Participants: Pr. Kenn Dixon
Series Code: HG
Program Code: HG000019
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00:58 Oh, Lord, we give You praise
01:05 And 01:10 Oh, Lord, we bless Your name 01:17 And 01:22 we lift our voices to say thank You 01:29 For Your goodness 01:36 And Your mercy toward us 01:42 For Your goodness 01:48 And Your mercy toward us 01:53 We offer 01:57 praise 02:11 Oh, Lord, we give You praise 02:18 And 02:23 Oh, Lord, we bless Your name 02:29 And 02:34 we lift our voices 02:36 To say thank You 02:41 For Your goodness 02:47 And Your mercy toward us 02:53 For Your goodness 02:59 And Your mercy toward us 03:04 For Your goodness 03:10 And Your mercy toward us 03:14 We offer 03:18 Praise 03:26 You are worthy 03:33 of glory, honor 03:41 Worthy of all 03:46 Praise 03:48 For Your goodness 03:54 And Your mercy toward us 04:00 For Your goodness 04:06 And Your mercy toward us 04:11 For Your goodness 04:17 And Your mercy toward us 04:21 We offer 04:25 Praise 04:33 You are worthy 04:40 Of glory, honor 04:48 Worthy of all praise 04:54 For Your goodness 05:00 And Your mercy toward us 05:06 For Your goodness 05:11 And Your mercy toward us 05:17 For Your goodness 05:22 And Your mercy toward us 05:27 For Your goodness 05:33 And Your mercy toward us 05:38 For Your goodness 05:43 And Your mercy toward us 05:48 For Your goodness 05:54 And Your mercy toward us 05:59 For Your goodness 06:04 And Your mercy toward us 06:09 We offer 06:12 Praise 06:19 We offer 06:23 Praise 06:31 We offer 06:34 Praise 06:41 We offer 06:47 Praise. 06:50 What you've done so many times in the past, 06:53 sure, do what is necessary 06:58 to bring us to connect with you 07:01 because this may be the last time 07:03 that the connection will be made. 07:05 So, Father, we pray for You and we invite 07:08 and we invoke Your Holy Spirit to fall afresh upon us today. 07:11 We pray these things in Your name 07:17 because Your goodness and Your mercy towards us. 07:23 Amen. 07:27 Good morning, everyone. 07:29 Happy Sabbath. 07:32 I'm excited that today is Adventist's Education Day. 07:37 And I just want to piggyback on the awesome job my son did 07:44 in reading the scripture. 07:50 I want to look at verse 6, 07:53 "For it is the God 07:56 who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, 08:02 who has shone in our hearts 08:04 to give the light of the knowledge 08:07 of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 08:12 I just want to talk to you for a few minutes 08:14 on the topic of 'The Light, The Knowledge, And The Glory.' 08:20 'The Light, The Knowledge, And The Glory.' 08:24 Her name was Shay Houston, and her best friend was Nef 08:31 or Nefertari, we called her Nef. 08:34 And they met in Jacks... 08:36 we met them in Jackson, Michigan 08:37 when I was working as a chaplain 08:39 in campus ministry at the University of Michigan. 08:42 Shay and Nef attended Jackson High School. 08:48 They were some hard girls. 08:51 When I first met them, I want to fight them. 08:56 And recently, not too long after coming to Michigan 09:01 about two years, 09:03 we accepted a position as the dean of men 09:06 at Mount Vernon Academy in Ohio. 09:09 Both families, Nef and Shay wanted their daughters 09:13 and also the son to attend Mount Vernon Academy 09:17 because they were concerned about their spiritual life. 09:21 They couldn't afford to send them, 09:23 but they did it anyway and God provided. 09:27 After enrolling in the academy, Nef started having 09:30 some real problems and she would... 09:33 she was asked by the administration to leave. 09:35 However, Shay did not go with her. 09:40 She ended up graduating from Mount Vernon Academy in 2007 09:46 and her life was starting to look up. 09:50 This girl from Jackson, Michigan, 09:53 rough girl was starting to seek some breakthroughs for her. 09:58 She was hard when she got there. 10:00 They all ready to fight even the people from New York. 10:04 They were ready to fight everybody 10:06 but when her friend was asked to leave, she had a choice. 10:10 She could go back with a friend to Jackson, 10:13 to Jackson, Michigan but she chose not to. 10:16 She stayed there for another year. 10:21 I was at home in Columbus, Ohio, 10:24 on a Sunday morning, August 2007, 10:28 and I received a phone call from Nef's family 10:32 to tell me that the night 10:33 before she had died in her sleep. 10:37 Just graduated from high school, 10:40 died in her sleep. 10:43 I was devastated and I had to call the school 10:47 and let the principal know 10:48 because he had a relationship within the staff. 10:51 Because this young lady who was so hard, 10:56 the staff ended up falling in love with her. 11:00 And when I shared the news with him, he broke down crying. 11:05 On the day of the funeral in Jackson, Michigan, 11:08 in the presence of all the family 11:10 and former classmates and staff of MVA, 11:13 I was there to share some news 11:15 that many of them did not know took place the day before 11:18 which was Sabbath. 11:21 Her pastor informed me in the study 11:23 before the funeral service began 11:26 that Shay answered an altar call 11:31 to be baptized. 11:34 She answered a call to be baptized. 11:38 And I'm here to tell you today, that is why we're here, 11:43 that is why Adventist Education is here, 11:47 that is why we do, we do. 11:50 No other reason, it's that reason. 11:54 Not only did I find that out, 11:57 but last night I called Nef's family 12:00 and they told me 12:01 that the mother had died not long after that, 12:03 the father had died not long after that, 12:07 a brother had died not long after that. 12:10 But because of her stand that Sabbath, her cousin, 12:16 her elder brother, her sister 12:17 were in church now came back to Jesus. 12:22 That is why we do what we do. 12:26 The best investment that you can ever make 12:28 in the future of your children is through their education, 12:31 not just any education but the education for eternity. 