Many of the early
Adventist pioneers
00:00:04.70\00:00:07.27
came from a
Methodist background.
00:00:07.30\00:00:09.60
And one of the things
00:00:09.64\00:00:10.97
that the Methodists
did through John Wesley
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is they had what was
called class meetings,
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which was basically
small groups in people's homes.
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That's one of the
things Wesley had done.
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And so what happened is
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people who became Christians
or were thinking of it,
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they would meet
in people's homes,
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and in these class meetings,
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they would learn what it
meant to grow as a Christian
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and in their spiritual journey.
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And all of those class
meetings were led by lay people.
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So when many of them
join the Advent movement,
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the idea of lay ministry
00:00:42.37\00:00:43.91
was something that
was already ingrained
00:00:43.94\00:00:46.61
within their psyche.
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And so those are
three of the reasons
00:00:48.34\00:00:49.68
the Adventist Church did
what they did in the beginning.
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Now what I want to do,
00:00:53.11\00:00:54.45
as I'm going to read to
you a quote that describes
00:00:54.48\00:00:58.15
what the early
Adventist Church did
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for the first 60-70
years of its existence,
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just notice how their
ministry is described.
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It says,
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"For the first 60-70
years of its existence,
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the Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:01:12.13\00:01:13.74
had an itinerant clergy."
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Now you know
what itinerant means?
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They didn't stay in one place.
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They kept going from one
city and town to another.
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It goes on to say,
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"Their main function
was to raise up churches
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and give oversight to
many local congregations,
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who primarily
cared for themselves.
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There were no," what?
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"Settled pastors
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who were the chief care
givers for the local church.
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In this sense,
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the structure was very similar
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to that of the
first century church."
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And that comes
from a book called
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Recovering an
Adventist Approach to the Life
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and Mission of the Local Church.
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I want us to
notice a few things there.
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It specifically
says that the pastors,
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the few ministers there were
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in the
beginning of the movement,
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because in the beginning
there weren't that many.
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They were itinerant evangelists,
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they were sent
to unentered areas
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to raise up new
groups of believers,
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while churches basically
functioned being lay lead.
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And so very purposely,
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the early Adventist
Church followed the pattern
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that we learned this morning
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from the early
New Testament Church,
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that was not by accident,
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that was not by chance,
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they did that on purpose
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because is if
the remnant movement
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supposed to be
like the original.
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Can you say amen?
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And so they took
mission very, very seriously.
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They knew they were not
just another denomination.
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That it was actually very rare
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that a pastor would come
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and preach to a
local congregation
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in the first 60-70 years,
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because all the
pastor's time was spent
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planning churches
and in evangelism.
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Now they might see a
pastor maybe once a quarter,
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you can imagine that?
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A pastor once a quarter.
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You say what,
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how did they function like that?
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What did they do
for a church service?
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They had what Ellen White
called the social meeting.
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Now how many of you are familiar
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with the term social meeting?
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That's some
Ellen White wrote about
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even over 100 years ago,
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what would happen is
the early Adventist Church,
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they would have a Sabbath school
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just like we have today.
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But when there was no minister
who would preach a sermon,
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which was on most Sabbaths,
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what they would do
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is they would
basically have a social meeting
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which was like a testimony time.
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And that's where
people would just stand up
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and share how they
were growing in the Lord
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or share their trials.
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And people would
pray with them together,
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they would share
what they were learning
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in their Christian journey.
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And it was a time
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just for fellowship and bonding,
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because the early
church did not sense
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that they had to have a
sermon every single week.
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People simply
shared their testimonies
00:04:03.17\00:04:06.34
and Ellen White
speaks a lot about
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how the Holy Spirit moved
within those social meetings.
00:04:08.11\00:04:12.88
In fact, the most,
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you know when the most time
00:04:14.28\00:04:15.62
was that Adventists
believers would actually hear
00:04:15.65\00:04:17.62
an Adventist minister?
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Guess where it was?
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You're right, there
was at camp meeting.
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It wasn't in the local churches,
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because even camp
meetings in the early church
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were totally different.
00:04:27.86\00:04:29.36
Today, when we do camp meeting,
00:04:29.40\00:04:31.13
probably 90% of the
people who are there are what?
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They are Adventists,
probably more than 90%.
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Back in the
early Adventist Church,
00:04:38.34\00:04:40.38
it was just the opposite.
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Camp meeting was actually meant
to be an evangelistic endeavor.
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During the day,
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the messages were
for the Advent believers,
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in the evenings
and on the weekends,
00:04:50.62\00:04:53.05
they were actually
evangelistic messages
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for the community
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that people were supposed
to bring individuals to.
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So even camp meeting
functioned in a mission centered
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and evangelistic
way 60-70 years ago.
00:05:04.17\00:05:08.57
In fact, when you do
some research, in 1903,
00:05:08.60\00:05:12.77
there was what's called
the California Conference.
00:05:12.81\00:05:15.04
Now today,
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California is broke up
into four different conferences,
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but back then they
were all one conference.
00:05:19.65\00:05:22.25
And so when the
California Conference in 1903,
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when they received a request
from a group of believers
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to send them a minister,
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this is what would happen.
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Instead of
sending them a minister,
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if they've learned
that there was an area
00:05:35.16\00:05:36.87
where there was already
00:05:36.90\00:05:38.23
a significant
number of Advent believers,
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they would not
send a pastor there.
00:05:40.80\00:05:43.57
They believe that
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the Advent believers there
00:05:44.97\00:05:46.31
were capable of
handling their own church
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and being able to work
in a mission minded way
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in their locality.
00:05:52.48\00:05:53.98
They would send pastors to areas
00:05:54.02\00:05:56.42
where there were
no Advent believers.
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Now today, it's
just the opposite.
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We would send a
pastor to a place,
00:06:02.72\00:06:04.59
a new place where there's
already Advent believers,
00:06:04.63\00:06:07.36
and we would say,
00:06:07.40\00:06:08.73
"Oh, we can't
send them somewhere
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where there's no
one to work with."
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But the early
Adventist Church saw it
00:06:12.27\00:06:14.27
in a completely different
and a completely opposite way.
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What would happen if we
started looking at things
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in that manner?
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When there's a place
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where there's already believers?
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Yes, give them some training.
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Yes, give them
some encouragement,
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have someone they can
talk to when necessary
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to help with certain
issues, but for the most part,
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clergy are sent to
the unentered areas
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that have no Adventist presence.
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That's how it
functioned in the early years.
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Do you see a
difference thus far?
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I would hope so.
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In fact, James White, at
one of the Advent conferences,
00:06:47.14\00:06:51.17
when he was asked to describe
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how the early
Adventist Church did ministry,
00:06:53.38\00:06:56.31
notice the statement
he made in the Review
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and Herald from 1859.
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Now this is more
than 150 years ago.
00:07:01.48\00:07:03.92
This is what he said,
00:07:03.95\00:07:05.75
quote,
00:07:05.79\00:07:07.12
"We have no settled
pastors over our churches,
00:07:07.16\00:07:11.09
but our ministers
are all missionaries,
00:07:11.13\00:07:13.93
as were the early
ministers of Jesus Christ."
00:07:13.96\00:07:17.60
Now, when he
says early ministers,
00:07:17.63\00:07:19.43
he's talking about the apostles
00:07:19.47\00:07:21.44
of the early
New Testament Church
00:07:21.47\00:07:23.10
in the first century.
00:07:23.14\00:07:24.67
But he said, "They
must be sustained, "
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meaning the ministers,
00:07:26.57\00:07:27.91
"and God has made it
the duty of the church
00:07:27.94\00:07:30.35
to support them
00:07:30.38\00:07:31.71
as they go on
their mission of love."
00:07:31.75\00:07:35.58
James White said 150 years ago,
00:07:35.62\00:07:38.15
we don't have settled
pastors over our churches,
00:07:38.19\00:07:41.16
our ministers are missionaries
going to the unentered areas,
00:07:41.19\00:07:44.69
just like the early
ministers of Jesus Christ,
00:07:44.73\00:07:47.76
just like those early apostles,
00:07:47.80\00:07:50.60
and they taught
churches to be lay lead,
00:07:50.63\00:07:53.67
so they can move
on to the next town.
00:07:53.70\00:07:56.24
And so Adventism not
only through James White,
00:07:56.27\00:07:59.31
but through the early pioneers,
00:07:59.34\00:08:01.48
they specifically
followed the approach
00:08:01.51\00:08:03.61
of the early New
Testament Church.
00:08:03.65\00:08:06.15
And see what struck me
00:08:06.18\00:08:07.52
is tithe was not
used to pay clergy
00:08:07.55\00:08:12.85
to babysit churches.
00:08:12.89\00:08:14.92
Tithe was used to
send people to the areas
00:08:14.96\00:08:19.06
that have no Advent believers.
00:08:19.09\00:08:22.36
Today, we do the opposite.
00:08:22.40\00:08:24.07
You know, we
have certain formulas
00:08:24.10\00:08:25.43
that say, well, a church
needs to have so much in tithe,
00:08:25.47\00:08:28.37
and then they can get
a minister to themselves.
00:08:28.40\00:08:30.57
But early Adventist churches
00:08:30.61\00:08:32.27
never looked at it in the sense,
00:08:32.31\00:08:34.18
boy, we got to give more tithes
00:08:34.21\00:08:35.71
so we can get a
pastor for ourselves.
00:08:35.74\00:08:38.01
They return tithe,
00:08:38.05\00:08:40.22
not because of what
they could get out of it,
00:08:40.25\00:08:43.22
but because they wanted
to see the Advent message
00:08:43.25\00:08:46.12
go to the unentered areas,
00:08:46.15\00:08:48.02
they supported people
they would probably never see
00:08:48.06\00:08:51.39
or maybe see
perhaps once a quarter.
00:08:51.43\00:08:54.70
And what is the
attitude of some churches today?
00:08:54.73\00:08:57.40
Well, if I
don't have a minister,
00:08:57.43\00:08:58.97
I'm not going
to return my tithe.
00:08:59.00\00:09:01.24
And what we're really saying is,
00:09:01.27\00:09:03.14
I'll return tithe if I
get something out of it.
00:09:03.17\00:09:06.68
But I'm not
going to return tithe
00:09:06.71\00:09:08.68
if it means supporting people
00:09:08.71\00:09:10.18
that I'm never
going to see in my life.
