Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: CSH
Program Code: CSH021333
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00:01 (MUSIC)
00:46 >>WELCOME TO SACRAMENTO CENTRAL SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH. 00:50 WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU'RE TUNING IN. WHETHER THIS IS YOUR 00:52 FIRST TIME OR YOU ARE A REGULAR THAT TUNES IN EVERY WEEK, 00:57 NO EXCEPTION, WE ARE SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE JOINING US TODAY. 01:02 AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO STUDYING TOGETHER, WHETHER 01:05 YOU'RE HERE IN THE SANCTUARY OR YOU ARE AROUND THE WORLD. 01:09 WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY ONCE A WEEK TO OPEN UP GOD'S WORD AND 01:13 STUDY TOGETHER AND, OF COURSE, BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE SING YOUR 01:16 FAVORITE SONGS. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH 01:19 #434 TODAY - 'WE SPEAK OF THE REALMS'. 01:24 THIS IS A REQUEST FROM OUR FAMILY AROUND THE WORLD, PAUL 01:28 AND EVELYN IN AUSTRALIA, BIRDIE AND RALPH IN THE BAHAMAS, EDWY 01:31 IN BARBADOS, JASMINE IN THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, PAUL IN 01:34 CANADA, ALWYN AND MARETTE IN DOMINICA, SOPHIE AND MAUREEN IN 01:38 ENGLAND, PRISCILLA IN FLORIDA, ALSTON, ASHTON, CHERRELL, LINDA, 01:42 WILFRED AND KAREN IN GRENADA, ZEPTA IN INDONESIA, YVONNE, 01:46 DONNOLEE, TAMIEKA, TANIKA, JANNEIL AND JASEICA IN JAMAICA, 01:52 RUTH AND MAXWELL IN KENYA, CARLA, SHELLEY, RAYMOND, SHAWN, 01:57 VENITA AND CARLA IN NEW YORK, ANDRE, KASHA AND AMANDA IN SAINT 02:00 LUCIA, DECKLAN IN SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES, AND VIKKI, 02:04 TONI, JUDY AND CHERYL IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. WE'RE GOING 02:08 TO SING THE FIRST, SECOND, AND FOURTH STANZAS - #434. 02:13 (MUSIC) 04:00 >>IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE SONG THAT YOU WANT TO SING WITH 04:02 US ON AN UPCOMING PROGRAM, IT IS SUPER SIMPLE SO IF YOU'VE NEVER 04:06 DONE IT, I'LL TELL YOU HOW TO DO IT. 04:08 GO TO OUR WEBSITE AT 'SACCENTRAL.ORG', CLICK ON THE 04:11 'CONTACT US' LINK, AND ANY SONG THAT IS HERE IN THE ADVENTIST 04:15 HYMNAL IS THERE ON THE WEBSITE FOR YOU TO PICK FROM. 04:17 AND YOU CAN SING YOUR FAVORITE SONGS WITH US BECAUSE THIS 04:21 PROGRAM IS NOT JUST ABOUT US HERE AT CENTRAL CHURCH IN 04:23 SACRAMENTO, IT'S ABOUT THOSE OF YOU AROUND THE WORLD WHO JOIN US 04:27 EVERY WEEK AND WE HEAR FROM YOU THAT YOU LOVE SINGING THESE 04:30 HYMNS WITH US AND THAT'S EXCITING FOR US. 04:33 IT'S NOT JUST US THAT LOVE THESE SONGS. 04:36 SO GO TO OUR WEBSITE, SEND IN YOUR FAVORITE SONG AND RIGHT NOW 04:40 WE'LL SING #63 AS WE CONTINUE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE 04:44 HYMNAL SINGING ALL THE SONGS WE DON'T KNOW. 04:47 AND I KNOW YOU AT HOME ARE ENJOYING THIS BECAUSE I'VE 04:50 RECEIVED SEVERAL MESSAGES SAYING THAT YOU LOVE LEARNING THESE NEW 04:53 SONGS. ONE LADY, 'I'VE BEEN IN THE CHURCH SEVENTY YEARS AND 04:56 YOU'RE SINGING SONGS I'VE NEVER HEARD AND I LOVE IT.' SO THAT'S 05:00 WHAT WE'RE DOING - WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE HYMNAL. 05:03 THIS IS THE LAST SONG IN THE 'OPENING OF WORSHIP' SECTION. 05:07 NEXT WEEK IS THE 'CLOSE OF WORSHIP'. 05:10 #63 - 'O COME, LET US SING TO THE LORD'. 05:12 WE'RE GOING TO SING THE FIRST, SECOND, FOURTH AND FIFTH 05:15 STANZAS - #63. 05:18 (MUSIC) 07:13 >>I FORGOT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOSEF IN NEW ZEALAND, 07:16 HOWARD AND DIANE IN MISSISSIPPI, AND JOYCE IN KENYA REQUESTED 07:19 THAT NEW SONG. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 07:22 AT THIS TIME, LET'S BOW OUR HEADS FOR PRAYER. 07:26 FATHER IN HEAVEN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING US HERE TODAY 07:29 TO STUDY YOUR WORD. AND I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD BLESS 07:32 US WITH YOUR SPIRIT, THAT YOU WOULD FILL THIS PLACE, THAT YOU 07:36 WOULD BE WITH EACH PERSON HERE AND THOSE AROUND THE WORLD THAT 07:40 ARE JOINING US. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EACH 07:43 PERSON AND I JUST PRAY THAT YOU WILL HELP US TO BE FAITHFUL SO 07:48 THAT ONE DAY WE CAN MEET TOGETHER ON THE STREETS OF GOLD 07:52 IN HEAVEN AND HAVE ANOTHER CENTRAL STUDY HOUR WITH YOU. 07:57 WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LOVING US, FOR DYING FOR US, AND FOR 08:01 GIVING US THE HOPE THAT ONE DAY VERY SOON YOU'RE GOING TO COME 08:03 BACK AND TAKE US HOME TO HEAVEN. BE WITH PASTOR DOUG AS HE BRINGS 08:08 US THE LESSON STUDY. IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN. AT THIS TIME OUR 08:13 LESSON STUDY IS GOING TO BE BROUGHT TO US BY OUR 08:15 SENIOR PASTOR HERE AT SACRAMENTO CENTRAL SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST 08:18 CHURCH, PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR. 08:22 >>SENIOR PASTOR. THAT NEVER SOUNDS RIGHT. 08:29 HELLO EVERYONE. HAPPY SABBATH. HOW ARE YOU DOING? 08:33 I WANT TO WELCOME THOSE WHO ARE HERE AT CENTRAL CHURCH. 08:35 I KNOW SOME OF OUR REGULARS ARE AT CAMP MEETING THIS WEEKEND, 08:38 BUT WE KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS THAT ARE TUNING IN AND 08:41 WATCHING THROUGH SATELLITE AND THROUGH THE INTERNET. 08:44 AND WE WANT TO WELCOME OUR EXTENDED CLASS AND OUR OTHER 08:47 REGULAR MEMBERS. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF CENTRAL 08:51 MEMBERS - SORT OF ONLINE MEMBERS - THAT ARE SCATTERED AROUND THE 08:54 WORLD AND MAYBE SOME OF YOU WHO ARE WATCHING ARE IN THAT 08:57 CATEGORY, WHERE YOU HAVE NO LOCAL CHURCH YOU CAN ATTEND, BUT 09:01 YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW, 'IS THERE A WAY FOR ME TO CONNECT WITH YOUR 09:04 CHURCH IN SOME WAY?' VIA THE INTERNET OR SATELLITE 09:08 WE'VE GOT SOMETHING SORT OF WORKED OUT TO TRY AND MENTOR AND 09:11 NURTURE PEOPLE THAT WAY. IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT 09:14 BEING AN ONLINE MEMBER OF SACRAMENTO CENTRAL, JUST GO TO 09:18 'SACCENTRAL.ORG' - THAT SHOULD APPEAR ON YOUR SCREEN THERE - 09:22 AND WE'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT IT. 09:24 ALSO, FOR OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE WATCHING, WE TYPICALLY HAVE A 09:27 FREE OFFER THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE LESSON. 09:29 NOW THIS IS WHAT WE CALL A 'PREMIUM FREE OFFER' BECAUSE 09:32 IT'S A FULL-SIZE BOOK AND FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE - OUR 09:36 LESSON TODAY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REVIVAL AND REFORMATION AND 09:39 UNITY IN THE CHURCH, IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S A BOOK 09:42 WRITTEN BY YOURS TRULY CALLED 'HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN 09:46 CHURCH' AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A FREE COPY OF THIS - 'HOW TO 09:50 SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN CHURCH' - JUST CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR 09:53 SCREEN - 866-STUDY-MORE - THAT'S 866-788-3966 AND WHEN YOU DO, 10:00 ASK FOR OFFER #787 AND WE'LL SEND THAT TO YOU JUST FOR ASKING 10:05 - WITH THE PROMISE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO READ IT AND THEN 10:08 HOPEFULLY PASS IT ON - SHARE IT. 10:10 WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT. AMEN? 10:13 YOU KNOW, IN A MOMENT WE'LL GET TO OUR LESSON, BUT BEFORE WE DO, 10:17 SOMETIMES DURING SABBATH SCHOOL WE HAVE A LITTLE MISSION REPORT 10:20 FOR OUR FRIENDS WHO ARE WATCHING AROUND THE COUNTRY AND OTHER 10:25 PARTS OF THE GLOBE AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT TODAY. 10:28 WE WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONE OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS FROM 10:33 SACRAMENTO CENTRAL THAT JOINED GOD'S FAMILY HERE - TAMMY 10:37 STEENSON, COME ON UP. YOU'VE GOT A MICROPHONE? GOOD. 10:40 AND I'LL LET YOU STAND ON MY RIGHT HAND HERE BECAUSE IT'S THE 10:44 GOATS THAT ARE ON THE LEFT AND - YOU CAN BE A SHEEP. 