:19.93\00:33:23.00
I'm sure someone would be
willing to explain this to you
00:33:23.06\00:33:26.20
but as you just heard,
00:33:26.23\00:33:30.51
I did not receive
instruction in the home
00:33:30.54\00:33:32.57
and so, I felt confused,
betrayed and humiliated,
00:33:32.61\00:33:38.18
I never went back
to that Bible Study
00:33:38.21\00:33:41.92
and I stopped going to church,
00:33:41.98\00:33:43.69
my Congenital
Christianity had metastasized
00:33:43.72\00:33:47.22
and while I never
gave up on the idea of God,
00:33:47.26\00:33:50.33
I had no idea who he was,
I had no idea what to think
00:33:50.36\00:33:54.00
which church was the right one,
I was spiritually bewildered
00:33:54.06\00:33:57.87
and I checked out
of church completely.
00:33:57.90\00:33:59.60
The next 14 years were a blur,
00:33:59.63\00:34:01.60
I was in hot pursuit
00:34:01.64\00:34:03.84
of worldly success
and I was succeeding.
00:34:03.87\00:34:05.94
Over that
period of time I earned
00:34:05.97\00:34:08.04
Bachelor's and Master's degrees
00:34:08.08\00:34:10.18
in Cello performance
from top music schools
00:34:10.21\00:34:12.41
with honors and scholarships,
00:34:12.45\00:34:13.78
I had performed
all over the world
00:34:13.82\00:34:15.38
in prestigious venues
under world-class Conductors
00:34:15.42\00:34:20.02
and Orchestras,
00:34:20.06\00:34:21.39
I switched careers
and I went to get my MBA
00:34:21.42\00:34:23.99
at one of the leading
programs in the world,
00:34:24.03\00:34:26.59
I worked at some of the
most prestigious companies
00:34:26.63\00:34:31.13
in all of Capitalism
00:34:31.17\00:34:32.50
and on the personal front,
I married my beautiful wife
00:34:32.53\00:34:38.07
and had two lovely children.
00:34:38.11\00:34:39.97
I thought I had
achieved the American dream,
00:34:40.01\00:34:42.81
while my house did not
have a white picket fence,
00:34:42.84\00:34:46.28
I did have a
solar-heated swimming pool.
00:34:46.31\00:34:49.32
And given the
choice... I will take the pool.
00:34:49.35\00:34:52.95
Over the years, the Lord had
drawn me back into the church,
00:34:52.99\00:34:58.56
I met and married
my wife in the church
00:34:58.59\00:35:00.93
when I lived in Chicago,
00:35:00.96\00:35:02.63
I even was serving as
an Elder in California
00:35:02.66\00:35:05.63
when we moved out there,
but my heart was not converted,
00:35:05.67\00:35:09.07
I was still just as confused
about our message... as ever...
00:35:09.10\00:35:12.51
my theology and
lifestyle were a mess,
00:35:12.54\00:35:15.54
I was prideful, covetous
and ambitious for worldly things
00:35:15.58\00:35:19.58
God and church were
something I did for my children
00:35:19.61\00:35:22.82
just in case it was true
00:35:22.85\00:35:24.19
but I was
consumed with the world.
00:35:24.22\00:35:29.32
To top it all off,
00:35:29.36\00:35:31.69
I had been diagnosed
00:35:31.73\00:35:33.06
with a rare degenerative bone
condition in both of my hips,
00:35:33.09\00:35:36.00
over the course of ten years,
00:35:36.03\00:35:38.07
I suffered through
four unsuccessful surgeries
00:35:38.13\00:35:41.37
and I walked with some
combination of crutches,
00:35:41.40\00:35:44.64
canes and pain...
00:35:44.67\00:35:46.61
as you can see this
evening, I no longer have these,
00:35:46.64\00:35:51.05
praise the Lord... but at that
time as far as I could tell,
00:35:51.08\00:35:55.62
God had left me alone
to deal with this on my own
00:35:55.65\00:35:58.95
and I was angry at Him.
00:35:59.02\00:36:00.36
Yet through all of this,
God was trying to reach me.
00:36:00.39\00:36:03.06
There'd be times at church
00:36:03.09\00:36:05.63
when I would hear something
in a song or a testimony
00:36:05.66\00:36:08.23
or in a sermon and my
heart would be touched
00:36:08.26\00:36:10.67
and my eyes
would fill with tears
00:36:10.70\00:36:13.07
but I would
quickly wipe them away
00:36:13.10\00:36:15.47
as inconspicuously as possible
00:36:15.50\00:36:17.41
so that no one would
see what had happened.
