Participants: Jim Ayer
Series Code: MW
Program Code: MW000024
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00:01 The things I once hated, I now love.
00:03 And the things I once loved, I now hate. 00:05 Interesting words from the Apostle Paul, 00:07 but can those changes really occur 00:09 in a person's life? 00:10 Stay tuned, you'll find out. 00:48 The Apostle Paul sailed the Aegean Sea, 00:50 landed here at Ephesus. 00:52 It's long since silted in because of so many years, 00:55 but this was the harbor, this was the area 00:57 that all the sailors and the Apostle Paul walked up 01:01 these areas here amongst these columns. 01:03 Why did he come? 01:04 I believe he came because 01:05 this was a Seatown, a town that people 01:08 from all over the world came to. 01:10 And Paul was no dummy, he understood that 01:12 if he shared the gospel of Jesus Christ here, 01:15 it would go to all the world. 01:17 And certainly, Paul made a stir here in this area. 01:33 The Grand Amphitheater of the Ephesians, 01:36 a place that held, 23,000- 24,000 people. 01:41 Imagine, they would come out here 01:43 on a regular basis and at this time 01:45 to hear the Greek plays, 01:47 because the Greeks controled the whole area. 01:49 The Greeks built this as their theater for their arts, 01:53 for their enjoyment, for the plays, 01:54 but then something different happened, 01:56 the Romans took over. 01:57 The Romans beat them back, and now under Roman control, 02:01 they take out the first group of seats, why? 02:03 So they can have gladiator games. 02:05 They need an area to place the tigers 02:07 and the lions and all of the other things 02:09 that would actually devour people of all things. 02:13 But then something very interesting occurred, 02:16 the Apostle Paul came to town one day, 02:18 the little Roman, the intelligent little Roman, 02:21 he began talking with people. 02:23 And soon Demetrius, we're told 02:25 in the Book of Acts is not happy, 02:27 because you see Demetrius is a silversmith. 02:31 And the trade is having problems because 02:34 Paul is preaching against all the other Gods so much, 02:37 so much that now their money, 02:40 their monitory situation is going down, down, down 02:44 because nobody is buying Gods any longer for their home. 02:48 What happens? 02:49 Demetrius comes here, calls everybody from the city 02:52 and begins complaining and shouting 02:53 to all of these people, who by the way, 02:56 from right down here 02:57 the person in the farthest row 02:59 can hear your voice perfectly. 03:02 And I just imagine Demetrius standing here 03:04 and yelling at the Apostle Paul saying, 03:06 we need to do something about this man, 03:08 we've got to do something. 03:11 And soon they take a hold of Paul, 03:13 and they're ready to tear him apart, 03:15 ready to tear him apart, but God intervenes 03:18 and finally, a little difference away 03:20 they take him to a prison, where Paul literally raised 03:23 the roof with his singing. 03:30 The history of Ephesus began 03:32 in the Mid-seventh Century BC. 03:34 It was attacked by Samarians, but unlike 03:36 its neighbor Magnesia, Ephesus survived the attack. 03:40 For a while it was ruled by tyrants, 03:42 allied by marriage to the King of Lydia 03:44 and was conquered by Croesus, 03:46 who rebuilt the Temple of Artemis, 03:48 bringing in many large columns 03:49 and golden calves for the temple. 03:51 Ephesus was not only the most magnificent, 03:54 but the most corrupt of the cities of Asia. 03:57 Superstition and sensual pleasure held 03:59 its way over her teaming population, 04:01 under the shadow of her temples, 04:03 criminals of every grade found shelter. 04:05 And the most degrading vices flourished. 04:08 It's so incredible to open the word of God. 04:12 To read in the Book of Acts, the Book of Ephesians 04:14 and realize I'm standing in the very places, 04:18 the very location where the Apostle Paul 04:21 preached so many sermons, 04:22 where he labored for the word of God. 04:24 The giant of God himself walked down the street, 04:28 went down to the harbor 04:29 to where all the fisherman work, 04:31 watch them offload their catches, 04:33 talked with these men. 04:35 Two hundred and fifty thousand people 04:37 lived in the city and soon 04:39 because of Paul's work in Acts 19 Verse 20 it says, 04:42 "So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." 