Participants:
Series Code: 17GYC
Program Code: 17GYC000003A
|
00:32 Good afternoon, everyone.
00:34 I hope you all were blessed 00:35 by the seminars that you attended. 00:38 We're going to start our GYC Beyond program 00:40 with hymn number 163, At the Cross. 00:54 Alas, and did my Savior bleed? 00:59 And did my Sovereign die? 01:04 Would He devote that sacred head 01:08 For someone such as I? 01:13 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 01:18 And the burden of my heart rolled away 01:23 It was there by faith I received my sight 01:28 And now I am happy all the day! 01:33 Was it for crimes that I have done 01:38 He suffered on the tree? 01:43 Amazing pity! 01:46 grace unknown! 01:48 And love beyond degree! 01:53 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 01:58 And the burden of my heart rolled away 02:03 It was there by faith I received my sight 02:08 And now I am happy all the day! 02:13 But drops of grief can ne'er repay 02:19 The debt of love I owe 02:23 Here, Lord, I give myself away 02:29 'Tis all that I can do! 02:34 At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light 02:39 And the burden of my heart rolled away 02:44 It was there by faith I received my sight 02:49 And now I am happy all the day! 03:04 Good morning, everyone. 03:07 How are you this morning? 03:10 I want to share with you today, 03:13 a project that GYC has been working on 03:16 for the last two years. 03:18 Today, we're talking about GYC Ambassador. 03:22 GYC Ambassador began two years ago 03:25 with the idea of getting young people together 03:29 in a discipleship model and encouraging them 03:31 to become active in evangelism throughout the year. 03:36 We've had a number of ambassadors. 03:38 The first year we had over 70 people involved. 03:42 And this year we brought the number down and had 11. 03:46 God has really blessed this project. 03:49 And over the last two years, 03:51 we've had a total 03:53 of 333 Bible studies conducted, 03:59 six health expos, 04:01 over 20 prayer meetings in small groups 04:05 and 36 baptisms. 04:09 Today, I have with you three of our ambassadors, 04:13 and I just want to interview them 04:14 and have them share with you about their experience at GYC. 04:19 So, Seth, what made you interested 04:22 about joining GYC Ambassador program? 04:25 Well, so that's a great question. 04:26 You know, for a number of years now, 04:30 I've had a goal for myself 04:33 to get more actively involved in evangelism 04:37 and practical ministry in my local church. 04:40 And the reason why, is because if GYC, 04:43 if the experience that I have at GYC is, 04:46 it doesn't translate to something 04:49 that takes place in my daily life, 04:51 if it doesn't affect and impact my local church, 04:55 then it's nothing more than simply 04:57 a temporary spiritual high. 04:59 And so that's... 05:00 It was for the purpose of changing that 05:03 of getting more actively involved in evangelism 05:06 at my local church that I decided to get 05:09 to join the Ambassador program. 05:11 Thank you for that. 05:12 What were some of your goals 05:14 that you had in mind when you joined? 05:17 So as I mentioned, 05:19 the primary goal was to get actively involved 05:22 in some form of practical ministry 05:24 and outreach in my local church. 05:26 And so it was through the Ambassador program 05:30 that I was able to receive training 05:33 and mentorship. 05:34 And it was through the Ambassador program 05:36 that I was able to get involved with a door-to-door survey 05:40 and Bible study program 05:42 that was happening at my local church. 05:44 And so, throughout this last year 05:47 just about every week, myself and an outreach partner, 05:51 we would go door-to-door knocking on doors, 05:55 signing people up for Bible studies, 05:57 and actually dropping those studies off 05:59 and following up and meeting with people on a weekly basis. 06:03 And when you count, if including an in home study 06:06 that I was working on 06:08 that I was working on prior 06:09 to when I joined the Ambassador program, 06:11 we currently have 12 Bible study contacts 06:14 that we're working with on a regular basis. 06:16 Amen. Thank you for sharing. 06:18 And just one more question before I go on. 06:20 What was the highlight for you from your experience? 06:24 One of the highlights for me 06:26 was in fact earlier in the year, 06:29 I had the privilege of being 06:30 as part of the Ambassador program, 06:31 I had the privilege of being able to attend 06:34 a weeklong evangelism training program 06:38 that was held. 06:39 It was hosted by Pastor Mark Finley 06:41 and his wife in Virginia at their home church down. 06:46 And it was through that, it was specifically through 06:49 that evangelism training program 06:52 that I caught a deeper and much more expansive vision 06:57 for local church evangelism. 06:58 I realize that probably the greatest need 07:02 that that the young people who attend GYC 07:05 and I'm speaking of myself, chief here is to get involved 07:10 in the work of the local church. 07:13 And so I work with an organization 07:16 called GYC Northwest. 07:17 So GYC affiliate that covers pretty much 07:20 the almost of the Northwest United States. 07:25 And so since that point, 07:26 since I attended 07:28 that evangelism training program, 07:30 I've worked extensively 07:31 with the leadership team of that organization 07:34 to plan and organize on projects and events, 07:38 specifically aimed at getting the young people, 07:41 the Seventh-day Adventists young people in the Northwest 07:43 more actively involved in practical 07:46 and ongoing ministry 07:48 and evangelism in their local churches. 07:50 Okay. Amen. 07:52 And if you're interested in finding out more about 07:53 what he's involved in, I know that 07:55 they have information 07:57 at the affiliates' booth or the GYC booth. 07:59 All right. 08:01 I just wanted to also introduce Taija Hall. 08:03 And, Taija, you mentioned to me that one of the things 08:06 you appreciated about your experience 08:08 was having tools to reach your goals. 08:11 What kind of tools were you looking for 08:13 when you joined GYC Ambassador? 08:15 More so the confidence. 08:16 I had some tools but I didn't feel like 08:18 I have the confidence to go forward with the goals 08:20 of reaching people for Christ 08:22 and starting Bible studies following up on contacts. 08:24 And one of the things that we had was a subscription 08:28 to Audioverse Advance 08:29 which gave us some of the tools to cultivate Bible studies, 08:32 learn more about the cycle of evangelism 08:34 as well as Bible study guides from It Is Written 08:36 that I've been using in one of my Bible studies. 08:38 All right. 08:39 So after you went to the Mark Finley retreat, 08:43 what happened to some of those goals and tools? 08:45 How were you able to put them into practice? 08:47 I actually came away with the confidence 08:49 to actually offer Bible studies 08:50 to a girl that I've been talking to. 08:52 And from that I've been able to study with not only her 08:55 but her best friend of 15 years. 