Participants:
Series Code: 17GYC
Program Code: 17GYC000009A
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00:33 Welcome to Sabbath School.
00:35 Please stand with us as we sing hymn 152, 00:38 "Tell Me the Story of Jesus." 00:59 Tell me the story of Jesus 01:04 Write on my heart every word 01:09 Tell me the story most precious 01:14 Sweetest that ever was heard 01:19 Tell how the angels, in chorus 01:25 Sang as they welcomed His birth 01:30 Glory to God in the highest 01:35 Peace and good tidings to earth 01:40 Tell me the story of Jesus 01:45 Write on my heart every word 01:50 Tell me the story most precious 01:55 Sweetest that ever was heard 02:01 Fasting alone in the desert 02:06 Tell of the days that He passed 02:11 How for our sins He was tempted 02:16 Yet was triumphant at last 02:21 Tell of the years of His labor 02:27 Tell of the sorrow He bore 02:31 He was despised and afflicted 02:37 Homeless, rejected, and poor 02:42 Tell me the story of Jesus 02:47 Write on my heart every word 02:52 Tell me the story most precious 02:57 Sweetest that ever was heard 03:03 Tell of the cross where they nailed Him 03:08 Writhing in anguish and pain 03:12 Tell of the grave where they laid Him 03:18 Tell how He liveth again 03:22 Love in that story so tender 03:28 Clearer than ever I see 03:33 Stay, let me weep while you whisper 03:38 Love paid the ransom for me 03:43 Tell me the story of Jesus 03:48 Write on my heart every word 03:53 Tell me the story most precious 03:58 Sweetest that ever was heard 04:05 Amen. You may be seated. 04:10 Happy Sabbath, brothers and sisters. 04:12 Have you been blessed? 04:15 Today, I just want to welcome you to our Sabbath School. 04:19 And if you have your Bibles, please open your Bibles 04:23 to Matthew 9:35-38. 04:30 Can I get an amen when I know you're there? 04:32 Matthew 9:35-38. 04:41 The Word reads, "And Jesus went about all the cities 04:46 and villages, teaching in their synagogues, 04:49 and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 04:52 and healing every sickness 04:54 and every disease among the people. 04:57 But when He saw the multitudes, 05:00 He was moved with compassion on them 05:03 because they fainted and were scattered abroad 05:07 as sheep having no shepherd. 05:11 Then saith he unto the disciples, 05:14 the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 05:20 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest 05:23 that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." 05:28 May the Lord bless the reading of the scriptures. 05:34 At this time, I'd like to pray, 05:36 you may bow your heads as I kneel. 05:42 Dear Heavenly Father, 05:44 we are so thankful that we could come together 05:47 to worship You on this special Sabbath day. 05:51 Lord, as 2017 comes to a close, we just pray that 05:56 this worship service would be pleasing to your eyes. 06:00 I pray that your Holy Spirit 06:02 would come and be poured upon us. 06:06 I pray that you would abide with us today. 06:10 Please be with our Sabbath School service 06:13 and be with our speakers and anoint their lips. 06:17 I pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen. 06:32 The Lord is my strength and my song 06:35 He has become my salvation 06:39 The Lord is my strength and my light 06:42 I will rejoice and be glad 06:46 The Lord is my strength and my song 06:50 He has become my salvation 06:53 The Lord is my strength and my light 06:57 I will rejoice and be glad 07:01 He is my joy, my peace, my shepherd 07:06 Who keeps me in His care 07:10 The One who knows my heart And hears my every prayer 07:17 My Rock, my Shield, my Fortress Shelter in the storm 07:25 Deliverer, Redeemer 07:29 And Savior My Savior 07:36 The Lord is my strength and my song 07:40 He has become my salvation 07:43 The Lord is my strength and my light 07:47 I will rejoice and be glad 07:56 I need not fear for 08:00 He is with me Lord of mercy 08:08 God of might 08:12 Precious Lamb of Sacrifice 08:18 He is the way, the truth, 08:22 The life 08:29 The Lord is my strength and my song 08:34 He has become my salvation 08:37 The Lord is my strength and my light 08:41 I will rejoice and be glad 08:45 I will rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. 08:49 I will rejoice and be glad 08:55 Rejoice! 09:04 Amen. And hallelujah. 09:07 That was beautiful. Thank you so much. 09:10 Good morning and happy Sabbath to you. 09:12 I see, how are you this morning? 09:14 How are you this morning? Are you blessed? 09:16 Yeah. Hallelujah. 09:18 I have with me here this morning 09:20 a wonderful person, his name is Doug Venn, 09:23 and he is the director of Global Mission Urban Center, 09:27 Mission to the Cities of the General Conference. 09:30 And as you know, GYC is a mission movement. 09:35 We want to finish the work in this generation by God's grace 09:38 and by making ourselves available to the Holy Spirit 09:41 to shine the glory of God through us with everybody. 09:44 What do you say? Amen. Amen. 09:46 Pastor Doug, tell us about missionary work in the world 09:49 and what we can do to hasten the coming of the Lord. 09:51 Well, Pastor Jonathan, it's awesome to be here at GYC 09:54 and to see not only in your sermon and Pastor Moise 09:59 at the start of GYC to actually kick that direction 10:03 and that focus on going to the unreached 10:06 people groups of the planet, 10:07 whether they're in the cities or here at home and abroad. 10:12 So it's so exciting to see 10:15 how God is igniting the young people of today 10:19 to actually answer the call for mission. 10:22 Praise God. 10:23 We're so excited to co-labor with the Lord 10:26 'cause God has a ministry for each and every one of us. 10:29 For how many? Each and every one of us. 10:31 Everyone is a missionary. 10:33 If you love Jesus, you're a missionary. 10:36 And if you don't love Jesus, 10:37 I hope you fall in love with Him today 10:38 as you hear wonderful testimonies. 10:40 Pastor Doug, what are we going to be hearing today 10:42 about in Sabbath School? 10:43 Well, I'd love how Jesus gives us the example 10:47 there in Matthew 9, we read that Jesus... 10:51 Where did He go? 10:52 He went both to the villages and to the cities. 10:55 So that's what we're going to hear about today. 10:57 So we have four teams 10:59 who are on the front line of mission, 11:01 and we're going to be excited to hear 11:03 their stories of how God has been working in their life, 11:05 the challenges, the prayer opportunities, 11:08 as well as the ways that young adults 11:11 and young at heart can actually engage 11:13 in that frontline mission. 