Participants:
Series Code: 17GYC
Program Code: 17GYC000012A
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00:33 Have you ever come to GYC?
00:35 And on Wednesday night, 00:36 it just feels like Friday night. 00:39 It's such a feast here every day. 00:41 And I so appreciated last night how we welcomed the Sabbath. 00:45 Didn't you? 00:46 Because it set 00:48 this special 24-hour period of time 00:50 apart as extra special which they in fact are. 00:56 And it leads me to the question, 00:58 "Does how we keep the Sabbath really matter?" 01:02 Some people might call paying attention 01:04 to the details legalistic or works-oriented, 01:09 but it doesn't have to be, friends. 01:12 If you were here last night, you heard... 01:15 and if you weren't here, 01:17 I'd invite you to go to YouTube or go back on Facebook 01:19 and listen to that wonderful program. 01:21 You heard that the Sabbath was so beautifully 01:24 and clearly explained 01:25 as not a symbol of legalistic human-oriented works 01:30 but as the icon of God's grace, 01:32 as the pinnacle of rest in His salvation, 01:36 the sign between God and His people 01:39 that He makes it His responsibility 01:42 to do the work of sanctification in our lives 01:45 when we only allow Him. 01:47 Tonight, I'm going to talk 01:48 about the blessing of the Sabbath 01:50 and how we can prepare for it 01:52 throughout the week to get the most benefit 01:55 from it as possible. 01:57 We have, as remnants of the Garden of Eden, 02:01 two blessings, two gifts from God, 02:04 marriage and the Sabbath. 02:06 And I know this is GYC. 02:08 So I presume that many of you probably have never been 02:10 through a marriage seminar to find out 02:13 how you can get the most blessings 02:15 out of your marriage. 02:17 But tonight, we're going to think 02:19 about how we can get 02:20 the most blessings out of the Sabbath, 02:23 old or young, new in the faith or pioneers, 02:27 we can all benefit from studying this together. 02:30 First of all, let's go back to the beginning. 02:31 I invite you to take your Bibles 02:32 and let's turn to Genesis 2. 02:36 Genesis 2, and we're going to read beginning in verse 1. 02:41 And when you're there, if you could just say amen. 02:44 Genesis 2:1, it says, 02:46 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished 02:49 and all the host of them and on the seventh day, 02:52 God ended His work which He had made 02:55 and He rested on the seventh day 02:57 from all His work which He had made," verse 3, 03:00 "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it 03:04 because that in it He had rested from all His work 03:08 which God created and made." 03:10 Now the first thing that we want to understand 03:13 about the Sabbath 03:14 is that the hours of the Sabbath are blessed. 03:16 They're what? They're blessed. 03:19 And it's not possible with empirical instruments 03:23 to somehow measure 03:25 any differences between an hour on Sunday, 03:28 or Tuesday, or Thursday, or on Sabbath. 03:31 But spiritually speaking, 03:33 if we believe the Bible to be true 03:35 and what we just read in Genesis 2, 03:38 there must be a qualitative difference between 03:41 the hours of the Sabbath 03:43 and the other 144 hours of the week. 03:46 Listen to how this blessing 03:47 is described in Gospel Workers page 209, 03:52 "They should devote their time 03:53 and energies to spiritual exercises 03:57 that the divine influence resting 03:59 upon the Sabbath may attend them 04:02 throughout the week. 04:03 Of all the days of the week, 04:06 none are so favorable for devotional thoughts 04:10 and feelings as the Sabbath." 04:12 Did you catch that? 04:14 There is actually a blessing on the Sabbath hours. 04:17 That is to say that you will get 04:20 more out of devotional exercises 04:23 and feelings on Sabbath 04:25 than you will on any other day of the week. 04:27 That's the blessing. 04:29 God blessed them, He set them apart. 04:31 And this blessing that we get out of the Sabbath 04:33 is not because we're Adventists, 04:35 it's not because 04:36 it's the day we go to church on. 04:37 The Sabbath is the most profitable time 04:40 for these activities 04:42 because God in His infinite wisdom blessed these hours 04:45 for these purposes, 04:47 not just for any purposes but for these purposes. 04:50 If you want to grow spiritually, 04:52 if you want the greatest return 04:54 on your investment of time in Bible study and prayer, 04:58 in building relationship with God and family, 05:01 in communing with God and nature 05:03 and receiving blessings from serving others, 05:05 pour as many of these things as possible into the 24 hours, 05:12 blessed hours of the Sabbath. 05:14 That's why we as Adventists have been told to prepare 05:18 for the Sabbath. 05:19 It's not a new idea for us. 05:21 You remember the account 05:22 of the crucifixion according to Luke. 05:25 Jesus was crucified on which day? 05:27 The preparation day, right? 05:29 The Jews prepared for the Sabbath. 05:32 Ideally... 05:33 And I realized that I'm talking about ideals here. 05:36 Ideally, we want to arrive at these blessed hours rested 05:42 rather than needing more sleep than usual during this day. 05:46 As far as I can find, 05:47 there's no special blessing on the Sabbath for sleep. 05:53 Ideally, we want to have taken care ahead of time 05:57 as many secular duties 06:00 and responsibilities as possible 06:01 so that we can fill the minutes and seconds of the Sabbath 06:05 with those things that God blessed them for. 06:07 As far as I can find the Sabbath hours 06:09 are not blessed for cooking, 06:11 or cleaning, or shopping, or homework, 06:12 or secular employment, 06:14 it's not because 06:16 we're legalistic about these things, 06:17 it's because we want as many blessings 06:19 out of the Sabbath hours as possible. 06:22 It's the motive that makes it legalistic drudgery 06:25 or pure relational joy. 06:27 Are we keeping the Sabbath out of guilt or love? 06:30 Now let me be clear here, 06:31 the cessation of all non-Sabbath activities 06:35 does not constitute Sabbath-keeping. 06:37 Just because I don't work on Sabbath 06:39 doesn't make me a Sabbath-keeper, 06:40 just because I don't do unnecessary cooking 06:42 or cleaning doesn't make me a Sabbath-keeper, 06:44 just because I avoid secular conversations 06:46 on the Sabbath 06:48 doesn't make me a Sabbath-keeper. 