Doug Batchelor: Friends, would you win souls if you could? 00:00:03.50\00:00:06.23 Well, you can. 00:00:06.27\00:00:07.84 Please plan now to join me in doing 00:00:07.87\00:00:09.74 some evangelism this winter. 00:00:09.77\00:00:11.81 It's easier than you think. 00:00:11.84\00:00:13.68 Prophecy Encounter will be a major new, ten-part evangelistic 00:00:13.71\00:00:17.08 program that will be broadcasted by satellite and streaming on 00:00:17.11\00:00:20.95 the Internet to homes or churches near you, hopefully 00:00:20.98\00:00:23.99 your home or church. 00:00:24.02\00:00:25.82 From February 17 through 25, I'll be preaching an all new 00:00:25.85\00:00:30.13 old-fashioned evangelistic program from Sanford, Florida. 00:00:30.16\00:00:33.33 And we'll be using the latest technology 00:00:33.36\00:00:35.10 and fresh illustrations. 00:00:35.13\00:00:37.50 So, all you have to do is open your churches, your homes, 00:00:37.53\00:00:39.87 invite friends and family, be friendly, pray, and let the 00:00:39.90\00:00:44.21 power of the Word do the work. 00:00:44.24\00:00:46.57 The programs will be available on 3ABN, 00:00:46.61\00:00:49.44 AFTV, Facebook, Roku, and more. 00:00:49.48\00:00:52.58 You'll be surprised, there are people in your community that 00:00:52.61\00:00:55.48 are really worried about what's happening in the world, 00:00:55.52\00:00:57.92 and they're looking for answers. 00:00:57.95\00:01:00.26 Jesus said, "The harvest is truly great, 00:01:00.29\00:01:02.22 but the laborers are few. 00:01:02.26\00:01:04.06 So, pray therefore the Lord of the harvest will send laborers 00:01:04.09\00:01:06.66 out into his harvest." 00:01:06.70\00:01:08.60 You can be one of them. 00:01:08.63\00:01:10.23 So, I'd like to encourage you to join us and be praying for the 00:01:10.27\00:01:13.23 upcoming Prophecy Encounter meetings. 00:01:13.27\00:01:15.67 For more information, check out www.prophecyencounter.com. 00:01:15.70\00:01:21.38 And who knows, you might be revived in the process. 00:01:21.41\00:01:24.98 [music] 00:01:25.55\00:01:29.95 [music] 00:01:31.85\00:01:41.93 Doug: Every now and then in the panorama of history, we hear 00:01:42.40\00:01:44.50 about individuals that go from the lowest depths 00:01:44.53\00:01:47.27 to the highest pinnacles. 00:01:47.30\00:01:49.07 They emerge from the shackles of prison 00:01:49.10\00:01:51.07 to lead and inspire a nation. 00:01:51.11\00:01:53.94 Take Joseph, for instance. 00:01:54.88\00:01:57.25 He's sold by his brothers as a slave, then falsely 00:01:57.28\00:01:59.28 accused and thrust into prison. 00:01:59.31\00:02:01.45 Yet, through a series of divine circumstances, 00:02:01.48\00:02:03.82 he miraculously goes from the prison to the palace, 00:02:03.85\00:02:06.59 ruling the ones who imprisoned him. 00:02:06.62\00:02:09.12 Sound farfetched? 00:02:09.16\00:02:10.79 It's happened in history more than you think. 00:02:10.83\00:02:13.46 South Africa is the home of just such a leader. 00:02:13.50\00:02:16.26 Nelson Mandela worked tirelessly to establish peace 00:02:16.30\00:02:19.87 and freedom in his country, and his influence 00:02:19.90\00:02:22.17 was felt around the world. 00:02:22.20\00:02:25.34 Before freedom, there must be forgiveness. 00:02:25.37\00:02:27.74 Like Joseph, who was unjustly accused for a crime he did not 00:02:27.78\00:02:30.78 commit, Nelson Mandela was accused of terrorism, 00:02:30.81\00:02:33.52 and sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island. 00:02:33.55\00:02:36.75 He was often exposed to cruel punishment and abuse, but even 00:02:36.79\00:02:40.09 in the midst of apparent failure and discouragement, he never 00:02:40.12\00:02:42.79 lost heart, he never gave up. 00:02:42.82\00:02:45.26 After years in prison, a growing number of supporters rallied 00:02:45.29\00:02:48.50 for his release and eventually took place. 00:02:48.53\00:02:51.43 And God used him so that he was instrumental in helping to 00:02:51.47\00:02:54.27 abolish racial segregation in the country of South Africa. 00:02:54.30\00:02:58.31 Incredibly, he now was virtually the absolute leader in the 00:02:58.34\00:03:01.68 country that had imprisoned him. 00:03:01.71\00:03:03.91 He had all of the tools and the power at his disposal to get 00:03:03.95\00:03:06.45 even with the prison guards and others that had mistreated him. 00:03:06.48\00:03:09.78 Instead, Mandela chose forgiveness. 00:03:09.82\00:03:12.69 It reminds me of that verse in the Bible in Ephesians chapter 00:03:12.72\00:03:15.69 4, verse 32, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and 00:03:15.72\00:03:19.16 anger, and clamor, and railing be put away from you, with all 00:03:19.19\00:03:22.53 malice, and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, 00:03:22.56\00:03:26.33 forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you." 00:03:26.37\00:03:31.47 I'm so thankful that Nelson Mandela, like Joseph, chose to 00:03:31.51\00:03:35.11 forgive those who were once his enemies, and to serve his nation 00:03:35.14\00:03:38.18 with love and courage. 00:03:38.21\00:03:40.28 You can find a number of examples of this 00:03:40.32\00:03:42.45 happening in the Bible. 00:03:42.48\00:03:44.19 You have Daniel, who was a captive from the land of Judah, 00:03:44.22\00:03:46.25 and yet God arranged things where he becomes the prime 00:03:46.29\00:03:48.69 minister in the kingdom of Babylon. 00:03:48.72\00:03:50.86 You have Esther, who was a poor orphan girl in Persia, and yet 00:03:50.89\00:03:54.10 God worked things out where she becomes a queen of that country. 00:03:54.13\00:03:57.30 The book of Jeremiah ends with an incredible story of a young 00:03:57.33\00:04:01.17 king named Jehoiachin, who is in the Babylonian dungeon 00:04:01.20\00:04:04.54 for 37 years, and then King Evil-Merodach has mercy on him, 00:04:04.57\00:04:08.51 and he has a new status, going from the prison to the palace. 00:04:08.54\00:04:11.85 This is what the Lord wants to do for you and me, friends. 00:04:11.88\00:04:14.58 He gives you the bread of life, he gives you the robe of Jesus' 00:04:14.62\00:04:17.32 righteousness, he gives you a seat at his table. 00:04:17.35\00:04:19.42 If you accept his forgiveness and you're willing to pass it 00:04:19.45\00:04:22.36 on, you and I can live and reign with Christ. 00:04:22.39\00:04:25.26 Wouldn't you like that experience? 00:04:25.29\00:04:27.86 [music] 00:04:27.93\00:04:34.40 [music] 00:04:34.67\00:04:48.12 Doug: Our message today is going to be dealing with the 00:04:49.38\00:04:51.09 subject of "Many Members, One Body." 00:04:51.12\00:04:56.69 And the central focus of this is going to be revolving around 00:04:56.73\00:04:59.73 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 00:04:59.76\00:05:03.23 We'll be referring to that chapter as much as many others. 00:05:03.26\00:05:05.97 And so, if you want to do and get your Bible marked for that 00:05:06.00\00:05:09.17 spot, we'll be returning there and reading several verses 00:05:09.20\00:05:12.44 together that talk about the body of Christ. 00:05:12.47\00:05:17.61 Now, not so much today, but it used to be that all of our 00:05:17.65\00:05:22.38 currency had the American logo on it. 00:05:22.42\00:05:25.55 You know what the American logo is? 00:05:25.59\00:05:28.36 Have you heard the statement "E Pluribus Unum"? 00:05:28.39\00:05:33.90 E Pluribus Unum, some of you are thinking that's some kind of a 00:05:33.93\00:05:37.63 digestinal problem that you might get coming back from 00:05:37.67\00:05:41.50 a foreign country, "I got E Pluribus." 00:05:41.54\00:05:44.21 But actually it's Latin, and it means "out of many, one." 00:05:44.24\00:05:48.48 And it was selected as our logo by, back in 1776, Benjamin 00:05:48.51\00:05:54.05 Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, "out of many, one." 00:05:54.08\00:05:59.69 And of course, this is a theme that you can understand that 00:05:59.72\00:06:03.83 Paul would easily buy into because all through the Bible, 00:06:03.86\00:06:07.60 it talks about the importance of how all of us together become 00:06:07.66\00:06:11.53 one in Christ, that we're more effective, we're more powerful 00:06:11.57\00:06:15.70 for Christ as we work together collectively. 00:06:15.74\00:06:18.51 The church is to be one body. 00:06:18.54\00:06:21.61 Now, there's some verses I'd like to share with you 00:06:21.64\00:06:23.61 before we get to 1 Corinthians. 00:06:23.65\00:06:25.85 Ephesians 4:1 through 6 is a great passage 00:06:25.88\00:06:28.58 to illustrate this. 00:06:28.62\00:06:31.55 Ephesians 4, start with the first verse, "I therefore, the 00:06:31.59\00:06:35.56 prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, I beg of you, walk worthy 00:06:35.59\00:06:40.06 of the calling to which you were called, in all lowliness 00:06:40.10\00:06:43.06 and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing 00:06:43.10\00:06:45.90 with one another in love." 00:06:45.93\00:06:49.14 Now, he's saying, he's intimating here that there are 00:06:49.17\00:06:52.44 times we need to bear patiently with each other in a loving way, 00:06:52.47\00:06:56.48 as with most families, amen? 00:06:56.51\00:07:00.12 "Endeavoring, striving to keep the unity." 00:07:00.15\00:07:04.05 Unity is something you need to endeavor to keep. 00:07:04.09\00:07:07.06 "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit." 00:07:07.09\00:07:10.86 If you don't endeavor to keep it, you might 00:07:10.89\00:07:12.46 lose the unity of the spirit. 00:07:12.49\00:07:14.46 "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit 00:07:14.46\00:07:17.07 in the bond of peace." 