Participants: Ruthie Jacobsen (Host), R. Peter Neri
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000397
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00:01 How do you feel about working with people
00:03 that many classify as hopeless, totally hopeless, 00:08 and extremely, it's not easy is it? 00:12 And it requires a certain kind of thinking. 00:15 Our guest today is a pastor from Las Vegas, Nevada, 00:19 which is a city not known for its purity. 00:22 We'll be right back. 00:48 Welcome to Issues & Answers, 00:50 and today we want to focus on thinking about, 00:54 and working for, and maybe 00:56 changing our attitude toward people 00:59 who are classified as extremely difficult. 01:03 But you know, God, loves every child, 01:07 every person born on planet Earth, 01:10 we don't understand it. 01:12 Because we can classify people 01:14 and we think that some people are just out there. 01:18 But listen to what he says, in the second, 01:21 the third Chapter of the book of Psalms. 01:24 "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me," 01:28 anyone can say that, anyone. 01:32 "You, O Lord, are a shield for me," 01:34 because God's word has been given to this planet, 01:38 He loves everyone, and He wants us 01:41 to all to understand it and believe it. 01:44 My glory and the One who lifts up my head, 01:48 if the people that redeemed 01:50 too difficult are just out there 01:54 and were afraid to work with them, God says, 01:56 "I lift up their head, I'm gonna lift them up, 01:59 I'm gonna give them courage and hope. 02:03 I cried to the Lord with my voice, 02:05 and He heard me from His holy hill." 02:09 Let's begin with prayer. 02:12 Father in Heaven, as we come to discuss 02:16 this topic of difficult people and difficult ministry, 02:23 we just thank You that you have 02:24 such a great heart of compassion and love. 02:28 And we ask that You will bless us 02:31 on this program today and every viewer. 02:34 And give us Your thoughts, and Your attitudes, 02:36 we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 02:41 Our special guest today is Pastor Peter Neri. 02:46 Welcome. Hey, thank you, Ruthie. 02:48 Glad you came. I'm glad to be here. 02:50 Peter Neri is pastor of the 02:53 Paradise Seventh-day Adventist church 02:54 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Right. 02:57 First of all, Peter, how in the world 03:01 did you get to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada? 03:04 I was so surprised when you told me 03:07 that you were pastoring. 03:08 Because the last I heard, 03:10 you had been a call for an administrative post. 03:14 In Indiana. In Indiana. 03:16 And well, you were there as director of the ministers. 03:21 But then you had been called by another conference 03:24 I believed to be a president. 03:26 And so, I was surprised 03:27 when I heard from you, and you said, 03:30 "I'm pastor of the Paradise Church in Las Vegas, Nevada." 03:34 What happened? 03:36 Well, I'll tell you, it's an amazing story. 03:40 In fact, when Jenny and I 03:42 got to thinking about Las Vegas, Nevada, 03:45 we thought our friends will think that 03:47 we must have lost our minds. 03:50 But it was a total surprise, I was sitting on an airplane 03:56 and I was praying, which I always do 03:59 when I get on an airplane, and it was on that airplane 04:01 that the Lord spoke to my mind. 04:04 During that prayer indicating that the Paradise Church 04:09 in Las Vegas, Nevada which I honestly knew 04:13 very little about, it was where I could do 04:18 a very special ministry that I've always had a heart to do, 04:22 but I've never had the opportunity 04:24 in all the other locations that I've been in the past. 04:27 Wow, I really believe that the Lord does 04:31 prepare us for the place that He wants us to be. 04:35 In Isaiah 45:2 and 3, it says, 04:38 I will go, this is the voice of the Lord, 04:41 "I will go before you, and prepare the way, 04:44 and break down gates of brass and crash through iron bars." 04:49 And that's really what you're having to do in Las Vegas. 