Oh Father God, those calls to
prayer are from the millions of
00:01:42.40\00:01:47.50
Mosques that
haunt me day and night.
00:01:47.54\00:01:50.14
There are millions, and millions
of people around me in the
00:01:50.17\00:01:54.94
Middle East and North Africa
who need to know what we know,
00:01:54.98\00:02:00.25
but, Oh Lord, who can tell them?
00:02:00.28\00:02:03.12
Father You've called all of us.
00:02:03.15\00:02:05.92
You've chosen each of us
for a different responsibility.
00:02:05.95\00:02:10.03
Not all are called to the
same place, or to the same task.
00:02:10.06\00:02:14.66
But I pray this morning that
You'll pour out Your Holy Spirit
00:02:14.70\00:02:18.20
and impress those that You
have chosen to take the gospel
00:02:18.23\00:02:21.90
to this final
frontier for mission.
00:02:21.94\00:02:24.11
Empower them to be
faithful, even unto death,
00:02:24.14\00:02:28.31
if that's what You ask of them.
00:02:28.34\00:02:30.05
In Jesus' name, Amen.
00:02:30.08\00:02:32.45
Achmed is a young Muslim.
00:02:32.48\00:02:37.32
He's a twenty-four
year old university student.
00:02:37.35\00:02:40.76
These days he spends much of his
time sitting on his dorm room
00:02:40.79\00:02:45.49
bed watching television.
00:02:45.53\00:02:47.66
He hates what he sees, but
he can't seem to tear his eyes
00:02:47.70\00:02:51.63
away from the horrors of
war, the atrocities of ISIS,
00:02:51.67\00:02:55.57
or the agony of the refugees.
00:02:55.60\00:02:58.07
Sometimes he jumps up from
his bed and shouts at the walls,
00:02:58.11\00:03:02.98
What is going on? How
can people do that kind of
00:03:03.01\00:03:07.42
thing to each other?
00:03:07.45\00:03:08.78
Even when he's out walking
on the Cornish with his friends,
00:03:08.82\00:03:13.02
he can't get these
scenes out of mind.
00:03:13.05\00:03:15.36
And his conversation
often goes something like this:
00:03:15.39\00:03:19.06
I just don't get it.
00:03:19.09\00:03:20.43
We all pray in the Mosque, we
read the Koran, we give Zakat,
00:03:20.46\00:03:25.30
we plan for a Hajj
to Mecca, and yet what
00:03:25.33\00:03:28.10
difference is it making?
00:03:28.14\00:03:29.74
ISIS is killing Christians,
and Muslims, and men,
00:03:29.77\00:03:33.24
and women, and children.
00:03:33.27\00:03:34.61
Not only that, he
says, I've been thinking.
00:03:34.64\00:03:38.88
Ashraf, the fruit
seller down at the corner,
00:03:38.91\00:03:42.58
he leaves the Mosque
after prayers, and goes back and
00:03:42.62\00:03:46.19
cheats the same people
that he's been praying with.
00:03:46.22\00:03:49.02
What is the
purpose of religion anyway?
00:03:50.73\00:03:54.00
What's the purpose of life?
00:03:54.03\00:03:55.63
Are we just here to make
money, and have lots of wives,
00:03:55.66\00:03:58.63
and children, and then die?
00:03:58.67\00:04:00.30
I hear the Imam's talking about
the coming of Isa and judgment.
00:04:00.34\00:04:05.51
What does it mean? I'm afraid.
00:04:05.57\00:04:08.21
I'm afraid of being blown
up by somebody's stupid bomb.
00:04:08.24\00:04:11.98
I'm afraid of the coming of Isa.
00:04:12.01\00:04:14.98
I'm afraid of the judgment.
00:04:15.05\00:04:16.45
I just wish I knew somebody
that could share with me what's
00:04:16.48\00:04:21.16
happening, and explain to me
what's going on in all of this.
00:04:21.19\00:04:25.79
Oh if only we had
one young Adventist
00:04:27.46\00:04:31.67
in Achmed's university.
00:04:31.70\00:04:33.80
If only we had one young
Adventist in his university
00:04:33.84\00:04:37.64
that could share
with Achmed what it's like
00:04:37.67\00:04:41.38
to be a follower of Jesus;
somebody who could become his
00:04:41.44\00:04:44.61
friend, because that's
what would have to happen first.
00:04:44.65\00:04:47.75
Once Achmed learns that his new
friend doesn't drink alcohol,
00:04:47.78\00:04:51.99
or eat pork, or pray to Saints;
once he realizes that his new
00:04:52.02\00:04:56.32
friend lives a righteous life,
and loves God, then Achmed will
00:04:56.36\00:05:00.63
begin to talk freely with him.
00:05:00.66\00:05:02.53
Opportunities will come up
for him to learn about Jesus,
00:05:02.56\00:05:05.83
and he will begin to compare
what he's learning with what he
00:05:05.87\00:05:09.07
sees around him
in the Muslim world,
00:05:09.10\00:05:11.74
and in the
heathen Christian world.
00:05:11.77\00:05:14.34
If only we had one sincere young
Adventist who could deliver
00:05:14.38\00:05:20.32
the gospel to Ahmed.
00:05:20.35\00:05:22.05
Not by preaching;
Achmed would never attend
00:05:22.08\00:05:25.59
a series of meetings.
00:05:25.62\00:05:26.96
He would never
knowingly stop the dial on a
00:05:26.99\00:05:29.56
Christian TV station.
00:05:29.59\00:05:30.99
He would never intentionally
pick up a Christian
00:05:31.03\00:05:33.93
piece of literature.
00:05:33.96\00:05:35.33
The only way we can
reach Ahmed is for an Adventist
00:05:35.36\00:05:41.97
end time believer in Jesus
to move into his community,
00:05:42.00\00:05:46.04
and get to know him,
and become his friend.
00:05:46.07\00:05:47.98
Then they can show him what it's
like to be a follower of Jesus.
00:05:48.01\00:05:53.58
I want to shift
gears a little bit.
00:05:53.62\00:05:57.35
Picture with me a small city
in one of our large countries.
00:05:57.39\00:06:01.06
The Seventh-day Adventist
Church has been working there
00:06:01.12\00:06:04.76
for a hundred years.
00:06:04.79\00:06:06.70
But mostly, almost totally, our
work has been among Christian
00:06:06.73\00:06:13.13
background
people and foreigners.
00:06:13.20\00:06:16.44
The members of the church
have lived with centuries of
00:06:16.47\00:06:20.31
animosity between
Christianity and Islam.
00:06:20.34\00:06:23.35
They don't even think
about crossing that cultural,
00:06:23.38\00:06:26.72
and religious divide.
00:06:26.75\00:06:28.55
Oh, they'll do business
with each other, but that's it.
00:06:28.58\00:06:32.29
If someone even starts to
talk about doing something
00:06:32.32\00:06:36.12
with Muslims, the Adventist
members in that city will do
00:06:36.16\00:06:39.93
everything they
can to stop them.
00:06:40.00\00:06:42.06
David is eighteen. He
sees no future for himself
00:06:42.10\00:06:47.87
in the Middle East.
00:06:47.90\00:06:49.24
He longs to find some way
to get a Visa for another place
00:06:49.27\00:06:53.38
where he could get a good job.
00:06:53.41\00:06:54.94
David loves the Lord.
00:06:54.98\00:06:56.91
He goes to church
with his family faithfully,
00:06:56.95\00:06:59.51
but he feels there is
no opportunity for work,
00:06:59.55\00:07:02.05
or for mission
in the Middle East,
00:07:02.08\00:07:04.75
and he longs to go
where something is happening;
00:07:04.79\00:07:07.72
where there are other young
people singing, and praying,
00:07:07.79\00:07:10.43
and worshipping God together.
00:07:10.46\00:07:12.49
And so one by one, two by
two, we are losing what few
00:07:12.53\00:07:16.56
Adventists we have in the
Middle East in North Africa.
00:07:16.63\00:07:20.84
If only we had a couple
of sincere young Adventists
00:07:20.87\00:07:25.11
who would move into David's
city, and inspire the local
00:07:25.14\00:07:29.34
Adventist young people
that still remain there,
00:07:29.38\00:07:31.95
by showing them that it is
possible to live an Adventist
00:07:31.98\00:07:36.79
Christian life and reach
out to the people around us.
00:07:36.82\00:07:40.52
You see, Mena has a problem,
a big one, or maybe it's a small
00:07:40.56\00:07:45.89
one, depending on which
way you're looking at it.
00:07:45.93\00:07:47.90
We don't have many Adventists
at all in the Middle East
00:07:47.93\00:07:52.37
in North Africa, and even
fewer young adult Adventists.
00:07:52.43\00:07:56.84
And we are steadily
losing the ones we have.
00:07:56.87\00:08:00.71
Mena was a
dedicated young Adventist.
00:08:00.74\00:08:04.45
He loved the Lord, and
unlike many of his friends,
00:08:04.48\00:08:07.52
he decided he was
going to stay in Egypt.
00:08:07.55\00:08:10.65
He wanted to become
a pastor to his people.
00:08:10.69\00:08:13.72
Mena finished his secondary
education at Nile Union Academy,
00:08:13.76\00:08:18.49
and then he began to
work as a Bible Worker.
00:08:18.53\00:08:20.73
Eventually, because of the
extreme shortage of pastors,
00:08:20.76\00:08:24.73
he was given several
small churches to care for.
00:08:24.77\00:08:27.74
He got married, had a baby,
and poured himself into the work
00:08:27.77\00:08:32.14
of taking care of
those little churches,
00:08:32.17\00:08:34.61
and the scattered members.
00:08:34.64\00:08:36.14
He eagerly drank up the
mentoring that he was given,
00:08:36.18\00:08:39.71
the occasional
seminars and classes that
00:08:39.75\00:08:42.02
were provided for him.
00:08:42.05\00:08:43.39
Church leaders were thrilled
at the potential for the future.