11:15 You know, if you have some extra time 11:17 and you don't want to watch something stupid on YouTube, 11:20 you want to see something really good, 11:21 you want to watch... 11:23 Or on 3ABN, there's a wonderful opportunity 11:25 to watch a show called "I Want This City" 11:27 and it's featuring none other than Doug Venn 11:30 who has been a frontline missionary 11:32 for many, many years, 11:33 and you're going to be inspired for missionary service. 11:36 Pastor Doug, who is going to be leading out 11:38 in the first presentation this morning? 11:41 Well, I'm so happy that 11:43 GYC flew from the jungles of Indonesia Captain Gary Roberts 11:48 who is a mission pilot with Adventist Aviation Indonesia, 11:51 and we look forward to hearing the call as well as the stories 11:56 of the frontline there in the foreign mission field. 11:59 Wonderful. 12:00 Please keep this program in your prayer 12:02 and pray that the Holy Spirit will touch your heart 12:05 to see maybe you are called 12:07 to do some kind of urban or jungle mission today. 12:10 God bless you. 12:15 Welcome aboard Adventist Aviation-Indonesia. 12:18 It's my pleasure to welcome you this morning, 12:21 and I hope that you'll enjoy our flight 12:23 to the jungles of New Guinea. 12:27 I say that I have the best job in the world 12:30 because I get to see 12:32 what God is doing on the frontlines in this planet. 12:36 Unfortunately, there's also many challenges 12:39 that we get to experience, and I want to share 12:41 some of those with you this morning. 12:44 As we go to New Guinea, 12:45 the second largest island in this world, 12:49 we're going to go to the western half 12:50 which belongs to the country of Indonesia. 12:53 I'm going to take you to a new village. 12:54 An airplane has never landed there before. 12:56 As we circle overhead and look at the jungle 12:59 and look at the small clearing that's been cleared for us, 13:02 finally, I determined that it's safe to land. 13:04 We land and as we roll out and shut down the engine, 13:07 the entire village swarms around the airplane. 13:10 They're excited to see that after five years 13:13 of work in their village that finally the airplane has come. 13:19 They almost drag me out of my seat from the plane. 13:21 They're so excited to see me there. 13:25 And they're dancing, and singing, 13:27 and jumping around the airplane 13:29 with their bows and arrows drawn at me, 13:33 in excitement, of course. 13:35 But I hope they don't release. 13:39 And then it all gets deathly quiet. 13:42 They turn and they look at me, 13:45 and finally an older gentleman steps forward and he says, 13:48 "Are you a Seventh-day Adventist?" 13:51 And I said, "Yes, I am." 13:53 And they said, "We are too." 13:55 An airplane has never been to their village, 13:57 but they're Seventh-day Adventists. 13:59 And I said, "How did that happen, brother?" 14:02 And he said, "Well, about two years ago, 14:04 a missionary pastor from Papua New Guinea 14:07 hiked over here and he tried to tell us about the gospel, 14:11 but we wouldn't listen to him. 14:13 He was sick with malaria, he left discouraged 14:17 because he could not convince them. 14:19 But after he left, 14:21 the best hunting dog in their village, 14:23 every Sabbath morning, 14:25 would come and run through the village 14:26 and the people would follow him thinking that 14:27 he was going to hunt. 14:30 But no, he was leading people to the place 14:32 where the pastor had been meeting with them. 14:34 After a few times like this, 14:36 the people finally realized 14:38 this dog is keeping the Sabbath. 14:40 Amen. 14:42 And the best hunting dog in the village 14:44 is no longer eating pork. 14:47 So if this dog can keep the Sabbath 14:49 and stop eating pork, so can we. 14:51 Amen. 14:54 As I take off from this village and go to visit 14:57 some missionaries that are next destination, 14:59 I get a call to pick up a nine-year-old girl 15:02 who's very sick up in the mountains. 15:05 As we go to land on the side of the mountain 15:06 that's about 23% slope touchdown area. 15:10 I go up to the turnaround and stop the plane. 15:12 And look, there's a crowd off to the left side 15:14 and I walk over there. 15:15 And as I come, the crowd parts 15:17 and I go into where the mother is with the young daughter. 15:21 And as I come close, I realize it's too late. 15:26 The girl has just died beside the runway waiting for help. 15:31 It's too late, friends. 15:33 We don't have all the time in the world. 15:36 People are dying while they're waiting for help. 15:40 This village had been calling me, 15:41 asking me to come for about two months to their village 15:44 but with more than 3,000 villages to serve, 15:47 we just don't have all the help that we need. 15:51 We could use 1,000 teachers tomorrow, 15:53 1,000 nurses tomorrow, 15:55 could go to each of these villages. 15:57 But we don't have the help yet. 15:59 It's the truth. It's the reality. 16:02 As I leave that village, 16:03 I pause before I take off just thinking, 16:05 "God, what is the devil doing here? 16:08 You've called us, but we haven't responded. 16:12 We're too late." 16:14 As I go to the next village to 16:17 visit some of our missionaries that we placed there, 16:21 I called for two strong men to come and work 16:23 in one of the most remote villages, 16:26 but they sent me two young ladies. 16:29 And I thought "God, how can I take these ladies 16:32 to one of the most remote villages on this island?" 16:37 But that's who God sent, and that's who we took. 16:41 I tried to visit them as often as I could because I thought, 16:43 you know, I have to help them, I have to keep track of them, 16:46 but, you know, these two girls, not a single complaint, 16:52 through hardship, lack of food, 16:55 stings from various insects, 17:00 they were serving God. 17:02 And you know what, 17:04 one of them had just been baptized 17:05 into the Christian faith, 17:07 and she was out there serving God, 17:09 even her parents didn't know that 17:10 she was a missionary. 17:13 As a result of their work, of course, 17:16 there's always challenges in a village like that 17:18 that's been surrounded by the devil himself. 17:22 And so there's opposition. 