Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Ted Wilson, Clifmond Shameerudeen
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000042
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00:01 On today's program
00:02 we'll be talking with Pastor Ted Wilson, 00:03 president of the General Conference 00:04 of Seventh-day Adventist. 00:06 And we'll visit a church in Italy 00:08 to find out the secret to their success 00:10 in reaching their community. 00:12 All that and more, 00:13 coming up next on Global Mission Snapshots. 00:27 Just before He went up to heaven, 00:30 Jesus gave us a command. 00:33 He gave us a mission. Jesus said, go. 00:38 "Go unto all the world telling them of His love." 00:43 This is our mission, this is our global mission. 00:52 Hello I'm Gary Krause 00:54 and welcome to Global Mission Snapshots 00:56 where we give you a glimpse 00:57 of what's happening with Adventist Mission 00:59 around the world. 01:01 Today we'll be talking with Clifmond Shameerudeen 01:04 from the Global Mission Center for South Asian religions 01:07 about how to better understand what others believe 01:10 and more effectively share what we believe. 01:13 And Pastor Ted Wilson talks about how revival 01:16 and reformation is important for mission 01:19 and how mission is important for revival and reformation. 01:23 But first let's visit a church in Italy 01:26 that struggled with a way to start 01:28 when they wanted to reach out to people in their community. 01:32 Milan, Italy, one of the most secularized regions of Europe. 01:37 Home to amazing architecture, 01:39 music, fancy shops, fashion 01:42 and everything that can make your empty heart feel full. 01:45 But at least that's what the people 01:47 who live here would like to think. 01:49 Italy is also home to more than 60 million people. 01:53 And there is only one Adventist for every 69,000 people. 01:58 The Adventist church has had a difficult time growing here. 02:02 We have a very secularized society, 02:06 and this affects society and the church also. 02:12 So it's not easy to come to people 02:17 that think they don't need God don't need religion. 02:22 So we must find strategies to come around all the biases 02:28 and prejudices people have, have in their minds. 02:33 So this is our challenge. 02:35 Hence we see that some results are appearing here and there. 02:45 ( speaking in foreign language ) 02:55 Outside of Milan is the area of Bergamo. 02:59 Here a small Seventh-day Adventist church 03:02 meets each Sabbath. 03:04 The word small can used to describe the building 03:07 that they meet in not the size of the congregation. 03:11 Several years ago the church was small 03:13 and had no growth. 03:15 Church leaders decided to try establishing small groups 03:18 that would use prayer as their outreach to the community. 03:22 The members organized into small groups 03:24 that would meet several times a week in member's homes. 03:28 They would study the Bible 03:29 for a deeper understanding of Jesus 03:31 and His love for them. 03:33 At the same time they prayed that 03:35 God would bring people to them 03:37 so they could share their faith. 03:39 For several months this continued 03:42 and then people from outside the church 03:44 started attending the small groups. 03:46 These new arrivals were co-workers 03:49 and mutual friends 03:50 who wanted to find a deeper meaning in their lives. 03:53 Slowly, the small church started to grow. 03:57 Sabbath school became a time 03:58 of deep spiritual study and prayer. 04:02 The small groups would meet 04:03 in their own Sabbath school groups 04:05 and then pour over the Scriptures together. 04:08 Then the last 15 minutes of Sabbath school 04:11 were dedicated to praying in small groups. 04:14 These groups would pray for God to bring new people to them, 04:18 people who were also searching for the truth in Jesus. 04:23 Soon the church had more than doubled in size 04:25 and had quickly outgrown its small building. 04:29 Today there are 11 lay leaders at the church 04:32 and each one is in-charge of a small group. 04:35 There is even talk of starting a church plant 04:37 in another nearby community 04:39 to alleviate the crowded church each Sabbath. 04:42 God has truly answered the prayers 04:45 of the Bergamo church. 04:50 In the mission of the church 04:51 the gospel has not completed its mission 04:55 until in the church between the members 04:57 in its totality has accepted the character of Christ. 05:01 In such a way when we meet one time per week 05:04 after we can meet two times per week. 05:06 Sometimes people meet three, four, five times per week. 05:09 We eat together, we enjoy together, 05:11 we sing together, and we also weep together. 05:13 And in such a way the Lord will put people in His church. 