00:36:17.47\00:36:20.58
In these moments I
knew that the Holy Spirit
00:36:20.61\00:36:23.45
was trying to reach me
00:36:23.48\00:36:24.81
but I refused to
yield to His promptings,
00:36:24.85\00:36:27.38
I was still too
proud, too angry,
00:36:27.42\00:36:29.78
too consumed with the world,
00:36:29.82\00:36:31.25
and I didn't know
God... much less trust Him,
00:36:31.29\00:36:33.76
I didn't understand
the Bible and its message,
00:36:33.79\00:36:35.99
it didn't make any sense to
me, I was Congenitally Christian
00:36:36.02\00:36:40.16
but my heart was unconverted
00:36:40.20\00:36:42.56
within the spiritual context I
was sitting in a Board Meeting,
00:36:42.60\00:36:45.83
yes, I was an Elder
sitting on the Church Board.
00:36:45.87\00:36:48.94
It was spring of 2008
00:36:48.97\00:36:52.14
and we're talking about putting
on our first Evangelistic Series
00:36:52.17\00:36:56.24
in over a decade, and
the pastor was exhorting...
00:36:56.28\00:36:59.95
explaining to
all the Board Members
00:36:59.98\00:37:01.98
the importance of every member
00:37:02.02\00:37:03.89
attending all the
meetings in order to support...
00:37:03.92\00:37:06.82
and as he was talking
00:37:06.86\00:37:08.89
there was something...
00:37:08.92\00:37:10.89
an internal
monologue going through my mind
00:37:10.93\00:37:12.96
and it went a
little something like this.
00:37:12.99\00:37:14.96
"So, what I hear
you saying is that
00:37:15.03\00:37:19.80
you want me to come to church
00:37:19.83\00:37:22.50
five nights a
week for five weeks?"
00:37:22.54\00:37:24.87
Audience: laughing...
00:37:24.94\00:37:28.84
"Who has time for that?
I'm much too busy at work
00:37:28.88\00:37:32.81
who has time for that?
00:37:32.85\00:37:34.18
All right, I'll
come on the weekends,
00:37:34.22\00:37:37.19
You know... Friday
nights... or something...
00:37:37.22\00:37:39.15
I'll come on the
weekends, well...
00:37:39.19\00:37:40.52
I'll come on the
Sabbath parts of the weekend...
00:37:40.56\00:37:42.96
You know, Friday
evening through Sabbath,
00:37:42.99\00:37:45.43
well... I'll
definitely come on Saturday
00:37:45.46\00:37:50.13
morning...
00:37:50.17\00:37:53.64
because I'd be there anyway,
00:37:53.67\00:37:55.00
but five nights
a week for five...
00:37:55.04\00:37:57.87
who has time...
okay... I got it...
00:37:57.94\00:38:00.81
I'll tell you
what... I'll write a check
00:38:00.84\00:38:03.45
I'm happy to write a
check to support the meetings
00:38:03.48\00:38:07.48
but I'm not going to come...
00:38:07.52\00:38:09.45
at least not five
nights a week... "
00:38:09.48\00:38:11.29
little did I know that
God had other plans for me.
00:38:11.32\00:38:15.29
Come November,
00:38:15.32\00:38:18.73
instead of being busy at work,
00:38:18.79\00:38:20.50
I'd been told that I
need to find a new job
00:38:20.53\00:38:22.30
which came as a
total shock to me
00:38:22.33\00:38:24.23
because
everything was going well,
00:38:24.27\00:38:26.07
but I... like many others...
had been caught in the undertow
00:38:26.10\00:38:30.91
of the global financial crisis
00:38:30.94\00:38:32.27
so the bad news was that
I had to look for a new job
00:38:32.31\00:38:37.38
during one of the
worst financial crises
00:38:37.45\00:38:39.28
in the history of Capitalism
00:38:39.31\00:38:41.42
but the good news was that
00:38:41.45\00:38:43.49
I had plenty of time
to attend the meetings
00:38:43.52\00:38:47.16
and I thank the
Lord for that opportunity
00:38:47.19\00:38:50.76
to hear our gospel
message in a systematic way
00:38:50.79\00:38:54.66
as the Evangelist,
Brother Taj Pacleb,
00:38:54.70\00:38:58.43
amen... as Brother Taj...
00:38:58.50\00:39:05.57
unfolded the gospel
message in a systematic way
00:39:05.61\00:39:09.44
night after night, step by step,
00:39:09.48\00:39:11.78
I could see for
the very first time
00:39:11.81\00:39:14.85
the logic,
coherence and reliability
00:39:14.88\00:39:17.45
of the Bible and
the gospel message.
00:39:17.49\00:39:19.79
For the first time
I could cut through
00:39:19.82\00:39:22.09
all the clichés and assumptions
00:39:22.12\00:39:23.69
that are tied up
in our Christian faith
00:39:23.73\00:39:25.43
and I could see that
the Bible can be trusted,
00:39:25.46\00:39:28.33
I could see, yeah...
I should get an amen...
00:39:28.36\00:39:30.77
Audience: Amen...
00:39:30.80\00:39:32.17
I could see, for the first time,
00:39:32.20\00:39:34.50
why an
all-powerful and all-loving God
00:39:34.54\00:39:37.37
would allow evil and suffering
to exist for a season...