00:09:10.21\00:09:13.01
See, the whole mindset
was completely different
00:09:13.05\00:09:16.05
in that early Adventist Church.
00:09:16.08\00:09:17.92
That's why they
grew like wildfire
00:09:17.95\00:09:20.66
more than all these
other denominations.
00:09:20.69\00:09:23.29
Now, I don't say that
in pride and arrogance
00:09:23.32\00:09:25.76
but there was a
very distinct difference
00:09:25.79\00:09:28.13
in the way the
Adventist Church did ministry
00:09:28.16\00:09:30.90
as compared to the
rest of the Christian world.
00:09:30.93\00:09:33.94
And actually, the
secular world noticed this,
00:09:33.97\00:09:37.54
because one of the
premier evangelists back in 1886
00:09:37.57\00:09:41.08
was a man named G. B. Starr,
00:09:41.11\00:09:43.68
he was an Adventist evangelist,
00:09:43.71\00:09:45.81
and he was asked to
do a newspaper interview
00:09:45.85\00:09:49.35
because the world was noticing
00:09:49.38\00:09:51.32
how this Advent
movement grew in 40 years, okay.
00:09:51.35\00:09:55.62
The Advent movement started,
00:09:55.66\00:09:57.03
you know, somewhere
around the 1830s, 1840s.
00:09:57.06\00:10:00.03
So by 1886,
00:10:00.06\00:10:01.86
they're noticing
00:10:01.90\00:10:03.23
how fast this small
group of people is growing
00:10:03.26\00:10:06.70
and how this
message is spreading.
00:10:06.74\00:10:09.07
And so when a
newspaper interview
00:10:09.10\00:10:11.27
was done with Elder Starr,
00:10:11.31\00:10:13.44
this was how he answered
the reporter's questions.
00:10:13.48\00:10:17.05
The reporter said,
00:10:17.08\00:10:19.21
"By what means
have you carried forward
00:10:19.25\00:10:21.55
your work so rapidly?"
00:10:21.58\00:10:23.69
And then Elder Starr said,
00:10:23.72\00:10:25.89
"Well, in the first place,
00:10:25.92\00:10:27.79
" replied the Elder,
00:10:27.82\00:10:29.22
"we have no settled pastors."
00:10:29.26\00:10:32.63
Are you noticing that theme
00:10:32.66\00:10:34.26
over and over
again in these quotes?
00:10:34.30\00:10:36.50
"Our churches are taught
to take care of themselves
00:10:36.53\00:10:39.73
while nearly
all of our ministers
00:10:39.77\00:10:41.90
work as evangelists,
00:10:41.94\00:10:44.01
" in what kinds of fields?
00:10:44.04\00:10:45.51
"New fields."
00:10:45.54\00:10:46.88
Member of the
California Conference,
00:10:46.91\00:10:48.84
they wouldn't send a pastor
00:10:48.88\00:10:50.21
to a place where
they're already believers.
00:10:50.25\00:10:51.81
Why?
00:10:51.85\00:10:53.18
Because they functioned
as evangelists in new fields.
00:10:53.21\00:10:56.55
And so as the secular newspaper
is noticing this in 1886,
00:10:56.58\00:11:01.09
Elder Starr is telling them,
00:11:01.12\00:11:02.86
"This is what we do different.
00:11:02.89\00:11:04.59
We don't send pastors
to look over churches,
00:11:04.63\00:11:07.46
like other denominations do.
00:11:07.50\00:11:09.50
We teach, we
raise up lay leaders,
00:11:09.53\00:11:11.47
we teach them
how to be lay lead,
00:11:11.50\00:11:13.77
to take hold of the
mission in their territory
00:11:13.80\00:11:16.97
and we send the few clergy
00:11:17.01\00:11:18.91
that we do have
into the unentered areas,
00:11:18.94\00:11:22.74
totally different from the
rest of the Christian world,
00:11:22.78\00:11:26.01
but totally in sync
00:11:26.05\00:11:27.85
with what the
first century church did
00:11:27.88\00:11:30.09
2,000 years ago.
00:11:30.12\00:11:32.35
In fact,
00:11:32.39\00:11:33.72
Seventh-day Baptists
00:11:33.76\00:11:35.16
were amazed at the growth
of Seventh-day Adventists.
00:11:35.19\00:11:38.66
Now Seventh-day Baptist
and Seventh-day Adventist,
00:11:38.69\00:11:41.76
their movements
00:11:41.80\00:11:43.13
basically came into
being around the same time,
00:11:43.16\00:11:46.37
but Seventh-day Adventists
00:11:46.40\00:11:47.94
far outnumbered
Seventh-day Baptists
00:11:47.97\00:11:50.77
and Seventh-day
Baptists wanting to know why,
00:11:50.81\00:11:53.44
because they both
shared the idea of the truth
00:11:53.48\00:11:56.34
of the seventh day Sabbath.
00:11:56.38\00:11:57.78
So why would one
group of Sabbath keepers
00:11:57.81\00:12:00.28
be growing so much faster
00:12:00.32\00:12:02.28
than another group
of Sabbath keepers?
00:12:02.32\00:12:04.99
And so when they
interviewed Adventists,
00:12:05.02\00:12:07.56
this is what
Seventh-day Baptists wrote
00:12:07.59\00:12:10.23
in their own paper
00:12:10.26\00:12:11.79
about Seventh-day Adventists,
00:12:11.83\00:12:13.16
quote,
00:12:13.19\00:12:14.53
this is from 1909.
00:12:14.56\00:12:16.10
They wrote,
00:12:16.13\00:12:17.47
"All Seventh-day
Adventist clergymen are, " what?
00:12:17.50\00:12:21.44
"Missionaries,
not located pastors,
00:12:21.47\00:12:24.57
and they are busy
preaching and teaching
00:12:24.61\00:12:27.14
and organizing
churches the world over.
00:12:27.18\00:12:31.11
" So not only
00:12:31.15\00:12:32.48
is the secular
world noticing this,
00:12:32.51\00:12:34.48
other
denominations are realizing,
00:12:34.52\00:12:36.79
wow, this Advent
movement is growing so fast,
00:12:36.82\00:12:39.79
because they are doing
something radically different
00:12:39.82\00:12:43.12
from the rest of
the Christian world.
00:12:43.16\00:12:45.79
Now, it wasn't
radically different
00:12:45.83\00:12:47.56
in the sense that
00:12:47.60\00:12:48.93
that's what the
first century church did.
00:12:48.96\00:12:51.37
Remember the Middle Ages,
all that was lost sight of,
00:12:51.40\00:12:54.90
and Rome took their priests
and made them over parishes
00:12:54.94\00:12:59.01
and that's even
what Protestantism did.
00:12:59.04\00:13:00.81
Even after the Reformation,
00:13:00.84\00:13:03.04
pastors were put into districts.
00:13:03.08\00:13:06.45
And the Advent
movement, as far as I know,
00:13:06.48\00:13:08.98
was one of the
first major movements
00:13:09.02\00:13:10.95
who rejected that
00:13:10.99\00:13:12.35
and went back to
the New Testament model
00:13:12.39\00:13:15.39
of the first century.
00:13:15.42\00:13:16.86
That's why you read
how they turned their world
00:13:16.89\00:13:19.83
basically upside down.
00:13:19.86\00:13:22.50
Now, you may wonder,
00:13:22.53\00:13:23.87
well, did Ellen
White have anything
00:13:23.90\00:13:25.53
to say about this,
00:13:25.57\00:13:27.04
because this was during the time
00:13:27.07\00:13:28.40
when she was alive.
00:13:28.44\00:13:29.77
God gave her many visions
and dreams about the direction
00:13:29.80\00:13:32.87
that this Advent
movement should go.
00:13:32.91\00:13:35.31
And so you'll find
00:13:35.34\00:13:36.68
she said a lot of
straightforward statements,
00:13:36.71\00:13:40.35
some of them
very bold statements
00:13:40.38\00:13:42.32
about church
planting and lay led churches.
00:13:42.35\00:13:45.45
I want to share a
few of them with you.
00:13:45.49\00:13:48.39
She wrote,
00:13:48.42\00:13:50.26
"My heart has been
filled with sadness
00:13:50.29\00:13:52.99
as I've looked over the field
and seen the barren places,
00:13:53.03\00:13:57.17
" that mean places
with no Adventist presence.
00:13:57.20\00:14:00.20
"What does this mean?
00:14:00.24\00:14:01.87
Who are standing
00:14:01.90\00:14:03.24
as
representatives of Jesus Christ?
00:14:03.27\00:14:05.54
Who feels a burden for the souls
00:14:05.57\00:14:07.78
who cannot receive the truth
00:14:07.81\00:14:09.44
till it is brought to them."
00:14:09.48\00:14:11.28
And then she says,
00:14:11.31\00:14:12.65
"Our ministers are
hovering over the churches,
00:14:12.68\00:14:16.05
as though the angel of mercy
00:14:16.08\00:14:17.65
was not making
effort to save souls.
00:14:17.69\00:14:20.86
God holds these ministers
responsible for the souls
00:14:20.89\00:14:24.09
of those who are in darkness."
00:14:24.13\00:14:25.83
And then she writes,
00:14:25.86\00:14:27.20
and she's really
talking to ministers now
00:14:27.23\00:14:29.23
so this is
really directed at me.
00:14:29.26\00:14:32.00
"He does not call
you to go into fields
00:14:32.03\00:14:34.80
that need no physician,
00:14:34.84\00:14:37.01
establish your
churches with the understanding
00:14:37.04\00:14:40.08
that they need not expect
the minister to wait upon them
00:14:40.11\00:14:43.75
and to be
continually feeding them.
00:14:43.78\00:14:46.51
They have the truth,
they know what truth is,
00:14:46.55\00:14:49.98
they should have
root in themselves.
00:14:50.02\00:14:53.15
These should strike down deeply,
00:14:53.19\00:14:55.29
that they may reach up
higher and still higher.
00:14:55.32\00:14:57.96
They must be rooted
and grounded in the faith."
00:14:57.99\00:15:01.53
Wow, that's 1901 she wrote that.
00:15:01.56\00:15:05.60
And so she was
actually concerned that
00:15:05.63\00:15:07.90
there was so much
energy on churches,
00:15:07.94\00:15:10.84
people that
already know the truth,
00:15:10.87\00:15:12.94
while the barren
fields are being neglected.