10:50 ACTUALLY, MY LEFT EAR IS NOT AS GOOD AS MY RIGHT. 10:53 BUT TAMMY JOINED THE FAMILY HERE - MATTER OF FACT, I DON'T WANT 10:57 TO TELL THE STORY, I'LL LET YOU TELL A LITTLE BIT. 10:59 YOU'RE A SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST - NOW HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? 11:01 >>I AM. I AM. 11:02 >>HOLD YOUR MIC UP REAL HIGH. >>I ACTUALLY BEGAN HERE AT 11:05 SACRAMENTO CENTRAL CHURCH IN THE YEAR 2004. 11:08 I ACTUALLY HAD A KNOCK ON MY DOOR FROM SOME AFCOE STUDENTS 11:12 AND THEY INVITED ME TO AN EVANGELISTIC SERIES THAT WAS 11:16 STATIONED HERE WITH BRIAN MCMAHON AND I CAME THROUGH THAT 11:20 SERIES AND I WAS BAPTIZED THAT FALL AND THEN, AFTER THAT I 11:26 SERVED HERE FAITHFULLY IN THE CHURCH AND I WAS ENCOURAGED TO 11:29 GO TO AFCOE AND EVENTUALLY DID THAT AND THEN RIGHT AFTER AFCOE 11:34 I GRADUATED AND DID SOME BIBLE WORK HERE. 11:36 >>NOW, WHEN YOU JOINED YOU WEREN'T ALONE. 11:38 >>I WASN'T ALONE, NO. I WAS WITH MY HUSBAND AND MY 11:41 FAMILY, YEAH, DAVID STEENSON. HE WAS BAPTIZED ABOUT A YEAR 11:46 AFTER I CAME INTO THE CHURCH HERE. 11:49 >>NOW WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE YOU HEARD THE KNOCK ON 11:52 YOUR DOOR AND WERE INVITED TO THE EVANGELISTIC PROGRAMS? 11:55 >>I WAS A MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH. 11:57 >>OKAY, THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I USED TO GO TO 12:00 THE AOG CHURCH BEFORE I WAS AN ADVENTIST TOO, SO... 12:03 >>OKAY, YEAH. IT IS REALLY DIFFERENT. 12:04 >>DID IT TAKE AWHILE TO GET USED TO THE DIFFERENCE IN 12:06 THE WORSHIP SERVICES? >>IT DID TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO 12:08 GET USED TO THE WORSHIP SERVICES BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOUR HEART 12:11 IS SOLD OUT FOR GOD AND YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST IS STRONG, 12:15 YOU'LL BE OBEDIENT TO HIS CALL. >>AND WHEN PASTOR MCMAHON WENT 12:18 THROUGH THE TEACHINGS, THE TRUTH'S PRETTY CONVINCING. 12:21 >>WELL IT IS STRAIGHT FROM THE WORD OF GOD. 12:24 >>YEAH. >>AND NOWHERE ELSE. 12:26 >>AND SO YOU - YOU SORT OF - YOU BECAME WELL-ACQUAINTED WITH 12:29 AFCOE. NOT ONLY DID AFCOE STUDENTS 12:31 INVITE YOU, THEN YOU BECAME AN AFCOE STUDENT. 12:33 >>YES, I BECAME AN AFCOE STUDENT AND THEN AFTER I GRADUATED I GOT 12:37 TO WORK FOR SACRAMENTO CENTRAL CHURCH AS A BIBLE WORKER AND 12:41 THEN ALSO THERE WAS A CHURCH PLANT - A CHURCH PLANT IN THE 12:45 GRANITE BAY AREA AND WE GOT TO BE A PART OF THE BEGINNINGS OF 12:48 THAT WHEN IT WAS JUST A LITTLE GROUP OF TWELVE. 12:50 NOW IT'S WHAT? ABOUT 250, 300 PEOPLE. 12:53 >>300 PEOPLE AT LEAST - EVERY WEEK. 12:55 >>YEAH, SO IT'S GROWN QUITE SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE YEARS. 12:58 AND THEN I EVEN WENT INTO BEING AN INSTRUCTOR AT AFCOE. 13:02 >>YEAH, SO TAMMY JUST WENT FROM HEARING THE MESSAGE - I MEAN, 13:07 SHE RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY AND GOT INVOLVED IN SHARING IT, 13:12 HELPED US PLANT A CHURCH, AND THEN WHILE YOU WERE ENGAGED IN 13:16 DOING THAT THE LORD STARTED TO SPEAK TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 13:20 ABOUT A BIG STEP. >>YEAH, A BIG STEP. YEAH. 13:23 IN 2010 I HAD COME INTO THE AFCOE PROGRAM AS AN INSTRUCTOR 13:29 AND I WAS ASKED TO START TAKING SOME STUDENTS DOWN THERE EVERY 13:32 FOUR MONTHS AND WE DECIDED TO GO TO - MEXICO WAS THE DESTINATION 13:37 - AND THEN GOD LANDED ME IN A LITTLE VILLAGE CALLED MAZUMIAPAN 13:41 AND EVERY TIME I WENT DOWN THERE MY HEART JUST GREW FONDER AND 13:44 FONDER AND I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS CALLING TO HELP HIS 13:49 PEOPLE THERE, YEAH. >>SO YOU MADE A BIG DECISION? 13:52 >>WE DID. WE SOLD OUR HOME OF 22 YEARS. 13:55 WE RAISED OUR CHILDREN IN THAT HOME. WE PACKED IT ALL UP AND 13:59 PUT IT IN THE BACK OF A DODGE RAM. 14:01 >>AND YOU - AND DAVE QUIT HIS JOB? 14:03 >>HE QUIT HIS JOB, YEAH. HE QUIT HIS JOB. 14:05 WE BOTH CAME INTO AGREEMENT THROUGH PRAYER AND MUCH SEEKING 14:10 THE LORD AND SEEING WHAT HE WANTED TO DO AND WE JUST SAW THE 14:13 DOORS OPENING AND WE - OUR HEARTS WERE JUST THERE WANTING 14:19 TO SERVE AND HELP THE SUFFERING AND PAIN THAT'S GOING ON. 14:21 >>TELL US, BRIEFLY, NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN AT YOUR MISSION 14:25 STATION THERE IN MEXICO? >>WE ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSING ON 14:29 HEALTH AND EDUCATION BUT, OF COURSE, WE ARE HAND IN HAND 14:32 WITH THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. EVERYTHING THAT WE DO DOWN THERE 14:35 WE'RE SHARING CHRIST AS WELL AS THE PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH WITH 14:39 THE PEOPLE DOWN THERE. >>AMEN. 14:41 >>WE'RE DOING BIBLE STUDIES. WE'RE DOING HEALTH CLASSES AND 14:44 HEALTH FAIRS AND COOKING CLASSES AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT 14:48 THINGS DOWN THERE. >>HAVE YOU SEEN SOME LIVES 14:51 CHANGED AND SOME FRUIT OF YOUR LABOR? 14:53 >>YES. YES. IT'S EXCITING. 14:54 WE - ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE STORIES THAT COMES TO MY MIND 14:56 QUICKEST IS WE WERE GOING TO - WE WERE IMPRESSED TO GO INTO THE 14:59 PUBLIC SCHOOL THERE TO DO SOME HEALTH - A HEALTH PROGRAM - AND 15:03 WE WENT TO VISIT THE DIRECTOR OF THAT SCHOOL AND WHEN WE CAME 15:08 INTO HIS HOME AND SAT DOWN AND DISCUSSED WHAT WE HAD PLANNED, 15:11 HE LOOKED AT US IN SURPRISE AND SAID, 'YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS 15:14 BUT NEXT WEEK WE'RE HAVING OUR HEALTH WEEK AND WE DIDN'T KNOW 15:17 WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO BUT WE'RE GOING TO INVITE YOU TO 15:19 COME AND DO THE HEALTH PROGRAM. >>AMEN. 15:21 >>AND SO WE CAME IN, WE DID A FOUR-DAY HEALTH PROGRAM THERE, 15:24 THE KIDS LOVED IT. THE PRINCIPAL LOVED IT. 15:26 HE DECIDED TO GET JUNK FOOD OUT OF THE SCHOOL AND - THIS WAS THE 15:31 BIGGEST BLESSING - JUST BEFORE I ARRIVED HERE IN THE STATES, 15:34 THERE WAS AN EVANGELISTIC SERIES AND WE SAW HIM THERE. 15:38 >>OH, PRAISE THE LORD! THAT'S EXCITING. 15:41 >>VERY EXCITING. >>SO NEAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING. 15:42 SO I JUST - I REALLY WAS EXCITED TO SEE TAMMY HERE TODAY AND 15:45 WANTED HER TO SHARE HER STORY BECAUSE I THINK THAT SHE AND 15:48 DAVE ARE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF EXHIBIT A OF SOMEONE WHO THEY 15:52 HEARD THE MESSAGE, THEY RESPONDED TO THE MESSAGE, THEY 15:55 STARTED TO SHARE THE MESSAGE AND THEN THEY WENT ALL THE WAY AND 15:59 SOLD EVERYTHING AND WENT AND DID MISSION WORK. 16:01 DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE LORD LED YOU AND THAT WAS WHAT? 16:03 >>ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. 16:05 HE CALLS US TO LIVE HIS LOVE AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE 16:09 TRYING TO DO. >>AMEN. 16:10 WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH TAMMY. BLESS YOUR HEART. 16:12 I WAS GOING TO SHAKE YOUR HAND. YOU CAN TAKE THE MICROPHONE. 16:16 GOD BLESS. THAT'S EXCITING. 16:18 I LOVE TO HEAR THAT STORY AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THEM AGAIN. 16:22 WELL, FRIENDS, I WANT TO GET INTO OUR LESSON FOR TODAY. 16:25 IT'S GOING TO BE AN EXCITING LESSON. 16:27 LESSON #7 - GOOD BIBLICAL NUMBER. 16:30 IT'S GOING TO BE DEALING WITH - NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REVIVAL 16:33 AND REFORMATION - THIS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO REVIVAL AND IT'S 16:38 TALKING ABOUT 'UNITY: THE BOND OF REVIVAL' - UNITY. 16:42 DO WE NEED UNITY IN OUR CHURCHES? 16:45 AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF VERSES WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT. 16:48 ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE ONES IS JOHN 17, BUT OUR MEMORY VERSE IS 16:52 - IT'S A LONG ONE - IT'S FROM EPHESIANS 4, VERSES 1 THROUGH 3 16:56 - NEW KING JAMES VERSION - EPHESIANS 4:1-3 AND I'LL 17:00 APPRECIATE THOSE OF YOU WHO CAN READ OUT LOUD ALONG WITH ME. 17:03 ARE YOU READY? 