04:46 Because of Paul, because of Paul's relationship with God, 04:50 he spread the word throughout Ephesus. 04:52 He raised up a church, he raised up a work 04:54 that spreads throughout the world. Wow! 04:59 One can only get a taste of the former glory 05:01 by looking around that the pieces of pillars 05:03 that lie in this main thoroughfare. 05:07 The area from the library to town, 05:09 or from the theater back up this way to the library, 05:14 it's all marble, you can see slight tracks 05:17 from the Roman chariots. 05:19 What's most interesting to me however 05:21 is that they had a drainage system here, 05:23 so when the rains came, 05:24 it all dropped into the sewerage system. 05:27 Credible ingenuity by the Romans. 05:36 We're forever tempted to think that these people 05:39 were not extremely intelligent 05:41 in how they constructed and what they constructed. 05:45 This library right behind me should remove all doubt. 05:48 These people did a marvelous job, 05:50 a beautiful and exquisite job. 05:52 However, this library 05:54 only lasted for about 40 years. 05:56 It was destroyed by earthquakes. 05:58 And it was rebuilt in the 1970s, 06:00 originally from the Second century however, 06:02 it housed a great deal of knowledge 06:05 of the then known world. 06:07 It was about the third largest library 06:09 in existence at that time. 06:11 Below it we're told there just a little peep hole, 06:14 but supposedly the governor is buried down there, 06:17 that existed earlier during that time. 06:22 The building may be considered 06:23 important today because it is one 06:25 of the few remained examples 06:27 of an ancient Roman influence library. 06:30 It also shows how public libraries 06:32 were not only built in Rome itself, 06:34 but also throughout the empire. 06:37 The people that constructed this library 06:39 were so intelligent about the design 06:41 that they actually created a doubled-wall system 06:43 in order to eliminate humidity. 06:45 Not only that, but they created a roof design 06:48 that eliminated all the elements 06:50 but allowed in the most white, 06:52 that people might still be able to read. 06:54 Now that's intelligent. 06:57 The Library of Celsus was built 06:59 to store 12,000 scrolls 07:01 and it serves a monumental tomb to Celsus. 07:04 It was unusual to be buried within a library 07:06 or even within city limits. 07:09 So this was a special honor for Celsus. 07:13 I'm told this is the place where the Governor's buried. 07:15 How do they know that? 07:16 Well, some years ago, 07:17 I guess they took mirrors and they put them 07:19 way over the edge to check it out 07:21 and they could actually see some type of casket 07:24 or coffin or sarcophagus down there. 07:27 But over the years it's kind of caved in so, 07:30 this is all we get is a hole now, 07:31 I guess and I belief that, that's where it is. 07:46 Well, I spend some time this afternoon 07:48 jostling elbow to elbow in the market 07:50 with 20,000 or 30,000 people it seems. 07:53 I've got my spices, 07:55 I've got my linens for my wife. 07:57 I got the fish that were just delivered 07:59 right from the ocean fresh. 08:00 And now I think I'll go check out the library. 08:03 Well, at least, that's my active imagination 08:06 for what it must have been like at the time. 08:10 Right behind me here is the market place 08:12 of the great city of Ephesus. 08:14 People from all over brought their wares 08:16 from the then known Roman Empire. 08:18 Spices and various things to trade. 08:21 I can imagine now Apostle Paul 08:23 walking through from stall to stall. 08:25 Pointing these Romans to the one and only true God, 08:28 Jesus Christ. What a scene? 08:31 What a time in our history? 08:33 The roots of Christianity growing up right here. 08:39 As a communist, she thought that 08:40 there just must be more to life than this. 08:43 But what was it? 08:44 Jesus told the Ephesians to persevere 08:48 and that's exactly what she did. 08:50 She persevered until she found 08:52 that loving relationship with Jesus Christ. 08:55 Stay tuned to find out more. 08:58 Here is another story of hope from "Adventist World Radio." 09:03 Kaluram was a poor field laborer 09:05 near Gujarat in India. 