Participants: Ruthie Jacobsen (Host), R. Peter Neri
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000398
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00:01 There are many people today
00:03 who are following an aberrant, 00:05 unhappy lifestyle, looking for happiness 00:09 in all the wrong places. 00:11 But God wants them to hear His voice, 00:14 He has a better plan for them. 00:17 We have someone here with us today 00:19 from Las Vegas, Nevada, 00:21 I know that you're gonna be blessed 00:22 and you want to hear him, we'll be right back. 00:49 Welcome to Issues & Answers. 00:52 Today, we'd like to focus on what we do, 00:55 how we think, how we feel 00:58 about reaching out to people around us, 01:00 who have different lifestyle choices than ours. 01:03 When you think of people who are openly following 01:07 a gay lifestyle, or lesbian, or prostitution, 01:12 or alcohol, gambling, drugs, 01:17 these are things that you want to deny. 01:20 You want to say, that doesn't happen in our family, 01:23 that doesn't happen in our city, in our church. 01:27 We don't know if anybody who is living like that. 01:30 Oh, yes, we do. 01:32 This probably touches every family in someway. 01:36 Every family had someone that fits that category, 01:40 that that qualification or some close friend. 01:45 There are people all around us 01:48 who are struggling with these habits and lifestyles. 01:52 And it really is important to us as Christians 01:57 to look within and decide how do I feel 02:01 about working with people like this, 02:03 can I welcome them into my heart, 02:05 into my home, into my church, 02:08 how can I be of help in their life? 02:11 In Psalm 26, it says, 02:13 "Redeem me and be merciful to me. 02:16 My foot stands in an even place, 02:18 in the congregations I will bless the Lord." 02:21 I believe God is saying, 02:23 I want all of the people created in my image 02:27 to hear my voice, I want everyone 02:29 to have an opportunity for salvation. 02:32 Our guest today is a dear friend, 02:36 Pastor Peter Neri, thank you for being here 02:39 and Peter is a pastor of the Paradise 02:43 Seventh-day Adventist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. 02:47 The city that they proudly call 'Sin City.' 02:50 Sin City. That's right, 02:52 that's where we're from, believe it or not. 02:55 Describe the city to us. 02:56 I was appalled, Peter, 02:59 the first time I got off the airport, 03:01 I mean, at the air, got off the plane at the airport. 03:04 The first thing you see, 03:05 you're surrounded by one arm bandits they call them, 03:09 you feel like you're in a casino, gambling everywhere. 03:13 It's pretty prevalent not to mention, 03:16 Ruthie, the billboards everywhere 03:18 and even the neon moving images 03:23 in the baggage claim area showing revealing shots 03:27 of all different kinds. 03:29 Pornography. It's incredible, yes. 03:32 Yes, you can't even get out of the airport 03:35 and it's amazing, because you think, 03:38 well, I'm gonna pick up some groceries, 03:41 you can't go to a grocery store, 03:43 because gambling is there and-- 03:46 The gas stations. Every service station, 03:49 this is a city of gambling. It is, it is. 03:52 And vice of all kinds, sin of all kinds, 03:56 this is why people proudly advertise that as sin city. 04:01 Sin city, yep. And someone was telling us, 04:04 I was talking to Ben, one of the cameramen here 04:07 just before we started this, and he said, 04:11 when he was in Las Vegas recently, 04:14 walking down the street, 04:15 he looked at the faces of people 04:18 and he did not see happiness. 04:21 Maybe some people had lost their lost money 04:25 in gambling or were coming to city for a divorce, 04:30 or you know, all kinds of tragedies 04:34 because of those lifestyles. 04:36 It's a very prevalent thing in Las Vegas, 04:43 and the sadness, and the degradation is very obvious 04:47 and that's why we're there. 04:49 We're there because we need to reach these people 04:52 and we're working on that. 04:54 And you know, Peter, you said that, 04:56 you actually have people walking into your church 04:59 who have said, I have seen the Lord, 05:03 I've seen the gospel on 3ABN, 05:07 and I have found hope. 05:09 And so I want to come and worship with you. 05:11 It's amazing, it happens almost, 05:15 if, every Sabbath. 