17:05 'I, THEREFORE, THE PRISONER OF THE LORD, BESEECH YOU TO WALK 17:11 WORTHY OF THE CALLING WITH WHICH YOU WERE CALLED, WITH ALL 17:15 LOWLINESS AND GENTLENESS, WITH LONGSUFFERING, BEARING WITH ONE 17:20 ANOTHER IN LOVE, ENDEAVORING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN 17:25 THE BOND OF PEACE." ENDEAVORING - SEEKING, TRYING. 17:31 DOES IT TAKE EFFORT TO HAVE UNITY? ANYONE OUT THERE MARRIED? 17:38 DOES IT TAKE EFFORT TO HAVE UNITY? 17:41 IT DOES AND IT'S - SOMETIMES YOU'VE GOT TO SURRENDER WHAT 17:45 YOUR FIRST PREFERENCE MIGHT BE IN PREFERENCE FOR YOUR SPOUSE. 17:50 AND IN ORDER TO HAVE UNITY IN A GROUP, SOMETIMES THERE NEEDS TO 17:53 BE ADJUSTMENTS, SELFLESSNESS. NOW ONE THING I NEED TO SAY 17:59 RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS LESSON - UNITY IS A DANGEROUS 18:03 WORD. UNITY IS A BEAUTIFUL THING BUT 18:10 YOU CAN HAVE UNITY IN THE WRONG CAUSE. IN THE LAST DAYS, YOU'RE 18:18 GOING TO HEAR MESSAGES ABOUT UNITY THAT WILL BE COMING FROM 18:23 THOSE WHO HAVE THE SEAL OF GOD AND YOU WILL BE HEARING MESSAGES 18:27 ABOUT UNITY FROM THOSE WHO HAVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST. 18:31 BECAUSE IT SAYS, 'ALL RICH AND POOR, FREE AND SLAVE, AND 18:38 EVERYTHING' - YEAH, I GOT THAT MIXED UP. 18:42 BUT EVERYBODY - THEY'RE ALL GOING TO BE FORMING A 18:45 CONFEDERACY BASED ON FALSE TEACHINGS AND IF YOU BELIEVE THE 18:52 TRUTH, SOMETIME YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR SOMEONE SAY, 'LOOK, WHY DO 18:55 YOU HAVE TO BE SO STUBBORN ABOUT YOUR DOCTRINES. 18:57 YOU KNOW, IN THE NAME OF UNITY JUST MAKE SOME COMPROMISES 19:02 WITH YOUR CONVICTIONS AND WE CAN ALL GET ALONG.' 19:05 SHOULD WE EVER COMPROMISE TRUTH TO OBTAIN UNITY? NO. SO WHEN WE 19:10 TALK ABOUT UNITY, YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ME TALK 19:13 ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY. I'M TALKING ABOUT UNITY IN THE 19:16 CONTEXT OF THOSE WHO HAVE FIRST DECIDED THEY'RE NOT GOING TO 19:19 SACRIFICE ANY PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH. 19:22 SO ONCE WE BELIEVE THE TRUTH AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO THE TRUTH, 19:25 THEN WE CAN BE WELDED TOGETHER ON WHAT UNITY IS. 19:29 SO IN OUR LESSON WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF THINGS WE'RE GOING TO 19:32 BE CONSIDERING AND - FIRST OF ALL, LET ME MENTION - I'VE GOT A 19:39 LOT MORE THAN I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO COVER IN OUR STUDY TODAY 19:43 AND SO, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IS I'M POSTING MY LESSONS, WHICH 19:46 HAS SOME OF WHAT'S IN THE SABBATH SCHOOL 19:48 LESSON AND SOME OF MY OWN VISIONS AND HALLUCINATIONS, 19:52 ILLUSTRATIONS AND VERSES AND SO WE'LL POST THOSE AT THE 19:56 SAC CENTRAL WEBSITE. IT MAY ALSO BE AVAILABLE AT THE 19:59 AMAZING FACTS WEBSITE SO I'LL - JUST WANT TO SAY THAT BECAUSE 20:02 I'VE GOT MORE THERE. TURN IN YOUR BIBLES FIRST TO 20:05 JOHN CHAPTER 17. THIS IS THE LONGEST PRAYER OF JESUS 20:09 THAT YOU FIND IN THE BIBLE. IT'S ONE OF THE LONGEST PRAYERS 20:12 IN THE BIBLE, ACTUALLY, AND IT'S HIS PRAYER TO THE FATHER AND ONE 20:18 OF THE CENTRAL THEMES OF THIS PRAYER IS DEALING WITH UNITY. 20:22 NOW, GO WITH ME TO, FOR INSTANCE, JOHN 17, VERSE 9 - 20:27 JOHN 17, VERSE 9 - AND HE SAYS HERE, "I PRAY FOR THEM. 20:34 I DO NOT PRAY FOR THE WORLD BUT FOR THOSE WHOM YOU HAVE GIVEN 20:37 ME, FOR THEY ARE YOURS. AND ALL MINE ARE YOURS, AND 20:40 YOURS ARE MINE, AND I AM GLORIFIED IN THEM. 20:43 NOW I AM NO LONGER IN THE WORLD, BUT THESE ARE IN THE WORLD, AND 20:47 I COME TO YOU. HOLY FATHER, KEEP THROUGH YOUR 20:50 NAME THOSE WHOM YOU HAVE GIVEN ME," - HERE'S WHY - "THAT THEY 20:54 MAY BE ONE AS WE ARE." THAT'S A TALL ORDER. 21:00 WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF ANALOGY OR WHAT KIND OF 21:03 STANDARD YOU MIGHT SET FOR ONENESS AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE, WHAT 21:08 COULD POSSIBLY BE HIGHER THAN TO SAY, 'WE'D LIKE THE KIND OF 21:11 ONENESS THAT JESUS AND THE FATHER HAVE.' SOMEBODY PLEASE 21:15 TELL ME ANY UNITY THAT WOULD BE TIGHTER THAN THAT. 21:19 IS THERE ANY STANDARD FOR UNITY HIGHER THAN THE STANDARD OF THE 21:24 UNITY THAT EXISTS BETWEEN GOD THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON. 21:28 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE.' 21:32 AND THAT ONENESS DOESN'T MEAN NUMERICAL QUANTITY, IT'S TALKING 21:36 ABOUT GOD IS ONE. GOD IS A UNITED GOD. 21:40 AND JESUS SAID, OF COURSE, MAN'LL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND 21:44 MOTHER AND CLEAVE UNTO HIS WIFE AND THOSE TWO BECOME ONE. 21:49 SO JESUS COMPARES THE UNITY THAT WE'RE TO HAVE BETWEEN THE UNITY 21:54 OF HE AND HIS FATHER - IT'S OFTEN COMPARED EVEN TO THE UNITY 21:57 OF A MARRIAGE. IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE MARRIAGE 21:59 SUPPER OF THE LAMB. CHRIST WANTS YOU TO BE UNITED 22:02 WITH HIS CHURCH AND WITH EACH OTHER. 22:07 THEN YOU GO TO JOHN 17 AND READ VERSE 20, "I DO NOT PRAY FOR 22:12 THESE ALONE, BUT ALSO FOR THOSE WHO WILL BELIEVE IN ME THROUGH 22:16 THEIR WORD;" PARK RIGHT THERE FOR JUST A MOMENT. 22:19 YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED, 'DID JESUS PRAY FOR 22:21 ME?' HE DOES HERE IN THIS VERSE. DID YOU CATCH THAT? 22:24 HE SAYS, 'I'M NOT ONLY PRAYING FOR THE APOSTLES, I'M PRAYING 22:28 FOR THE ONES WHO WILL BELIEVE ON ME THROUGH THEIR WORD.' 22:31 ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE WHO IS BELIEVING BECAUSE OF THE WORD OF 22:34 THE APOSTLES? JESUS SAYS, 'I'M PRAYING FOR YOU.' 22:38 SO THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER. 22:41 DOES GOD ANSWER THE PRAYERS OF JESUS? 22:45 SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? JESUS PRAYED FOR YOU. 22:48 "THAT THEY MAY BE ONE...THAT THE WORLD MIGHT BELIEVE THAT YOU 22:54 SENT ME." ONE OF THE - WHAT IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT THE WORLD 22:57 BELIEVES THAT CHRIST WAS SENT? OUR UNITY. 23:01 'ALL WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES BY YOUR LOVE FOR ONE 23:04 ANOTHER.' AND I'M READING - LET ME READ IN 23:07 VERSE 22 "AND THE GLORY WHICH YOU GAVE ME I HAVE GIVEN THEM, 23:10 THAT THEY MAY BE ONE JUST AS WE ARE ONE." - THERE YOU HAVE IT 23:14 AGAIN - "I IN THEM, AND YOU IN ME; THAT THEY MAY BE MADE 23:17 PERFECT IN ONE, - ARE WE PERFECT IF WE'RE NOT ONE? 23:21 THAT'S THE SEAL OF PERFECTION - "THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW THAT 23:26 YOU HAVE SENT ME, AND HAVE LOVED THEM AS YOU HAVE LOVED ME." 23:29 ALRIGHT, SOMEBODY LOOK UP FOR ME ROMANS 12:10 AND SOMEONE ELSE 23:32 HAS 1 JOHN 3:14. I'VE GOT ONE HAND BACK HERE FOR 23:36 AL AND YOU JUST WAIT - AND OVER HERE WE'LL GET JAN A MICROPHONE. 23:40 WE'RE NOT READY FOR YOU, WE JUST WANT TO GET YOU READY. 23:43 ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO READ EPHESIANS 4:5-6. 23:46 THE BIBLE TELLS US THERE IS "ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, 23:52 ONE GOD" - NOTICE HERE - ONE, ONE, ONE, ONE - GOT FOUR ONES - 23:58 "ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, 24:01 AND IN YOU ALL." SO WAS IT EVER GOD'S PLAN? 24:06 IF JESUS SAID, 'ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES 24:10 BY YOUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER' DID THE DEVIL HEAR THAT? 24:15 SURE, IT'S WRITTEN DOWN. THE DEVIL CAN READ. 24:18 SO IF ALL THE WORLD IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE 24:21 TRUTH BY OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, THEN WHAT WOULD THE 24:25 OPPOSITE OF THAT BE? IF ALL THE WORLD IS SUPPOSED TO 24:28 KNOW WHO CHRISTIANS ARE BECAUSE OF OUR UNITY AND COHESIVENESS, 24:32 THEN IT WOULD SEEM TO ME THE WAY TO GET THE WORLD NOT TO BELIEVE 24:37 IS THROUGH OUR DIVISION. NOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? 