00:39:37.41\00:39:41.24
any amens for
that? Audience: Amen...
00:39:41.31\00:39:45.55
I could see...
00:39:45.61\00:39:46.95
I could understand
the physics of salvation,
00:39:46.98\00:39:49.05
who Jesus was, why He had to die
00:39:49.08\00:39:50.92
and what He had to do with me,
00:39:50.95\00:39:53.66
I could see
that God has shown us
00:39:53.69\00:39:56.32
everything that we need
00:39:56.36\00:39:57.86
to get from here
to the second coming
00:39:57.89\00:40:00.00
through all eternity
in His prophetic Word
00:40:00.03\00:40:02.90
if we would only read it,
00:40:02.93\00:40:04.40
and I could see that
all the do's and don'ts
00:40:04.43\00:40:08.74
associated with God... His Law
00:40:08.80\00:40:10.97
and even things
like the Health Message,
00:40:11.04\00:40:12.44
are not because God is
picky and arbitrary and mean
00:40:12.47\00:40:15.58
but because He is preparing
us for a literal eternity
00:40:15.61\00:40:18.68
where we will live
in His direct presence.
00:40:18.71\00:40:21.95
Audience: Amen...
00:40:21.98\00:40:23.32
I could see for the
first time that God was real
00:40:23.35\00:40:25.89
and He was real to me
because for the first time
00:40:25.95\00:40:28.59
He made perfect sense.
00:40:28.62\00:40:30.46
I'll never forget how I felt,
sitting there in that hall,
00:40:30.49\00:40:35.06
looking up at the PowerPoint
00:40:35.10\00:40:37.07
and realizing... for
the very first time...
00:40:37.10\00:40:40.14
that the 70-week
Prophecy of Daniel chapter 9
00:40:40.17\00:40:43.14
perfectly foretold the
beginning of Christ's ministry
00:40:43.17\00:40:45.97
in the 15th year
of Tiberius Caesar
00:40:46.04\00:40:48.64
and again, if
you don't understand
00:40:48.68\00:40:51.15
what I just said,
please, go talk to your pastor.
00:40:51.21\00:40:54.28
I had two immediate thoughts,
00:40:54.32\00:40:57.45
my first thought was,
"Wow! this is really true... "
00:40:57.49\00:41:00.96
and my second thought was,
00:41:01.02\00:41:03.86
"Well, if this is true, I'd
better do something about it"
00:41:03.89\00:41:06.29
and my life has
never been the same.
00:41:06.33\00:41:09.20
Audience: Amen...
00:41:09.23\00:41:10.67
The Lord put me on
the road to recovery
00:41:10.73\00:41:12.07
and I haven't looked back.
00:41:12.10\00:41:13.44
The next month
was GYC in San Jose
00:41:13.47\00:41:16.71
and I took that opportunity
00:41:16.74\00:41:18.24
to be a local Bus
Guide for the Outreach.
00:41:18.27\00:41:20.54
It was a small step...
but it was a big step for me
00:41:20.58\00:41:23.58
because I had
never done anything
00:41:23.61\00:41:24.98
evangelistic in my entire life
00:41:25.01\00:41:26.35
but I thought I can
handle being a local Bus Guide
00:41:26.38\00:41:28.22
because as some of you may know,
00:41:28.25\00:41:29.98
in the Outreach at GYC,
00:41:30.02\00:41:31.82
the local Bus
Guide stays on the bus
00:41:31.85\00:41:34.89
so I thought I can
handle that and indeed I did,
00:41:34.92\00:41:40.86
after that, I survived
00:41:40.90\00:41:43.50
and so I started to
look for other witnessing
00:41:43.53\00:41:44.87
and training opportunities,
00:41:44.90\00:41:46.23
I attended AFCOE To-Go,
Amazing Facts four-day Program
00:41:46.27\00:41:49.30
where I learned how to
give personal Bible Studies,
00:41:49.34\00:41:52.71
and I also accompanied
my Church's Bible Worker,
00:41:52.74\00:41:56.08
I praise the Lord
for Bible Workers,
00:41:56.11\00:41:58.61
I accompanied my
Church's Bible Worker
00:41:58.65\00:42:00.98
to follow-up leads from GYC.
00:42:01.02\00:42:03.02
On the job-search
front, God was faithful,
00:42:03.05\00:42:05.55
in the middle of the
worst economic crisis
00:42:05.59\00:42:08.26
and the worst job
market in over a generation,
00:42:08.29\00:42:10.93
the Lord provided
me... not just one...
00:42:10.96\00:42:12.69
not just two...
not just three...
00:42:12.73\00:42:16.36
not just
four... not just five...
00:42:16.40\00:42:19.93
but six excellent
job opportunities...