05:18 Wow. We have somebody come in 05:20 and they had not been there before. 05:23 Have you gone to the Bellagio or the Wynn 05:26 or some of those huge places 05:29 that are multi million dollar structures? 05:34 Just to try to meet people and to share the gospel 05:39 or to pray with people, 05:40 how do you minister in Las Vegas? 05:43 Well, we're, the first thing we're doing is 05:47 we're opening our arms to those who walk in the doors 05:52 We were starting there, that first initial contact 05:56 is absolutely essential that the people know 05:59 they're in a safe place where they're not gonna be judged. 06:03 And yes, I've been down there. 06:07 We go down and we were in the preliminary stages, 06:10 I should say, of checking it out, 06:12 and we've seen what Ben mentioned, 06:15 the unhappiness that's there. 06:17 And we're trying to figure out 06:18 how exactly to get in 06:20 and we're working on that right now 06:22 and that's gonna happen shortly. 06:24 Tell me about, is it a deacon? 06:28 Yes. Tell me about him. 06:29 Okay. One of my deacons is a man 06:35 who used to drive limo. 06:39 And of course, he's had some very famous people 06:42 that he's picked up at the airport 06:43 and he drives from one casino to the other. 06:45 And of course, he goes 06:48 to a further away city called Pahrump, 06:53 about a half hour from Las Vegas, 06:55 where they have those legal houses of prostitution there. 07:00 And all, the whole ball of wax is drugs, alcohol, 07:04 all of that goes together even for the limo drivers. 07:09 And in his absolute lowest point of his life, 07:15 he found 3ABN. 07:17 3ABN on the UHF station in Las Vegas 07:22 that the Paradise Church and some of the other 07:26 Adventist churches there downlink. 07:29 And he found the hope that he needed, 07:34 he found the encouragement that he wanted, 07:38 and he found the power necessary 07:41 to change his life. Amen. 07:43 And now he is one of my most active members. 07:49 In fact, when he's in-charge of the food bank 07:52 that we have, when anytime anybody wants food 07:56 he will drop whatever he's doing, 07:58 he comes to the church, he helps them out, 08:00 why does he do that? 08:02 Because he found the hope and help through Jesus 08:07 and you should hear him talk to those people. 08:10 And he knows what it's like to be on the other side. 08:13 He does, and he wants them to know 08:15 what he now knows, he wants them 08:17 to experience what he experienced. 08:21 You give a lot with food for the homeless don't you? 08:24 Yeah, and also every Sabbath afternoon 08:26 we have a group that goes out, 08:28 one of my other elders heads that up 08:31 who used to be in the board walking 08:34 down in the Atlantic City, is a pretty wild guy. 08:38 Isn't that interesting? 08:39 And he found through 3ABN the Seventh-day Adventist church, 08:43 he had move to Las Vegas. 08:45 Now, he's one of my elders and he's in-charge 08:48 of going out feeding the homeless, 08:50 the group that goes out every single Sabbath 08:52 to feed the homeless on the street. 08:54 And they bring their literature, 08:56 they talk with the people, they pray with the people, 08:59 it is so exciting to see the tears come to their eyes. 09:04 They're looking for hope, Ruthie, 09:06 and just to be present there and to bring 09:10 a kind word to them, it just sort of revives them again. 09:15 We talked to them about well, 09:17 where are you at night now, what's going on, 09:19 we make suggestions on things 09:23 that could maybe help the next step 09:24 you could take to get off the street of necessary. 09:28 It's just not only amazing but to be part of it 09:33 is one of the greatest joys. 09:35 Tell me about this deacon that is going to be, 09:38 it's he on the police staff? 09:40 No, he's not a deacon. Okay. 09:43 I have an officer in the Las Vegas police department, 09:49 whose wife is a member and he's coming to church 09:53 and he's very interested in the church, 09:56 he himself is not a Seventh-day Adventist. 