05:20 Your prayerful support of the mission offering 05:22 helps provide resources to small churches like Bergamo 05:27 as they strive to reflect the character of Christ 05:30 and bring the members of their community to Jesus. 05:34 Thank you, for supporting the mission 05:37 of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 05:41 Our guest today is Elder Ted Wilson 05:43 who is president of General Conference 05:45 of Seventh-day Adventist. 05:47 Thanks for joining us, Pastor Wilson. 05:50 Revival and reformation is something 05:52 that I've heard you talk about many, many, many times. 05:54 Why is that such a central theme for you? 05:58 Well, thanks Gary, for asking that question 06:00 because really at the very foundation 06:04 of all that we are 06:07 and hope to be has a Seventh-day Adventist church 06:11 and as a people on the road towards eternal life 06:16 by God's grace we need to be 06:20 so sensitive to the impression of the Holy Spirit 06:23 because I believe we're living 06:25 in the last days of earth's history. 06:28 I believe Bible prophecy explains to us 06:31 that the next great event that is going to take place 06:35 when you study the Book of Daniel 06:39 and chapter 2 and the statue 06:42 and all the different kingdoms. 06:44 The last thing that is going to come is going to be 06:47 a stone not cut out by hands 06:51 that is gonna come down 06:52 and representing the kingdom of God 06:54 and its going to smash the statue. 06:57 Well, we're living I think in the very, very end tips 07:01 of the toes of that statue 07:03 and the next thing that's gonna happen 07:05 of enormous magnitude is Christ soon coming. 07:09 However He hasn't come yet 07:10 and that's the burning question that many Christians have. 07:14 I mean, the Lord said 07:15 He was gonna come but He hasn't come in yet. 07:19 How do we then allow the Lord to help us 07:22 in this great mission 07:24 and prepare ourselves personally 07:26 for what He wants to see happen through us? 07:29 Now He could have sent entire compliment of angels 07:35 from heaven and done everything necessary 07:37 but He's using us. 07:39 He wants us to be part of the mission of the church. 07:43 He wants the universe to see 07:45 what a loving kind open approach 07:50 from heaven towards creatures 07:53 or His creation will do in allowing people 07:56 to make a free choice to serve Him 07:59 and to be part of the mission. 08:01 In order to have that kind of experience though 08:04 we need to humble ourselves 08:06 before the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit 08:07 to really work in our lives. 08:10 And that's what revival and reformation is all about. 08:14 This isn't something that some committee 08:16 at the General Conference cooked up, 08:17 a nice little phase. 08:19 This is from scripture, 08:21 its part of the experience of the Christian 08:25 and of the believer, all the way through the Bible. 08:28 It is heavily emphasized in the Spirit of Prophecy 08:31 that we need to be revived 08:33 and then we need to changed or reformed. 08:36 And that doesn't happen by our own power, 08:38 it's by being in connection with the Lord. 08:40 By spending time in Bible study. 08:43 In studying materials that are gonna lead us 08:45 close to the Lord like Spirit of Prophecy 08:48 and other materials. 08:50 Spending time in intense prayer with the Lord, 08:53 pleading for the Latter Rain of the Holy Spirit 08:56 and that the Lord will use us on an every day basis. 09:00 And it really means coming closer and closer to the Lord. 09:04 So as Philippians 2 says, 09:07 "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." 09:10 Well, how do you do that? How does that happen? 09:13 In the Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 7 09:17 and verse we like to emphasize in this area, verse 14. 09:23 God was speaking directly to King Solomon 09:26 at the time of the consecration 09:29 of the temple. 09:30 And the Lord is speaking and He says, 09:33 if My people which are called My name 09:35 and then there are four verbs that happened 09:38 that are listed here. 09:40 Humble themselves, pray, seek My face, 09:43 turn from their wicked ways. 09:46 So first of all we need to humble ourselves 09:48 and realize that we are in great need of the Lord. 09:51 In fact the Spirit of Prophecy tells us 09:54 that revival is our greatest need. 09:57 To be revived in the Lord, 09:58 not just once or twice but every day. 10:01 To humbly submit ourselves 10:03 and then of course we need to be praying, 10:05 we need to be people who are vitally involved 10:08 in intercessory prayer 10:10 and asking the Lord to use us in a powerful way. 10:14 Then of course as we seek His face or His word, 10:18 He will help us to know 10:19 what we are supposed to do in His service. 