00:07:17.10\00:07:19.20 Now, notice how many times he says the word "one" here. 00:07:19.23\00:07:23.34 "There is one body, and one spirit, just as you are called 00:07:23.37\00:07:29.34 in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 00:07:29.38\00:07:35.78 one God and Father of us all, who is above all, 00:07:35.82\00:07:38.62 and through all, and in you all." 00:07:38.65\00:07:41.89 He's in me, he's in you. There's one God that we serve. 00:07:41.92\00:07:45.53 You notice that seven times, nice Bible number. 00:07:45.56\00:07:48.73 Now, first of all, let's talk about the one God. 00:07:48.76\00:07:51.83 There's several things that are one here we're going to address. 00:07:51.87\00:07:54.24 We're going to talk about the church is one as God is one. 00:07:54.27\00:07:58.97 The Bible says the church is one as a marriage 00:07:59.01\00:08:01.54 or a family is one. 00:08:01.58\00:08:03.28 And of course, the church is one as a body is one. 00:08:03.31\00:08:06.01 First, the church is one as God is one, there is one God. 00:08:06.05\00:08:09.18 Now, you know that great Shema the Israelis would say 00:08:09.22\00:08:13.82 when they came together. 00:08:13.86\00:08:15.69 It's based on Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 4, 00:08:15.72\00:08:18.43 where Moses said, "Hear, O Israel! 00:08:18.46\00:08:21.66 The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:08:21.70\00:08:25.27 And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, 00:08:25.30\00:08:27.97 with all of your soul, with all of your strength." 00:08:28.00\00:08:31.74 There in the Bible, in the beginning it says God said, 00:08:31.77\00:08:34.04 "Let us," plural, "make man in our image." 00:08:34.08\00:08:38.45 And yet, it says there is one God. 00:08:38.48\00:08:40.98 Now, the pagans used to worship many different gods. 00:08:41.02\00:08:44.85 They had a god of the bushes and the trees, and the god of 00:08:44.89\00:08:47.12 the birds and the bees and everything else 00:08:47.16\00:08:49.72 and--but the God of Israel was a one united God. 00:08:49.76\00:08:54.20 And in the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit 00:08:54.23\00:08:57.63 is the oneness of God. 00:08:57.67\00:09:00.40 Now, one for Hebrew did not always mean numeric quantity, 00:09:00.44\00:09:05.41 it meant unity. 00:09:05.44\00:09:08.01 And so, one is a very important point here. 00:09:08.04\00:09:10.35 Malachi 2:10, "Have we not all one Father? 00:09:10.38\00:09:13.28 Has not one God created us?" 00:09:13.31\00:09:17.05 And then Jesus, he bears up his theme of how important 00:09:17.09\00:09:20.06 the unity in one body is in John chapter 17. 00:09:20.09\00:09:23.06 I'll start with verse 11, and I'll jump around a little bit. 00:09:23.09\00:09:26.06 This is the great prayer of Christ, dedication prayer, 00:09:26.09\00:09:30.40 or commitment prayer for his church. 00:09:30.43\00:09:34.07 John 17:11, "Holy Father, keep through your name those who 00:09:34.10\00:09:39.11 you have given me, that they may be one, as we are." 00:09:39.14\00:09:45.35 That's a pretty tall order for you and I to be one as the 00:09:45.38\00:09:49.55 Father, and the Son, and the Spirit. 00:09:49.58\00:09:52.19 But that's what he's praying for, that we can--now, 00:09:52.22\00:09:54.42 if we've got the Holy Spirit, we can be one as 00:09:54.46\00:09:57.09 God the Father and the Son. 00:09:57.13\00:09:59.49 Does that make sense? 00:09:59.53\00:10:01.50 John 17:20, Jesus is praying still, "I do not pray for these 00:10:01.53\00:10:05.30 alone, but also those who will believe in me 00:10:05.33\00:10:07.64 through their word." 00:10:07.67\00:10:09.54 All right, stop. Who's that talking about? 00:10:09.57\00:10:11.97 Jesus is praying, said, "I'm not only praying for these, the 00:10:12.01\00:10:14.61 apostles, I'm praying for those who will believe 00:10:14.64\00:10:16.95 because of what they say and write." 00:10:16.98\00:10:19.38 So, when you and I read the Bible, Jesus is praying 00:10:19.41\00:10:22.05 for us, that we will have this oneness that he 00:10:22.08\00:10:25.79 prayed for for the apostles. 00:10:25.82\00:10:27.79 Does that encourage you to think Jesus prayed for you? 00:10:27.82\00:10:30.43 I mean, who could you possibly want to pray 00:10:30.46\00:10:32.39 for you more than Jesus? 00:10:32.43\00:10:34.36 What is he praying for? Listen. 00:10:34.40\00:10:37.03 "I pray for those who will believe through their word, that 00:10:37.07\00:10:39.87 they may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you." 00:10:39.90\00:10:45.91 Talk about the oneness of Jesus, Jesus in the Father, 00:10:45.94\00:10:48.24 the Father in Jesus. 00:10:48.28\00:10:50.88 "That they may be one in us." 00:10:50.91\00:10:55.12 Now, in order for us to be one, if I'm in Christ and you're 00:10:55.15\00:10:58.82 in Christ, then we're in Christ. 00:10:58.85\00:11:00.76 Does that make sense? 00:11:00.79\00:11:02.96 If you say, "I'm in Texas," and I tell you, "Well, I'm in Texas 00:11:02.99\00:11:05.43 too," that means we're both in Texas, right? 00:11:05.46\00:11:09.26 And so, we are one together in Christ. 00:11:09.30\00:11:13.87 So, you don't have to worry about being so much one 00:11:13.90\00:11:16.47 with me as you do being one with Christ. 00:11:16.50\00:11:19.64 And you know, some basic marriage counseling is--I'll get 00:11:19.67\00:11:24.15 to the marriage part in just a moment. 00:11:24.18\00:11:26.68 The closer you come to Christ, the closer you 00:11:26.72\00:11:28.65 invariably come to each other. 00:11:28.68\00:11:31.49 And that's also true in a church. 00:11:31.52\00:11:34.46 The closer we all come to Jesus, if you want to get along better 00:11:34.49\00:11:36.93 with somebody else that's a brother or a sister, you get 00:11:36.96\00:11:39.56 closer to Jesus, you'll get closer to them, assuming 00:11:39.59\00:11:42.93 they're doing the same thing. 00:11:42.96\00:11:45.90 "That the world might believe that you sent me." 00:11:45.93\00:11:49.30 Now, why does he want us to be one? 00:11:49.34\00:11:52.41 That the world might believe. What's our mission? 00:11:52.44\00:11:54.68 Take the gospel to the world. 00:11:54.71\00:11:56.58 Now, I think the devil was listening to Jesus' prayer. 00:11:56.61\00:11:58.71 You know, you always wonder, should we just 00:11:58.75\00:12:00.45 go in our closet and pray? 00:12:00.48\00:12:02.25 How did this prayer get recorded in the Gospel of John? 00:12:02.28\00:12:05.05 John must have heard him pray. And the devil heard him pray. 00:12:05.09\00:12:10.53 And the devil heard Jesus pray, "Father, the world will believe 00:12:10.56\00:12:14.00 by their love for one another." 00:12:14.03\00:12:16.67 And the devil thought, "Well, if the world will be converted by 00:12:16.70\00:12:19.50 their unity, the world will be un-converted by their division." 00:12:19.53\00:12:23.91 So, what's the devil's mission? 00:12:23.94\00:12:26.71 Scatter the flock, fragment, have everybody kind of 00:12:26.74\00:12:30.01 break off doing their own thing. 00:12:30.05\00:12:32.01 Oh, we'll come together for church once a week 00:12:32.05\00:12:33.92 so we can call ourselves Christians, but otherwise 00:12:33.95\00:12:35.65 we're sort of detached. 00:12:35.68\00:12:38.85 That's not God's plan. He wants us to be one. 00:12:38.89\00:12:42.22 You know, one reason that I'm focusing on this right now is 00:12:42.26\00:12:47.03 because we're entering the time--our church sort of follows 00:12:47.03\00:12:49.90 a biannual nominating committee, where people get involved in 00:12:49.93\00:12:54.74 serving, and we have our nominating committee, and folks 00:12:54.77\00:12:58.34 are praying about different positions in the church. 00:12:58.37\00:13:01.68 And it's so important that, especially now that we've grown 00:13:01.71\00:13:04.75 quite a bit since our last committee, some people have kind 00:13:04.78\00:13:07.68 of come and they say, "I like going to Granite Bay," but 00:13:07.72\00:13:10.19 now we want people to get involved. 00:13:10.22\00:13:13.12 If everybody's involved in using their gifts, there's no limit 00:13:13.15\00:13:16.12 to what the Lord can do through a church if we really 00:13:16.16\00:13:18.56 have the oneness that Jesus prayed for. 00:13:18.59\00:13:20.90 What do you think? 00:13:20.93\00:13:23.30 So, maybe you've been coming, and we're glad you're coming. 00:13:23.33\00:13:25.97 You may have even joined, and you show up faithfully, and you 00:13:26.00\00:13:29.04 pray, and you pay your tithes, but that's the extent 00:13:29.07\00:13:32.91 of your involvement. 00:13:32.94\00:13:35.11 You got to go all the way and be part of the body. 00:13:35.14\00:13:38.25 You need to integrate. 00:13:38.28\00:13:40.48 So, you want to know what I'm up to, that's what I'm up to. 00:13:40.52\00:13:46.55 Jesus said, "That the world might believe that you sent me," 00:13:46.59\00:13:49.79 the world might believe because of their oneness. 00:13:49.82\00:13:52.33 "And the glory that you gave me, I have given them," why? 00:13:52.36\00:13:55.03 "That they may be one, just as we are one." 00:13:55.06\00:13:57.83 There he says it again, one as he and the Father are one, "I in 00:13:57.87\00:14:01.77 them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, 00:14:01.80\00:14:06.61 that the world might know that you have sent me, 00:14:06.64\00:14:10.58 and have loved them as you love me." 00:14:10.61\00:14:13.21 There's something about the church being a united organism 00:14:13.25\00:14:16.18 that is so very powerful, and it threatens the devil. 