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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
could join us today.
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We are looking
at lesson number 8,
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"Mission to the
Needy," an exciting lesson,
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and we're gonna learn
some exciting things today.
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But before we do,
let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank
You for the opportunity
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that You give us to learn
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how we can better minister
to those who are in need.
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We ask that You'll bless us
today and give us challenges
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that we can come up to
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so that we can be
more effective for You.
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We thank You in
Jesus' name, amen.
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>>Cliff Shameerudeen: Amen.
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>>Eric: Well, joining
us this week and next week
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is Cliff Shameerudeen.
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He is the director for
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the Center for
South Asian Religions,
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and we're delighted to have him
with us for these two lessons.
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Cliff, thanks for joining us.
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>>Cliff Shameerudeen: Thank you.
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>>Eric: So this is an
exciting couple of lessons.
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We're going to be looking at
reaching the needy this time,
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and then next
time, those who are
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much more well off.
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And you are the director
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for the Center for
South Asian Religions.
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I'm guessing that in
South Asia, there are some needy
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and there are some
very affluent people.
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>>Cliff: That's correct.
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>>Eric: So these two groups,
kind of on the outer edges,
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are not where we'll say
the majority of folk fall.
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The majority of folk, at least
the way we frequently see it,
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are kind of in the middle.
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And yet we have to
reach out to these two,
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maybe we call them extremes.
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I don't know if that's
the best word to use or not.
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But when we're talking
about the mission to the needy,
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reaching the
needy, there are some--
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there's some
counsel that we give--
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that we've been given.
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Of course, Jesus talks about
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the importance of
reaching the needy.
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And also in a book called
"Testimonies for the Church,"
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in volume 2, page 29,
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there's some powerful
words about the importance
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of reaching the needy.
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What about the
reaching the needy?
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Why is that important,
and what counsel do we get?
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>>Cliff: Thank
you very much, Eric.
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It's such a
blessing to be here with you.
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When we see the world,
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the world is viewed differently,
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depending on who you are,
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but we
understand that Jesus says,
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"The needy will
be with us forever."
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And I think that's
a powerful statement
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because it shows
that Jesus really cares.
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Ellen White, who many of
us understand her writings
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and the role that she has
played in the Adventist church,
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has actually
talked about the needy.
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She counseled that we should
take time to pay attention
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to those who are in need.
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Now, we understand also
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that when we
mention the word "needy,"
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the first thing that
comes to mind is someone
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who is struggling to
pay the bills, you know,
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to get by from
one week to the next,
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from one paycheck to the next,
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as we would say
in many countries.
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But it's much more than that.
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I think even Jesus knew that,
and He taught us that the needy
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are not necessarily
those who are struggling to,
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you know, to
have food on the table
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but those people who
are also in need of support,
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of mental challenges.
And the list is long.
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When we start
looking at the needy,
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we could expand our definition.
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But I think Ellen White is
actually saying to us Adventists
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and Christians at large,
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that we need to
actually focus and look
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into those people who
are outside of our circle,
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who may look like they
may not have any needs,
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but they actually do.
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They're actually
in need of something.
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They may need of love.
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>>Eric: So you
got a lot of people
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who don't fall
into that nice category
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that we might mentally picture.
>>Cliff: That's correct.
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>>Eric: But there's a
lot of people out there
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who are in need,
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and He calls us--God
calls us to reach out to them.
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When you look at
people who are in need
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and the broader
definition of that,
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what about us reaching them?
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How do we--how
can we help them to--
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do some of them
realize they have need?
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Do some of them not
realize that they have need?
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If they realize they
have need, that's one thing,
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but if they don't
realize that they have need
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and they still have need,
that's another thing entirely.
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What about reaching
these groups of people
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who may or may not
understand their need?
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>>Cliff: Eric, I think you touch
on a very, very important point,
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especially in the 21st century
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where we have
access to education,
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we have access to
jobs and other things
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that tends to show that we have
some sort of status in society.
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How do we engage
people who may say,
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"Well, I don't have
any need. I'm doing okay"?
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But as God has given
us wisdom and intuition,
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we can see that,
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because we are blessed to
have Scripture on our side
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where we could see that
people may have a struggle,
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but hard to admit that.
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How do we engage them?
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Well, sometimes,
some of the approaches
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we have used
actually inoculate people.
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They become more defensive.
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And so Jesus, to
show us much more model--
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His--the model that
Ellen White talks about,
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Christ's method,
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it's one example of
how we can engage people:
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having compassion,
showing friendship--
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do we use care,
as you as a person,
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rather than trying to
zero in on what your needs are?