00:08:43.42\00:08:47.56
And then, just a few months
ago, on his way to visit some
00:08:47.59\00:08:51.83
members, and Bible study
interests, a truck ran through
00:08:51.86\00:08:56.03
and intersection and suddenly
Mena's wife was a widow,
00:08:56.06\00:09:00.17
and the church had lost yet
another young pastor and worker.
00:09:00.20\00:09:05.34
Humanly it will be years
before we can find someone
00:09:05.37\00:09:10.18
to be ready to replace him.
00:09:10.21\00:09:12.51
If only we had one dedicated
Adventist Arabic speaker
00:09:12.55\00:09:17.99
somewhere in the
world who was willing
00:09:18.02\00:09:20.86
to come and replace Mena.
00:09:20.89\00:09:23.12
We can use foreigners, but
it takes them years to learn
00:09:23.16\00:09:26.66
the language enough, and
the culture enough that they can
00:09:26.70\00:09:30.50
preach, and give Bible
studies in the local language.
00:09:30.53\00:09:35.20
Imagine what would happen
if two thousand young people,
00:09:35.24\00:09:39.07
young Adventist's around the
world would pledge themselves
00:09:39.11\00:09:43.28
to start learning Arabic, or
Turkish, or Farsi, or French,
00:09:43.31\00:09:47.25
so that they would be ready
to step in and replace one of
00:09:47.28\00:09:51.19
our fallen
workers when that happens.
00:09:51.22\00:09:53.96
I praise God that little
by little, slowly, slowly,
00:09:53.99\00:10:00.33
is becoming
00:10:01.96\00:10:03.30
And imagine is becoming
reality, but it's oh so slow,
00:10:04.27\00:10:08.24
and it's oh so little.
00:10:08.27\00:10:10.21
Three years ago we began sending
some young Adventists where
00:10:10.24\00:10:15.41
we had never had
Adventists before.
00:10:15.44\00:10:18.65
We called them
Waldensian Students.
00:10:18.71\00:10:21.85
We're carefully planting
them in universities around the
00:10:21.88\00:10:25.95
Middle East in North Africa.
00:10:25.99\00:10:27.69
We have massive universities
there: 75,000 students,
00:10:27.72\00:10:32.66
150,000 students, massive
high quality universities.
00:10:32.69\00:10:37.67
And we're little by
little placing students
00:10:37.70\00:10:40.40
in those universities.
00:10:40.44\00:10:41.87
I want to share with you just
a little of what has happened
00:10:41.90\00:10:45.41
as a result of this
beginning experiment.
00:10:45.44\00:10:48.51
On your seat some of
you would have seen a card
00:10:48.54\00:10:51.15
for Waldensian Students.
00:10:51.18\00:10:52.81
Feel free to pick
that up and contact us
00:10:52.85\00:10:56.12
if you need more information.
00:10:56.15\00:10:57.69
For obvious reasons I'm going to
change the names in the stories
00:10:57.72\00:11:02.29
that I'm using so they aren't
really the name of the people
00:11:02.32\00:11:06.19
that I'm talking about.
00:11:06.23\00:11:07.66
Three years ago there
were no Seventh-day Adventists,
00:11:07.70\00:11:12.63
zero Seventh-day Adventists
in a capitol city in one of our
00:11:12.67\00:11:16.71
countries of
five million people.
00:11:16.74\00:11:19.57
Now just for comparison,
that's twenty times as big as
00:11:19.61\00:11:23.31
Louisville; twenty
times as big as Louisville.
00:11:23.35\00:11:26.28
In fact, it's bigger
than all of Kentucky combined.
00:11:26.31\00:11:29.58
Not a single Seventh-day
Adventist living in that city.
00:11:29.62\00:11:33.96
If you put that city in the
United States it would be the
00:11:33.99\00:11:37.99
second largest city in the U.S.
00:11:38.03\00:11:40.36
If you take whole metropolitan
regions, that include several
00:11:40.40\00:11:45.17
states, and all of the
little cities around a big city,
00:11:45.20\00:11:48.87
it would still be one of the top
ten cities in the United States,
00:11:48.90\00:11:52.61
and not a single
Seventh-day Adventist.
00:11:52.64\00:11:54.94
And we have many others like it.
00:11:54.98\00:11:57.65
But three years ago in
that city, we had a series of
00:11:57.68\00:12:04.69
unplanned, and
sometimes disheartening events,
00:12:04.72\00:12:08.39
that ended up with a group
of young Waldensian Students
00:12:08.42\00:12:12.09
going to that city instead
of the city they had been
00:12:12.13\00:12:16.26
planning on going to.
00:12:16.30\00:12:17.63
And we hadn't planned
on sending them there,
00:12:17.67\00:12:19.00
but that's the
way it worked out.
00:12:19.03\00:12:20.40
They were a little disappointed.
00:12:20.44\00:12:23.07
We weren't sure
what was going to happen.
00:12:23.10\00:12:25.14
On the first day of Freshman
Orientation in the university
00:12:25.17\00:12:29.21
one of those Waldensian Students
discovered that her limited
00:12:29.24\00:12:33.98
local language ability
had gotten her in trouble.
00:12:34.02\00:12:36.99
She had ended up in
the wrong part of the
00:12:37.02\00:12:40.42
campus at the wrong time.
00:12:40.46\00:12:43.12
She wasn't sure where she was,
but she knew that there were
00:12:43.16\00:12:46.19
thousands of students milling
all around her trying to get
00:12:46.23\00:12:49.63
registration
completed; going into offices,
00:12:49.66\00:12:52.30
and rooms, and doors.
00:12:52.33\00:12:53.67
And she didn't know
where she was, or what she was
00:12:53.70\00:12:56.57
supposed to be doing.
00:12:56.60\00:12:57.94
But instead of giving in to
the wave of discouragement that
00:12:57.97\00:13:01.21
started to sweep over
her, she began to pray.
00:13:01.24\00:13:04.05
She actually shut her eyes
right there in the midst of all
00:13:04.08\00:13:07.08
that was going on
and she said, Dear Lord,
00:13:07.12\00:13:09.28
I don't know where I am.
00:13:09.32\00:13:10.82
I don't know why I'm here.
00:13:10.85\00:13:12.42
I don't know what I'm doing.
00:13:12.45\00:13:13.96
But please help me
to see Your providential
00:13:13.99\00:13:17.29
guidance in this somehow.
00:13:17.33\00:13:19.26
As she opened her eyes,
immediately a young lady
00:13:19.29\00:13:24.73
approached her and
said, Are you Korean?
00:13:24.80\00:13:27.60
I have a friend who wants to
meet a Korean and learn Korean.
00:13:27.64\00:13:31.47
Just stay here a minute.
00:13:31.51\00:13:32.97
Let me introduce her to you.
00:13:33.01\00:13:34.41
So she ran and got her friend,
and in a few minutes came back,
00:13:34.44\00:13:37.51
and introduced our
Waldensian Student to Essma.
00:13:37.55\00:13:41.48
Essma was also a
newcomer at the university.
00:13:41.52\00:13:45.39
She was quiet, and shy, and
she wouldn't even look at our
00:13:45.42\00:13:49.19
Waldensian Student at
first, but she gladly gave her
00:13:49.22\00:13:53.16
phone number to her.
00:13:53.19\00:13:54.53
Suddenly our disoriented
Waldensian Student felt a little
00:13:54.56\00:13:58.93
lighter, a little happier.
00:13:58.97\00:14:00.57
Maybe Jesus had led her to that
part of campus for a purpose.
00:14:00.60\00:14:04.97
Essma was a Muslim
from a rural village.
00:14:05.01\00:14:08.28
She had three younger
brothers, and a sister,
00:14:08.34\00:14:10.81
and she was extremely shy.
00:14:10.85\00:14:12.51
At first when they
would get together she could
00:14:12.55\00:14:14.92
hardly say anything.
00:14:14.95\00:14:16.82
Not because she
didn't know anything to
00:14:16.85\00:14:18.55
say, but just too shy.
00:14:18.59\00:14:20.32
So most of the time our
Waldensian Student and Essma
00:14:20.36\00:14:23.73
communicated by text message
first, but gradually she began
00:14:23.76\00:14:29.83
to teach her a few Korean words,
she began to teach her some
00:14:29.86\00:14:33.27
Korean dishes,
and how to cook them.
00:14:33.30\00:14:35.70
And soon they began actually
talking together about what life
00:14:35.74\00:14:40.14
had been like
growing up in Korea,
00:14:40.18\00:14:42.14
or in the small
village in that country;
00:14:42.18\00:14:44.25
about what life was
like today; about university.
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.82
They began to get together every
Wednesday in the Waldensian
00:14:47.85\00:14:51.55
Student's apartment.
00:14:51.59\00:14:52.92
They would study language.
00:14:52.95\00:14:54.36
There they shared a lot about
their families, about hobbies,
00:14:54.39\00:14:59.09
even about
their spiritual lives.
00:14:59.13\00:15:01.86
And slowly Essma
began to open up.
00:15:01.90\00:15:04.57
She began to smile
more, and even to initiate
00:15:04.60\00:15:07.37
conversation at times.
00:15:07.40\00:15:09.20
She also began to enjoy spending
time with the other Waldensian
00:15:09.24\00:15:14.11
Students in the group.
00:15:14.14\00:15:15.48
Eventually Essma started coming
to church with them on Sabbath
00:15:15.51\00:15:20.35
in the little group
that they had in that city.
00:15:20.38\00:15:24.35
Essma said that when she
was with them she felt peace.
00:15:24.39\00:15:29.09
She liked coming to church.
00:15:29.12\00:15:31.33
Now Essma started to bring
some of her conservative Muslim
00:15:31.36\00:15:36.16
friends to the Bible study
that they were having each week.
00:15:36.20\00:15:39.40
The main focus of the
Bible study was on the gospels.
00:15:39.43\00:15:43.74
They were
discussing the life of Jesus.