09:59 And he's on the vice squad, 10:02 and his wife tells me the stories of how he feels 10:09 when he makes a bust down in the strip that's, 10:12 that is their job to go down there 10:14 and to make a bust and they get these 10:17 13, 14, 15 year old young girls 10:23 that have been prostituted by running away from home, 10:29 they're contacted by certain individuals 10:33 who then usually get them involved in drugs. 10:37 Methamphetamine. Methamphetamine, 10:39 is the main drug. Yes. Big one. 10:42 Once they're into that they easily transfer them 10:45 into the sex trade and they become slaves. 10:49 And by the way, 10:50 when they share their money with this man, 10:55 the bulk of their money goes to him. 10:57 Sure, yeah. Not to her, and so-- 11:01 In fact, if I'm not wrong, 11:03 she barely has enough for food and clothing. 11:08 But she does, they give her enough 11:10 I think for her methamphetamine 11:12 to keep her going. 11:14 And what a sad life. 11:16 And you know, you see pictures of these girls, 11:19 beautiful, wholesome, healthy. Oh, yes. 11:22 Young girls, and then just a few years later 11:26 they look like they're 50 and 60, 11:28 because meth will do that. 11:30 Changes the color of their hair, 11:31 they lose their teeth, it's just a horrible life. 11:36 And their life is over really as far as emotionally, 11:40 and physically their health is gone. 11:43 It's a very sad choice that they make. 11:47 It really is, it's very sad. 11:49 And of course, we know that Jesus 11:51 is the only answer, the only solution, 11:55 the only power available to them to get them off that. 11:59 And that's why I'm so interested, 12:02 because I'm now in communication 12:04 with the police officer and it looks like 12:08 it's very likely that I will now be part of his group 12:13 as a chaplain so to speak. 12:16 And I can get involved after the bust is over 12:20 and try to help these individuals 12:23 that they arrest to get back on their feet 12:26 and to hear this wonderful message. 12:28 Now, are they arresting the girls 12:30 or they arresting the pimps or both? 12:33 They're actually targeting the girls 12:36 in order to figure out who the pimps are. 12:39 Okay. They want to help the girls. 12:42 Sure. But they want to get the pimps. 12:44 And so that's how they do it. 12:48 And I'll tell you, he, to hear the stories, 12:55 he'll, his wife told me, he calls home 12:59 and the first thing he asks, is where is my daughter? 13:04 How old is their daughter? 13:06 Sixteen. Oh! Honey, 13:09 she's at home, she's at home. 13:12 She knows exactly why he called, 13:14 she knows exactly what he's feeling. 13:16 But he's so torn up. 13:17 He's torn up, he's torn up, and so, 13:19 and by the way that's why 13:21 I would like to get involve with them 13:23 if nothing else to help the officers 13:25 that have to deal with this every single night. 13:29 I can't imagine how they feel dealing with this. 13:32 It's got to be devastating. 13:33 Oh, yeah. 13:35 And also the disappointment he told me, 13:38 when after they make a successful bust 13:41 and they transfer the girl over to a safe place 13:45 to find her back on the street two weeks later. 13:48 Because she didn't know 13:49 what else to do, where else to go. 13:51 And if she doesn't have some help 13:53 to get off the drugs. Right. 13:55 She's going to go back to get money 13:57 for the drug habit. Yeah. 13:59 And that's what we're hoping 14:01 that I can get involved now, 14:03 get some of my church members involved, 14:04 two have already volunteered 14:06 and we're gonna start networking to see 14:08 if we can take the necessary steps to provide 14:11 all the needed things for these girls to get off. 14:14 And you know what, Ruthie, I got to say this, 14:17 it's difficult as it is for me to say this, 14:21 we also have to figure out how to help the pimp. 14:25 I can't imagine that Jesus loves the pimped 14:28 just as much as He loves me but it's true. 14:32 And they deserve to know the hope and help. 14:35 They have gotten into that lifestyle 14:37 because of something in their background. 