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So I think
that's one way to begin,
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is to show that
we do care about you.
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>>Eric: So you
mentioned Christ's method,
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and that's a quote that
we hear with some regularity:
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"Christ's method alone
will bring true success
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in reaching the people."
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Could you unpack
that for us a little bit?
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You kind of do
that in Monday's lesson,
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or you start to do
that in Monday's lesson.
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Help us to understand how
Jesus reached out to people,
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the model that He gave us,
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and how we might
follow that model
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to reach success
in these individuals.
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What was His model? What
was Christ's method alone,
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and what does that look
like practically in our lives?
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>>Cliff: It's with
our zeal and energy,
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we tend to focus on the last
one of the list that we have,
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and that is to bid
people to follow Jesus,
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which is, we ought to do,
and we should do it always.
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The question is that when
we go into that one first,
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what we have,
people who are in need,
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they're gonna gravitate.
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They're gonna come to us
because they do have needs,
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and they want to get help.
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I think it's a human intuition
to be able to always gravitate
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to someone who can help.
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The problem is that
when they come to us,
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the focus is not
necessarily Jesus.
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It's to get help, which
is--it's not a bad thing.
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>>Eric: It's natural.
>>Cliff: It's natural.
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But Jesus taught us
there are some others
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that we should focus on first:
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mingle with people,
show them, as I said before,
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that we care, understanding,
that we can show sympathy,
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we can minister to their needs,
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and then we can actually,
you know, serve people.
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It's hard to serve people.
I've done this many times,
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where you go into a
setting where you'll have--
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you don't belong, you know,
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even as I travel to
many parts of the world,
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and you go into what
we call the slum area.
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It's difficult to be there.
I mean, we count the minutes:
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"How long should we
stay here?" You know?
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But that's what it
costs to mingle to people,
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to show that you
do care about them.
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And it's, so Jesus challenges us
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to be able to follow
these principle first.
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And when people see
that, they see that you do care
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beyond trying to give them
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something that
they would need only.
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>>Eric: Cliff, I
wanna read that quote
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that we've been referring to.
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It comes from
"Ministry of Healing," page 143.
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And here's what it says.
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It says, "Christ's method
alone will give true success
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"in reaching the people.
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"The Saviour mingled with men
as one who desired their good.
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"He showed His
sympathy for them,
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"ministered to their
needs, and won their confidence.
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Then He bade them, 'Follow me.'"
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And as you mention,
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that's the one that we
frequently tend to focus on,
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is the "Follow me"
portion. >>Cliff: Yes.
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>>Eric: But the other
parts, maybe not so much.
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Or sometimes, we
find that individuals do
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a lot of ministering to
people and mingling with them.
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Maybe they mingle a lot
with people who have need,
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but they never bid
them to follow Jesus,
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or maybe they do them good,
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they're taking care of
some of their physical needs
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but never bridge to
that spiritual part.
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So we miss opportunities
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when we only
minister to the physical needs
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or the emotional
needs or the mental needs,
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but not the spiritual.
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But we also miss out when we
only minster to the spiritual
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but not the physical,
mental, and emotional.
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But "Christ's method
alone" gives "true success
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in reaching the
people" in all of those ways.
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In the book of
Hebrews, chapter 4, verse 15,
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there's a very
powerful passage that helps us
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to understand how
Jesus ministers to us,
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how He connects with us.
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Whether we wanna recognize
it or not, we're needy.
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>>Cliff: That's right.
>>Eric: We're all needy
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when it comes to Jesus.
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Talk a little bit
about Hebrews 4:15
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and how that fits into
what we're talking about
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with the "Mission to the Needy."
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>>Cliff: Depending
on your translation,
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the words may vary, but
the message is still the same.
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And so in the
version that I have,
00:10:02.23\00:10:04.37
it says, "We do
not have a high priest
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who is unable to
empathize with our weakness."
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I love that.
00:10:11.67\00:10:13.07
I mean, God is our high
priest, and He understands us
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more than we
understand ourselves,
00:10:17.28\00:10:19.58
and to the point that
sometimes we afraid to recognize
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we have needs or
we're not even aware,
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as you have mentioned earlier.
00:10:25.95\00:10:27.42
A group--how do we
reach a group of people
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who may not
recognize that they have need?
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But Jesus is saying,
"I do understand you.
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"And so I understand the
people that I've called you
00:10:34.36\00:10:36.77
"to witness to
and their struggle.