06:50 In fact, dead people don't do any of those things 06:53 on the Sabbath, 06:54 but they aren't Sabbath-keepers. 06:57 Keeping the Sabbath is about doing on Sabbath 07:00 the things the Sabbath hours are blessed for. 07:03 We remove those other activities 07:05 so that we can spend as much time as possible 07:09 with our Savior and Friend. 07:11 Now let me ask you a question, 07:12 is the Sabbath at the end of the week 07:14 or at the beginning? 07:16 How do you know? 07:19 We often think about the fact 07:21 that there are seven days in a week 07:22 in nearly every culture around the world 07:24 because God created, 07:26 He created time by spending time. 07:28 But have you ever thought about why He rested at the end 07:30 instead of the beginning? 07:32 It wasn't because He was tired at the end. 07:35 His rest was not because He was worn out 07:38 from the work of creation. 07:39 I would propose to you that all of creation 07:41 including the hand forming of man 07:43 on the sixth day was a purposeful intentional 07:47 creatorial crescendo culminating 07:50 in the act of making the Sabbath. 07:54 The Sabbath is not a rest 07:56 in preparation for the week to come, 07:59 rather the week 08:00 before the Sabbath is given us 08:03 as preparation for the coming Sabbath. 08:06 All week, 144 hours, 6 days, God's given to us to prepare, 08:11 to be ready for the special blessing 08:13 that He wants to have. 08:16 They're ours to manage wisely, prudently, efficiently 08:19 so that when those blessed hours arrive, 08:21 we can receive all the blessings God wants 08:24 to pour into them. 08:26 You know, six months were put into planning the one day 08:33 that was to be Jane and my wedding day. 08:37 Six months, every detail was arranged, 08:40 as much of work of the work as possible 08:41 was done ahead of time. 08:43 We wanted to be able to spend time 08:44 with our family who had gathered. 08:46 We didn't want to be stressed when the day came. 08:49 We didn't want to be doing unnecessary tasks. 08:52 We wanted that one irreplaceable day 08:55 to be able to focus on the things 08:57 that mattered most. 08:58 The Sabbath is the special time 09:00 God wants to spend with you and me. 09:03 Sunday through Friday are the days 09:05 He's given you to be ready. 09:07 I'm looking forward to 2018 09:10 and the Sabbaths God's going to spend with me. 09:12 How about you? 09:36 Come to Me 09:41 You who are weary 09:48 I'll give you rest 09:54 I'll give 09:57 You rest 10:02 Come to Me 10:07 I'll take your burden 10:16 Come to me 10:21 You'll give me 10:23 Rest 10:29 Come to Me 10:34 You who are weary 10:40 I'll give you rest 10:47 I'll give you rest 10:54 Come to Me 10:59 I'll take your 11:01 Burden 11:07 Come to me 11:12 You'll give me rest 11:18 For I am gentle 11:25 And humble of heart 11:32 Learn of Me 11:37 And you shall find peace 11:42 Unto 11:45 Your soul 11:54 Come to Me 11:59 You who are weary 12:06 I'll give you rest 12:12 I'll give you rest 12:20 Come to Me 12:24 I'll take your burden 12:33 Come to me 12:38 You'll give me rest 12:52 Come 12:54 To Me 13:01 Amen. 13:05 Good evening. 13:07 So this is my favorite part of GYC. 13:12 Can anyone guess why? 13:14 Oh, I'm about to share with you 13:16 what happened on yesterday's outreach. 13:18 Amen? Amen. 13:20 I'm going to share with you some statistics, 13:22 and then we are going to jump into an amazing way 13:24 that we have seen God working in the City of Phoenix. 13:28 We knocked on over 28,456 doors 13:33 in just 2.5 hours, my friends. 13:36 We prayed with over 1,500 people, 13:39 over 31,000 pieces of literature were passed out. 13:42 We collected over 2 tons, 13:45 3,729 pounds of canned food 13:49 for the Phoenix Rescue Mission. 13:51 We distributed 200 refugee relief kits. 13:54 When we went to the refugee center, 13:57 we were told that it was so amazing 13:59 that we completely restocked their shelves 14:02 for a really, really, really long time. 14:04 Amen? Amen. 14:05 And lastly, we had over 760 Bible studies come in. 14:10 More than that though, friends, 14:12 we were heard of people crying when they went to the doors. 14:14 People were saying, "You've made my day." 14:17 There was a lady at the hotel who, believe it, 14:19 outside of outreach, one of the ladies 14:21 who has been lovingly cleaning our rooms, 14:23 somebody, some brave soul offered her Bible studies 14:25 and she signed up for them. 14:27 Amen? Amen. 14:28 We also had a bus driver who the participants, 14:32 the attendees, were singing hymns 14:34 and the bus driver loved it so much, 14:36 she wanted to take an extra lap around the convention center 14:39 so she could hear some more songs. 14:41 Amen? 14:42 All of these things we know that God is incredibly at work. 14:47 But, friends, I want to share with you 14:49 some experiences that are hot off the press 14:52 that we see the Lord is working on the hearts of people today. 14:55 I have many special friends with me here, 14:58 but we're going to start with Philip and Jessica. 15:00 Philip you had a pretty cool outreach experience. 15:02 Please share with us. 15:04 Great. Yeah. 15:05 So I'm actually a youth pastor in Pennsylvania, 15:08 Philadelphia to be exact, 15:10 and I'm actually a chaperone with a group of people. 15:13 And my group actually volunteered 15:16 at Pathways to Health. 15:17 And being a chaperone 15:20 by the time outreach day rolled around, I was exhausted. 15:24 I did not want to go to an outreach day. 15:28 And, you know, I was planning on stealing away 15:31 and taking a nap once everyone was on the bus. 15:34 All my spiritual children were on the bus. 15:36 And until I ran into my friend Tara, 15:40 and while I was talking to her, bus leader... 15:44 What Marie? What was it? Lisa Marie. 15:47 No, Rose Marie, Rose Marie on bus number 27, 15:49 and actually bus leader Rose Marie 15:52 and also Linnell, they were awesome. 15:53 They were wonderful bus leaders. 15:54 So you were about to get on the bus 15:56 and what did they say? 15:57 And bus leader Rose Marie storms out and basically says, 16:02 "I need one more person." 16:03 And I'm praying to the Lord, "No, Lord. 16:07 Not me, please." 16:08 But she keeps saying it 16:10 and so I find myself on that bus number 27 16:14 and I'm cranky because I'm sitting next to... 16:17 What's your name? Jessica. 16:19 He's sitting next to... 16:21 Who could be cranky sitting next to Jessica? 16:23 But I was a chaperone again, I was a chaperone again. 