04:53 Yeah, it really is. 04:54 How long have you been there now? 04:55 Well, it was August, so we're talking now almost one year. 05:00 August of last year we went there. 05:04 And you have seen people lives change. 05:06 Oh, yeah. I got a beautiful church, 05:09 it's real easy, because I have 05:11 such a beautiful church full of on fire 05:15 Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 05:17 I was there and they are beautiful people. 05:19 Yeah, we had a good time, that was really a neat time. 05:22 And of course, I have to just say this really quick, 05:26 a lot of them are there because of 3ABN 05:30 which we down link there in the city. 05:33 That's great. Yeah. 05:34 That's great. So. 05:37 So, but, God has given you a special heart 05:41 for working with people who, 05:44 many would classify as too far gone. 05:49 Yeah, it really has. And I was thinking about that, 05:56 I believe the roots of that, 05:58 Ruthie, comes from the book "Desire of Ages." 06:03 I've read that a number of times. 06:07 In fact, everywhere I've always been, 06:08 I've encouraged my church members to read it, 06:11 I figure if, if I can say this, 06:14 if there is one thing that the Adventist church 06:18 with the beautiful message that we have in mission 06:21 is we need that love and compassion of Jesus. 06:25 And nothing in my mind conveys 06:27 it so gorgeously as the book, "Desire of Ages." 06:31 And don't you believe that 06:33 any denomination could say that. 06:35 I think every church needs 06:38 the love and compassion of Jesus. 06:40 Yes, that is absolutely correct. 06:42 That's the bottom-line. 06:43 In that book exposes Christ true character of love, 06:50 and compassion, and patience, and longsuffering. 06:54 So, but you're right, that goes for all churches. 06:57 And it makes you love Jesus. Yeah, oh, it does. 07:00 And it makes you love the people that He loves. 07:06 So, but, what are you doing in Las Vegas in terms of, 07:11 of reaching these difficult people, Peter? 07:13 I know that on Wednesdays you fast. Yes. 07:17 And you go to a place where you can overlook 07:23 the entire city of Las Vegas, and you just plead 07:26 with the Lord for the people of that city 07:29 who are gone, they are just-- 07:34 and their consciences are seared, aren't they? 07:37 Yeah, they really are, it's amazing how the depth 07:40 to which their consciences are, at least asleep. 07:47 And we're there to awaken it, but you know, 07:50 there is a mountain there on the south side of Las Vegas, 07:55 actually Henderson is on the south side of Las Vegas, 07:58 and behind that is a mount called 08:00 Black Mountain, interesting name. 08:03 And the 3ABN tower is on Black Mountain. 08:08 And so my tech person took me 08:11 up to the mountain when I first got there. 08:15 We walked it because 08:16 we wanted to exercise, it was quite a climb. 08:19 And when we got to the tower area, 08:21 we looked over our facility there. 08:25 And I turned around and looked, 08:27 and here's the entire valley 08:29 spread out, just like a postcard. 08:34 And I suddenly realized this is my prayer spot. 08:39 And so now, every Wednesday it's a Paradise church, 08:47 day of fasting and prayer. 08:49 And we have three specific prayer times during the day, 08:52 but in the morning after the first prayer session 08:55 I go up on that mountain 08:57 and I pray over the entire city, it's incredible. 09:01 In fact, doing that I want to tell our listeners, 09:05 and doing that I have a deeper burden now for the city. 09:11 That's just what I was gonna say, Peter. 09:13 I really believe that because you have been faithful, 09:16 and the Lord himself leads you up there, and says, 09:19 "Open your eyes, Peter, I want you to see this, 09:22 this is my heart, I really care about 09:24 those people that are lost in this city." 09:27 And as a result of your faithfulness 09:31 to do what He has asked you to do, 09:33 He is giving you His heart. Yes. 09:36 His love for people that are extremely difficult to reach. 09:43 And I wondered some are scratching 09:44 their heads thinking, well, that sounds really neat, 09:47 but I wonder if that's really true. 09:49 How can I emphasize to you that this really happened? 