08:56 So I have two Bible studies going now. 08:58 Amen. Praise God. 09:00 And our final ambassador that I want to introduce 09:03 is with me here Joi McClellan. 09:05 And, Joi, when did you originally start 09:08 with Ambassador? 09:09 So I started Ambassador two years ago. 09:11 So this past year is my second year 09:13 with the Ambassador program. 09:14 So you were not just one year with Ambassador 09:16 but you went for two years. 09:17 I did. I did. 09:19 Why did you decide to go for a second year 09:20 and what did you gain out of it? 09:22 Right. 09:23 So after the first year I was just excited 09:25 about Ambassador program, 09:26 but I felt like it was just the beginning 09:28 that if I was in it for another year 09:30 that God had something even more to do with me. 09:33 And so I'm so excited that I did stay because 09:35 He just really opened up new opportunities 09:38 and taught me so much in the second year 09:39 being an ambassador. 09:41 Wonderful. 09:42 So what were some of those opportunities 09:44 that came into your life in your second year? 09:45 Right. 09:47 So you all encouraged us to make goals for the year, 09:50 and so one of the goals that I made was to 09:53 just really focus a lot on prayer, 09:55 and I wanted to start a prayer group 09:56 and so after coming back from GYC, 09:59 I went back to school where I attend, 10:01 and I was like, God show me what I should do, 10:02 how do I get involved and start a prayer group 10:04 that's kind of scary for me. 10:07 But God just led me to a group of friends 10:09 and we just started praying together. 10:10 A group of girls, 10:12 it's like four or five of us 10:13 that we had prayed together weekly, 10:15 all throughout last semester from like January to May, 10:17 and it was real blessing for all of us. 10:20 And then it was summer time, I was like God, what do I do, 10:23 you know, I'm not going to get at school, 10:24 I'm not going to be with the same people. 10:25 How do I continue to be purposeful in praying 10:29 with other people for both them and for me? 10:31 And so we went home and God opened up 10:33 more opportunities to pray at home with people 10:37 from my church and community 10:39 and then going back to school this semester, 10:41 it's just really taken off and our group has grown 10:44 and so many new people and like, it's my dorm room 10:47 and there's hardly room to fit us all. 10:49 God is just really blessing with our prayer group. 10:50 Well, praise God. 10:52 And also when I was talking to you, 10:53 you mentioned how God took you 10:55 from maybe not being so excited 10:58 or confident about doing evangelism, 11:01 but He also brought you into leadership. 11:02 How did that work in your life? Right. 11:04 So when I started the Ambassador program, 11:07 the first year I wasn't involved 11:09 in any particular ministry 11:11 or really active doing anything but when I came this past... 11:16 Near the first year, the end of that first year 11:18 God opened up opportunity for me to get involved 11:20 with the GYC affiliate 11:21 Southeast at Southern Adventist University 11:24 and it's just been a blessing for me to be able to serve 11:27 and get involved 11:28 in even more ways than ministry. 11:30 Amen. 11:31 You know, what's so encouraging for me 11:33 when we talk to these young ambassadors 11:35 is that each and every one of them has simply done 11:37 what we're all capable of doing, 11:40 making ourselves available to God to be used, 11:43 and to grow in our talents and our skills 11:45 and to have more opportunities for service. 11:47 And God can do it in them and He can do it in you. 11:50 Thank you. 11:55 For many GYC is a reunion. 11:59 It's inspiration, empowerment. 12:03 It's a chance to stop to think, 12:07 to pray, to seek God, 12:10 a place of conviction, 12:13 conversion, conversation. 12:16 For many, GYC is an experience that starts, 12:20 peaks and ends in one four days stretch 12:24 of Christmas break each year. 12:27 But what if I wasn't for? 12:30 What if God wasn't finished? 12:33 What if GYC was supposed to reach beyond? 12:37 Way beyond one city, 48 hours, 12:41 a couple of thousand people. 12:45 What is GYC? 12:46 GYC is a movement 12:48 and a movement is made of people in motion. 12:53 Ultimately, GYC is me. 12:58 I am GYC. 13:00 You are GYC. 13:09 For the last 15 years, 13:12 GYC has stood to encourage, 13:16 to equip, and to inspire young people 13:18 to do something amazing, radical for God. 13:23 But as we've looked at the last 15 years 13:25 at the last 16 conferences including this one, 13:28 we've discussed and we thought about it, 13:30 and we've come to the realization 13:32 that really out of the last 16 conferences 13:36 all you've had is maybe three at most 13:38 that were at least in name mission focused. 13:41 Yes, we've had mission as a sub-theme 13:43 every year we go out, every year we send buses 13:45 and we do things for God. 13:48 But that's just not good enough. 13:50 We need to do more than that. 13:51 This past week we were thrilled to partner 13:54 with Pathway to Health, and to see thousands of people 13:56 radically impacted for the rest of their lives 13:58 almost instantly, people who had surgeries, 14:00 people who had all sorts of problems come in 14:02 and leave, enriched 14:05 and knowing that God loves them. 14:09 We need to be able to do more just as much. 14:11 This is why we've had Ambassador 14:12 for the last two years. 14:13 This is why we spent so much time 14:15 trying to look at different ways 14:17 that we can empower each and every one of you 14:19 to be involved in ministry. 14:22 And so we thought about it and we're terminating 14:25 the Ambassador project because it was such a success. 14:28 And you will say, "Why would you end it?" 14:29 Because we need to do something more, 14:31 we need to go beyond. 14:34 And that is exactly 14:36 why we as GYC have started GYC Beyond. 14:38 We want to go beyond just the annual conference. 14:42 And movement, it's a movement of young people, we're moving, 14:46 we're doing something not just for four days 14:49 but 365 or 366 if it's a leap year. 14:53 And so we have realized it can't continue like this, 14:57 we want to do more. 14:58 We have to do more year round. 15:03 And so as GYC leadership, 15:04 we have been praying and thinking 15:05 how can we empower you 15:07 to be able to do ministry where you are? 15:11 It doesn't matter if it's small or big. 15:14 Do something. 15:15 Something is always better than nothing. 15:17 Amen? 15:19 And God can bless small endeavors 15:21 and make them wonderful and successful. 15:24 And we as GYC, we have been praying 15:25 and we have been putting together resources, 15:28 partnering with other ministries 15:30 and speakers, 15:32 providing resources for you throughout the year. 15:34 So that you are empowered inspired 15:36 and guided to do some kind of personal ministry 15:40 in your local church. 15:41 Wherever you are, on your campus, in your school, 15:44 even in your family 15:46 but it is a decision we have to make. 15:48 And I want to be real with you. 15:49 Every year we make appeals. 