16:26 So what ended up happening though, 16:27 we had a great time. 16:29 We had a great time, and we had Bible studies, 16:30 and it was a blessing, 16:31 but what ended up happening was the last door 16:33 that I was on, the last door that I was on, 16:36 this grandma comes out and she's hesitant. 16:40 She's not really into it. 16:42 But I tell her, you know, we have these health, 16:44 you know, these... 16:46 I went through the survey and the first question 16:47 was spiritual health and all that stuff, 16:49 and I literally told her, you know, because 16:52 she was interested in the physical. 16:53 And so I was like, 16:55 you know, we had a Pathways to Health event. 16:56 And so I was telling her about the cooking classes 16:57 and all that stuff, she was very interested. 17:00 So thank you, Pathways to Health. 17:03 But what ended up happening though was when it came time 17:06 to the Bible study point, she was not interested. 17:09 And I told her, I was like, 17:12 "I came all the way from Philadelphia to talk 17:14 to you about this." 17:16 And her eyes got really big, and she was like, 17:18 "I'm from Philadelphia." 17:21 And it was the Holy Spirit, and she literally was like, 17:26 "I need your number. 17:29 I need your number, 17:30 and this is a divine appointment." 17:33 That came out of her mouth. Amen. 17:35 And so what ended up happening after that, 17:37 you know, so basically she signed up 17:39 for Bible studies. 17:41 Amen. 17:43 This has been 17:44 one of the most amazing stories. 17:46 We know that that lady, 17:47 actually her granddaughter's classmate 17:49 had a tragedy happen 17:51 where the granddaughter's classmate, 17:53 who was Jessica's age, right, she had lost her friend. 17:58 They had been shot by the dad, 18:01 the mother and the baby, on Christmas Day. 18:02 Friends, that's a tragedy, 18:04 but God is there with a solution 18:06 when we're willing to go. 18:08 Amen? Amen. 18:09 So Phillip, the Lord used you. 18:10 We thank you so much, Jessica, 18:12 for being willing to go on outreach. 18:13 Our final testimony, 18:15 I have two good friends here with me, 18:17 Anthony and Michelle. 18:19 Anthony, though, tell me about your outreach experience 18:21 and who you met while you were there. 18:24 So I had my heart set 18:29 on door-to-door outreach 18:31 'cause I'd been baptized two years ago. 18:34 I had glow tracks in my pockets, 18:37 and I was so at it. 18:38 I'm like, "Lord, let's go win souls for the kingdom. 18:40 I'm ready to go. Let's go door to door." 18:43 But God said, "No." And I said, "Really, Lord?" 18:46 He said, "Yeah, no." 18:47 So I ended up going to the refugee relief outreach, 18:52 and I met this young lady here, Michelle, 18:57 and come to find out I was talking with her. 19:02 And she was from the Phoenix community. 19:06 And the Holy Spirit compelled me to talk to her 19:08 'cause she looked like she was alone, and yeah... 19:11 We're glad you did. 19:13 So if we can switch sides here and I can talk with Michelle. 19:16 You know, one thing that's interesting 19:17 about what Anthony shared 19:19 was that he had his pockets of glow ready to go 19:20 to the door-to-door, 19:22 but the Lord sent him to the refugee outreach. 19:24 And I know many of you who wanted to go on 19:26 the refugee outreach went door to door. 19:29 So Lord knows exactly what we need 19:31 and, you know, while there, he ran into Michelle. 19:34 And, Michelle, we're really blessed 19:36 that you're here with us. 19:38 And I want to know how on earth did you end up here at GYC. 19:42 I actually came here 19:44 without even knowing about the place. 19:46 I was here to go to Pathway actually with my sister, 19:49 she needed dental work. 19:51 And they asked me what I needed. 19:53 And I told this lady, she was really nice, 19:57 that I was really stressed and I needed, 20:00 I guess, answers, I needed hope. 20:02 She took me to the health booth 20:04 because everything was already closed 20:05 and the guy there told me 20:07 I could take anything from there, 20:09 and he asked me if I knew about this event, 20:13 and I told him no, and he said I should come. 20:15 I didn't know we had to pay for it though. 20:17 So I said I was very interested and I would go. 20:22 I wanted to find answers. 20:23 You can say that. I wanted to find answers. 20:26 So our friend, Michelle, here is actually from Phoenix 20:29 and she ended up going to the Pathways event 20:31 'cause her and her sister, her sister needed dental work. 20:34 And you get to the place 20:37 where you're talking with this man, 20:38 and this man finds out that you would be interested 20:41 in attending GYC, and what did he do from there? 20:45 He offered to pay for it. Amen. 20:48 And, you know, we're so blessed to have you here, Michelle. 20:50 One of our only questions and the one thing Michelle 20:53 had shared with me was that what is it 20:56 that inspired you to want to come to GYC 20:58 or even attend it. 20:59 And what has been your favorite part? 21:02 I think it's crazy 21:03 because when I first went to the Pathway, 21:06 I didn't know it was Christian, 21:07 and I had actually given up on God. 21:10 But I needed answers and what I got out of here 21:13 was prayer and the sermons, I got hope again. 21:17 Amen. 21:18 You guys, ministry, serving the Lord works. 21:21 Amen. Amen. God is in control. 21:25 And, you know, one thing 21:26 we do as a family is we love meeting new people, 21:30 Michelle, and we believe 21:32 that God has a plan for your life. 21:33 So we're just going to say a short prayer for you. 21:36 So if all of you could say a prayer in your heart 21:37 as we bow our heads and close our eyes. 21:40 Lord, we thank You so much 21:41 for bringing Michelle here this year, 21:43 not just Michelle but every other person, 21:45 Lord, who we have met on outreach. 21:48 And, God, if there is someone here 21:51 who maybe didn't have hope like Michelle, 21:52 we pray that You'll give it to them today. 21:54 Thank you for using her and her story. 21:57 We know the future is bright. 21:59 We love you so much. In Jesus' name. 22:01 Amen. 22:06 Over the last several years, 22:08 GYC has been tremendously blessed 22:10 by a partnership with ASI. 22:13 And tonight, I have Kyle Allen, the secretary treasurer of ASI. 22:16 Kyle, can you tell us 22:17 what is ASI and why is it important? 22:19 Well, Taylor, I have a question for you first, actually. 