00:42:20.00\00:42:23.44
one of which
00:42:23.47\00:42:24.94
brought me to the Philadelphia
area where I live today
00:42:24.97\00:42:27.44
and as I embarked on a
new job and a new place
00:42:27.48\00:42:30.68
where I didn't know
anybody, it's almost if...
00:42:30.71\00:42:33.78
as if the Lord gave me
a clean-sheet opportunity
00:42:33.82\00:42:36.82
to start my life again
00:42:36.85\00:42:38.59
and I purposed in my heart
that I would be faithful to Him
00:42:38.62\00:42:42.12
in all dimensions of my
life, professional and personal
00:42:42.16\00:42:45.43
to bring my authentic faith
to everything I do each day
00:42:45.46\00:42:48.70
and it has made
all the difference.
00:42:48.76\00:42:50.53
I have a regular devotional life
00:42:50.57\00:42:52.20
on a level of
depth and consistency
00:42:52.23\00:42:53.77
that I've never had before,
00:42:53.80\00:42:55.14
in particular, I am praying
more than I ever have before,
00:42:55.17\00:42:58.81
when I was suffering
from Congenital Christianity,
00:42:58.84\00:43:01.48
I would struggle to pray more
than two or three minutes a day
00:43:01.54\00:43:04.45
and that includes
time... praying for my food
00:43:04.48\00:43:06.72
but now that I'm
walking with the Lord
00:43:06.75\00:43:11.32
and my walk has deepened,
00:43:11.35\00:43:13.05
it has built up my prayer life
00:43:13.09\00:43:14.42
to be 20 to 30
minutes or more everyday
00:43:14.46\00:43:16.26
I'm praying without ceasing
as I go through my meetings
00:43:16.32\00:43:18.99
and interactions with
the people in my life.
00:43:19.06\00:43:21.73
The Lord is
teaching me how to praise Him
00:43:21.76\00:43:24.40
like David did in the Psalms.
00:43:24.43\00:43:25.97
The Lord is teaching me
how to confess specific sins
00:43:26.00\00:43:29.70
so that every day... daily...
00:43:29.77\00:43:31.47
I confront the
darkness of my own heart
00:43:31.54\00:43:33.27
and realize anew
how much I need Jesus,
00:43:33.31\00:43:34.98
the Lord is teaching me how
he's giving me victory over sin
00:43:35.01\00:43:38.21
there are sins I used to
have to confess all the time
00:43:38.25\00:43:40.92
which, by His grace,
00:43:40.95\00:43:42.68
I rarely... or don't
even have to confess anymore
00:43:42.72\00:43:45.15
because God is
changing my heart.
00:43:45.19\00:43:46.59
There are other sins that
I had to confess all the time
00:43:46.62\00:43:50.03
which I still have
to confess all the time
00:43:50.06\00:43:52.69
but the Lord teaches me what
things are most deeply seated
00:43:52.73\00:43:56.43
in my heart and
how much I need Him.
00:43:56.46\00:43:57.80
The Lord is teaching
me how to pray for others,
00:43:57.83\00:44:00.37
intercessory prayer,
00:44:00.40\00:44:01.74
takes us out of
our own selfishness
00:44:01.77\00:44:03.17
and puts us in the
Garden of Gethsemane
00:44:03.20\00:44:04.77
where Jesus
prayed for you and me,
00:44:04.84\00:44:06.41
the Lord is teaching me how
to have spiritual conversations
00:44:06.44\00:44:10.11
with those around me,
00:44:10.15\00:44:11.48
He's teaching me how to
approach these conversations
00:44:11.51\00:44:14.15
in a very natural and easy way.
00:44:14.18\00:44:15.52
I've been having a dozen or more
of these spiritual conversations
00:44:15.55\00:44:18.75
with the people on my sphere
of influence on a weekly basis.
00:44:18.79\00:44:21.32
The Lord is teaching me
how to turn these conversations
00:44:21.36\00:44:24.69
into personal Bible Studies.
00:44:24.73\00:44:26.53
Over the last few years the
Lord has given me the privilege
00:44:26.56\00:44:29.40
of studying with a
wide range of backgrounds
00:44:29.46\00:44:31.53
and educational and
spiritual backgrounds
00:44:31.57\00:44:33.74
I'm studying with
Atheists and Agnostics,
00:44:33.77\00:44:35.87
Buddhists... Evangelicals...
00:44:35.90\00:44:37.81
Doctors, Lawyers,
MBAs, PhDs and many others
00:44:37.84\00:44:42.44
as a result of these experiences
00:44:42.48\00:44:45.98
I have co-founded:
The Nicodemus Society,
00:44:46.01\00:44:48.58
a ministry focused on witnessing
00:44:48.62\00:44:51.19
to the wealthy,
worldly and well-educated...
00:44:51.22\00:44:53.12
or the W3s of our culture.