10:23 And then as we become filled with His power 10:27 we will turn from our own desires 10:30 and participate in the mission of the church 10:34 which is to do God's will 10:36 rather than our own selfish desire. 10:39 So really revival and reformation 10:41 is a very important step in preparing 10:46 for what I believe is soon to come. 10:49 The Book of Joel talks about 10:51 the incredible outpouring of God's spirit 10:55 that is gonna come upon His church, 10:58 upon older ones, upon younger ones. 11:00 People who are gonna be ready to proclaim 11:03 that the loud cry that final cry to the world 11:07 that Jesus loves you 11:09 that He has paid the price for you, 11:11 that His righteousness is all sufficient for you, 11:14 that His judgment has come 11:16 but you can be hidden securely in Him 11:20 and not have to worry about the judgment. 11:22 If you are humbling yourself before Him 11:25 to warn people to stay away from churches 11:30 or bodies that might be teaching 11:32 something other than what the Bible teaches 11:35 and to identify with the wonderful loyal sign 11:40 that God has His Seventh-day Sabbath 11:43 rather than worshipping on another day 11:45 which He never sanctified. 11:47 But the seventh-day Sabbath is His sign. 11:49 And when we proclaim these with love 11:52 and when we are able through humility to humble ourselves 11:57 before the Lord and say, "Lord, use me" 12:00 you better believe 12:01 that He is going to use you in a powerful way. 12:04 So really revival and reformation 12:06 is simply preparing ourselves to be used by God 12:10 so that we can invite others to see Him very, very soon. 12:15 So the link between mission 12:16 and revival and reformation is integral. 12:19 It's complete, it's seamless. Okay. 12:22 You've got-- you got to have this revival 12:25 and this humility before the Lord 12:28 and allow Him to work through you 12:31 and that propels you into the mission. 12:33 Pastor Wilson, thank you so much for joining us today. 13:21 A couple of years ago 13:23 I read in academics study of the number of Muslims, 13:29 Hindus and Buddhists in United States 13:34 who say that they don't know even one Christian. 13:38 This is like 40%, 30% varies 13:41 but these are people who we meet every day, 13:43 we may see them in the store, 13:45 they may drive us in a taxi, they may feed us at a-- 13:49 service at a restaurant 13:51 but they say they don't know even one Christian. 13:54 Well, the Global Mission Centers are established 13:57 to help us find better ways 14:00 to connect with, to communicate with 14:02 and build bridges with people from other faiths. 14:05 And so it's my pleasure to introduce you to your guest, 14:09 Clifmond Shameerudeen who is from the Center 14:13 for South Asian Regions. 14:15 Clifmond, thank you for joining us. Okay. 14:17 This is a very important center because you are representing 14:21 a huge number of people around the world. 14:24 When we look for example the number of Hindus, 14:26 how many people? 14:28 I mean, that no one really knows 14:30 how much Hindus there are. 14:32 But you're talking about close to billion, 14:35 you know 900,000 plus around the world. 14:39 Because Hinduism is not just a religion 14:41 where you can just count, it's actually the way of life. 14:44 Exactly. Yeah. 14:45 And so it's very difficult to put a number. 14:47 But it's many. 14:49 And the thing is we know that a large number of these people 14:54 have never even heard the name of Jesus, 14:56 little known of the Seventh-day Adventist church. That's right. 14:59 So Clifmond, tell us please what other sort of activities 15:03 that you are involved in. 15:05 Well, apart from building bridges 15:08 we feel that this message, 15:10 this gospel that we have is such a powerful thing 15:14 that changes the lives of people 15:15 not just in accepting Jesus Christ 15:18 as their Savior but also their life. 15:20 The way they live, the way they eat. 15:22 And as Adventist we have a holistic message. 15:25 Especially the health message that we have received 15:28 and we have put it into practice in many places 15:31 but at the same time we have neglected in lots of ways. 15:34 And in the Caribbean, in Trinidad 15:37 that has been noticeable. 15:39 Now but before you go on 15:41 you're based in Trinidad. Yes. 15:42 Now why--I would have thought are they people 15:46 from that tradition who live there? 15:48 Yes. Okay. 15:49 And that's all my-- that's part of my story is that 15:52 in the Caribbean, Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam 15:55 as well as some other islands 15:57 there's a large descent and population of people 16:00 that are directly associated with India. Okay. 16:03 You know, just about in the 1800s the British 16:07 who owns and control many of that part of the world 16:12 brought Indians from India 16:14 to work on the sugar plantations. Okay. 16:17 And so that's where 16:19 and that's how I end up in Caribbean. 