22:22 Okay. 22:23 What would happen 22:24 if every Seventh-day Adventist business person 22:26 and lay professional person 22:28 were fully engaged in the mission of taking 22:31 the Gospel to the world in this generation? 22:33 I think we would be in heaven. 22:35 Amazing things would happen, right, 22:37 if every lay person was fully engaged? 22:40 Do you know that Ellen White says that 22:41 "The work of God on this earth..." 22:43 Actually I think you mentioned it last night 22:44 in your talk. 22:46 "The work of God on this earth will never be finished 22:48 until the men and women comprising 22:50 our church membership unite with church officers 22:53 and pastors to finish the work." 22:55 So the mission of ASI 22:56 is to engage all of our laypeople, 22:58 business professionals, 23:00 and lay professionals in every line 23:01 to take the Gospel 23:03 to the world in this generation. 23:04 So how does that relate to the people here though 23:07 because not everybody is old and business owners and... 23:10 Okay, good question. 23:11 So some people think ASI is only for old people 23:13 but guess what guys, 23:14 we've opened up a new category of membership 23:16 for young professionals. 23:17 Amen? Amen. 23:19 So young professionals can now be members of ASI. 23:21 We want to encourage you guys to find out about this. 23:23 This is a special partnership with GYC. 23:25 We want you guys to come in. 23:27 We want to provide mentorship, training, 23:29 and resources for how you can learn 23:31 to share Christ in your workplace 23:33 and be a light for Him. 23:34 So what does that partnership look like? 23:36 What does ASI do more in general? 23:38 How can these people be benefited? 23:39 Okay, so first of all, 23:41 how many of you have heard of the ASI Convention? 23:44 Okay, some of you saw 23:45 the flyer on your chairs this morning. 23:46 We want to invite you to come to Orlando, 23:48 August 1 to 4. 23:50 I know it's going to be hot, Taylor, 23:51 but there's air conditioning, okay? 23:53 Very good. 23:54 August 1 to 4, 2018, in Orlando, Florida. 23:56 And as young professionals and GYC attendees, 23:58 you can come for a very, very reduced rate 24:00 of just 70 bucks. 24:01 So we want you to come to ASI in Orlando and get engaged. 24:05 Secondly, ASI, we invest in key mission 24:08 and ministry projects like Pathway. 24:10 Pathway is a project that came out of ASI. 24:12 Or GYC. Or GYC. 24:14 So the bottom line is, guys, 24:16 we want to engage you in the ministry of ASI 24:19 and we believe that as we all join together, 24:22 laypeople and church leaders unite, 24:25 the work will be finished in this generation. 24:26 Amen. Amen. 24:27 We want to encourage you, 24:29 those of you who have never been 24:30 to ASI, please come. 24:31 I've been blessed every time I've been there. 24:33 And for those of you who are business owners, 24:35 please make sure to get plugged into this exciting new program. 24:37 I believe God's going to do great things. 24:39 That's right. 24:40 Come by our booth tonight or visit us on our website 24:42 at ASIministries.org. 24:44 Amen. 24:50 How many of you, this evening, 24:53 are medical students or dental students 24:57 or you are physicians or dentists? 24:59 Can I see your hands? 25:01 Medical students, dental students, 25:03 or physicians, or dentists? 25:06 The Adventist Medical Evangelism Network 25:10 is a group of consecrated 25:12 godly dental and medical personnel 25:17 that meet once a year in a convention 25:20 to inspire these godly physicians 25:25 and dentists to use their offices 25:28 as centers of evangelism and influence, 25:32 shares with them how to help their patients know Christ. 25:36 I have with me Dr. Carlos, Dr. Stephen. 25:39 What else does AMEN do beside the convention? 25:44 Good question, Pastor Mark. 25:47 So how many of you were at Pathways this week? 25:49 Raise your hand, a lot of hands going up. 25:52 It was fantastic. 25:53 It was a wonderful way to connect 25:55 with the community here in Phoenix. 25:58 What if I told you there was an organization 26:00 that could bring a smaller scale Pathways 26:02 to your church so that you could connect 26:05 with your community 26:07 and impact your community for Christ? 26:10 AMEN does exactly that. 26:11 If you go to AMENSDA.org, 26:14 you can plug in and ask AMEN to send a group of volunteers, 26:19 well, yeah, volunteers to come to your church 26:23 and set up a clinic 26:24 much like Pathways did here in Phoenix 26:27 but to a smaller scale. 26:29 You can rally your professionals there 26:31 in your church, volunteers there 26:33 in your church, announce it, promo it in the community, 26:37 and bring people in and get serviced, 26:40 just like we did here at Pathways. 26:42 And this year alone, they did 30 clinics nationwide. 26:46 They're doubling their efforts in 2018 with 60, 26:50 more than 60 clinics. 26:51 Look it up on the website. 26:52 One is coming near you, get plugged in. 26:54 Dr. Stephen, 26:56 I am a medical student, suppose. 26:57 I'm not, I'm too old. 26:59 But, Dr. Stephen, let's suppose I'm a medical student, 27:01 I don't have much money, a dental student, 27:04 how can I ever afford the convention? 27:08 You can come for free. 27:10 So if you are a health professional, 27:12 if you're a physician or a dentist, 27:14 we appeal to you to come to our conference 27:17 in the last weekend of October. 27:19 But especially, if you are a medical student, 27:22 if you're a dental student, or if you're a resident, 27:26 you are either heavily subsidized 27:27 or it will be free for you to come to our conference 27:31 the last weekend of October. 27:33 It will be in Indian Wells which if you don't know, 27:36 that's near the Palm Springs area. 27:37 About an hour, just over an hour east of Loma Linda. 27:41 So it's very close for students whether you're at Loma Linda 27:46 or especially if you're at a secular university 27:50 and you're studying medicine or dentistry, 27:51 we really want to encourage you to come to learn the skills. 27:55 You know, you went into medicine 27:57 and dentistry to kind of help people. 27:59 That's what we all wanted to do. 28:01 But what if you could learn the skills to addressing 28:04 the spiritual health of your patients? 28:07 And that's what AMEN is all about. 28:10 So you can come and learn those skills and seminars 28:12 and in the plenary sessions, 28:14 we really encourage especially the students to come. 28:16 It will be free, your registration will be free, 28:19 and even the housing is subsidized. 