09:55 On that mountain I no have a greater burden 09:57 that I did before for Las Vegas, 10:00 and some doors are beginning to open. 10:02 Tell us. Well, let me tell you, 10:04 I stand in the mountain and first 10:06 I would sit on the rock and I would pray. 10:09 Just a minute, what time is your first prayer service at? 10:12 Six O'clock in the morning. 10:13 Six O'clock. We go from six to seven. 10:15 Six to seven, and so people 10:16 can come by on their way to work. 10:18 On their way to work, before work, 10:20 they meet at the church and we pray. 10:21 How many people do you have there 10:23 for your six o'clock meeting? 10:24 Six O'clock and our 5:30 is the two biggest times, 10:29 because we also do it at noon. 10:31 But we have anywhere from 10 to 15 10:34 people that come at both those times. 10:36 Okay, so you meet at six o'clock in the morning. 10:38 At noon, and at 5:30 in the evening. 10:40 And 5:30 in the evening, and then that goes 10:43 for an hour till 6:30, then we start prayer meeting at 6:45. 10:48 And by the time you get there for prayer meeting. 10:50 I'm tired. You're tired, 10:52 and you haven't eaten anything all day, 10:54 but there is a spiritual energy. 10:56 Oh, there is, those prayer times, 10:59 Ruthie, are so beautiful. 11:01 You can't understand what I'm saying 11:03 until you experience it yourself. 11:06 And I encourage my church in some, 11:08 they're starting to be more less reluctant and calm, 11:11 because they are sitting, wondering. 11:13 I don't want to pray in front of anybody 11:16 and I'd be embraced what if I don't say 11:18 the right thing and it's so early in the morning. 11:21 And, but slowly but surely more are coming 11:25 and more that comes the greater the prayer is, 11:28 and people are really being blessed 11:30 and prayers are being answered. 11:31 And the people who are coming are receiving a huge blessing. 11:36 Oh, yes, they are. 11:37 And they can share that with other people. 11:40 That's beautiful, so the last thing 11:42 in the evening is your prayer meeting. 11:44 Yeah, then we have prayer meeting. 11:46 And prayer meeting is when you're suppose to pray because 11:48 it's called prayer meeting but we study, 11:51 because an hour before that we do the praying, so. 11:55 And like I said, more, more people 11:57 are coming, it's exciting. 11:58 There must be a lot of rejoicing, 12:00 because you've been praying, 12:02 you've been in the Lord's presence, 12:03 you've been upon the mountain, 12:05 and things have been happening all day. 12:08 When you fast and pray, 12:10 the Lord, meets you, when you give Him time. 12:13 It's like, it's like maybe 12:16 this isn't a good example maybe it is, 12:18 but, you know, if you have an apple, 12:22 you can easily count the seeds in an apple. 12:26 Okay, that's true. 12:27 But you could never count 12:28 the apples in a seed, isn't that right? 12:33 That's true, that's right. 12:35 And so, when the Lord, when you give God time, 12:39 and you say, Lord, come and meet with us 12:42 and just let this explode, have your own way, 12:45 do whatever you want to do through us 12:48 and in this city, He does, He's faithful. 12:51 Yeah, He is. And you know, 12:53 there is another evolution going on. 12:57 You know, again to encourage our listeners, 13:01 when we started this even I didn't know exactly 13:04 what to do for sure, but I did know this. 13:07 In Nevada, and as particularly in Las Vegas, 13:14 the economy has really hit hard, 13:16 probably if not the worse, 13:18 one of the hardest hit places in North America. 13:22 And we've had church members who have lost their jobs, 13:25 and so one of the focuses we started with is to pray 13:30 for our brothers and sisters who were struggling 13:34 with making ends meet, the fear of losing houses, 13:38 feed the kids, what are we're gonna do, 13:41 where are we gonna go. 13:42 And so, we started and as we continued to pray, 13:47 our focus not only left that, but our focus began to shift 13:52 and we began to pray for people who were interests, 13:56 as well as the potential interests that we know 14:00 God know put us in Las Vegas for. 14:03 And so, you know, it's just because we did. 14:07 People who are interested or should be interested. 