24:40 DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY THAT A DIFFERENT WAY? 24:41 IF JESUS SAID EVERYONE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT WE'RE HIS 24:45 CHILDREN BY OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, THE DEVIL HEARING THAT, 24:49 HE WANTS TO NEUTRALIZE OUR POWER. 24:51 PEOPLE WILL NOT BELIEVE BY OUR INCONSISTENCY AND OUR BEING 24:56 DIVIDED. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PROOF THAT 24:58 CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE IS THERE IS NO RELIGION MORE DIVIDED. 25:04 THE DEVIL HAS - THERE'S NO RELIGION IN THE WORLD THE DEVIL 25:06 HAS WORKED ON THAT HAS BEEN MORE DIVIDED. 25:10 YOU'VE GOT A FEW FRAGMENTS OF ISLAM - THERE MIGHT BE THREE OR 25:13 FOUR - TWO MAIN ONES. AND YOU MIGHT HAVE A FEW 25:17 FRAGMENTS OF BUDDHISM AND YOU MIGHT HAVE A FEW FRAGMENTS 25:21 WITHIN JUDAISM, BUT THERE ARE NO - THERE'S NO RELIGION MORE 25:25 FRAGMENTED THAN CHRISTIANITY. CHRISTIANITY IS A THOUSAND TIMES 25:29 MORE FRAGMENTED. WHY? 25:32 WHY WOULD THE DEVIL WORK SO HARD TO FRAGMENT IT? 25:35 HOW MANY DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS ARE THERE THAT CALL THEMSELVES 25:37 CHRISTIAN? YOU CAN'T KEEP UP WITH IT. 25:41 THERE ARE SO MANY NAMES THAT SOUND LIKE OTHER NAMES BUT 25:45 THERE'S LITTLE NUANCES THAT ARE DIFFERENT AND THEY'VE GOT ALL 25:47 THESE NAMES COPYRIGHTED AND EVERY TIME THEY HAVE A SPLIT IN 25:49 THE CHURCH THEY FORM A NEW DENOMINATION AND THEY JUST 25:53 CHANGE THE NAME A LITTLE BIT. THE DEVIL HAS SOUGHT TO DIVIDE 25:57 THE CHURCH BECAUSE IT NEUTRALIZES THE WITNESS OF 26:02 GOD'S PEOPLE. ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD. AL, I THINK YOU'RE NEXT. 26:05 WHY DON'T YOU READ FOR US ROMANS 12, VERSE 10? 26:08 >>"BE KINDLY AFFECTIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER WITH BROTHERLY LOVE, IN 26:12 HONOR GIVING PREFERENCE TO ONE ANOTHER." 26:15 >>SO ONE OF THE KEYS FOR OUR HAVING UNITY IS TO BE KIND. 26:18 JUST PLAIN OLD KINDNESS. 'KINDLY AFFECTIONED ONE TO 26:21 ANOTHER IN BROTHERLY LOVE GIVING PREFERENCE.' 26:26 IF YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, AN ARGUMENT ABOUT ONE PERSON HAVING 26:28 THEIR WAY OR ANOTHER PERSON HAVING THEIR WAY, IF IT DOESN'T 26:30 MEAN SACRIFICING THE DOCTRINE, GIVE PREFERENCE AND YOU'LL FIND 26:35 THAT IT BRINGS A LOT OF UNITY WHEN YOU PUT OTHERS FIRST. 26:39 LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER VERSE - AND THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL VERSE ON 26:42 UNITY - PSALM 133, VERSE 1. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS ONE WAS 26:46 WRITTEN BY KING DAVID OR NOT, "BEHOLD, HOW GOOD AND HOW 26:50 PLEASANT IT IS FOR BRETHREN TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY. 26:54 IT IS LIKE THE PRECIOUS OIL UPON THE HEAD, RUNNING DOWN ON THE 26:58 BEARD, THE BEARD OF AARON, RUNNING DOWN ON THE EDGE OF HIS 27:01 GARMENTS. IT IS LIKE THE DEW OF HERMON, 27:04 DESCENDING UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ZION; FOR THERE THE LORD 27:07 COMMANDED THE BLESSING - LIFE FOREVERMORE." 27:10 NOW WHAT DOES HE SAY THAT THE UNITY IS LIKE? 27:13 VERSE 2, "IT IS LIKE THE PRECIOUS OIL" - WHAT DOES OIL 27:17 SYMBOLIZE? HOLY SPIRIT - "RUNNING DOWN ON 27:22 THE BEARD OF AARON." - BEARD WAS THE PRIEST - THE 27:24 INTERCESSOR - "RUNNING DOWN ON THE EDGE OF HIS GARMENTS...LIKE 27:29 THE DEW" - WHAT IS DEW MADE OUT OF? WATER, RIGHT? 27:35 IT'S LIKE SHOWERS OF THE SPIRIT AND THE OIL OF THE SPIRIT. 27:39 AND SO WHAT IS IT THAT BRINGS THIS UNITY? 27:41 THESE ANALOGIES HERE - IT'S THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT 27:45 UNITY WILL COME INTO THE CHURCH GIVING US LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER. 27:49 ALRIGHT JAN, I THINK YOU WERE NEXT, YOU WERE GOING TO READ 1 27:52 JOHN 3 - IS IT 14 AND 15? >>YES. "WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE 27:56 PASSED FROM DEATH TO LIFE; BECAUSE WE LOVE THE BRETHREN. 28:00 HE WHO DOES NOT LOVE HIS BROTHER ABIDES IN DEATH. 28:04 WHOEVER HATES HIS BROTHER IS A MURDERER, AND YOU KNOW THAT NO 28:08 MURDERER HAS ETERNAL LIFE ABIDING IN HIM." 28:13 >>NOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE IN THAT THERE'S NOT ONLY 28:16 THE LETTER OF THE LAW, THERE'S THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW AND WHILE 28:19 YOU MAY NOT LITERALLY COMMIT ADULTERY, JESUS MADE IT CLEAR A 28:22 PERSON CAN COMMIT ADULTERY IN THEIR HEART BY LOOKING AT THE 28:26 OPPOSITE SEX AND LUSTING. AND YOU MAY NEVER THINK ABOUT 28:31 COMMITTING HOMICIDE, BUT A PERSON CAN COMMIT MURDER BY 28:35 HATING HIS BROTHER IN HIS HEART. JESUS SAID THAT - JOHN REPEATS 28:38 IT HERE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE GOT 28:41 TO HAVE IS LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER FOR US TO HAVE THE KIND OF UNITY 28:45 THAT JESUS PRAYED THAT WE WOULD HAVE. HE GIVES US 28:49 SOME ANALOGIES IN THE BIBLE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND UNITY 28:54 AND ONE OF THESE ANALOGIES, HE COMPARES IT TO A BODY. 28:58 MATTER OF FACT, THERE'S SEVERAL VERSES THAT TALK ABOUT THIS. 29:00 1 CORINTHIANS, 12, VERSE 12, "FOR AS THE BODY IS ONE AND HAS 29:04 MANY MEMBERS, BUT ALL THE MEMBERS OF THAT ONE BODY, BEING 29:07 MANY, ARE ONE BODY, SO ALSO IS CHRIST. 29:11 FOR BY ONE SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY - WHETHER 29:15 JEWS OR GREEKS, WHETHER SLAVES OR FREE - AND HAVE ALL BEEN MADE 29:20 TO DRINK INTO ONE SPIRIT. FOR IN FACT THE BODY IS NOT ONE 29:23 MEMBER BUT MANY." YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO, I GREW UP DURING THAT 29:28 GENERATION THAT YOU HAD A STOMACHACHE, JUST TO PLAY 29:31 IT SAFE YOU HAVE YOUR APPENDIX OUT. 29:34 MY BROTHER HAD HIS REMOVED AND THAT WAS BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN 29:37 THEY SORT OF OPENED YOU UP BOW TO STERN TO DO THAT. 29:41 AND IF YOU HAD A SORE THROAT WELL, YOU MUST HAVE BAD TONSILS. 29:44 IF YOU HAVE TONSILLITIS JUST YANK 'EM OUT. BECAUSE 29:47 'YOU KNOW, AFTER ALL THEY'RE JUST SORT OF EVOLUTIONARY 29:49 VESTIGIAL REMNANTS OF SOMETHING AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DO 29:52 ANYMORE SO YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED 'EM.' 29:55 AND NOW THEY'VE COME TO DISCOVER THERE IS ACTUALLY A PURPOSE FOR 29:59 THE TONSILS AND THE APPENDIX. THEY'RE NOT JUST VESTIGIAL 30:03 REMNANTS AND SOME OF US MIGHT THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE 30:07 SOME MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AND THEY'RE IMPORTANT. 30:10 THEY'RE THE BRAIN AND THE EYES AND THE EARS AND THE MOUTH - AND 30:14 THE REST OF US ARE JUST, SORT OF, THE TONSILS. 30:17 BUT THERE ARE NO TONSILS - WELL, NO THERE MAY BE TONSILS BUT 30:21 THERE ARE NO VESTIGIAL REMNANTS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST. 30:25 THERE'S A PURPOSE FOR EVERY MEMBER AND IT'S IMPORTANT AND 30:29 GOD WANTS US ALL TO USE OUR VARIOUS GIFTS. 30:33 SOME PEOPLE THINK, 'WELL, IF I'M GOING TO BE A PART OF CHRIST'S 30:35 BODY I WANT TO BE THE MOUTH AND DO ALL THE TALKING.' 30:38 OR, 'I WANT TO BE THE EYES AND HAVE THE VISION.' 30:39 AND 'I WANT TO BE THE EARS AND HAVE ALL THE HEARING.' 30:42 OR 'I WANT TO BE THE BRAIN AND BE AT ALL THE BOARD MEETINGS.' 30:46 AND - PEOPLE - WHO WANTS TO BE THE TOE? 30:50 ANYONE WANT TO BE THE TOE? BUT IF YOU DON'T THINK A TOE'S 30:54 IMPORTANT JUST OFFER YOURS UP AND FIND OUT. OR HIT IT WITH A 31:01 HAMMER AND SEE WHAT IT DOES TO THE REST OF THE BODY. 31:04 SEE HOW IT SLOWS DOWN THE MOVEMENT OF THE BODY. 31:08 IF YOU GET A BLISTER ON YOUR FOOT - LITTLE THINGS. 31:13 YOU EVER GET AN EYELASH IN YOUR EYE? 31:15 THE WORLD JUST HAS TO STOP UNTIL YOU GET IT OUT. 31:19 AND SO EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY IS IMPORTANT. 