Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002402B
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00:10 Welcome back to the city of San Francisco.
00:12 And directly behind me here you can see 00:15 the notorious prison known as Alcatraz. 00:18 Next up, we traveled to the Adventist World 00:20 Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. 00:23 And we talked with Pastor Doug Venn, 00:25 Mission to the Cities Director about a unique Prayer Map 00:29 for the cities. 00:30 Today, I am here with Pastor Doug Venn 00:32 who is the Global Mission Urban Center's Director 00:35 and also the Mission to the Cities Coordinator. 00:38 Thank you so much for joining me, Pastor Doug. 00:40 Hey, it's great to be here with you, Kayla. 00:42 So your whole life has been mission, 00:44 it seems like. 00:45 What does that mean for those of us 00:48 in churches around the world? 00:49 How do we relate to mission? 00:51 Well, Jesus Christ came to die and to give us grace 00:55 so that we can be saved. 00:57 And so from that position that we have this relationship 01:00 and the joy that we have, 01:01 and the promise of the soon return, 01:03 that we can share that with others. 01:05 And so that's why, 01:06 with mission to the cities 01:08 in the Global Mission Urban Center, 01:10 we're focusing on that remaining mission challenge 01:12 of the cities around the world of how can we bring hope 01:16 and healing to these places that in preparation 01:19 for Christ soon return. 01:21 But I thought mission was almost done. 01:24 I had a friend tell me ago, 01:25 we have so many schools and hospitals everywhere. 01:27 Aren't we almost done 01:28 with telling people about Jesus? 01:30 A lot of people think that, but the reality is, 01:33 is that although we've made great progress 01:36 in islands and in rural areas, 01:38 the remaining mission challenge 01:40 for the Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:42 is the cities of the planet. 01:43 Wow. 01:44 And this is something where our statistics 01:46 that are it's nearly two to one, 01:47 where we have that Adventist 01:51 our presence is in these islands 01:53 or in the rural areas. 01:55 It's almost double 01:56 what our ratio is in the cities. 01:59 What that means is that although we have, 02:01 let's just take a look here 02:03 at one of the world's largest cities in Tokyo. 02:06 The church has been there over 100 years and yet, 02:10 we praise God for the hospital, the clinic, 02:12 the health food, factory, 02:15 and the college and the churches 02:16 that are existing there, 02:18 but that city has exploded 02:20 and to over nearly 40 million people. 02:23 Wow. 02:24 And so we praise God for the faithful Japanese 02:26 who are there. 02:27 But right now, what can we do to as a world church 02:30 to help intercede for the Japanese 02:32 who are doing amazing things there 02:34 and so that way we can join Jesus Christ 02:36 in this ministry of intercession 02:38 not only for Tokyo, 02:39 but for all the cities of the world. 02:41 So I heard that you developed a tool to help us 02:44 put this in perspective and to remember 02:46 the cities every single day. 02:47 Can you tell me a little bit about this map 02:49 that we're standing by? 02:50 Yes, I love maps. 02:52 It's helpful for me to have a map 02:54 because sometimes they get lost. 02:55 I remember when I was in Tokyo, on my way to church. 02:59 I was so proud that I got on the subway, 03:02 and then when I got to this subway station, 03:05 there was like 70 different exits. 03:07 Okay. 03:09 And so I took about 45 minutes trying to figure out 03:11 where does this exit go to which part of the city 03:14 and so that's where right now our team at the office 03:17 of Adventist Mission in the GC develop 03:19 this prayer map as a tool to help 03:22 the world church to intercede and join Christ 03:26 in this ministry of intercession 03:27 for those remaining mission challenge in the cities. 03:30 Wow, that sounds awesome. 03:32 So how do I do it? 03:33 Okay, so how we've organized this map, 03:36 let me just show you here. 03:38 We have this legend and you can see the cities, 03:40 their size from the circles represent 1 million 03:44 the squares, 10 million the diamonds, 03:47 20 million the stop sign shape, 30 million, 03:50 and then the special diamonds 40 million. 03:53 Then we also see how that those cities or territories 03:58 that are inside the 10/40 Window 04:00 have a broader line than those who are outside 04:02 the 10/40 Window have a thin line. 04:05 So let's just look here at where I had a chance 04:07 to serve in Bangkok, Thailand. 04:09 So you can see this city is over now 14 million. 04:12 So that's where it has that square shape, 04:14 and then it... 04:17 So that's as well as it's part of the 10/40 Window 04:20 so that way, it has a broad line. 04:22 We look here at Melbourne, 04:24 Australia where you can see how that's outside 04:26 of the 10/40 Window and so that has a thin line 04:30 representing the territory in the South Pacific division. 04:34 If we go now to some of the other cities 04:37 like Jakarta, they have the stop sign shape. 04:42 And so that's one of the cities of 30 million or more. 04:45 So this legend can help your, 04:50 help give a tour of all the cities of a million 04:53 or more and of the planet. 04:56 So that's how we've developed this to help churches 05:01 and youth in to intercede in prayer. 05:05 That's wonderful. 05:06 How can I get one? 05:08 Do you have something smaller that I could take home? 05:10 Well, we happen to have a pocket-sized version 05:14 of this prayer map that you can order 05:17 and look at our website below. 05:20 And you can place an order for that. 05:23 And so that way you can pray your way through the cities. 