14:40 Sometimes, they grow up in very dysfunctional home 14:44 and they're treated like they have no worth. 14:47 Someone said that, many of the people 14:50 who are in the penitentiary were told. 14:53 And I think, it's something like 50 or 60% of the people 14:57 who are there were told by their parents 15:00 one or both parents, you are worthless, 15:03 you are trash, you're gonna just end up 15:06 in the penitentiary someday. 15:08 Well, when a child hears that. 15:10 Self fulfilling prophecy. 15:11 That's right, when a child hears that, 15:15 parents get what they expect 15:17 and that kind of thing is so damaging, so destructive. 15:21 I don't know, if you were with us, 15:24 but this was several years ago 15:25 before you went to Las Vegas. 15:29 The National Prayer Committee was in Las Vegas. 15:33 Oh, yes I remember, yes, 15:35 they had one of their meetings there. 15:37 Yes, and we held the meetings 15:41 in one of the large churches in Las Vegas. 15:43 And the pastor was telling us 15:45 that a woman was driving home 15:49 to her apartment one evening, 15:51 and she was a prostitute, 15:54 she had $700 in her purse, 15:58 she was driving home and she saw, 16:00 it may have been a Wednesday night. 16:02 She had to come up this field and pass this large church 16:05 and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. 16:08 The light in the church was on, 16:10 and something just spoke to her heart and said, 16:14 pull in here and see what's going on in this place, 16:17 you need something that you don't have. 16:20 And she walked into the church, 16:22 stayed there for the prayer meeting. 16:25 And went forward at the end and told the pastor, 16:28 I just need to have you pray for me, 16:30 I'm a very unhappy and worthless woman. 16:34 But she said, I have $700 16:36 and I just want to give that here as my offering. 16:40 And they prayed with her, she found the Lord, 16:45 the Lord found her and she now 16:48 is one of the people working in the church. 16:51 They showed a picture of her standing beside people 16:57 when they're baptized. Oh yeah. 17:00 Because she shares her hope, 17:02 and her experience, and tells them, 17:04 this is real, God can do anything. 17:07 And this is really the message 17:08 that people are dying to hear. 17:11 Yeah, it is. And you know I'm sure 17:13 as our listeners are listening to you right now, 17:16 they're saying, well, 17:18 I've never had that experience, 17:19 so I really can't do anything about it. 17:23 But the truth is that if you know Jesus Christ you can. 17:27 That's right. They need a word of encouragement. 17:30 That's right. And God will give you the words to speak, 17:33 we've got to get out there where they're at. 17:37 And not shun them. 17:38 And not shun them, we've got to come into contact 17:40 with-- that's what we're doing. 17:42 The human, that's wonderful. 17:43 The human nature, you know, 17:46 our own human nature says, walk away, 17:52 don't get dirty, those people are trash. 17:56 Really, that's what our fallen nature tells us. 18:01 Don't associate with people 18:03 you will become like them. 18:05 That's not what Christ did. No. 18:07 When Christ was here, 18:08 he went right where they were, 18:11 and that's why the Pharisees called Him a drunkard. 18:17 Because He went to the parties 18:19 and was right there with the people 18:22 who were categorized as sinners. 18:24 Yeah, he hung around them, 18:26 they didn't like that, you know. 18:28 I believe the fallacious tradition 18:32 of the ceremonial washings of the Pharisees 18:37 developed from them coming into contact 18:40 with the common people in the market before they ate. 18:44 And I think it give them a false security 18:50 that they were clean. 18:52 And that they're above them too. Yes. 18:54 And that's what we've got to-- 18:56 And that can happen to us. Yes. 18:58 That can happen to us, 19:00 because in the eyes of God there are no levels, 19:04 but the ground is level at the foot of the cross. 19:06 Yes, that's right. 19:08 Peter, I want to share a little story that to me, 19:12 it says, something about heart. 