00:15:12.97\00:15:16.21
See around 1901,
what was happening is,
00:15:16.24\00:15:19.71
now some of the
churches were starting to demand
00:15:19.75\00:15:22.02
that they wanted to
have their own minister,
00:15:22.05\00:15:24.95
they were starting to look
out into the Christian world.
00:15:24.99\00:15:27.12
And even though
they were growing,
00:15:27.16\00:15:28.82
they were starting to see wow,
00:15:28.86\00:15:30.56
you know, these
other popular groups,
00:15:30.59\00:15:32.66
these other
popular denominations,
00:15:32.69\00:15:34.90
they have their
own settled minister,
00:15:34.93\00:15:37.13
we want to be more like them,
00:15:37.17\00:15:38.87
because then people
will be more accepting of us.
00:15:38.90\00:15:41.67
And so where there was this call
00:15:41.70\00:15:43.34
to be like the other churches.
00:15:43.37\00:15:45.44
And so in the early 1900's,
00:15:45.47\00:15:47.88
Ellen White started
writing against that,
00:15:47.91\00:15:50.75
because she knew the
minute we took the clergy out
00:15:50.78\00:15:53.95
from being
evangelists in unentered areas,
00:15:53.98\00:15:56.28
and settle them over churches,
00:15:56.32\00:15:58.02
she knew that the mission focus
00:15:58.05\00:16:00.39
of the Advent
movement would die.
00:16:00.42\00:16:02.96
She knew that by
the Spirit of Prophecy.
00:16:02.99\00:16:05.56
In fact, she felt
so strongly about that,
00:16:05.59\00:16:08.26
she puts it this way.
00:16:08.30\00:16:09.63
She said,
00:16:09.66\00:16:11.53
"There should not be a
call to have settled pastors
00:16:11.57\00:16:15.00
over our churches,
00:16:15.04\00:16:16.54
but let the
life-giving power of the truth
00:16:16.57\00:16:19.51
impress its
individual members to act,
00:16:19.54\00:16:22.51
to carry on
efficient missionary work
00:16:22.54\00:16:25.31
in that locality.
00:16:25.35\00:16:26.98
As the hand of God,
00:16:27.02\00:16:28.88
the church is to be
educated and trained
00:16:28.92\00:16:31.75
to do effective work.
00:16:31.79\00:16:33.42
Its members are to
be the Lord's devoted
00:16:33.46\00:16:36.29
Christian workers,
00:16:36.32\00:16:37.69
the church is too one-sided."
00:16:37.73\00:16:41.20
That's pretty
straightforward, isn't it?
00:16:41.23\00:16:43.16
I mean, she comes right out
00:16:43.20\00:16:44.83
and she's
answering this call about,
00:16:44.87\00:16:47.14
we need to have pastors
00:16:47.17\00:16:48.50
in districts
like other churches.
00:16:48.54\00:16:50.24
She said, there
should not be a call
00:16:50.27\00:16:52.67
that have settled
pastors over churches,
00:16:52.71\00:16:55.71
because she recognized
that when that happens,
00:16:55.74\00:16:59.31
not only will mission die,
00:16:59.35\00:17:01.48
but the spirituality
00:17:01.52\00:17:03.05
of those churches will also die.
00:17:03.08\00:17:05.95
Because what would
happen if as a parent,
00:17:05.99\00:17:08.96
you did every single
thing for your child,
00:17:08.99\00:17:12.19
and you never let
them learn anything,
00:17:12.23\00:17:15.43
you never let
them learn how to walk,
00:17:15.46\00:17:17.47
or how to feed themselves,
00:17:17.50\00:17:19.43
or go to the bathroom
00:17:19.47\00:17:20.97
or to make
decisions about themselves,
00:17:21.00\00:17:22.94
and you just
totally hovered over them
00:17:22.97\00:17:25.07
and you never taught them
to do anything on their own.
00:17:25.11\00:17:27.98
What would happen to
them when they became adults?
00:17:28.01\00:17:31.31
Well, mentally, they
would never become adults,
00:17:31.35\00:17:33.82
they would almost become,
00:17:33.85\00:17:35.22
you know,
lifelong perpetual infants.
00:17:35.25\00:17:38.22
And God knew the same
is true for the church.
00:17:38.25\00:17:41.22
And that's why He
spoke through Ellen White,
00:17:41.26\00:17:43.43
there should not be a
call to have settled pastors,
00:17:43.46\00:17:46.26
He knew what would
happen to the idea of mission.
00:17:46.29\00:17:51.27
You see how
visionary Ellen White was,
00:17:51.30\00:17:53.60
always pointing to
the lay lead churches
00:17:53.64\00:17:56.64
telling them we cannot
be like other churches,
00:17:56.67\00:18:00.21
because Christ coming
00:18:00.24\00:18:01.58
is not 2,000
years down the road.
00:18:01.61\00:18:04.11
This is the final movement,
we have to do things different.
00:18:04.15\00:18:09.15
And she didn't make any
bones about saying that.
00:18:09.18\00:18:12.82
In fact,
00:18:12.85\00:18:14.62
she made a quote as to
what ministers should do
00:18:14.66\00:18:17.43
if they are in an area
00:18:17.46\00:18:18.79
where there are
Advent believers.
00:18:18.83\00:18:20.46
This is what she
said they should do.
00:18:20.50\00:18:22.60
She wrote,
00:18:22.63\00:18:23.97
"Let the minister
devote more of his time
00:18:24.00\00:18:26.40
to educating than to preaching.
00:18:26.43\00:18:29.24
Let Him teach the people
00:18:29.27\00:18:30.81
how to give others the knowledge
00:18:30.84\00:18:32.71
they have received.
00:18:32.74\00:18:34.48
In laboring where there
are already some in the faith,
00:18:34.51\00:18:38.21
the minister
should at first seek
00:18:38.25\00:18:40.78
not so much to
convert unbelievers,
00:18:40.82\00:18:43.39
"can you imagine that,
00:18:43.42\00:18:44.75
"as to train church members
for acceptable cooperation.
00:18:44.79\00:18:49.36
God has not given His ministers
00:18:49.39\00:18:51.19
the work of
setting the churches right.
00:18:51.23\00:18:53.80
No sooner is this work done,
00:18:53.83\00:18:55.70
and apparently,
00:18:55.73\00:18:57.17
it has to be
done all over again.
00:18:57.20\00:18:59.50
Church members that
are thus looked after
00:18:59.53\00:19:01.54
and labored for
become religious weaklings.
00:19:01.57\00:19:05.71
" She obviously was not a
politically correct person.
00:19:05.74\00:19:08.88
"If nine tenths of the
effort that had been put forth
00:19:08.91\00:19:12.08
for those who know the truth
00:19:12.11\00:19:13.82
had been put forth
00:19:13.85\00:19:15.18
for those who
never heard the truth,
00:19:15.22\00:19:16.85
how much greater would
have been the advancement
00:19:16.89\00:19:20.19
that was made. "
00:19:20.22\00:19:22.02
I mean, she speaks in
terms there's no confusing it.
00:19:22.06\00:19:25.86
She said, when a minister
is with a group of believers,
00:19:25.89\00:19:29.56
a place where
there already exists,
00:19:29.60\00:19:31.47
she's saying
00:19:31.50\00:19:32.83
that he should not be
working for unbelievers there.
00:19:32.87\00:19:35.04
That's the church's job.
00:19:35.07\00:19:36.40
When he spends
time with believers,
00:19:36.44\00:19:38.41
he should be training
them how to do the evangelism
00:19:38.44\00:19:41.08
in their own territory.
00:19:41.11\00:19:43.04
He will convert unbelievers
00:19:43.08\00:19:44.61
when he's in an area
00:19:44.65\00:19:45.98
where there are no
Adventist believers.
00:19:46.01\00:19:48.78
If that makes sense
so far, can you say amen?
00:19:48.82\00:19:51.69
See, it's totally different
00:19:51.72\00:19:53.05
from the way that
we see things today.
00:19:53.09\00:19:55.06
Sometimes people take that quote
00:19:55.09\00:19:56.42
and they say,
00:19:56.46\00:19:57.79
see the minister
is supposed to stay
00:19:57.83\00:19:59.16
with the church all the time
00:19:59.19\00:20:00.53
and teach them
how to do evangelism?
00:20:00.56\00:20:01.90
No, he's supposed to
stay with them temporarily
00:20:01.93\00:20:04.37
and teach them how to do it.
00:20:04.40\00:20:06.03
Eventually he's
moving on to unentered areas
00:20:06.07\00:20:09.34
not do their ministry
for them in their locality.
00:20:09.37\00:20:13.44
His job was to multiply himself
00:20:13.48\00:20:16.78
by training others
to use their gifts.
00:20:16.81\00:20:19.38
And lay ministry not
only grows lay people,
00:20:19.41\00:20:23.79
but it grows the lost,
00:20:23.82\00:20:25.62
because the best
way for a church to grow
00:20:25.65\00:20:28.36
is really for a
church member to grow
00:20:28.39\00:20:30.06
to be involved in
service to others.
00:20:30.09\00:20:33.60
Can you say amen?
00:20:33.63\00:20:34.96
See Ellen White says
00:20:35.00\00:20:36.33
there are three things
we need to grow spiritually.
00:20:36.36\00:20:38.30
We know the
first two pretty well,
00:20:38.33\00:20:40.40
Bible study and prayer.
00:20:40.44\00:20:43.54
But that's not it.
00:20:43.57\00:20:45.04
Because you know,
00:20:45.07\00:20:46.41
you can have Bible study
and prayer 24 hours a day
00:20:46.44\00:20:48.68
and never grow spiritually.
00:20:48.71\00:20:50.05
Did you know that?
00:20:50.08\00:20:51.41
If you doubt that,
look at the Pharisees.
00:20:51.45\00:20:53.45
They Bible studied and
prayed more than anybody.
00:20:53.48\00:20:56.22
But they didn't
recognize the Messiah
00:20:56.25\00:20:57.62
when He was right
in front of their face,
00:20:57.65\00:20:59.89
because they
lacked the third component
00:20:59.92\00:21:02.56
and perhaps so do we.
00:21:02.59\00:21:04.53
And the third
component was service,
00:21:04.56\00:21:08.53
being involved in
ministry to other,
00:21:08.56\00:21:10.87
that's what the
Pharisees didn't have.