00:15:43.77\00:15:46.94
And sometimes those
discussions became heated.
00:15:46.98\00:15:49.84
Sometimes they would go
on until after midnight.
00:15:49.88\00:15:52.65
During that time Essma did
her best to compensate for the
00:15:52.68\00:15:58.05
Waldensian Student's lack
of local language ability.
00:15:58.09\00:16:02.62
That meant that often she had to
attempt to explain the concept
00:16:02.66\00:16:08.10
of the gospel that they
were studying that night
00:16:08.13\00:16:10.77
to her Muslim friends.
00:16:10.80\00:16:12.47
That also meant that she
received the brunt of their
00:16:12.50\00:16:15.97
attacks when they
would get defensive and upset
00:16:16.00\00:16:18.57
at what was being said.
00:16:18.61\00:16:20.14
But through all of that she
became more and more convinced
00:16:20.18\00:16:24.15
about God's true character,
and of the person of Jesus.
00:16:24.18\00:16:28.18
One evening, as the two of them
were walking back to Essma's
00:16:28.22\00:16:31.95
dorm room, Essma turned to
her Waldensian Student friend
00:16:31.99\00:16:35.72
and said, I've never found,
I've never found of the love of
00:16:35.76\00:16:43.50
God in the Koran,
but as I read the Bible,
00:16:43.57\00:16:48.80
I'm seeing a God of love.
00:16:48.84\00:16:50.71
She confessed that all
through her life as a Muslim
00:16:50.77\00:16:54.11
she had felt a
void in her heart.
00:16:54.14\00:16:55.91
The void seemed to be
vanishing as her learned about
00:16:55.94\00:16:59.05
Jesus through the Bible.
00:16:59.08\00:17:00.48
Essma eagerly began
to read Steps to Christ,
00:17:00.52\00:17:04.62
and Desire of Ages,
Daniel and Revelation.
00:17:04.65\00:17:07.42
Her conviction of
truth was evident.
00:17:07.46\00:17:10.43
But she was very
hesitant about being baptized,
00:17:10.46\00:17:15.40
and officially
changing her religion.
00:17:15.46\00:17:17.80
And then one day our Waldensian
Student felt cell phone buzz,
00:17:17.83\00:17:23.37
and she pulled it out, and
there on the cell phone was
00:17:23.41\00:17:26.31
a text message from Essma.
00:17:26.34\00:17:27.94
it read. Essma's baptism
was a secret one in a bathtub
00:17:30.55\00:17:37.52
in the Waldensian
Student apartments,
00:17:37.55\00:17:40.46
surrounded by her friends.
00:17:40.52\00:17:41.99
They couldn't sing loudly,
because of fear of attracting
00:17:42.02\00:17:46.53
attention, but
they joyfully sang in
00:17:46.56\00:17:49.46
whispers and soft voices.
00:17:49.50\00:17:52.07
You know, most of us don't
understand what that's like;
00:17:52.10\00:17:54.84
to worship in a place
where the only singing
00:17:54.87\00:17:57.67
you dare do is in a whisper.
00:17:57.71\00:18:00.11
Essma's journey
since her baptism has
00:18:00.14\00:18:02.81
not been an easy one.
00:18:02.84\00:18:04.18
She's lost friends since making
the decision to follow Jesus.
00:18:04.21\00:18:07.68
But she continues to share her
newfound faith with her family,
00:18:07.72\00:18:12.19
and her classmates.
00:18:12.22\00:18:13.56
And recently Essma's
mother accepted Jesus
00:18:13.59\00:18:17.86
as her personal Savior.
00:18:17.89\00:18:19.36
And where we had zero
Seventh-day Adventists
00:18:19.39\00:18:23.60
three years ago, today we
have a group of almost forty
00:18:23.63\00:18:27.17
that meet
together every Sabbath,
00:18:27.20\00:18:29.27
and during the week for Bible
studies, partly because of a
00:18:29.30\00:18:34.34
lost Waldensian Student.
00:18:34.38\00:18:36.51
But what if she
hadn't left home?
00:18:36.54\00:18:39.45
What if she hadn't gone to
this strange country to study
00:18:39.48\00:18:43.25
in a city where there were
no Adventists, and where you had
00:18:43.28\00:18:45.82
to sing in a whisper?
00:18:45.85\00:18:47.29
If you want to know more about
our Waldensian Student program,
00:18:47.32\00:18:51.29
go to our booth,
#113, and talk to us there.
00:18:51.33\00:18:54.93
We have some live Waldensien
Students there that you can
00:18:54.96\00:18:58.30
talk with about
their experience.
00:18:58.33\00:19:00.64
In that same city, where three
years ago we had no Seventh-day
00:19:00.67\00:19:05.77
Adventists, our group has grown
to where they can't fit in the
00:19:05.81\00:19:09.14
living room anymore.
00:19:09.18\00:19:10.51
They've rented a little
storefront church from another
00:19:10.55\00:19:14.42
Protestant group,
and we use it on Sabbath,
00:19:14.45\00:19:17.12
and they use it on
Sunday, the other group.
00:19:17.15\00:19:19.45
On one Sabbath a Muslim lady
walked into the back of that
00:19:19.49\00:19:23.99
little storefront
with a candle, her veil on,
00:19:24.03\00:19:27.23
but she was holding a candle,
and came into the church.
00:19:27.26\00:19:29.76
She was nearly in
tears as she whispered
00:19:29.80\00:19:32.50
to the greeter her story.
00:19:32.53\00:19:34.60
She and her husband had
come to that city as refugees.
00:19:34.64\00:19:39.04
He had left her there
and gone on to the U.K.
00:19:39.07\00:19:42.18
to try and find a job.
00:19:42.21\00:19:43.85
But she hadn't heard from
him in weeks, and she was almost
00:19:43.88\00:19:47.88
out of money, and she
didn't know what to do.
00:19:47.92\00:19:50.42
She didn't know
what had happened to him.
00:19:50.45\00:19:52.45
On Friday night
she'd had a vivid dream.
00:19:52.49\00:19:56.26
It told her to go out and buy
a candle, and go find a church.
00:19:56.29\00:20:00.80
Well, she obeyed. And as
soon as it got daylight she went
00:20:00.83\00:20:05.03
and bought a candle.
00:20:05.07\00:20:06.40
But she had no
idea where a church was.
00:20:06.43\00:20:08.04
She had never been
in a church before.
00:20:08.07\00:20:09.67
She hadn't paid any attention
to where churches were.
00:20:09.70\00:20:12.27
She asked a taxi driver
to take her to the church.
00:20:12.31\00:20:16.54
The taxi driver dropped her
off at the storefront where our
00:20:16.58\00:20:20.42
Adventist group was
meeting that Sabbath morning.
00:20:20.45\00:20:23.59
The greeter wasn't able to
go up and tell the leader what
00:20:23.62\00:20:27.86
the story was, but she whispered
to the leader that this lady
00:20:27.89\00:20:31.73
needed prayer right now.
00:20:31.76\00:20:33.73
And so the group gathered
around her, lit her candle,
00:20:33.76\00:20:37.43
and began to pray for her.
00:20:37.47\00:20:39.30
Now you might not
agree with lighting a candle
00:20:39.33\00:20:42.10
as we start to pray.
00:20:42.14\00:20:43.54
It's not something that our
group there usually did either.
00:20:43.57\00:20:47.11
In fact they were quite
uncomfortable doing that.
00:20:47.14\00:20:49.84
But the lady had come with a
candle, and she wanted prayer,
00:20:49.88\00:20:52.85
and they didn't know what
to do, and so they went ahead
00:20:52.88\00:20:54.68
and lit it and had prayer.
00:20:54.72\00:20:56.28
They didn't know her story
at that point, but they prayed
00:20:56.32\00:20:59.69
fervently that God
would hear her cry,
00:20:59.72\00:21:02.22
and answer her
prayer, whatever it was.
00:21:02.26\00:21:05.66
Tears were
streaming down the lady's face
00:21:05.69\00:21:09.63
as the prayer finished,
and she sat down with the group
00:21:09.66\00:21:12.23
for the rest of
the church service;
00:21:12.27\00:21:14.14
her first time ever
in a Christian church.
00:21:14.17\00:21:17.07
In the midst of the service
someone's cell phone rang
00:21:17.11\00:21:21.21
and was quickly shut off.
00:21:21.24\00:21:22.58
Nobody noticed who it was.
00:21:22.61\00:21:25.21
Nobody thought much about it.
00:21:25.25\00:21:27.78
But the next Sabbath one of
the members who had followed up
00:21:27.82\00:21:31.32
with that young
Muslim lady during the week,
00:21:31.35\00:21:33.69
told them the rest of the story.
00:21:33.72\00:21:36.16
That cell phone call,
minutes after their prayer,
00:21:36.19\00:21:39.83
had been from her husband,
calling to tell her where
00:21:39.86\00:21:43.16
he was, and what he was doing.
00:21:43.20\00:21:44.87
Her prayer, their prayers, had
been answered almost instantly.
00:21:44.90\00:21:49.90
This is a
currently unfolding story.
00:21:49.94\00:21:52.81
I don't know what
the end result will be,
00:21:52.84\00:21:55.44
but I am ever so thankful
for a group of young Adventists
00:21:55.48\00:21:58.95
who have gone where
no one else has gone.
00:21:58.98\00:22:01.85
A couple of months ago an
Adventist Egyptian young adult
00:22:03.69\00:22:08.02
shared with a group of us about
an exciting project that she had
00:22:08.06\00:22:11.99
been part of
during their school break.
00:22:12.03\00:22:14.13
She had joined a Young
Waldensian Student from Brazil,
00:22:14.16\00:22:17.87
who's studying nursing.
00:22:17.90\00:22:19.23
And by the way, he's here.
00:22:19.27\00:22:20.84
He's one of our Waldensian
Students that will be at the
00:22:20.87\00:22:23.71
booth, if you
want to talk to him.