12:37 Why do we do what we do? 12:39 Well, you know what? 12:41 I decided I was going to do a little homework. 12:44 And I looked around and found some schools 12:45 with high academic marks, 12:47 and high social interaction, and high athletics. 12:50 And here's what I found from my investigation, 12:52 all the schools that I looked at 12:55 not only in Texas but also in Massachusetts 12:59 where the education in Massachusetts 13:03 is the God, Harvard, MIT. 13:07 I look at all of these schools and here's what I found, 13:09 they all teach subjects like English, and Math, and history, 13:16 social studies, PE, technology, world languages, 13:21 sports, fine arts, and life skills. 13:24 They all have professional and qualified 13:28 teachers and administrators. 13:30 They receive money from taxpayers and state fund. 13:34 They offer the state-of-the-art transportation 13:37 called the yellow bus 13:39 and sometimes it's a little yellow bus. 13:42 They all have great mascots and songs, 13:44 and wonderful tradition. 13:46 One thing that I found that all of these schools 13:47 that was the same, 13:48 was that they all preparing children 13:50 for the future workforce 13:51 and society to be reproductive citizens 13:54 on this planet. 13:55 Applaud that they do a good job. 14:01 Then if they're doing such a good job, 14:03 then why we're here? 14:07 We're here because of Shay, 14:11 we're here because of people like Shay. 14:14 We're here for moments, a stand, 14:17 a walk up to the front to give you a life, 14:19 not knowing if you're going to live the next day. 14:21 And from that the repercussion, 14:23 the repercussion that come from that 14:24 is family members who had not step foot in church 14:27 came back to Jesus. 14:28 Why? Because of stand. 14:29 You weren't baptized, you didn't make it, Shay, 14:32 but guess what, 14:33 because of your example others did, 14:36 that's why we do what we do. 14:39 The future of our families, our churches, our nation 14:42 and world depends on the right education. 14:46 Adventist education is different. 14:49 It plans for the future while preparing for eternity. 14:55 In spite of this outstanding contribution 15:00 to the church and to the world at large, 15:03 Adventist education is under fire. 15:08 Now you know what, before I read the next part, 15:11 I've learned being a lifelong Adventist, 15:16 my children sixth generation Adventist. 15:19 I've learned something. 15:20 There are some things that when you talk about 15:23 in the Adventist church, people get mad. 15:28 There's some buzz, I mean, 15:29 you mess with someone and say, we needed to be vegetarian. 15:31 "Oh, no..." You get mad. 15:33 Mess with the music, get mad. 15:35 One of the things I found is that 15:37 when you talk about Adventist education, 15:39 people get mad, they get mad. 15:44 I'm here to say this to you 15:46 and I'm saying this with all lovingness, 15:48 get mad. 15:53 In spite of all that it is been offered 15:55 and all that has contribute to the world at large 15:57 and to the church itself, the attacks are all too often 16:00 coming from within the denomination. 16:05 It is coming from those who are charge to uphold it, 16:10 while those on the outside admire it. 16:15 I don't know if you ever heard of a man 16:16 by the name of Alan November. 16:18 If you're an educator, you probably know who he is. 16:21 Phenomenal in this age, he is an incredible innovator. 16:25 He is a millionaire because he has found a way 16:30 to teach children how to learn. 16:35 He was speaking at a conference 16:36 that I was at it with pastors and teachers 16:38 in New England, in Rhode Island. 16:41 And when he said, he stood up before us, 16:44 and he's looked over the vastness of the teachers, 16:46 and looked over the vastness of the administrators. 16:48 And here's what he said, he said, 16:51 "The Seventh-day Adventist education system 16:54 is the most integrated and functional system 16:56 in the world." 16:59 This man doesn't know anything about 17:01 the three angels flying in the midst of heaven. 17:04 He knows nothing about it. What does he know? 17:06 He knows education, 17:07 and he looked at the system and said, you guys are awesome. 17:11 For a minute I thought 17:12 he's going to ask to be employed. 17:16 You know we would have told him no. 17:19 However, some pastors 17:20 and church leaders, for example, 17:22 have argued that Adventist education 17:24 is stealing money from evangelism, 17:26 church mission and other church opportunities 17:29 for service to the community. 17:31 It is been said that Christian education 17:33 is irrelevant, outdated, not soul winning, 17:38 and therefore the local church should close 17:42 because of waste of money 17:45 that could be put towards evangelism, 17:47 building programs and church activities. 17:55 When I hear statements like this, 17:57 it makes me wonder, and you got to hear this, 17:59 it makes you wonder about Christ ministry. 18:03 Here's what I mean. 18:04 Jesus had twelve students, I mean disciples, excuse me. 18:11 He had them for three years. 18:15 When He got to the cross, 18:18 matter of fact even before that, 18:20 not one of them was converted 18:22 or even understood the message He was teaching. 18:25 And John 16:12 says, 18:27 many things I have to say to you but you're not ready. 18:31 Shay and Nef and my wife, we would sit in our apartment 18:36 on the campus of Mount Vernon Academy for hours, 18:39 telling them the importance of Adventist education, 18:42 telling them don't give up on it, 18:44 don't be stupid here, value it, 18:46 encourage them to love Jesus. 18:49 And they would sit there and say, we don't like it. 18:54 The same young lady 18:56 who made an altar call afterwards 18:58 said she didn't want to be there. 18:59 She would cry and say, I don't want to be here. 19:02 If I had the opportunity, I will leave. 19:03 When her friend left, she stayed. 