19:15 And this is what we're talking about, isn't it? 19:17 Is heart, maybe some of you saw this, 19:21 because it was on, I got it by e-mail. 19:24 Last week, I took my children to a restaurant. 19:27 My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. 19:30 As we bowed our heads, he said, 19:32 "God is good, God is great. 19:34 Thank you for the food, 19:35 and I would even thank you more 19:37 if Mom gets us ice cream for dessert. 19:40 And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!" 19:43 Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, 19:46 I heard a woman remark, 19:48 "That's what's wrong with this country, 19:50 kids don't even know how to pray. 19:52 Asking God for ice cream! This is ridiculous!" 19:56 Hearing this, my little son burst into tears. 20:00 Is God mad at me? 20:02 See Peter, this is how our attitude toward people 20:07 who we think are doing wrong, I mean, 20:09 we can give them the wrong impression, 20:11 the wrong words, the wrong, 20:13 even the wrong expression on our face 20:16 can be discouraging to someone. That's right. 20:20 Hearing this, my little son burst into tears, 20:22 and he asked, Is God mad at me? 20:26 Because that's what they feel, 20:28 they feel is God mad at me. 20:30 As I assured him that he had done a terrific job, 20:33 an elderly gentleman 20:34 approached the table and said, 20:36 "I happen to know that God thought 20:38 that was a great prayer." 20:40 "Really?" my son asked. 20:42 "Cross my heart," the man replied. 20:45 Then, in a whisper, indicating the woman 20:48 whose remark had started this whole thing, 20:51 "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. 20:54 A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes." 20:57 Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream 21:00 at the end of the meal. 21:01 My son stared at his for a moment, 21:04 and then did something 21:06 that I will remember the rest of my life. 21:09 He picked up his sundae and without a word, 21:12 walked over and placed it in front of the woman. 21:15 With a big smile he said, 21:17 "Here, this is for you. 21:20 Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, 21:22 and my soul is good already." 21:27 But, you know, I guess that really does illustrate 21:30 what we're talking about, Peter, 21:32 and that is, a heart for others. 21:35 A heart that says you're hurting, 21:39 and I care, and I know someone, 21:43 the great healer who can help you. 21:46 Yeah, and you know, 21:48 no one can make their heart that way, 21:53 only those who do spend the time with Jesus. 21:57 He makes their heart that way. 21:58 That's right. That's why I know aybody can do this. 22:01 That's right.They can do this, they can do reach out, 22:04 they can make themselves available, 22:07 step out of their comfort zone, 22:09 because God will use you in a very special way. 22:13 That's right. 22:14 And it's amazing to me, 22:16 you don't have to be a pastor-- 22:17 And He even gives you a heart to want to-- 22:20 Want to do it, yes. 22:22 And that comes through spending time with Him 22:24 through prayer, He actually gives you 22:27 that very desire that you have in your heart. 22:30 And we can do it, we can do it, 22:32 We need to do it. 22:34 And there's many more stories out there. 22:36 You know, I think one of the reasons 22:40 that so many people are showing up at our church 22:45 is because, if I can say, my members receive them. 22:52 That's good. Yes, and they nurture them, 22:55 and they don't judge them or criticize them. 22:58 I know, they don't look the same, 23:00 they don't dress the same, they don't smell the same, 23:03 they don't talk the same. 23:05 But that's where I used to be 23:08 before God brought me to this point. 23:12 And now I realize that all of us are being called 23:15 to bring and allow people to get to that point. 23:20 And not as it were, put out that little spark 23:25 to quench that little smoky, dimly smoking flash. 23:31 And, you know, I think that is so important, 23:33 Peter, I'm glad you said that, 23:34 because people have said, 23:36 well, I went to that church one time, 23:39 no one smiled at me, no one greeted me, 23:43 no one told me 23:44 that there was a fellowship lunch afterward. 