00:14:16.22\00:14:22.22 That's why we maybe need to consciously think about are 00:14:22.26\00:14:25.63 we really--you know, what do you do for a living? 00:14:25.66\00:14:30.43 "Well, I'm a carpenter." 00:14:30.47\00:14:32.87 If you're a Christian, you say, "I'm a Christian. 00:14:32.90\00:14:34.84 I do carpentry to subsidize my Christianity." 00:14:34.87\00:14:38.11 If every member would realize that our priority--the church is 00:14:38.14\00:14:41.34 not an appendage we kind of add on a little bit during the week. 00:14:41.38\00:14:45.11 And God isn't someone you fit in your schedule, 00:14:45.15\00:14:47.38 he is your schedule if you're a believer. 00:14:47.42\00:14:50.55 And everything else is what you fit into God's schedule. 00:14:50.59\00:14:54.42 And the church really needs to be an integral 00:14:54.46\00:14:57.66 part of your experience as a Christian, 00:14:57.69\00:15:01.50 praying for it, communicating, networking. 00:15:01.53\00:15:04.07 Because we gain strength from each other that way. 00:15:04.10\00:15:06.80 Now, this is an unusually good church. 00:15:06.84\00:15:09.14 I don't want to interpret what I'm saying now as some 00:15:09.17\00:15:11.07 form of admonition or--it is a little bit admonition, 00:15:11.11\00:15:14.21 but I'm not chastising because I praise the Lord for this church. 00:15:14.24\00:15:19.15 But we've grown, and I think it's important that we don't 00:15:19.18\00:15:21.78 let the devil come in and cause division, and that we're 00:15:21.82\00:15:24.15 conscious of how important it is for us to be united 00:15:24.19\00:15:26.89 and to be involved, amen? 00:15:26.92\00:15:30.73 Now, I said God is one, marriage is one. 00:15:30.76\00:15:34.20 Jesus, quoting the Old Testament, in Mark chapter 10, 00:15:34.20\00:15:37.57 verse 7, "For this reason a man will leave his father and 00:15:37.60\00:15:40.94 mother, and be joined to his wife, and the two become," what? 00:15:40.97\00:15:44.27 "One flesh. 00:15:44.31\00:15:46.81 So then they are no longer two, but one flesh." 00:15:46.84\00:15:50.85 In order for a couple to be successful, they need to see 00:15:50.88\00:15:53.55 that they're united in their lives, in their ministry. 00:15:53.58\00:15:57.75 In Ephesians, Paul, bearing the same theme out, Ephesians 00:15:57.79\00:16:00.52 chapter 5, verse 28, "So, husbands ought to love 00:16:00.56\00:16:03.83 their own wives as their own bodies. 00:16:03.86\00:16:06.43 He who loves his wife loves himself." 00:16:06.46\00:16:09.20 If I'm not good to Karen, if I don't love Karen, 00:16:09.23\00:16:11.80 I end up hurting myself. 00:16:11.83\00:16:15.14 How many of you men will say amen to that? 00:16:15.17\00:16:17.64 You've heard it before that if mama ain't happy, 00:16:17.67\00:16:19.84 nobody's happy, so you're just hurting yourself. 00:16:19.87\00:16:23.71 "He that loves his wife loves himself. 00:16:23.75\00:16:29.18 If you care for your body, you cherish your body, 00:16:29.22\00:16:31.65 for we are members of his body." 00:16:31.69\00:16:33.46 Notice he's making the connection now 00:16:33.49\00:16:34.89 between marriage and the church. 00:16:34.92\00:16:38.83 "Of his flesh and of his bone. 00:16:38.86\00:16:40.96 For this reason," he quotes it again, "a man will leave his 00:16:41.00\00:16:43.80 father and mother, and be joined to his wife, 00:16:43.83\00:16:45.80 and those two become one flesh. 00:16:45.83\00:16:47.97 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning," 00:16:48.00\00:16:51.44 not husband and wife, "Christ and the church." 00:16:51.47\00:16:55.54 He says, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ 00:16:55.58\00:16:57.95 loves the church." 00:16:57.98\00:16:59.71 So, this oneness is not only compared to God, the oneness 00:16:59.75\00:17:02.75 the church should have is compared to marriage and family. 00:17:02.78\00:17:07.02 And then Paul, and we'll spend most of our time talking about 00:17:07.06\00:17:09.26 this, Paul talks about the oneness that we should have 00:17:09.29\00:17:12.06 in the church as a body. 00:17:12.09\00:17:15.80 Even Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in 3 days I will 00:17:15.83\00:17:18.97 raise it up," and he was talking about his body, one body. 00:17:19.00\00:17:22.87 It's really something when you see some of these Olympics. 00:17:22.90\00:17:26.78 The routines the gymnasts do, and how they're able-- 00:17:26.81\00:17:31.28 the timing, and the flips, and the twists, and the spins, 00:17:31.31\00:17:34.98 and I just--it's breathtaking sometimes. 00:17:35.02\00:17:37.92 And I can tell you what, they've got their whole body working 00:17:37.95\00:17:42.19 together whenever they're able to do that. 00:17:42.22\00:17:46.39 And when you're in touch, and the body's all connected and 00:17:46.43\00:17:50.47 communicating, it's amazing what you can do. 00:17:50.50\00:17:52.60 It also happens through training, through practice. 00:17:52.63\00:17:56.44 And the church is something of an organism in that way, 00:17:56.47\00:18:00.34 in that we should be involved. 00:18:00.38\00:18:01.98 Let me give you some verses, the church is one body. 00:18:02.01\00:18:03.71 Romans 12. 00:18:03.75\00:18:05.71 I told you we're going to go to a few other verses, 00:18:05.75\00:18:07.42 and then we're going to dive into 1 Corinthians 12. 00:18:07.45\00:18:10.05 Romans 12:4, "For as we have many members in one body," 00:18:10.09\00:18:14.76 members meaning, you know, your foot's a member, your arm's a 00:18:14.79\00:18:17.09 member, your head is a member of the body, 00:18:17.13\00:18:19.23 your tongue is a member of the body. 00:18:19.26\00:18:21.50 "As we have many members in one body, but all the members don't 00:18:21.53\00:18:24.70 have the same function." 00:18:24.73\00:18:26.97 Most of them don't. 00:18:27.00\00:18:29.00 "For we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individual 00:18:29.04\00:18:33.31 members of one another." 00:18:33.34\00:18:35.78 Now, because we're one body doesn't mean we're the same. 00:18:35.81\00:18:39.31 Your body's composed of all kinds of different organs, and 00:18:39.35\00:18:42.52 systems, and functions. 00:18:42.55\00:18:44.42 And you know, I've heard that like in one square 00:18:44.45\00:18:48.89 inch of skin, you've got like 16 miles of blood vessels 00:18:48.92\00:18:53.60 or something like that. 00:18:53.63\00:18:55.36 I mean, it's fascinating the complexity of one body, yet it's 00:18:55.40\00:18:58.63 one thing that accomplishes, you know, controlled goals 00:18:58.67\00:19:04.94 because all of the organism works together. 00:19:04.97\00:19:07.01 You have all different kinds of gifts, and I won't try to even 00:19:07.04\00:19:09.71 guess what part of the body you would represent 00:19:09.74\00:19:11.68 as an illustration. 00:19:11.71\00:19:15.88 But take it we're all different, this is 00:19:15.92\00:19:18.89 what Paul is talking about. 00:19:18.92\00:19:21.46 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now you are the body of Christ, 00:19:21.49\00:19:26.56 and members in particular." 00:19:26.59\00:19:28.80 We're all different particular members of the body. 00:19:28.83\00:19:31.70 You may not have thought about it, you might not be 00:19:31.73\00:19:33.54 sure where you fit in, but if you're a Christian, you 00:19:33.57\00:19:35.84 are a body of Christ. 00:19:35.87\00:19:37.54 For one thing, the body needs to stick together, amen? 00:19:37.57\00:19:41.34 It's not good when a body's not together. 00:19:41.38\00:19:43.61 1 Corinthians 12, verse 12 through 14, "For as the body is 00:19:43.65\00:19:47.78 one and has many members, and all the members of that body, 00:19:47.82\00:19:51.69 being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 00:19:51.72\00:19:56.02 For by one Spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether 00:19:56.06\00:20:00.33 you're Jew or Gentile, whether you're bond or free, whether 00:20:00.36\00:20:05.80 you've been made to drink in one spirit, for the body 00:20:05.83\00:20:09.97 is not one, but many." 00:20:10.01\00:20:12.67 Now, the big issue back in Bible times, it says were you a Jew 00:20:12.71\00:20:17.88 or are you a Gentile? 00:20:17.91\00:20:19.85 We don't have such a racial division here in this country, 00:20:19.88\00:20:23.35 but you might say everyone in the Sacramento area, doesn't 00:20:23.39\00:20:26.29 matter if you're a Slavic or English, doesn't matter 00:20:26.32\00:20:30.13 if you're Asian or African-American. 00:20:30.16\00:20:33.23 It doesn't matter whether you're Hispanic 00:20:33.26\00:20:35.86 or South Pacific Islander. 00:20:35.90\00:20:40.24 We are all one body, amen? 00:20:40.27\00:20:43.51 And we all work together as one body. 00:20:43.54\00:20:46.88 Now, I've asked some of our youth, I want to illustrate 00:20:46.91\00:20:50.48 this to you in a way that I thought might be helpful. 00:20:50.51\00:20:53.78 I've got some youth that I handpicked at Sabbath School. 00:20:53.82\00:20:56.08 If they come up front, you know who you are, 00:20:56.12\00:20:57.85 I got like six youth. 00:20:57.89\00:21:00.06 I'd like you to come up, if you'd just stand here just 00:21:00.09\00:21:03.02 across from me, and they're going to help me 00:21:03.06\00:21:06.06 illustrate this point in a vivid way. 00:21:06.09\00:21:08.43 Just you can line up on over here, there we go, very good. 00:21:08.46\00:21:10.57 These are my helpers, we've got one, two, three, four, five. 00:21:10.60\00:21:13.23 Are we missing one? 00:21:13.27\00:21:15.04 Are we missing a member of the body? 00:21:15.07\00:21:17.51 Did I only pick five? I thought there was another. 