19:05 Why? 19:08 Because just like in Christ ministry, 19:11 we were looking at something different. 19:13 Christ, when His mission was done, 19:17 what was His results? 19:20 One betrayed him, 19:22 another swore he never knew Him, 19:24 and others ran and hiding 19:25 for fear that they would be killed. 19:27 The only person that stayed, 19:30 the only person that accepted Him, 19:33 the only person 19:34 that listened to Him and then graduate 19:37 was a thief on the cross that was going to die, 19:41 who spent the least amount of time with Him. 19:47 From a human perspective, 19:48 Jesus' ministry would be considered a failure. 19:54 But Jesus had His eyes on a long term 19:57 rather than the short term. 19:59 Here's the beauty of it, after Pentecost. 20:06 After Pentecost, 20:09 all of them save one were powerhouses. 20:13 Peter, the one who denied and stood up before them, 20:16 he said men and brethren. 20:17 Let me tell you something, 20:19 I can imagine someone in a pew saying, 20:21 how can you tell you deny Him? 20:23 But when Peter were done preaching, 20:25 3,000 came up to Jesus, 20:27 and came to Jesus that day. 20:29 Why? 20:30 Because He was, Jesus was looking at the long term, 20:32 Jesus wasn't frustrated when we got to cross. 20:34 Jesus say, listen, 20:35 I know something you don't know. 20:37 I know something that the gospel would do. 20:40 We see Christ, you see other things, 20:43 we see Christ, stick with it. 20:45 No, no, it's not worthy. 20:46 It's worth it, I can tell you it's worth it. 20:50 Ellen White said in her book Education page 305 and 306, 20:53 she says, "Men sow the seed which, 20:56 above their graves, others reap blessed harvests. 21:00 They plant trees, that others eat of the fruit. 21:03 They are content here to know 21:05 that they have set things in motion agents for good. 21:09 In the hereafter 21:10 the action and the reaction of all these will be seen." 21:15 Let me tell you something, I can tell you this. 21:20 Your children know more than you think they do. 21:25 You give them an option between broccoli and ice-cream, 21:30 matter of fact, 21:31 you give me an option between broccoli and ice-cream, 21:37 I won't say what I'll choose. 21:40 But let me tell you something, they know, they won't, 21:43 they're not going to choose the right thing. 21:46 Do you want to go to little school like that over there 21:47 or you want to go this big one over here that's got mascots 21:49 and all these different things? 21:51 They know that. They, what? 21:52 Come on, that's like asking... 21:53 Do you want to drive a Yugo 21:55 or do you want to drive a Mercedes? 22:00 Do you want to come to church 22:01 or do you want to go to your prom? 22:05 Give them a choice, 22:06 they're going to make the choice. 22:10 That's why I like what Joshua says 22:12 that's for me and my house. 22:15 Listen, there was a time 22:16 when my kids will get mad when I do stuff. 22:18 I just smile and I was like... 22:22 I got the job, you have no job. 22:27 Would you want to leave? 22:30 Emptiness, what, what. 22:34 We'll cruise the world. 22:38 I want to give you six reasons for Adventist education. 22:43 In his book 'Why You Must Go', 22:45 Elder Terry McCoy, our secretary, 22:48 our conference secretary wrote a awesome book. 22:51 If you have not, if you don't have that book, 22:53 shame on, you got to get it. 22:55 It's an awesome book. 22:56 He put in there, he talks about six hooks, 22:59 he talks about hooks for Adventist education. 23:01 That kind of grabs up that term hooks. 23:05 Because hooks sometimes would be bad thing 23:06 but this is not a bad thing. 23:08 Hooks for Adventist education. 23:09 At the top of the list 23:11 of the reason for Adventist schooling 23:12 is that it introduce students to the Bible 23:15 as a framework of thinking and evaluating. 23:18 It gives moral and ethical thinking. 23:23 Even in pre-school, let me tell you something, 23:26 when I walk into Miss Mary's class 23:28 and I see these kids read... 23:31 What? 23:35 If I could have read at that age, 23:41 where could I have been. 23:44 These kids are reading. 23:46 When I see, when I walk through the building 23:48 throughout the week, these kids are smiling, 23:52 they're happy, they are not worried about 23:53 where they're gonna get shen next. 23:55 They are not worried about, we know, 23:57 what they're going to do and this and that, 23:58 they're just having fun. 24:00 When I look at the teachers I see them, 24:03 they're having fun. 24:05 But there's something that you need to understand is that 24:07 all that is going on, 24:09 ethic and moral living is being taught. 24:13 Look at Isaiah, Isaiah 30, 24:14 you've heard this text before, Isaiah 30:21. 24:18 Isaiah 30:21, it says, 24:19 "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, 24:22 saying, 'This is the way, walk in,' 24:25 whenever you turn to the right hand 24:27 or whenever you turn to the left." 24:28 There's going to be a word. 24:29 Let me tell you something, there's going to be a word, 24:31 there's going to be a word. 24:33 You know, your kid don't like Him, 24:34 they want to do that all day, there's going to be a word, 24:36 there's going to be something. 24:37 And matter of fact, when I was, when I was used to... 24:39 When I used to teach, my kids will get mad at me, 24:41 "Why you always got to say something about the Bible?" 24:44 Because I only speak Christ, I don't know anything else. 24:47 We must say, what? 24:48 I can't give you tablets, 24:50 I can't give you the current, I can't do that to you. 24:52 I can tell you decision making is based on 24:54 how you and what you believe, and what you believe in. 24:58 It gives the framework, the critical point. 25:01 The Bible and Adventist school 25:02 is never studied as it in to itself. 