00:44:53.15\00:44:55.62
The Lord has
given me opportunities
00:44:55.66\00:44:57.66
to go all over the
Country giving Seminars,
00:44:57.69\00:45:00.06
teaching people, how to reach
00:45:00.10\00:45:02.73
what the Spirit of Prophecy
calls this "neglected class"
00:45:02.76\00:45:06.00
if you'd like to
learn more about this,
00:45:06.03\00:45:09.37
please come visit us,
Exhibit Booth number 231
00:45:09.40\00:45:14.08
or you can visit
us at our website
00:45:14.11\00:45:17.41
Nicodemussociety. org
00:45:17.45\00:45:19.98
we'd love to talk with you,
00:45:20.02\00:45:23.12
that's the end
of the commercial.
00:45:23.15\00:45:24.75
The Lord is teaching
me about my family life,
00:45:24.79\00:45:28.52
I used to rush out
the door in the morning
00:45:28.56\00:45:32.23
before the kids were up and
stumble back in through the door
00:45:32.29\00:45:35.06
after they were asleep,
00:45:35.10\00:45:36.43
today we gather
for morning prayer
00:45:36.46\00:45:38.33
and for evening family worship.
00:45:38.37\00:45:40.44
The Lord is teaching
me how to love my wife
00:45:40.47\00:45:43.91
as Christ loves the Church
00:45:43.94\00:45:45.41
being willing to
give myself for her
00:45:45.44\00:45:47.31
and treating her as a
member of my own body.
00:45:47.34\00:45:49.08
God is so merciful and
good, I'm so thankful to Him
00:45:49.11\00:45:52.91
that He got a hold of my heart
00:45:52.95\00:45:54.28
while my
children were still young.
00:45:54.32\00:45:55.65
By His grace, my
Congenital Christianity
00:45:55.68\00:45:58.85
will end with me, amen.
00:45:58.89\00:46:02.32
I'm by no means perfect but
I'm better than I used to be
00:46:02.39\00:46:06.06
and by the grace of God...
00:46:06.09\00:46:08.00
I'll be more
like Jesus everyday.
00:46:08.03\00:46:09.76
Day by day from faith to
faith and from glory to glory.
00:46:09.80\00:46:15.50
So what about you?
00:46:15.54\00:46:19.47
What about you?
00:46:19.51\00:46:23.35
Are you suffering from
Congenital Christianity?
00:46:23.38\00:46:28.52
Is your religious
life... your spiritual life,
00:46:28.55\00:46:33.66
dry, barren, formulaic?
00:46:33.69\00:46:37.79
Do you feel as if
your path in Christianity
00:46:37.83\00:46:42.56
was passed down from
you, pre-determined from you
00:46:42.60\00:46:45.90
by a genealogical heritage
00:46:45.93\00:46:48.10
from your parents
or your grandparents.
00:46:48.14\00:46:51.04
Or perhaps you
came later to the Faith
00:46:51.07\00:46:53.94
but you've lost your first love?
00:46:53.98\00:46:55.38
I have good news for you,
00:46:55.41\00:46:59.15
because you too
have the opportunity
00:46:59.18\00:47:01.75
indeed you have the obligation
00:47:01.78\00:47:03.32
to make your own
decision for Christ,
00:47:03.35\00:47:05.69
to make your own
decision for revival,
00:47:05.75\00:47:08.02
you cannot be saved
by your parents' faith,
00:47:08.06\00:47:10.89
you cannot be saved by your
husband's or your wife's faith,
00:47:10.93\00:47:15.33
you cannot be saved
by your graduating class,
00:47:15.36\00:47:18.13
that Adventist School
can give you a degree,
00:47:18.17\00:47:20.94
but it cannot
grant you salvation,
00:47:20.97\00:47:22.54
the choice is up to you,
00:47:22.57\00:47:24.91
the cure is
readily available to you
00:47:24.97\00:47:27.94
Jesus is waiting for
you, He is at the door,
00:47:27.98\00:47:31.71
He wants to come in...
00:47:31.75\00:47:33.08
He wants to destroy
that Congenital Christianity
00:47:33.11\00:47:36.22
coursing through your veins
00:47:36.28\00:47:37.65
and replace it
with His saving blood.
00:47:37.69\00:47:40.32
Jesus knows your heart,
He knows your confusion,
00:47:40.36\00:47:45.93
your hurt, your
guilt, your shame,
00:47:45.96\00:47:48.60
He knows your resentment,
He knows all these things,
00:47:48.63\00:47:52.20
He knows everything about
you and He still wants you.
00:47:52.23\00:47:55.74
You felt Him
tugging at your heart,
00:47:55.80\00:48:00.34
you felt the desire
00:48:00.38\00:48:03.28
to respond to His precious gift,
00:48:03.31\00:48:05.88
if only you could believe,
if only you could see past
00:48:05.91\00:48:10.29
whatever barrier,
00:48:10.32\00:48:11.79
whatever burden is
blocking you from your Savior,
00:48:11.82\00:48:15.36
if only you could believe
that Jesus could reach down
00:48:15.39\00:48:18.66
and touch your
heart and make it new...
