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Welcome to another edition
of Issues and Answers. I am
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Karen Thomas. And we are
back again with Jason McCracken.
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We have been covering a lot of
topics in our last few programs
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that we have done with him.
Today we're going to talk about
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activities to encourage
spiritual growth and faith
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maturity. What can you do to
deepen your walk with the Lord
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Jesus Christ? What can you
do to know more about God. Thank
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you so much for
coming to the program again.
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Thank you, it's nice to be back.
Nice to be back and I'm very
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eager to talk about activities
to encourage spiritual growth
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and faith maturity in a local
church. That's something that
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is greatly needed right now
in churches. People feel that
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they're not growing enough. They
come to church because they feel
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that I need to get my cup filled
That's not really how it's
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supposed to work. You're
supposed to go to church with
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your cup already filled and then
God is just going to top it off
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when you get there. So it's not
I'm going to church empty and
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you fill me up. No. You're
personal devotions are extremely
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important to filling your life
every day. That's a part of it.
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When you're in a congregation
the first area here is to...
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Amen. You see most of us don't
understand that when we seek
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the power of the Holy Spirit
for revival and reformation the
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church will begin to grow
spiritually. Now let me share
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with you an issue. Do you think
people are going to sit in the
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congregation and just wait for
the Holy Spirit to fall or is it
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that the Holy Spirit is going
to fall when they're actively
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engaged in ministry?
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Well I think obviously when
they're engaged in ministry.
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Yeah. Let's look at the
Bible here for a minute. Matthew
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chapter 10. I'm going to read a
text of scripture to you because
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I think we need to understand
how this operates here. What is
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Jesus talking about here when
he's dealing with his disciples?
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Matthew chapter 10 and it's
actually verse 1. It says: And
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when he had called unto him his
12 disciples he gave them what?
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He gave them power against
unclean spirits to cast them out
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and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of
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diseases. And in verse 5:
These 12 Jesus sent forth and
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commanded them saying
what? Go not into the way of the
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Gentiles and into any city
of the Samaritans enter ye not,
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but go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel and as
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you go preach saying the kingdom
of heaven is at hand. And then
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you see in verse 8: Heal the
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
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the dead, cast out devils.
Freely ye have received, freely
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give. Now what is that
saying to us? The Spirit of God
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falls when we go. It's not
going to happen sitting in a
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congregation with a hymnal in
front of you and the Bible says
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fall Holy Spirit. It's not going
to happen that way. When we are
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actively engaged in ministry
Jesus will give us the power.
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So seek the power of the
Holy Spirit for revival and
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reformation in the congregation
but you must go and you must do
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exactly what Jesus says: Heal,
cleanse. That's when the Spirit
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falls. A lot of people have
a misconception that the Spirit
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is going to drop and then
we're going to run out and start
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speaking in other languages and
going to different parts of the
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world and preaching the gospel.
We're already doing that now.
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But when the Spirit of
God is needed urgently in the
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communities then
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we're out in the community
working for God. That's when
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Jesus works best, when we're
sitting on a street corner and
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we're preaching in the public,
when we're at a high school,
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when we're at a university
preaching the gospel of Christ,
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the Spirit will fall on us.
That's the good news, that's
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the good news that Jesus wants
us to tell people that he's
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coming. We must do it in public
but the congregation is the
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location where we can encourage
this spiritual growth and faith
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maturity. So number 1 is very
good: Seek for the power of the
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Holy Spirit. Number 2:...
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Number 2 is exclusively
designed for that local
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congregation. Looking at this,
this is extremely essential to
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Christian growth and faith
maturity. Why? Why do I say
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that? God's grace and
forgiveness. Jesus Christ
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came to this earth, died
on a cross. On Friday he was
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crucified and on Sabbath he was
in the tomb. On Sunday morning
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he was resurrected. He went back
to heaven and he's coming again
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according to Acts chapter 1. Now
that is the grace that he has
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extended to us a sinners because
we are supposed to die for all
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of our sins. We're supposed to
pay the penalty for our sins and
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death is that penalty. But
because Christ died on the cross
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he has given us grace and so now
as sinners we are to say to God
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please forgive me, I am a sinner
His grace is available, his
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forgiveness is available and
seeing ourselves both as sinners
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and forgiven saints. When we
see that we are sinners and one
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day we will become saints, this
needs to be experienced in the
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local congregation. Amen.