25:06 Rather, the scriptures provide a framework 25:08 for everything that takes place on campus, 25:10 whether it's the academics, 25:12 whether it's the extracurricular, 25:13 where is the chaplain, 25:14 where is the Sabbath services, the outreach, 25:17 the community service program. 25:19 Everything is framed around the Bible. 25:23 Let me tell you something now. 25:25 I've been in ministry, 25:27 I've been the pastor for seven years. 25:29 I'm going to be 40 this summer. 25:33 How many years did I lose? 25:37 I can tell you, 25:40 the last seven years that I lived have been the fullest. 25:46 Because my framework is based around scripture. 25:51 I like the Bible says that Lord will restore the years 25:53 that the locust devoured. 25:55 You jabbed up for years, God is gonna, 25:58 He's going to restore those, he says, 25:59 I don't remember you were here for like 30 years, 26:01 let me help you out, 26:02 let me help you out the last things, 26:04 last few years of your life, 26:05 I'm gonna make it good for you, all right? 26:07 I am going to give you some blessing, 26:08 but you got to know where your foundation 26:09 and your framework is. 26:11 The second reason is 26:12 the Bible is an instrument in Adventist schools 26:14 introducing young people to Jesus as Lord and savior, 26:18 not as a prophet, not as a figure in history, 26:22 but as Lord and savior. 26:23 And at its core, 26:25 Adventist education is evangelistic, 26:27 redemptive with producing baptism 26:30 and lifelong commitments to Jesus. 26:34 Let me tell you something now, 26:36 when I speak, when I talk about Adventist education, 26:39 about being redemptive, 26:41 I can tell you story, after story, 26:42 after story after story. 26:44 I taught for four years, 26:46 and I worked another two years as an auxiliary staff. 26:49 I know that it's redemptive. 26:51 I've seen some of the knuckleheads 26:53 that will come into my office 26:55 that were on the verge of being kicked out. 26:58 Matter of fact, there was a young man. 27:01 I just had the opportunity, 27:02 he called me and he asked me to conduct his wedding. 27:09 This kid was difficult, 27:14 not in the sense that you're thinking. 27:16 His parents were rich. 27:19 No, no, no. 27:21 So you don't, you don't understand what I mean. 27:23 His parents were rich. 27:27 When we got there, 27:29 we were told that there were certain parents 27:30 that you need to be watch out for, 27:32 because they're the ones 27:33 that can give you the hardest problems. 27:35 And they told me that this family, 27:38 the father is a hospital, 27:40 I mean, a health system regions administrator for hospitals. 27:49 Mom works when she feels like it. 27:53 When she wants him to stop working for six months, 27:56 she'll go and work for two days. 27:58 Rich. 28:03 They were at Mount Vernon and here I am the dean, 28:06 me, nobody. 28:08 I get there and they drop this on me. 28:10 The parents walk in... 28:15 They sit down, their son is there, 28:17 their oldest son just graduated the year before, 28:19 he's been there, this is his sophomore year, 28:21 this will be his whole term and he's just sitting there, 28:25 and he said, "Now, can you please tell me 28:27 how you want to run the dorm?" 28:29 I said, "Stop. Let us pray for a second." 28:32 We prayed, I said amen. 28:34 They looked different after prayer. 28:42 The father called me last summer 28:46 before I came up to the wedding, 28:47 he said, "Listen, listen, 28:48 I need to know what airport you're going to fly out." 28:52 I said, "Dallas Fort Worth." 28:54 "Do you need to rental car?" 28:55 I said, "Well, yes, sure. 28:57 I'll take one." 28:58 "Do you need, what do you want to do... 28:59 We'll get you a hotel room and everything." 29:01 I said, "All right, that sounds good." 29:02 And I am kind of used to that kind of stuff, 29:03 you know, I get there and I'm staying in a suite. 29:07 I'm like, man, you're going to put me in Motel 6 29:08 but I am sitting back down, taking pictures of the room. 29:14 Why? 29:15 Because they know, 29:18 they know the value that was placed in their son, 29:23 not because they were rich. 29:26 Because I tell you the opposite story. 29:27 I had another kid who was not rich, 29:30 and that was the other family they told me 29:31 it's going to be difficult. 29:33 No, we were going to their house every Sabbath, 29:36 having dinner. 29:38 When I started working as a dean, 29:39 they will call me all the time. 29:41 The mother, we would sit down, great religion. 29:43 Because those that are difficult are expecting a lot. 29:47 But one thing they will respect, 29:49 if you give them Jesus. 29:52 The primary function of Adventist education 29:54 is to help young people find a savior relationship 29:56 with Jesus Christ. 29:58 And that function is just as important for children 30:00 brought in Adventist home and those that don't. 30:03 One study can... 30:05 mention that the concerning, 30:07 the evangelistic potential of Adventist education, 30:09 listen to this, 30:11 "It is important to realize that worldwide, 30:12 the percentage of young people from non-Adventist homes 30:15 attending Adventist school is more than 50 percent 30:19 and in some places around the world 30:21 it's 90 percent. 30:23 When we get our perspective right, 30:26 we see that public evangelism and education, 30:29 Christian education, 30:31 Adventist Christian education are not enemies of one another 30:35 but rather they serve and to complement one another 30:38 and achieve the gospel commission 30:39 that is found in Matthew 28, 30:42 ''Go ye therefore into all the world." 30:45 I can tell you right now that many people would not have 30:48 any one of you come into their homes 30:51 if they knew you were Christian. 30:54 They would not do it. 30:55 They had bad experiences with you guys. 30:58 I would have in my days the hypocrites. 31:02 But they'll send their kids to an Adventist school. 31:06 Why? 31:07 Because when they look at the alternative. 