17:25 But as these girls worked, 17:27 God sent His angel to come and confirm their work, 17:34 the ladies had given to one of the ladies in the church 17:37 or in the village there, they'd given her a book. 17:41 She had taken it to her small hut, 17:43 of course, most people there can't really read 17:45 but it's kind of a token gift. 17:48 And in the night, 17:49 this lady woke up with the book glowing. 17:53 She couldn't understand why she was sitting there, 17:55 looking at the glowing book, the bright light, 17:57 and then suddenly an angel appears 17:59 in front of her and says, 18:01 "These missionaries that are here in your village 18:03 are here to teach you that Jesus is coming soon. 18:07 And you can trust them, you can listen to them." 18:12 See, friends, 18:13 we're living in a time 18:15 when God is just waiting for us to work. 18:19 He's waiting for us to go to the ends of the Earth, 18:21 places in the big cities, 18:24 we need to go places where roads don't exist, 18:27 where the only way to get around is by airplane. 18:30 We still need to go. 18:32 And God has called you and He's called me. 18:34 As a result of these young ladies 18:36 working in this village, 18:37 after a few months, 23 souls were baptized 18:40 and a church is being built there 18:44 as a result of people following 18:46 the call of God in their lives. 18:50 Angels are standing on the precipice in heaven 18:54 waiting to come and help us, 18:56 says the Spirit of Prophecy. 18:59 All of heaven is ready to come to your help and my help 19:04 to spread the news that Jesus is coming soon. 19:07 Amen. 19:09 But angels are waiting for you and for me. 19:16 Are you going to answer that call? 19:18 Thank you. Amen. 19:23 Isn't that exciting to see what God is doing in Indonesia? 19:27 The Holy Spirit is working, angels are working, 19:31 God is doing amazing things. 19:33 He's also working in Pennsylvania Conference, 19:35 I'm Gary Gibbs, the president the conference. 19:37 I'm Andrew Carroll. 19:38 I'm a small business owner and a church planner 19:41 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 19:43 Andrew, what got you into church planting? 19:46 Well, I heard about a program 19:48 that my church conference was starting, 19:50 and I had just come off 19:52 of a summer canvassing program 19:55 called Pennsylvania Youth Challenge. 19:57 And I was so excited to do more work for the Lord 20:00 that I heard about this project and I said, 20:02 "Wow, this is something I have to get involved with." 20:04 So what's the name of the church plant you're doing? 20:07 It's called Simplicity. 20:08 And what are you doing, 20:10 you have a unique approach to church planting? 20:12 That's right. 20:13 We have a community center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, 20:15 where we are directly serving the community. 20:18 They can walk into our building and see what we're doing. 20:22 We can serve them, we have programs, classes, 20:24 and especially children's programming. 20:26 And it's all based off of something called 20:29 the Ephesus Model. 20:30 Now this is something that was taught by Jesus. 20:35 Paul did it. 20:36 Mrs. White talked about it extensively in her years 20:40 about city ministry, 20:41 and it was something that the early church 20:43 was heavily involved with. 20:45 We've heard of things like the beehive in San Francisco, 20:48 and this is all part of a unified special model 20:51 for urban ministry that we can all be a part of. 20:54 So you're working in a team with a couple dentists 20:57 and other business people? 20:59 We have a community nurse, 21:00 those dentists, I myself, 21:02 I'm a freelance graphic designer 21:03 and I work with the program. 21:05 And you have Bible workers. 21:07 There's Bible workers. 21:09 And so tell us, you have this book, 21:10 it says, The Ephesus Model. 21:11 Tell us about the book. 21:13 Well, this book is about how we can all come together 21:16 and go through a systematic, 21:18 unified holistic plan for City Ministry, 21:22 all of our ministries can come together 21:24 and be involved. 21:25 So there's a vast mission field right here in America. 21:28 In Pennsylvania, three out of four persons 21:31 live in a metro area. 21:33 We have 13 million population, 21:34 so about 9 million of them live in metro areas, 21:37 and you're in one of the... 21:39 I think the third largest metro area 21:41 in the State of Pennsylvania. 21:43 Tell us about somebody whose life has been impacted 21:45 that illustrates this Ephesus Model. 21:48 Well, even before we had a community center, 21:50 we were out in the community surveying 21:52 and assessing the needs of people, 21:54 and it was a divine appointment. 21:56 We came across somebody who gave us a call and said, 21:59 "Hey, I found one of your cards on our doorstep, 22:04 and we've just been through a house fire 22:06 and we need clothing, 22:07 we need items, so what can you do for us?" 22:08 So we said, "Yes. We'll be glad to help you out." 22:11 We got to know them, we started building 22:13 a long-lasting relationship with them, 22:15 turns out they needed an air-conditioner, 22:17 we had an air-conditioner ministry at the time. 22:19 And eventually, when we opened up 22:21 our physical community center, 22:22 we were able to invite their children to programming 22:26 and just to be a part of what we had started. 22:29 And so eventually, we came to open up our very own 22:33 mission-style school 22:35 where children can come to for free 22:37 and receive an Adventist education for free. 22:39 We have 12 students right now from grades 5 through 8, 22:42 and it's just a blessing 22:44 to see these young children growing through that. 22:47 And so the story is that one of these children 22:52 has come into this program through this family 22:55 and she receives an education that is unlike anything else. 23:00 I've seen her grown, 23:02 being personally involved with the school, 23:04 and to see her have opportunities 23:07 otherwise would not have because of the low income area 23:10 and the school system there, it's not great quality. 23:13 So to see her receive a quality of education 23:15 that's unlike anything else, she's just grown in many ways. 23:19 And coming to Christ, 23:21 the family is now taking Bible studies. 23:22 Can you say amen? That's right. 23:24 So it's coming alongside people developing relationships 23:26 with them and being able, through multiple avenues, 23:30 to lead them to Christ. 23:32 But not only is this impacting the community, 23:35 the area, the cities where there wouldn't be 23:37 a church otherwise, 23:39 this type of ministry impacts us 23:41 as we're getting involved. 