00:22:23.74\00:22:25.41
But this young Egyptian
had joined this young Brazilian
00:22:25.44\00:22:28.74
nursing student, and some
other Adventist young people,
00:22:28.78\00:22:32.95
for a project
during their break.
00:22:32.98\00:22:35.15
There was a Neurologist from
Columbia who had given up his
00:22:35.18\00:22:39.75
career and come to help us in
a city with very few Adventists.
00:22:39.79\00:22:43.49
There was an Columbian
Paramedic who had joined our
00:22:43.53\00:22:46.90
Waldensian Student program,
and there were two Syrian
00:22:46.93\00:22:50.33
refugee teenagers who
have already given their hearts
00:22:50.37\00:22:54.37
to Jesus, and are reading
the Bible faithfully every day.
00:22:54.40\00:22:57.67
That small group decided to go
from home to home during their
00:22:57.71\00:23:02.28
break, checking on
Syrian refugee families,
00:23:02.31\00:23:05.31
and taking a survey
of their health needs.
00:23:05.35\00:23:07.65
They hoped not only to
document those health needs,
00:23:07.68\00:23:12.02
but also to be able to
help some of the families.
00:23:12.05\00:23:15.76
They visited ninety
Muslim homes during their break.
00:23:15.79\00:23:21.10
They were able to help with
a few of the physical needs,
00:23:21.13\00:23:24.40
but what brought tears to
the eyes of this young Egyptian
00:23:24.43\00:23:27.60
Adventist was that they had
offered to pray in each Muslim
00:23:27.64\00:23:32.07
home, and not one home
had refused to let them.
00:23:32.11\00:23:36.28
She said, with deep emotion,
People, you have to realize,
00:23:36.31\00:23:41.95
I lived my entire life
thinking we couldn't do anything
00:23:41.98\00:23:46.65
religious, or
spiritual with Muslims.
00:23:46.69\00:23:49.26
I've grown up in a
Muslim country, but part of the
00:23:49.29\00:23:52.89
Christian minority, and I
didn't think it was possible
00:23:52.93\00:23:56.53
to cross that
divide. Now I know I can.
00:23:56.56\00:24:01.00
But what if those other
young Adventists hadn't made the
00:24:01.04\00:24:06.14
sacrifice to leave family, and
friends, and move to what many
00:24:06.17\00:24:09.81
consider to be a
dangerous part of the world?
00:24:09.84\00:24:12.25
What if there had been no
one for this young Egyptian
00:24:12.28\00:24:15.35
Adventist to join with
in a project like that?
00:24:15.38\00:24:18.65
She still today would
think that she can't reach
00:24:18.69\00:24:22.46
across that divide.
00:24:22.49\00:24:23.86
Now let me
switch gears slightly.
00:24:23.89\00:24:27.23
What would happen if a dedicated
young Adventist professional
00:24:27.26\00:24:32.43
were to move into the heart
of one of our closed countries,
00:24:32.47\00:24:36.57
one of our large, difficult
cities, and take a job with
00:24:36.60\00:24:40.38
an oil company, or a hospital,
or a bank, or something else?
00:24:40.41\00:24:44.11
What would happen if we
had some Adventist tent makers
00:24:44.15\00:24:48.18
moving into our communities?
00:24:48.22\00:24:50.32
Well, it is happening, little by
little, so let me share with you
00:24:50.35\00:24:54.79
a tiny glimpse of
the results of the
00:24:54.82\00:24:57.69
beginnings of our experiment.
00:24:57.73\00:24:59.49
Like an iceberg, I think what
we see is only the tip of it.
00:24:59.53\00:25:04.37
When Jesus comes
we'll see the full results.
00:25:04.40\00:25:08.77
Roger works as a manager
in a large company in one
00:25:08.80\00:25:13.11
of our closed countries.
00:25:13.14\00:25:14.74
He and his family often share
some of their ethnic dishes
00:25:14.78\00:25:18.75
from their country
with his co-workers,
00:25:18.78\00:25:21.22
and friends, and neighbors.
00:25:21.25\00:25:22.58
They invite them to their house
for food, but their purpose is
00:25:22.62\00:25:26.96
to get to know them, and be
friends, and hope that they can
00:25:26.99\00:25:29.99
expand that discussion
into spiritual things.
00:25:30.03\00:25:32.69
And sure enough, many of their
friends now come not just for
00:25:32.73\00:25:36.97
food, but for times of prayer
and Bible study with them.
00:25:37.00\00:25:41.00
One of those friends is Mahmud.
00:25:41.04\00:25:43.20
For a long time Mahmud has hated
his father, because his father
00:25:43.24\00:25:48.21
sometimes abused his mother.
00:25:48.24\00:25:50.55
Roger keeps talking to
Mahmud, pleading with him
00:25:50.58\00:25:55.38
to forgive his father.
00:25:55.42\00:25:56.75
But at one time Mahmud and
his father had had an argument,
00:25:56.79\00:25:59.92
and his father
actually hit him in the face,
00:25:59.95\00:26:02.02
and Mahmud was furious.
00:26:02.06\00:26:04.19
He actually reported his father
to the Office of Human Rights.
00:26:04.23\00:26:07.76
But even that didn't heal the
pain, and anger in his heart.
00:26:07.80\00:26:11.40
But Roger kept on, reading
him verses from the Bible,
00:26:11.43\00:26:16.07
promises about forgiveness;
urging him to forgive his
00:26:16.10\00:26:19.61
father for his own sake.
00:26:19.64\00:26:21.18
Finally, one day, Mahmud came
to Roger and said, I did it.
00:26:21.21\00:26:26.31
I decided I was going to forgive
my father, and you know what?
00:26:26.35\00:26:29.18
That night when he
walked into the room,
00:26:29.22\00:26:31.42
I felt no
hatred for him anymore.
00:26:31.45\00:26:34.19
He said, I got up and I
kissed him on the forehead,
00:26:34.22\00:26:37.99
which is a very meaningful
expression in that culture.
00:26:38.03\00:26:41.10
And he said, My father embraced
me, and confessed that he was
00:26:41.13\00:26:45.23
sorry for being so
hard hearted toward me.
00:26:45.27\00:26:48.70
Now Mahmud realizes the power
in the promises of God's Word,
00:26:48.74\00:26:53.74
and he keeps coming regularly
to Roger's house for times of
00:26:53.78\00:26:58.01
Bible study and prayer.
00:26:58.05\00:26:59.65
God is still in the business of
turning the hearts of children
00:26:59.68\00:27:04.35
to their fathers, and fathers
to their children even in Mena.
00:27:04.39\00:27:09.09
And He's using dedicated
tent makers to help do that.
00:27:09.12\00:27:13.56
But what if Roger had decided
to stay in his home country,
00:27:13.60\00:27:17.90
and keep on with the
good job that he had there?
00:27:17.93\00:27:20.84
What if Roger hadn't made the
sacrifice to move to this very
00:27:20.87\00:27:25.11
difficult, closed country?
00:27:25.14\00:27:27.64
You see, Mena is one of
the last frontiers for mission
00:27:27.68\00:27:32.21
in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:27:32.25\00:27:34.25
And yet we have almost no
Seventh-day Adventists living
00:27:34.28\00:27:39.02
there who can show
what it means to be an
00:27:39.05\00:27:41.76
end time believer in Jesus.
00:27:41.79\00:27:43.69
The people of Menna believe
that soap operas are an accurate
00:27:43.73\00:27:49.00
description of Christianity.
00:27:49.03\00:27:50.97
Okay, how do you like that?
00:27:51.00\00:27:53.03
Soap operas accurately
describe Christianity.
00:27:53.07\00:27:56.97
That's what they
believe; the people around us.
00:27:57.01\00:27:59.11
They think that all Christians
eat pork, drink alcohol,
00:27:59.14\00:28:03.01
pray to Saints, kiss
idols, and live like the movies.
00:28:03.04\00:28:07.05
And most of the five hundred
million people in our Union
00:28:07.08\00:28:11.89
want absolutely nothing to
do with what they consider to be
00:28:11.92\00:28:16.02
heathen
Christians, and yet they have a
00:28:16.06\00:28:19.59
longing to know something.
00:28:19.63\00:28:21.50
They see what's
happening and they say,
00:28:21.53\00:28:23.16
What is going on in the world?
00:28:23.20\00:28:24.80
Is this where
our religion leads?
00:28:24.83\00:28:27.14
What? Who knows something
that they can share with us?
00:28:27.17\00:28:31.21
They don't want to know from
Christians, but when they meet
00:28:31.24\00:28:33.74
a Seventh-day
Adventist things are different.
00:28:33.78\00:28:36.38
Many of them are
having dreams, but the dreams
00:28:36.41\00:28:39.68
often leave them puzzled.
00:28:39.71\00:28:41.25
They long for someone who
understands what's happening
00:28:41.28\00:28:45.19
to be able to share with them.
00:28:45.22\00:28:47.46
Mrs. White says, Christ's method
alone will bring true success
00:28:47.49\00:28:52.96
in reaching the people.
00:28:52.99\00:28:54.33
She says that Jesus
mingled, met their needs,
00:28:54.36\00:28:57.70
won their confidence, and then
invited them to follow Jesus.
00:28:57.73\00:29:02.34
We often want to skip to
that last step, don't we?
00:29:02.37\00:29:06.37
We want to skip
right to the inviting.
00:29:06.41\00:29:09.31
We want to have a ten day, or a
three week evangelistic series,
00:29:09.34\00:29:13.15
and hope that's enough
to bring people to Jesus.
00:29:13.18\00:29:15.95
And in some places it may be.
00:29:15.98\00:29:17.82
But in the Middle East in
North Africa it does not work.
00:29:17.85\00:29:22.36
We need living, breathing,
remnant end time believers
00:29:22.39\00:29:27.20
in Jesus on the ground for
the long term, for 3 years,
00:29:27.23\00:29:32.13
5 years, 10 years, for
the rest of their lives.