28:21 So we really encourage you to come. 28:22 You can look at the website AMENSDA.org. 28:26 We are looking forward to a whole generation 28:29 of medical missionaries for Jesus. 28:32 Come by the AMEN booth. 28:34 Number 310. Number 310. God bless you. 28:42 I want to read a quote for you. 28:45 And it's found in Christian Service page 170. 28:48 It says, "The home missionary work 28:50 will be further advanced in every way 28:54 when a more liberal self-denying, 28:57 self-sacrificing spirit is manifested 29:00 for the prosperity of foreign missions." 29:03 Do you understand what she's saying? 29:05 She's saying that you can bless your local field 29:08 by supporting foreign missions. 29:12 And that's why they designed the GYC sacrifice offering 29:18 because through 29:19 this we're blessing other places, 29:21 and I want to talk to you about the specific country 29:23 and how this offering 29:25 has been impacting a whole country. 29:27 Venezuela's going through rough times right now. 29:30 I don't know if there's any Venezuelans here, 29:32 but we know they're going through a rough time. 29:35 There's a lot of political instability 29:37 over there. 29:39 They have no food. 29:40 Millions of people are not eating 29:42 no more than two meals a day, 29:44 and those meals are not nutritious. 29:47 You can find people digging in trash. 29:51 But in the middle of that, there's a lot of young people 29:53 that are rising up in the time of crisis, 29:56 trying to spread the gospel. 29:57 In June, I was there, and I was... 30:01 I was able to see the reality of that country. 30:04 What you see in the news is not enough. 30:07 And this group of young people approached to me 30:09 and I realized that they were doctors, 30:11 and they worked in a hospital. 30:13 And they told me their necessities 30:14 and the reality of those hospitals over there. 30:17 First of all, they had no supplies, 30:19 they had no gloves, no masks, and many of them, 30:21 they're performing surgeries without those things. 30:25 One of them, they told me, 30:26 "My only protection right now is just God. 30:29 I have to pray." 30:31 They have no medicine. People are just simply dying. 30:36 One of the doctors told me, 30:37 "A week ago, I was just going to quit. 30:39 What's the point of going to the hospitals 30:41 and just letting people die because we cannot help them?" 30:45 They have no food in those hospitals. 30:48 One doctor told me that a year old, 30:50 one-year-old baby weighs as much as a two-month-old 30:55 because moms cannot produce milk 30:58 because they have no food. 31:00 And the worst of all, they cannot preach the gospel. 31:04 They were not trained how to do it. 31:07 And it's a sad situation, and they were desperate, 31:11 and they told me, "Please, we need help." 31:13 And they told me 31:15 that many doctors are leaving the country. 31:17 Many of them, they're just leaving the country 31:19 to other places and the hospitals 31:21 are with less doctors every time. 31:24 And they told me, 31:25 "We want to stay, but we need help. 31:29 We need resources. We need training. 31:31 We want to teach people about Jesus. 31:33 Even if they die, they will live again." 31:37 And this is where GYC has responded. 31:42 Your offerings were the means 31:45 to respond for these doctors. 31:49 iShare donated some, 31:51 but GYC took over and a training weekend 31:57 was designed for these doctors. 32:00 And by God's grace, 45 of them, 32:02 they came and they were trained. 32:04 You will see in a little bit the video 32:07 of what just happened over there. 32:10 But I'll tell you this, these doctors, 32:11 they want to stay 32:13 and they're sacrificing themselves for the people. 32:16 And we're asking to you, if these people are working, 32:20 sacrificing, and they're saying, 32:22 "This is my hands, 32:24 I just need tools," what will you do? 32:29 What will you sacrifice for them? 32:34 And this is just one country out of many that are in need. 32:39 That's why we need this type of offerings 32:42 because whenever there's a need, 32:44 GYC needs to respond. 32:46 And we will respond if you help us to. 32:50 I'll tell this before we start the video, 32:54 you will see the information on the screens 32:56 about how can you donate online. 32:58 You can do it monthly, but at the same time, 33:02 whoever wants an envelope and wants to donate for this, 33:06 you can just raise your hand during the video, 33:08 and the ushers will come 33:10 and they will give you an envelope and you can leave 33:13 the envelopes at the end with the leaders. 33:16 May God bless you, 33:18 and may you also sacrifice something for God. 33:23 Unrest in Venezuela seems to be worsening 33:25 after an attack on a military base 33:27 over the weekend. 33:29 Spiritualism, killings, mass economic crisis, 33:34 and emotional instability 33:35 within Venezuela cannot put out the flame of the faith 33:39 in the heart of young people 33:41 who want to see their Savior come 33:43 in their lifetime. 33:44 Despite the obstacles being many and the risk high, 33:48 this training was made a reality in August 2017 33:51 where Mission Gilead took place. 33:57 GYC along with the affiliates in Colombia heard 34:00 and responded to the cry of the Venezuelan youth. 34:03 The project was a three-day 34:05 medical missionary training program 34:08 in which young professionals came 34:10 and received specialized training 34:12 on how to be a medical missionary 34:14 within their own community. 34:16 The lack of medicine calls for natural alternatives 34:19 which are accessible in their communities. 34:22 They were taught geotherapy, 34:24 hydrotherapy, natural remedies, 34:28 and how to make charcoal. 34:30 Teaching them how to alleviate physical needs was not enough. 34:34 They were also trained to fill spiritual needs. 34:37 They would receive training on how to give Bible studies, 34:40 share the Gospel in a medical setting, 34:43 and learning the true meaning of being a medical missionary. 34:47 They left with more than training. 34:49 They took rice, lentils, and beans back to their homes, 34:53 food that is not easily accessible in Venezuela. 34:56 Tears were shed and hope was regained. 35:00 God has opened their eyes to new horizons. 36:32 All of this has been made possible thanks 36:35 to your contributions. 