31:23 THE PROBLEM IS SOMETIMES SOME OF US DON'T KNOW WHAT WE ARE. 31:27 WE DON'T KNOW WHAT OUR GIFTS ARE. 31:29 BUT HE'S GIVEN GIFTS TO EVERYBODY FOR THE BODY AND SO 31:34 WE'RE SUPPOSED TO USE OUR GIFTS IN THAT CAPACITY. SO THAT'S ONE 31:36 OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS THAT GOD USES. BY THE WAY, 31:40 NOT ONLY ARE YOU A BODY - IT TALKS ABOUT US BEING A MAN. 31:43 I JUST RAN INTO THIS ONE VERSE THAT'S IN JUDGES 20, VERSE 1, 31:49 "SO ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME OUT, FROM DAN TO 31:52 BEERSHEBA," - THAT'S SAYING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH - "AS WELL AS 31:55 FROM THE LAND OF GILEAD," - THAT'S TO THE EAST - "AND THE 31:58 CONGREGATION GATHERED TOGETHER AS ONE MAN BEFORE THE LORD AT 32:01 MIZPAH." THAT MEANS THEY ALL CAME 32:04 TOGETHER WITH A COMMON PURPOSE. IT WAS ACTUALLY TO COME TOGETHER 32:06 FOR BATTLE BUT THEY ALL CAME TOGETHER WITH ONE HEART AND ONE 32:09 SOUL. THAT'S THE WAY THE CHURCH SHOULD 32:11 FEEL, WE'VE ALL GOT A COMMON BATTLE. WE NEED TO 32:13 COME TOGETHER AS ONE BODY - AS ONE MAN - IN THIS FIGHT. 32:17 ANOTHER VERSE ON THAT, ROMANS 12, VERSE 4, "FOR AS WE HAVE 32:22 MANY MEMBERS IN ONE BODY, BUT ALL THE MEMBERS DO NOT HAVE THE 32:25 SAME FUNCTION, SO WE, BEING MANY, ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST, 32:31 AND INDIVIDUALLY MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER. 32:33 HAVING THEN GIFTS DIFFERING ACCORDING TO THE GRACE THAT IS 32:35 GIVEN TO US, LET US USE THEM: IF PROPHECY, LET US PROPHESY IN 32:41 PROPORTION TO OUR FAITH; OR MINISTRY, LET US USE IT IN OUR 32:44 MINISTERING; HE WHO TEACHES, IN TEACHING; HE WHO EXHORTS, IN 32:47 EXHORTATION; HE WHO GIVES, WITH LIBERALITY; HE WHO LEADS, WITH 32:51 DILIGENCE; HE WHO SHOWS MERCY, WITH CHEERFULNESS." 32:54 ALL DIFFERENT - AND, BY THE WAY, THERE REALLY IS NO EXHAUSTIVE 32:59 LIST OF THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE. 33:03 SO WHEN YOU SAY, 'THIS REPRESENTS ALL THE DIFFERENT 33:04 GIFTS' I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY ONE LIST THAT COVERS IT ALL. 33:08 I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT GIFTS THAT WE DON'T 33:11 THINK ABOUT. AND SO YOU MIGHT SAY, 'WELL, MY 33:13 GIFT ISN'T REALLY LISTED.' WELL, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU 33:15 DON'T HAVE A GIFT. WHAT ARE YOU GOOD AT? 33:19 WHAT HAS THE LORD BLESSED YOU WITH? FIND AND PRAY ABOUT 33:21 HOW YOU UTILIZE THAT GIFT IN THE CHURCH. YOU MIGHT HAVE VARYING 33:26 GIFTS OF CONSTRUCTION OR SOME GIFTS OF ART. 33:32 THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT GIFTS THAT GOD GIVES PEOPLE THAT 33:34 MAY NOT BE MENTIONED IN THESE BIBLICAL LISTS. 33:36 PAUL WAS NOT TRYING TO BE EXHAUSTIVE THERE. 33:42 ANOTHER EXAMPLE, NOW THIS IS NOT IN YOUR LESSON BUT I THOUGHT 33:46 I MIGHT THROW IT IN. THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ANALOGY TO 33:49 THE CHURCH THAT YOU CAN FIND WITH A BOAT IN THE BIBLE. 33:53 SEE IF YOU DON'T AGREE. 33:54 1 PETER 3, VERSE 20 - IT'S TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT 33:57 ANALOGIES - ILLUSTRATIONS - OF UNITY. 34:01 IT SAYS IN 1 PETER 3, VERSE 20, "WHO FORMERLY WERE DISOBEDIENT, 34:06 WHEN ONCE THE DIVINE LONGSUFFERING WAITED IN THE DAYS 34:08 OF NOAH, WHILE THE ARK WAS BEING PREPARED," - WAS EVERYBODY SAVED 34:12 IN THE ARK IN NOAH'S DAY? COULD YOU EVER SAY THERE WAS 34:16 ANYONE OUTSIDE THE ARK THAT WAS SAVED? 34:19 ONLY THOSE IN THE ARK WERE SAVED. 34:21 WAS IT DIFFICULT IN THE ARK AT TIMES? BUT WERE THEY TOGETHER? 34:27 I SUPPOSE AFTER THE FIRST 20 DAYS WHEN THE WATER WAS STILL 34:31 COMING DOWN AND THE ANIMALS WERE SEASICK AND MAYBE NOAH AND HIS 34:34 FAMILY WERE SEASICK AND ALL THOSE ANIMALS AND ANYTHING THAT 34:38 WENT ALONG WITH HAVING ALL THOSE ANIMALS TO CARE FOR. 34:41 NOT MANY WINDOWS IN THE ARK - YOU REMEMBER THAT? 34:44 THAT MUST HAVE BEEN KIND OF A NAUSEATING PLACE TO BE. 34:49 AND I BET THERE WERE TIMES WHEN NOAH AND HIS FAMILY THOUGHT, 34:52 'I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE. THEY DON'T APPRECIATE ME.' 34:56 THERE MIGHT HAVE EVEN BEEN SOME ARGUMENTS. 34:59 'ALRIGHT, YOU FEED THE ELEPHANTS. I FED THE ELEPHANTS 35:01 LAST TIME.' HE SAID, 'NO, I CLEANED UP AFTER THE ELEPHANTS. 35:04 YOU FEED...' CAN YOU IMAGINE SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS? 35:08 BUT IS THERE ANY RECORD THAT ANYONE IN THE BOAT JUMPED 35:10 OVERBOARD? AND AS BAD AS IT WAS IN THE 35:14 BOAT, IT WAS WORSE OUTSIDE. AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE LEAVE THE 35:18 CHURCH. YOU KNOW WHY? 35:20 BECAUSE THE ARGUING OR SOMETIMES THEY SAY THERE'S HYPOCRITES OR 35:24 THINGS DON'T SMELL RIGHT. 35:28 IT PROBABLY DIDN'T SMELL RIGHT IN THE ARK EITHER BUT THEY 35:31 NEEDED TO STAY TOGETHER BECAUSE THAT WAS GOD'S VEHICLE OF 35:35 SALVATION AT THE TIME. THE LORD ONLY HAS ONE VEHICLE OF 35:39 SALVATION IN THE WORLD AND IT IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. 35:42 IT IS THE CHURCH. AND AS ROUGH AS IT GETS 35:46 SOMETIMES, IF WE WOULD BE SAVED WE MUST STAY IN THE BOAT, RIGHT? 35:51 OH, I DIDN'T FINISH READING MY VERSE HERE - AS THE 35:56 LONGSUFFERING OF GOD "WAITED IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, WHILE THE ARK 36:00 WAS BEING PREPARED, IN WHICH A FEW, THAT IS, EIGHT SOULS, 36:03 WERE SAVED THROUGH WATER. THERE IS ALSO AN ANTITYPE WHICH 36:06 NOW SAVES US - BAPTISM (NOT THE REMOVAL OF THE FILTH OF THE 36:10 FLESH, BUT THE ANSWER OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE TOWARD GOD), 36:12 THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO HAS GONE INTO 36:15 HEAVEN AND IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, 36:17 ANGELS AND AUTHORITIES AND POWERS HAVING BEEN MADE 36:20 SUBJECT TO HIM." LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER BOAT 36:24 ANALOGY - NOW THIS IS A STRETCH AND I'LL ADMIT IT. 36:27 FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY, 'PASTOR DOUG, HOW'D YOU GET 36:29 THAT?' THERE'S A STORY IN ACTS - DO YOU 36:31 KNOW THE BOOK OF ACTS WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT THE BIRTH OF THE 36:34 CHURCH ENDS TALKING ABOUT A STORM AND A BOAT ON THE WATER? 36:40 QUITE A FEW STORIES TALK ABOUT BOATS AND STORMS. 36:43 DOES JESUS HAVE AT LEAST TWO STORMY BOAT EXPERIENCES? 36:46 ONE HE WALKS TO THE BOAT, REMEMBER? 36:49 HE GETS IN AND THEY FIND THEIR DESTINATION. 36:51 IN ANOTHER ONE HE'S SLEEPING IN THE BOAT AND THEY NEED TO WAKE 36:52 HIM UP. DOES JONAH HAVE A STORMY BOAT 36:55 EXPERIENCE WHERE PEOPLE ARE SAVED? 36:58 AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE BOOK OF ACTS ENDS TELLING THE LAST FEW 37:03 CHAPTERS ABOUT THIS STORMY JOURNEY AND JUST AS THEY'RE 37:07 NEARING THE SHORE OF MALTA - LITTLE ISLAND I'VE BEEN TO OUT 37:11 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. 37:13 SOME OF THE SAILORS - THE BOAT GETS - PART OF THE BOAT IS STUCK 37:17 IN THE SAND AND THE WAVES NOW ARE BEATING THE BACK OF THE BOAT 37:21 AND THEY'RE AFRAID THAT THE BOAT IS GOING TO JUST GET BROKEN TO 37:24 PIECES AND IT ULTIMATELY DOES AND SOME OF THE SAILORS ARE 37:28 WANTING TO ABANDON SHIP EARLY AND IT SAYS HERE - HERE IT IS - 37:34 ACTS 27, VERSE 30 - ACTS 27, VERSE 30, "AND AS THE SAILORS 37:40 WERE SEEKING TO ESCAPE FROM THE SHIP, WHEN THEY HAD LET DOWN THE 37:43 SKIFF" - THAT'S A LITTLE LIFEBOAT THAT THEY KEEP ON THE 37:46 BOAT - "...UNDER PRETENSE OF PUTTING OUT ANCHORS" - THEY 37:50 PRETENDED THEY WERE PUTTING OUT ANCHORS AND THEY'RE HIDING FROM 37:51 THE SOLDIERS THAT ARE GUARDING ALL THESE PRISONERS ON THE BOAT 37:54 - "...PAUL SAID TO THE CENTURION AND THE SOLDIERS, 'UNLESS THESE 37:58 MEN STAY IN THE SHIP, YOU CANNOT BE SAVED.'" 38:02 SO HE SAID 'UNLESS THEY STAY WITH US, WE CANNOT BE SAVED.' 