23:42 As a young adult, 23:44 how has this impacted you 23:45 being involved in a church plan? 23:47 Well, like I said, 23:49 I got started kind of not knowing 23:51 what exactly to do but then I heard about this project. 23:54 And for me, I've grown personally 23:56 because I've gotten to 23:57 form these relationships with people. 23:59 It's not something short-term, 24:00 it's something that God wants us to do 24:02 for the long-term, 24:03 just like Paul was in Ephesus for three years 24:05 and built those relationships. 24:07 I personally have grown spiritually 24:09 to the point that I said, "Hey, wow, this is how 24:11 the Holy Spiritis working in my life. 24:13 I know that I need to be re-baptized," 24:15 so I was re-baptized in this program. 24:17 And I came to an understanding of the Holy Spirit 24:19 and God's work 24:21 and, especially the gospel work for this time, 24:23 and it's just blessed me tremendously. 24:25 Can you say amen to that? Amen. 24:27 You know, sometimes our spiritual life 24:29 is just really ho-hum, it's very mediocre. 24:32 And the missing ingredient 24:34 is being involved in the work of God. 24:38 And while God may call some people to go overseas, 24:41 He's calling many of us to bloom 24:44 right where we're planted to make a difference 24:46 in these urban areas. 24:48 Folks, I believe Jesus is coming soon, don't you? 24:51 I mean you just look at what's happening 24:53 in our world right now, 24:54 and people are looking for hope, 24:56 they're looking for purpose and meaning, 24:58 and we've got to reach them. 25:00 When you go in the malls 25:01 and you see thousands of people walk by you 25:03 or you drive through a city and you see 25:05 tens and hundreds of thousands of people, 25:07 they are either heaven-bound or hell-bound. 25:11 Everybody's going to go one of those two places. 25:14 We can help them find paradise. Amen. 25:18 We can help them find Jesus Christ. 25:20 It's a daunting challenge. 25:21 At times, we wonder how can we do it, 25:23 will I say the right thing, will I do the right thing, 25:26 all we need to do is make the first decision and say, 25:29 "Lord, send me. 25:31 I want to be used by You." 25:32 And then God will put into motion experiences 25:35 like what Andrew has had 25:37 where he comes into community with a team 25:40 that's passionate about reaching the lost. 25:42 And then He'll grow you, 25:44 He'll bless you like Andrew has been blessed. 25:46 And this is what we're doing in Pennsylvania conferences, 25:49 not only Allentown, Andrew. 25:51 There's Pittsburgh, there's Philadelphia, 25:53 three out of four people 25:55 in the state of Pennsylvania 25:56 live in one of these huge metro areas. 25:59 And when we look at the ratio of Adventist to non-Adventists, 26:03 there's a huge work to be done. 26:06 So we're calling for an army of young people 26:08 to come to Pennsylvania to work with us, 26:11 we'll train you how to get Bible studies, 26:13 we're looking for medical professionals. 26:15 We've got a wonderful medical organization 26:17 called Adventist WholeHealth Network 26:20 that is working in concert with medical professionals 26:24 and others to advance the work of God. 26:27 If you want to do something 26:28 more than jab people with needles, 26:30 you want to inject them with the gospel, 26:32 Pennsylvania is your place for that. 26:34 Come to Pennsylvania, 26:36 work with us if you're an entrepreneur 26:37 or you want to start a business, 26:39 you want to do maybe a health outreach, 26:41 a health food store, a restaurant, 26:43 that's the place to come. 26:45 We'll work with you in team. 26:46 We're looking to put together the type of teams, 26:48 Andrew, you mentioned, the Ephesus Model illustrates. 26:51 That's right. 26:52 We want to start an ecosystem of contact points 26:55 so that people can see this is who God's people are. 26:59 We are people who love people 27:01 and want to form long-lasting relationships 27:03 so they can see the love of God through us. 27:05 In Pittsburgh, John Kent is working 27:08 in an amazing way. 27:10 He's in the city of Carnegie. 27:13 You'd know it as Carnegie, and he's there, 27:16 he's working with the population base there 27:19 is a high opioid epidemic right there, 27:23 and he's working with that group, 27:25 he's connected with the mayor, and the police chief, 27:28 and leading people in the community. 27:31 And he's planted a church there. 27:33 People are finding freedom from the addictions they have, 27:37 they're being baptized, they're leading out. 27:38 And now that's spawning, 27:40 and John's vision there is to plant 27:42 50 of these churches in the metro area 27:45 so it's within walking distance of people coming to it. 27:49 Is that too big of a vision? No. 27:51 God can do it, can't He? 27:52 Yes. God can do it. 27:54 And so we need an army, 27:56 we need thousands of people 27:57 to come to Pennsylvania and help us reach that place. 28:01 Thank you for your prayers. 28:02 And may God bless you as you're used by Him. 28:04 Amen. 28:08 Good morning. 28:10 My name is Ted Huskins, 28:11 and I'm a missionary to New England. 28:15 I've come here this morning 28:16 to tell you that the cradle of Adventism 28:18 is nearly empty. 28:21 You folks know 28:22 where the Adventist church started, correct? 28:25 Started in New England. 28:27 In the 1830s, 1840s, 28:29 the Adventist movement began to sweep through the Northeast. 28:33 By the 1870s, 28:35 our best and our brightest had left New England 28:40 to start the Seventh-day Adventist church 28:41 all around the world. 28:43 People like James and Ellen White left Maine. 28:47 JN Andrews left Maine, 28:50 the Bourdeau brothers left Vermont, 28:51 many of the Farnsworths left 28:53 New Hampshire to go as missionaries 28:56 so that the Adventist movement 28:58 and the Adventist message could be shared 29:01 and heard all around the world. 29:04 But today, the cradle of Adventism is nearly empty. 29:09 According to George Barna, 29:12 Northern New England 29:13 is the most post-Christian place 29:16 in the entire United States. 29:19 We have a slide on the screen for you. 29:20 I'm going to tell you what that means. 29:23 In the little town where I live, 29:25 Kennebunkport, Maine, 29:27 maybe you've heard of it, 29:28 George and Barbara Bush spend their summers there. 29:31 The little town I live in there are a number of churches. 