15:51 We had an appeal this morning for missionary service 15:54 and appeals for following God's will 15:57 but this appeal, the decision you make has to go 15:59 beyond this conference. 16:01 As we go throughout the year, 16:03 we have to remember what decision we have made, 16:05 and ask the Lord to guide us into the right direction. 16:09 And we want to see next year, we want to come back 16:11 and see what God will do. 16:13 So my question to you is, who is GYC? 16:17 I am. Who is GYC? 16:18 I am GYC. 16:20 Amen. 16:21 So this year what we're trying to do is 16:22 to once again 16:24 make as many resources available as possible. 16:26 And we've got our website gycweb.org/beyond 16:29 that we've set up to show a little bit 16:31 of what's been done over the last few years. 16:33 The number of baptisms, the number of doors knocked on 16:36 and to just give you an idea of what GYC has done, 16:38 not only at our conference but even through 16:42 a small number of people 16:43 who were involved in the Ambassador program. 16:45 And so what we're going to be doing is 16:47 we're going to be offering a podcast twice a month 16:50 which will be there to equip 16:51 and train you in different ways. 16:52 How can I be involved? 16:54 Maybe I don't like door knocking, 16:55 maybe I can't do evangelism in the traditional sense, 16:59 but how can I be involved in whatever trade I do 17:01 with what I like to do? 17:03 How can I use that for God in ministry? 17:05 And so we're going to be trying to use that 17:07 as an avenue 17:08 by which you can be more involved. 17:10 We also have a workbook 17:11 that we're going to be putting together 17:13 month by month, 17:14 every week you can do a couple pages 17:15 with activities that will help you succeed, 17:17 and ultimately we want to be a support to you 17:20 as an executive committee, 17:22 as the organizers of this conference. 17:24 And so we've set up a page, 17:25 if you open your phone up, you look on Facebook, 17:28 you'll see there's a group GYC Beyond. 17:31 It's a subgroup under our main page. 17:33 It's a group and you can join that page. 17:36 And if you have questions, 17:37 if you're trying to do something in ministry, 17:38 you can post there 17:40 and we will make ourselves available 17:41 to try answer questions to help support 17:43 and lift what you are trying to do. 17:45 Because ultimately who is GYC? 17:48 I am. Amen. 17:50 That's right. 17:51 I want to share with you a quote 17:53 that really has guided 17:54 the GYC movement over the past couple of years, 17:55 it's from the book Education, page 262. 17:58 "Success in any line demands a definite aim. 18:01 He who would achieve true success in life 18:04 must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. 18:08 Such an aim is set before the youth, 18:12 GYC, of today. 18:14 The heaven-appointed purpose of giving 18:16 the gospel to the world in this generation 18:19 is the noblest that can appeal to any human being. 18:23 It opens a field of effort to everyone 18:25 whose heart Christ has touched. 18:27 Friends, what would happen 18:29 if we make ourselves available for that noble aim? 18:32 Let's go beyond 18:34 and let's come back by God's grace 18:36 at next year's GYC 18:38 and have a soul winning celebration. 18:41 Let's have baptisms of GYC 18:43 and let's bring people that we have won for Christ 18:45 to GYC next year. 18:46 Who is GYC? 18:48 I am. I am. 18:50 Amen. Amen. 18:57 Seven years ago, 18:59 I was a young person without any experience, 19:02 talents, skills or abilities that I knew of. 19:08 But I had a desire to serve God 19:10 and so I asked Him to give me an opportunity. 19:15 The very next week my opportunity came to me 19:18 in the form of an invitation 19:20 to pass out evangelistic flyers. 19:23 And despite the hot summer's afternoon, 19:26 I will never forget the joy that was in my heart 19:30 as I passed out flyer after flyer after flyer. 19:33 I was overjoyed because God had given me 19:37 a chance to be used by Him. 19:40 Over the years God has taken me and despite my flaws, 19:45 my weaknesses and my failures, 19:47 He's grown me and taken me to places 19:50 that I could never imagine possible. 19:53 And not only that, but He has given me the ability 19:56 to work for Him in ways that I'm passionate about 20:00 and that are important to me. 20:02 I stand before you a very different person 20:04 to who I was seven years ago, 20:06 simply because in being used by God, 20:10 He has changed me. 20:12 This afternoon I want to share three main ideas 20:16 that I believe will help you get started 20:18 on an incredible journey. 20:20 And not only do I think these will help you 20:22 get started in service for God, but if you're already active, 20:26 I believe they will keep you in service for God. 20:29 The first idea that I want to leave with you, 20:32 is you are not a big deal. 20:36 But you are. 20:38 I think so many times we bring the world 20:41 and its principles into ministry. 20:44 You know, the world's values being seen, being heard, 20:48 the world values power and authority. 20:53 And perhaps this is why I had a friend 20:55 who once shared with me, 20:57 his ambition to become 20:58 the next general conference president. 21:02 In fact, he even mentioned 21:03 that he wished the Adventist church 21:05 would have open elections 21:07 in a similar way to political parties. 21:10 I must admit, my friend later changed his mind 21:13 and repented of his desires, 21:15 but his desire is not really that unique. 21:19 Even if you and I are not as bold 21:22 about sharing our visions with others. 21:26 How many of us confuse our desire for ambition 21:29 and success with our desire to serve Jesus. 21:35 You know, Jesus had this same problem 21:37 to address with His disciples. 21:39 So many times His disciples 21:41 were fighting amongst themselves 21:43 over who was greatest? 21:45 Who had the most importance? 21:47 Who would be closest 21:49 to the king in the heavenly kingdom? 21:52 In response to this, Jesus shared with him 21:56 His principles of the Kingdom of God and ministry. 21:59 In Matthew 20: 25-28, 22:04 Jesus said, "Ye know that the princes 22:06 of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, 22:10 and they that are great exercise authority upon them, 22:16 but it shall not be so among you, 22:20 but whosoever will be great among you, 22:22 let him be his minister, 22:24 and whosoever will be chief among you, 22:27 let him be your servant. 22:29 Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto 22:33 but to minister and to give his life 22:36 a ransom for many." 22:39 Do you have any idea what servants do? 22:43 Servants work hard without recognition, 22:46 without appreciation, and without applause. 22:50 Servants are essentially invisible. 22:53 You and I are not ready for ministry 22:57 until we are willing to be invisible, 22:59 so that God can be seen through us. 23:02 You are not a big deal. 23:06 And yet you are. 23:09 I will explain. 