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"And also I was tempted
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in every way that you
could possibly be tempted."
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That's powerful.
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And so this reminds
me of the golden rule.
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I think this is also
is embedded in this text,
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that the way you
like to be treated,
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treat someone who is in need.
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And so--and this is
what Jesus have done
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on His earthly ministry,
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and so He's given
us an example that we--
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a model that we
can also implement.
00:11:04.73\00:11:10.50
Eric, I struggle with this one,
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because, as you
shared before, people can,
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if we don't give
them the package,
00:11:14.84\00:11:17.21
we have the tendency of
putting one above the other,
00:11:17.24\00:11:20.78
whether that we focus
on the spiritual need--
00:11:20.81\00:11:22.91
"Make a commitment."
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And we have many world religions
today who are defensive
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when they see
Christians because they only--
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they're gonna
come with number 5,
00:11:32.75\00:11:34.19
you know, bid--you know,
"Come, tell me about Jesus.
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"Get me baptized. I'll
become a member of your church."
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And then it's done. Many times,
people come into our church,
00:11:40.10\00:11:43.47
we help them so that
they would accept Jesus,
00:11:43.50\00:11:46.80
and after they do,
we forget they exist.
00:11:46.84\00:11:49.44
Their needs have not gone away,
00:11:49.47\00:11:51.87
because they need
much more than that.
00:11:51.91\00:11:53.81
And so we have this
challenge today that we face.
00:11:53.84\00:11:57.11
And so, Jesus is saying,
no, we should care about people
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more than just
mingle, providing their needs.
00:12:01.22\00:12:04.15
Even when they join a church,
they'll have to lose a career.
00:12:04.19\00:12:07.62
They may have to give
up family in the process.
00:12:07.66\00:12:10.29
Do we really
help to replace that?
00:12:10.33\00:12:12.06
We can't replace the
family, but we can substitute.
00:12:12.09\00:12:15.03
Do we ever consider that?
And these are important step.
00:12:15.06\00:12:17.60
Even before they
even get baptized,
00:12:17.63\00:12:19.50
we have to follow these steps.
00:12:19.53\00:12:21.94
>>Eric: So this is
a--this requires a commitment,
00:12:21.97\00:12:24.41
not a short-term commitment
00:12:24.44\00:12:26.04
in order to reach
a short-term goal,
00:12:26.07\00:12:28.88
but a long-term commitment
00:12:28.91\00:12:30.48
to genuinely care for
the needs of individuals
00:12:30.51\00:12:35.75
along this
journey that they're on.
00:12:35.78\00:12:38.95
>>Cliff: That's correct.
>>Eric: And that's really
00:12:38.99\00:12:40.62
a significant point
for us to understand.
00:12:40.66\00:12:44.36
Now we're gonna continue talking
about the "Mission to the Needy"
00:12:44.39\00:12:47.60
here in just a moment.
00:12:47.66\00:12:48.93
We're gonna take a
break, but before we do,
00:12:48.96\00:12:50.90
I want to encourage you.
00:12:50.93\00:12:52.17
This is lesson number 8 of 13,
so we are about halfway there,
00:12:52.20\00:12:57.44
maybe even a little bit
more than halfway there,
00:12:57.47\00:13:00.11
on our journey.
00:13:00.14\00:13:01.44
If you haven't yet
picked up the companion book
00:13:01.48\00:13:03.78
to this quarter's
lesson, you are missing out.
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.08
You wanna pick it up.
00:13:07.12\00:13:08.42
It is called "God's
Mission My Mission,"
00:13:08.45\00:13:11.95
and you can find
that at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:11.99\00:13:15.49
Just go to itiswritten.shop.
Look for the companion book
00:13:15.52\00:13:18.39
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson,
00:13:18.43\00:13:20.26
"God's Mission My Mission."
00:13:20.30\00:13:21.80
The author is Gary Krause;
00:13:21.83\00:13:24.03
it's actually several authors
who have contributed to it.
00:13:24.07\00:13:28.17
But you will be blessed by that.
00:13:28.20\00:13:29.57
It will give you more
ideas, more practical ways
00:13:29.60\00:13:33.44
that you can apply what you
are learning to this quarter
00:13:33.48\00:13:36.71
and share your faith
more effectively with others.
00:13:36.75\00:13:40.48
But I'm gonna come back
here in just a moment with Cliff
00:13:40.52\00:13:42.92
as we continue looking at
the "Mission to the Needy."
00:13:42.95\00:13:45.65
Don't go away.
We'll be right back.