00:29:32.17\00:29:35.10
Whenever we find someone who's
willing to make that kind of
00:29:35.14\00:29:39.14
commitment, and we
move them into a community,
00:29:39.17\00:29:41.64
things begin to
happen in that community.
00:29:41.68\00:29:45.38
John is a Civil
Engineer in one of our
00:29:45.41\00:29:49.48
difficult countries in Mena.
00:29:49.52\00:29:51.05
He's worked there
for a number of years.
00:29:51.09\00:29:52.95
At first he had challenges
with his work, because the boss
00:29:52.99\00:29:57.33
wanted to require him
to come to work on Sabbath.
00:29:57.36\00:29:59.96
Everybody else
worked on Sabbath.
00:30:00.00\00:30:02.03
But through God's intervention,
and John's personal
00:30:02.06\00:30:04.80
determination to be faithful,
finally his Muslim employer
00:30:04.83\00:30:09.10
agreed to give him all
of his Sabbath's off work.
00:30:09.14\00:30:11.77
He's the only employee in that
company to have that privilege.
00:30:11.81\00:30:15.64
His work has been
increasingly successful.
00:30:15.68\00:30:18.85
He has enabled his employer to
get some contracts for massive
00:30:18.88\00:30:23.69
buildings in that city.
00:30:23.72\00:30:25.39
The best friend of his employer
noticed what was happening.
00:30:25.42\00:30:29.52
He noticed that John was an
excellent designer and engineer.
00:30:29.56\00:30:33.53
He also noticed all the
money that his best friend was
00:30:33.56\00:30:37.30
making from John's work.
00:30:37.33\00:30:39.13
And so one day he invited
John to come to his office;
00:30:39.17\00:30:43.41
have a personal meeting.
00:30:43.44\00:30:45.47
While John was there he strongly
urged him to leave his boss
00:30:45.51\00:30:50.38
and come work for him.
00:30:50.41\00:30:51.95
Now this is a best friend, okay?
00:30:51.98\00:30:54.32
But he urged him to leave
the boss and come work for him.
00:30:54.35\00:30:57.99
He said, John
I'll double your wages.
00:30:58.02\00:31:01.42
Well, John told him, I need the
pay increase, but I can't break
00:31:01.46\00:31:07.16
my promise, and betray
your friend, and my boss.
00:31:07.20\00:31:11.03
If you get his
permission, I will gladly
00:31:11.07\00:31:14.24
come and work for you.
00:31:14.27\00:31:15.60
The man laughed! He'll never
give his permission for you
00:31:15.64\00:31:19.07
to leave his company.
00:31:19.11\00:31:20.44
You make him way too much money.
00:31:20.48\00:31:21.81
Well, at this time John's boss
had become quite unpredictable.
00:31:21.84\00:31:27.95
He was moody. Without warning
he would yell at the employees.
00:31:27.98\00:31:32.39
Things were tense in the office.
00:31:32.42\00:31:34.46
In many ways John wished that
he could leave that business
00:31:34.49\00:31:38.36
and go somewhere else.
00:31:38.39\00:31:39.73
He wondered if he
had done the right thing.
00:31:39.76\00:31:41.43
I mean, it was just a promise.
00:31:41.46\00:31:43.53
Why not go somewhere else?
00:31:43.57\00:31:46.00
A few days went by, and the
best friend invited John to come
00:31:46.03\00:31:51.51
again to his office.
00:31:51.54\00:31:52.91
While he was there
he said to John, John,
00:31:52.94\00:31:56.91
what's your favorite sports car?
00:31:56.95\00:31:58.58
John thought for a moment
and he said, Ah, a BMW Roadster.
00:31:58.61\00:32:03.08
The man typed something into his
computer and turned the screen
00:32:03.12\00:32:06.59
toward John, and
there was a picture of a
00:32:06.62\00:32:08.46
brand new BMW Roadster.
00:32:08.49\00:32:10.33
He said, John, if you will leave
my friend, and come work for me,
00:32:10.36\00:32:14.50
I will double your wages, and
give you that car by tomorrow.
00:32:14.53\00:32:18.13
Well, John thought about
the low pay that he was getting.
00:32:18.17\00:32:26.61
He thought about
the pressures at work.
00:32:26.64\00:32:30.05
He wanted to say yes, but
finally he repeated his first
00:32:30.08\00:32:34.25
response to the man.
00:32:34.28\00:32:35.98
The man said, John,
you are an absolute fool!
00:32:36.02\00:32:39.62
I know that my friend is not
paying you what you're really
00:32:39.65\00:32:42.46
worth, but you still refuse to
leave him and come work for me.
00:32:42.49\00:32:46.56
John left the man's office with
a heavy heart, wondering if he'd
00:32:46.59\00:32:51.10
made the right decision.
00:32:51.13\00:32:52.53
But he finally decided
to go talk to his employer.
00:32:52.57\00:32:55.67
John got up his courage;
went into the boss's office.
00:32:55.70\00:33:00.31
He could see that the man
looked disoriented, distracted,
00:33:00.34\00:33:03.98
irritated, frustrated.
00:33:04.01\00:33:05.75
But finally he blurted out, Sir,
one of your friends has asked me
00:33:05.78\00:33:11.15
to come and work
for him full time.
00:33:11.19\00:33:13.25
The boss looked up, startled.
00:33:13.29\00:33:16.79
John said, You know my wages are
a little low for the industry
00:33:16.83\00:33:20.90
standard, and Sir,
things have been very tense
00:33:20.93\00:33:23.83
in the office lately.
00:33:23.87\00:33:25.20
You've not been
treating us very kindly.
00:33:25.23\00:33:28.04
But I told your friend that
I would not break my promise
00:33:28.07\00:33:31.67
to you, and leave your company
unless you gave your permission
00:33:31.71\00:33:34.98
and agreement for that.
00:33:35.01\00:33:36.34
His employer got up from
the desk and turned around,
00:33:36.38\00:33:39.91
walked to the window
with his back facing John.
00:33:39.95\00:33:42.65
And then he began to
sob; sobs shaking his body.
00:33:42.68\00:33:46.32
After several minutes of
crying there at the window,
00:33:46.35\00:33:49.39
he came back and sat
down in front of John,
00:33:49.42\00:33:51.63
wiping the
tears out of his eyes.
00:33:51.66\00:33:53.40
And he began to
tell him that he was the
00:33:53.43\00:33:56.46
oldest son in the family.
00:33:56.50\00:33:57.83
That the father had just
been diagnosed with a terminal
00:33:57.87\00:34:00.67
disease that was ravaging
his body; how he longed to do
00:34:00.70\00:34:04.07
something to help him,
but all the money that he had,
00:34:04.11\00:34:06.98
all the possibilities couldn't
do anything to save his father.
00:34:07.01\00:34:10.88
And he was
distraught continually.
00:34:10.91\00:34:13.62
He looked at John, and he
thanked him for his willingness
00:34:13.65\00:34:19.75
to stay on with the company.
00:34:19.79\00:34:21.56
He told him that he was sorry
for the way he'd been treating
00:34:21.59\00:34:24.73
them, and that he would do
better, and would do whatever
00:34:24.76\00:34:27.13
he could to retain John.
00:34:27.16\00:34:28.96
And from then on things changed.
00:34:29.00\00:34:31.50
The relationship between
John and the boss became close.
00:34:31.53\00:34:35.50
Many times they
pray together now.
00:34:35.54\00:34:38.84
But what if John hadn't
gone to that difficult country
00:34:38.87\00:34:44.05
to work as an engineer?
00:34:44.08\00:34:45.41
There's a young Philipino
procurement officer in one
00:34:45.45\00:34:50.45
of our difficult
closed countries.
00:34:50.49\00:34:52.75
It's a country where
we're not allowed to have
00:34:52.79\00:34:54.96
Christian churches.
00:34:54.99\00:34:56.32
Our Adventist groups that
are there have to meet secretly.
00:34:56.36\00:34:59.79
Now probably the
government knows where they are,
00:34:59.83\00:35:02.43
but they don't
bother us right now.
00:35:02.46\00:35:04.83
Someday they might,
but right now they're not.
00:35:04.87\00:35:06.74
So we're not sharing
with you what country it is,
00:35:06.77\00:35:09.04
or what they're doing.
00:35:09.07\00:35:10.41
But Lucas, when he came to the
country, was not an Adventist.
00:35:10.44\00:35:15.08
When he grew up
in the Philippines
00:35:15.11\00:35:17.21
he wasn't an Adventist.
00:35:17.25\00:35:18.61
When he married his
wife he wasn't an Adventist.
00:35:18.65\00:35:21.52
She was a former Adventist, but
she was no longer practicing,
00:35:21.55\00:35:25.02
or attending church.
00:35:25.05\00:35:26.92
Years went by;
the kids got older,
00:35:26.96\00:35:29.76
were getting
ready to go to school.
00:35:29.79\00:35:31.13
He needed more money, so like
many, he moved to this difficult
00:35:31.16\00:35:35.10
country where he could make
good money, and send money back
00:35:35.13\00:35:38.40
to the family every month.
00:35:38.43\00:35:39.83
There in that country one of his
wife's cousins is an Adventist
00:35:39.87\00:35:45.44
attending one of
our secret churches.
00:35:45.47\00:35:47.64
She kept inviting him to come
to church, but he kept saying,
00:35:47.68\00:35:53.48
Why should I go to
a church that my wife
00:35:53.52\00:35:56.02
is no longer a part of?
00:35:56.05\00:35:57.45
Eventually he began to go
for the fellowship and the food.
00:35:57.49\00:36:01.92
But little by little
his interest increased,
00:36:01.96\00:36:05.29
and he began to study the
Bible with some of the members.
00:36:05.33\00:36:07.86
A heart longing he didn't even
know he had was beginning to
00:36:07.90\00:36:11.87
be filled by the
friendships in the Word of God.
00:36:11.90\00:36:14.60
Almost every night he was
sharing with his wife by phone,
00:36:14.64\00:36:17.97
and by Skype, what he was
learning in the Bible studies.