23:10 In Testimonies, volume 8, page 16, 23:12 Ellen White states, 23:13 "All who are ordained unto the life of Christ 23:16 are ordained for the work of the salvation 23:18 of their fellow men. 23:20 The same longing of soul that he felt for the saving 23:22 of the lost is to be manifest in them. 23:26 Not all can fill the same place, 23:28 but for all there is a place and a work. 23:32 All upon whom God's blessings have been bestowed 23:35 are to respond by actual service, 23:38 every gift is to be employed 23:40 for the advancement of His kingdom." 23:43 It doesn't matter how important you are 23:46 or how unimportant you are, 23:48 if you are unwilling to work for God, 23:53 there is a place missing in his service. 23:55 You are important to him. 23:59 The second idea that I want to leave with you tonight 24:01 is to go out and find opportunities. 24:05 Sometimes people come to me and they ask me, 24:07 "How do I get involved in outreach?" 24:10 I think one of the best ways 24:12 is to start right where you are in your local church. 24:17 Why not try talking to an elder or a board representative 24:20 and ask them what kind of opportunities already exists 24:24 and are waiting to be filled? 24:27 I want to warn you that sometimes 24:29 those opportunities that are available 24:31 may not be what you initially desire or want. 24:35 Perhaps your church wants a greeter or someone 24:38 who can wash dishes but as we said before, 24:42 we're not a big deal. 24:45 Did you know that a greeter is one of the first people 24:48 to meet these non Adventists who walk into church? 24:51 And a dishwasher is doing ministry for God 24:54 if they are allowing non Adventist 24:57 and Adventist to meet together 24:58 and fellowship over a good meal. 25:01 We need to be willing to do 25:03 those invisible boring task 25:07 before God can give us more. 25:10 I think often people want to start off 25:15 in a leadership position, 25:17 but did you know that for every one minute 25:19 of stage time at GYC, 25:21 there's at least 100 hours of boring spreadsheets, 25:26 phone calls, meetings, late nights and stress. 25:30 And if you wonder about that time 25:32 I actually calculated it. 25:36 I remember a few years ago, 25:39 I was helping with an evangelistic campaign. 25:42 And one of the jobs that I had was to organize 25:45 the music for every night. 25:48 I didn't have too much trouble for the first few nights, 25:51 but at one particular weekend 25:53 I couldn't seem to find anyone to fill those positions. 25:57 Everyone I talked to gave me the same reply, 26:00 I would love to come 26:01 but there's an AFM missionary speaking at another church 26:04 and global missions. 26:07 I'll come another night. 26:09 I later found out 26:10 that some of those people went down 26:12 and made a commitment 26:13 to be involved in overseas missions, 26:16 but I always found it ironic 26:18 that they were more willing to serve God overseas 26:21 than in the small opportunities at home. 26:24 Someone told me once 26:25 that everyone wants to be a missionary 26:27 where they aren't. 26:30 Let's be willing to do those small things for God 26:33 and do what's needed right where we are. 26:35 And allow Him to grow us 26:37 and give us His opportunities as we follow Him. 26:42 Another way to find opportunities 26:43 is to sit down and brainstorm ways 26:46 that you can reach others using skills and talents 26:49 you already have. 26:50 So many times we picture evangelism 26:52 as door knocking, 26:54 door knocking and more door knocking, 26:57 but not everyone is called to be a canvas 26:59 or a Bible worker. 27:01 Everyone has skills and talents 27:03 that fill out the church body and make up the body of Christ. 27:07 I like to ask yourself the question, 27:09 what do I spend my time on? 27:11 What am I passionate about? 27:13 And what can I do 27:15 that can reach others using my already existing talents? 27:20 I know it for myself 27:21 something that I learned I can do is play music. 27:25 And since these last seven years, 27:26 I have played religious music in hospitals for people 27:30 who are suffering and dying. 27:32 I have played on street corners, 27:33 in people's homes, at weddings and at funerals. 27:37 And over and over again, 27:39 I've seen people's hearts touched 27:40 and moved to accept Jesus 27:43 or to be more receptive to His Holy Spirit. 27:46 Anything can be a part of evangelism 27:49 if it is lived with the intention 27:51 to reflect Jesus. 27:54 My last idea that I want to share with you tonight 27:57 is find people who can help you. 28:01 So many times we try to do evangelism on our own 28:05 and then we become discouraged and we give up. 28:09 Especially if you're trying to do something like 28:11 start a small group, 28:13 have at least one or two friends 28:15 who can be accountable to you. 28:17 They can be your prayer partners 28:19 and help you 28:21 when you're feeling discouraged. 28:24 Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, 28:26 "That you were the average of the five people 28:29 you spend the most time with." 28:32 And at Forbes magazine and I quote, they say, 28:34 "If you want to be financially successful, 28:37 surround yourself with those who are financially successful. 28:40 If you hang out with people who are broke, 28:43 you'll never learn how people 28:44 who aren't broke live their lives. 28:47 If you want to improve your relationship 28:48 with your spouse, 28:50 surround yourself with people in successful relationships." 28:53 And the Bible supports this principle and it says, 28:56 "Do not be deceived, 28:58 bad company corrupts good character." 29:01 We will never be successful in evangelism and ministry 29:05 if all the people in our life don't care about it. 29:09 Find those people 29:10 who can teach you skills that you can go to for advice, 29:14 will give you honest feedback and support you. 29:18 These people are of utmost value 29:21 in your life. 29:23 These three ideas that I shared with you 29:24 this afternoon are simple. 29:27 One, be willing to start with the little things. 29:31 You are not a big deal, but you are 29:34 because God needs you and if you were not involved, 29:38 there will always be an empty place in His work. 29:42 Second is find opportunities and don't go looking for them 29:46 somewhere far away but start right where you are. 29:50 And that final point is, find people who can help you 29:53 and support you, 29:55 because ultimately all these ideas come down to Jesus 29:59 and Him being the center of our lives, follow Him, 30:02 minister with His humility and His character 30:05 and make Him your best friend and accountability partner. 30:09 I promise you that life lived 30:11 in pursuit of Jesus is worth the effort. 30:15 Amen. 30:19 That was inspiring, amen? 30:22 I have the privilege to share with you 30:24 a few more things 30:27 and the segment they asked me to share on 30:29 is called guidelines for reaching people. 30:31 And I said, how long do I have? 30:34 They said, "Twelve minutes." 30:36 I said, okay, we are going to talk about guidelines 30:39 for reaching people but before we do that 30:42 this really can be considered GYC's look 30:45 at Jesus and outreach. 