00:21:10.90\00:21:13.17
Because remember,
their whole mentality was,
00:21:13.20\00:21:16.04
don't become corrupted by
the world, don't get closed.
00:21:16.07\00:21:19.71
They were not
involved in serving
00:21:19.74\00:21:21.44
and ministering to others.
00:21:21.48\00:21:23.81
And that's why
Ellen White speak so much
00:21:23.85\00:21:26.48
that ministers
when they spend time
00:21:26.51\00:21:28.32
with Advent believers,
00:21:28.35\00:21:29.68
train them to do ministry
00:21:29.72\00:21:31.12
so that by doing ministry,
00:21:31.15\00:21:32.89
they can grow spiritually.
00:21:32.92\00:21:35.52
And then the minister
goes off to the unentered areas
00:21:35.56\00:21:38.63
to function as an evangelist.
00:21:38.66\00:21:41.10
It was good for the lost
00:21:41.13\00:21:42.70
and it was also
good for the church.
00:21:42.73\00:21:45.43
That's how the early
Adventist Church functioned.
00:21:45.47\00:21:48.67
She went on to talk about
00:21:48.70\00:21:50.04
how dangerous a pastor
dependent mentality is.
00:21:50.07\00:21:53.78
And she wrote this
in no uncertain words
00:21:53.81\00:21:56.44
in Testimonies,
volume 7, she said,
00:21:56.48\00:22:00.35
"The greatest help they
can be given to our people
00:22:00.38\00:22:03.65
is to teach
them to work for God,
00:22:03.69\00:22:06.29
to depend on Him,
not on the ministers.
00:22:06.32\00:22:09.69
So long as church
members make no effort
00:22:09.72\00:22:12.09
to give to others
to help given them,
00:22:12.13\00:22:14.60
great feebleness must result."
00:22:14.63\00:22:17.67
And she's
talking about spiritual,
00:22:17.70\00:22:19.53
you know, feebleness,
00:22:19.57\00:22:20.90
because really,
00:22:20.94\00:22:22.27
if the minister does everything,
00:22:22.30\00:22:24.84
if we're just
depending even on elders,
00:22:24.87\00:22:27.11
let's just say to do everything,
00:22:27.14\00:22:29.81
the members of that church
00:22:29.84\00:22:31.18
are not going to grow
spiritually very much.
00:22:31.21\00:22:34.02
So in Ellen White's
mind, in the Scripture's mind,
00:22:34.05\00:22:37.05
the best way to grow
was be involved in service,
00:22:37.09\00:22:40.22
because without service,
00:22:40.26\00:22:41.59
there's going to
be spiritual decay.
00:22:41.62\00:22:43.63
That's why she constantly
advocated lay led churches.
00:22:43.66\00:22:48.16
It's what the New
Testament Church did.
00:22:48.20\00:22:50.47
It's what the early
Adventist Church did.
00:22:50.50\00:22:53.03
Well, if that's how the early
Adventist Church did ministry,
00:22:53.07\00:22:56.60
and we saw how they grew,
00:22:56.64\00:22:59.84
then something
must have happened,
00:22:59.87\00:23:01.78
because that's not how
we're doing ministry today.
00:23:01.81\00:23:04.68
The principles we
follow today are very different
00:23:04.71\00:23:06.85
from the early Adventist Church.
00:23:06.88\00:23:08.88
So just like the
early New Testament Church
00:23:08.92\00:23:11.55
and something changed with them,
00:23:11.59\00:23:13.36
that's when the
Roman Empire started
00:23:13.39\00:23:15.12
creating parish priests.
00:23:15.16\00:23:17.59
Something must have happened
00:23:17.63\00:23:18.96
with the early
Adventist Church then,
00:23:18.99\00:23:21.16
something must have happened
that stopped church planting
00:23:21.20\00:23:24.67
that caused our focus
on mission to start dying,
00:23:24.70\00:23:27.97
something that caused us
00:23:28.00\00:23:29.34
to not plant lay
lead churches anymore.
00:23:29.37\00:23:32.37
The question is, what happened?
00:23:32.41\00:23:35.21
I'm going to share it with you.
00:23:35.24\00:23:36.64
It's a sad lesson from history.
00:23:36.68\00:23:40.05
In 1912, A.G. Daniels,
00:23:40.08\00:23:42.98
who was the General Conference
president at that time,
00:23:43.02\00:23:46.02
he and Ellen White
both agreed strongly
00:23:46.05\00:23:48.59
on the idea and concept
00:23:48.62\00:23:50.39
of lay led churches
and church planting.
00:23:50.43\00:23:52.89
In fact, A.G.
Daniels made a statement,
00:23:52.93\00:23:55.93
a powerful statement
00:23:55.96\00:23:57.33
that just goes in over in
my mind over and over again,
00:23:57.37\00:24:00.07
that actually
turned out to be prophetic.
00:24:00.10\00:24:02.10
Now I'm not saying
the man was a prophet,
00:24:02.14\00:24:03.47
but he made a statement
00:24:03.51\00:24:04.84
that I believe
ended up being prophetic.
00:24:04.87\00:24:07.18
He said this in 1912.
00:24:07.21\00:24:09.28
He said,
00:24:09.31\00:24:10.65
"We have not settled ministers
00:24:10.68\00:24:12.21
over churches as
pastors to any large extent.
00:24:12.25\00:24:15.98
In some of the
very large churches,
00:24:16.02\00:24:18.39
we have elected pastors,
00:24:18.42\00:24:20.26
but as a rule
00:24:20.29\00:24:21.62
we have held ourselves
ready for field service
00:24:21.66\00:24:24.29
for evangelistic work
00:24:24.33\00:24:25.99
and our brethren and sisters
themselves have been ready
00:24:26.03\00:24:30.07
to maintain
their church services
00:24:30.10\00:24:32.43
and carry
forward their church work
00:24:32.47\00:24:34.80
without settled pastors."
00:24:34.84\00:24:37.24
And then he says,
00:24:37.27\00:24:39.07
"And I hope
00:24:39.11\00:24:40.44
this will never cease
to be the order of affairs
00:24:40.48\00:24:43.21
in this denomination,
00:24:43.24\00:24:44.78
for when we cease
our forward movement work
00:24:44.81\00:24:48.22
and begin to
settle over our churches,
00:24:48.25\00:24:51.05
to stay by them
00:24:51.09\00:24:52.42
to do their
thinking and their praying
00:24:52.45\00:24:54.16
and their work
that is to be done,
00:24:54.19\00:24:56.49
then our churches
will begin to weaken,
00:24:56.52\00:24:59.03
to lose their life and spirit,
00:24:59.06\00:25:01.16
they will become
paralyzed and fossilized
00:25:01.20\00:25:04.10
and our work
will be on a retreat.
00:25:04.13\00:25:08.70
" And what's amazing,
00:25:08.74\00:25:10.07
is exactly what
he said came true.
00:25:10.11\00:25:14.04
Because by 19...
00:25:14.08\00:25:15.41
because in 1912,
00:25:15.44\00:25:16.85
the Adventist
Church was structured
00:25:16.88\00:25:18.41
just like the
New Testament Church.
00:25:18.45\00:25:21.02
But something happened in 1915
00:25:21.05\00:25:23.18
that would start to change that.
00:25:23.22\00:25:25.02
You know what happened in 1915?
00:25:25.05\00:25:27.99
Ellen White died.
00:25:28.02\00:25:30.13
By the 1920s,
00:25:30.16\00:25:32.03
Ellen White's voice
was silenced by death.
00:25:32.06\00:25:35.26
A.G. Daniels was no longer
00:25:35.30\00:25:36.87
the General
Conference president.
00:25:36.90\00:25:39.17
And in the 1920s,
00:25:39.20\00:25:41.04
we started
giving into this demand
00:25:41.07\00:25:43.57
to have settled
pastors over our churches.
00:25:43.61\00:25:47.48
And as we started
going in that direction,
00:25:47.51\00:25:50.11
ever since then,
00:25:50.15\00:25:52.01
our growth has declined
00:25:52.05\00:25:53.75
particularly in the
North American Division.
00:25:53.78\00:25:57.75
And what's interesting,
00:25:57.79\00:25:59.19
if you go back to
denominational statistics,
00:25:59.22\00:26:02.56
right around the
1920s, 30s, and 40s,
00:26:02.59\00:26:06.26
you will begin to see that
decline in the growth rate,
00:26:06.29\00:26:09.63
because it was at that period
00:26:09.66\00:26:11.50
were this call to
be like other churches,
00:26:11.53\00:26:14.64
we started getting into,
00:26:14.67\00:26:16.64
and we didn't function
00:26:16.67\00:26:18.01
like we did in the
early part of our beginning.
00:26:18.04\00:26:21.14
And what happened to us
00:26:21.18\00:26:23.01
is the same thing that happened
00:26:23.04\00:26:24.38
to the early New
Testament Church.
00:26:24.41\00:26:27.52
Let me show you a
couple of those statistics.
00:26:27.55\00:26:29.18
Now, these are older statistics,
00:26:29.22\00:26:30.55
but they still prove the point.
00:26:30.59\00:26:32.59
These are some of our divisions,
00:26:32.62\00:26:33.96
I hope you can read that.
00:26:33.99\00:26:35.72
Take the South
American Division,
00:26:35.76\00:26:38.09
the South American Division
at the time of these records,
00:26:38.13\00:26:41.40
they averaged about
10.6 churches per pastor.
00:26:41.43\00:26:46.53
So each pastor had somewhere
00:26:46.57\00:26:47.90
between 10 and 11 churches each,
00:26:47.94\00:26:50.17
and you notice what
their growth rate was?
00:26:50.21\00:26:52.54
Over 16%.
00:26:52.57\00:26:55.48
Let's take North America,
00:26:55.51\00:26:57.55
who was
averaging about one pastor
00:26:57.58\00:27:00.08
for every 1.4 churches.
00:27:00.12\00:27:02.18
So on average,
00:27:02.22\00:27:03.55
a pastor would have
one or two churches,
00:27:03.59\00:27:05.62
now it's a little bit
more because of the economy.
00:27:05.65\00:27:08.52
But you know what
their growth rate was?
00:27:08.56\00:27:10.73
1.76, not even 2%.
