Participants:
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS001001A
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00:11 Mission in South America and North America,
00:14 a tour of a new center of influence 00:16 being built in Virginia, 00:18 that and much more coming up next. 00:24 Just before He went up to heaven 00:27 Jesus gave us a command. 00:30 He gave us a mission. 00:32 Jesus said "Go, 00:35 go unto all the world telling them of His love." 00:40 This is our mission. 00:42 This is our Global Mission. 00:50 Hello, and welcome to the program. 00:52 I'm Gary Krause. 00:53 So glad that you can join us. 00:55 On today's program 00:56 we will be talking about urban mission. 00:58 And I'm actually standing inside a center of influence 01:02 that is being constructed here 01:03 in Northern Virginia in the United States, 01:06 just a few miles away from Washington DC. 01:09 Urban centers of influence 01:11 are being started all around the world. 01:13 Some are new constructions 01:14 others are just rented facilities public holds, 01:18 wherever we can find a place 01:20 to put Christ method of ministry 01:22 into practice. 01:23 And on today's program we'll travel to South America 01:26 and we'll see centers of influence 01:28 that are touching people from all sectors of society. 01:32 Here in Northern Virginia Pastor Finley has a dream 01:35 and that is a dream to plant a church 01:38 to plant several churches 01:40 using as a base this center of influence. 01:43 But first up let's travel to Paraguay and see a pastor 01:46 who is touching lives for Jesus in the heart of the city. 01:51 Paraguay is one of nine countries 01:53 in the South American Division. 01:54 The Seventh day Adventist Church here 01:57 is involved in a variety of mission work. 01:59 From remote areas among the Guarani tribes 02:03 to large cities like the capital city of Asuncion. 02:07 In Paraguay as around the world, 02:09 mission work among urban dwellers 02:11 is gaining momentum 02:12 as people continue to flock to the cities. 02:16 Pastor Carlos Parra is a missionary to Paraguay. 02:20 He has brought a winning approach to city work here. 02:23 His secret weapon has achieved unprecedented results 02:26 and made the impossible a reality. 02:31 Five years ago we arrived here in Paraguay 02:34 for five years of mission service. 02:36 I had prior experience working inside prison 02:39 so I asked the local leadership about this possibility. 02:42 They told me about a large nearby prison 02:44 where they were working. 02:46 So I immediately came to see it. 02:48 I was surprised to see the size of this prison 02:50 with more than 4,000 inmates when it was only designed 02:54 for maximum capacity of 2,500 people. 02:58 This was one of the poorest presence in South America. 03:01 I was shocked to see their situation. 03:04 As we began to study the Bible with some inmates 03:07 the conditions were terrible. 03:09 It was a tiny room with poor ventilation 03:11 and a bad atmosphere. 03:13 So we began praying on a regular basis 03:15 for a better place to worship. 03:17 A year went by until I met an influential entrepreneur 03:21 inside this prison 03:22 who decided to finance a church for the inmates. 03:26 The plan was for an Adventist building 03:28 in sanctuary inside the prison. 03:30 Now the prisoners worship daily 03:32 beginning at 5:30 in the morning 03:34 and consecrating themselves for the day. 03:37 The Adventist prisoners study their Sabbath School lesson 03:40 regularly with other inmates. 03:42 They sing and on Sabbath worship together with guest. 03:50 More than 70 percent of the prisoners 03:52 in the Adventist building have been baptized. 03:55 These prisoners invite others to study the Bible 03:58 and receive true freedom, 04:00 the kind of reading the goes beyond prison walls. 04:03 This jail that was once one of the most violent prisons 04:06 in South America is now changed. 04:09 There are no more daily homicides committed here, 04:13 but there are still great needs. 04:15 Outside of this pavilion 04:17 many prisoners sleep on the floor 04:19 and food is scarce. 04:21 Adventist prisoners are praying for funds 04:24 to establish a bread bakery so they can earn an income 04:27 and provide food to help less fortunate inmates. 04:31 Pastor Carlos encourages 04:32 Adventist members with Bible promises. 04:35 His secret weapons are hard work, 04:37 prayer, and faith. 04:39 For if you ask you will receive. 04:42 Early on Sunday mornings 04:44 a group climbs to the steepest point at the city 04:47 and they pray for the government, 04:48 their city, and salvation for the people of Asuncion. 04:53 There are still many challenges here, 04:55 for one the wealthy of the city 04:57 hardly cared to listen 04:59 and there is no Adventist presence 05:00 in the most affluent neighborhoods. 