36:39 Over the years of GYC's overlooking 36:45 and what God has been doing through this movement, 36:48 we have realized 36:49 that more and more God is calling us 36:52 to revival and to mission. 36:55 We are here today to introduce the theme for next year, 36:59 but I want to tell you 37:00 that God is wanting to come in our generation. 37:03 Amen? Amen. 37:05 This is why we have chosen 37:06 to focus on revival and mission. 37:09 And, Jonathan, why don't you tell us 37:12 the text for next year's theme? 37:15 Next year's theme will be based on Acts 1:8. 37:20 Acts 1:8, it says, 37:21 "But you shall receive power 37:24 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you 37:26 and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, 37:31 in all of Judea, and Samaria, 37:33 and to the end of the earth." 37:36 In it we find a powerful promise, 37:40 we find power, 37:41 and we find a commission from Jesus, 37:44 some of His last words to us before He ascended to heaven. 37:48 I believe God has a special plan for us 37:51 in this generation, 37:52 and I don't just say this because we are at GYC. 37:54 We really believe this. Amen. 37:57 And we are hoping that revival 37:58 and mission will bring about the end. 38:02 Amen. 38:04 So, Moise, tell us what will be next year's theme. 38:08 Next year's theme will be based on the text Acts 1:8. 38:13 It will be named To The End. 38:18 I pray, and I pray 38:21 that Jesus will come before GYC, 38:26 and this is the location, remember, GYC, Houston, 38:30 like Gary Blanchard says, in the country of Texas, 38:34 we're going to meet in Houston again. 38:37 But I pray that Jesus is going to come 38:39 before GYC begins in Houston. 38:41 Amen? Amen. 38:43 But if He does not, we're going to be there. 38:46 Now is a time 38:47 and we are praying for the latter rain. 38:50 We want nothing else but the latter rain. 38:53 We want Jesus to do something. We don't want the glory. 38:57 We want God to get the glory. 38:59 And that is what we're praying for. 39:01 Amen. 39:02 To The End, and we don't want this 39:04 just to be another GYC with a nice theme. 39:07 We want this to be our marching orders. 39:10 And, friends, we cannot share too much right now, 39:12 but I can promise you 39:13 that God right now is preparing something very special 39:17 for next year's theme 39:19 and the upcoming time to make this theme of next year 39:23 a living reality in all of our lives. 39:25 We believe that God will do an incredible thing, 39:27 and we're excited to share more next year. 39:30 So be there in Houston, 2018, To The End. 39:34 Amen. 39:39 Good evening, GYC. 39:41 Tonight in our this I Believe section, 39:44 it will be presented by a Casey Vaughn. 39:46 She currently is 39:49 a graduate student at Andrews and she serves on the EECOM 39:52 as one of the general vice presidents. 39:55 And tonight, she will be presenting for us. 39:58 So we'd like to invite her. Thank you. 40:01 Good evening. 40:03 It's been a wonderful time here at GYC. 40:05 Amen? Amen. 40:08 So there's been a couple questions 40:10 I've been asking myself lately. 40:13 Who am I? Where do I fit into society? 40:17 Where do I fit into my generation as a whole? 40:21 How much of my personal religion 40:22 is actually based in the Bible and how much is merely 40:25 my personal religious philosophy or worldview? 40:29 What do I believe? 40:33 No, I'm not going to presume 40:34 to speak for every millennial in my generation 40:36 because after all 40:38 we're the most diverse generation in history, 40:40 and coincidentally, 40:42 the one that cares the most about it. 40:44 But I can tell you what I have seen. 40:47 I have seen this generation create, 40:50 harness, and improve whole new ways to communicate. 40:53 I sat in my classes in my undergrad and watched 40:56 as my generation shaped politics 40:59 and entire nations. 41:01 We are the generation brimming with potential and passion. 41:04 I see a generation who is passionate 41:06 about authenticity and vulnerability. 41:11 Voices from every side pressure us 41:13 to fit into societal, cultural, and religious molds 41:18 all while we fight for that authenticity. 41:21 We are the generation passionate 41:23 about ending sexism, racism, slavery, 41:27 and the stigma surrounding mental health, 41:29 and I believe that we can do those things. 41:32 I believe that we have 41:33 the ability to end societal strongholds 41:37 that have held on us for generations. 41:40 And I believe 41:42 that God believes in this generation. 41:46 I believe that God believes in you, 41:48 God is passionate about your passions. 41:52 In Amos, He tells us, 41:54 "But let justice run down like water 41:57 and righteousness like a mighty stream." 41:59 The passions of you, my generation, 42:02 are not an appendix in the body of Christ, 42:04 they are not some organ 42:06 that we merely haven't found the usefulness of yet, 42:09 but they're a vital, 42:11 vital part of the body of Christ. 42:13 Whatever passions God has given you, 42:16 take them and run with them. 42:18 Run with them towards Him. 42:21 I believe that we truly can change 42:23 the world in this generation, 42:25 even if that is just for one person. 42:29 I believe, in this generation, we can see our Savior come 42:33 and that we can see our Savior face to face. 42:35 I believe in this generation 42:37 because we have the ability to create new platforms 42:40 and harness new avenues 42:41 for the spreading of the gospel. 42:43 I believe in this generation 42:46 because we care about each other. 42:49 I believe in this generation 42:50 because we care about community. 42:52 I believe in this generation 42:53 because God believes in this generation, 42:55 and I believe in this generation 42:59 because we are so utterly helpless. 43:04 Without Jesus, 43:06 no amount of efforts at GYC, at home, 43:10 anywhere will accomplish anything. 43:14 Without Jesus, working in and through us, 43:17 all the messages and sermons in the world 43:19 won't make a difference. 43:21 Without Jesus in our lives, millions upon millions will die 43:24 without hope and without salvation. 43:27 Without Jesus, no amount of influence, money, 43:31 time in the world is going to impact a single soul 43:35 for eternity. 43:38 Without Jesus in our personal lives, 43:41 no amount of GYCs will change us. 43:44 Without Jesus in the hearts of this generation, 43:48 every single one of us will be lost. 43:53 Without Him, 43:55 we will be the generation that could have ended slavery. 