00:27:10.76\00:27:15.70
And see, here's what happened.
00:27:15.73\00:27:17.87
In those1920s, 30s and 40s,
00:27:17.90\00:27:20.70
when the North
American Division started going
00:27:20.74\00:27:22.80
in the direction
of all other churches,
00:27:22.84\00:27:25.67
here's what happened.
00:27:25.71\00:27:27.54
Not all divisions did that.
00:27:27.58\00:27:30.11
Other divisions of the world,
00:27:30.15\00:27:31.48
particularly
third world countries,
00:27:31.51\00:27:33.92
you know, who were economically
repressed at that time,
00:27:33.95\00:27:36.89
they couldn't do that.
00:27:36.92\00:27:38.32
They didn't have
the money and resources
00:27:38.35\00:27:40.46
to have a pastor for every one,
two, or even three churches.
00:27:40.49\00:27:44.56
Financially,
00:27:44.59\00:27:45.93
there's just no
way they could do that.
00:27:45.96\00:27:47.66
Third world countries,
some places like in Africa,
00:27:47.70\00:27:51.87
places like in South
America, they couldn't do that.
00:27:51.90\00:27:55.00
They had to stick with 10,
00:27:55.04\00:27:56.97
sometimes 20
churches per pastor.
00:27:57.01\00:28:00.38
Now the other
divisions may do it
00:28:00.41\00:28:01.78
because they're
forced to economically.
00:28:01.81\00:28:03.91
I remember, I went
over to Africa, once,
00:28:03.95\00:28:05.71
I think it was Nigeria,
00:28:05.75\00:28:07.08
and remember we're
getting ready to do a meeting.
00:28:07.12\00:28:09.15
And one of the guys
came to me and he says,
00:28:09.18\00:28:12.39
"We want to be like you."
00:28:12.42\00:28:14.52
What do you mean
you want to be like me?
00:28:14.56\00:28:16.36
Me, me or you mean,
00:28:16.39\00:28:17.73
like my country
or what do you mean?
00:28:17.76\00:28:20.16
And he had the mindset
00:28:20.20\00:28:22.33
that every
church in North America
00:28:22.36\00:28:24.40
was a growing vibrant church.
00:28:24.43\00:28:27.44
And what he was saying
is, we want to be like you,
00:28:27.47\00:28:30.27
so we can have, you know,
more pastors per churches.
00:28:30.31\00:28:33.98
And I had to share with him
00:28:34.01\00:28:35.34
not every
church in North America
00:28:35.38\00:28:36.75
is a vibrant growing church.
00:28:36.78\00:28:38.25
And I tried to tell him,
00:28:38.28\00:28:39.61
you guys are actually the
ones who's doing it right.
00:28:39.65\00:28:42.08
Don't follow our example,
00:28:42.12\00:28:43.55
we got lost along
the way, somewhere.
00:28:43.59\00:28:45.92
That's why Africa,
00:28:45.95\00:28:47.29
on the continent
of Africa right now,
00:28:47.32\00:28:49.36
they have three divisions,
00:28:49.39\00:28:51.79
three Seventh-day
Adventist divisions
00:28:51.83\00:28:53.80
in one continent.
00:28:53.83\00:28:56.06
In just a few
years, if it isn't already,
00:28:56.10\00:28:58.53
Africa will have more
Seventh-day Adventists
00:28:58.57\00:29:00.74
than any continent on
the face of the earth.
00:29:00.77\00:29:03.64
And Adventism
didn't even begin there.
00:29:03.67\00:29:06.17
It began in North America.
00:29:06.21\00:29:08.48
Now we're the ones
00:29:08.51\00:29:09.84
that are repressed
and we're not growing.
00:29:09.88\00:29:13.08
You know, long ago,
00:29:13.11\00:29:15.82
when Samuel was a
prophet in Israel,
00:29:15.85\00:29:18.79
God had created
Israel to be a theocracy.
00:29:18.82\00:29:21.76
And what that meant
was God was their king,
00:29:21.79\00:29:24.89
not a human leader,
God would guide them.
00:29:24.93\00:29:28.06
But eventually at
the time of Samuel,
00:29:28.10\00:29:30.17
Israel didn't
want to be different
00:29:30.20\00:29:32.23
than the other
nations around them.
00:29:32.27\00:29:33.84
They wanted to be
like those pagan nations.
00:29:33.87\00:29:35.60
And God said,
00:29:35.64\00:29:36.97
"No, I'm not going
to give you a king."
00:29:37.01\00:29:38.77
Because God looked
at those other nations
00:29:38.81\00:29:40.91
and he saw what
happened when they had a king.
00:29:40.94\00:29:43.48
All the power was in one person.
00:29:43.51\00:29:45.95
He saw the abuse,
00:29:45.98\00:29:47.55
he saw the injustice
00:29:47.58\00:29:48.95
because it was
basically like a dictator.
00:29:48.98\00:29:51.55
What he says goes,
00:29:51.59\00:29:52.92
and so God said,
00:29:52.95\00:29:54.29
"No, I'm going to be your king."
00:29:54.32\00:29:55.86
By the time of Samuel
00:29:55.89\00:29:57.33
Israel decided and
said, you know what?
00:29:57.36\00:29:58.96
We want to be like
these other nations,
00:29:58.99\00:30:00.46
we want a king
00:30:00.50\00:30:02.16
and God said to Samuel,
00:30:02.20\00:30:03.53
"Look, they're
not rejecting you,
00:30:03.57\00:30:05.47
they're rejecting Me."
00:30:05.50\00:30:07.14
And God told
them through Samuel,
00:30:07.17\00:30:08.60
"Okay, I will give you a king,
00:30:08.64\00:30:10.71
I'll work with your method
00:30:10.74\00:30:12.07
because I'm a
merciful loving God,
00:30:12.11\00:30:13.88
but I'm going to tell
you what's going to happen,
00:30:13.91\00:30:15.71
"You're going to get a king,
00:30:15.74\00:30:17.11
and he's going to lead
you down the wrong path.
00:30:17.15\00:30:19.01
He's going to
take your property,
00:30:19.05\00:30:20.58
he's going to take your lands,
00:30:20.62\00:30:21.95
he's going to take
your sons to be in his army,
00:30:21.98\00:30:24.02
he's going to
take your daughters
00:30:24.05\00:30:25.39
to be servants in his palace,
00:30:25.42\00:30:26.76
he's going to do things
that you're not going to like.
00:30:26.79\00:30:29.02
And so they
accepted Saul as king.
00:30:29.06\00:30:31.39
And though he
started out pretty good,
00:30:31.43\00:30:33.56
you know how it ended with Saul.
00:30:33.60\00:30:35.46
And with the exception of David,
00:30:35.50\00:30:37.37
and maybe a few
other good kings,
00:30:37.40\00:30:39.77
the vast majority of them
lead Israel down the wrong path
00:30:39.80\00:30:44.07
though the northern kingdom
and the southern kingdom.
00:30:44.11\00:30:47.51
And unfortunately,
00:30:47.54\00:30:48.88
we have run a parallel
of what Israel has done.
00:30:48.91\00:30:52.75
And so the question is,
00:30:52.78\00:30:54.25
how in these final days
00:30:54.28\00:30:56.65
can God's remnant movement
get back to the biblical model,
00:30:56.69\00:31:00.42
where the mission of the
lost is the primary focus,
00:31:00.46\00:31:03.53
pastors are free to
evangelize the dark areas,
00:31:03.56\00:31:06.86
and churches are
trained to become lay land.
00:31:06.90\00:31:09.73
How do we do that?
00:31:09.76\00:31:11.53
And the good news is,
00:31:11.57\00:31:13.23
I see North America
00:31:13.27\00:31:14.74
now trying to go in
that direction again.
00:31:14.77\00:31:17.74
It's taken a long time,
00:31:17.77\00:31:19.71
it's not easy to turn a ship
00:31:19.74\00:31:21.18
that's been doing it
one way for 80 or 90 years,
00:31:21.21\00:31:24.31
but I'm starting
to see that happen.
00:31:24.35\00:31:26.68
I wish we'd never gone
in the wrong direction,
00:31:26.72\00:31:28.68
then we might
be where Africa is,
00:31:28.72\00:31:30.59
you know, right now
00:31:30.62\00:31:31.95
and some of these
other nations, you know what?
00:31:31.99\00:31:33.32
Praise God.
00:31:33.36\00:31:34.69
Praise God,
00:31:34.72\00:31:36.06
these other
divisions are growing.
00:31:36.09\00:31:37.43
You know, praise God,
00:31:37.46\00:31:38.79
they can be a light
to show North America,
00:31:38.83\00:31:40.16
you know what?
00:31:40.20\00:31:41.53
You can be like us,
instead of we being like you.
00:31:41.56\00:31:45.17
You know, we can have
an independent attitude
00:31:45.20\00:31:47.07
sometimes here in North America.
00:31:47.10\00:31:49.60
And though I'm blessed,
00:31:49.64\00:31:50.97
I'm happy to be an American
that lives in this country.
00:31:51.01\00:31:53.01
At this point,
00:31:53.04\00:31:54.38
I wouldn't want to
live anywhere else.
00:31:54.41\00:31:56.41
But I also recognize
there are some things
00:31:56.44\00:31:58.75
that need to change.
00:31:58.78\00:32:00.45
So how could it happen?
00:32:00.48\00:32:02.15
Let's end by giving
a few possibilities.
00:32:02.18\00:32:05.35
What if we created
districts of let's say,
00:32:05.39\00:32:08.39
five to ten churches each.
00:32:08.42\00:32:10.83
We won't start with 20,
00:32:10.86\00:32:12.19
North America would
have a heart attack,
00:32:12.23\00:32:13.56
we'll have to go
little by little.
00:32:13.60\00:32:15.26
So let's say we started
with five to ten churches,
00:32:15.30\00:32:18.07
each of those churches
00:32:18.10\00:32:19.43
would be lay led
either by a lay pastor,
00:32:19.47\00:32:21.67
qualified lay
pastor that's trained,
00:32:21.70\00:32:23.61
or by the group of elders,
00:32:23.64\00:32:25.57
and then one or
two conference pastors
00:32:25.61\00:32:28.88
would oversee that district.
00:32:28.91\00:32:30.88
And their job is to
work the unentered fields,
00:32:30.91\00:32:34.12
while both providing support
for the existing churches.
