Participants:
Series Code: MTS
Program Code: MTS002803A
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00:19 Spreading Sabbath Offering projects
00:21 in West Africa, children's ministries turns 25 00:26 and mission here in Paris. 00:28 All this and much more coming up next 00:30 on Mission 360. 01:16 Hello, and welcome to Mission 360. 01:18 I'm Gary Krause. 01:20 Today's program is coming to you from Paris, 01:22 the capital of France. 01:24 And behind me, of course, 01:25 you can see the iconic Eiffel Tower. 01:28 It was built in 1889 for the World's Fair 01:31 and funnily enough, many Parisians didn't like it. 01:35 Was considered ugly 01:36 and they wanted to get rid of it. 01:38 But, of course, since then, 01:39 the Eiffel Tower has been 01:41 one of the many attractions of Paris 01:44 that have brought millions and millions 01:46 of tourists to this city, 01:47 which of course was founded many years ago. 01:50 In fact, it's been the capital of France 01:52 for more than 1000 years. 01:54 Well, we're going to be looking more about 01:55 mission here in France. 01:56 But first up, let's travel to West Africa 01:58 to see your 13th Sabbath Offerings at work. 02:02 There was a silent killer in Yoryina's home. 02:06 Our family was eventually dying 02:10 because of our kitchen. 02:13 Because what was produced 02:14 from the kitchen was not healthy to the body. 02:18 It was slowly sapping the life and health of his family. 02:21 Yoryina and his wife got sick. 02:24 Yoryina was feeling worse every day. 02:27 He felt so sick that he thought about committing suicide. 02:30 That was until he discovered the silent killer 02:33 that was slowly taking away their health. 02:35 The type of food we were using was already damaged food, 02:40 overcooked and all that. 02:43 When I came across one 02:44 Seventh-day Adventist evangelist, 02:48 and I read through some of his literatures, 02:51 I discovered that I was living a very wrong life. 02:55 A ray of hope came when Yoryina 02:57 learned of a health seminar organized by 03:00 the nearby Adventist Church. 03:03 He asked his wife to go since he was feeling very sick. 03:09 After the meeting Yoryina's wife 03:11 came home equipped with newfound knowledge. 03:15 As she met me feeling bad. 03:17 She started applying water therapy on me straight. 03:22 What she learned there 03:23 she never knew had idea about that ever. 03:26 She applied the water therapy, 03:29 cold or hot water on me, covering me. 03:32 And before you know, I was sweating, 03:35 we started having a new lifestyle. 03:39 The lessons from the health seminar 03:40 had a tremendous impact on Yoryina and his wife. 03:44 Their yard which was once full of chickens is now empty. 03:48 In its place, Yoryina planted different types of medicinal 03:52 and health giving plants like Moringa and Aloe vera. 03:55 The plants are all around their house. 03:57 They also take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables 04:00 which are abundant in Nigeria. 04:03 Yoryina is now living a healthy and happy life. 04:06 He and his wife are ambassadors 04:08 of the health message 04:10 teaching what they learned to anyone they can. 04:12 They started building a small space 04:14 in front of their house 04:15 where they can teach people about health and the Bible. 04:18 They've also used this space 04:19 to start a small Bible study group. 04:22 But Yoryina is just one man 04:24 and the city of Abuja has more than 3 million people, 04:28 people who would benefit 04:29 a lot from hearing the health message. 04:31 This quarter, your 13th Sabbath Offering 04:34 will help build a medical center there. 04:36 This center will help treat illnesses 04:38 and show people a better way to live. 04:41 I look forward to a medical center 04:46 that people will say that 04:49 there's a health facility 04:50 when you go there, all you see is love 04:53 within the health workers there. 04:55 There's a health facility that when you go there, 04:59 there's something else you receive 05:02 apart from the routine things, 05:04 routine services you see in other health facilities. 05:07 Please pray for the development of this health center 05:10 and for the other projects this quarter. 05:13 Thank you for supporting the 13th Sabbath Offering. 05:48 My guest is Pastor Ruben De Abreu, 05:50 who is the president 05:51 of the Franco-Belgian Conference. 05:53 And I'm glad that you can join us today, Ruben. 05:57 Can you describe for our viewers 05:59 the territories of your union? 06:02 So very large territory here in Europe 06:06 because it has 06:09 all the Continental France 06:13 and then Belgium and Luxembourg. 06:16 And for the moment we are around 06:20 18,000 members in this territory. 