44:00 Without Him, we will be the generation 44:01 that could have ended sexism and racism. 44:05 Without Him, we'll be the generation 44:07 that brings our children to GYC to plead with Him 44:09 to do the things we could not do ourselves. 44:13 Without Him, we will be the generation 44:16 that's looked back on with so much lost potential. 44:20 Without Him, no matter how hard we work, 44:22 no matter how many fundamentals 44:24 we teach or series we preach, 44:29 not a single soul will be brought 44:31 to repentance and new life. 44:35 But with Him, 44:38 but with Jesus, Jesus is the only thing, 44:41 the only person, the only catalyst, 44:44 the only justice pursuer 44:45 who can make a difference in this world today. 44:49 With Him... 44:50 No, He through us, through this generation, 44:56 Jesus will feed the hungry, through this generation, 44:59 Jesus will wipe away the tears 45:01 from the eyes of the brokenhearted. 45:02 Through this generation, 45:04 Jesus will welcome the downtrodden 45:06 into the church doors. 45:07 Through this generation, 45:08 Jesus will show the world His heart of love 45:11 and bring the gospel to the entire world. 45:13 Through this generation, 45:14 Jesus will be known not just through our preaching 45:18 but through our lives. 45:22 And I don't need to tell you that this only happens 45:25 when we're fully surrendered. 45:26 You are at GYC after all. 45:29 I don't need to tell you that unless our hearts 45:33 are wholly and totally and fully His, 45:36 this will not happen. 45:39 Jon Foreman summed up Amos 5 this way, 45:45 "Instead let there be a flood of justice, 45:50 an endless procession of righteous living. 45:54 Instead of the hypocrisy of our praise, 45:57 instead of the hypocrisy of our festivals. 46:01 Instead let there be a flood of justice 46:03 and endless expression of righteous living 46:08 instead of a show." 46:12 It is on His heart to change the world. 46:16 He believes in this generation. 46:19 Jesus believes in you. 46:24 I believe in this generation. 46:25 We can put an end to systemic hate, racism, sexism, slavery, 46:28 you name it but not alone. 46:32 I believe in this generation, 46:33 we can show the world this hope 46:35 that you and I hold in our hands but not alone. 46:40 I believe in this generation, 46:41 we can see our Jesus face 46:44 to face but not alone. 46:49 I believe in this generation 46:51 not because of who we are 46:54 but because of who He is. 46:57 This I believe. 47:01 Amen. 47:06 Wonderful. 47:08 And I can't believe it's almost over. 47:13 I'm going to miss all of you. 47:15 But I'm going to miss the prayer room even more. 47:18 Last chance to be in the prayer room. 47:21 Who among you here 47:23 has not visited the prayer room, 47:25 raise your hand? 47:27 You want to be there? Yes. 47:30 By God's grace. 47:31 So I don't want to delay any further, 47:33 I just want to introduce to you my friends 47:36 who have been in the prayer room. 47:37 Shiloh, tell us what happened in the prayer room 47:40 when you first went to the prayer room before. 47:43 Well, I was in a really dark place at the time. 47:47 I was discouraged. 47:48 And so I went to the prayer room 47:50 and everybody was telling me 47:53 how awesome it was and I didn't see it. 47:57 It wasn't working for me. 47:59 And so I went again and same thing, 48:01 went again, and finally had a breakthrough, 48:03 and I was like, "Yes, this is awesome." 48:05 And it didn't last. 48:07 And so I went again, it was the last time I went... 48:10 Well, not the last time I went, but I went again, and it was... 48:15 I decided I was going to not pray for myself, 48:19 I was just going to pray for others. 48:21 And while I was praying for others, 48:23 I just had a break through and just broke down crying. 48:26 And when I left, I couldn't stop smiling 48:29 and I haven't had those feelings again 48:32 for a little over two years now. 48:35 She's still smiling until now. You see that? 48:37 That has never been wiped out. And Shiloh did not stop there. 48:42 She could not let the prayer room 48:44 just be there in GYC. 48:46 What did you do? 48:47 I went home to my home church 48:49 and realized we didn't have a prayer room. 48:51 And so during a board meeting when I probably should have 48:55 been asking permission for a prayer room, 48:57 I was cleaning out a storage closet, 48:59 and so we have a prayer room now. 49:02 And my dear friends, I preached in that church. 49:04 I saw her prayer room. 49:06 It's an extreme makeover 49:08 from a storage to a prayer room. 49:11 Thank you, Shiloh. 49:13 My good friend Luke here has been to GYC. 49:16 This is his fourth time in GYC, 49:18 and he said that the first two 49:21 did not have that much impact on him. 49:24 What happened on the third time? 49:25 And that was last year, isn't it? 49:27 That's correct. I went to the prayer room. 49:29 You went to the prayer room, 49:30 and what happened in the prayer room? 49:32 When I went to the prayer room, it changed my spiritual life, 49:35 it changed my focus on prayer off of self 49:37 and on to about God. 49:39 And that's what my focus is 49:41 for mission work and everything. 49:42 And now it's not focused on self, it's focused on God. 49:45 Amen? Amen. 49:47 And I heard from some of my friends 49:49 that you were excited to go to GYC this year, 49:53 for what reason? 49:54 The prayer room. He is a man of few words. 49:58 But he knows what he wants and he goes for it. 50:01 Thank you, Luke. This is my friend Emely. 50:07 Emely, tell us about how you were brought 50:09 to the prayer room. 50:11 Well, actually, last year was our first time in GYC. 50:14 So I went to one of the seminars, 50:16 melody seminar. 50:18 And I knew she was giving one of the books. 50:20 So I went to the booth, and that's where, 50:24 yeah, I met Jim. 50:26 And he was telling me about the prayer room, 50:29 I didn't know anything about the prayer room. 50:31 And he said something, 50:33 I'm just going to paraphrase it, 50:35 and he said, "If you came to GYC 50:37 and you don't go to the prayer room, 50:39 then you came here to do nothing." 50:42 So yes, I came here to do something. 50:45 So we went to the prayer room. 50:47 And what happened in the prayer room? 50:49 Well, the prayer room was a life-changing experience. 50:53 I'm not the same person anymore, 50:55 like my focus is only God and Jesus Christ. 