In order to encourage spiritual
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growth, in order to encourage
more faith. If we see ourselves
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as not being sinners then we are
opening up the flood gates in
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our doors for fanaticism.
I remember when I was back in
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college, I guess that was a few
years ago and I was witnessing.
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I went door to door. I knocked
on the door. I had my Bible and
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I was reading from scripture
to a young lady at home. And she
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turned to me and she said, You
know what, I haven't sinned in
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20 years. I said, you haven't
sinned in 20 years? How could
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you arrive at that conclusion?
She said, because I have not
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sinned. I said, but the Bible
says we've all sinned and come
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short of God's glory. I said
so you don't know when you've
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sinned. She said, I haven't
sinned. That's opening the door
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for fanaticism. We must
understand that we are sinners
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every day, but we're also saved
by grace. Amen. We're not saved
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because of the name of the local
congregation, we're not saved by
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how many books we read. We're
saved by grace! Let me give you
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another example of grace. As
a minister we drive a lot, we
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drive cars and I drive a car
too Now I remember I was coming
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back from campmeeting. This
was late at night. I was helping
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rearrange some books in the
book store so I left campmeeting
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about 12:30 or 1 o'clock at
night. Racing back to my hotel.
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I was on a two-lane road you
know, dark, no lights. Finally
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it became four lanes. I said,
now I can rev it up because I'm
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tired, I'm getting ready to
fall asleep at the wheel. So I
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start to crank it up and I sure
did. I was speeding. Well did
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you know when I realized when I
was speeding? A light behind me.
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It was blinking, it was big, it
was blue, it was white. I said
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Oops. Yes it was the state
police. Pulled me over and he
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said may I see your driver's
license and may I see your
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registration. Well I'd rented
a car so I gave him the driver's
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license and the registration.
He went to his car. He came back
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a little later. He said,
You know what Mr. McCracken, you
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were speeding, you were
in excess of the speed limit.
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I said, how much. He said,
at least by 15 miles an hour.
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I said, Oh I'm so sorry. Now
he whipped out this book. He was
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getting ready to write up a
speeding ticket and then he said
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he flipped it closed and said
you need to tell me something
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right now so I won't have to
give you a ticket. I said, Sir,
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Sir, I promise, I promise I will
go back to my hotel as slow as
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possible. I will do the speed
limit. He did not give me a
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ticket. That's grace. I
broke the law, but that's grace.
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I deserved the ticket. I
deserved the ticket, but he gave
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me grace. Jesus
Christ gave everyone grace.
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He forgave you
too. He forgave me.
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I should have had that $150...
I don't know how much the ticket
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cost, but I should have had that
ticket. But he didn't give me
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that ticket.
Jesus Christ gives us
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grace, and in the local
congregation we must understand
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that we are both sinners
and we're forgiven saints.
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That's everybody. That
encourages spiritual growth
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in a congregation. I don't care
how old we are, how young we are
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how little we are, it
must permeate within that local
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church. They must know
that they're sinners and they're
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saved by grace by Jesus Christ
who has shed blood on the cross
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of Calvary. Amen.
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Let's go to number 3...
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One thing I appreciate is
when we go to prayer meeting on
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Wednesday night and somebody
will stand up and give a
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testimony that you will never
hear in church that weekend.
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And that testimony is going to
keep me growing. It's going to
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keep me focused. That's my
growing confidence because if
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God can help that young lady,
God can help me too. And so when
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people are hearing this that
sustains them as good members of
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the church.
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You know one of my favorite
books in the Bible on this topic
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is Philippians. Every single
chapter is all about God working
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within you and he can do great
things in your life that you're
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not capable of doing
yourself by yourself.