31:10 Yes, there's a lot of things good 31:11 that go on in a public school, 31:13 but their children are experiencing something, 31:16 and it's negative. 31:17 They don't know what it is, 31:19 they can't put their finger on it, 31:20 but they know that they don't like it, 31:21 but they would rather put them in a private school 31:23 because the understanding of a private school 31:25 is that it's better than a public school. 31:28 And that's all they need, and that's enough. 31:30 For them, that's it. 31:32 They don't have to go into the deep details 31:33 of what you believe. 31:35 They say, okay, what you have? 31:37 You gonna teach English, math, okay, fine. 31:39 Kids starts coming home singing songs 31:41 instead of the stuff that they would tell them 31:43 to stop singing, they were singing, 31:45 look at them like, 31:46 "Where did you heard that song from?" 31:48 "Oh, Miss McCoy, Miss Myers, and Miss Wilkins taught me 31:51 that on in chapel." 31:54 I never heard a song before 31:55 or I heard a song and it was years ago, 31:56 it brought back something. 31:58 Probably it's... and the next thing you know, 32:00 the young person makes a decision 32:02 and says, listen, they have a week of prayer at the school. 32:04 And they say, I want to be baptized. 32:06 They say, "What do you mean you want to baptized? 32:07 You're already baptized." 32:09 "I know, but there's something about this church, 32:11 there's something about this school 32:13 that teaches me something different 32:14 and it's pricking my heart, because in Matthew 10, 32:16 it says, my sheep, when they hear my voice, 32:18 they will come and they hear it, they hear it. 32:20 They say, I want to be baptized, 32:22 and he's like, well, let's think about it, 32:23 let's not do it. 32:24 And they keep and are persistent about it, 32:26 keep and are persistent about it. 32:27 And finally, they said, all right, 32:28 okay, all right, all right, go ahead do it. 32:30 And next thing you know, the pool is full of the family. 32:40 Because the child made a decision. 32:42 The third reason, 32:45 even introducing students to Jesus as Lord and savior 32:49 is not an end in itself in Adventist education. 32:53 Adventist schooling at its best 32:55 leads people to a life long service to others. 33:01 It is no accident 33:03 that the first and the last page of The Book of Education 33:06 focuses on the joy of service. 33:10 The major function of an Adventist education 33:12 is to help naturally selfish human beings 33:15 gain a vision of service for others. 33:18 This is the main reason that most of our higher institutions 33:22 have a slant towards profession that teach healthcare 33:26 and spiritual nurturing and also services alike. 33:30 That's why when you look at our institutions, 33:32 when you look at our universities, 33:34 the main focus of these campuses on medical, 33:37 teaching, and pastoral. 33:40 Why? 33:42 Because we don't have to make a NASA scientist, 33:46 we don't have to produce a NASA scientist, 33:49 we don't have to produce a neurosurgeon. 33:52 That's not what we have to do. 33:55 It just so happens 33:56 that when you're in the environment 33:58 goodness and greatness happens. 34:02 We don't have to say you're going to be the next president. 34:04 But what happens is they are in an environment 34:06 and they become the president of some major company. 34:08 And they look back and say, 34:10 why did you decide to become a president? 34:12 Did they push that at your school? 34:14 No, they just told me to be my best in Jesus 34:16 and Jesus carried me up. 34:20 There is a difference perspective. 34:23 There're mission fields in service, 34:27 our teachers and our staff are missionaries 34:30 working to educate not only the earthly 34:33 but the heavenly. 34:34 Let me tell you something, when I... 34:40 When I was teaching and you know, many times 34:44 when I go over to cross the street to our school, 34:48 I tell myself and I understand 34:51 why God pulled me from teaching. 35:03 The days are missing, 35:04 but when I see our teachers over there, 35:07 they are missionaries. 35:09 They're missionaries over there. 35:11 Here's what I mean, 35:14 they don't just teach one subject, 35:18 not only they not just teach one subject, 35:21 they don't teach just one grade, 35:24 not only do they not just teach one grade, 35:26 they also are the janitors. 35:30 They're also the administrators, 35:33 they're also the transport system. 35:36 They are everything, they don't get on the phone 35:38 and have to say, listen, we have problem. 35:40 They have to deal with it. 35:42 They have to teach first, second, third, and fourth. 35:46 And they got to be willing to do that 35:48 and be able to do that. 35:49 And not only that, but they have to themselves 35:51 be professional enough to be able to do it. 35:55 Then they have families, they got to go home, 35:58 that's a missionary. 35:59 Because then we don't pay them that much. 36:04 And I must say that across the board, 36:05 teachers in general don't get paid enough. 36:09 Public or private, they don't get paid enough, 36:11 but they expect you to do more, that's a missionary. 36:16 That's a missionary. 36:18 I've seen our teachers huddled every morning in prayer. 36:22 Why? 36:23 Because they know that the work that they're doing 36:27 is eternal, it's eternal. 36:32 In Christian Education, page five, 36:35 Ellen White says, "The nicest work a man or woman 36:37 could do is to educate our youth." 36:41 I said, that's the work we can do. 36:42 Let me tell you something, when I sat in a classroom 36:44 for many years and these kids going back and forth 36:47 on a secular humanistic concepts 36:49 and things like that, I'll be ready 36:50 to just throw my desk at them sometime, 36:52 and in endeavor feel that after it's all said and done 36:56 there's a Shay moment. 36:59 You get that email, you get that phone call, 37:02 "Hey, Pastor Dixon, I am going to the mission field. 