14:10 Or should be interested. In Him. 14:11 In Him, so it's evolved. That's great. 14:15 And the people who you were praying for 14:18 are now praying for other people. 14:19 And they're now praying for other people 14:21 and it's amazing to hear each person 14:23 praying for somebody or something 14:25 and actually pleading with God in their behalf. 14:29 Peter, I wanted to ask you, how do you think 14:34 or why do you think God laid this burden on your heart 14:38 other than reading Desire of Ages. 14:41 A lot of us read Desire of Ages, 14:43 but you have been given a special heart 14:47 of compassion for people who, 14:51 most people would say, are totally hopeless. 14:55 And afraid to work with, they don't want to be tended 14:59 by that kind of environment really. 15:02 And a lot of people don't even 15:04 like to drive down the strip in Las Vegas. 15:09 My wife for example. Yeah, because. 15:11 She said, "we're not gonna look at those pictures, 15:13 I'm not taking my boys there." 15:15 I mean, it's terrible, it's so visual 15:18 and so obvious, blatant. 15:21 The enemy is obviously trying to destroy people 15:26 with pornography that is so obvious, 15:31 and every kind of crime and vice, 15:34 and temptation that he can put out there before people. 15:41 So, but God has given you a heart. 15:43 He's given me a heart. 15:44 To care for people that a lot of people would shun, 15:48 they'd say, oh, you know, 15:49 it's easier to work with somebody that I can trust. 15:53 Because these people are so, 15:56 so used to living a life of deception. 15:59 When you're doing something, 16:01 living a lifestyle of impurity you deceived 16:05 in other things too to cover up. 16:08 And so these are not people you can trust. 16:11 No, you know, I want to start an answer to your questions, 16:16 a question with relating to you and experience 16:20 that I had with my own self when I came into contact 16:26 with that beautiful verse in Psalms, 16:28 "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?" 16:31 You see, I, because of my parents 16:35 I was raised in a very nice home. 16:39 I worked in a clothing store so I know how to dress, 16:44 I went to college and I got a degree, 16:47 but what no one knew was I may have looked good 16:50 on the inside but my outside but my inside was horrible. 16:56 And when the realization came to me that 16:58 God was actually speaking to me personally, 17:03 that even though if you knew me prior to my conversation, 17:06 you'd have thought I was a pretty neat person. 17:09 I knew the truth I wasn't, and God cared about me. 17:15 And I think that's where it started that text, 17:17 "What is man that thou even bother with him?" 17:22 Why are you even spending time much less dying for him? 17:25 So I think it started there. 17:28 And, you know, Peter, when we realize 17:31 how much we have been forgiven 17:34 and the Lord is so willing and able to forgive us, 17:39 and to pardon us, and to take our sins 17:41 as far as the East is from the West, 17:43 and doesn't remember them anymore. 17:45 And then he says, now forgive like that. 17:48 Yeah. Forgive. 17:50 And that is not easy, it's a process, 17:53 and it's a continual turning to him 17:56 for the strength and guidance to do that. 17:58 Right, and I think also from the beautiful numerous tapes 18:06 that we have from various speakers in our church, 18:09 I was convicted early upon my conversion. 18:12 Remember I came into this church 18:14 at 26 years of age, I had formulated 18:17 a lot of opinions and lived a lot of life to that point 18:21 and I learned about a daily devotional life. 18:28 If anything has helped me in the daily devotional life 18:33 is to remind me of my daily need of Jesus. 