29:37 Of the churches in the little town 29:38 that I live in, one has become a museum, 29:42 one has been turned into condominiums, 29:45 a third is an art gallery, 29:49 a fourth is called Aquaholics, 29:52 and it's a surf shop. 29:56 Only one church in my town 30:00 actually serves as a church. 30:03 And you will see that all over New England, 30:05 the little churches like this one 30:07 that we have right here are empty. 30:10 They're empty. 30:12 Down the street from the conference office, 30:13 the two church buildings that were originally 30:16 church buildings, closest to our office, 30:19 one is now a youth center, the other is a Hindu temple. 30:23 That is Northern New England. 30:24 We are the most secular part of the United States. 30:29 Fifty-seven percent of the city of Portland is post-Christian. 30:34 Post-Christian, that means that they don't go to church, 30:37 they don't believe in the Bible, 30:39 they don't pray, 30:41 they may be atheist or agnostic, 30:44 they're far from God. 30:46 To help you understand what 57% of the population 30:50 being post-Christian means, the city of Chattanooga, 30:53 Tennessee is 18% post-Christian. 30:58 Over half of our population is very far from God, 31:02 and they have no interest in God, Christianity, 31:06 or the Bible. 31:07 So how do we reach those folks? 31:10 We're doing it through two different ways, 31:12 one is through starting centers of influence, 31:16 the second way that we're doing it is 31:18 by starting church plants 31:20 with young adults who we are training 31:23 in cross-cultural evangelism to enter in 31:27 and reach people right where 31:29 they're at to understand 31:30 the postmodern, post-Christian mind 31:32 and win people with the love of Jesus. 31:34 Amen. 31:36 Representing those efforts today 31:39 is Tony Cuffori. 31:41 Tony is one of our church planters, 31:43 and he is the director of our center of influence, 31:46 the Ark in Olive Branch Café. 31:48 Tony, tell us a little bit about what you're doing. 31:51 Well, first of all, I want to let everybody here know 31:54 that I am jacked up and so excited to share 31:57 how God is working 31:58 at the center of influence in Lewiston, Maine. 32:01 It is amazing to see what God's doing. 32:04 Not only are we a vegan cafe during the lunch hours 32:08 and, mind you, our task is to show the community 32:11 that you can actually eat healthy 32:13 and it doesn't taste like cardboard. 32:16 But the other thing too is we're known as the Ark Ministry 32:20 because in the evenings 32:21 we have all these different classes and programs 32:24 that are designed specifically 32:27 to meet the needs of the community. 32:29 And there are so many different needs that they have. 32:32 Now I could be here all day explaining 32:34 all the different classes 32:36 we've done the last three years. 32:37 Don't worry. I'm not going to bore you. 32:40 But I do want to share a couple 32:42 because it's just amazing what God has done. 32:45 Now this might be a stereo type. 32:47 People in Maine, we're a little different. 32:50 You know, we like to play in the woods, 32:52 which means a lot of people have Lyme's disease. 32:55 So we have a Lyme's disease support group. 32:58 We have many different types of food programs 33:01 where we teach people 33:02 how to cook healthy and they're free. 33:04 We have all these different types 33:06 of health seminars. 33:08 And again, the purpose of the seminars is to show that 33:10 you can actually heal the body 33:14 by following the principles of the Bible. 33:16 Praise the Lord for that, right? 33:18 We have Bible studies on a weekly basis. 33:20 We have seminars, 33:22 prophecy seminars that we've done. 33:24 God has blessed 33:26 the center of influence so much, 33:28 don't miss this point, 33:30 that just a little over a year ago, 33:32 we just planted a church in Lewiston, Maine. 33:35 Praise the Lord for that. 33:37 And I just want to share really quickly a story, 33:39 it's going to be real quick. 33:40 Tina came to a Lyme disease support group three years ago. 33:45 Long story short, she developed relationships with people, 33:50 she actually... 33:51 That trust factor happened, and people pointed her 33:53 and encouraged her to go to a prophecy seminar. 33:57 She went to that seminar, 33:59 she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior, 34:02 and she's part of the church plant 34:03 in Lewiston, 34:05 and it all stems from the center of influence, 34:07 so praise the Lord. 34:08 Amen. 34:10 Also with me on the stage is Natalia Olm. 34:13 Natalia, tell us about yourself. 34:15 I serve in the planter support group to assess, encourage, 34:20 and guide church planters in Northern New England. 34:22 Did you know that Ellen White said in Manuscript 29, 34:26 "There is earnest work to be done 34:28 in the eastern states. 34:30 Repeat the message, 34:31 repeat the message were the words spoken 34:33 to me over and over again. 34:35 Tell my people to repeat the message 34:38 in the places where it was first preached 34:40 and where church after church 34:42 took its position for the truth. 34:44 There are towns in Maine that must be worked faithfully. 34:47 All through the cities and towns of the east, 34:49 the truth this is to shine forth 34:51 as the lamp that burneth." 34:53 God has taken a hold of my life 34:55 and called me 34:56 from the corporate world to Maine, 34:58 and there's no greater gift 34:59 than to know where God would have you be 35:02 and what He would have you do. 35:03 And we're also told that, "Every truly converted soul 35:06 will be intensely desirous to bring others 35:09 from the darkness of error into the marvelous light 35:12 of the righteousness of Jesus Christ." 35:14 And I pray that all of us will be converted today. 35:18 Amen. Thank you. 35:19 Thank you, Natalia. Thank you so much. 35:21 I want to share with you this evening 35:23 or this morning, excuse me, that God is doing 35:25 something amazing in Northern New England. 35:28 We're the most secular part of America. 35:30 And yet God is working. 35:32 And I want to encourage you 35:33 to do something significant with your life. 35:36 Don't take the easy path. 35:39 Don't take the straight path. 35:40 Take the path where God is calling you 35:42 to really make a difference 35:44 to change the population of heaven for all eternity. 35:49 You can do that with your life and with your commitment. 