38:07 I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN INTERESTING THING TO SAY - "SO 38:09 THE SOLDIERS CUT AWAY THE ROPES OF THE SKIFF AND LET IT FALL 38:12 OFF." AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE END OF THE STORY IS? 38:16 EVENTUALLY THE BOAT DID COME APART AND EVERYBODY GOT TO SHORE 38:20 AND IT SAYS 'NOT ONE MAN WAS LOST.' 38:22 BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING. 38:24 PAUL INTERCEDED FOR EVERYBODY ON THE BOAT - THAT THEY WOULD BE 38:27 SAVED - BUT HE SAID, 'UNLESS WE STICK TOGETHER UNTIL THE END, 38:30 YOU CANNOT BE SAVED.' NOW MAYBE I'M PULLING TOO MUCH 38:33 OUT OF THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, IF NOTHING ELSE, 38:35 THE POINT STILL IS TRUE THAT THERE MAY COME A DAY WHEN GOD'S 38:42 CHURCH IS NO LONGER ABLE TO FUNCTION AS AN ORGANIZATION IN A 38:46 WORLD THAT IS UNRAVELING. DO WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT? 38:49 I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CAN'T BUY OR SELL AND PEOPLE ARE 38:51 FLEEING TO THE HILLS AND THE PLAGUES ARE FALLING OUT. 38:54 THE DAY IS GOING TO COME WHEN, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT 38:55 GOING TO HAVE BUSINESS CARDS THAT YOU'RE HANDING OUT THAT 38:58 SAYS WHAT CHURCH YOU'RE PART OF AND YOU WON'T HAVE THE ORGANIZED 39:03 STRUCTURE, PER SE, BUT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE WE NEED TO STICK 39:08 TOGETHER. AND HERE'S HOW I DRAW THE LINE - 39:11 WILL THERE EVER COME A DAY WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO JUMP 39:13 SHIP? YEAH, WHEN IT STARTS TO FALL APART. 39:18 WHEN IT FINALLY GOT WHERE YOU JUST COULDN'T STAY IN IT BECAUSE 39:20 THE WAVES WERE BREAKING IT APART, THAT'S WHEN THEY LEFT. 39:25 THERE MAY COME A DAY WHERE YOU ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO PRACTICE 39:28 YOUR CONVICTIONS WITHIN THE CHURCH - YOUR BIBLICAL 39:30 CONVICTIONS. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO. 39:33 NOW THERE ARE VARYING BELIEFS FLOATING AROUND. 39:35 THERE'S SOME - AND I THINK THERE'S APOSTASY IN THE CHURCH, 39:38 YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING? THERE IS APOSTASY IN THE CHURCH. 39:41 I WON'T GIVE YOU MY LIST - I'VE GOT A LIST OF THINGS I WISH 39:44 THEY'D CHANGE. GOOD NEWS IS I AM STILL FREE TO 39:47 PRACTICE MY CONVICTIONS WITHIN THIS CHURCH. 39:50 YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING? SO I'M STAYING. 39:52 AS LONG AS I'M - I MEAN, LIKE THIS - AS LONG AS I'M ALLOWED TO 39:56 FREELY AND PUBLICLY PROCLAIM WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES WITHIN 39:59 THIS CHURCH, PRAISE THE LORD. THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS AND THERE 40:03 ARE PRACTICES THAT I THINK NEED REFORM. 40:06 BUT ISN'T THAT WHY WE'RE STUDYING THIS LESSON? 40:08 REVIVAL AND REFORMATION. THERE'S SOME THINGS I WISH THAT 40:11 WE WOULD REFORM AND SOME AREAS WHERE WE NEED REVIVAL. 40:15 AS LONG AS YOU'RE ABLE TO STILL PRACTICE AND PREACH YOUR 40:18 CONVICTIONS WITHIN THIS BODY, I BELIEVE IT IS SPIRITUAL ISRAEL. 40:25 I'LL GIVE YOU A BIBLE EXAMPLE: WHEN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT 40:28 TO THE BORDERS OF THE PROMISED LAND AND BECAUSE TEN OF THE 40:33 SPIES DID NOT HAVE FAITH - REMEMBER, THEY SENT TWELVE SPIES 40:36 TO LOOK AT THE PROMISED LAND, GETTING READY TO CROSS OVER - 40:40 WANTED TO FIND OUT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE - SPIES WANDERED FOR 40 40:42 DAYS - THEY CAME BACK AND TEN OUT OF TWELVE GAVE A BAD REPORT 40:47 AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT - TWO OF THEM HAD A FAITHFUL REPORT - 40:51 JOSHUA AND CALEB, RIGHT? THIS IS ALL NUMBERS CHAPTER 13 40:54 AND 14 - BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR UNFAITHFULNESS AND BECAUSE THE 40:58 PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE, GOD SAYS, 'ALRIGHT, BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET 41:01 IT RIGHT YOU'RE GOING TO WANDER FOR 40 YEARS.' 41:04 SO GOD SAID TO JOSHUA AND CALEB, 'BUT BECAUSE YOU GUYS BELIEVED, 41:07 YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND CROSS OVER ON YOUR OWN. 41:10 YOU CAN SEPARATE FROM THIS FAITHLESS GROUP AND MOSES AND 41:14 AARON, THEY BELIEVED.' DID GOD SAY THAT OR DID HE SAY, 41:17 'NO, YOU ALL HAVE TO WANDER TOGETHER'? RIGHT? 41:21 WHEN ELIJAH BECAME DISCOURAGED - THEY HAD THIS GREAT REVIVAL ON 41:25 MOUNT CARMEL AND THE FIRE OF GOD CAME DOWN AND THEN LATER THE 41:27 RAIN CAME - WHEN ELIJAH PRAYED SEVEN TIMES. 41:30 AND EVEN AFTER THIS GREAT REVIVAL, JEZEBEL WAS STILL A 41:33 MEMBER OF THE CHURCH - SHE WAS IN THE PALACE. 41:36 SHE SENT A MESSAGE TO ELIJAH AND SAID, 'I'M GOING TO KILL YOU.' 41:39 ELIJAH SAID, 'THAT'S ENOUGH! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! 41:42 THESE PEOPLE ARE CORRUPT. THEY'RE APOSTATE. 41:44 I'M OUT OF HERE.' HE FLED, HE WENT THROUGH THE 41:46 WILDERNESS. GOD HAD PITY ON HIM. 41:49 EVEN THOUGH HE WAS GOING THE WRONG WAY GOD SENT AN ANGEL TO 41:51 FEED HIM. HE GOT TO MOUNT SINAI AND GOD 41:54 SAID, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I DON'T REMEMBER SENDING YOU A 41:56 TEXT MESSAGE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RUN TO MOUNT SINAI.' 41:59 HE SAID, 'OH LORD, I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT. 42:02 THEY'VE SLAIN THE PROPHETS AND THEY DON'T BELIEVE AND I'M THE 42:04 ONLY ONE LEFT AND I LEFT. I'M GETTING OUT OF THAT CHURCH. 42:07 THEY'RE JUST CORRUPT. THEY'RE IN APOSTASY AND I'LL 42:10 JUST HAVE MY OWN CHURCH - YOU AND ME, LORD, HERE AT 42:13 MOUNT SINAI.' AND GOD SAID, 'WELL, FIRST OF 42:16 ALL, I HAVE 7,000 KNEES THAT HAVEN'T BOWED TO BAAL THAT ARE 42:20 STILL BACK IN ISRAEL. AND, YES, THERE IS A NEED FOR 42:23 REVIVAL AND REVIVAL HAD STARTED AND YOU LEFT TOO SOON. 42:27 I'LL TAKE CARE OF JEZEBEL' - AND HE DID, IF YOU KNOW THAT STORY. 42:31 IT DIDN'T END WELL FOR JEZEBEL. THAT RHYMES. BUT GOD SAID, 42:39 'GET BACK IN THERE' AND HE GAVE HIM SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS. 42:42 HE SAID, 'I WANT YOU TO ANOINT ELISHA TO BE PROPHET IN YOUR 42:44 PLACE AND THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEW KING OF SYRIA AND JEHU'S 42:47 GOING TO GET ANOINTED KING AND HE'LL CLEAN HOUSE IN ISRAEL' - 42:49 AND HE TOLD HIM EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. 42:51 HE SAID, 'BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?' 42:54 AND A STILL SMALL VOICE TOLD HIM THAT HE NEEDED TO TURN AROUND 42:57 AND GET BACK IN THERE. I CAN SHOW YOU SEVERAL PLACES IN 43:00 THE BIBLE WHERE THERE WAS APOSTASY AND GOD STILL SAID, 43:04 'UNTIL I TELL YOU OTHERWISE, THESE ARE MY PEOPLE.' 43:08 YOU KNOW WHAT MADE THE JEWS GOD'S PEOPLE? 43:11 PAUL TELLS US, 'UNTO THEM WAS COMMITTED THE ORACLES OF GOD. 43:17 YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE SAMARITAN WOMAN TRIED TO ARGUE WITH JESUS 43:19 AT THE WELL? YOU KNOW, HE POINTED OUT HER SIN 43:23 AND SHE SAID, 'WELL, LET'S CHANGE THE SUBJECT. 43:24 LET'S ARGUE THEOLOGY. WHAT MOUNTAIN SHOULD WE WORSHIP ON? 43:28 SHOULD WE WORSHIP ON MOUNT GERAZIM OR IN JERUSALEM? 43:31 YOU KNOW, SAMARITANS, WE SAY IT'S MOUNT GERAZIM BECAUSE, 43:33 AFTER ALL, MOSES SAID THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO UP MOUNT GERAZIM 43:36 AND PRONOUNCE THE BLESSING. IT MUST BE MOUNT GERAZIM AND 43:40 JESUS SAID, 'LOOK, SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS.' 43:44 THAT'S PRETTY CLEAR, 'SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS.' 43:47 WHEN WE STUDY THE BIBLE YOU'RE READING A JEWISH BOOK. 43:49 'SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS.' WHY? 43:50 BECAUSE THEY NEVER MADE ANY MISTAKES, THE LEADERS NEVER 43:53 DISOBEYED THEOLOGY, THEY NEVER APOSTASIZED - NO, BECAUSE HE HAD 43:57 COMMITTED THE ORACLES OF TRUTH TO THEM. THEY HAD THE WORD 44:01 OF GOD. THEY WERE THE GUARDIANS OF THE WORD. 44:04 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS ARE GOD'S PEOPLE IN THE LAST DAYS. WHY? 44:08 HE HAS COMMITTED TO US THE ORACLES OF TRUTH - NOT ONLY IN 44:11 THE BIBLE, BUT HE'S GIVEN US, ADDITIONALLY, THE SPIRIT OF 44:15 PROPHECY, WHICH I BELIEVE IS INSPIRED. 44:17 AND, BY THE WAY, YOU SHOW ME SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST 44:22 INSTITUTION, CHURCH, PASTOR, PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIFTING INTO 44:26 APOSTASY AND I'LL SHOW YOU A GROUP THAT'S NO LONGER READING 44:29 'SPIRIT OF PROPHECY'. ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION THAT'S 44:32 GOING TO BE A VERY INTERESTING, PIVOTAL DIFFERENCE. 44:36 I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING SACRED THAT GOD GAVE 44:41 ELLEN WHITE - A MESSAGE FOR HIS PEOPLE AND IT HELPS US MAINTAIN 44:45 A COHESIVENESS. AND WHEN WE LOSE THAT, YOU JUST 44:49 WATCH - IT'S NOT VERY LONG BEFORE THOSE PEOPLE END UP 44:52 GRAVITATING, THEY MIGRATE, THEY EVOLVE INTO BEING - THEY'LL TURN 44:56 INTO A SEVENTH DAY PRESBYTERIAN OR JOIN A FIRST DAY CHURCH 44:59 AFTER AWHILE. BUT AS LONG AS WE KNOW WHAT THE 45:04 ORACLES OF TRUTH ARE, WE REMAIN COHESIVE AS A PEOPLE. 45:08 THERE MAY BE APOSTASY IN THE CAMP, BUT GOD WANTS US TO STICK 45:12 TOGETHER AND FIGHT FOR REVIVAL, RIGHT? 45:15 THEY WERE TO SEEK FOR AND FIGHT FOR REVIVAL AND THAT'S THE 45:17 MESSAGE ALL OF THE PROPHETS WERE GIVEN CONTINUALLY. 45:21 AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PROPHETS EVEN NEEDED REVIVAL. 45:23 LOOK AT JONAH. ALRIGHT, LET'S KEEP GOING. 45:26 I'VE JUST BEEN PONTIFICATING HERE. 45:29 SOMEONE READ FOR ME - I'VE GOT SOME VERSES I WANT YOU TO READ - 45:34 SOMEONE READ JOHN CHAPTER 15, VERSE 1 - WHO HAS THAT? 45:38 HOLD YOUR HAND UP - RIGHT UP FRONT HERE. 45:40 AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE CHURCH BEING LIKE A BOAT, IS THE CHURCH 45:46 SOMETIMES LIKE A BUILDING? DO WE SEE UNITY IN THAT ANALOGY? 45:50 1 PETER 2, VERSES 4 AND 5, "COMING TO HIM AS TO A LIVING 45:54 STONE, REJECTED INDEED BY MEN, BUT CHOSEN BY GOD AND PRECIOUS, 45:59 YOU ALSO, AS LIVING STONES, ARE BEING BUILT UP A SPIRITUAL 46:04 HOUSE," - A UNIFIED HOUSE WITH THESE BRICKS INTERLOCKING - "A 46:08 HOLY PRIESTHOOD, TO OFFER UP SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE 46:12 TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST." SO WE'RE ONE IN THAT WE'RE LIKE 46:16 A BODY AND WE'RE ONE IN LIKE A BOAT AND WE'RE ONE IN THAT WE'RE 46:20 LIKE A BUILDING AND HERE'S ANOTHER ONE - WE'RE READY. 46:23 GO AHEAD, MIKE. >>JOHN 15, VERSES 1 AND 2, "I AM 46:27 THE TRUE VINE, AND MY FATHER IS THE VINEDRESSER. 46:31 EVERY BRANCH IN ME THAT DOES NOT BEAR FRUIT HE TAKES AWAY; AND 46:36 EVERY BRANCH THAT BEARS FRUIT HE PRUNES, THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE 46:41 FRUIT." >>SO HERE YOU HAVE ONE BRANCH, 46:45 MANY DIFFERENT VINES GOING OFF OF IT AND MANY CLUSTERS GOING 46:48 OFF OF IT BUT ALL THE SAP IS COMING THROUGH THAT ONE BRANCH. 46:52 SO CHRIST IS THE VINE THROUGH WHICH ALL THE BRANCHES COME AND 46:57 AS SOON AS YOU CUT OFF A GRAFT - A LITTLE BRANCH OFF A GRAPEVINE, 47:05 HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO LAST? IT MIGHT LAST A LITTLE WHILE IF 47:08 YOU KEEP IT IN WATER AND YOU TRY AND GRAFT IT BACK IN, BUT IT 47:11 WON'T LAST LONG IF IT'S SEPARATED. 47:13 HOW LONG DOES A FINGER LAST IF IT'S SEPARATED FROM THE BODY? 47:18 YOU KNOW THEY'RE DOING MORE AND MORE AND GETTING BETTER AND 47:20 BETTER AT REATTACHING LIMBS THAT ARE ACCIDENTALLY AMPUTATED. 47:24 YOU KNOW, IT USED TO BE IF YOU CUT OFF YOUR FINGER AND YOU PUT 47:26 IT BACK ON QUICK ENOUGH AND IT'LL GROW BACK AND IT MIGHT BE 47:29 NUMB BUT YOU STILL GOT IT THERE AND IT'LL STILL WORK - 47:32 IT'LL BE ALIVE. BUT NOW THEY'RE GETTING WHERE 47:34 ONE MAN, I HEARD, HE LOST HIS WHOLE HAND - A LOT OF NERVES - 47:37 AND THEY REATTACHED HIS HAND AND THEY GOT MOST OF THE MAIN NERVES 47:40 CONNECTED AND HE'S ABLE TO MOVE HIS HAND AGAIN. THAT'S PRETTY 47:43 REMARKABLE WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 47:46 BUT HOW LONG WILL THAT HAND LAST SEPARATED FROM THE BODY? 47:50 HOW LONG DO WE LAST WHEN WE SEPARATE FROM THE BODY? 47:54 AFTER PETER WAS LIBERATED FROM PRISON, WHAT'S THE FIRST THING 48:01 HE DID? WHERE DID HE GO? 48:03 HE WENT RIGHT AWAY TO THE HOUSE - THIS IS ACTS CHAPTER 12 - HE 48:06 WENT TO THE HOUSE WHERE THE CHURCH WAS GATHERED. 48:08 AS SOON AS HE WAS SAVED FROM PRISON HE WENT TO WHERE THEY 48:11 WERE GATHERED. DO WE NEED TO STAY TOGETHER? 48:14 YOU KNOW, PART OF BEING ONE IS GATHERING IN ONE PLACE. 48:20 IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF ONE CHURCH - WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT 48:22 WAS POURED OUT WHAT DOES IT SAY THERE IN THE BEGINNING OF ACTS? 48:28 'THEY WERE ALL GATHERED IN ONE PLACE OF ONE ACCORD.' 48:31 BUT NOTICE, NOT ONLY ONE ACCORD, THE HOLY SPIRIT - ONE PLACE. 48:36 JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 18, "WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED 48:40 TOGETHER IN MY NAME, I AM THERE IN THE MIDST OF THEM." 48:43 1 CORINTHIANS 5:4, "IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, WHEN 48:47 YOU ARE GATHERED TOGETHER," - DO WE NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER? 48:51 YOU KNOW, ONE THING I'VE OBSERVED IS THAT SOMETIMES THERE 48:56 ARE MEMBERS WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY SAY, 'YOU KNOW, I 48:58 DON'T GO TO CHURCH ANYMORE. I DON'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT. 49:01 I'M GOING TO - I STILL BELIEVE! I STILL BELIEVE. 49:03 I'M GOING TO READ MY BIBLE. I'LL EVEN DO MY SABBATH SCHOOL 49:05 LESSON BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T GET ALONG WITH SOMEONE THERE' OR 49:09 'IT'S TOO FAR TO DRIVE' OR 'I'M TOO TIRED AT THE END OF THE WEEK 49:12 SO I'M GOING TO DO CHURCH ALONE.' 49:14 HAVE YOU EVER HEARD ANYONE SAY THAT? 'GOD UNDERSTANDS. 49:18 I CAN KEEP THE SABBATH JUST ME AND THE LORD.' 49:21 NOW, IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER ALTERNATIVE, YOU CAN. 49:24 BUT IF YOU'RE ABLE TO GATHER TOGETHER AND YOU DON'T, YOU'RE 49:27 MAKING A MISTAKE BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE END UP BECOMING ECCENTRIC 49:32 SOMEHOW. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN BY ECCENTRIC? 49:35 THEIR BELIEFS START TO GET A LITTLE BIT ODD AND HAVE YOU 49:42 TALKED TO PEOPLE SOMETIMES WHERE THEY'RE JUST WORSHIPING BY 49:44 THEMSELVES AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY'RE COMING UP WITH SOME 49:46 REALLY ZANY IDEAS? YOU NEED OTHER PEOPLE TO KIND OF 49:51 SAND OFF THE ROUGH EDGES AND SPLINTERS. 49:54 WE NEED EACH OTHER TO DEVELOP BALANCE BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE JUST 49:58 KIND OF IN YOUR OWN LITTLE ORBIT OUT THERE ALL THE TIME AND YOU 50:02 THINK THAT WHATEVER YOU DREAM LAST NIGHT IS YOUR NEW THEOLOGY, 50:05 YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU'RE EATING AND HOW 50:07 YOU'RE DREAMING, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ALL KINDS OF CRAZY IDEAS 50:09 AND THOSE PEOPLE JUST GET ECCENTRIC. 50:12 AND YOU NEED TO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY ABOUT WHAT YOU 50:15 BELIEVE AND BOUNCE YOUR IDEAS - I KNOW I'VE COME UP WITH SOME 50:18 REALLY - I THOUGHT THEY WERE VERY CREATIVE IDEAS AND I GOT 50:20 TOGETHER IN A SMALL GROUP AND STARTED TO SHARE AND THEY ALL 50:22 LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND LOOKED AT ME AND THEN, 'DOUG, YOU'RE 50:27 GETTING OUT THERE.' AND I WENT, 'OH YEAH, I GUESS 50:30 YOU'RE RIGHT.' YOU KNOW? 50:31 AND I NEEDED OTHER PEOPLE TO TELL ME THAT. 50:33 AND IT HELPS US HAVE BALANCE IN OUR BELIEFS. GATHER TOGETHER. 50:38 SIX DAYS' WORK SHALL BE DONE BUT THE SEVENTH IS THE SABBATH OF 50:42 REST. IT IS A HOLY CONVOCATION. 50:45 YOU EVER GONE TO A CONVENTION? IT'S A HOLY ASSEMBLY. 50:49 THE SABBATH IS NOT JUST A DAY TO REST, IT'S A DAY TO CONVENE. 50:54 WE ARE TO COME TOGETHER AND WORSHIP HIM. 50:55 HEBREWS 10 AND VERSES 24 AND 25, "AND LET US CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER 51:00 IN ORDER TO STIR UP LOVE AND GOOD WORKS, NOT FORSAKING THE 51:04 ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER AS IS THE MANNER OF SOME," - 51:07 THEY HAD THAT PROBLEM EVEN BACK IN PAUL'S DAY. 51:10 SOME ARE JUST STAYING HOME. 51:12 "NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER" - BY THE 51:16 WAY, WHEN JESUS COMES, DO YOU KNOW HOW WE'RE GOING TO HEAVEN? 