00:32:34.15\00:32:38.55
So that you know when
a church has a problem,
00:32:38.59\00:32:40.52
they're not
totally left on their own.
00:32:40.56\00:32:42.66
You can't leave
them totally isolated,
00:32:42.69\00:32:44.86
because not even
New Testament did that.
00:32:44.89\00:32:47.20
You know, Paul and Peter,
00:32:47.23\00:32:48.96
they stopped by those churches
00:32:49.00\00:32:50.40
that they had
planted periodically,
00:32:50.43\00:32:52.37
and they kept in
touch through letters.
00:32:52.40\00:32:54.67
And I'm sure that
the ones in the Bible,
00:32:54.70\00:32:56.14
I'm sure, they're
not the only letters
00:32:56.17\00:32:58.01
that they wrote
to those churches.
00:32:58.04\00:32:59.64
So there was always
still a connection there.
00:32:59.67\00:33:02.64
But they weren't there
physically all the time
00:33:02.68\00:33:04.61
with that church.
00:33:04.65\00:33:06.21
So if we had one or two
conference pastors to do that,
00:33:06.25\00:33:09.42
we would be much more
like the biblical model.
00:33:09.45\00:33:12.85
And really, if
you had one pastor,
00:33:12.89\00:33:15.42
let's say even one pastor,
00:33:15.46\00:33:17.09
his job was to work with
those churches and train them,
00:33:17.13\00:33:20.43
that would open up
two or three salaries
00:33:20.46\00:33:23.06
for other pastors to work
solely in the unentered areas.
00:33:23.10\00:33:26.80
Because for 10 churches,
00:33:26.84\00:33:28.17
normally 10
churches would require
00:33:28.20\00:33:30.47
about three pastors, let's say,
00:33:30.51\00:33:32.14
let's say three
churches per pastor.
00:33:32.17\00:33:34.11
Well, if one pastor
takes care of those churches,
00:33:34.14\00:33:37.15
then you have two
00:33:37.18\00:33:38.65
that can be sent to
the unentered areas, amen?
00:33:38.68\00:33:41.45
How is one pastor going
to do five or ten churches?
00:33:41.48\00:33:44.35
Not the way we do it today.
00:33:44.39\00:33:46.19
He's not going to be
going to every board meeting,
00:33:46.22\00:33:47.86
he's not going to be
doing the prayer meetings,
00:33:47.89\00:33:49.62
he's not going to
be there every Sabbath,
00:33:49.66\00:33:51.33
he is there simply
to train the lay people
00:33:51.36\00:33:54.00
how to become a lay lead church,
00:33:54.03\00:33:57.70
then we'll be heading
back to the biblical model.
00:33:57.73\00:34:00.84
I remember in the
Pennsylvania Conference,
00:34:00.87\00:34:02.34
when I pastored there,
00:34:02.37\00:34:03.81
before I move,
00:34:03.84\00:34:05.17
they were
starting a change effort.
00:34:05.21\00:34:08.04
And they had seen
that there were 153 areas,
00:34:08.08\00:34:11.18
cities that had a
population of 50,000,
00:34:11.21\00:34:14.05
no Adventist presence, none.
00:34:14.08\00:34:16.28
And then the work had
been going on for 100 years
00:34:16.32\00:34:18.09
in that conference,
00:34:18.12\00:34:19.45
and they realized
00:34:19.49\00:34:20.82
we're not going to be able
to build 153 church buildings,
00:34:20.86\00:34:23.59
we're not going to be
able to have 153 paid pastors,
00:34:23.63\00:34:26.46
153 more salaries,
00:34:26.49\00:34:28.56
because you
know, a pastor salary,
00:34:28.60\00:34:30.33
pastor salaries aren't rich,
but they're not cheap either.
00:34:30.37\00:34:33.87
Because in North
America, you got all these laws,
00:34:33.90\00:34:36.07
you got to have medical expenses
00:34:36.10\00:34:37.51
and you know,
00:34:37.54\00:34:38.87
and thanks to the way
things are going right now,
00:34:38.91\00:34:40.38
and the way healthcare
is, it's even more expensive,
00:34:40.41\00:34:43.21
you're required
to have retirement,
00:34:43.24\00:34:45.71
and all these different things.
00:34:45.75\00:34:47.12
So, you know,
when you see a salary,
00:34:47.15\00:34:50.02
you know, when you see
someone at a workplace,
00:34:50.05\00:34:51.82
you say, "Oh, he gets
75,000 or 20,000, or whatever,"
00:34:51.85\00:34:55.96
that's not the actual cost
what it is to have that person.
00:34:55.99\00:34:58.86
That's not factoring
in benefits and healthcare
00:34:58.89\00:35:01.66
and all the things
that government requires.
00:35:01.70\00:35:03.70
It is not cheap
to have a salary.
00:35:03.73\00:35:06.20
And so there's no way
00:35:06.23\00:35:07.57
we're going to
have 153 salary pastors.
00:35:07.60\00:35:09.94
And so Pennsylvania started
to experiment with something.
00:35:09.97\00:35:13.74
They created what's
called Mission Districts.
00:35:13.78\00:35:16.61
Ever heard of that?
00:35:16.64\00:35:18.05
Mission Districts are
basically what I just described,
00:35:18.08\00:35:20.98
a district of 5-10 churches,
00:35:21.02\00:35:23.95
one pastor oversees them
00:35:23.99\00:35:25.72
basically as an
itinerant evangelist,
00:35:25.75\00:35:28.12
who trains them
00:35:28.16\00:35:29.49
and that opens
the door for salaries
00:35:29.52\00:35:31.46
to move people
00:35:31.49\00:35:33.03
into some of
the unentered areas.
00:35:33.06\00:35:35.93
I don't know if Pennsylvania,
00:35:35.96\00:35:37.53
excuse me is
still doing that now,
00:35:37.57\00:35:38.93
because I've been going
from there for about 10 years.
00:35:38.97\00:35:41.90
So let's end
00:35:41.94\00:35:43.27
by just
addressing us a few excuses.
00:35:43.30\00:35:45.97
Many people will say,
00:35:46.01\00:35:47.54
"Well, that's
all fine and dandy.
00:35:47.58\00:35:49.08
It looks great on paper,
00:35:49.11\00:35:50.61
sorry, but we
can't do that today.
00:35:50.65\00:35:52.35
We can't do what these
other divisions are doing.
00:35:52.38\00:35:54.28
This is North
America, it won't work."
00:35:54.32\00:35:57.39
Well, let's look at
some of those excuses.
00:35:57.42\00:35:59.75
Excuse number one.
00:35:59.79\00:36:01.16
We've never done
it that way before.
00:36:01.19\00:36:03.56
That's the
excuse you hear the most
00:36:03.59\00:36:05.29
in any church board
meeting over any new idea,
00:36:05.33\00:36:08.66
or somebody who wants
to do something different,
00:36:08.70\00:36:11.53
or change tradition.
00:36:11.57\00:36:13.40
Because let's be
honest, at human nature,
00:36:13.44\00:36:15.64
we don't like change
00:36:15.67\00:36:17.51
even if that change
00:36:17.54\00:36:18.87
ends up being
something good and beneficial.
00:36:18.91\00:36:22.14
We're used to
doing it a certain way.
00:36:22.18\00:36:24.45
I know there's things
I don't like to change.
00:36:24.48\00:36:25.81
If you ask me to change
00:36:25.85\00:36:27.18
the way I do
evangelistic meetings,
00:36:27.22\00:36:29.22
I can promise you,
00:36:29.25\00:36:30.59
it's going to take
more than one conversation
00:36:30.62\00:36:32.05
to change my mind on something,
00:36:32.09\00:36:33.79
because I'm used to
doing it a certain way.
00:36:33.82\00:36:35.96
Our nature does not like change.
00:36:35.99\00:36:38.39
But the truth is that
statement is a fallacy
00:36:38.43\00:36:40.30
when we say,
00:36:40.33\00:36:41.66
"Oh, we've never done it that
way before lay led churches?"
00:36:41.70\00:36:43.87
Yes, we have.
00:36:43.90\00:36:45.23
It's the way we did
it in the beginning.
00:36:45.27\00:36:47.40
What we're doing now
00:36:47.44\00:36:49.20
is what we've never
done that way before.
00:36:49.24\00:36:52.21
Historical
Adventism is church planting,
00:36:52.24\00:36:54.94
lay lead churches.
00:36:54.98\00:36:56.54
And the Gospel
Commission is a command,
00:36:56.58\00:36:58.78
it's not an option.
00:36:58.81\00:37:00.42
You know, we say if
someone is, you know,
00:37:00.45\00:37:02.08
married and
living with another woman
00:37:02.12\00:37:03.52
will say, "Oh, well,
that person is living in sin."
00:37:03.55\00:37:06.19
Well, if the Gospel
Commission is a command,
00:37:06.22\00:37:09.22
because, you know,
it's not a suggestion,
00:37:09.26\00:37:11.43
taking the gospel to
the world is a command,
00:37:11.46\00:37:13.96
that it's as much as
any of the Ten Commandments.
00:37:14.00\00:37:16.50
So if it's a command,
00:37:16.53\00:37:18.20
and a church
purposely and willfully
00:37:18.23\00:37:20.14
doesn't take it seriously,
00:37:20.17\00:37:22.44
could it then be said that
the church is living in sin?
00:37:22.47\00:37:27.68
Let me think about
00:37:27.71\00:37:29.38
it, adultery,
00:37:29.41\00:37:30.75
oh, I'm ignoring
the Gospel Commission,
00:37:30.78\00:37:32.11
living in sin.
00:37:32.15\00:37:33.48
Could that be said of you or me?
00:37:33.52\00:37:36.72
Or even the church?
00:37:36.75\00:37:38.42
Excuse number two.
00:37:38.45\00:37:39.79
Well, who's going to
take care of the church then
00:37:39.82\00:37:41.92
if all the ministers
are in unentered areas?
00:37:41.96\00:37:44.56
Well, that's why the
New Testament talks about
00:37:44.59\00:37:46.80
elders and deacons.
00:37:46.83\00:37:48.63
That's why the
standards are so high,
00:37:48.66\00:37:50.13
they were the
pastors of the church.
00:37:50.17\00:37:53.00
And churches
aren't left alone anyway.