35:51 The three of us have made that commitment 35:54 in our own lives to do it. 35:55 Won't you come to Northern New England and join us? 35:57 We're praying for you. 35:58 Thank you. 36:01 Praise God for the church planting project 36:04 in the New England northern states. 36:07 I'm Dr. John Torquato, 36:08 and I'm with Pastor Wayne Kablanow. 36:10 We have two of our team. 36:12 This is Lisa Krum and Camilyn Clayville, 36:14 we're here to tell you a little bit about 36:15 Total Health Spokane today. 36:18 Lisa, can you tell us just a little bit 36:20 about the Total Health Spokane church planting project? 36:23 Essentially, 36:24 Total Health Spokane is an evangelistic campaign, 36:28 two years long, 36:30 following the model of company 36:31 evangelism outlined in the Spirit of Prophecy. 36:35 In our outreach, we generally, 36:36 too often focus on one or the other, 36:40 either sharing intellectual truth 36:43 or focusing on helping people physically, 36:46 but we rarely bring the two together. 36:48 And we're told in the Spirit of Prophecy 36:50 that the union of Christ-like work for the body 36:53 and Christ-like work for the soul 36:55 is the true interpretation of the gospel. 36:59 Pastor Wayne Kablanow and Dr. John Torquato 37:01 are a pastor-physician team who are committed 37:05 to this combined gospel-medical evangelism. 37:08 We will soon have a medical clinic 37:09 located inside our church, 37:12 and when a patient comes in 37:14 and sees Dr. Torquato 37:15 with a lifestyle condition, 37:17 we have a team of medical ministers 37:19 available to essentially run 37:21 a virtual sanitarium in their home. 37:25 Our medical ministers have daily contact with the patient. 37:28 We bring church members with us. 37:30 Since this is a two-year project, 37:31 we want to make the impact lasting 37:34 by actually bringing church members with us 37:37 to ensure that the impact is going to be lasting. 37:40 We're essentially catalysts 37:42 to help jumpstart church members 37:43 into building intentional 37:45 close relationships with the people. 37:48 As we build ongoing and supportive relationships, 37:51 their hearts open to the gospel 37:53 and to the special truth 37:54 that God has given us for these times. 37:58 This is a health ministry that is not bait and switch. 38:02 What we are winning them with is what we are winning them to. 38:07 We win them with the love of God 38:09 and we win them to the love of God. 38:12 As soon as they are one, 38:13 we engage them in our ministry, 38:15 and they grow in their knowledge 38:17 of the truth alongside with us 38:19 as they're working alongside with us. 38:21 Excellent. Thank you. 38:23 Can you expand a little more 38:24 about what we're trying to accomplish. 38:26 And is it really just all about Spokane, Washington? 38:29 Definitely not. 38:32 It's basically 38:35 an experiment in where we are, in Spokane, Washington, 38:40 we're wanting to finish the gospel commission, 38:42 we're wanting to make disciples as Christ has called. 38:46 We're seeking to establish a new body of believers 38:49 in our local church in Spokane 38:51 but also we're experimenting, putting into practice, 38:54 this council that we've been given 38:56 and creating a model 38:59 that can be reproduced 39:02 in other cities around the nation 39:03 and around the world. 39:04 Along with the personal ministry 39:06 in the patients' homes we have weekly health lectures 39:11 running parallel with evangelistic meetings. 39:13 We'll also be incorporating canvassing soon. 39:16 Our goal is to make this church culture a way of life, 39:20 not just an event. 39:22 So that's the model that we're trying to establish 39:25 where we are. 39:27 And we hope that 39:28 it can be spread around the world as well. 39:30 Excellent. 39:32 Now, Lisa, can you tell us how did you... 39:34 How did God lead you into this work yourself? 39:37 Well, growing up overseas in a missionary family, 39:42 my parents had a clinic overseas, 39:44 and that really inspired me 39:46 with the effectiveness of medical ministry. 39:49 I saw it firsthand. 39:50 And when I heard of Total Health Spokane 39:52 and learned that they were wanting to follow 39:54 the Spirit of Prophecy model for company evangelism, 39:57 I became really excited. 39:59 And after seeking God's direction, 40:00 I believed He was calling me to join the team. 40:03 This meant leaving my job which I really enjoyed 40:06 and committing two years of my life as a volunteer, 40:12 as a medical minister volunteer. 40:16 I had to fundraise as if I were going overseas 40:19 for two years for my basic necessities. 40:23 But praise God, just recently, 40:25 God has helped me meet my fundraising goal 40:28 through the donations and monthly pledges 40:30 of family and friends. 40:32 So it's been a very powerful experience for me so far. 40:36 I have never experienced so much prayer in my life. 40:39 As we've been working together as a team, it's been... 40:42 The devil has not been happy with the work, 40:44 we've come up the obstacles. 40:46 But as we have taken these obstacles to God 40:48 through fasting and prayer, oftentimes, 40:51 much prayer, we have seen God overcoming these obstacles 40:55 and changing lives. 40:56 It's been an amazing experience so far. 40:58 Excellent. Thank you. 41:00 Now, Camilyn, 41:01 you have been assigned a patient 41:02 in Total Health Spokane. 41:04 Can you tell us a story to illustrate 41:07 the work that you are doing? 41:09 When I started working with Mary, 41:10 she was struggling with her blood sugars. 41:12 Blood sugar should be about below 100, 41:15 hers was in the 400, 41:19 so she decided to be part 41:20 of our four-month intensive program. 41:23 I was in her house five days a week, 41:25 helping her with whatever needs she had, 41:28 be it cooking with her, exercising together, 41:30 or just talking about her struggles. 41:33 Each time I interacted with her, 41:35 I worked on pointing her to God's power to show 41:38 that she can overcome 41:40 any obstacles through His power. 41:42 When she started the program, 41:44 she considered herself a Christian, 41:46 but it had been an on and off relationship with God. 41:51 But as we started getting into God's Word, 41:54 she started realizing that she didn't have the cravings 41:57 that she used to have. 42:02 In the past few months, 42:03 there have been struggles, 42:05 but I can tell you today, last week, 42:08 her blood sugars were 98 and 94, 42:11 and she's off most of her medications. 