00:13:45.69\00:13:47.92
[music swells and ends]
00:13:47.96\00:13:51.26
>>John Bradshaw:
More and more people
00:13:52.33\00:13:53.63
are watching It Is Written TV.
00:13:53.66\00:13:56.36
They're watching their
favorite It Is Written programs,
00:13:56.40\00:13:59.53
listening to inspiring
sermon series, and much more.
00:13:59.57\00:14:03.94
They're watching them
here, here, and even here.
00:14:03.97\00:14:07.94
See for yourself why people
are turning to It Is Written TV
00:14:07.98\00:14:11.45
to watch their
favorite Christian programs
00:14:11.48\00:14:13.42
live and on demand.
00:14:13.45\00:14:15.45
Watch It Is Written TV
for free anytime on Roku,
00:14:15.48\00:14:18.82
Apple TV, and at itiswritten.tv.
00:14:18.85\00:14:21.66
[music]
00:14:22.69\00:14:26.76
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:26.80\00:14:28.06
brought to you by It Is Written,
00:14:28.10\00:14:30.03
and we're here with Cliff.
00:14:30.07\00:14:31.47
Cliff, talk with us
a little bit about--
00:14:31.50\00:14:34.17
we're talking about the
needy, "Mission to the Needy,"
00:14:34.20\00:14:36.67
including the poor,
00:14:36.71\00:14:38.01
but even a little
bit more broadly looking.
00:14:38.04\00:14:40.81
What about--what about people
like refugees and immigrants?
00:14:40.84\00:14:46.45
They would certainly--there's
a lot in the news today
00:14:46.48\00:14:48.98
about refugees and immigrants.
00:14:49.02\00:14:50.42
In fact, there has
been for a number of years.
00:14:50.45\00:14:52.72
I wanna read a Bible passage to
you and have you respond to it
00:14:52.75\00:14:57.76
and give your thoughts on it.
00:14:57.79\00:14:59.09
This is Matthew
2, verses 13 and 14.
00:14:59.13\00:15:02.86
It says, "Now
when they had departed,
00:15:02.90\00:15:04.27
"behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream,
00:15:04.30\00:15:07.74
"saying, 'Arise, take the
young Child and His mother,
00:15:07.77\00:15:10.81
"'flee to Egypt, and stay
there until I bring you word;
00:15:10.84\00:15:14.01
"for Herod will seek the
young Child to destroy Him.'
00:15:14.04\00:15:17.05
"When he arose, he took
00:15:17.08\00:15:18.41
"the young Child
and His mother by night
00:15:18.45\00:15:20.45
and departed for Egypt."
00:15:20.48\00:15:22.45
This, of
course, is talking about
00:15:22.48\00:15:23.95
when Jesus was
very young, a baby,
00:15:23.99\00:15:26.96
and Joseph and Mary and
He went down into Egypt.
00:15:26.99\00:15:31.53
We're talking about the needy;
we're talking about the poor;
00:15:31.56\00:15:34.10
we're talking about refugees;
we're talking about immigrants.
00:15:34.10\00:15:37.20
What about these verses?
00:15:37.23\00:15:39.87
>>Cliff: I take comfort in this
verse because I'm an immigrant,
00:15:39.90\00:15:43.57
so I understand a little as
to what the verse is saying.
00:15:43.61\00:15:46.34
But more than that,
I was never a refugee.
00:15:46.37\00:15:49.61
But you know what,
Jesus was a refugee.
00:15:49.64\00:15:52.15
He understood that.
00:15:52.18\00:15:53.48
Yes, He was a baby, but
I'm quite sure His parents
00:15:53.52\00:15:56.85
would have told Him stories,
what was it like to flee
00:15:56.89\00:16:01.32
and to go to Egypt.
00:16:01.36\00:16:02.82
And here we have
Jesus, the Son of God,
00:16:02.86\00:16:06.66
is being rescued by a nation
00:16:06.70\00:16:10.17
that we could describe
as an un-Christian nation,
00:16:10.20\00:16:13.44
a nation that is pagan
00:16:13.47\00:16:15.00
or a nation that is not
subscribing to the Bible
00:16:15.04\00:16:19.21
and the teachings of God
as we see it in Scripture.
00:16:19.24\00:16:21.84
And we have a long
history with Egypt,
00:16:21.88\00:16:24.31
but they accommodated--they
rescued the Son of God.
00:16:24.35\00:16:29.05
What a powerful
story in this text
00:16:29.08\00:16:32.69
about Jesus being a refugee.