00:37:53.03\00:37:55.14
Paul returned
periodically, so did Peter,
00:37:55.17\00:37:58.24
but the pastor is
not going to return
00:37:58.27\00:37:59.81
for every little problem.
00:37:59.84\00:38:01.31
Oh, so and so
wasn't at church today.
00:38:01.34\00:38:03.65
Okay, well, I'll come
back from the unentered areas,
00:38:03.68\00:38:06.01
and I'll visit
that person for you.
00:38:06.05\00:38:07.95
That's not going to happen.
00:38:07.98\00:38:09.32
That's what the church would do.
00:38:09.35\00:38:11.75
Well, so and so is
mad about something.
00:38:11.79\00:38:13.99
Great, pray for
him and visit them.
00:38:14.02\00:38:16.16
You're not going to
take the pastor away
00:38:16.19\00:38:18.06
from an
unentered area to do that.
00:38:18.09\00:38:20.26
And that's what Moses
learned from his father-in-law.
00:38:20.30\00:38:22.93
Moses in Exodus 18,
tried to deal with everything.
00:38:22.96\00:38:26.00
And Jethro said,
00:38:26.03\00:38:27.37
"Man, you're going
to wear yourself out,
00:38:27.40\00:38:28.74
you'll never make it this way."
00:38:28.77\00:38:30.31
And so he created
leaders over 10 over 50 and 10s,
00:38:30.34\00:38:34.28
you know, and
hundreds and thousands.
00:38:34.31\00:38:36.95
And you saw what
it did for Moses.
00:38:36.98\00:38:38.61
He was able to be a
leader, till he was what,
00:38:38.65\00:38:40.32
I think 120 years old, you know,
00:38:40.35\00:38:42.25
something to that effect
00:38:42.28\00:38:43.62
because he
followed God's counsel.
00:38:43.65\00:38:45.22
That was God's
counsel back in Exodus,
00:38:45.25\00:38:46.72
it didn't even started
00:38:46.76\00:38:48.09
with the early
New Testament Church.
00:38:48.12\00:38:49.46
It started with
Israel, a ministry.
00:38:49.49\00:38:52.93
Excuse number three.
00:38:52.96\00:38:54.83
Well, if a
church doesn't have a,
00:38:54.86\00:38:56.20
you know, a real
conference pastor,
00:38:56.23\00:38:58.60
the church will apostatize.
00:38:58.63\00:39:00.17
Well, that's a
blatantly false statement.
00:39:01.50\00:39:03.77
Lay leaders are very
capable, if they're trained.
00:39:03.81\00:39:07.94
Not granted,
00:39:07.98\00:39:09.31
you can't just
take the church and say,
00:39:09.34\00:39:10.68
you know what? Sorry,
you're on your own now.
00:39:10.71\00:39:12.51
Yeah, you're
probably going to end up
00:39:12.55\00:39:13.88
with some problems there.
00:39:13.92\00:39:15.25
But if you prepare a
church for that point,
00:39:15.28\00:39:18.15
and they have
very specific training
00:39:18.19\00:39:19.89
on what to do,
00:39:19.92\00:39:21.26
and for people how to handle it,
00:39:21.29\00:39:22.66
lay people are capable.
00:39:22.69\00:39:25.19
Many lay people
have professional jobs
00:39:25.23\00:39:27.80
where they have
learned many important skills
00:39:27.83\00:39:30.23
in the secular world
00:39:30.27\00:39:31.60
that can be used for God
in the work of the church.
00:39:31.63\00:39:35.70
And I'll be honest,
00:39:35.74\00:39:37.07
there are lay people
who have better skills
00:39:37.11\00:39:39.04
than many pastors,
00:39:39.07\00:39:40.48
because the pastor is
not meant to be skilled
00:39:40.51\00:39:42.01
in every single thing,
00:39:42.04\00:39:43.58
you know, on the
face of the earth.
00:39:43.61\00:39:44.98
We have strengths
and we have weaknesses.
00:39:45.01\00:39:48.72
Lay people are capable.
00:39:48.75\00:39:50.79
And the truth is really,
00:39:50.82\00:39:53.09
churches that have pastors
00:39:53.12\00:39:54.69
apostatize just as
much as lay led churches.
00:39:54.72\00:39:58.89
I don't think the
percentage is any higher.
00:39:58.93\00:40:01.36
In fact, it's
those false teachings
00:40:01.40\00:40:03.20
that keep the pastor
from doing the things
00:40:03.23\00:40:05.43
that are the most important.
00:40:05.47\00:40:07.47
As long as a church is
still connected to someone
00:40:07.50\00:40:09.87
they can go to and has training,
00:40:09.90\00:40:11.94
it can be very, very successful.
00:40:11.97\00:40:14.81
Excuse number
four, there's only five.
00:40:14.84\00:40:17.35
I pay my tithe
to get a minister.
00:40:17.38\00:40:20.28
This one's a pet peeve of mine.
00:40:20.32\00:40:22.78
Number one, you don't pay tithe.
00:40:22.82\00:40:24.19
There's no such
thing as paying tithe.
00:40:24.22\00:40:26.62
Say, what do you
mean, no such thing?
00:40:26.65\00:40:28.79
You don't pay
tithe in the Bible,
00:40:28.82\00:40:30.56
you return tithe.
00:40:30.59\00:40:32.23
See, paying tithe,
00:40:32.26\00:40:34.23
that infers that
you own something
00:40:34.26\00:40:36.10
like when I pay a
bill, this is my money,
00:40:36.13\00:40:39.13
I am paying the bill with it.
00:40:39.17\00:40:40.94
No, returning tithe is
like a lawn mower that I bought,
00:40:40.97\00:40:44.57
I'm returning to a person
00:40:44.61\00:40:46.27
something that
wasn't mine to begin with.
00:40:46.31\00:40:48.88
So tithe, it all belongs to God,
00:40:48.91\00:40:51.81
I'm returning that 10% to Him.
00:40:51.85\00:40:54.22
So that's lesson number one.
00:40:54.25\00:40:56.99
But what we're really saying is,
00:40:57.02\00:40:58.35
I won't return tithe
00:40:58.39\00:40:59.72
if I don't get
something out of it.
00:40:59.75\00:41:01.09
If you mean I return tithe,
00:41:01.12\00:41:02.46
and I'm not
going to get a minister
00:41:02.49\00:41:03.83
who preaches to me, I'm
not going to give tithe,
00:41:03.86\00:41:06.26
I'm just going to
keep it for myself,
00:41:06.29\00:41:07.80
or I'm going to
send it you know,
00:41:07.83\00:41:09.16
to some other
ministry or something.
00:41:09.20\00:41:11.60
Dare I say,
00:41:11.63\00:41:13.23
that is the
epitome of selfishness.
00:41:13.27\00:41:15.80
Because what I'm
really saying is,
00:41:15.84\00:41:17.91
if I don't get what
I want from my money,
00:41:17.94\00:41:21.34
from my tithe,
00:41:21.38\00:41:23.04
I'm not going to give it
00:41:23.08\00:41:24.41
to support the work of
the lost in unentered areas.
00:41:24.45\00:41:28.08
That's really what we're saying.
00:41:28.12\00:41:29.68
I'm sorry if that
offends you, but it's the truth.
00:41:29.72\00:41:32.72
We've got to look at
tithe totally different.
00:41:32.75\00:41:35.62
Tithes sustain clergy
in the unentered areas.
00:41:35.66\00:41:40.10
What if the early
church had said that
00:41:40.13\00:41:41.80
and never had a pastor?
00:41:41.83\00:41:43.37
What if they had said,
00:41:43.40\00:41:44.73
well, we're not going to give it
00:41:44.77\00:41:46.10
for the Gentiles
to receive the gospel.
00:41:46.13\00:41:48.00
Paul and Peter,
00:41:48.04\00:41:49.37
they need to be
back here with us.
00:41:49.40\00:41:51.44
Gospel would have
never gone anywhere.
00:41:51.47\00:41:53.88
Lastly, excuse number five.
00:41:53.91\00:41:56.24
Well, who will
preach on Sabbath then
00:41:56.28\00:41:58.28
if we don't have a minister?
00:41:58.31\00:42:00.35
And that's an honest
question for some people.
00:42:00.38\00:42:02.05
We have a lay lead
church in St. Louis,
00:42:02.08\00:42:04.12
you know, and we're
seeing some of the issues
00:42:04.15\00:42:06.52
that come up,
00:42:06.55\00:42:07.89
and we're
learning what to do right,
00:42:07.92\00:42:10.03
and you know what to do wrong.
00:42:10.06\00:42:11.46
And one of the issues is, well,
who will preach on Sabbath?
00:42:11.49\00:42:14.70
Because
obviously, you want someone
00:42:14.73\00:42:16.06
who is at least somewhat gifted,
00:42:16.10\00:42:17.80
you know, in that area,
we all have different gifts.
00:42:17.83\00:42:20.64
But what we found is lay
people are capable of preaching.
00:42:20.67\00:42:23.51
Not everyone, but
with the right training.
00:42:23.54\00:42:26.64
You know, I've
gone into churches,
00:42:26.68\00:42:28.14
and I've seen a
lay person up front,
00:42:28.18\00:42:29.94
I thought that
person that guy, that girl,
00:42:29.98\00:42:31.88
whoever they
could preach a sermon.
00:42:31.91\00:42:35.22
Guy on a camera back there,
00:42:35.25\00:42:36.75
I believe he
could preach a sermon.
00:42:36.79\00:42:38.69
Andy, I think it's Andy, right?
00:42:38.72\00:42:40.42
It's Andy,
00:42:40.46\00:42:41.79
see now you're
going to be on film, Andy.
00:42:41.82\00:42:43.29
Now lay people are
capable of preaching
00:42:43.32\00:42:45.63
or you have testimony Sabbath,
00:42:45.66\00:42:47.40
this is what
Ellen White recommended.
00:42:47.43\00:42:49.46
What's that?
00:42:49.50\00:42:50.83
It's the social meeting.
00:42:50.87\00:42:52.30
Instead of having a sermon,
00:42:52.33\00:42:53.67
why not invite
three or four people
00:42:53.70\00:42:55.04
to come up and
share a testimony.
00:42:55.07\00:42:57.51
This is what Ellen
White said about it.