51:19 WE'LL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH HIM IN THE CLOUDS. 51:23 SO IF YOU WANT TO BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER, YOU NEED TO START 51:25 GETTING TOGETHER NOW OR YOU MAY BE LEFT BEHIND. 51:29 AND THERE'S A WHOLE SERIES OF BOOKS ABOUT THAT. 51:33 NOT THAT KIND OF LEFT BEHIND - "NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF 51:37 OURSELVES TOGETHER AS THE MANNER OF SOME IS" - NOTICE - "BUT 51:40 EXHORTING ONE ANOTHER," - THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING NOW, TRYING TO 51:43 EXHORT YOU - "AND SO MUCH THE MORE AS YOU SEE THE DAY 51:46 APPROACHING." - WHAT DAY IS HE TALKING ABOUT? THE DAY OF THE 51:49 LORD. NOW PAUL SAID, 'AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING 51:52 2,000 YEARS AGO, DO WE SEE THE DAY APPROACHING NOW? 51:57 LET ME READ ANOTHER VERSE FOR YOU, ACTS 1, VERSE 8, "BUT YOU 52:00 SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU; 52:03 AND YOU SHALL BE WITNESSES TO ME IN JERUSALEM, AND IN ALL JUDEA 52:08 AND SAMARIA, AND TO THE END OF THE EARTH." 52:11 AND SO GOD SAYS THAT PART OF THE WAY THAT WE WITNESS - YOU NOTICE 52:15 HE SAYS, 'YOU COLLECTIVELY ARE TO BE MY WITNESSES. 52:18 WE'RE TO BE SHARING TOGETHER AND GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT THERE. 52:22 AND THEN IT SAYS - ACTS 5, VERSE 42 - "AND DAILY IN THE TEMPLE, 52:26 AND IN EVERY HOUSE, THEY DID NOT CEASE TEACHING AND PREACHING" - 52:30 SEE THE UNITY HERE? THEY'RE GOING FROM HOUSE TO 52:32 HOUSE - THEY BROKE THEIR BREAD AND ATE WITH GLADNESS. 52:37 ACTS 4:32 - NOTICE - "ONE HEART AND ONE SOUL;" - AND THEN NOTICE 52:44 - "AND WITH GREAT POWER THE APOSTLES GAVE WITNESS." 52:46 DO YOU THINK THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN THEIR ONE 52:48 HEART, THEIR ONE SOUL AND THE GREAT WITNESS WITH GREAT POWER? 52:53 AND SO, AS WE HAVE THIS UNITY AND WE'RE COLLECTIVE AND 52:58 TOGETHER, THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOT THE GREATEST POWER. 53:01 NOW, DO WE NEED TO BE ORGANIZED? YOU NOTICE IN ACTS CHAPTER 6, 53:07 VERSE 2 PETER GATHERS THEM TOGETHER. 53:10 HE SAID, 'YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE. 53:11 IT'S NOT MEET THAT WE LEAVE THE WORD OF GOD AND SERVE TABLES AND 53:15 EVERYBODY CAN'T DO EVERYTHING.' THEY HAD TO DELEGATE DIFFERENT 53:19 JOBS FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE. THEY PICKED FOLKS AND CERTAIN 53:24 ONES WERE SELECTED. YOU KNOW I'VE JUST COME THIS 53:28 WEEK FROM SPENDING THREE DAYS BACK IN MARYLAND WITH OTHER 53:33 LEADERS OF THE CHURCH DISCUSSING, IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE 53:36 TALKING ABOUT THE THEOLOGY OF ORDINATION - I THINK MANY OF YOU 53:39 KNOW THERE'S A COMMITTEE WORKING ON THIS NOW FOR TWO YEARS - FOR 53:43 THE NEXT TWO YEARS - WE'VE HAD SOME MEETINGS - BUT IT'S REALLY 53:46 BEEN EDIFYING BECAUSE IT'S FORCED US INTO A VERY DEEP BIBLE 53:49 STUDY IN 'HOW WAS THE EARLY CHURCH ORGANIZED?' 53:52 BECAUSE WE WANT OUR CHURCH TO FOLLOW THE BIBLE PATTERN, RIGHT? 53:56 AND IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT - YOU REMEMBER THE STORY OF MOSES IN 53:59 THE OLD TESTAMENT - HE'S TRYING TO HANDLE IT ALL BY HIMSELF AND 54:02 HIS FATHER-IN-LAW SAID, 'WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING? 54:05 YOU'RE GOING TO WEAR YOURSELF OUT SITTING DOWN JUDGING THESE 54:07 PEOPLE ALL DAY LONG. YOU NEED TO GET SOME HELP. YOU NEED TO 54:09 DELEGATE. YOU NEED TO ORGANIZE.' AND HE DIVIDED IT UP WHERE THEY 54:13 WERE CAPTAINS OF THOUSANDS AND CAPTAINS OF HUNDREDS AND FIFTIES 54:17 AND TENS AND THEY DEVELOPED AN ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM. 54:22 SAME THING FOR THE APOSTLES, THEY - FIRST THE APOSTLES WERE 54:25 TRYING TO DO IT ALL AND THEY SAID, 'LET'S GET SOME DEACONS.' 54:27 AND THEN THE DEACONS GOT BUSY PREACHING AND TEACHING AND THEY 54:29 SAID, 'YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH AND THEN 54:33 THEY COULD APPOINT DEACONS TO DO SOME OF THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, 54:36 SERVICE-ORIENTED THINGS - AND DEACONNESSES THAT WERE DOING 54:39 THOSE THINGS AND SO WE'VE GOT TO GET ORGANIZED.' 54:42 AND I LOVE - I SHOULDN'T SAY 'I LOVE' - IT JUST MAKES ME LAUGH 54:47 WHEN I HEAR PEOPLE SAY, 'WELL, PASTOR DOUG, I'M SPIRITUAL BUT 54:52 I'M NOT RELIGIOUS.' AND 'I BELIEVE IN CHRIST AND THE 54:57 BIBLE BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IN ANY ORGANIZATION. 55:01 I'M NOT PART OF ANY RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION' - AS THOUGH THAT'S 55:03 A DIRTY WORD. 'AN ORGANIZATION IS BAD.' 55:06 IT'S LIKE BIG GOVERNMENT - YOUR ONLY ALTERNATIVE, IF YOU 55:10 ARE NOT PART OF AN ORGANIZATION IS YOU ARE PART OF A 55:13 DISORGANIZATION. THAT'S IT. 55:17 YOU ARE EITHER PART OF GOD'S ORGANIZED WORK IN REACHING THE 55:20 WORLD OR YOU'RE JUST SORT OF OUT THERE AS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE KIND 55:23 OF AN INDEPENDENT RAMBO OR SOMEONE JUST OUT THERE ON YOUR 55:30 OWN TRYING TO DO IT ALL BY YOURSELF. 55:33 YOU'RE A LOT MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN WE WORK AS AN ARMY. 55:36 YOU KNOW, SAMPSON DID IT ALL BY HIMSELF - AND HE HAD 55:39 EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS. BUT HOW DID IT END FOR SAMPSON? 55:43 HE WOULD HAVE ACCOMPLISHED A LOT MORE IF HAD WORKED WITH GOD'S 55:46 PEOPLE AND HIS PARTICULAR GIFTS, BUT HE JUST KEPT GOING ON HIS 55:48 OWN AND GOD WANTS US TO WORK TOGETHER AND BE PART OF A BODY, 55:52 AMEN? TIME IS UP. THERE'S A LOT MORE. IF YOU WANT THE NOTES, 55:55 PLEASE GO TO 'SACCENTRAL.ORG' - WE'LL POST THEM. 55:59 AND DON'T FORGET THE FREE OFFER, 'HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN 56:03 CHURCH'. CALL THE NUMBER ON THE SCREEN 56:05 AND ASK FOR OFFER #787. WE'LL SEND IT TO YOU FOR FREE 56:09 BUT YOU NEED TO READ IT. THAT'S A PROMISE. 56:11 ALRIGHT, GOD BLESS YOU FRIENDS. WE'LL STUDY TOGETHER NEXT WEEK. 56:17 >>IMPACT YOUR WORLD. THE AMAZING FACTS CENTER OF 56:20 EVANGELISM IS THE FIRST AND ORIGINAL BIBLE TRAINING SCHOOL 56:24 OPERATING FOR OVER TEN YEARS. YOU'LL RECEIVE PRACTICAL 56:26 TRAINING IN PERSONAL AND PUBLIC EVANGELISM . 56:29 LEARN HOW TO GIVE DYNAMIC PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS, GIVE COMPELLING 56:32 CHRIST-CENTERED BIBLE STUDIES AND ALL WHILE GAINING A 56:35 PERSONAL, DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF GOD. 56:37 LEARN FROM DOUG BATCHELOR AND OTHER WORLD-CLASS EVANGELISTS. 56:40 >>THE WORLD IS FULL OF BUSY THINGS PEOPLE ARE DOING. 56:43 THERE'S A LOT OF WORK YOU COULD DO - BUILD HOUSES, YOU CAN FIX 56:46 CARS BUT, ULTIMATELY, WHEN JESUS COMES, HOUSES WILL BURN AND CARS 56:50 WILL MELT. THE ONLY WORK THAT IS REALLY 56:53 GOING TO LAST FOREVER IS WHEN HEARTS ARE TRANSFORMED AND THIS 56:56 IS WHY THE WORK OF AFCOE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK IN THE 56:59 WORLD, BECAUSE THE RESULTS - CHANGED LIVES - WILL LAST 57:03 THROUGH ETERNITY. >>TO ENROLL TODAY, VISIT 57:05 'AFCOE.ORG' OR CALL (916) 209-7249. 57:13 >>IN SIX DAYS GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH. 57:17 FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS MAN HAS WORSHIPED GOD ON THE SEVENTH DAY 57:21 OF THE WEEK. NOW, EACH WEEK, MILLIONS OF 57:24 PEOPLE WORSHIP ON THE FIRST DAY. WHAT HAPPENED? 57:28 WHY DID GOD CREATE A DAY OF REST? 57:30 DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHAT DAY WE WORSHIP? 57:33 WHO WAS BEHIND THIS GREAT SHIFT? DISCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND GOD'S 57:36 LAW AND HOW IT WAS CHANGED. VISIT SABBATHTRUTH.COM. 57:44 >>IF YOU'VE MISSED ANY OF OUR AMAZING FACTS PROGRAMS, 57:46 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT 'AMAZINGFACTS.ORG'. 57:49 THERE YOU'LL FIND AN ARCHIVE OF ALL OUR TELEVISION AND RADIO 57:51 PROGRAMS INCLUDING AMAZING FACTS PRESENTS. ONE LOCATION. 57:55 SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. AMAZINGFACTS.ORG. 57:59 (MUSIC) |
Revised 2014-12-17