06:25 Now, traditionally, in our past history 06:28 Europe has been a sending territory 06:31 where you have sent 06:33 missionaries all over the world. 06:35 But I think it's fair to say 06:37 that your territory is now a mission field. 06:39 Can you describe 06:41 some of the challenges that you face? 06:44 It's everything that reverse. 06:48 Now in our times, 06:50 we are receiving the people from all over the world, 06:54 especially if I think about Paris and Brussels. 06:59 We have people from all corners of this world 07:04 and it creates us 07:07 very difficult challenge, the diversity. 07:10 Yes. 07:11 Diversity of language, culture, even theology. 07:16 And we... 07:17 Our challenge is to put everything in common 07:21 and bring everything to the feet of God. 07:25 Yes. 07:26 Now you are facing a culture 07:30 that has basically almost forgotten about God. 07:33 Describe for people, for example, here in Paris, 07:37 your average Parisian, 07:38 what would their view be on religious things? 07:41 Yeah, it's very peculiar because it's different 07:46 than the secularism in America or in other parts 07:51 because here, it's not only the ignorance about God, 07:57 but it's an attitude against God 07:59 and everything that is religious. 08:02 And also with the later events that we had here 08:07 with the terrorism attacks 08:11 and all of that related to religion problem, 08:14 people react very, very strongly. 08:17 And everything that is spiritual 08:19 or religious is understood 08:21 in this territory and particularly here in Paris 08:25 as an individual thing. 08:27 Yes. 08:28 It's not something that I can do publicly, 08:33 like in other parts and we need to do our mission 08:38 respecting the wishes of people. 08:41 Yes. 08:42 So in a place like Paris, so say for example, 08:44 you took an Adventist method of public evangelism, 08:48 you would attract people who perhaps come 08:51 from immigrant communities, 08:53 but you would not attract 08:55 a native Parisian, generally speaking? 08:58 Yeah. 09:00 We are facing that challenge 09:04 because a lot of people that are already here in 09:11 and in some churches they work with people 09:14 that they come from the same community. 09:15 Yes. 09:17 So, what we are remarking 09:20 is that the relationship evangelism, 09:23 it's sorted as the most powerful effect, 09:28 because people can put and question your own faith 09:34 and your own witness, or your own convictions 09:38 and everything that you do on relationship with other. 09:41 It's the simple method, 09:44 but it's also the one 09:46 that it's more efficient from the basis. 09:49 And it's also the method that Jesus Himself used. 09:51 Yes, and it's also becoming to the root. 09:55 Yes. 09:56 So, Ruben, tell me about some of the good things 09:58 that are happening here? 10:01 We are in a peculiar situation 10:07 because here in Paris, 10:08 we need more places for people to worship. 10:13 And we opened a worship place 10:19 and three months after it's, 10:21 it's already full with people that they come 10:23 from all over the city. 10:27 So it's one of the big things that are happening here. 10:33 But we are also developing a lot of communities, 10:37 ethnical communities, the last one, 10:40 it was Korean, South Korean 10:44 community that was organized it 10:47 and we had this last year in Paris 10:52 and around the North Conference outreach campaign. 10:56 And we are having now the baptisms 11:00 and all the people that convert after that effort. 11:06 Wonderful. 11:07 And what's happening 11:09 with the Bible Correspondence School? 11:11 Yeah, it's a very interesting challenge 11:14 because it's a shift of paradigm 11:17 because from other times, 11:21 it was on written on paper, hard paper. 11:24 Now people are asking more for the web. 11:30 And the challenge we are having now is that 11:34 when we ask for address and contacts, people, 11:37 they get behind the web. 11:42 And we are trying to develop this project 11:44 to give Bible studies by Skype 11:47 or this kind of communication technologies 11:53 that are available and it's cheap 11:56 and we are having now an increase of people 12:01 that have answered to the Bible courses more 12:07 on the web than with the hard paper. 12:09 Wonderful. 12:11 Well, I know that you have many challenges, 12:13 but I know that there are many good things 12:14 happening here. 12:15 I know you've got a strong youth emphasis, 12:17 church planting emphasis, 12:19 and thank you for all that you're doing. 12:20 And God bless you and thanks for sharing. 12:22 Viewers at home, please pray 12:24 for the mission field here in Europe. 12:27 Wonderful things happening, many challenges remaining. 12:29 We'll be right back after this break. |
Revised 2020-09-11