00:21:17.54\00:21:21.84 All right, I need another, one of the youth, 00:21:21.88\00:21:23.78 you just come on up, somebody. 00:21:23.81\00:21:26.92 Move by the Spirit, pick someone. 00:21:26.95\00:21:30.25 Who's coming up? All right, here we go, okay. 00:21:30.29\00:21:33.86 All right, just stay right there. 00:21:33.89\00:21:36.93 Here, hang on a second, I got to put this down. 00:21:36.96\00:21:39.89 All right, they're going to help me illustrate like 00:21:39.93\00:21:41.86 they're different parts of the body here. 00:21:41.90\00:21:44.47 And maybe Pastor Ross is going to help me. 00:21:44.50\00:21:47.87 No. 00:21:48.54\00:21:52.67 I'm going to ask you guys, let me give you a hand. 00:21:56.34\00:22:02.25 Now, no, this isn't going to work right, 00:22:24.01\00:22:25.44 we got to switch this here. 00:22:25.47\00:22:26.91 You hold that for a second here. 00:22:26.94\00:22:28.94 There we go. 00:22:28.98\00:22:32.35 Okay. 00:22:33.31\00:22:34.72 Oh, yeah, yeah, bring that out. 00:22:34.75\00:22:36.08 Let's put that--let's put that right here. 00:22:36.12\00:22:37.99 So, here we have a body. 00:22:38.02\00:22:40.09 Now, some of you might think this is a little strange, 00:22:40.12\00:22:42.36 but I wanted to illustrate this. 00:22:42.39\00:22:44.09 And what did you want me to do, use a real body 00:22:44.13\00:22:45.49 and dismember it? 00:22:45.53\00:22:46.96 So I got to use a mannequin, I don't know what else to do. 00:22:47.00\00:22:50.03 And yeah, let's put it over here, Pastor Ross, because 00:22:50.07\00:22:52.50 it might--yeah, I don't want to compete during the sermon. 00:22:52.53\00:22:56.34 Okay; all right, here we got different members of the body. 00:22:56.37\00:23:00.28 It doesn't accomplish very much separated like that. 00:23:00.31\00:23:02.64 So, if someone says they've got a hand, 00:23:02.68\00:23:05.45 how many of you have a hand? 00:23:05.48\00:23:07.18 Hold up your hand. 00:23:07.22\00:23:08.92 All right, now look at your hand. 00:23:08.95\00:23:11.19 Now, look at the hand next to you of someone else. 00:23:11.22\00:23:14.56 Is that scary? No, because it's on a body. 00:23:14.59\00:23:18.33 But if I said, "Look, on the floor, a hand," 00:23:18.36\00:23:22.66 if that was a real hand, would that trouble you? 00:23:22.70\00:23:25.27 Why? It's dismembered. 00:23:25.30\00:23:29.44 It's separated. You get that? 00:23:29.47\00:23:31.84 It's separated from the body, something dangerous 00:23:31.87\00:23:34.54 can happen like that. 00:23:34.58\00:23:36.68 But if we start to put things where they belong--all right, 00:23:36.71\00:23:40.22 let's see here, we'll start with you. 00:23:40.25\00:23:42.08 You're probably happy to unload, right? 00:23:42.12\00:23:44.29 Now be careful, those legs come off, and then we're going to 00:23:44.32\00:23:46.89 have a problem, I wanted to keep this--let's go like this. 00:23:46.92\00:23:51.53 And there's no easy way to grab this thing and not look weird. 00:23:51.56\00:23:58.77 Okay, there we go, that's much better. 00:23:58.80\00:24:00.90 I want you to all know these are my pants, and that no real legs 00:24:00.94\00:24:08.61 were hurt in the making of this video. 00:24:08.64\00:24:11.98 And those are Steven's shoes that he didn't like anymore. 00:24:12.01\00:24:15.45 All right, so can I borrow the hand again? 00:24:15.48\00:24:18.59 Give me a hand. Is that where that goes? 00:24:18.62\00:24:22.69 No, so, what goes next? 00:24:22.72\00:24:26.43 Try the--that's right, torso. 00:24:27.73\00:24:30.50 You want to see if you can do that yourself? 00:24:30.53\00:24:34.10 All right, let me help you a little. 00:24:34.14\00:24:36.24 All right. 00:24:36.27\00:24:39.17 There we go. 00:24:40.84\00:24:42.61 This is Harvey Dunlap. 00:24:42.64\00:24:47.75 That's HD, that stands for Humpty Dumpty. 00:24:47.78\00:24:50.89 No one can put him back together again. 00:24:50.92\00:24:52.99 Okay, now you want to try and put an arm on? 00:24:53.02\00:24:56.42 Starting to come together. 00:24:56.46\00:24:58.06 Now, how much--how much good does your arm do 00:24:58.09\00:24:59.79 when it's by itself? 00:24:59.83\00:25:02.86 I know how to do it, I just want to see how they do. 00:25:02.90\00:25:05.20 They've had no practice on this. 00:25:05.23\00:25:08.04 Wow, first try. I didn't do that. 00:25:11.34\00:25:16.58 All right, let's do another arm. 00:25:17.78\00:25:21.88 So, how important is it the body stays together? 00:25:26.62\00:25:29.82 If you got--give me a hand for a second. 00:25:29.86\00:25:32.66 I love saying that. 00:25:32.69\00:25:35.80 How long would that live by itself if a hand gets separated? 00:25:35.83\00:25:40.20 I got a friend that was working in academy, he accidentally cut 00:25:41.64\00:25:44.07 off his finger with a band saw, tip of his finger. 00:25:44.11\00:25:47.04 And they ran him to the hospital 20 miles away, and the doctor 00:25:47.08\00:25:51.11 said, "Where's the tip of the finger?" 00:25:51.15\00:25:54.28 And they said, "Well, it's in the nurse's pocket 00:25:54.32\00:25:55.72 back at school." 00:25:55.75\00:25:58.19 "Ah," he said, "I can't do anything, 00:25:58.22\00:25:59.52 it's going to be too long. 00:25:59.55\00:26:01.02 If you dropped it in some ice and brought it to me, 00:26:01.06\00:26:03.12 I could reattach it." 00:26:03.16\00:26:04.49 Because a piece of the body 00:26:04.53\00:26:05.89 doesn't last very long by itself, right? 00:26:05.93\00:26:09.36 How important is it that we come together for worship? 00:26:09.40\00:26:13.97 We gather strength, we have accountability. 00:26:14.00\00:26:17.71 Hebrews said, "Do not forsake," Hebrews chapter 10:26, 00:26:17.74\00:26:20.98 "Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, 00:26:21.01\00:26:23.98 as the manner of some is, and all the more as you see 00:26:24.01\00:26:27.38 the day approaching." 00:26:27.42\00:26:28.78 What day is he talking about? 00:26:28.82\00:26:30.39 The Second Coming, the day of the Lord. 00:26:30.42\00:26:33.09 Okay, who had this? Want to try and put that on? 00:26:33.12\00:26:37.89 You can go ahead and put your hand on too. 00:26:37.93\00:26:44.83 Now, doesn't that look a lot better? 00:26:45.87\00:26:51.64 Did you guys get the wrong hand on there? 00:26:51.67\00:26:54.18 No, that's right, yeah. 00:26:54.21\00:26:56.68 I'm curious, though, could you put this hand on that side. 00:26:56.71\00:26:59.08 What would that look like? 00:26:59.11\00:27:03.08 That would--yeah, my hand would hurt like that. 00:27:03.12\00:27:07.16 There you go, let's give them a hand. 00:27:09.89\00:27:12.06 Get it? 00:27:12.09\00:27:13.46 Thank you very much, you can sit down. 00:27:13.50\00:27:17.20 So, all of a sudden, we took many parts, and we made one body 00:27:17.23\00:27:21.40 to help illustrate--you want to hear something funny? 00:27:21.44\00:27:26.17 I set this up yesterday, and I put it at the podium, 00:27:29.78\00:27:33.11 and I put a baseball hat on and sunglasses. 00:27:33.15\00:27:38.09 And I knew the deacon was going to have a real jump 00:27:38.12\00:27:40.46 when he came in. 00:27:40.49\00:27:43.56 And Sam Devi* told me he walked in, he turned on the lights. 00:27:43.59\00:27:47.60 He said, "I knew the alarm was on, how did he get in here?" 00:27:47.60\00:27:51.73 Had it set up in our house the other day, and every time we 00:27:51.77\00:27:55.30 walked in the other room, we're going--so, it is kind of fun. 00:27:55.34\00:28:00.91 But the Bible tells us that we want to be one body. 00:28:00.94\00:28:04.15 Now, you'll not forget that, that there just is something 00:28:04.18\00:28:06.78 weird when the body is not connected as it should be. 00:28:06.82\00:28:11.45 And different parts of the body function well when they're doing 00:28:11.49\00:28:15.46 what they're supposed to do. 00:28:15.49\00:28:17.49 1 Corinthians 12:15, "If the foot will say, 'Because I'm not 00:28:17.53\00:28:21.86 a hand, I'm not of the body,' is it therefore not of the body? 00:28:21.90\00:28:26.37 And if the ear shall say, 'Because I'm an eye--or I'm not 00:28:26.40\00:28:31.01 an eye, am I not of the body?' 00:28:31.04\00:28:33.38 Is it therefore not of the body? 00:28:33.41\00:28:36.11 If the whole body was an eye, where would the hearing be? 00:28:36.14\00:28:39.68 If the whole was hearing, where would the smelling be?" 00:28:39.71\00:28:43.42 You ever heard the expression, "too many cooks in the kitchen"? 00:28:43.45\00:28:47.52 Or I don't know if it's politically correct to say this 00:28:47.56\00:28:49.72 anymore, but we used to say we got all chiefs and no Indians. 00:28:49.76\00:28:54.10 Well, you know the expressions, it's like everybody wanted to 00:28:54.10\00:28:56.23 be--but in God's body, people need to know what their gifts 00:28:56.26\00:29:00.20 are, and we need to respect and empower people, 00:29:00.24\00:29:02.94 and everyone needs to be willing to serve. 00:29:02.97\00:29:05.71 And, "Well, if I can't do that, then I'm not 00:29:05.74\00:29:07.61 going to do anything." 00:29:07.64\00:29:09.81 Now, sometimes during a nominating committee, a person, 00:29:09.84\00:29:14.45 Christian counselors get together, and they'll pray, and 00:29:14.48\00:29:19.35 they'll say, "We think you'd be really good at this." 00:29:19.39\00:29:20.76 "Oh, but I really wanted that." 00:29:20.79\00:29:22.42 "Well, but someone else is doing that." 00:29:22.46\00:29:24.86 "Well, then I'm not going to do anything." 00:29:24.89\00:29:26.29 Is that how we maintain unity in the spirit of Christ, 00:29:26.33\00:29:28.36 in the attitude of service? 