09:07 Finding his work tedious, 09:08 Kalu purchased a small radio to relieve the boredom. 09:12 One day he came across a program 09:13 talking about Jesus, it was from Adventist World Radio, 09:17 after listening for a few days, 09:19 Kalu looked for a pastor who could tell him 09:21 more about Christ. 09:23 Soon convinced of the Christian truth, 09:25 Kalu was baptized and became an outreach leader 09:28 in his home town and the surrounding area. 09:31 Witnessing in predominantly Hindu towns 09:33 is not always safe. 09:35 And Kalu was once attacked 09:36 when approaching a town to preach. 09:39 However, through the efforts of Kalu 09:41 and the volunteers he has trained, 09:43 nearly 1,000 people have accepted Christ. 09:47 Adventist World Radio shares the hope of Christ 09:51 with millions of people everyday. 09:54 For more information, visit awr.org. 09:59 As you can see AWR is frontline mission radio. 10:04 Our first priority is to travel 10:05 where missionaries cannot go. 10:08 We broadcast thousands of hours each day 10:10 and 70 major languages of the world. 10:14 AWR has the capability and capacity of blanketing 10:17 almost 80% of the world's population. 10:20 Not only do we broadcast the short wave radio, 10:23 but our signal is on over 1,000 FM and AM stations 10:27 around the world as well. 10:29 Our broadcast subscribers, Internet users, 10:32 satellite downlinks are growing rapidly. 10:35 Evidence by the 100,000 plus e-mails, 10:37 letters, and phone calls we receive 10:40 each and every year. 10:41 Yes, AWR is your mission radio. 10:45 No walls and no borders, 10:46 for AWR that means change lives 10:48 and change hearts around the world, 10:50 because God is using 10:52 the airways of AWR to reach people everywhere. 10:59 So, your name is Lidia. 11:01 Foreign language 11:02 Lidia, what type of work do you do or did you do? 11:05 Foreign language 11:18 I was a stay at home mother, 11:20 and did the work around the house 11:22 and I have two children. 11:24 Foreign language 11:28 My job was the family, house, and children. 11:31 I was interested in Bible. 11:33 My grandparents was Christians. 11:37 Foreign language 11:39 My grandfather had a Bible. 11:41 When I was a little girl, I looked at the Bible, 11:45 it was such a large book with the big letters. 11:49 Foreign language 11:53 My grandparents always prayed for me 11:56 and I think that is why I was interested in Bible. 12:03 I have always been interested in religious radio programs. 12:07 I listened to anything that spoke about God, 12:11 even Muslim programs. 12:13 Foreign language 12:22 So you always had this desire from young person 12:26 to get, know more about religion. 12:30 Foreign language 12:33 So how long was your search? 12:36 Foreign language 12:40 I was trying to read the Bible, 12:41 but we move to Novomoskovsk and the Bible stayed 12:45 with my grandparents in the Khalkhas. 12:49 So we had no Bible to read and we forgot all about it. 12:56 So you did your searching started out 12:58 during the time of communism? 13:01 Yes, during that time it was forbidden 13:05 to have a Bible in the house. 13:07 We found a really old and tattered Bible. 13:10 Somebody had given it to my parents. 13:13 We were afraid to show it to anyone. 13:16 We weren't really interested in reading it at that time. 13:21 It's hard for me to imagine 13:22 that reading the Bible is a hard thing to do 13:25 or a dangerous thing to do. 13:27 Can you tell me a little more about that? 13:30 Where did you go, how did you find the Bible 13:32 or study or do anything like that? 13:37 Yes, we were trying to read the Bible, 13:40 but if anyone knocked at the door, 13:42 we would quickly hide the Bible. 13:44 So no one would know what we were doing. 13:54 Immediately behind me is where they kept the lions. 13:57 The lions for what you ask, well, 13:59 what concerns me is the lions for the Christians, 14:02 because the Christians died for their faiths, 14:04 on this spot. 14:07 It's hard to imagine that the Christians 14:11 who would not give allegiance to another God, 14:14 stood here on this location 14:17 and they let the lions right out of that area 14:20 and they were very hungry lions 14:22 and these people died for their faith in Jesus Christ. 14:24 But the good news is, it's only momentary, 14:29 because the Bible says, O death, 14:30 where is thy sting? 