05:02 In an effort to speak to the wealthy class 05:05 Pastor Carlos' group found a building 05:07 they wanted to buy in the heart of one of the richest 05:09 areas of Asuncion. 05:11 They began working in the community there 05:13 and every time they hosted an outreach event 05:15 in this part of town 05:16 the youth stopped in front of the building 05:18 they hope to buy, 05:19 raised their hands to heaven and prayed. 05:23 They claimed God's promises and asked for this house. 05:27 Again a miracle happened in Asuncion. 05:31 The owner agreed to sell very affordably 05:34 and the Adventist Church purchased in faith. 05:37 Since then an active center of influence offers classes, 05:41 seminars, books, 05:43 and true friendship in this community. 05:45 The local residents are responding positively. 05:48 Because of this 05:50 the Adventist leadership is building a church 05:52 in the back of the property. 05:54 They are sure that God will continue 05:56 to answer their prayers 05:58 and heaven will soon be filled with the rich and the poor, 06:01 the prisoner and free. 06:04 Please pray for the Nueva Sojourner 06:06 Center of Influence and the Tacumbu prison work. 06:09 There are many people who have not yet heard 06:11 the good news of salvation. 06:19 One of the major mission challenges 06:21 facing the Seventh-day Adventist Church 06:24 is the large and growing number of cities around the world. 06:28 Today more people are living in cities 06:30 than living in rural areas. 06:32 And here to talk about the challenge 06:33 of urban ministry is Pastor Mark Finley. 06:36 Mark, thanks so much for joining us. 06:37 You have worked for many years as a public evangelist, 06:40 you worked in rural areas but many big cities 06:42 as well around the world and we're in a community here 06:46 where you are involved in holistic ministry. 06:49 How would you describe holistic ministry? 06:52 I think holistic ministry, 06:54 Gary, is the ministry of Jesus Christ 06:56 in this generation. 06:58 When I look at the ministry of Christ 06:59 the Bible says in Matthew 9:35-38 07:03 that Jesus went through all the cities 07:05 preaching and teaching and healing. 07:07 So holistic ministry has to do with teaching, 07:10 helping people to understand 07:11 how to have a better way of life. 07:13 It has to do with healing, 07:14 ministering to their basic physical needs 07:17 but it also has to do with spirituality 07:20 helping people to know Jesus 07:21 who gives them the power to change. 07:23 You know, I love that statement 07:25 in Ministry of Healing, 07:26 "Christ's method alone will bring 07:28 true success in reaching the people." 07:29 Jesus mingled among people 07:31 as well as desired they're good. 07:33 He showed them sympathy, ministered to their needs, 07:35 then He begged them follow me. 07:37 So what is holistic ministry? 07:39 It's mingling with people, 07:40 understanding their heartache and their need. 07:42 You cannot win people that you don't know. 07:46 To getting to know them. 07:48 What compels them? 07:50 What's the deep motivation of their heart? 07:52 What's the purpose of their life? 07:54 Rubbing shoulders with them. 07:56 If you are not part of a community 07:58 and you just simply try to come in. 08:00 You remember that old movie 08:02 "The Gospel Blimp" 08:03 you fly over the city and drop literature. 08:05 That's not the ministry of Christ. 08:06 The ministry of Christ is getting to know people. 08:08 Holistic ministry is ministering 08:10 to the total needs of people 08:11 because you know them and love them like Christ did. 08:13 Right, so many people know you from your public figure, 08:17 you're up there preaching the sermon 08:19 but they don't know a lot of the groundwork 08:21 that surrounds all of that. 08:22 Describe what you would do 08:25 if you were to start a ministry in new area. 08:27 Well, starting a ministry in the new area 08:29 the first thing we do like in this very community 08:32 where we're standing here the very up market area, 08:35 an hour from Washington DC. 08:37 We came here. 08:38 We began to pray for the community 08:40 the first thing we did. 08:41 We would walk this community 08:43 my wife and I and we would pray. 08:44 She would walk the trails, get up early in the morning 08:47 and just pray for our community. 08:48 We didn't know what to do, Gary. 08:49 All right. 08:51 So we didn't come in with some strategic plan, 08:52 we came in with this humble attitude. 08:54 We don't know what to do here. 08:56 We don't know how to reach these people 08:57 and we began to pray that's the first thing. 09:00 The second thing is we started small 09:02 with some programming to test our community. 