37:04 Pastor Dixon, I want to become a pastor. 37:06 Pastor Dixon, I am going to a nurse in a far away country. 37:11 Thank you." 37:14 You can't pay for that. 37:17 There's no amount of money that can give you that thank you. 37:22 Adventist's educational systems at all levels 37:25 needs to view the training ground, 37:27 be viewed as training ground for so many, 37:30 for whatever profession they chose. 37:31 The magnitude of the challenge becomes clear 37:33 when nearly 70 percent of Adventist are first generation 37:37 and lack the basic grasp of denominational heritage, 37:40 structure, and belief, 37:42 and most importantly an understanding 37:44 of the church's apocalyptic mission to the world. 37:48 The Bible says in Matthew 5:13-16, 37:50 that we are the salt and light of the earth. 37:53 God has called us to do that. 37:55 Now what does that mean? 37:57 You need to find out what that means to be the salt and light. 38:00 You know, when you're eating your food and there's no salt. 38:04 Let me tell you something, I've been to plenty of 38:05 academy's cafeterias and I was like, there's no salt. 38:11 I've been to plenty of places where there is no salt. 38:13 You know, you won't even say there is, 38:14 what is this, this is great. 38:16 There's no flavoring. 38:17 We are the flavor to the world. 38:20 When the world looks at an Adventist Christian, 38:23 they should wonder, man, there's something about you 38:25 that taste real good. 38:26 Listen, listen. 38:28 Let your mind stay in heavenly places. 38:34 But there are something about you and lightness, 38:36 something about you. 38:37 Why? Because God is in us. 38:41 One should listen, I may have told you this story before, 38:44 I've been in Wal-Mart several times 38:45 with my kids when they were younger. 38:47 Kid's acting crazy in front of us, 38:49 my kid is just sitting and looking at him. 38:54 There's a reason for that but... 38:58 It's Adventist education. 39:04 We've had plenty of you come to us say, 39:05 your kids are so mannerable, they're so nice and wow... 39:09 And I'm looking at them like, what you're expecting of them, 39:11 run off of the ceiling or something? 39:13 It's Adventist education. 39:22 We'll leave it there. 39:23 Adventist education, the fourth thing, 39:26 Adventist education introduces people to the Bible 39:28 as a starting point but it does not end 39:30 with just religion classes and Bible classes. 39:32 Adventist schooling helps students to view every topic 39:35 from a philosophical perspective 39:38 from the scriptures. 39:39 In other words, 39:41 the Bible provides the value system of decision making. 39:46 In this post modern humanistic culture, 39:49 we have many methods of transmitting value. 39:51 Young people are influenced 39:53 by the glorification of consumerism, 39:55 by violence, by immorality in media, 39:58 video games and music. 40:00 Their peer culture that supports 40:03 and celebrates drinking, and drugging, and sexing. 40:05 Yet, public school in most countries are banned 40:08 from teaching religion or morality 40:09 and can't tell schools 40:11 that there's an alternative to evolution. 40:13 Other schools transmit 40:14 a distorted view of the meaning of life 40:16 and the way to salvation. 40:18 The Bible says in Colossians 2:8, 40:20 it says, let me read this to you, 40:22 it says, "Avoid, beware, watch out for, 40:28 watch out for, beware lest anyone talking about, 40:32 let anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, 40:36 according to the traditions of men, 40:37 according to the basic principles of the world, 40:40 and not according to Christ." 40:43 In Adventist school we can preach Christ, 40:48 that's our excuse. 40:50 We don't have to give our alternative. 40:52 The Bible says you can't do it. 40:53 The Bible says not that. 40:55 And then when you give it, you can't imagine teaching, 40:57 you got to be married with God. 40:59 There's a system in place for that. 41:01 Adventist schooling is one of the most forceful 41:03 and transmitting value systems to a young person. 41:06 That transmission, listen to me now, 41:08 that transmission is not perfect. 41:10 But when you consider the alternative, 41:13 it is a giant step in the right direction. 41:16 And I need to say this, and I need you to hear me on this. 41:20 It is our job and mandate to fix it. 41:29 You can't complain about it, you must fix it. 41:35 If there's an issue with academics, fix it. 41:39 If there's an issue with the building falling wall, 41:41 fix it. 41:43 Closing it down is the cheap way of doing. 41:46 Not singing because it cost to fix it. 41:51 Fix it. 41:53 I guarantee you, we can send every young person, 41:57 every child in this church to that school over there. 42:01 We have the ability to do it, fix it. 42:09 For those that are in high school, 42:10 well, we only have one alternative, 42:12 we only have this one, and it's not perfect. 42:14 Fix it. 42:19 We got 40 acres. 42:25 You don't want them in the old cross town, fix it. 42:34 Don't cry and say, well, fix it. 42:37 'Cause Jesus, you know Jesus didn't did 42:39 deal with whining to will, did He? 42:40 Jesus said, fix it. 42:44 "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, 42:45 lean not upon our own understanding, 42:47 In all your ways acknowledge Him, 42:48 And He shall direct your paths." 42:50 Fix it. 42:51 The problem is we don't want to fix it 42:54 because if we have to fix it, 42:55 then we just send our kid 42:56 and we make excuse that we can't afford it. 42:58 Yes, you can. 43:04 If Shay's mother can do it... 43:07 who had no job, 43:09 who is sick, if she can do it, you can do it. 43:16 My mother, if she can do it by sending two boys, 43:20 my father divorced her, 43:21 didn't give a dime for child support, 43:24 my mother's crying in lighthouse... 43:26 Listen, I paid off 43:29 my high school to give my transcript to go to college. 