00:16:32.72\00:16:35.06
>>Eric: So He
Himself was a refugee.
00:16:35.09\00:16:37.03
We talk about Him being "in all
points tempted like as we are,"
00:16:37.06\00:16:40.06
having to go through all the
things that we've experienced
00:16:40.10\00:16:42.50
and, in fact, some
things that many of us
00:16:42.53\00:16:44.77
have never had to experience.
>>Cliff: That's right.
00:16:44.80\00:16:46.94
>>Eric: But He experienced those
things and was ministered to,
00:16:46.97\00:16:51.97
to some extent,
cared for down there,
00:16:52.01\00:16:54.64
eventually came back, certainly.
00:16:54.68\00:16:57.51
So, if we want
to--if we're feeling called,
00:16:57.55\00:17:01.78
feeling impressed to
help someone who's in need,
00:17:01.82\00:17:05.79
what are some steps that
we might take in identifying
00:17:05.82\00:17:09.59
somebody who needs some ministry
00:17:09.62\00:17:13.66
and how could we
minister to them?
00:17:13.70\00:17:17.17
We talked a little bit
about Christ's method alone,
00:17:17.20\00:17:19.23
but maybe expand on
that just a little bit.
00:17:19.27\00:17:21.80
How do we reach
those individuals?
00:17:21.84\00:17:23.67
>>Cliff: I think
we need to recognize
00:17:23.71\00:17:25.54
that the same way
that we have needs,
00:17:25.57\00:17:27.71
God come and
meet us where we are,
00:17:27.74\00:17:30.31
we also need to do the same
00:17:30.35\00:17:32.35
for people who are
refugees, immigrants,
00:17:32.38\00:17:35.62
and I would say the first
step is to step aside our--
00:17:35.65\00:17:40.69
put aside our political
connections that we have.
00:17:40.72\00:17:45.19
The Bible is very clear on that.
00:17:45.23\00:17:46.83
I have--as a
minister of the gospel,
00:17:46.86\00:17:49.23
it pains my heart to see when
ministers and church members
00:17:49.26\00:17:54.17
takes a political stand
00:17:54.20\00:17:57.11
when we are called
to minister to people,
00:17:57.14\00:17:59.47
regardless of who they are
or their location or their--
00:17:59.51\00:18:03.95
that's not our first priority.
00:18:03.98\00:18:06.98
It's not even
our second or third.
00:18:07.02\00:18:08.82
God has called us to share
the gospel with all people,
00:18:08.85\00:18:13.19
just like how He have given
us an opportunity to be saved.
00:18:13.22\00:18:16.99
We need to do the
same. Follow the Golden Rule.
00:18:17.03\00:18:19.59
So I would say that
we need to put that aside
00:18:19.63\00:18:21.73
and look at how we
can minister to people.
00:18:21.76\00:18:26.70
We have Christ's method.
00:18:26.74\00:18:28.04
We talked about
that: mingling, you know,
00:18:28.07\00:18:30.37
showing sympathy,
winning confidence,
00:18:30.41\00:18:33.38
ministering to their needs.
00:18:33.41\00:18:34.78
These are steps that we cannot
avoid or skip and so forth,
00:18:34.81\00:18:41.72
and of course, bid
them to follow Jesus Christ
00:18:41.75\00:18:43.95
so that they can
be saved in eternity.
00:18:43.99\00:18:47.22
But beyond that, I
think our expectation--
00:18:47.26\00:18:51.23
or we can use the
word "assumption"--
00:18:51.26\00:18:52.96
we come to help someone,
00:18:52.99\00:18:55.23
and we have
assumptions of who they are.
00:18:55.26\00:18:57.80
I think we need to
also evaluate those.
00:18:57.83\00:19:01.87
One of the assumption
is that if we help them,
00:19:01.90\00:19:04.81
they're gonna always
become dependent on us.
00:19:04.84\00:19:07.78
We need to put those aside
00:19:07.81\00:19:09.68
because Jesus cares
about them more than we do.
00:19:09.71\00:19:12.35
And so, we
helped with the limits--
00:19:12.38\00:19:14.18
the resources that we have.
00:19:14.22\00:19:16.35
Do you know that
Jesus gave us resources?
00:19:16.38\00:19:18.72
Not only to take
care of our family
00:19:18.75\00:19:21.39
but to help
someone who is in need.
00:19:21.42\00:19:23.16
If that wasn't
one of our calling,
00:19:23.19\00:19:25.23
we may not have those resources
00:19:25.26\00:19:27.23
that we think that it
belongs to us and no one else,
00:19:27.30\00:19:30.63
is that's one of the
reason, one of the steps,
00:19:30.67\00:19:33.20
is to look--we have resources.