00:42:57.54\00:42:58.87
She said,
00:42:58.91\00:43:00.24
"Let everyone consider
00:43:00.28\00:43:01.61
the value of
the social meetings,
00:43:01.64\00:43:03.11
and let not large or small
companies of believers think
00:43:03.14\00:43:06.45
that they cannot
have an enjoyable season,
00:43:06.48\00:43:08.95
unless they are
entertained by a preacher.
00:43:08.98\00:43:11.29
Where this dependence
on the minister exists,
00:43:11.32\00:43:13.89
that people fail to obtain
00:43:13.92\00:43:15.42
the vigorous
religious experience
00:43:15.46\00:43:17.66
which they need so much.
00:43:17.69\00:43:19.79
They have need to learn
how to testify, how to pray,
00:43:19.83\00:43:23.37
how to sing to the glory of God,
00:43:23.40\00:43:25.70
but failing to do this,
00:43:25.73\00:43:27.14
they have only a
one-sided experience.
00:43:27.17\00:43:30.37
"Testimony Sabbath,
00:43:30.41\00:43:31.97
try it once.
00:43:32.01\00:43:33.34
When I pastored,
00:43:33.38\00:43:34.71
I had eight
people in my district,
00:43:34.74\00:43:36.08
at least eight people
00:43:36.11\00:43:37.45
who I knew could preach,
00:43:37.48\00:43:38.81
who we gave opportunities to.
00:43:38.85\00:43:40.18
She's saying
00:43:40.22\00:43:41.55
we don't need a
sermon every week,
00:43:41.58\00:43:42.92
Testimony time are powerful,
they involve more people.
00:43:42.95\00:43:46.52
And this is how it would work.
00:43:46.55\00:43:48.06
You might even try it.
00:43:48.09\00:43:49.42
Let's say you
try this once a month
00:43:49.46\00:43:50.79
or once a quarter here,
00:43:50.83\00:43:52.16
what you do is
during the Sabbath time
00:43:52.19\00:43:54.56
you have your regular service.
00:43:54.60\00:43:56.16
But during the sermon time,
00:43:56.20\00:43:58.10
you ask three or
four people ahead of time,
00:43:58.13\00:44:01.30
don't just ask
them Sabbath morning,
00:44:01.34\00:44:03.07
you ask them ahead of time,
maybe a week ahead of time,
00:44:03.10\00:44:05.87
and say we're
going to give you a theme
00:44:05.91\00:44:08.38
and we want you to share
your testimony on this theme
00:44:08.41\00:44:11.15
for maybe about
10 minutes, okay?
00:44:11.18\00:44:14.32
If you just have
one person come up,
00:44:14.35\00:44:16.52
sometimes it freaks
people out, whole 30 minutes,
00:44:16.55\00:44:18.45
what am I going to
say for 30 minutes?
00:44:18.49\00:44:20.46
Give them 10
minutes, and then give them,
00:44:20.49\00:44:22.52
don't give them a blank sheet
because that freaks people out.
00:44:22.56\00:44:25.03
Give them a theme.
00:44:25.06\00:44:26.39
It might be
something like 10 minutes,
00:44:26.43\00:44:28.53
share what Jesus has
meant to you in your life?
00:44:28.56\00:44:31.17
Or maybe the theme
would be share with us,
00:44:31.20\00:44:32.93
how did you become a
Christian or an Adventist?
00:44:32.97\00:44:35.40
What names tell
us about something
00:44:35.44\00:44:37.24
that Jesus changed in your life?
00:44:37.27\00:44:39.71
Or maybe one of
the themes would be,
00:44:39.74\00:44:41.48
share with us
one of your struggles
00:44:41.51\00:44:43.11
that you can share publicly
00:44:43.14\00:44:44.85
and how Jesus Christ
has helped you with that,
00:44:44.88\00:44:47.28
or what does the
Sabbath mean to you.
00:44:47.32\00:44:49.82
If you give someone
that a week ahead of time
00:44:49.85\00:44:51.99
three or four people
00:44:52.02\00:44:53.46
and say we'll give
you 10 minutes on that,
00:44:53.49\00:44:55.99
I will guarantee you
when those three people
00:44:56.02\00:44:57.96
share their
testimonies Sabbath morning,
00:44:57.99\00:44:59.89
it will be a blessing,
00:44:59.93\00:45:01.26
because it won't
just be a lecture,
00:45:01.30\00:45:02.80
it will be real people
00:45:02.83\00:45:04.17
sharing real
things in their life.
00:45:04.20\00:45:06.07
And they will
have had a few days
00:45:06.10\00:45:07.44
to think about it,
00:45:07.47\00:45:08.80
they can write
it out if they want.
00:45:08.84\00:45:10.21
And it's 10 minutes,
00:45:10.24\00:45:11.77
you know, and if
it doesn't go well,
00:45:11.81\00:45:13.88
and the person's really nervous,
00:45:13.91\00:45:15.24
it's only 10 minutes anyway,
00:45:15.28\00:45:16.68
the next person
is going to come up.
00:45:16.71\00:45:19.05
Try it sometime.
00:45:19.08\00:45:20.58
I used to do that
on communion Sabbath,
00:45:20.62\00:45:22.48
instead of me
preaching a 10 minute sermon,
00:45:22.52\00:45:24.95
I would ask two or three
people to share a testimony,
00:45:24.99\00:45:27.42
and I gave them a subject.
00:45:27.46\00:45:29.09
And I was amazed,
00:45:29.12\00:45:30.46
because the
church listens to them
00:45:30.49\00:45:32.96
many times more than
they would listen to me,
00:45:32.99\00:45:35.96
because it was
somebody's testimony
00:45:36.00\00:45:38.10
of what Jesus had done for them.
00:45:38.13\00:45:41.47
Try it sometime
here in this church.
00:45:41.50\00:45:44.31
You may say, why
should we do this?
00:45:44.34\00:45:46.64
Why should we go through
all this effort of changing
00:45:46.68\00:45:48.84
the way that we do ministry?
00:45:48.88\00:45:50.61
For the sake of a
lost, whom Jesus loves.
00:45:50.65\00:45:53.85
If lost people matter to Jesus,
00:45:53.88\00:45:56.38
then lost people
ought to matter to us.
00:45:56.42\00:45:58.75
And if we're
going to be the biblical
00:45:58.79\00:46:00.36
end time movement,
00:46:00.39\00:46:01.92
then we want to put that effort
00:46:01.96\00:46:03.49
to return to
Christ's method of ministry
00:46:03.53\00:46:07.40
that He designed for
us from the beginning.
00:46:07.43\00:46:10.37
Because time is
running out, Jesus is coming.
00:46:10.40\00:46:13.74
And there are still
many unentered areas
00:46:13.77\00:46:16.40
that have yet to be reached.
00:46:16.44\00:46:19.11
Let's end with the same
quote that we used this morning,
00:46:19.14\00:46:22.38
where she wrote,
00:46:22.41\00:46:23.75
"Those who would be overcomers
00:46:23.78\00:46:25.61
must be drawn out of themselves,
00:46:25.65\00:46:28.15
and the only thing
00:46:28.18\00:46:29.52
that will
accomplish this great work,
00:46:29.55\00:46:31.95
is to become
intensely interested
00:46:31.99\00:46:35.39
in the salvation of others."
00:46:35.42\00:46:38.53
Can you and I
honestly sit here myself?
00:46:38.56\00:46:41.86
Can I honestly say
00:46:41.90\00:46:43.87
that I am intensely interested
in the salvation of others?
00:46:43.90\00:46:49.90
That's where it
really begins friends.
00:46:49.94\00:46:52.24
Because the truth is,
00:46:52.27\00:46:53.61
you can make a church
lay lead in five minutes.
00:46:53.64\00:46:57.58
But if that church is
not intensely interested
00:46:57.61\00:47:00.12
in the salvation of others,
00:47:00.15\00:47:01.55
it won't matter
what method you follow,
00:47:01.58\00:47:04.39
it would not work.
00:47:04.42\00:47:06.15
It has to start here.
00:47:06.19\00:47:08.09
And so my prayer is
that for each of us,
00:47:08.12\00:47:10.39
and whoever may watch this,
00:47:10.43\00:47:11.86
that we might be able to
lift our eyes towards heaven,
00:47:11.89\00:47:14.46
and simply say,
00:47:14.50\00:47:15.83
Lord, I'm asking you
to create in my heart
00:47:15.86\00:47:17.53
a passion for the lost.
00:47:17.57\00:47:19.77
I'm asking you to help me
become intensely interested
00:47:19.80\00:47:24.74
in the salvation of others.
00:47:24.77\00:47:27.28
And when that
happens in our hearts,
00:47:27.31\00:47:29.58
the church will
be more than ready
00:47:29.61\00:47:31.91
to make that
transition back to the way
00:47:31.95\00:47:34.58
God wants us to do
ministry, the biblical way.
00:47:34.62\00:47:37.92
Heavenly Father,
00:47:39.85\00:47:41.46
Lord, thank You
for Your patience
00:47:41.49\00:47:42.86
with Your church.
00:47:42.89\00:47:44.23
You were patient with Israel,
00:47:44.26\00:47:45.69
You were patient with
Your New Testament Church,
00:47:45.73\00:47:47.60
You were patient all
throughout the foolishness
00:47:47.63\00:47:50.27
of the Middle Ages
00:47:50.30\00:47:51.63
and all that happened then.
00:47:51.67\00:47:53.00
Thank You for being
patient with Your remnant.
00:47:53.03\00:47:54.97
Well, we believe You
have a final end day movement.
00:47:55.00\00:47:57.71
And, Lord, we recognize
that that we are faulty people
00:47:57.74\00:48:00.81
that we do make mistakes
that we are not infallible.
00:48:00.84\00:48:04.01
And so we ask You, Lord,
00:48:04.05\00:48:05.41
to just to write upon our
heart a passion for the lost
00:48:05.45\00:48:10.12
that You would
continue to help us
00:48:10.15\00:48:11.62
to just turn the ship around
00:48:11.65\00:48:13.56
so that we are doing ministry
00:48:13.59\00:48:14.99
the way that You
intended it to be done.
00:48:15.02\00:48:17.69
Thank You
00:48:17.73\00:48:19.06
and we ask You to start
by reviving our own hearts,
00:48:19.09\00:48:21.90
we pray in Jesus' name.
00:48:21.93\00:48:23.53