30:46 Amen? So who is GYC? 30:49 We all are. We all are. Yes, we are. 30:52 And we're looking at Jesus and outreach. 30:54 A few specific amazing principles 30:56 as what will glean right now 30:58 that you see consistently in the life of Christ, 31:01 but before we talk about reaching people 31:03 I must, I must, I must reiterate the importance 31:07 of your own communion with Christ. 31:11 It's read in Thoughts From the Mount of Blessings 31:13 that the soul that turns to God for its help, 31:16 its support, its power by daily earnest prayer 31:20 will have noble aspirations, 31:22 clear perceptions of truth in duty, 31:25 truth in duty, lofty purposes of action 31:27 and a continual hungering and thirsting 31:30 after righteousness 31:31 by maintaining a connection with God 31:34 we shall be able to diffuse our connection to others. 31:38 Amen? 31:39 So this is the initial principle 31:41 and I'm going to slip this in here 31:43 out of just the burden that I carry 31:46 for the prayer meeting. 31:47 How many of you went 31:49 to the prayer room this morning? 31:50 Powerful! 31:51 There are almost, I think a thousand, 31:54 if Gem is in here, he can agree in his seat. 31:57 A 1,000 people in the prayer room. 31:59 Amen? Imagine 2,000 tomorrow. 32:01 I'm going to encourage you with this. 32:03 Before you start reaching out to people, get on your knees. 32:06 Amen? 32:07 Go to your local church. 32:09 I'll tell you when I first became an Adventist, 32:11 I wasn't quite sure where to start. 32:13 Can any of you relate? 32:15 Where do I go? Where do I begin? 32:17 I see a few hands. 32:19 The first place was my church bulletin. 32:22 I got the bulletin, and I looked and I realized 32:25 that they actually have things going on during the week. 32:28 And so I thought, I'm going to attend one of these. 32:31 Do you know, friends, praying in public terrified me? 32:35 So guess what I did in those prayer meeting? 32:37 I learned that people say amen 32:39 when they agree with the prayer. 32:40 So I was like, "Amen. 32:43 Amen." 32:44 And I said, amen for the first few months 32:46 before I finally actually prayed a prayer 32:48 in the prayer meeting. 32:50 Attend prayer meeting, it's the pulse of the church, 32:52 it's a pulse of your own spiritual life. 32:54 And really it's the pulse of GYC 32:56 as an entire movement. 32:59 The people, there are people, friends, 33:01 who want to know about Jesus, 33:02 instead of assuming that they don't want to know, 33:05 like you're in the grocery store 33:07 and you see that person 33:08 and you maybe have a glow track and you're like, 33:10 "They probably are going to reject me." 33:12 Has anyone ever had that thought? 33:14 Okay. Yeah, and you're just like me. 33:15 I'm like, "They're probably going to say no." 33:17 Instead of assuming that way, let's pray for a mindset 33:20 that assumes people want to know the Christ I know. 33:24 Is He worth getting to know? 33:25 He absolutely is. 33:27 So I am praying that as a young people 33:30 who are in the Seventh-day Adventist movement 33:32 in remnant church of God 33:34 that we are thinking these people, they want it. 33:38 Can you imagine? 33:39 I know this person wants to know about Jesus. 33:42 We know in Luke 10:2, it tells us 33:45 that the harvest is plentiful but what are few? 33:48 The laborers. 33:49 Imagine, this mass right here 33:52 holy willingly sold out to labor for the Lord. 33:56 Fire, my friends, 33:57 Pentecost, the latter rain would be poured out. 34:01 And you know, friends, we simply offer choice. 34:05 We give them the option to say, I want Jesus 34:10 or they can out of their own free will say what? 34:13 I don't. 34:15 But imagine if they were never presented 34:17 the opportunity to receive Christ. 34:20 Look at yourself as a conduit to say, 34:22 "I'm going to give this person 34:24 one more chance to pick Christ." 34:26 Amen? 34:27 That's a heavy calling on all of our lives, 34:30 but you see one day I prayed a simple prayer and I said, 34:33 "God, what is it like to have a day 34:36 where I'm guided by the Holy Spirit." 34:38 So I prayed that morning, 34:40 Lord, help me to feel and be guided by Your Spirit, 34:43 and I didn't know what I was praying. 34:46 But that day I rode Amtrak back home, 34:50 and I'm sitting on the Amtrak train 34:53 and I see a woman in two, 34:56 like on the left side two chairs down 34:59 but she's facing me 35:00 because that's how the Amtrak is with tables. 35:02 She is facing me and she is weeping. 35:06 And I'm like, "Oh, poor girl." 35:09 And then I started reading my Bible. 35:13 And then I kept reading but then I thought, 35:16 I can't even focus on what I'm reading 35:17 because here is this woman crying. 35:19 When you see someone weeping, friends, 35:21 it's time to be a Christian. 35:23 It is. 35:24 So I continued to read my Bible and I was in Ecclesiastes 4. 35:28 And it said, "Behold those who mourn 35:30 and yet there's no one to comfort them." 35:33 And I said, "Okay, we are going to talk to this woman." 35:39 So I closed my Bible and I motioned for her 35:41 to come over to me 35:42 and because I was too scared to go to her. 35:44 Mercy, the Lord is merciful. 35:46 So she comes over, she sits in front of me, 35:49 we had the most powerful conversation. 35:51 She took a Great Controversy with her, 35:53 we shared about the love of Christ. 35:55 We had prayer. She was so thankful. 35:58 Afterwards I was like, "I almost missed that." 36:01 Next, that same, very same day I'm at the grocery store 36:04 in a market and I think the Lord 36:05 was trying to teach me 36:06 that we miss so many opportunities 36:10 that the people want to know about Jesus, friends. 36:13 He is worth sharing. 36:14 And so I'm walking out of the grocery store, 36:17 and I see another woman crying, 36:18 I feel like it says women can cry, pass to me. 36:22 So the woman is walking out of the grocery store 36:24 and she's Muslim. 36:25 She has the entire hijab on and she's walking out 36:28 with her grocery cart. 36:29 And she's weeping 36:31 and I walk into the grocery store 36:32 and then I'm like, "Okay, 36:34 I'm going to try to learn my lesson." 36:35 So I tap her on the shoulder and I'm like, 36:37 "Hi, are you okay? 36:38 That's an awful question. You're obviously not okay. 36:42 Can I give... 36:43 So I stumbled into this conversation 36:44 but she looked at me and she was like, 36:46 "Thank you, wow! 36:48 I gave her a hug and said, 36:50 "The God of heaven and earth loves you. 36:52 And she's like, "Amen and she walked away." 36:54 I found out that her father-in-law 36:56 had just died and she said, 36:57 "How do I have to go grocery shopping, 36:59 I feel like the whole world should stop." 37:02 Because there was someone so close to her. 37:03 See there are people who are hurting and in need. 37:06 So jumping through, take some notes, 37:08 if you have a piece of paper, 37:09 that's the best way to retain the information here and here. 37:12 We know that number one Jesus did 37:14 more reaching out to people than He did preaching, right? 