00:29:28.40\00:29:30.97 I heard one time an illustration about a man 00:29:31.00\00:29:33.03 who woke up in the morning. 00:29:33.07\00:29:34.74 As he was just waking up, he reached over to the nightstand 00:29:34.77\00:29:38.57 and grabbed the glasses to put them on. 00:29:38.61\00:29:41.41 And all of a sudden, he heard his nose yell at him. 00:29:41.44\00:29:44.35 And his nose said, "No more glasses." 00:29:44.38\00:29:46.38 He said, "What?" 00:29:46.41\00:29:48.12 And the nose was talking to him, and it said, "No more glasses." 00:29:48.15\00:29:52.32 He said, "You sit on me just so you could help those eyes there, 00:29:52.35\00:29:55.36 and the eyes get all the attention." 00:29:55.39\00:29:57.03 He said, "These glasses, they live* a little dense on me, 00:29:57.06\00:30:00.76 they pinch me, I can't breathe. 00:30:00.80\00:30:02.26 No more glasses, I've had all I can take." 00:30:02.30\00:30:04.97 So the man felt bad, he put his glasses down. 00:30:05.00\00:30:06.90 And as he was walking to the restroom, he bumped his nose 00:30:06.94\00:30:09.14 against the door because he couldn't see where he was going. 00:30:09.17\00:30:13.14 The eyes needed the glasses on the nose. 00:30:13.17\00:30:17.08 The different parts of the body all need to work together, amen? 00:30:17.11\00:30:21.45 Every part is needed. 00:30:21.48\00:30:24.12 1 Corinthians 12:24, "Much more those members of the body 00:30:24.15\00:30:30.46 which seem to be more feeble are necessary. 00:30:30.49\00:30:33.06 And those members of the body which we think to be less 00:30:33.09\00:30:35.20 honorable, upon them we bestow more abundant honor. 00:30:35.23\00:30:38.60 And on our uncomely parts we have more abundant comeliness. 00:30:38.63\00:30:42.94 For our comely parts have no need, but God has tempered the 00:30:42.97\00:30:46.31 body together, having given more abundant honor 00:30:46.34\00:30:49.18 to that part which lacked." 00:30:49.21\00:30:51.38 Let me see if I could illustrate this. 00:30:51.41\00:30:54.75 Sometimes we think, "Well, you know, I'm not a very important 00:30:54.78\00:30:57.55 part of this church, and I don't do much, and I come, 00:30:57.59\00:31:00.06 and what gifts do I have?" 00:31:00.09\00:31:02.96 But everybody has been given gifts of the Spirit, 00:31:02.99\00:31:05.43 and everybody is to use their respective gifts. 00:31:05.46\00:31:08.46 We'll talk about a list in just a moment. 00:31:08.50\00:31:10.57 The toe, what percentage of your total body weight do you think 00:31:10.60\00:31:14.60 your toe is, your little toe? 00:31:14.64\00:31:18.11 I won't ask you to--it might be different for each one of us, 00:31:18.14\00:31:21.84 but if you got a 200-pound man, and you ask how 00:31:21.88\00:31:23.88 much does the little toe weigh, not even 1%. 00:31:23.91\00:31:29.22 But you lose that little toe--I heard about an Arctic explorer 00:31:29.25\00:31:34.12 that had one of his little toes got frostbite, and he lost it 00:31:34.16\00:31:37.56 when he took off his boot. 00:31:37.59\00:31:40.13 And he walked with a limp the rest of his life 00:31:40.16\00:31:42.30 just because of one toe. 00:31:42.33\00:31:43.87 Got a friend, because of diabetes, lost a couple of toes, 00:31:43.90\00:31:47.10 can't walk quite right anymore. 00:31:47.14\00:31:49.87 Those little members do make a big difference. 00:31:49.90\00:31:53.68 I don't know about you, boy, if I got a piece of popcorn stuck 00:31:53.71\00:31:56.51 between my teeth, the world has to stop 00:31:56.54\00:31:58.21 spinning till I get that out. 00:31:58.25\00:32:00.88 Anyone else? 00:32:00.92\00:32:02.62 Get an eyelash in your eye, and just say, "I'll be right back, 00:32:02.65\00:32:04.69 I got to get--" Just little things. 00:32:04.72\00:32:09.12 Now, when I was growing up, they took my tonsils. 00:32:09.16\00:32:13.06 I constantly had colds, and they said, "You got bad tonsils." 00:32:13.09\00:32:17.70 I grew up during that era where they just assumed that if you 00:32:17.73\00:32:21.57 had a sore throat all the time, somehow you had dysfunctional 00:32:21.60\00:32:23.51 tonsils, and take out your tonsils and it'll be better. 00:32:23.54\00:32:26.41 Well, I know now I was constantly--I ate Twinkies 00:32:26.44\00:32:30.25 for breakfast and drank tons of milk, and I was sick 00:32:30.28\00:32:32.85 all the time from what I ate. 00:32:32.88\00:32:34.92 There's nothing wrong with my tonsils. 00:32:34.95\00:32:38.15 Brother had his appendix taken out because he got 00:32:38.19\00:32:40.89 a stomachache back then. 00:32:40.92\00:32:42.49 Now, I know some people really did need their appendix taken 00:32:42.52\00:32:44.13 out, but they said, "Oh, it's just a vestigial remnant, 00:32:44.16\00:32:47.93 you don't really need it." 00:32:47.96\00:32:49.46 But now they've learned that the tonsils and the appendix, 00:32:49.50\00:32:51.97 they're all needed, that your body has use 00:32:52.00\00:32:55.10 of all these things. 00:32:55.14\00:32:57.41 And have any of you ever felt like, 00:32:57.44\00:32:59.11 "I'm just the tonsils of the church. 00:32:59.14\00:33:02.01 I'm expendable. 00:33:02.04\00:33:03.35 They won't even know if I'm gone. 00:33:03.38\00:33:05.28 See, I can't tell Pastor Doug has no tonsils, 00:33:05.31\00:33:07.25 what difference will it make?" 00:33:07.28\00:33:10.42 But yeah, it makes a difference. 00:33:10.45\00:33:12.85 Everybody is needed, and there's a purpose for everybody 00:33:12.89\00:33:15.69 in the church, amen? 00:33:15.72\00:33:17.86 The body needs you. 00:33:17.89\00:33:19.46 Romans 12:6, "Having then gifts differing according 00:33:19.49\00:33:24.10 to the grace that is given us, let us use them." 00:33:24.13\00:33:28.14 He's saying all of us must use the different gifts 00:33:28.17\00:33:30.41 that God has given us. 00:33:30.44\00:33:32.17 "If prophecy, let us prophesy." 00:33:32.21\00:33:33.94 And prophecy meant--it was preaching or teaching back then. 00:33:33.98\00:33:36.41 "Let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. 00:33:36.44\00:33:39.15 Or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. 00:33:39.18\00:33:43.55 He who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; 00:33:43.59\00:33:47.12 he who gives, with liberality." 00:33:47.16\00:33:49.69 Some have a gift of exhortation, some have a gift of giving. 00:33:49.72\00:33:54.03 I made a phone call this week to thank an Amazing Facts supporter 00:33:54.10\00:33:58.67 for a gift, a significant gift. 00:33:58.70\00:34:02.27 And he said, "Boy, I was just so amazed you called. 00:34:02.30\00:34:07.44 My wife and I were just talking last night, and 00:34:07.48\00:34:09.94 we're thinking about doing something more, 00:34:09.98\00:34:12.05 and we were thinking about supporting what you're 00:34:12.08\00:34:14.55 doing there, and here you are calling." 00:34:14.58\00:34:16.18 And he said, "We're going to give you some more right now 00:34:16.22\00:34:18.45 just because you called." 00:34:18.49\00:34:20.52 Just said, "And if there's anything else you need." 00:34:20.56\00:34:22.29 I wish everybody would say this. I mean, I just was speechless. 00:34:22.32\00:34:26.93 Said, "The Lord's blessed us. 00:34:26.96\00:34:28.73 If there's anything else you ever need, you just call." 00:34:28.76\00:34:31.63 Oh, that person's got the gift of giving. 00:34:31.67\00:34:33.70 No, I'm not telling you their name. 00:34:33.74\00:34:37.24 The Lord gave it to me. 00:34:38.67\00:34:41.88 But some people have the gift of giving, gift of administration. 00:34:41.91\00:34:46.25 And we're all supposed to use these different gifts. 00:34:46.28\00:34:49.15 We have different gifts, but we have one purpose. 00:34:49.18\00:34:53.99 Our purpose is to share the gospel with the world, and to 00:34:54.02\00:34:57.36 build up the church, the body of Christ, amen? 00:34:57.39\00:35:00.86 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now you are the body of Christ, 00:35:00.90\00:35:04.97 and members individually. 00:35:05.00\00:35:07.30 And God has appointed these in the church," 00:35:07.34\00:35:10.14 and now he goes through some of the gifts of the Spirit. 00:35:10.17\00:35:12.71 This isn't all of them, these are just some of the 00:35:12.74\00:35:14.58 more prominent ones that were really Spirit-driven 00:35:14.61\00:35:19.41 in these early days of the church. 00:35:19.45\00:35:21.78 "First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, 00:35:21.82\00:35:25.99 after that miracles." 00:35:26.02\00:35:28.22 I'd like to know, who has the gift of miracles? 00:35:28.26\00:35:31.59 It's a gift in the church. 00:35:31.63\00:35:34.66 Some people pray, and it seems like their prayers 00:35:34.73\00:35:36.36 are always answered. 00:35:36.40\00:35:37.97 "Then gifts of healing," and that could be medical work. 00:35:38.00\00:35:42.00 "Helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 00:35:42.04\00:35:46.04 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? 00:35:46.07\00:35:48.44 Are all teachers?" 00:35:48.48\00:35:50.28 Now, you know what he's saying now? 00:35:50.31\00:35:52.38 What's the understood answer of these rhetorical questions? 00:35:52.41\00:35:54.32 Let me ask you, are all prophets? 00:35:54.35\00:35:56.92 Are all pastors? Are all evangelists? 00:35:56.95\00:36:01.66 Do all have gifts of working with children? 00:36:01.69\00:36:05.13 Do all speak with tongues? No. 00:36:05.16\00:36:08.73 He's saying we don't all have all the gifts. 00:36:08.76\00:36:12.07 Some have multiple gifts, but everybody 00:36:12.10\00:36:14.07 is to understand what their gifts are. 00:36:14.10\00:36:20.08 Just while I'm thinking about it, there are several good--you 00:36:20.11\00:36:24.81 can even--there's an app, there's an app for everything. 