00:19:33.23\00:19:34.74
That's why God give us that,
so we can help someone in need,
00:19:34.77\00:19:38.04
not only to be able to have a
better life but to find Jesus.
00:19:38.07\00:19:42.04
>>Eric: So, all of these steps
help us learn different ways
00:19:42.08\00:19:46.75
that we can
minister, and the first step,
00:19:46.78\00:19:48.58
as you mentioned, is
the Savior mingled with men.
00:19:48.62\00:19:51.79
It may not feel comfortable
for us immediately to mingle
00:19:51.82\00:19:56.42
with groups of people
00:19:56.46\00:19:57.99
that we don't feel
naturally connected to,
00:19:58.03\00:20:02.06
and yet we have--I'll use
the word "obligation" here.
00:20:02.10\00:20:07.90
That sounds kind of
weighty and negative,
00:20:07.94\00:20:10.27
if we're not careful,
but it's an opportunity,
00:20:10.31\00:20:13.27
it's a privilege,
to mingle with people
00:20:13.31\00:20:15.64
who have different
worldviews than we have,
00:20:15.68\00:20:18.45
who have different
beliefs than we have,
00:20:18.48\00:20:20.78
who have different
priorities than we have.
00:20:20.82\00:20:24.02
And when we mingle with
them, ultimately, hopefully,
00:20:24.05\00:20:27.96
we'll have a better
chance of understanding them,
00:20:27.99\00:20:32.06
of connecting with
them because the goal,
00:20:32.09\00:20:35.56
by the grace of God,
00:20:35.60\00:20:36.90
is to take the
gospel to all the world.
00:20:36.93\00:20:38.53
And that's what
we're talking about:
00:20:38.57\00:20:39.87
God's mission and my mission,
they should be the same,
00:20:39.90\00:20:42.97
is to take the
message to all the world,
00:20:43.00\00:20:44.84
which includes people other than
people who are just like me.
00:20:44.87\00:20:48.44
>>Cliff: Yes.
>>Eric: It includes people
00:20:48.48\00:20:50.78
who have different backgrounds,
00:20:50.81\00:20:52.65
different social status,
different mental capacities,
00:20:52.68\00:20:56.65
different emotional abilities.
00:20:56.69\00:21:00.62
We've gotta draw
close to them first.
00:21:00.66\00:21:05.76
If somebody was not quite sure
how to connect with somebody
00:21:05.79\00:21:11.33
who's a little
different than they are,
00:21:11.37\00:21:14.64
maybe a lot
different than they are,
00:21:14.67\00:21:18.41
what would you tell that person?
00:21:18.44\00:21:20.81
What should they do
if they're kind of like,
00:21:20.84\00:21:23.61
"These people look
different; they talk different;
00:21:23.65\00:21:26.88
they dress different"--
00:21:26.92\00:21:30.32
how would you help them
to overcome that little--
00:21:30.35\00:21:32.75
that barrier
there to getting to know
00:21:32.79\00:21:35.82
these other people
or that other person?
00:21:35.86\00:21:38.46
>>Cliff: Those
are legitimate fear.
00:21:38.49\00:21:40.30
When we see someone who
may not speak our language
00:21:40.33\00:21:44.67
or have a different,
you know, background,
00:21:44.70\00:21:48.17
whether their skin
color or they're coming
00:21:48.20\00:21:51.17
from a different
part of the world,
00:21:51.21\00:21:52.57
and we become nervous because--
00:21:52.61\00:21:55.31
not nervous sometimes
whether we should talk to them
00:21:55.34\00:21:58.38
but how can we relate to them.
00:21:58.41\00:22:00.28
And sometimes, we
best--we just say,
00:22:00.32\00:22:02.35
"You know, we wanna give people
space," which is important.
00:22:02.38\00:22:05.09
We give people space.
But on the flip side of that,
00:22:05.12\00:22:07.76
when someone is
away from their homeland
00:22:07.79\00:22:09.92
and their family,
let's use a simple example.
00:22:09.96\00:22:13.56
We have a student coming from
a country, and let's say Nepal,
00:22:13.60\00:22:20.04
and they come here,
00:22:20.07\00:22:21.40
and they're studying
in the place that we lived
00:22:21.44\00:22:24.41
and at university, and
we see them, maybe they're--
00:22:24.44\00:22:27.38
we could tell that
they're--they don't--
00:22:27.41\00:22:28.71
they weren't born
into my community.