37:18 Each of you have a sphere of influence and they say, 37:20 "In any given population, 37:21 about 5% of those people are ripe 37:24 and ready for harvest. 37:26 So wherever you're at, they're there, friends, 37:28 and when you find someone 37:30 or begin to pray specifically for someone, 37:32 know that we do. 37:34 Jesus did far more reaching out than He did preaching. 37:36 So how do I reach out? 37:37 Did you know you can have food with people? 37:40 And it's so bonding. 37:42 I know, I'm getting very practical here, 37:44 but having food with someone causes a worship 37:47 to take place and a bonding to take place 37:49 that otherwise wouldn't, right, Zacchaeus? 37:52 I'm coming to your house today. 37:53 Do you think they just sat there 37:54 and stared at each other? 37:56 No, they had food, my friends, 37:58 and they learned about the love of Christ. 38:00 Number three, Jesus looked for people 38:03 who were generally isolated. 38:05 Think of the woman at the well. Think of the demoniacs. 38:10 You see a person who is alone at GYC sitting in a corner, 38:13 why not say, "How are you? 38:14 How's your time been?" 38:16 Kind of bold, but I promise you being uncomfortable can create 38:20 some of the most beautiful experiences 38:22 in your life. 38:24 Number four, He was simple. 38:26 He didn't have a set approach to everything He did, right? 38:29 Actually we're told in the Desire Of Ages 38:31 that every morning He woke up and received His instruction 38:34 for that day from His Heavenly Father. 38:36 Imagine a life like that. 38:39 He never had a set speech or format for reaching people, 38:42 but He was led by the Spirit of God each day. 38:44 Number five, He modeled the prayer in fasting. 38:48 Some of you were here last year where I shared a small bit 38:51 on my younger brother Joey, who introduced me this morning 38:54 who we decided that we would pray for him 38:58 and every Wednesday we would fast. 39:01 We would say, God, this isn't seeking your favor 39:03 through this fast but it's saying, 39:05 Lord, I can't imagine heaven without them. 39:08 And I don't want to go without them, 39:09 they must be there. 39:11 Amen. 39:12 So pleading with God to reach specific people in your life. 39:15 I was recently challenge with a friend of mine 39:17 from high school who now this year 39:19 I'm praying specifically for, 39:21 Lord willing she'll be here next year. 39:23 Amen? 39:25 Number six, He didn't just reach out 39:29 to people on the streets. 39:30 He also went to those who were around Him, 39:32 His disciples, right? 39:33 So in your local church, there are people 39:35 who could use your ministry. 39:37 Don't be afraid to minister, friends, 39:39 you have something to offer. 39:40 And I understand 39:42 that we can smile at them and help them, 39:43 but in the end we pray their hearts 39:45 are given to Jesus. 39:46 Amen? 39:50 Number seven, you can give glow. 39:52 I like glow for giving it at outreach tomorrow. 39:56 But it's also investing in people 39:57 without expecting a return. 40:00 Number eight, this one is more.. 40:04 an example or a suggestion, 40:05 having a prayer relationship with a person. 40:07 How do I do that for a month? 40:10 Tell them, "Hey, I'm praying for you. 40:11 Hope everything's okay. 40:13 Occasionally, you ain't got to do it every day. 40:16 Okay. 40:17 In the second month, you can be like, 40:19 do you have anything you want me to pray about it. 40:21 I've been praying for you. 40:22 You'd be surprised how much they open up. 40:25 And then the third month, 40:26 ask them to actually pray together. 40:29 You would be so surprised 40:30 how willing people are to share what's on their hearts. 40:34 And probably the last and most important 40:36 is Jesus was good environment. 40:39 He said, "I am the light of the world" in John 8:12. 40:42 "I am the salt of the earth," in Matthew 5:13. 40:47 These are simple principles but Jesus was good environment 40:52 everywhere He went. 40:53 What's the environment like around you? 40:55 What kind of community do you carry with you? 40:57 The Lord knows we need Him to shine through us. 40:59 Amen? 41:01 We know for a fact that it's Christ in us 41:03 that enables us to live a life holy devoted to Him. 41:06 I'll end with this story as my time is coming to a close 41:09 that I started studying the Bible with a lady 41:12 who was, Punjabi, Indian, 41:17 and her religion was Sikhism, 41:19 and we began to study the Word of God in. 41:23 Some of you may have heard this testimony, 41:25 but every time I studied with her, 41:26 she had this like furrow in her brow. 41:28 I thought she was mad at me. 41:30 I was like, there we go. 41:32 But every week she wanted me to come back 41:35 and we would go occasionally, and I remember thinking 41:37 what on earth is going to reach this lady. 41:40 And one day sitting in front of her house, 41:42 the verse came into my mind, "If I am lifted up, 41:44 I'll draw all men unto me." 41:46 We began to pray that prayer into the life of Ranjeet. 41:50 And we began to incorporate her 41:52 into activities the church would do 41:53 and she would come and slowly 41:55 that furrow on her brow went away. 41:57 I'm happy to share with you after two and half years 42:00 suffer along with people, my friends. 42:02 After two and a half years, she was baptized this past May. 42:06 You see power 42:07 when you give your life to Christ. 42:09 You see power when you're on your knees, 42:11 and you see power when you follow the principles 42:13 He followed in reaching people. 42:21 Thank you, Lisa. It's powerful. 42:25 When I was youth director in the Texas Conference, 42:27 I remember Lisa coming out, isn't she inspiring? 42:30 Very practical. 42:32 I'm Pastor Gary, the World Youth 42:33 and Young Adult director, 42:35 and I'm really excited to be at GYC. 42:36 Are you guys happy to be here? 42:38 Amen. Amen. 42:40 You know, I have a theory. 42:42 I don't know if you agree with me 42:43 on this theory or not, 42:45 but I have a theory that young people 42:47 were designed by God to live dangerously for Him. 42:50 I really do. Amen. 42:53 We weren't designed to play it safe. 42:54 I've found that young people are attracted to churches 42:57 that live dangerously for God. 43:00 Churches that are involved in mission 43:01 and causes for the Lord. 43:03 Young people want to be a part of those churches 43:05 that are living dangerously for God. 43:06 Amen? 43:08 You know, I have a verse in the Bible that I think 43:10 kind of proves this theory. 43:12 It's Psalm 127:4, 43:15 it says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior 43:19 are children born in one's youth." 43:22 Isn't it interesting that the Bible describes 43:24 young people as arrows in the hands of a warrior. 43:30 I don't know about you but arrows are not designed 43:32 to go to safe places, are they? 43:35 Now, maybe in the hands of an archer maybe, 43:38 because the archer might be target practicing. 43:41 But that's not what the verse says. 43:43 The verse says, 43:44 "Young people are arrows in the hands of a warrior." 