23:46 No one shook my hand, no one made sure 23:49 I had a place to sit. 23:50 I'll never go back to that church, 23:52 that's the coldest church around here. 23:54 Well, so people really want to have a connection 23:57 with the Lord, but they know that they, 24:01 it comes through fellowship 24:02 and encouragement through God's people. 24:05 And they learn the love of God 24:08 when it's exemplified in the life of God's children. 24:13 That's exactly, that's exactly right. 24:15 And I just know 24:17 God has something really special for our church, 24:21 because in these last days 24:23 there are more and more people. 24:24 See, we're talking about Las Vegas, 24:27 but the Internet has made those kind of things 24:32 available to everybody everywhere. That's right. 24:34 And we all have to recognize 24:37 that we need to be minute people for God-- 24:40 Movies today. Oh, the movies, yeah. 24:42 Movies and videos, and even magazines, 24:46 and if you're watching a newscast, 24:50 it'll cut away to some commercial that is, 24:58 I'm just amazed at the kind of things 25:00 that they'll show on television. 25:03 And children are exposed to all kinds of things. 25:08 Yeah. It's really, we live in a sick society. 25:11 Yeah, we really do. Where Hollywood is using crime, 25:14 and violence, and all kinds of illicit, 25:19 unhappy home situations as entertainment. 25:23 Entertainment. And so children don't know, 25:26 they think it's funny. 25:27 Yes, set the standard which is anti-biblical. 25:31 That's right, that's right. 25:34 So there are things that we can do every day 25:37 to love other people and to show them God's love. 25:40 Peter, I was so blessed, 25:41 when I was there in your church. Yeah, yeah. 25:44 And you had a large baptism that day. 25:46 The thing that really spoke to me 25:48 was that you had all the people, 25:51 the baptismal candidates, 25:53 who are gonna be baptized that morning 25:54 sitting in one row. 25:56 And then you had all the people, 25:58 who had been working with them, 26:00 and mentoring them, and coaching them, 26:02 and studying the Bible with them. 26:04 They were sitting immediately behind them. 26:08 And so I just, I got tears in my eyes 26:12 as I saw that close relationships, 26:15 the caring, and when those people were baptized, 26:19 you could just see big smiles on the faces of the people 26:23 who had been studying with them, 26:24 and praying for them, and loving them to the Lord. 26:27 And something else that impressed me, 26:30 and blessed me was that, Andre, 26:33 the young man from the Indian reservation. 26:36 Right. You told him when he was baptized. 26:39 I was gonna go to your reservation 26:42 and have an evangelistic crusade. 26:45 But I understand, you've already started it. 26:47 Yeah, he's already started, it's amazing. 26:49 Isn't that wonderful? 26:50 In fact, let me give you an addendum to that Ruthie. 26:53 This Sabbath, his little niece is gonna be baptized. 26:59 And she is already doing Bible studies 27:02 at her public schools for her friends. 27:04 How old is she? She's nine years old. 27:07 Isn't that beautiful? It's amazing to me. 27:10 That's wonderful. Yeah, so-- 27:12 And that, that to me speaks 27:14 of the authenticity of what God is doing. 27:17 And I want, I want our listeners to know this too. 27:21 This isn't happening necessarily, 27:25 because we're in Las Vegas. 27:27 I believe it's happening because we're intentional. 27:30 Yes. About being prepared to receive them 27:34 if God chooses to send them. 27:36 And I'm glad you said that, 27:37 because every city has people, 27:41 who the enemy wants to just way down with guilt, 27:45 and condemnation, and fear. 27:47 And yeah, God wants to reach them. 27:51 Our time is gone so quickly, Peter, 27:53 and it's time for us to say goodbye to our, our viewers. 27:57 But thank you for joining us, 27:59 thank you for inviting us into your living room. 28:01 And we look forward to seeing you again. 28:03 And we'll be praying for you. 28:05 God bless, have a great week. |
Revised 2014-12-17