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I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me.
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And see when we have members who
have a growing confidence that
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God is at work in their lives,
oh that church is going to be
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buzzing. They can't just sit
there every week and just say
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our church is boring, our church
is boring. You hear a lot of
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young people talk like that. Oh
church is boring, it's boring.
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But when God is at work in their
lives individually church is not
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boring. It's too exciting. You
have to stop the worship service
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so people can go home. If
not they'll stay until midnight.
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When God is working in the local
congregation they will look at
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every experience and say
you know he is really at work.
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He is really at work. Let me
give you an experience. Now I
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hope this doesn't take too long
but I have to cut it real short.
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No go ahead, we've got time.
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OK. I was called early in
the morning because one of my
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elder's son was in the hospital.
He had to have an aneurysm
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removed from his brain. He had
a certain type of illness during
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his childhood and so the doctors
said if they tried to remove
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this aneurysm he's going to
die. But they're going to do it
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anyway because he was already
in a coma. He went to operation.
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When I arrived at the operating
room he was already in there.
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We waited just about all day.
When they came back the doctor
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said, Pastor, you need to
prepare for a funeral or a
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miracle. One of my members
jumped up and said, I'll take
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the miracle. And so what
happened, we prayed. We got on
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our knees, we called churches
all over. We said, please pray,
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please pray that he will live,
that he will survive. He was on
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every tube and every type of
sophisticated instrument in that
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hospital. And so the next day
I went to the hospital. We were
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having a little prayer meeting
there in the waiting room, we
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were having a prayer meeting.
He was in intensive care. Nurses
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and doctors were tending to his
care and so the Lord said go in
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there, put your hands on him and
pray for him. And I walked in
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there and I said, Nurse, I'm
sorry, but I need you to leave.
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The nurse left. I placed me
hand on him. He couldn't see, he
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couldn't hear me and I prayed
a prayer of healing and I said
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Lord. I can't tell you exactly
everything in the prayer but in
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essence I said, Lord, this man
is really dead, but you are in
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heaven and I'm on earth. Send
your power through me, use me
00:14:49.83\00:14:55.29
as a vessel, as an electrical
wire so that when I touch him
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your healing grace will
touch this young man. I prayed a
00:15:00.93\00:15:07.45
prayer like that. The doctor
came in later on that afternoon
00:15:07.48\00:15:10.15
and said now I need to run
a test to see if his brain has
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activity. So he took a pen
out of his pocket. He said, I'm
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going to start with the foot.
I'm going to brush the pen right
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up his foot. If he moves, if the
feet or the toes move that means
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he has brain activity. So I said
wait, doctor, wait. I ran in
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the room and said pray, pray,
pray, pray, pray. Here's God's
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test, here it is. Pray,
have faith. And the doctor went
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whoop and he moved his toes like
this here. Then he went to his
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hands. He did the same thing,
he moved his hand. Within 24
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hours. Amen! then he opened
up his eyes and his eyes were
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moving left to right. He
said the man is alive, this is a
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miracle! He lives today to tell
that testimony. This encourages
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strengthens, it gives
confidence to God's work in that
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congregation and in their
lives. Isn't that beautiful?
00:16:03.59\00:16:06.08
You know I have seen... I know
what you're saying. People are
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healed in church. Oh yes! I have
seen people come sick to church
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on a Sabbath morning. They would
call me up and say you know I
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don't know that I can come today
I'm not feeling well. Now I
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mean the flu. I mean serious
illness and they come and God
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does things. There are things
that happen when you go to
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church. Oh, it
happens. But now let's
00:16:28.16\00:16:31.22
encourage by fostering regular
devotions and personal prayer
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by members. Every church needs
to have the ABCs of prayer.
00:16:36.20\00:16:42.68
You have the entire congregation
praying for one person, so when
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every member has a family member
and they're constantly praying
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for that person, but they
have to have good devotions.