00:48:18.69\00:48:21.50
make all things new.
00:48:21.53\00:48:25.23
Brothers and Sisters,
00:48:25.30\00:48:28.94
I have three
very specific appeals
00:48:28.97\00:48:32.94
to make to you this evening,
00:48:32.97\00:48:34.31
these are not
general, Corporate appeals,
00:48:34.34\00:48:37.71
these are not a layup,
00:48:37.75\00:48:39.91
these are
specific, personal appeals
00:48:39.95\00:48:45.39
from God to you.
00:48:45.42\00:48:47.72
My first appeal is
this, if you can relate...
00:48:47.76\00:48:51.96
identify with this Congenital
Christianity experience
00:48:51.99\00:48:55.96
that I've just shared with you,
00:48:56.03\00:48:57.37
please raise your hand
where you are right now,
00:48:57.40\00:48:59.67
raise your hand,
00:48:59.70\00:49:01.04
raise it high and
keep it up... keep it up...
00:49:01.07\00:49:03.57
raise your hand
if you can relate
00:49:03.61\00:49:05.14
to the Congenital Christianity
that I've described here,
00:49:05.17\00:49:08.04
praise the Lord,
00:49:08.11\00:49:09.44
praise the Lord for
each and every one of you,
00:49:09.48\00:49:11.45
acknowledging that you
identify and understand
00:49:11.48\00:49:13.62
Congenital Christianity.
00:49:13.65\00:49:15.25
My second appeal is this,
00:49:15.28\00:49:16.82
for those of you who
just raised your hand,
00:49:16.85\00:49:19.82
if you are suffering from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:49:19.85\00:49:24.73
if you are suffering from
Congenital Christianity today
00:49:24.76\00:49:29.56
and you want to
confess before God
00:49:29.63\00:49:32.13
that you're
suffering from it today,
00:49:32.17\00:49:34.34
then I would ask
you, I would invite you,
00:49:34.37\00:49:36.67
I would implore you to stand
where you are... at your seat...
00:49:36.71\00:49:39.74
right now... stand
to confess to the Lord
00:49:39.77\00:49:43.08
that you suffer from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:49:43.14\00:49:46.35
I saw a lot of hands go up,
00:49:46.41\00:49:48.32
some of you...
and praise the Lord...
00:49:48.35\00:49:51.25
praise the Lord, you
are confessing before God
00:49:51.29\00:49:54.42
that you suffer from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:49:54.46\00:49:58.19
praise the Lord
and remain standing.
00:49:58.23\00:50:02.40
My third appeal is this,
00:50:02.43\00:50:05.97
for those of you
who have acknowledged
00:50:06.00\00:50:10.34
before heaven and earth
00:50:10.41\00:50:11.74
that you suffer from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:50:11.77\00:50:15.68
if you want to be free,
00:50:15.71\00:50:19.08
if you want to say to the Lord,
00:50:19.11\00:50:21.72
"I want to be free
of this deadly disease,"
00:50:21.75\00:50:24.49
then I invite you,
00:50:24.52\00:50:26.79
I implore you to
come to the front
00:50:26.82\00:50:28.59
for a special prayer of
consecration and confession
00:50:28.62\00:50:33.53
if you... if you have
Congenital Christianity today,
00:50:33.60\00:50:38.47
but you want to be
healed, come to the front,
00:50:38.50\00:50:41.07
the Lord sees you standing,
00:50:41.10\00:50:43.47
you've already confessed to Him
00:50:43.51\00:50:45.47
that you suffer from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:50:45.51\00:50:47.74
why would you want
to stay in that state?
00:50:47.78\00:50:50.05
Why would you want to
stay? Come to the front,
00:50:50.08\00:50:54.08
praise the Lord,
press in, press in,
00:50:54.12\00:50:56.42
we need more room,
00:50:56.45\00:50:57.79
if you're suffering from
Congenital Christianity today,
00:50:57.82\00:51:01.09
I still see some of
you, you are standing,
00:51:01.12\00:51:03.43
you've already confessed
00:51:03.46\00:51:04.79
that you suffer from
Congenital Christianity
00:51:04.83\00:51:06.80
yet, can you not say
today that you want to be cured?
00:51:06.83\00:51:09.96
Don't you want the
cure today? Praise the Lord,
00:51:10.00\00:51:13.54
come to the front,
press in, we need more room,
00:51:13.60\00:51:18.41
there's plenty of
time, please I implore you
00:51:18.44\00:51:23.24
on behalf of Christ,
00:51:23.28\00:51:24.61
if you're suffering from
Congenital Christianity today
00:51:24.65\00:51:29.78
come to the front, keep coming,
00:51:29.82\00:51:32.09
there's still
more... keep coming...
00:51:32.12\00:51:33.69
make room... praise God...
00:51:33.76\00:51:37.26
God sees your
decision and honors it
00:51:37.29\00:51:42.16
let us pray...