14:31 O grave, where is thy victory? 14:33 There is a home waiting for those people soon 14:36 when Jesus Christ return. 14:39 He's waiting for you and me too, 14:41 to give our hearts and life fully to Him, 14:43 fully to Him. 14:44 We'll have the courage and the strength 14:46 to follow him every moment of everyday. 14:55 We're not exactly sure who came through the corridor, 14:57 whether it was the lions or the Christians. 15:00 But one thing is for certain, 15:02 the outcome was always the same. 15:11 A few miles out it's the Island of Patmos, 15:14 it's a quaint and beautiful island really. 15:18 But it was a prison for John 15:21 and on the island as you go up the hill, 15:24 and there's a cave there and they think 15:26 that that's where the Apostle John stayed 15:30 and probably had a lot of meditative time 15:34 and quite time to write the Book of Revelation. 15:38 But Praise the Lord, he wasn't exiled forever. 15:40 Yes. Came back here to, apparently, 15:43 the place where we are now. Yes. 15:46 This little old city of Ephesus is nearby 15:49 and that's the place where John spent many, many years. 15:53 He was actually the pastor of Ephesus. 15:56 Really? I never knew that. 15:58 Of the church there in Ephesus. Okay, okay. 16:01 And he, he is a unique disciple of Jesus. 16:05 He was at that time one of the younger ones. 16:10 Peter was an older person 16:12 and I think of the time 16:14 when just before the resurrection, 16:17 or at the time of the resurrection, 16:19 they were running to the tomb and John ran, 16:23 but Peter was having a hard time 16:25 keeping up with him, 16:27 but John respectfully waited until Peter, 16:29 the elder one got there before they did anything. 16:32 I can almost start appreciating that nowadays. 16:34 Yes. Being behind just a little bit. 16:37 Well, John was known as the Apostle of love. 16:41 And his gospel is a little different than the others. 16:44 It is. The three gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke 16:47 are more narrative in story. 16:50 John's is more theological. 16:52 He talks about faith and the Holy Spirit 16:56 and love and in all of his writings 16:59 that theme of love seems to come through. 17:02 And I love the way he was so humble in his writings, 17:04 he never referred to himself, 17:06 only the one Jesus loved or-- Yes. 17:09 Always diverted attention away from himself. 17:12 That's right. 17:13 Now, John, John was also a person 17:17 that lived the longest. 17:20 He was, it was almost to the end 17:23 of the first century before he died. 17:26 Of course he spent many years on Patmos in exile, 17:30 but apparently after that exile 17:33 he was able to come back here to Ephesus 17:36 and to this area. 17:37 And apparently it seemed liked 17:39 he lived down his life here 17:40 and then actually the tomb is up over here, 17:42 what they say he's buried. Yes. 17:44 But this is a very sacred site to Catholics, 17:46 I know, because two popes have visited this area. 17:49 Yes. And also there is a place nearby here, 17:55 I understand, it is a place where Mary, 17:59 Jesus' mother lived and of course Jesus asked John 18:04 to take care of His mother, 18:06 when He was hanging on the cross. 18:07 That's right and of course John loving Jesus so much 18:10 would have done exactly that. 18:11 Apparently right through to the end. 18:14 To think that this could be the place John is buried, 18:17 you think of all the history here, it's, it's-- 18:20 Through the radio wave, that AWR, 18:22 God is reaching people around the world. 18:26 We'd like you to offer you an edition of making waves. 18:29 It's four of our episodes brought to you 18:30 from around the world. 18:32 God speaking to hearts, 18:34 the hearts of the listeners of AWR, exciting stories. 18:37 We hope that you'll share those 18:38 with friends and neighbors, acquaintances, 18:40 anyone you come and contact with. 18:42 Join us, to make waves. 18:44 It's completely free, 18:45 right now the information is on your screen. 18:49 For your free, no obligation DVD, 18:51 write to Adventist World Radio, 12501, 18:55 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, Maryland 18:58 20904 or call 1-866-503-3531, 19:05 or log on to www.awr.org/MWDVD. 19:12 Be sure to request offer number 10. 