00:36:18.01\00:36:20.81
And eventually she started
going back to church, too,
00:36:20.84\00:36:24.08
and recommitted her life to God.
00:36:24.11\00:36:26.21
But Lucas' job was
still requiring him
00:36:26.25\00:36:29.58
to work most Sabbaths.
00:36:29.62\00:36:31.02
Eventually he came to the
point, after a long struggle,
00:36:31.05\00:36:34.96
months of struggle, that
he decided he wanted to make
00:36:34.99\00:36:38.86
the decision to keep
the Sabbath faithfully.
00:36:38.89\00:36:41.43
He called his wife and he said
to her, Honey, I'm going to tell
00:36:41.46\00:36:45.07
the boss tomorrow that I'm going
to not work on Sabbath anymore.
00:36:45.10\00:36:48.90
He'll probably fire me.
00:36:48.94\00:36:50.31
He'll probably send me home.
00:36:50.34\00:36:51.97
We won't have any money anymore.
00:36:52.01\00:36:53.88
She said, That's
okay; be faithful to Jesus.
00:36:53.91\00:36:57.25
Amen!
00:36:57.28\00:36:58.61
They prayed together, and with
fear and trembling Lucas went
00:36:58.65\00:37:02.25
to the bosses office the next
day, and just like he expected,
00:37:02.28\00:37:06.52
the boss was furious.
00:37:06.55\00:37:08.99
His boss threatened to fire him,
and then he threatened to deport
00:37:09.02\00:37:13.09
him, finally he threatened
to have him put in prison
00:37:13.13\00:37:15.73
for breach of contract.
00:37:15.76\00:37:17.10
For hours it went on, and then
they went to the next higher
00:37:17.13\00:37:20.57
bosses office, and on
and on for three days.
00:37:20.60\00:37:24.47
Finally, part way through
the third day, they took him
00:37:24.51\00:37:27.94
to the big bosses office.
00:37:27.98\00:37:29.91
This was a huge, ornate office
where the boss seemed big,
00:37:29.94\00:37:34.75
and the visitor seemed little.
00:37:34.78\00:37:36.89
And the boss was just
like all of the others.
00:37:36.92\00:37:39.65
He was
unrelenting in his demands.
00:37:39.69\00:37:43.02
He was firm, he was severe.
00:37:43.06\00:37:44.96
But suddenly
the big boss stopped
00:37:44.99\00:37:49.23
his tirade against Lucas.
00:37:49.26\00:37:53.00
He smiled, he leaned back in
his chair and he said, Lucas,
00:37:53.03\00:37:57.71
you can have your Sabbaths off.
00:37:57.74\00:37:59.81
We've been testing you
to see if you were severe,
00:37:59.84\00:38:02.68
if you were sincere, not
severe. Sorry about that!
00:38:02.71\00:38:05.65
He said, You are a
valuable worker to us.
00:38:05.68\00:38:10.62
We trust you. We need
people like you in this company.
00:38:10.65\00:38:14.52
You can work Friday
while the rest of us take off
00:38:14.56\00:38:17.86
to go to the Mosque.
00:38:17.89\00:38:19.23
But, Lucas, and he smiled at
him, he said, Make sure and stop
00:38:19.26\00:38:23.90
work before sundown on Friday,
because we've been researching
00:38:23.93\00:38:28.07
you Seventh-day Adventists
on line, and we know that your
00:38:28.10\00:38:31.41
Sabbath starts Friday
night, not Sabbath morning.
00:38:31.44\00:38:34.94
Amen!
00:38:34.98\00:38:36.48
I realize Lucas
didn't go as an Adventist.
00:38:37.81\00:38:40.65
He didn't go with any
intentions to be a missionary.
00:38:40.68\00:38:43.89
But God used some others who
had gone ahead of him to reach
00:38:43.92\00:38:48.09
Lucas, and He used Lucas
to reach out to his bosses.
00:38:48.12\00:38:52.73
If only we had more people
like those faithful Adventists,
00:38:52.76\00:38:57.60
working in each of the
massive cities of Mena.
00:38:57.63\00:39:01.27
But we have hundreds of
cities the size of Louisville,
00:39:01.30\00:39:06.11
without a single
Adventist in them.
00:39:06.14\00:39:08.41
Hundreds of cities the
size of where we are today
00:39:08.44\00:39:12.61
without an Adventist.
00:39:12.65\00:39:14.05
If I gathered every
Adventist in our entire Union...
00:39:14.08\00:39:17.49
Our Union is way way
bigger than the United States.
00:39:17.52\00:39:20.62
If I gathered every Adventist
we would have only a small part
00:39:20.66\00:39:25.03
of what's here this morning.
00:39:25.06\00:39:26.39
We have more people here
this morning than we have in our
00:39:26.43\00:39:29.93
entire Union, and yet every time
we plan to dedicate and end time
00:39:29.96\00:39:35.67
remnant believer in Jesus in
a city, things begin to happen.
00:39:35.70\00:39:39.87
You know, we had tried for
several years to get one or two
00:39:39.91\00:39:44.75
of our Middle Eastern Arabic
Adventist students to take a
00:39:44.78\00:39:49.55
year off and work as
a student missionary.
00:39:49.58\00:39:51.99
We have some projects that
are wide open for the gospel.
00:39:52.02\00:39:56.22
But we need an Arabic speaking
young person to go live in that
00:39:56.26\00:40:00.80
project for a year, and it would
make a powerful difference.
00:40:00.83\00:40:04.27
We would probably have
a small group of believers
00:40:04.30\00:40:06.63
by the end of the year.
00:40:06.67\00:40:08.00
It's that open. But for two
years we have been unable to
00:40:08.04\00:40:11.94
find one single Middle
Eastern Adventist Arabic speaker
00:40:11.97\00:40:16.51
who was willing to
take off school and go.
00:40:16.54\00:40:19.81
If we wanted to send them to
the U.S., or Brazil, or Europe,
00:40:19.85\00:40:23.75
fine, they would be glad to go.
00:40:23.79\00:40:25.69
But go work with
Muslims in a difficult place,
00:40:25.72\00:40:28.92
and interrupt my school? No way!
00:40:28.96\00:40:32.09
Then a group of Seventh-day
Adventist families came...
00:40:32.13\00:40:37.57
I was going to say this
year, but we're in 2016 now.
00:40:37.60\00:40:40.80
It's last year. A group of
South American Division families
00:40:40.84\00:40:45.11
came to the
Middle East University,
00:40:45.14\00:40:46.91
our Adventist
University in Lebanon.
00:40:46.94\00:40:48.94
They came for a
month of training.
00:40:48.98\00:40:51.21
We had chosen this group and
were sending them out to some
00:40:51.25\00:40:55.35
of our difficult and
challenging parts of the Union,
00:40:55.38\00:40:59.19
but we wanted to give
them some training first.
00:40:59.22\00:41:01.79
They ate, and studied, and
played football, soccer we call
00:41:01.82\00:41:05.46
it here, but played with the
students for that whole month.
00:41:05.49\00:41:09.30
The students saw that these
families were different from
00:41:09.33\00:41:12.93
what they had expected.
00:41:12.97\00:41:14.30
They saw that they
had left high paying jobs,
00:41:14.34\00:41:17.51
in highly developed countries,
and were willing to come
00:41:17.54\00:41:21.21
and work in dangerous, and
difficult parts of the Middle
00:41:21.24\00:41:24.55
East in North Africa for only
one salary; not one for husband
00:41:24.58\00:41:28.92
and one for wife,
but one between them.
00:41:28.95\00:41:31.22
At the end of that month, one of
those young missionaries stood
00:41:31.25\00:41:36.42
up... We didn't ask them to.
00:41:36.46\00:41:38.19
It was kind of impromptu.
00:41:38.23\00:41:39.56
He stood up at the end of
the last meeting that they had
00:41:39.59\00:41:42.70
together, the last Vespers, and
he made a call for the students,
00:41:42.73\00:41:47.34
the Arabic speaking Middle
Eastern students, to be willing
00:41:47.37\00:41:51.64
to start preparing
to be missionaries.
00:41:51.67\00:41:54.14
And many of those
young people came forward.
00:41:54.18\00:41:57.78
It's a new day for Mena.
00:41:57.81\00:42:00.88
But we need to
follow up on that.
00:42:00.92\00:42:02.82
Now we need some of you
to come to the Middle East
00:42:02.85\00:42:07.06
University as students to
study for a year, or a semester,
00:42:07.09\00:42:12.46
to work with our Adventist
students, our few Adventist
00:42:12.49\00:42:16.00
students that are there.
00:42:16.03\00:42:17.37
You can come on the ACA program.
00:42:17.40\00:42:19.70
That's the Adventist
Colleges Abroad program,
00:42:19.73\00:42:22.20
and study Arabic and Middle
Eastern culture for a year.
00:42:22.24\00:42:25.87
Or you can come on your own
and study business, or theology,
00:42:25.91\00:42:29.01
or education, or something else,
and then transfer your credits
00:42:29.04\00:42:32.41
back to your U.S. university.
00:42:32.45\00:42:34.48
Your presence and involvement
on our campus, your involvement
00:42:34.52\00:42:39.42
in the mission projects
around Middle East University
00:42:39.45\00:42:42.59
would be a statement to
our students, and would help to
00:42:42.62\00:42:46.26
transform their
lives. We need you.
00:42:46.29\00:42:49.86
We have a representative
at our booth for Middle East
00:42:49.90\00:42:52.57
University, if you want to
go there later and talk to them;
00:42:52.63\00:42:55.90
see what courses
are being offered.
00:42:55.97\00:42:57.87
We would love to have you come;
not just for the thrill of it,
00:42:57.91\00:43:01.41
but for the mission.
00:43:01.44\00:43:03.45
Every time that we put someone
into a community, they begin to
00:43:03.48\00:43:12.02
find people who have already
had dreams, who've already been
00:43:12.05\00:43:15.76
searching, and longing.