00:22:28.74\00:22:31.61
Sometimes we are
a little nervous.
00:22:31.65\00:22:32.95
Well, we just
wanna leave people alone,
00:22:32.98\00:22:34.28
let them be relaxed,
00:22:34.32\00:22:35.62
and that's
important, but at the same time,
00:22:35.65\00:22:38.29
they may not able to approach
us because they are a visitor.
00:22:38.32\00:22:42.42
We're the one that
has to approach them
00:22:42.46\00:22:44.69
and so, but where do we begin?
00:22:44.73\00:22:47.20
I could tell you of one example
that we have done is that
00:22:47.23\00:22:50.03
we notice that there was,
in this particular community,
00:22:50.07\00:22:53.37
there was a lot of people who
were moving in to build houses,
00:22:53.40\00:22:57.84
and so what we did is we
did something for the children.
00:22:57.87\00:23:00.74
We organized a
children party, just that.
00:23:00.78\00:23:03.85
Simple, we wanna
do something for you.
00:23:03.88\00:23:05.18
We want to give some flyers.
00:23:05.21\00:23:07.25
They may not
understand the language,
00:23:07.28\00:23:08.72
it's okay, we just
may even get a translator,
00:23:08.75\00:23:12.82
and we did a simple
thing because we wanted to show
00:23:12.85\00:23:14.89
the children we care about them.
00:23:14.92\00:23:16.52
They don't know
where to go to school,
00:23:16.56\00:23:18.79
they may not
even have, you know,
00:23:18.83\00:23:21.66
fill out the right application,
they don't know who to talk to
00:23:21.70\00:23:24.83
because they're new, and
so simple things like that,
00:23:24.87\00:23:28.37
that you can do to
show that you care.
00:23:28.40\00:23:30.91
And once someone
finds out that you care,
00:23:30.94\00:23:34.58
you win their confidence.
00:23:34.61\00:23:36.71
And you don't only win
their confidence for short-term.
00:23:36.75\00:23:39.38
This is long-term.
00:23:39.41\00:23:40.72
For their entire life, they
will always feel appreciative
00:23:40.75\00:23:44.65
of what simple things you
have done for that family.
00:23:44.69\00:23:47.99
And because of that, we have--
00:23:48.02\00:23:49.59
the Adventist church,
we become the go-to people
00:23:49.62\00:23:54.13
whenever they have
a question and need.
00:23:54.20\00:23:56.10
They may not necessarily need
you to solve their problems,
00:23:56.13\00:23:58.43
but they just
want counsel, guidance
00:23:58.47\00:24:00.70
because they can trust you.
00:24:00.74\00:24:03.24
>>Eric: So, we'd love
to have the opportunity
00:24:03.27\00:24:05.34
to share Jesus
with them at some point,
00:24:05.37\00:24:07.64
'cause that's, as Christians,
00:24:07.68\00:24:09.18
that's what we've been
called to do is to share Jesus.
00:24:09.21\00:24:12.88
But it seems like an
awfully big step if I don't know
00:24:12.91\00:24:15.55
the person's
culture, their language,
00:24:15.58\00:24:17.22
to think "How am I
gonna share Jesus with them?"
00:24:17.25\00:24:19.39
But we don't
have to start there.
00:24:19.42\00:24:21.42
We start with just
introducing ourselves.
00:24:21.46\00:24:24.79
We start with just trying
to find a way to communicate
00:24:24.83\00:24:27.56
and be a friend to that person.
00:24:27.60\00:24:30.90
In time, God will
bring about the opportunity,
00:24:30.93\00:24:34.54
if it's right for you
to have that opportunity,
00:24:34.57\00:24:37.51
to share Christ with them.
00:24:37.54\00:24:38.91
But it may be a seed that you
plant that someone else waters
00:24:38.94\00:24:42.38
and that someone else harvests.
00:24:42.41\00:24:44.55
What would you--when we're
dealing with the uncertainty
00:24:44.58\00:24:47.85
of a commitment from someone
who's poor and accepting Jesus
00:24:47.88\00:24:56.46
and so forth, we're not sure
what they're gonna do with it,
00:24:56.49\00:24:58.96
how do we work forward?
00:24:58.99\00:25:01.53
How do we walk
forward in faith, trusting
00:25:01.56\00:25:05.00
that God's gonna continue
helping move that forward?
00:25:05.03\00:25:08.37
>>Cliff: I think this
question has a few parts.