00:51:42.20\00:51:46.07
"Lord God, our Father,
you are so merciful to us
00:51:46.10\00:51:52.27
you see us before you confessing
our Congenital Christianity,
00:51:52.34\00:51:59.38
some of us may have been
in this disease for a year
00:51:59.41\00:52:02.78
or two or ten or twenty...
00:52:02.82\00:52:04.52
but it doesn't matter
because this evening...
00:52:04.55\00:52:07.49
this Sabbath evening...
each and every one of us
00:52:07.52\00:52:10.43
has confessed before you
00:52:10.46\00:52:12.26
not only that we suffer
from Congenital Christianity,
00:52:12.29\00:52:15.36
but we want to be
cured today and Lord I pray
00:52:15.40\00:52:19.13
that this would not
be merely a response
00:52:19.17\00:52:21.70
to an appeal, but Lord,
that this would be the first day
00:52:21.74\00:52:24.44
of this... of every
individual's eternal life,
00:52:24.47\00:52:27.28
that this would be the first day
00:52:27.31\00:52:31.08
of their
revival and reformation,
00:52:31.11\00:52:32.48
Lord, that you
would look down upon them
00:52:32.51\00:52:36.25
in mercy and touch their hearts
00:52:36.28\00:52:37.85
and turn from a heart of stone
00:52:37.89\00:52:39.35
to a heart of flesh and we
know that you can do this...
00:52:39.39\00:52:42.52
we know that you can do this.
00:52:42.56\00:52:44.89
Lord there are some
here who did not stand
00:52:44.96\00:52:49.40
and I pray that it's because
00:52:49.43\00:52:51.57
they do not suffer
from Congenital Christianity
00:52:51.60\00:52:54.10
and if that is the
case, I praise God for that,
00:52:54.14\00:52:56.60
I praise God for that because
that is what you want for us
00:52:56.64\00:53:01.34
to be fully sold out for you,
00:53:01.38\00:53:03.55
but Lord there may be some,
00:53:03.58\00:53:05.65
there may be some
who even now, perhaps,
00:53:05.68\00:53:09.38
they raised their hand,
00:53:09.45\00:53:11.09
perhaps they stood but
they did not come forward,
00:53:11.15\00:53:13.42
Lord, even now, I would say,
00:53:13.46\00:53:17.53
I would ask, I would
implore that the Holy Spirit
00:53:17.56\00:53:19.63
would not leave
that person alone
00:53:19.66\00:53:22.06
until they make
a decision for you,
00:53:22.10\00:53:24.40
whether it's
tonight or some other time,
00:53:24.43\00:53:26.07
do not leave that person alone,
00:53:26.13\00:53:28.87
Lord, you didn't leave me alone,
don't leave that person alone...
00:53:28.90\00:53:34.04
Lord, we love
you, we praise you,
00:53:34.08\00:53:40.58
Lord, each and every
person here has a different path
00:53:40.62\00:53:44.52
but Lord we count on you to
be the Author and the Finisher
00:53:44.55\00:53:50.59
of our faith
00:53:50.63\00:53:51.96
and I pray that
every person here
00:53:51.99\00:53:53.80
would take this declaration
before heaven and earth
00:53:53.83\00:53:58.03
go back to their homes,
go back to their churches,
00:53:58.07\00:54:02.20
and start walking
with you on a daily basis,
00:54:02.24\00:54:05.47
praying, reading the
Word, getting to know Jesus,
00:54:05.51\00:54:10.51
and developing that
love relationship with Him...
00:54:10.55\00:54:15.52
Lord, let it not end tonight,
but let it go on into eternity
00:54:15.55\00:54:23.16
we pray this in the
powerful and precious
00:54:23.19\00:54:27.10
and holy transforming name
00:54:27.13\00:54:29.56
of Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior, amen.
00:54:29.60\00:54:33.94
You may return to your seats.
00:54:33.97\00:54:37.64
Audience
returning to their seats.
00:54:37.67\00:54:43.35
Wasn't that a powerful message?
00:54:43.38\00:54:48.98
Audience: Amen...
00:54:49.02\00:54:50.35
Yes and I appreciate that
I've seen so many people come up
00:54:50.39\00:54:53.49
and I assume the
sincerity in your heart is real
00:54:53.52\00:54:57.03
and this is what we hope to
achieve when we come to ASI,
00:54:57.06\00:55:01.40
we want the Lord
to touch our hearts
00:55:01.46\00:55:03.50
and we want to go home
with something different,
00:55:03.53\00:55:06.07
we want to be changed
by what the Lord has to say
00:55:06.10\00:55:09.00
and I'm here to remind
you that tomorrow morning,
00:55:09.04\00:55:11.87
Pastor Ted Wilson will be
here and he'll be speaking to us
00:55:11.91\00:55:15.01
at the 11 o'clock service,
00:55:15.04\00:55:16.91
I want to
encourage you to be here
00:55:16.95\00:55:18.38
to hear what he has to
say and to encourage him on
00:55:18.41\00:55:22.18
as he encourages us as well.