00:36:24.85\00:36:27.32 You can download a spiritual gift app, 00:36:27.35\00:36:29.12 and you go through this survey. 00:36:29.15\00:36:31.32 And in this spiritual gift app, you fill out, it asks you 00:36:31.35\00:36:34.26 different things about what you enjoy doing, and where 00:36:34.29\00:36:37.33 you see your strengths are. 00:36:37.36\00:36:38.73 And at the end, it'll kind of say, "Here are the areas 00:36:38.76\00:36:41.50 where your gifts are most likely to be." 00:36:41.53\00:36:43.93 There's some online forms you can download, 00:36:43.97\00:36:46.13 there's like ten pages. 00:36:46.17\00:36:47.77 I thought about sharing it with everybody, but I thought, 00:36:47.80\00:36:49.97 you know, that's a lot of paper for the church, 00:36:50.01\00:36:51.77 ten pages per person. 00:36:51.81\00:36:53.31 But you can download them, print them out. 00:36:53.34\00:36:54.94 We'd like to know as we're going into nominating committee, 00:36:54.98\00:36:57.41 you know, where do you see your spiritual gifts? 00:36:57.45\00:37:00.68 And some of these surveys are very important 00:37:00.72\00:37:03.05 if you want to do one of these app or online surveys. 00:37:03.08\00:37:05.45 Sometimes, you can talk to Christian friends and say, 00:37:05.49\00:37:08.12 "You know, I know that I'm part of the church, 00:37:08.16\00:37:10.53 I know God's given me gifts. 00:37:10.56\00:37:12.19 I'm not sure what my gifts are. What do you think?" 00:37:12.23\00:37:15.63 You ask Christian counsel, and sometimes they'll say, 00:37:15.66\00:37:18.00 "Oh, no question, you've got a gift in this area." 00:37:18.03\00:37:20.20 "Really? 00:37:20.24\00:37:21.54 I never really thought that before." 00:37:21.57\00:37:23.27 And so, be aware of what your gifts are. 00:37:23.30\00:37:26.17 Sometimes, it's good to know what your gifts aren't. 00:37:26.21\00:37:30.21 I always want to think I have the gift of singing, and then I 00:37:30.25\00:37:32.38 hear myself, and I say, "Oh Doug, it's not your gift." 00:37:32.41\00:37:36.08 But it's a good idea to know what your gifts are. 00:37:36.12\00:37:39.15 And when the time comes for a nominating committee, 00:37:39.19\00:37:41.69 we'll probably send out something and say, 00:37:41.72\00:37:43.46 "Are you willing to serve in some of these areas?" 00:37:43.49\00:37:46.96 Different gifts, everybody has gifts. 00:37:47.00\00:37:49.96 And God wants us to use our gifts together. 00:37:50.00\00:37:54.00 The Bible says we need to be united in mind. 00:37:54.04\00:37:57.24 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 10, "Now I plead with you, 00:37:57.27\00:38:02.21 brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you 00:38:02.24\00:38:05.05 all speak the same thing." 00:38:05.08\00:38:06.88 That doesn't mean we all parrot the same words. 00:38:06.92\00:38:09.48 It means theologically, they were to be united 00:38:09.52\00:38:11.69 in their beliefs. 00:38:11.72\00:38:13.59 And it's a concern when our church gets to the point 00:38:13.62\00:38:15.89 where we're not all united in our beliefs. 00:38:15.92\00:38:19.09 It used to be, it's still pretty much this way, but I could go 00:38:19.13\00:38:23.23 anywhere in the world and if I met other Seventh Day 00:38:23.26\00:38:25.80 Adventists, I knew where they stood. 00:38:25.83\00:38:28.77 Now, there would be little insignificant differences. 00:38:28.80\00:38:31.11 You know, you go to the church in Russia, and the women maybe 00:38:31.14\00:38:33.61 would be more sensitive about covering their head in public 00:38:33.64\00:38:36.24 worship because they'd come out of the Russian Orthodox church. 00:38:36.28\00:38:39.65 Or there's little things, the food might be different, 00:38:39.68\00:38:41.82 but the doctrines were the same, and there was unity. 00:38:41.85\00:38:45.79 Well, the Corinthian church was having a problem, and the devil 00:38:45.82\00:38:48.52 is attacking all churches this way, including our church, 00:38:48.56\00:38:52.43 where there's disunity of belief. 00:38:52.46\00:38:55.96 "I plead with you that you all speak the same thing, and there 00:38:56.00\00:38:58.97 be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined 00:38:59.00\00:39:02.67 together in the same mind, and have the same judgment." 00:39:02.70\00:39:06.34 I threw up a picture, it's not to make a statement on 00:39:06.37\00:39:08.98 competitive sports, but you all know in football that they get 00:39:09.01\00:39:13.18 together in a huddle, and they're getting ready to make 00:39:13.21\00:39:15.72 a play, and the quarterback will say what the play is. 00:39:15.75\00:39:20.36 They don't then vote. 00:39:20.39\00:39:23.32 They don't deliberate and break off into small groups. 00:39:23.36\00:39:26.13 They are of one mind when they go into that next play, 00:39:26.16\00:39:29.46 you know what I'm saying? 00:39:29.50\00:39:30.87 And boy, what a powerful influence in a community if a 00:39:30.90\00:39:33.60 church could say, "We're going to do an evangelistic meeting," 00:39:33.64\00:39:35.40 we all come together and use our gifts, 00:39:35.44\00:39:38.04 if all of us would invite people. 00:39:38.07\00:39:41.01 Whew, you'd see the gospel take off like it did 00:39:41.04\00:39:43.91 in the first century. 00:39:43.95\00:39:46.25 United in mind, together in the same mind, same judgment. 00:39:46.28\00:39:50.75 Romans 15:5, "Now may the God of patience and comfort 00:39:50.79\00:39:54.49 grant you to be likeminded toward one another 00:39:54.52\00:39:57.99 according to Jesus Christ." 00:39:58.03\00:39:59.89 Now, the thing is if we've got the Holy 00:39:59.93\00:40:01.53 Spirit, then we all have the DNA of Jesus. 00:40:01.56\00:40:06.90 And all of us become part of the same body through that, amen? 00:40:06.94\00:40:15.84 Someone was--years ago, they were talking to a man that was 00:40:15.88\00:40:21.22 overseeing people at a mental institution in Sonoma. 00:40:21.25\00:40:25.55 And a lot of people were out on the grounds, and the man 00:40:25.59\00:40:28.06 was watching everybody, and someone said--and I 00:40:28.09\00:40:30.86 don't mean to be unkind, but it's what they said, 00:40:30.89\00:40:33.06 "Now, you're out here by yourself kind of watching 00:40:33.09\00:40:36.67 over all of these crazy people." 00:40:36.70\00:40:39.60 He said, "Aren't you afraid that they would organize 00:40:39.63\00:40:42.77 some attack and escape? 00:40:42.80\00:40:45.14 Just one of you." 00:40:45.17\00:40:46.84 He said, "No, that doesn't worry me at all." 00:40:46.88\00:40:48.51 He says, "These people are here because they 00:40:48.54\00:40:50.88 cannot work cooperatively." 00:40:50.91\00:40:55.68 So, it's kind of a sign of insanity when people 00:40:55.72\00:40:58.22 can't work together. 00:40:58.25\00:41:01.22 And it's a sign of self-control and maturity when we 00:41:01.26\00:41:03.59 can work together, amen? 00:41:03.63\00:41:07.66 I mean, the Lord wants us to be united in mind, and especially 00:41:07.73\00:41:10.77 in these last days, when we're being attacked by the devil. 00:41:10.80\00:41:14.97 I go camping off in the desert, and we see sometimes wild 00:41:15.00\00:41:17.64 donkeys, and we see wild mustangs. 00:41:17.67\00:41:20.71 And I've not seen this, but I've heard that if coyotes or wolves 00:41:20.74\00:41:24.35 were to attack thoroughbreds out there in the wilderness, 00:41:24.38\00:41:28.85 they all put their heads together in a group, 00:41:28.88\00:41:31.49 and they kick at the enemy. 00:41:31.52\00:41:34.16 That's the horses. 00:41:34.19\00:41:36.29 But donkeys all put their heads towards the enemy as they're 00:41:36.32\00:41:39.93 going to take care of it by themselves, 00:41:39.96\00:41:41.66 and they kick each other. 00:41:41.70\00:41:45.80 So, here we are in the last days, what do you want to be, 00:41:45.83\00:41:48.04 a thoroughbred or a donkey? 00:41:48.07\00:41:51.07 We need to put our heads together, amen, and kick 00:41:51.11\00:41:53.11 at the common enemy that we've got. 00:41:53.14\00:41:56.58 In conclusion, there's two ways or two primary reasons that it 00:41:56.61\00:42:01.48 is so important that we understand we are one body, 00:42:01.52\00:42:05.15 and that we all work together. 00:42:05.19\00:42:06.72 Well, for one thing, you're safer together. 00:42:06.76\00:42:10.86 You know, the devil knows that when you get a lamb 00:42:10.89\00:42:13.16 chased off by itself, they pick off the old and 00:42:13.19\00:42:16.13 the weak that they can isolate. 00:42:16.16\00:42:19.47 Some people come to Christ, and they don't get involved in 00:42:19.50\00:42:21.64 a church, or they separate from the church, you're an easy 00:42:21.67\00:42:23.91 target for the wolves when you're out there by yourself. 00:42:23.94\00:42:26.91 You are much safer when you're together. 00:42:26.94\00:42:29.44 You've maybe seen some of these nature films, where these musk 00:42:29.48\00:42:32.05 ox out there in the Arctic wilds, that--now I've got 00:42:32.08\00:42:36.62 conflicting illustrations here. 00:42:36.65\00:42:39.22 But when the wolves come around, they all get together, and all 00:42:39.25\00:42:43.59 the young get in the middle, and they protect them so that they 00:42:43.63\00:42:47.36 can defeat the enemy on the outside. 00:42:47.40\00:42:50.07 And we need to stay together for that reason. 00:42:50.10\00:42:52.63 Furthermore, there's a storm coming. 00:42:52.67\00:42:57.87 And you survive the storm a lot better together. 