05:28 So our viewers out there can go to the website 05:30 MissionToTheCities.org and go to the Resources page, 05:34 is that right to quest a copy? 05:35 Okay. 05:37 And then they would just take that and everyday pray 05:38 for another city, kind of check it off their list. 05:40 That's right. 05:41 And others, like small groups may want 05:44 to use the prayer map or a teacher 05:47 in a class or Sabbath School class 05:49 or a group of young people. 05:50 Even a church maybe. A church or... 05:52 Yeah, however, God leads the people to then 05:57 actually use this to say, 06:00 "Hey, we could actually plan a mission trip, 06:02 we can actually then maybe intercede, 06:05 maybe we can do some research, 06:07 who are the unreached people groups who do not have the hope 06:10 that we have in Jesus Christ, 06:12 that we could actually make a difference." 06:14 I'm reminded that on this map, 06:17 there are cities that have no Adventist presence at all. 06:21 So there's not a single missionary, 06:24 there's not a single church at school or clinic 06:26 or hospital and so that, 06:27 that is why we're trying to call 06:31 the world church, 06:32 called every believer 06:34 total member involvement in prayer. 06:35 So that way, we can continue this mission 06:38 to the cities. 06:39 That's amazing. And this is really exciting. 06:41 It's crazy to see all the cities here, 06:43 right in front of me. 06:45 It's gonna help me remember to pray for them every day. 06:47 I know that. 06:48 Thank you, Pastor Doug, so much for being here 06:50 and for sharing this resource with me. 06:52 It's great that we can continue to update the cities 06:56 for prayer. 06:58 Reporting for Mission 360°, this is Kayla Ewert. 07:02 Next up, let's travel to Tonga in the South Pacific. 07:05 And listen to the poignant story 07:07 of Pastor Athal Tolhurst's final visit 07:11 to the place of his birth, and also his final sermon. 07:34 "This gospel of the kingdom 07:36 shall be preached in all the world 07:38 for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. 07:45 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." 07:53 It was 102 years ago, 07:56 February 3 of 1915, 08:01 that my father, 08:04 with his bride by his side sailed out of Sydney Harbor 08:08 bound for the little island Kingdom of Tonga. 08:13 It is good to be back in Tonga again. 08:16 I've always treasured the fact that I was born here 08:19 in Nuku'alofa. 08:23 So we have ties that hold us close to you people, 08:30 the Tongan people. 08:34 Jesus said, "You have not chosen me, 08:38 but I have chosen you, 08:41 that you should go and bring forth fruit." 08:43 And that means that He's depending on you 08:46 and me to do that work, who else? 08:51 That's why he gave the Holy Spirit 08:52 along with a gift of the Spirit. 08:54 So this work could be carried on year after year, 08:57 generation to generation until it's finally finished. 09:00 And that's why he raised up the church 09:02 that we are to be a link in the chain. 09:06 There are other links in the chain there, 09:09 see they're around the table here this morning, 09:12 various links in the chain let down from heaven, 09:16 to reach those who are needing the saving grace of Christ. 09:23 Reflect upon your own relationship with Jesus, 09:26 and how real that really is. 09:30 And whether it is a compelling force 09:32 in your life, 09:34 for your personal life and for your ministry. 09:37 Jesus made the statement, "I am the light of the world." 09:42 And then He went past that and He said that 09:44 not only is He the light of the world, but He said, 09:47 "Ye are the light of the world." 09:50 And you and I, every one of us is to be a light in the world. 09:53 That's what Jesus said, 09:55 "Ye are the light of the world." 09:58 What can I say about that God is looking 10:01 for each of us to fulfill His divine plan? 10:06 And many of you have parents and others who have gone 10:09 to the rest, gone to sleep. 10:13 And they await the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 10:15 When they will hear His voice, 10:19 and they will respond to that voice and come forth 10:21 from the grave, glorified, 10:24 to have a part in the Kingdom of God. 10:27 I trust that you and I, 10:29 until we breathe our last breath 10:33 will be faithful to the gospel commission. 10:37 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached 10:40 in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. 10:44 "Therefore, go and make disciples 10:46 of all the nations, 10:48 baptizing them in the name of the Father, 10:50 the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 10:52 and teaching them to obey everything 10:54 I command you. 10:56 And surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age." 11:11 Well, that's about it for today's program. 11:13 And I hope that you've enjoyed our 360 degree view 11:16 of mission around the world. 11:18 As we've seen the early days of mission right here 11:21 in San Francisco, 11:23 as we've looked at the urban challenge 11:25 through the urban prayer map, 11:27 as we've looked at the center of influence 11:29 in Trinidad and Tobago, it's a reminder, 11:31 that holistic mission around the world today 11:34 is making a tremendous difference. 11:37 And I wanna thank you so much for being a part 11:39 of the Adventist Mission Team. 11:41 Every time that you pray, 11:43 every time that you give your offerings 11:44 or donate to Global Mission, every time you become involved, 11:47 you're part of our team. 11:49 Whether you pray, give or go, whatever you do, 11:52 you're making a difference. 11:53 And I wanna thank you. 11:55 Well, for Adventist Mission, I'm Gary Krause. 11:58 And I hope that you can join me next time 12:00 right here on Mission 360°. |
Revised 2020-04-02