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They need a Bible, they need
good books, they need magazines
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In fact our magazine features
great devotionals. Also we have
00:17:01.98\00:17:08.90
books that will encourage them
for Bible study. And we also
00:17:08.93\00:17:13.93
have books that help them
with health. You need to have a
00:17:13.96\00:17:18.46
healthy life in order to have a
good spiritual life. They tie in
00:17:18.49\00:17:23.24
together, they word together
consistently. So in order to
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read the Bible, study other
books, pray. The Bible says pray
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without ceasing. That encourages
that growth. It feels that
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people now know that God is
working through prayer. That's
00:17:39.02\00:17:44.27
important. So as we go to
the next one and this is what I
00:17:44.30\00:17:46.28
like. Oh I love this one.
This is one of my favorites...
00:17:46.31\00:17:54.57
When I speak about scripture
the first thing I do is I look
00:17:54.60\00:17:58.37
at the Bible story. Take the
essence of the story and put it
00:17:58.40\00:18:03.41
in a contemporary fashion. Make
it contemporary, like something
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can happen like down the street
or across on the other side of
00:18:08.01\00:18:11.85
the country. And so I'm telling
this story about somebody, a
00:18:11.88\00:18:16.53
Biblical personality and the
congregation doesn't even know
00:18:16.56\00:18:21.13
what I'm talking about until
I reveal the person's name.
00:18:21.16\00:18:24.07
An example: OK. A filthy
rich man, he had over a billion
00:18:24.10\00:18:31.02
dollars, clothes imported world
wide. He had a mansion. He had
00:18:31.05\00:18:36.41
at least 196 acres of land. He
had many houses, many servants,
00:18:36.44\00:18:43.17
swimming pools, cars,
fine clothes. He was a Th.D. in
00:18:43.20\00:18:50.24
in theology, a doctor of
ministry, a Ph.D. in psychology.
00:18:50.27\00:18:55.46
He was a person who also was a
member of a large council in the
00:18:55.49\00:19:01.94
city. They called him Dr.
Nick. He heard about this young
00:19:01.97\00:19:07.48
evangelist preaching. He heard
of that evangelist and then he
00:19:07.51\00:19:11.72
said, I don't want to be caught
with the evangelist but I want
00:19:11.75\00:19:14.13
to meet with him at night.
He met with that evangelist at
00:19:14.16\00:19:18.16
night and the evangelist turned
to him and said You must be born
00:19:18.19\00:19:23.08
again. John chapter 3. And
so the Bible must come alive.
00:19:23.11\00:19:32.02
people must understand that
things happen like this every
00:19:32.05\00:19:36.17
day. The Bible is our example.
It focuses on the lives of these
00:19:36.20\00:19:41.89
Bible personalities and also our
lives, so it must come alive.
00:19:41.92\00:19:45.29
Now for children who are
coming to know the Lord and for
00:19:45.32\00:19:49.03
children in our home, I like the
Bible videos that actually have
00:19:49.06\00:19:53.32
the scripture word for word
and they can actually see the
00:19:53.35\00:19:58.24
settings and the times.
It makes it very interesting.
00:19:58.27\00:20:02.24
It makes the
scriptures come alive.
00:20:02.27\00:20:03.71
It's important that children,
since we're on this little topic
00:20:03.74\00:20:08.21
here, there are devotional
Bibles for children. There are
00:20:08.24\00:20:13.57
devotional Bibles for juniors,
there are devotional Bibles
00:20:13.60\00:20:17.11
for young adults. There are
devotional Bibles for adults.
00:20:17.14\00:20:22.30
There are devotional Bibles
even for seniors. There are
00:20:22.33\00:20:24.81
devotional Bibles for women
and for men. So whatever age
00:20:24.84\00:20:28.89
category you fit into, that's
where you need to run to get
00:20:28.92\00:20:33.89
this type of material to help
you grow spiritually within the
00:20:33.92\00:20:37.98
congregation. It's very
important that we do this.