00:42:57.91\00:43:03.81 I saw this interesting illustration where, in September 00:43:03.85\00:43:10.99 1996, in Tucson, Arizona, a man named John Leonard, who was 55 00:43:11.02\00:43:17.03 years old, was driving across a creek bed, and there was a flash 00:43:17.06\00:43:21.26 flood that picked up his Lincoln Continental, and washed it in 00:43:21.30\00:43:26.50 just a wall of water 100 yards off the road, 00:43:26.53\00:43:28.90 and pushed it up against a tree. 00:43:28.94\00:43:31.44 And the water began to rise, and he was trapped on--he climbed 00:43:31.47\00:43:33.94 out of the car, he's trapped in the middle of this river, cold 00:43:33.98\00:43:36.78 water from a flash flood, muddy, raging water, on top of his car. 00:43:36.81\00:43:42.55 And rescuers came, and they couldn't do much. 00:43:42.58\00:43:45.29 They saw the water getting higher and higher, and about an 00:43:45.32\00:43:47.29 hour later, he was shivering and cold. 00:43:47.32\00:43:49.79 And even though it was the desert, it was very cold 00:43:49.82\00:43:51.96 at that time of year. 00:43:51.99\00:43:53.83 And they thought that he's going to not be able 00:43:53.86\00:43:55.66 to stand if we do get to him. 00:43:55.70\00:43:57.77 So, what they did is they linked arms. 00:43:57.80\00:44:00.34 And arm and arm, they went 50 feet out. 00:44:00.37\00:44:03.14 And each person, because he was linked to one other person, 00:44:03.17\00:44:07.44 they had enough footing to stand against the flood, they 00:44:07.48\00:44:10.35 pulled this guy off the car, and drug him up to safety. 00:44:10.38\00:44:13.11 We are a lot more effective in saving others 00:44:13.15\00:44:15.98 when we work together. 00:44:16.02\00:44:18.62 It sends a very important message. 00:44:18.65\00:44:21.06 And you'll be a lot more successful in being saved 00:44:21.09\00:44:25.83 yourself in community. 00:44:25.86\00:44:28.40 Now, we're Californians, many of us, 00:44:28.43\00:44:30.10 at least we are now we live here. 00:44:30.13\00:44:32.67 And the biggest trees in the world, 00:44:32.70\00:44:35.20 you got these central redwoods, like the sequoias. 00:44:35.24\00:44:39.34 And General Sherman I understand is one 00:44:39.37\00:44:41.11 of the most massive trees in the world. 00:44:41.14\00:44:43.21 Then you've got the coastal redwoods, which also 00:44:43.24\00:44:45.15 get very tall, they're the tallest, the tallest tree. 00:44:45.18\00:44:48.48 They've hidden it, they don't want to tell anybody 00:44:48.52\00:44:50.32 where it is, it's 365 feet tall. 00:44:50.35\00:44:53.76 And the reason the coastal redwoods that are exposed to 00:44:53.79\00:44:56.73 those storms that come off the Pacific all winter long that 00:44:56.76\00:45:01.83 they don't blow down in those gales, one storm after another, 00:45:01.86\00:45:05.50 is because--it's very interesting, 00:45:05.53\00:45:07.00 they don't have a very deep taproot. 00:45:07.04\00:45:09.27 If one of those trees kind of sprouts and grows off by itself, 00:45:09.30\00:45:11.84 you'll often see it topples, and you'll see this big, 00:45:11.87\00:45:14.44 flat, long root area sticking up. 00:45:14.48\00:45:17.75 Any of you ever seen that at a redwood camp meeting? 00:45:17.78\00:45:20.05 They don't have very deep roots. 00:45:20.08\00:45:22.62 But the roots go wide, and they interlace with 00:45:22.65\00:45:26.22 the roots of the other trees around them. 00:45:26.25\00:45:29.19 And because of that, they have a good footing, 00:45:29.22\00:45:32.16 and they can stand. 00:45:32.19\00:45:34.36 Have you ever tried to stand on one foot, and someone 00:45:34.40\00:45:36.33 can push you over with one finger? 00:45:36.36\00:45:38.43 But when you get two feet, you're a lot more stable. 00:45:38.47\00:45:40.20 If you get three, see how it goes? 00:45:40.24\00:45:42.27 Now, don't grow a third foot. 00:45:42.30\00:45:46.51 But that's the way it is in--even in the Bible, 00:45:46.54\00:45:49.94 Jesus sent them out how? 00:45:49.98\00:45:51.98 Two by two. 00:45:52.01\00:45:54.05 And Solomon says a threefold cord is not easily broken. 00:45:54.08\00:45:56.72 And so, you know, I just wanted to share with you from my heart, 00:45:56.75\00:45:59.75 friends, how important it is, especially in these last days, 00:45:59.79\00:46:03.16 that we stick together, that we have that love, that we are 00:46:03.19\00:46:07.13 united in the Spirit, and we're going to be very effective in 00:46:07.20\00:46:10.43 taking the message to the world in the last days. 00:46:10.47\00:46:13.07 Is that your prayer? 00:46:13.10\00:46:15.74 Doug: Friends, would you win souls if you could? 00:46:18.27\00:46:19.67 Well, you can. 00:46:19.71\00:46:21.84 Please plan now to join me in doing some 00:46:21.88\00:46:24.45 evangelism this winter. 00:46:24.48\00:46:25.91 It's easier than you think. 00:46:25.95\00:46:27.68 Prophecy Encounter will be a major new, ten-part evangelistic 00:46:27.72\00:46:31.09 program that will be broadcasted by satellite and streaming on 00:46:31.12\00:46:35.09 the Internet to homes or churches near you, 00:46:35.12\00:46:37.96 hopefully your home or church. 00:46:37.99\00:46:40.06 From February 17 through 25, I'll be preaching an all new 00:46:40.10\00:46:44.37 old-fashioned evangelistic program from Sanford, Florida. 00:46:44.40\00:46:47.27 And we'll be using the latest technology 00:46:47.30\00:46:49.04 and fresh illustrations. 00:46:49.07\00:46:51.57 So, all you have to do is open your churches, your homes, 00:46:51.61\00:46:53.81 invite friends and family, be friendly, pray, and let the 00:46:53.84\00:46:58.15 power of the Word do the work. 00:46:58.18\00:47:00.85 The programs will be available on 3ABN, AFTV, 00:47:00.88\00:47:04.42 Facebook, Roku, and more. 00:47:04.45\00:47:06.92 You'll be surprised, there are people in your community that 00:47:06.96\00:47:09.52 are really worried about what's happening in the world, and 00:47:09.56\00:47:12.09 they're looking for answers. 00:47:12.13\00:47:14.36 Jesus said, "The harvest is truly great, 00:47:14.40\00:47:16.43 but the laborers are few. 00:47:16.46\00:47:18.17 So, pray therefore the Lord of the harvest 00:47:18.20\00:47:20.07 will send laborers out into his harvest." 00:47:20.10\00:47:22.74 You can be one of them. 00:47:22.77\00:47:24.71 So, I'd like to encourage you to join us and be praying 00:47:24.74\00:47:27.24 for the upcoming Prophecy Encounter meetings. 00:47:27.28\00:47:29.78 For more information, check out www.prophecyencounter.com. 00:47:29.81\00:47:35.42 And who knows, you might be revived in the process. 00:47:35.45\00:47:38.85 [music] 00:47:38.89\00:47:43.86 [music] 00:47:45.16\00:47:48.53 male announcer: "Amazing Facts," changed lives. 00:47:48.56\00:47:54.44 Ruben: You know, we grew up in a neighborhood up 00:47:57.24\00:47:59.07 in the Midwest that was a pretty bad neighborhood. 00:47:59.11\00:48:01.91 And when I became a teenager, I started using drugs. 00:48:01.94\00:48:05.88 I was on--I started using meth when I was, like, 00:48:05.91\00:48:08.05 I think 16, 15, something like that. 00:48:08.08\00:48:11.29 I was having some problems in my life 00:48:11.32\00:48:13.05 I really didn't know how to deal with. 00:48:13.09\00:48:16.62 The only thing I really knew was violence. 00:48:16.66\00:48:19.83 So, this night here, I was going to inflict violence on myself. 00:48:19.86\00:48:23.33 I was really high and really depressed, so I took--you know, 00:48:23.37\00:48:27.57 I had this .40 caliber. 00:48:27.60\00:48:29.47 So, I remember I put one in the chamber, and I stuck it 00:48:29.50\00:48:31.51 to the side of my head like this. 00:48:31.54\00:48:33.94 And that gun had a hair-trigger, you know? 00:48:33.98\00:48:38.28 And I remember I was tapping it because a part of me said, "No, 00:48:38.31\00:48:43.42 I don't want to do this," but there was something very evil 00:48:43.45\00:48:47.26 present there saying, "Do it." 00:48:47.29\00:48:49.66 I just said to myself, I said, "God, if you're real, 00:48:49.69\00:48:55.30 show yourself to me." 00:48:55.33\00:48:58.63 My mother took me into church when I was a little kid, and we 00:48:58.67\00:49:01.77 used to sing "Jesus Loves Me." 00:49:01.80\00:49:04.01 And I remembered that song. 00:49:04.04\00:49:06.24 I started playing it in my mind, and almost had like 00:49:06.27\00:49:09.64 a vision of me as a little kid. 00:49:09.68\00:49:14.25 You know, in Sabbath school, we used to bang those sticks 00:49:14.28\00:49:19.95 together, and sing "Jesus Loves Me." 00:49:19.99\00:49:25.63 And I heard that in my mind. So, I just said, "Wow." 00:49:25.66\00:49:34.67 So, I just kind of, like, put the gun down, and I kind of 00:49:34.70\00:49:36.94 fell on my bedside there, and I said, "Lord." 00:49:36.97\00:49:41.38 I just basically just prayed this crazy prayer. 00:49:41.41\00:49:43.88 I said--you know, I told him everything that 00:49:43.91\00:49:45.55 was wrong with me. 00:49:45.58\00:49:47.38 And I remember one day, I was driving around, 00:49:47.42\00:49:49.15 I kind of felt lost. 00:49:49.18\00:49:51.09 And I drove by this church, and I'd seen Tom out there, 00:49:51.12\00:49:53.59 Tom was just out there watering the flowers, you know? 00:49:53.62\00:49:57.09 Tom: So, I caught a vision out of the side of my eye, 00:49:57.13\00:50:00.00 and this big, husky guy with the tattoos walking up. 00:50:00.03\00:50:04.63 And he's saying hello, and I said--so, I asked him 00:50:04.67\00:50:09.57 if I could help him. 00:50:09.60\00:50:11.87 And he told me that he drives by the church on occasion, 00:50:11.91\00:50:16.61 and every time he goes by, he's thinking that he should stop in. 00:50:16.64\00:50:20.88 Ruben: After he showed me around the church, you know, I 00:50:20.92\00:50:25.25 was like, "Okay, man, it's nice meeting you," and this and that. 00:50:25.29\00:50:29.39 So, I jumped in my car, and I started heading 00:50:29.42\00:50:32.13 down the driveway. 