00:43:15.79\00:43:17.13
Most of the people around
us don't trust most Christians.
00:43:17.16\00:43:21.70
They consider
them to be heathens.
00:43:21.76\00:43:23.47
But when they get to know an
Adventist they're always amazed,
00:43:23.50\00:43:28.40
and they soon
start asking questions.
00:43:28.44\00:43:31.54
We need you to come and
help us reach out to the
00:43:31.57\00:43:35.81
people around us, but we
also need you to come and help
00:43:35.84\00:43:39.15
us reach out to the
few remaining Adventists
00:43:39.18\00:43:41.75
in the Middle
East in North Africa.
00:43:41.78\00:43:44.19
Those who come as missionaries
are making a difference
00:43:44.25\00:43:47.72
in the lives of those remaining
Adventists who have grown
00:43:47.79\00:43:50.96
discouraged through the
years; who don't think there's
00:43:50.99\00:43:54.13
anything else they can do.
00:43:54.16\00:43:56.26
We need you to come to Mena.
00:43:56.30\00:43:58.30
But even if you don't
come, we need you to pray.
00:43:58.33\00:44:02.44
Maybe you'll come later.
00:44:02.47\00:44:03.84
Maybe God hasn't
called you to come at all.
00:44:03.87\00:44:05.77
You know, I get a little
frustrated sometimes that,
00:44:05.81\00:44:09.94
that me included, we
all think that our ministry,
00:44:09.98\00:44:14.02
our particular gift is
what everybody else should have.
00:44:14.05\00:44:17.75
But as an Adventist church,
we believe in the multiplicity
00:44:17.79\00:44:21.49
of gifts, don't we?
00:44:21.52\00:44:22.86
Not everybody is
called to the same thing.
00:44:22.89\00:44:25.59
Not everybody is
called to be a pastor.
00:44:25.63\00:44:28.73
Not everybody is
called to be a teacher.
00:44:28.76\00:44:31.77
Not everybody is called
to go to the Middle East
00:44:31.80\00:44:34.17
in North Africa Union.
00:44:34.20\00:44:35.70
I don't want to give the
impression that those who
00:44:35.74\00:44:39.34
respond to my call at the end
of this time are more spiritual
00:44:39.37\00:44:42.98
than those who don't.
00:44:43.01\00:44:44.35
We are pleading with the Holy
Spirit to be poured out on our
00:44:44.38\00:44:47.88
hearts, and help us to
know that all of us are called.
00:44:47.92\00:44:50.95
All of us are
chosen for something.
00:44:50.99\00:44:53.82
And may we be
faithful to what we've been
00:44:53.86\00:44:56.73
called and chosen for.
00:44:56.76\00:44:58.29
Amen!
00:44:58.33\00:44:59.66
We have five things
that we would like you
00:44:59.69\00:45:04.83
to add to your prayer list.
00:45:04.87\00:45:06.20
Because that is
something you can do for us,
00:45:06.23\00:45:08.64
even if God doesn't
call you to come and join us.
00:45:08.67\00:45:11.37
Let me share with you five
current things that are gong on.
00:45:11.41\00:45:14.81
There are many we
could have shared.
00:45:14.84\00:45:17.18
But there's a couple from the
United States who have given up
00:45:17.21\00:45:21.18
their jobs, and gone to one
of our countries that's often
00:45:21.25\00:45:25.15
in the news because of massive
terrorist attacks on tourists.
00:45:25.19\00:45:29.42
I'm not going to say
the name of the country,
00:45:29.46\00:45:31.56
but that couple
are already there.
00:45:31.59\00:45:33.63
They're studying the language,
and looking for work that they
00:45:33.66\00:45:37.13
can do as tent makers.
00:45:37.17\00:45:38.93
He's a social worker, and she
was a professor at one of our
00:45:38.97\00:45:43.67
Adventist universities.
00:45:43.71\00:45:45.27
Some of you here
know who they are.
00:45:45.31\00:45:48.14
There's a young physician from
Columbia, who's given up a high
00:45:48.18\00:45:52.31
paying job at a prestigious
university where he taught,
00:45:52.35\00:45:56.12
and I can hardly
even say what he taught,
00:45:56.15\00:45:59.19
he taught neuro
rehabilitation, okay?
00:45:59.22\00:46:02.62
He hade an
excellent job in Columbia.
00:46:02.66\00:46:05.99
He left all of that and has gone
to one of our largest countries,
00:46:06.03\00:46:09.76
one that's been
through a very trying time of
00:46:09.80\00:46:13.23
political change and unrest.
00:46:13.27\00:46:15.90
A young lady from Lithuania
has just completed her masters
00:46:15.94\00:46:21.74
in business, and she'll
be traveling to one of our
00:46:21.78\00:46:24.55
countries next
month, in February,
00:46:24.58\00:46:26.82
to begin searching for a job.
00:46:26.85\00:46:28.58
A couple from
the United States...
00:46:28.62\00:46:31.42
Their parents are here today.
00:46:31.45\00:46:34.42
A couple from the United States,
both have doctorates in physical
00:46:34.46\00:46:38.29
therapy, they're ready to give
up their jobs, and are currently
00:46:38.33\00:46:42.16
searching the internet for
possible positions in Mena,
00:46:42.20\00:46:45.80
where they can serve.
00:46:45.83\00:46:47.17
And the parents shared
with me, a day or two ago,
00:46:47.20\00:46:50.24
that they've now gotten an
appointment for an interview
00:46:50.27\00:46:53.98
in one of our countries.
00:46:54.01\00:46:55.48
A lady dentist from Columbia
has left her private practice,
00:46:55.54\00:47:00.02
and is currently in one of
our countries processing her
00:47:00.05\00:47:04.52
paperwork with the government.
00:47:04.55\00:47:05.99
As soon as it's approved
and processed, then her husband
00:47:06.02\00:47:09.09
and children will be
able to join her in that
00:47:09.12\00:47:11.66
difficult mission challenge.
00:47:11.69\00:47:13.93
These, and many others, have
already made the decision to go.
00:47:13.96\00:47:18.90
They aren't just thinking about
it, they have actually picked up
00:47:18.93\00:47:23.84
their crosses and
entered Satan's territory,
00:47:23.87\00:47:27.38
and that old roaring lion is
not going to sit idly by and let
00:47:27.41\00:47:31.61
them have an easy time of it.
00:47:31.65\00:47:33.21
These pioneer
missionaries are pioneers in
00:47:33.25\00:47:37.59
every sense of the word.
00:47:37.62\00:47:39.29
When the Adventist
church used to send missionaries
00:47:39.32\00:47:42.19
to Lake Titicaca, or to
the heart of the Amazon,
00:47:42.22\00:47:45.06
or to Central
Africa, or wherever it was,
00:47:45.09\00:47:47.86
they were pioneers.
00:47:47.90\00:47:49.53
They often didn't come back.
00:47:49.56\00:47:52.40
These pioneers have
pledged their lives to Jesus.
00:47:52.43\00:47:58.14
They have gone. They're going to
need prayer warriors around the
00:47:58.17\00:48:02.54
world holding up
their hands, and they need
00:48:02.58\00:48:07.02
teammates to join them.
00:48:07.05\00:48:08.78
It's a lonely and discouraging
work to be a pioneer missionary.
00:48:08.82\00:48:12.89
We need teams of people in
each of these unentered cities.
00:48:12.92\00:48:16.96
But one by one we're
finding people, and putting them
00:48:17.03\00:48:20.30
together in teams,
and placing them there.
00:48:20.36\00:48:22.73
We need more teammates.
00:48:22.76\00:48:24.40
Are you willing to join them?
00:48:24.43\00:48:26.47
Wednesday night Natasha
shared with us the goal of GYC,
00:48:26.53\00:48:34.48
to take the gospel to
every man, woman, and child
00:48:34.51\00:48:38.65
in this generation.
00:48:38.68\00:48:40.02
She said that would require a
love for God so strong that we
00:48:40.05\00:48:45.32
would be willing to
be a martyr for Him.
00:48:45.35\00:48:48.32
Right now I'm going to
make a very specific call.
00:48:48.36\00:48:53.46
It's not a general call.
00:48:53.50\00:48:56.10
You need to consider carefully
before you answer this call.
00:48:56.13\00:49:00.50
I often cry as I'm making these
calls, and as I'm sending people
00:49:00.54\00:49:06.31
to various parts of Mena,
because I know that someday
00:49:06.34\00:49:10.75
some one of them that I've
sent will never return home.
00:49:10.78\00:49:15.08
We're recruiting workers for
this final frontier of mission,
00:49:15.12\00:49:21.76
and we aren't looking for those
who just want an adventure.
00:49:21.79\00:49:25.66
We don't believe
that God has called
00:49:25.69\00:49:28.60
everybody to
come to Mena and work.
00:49:28.63\00:49:31.47
We know that some of you
He's called to stay right here,
00:49:31.50\00:49:34.74
and witness to the people
in Louisville, or Chicago,
00:49:34.77\00:49:37.97
or wherever you happen to live.
00:49:38.01\00:49:39.54
But we know that He has
called and chosen some to come,
00:49:39.57\00:49:43.18
and our prayer is that the Holy
Spirit will poured out on your
00:49:43.21\00:49:46.55
hearts, and that those He has
called and chosen to come work
00:49:46.61\00:49:49.92
in Mena, who are willing even
to give their lives for Jesus,
00:49:49.95\00:49:54.86
if necessary, would respond.
00:49:54.89\00:49:57.76
Some of you that respond
will be asked to make the
00:49:57.79\00:50:01.66
ultimate sacrifice.
00:50:01.70\00:50:03.03
So today I'm not making
a call for people to give
00:50:03.06\00:50:06.57
their hearts to Jesus.
00:50:06.63\00:50:07.97
I hope everyone here has
given their heart to Jesus,
00:50:08.00\00:50:11.07
and will continue to do that.