43:47 The only time a warrior uses an arrow 43:49 is to shoot that arrow into the most dangerous place, 43:52 the front lines of the enemy's attacking force. 43:57 I believe our young people were designed by God 43:59 to be sent into the most dangerous places 44:02 of the earth in His name to do mighty things for Him. 44:06 Amen? 44:08 So if you're youth leaders listening right now, 44:10 stop playing around with your young people, 44:12 it's not your seating capacity, it's your sending capacity. 44:17 God wants you to send them. 44:19 And when God comes back, 44:21 may He not find your quiver full of arrows, 44:23 young, youth leader, and parents. 44:25 May he find the enemy full of arrows? 44:28 We got to send them. 44:30 Young people, you were designed to live dangerously for God. 44:34 We need to bring the danger back 44:35 into the Seventh-day Adventist Church 44:38 We need to be challenging our young people to go 44:39 into the secular universities like Daniel, 44:42 and stand true for God and speak about His love 44:44 and the warning message that He's given us 44:46 in the three angels' message. 44:48 We need to send our young people 44:49 into the cities of the world like 44:51 Doug Venn has been talking about, 44:52 and reach the people in the cities 44:54 in the various last days of earth's history. 44:57 I'm gonna be honest with you. 44:58 I'm not concerned about the emerging church, 45:01 I'm concerned about the submerging church. 45:05 A church that was like, called like Jonah to go 45:08 into the cities with the three angels' message 45:11 but instead goes down to Jaba. 45:14 Down into the belly of the boat, 45:18 then down into the sea, 45:20 down into the belly of the whale. 45:21 A church that's submerging 45:23 is a church that create an emerging church. 45:26 We need to get serious, folks. 45:28 You were designed by God to live dangerously 45:31 and that may be going to another country 45:33 in the 10/40 Window where they've never heard 45:35 the message of Jesus, 45:36 or it might be right there in your community 45:38 living dangerously for the Lord. 45:41 But, young people, you were designed 45:42 to live dangerously for God. 45:46 You say, "Pastor Gary, where do I go to get started." 45:48 Here's a real simple idea. 45:51 Everybody say, "Go to the booths." 45:58 Amen? 45:59 There's a bunch of booths 46:01 with tons of ministry opportunities. 46:02 Check it out. 46:03 Find one that God is putting on your heart. 46:05 This is where you are being sent as an arrow, 46:07 and let them train you and equip you and send you 46:10 into the most dangerous places of the earth. 46:12 And guess what? Here's an amazing thing. 46:14 Nothing can happen to you outside of God's will. 46:16 You don't need to be afraid. 46:18 You are immortal, 46:19 and God, until God says otherwise, right? 46:22 Take that with a grain of salt, 46:23 but you know what I mean, right? 46:25 Amen? 46:29 You know, we need to rewild 46:31 the Seventh-day Adventist church. 46:32 Amen. 46:33 You say, "Pastor, what's that mean? 46:35 Well, in 1995, do you realize 46:38 that Yellowstone National Park was suffering, 46:41 they were losing a lot of their wildlife, why? 46:43 Because the deer population have grown up, 46:45 and the deer were eating all the berries 46:47 which attracted the bears and the small rodents. 46:52 The coyotes were eating up all the rodents as well, 46:55 and so you were losing the eagles and the hawks. 46:57 It was affecting the entire terrain 46:59 of Yellowstone. 47:00 And then in 1995, they came up with a term called rewilding 47:04 and that basically means bring the wolves back please. 47:08 You know what they did? 47:10 They brought the wolves back, they had banished the wolves. 47:13 But as soon as they brought the wolves back, 47:14 guess what happened? 47:16 The wolves began to eat the coyotes 47:18 which saved the berries and the small rodents. 47:21 The wolves began to chase off all the deer, 47:23 they were eating all the foliage 47:24 and messing with the streams 47:26 and chasing off the beavers and the hawks and all that. 47:28 As these wolves began to take over, 47:30 as danger began to come back into Yellowstone, 47:34 the place came alive. 47:37 Need to bring the danger back into the Adventist church. 47:40 We need to start talking 47:41 about not just living this life now, 47:43 but preparing for the life to come. 47:45 Need to be going into the most dangerous places 47:47 of the earth and letting people know 47:49 the good news that we have a savior, 47:51 but the world is coming to an end very soon, 47:53 we have a savior though. 47:55 This message must go to the world. 47:57 We need to start living dangerously again. 47:59 We need to rewild 48:00 the Seventh-day Adventist church. 48:02 There are places in the 10/40 Window 48:04 where they have maybe 48:05 900,000 people and two Adventists. 48:08 Why couldn't we send teams of young people? 48:11 We need to bring the wolves back. 48:13 And you say, "Pastor Gary, 48:15 Jesus never said anything like that, did he?" 48:18 Yeah, He did. 48:19 He said, "I send you out among wolves." 48:26 Said, "I'm not gonna send you to easy places, 48:28 I'm sending you into the enemy's front lines. 48:31 I'm sending you out where there's wolves." 48:34 And then he said something very beautiful, He said this, 48:36 "Be wise as serpents 48:41 and gentle as doves." 48:44 One of the things I've learned about serpents 48:47 is that serpents are extremely strategic. 48:51 Everybody say strategic. Strategic. 48:54 This means, they don't work harder, 48:56 they work smarter. 48:58 They're strategic. 49:00 What He's saying is, "I send you among the wolves. 49:02 Make sure that you're strategic." 49:05 And then He says, "Be wise as serpent and" what? 49:08 "As gentle as the Holy Spirit, as the dove." 49:13 Be gentle. 49:15 Let them hear in your life and see in your works 49:19 the love of Jesus Christ, 49:21 but go 49:22 in the most dangerous places of the earth. 49:25 Where is God sending you, young people? 49:28 Where does He want you to go? 49:32 It's a famous story. 49:34 You've heard it before, I'm sure 49:35 about these missionaries 49:37 who were planning to go 49:38 into a dangerous part of the world, 49:39 but they were just kind of afraid to go in. 49:41 There're so many obstacles, so many dangers. 49:43 Haven't you noticed that 49:45 whenever you want to do God's work, 49:46 there's always ten spies to tell you a million reasons 49:48 why you shouldn't go. 49:49 Amen. 49:50 Where are the Calebs and the Joshuas. 49:54 Where are the young people that say, you know what? 49:57 You may say that I can't reach this country 49:59 or this part of the world because they're post-Christian, 50:01 post, post-Christian, pre-Christian 50:04 and all these reasons why you can't go, 50:06 but Jesus said, "The harvest is ripe, 50:09 it's the laborers that are few." 50:10 Amen. 50:13 So I'm going to decide 50:15 whether I'm going to listen to Jesus or the ten spies. 50:17 Jesus says, "Go because the harvest is ripe" 50:18 You just need to go. 50:20 It's a labor problem, it's an arrow problem. 50:26 Anyway, back to my story. 50:28 Got to preach in here tonight. 