51:00 And I heard that you came up with something 51:03 that came out of the prayer, and what was that? 51:05 We came with something called "instant prayer." 51:10 Instant prayer, not Instagram but instant prayer. 51:13 Not Instagram, instant prayer. 51:16 Okay, what is Instagram... 51:17 Or instant prayer? 51:21 Well, instant prayer, whenever we prayed, 51:25 we got the answer right away. 51:28 We just close our eyes and whenever 51:31 we'd open them after the prayer, 51:33 the prayer was answered. 51:34 Amen. Wow, that's strange. 51:37 That's amazing. Thank you so much. 51:39 I guess Francis here has more things to say 51:42 about the instant prayer. 51:44 Let Francis explain. 51:47 Okay, so like Emely said, 51:49 it was the first time last year coming to GYC 51:51 and we did go to the prayer room. 51:52 And to just give you a little testimony 51:54 of what happened to us, when we got here, 51:57 she ended up having a really bad headache, 51:59 and throughout the whole weekend 52:01 or a couple days that we were here, 52:02 we had a lot of... 52:04 After coming to the prayer room, 52:05 we started praying more and would have these... 52:07 We started praying more often and we would have small prayers 52:10 and then we could start to see 52:11 that as soon as we finished praying, 52:13 our answers would be right there. 52:14 So like I said, she had a really bad headache 52:17 and she was here in the service, 52:19 and she's like, "I need to go back, 52:20 but I don't want to go back. 52:21 I don't want to miss the sermon." 52:23 So she put her head down, 52:24 I gave her like a little quick massage, 52:25 and I prayed in my head. 52:27 And then after I finished praying, 52:29 you know, she stood up and she grabs my hand, 52:32 she's like, "Wow, you have gifted hands." 52:34 And I'm like what? 52:36 And, you know, she's like, 52:37 "No, really, my headache is gone, 52:39 like, I'm done, I'm staying." 52:41 And I was like, "Really? 52:43 Because I literally just prayed for you, 52:44 like, a couple of seconds ago and your headache is gone. 52:47 So it's not my hands, that was God." 52:48 So it was like, 52:50 you know, it's something small but it just gave me the chills 52:52 because I was so blessed that week, 52:55 and it was just an amazing feeling, so... 52:57 Praise God. Amen? Amen. 52:59 And this is one amazing thing about our God. 53:01 He gives us little evidences that would build our faith. 53:04 And I know that it did not stop there. 53:07 What are the other things 53:08 that came out of that prayer room? 53:10 So after we did the prayer room, 53:13 that whole week we were so blessed 53:14 that I had been trying to read the Bible, 53:17 the whole entire Bible for the year, 53:19 and we made a commitment. 53:20 I was like, "You know what, 53:22 this year I'm going to do the Bible reading." 53:23 So we went home 53:25 and we started studying the Bible, 53:26 and every day we called each other to discuss it 53:28 to make sure we were accountable 53:30 and that we didn't quit and we were successful. 53:32 So we finished reading the Bible this year. 53:34 Can you say amen? Amen. 53:36 An excitement to read the Bible, 53:38 that is the Holy Spirit, my dear friends. 53:40 And you know what, these two girls here, 53:43 they could not keep it to themselves 53:44 and they have been inviting friends. 53:46 And now they invited two friends to come to GYC 53:50 and they have been pushing them, 53:51 "Let us go to the prayer room." 53:53 And the guy that I'm going to introduce to you came 53:56 from Dominican Republic. 53:58 Okay, Dr. Eric, tell us what happened 54:01 when you arrived in GYC. 54:03 Well, first time in GYC and my first day I got sick. 54:07 I thought it was like a simple cold 54:10 or probably I was tired from the trip. 54:12 But then I checked myself 54:13 and diagnosed myself and I had... 54:16 Since I'm a doctor. 54:18 And then I found out 54:20 that I had a bacterial infection 54:23 that I had in the past, which is really bad. 54:25 And the only way to treat it is using antibiotics. 54:30 So, you know, I'm not from here in the US, 54:32 it's kind of expensive 54:33 if you don't have a health insurance 54:35 to see a doctor or to go to an urgent care. 54:38 And then my friends, they were like, 54:40 "Oh, what do we do now?" 54:42 They were so worried about me. 54:43 Then I said to myself, "God, You brought me here. 54:46 You wanted me to be here. So what is this? 54:48 You have to do something." 54:50 So I heard the stories about the experience 54:53 they had in the prayer room. 54:55 So I decided I'm going to the prayer room, 54:57 but I was like burning up in fever, headache, pain, 55:01 I didn't want to walk or anything. 55:05 And then she was like too worried about me, 55:06 this lady right here. 55:08 She was like, 55:09 "Let's make a little prayer room here 55:11 in the room. 55:12 Let's pray." 55:13 So we prayed, but the next morning 55:15 I couldn't go 55:16 'cause I was feeling really bad. 55:17 But then the following morning, I was like God brought me here, 55:20 He has to do something. 55:22 So I decided to go with my headache, 55:24 my fever, like a zombie. 55:28 But then in the prayer room, as soon as I get into it, 55:31 like everybody praying, I started praying myself, 55:35 people praying for sick people we don't know. 55:37 I was sick right there. I'm like this is God's will. 55:41 So as soon as I walk out from the prayer room, 55:44 like no pain, no fever, nothing. 55:48 I could see the bacteria within me, 55:50 I checked myself again, 55:52 I'm like I still have the bacteria, 55:53 but I'm not feeling any pain or fever. 55:56 Later on, I had the antibiotics 55:58 but God had already made His part in the prayer room. 56:01 So I encourage you to go to the prayer room, 56:05 God is everywhere 56:06 but He's there like more than anywhere. 56:11 I don't know. Amen? 56:13 Isn't that an amazing testimony? 56:15 I'm thinking that the next time we had Pathways to Health, 56:19 we'll just have Pathways to Health with prayer room. 56:21 Amen. A whole prayer room, amen? 56:23 Amen. 56:25 My dear friends, you still have one more chance 56:28 to go and visit 56:30 the prayer room tomorrow at 6:00am. 56:33 Do not let GYC pass you 56:35 by without going to the prayer room. 56:37 My dear friends, don't let God wait for you. 56:43 Let's go, let's come running to Him. 56:45 Amen? 56:46 Let's kneel down for the prayer. |
Revised 2018-06-28