16:21 So my great grandmother is actually from India. 16:24 Okay. Good. 16:25 Came as a little girl. Okay. That explains it. 16:27 Continue, you're telling me about the health message. Yes. 16:30 And so we focus on using the gospel 16:34 so that they can meet people in ways 16:36 they didn't even imagined 16:37 and that's where the health message comes in. 16:39 In a country where diabetes 16:42 is almost an epidemic where you-- 16:44 if you meet three people, two of them will have it 16:46 or they know somebody who have it 16:47 or they know somebody actually died from it. 16:50 That's how bad it is. 16:51 And but there is not much to be done. 16:53 And so we went into the communities 16:55 and introduced health teaching people 16:57 how to live a better lifestyle using the principles 17:01 that we learn from Ellen White. 17:03 And this has changed the community 17:05 I have some comments that people are sharing, 17:08 so we have being waiting for something like this. 17:11 And we finally found it 17:12 and these are Hindus responding please, 17:14 come back, give us more, this is what we want. 17:17 You know, teach us about how we can be, 17:19 how we can live better, 17:20 how we can take care of our bodies and our families. 17:25 Now when you say you went into the community 17:26 what did you do? 17:28 Well, when we went into the community 17:30 we offered basic things of health screening 17:33 and talking to people, listening to their problems, 17:36 understanding the challenges they have, 17:38 the families are experiencing. How are they dealing with life? 17:42 And so we have eight tables and we used a-- 17:45 the new start approach where we go through 17:47 and we talked about fresh air, 17:49 exercise, health, diet, nutrition. 17:52 All this since we went through with these people 17:54 and then we have the counselor table 17:57 where we have prayer for these people. 18:01 And I have a story as a result of one of these activities 18:05 we have done I met this family 18:08 who was meagerly depressed. 18:10 They have lost a daughter about 3 years prior to that. 18:14 And they have received no help 18:15 and they are about maybe 10 minutes 18:18 from the Adventist church. 18:19 And here's a family and they need some help. 18:22 But they don't-- there's nobody to help them. 18:24 They have been cut off from the entire family. 18:26 Nobody talks to them, they're just isolated. 18:29 And when we met them their lives have changed 18:32 and today they are enrolled in bible studies 18:35 and they have been so excited 18:37 that they have a new family that cares about them 18:39 and does not ostracize them in any way. 18:42 Wow, so how do you make the initial connection? 18:45 You said that you have like tables set up, 18:47 is this on the start of the street or where? 18:50 Oh, this is what we do, we're going to a village 18:51 that we never been to. 18:52 We don't know any one 18:53 and we just drive down the street 18:54 and we stop at homes and we ask the Hindu family 18:57 if we could do a health fair 19:00 or a health activity at their home 19:02 and they said, yes, please, use our home. 19:05 And so that's what we do we pray about it 19:07 and we just stopped at homes 19:08 and we just asked for permission. 19:10 Okay. That's all we do. 19:12 Wow. That's excellent. 19:13 So instead of expecting them to come to you, 19:15 you're actually going to them. That's right. 19:17 We go to them and we mingle with the people 19:19 and associate with them. Yeah. 19:22 How does it making you feel Clif, 19:24 to be involved in this sort of ministry? 19:27 Well, it has changed my life because, you know, 19:29 it's as a young boy grown up in the Adventist church. 19:32 I find the Adventist church as an entity 19:35 that is isolated from the community. 19:37 And it does not integrate itself, 19:38 it's just on the farthest end from the community 19:42 and it's there and it's noticeable 19:44 as a strange place. 19:46 And so that's the type of community 19:48 I grew up in, in terms of church. 19:51 And I wonder you know, 19:52 what type of Christ we serve, you know. 19:56 And as I grown up 19:58 God has led me back to the very same thing 20:00 that I have challenges with 20:03 to make a difference, to change and to show 20:05 there's a different way to share the gospel. 