18:36 So that that desire to reach out 18:38 and help somebody else stays constant, 18:42 or actually it doesn't stay constant, 18:45 it grows but it's there because I don't let it die, 18:50 because I have to spend my time with the Lord. 18:53 Don't you believe, Peter, that when we are 18:56 in His presence in the morning, He change us. 19:01 You're not the same person 19:02 when you leave your prayer closet 19:04 as you were when you walked in. 19:07 That's an amazing thing, but that's true. 19:10 It is true, and as Ellen White says, 19:12 "Mind comes into contact with infinity." 19:15 My mind comes into connection 19:18 with divinity and infinity, it's just amazing. 19:25 And that's the only hope I have by the way, 19:28 that's the only reason I'm a minister too, 19:30 because as long as I do that I can be a minister, so. 19:34 So you love these people of Las Vegas, 19:38 what kind of experiences have you had 19:40 that have encouraged you that the Lord 19:42 put you there and that you're on the right track? 19:45 I'll tell you, first of all, in our church we have 19:51 a number of converts again 19:55 from my recollection most of them watching 3ABN. 19:59 Who were ex-druggies, who were prostitutes, 20:07 horrible alcoholics, who are now 20:10 deacons, deaconesses? 20:14 Probably have a lot of gamblers. 20:16 Oh, yeah, definitely, a lot of gamblers 20:18 and you know, it's funny, I don't identify with that. 20:22 Here I am in Las Vegas, 20:24 but since I never really gambled even though 20:26 I had my other vices prior to conversion. 20:30 I have a hard time connecting with that. 20:33 But I've got people in my church 20:35 that God had reached 20:37 that I thought should have been dead, 20:40 it's a miracle they're alive. 20:42 Explain. Okay. 20:44 They had gone so far in their experience 20:47 that the fact that they were able to 20:49 disentangle from the, from the huge amount 20:52 of baggage that they had encumbered themselves 20:55 with through their addictions, 20:57 and behaviors, and habits. 21:00 That they found like 3ABN on TV. 21:04 And slowly but surely they found 21:07 the power to extract themselves, 21:09 they limped or even crawled to the church. 21:13 They found friendship there from other people. 21:16 Who understood their polite and were loved 21:19 and nurtured instead of judged 21:22 and you know, look down upon. 21:25 Isn't that good? Oh, yeah, it's wonderful. 21:27 And this is what we have to have. 21:29 We have to have that and that only comes 21:32 from a real personal relationship 21:35 with Jesus Christ. That's right. 21:37 Because people who are living a lifestyle of hopelessness 21:44 have to have the genuine thing, 21:46 because they're not gonna be helped by a phony. 21:49 No, they're not. 21:51 And so these people now I hooked them up, 21:54 we find somebody who's had a similar experience. 21:57 And I go with them, and I sit there 21:59 and marvel at what they say. 22:02 Wow, because they know. 22:03 Because they know, and I'm, each time I do that I learn. 22:08 Sure. I learn more and more. 22:10 And then, Ruthie, again my heart just 22:13 ache for them more and more, 22:15 and I want to get involve more and more. 22:18 And so it's slowly evolving in this direction to where 22:22 we're now trying to actually develop a street ministry. 22:28 As you describe that Peter, 22:30 I somehow could picture in my mind 22:33 how you're in this room with these people 22:37 with one person disciplining another 22:39 and you're disciplining them both, 22:42 and you're praying for them. 22:43 And the room is full of angels. 22:46 Full of angels. Don't you believe that? 22:48 I believe that, and by the way, Ruthie, 22:50 sometimes I think they're actually mentoring me 22:53 as I listen to them minister. 22:56 You know, I'm just, it amazes me, 22:59 because their sincerity, 23:00 their commitment, their earnestness. 23:02 God really did this for me, He can do it for you. 23:06 You can be free but you gotta turn to Jesus. 23:09 And that's exactly what they need to hear. 23:13 And when somebody says, I was where you are, 23:17 I was once where you are today, 23:19 but because of the grace of God, I'm now standing. 