42:15 When we asked her where she got her strength, 42:19 she said it was through the power of God 42:21 and the love she saw through me. 42:25 She said we could share the story to you guys 42:29 because she wanted to see 42:31 if you guys would be encouraged 42:36 to be a part of God's work, 42:41 connecting sick and hurting people 42:43 with the power of God 42:44 and loving them unconditionally. 42:46 Amen. 42:47 These two things, the power of God, 42:50 and love and support from others 42:51 doesn't just affect the patient, 42:53 it has changed my life too. 42:55 Amen. Thank you so much, Camilyn. 42:57 Now, Wayne, 42:59 how does Total Health Spokane relate to GYC? 43:04 God has made a special promise 43:07 to us as the people 43:09 through His servant. 43:11 It goes like this, 43:14 "When the cities..." 43:15 When the what? 43:17 Cities. That's right. 43:18 When the what? Cities. 43:20 All right. 43:21 "When the cities are worked," 43:23 and then there's a qualification, 43:25 "As God would have them." 43:27 How would God have the cities worked? 43:31 Christ's method. 43:33 What? Alone. 43:37 "When the cities are worked as God would have them, 43:38 the result would be setting 43:40 in the operation of a mighty..." 43:43 What? 43:44 "Mighty movement 43:46 such as we have not yet witnessed." 43:50 This mighty movement is none other than 43:52 the outpouring of the Holy Spirit 43:54 in the latter rain. 43:55 This must take place before Jesus comes. 43:58 Amen! 44:00 Let me ask you, 44:02 how many here want to be part 44:05 of that mighty movement today? 44:08 Let me see your hands. 44:10 Praise the Lord. 44:11 I'm convinced 44:13 that God has raised up GYC 44:18 to fulfill that mighty movement. 44:22 God can use anyone in this work, 44:23 you don't have to be a doctor, or nurse, 44:25 or a medical professional, anyone, 44:28 you don't have to be a pastor, or a teacher, 44:30 or a Bible worker. 44:32 The only qualification 44:35 is that your heart is full of the love of Jesus 44:39 and your life is surrendered fully to God. 44:44 We have five fulltime workers now. 44:47 But we're praying for 20. 44:55 You, you, you 45:01 are called to this moment. 45:12 At the age of 19, 45:15 I heard a call like this, 45:17 and I answered that call, 45:19 that took me to the South Pacific islands of Palau's, 45:23 and there I worked as a student missionary 45:26 through the Adventist volunteer services 45:29 that we have today. 45:30 And at that time, 45:32 my life was changed. 45:34 I was wanting to be a physician to make money. 45:39 So God had to align through that mission experience, 45:43 align my motives, align my heart for His mission. 45:46 And there God gave me a vision, 45:49 a vision of the world, 45:51 and I saw tears of God 45:54 falling on the world 45:55 and His call came to me personally, 45:57 saying, "Who will go?" 46:00 So at the age of 19, 46:03 God reoriented my trajectory of my life 46:07 and to help me to go into gospel ministry 46:10 and to have a heart for foreign mission 46:13 as well as to have a heart for the urban mission as well. 46:19 As we see how Christ worked here in this scripture, 46:22 Matthew 9:35-38. 46:27 How did Jesus work when He was on this planet? 46:30 And I love this. 46:31 Let's start with verse 38 first. 46:34 "Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth 46:37 laborers into His harvest." 46:40 This is where, GYC, 46:43 I want to remind you, 46:45 the power for mission comes from where? 46:49 From prayer. 46:50 For aligning like He did in my heart, in my life, 46:54 when I was a young adult, 46:56 university student coming from Walla Walla University. 46:59 He aligned me for His call, for His mission, 47:03 and that was through prayer. 47:05 So thus, I see as next week starts 47:08 and with this New Year, 47:10 all around the globe, 47:11 we're doing these 10 days of prayer initiative. 47:13 Wouldn't it be great to see the GYC leadership 47:16 and the 1,000 young people 47:18 who were a part of the prayer room this morning 47:20 give that same kind of leadership and passion 47:22 at their local churches 47:25 to ignite not only our hearts 47:28 but to realign for God's mission 47:31 to the nations, God's mission to the cities. 47:35 I'm so blessed, and Jesus gives us that call. 47:39 There's nothing wrong with the harvest. 47:41 You notice there 47:42 that the harvest is truly great and truly plentiful. 47:45 But how does Jesus describe it? 47:47 The workers are few. 47:49 So that's why I'm here to make this appeal. 47:53 Is God calling you to go to one of these four places? 47:58 Is God calling you to serve overseas? 48:02 We heard powerful stories from Captain Gary Roberts. 48:07 He's looking for 1,000 teachers, 48:09 1,000 nurses. 48:10 He also is looking for airplane pilots 48:13 and mechanics to join him there to serve, 48:16 to reach the unreached nations and languages 48:20 and the people groups of that part of the world. 48:23 Is God calling you today? 48:26 We also see here in this scripture 48:28 that in verse 35, 48:29 "Where did Jesus go?" 48:32 It's interesting what the Bible says there. 48:35 Jesus says in verse 35, 48:37 "He went about to all the cities and villages." 48:41 Unfortunately, as an Adventist family, 48:44 we have forgotten where Jesus has gone, instead, 48:47 we're like those disciples still looking up to heaven, 48:50 watching those clouds, 48:52 waiting for Jesus to come. 48:54 Instead Jesus is asking us to go where? 48:57 Where does the Bible say He went? 48:59 He went to the cities. 49:00 Unfortunately, as an Adventist family, 49:02 we are allergic to city work, 49:05 and unfortunately, 49:07 because of generations 49:09 of a biased compilation, 49:15 we as the people have forgotten Jesus' example, 49:18 we have also forgotten the beautiful plan 49:22 that God has given in the Spirit of Prophecy 49:24 for holistic on going beautiful work to cities. 49:30 So this afternoon, after church, 49:33 we will give to those here, 49:35 thanks to the partnership 49:36 with the White Estate and Pacific Press, 49:39 we will give this compilation to you, 49:43 Ministry to the Cities. 49:45 So in that way, you can explore for yourselves 49:48 on how is God calling, 49:49 what is the call to have this beautiful plan. 49:52 And today, you heard the stories 49:54 from the streets of North America, 49:57 you heard the stories working together in teams, 50:00 pastor-physician, 50:01 creativity unleashing the young people. 