00:55:22.22\00:55:24.35
I have a little announcement
00:55:24.39\00:55:26.45
that I would like
to make at this time
00:55:26.52\00:55:28.42
and I was wondering if I'd
ever have a chance to do it,
00:55:28.46\00:55:30.63
there are three
young ladies that are here
00:55:30.66\00:55:33.80
who came to Pathway to Health...
00:55:33.83\00:55:35.46
Pathways to
Health... was that right?
00:55:35.50\00:55:39.63
And they came to help
all the way from Arkansas
00:55:39.67\00:55:43.00
and now they're stranded...
00:55:43.04\00:55:44.64
they need 545
dollars to get home,
00:55:44.67\00:55:47.51
now, the least we
can do is pray for them
00:55:47.54\00:55:50.58
and we will do that
and the most we can do is
00:55:50.61\00:55:53.55
help them to get there so
if you'll contact me anytime
00:55:53.62\00:55:56.65
if you want to
help these young ladies
00:55:56.69\00:55:58.39
here we are.
00:55:58.42\00:55:59.75
Debbie...
00:55:59.79\00:56:01.12
And so, it is true, what I said
00:56:01.16\00:56:04.46
that when they heard
the message that David Kim
00:56:04.49\00:56:07.10
would share,
00:56:07.13\00:56:08.46
that it would be
thought-provoking
00:56:08.50\00:56:10.40
and help them to think about...
00:56:10.47\00:56:12.37
if... they have
given their all to Jesus...
00:56:12.43\00:56:14.60
Frank: Amen...
00:56:14.64\00:56:16.00
And again, as
you leave this place,
00:56:16.04\00:56:19.04
we ask you to be
thoughtful and prayerful
00:56:19.07\00:56:21.44
about how you demonstrate
that commitment to Jesus
00:56:21.51\00:56:26.88
as we consider the
offering for tomorrow.
00:56:26.92\00:56:30.49
Frank, you know
it's... quite daunting...
00:56:30.52\00:56:34.06
we come every year
00:56:34.09\00:56:35.62
and we know that
this is what this is...
00:56:35.69\00:56:37.53
is partially...
what it's about...
00:56:37.56\00:56:39.43
it really is about a
matter of the heart...
00:56:39.46\00:56:41.63
Frank: Amen...
00:56:41.66\00:56:43.16
But it is about our
commitment to service
00:56:43.20\00:56:46.37
and what can we do
again to finish the work.
00:56:46.40\00:56:49.40
So please be prayerful
about what God wants you to do
00:56:49.44\00:56:53.01
for the offering
tomorrow to support
00:56:53.04\00:56:54.94
all of these
very worthy projects.
00:56:54.98\00:56:56.78
As you leave this place, we
would invite you, of course,
00:56:56.81\00:57:00.62
to stop by the Booths
and visit these ministries...
00:57:00.65\00:57:04.22
many of them have Booths here
00:57:04.29\00:57:05.62
and take them in and
enjoy the Sabbath fellowship...
00:57:05.65\00:57:09.52
give them support,
ask some questions,
00:57:09.56\00:57:13.40
take some things from
what they have to offer
00:57:13.43\00:57:15.63
so they can feel supported by us
00:57:15.66\00:57:17.77
and we will be blessed,
00:57:17.80\00:57:19.63
we look forward till tomorrow,
00:57:19.67\00:57:21.00
for the message that
Elder Wilson will have,
00:57:21.04\00:57:23.04
and for the
additional testimonies
00:57:23.07\00:57:24.94
that we have yet
in store for you.
00:57:24.97\00:57:26.81
Thank you Debbie
00:57:26.84\00:57:28.84
and if I can just
add one little word here,
00:57:28.88\00:57:31.25
and I guess it's going to
be something like a commercial
00:57:31.31\00:57:33.25
but I will be
speaking also, tomorrow night
00:57:33.28\00:57:35.75
and I'm hoping...
00:57:35.78\00:57:37.12
because this is
my last opportunity
00:57:37.15\00:57:38.92
to address you as
the President of ASI,
00:57:38.95\00:57:40.86
I'm hoping that you can be here
00:57:40.89\00:57:42.86
and... and I'm going to do
the best I can with God's help,
00:57:42.89\00:57:47.06
by His Holy Spirit, to
address a need that I think,
00:57:47.10\00:57:50.47
I think... we so dearly
need to address as a people...
00:57:50.50\00:57:56.20
oh Lord, help
us... what do you say?
00:57:56.24\00:57:57.97
Debbie: Amen.
Frank: God bless you all.
00:57:58.01\00:57:59.74
Debbie: God bless
you, happy Sabbath.
00:57:59.77\00:58:01.21
ASI, Spokane, Washington.
00:58:01.24\00:58:04.38