00:50:32.16\00:50:34.56 And the next thing you know, in like my peripheral vision, I see 00:50:34.60\00:50:37.60 him coming around the corner, 00:50:37.63\00:50:40.14 like Jerry Rice running a football. 00:50:40.17\00:50:43.24 No, not that fast, but you know, he was taking off after me. 00:50:43.27\00:50:47.64 And he says, "Hey, hey, hey, hold on, hold on." 00:50:47.68\00:50:50.51 Tom: I asked him if he would like to have some Bible studies, 00:50:50.55\00:50:52.68 and he said, "Yeah." 00:50:52.71\00:50:54.68 Ruben: He would come by the house, and we'd all start-- 00:50:54.72\00:50:56.55 we'd start hiding the beer cans, 00:50:56.58\00:50:58.09 and trying to air out the weed smell. 00:50:58.12\00:51:01.26 And there was a presence that came 00:51:01.29\00:51:02.82 with Tom that was comforting. 00:51:02.86\00:51:06.80 You know what I mean? 00:51:06.83\00:51:08.26 Even though I wasn't taking the Bible studies as serious as I 00:51:08.30\00:51:10.73 should have looking back, there was just a presence about him 00:51:10.77\00:51:15.37 being there in the house that was comforting. 00:51:15.40\00:51:19.37 I told Tom, I said, "Tom, you know, you can't win everybody." 00:51:19.41\00:51:22.58 Tom: I looked at him, and I knew, I said to him, 00:51:22.61\00:51:25.41 "Ruben, I never get anybody." 00:51:25.45\00:51:29.22 I said, "It's the Holy Spirit who will do that." 00:51:29.25\00:51:32.02 And I kind of in my heart knew that the Holy Spirit 00:51:32.05\00:51:36.49 was going to work on Ruben. 00:51:36.52\00:51:38.59 Ruben: So, then Tom kind of left the picture for a while. 00:51:38.63\00:51:42.46 And then I think one day at my mother's house, they were 00:51:42.50\00:51:45.13 watching "The Final Events of Bible Prophecy." 00:51:45.17\00:51:47.04 So, I watched that, and I remember the scene 00:51:47.07\00:51:53.11 where they had the hellfire and stuff. 00:51:53.14\00:51:56.78 You know, they're outside the city, and it showed the hellfire 00:51:56.81\00:52:01.32 coming down and burning people and stuff. 00:52:01.35\00:52:03.32 And I remember saying to myself, 00:52:03.35\00:52:07.62 "That's where I would be right there." 00:52:07.66\00:52:10.06 After the hellfire scene, I saw the saints, and the city, and 00:52:10.09\00:52:16.16 the New Jerusalem, and Jesus recreating the earth. 00:52:16.20\00:52:21.30 And I said, "I want that to be me and my family." 00:52:21.34\00:52:28.71 There was something about the way Doug preached 00:52:28.74\00:52:30.75 and things that I felt that touched me. 00:52:30.78\00:52:33.82 Because he's kind of like myself, you know. 00:52:33.85\00:52:36.79 He's--he didn't--he didn't grow up like that. 00:52:36.82\00:52:40.46 You know, he'd done drugs and things, so I kind of 00:52:40.49\00:52:44.19 found these common grounds that I had with him. 00:52:44.23\00:52:46.46 And I liked how he just kind of, like, 00:52:46.49\00:52:48.80 kept it real with his preaching. 00:52:48.83\00:52:50.57 And then Pastor Rodney came to the church, and I got to know 00:52:50.60\00:52:55.57 him very well, and we started doing some finishing studies. 00:52:55.60\00:53:00.54 He wanted to make sure I understand what I was doing 00:53:00.58\00:53:04.05 and things, and baptized me, my wife, my brother. 00:53:04.08\00:53:08.32 No matter what you've done, where you come from, where 00:53:08.35\00:53:13.42 you've been, no matter how bad of a sinner you think you are, 00:53:13.46\00:53:17.53 the Lord Jesus loves you no matter what you've done. 00:53:17.56\00:53:22.16 Doug: Friends, it's because of God's blessing and your 00:53:22.93\00:53:25.00 support thousands of others, just like Ruben, 00:53:25.03\00:53:30.74 have found Jesus and eternal life. 00:53:30.77\00:53:32.57 [music] 00:53:32.61\00:53:38.75 [music] 00:53:41.92\00:53:53.86 Doug: For over 60 years, jeepneys have been the virtual 00:53:54.66\00:53:56.87 king of the road here in the Philippines. 00:53:56.90\00:53:59.47 These unique vehicles that are festooned with colorful 00:53:59.50\00:54:01.97 stickers, lights and chrome have grown 00:54:02.00\00:54:04.47 into the cheap source of transportation in the country. 00:54:04.51\00:54:07.54 Let's go. 00:54:07.58\00:54:09.58 [music] 00:54:09.61\00:54:13.31 Doug: These iconic four-wheel drive military vehicles made 00:54:13.35\00:54:16.05 by the Willys company were known as jeeps 00:54:16.08\00:54:19.02 because it stood for "general purpose." 00:54:19.05\00:54:21.69 But it also came from a character in a Popeye 00:54:21.72\00:54:24.73 cartoon that was known as Eugene the Jeep. 00:54:24.76\00:54:28.23 He was an imaginary dog that could crawl across the ceilings 00:54:28.26\00:54:31.10 and the walls, and these jeeps could go anywhere. 00:54:31.13\00:54:33.97 When the Americans left the Philippines following World War 00:54:34.00\00:54:36.34 II, it was just cheaper for them to leave these thousands 00:54:36.37\00:54:39.44 of military vehicles behind rather than 00:54:39.47\00:54:41.64 to transport them back to the States. 00:54:41.68\00:54:43.95 The creative Filipino people, modifying these 00:54:43.98\00:54:46.65 military vehicles by extending the frame about 00:54:46.68\00:54:49.08 6 feet, they added a couple of opposing benches that are 00:54:49.12\00:54:52.29 designed to carry about 18 people. 00:54:52.32\00:54:54.76 They put a cab over it to prevent the 00:54:54.79\00:54:56.83 water from coming in. 00:54:56.86\00:54:58.99 But I've seen what looks like 20 to 25 people hanging off every 00:54:59.03\00:55:02.40 possible edge and ledge of a jeepney, and jumping off, and 00:55:02.43\00:55:06.60 jumping on as it goes through congested Manila traffic. 00:55:06.63\00:55:10.44 Every jeepney is a little bit different. 00:55:12.34\00:55:14.04 Some are just held together with patches of bailing wire 00:55:14.08\00:55:16.64 and bubble gum, a little bit of duct tape. 00:55:16.68\00:55:18.38 Some are a little more ornate and modern, 00:55:18.41\00:55:20.92 they've got chrome and stainless steel. 00:55:20.95\00:55:22.28 And there's good reason that the ceilings are padded. 00:55:22.32\00:55:27.92 When one of the local Filipinos wants to ride on a jeepney, 00:55:28.96\00:55:31.53 they just flag them down, they shout, they tap on the hood, 00:55:31.56\00:55:34.23 and then they jump on board. 00:55:34.30\00:55:36.20 They may not even slow down when they do this. 00:55:36.23\00:55:38.53 Then they pay about 8 pesos, which is the equivalent 00:55:38.57\00:55:41.14 of 16 cents for us. 00:55:41.17\00:55:42.97 It's by far the most economical way to get 00:55:43.00\00:55:45.21 around in the country. 00:55:45.24\00:55:47.88 Some jeepneys are even equipped with an old emergency privy. 00:55:51.65\00:55:56.18 One little downside to the jeepney is because the cabs 00:55:57.59\00:56:00.06 are open like this, they're not air-conditioned. 00:56:00.09\00:56:02.49 It gets pretty hot in the summertime, and all the 00:56:02.52\00:56:04.73 fumes from the street come in, which can 00:56:04.76\00:56:07.10 make it an exhausting experience. 00:56:07.13\00:56:10.90 Part of the downside of a jeepney is they don't have 00:56:10.93\00:56:12.63 all of the modern safety features, no seatbelts. 00:56:12.67\00:56:15.60 You have to take advantage of the padding 00:56:15.64\00:56:17.64 if you hit a hard bump. 00:56:17.67\00:56:19.37 And if you're in a serious accident, there's no airbags 00:56:19.41\00:56:21.91 other than the friends that might be sitting around you. 00:56:21.94\00:56:25.11 But that's the upside of a jeepney. 00:56:25.15\00:56:27.12 Because you're up close and personal with everybody, 00:56:27.15\00:56:28.95 you make some new friends. 00:56:28.98\00:56:31.29 Riding on a jeepney requires teamwork. 00:56:31.32\00:56:33.66 If you buy something from one of the vendors, you all sort 00:56:33.69\00:56:35.76 of pass it back to each other. 00:56:35.79\00:56:37.66 And when passengers get on board, 00:56:37.69\00:56:39.33 you just pass your money up front. 00:56:39.36\00:56:42.16 Thanks a lot. 00:56:47.30\00:56:51.67 Friends, it's safe to say there are no two jeepneys 00:56:52.57\00:56:54.74 that are exactly the same. 00:56:54.78\00:56:57.05 They're all unique and distinct, and so are you. 00:56:57.08\00:57:00.42 Have you ever felt that you get lost in the mass of humanity, 00:57:00.45\00:57:03.42 and God doesn't notice you? 00:57:03.45\00:57:05.39 The Bible tells us that he knows your name, the very hairs 00:57:05.42\00:57:07.96 of your head are numbered, and he hears your prayers. 00:57:07.99\00:57:10.59 More than that, the Lord wants to take you to his kingdom. 00:57:10.63\00:57:13.56 You just have to get on board. 00:57:13.60\00:57:16.60 [music] 00:57:16.97\00:57:26.91 announcer: Can't get enough Amazing Facts Bible study? 00:57:28.81\00:57:31.68 You don't have to wait until next week to enjoy 00:57:31.71\00:57:33.75 more truth-filled programming. 00:57:33.78\00:57:36.02 Visit the Amazing Facts media library at aftv.org. 00:57:36.05\00:57:40.99 At aftv.org, you can enjoy video and audio presentations, as well 00:57:41.02\00:57:46.13 as printed material, all free of charge, 24 hours a day, 00:57:46.16\00:57:50.07 7 days a week, right from your computer or mobile device. 00:57:50.10\00:57:53.90 Visit aftv.org. 00:57:53.94\00:57:56.67 [music] 00:57:57.77\00:58:06.72 [music] 00:58:08.52\00:58:18.76 [music] 00:58:19.36\00:58:27.17