23:23 Yes, and they say it, and tears come to their eyes, 23:27 tears come to my eyes, it's just amazing. 23:31 I want to share something with you 23:33 that I think it's just so powerful. 23:35 It's a song written by Rodney Griffin 23:39 and it just says what we've been talking about. 23:41 "Since the day that I surrendered 23:44 Many years have come and gone 23:46 Joy and sadness I remember 23:49 Lord, You were faithful all along. 23:52 You brought me through my lowest valley 23:56 You brought me cross the desert dry 23:59 You were my friend when I was lonely 24:02 You whispered peace and made me smile 24:06 As I survey the joy and sorrow 24:09 I find your love remains the same. 24:13 So, I will trust you for tomorrow 24:16 For You were faithful yesterday 24:20 By Your power I'm still standing 24:24 By Your grace I have been saved 24:28 By Your mercy I'm still trusting 24:31 That you will take me all the way 24:35 And then it goes back. 24:37 You brought me through my lowest valley 24:40 You brought me across the desert dry 24:42 You were my friend when I was lonely 24:45 You whispered peace and made me smile 24:48 As I survey the joy and sorrow 24:51 I find your love remains the same 24:55 So I will trust you for tomorrow 24:57 For You were faithful yesterday. 24:59 And, Peter, that's exactly 25:01 what these people need to hear. 25:02 Yeah, they do. 25:03 They need to hear somebody authentic say, 25:08 "He's faithful, and I've tested it." 25:11 And all through scripture God says, "Test Me." 25:14 Yeah, He does. 25:15 In fact, Ruthie, I just remembered 25:19 in Isaiah 50 verse 4, you know, we talked about 25:23 this text so much and this is so real 25:30 and so needed in all our lives, 25:33 and you know that one. 25:34 The Lord God has given me the tongue, 25:38 my Bible says of a disciple or in King James 25:41 the tongue of the learned, that 25:43 I may know how to sustain a weary one with a word. 25:48 He awaken me, morning by morning 25:51 He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. 25:55 Isn't that good? Yes. 25:56 And we forget that these people who are lost, 26:00 and who are out there, and in these 26:02 horrible lifestyles of darkness are weary, 26:07 they are not happy, 26:09 they are not receiving the hope, 26:11 and the happiness, and the joy, 26:13 and the fulfillment that they thought they'd find there. 26:16 They are there because the girls, 26:19 the young girls as you were telling me, are prostitutes, 26:22 many of them because of a drug habit. 26:26 And then the men, who are overseeing 26:30 and taking part of this money 26:33 are just further enslaving them. 26:36 Yeah. What a horrible life. 26:39 It is, and imagine that God has gifted us 26:42 with the message and the method to reach them, 26:46 and we're afraid or timid, 26:48 and that's where we're building to get to. 26:50 In fact, Ruthie, let me tell you something, 26:52 I want to share this with our listeners 26:56 and I want to say it just right. 26:58 Because I don't want to sound critical, 26:59 but I was on the strip the other day, 27:02 and I noticed the sign for held up 27:05 by a Christian group that says, "Repent or go to Hell." 27:11 And it really hurt me in my heart 27:15 because that's not the character of God. 27:18 And there was no one there to help them 27:20 to show them how they already feel guilty. 27:24 Well, right that you know, 27:26 when we look at Ministry of Healing 143, 27:31 Christ method alone 27:32 will reach the people, He mingled with them. 27:35 That's right. Ellen White says, 27:37 "We must give them words of encouragement." 27:40 That's right, that's right. 27:42 Well, our time is about gone, but, Peter, 27:45 you have really I hope stirred up our minds 27:49 and given us something to think about. 27:51 I hope that you and I, and all of us 27:54 will really pray for these people. 27:57 And pray that God will open doors of ministry 28:00 so that more and more can find true salvation. 28:03 Thank you for joining us, we just hope 28:06 that your life will be more and more blessed. 28:08 We'll see you next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17