00:25:08.40\00:25:13.94
One of the things we
have to remind ourself:
00:25:13.98\00:25:16.24
we're not just here
to do social service.
00:25:16.28\00:25:19.78
I think that's
important, it has its place,
00:25:19.81\00:25:22.12
but it doesn't mean that that's
all we do or we should do.
00:25:22.15\00:25:26.96
I think, as a church family,
00:25:26.99\00:25:29.92
whether the entire
church or members of the church,
00:25:29.96\00:25:33.33
can evaluate their situation
and say, "We wanna do something.
00:25:33.36\00:25:37.17
We wanna show
Christ's love to people."
00:25:37.20\00:25:39.60
If we go with the
Bible, they may say,
00:25:39.63\00:25:42.44
"No, we're not interested,"
especially if they are coming
00:25:42.47\00:25:44.71
from certain world religion.
00:25:44.74\00:25:47.14
They say, "We
have our own Scripture,
00:25:47.18\00:25:48.58
"we have our own
belief system. No thank you."
00:25:48.61\00:25:52.08
But if we go,
using Christ's method,
00:25:52.11\00:25:53.68
people will be
more open and so forth.
00:25:53.72\00:25:56.58
The question
is--we go with uncertainty
00:25:56.62\00:25:59.92
because we're just human beings.
00:25:59.95\00:26:02.49
We don't know what
will be the end result.
00:26:02.52\00:26:05.99
But one thing we can count
on is that the impact we make
00:26:06.03\00:26:09.76
on a person's life will actually
open up more opportunities.
00:26:09.80\00:26:14.10
A few things I wanna share here.
00:26:14.14\00:26:15.80
We need to have faith
that God will use us to bless.
00:26:15.84\00:26:20.81
Also we need to take
action. We need to do something,
00:26:20.84\00:26:24.41
not just share and
tell people truth and words,
00:26:24.45\00:26:28.88
but we need to actually put
our action in different steps.
00:26:28.92\00:26:33.76
And also, we
need to have patience.
00:26:33.79\00:26:35.96
We need to be
patient with people
00:26:35.99\00:26:38.16
because not
everyone are the same.
00:26:38.19\00:26:39.96
Some people needs more
time; some needs less time.
00:26:40.00\00:26:42.63
I've seen people make commitment
to follow Jesus in three weeks.
00:26:42.66\00:26:45.83
I've been involved
00:26:45.87\00:26:47.17
in some of those
evangelistic efforts myself.
00:26:47.20\00:26:49.37
But what happens to those
who didn't follow that formula?
00:26:49.40\00:26:54.58
Do we just ignore them?
00:26:54.61\00:26:56.01
Do we just
said, "Well, you know,
00:26:56.04\00:26:59.01
dust the feet off
and just move on"?
00:26:59.05\00:27:00.78
No, we do need to care.
00:27:00.82\00:27:02.38
We do need to also
follow up with them,
00:27:02.42\00:27:04.85
and to have a plan to
follow up after they may say no
00:27:04.89\00:27:09.09
or they may show a sign
00:27:09.12\00:27:10.43
that they're not interested
in starting Bible studies.
00:27:10.46\00:27:14.20
And then, we need
to have willingness
00:27:14.20\00:27:16.60
to go beyond our
own comfort zone.
00:27:16.63\00:27:19.80
And I think this--these
are some of the things
00:27:19.83\00:27:21.64
that we can put in place
when we're dealing with people
00:27:21.67\00:27:26.54
who are not ready
to make a commitment
00:27:26.57\00:27:28.74
or we're not sure
about their commitment.
00:27:28.78\00:27:30.41
If we follow these steps,
and we leave the rest to God.
00:27:30.45\00:27:33.42
>>Eric: Fantastic, Cliff,
thank you so much for that.
00:27:33.45\00:27:36.18
And thank you for
joining us this week.
00:27:36.22\00:27:38.29
We hope and trust and pray
00:27:38.32\00:27:39.82
that you've gained
something from this
00:27:39.85\00:27:41.56
that will
encourage and inspire you
00:27:41.59\00:27:43.56
to reach out to the needy.
00:27:43.59\00:27:45.29
We look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:45.33\00:27:47.60
as we continue our study about
"God's Mission My Mission,"
00:27:47.66\00:27:52.07
and next week we're
going to be looking at
00:27:52.10\00:27:53.74
"Reaching the Affluent."
00:27:53.77\00:27:55.07
God bless you and
we'll see you then next time
00:27:55.10\00:27:57.34
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:57.37\00:28:00.34
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