20:07 Fantastic, Clifmond, thank you so much for sharing with us. 20:11 A wonderful reminder, thank you, Clif, 20:12 of the basic fundamental building block of Christ method 20:18 and that was not to keep to himself He came to earth, 20:21 He put on human skin, He got His hands dirty, 20:25 He pitched His tent among us as John says. 20:28 And as Clifmond is doing in his territories 20:31 I invite you to pray to God 20:33 and find is there somewhere that you too can be involved 20:37 in the community to mingle for Jesus. 20:48 Welcome to the Vila Cha Church 20:51 located in the country of Portugal. 20:53 This congregation is mostly made up of African members 20:56 who immigrated to Portugal. 20:59 This lively church loves coming together 21:01 to worship each Sabbath. 21:03 Their praise fills the neighborhood 21:05 and now their pews are just as full. 21:07 Their hearts are overjoyed to celebrate the great things 21:10 God does in their lives each week. 21:13 Music is a big part of their celebration. 21:25 On this Sabbath the pastor preaches 21:27 about how to share Jesus with their community. 21:30 The members listened attentive way 21:32 so they can be a good example and love their neighbors. 21:36 Their desire is to put into practice what they preach. 21:40 This is Eli and his mom, 21:43 they are active members in this church. 21:45 Eli takes part in Sabbath school and the main service. 21:49 Each week after church the members 21:51 reach out to the community. 21:56 They split up into groups and pass out literature 21:59 so that the people can learn about Jesus 22:01 and visit their church. 22:03 Both the children and adults are excited 22:05 to share what they know about Jesus 22:07 with their neighbors. 22:15 Each paper they pass out is a chance 22:17 for someone to discover a relationship 22:19 with our Heavenly Father. 22:21 Eli and his friends have fun doing this. 22:23 They enjoy talking with people 22:25 and seeing the reactions to God's message. 22:28 Sometimes this is the opportunity 22:30 to talk about Jesus 22:32 with those who have never heard in before. 22:34 The members also gather food to give it 22:37 to some of the homes they visit. 22:39 This simple act of kindness helps open doors and hearts 22:43 and can lead to lasting friendships. 22:46 At the end of a day 22:47 the members return to the church. 22:50 Some of them continue singing 22:52 and praising the Lord until the night. 22:54 The congregation shows tremendous faith. 22:57 They are not afraid to share their friend Jesus 23:00 with others in their community. 23:03 Please pray for this church and other churches 23:06 who are reaching their communities around the world. 23:09 And thank you, for supporting the mission 23:11 of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 23:21 We sometimes think of a mission field 23:23 is being on distant islands or in remote villages. 23:26 One of those truth in that more than ever involves history, 23:29 the mission fields are now also in the cities of the world. 23:33 But they're teaming millions of people. 23:35 So please pray for mission of the cities 23:37 such as Lisbon 23:39 as the Seventh-day Adventist church 23:41 plays a special emphasis on planting 23:43 new groups of believers in urban areas around the world. 23:47 If you're watching this program 23:48 chances are you believe in and care about mission. 23:51 Recently, the Seventh-day Adventist church 23:53 started a new mission magazine called "Mission 360." 23:57 If you live in North America 23:58 and would like to receive this new magazine 24:01 as well as news about Global Mission 24:03 just call this toll free number 1-800-648-5824 24:09 or you can visit our website 24:10 at www.AdventistMission.org/offer 24:15 or better yet wherever you are in the world 24:18 you can download the free digital magazine for your iPad, 24:21 Kindle HD or android tablet. 24:24 Just search for Adventist Mission 24:26 or Mission 360 in their app stores. 24:30 Well, thanks for being with us today 24:31 and I hope you can join us next time. 24:33 As we close I hope you will 24:34 prayerfully watch this music video 24:37 featuring the Coral Jovem de Washington 24:40 as they sing "Always with my God." 25:16 I want to be 25:20 always with my God 25:25 And shine His light 25:28 to those who cannot see 25:34 At every moment 25:37 and every place 25:42 Oh, my dear God 25:45 I long for Your embrace 25:51 I want to be 25:54 always with my God 25:59 And share His love 26:03 to those who need the most 26:08 And every moment 26:12 and at every place 26:17 Oh, my dear God 26:20 I long for Your embrace 26:27 Always 26:30 with my God 26:35 Holding His loving hand 26:42 At every moment 26:46 and every place 26:51 Oh, my dear God 26:54 I long for Your embrace 27:01 Always 27:05 with my God 27:11 Holding His loving hand 27:19 At every moment 27:23 and every place 27:28 Oh, my dear God 27:32 I long for Your embrace 27:43 Oh, my dear God 27:47 I long for Your embrace |
Revised 2014-12-17