50:31 And I only have three minutes left. 50:32 Wow, they're tough here, 50:34 they're really tough here at GYC. 50:36 So these guys are trying to decide, 50:39 should we go or not go. 50:42 Apparently according to the story, 50:43 there was a war general sitting not too far away 50:47 and he turned to the war general. 50:49 He says, "Sir, here's the situation, 50:52 and here are the problems that we're facing 50:54 to go into this area, it's very dangerous. 50:57 What should we do?" 51:00 The general smiled, looked at him and said, 51:03 "What are your orders?" 51:06 "What are your orders?" 51:08 There are 30,000 different denominations in the world, 51:11 and I'm not saying we're better than everybody else, 51:13 but I can tell you for certain that God has given us 51:16 a greater responsibility than every denomination 51:18 in the world today. 51:20 God gave the Seventh-day Adventist Church 51:22 the very last message of hope and warning 51:26 before He comes back. 51:27 We know that because right after 51:29 the three angels' message, we see Revelation 14:14 51:32 which describes the second coming. 51:34 We've been given God's famous last words. 51:36 We got to stop being the submerging church 51:39 and be a dangerous church for God. 51:43 What are your orders, young people? 51:44 What are your orders? 51:46 Don't consult with the ten spies. 51:47 You might even be one of the spies 51:49 internally discouraging yourself. 51:52 But God is calling you to go, 51:53 and by the way His biddings are enablings. 51:57 You may not understand it. 51:58 I just got back from Malawi, Africa. 52:00 And they were telling me stories, 52:01 it's been hundreds of years, or years and years I should say 52:04 since David Livingstone was there, 52:07 but that man made an impact. 52:09 He went as wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove 52:13 and converted many, many people 52:14 because he acted on God's orders. 52:18 Amen? 52:19 GYC, will you act on God's orders 52:21 or so you consult with the ten spies. 52:23 You were designed to live dangerously for God. 52:27 Amen. 52:29 So, My brother Eric is going to come out here right now 52:33 I'm sure, and I want you to reach out 52:35 and grab this card says, Beyond My Commitment. 52:40 This is really exciting. 52:42 Wouldn't it be awesome if you come back here next year 52:45 or wherever GYC is going to be and you bring somebody 52:47 with you that you've led to Christ? 52:49 Wouldn't that be awesome? 52:51 Wouldn't it be awesome if starting today like an arrow 52:53 you went into the most dangerous places 52:55 of the earth and you shared 52:56 the message of Jesus with somebody, 52:58 won them to Christ, and then brought them to GYC? 53:00 Eric, tell them about how that can happen. 53:03 Pull out the card that you have on your seat 53:05 and take a look at it, it says, 53:06 I, blank, if you take out a pen, 53:08 you can fill in the blank. 53:10 It says, I commit to making myself 53:12 available for God 53:13 to reach others through me in 2018. 53:17 I will dedicate my time, my talents and finances 53:20 for this purpose. 53:22 And then we have the word like here, 53:25 how to easily like people, 53:26 and some of us maybe don't like a lot of people, 53:28 but we all have an opportunity to. 53:30 L stands for what? List. 53:34 List five to seven people you'd like to see baptized. 53:38 I, intercede for them daily. 53:40 K, kindness shown through words and accent. 53:42 Finally encourage Bible studies and decisions. 53:45 I want you to write down five to seven people, pray and say, 53:48 Lord, who would You have me to reach this year for You. 53:51 I don't want to come back to GYC again with no fruit. 53:54 I want to come back to GYC with someone else. 53:57 I want to be in heaven someday with heaven 53:59 being a better place 54:00 because of what You were able to do through me. 54:02 I want the heart of God to be more full 54:05 because they were less lost in the process. 54:08 I want to take heed to that verse in... 54:13 Jude, what is it? 54:15 Jude 1:23 where it says, "Others save from the fire, 54:20 hating even the garment defiled from the flesh." 54:25 You know, we cannot hate the world 54:26 and sin unless we see what it does to people, 54:28 and as we look at people and as we try to save them, 54:31 as we study with them, as we encourage them, 54:33 as we go to our workplace, our neighbors, our communities. 54:36 As we do things for Christ, we begin to see how horrible, 54:38 how despicable, how terrible sin is. 54:42 I'll tell you what, 54:43 I've been involved in Bible studies 54:45 in places and communities 54:46 I didn't really want to drive into. 54:48 And as I spend time with those people, 54:50 like, sometimes you cringe and you're like, 54:52 I don't really want to be here, 54:53 you know, how could people get to this place, 54:55 they're in poverty 54:56 and they're living in circumstances 54:58 that God never intended for anyone 54:59 to have to go through. 55:01 They're dealing with drugs, 55:02 they're dealing with addictions, 55:04 they're dealing with lives, 55:05 it just quite honestly is completely miserable. 55:08 And yet we drive past these communities. 55:11 We work with people who have lives 55:13 that are just filled with no meaning, 55:15 filled with nothing that can really 55:17 get them through life day by day. 55:20 And so I want to challenge, you say, 55:22 Lord, I make this commitment. 55:23 I'm going to list by Your grace five to seven people. 55:26 I'm going to stick these to my fridge. 55:28 I'm going to look at it every single day. 55:30 And when I don't know what to do, 55:31 I'll get on my knees and I'll pray for someone. 55:34 I was so encouraged by Lisa this morning 55:36 saying that she prayed for her brother every day 55:38 to not be able to sleep and have a good night sleep 55:41 until he became a Christian. 55:43 When was the last time you prayed a prayer like that? 55:47 I want to challenge you, GYC. 55:48 Who is GYC anyways? 55:52 We are GYC. You are GYC. 55:57 I want to pray a prayer of commitment over your cards. 55:59 Some of you have filled them already, 56:01 some of you will fill them out. 56:03 And I just want to encourage you 56:05 to take the time, pray over your cards. 56:08 I want to encourage you to get into a group of maybe 56:10 two or three people however it's comfortable, 56:13 where you're sitting, say, Lord, here are the names, 56:15 maybe haven't written them down. 56:17 Think of some names, He'll bring them to mind. 56:20 And say, "Lord, these are the people 56:21 that I want to see won in the next year. 56:24 I want to come back next year GYC, 56:25 we'll have a soul winning festival of some kind, 56:27 we'll have a plenary session, 56:29 perhaps, where we will have an opportunity 56:32 to hear the stories of what God did 56:35 through you this year. 56:36 To find out how He worked powerfully 56:40 and to celebrate with joy the baptisms that may even, 56:43 we may even be able to do some baptisms down pushing. 56:45 We want to see a baptistery on the stage. 56:47 Amen? |
Revised 2018-07-23