43:35 So I tell you how long ago it took for me to get it. 43:40 Fix it. 43:45 Complaining is not going to solve the problem. 43:46 The fifth reason is the consistency of the message, 43:49 the lessons that are being taught into a student 43:52 are the same that should be at home, at school, 43:54 and at church. 43:58 When it's the same message, guess what, 44:00 they hear all the time. 44:02 I didn't say they will like it, you didn't like it, 44:07 some of you still don't like it. 44:10 But guess what? It works. 44:14 The home, you do your part. 44:17 The church will make up the difference. 44:20 The school will make up the difference. 44:22 A child spends eight to nine to ten hours at a school, 44:25 for five days a week, for ten months, 44:28 you can't make that up at your home. 44:31 You put them in front of a godly teacher 44:34 among other students who understand that God is true 44:37 and God can change things, 44:39 then you'll be surprise what happens. 44:41 You may even get a senate chaplain. 44:49 You may get a few churches out there. 44:52 You may get a few doctors or maybe even a lawyer out. 44:55 May be, I don't know... that's just my thoughts. 45:02 But when the same message is being taught... 45:06 you don't have to argue. 45:10 And important factor in the extracurricular activities 45:12 like proms and graduations in school, 45:14 sports program often conflict with the Sabbath. 45:19 And now, you have to make a decision, 45:21 they have to make a decision 45:22 and everybody's mad at each other. 45:23 So the best thing to do is guess what, 45:25 create your own school, create your own Bibles, 45:30 they don't conflict with the Sabbath. 45:35 If you force a young person to make a decision 45:37 between faith and social life, 45:40 they're going to choose social life. 45:44 But if you create a system 45:46 where they get the best of both worlds... 45:49 Let me tell you, I remember going when I was at Ozark, 45:53 getting ready for the banquet. 45:56 Banquet, the Valentine banquet. 45:58 Everybody trying to figure who you're going to ask. 46:00 Yes, it's a little stressful. 46:04 Little stressful. 46:07 But it was fun, it was fun. 46:12 In 2 Corinthians, I'm bringing it down, 46:14 bringing it down, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 46:16 it says, "When we are in the presence of glory, 46:19 we are changed into glory." 46:23 When you put young people in front of Jesus like Moses, 46:27 they walk away reflecting Him, it's just a natural thing. 46:31 The more you put Jesus in front of them, 46:34 the better off the reflection will be. 46:36 The less and you try to make up for it on Sabbath... 46:42 or AY... 46:45 or Wednesday night when you feel ready... 46:51 I know you all mad. 46:54 It's all right. 46:56 We can argue about this and hug each other in heaven. 47:07 We have far too many people that view the Sabbath as a time 47:10 to get other things done. 47:11 Let me share something with you. 47:13 The Sabbath, because the law cannot be changed, 47:17 Christ died. 47:21 When we make the Sabbath an opportunity for us 47:24 to do things that we need to get done during the week, 47:26 our children pick up on that 47:27 and they say it's not that important. 47:30 That's why they want to pull out their PlayStations 47:31 and all these different things in Sabbath hour 47:33 instead of saying, listen, this is the time for Jesus, 47:36 this is the time for Jesus, because they say, 47:37 well, you let me go to the prom. 47:41 You let me go to my graduation. 47:43 Now you may be saying, well, that's not right, 47:45 I don't' see anything wrong with it, that's right. 47:48 We need to ask well, if I said. 47:55 If I were to told my mother 47:57 that I'm going to my graduation on a Sabbath, 48:01 I don't care if it was a PhD, 48:04 she would have drove from New Orleans 48:06 and shot me dead on the street. 48:14 The best way to do it. Fix it, fix it. 48:19 The last reason, the last reason 48:21 I believe in my opinion is one of the most important reasons. 48:26 One of the major contributions that Adventist school 48:29 does is that it brings young people together 48:32 in significant numbers, so that they can make lifelong friends 48:37 and meet spouses who share their vision 48:41 and the importance of life. 48:45 Let me tell you something. 48:47 When I was at Oakwood, I love, 48:51 there was something out that I really love at Oakwood. 48:55 And it was my cane. 48:58 I want to be a chaplain so I wanted to twirl the cane. 49:04 And let me tell you now, listen, 49:05 I am going to tell you now, I'll give you all the secret, 49:06 don' tell anybody, but I was nasty with the cane. 49:13 I was nasty with the cane. I was nasty with it. 49:17 Matter of fact, I had some-- 49:19 I was taught by a chaplain, I was nasty with it. 49:22 And everywhere I went, I had my cane, 49:24 and I would just twirl, I would just spin it around. 49:28 And I had one at home but I don't pull it out, 49:30 I got to use it for another reason now. 49:33 But I would twirl it 49:35 and everywhere I went, I had my cane. 49:38 But there was something else that was more important 49:40 than my cane that was always with me as well. 49:45 And that was my wife. 49:50 When I think about the experience 49:51 that I had in Oakwood, and all the vastness 49:53 of young ladies that were there, 49:55 and Lord narrowed it down to one beautiful woman. 50:01 And God knew what He was doing 50:03 because He needed someone that can deal with me. 50:10 And I am not hard to deal with. 50:16 But God had to give someone that was tailor-made for me. 50:21 There were many candidates that came up before, 50:24 but the only one that I left with was that one. 50:28 God knows and you know what, when young people say, 50:32 I don't want to go to Oakwood to find a man. 50:33 You better go to Oakwood to find a man. 50:36 You better go to Oakwood to find a woman. Why? 50:38 'Cause it's not you gonna find on eHarmony or match.com. 50:43 You're not gonna find in Metro. 