00:50:11.11\00:50:12.97
I'm looking for those who know
they've been called and chosen,
00:50:13.01\00:50:16.34
to go to the difficult parts
of this earth, and maybe even to
00:50:16.38\00:50:21.62
give their lives, if necessary.
00:50:21.65\00:50:24.29
So please don't respond to
this call unless in your heart
00:50:24.32\00:50:29.79
you are willing to
be a martyr for Jesus.
00:50:29.82\00:50:33.80
Don't respond if you just
think, Yeah, that sounds neat.
00:50:33.83\00:50:36.77
It would be
fascinating to go there.
00:50:36.80\00:50:38.33
If that's the way you
feel, come as a tourist.
00:50:38.37\00:50:40.67
I could tell you many stories
of people who are now Adventist,
00:50:40.70\00:50:43.87
because of Adventist
tourists that came to
00:50:43.91\00:50:46.17
our part of the world.
00:50:46.21\00:50:47.54
That's fine. God may
not have called you to come.
00:50:47.58\00:50:50.71
I want to ask for those that
feel God calling them to make
00:50:55.62\00:51:00.62
an incredible sacrifice, to go
to a difficult part of the world
00:51:00.66\00:51:04.96
and maybe even to be a martyr,
if you feel God placing that
00:51:04.99\00:51:09.20
call on your heart,
would you come forward now?
00:51:09.23\00:51:12.70
I'm making a call for those who
feel convicted that God may be
00:51:14.30\00:51:18.87
asking them to go to a
place that could even result
00:51:18.91\00:51:23.28
in them being a martyr.
00:51:23.31\00:51:25.51
Last night Sebastian
said he'd found the chapter
00:51:28.22\00:51:32.15
that Satan hates most.
00:51:32.19\00:51:34.89
He said it's Revelation 12.
00:51:34.92\00:51:37.66
And I just would like to
re-read with you verse 11.
00:51:37.69\00:51:40.50
And they overcame him,
Satan, by the blood of the Lamb,
00:51:40.53\00:51:43.77
and the word of their
testimony; and they loved not
00:51:43.80\00:51:47.00
their lives unto death.
00:51:47.04\00:51:48.94
The glory of that
victory goes to God, not to us.
00:51:48.97\00:51:55.38
It's the blood of the
Lamb that won the victory,
00:51:55.41\00:51:58.85
not what we decided we would do.
00:51:58.88\00:52:01.28
But finishing the work in our
generation is going to require
00:52:01.35\00:52:07.79
people who have been
called and chosen to be faithful
00:52:07.82\00:52:11.59
to that calling,
and to that choosing.
00:52:11.63\00:52:13.90
It's going to require
us to share our testimony,
00:52:13.93\00:52:16.36
and not love the easy
lives, but to be willing to
00:52:16.40\00:52:20.87
risk all for Jesus.
00:52:20.90\00:52:22.80
A few months ago I
was at our Adventist
00:52:22.84\00:52:26.68
university in Columbia.
00:52:26.71\00:52:28.88
It was a mission weekend.
00:52:28.91\00:52:31.01
On Friday night the president,
Dr. Abraham Acosta, gave a call
00:52:31.05\00:52:36.62
for those who were
willing to be martyrs
00:52:36.65\00:52:38.95
to come up on the platform.
00:52:38.99\00:52:40.66
More than a hundred
young adults came forward.
00:52:40.69\00:52:45.29
And then he asked me to come
up and pray for those who had
00:52:45.33\00:52:49.30
responded to the call to
be martyrs, but I could hardly
00:52:49.33\00:52:52.73
pray because of the tears that
were running down my cheeks,
00:52:52.77\00:52:56.14
and choking my voice.
00:52:56.17\00:52:57.54
You see, Dr. Acosta
hadn't just called other
00:52:57.57\00:53:02.71
people's children to come.
00:53:02.74\00:53:04.61
There on the platform behind
him was his own young university
00:53:04.68\00:53:10.49
aged daughter telling her Daddy,
and God, that she was willing
00:53:10.52\00:53:16.29
to be a martyr for Jesus.
00:53:16.32\00:53:17.86
Not only that, I knew that his
other daughter, his son-in-law,
00:53:17.89\00:53:23.93
and his grand daughter
were even then making the final
00:53:23.97\00:53:27.77
preparations to leave Argentina
and go to one of our difficult
00:53:27.80\00:53:31.67
countries as tent makers.
00:53:31.71\00:53:33.98
What a sacrifice; for a father
to instill a sense of mission
00:53:34.01\00:53:39.75
in his daughters, and then
call them himself to be martyrs.
00:53:39.78\00:53:45.49
I want us... We have
just a few minutes left.
00:53:47.62\00:53:51.19
I want us to take
those few minutes in prayer.
00:53:51.26\00:53:54.80
Groups of two or three...
00:53:54.83\00:53:56.20
And I want the group
that's here to stay here.
00:53:56.23\00:53:58.20
At the end of that time I will
pray, and I'd like you then that
00:53:58.23\00:54:02.50
are up here to
just step to the sides,
00:54:02.54\00:54:04.37
so we can scan your badges.
00:54:04.41\00:54:05.77
We want to talk
with you; stay in touch.
00:54:05.84\00:54:08.18
We're going to try to have
even a little meeting tonight
00:54:08.21\00:54:10.48
with those of
you that have come.
00:54:10.51\00:54:12.35
I want to ask those of the rest
of you, all of us, to hold these
00:54:12.38\00:54:16.75
folks up in prayer.
00:54:16.79\00:54:18.12
I want you to pray for
those who have made the decision
00:54:18.15\00:54:21.19
to come, even it means
being a martyr for Jesus.
00:54:21.22\00:54:23.96
I want you to pray for
those who have already gone.
00:54:23.99\00:54:26.73
I want you to pray that
the Lord of harvest will send
00:54:26.76\00:54:29.50
laborers into His harvest.
00:54:29.53\00:54:31.53
The harvest is ripe in Mena.
00:54:31.57\00:54:33.67
It's time for Jesus to come.
00:54:33.70\00:54:35.70
What we need now is to plead
for laborers who will move in
00:54:35.74\00:54:39.71
to that harvest
no matter the cost.
00:54:39.74\00:54:42.61
And then we need people
holding them up in prayer.
00:54:42.64\00:54:45.65
Would you join me, and lets
just kneel and pray for the next
00:54:45.68\00:54:49.02
two or three minutes, and
then I will close with a prayer.
00:54:49.05\00:54:52.35
Lets kneel.
00:54:52.42\00:54:53.76
Those of you here
in the front can pray
00:55:01.36\00:55:03.30
together as the others are.
00:55:03.37\00:55:04.83
Oh Father God, I long for the
day when there won't be a single
00:55:06.74\00:55:13.17
country in Mena without a
Seventh-day Adventist group,
00:55:13.21\00:55:16.85
even if it's a secret
one, worshipping there.
00:55:16.88\00:55:20.28
I long for the day when there
won't be a single city in Mena
00:55:20.32\00:55:24.19
that doesn't have a small
group of Seventh-day Adventists
00:55:24.22\00:55:28.02
praying together
in a living room even.
00:55:28.09\00:55:30.63
I long for the day, Lord,
when there won't be a single
00:55:30.66\00:55:33.50
university in Mena
that doesn't have any
00:55:33.53\00:55:35.96
Seventh-day Adventist students.
00:55:36.00\00:55:38.10
I long for the day when there's
not a single Mosque giving
00:55:38.13\00:55:42.00
a call to prayer over, and over
again without an Adventist who
00:55:42.04\00:55:46.17
lives near enough to hear that.
00:55:46.21\00:55:48.08
I long for the day
when Jesus will come.
00:55:48.11\00:55:51.91
I don't know how this work is
going to finish, but I believe
00:55:51.95\00:55:55.95
that it's going to finish soon.
00:55:55.98\00:55:57.95
We're at the end, the
edge of the Jordan River.
00:55:57.99\00:56:00.49
You haven't asked
us to figure out on our
00:56:00.52\00:56:03.63
own how to get across.
00:56:03.69\00:56:05.33
All You've asked us to do
is to step into the water,
00:56:05.36\00:56:08.40
and then You
will open the river.
00:56:08.43\00:56:10.60
And Lord, a group of young
people, and some that aren't
00:56:10.63\00:56:14.14
so young have come forward this
morning saying that they feel
00:56:14.17\00:56:17.94
You have called and
chosen them for a special work,
00:56:17.97\00:56:21.68
a work of going
to the challenging,
00:56:21.71\00:56:24.05
difficult places on earth.
00:56:24.08\00:56:25.95
Lord as they step into the
water, I pray that You will
00:56:25.98\00:56:31.35
open up the river
before them, and that hundreds,
00:56:31.39\00:56:34.42
and thousands, and millions
will be standing with us on the
00:56:34.46\00:56:38.96
sea of glass, on
that wonderful day.
00:56:38.99\00:56:41.80
It's time for You to come.
00:56:41.83\00:56:44.07
We pray that Your
Spirit will be poured out;
00:56:44.10\00:56:46.17
that You will help us to use
wisdom in the work that we do.
00:56:46.20\00:56:50.24
But help us to do it faithfully.
00:56:50.27\00:56:52.51
And Lord for each of us, those
who feel called to a different
00:56:52.54\00:56:56.75
kind of work, I want
to pray that Your Spirit
00:56:56.78\00:56:59.21
will be with them; that You
will enable them to be doing
00:56:59.25\00:57:02.85
the work that You've called
and chosen them for as well.
00:57:02.88\00:57:06.59
Thank You so much that You
are with us wherever we go,
00:57:06.65\00:57:10.33
even to the ends of the earth.
00:57:10.36\00:57:13.06
This gospel of the kingdom will
be preached in all the world
00:57:13.09\00:57:17.17
for a witness to
all the multitudes,
00:57:17.20\00:57:20.54
and then the
end will come. Amen.
00:57:20.57\00:57:23.87
Even so come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
00:57:23.91\00:57:27.74