00:20:38.01\00:20:39.82
Because when children are
growing up faith is increased
00:20:39.85\00:20:44.51
by the knowledge that they gain
every year. You can tell them
00:20:44.54\00:20:51.00
the Bible story of Noah and
the ark when they're babies, but
00:20:51.03\00:20:54.59
they still need to hear that
when they're 20. They still need
00:20:54.62\00:20:59.02
to hear about Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden when they
00:20:59.05\00:21:02.50
were six, but they still need to
hear that when they're sixteen.
00:21:02.53\00:21:06.64
Because it reinforces the Bible.
It reinforces now how God has
00:21:06.67\00:21:15.41
dealt with men and women in sin.
They need to understand that
00:21:15.44\00:21:22.96
because that helps them
when they are in a dilemma, a
00:21:22.99\00:21:27.44
personal problem. God is there
to help them. He's our present
00:21:27.47\00:21:33.75
help in the time of need. That's
what the Bible says. So that's
00:21:33.78\00:21:38.02
important, prayer by numbers;
have a prayer chain, have a
00:21:38.05\00:21:42.06
prayer partner so we can pray
together, on the telephone, via
00:21:42.09\00:21:47.07
the internet if you want to
use that, or in church. My aunt
00:21:47.10\00:21:53.88
passed away but she had
something that she did every
00:21:53.91\00:22:00.71
week. At 5 a.m. in the morning
she had a prayer session with
00:22:00.74\00:22:06.34
members of her church in
her home, 5 a.m. in the morning.
00:22:06.37\00:22:11.43
She did this for many years. It
strengthened the congregation.
00:22:11.46\00:22:16.15
It helped them because when
people needed help they didn't
00:22:16.18\00:22:19.52
mind getting out of their bed
and going to have prayer time.
00:22:19.87\00:22:23.91
So it's important to pray. Make
scriptures come alive. We've
00:22:23.94\00:22:27.72
done that and changed lives...
00:22:27.75\00:22:33.26
There are four T's: Number one,
time; two, talent; number three
00:22:33.29\00:22:40.05
treasure, which is your money.
Number four temple which is
00:22:40.08\00:22:44.01
your body. All four constitute
stewardship. The managing of our
00:22:44.04\00:22:50.83
time, the managing of our
talents, the managing of our
00:22:50.86\00:22:54.08
treasures and the managing of
our bodies. That's stewardship.
00:22:54.11\00:22:57.70
Many people think that
stewardship is based on money.
00:22:57.73\00:23:00.39
No, no, no, no. It's based
on all four balanced. That's the
00:23:00.42\00:23:05.81
stewardship, a steward over all
four. A manager, put it that way
00:23:05.84\00:23:11.51
a manager of time, a manager of
talent, a manager of treasures
00:23:11.54\00:23:15.22
and a manager of your own life.
That's what we call stewardship.
00:23:15.25\00:23:20.28
That was a quick
Bible study. Let's go to...
00:23:20.31\00:23:35.58
We as the body of Christ must
teach members to view systematic
00:23:35.61\00:23:46.07
giving of personal income as
central to Christian lifestyle.
00:23:46.10\00:23:52.94
Not as a part of, but
centralizing it as your
00:23:52.97\00:24:03.20
lifestyle. I will give because
it's a part of me. It's not
00:24:03.23\00:24:08.84
something that somebody's
begging for. It's because I as
00:24:08.87\00:24:13.12
an individual, as Christian,
must make sure that my Christian
00:24:13.15\00:24:18.57
lifestyle has a center of
systematic giving. Now let me
00:24:18.60\00:24:23.60
break it down. Systematic giving
of my time, systematic giving of
00:24:23.63\00:24:29.73
my talents, systematic giving of
my treasure, systematic giving
00:24:29.76\00:24:35.43
of my body. See the Bible
talks about the body as the
00:24:35.46\00:24:41.94
temple of God, but it also talks
about a spiritual sacrifice,
00:24:41.97\00:24:47.04
holy and acceptable unto God
which is our reasonable service,
00:24:47.07\00:24:51.27
as it says, but it's reasonable
worship. Reasonable service is
00:24:51.30\00:24:55.90
actually reasonable worship.