50:44 I mean, here's a thing, here's a thing, 50:45 I was talking to my wife, I said, 50:47 many people search for love in all the wrong places. 50:52 They go to bars, they go out to dinner, 50:56 and if they find, what you find? 50:58 You're finding someone who want you to see them. 51:01 Go to Oakwood, 8 o'clock class in the morning, 51:03 you see the real deal. 51:09 After one semester, oh, let's go, hey. 51:15 You see it all, that's why our schools are designed 51:20 so you see it from the beginning to the end. 51:22 You got four years of looking high school, 51:24 you got four years of looking. 51:26 And you're looking and you're like, 51:28 do I really want? 51:29 That is something. You see it all. 51:32 That's the reason why God created 51:33 the Adventist school system. 51:35 The sixth and most important reason 51:37 is to put us with friends and relations for lifetime, 51:40 and God knew that that was necessary 51:42 because He knows 51:44 that if you pick the wrong person... 51:49 he can destroy your home. 51:53 The devil can destroy your home if you pick the wrong person. 51:57 Now you probably saying, well, 51:59 you can pick the wrong person at Oakwood too. 52:00 You can pick a wrong person at-- 52:01 You're right, you can. 52:03 That's why you don't pick the wrong person. 52:07 Knucklehead, leave alone. 52:10 Girls, they don't wake up and having divorce, 52:12 I mean, what trend is that. 52:14 Find someone that loves Jesus. 52:17 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, 52:19 and all these things shall be added to it. 52:21 Find someone that loves Jesus, you will get everything else. 52:25 Trust me, you will get everything else. 52:29 And don't worry about what other people think 52:32 because when it's you, and your spouse 52:34 in your home with your children, 52:36 that's where Christianity shines. 52:40 Text that I read this morning. Please come, someone come. 52:44 Text I read-- 52:47 Oh. 52:51 Ah, you know what, getting hot. 52:54 Start thinking about my wife. 52:57 Let me tell you man, God is good, 52:59 when you get the right one. 53:03 All right, where were we? 53:20 The Bible says-- 53:24 my title is 'The Light, The Knowledge, and The Glory.' 53:27 Let me pull this together 53:28 because I need to give you all that, 53:30 just to give you this little wrap up. 53:34 The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:6, 53:37 it says, "For it is God who commands a light 53:39 to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts 53:43 to give the light of the knowledge 53:44 of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 53:49 When Paul wrote this, 53:50 you have to understand the context 53:51 in which he was writing it 53:53 and you have to understand where he's coming from, 53:54 because see, Paul was a Jew. 54:00 He lived in a Greek society and was a Roman citizen. 54:04 Now you probably say, why is that important? 54:07 Because the Jews sought for light, 54:11 looking for the light of the world. 54:13 The Greeks, they sought for knowledge that I may know. 54:20 Romans, they sought for glory. All roads lead to Rome. 54:26 What Paul is simply saying is that all those things, 54:30 the light, the knowledge, and the glory 54:32 are only found in one person, and that is Jesus Christ. 54:37 And the only thing you can find it is in Christ system. 54:42 The only way you can put it together, 54:44 the only way you can get to tallying of knowledge 54:46 and light and glory 54:50 is when you put your child where God says put it. 54:55 I know you're thinking to yourself, 54:57 I don't really like the system. 54:59 Let me tell you something, there's something 55:00 I didn't tell you. 55:02 I of all people should hate the Adventist school system. 55:07 I was not allowed to graduate my eight grade, 55:10 I was not allowed to march, 55:11 they sent me my diploma in mail. 55:12 I was kicked out my junior year in high school at Ozark. 55:16 I got to Oakwood and they told me, 55:17 listen, man, your GPA is so low, 55:19 you might need to go home. 55:23 And guess what, I blame all them 55:25 but then after all of that, 55:28 I went and I worked for an Adventist school 55:30 and they told me, we got to let you go. 55:33 We don't like the way you do things. 55:35 I went to another Adventist school, 55:37 started working there, 55:39 doing phenomenal and great job according to them 55:41 and next thing you know, they said, 55:42 we got to let you go because-- 55:46 incidents are going on 55:48 and we need to fill your space with someone else. 55:52 The politics of things. 55:54 My first pastoral position, I didn't get picked up, 55:58 I was working part time, I was working 100 hours a week 56:03 and had a full time job in corporate bank, 56:06 and was getting $600 working for the church. 56:11 And when it came time, and I graduate, 56:13 and I was looking forward to be picked up, they said, 56:16 the economy is bad, we can't pick you. 56:17 Although, there was a promise that was given to me. 56:21 I of all people should be mad at the system. 56:24 Then went to Massachusetts and taught 56:27 and had a great opportunity there 56:29 but them someone sabotage my mission, 56:32 and I said, I need to leave. 56:34 Of all people, I should hate this system 56:36 but guess what, I will die on this cross. 56:42 You will not find a better system. 56:45 I worked in the public school, I worked in the private school, 56:50 but I've not seen a better system. 56:51 Is it perfect? No. But what system is? 56:54 But guess what? 56:56 You can fix it, you can fix it. 57:02 You know one thing I did not want to do 57:03 was come up here and bash public school. 57:08 Right now I'm in school, at a public school. 57:10 Not a bad public school, 57:11 because they're doing exactly what they've been called to do. 57:15 That's their job. 57:17 But we've been called 57:18 for something totally different. |
Revised 2016-05-26