50:05 You also heard the beautiful plans there 50:08 and the fruits of making disciples 50:11 through church planting 50:13 and starting new groups of believers. 50:15 And that line of work, I'm so excited to, 50:18 you know, be a part 50:19 of that expansion of GYC's radar 50:22 for mission and church planting. 50:27 I know that we've been given council 50:29 in the Spirit of Prophecy 50:31 that there is a time to leave the cities. 50:34 But when is that? 50:36 What is the sign? 50:38 And that's where we as people of Bible prophecy, 50:41 we understand 50:42 it's when the laws of the land 50:46 restrict the religious freedom. 50:48 So has that day come yet? 50:51 So dear ones, let us then follow Christ's example, 50:55 the example of the apostles 50:56 and the example of our Adventist pioneers 50:59 to answer the call that you heard today 51:02 from these urban missions. 51:04 GYC didn't let me... 51:05 Although we only could invite three today 51:07 from the streets of North America, 51:10 otherwise we could have heard from New York City, 51:13 or from Florida, or from your city. 51:16 Amen, Mississippi. 51:18 Yeah, and Mississippi as well, doctor, thank you. 51:22 We look here, 51:24 another thing that was going on, 51:26 how did Jesus work when He went 51:27 both to the cities and to the villages. 51:31 We can't have binary thinking as a family. 51:34 It's not either-or it's both, and. 51:37 Notice how Jesus worked there. 51:40 He did preaching and healing, 51:43 He did teaching 51:45 and then ministering to the illnesses. 51:49 So today, 51:50 we must have a combined blended ministry. 51:54 And that's what... 51:55 I hope you saw that in the examples here today 51:59 that we must not separate what God has joined together. 52:03 Otherwise, we will face the worst evil. 52:05 And thank you, Dave Fiedler, for writing about that 52:07 in your book D'Sozo. 52:13 How is God calling you today? 52:15 We must follow Christ's example 52:18 to go where He goes, 52:19 to have His feet 52:21 and have our hands just like Jesus 52:23 to actually touch the lives of people. 52:26 But notice what else the Bible says there, 52:29 verse 36, 52:31 "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with," what? 52:36 Do you have compassion 52:39 for those who are unlike you? 52:46 I remember there in Bangkok 52:50 when we were church planting there for the six years 52:52 that our family was there, 52:54 working on the streets. 52:55 We worked in the slums, 52:56 thanks to the sacrifice of the World 52:58 Church Family, 53:00 funding our 23 church plants 53:04 there across the city 53:06 that you can join me in that journey 53:09 through the TV show I Want This City. 53:13 I remember seeing people 53:16 who would have no hope 53:19 unless our missionaries were there. 53:22 And we had mission from all around the world. 53:24 New Zealand, the Island of Man in the UK, 53:28 we had Canadians even come join us, 53:31 and young adults, young people just like you here at GYC, 53:34 young professionals who took some time out of their career 53:38 or out of their studies. 53:40 Join us there 53:41 in the church planting initiative. 53:43 I remember one time when the young adults 53:45 came to one slum, 53:47 and we saw one lady, 53:51 and we went to visit her in this just shack. 53:54 And we saw rats, 53:57 huge rats crawling all over, 54:00 not only her back but all over in that area. 54:03 And this group of stockbrokers of insurance agents 54:09 and of accountants, they were moved to tears, why? 54:15 Because they have the heart of Jesus, 54:18 they had His heart for the lost, 54:20 and they had His heart of compassion. 54:24 Do you have that heart 54:26 for those who have never heard 54:28 for unreached language groups 54:30 that are filling our cities here 54:31 in North America? 54:33 This is a divine opportunity 54:36 for us to answer that call to go to the nations. 54:40 They are here. 54:41 But at the same time, we must be sending 54:44 and answering the call to go overseas 54:46 to those unreached cities, 54:48 those unreached jungles 54:49 just like you heard from Captain Gary Roberts. 54:51 Will you answer the call today? 54:55 Is there a group of entrepreneurs, 54:57 social workers, and medical professionals, 55:00 graphic designers, Bible workers, or teachers 55:03 who will answer the call to go to Pennsylvania 55:06 or to upper Columbia Conference and Spokane 55:09 or to go to Northern New England 55:11 to start our urban center of influence? 55:13 Where does that idea come from? 55:16 That comes from Jesus 55:17 and His model from the Apostle Paul 55:19 as well as from our Adventist history. 55:22 Read about that beautiful plan 55:24 to make disciples, 55:25 meeting the needs just like Jesus did, 55:27 following Christ's method alone here in this book 55:30 that you will be distributed after church today. 55:34 Maybe you will be like Natalia and leave the corporate world. 55:39 Is God calling you to be a minister, 55:43 to be a church planter, to make disciples, 55:48 to have the greatest joy 55:49 just like Jesus did, to sacrifice? 55:53 Yes, a little. 55:55 But in the kingdom's sake and in heaven, 55:57 and there on the sea of glass 55:58 to see those you have led for Christ, 56:00 those you have labored for 56:03 the ceaseless ages of eternity. 56:05 What kind of return on investment is that? 56:10 That is what I hope 56:12 that each one of you will keep your eye on. 56:16 Right now 56:17 if you are being prompted by the Spirit of God, 56:21 I invite you to take out your cell phones 56:24 and dial the instructions here, 56:26 text GYC Serve by dialing 313131. 56:31 You can do that now. 56:33 And let me just go to that. 56:36 Sorry, I'm a digital dinosaur, 56:38 at least that's what my young adult kids call me. 56:41 Okay, so thank you for those digital natives 56:45 who help us out. 56:46 Here, on your phone, you can see 56:50 if you're answering this call 56:52 to one of these four initiatives that you heard 56:55 about during our Sabbath School Program today, 56:57 give your name, your phone number, email, 57:00 and then you can click 57:02 which one of these 57:04 you would like more information about, 57:07 you'd like to pray for, you'd like to answer the call, 57:09 you'd like to go or you'd like to give. 57:12 You can do that right here. 57:14 Also, you can then find their links 57:16 and you can make that response here. 57:18 But in my remaining moments, let's pray. |
Revised 2018-06-25