And so we have to teach members
00:24:55.93\00:25:00.53
through seminars, classes,
through studies, that giving our
00:25:00.56\00:25:05.80
income is very much a part of
our Christian lifestyle. Isn't
00:25:05.83\00:25:10.19
that cool? Yes. So money is
not an issue, it's not an issue.
00:25:10.22\00:25:13.70
The last one is very interesting
This maybe will take one minute.
00:25:13.73\00:25:24.41
We as a church have a strong
heritage more than 150 years of
00:25:24.44\00:25:30.77
preaching the gospel worldwide.
And so we must teach history to
00:25:30.80\00:25:34.30
our young people, teach history
to our members that this is
00:25:34.33\00:25:38.15
whence we have come. We have
a large worldwide network of
00:25:38.18\00:25:44.68
hospitals and clinics and
schools and academies, nursing
00:25:44.71\00:25:49.05
homes and it goes on and on and
on and on. So we must teach that
00:25:49.08\00:25:53.48
heritage. Especially the writing
of E.G. White, a spiritual
00:25:53.51\00:25:58.99
prophet who has written counsel
for church members in the local
00:25:59.02\00:26:03.91
church. Never substituting the
Bible at all, but just writing
00:26:03.94\00:26:08.20
counsel. Just like when I was in
college my mother write me some
00:26:08.23\00:26:11.72
letters about counsel. Now Jason
please watch those young ladies
00:26:11.75\00:26:14.41
that you're dating, counsel.
And so Ellen G. White was a
00:26:14.44\00:26:18.72
counselor and so her writings
are found in many books and
00:26:18.75\00:26:21.88
she's written beautiful scores
of books that give us help and
00:26:21.91\00:26:26.95
inspiration. I think
often when you add the
00:26:26.98\00:26:30.50
heritage with the Bible
foundation that you can see the
00:26:30.53\00:26:33.11
consistency, a pattern,
a building block, and then
00:26:33.14\00:26:36.50
young people. I enjoy Adventist
history and seeing where we've
00:26:37.50\00:26:42.94
come from as you've said and
the pioneers in many different
00:26:42.97\00:26:47.68
areas, those that put
their lives in danger and made
00:26:47.71\00:26:54.25
sacrifices to make opportunities
for people to know the Lord
00:26:54.28\00:26:58.28
Jesus Christ and spread
the gospel around the world.
00:26:58.31\00:27:02.41
Let me give you some
examples of Adventist heritage.
00:27:02.44\00:27:05.19
In Battlecreek, Michigan we have
a cemetery there and a large
00:27:05.22\00:27:11.13
exhibit area for Adventist
heritage. We have a grave site
00:27:11.16\00:27:16.00
with Sojourner Truth and Ellen
G. White. We also have on the
00:27:16.03\00:27:21.02
Seventh-dayadventist.org website
the E.G. White estate. We have
00:27:21.05\00:27:26.46
CD ROMs that we have already
created with Adventist heritage
00:27:26.49\00:27:30.60
and books. So there are a
lot of things we can do to teach
00:27:30.63\00:27:33.51
Adventist heritage. Now
Sojourner Truth was part of
00:27:33.54\00:27:35.57
the underground railroad.
Definitely, definitely.
00:27:35.60\00:27:38.03
And there's a lot of interfacing
between Ellen White and Kellogg
00:27:38.06\00:27:41.79
I mean there's a whole lot
of very interesting history.
00:27:41.82\00:27:43.51
I would encourage you in the
few seconds remaining for this
00:27:43.54\00:27:47.24
program, check out
those web sites. That is
00:27:47.27\00:27:48.86
EGWhiteestate.org or the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:27:48.89\00:27:55.40
God bless you and have a great
day. We'll see you next time.
00:27:55.43\00:27:58.95