09:05 And so we pray, we begin trying things 09:09 and if something doesn't work we try something else. 09:12 There is something worse than failure 09:14 and that's doing nothing. 09:16 I'd rather try to do something and fail 09:18 than try to do nothing and succeed. 09:20 Yes. 09:21 And so we tried little things 09:24 and God gives us a little success here 09:26 and a little success there. 09:27 Then we say what else is going on in the community? 09:30 What kind of health programs? 09:31 What are the churches are in the community? 09:33 What are they doing? 09:35 At the same time we are studying scripture, 09:37 we're studying the writings of Ellen White, 09:39 we're saying 09:40 if Jesus were here what would He do? 09:42 And then we begin to say, 09:44 what do we already have 09:46 and my wife and I asked ourselves 09:47 what we have here? 09:49 A small church in Warrenton 09:51 about 25 minutes away. 09:53 So that's what we had a very small church, 09:56 35 most 40 people coming 09:58 but that church had something. 10:01 Every year they set aside $15,000 or so for evangelism. 10:04 We knew they had evangelistic heart. 10:06 They had people that wanted to see the church grow. 10:08 They had people that were praying. 10:10 We said we would rather start 10:12 like Jesus did with the loaves and the fishes 10:14 and something small and let Christ multiply them. 10:17 So how do you start? You start with prayer, 10:19 you start assessing the community, 10:22 what are its needs, 10:23 what kind of people live there and then you start small 10:26 to do something is better than to do nothing. 10:29 And you let God grow that seed to what He wants it to be. 10:32 Wonderful, now later in the program 10:34 we will see the center of influence 10:36 that you're starting here. 10:37 Why are centers of influence 10:39 such an important method in urban areas? 10:42 Centers of influence give us stability in an area. 10:46 If I go into an area for example 10:48 and running evangelistic meeting for five or six weeks, 10:51 I'm in and out that's gone. 10:53 Certainly we baptize some people, 10:55 certainly we train some people. 10:57 But I would say at least three major important reasons 10:59 for centers of influence. 11:01 Number one, they are-- 11:02 they give stability to God's work in the area. 11:05 They are here today, tomorrow, and the next day. 11:09 They are a daily witness for Christ. 11:11 Second thing about centers of influence 11:13 at least for me is significant is the center of influence 11:17 can be placed in a community 11:20 where you could not do public evangelism. 11:22 There areas the 10/40 Window for example. 11:24 And so you can have a center of influence 11:28 that meets the needs of people in a community. 11:30 That they're gonna walk into 11:32 that would never ever walk into a church. 11:35 So they meet the needs. 11:36 And thirdly a center of influence 11:39 gives people an opportunity gradually to understand 11:42 spiritual truths and have it unfolded. 11:44 So it's a permanent stable facility 11:48 that breaks down prejudice, 11:51 that shares truth gradually, 11:53 and for me in a secular urban environment 11:57 it is one of the best things that church can do 11:59 to grow the kingdom of God. 12:00 Wonderful, because it's a springboard 12:02 for putting the Christ method into practice 12:03 that you are telling about. 12:04 It is. It really is. 12:06 As I said we're gonna look at the center later 12:08 but what is your-- 12:09 in a summary what is your hope for this center of influence? 12:12 My hope for this center of influence 12:15 is that it makes a dramatic powerful difference 12:19 in this community and it becomes a model 12:22 for what it can be done around the world. 12:25 A model that would-- you have a vision. 12:27 I think of the story of Jesus. 12:29 Jesus never asked what don't you have? 12:32 He said, what do we have? 12:33 We only have five loaves and two fishes 12:35 but little in the hands of Jesus is much. 12:37 I would encourage people. 12:39 You know, Gary, when we started 12:40 we had no property, we had no funding, 12:43 we had just a vision in our heart. 12:45 There maybe somebody in a major city 12:48 in the Middle East or somebody in Africa 12:51 and you say, "Sure that's okay for Mark Finley 12:53 because but we don't have anything here. 12:55 We just have this. Start with what you have. 12:58 Give what you have to Jesus. 12:59 They don't have very much, 13:01 they had five loaves and two fishes 13:02 they couldn't feed 5,000 people 13:03 but Jesus multiplied them. 13:05 When we have a vision and a dream 13:08 and we start with what small 13:10 God's gonna multiply it. 13:11 Fantastic. Thanks. 13:13 Thanks so much for joining us, Mark. 13:14 Thanks, Gary. 13:15 And we'll be right back straight after this break. |
Revised 2016-03-03