19:15 That number again is 1-866-503-3531. 19:24 It was much easier to listen to the radio. 19:28 We started to listen to the voice of hope. 19:31 I was really interested in voice of hope, 19:33 because it was the most simple and easy to understand 19:37 of all the Christian radio shows. 19:40 I sent a letter so I could learn more 19:43 and take the Bible correspondence course. 19:47 How did you ever find the AWR program? 19:50 It was by chance. 19:52 Tell me about that first time, 19:54 when you found it by chance? 19:55 Foreign language 19:59 I was so happy that we had the radio station. 20:03 It was a pleasure to listen, 20:05 I don't know how to explain it, 20:07 but it was so pleasant to listen 20:10 and learn more about Jesus 20:12 and I really wanted to learn more. 20:15 Foreign language 20:19 You said you accidentally came across the program 20:22 the first time but why didn't you keep the dial there, 20:24 what, what tweaked your interest to stay, 20:28 stay right there? 20:29 Foreign language 20:35 I was always interested in a program like this. 20:38 Foreign language 20:40 That's what feed my soul, it was like bread. 20:45 It was so nice, I was happy 20:47 to get something to feed myself. 20:51 It was so close to my heart. 20:54 Foreign language 20:59 So you wrote down the address, 21:02 you sent for the Bible lessons and then what? 21:06 Foreign language 21:10 I was really interested and was searching the Bible 21:13 to see if it was really right to keep Saturday. 21:17 I was attending the Orthodox Church 21:19 and I was asking the priest and the people 21:23 and even went to confession and ask about Saturday. 21:27 I felt like it was a big sin in my heart 21:30 because I wasn't keeping Saturday as the Sabbath. 21:35 Foreign language 21:40 The priest told me, 21:41 I forgive you all of your sins, 21:43 but I was waiting for more information 21:46 for the answer to my question, 21:49 but he didn't explain anything. 21:51 I was asking around about Saturday, 21:53 but no one was keeping Saturday as the Sabbath. 21:57 When I read the Bible and saw those words, 22:00 I started to keep the Sabbath myself. 22:02 Foreign language 22:07 But where did you get your first Bible? 22:10 Communism it was illegal, how did you get it? 22:13 My aunt sent us a Bible from Khalkhas. 22:16 This Bible belonged to some church. 22:18 My aunt was losing her sight and couldn't read anymore 22:22 because it has small letters, 22:25 so she sent the Bible to us 22:27 and we started reading this Bible. 22:38 Then you mentioned in the card, 22:39 then we didn't have time to finish it but a story about, 22:42 yes, Eusebius had shared it. 22:45 Yes, Eusebius is one of the early church historians 22:49 and he writes about the Apostle John 22:51 in one of his chapters. 22:53 He tells the story of how John had been away 22:56 from Ephesus for quite some time, 22:59 of the church that he founded here. 23:01 And when he came back to visit one time, 23:05 he discovered that one of the young man 23:08 that he personally had led to Christ had been following in 23:12 with bad company and had gone with them 23:15 and they had become bandits, 23:17 they wandered around in the hills here 23:20 and would attack travelers and so on. 23:23 And when he heard that this young man 23:25 had forsaken Christ, 23:27 then had gone off with this, 23:28 he could hardly contain himself. 23:31 And so as the story goes, though he was an old man, 23:34 gray haired, he took off climbing the hills, 23:39 looking all around to see if he could find this young man. 23:43 Well, when he got near the cave, 23:45 that of course the bandits had guards all around 23:48 and they took him prisoner and into the cave, 23:51 but the young man knew him 23:52 and told the guards that it was okay. 23:55 And the Apostle John, that apostle of love plead 24:00 with this young man to come back to Jesus Christ. 24:05 Why would he leave what he had learned, 24:07 and he just used every persuasion 24:11 that he could think of, 24:12 and finally what could the young man do, 24:15 but respond to his spiritual father, 24:18 the Apostle John, 24:20 and come back to the church of Ephesus with him. 24:23 And you know, that's such an example 24:26 of the Old Apostle, the Apostle of Love. 24:30 What an example for you and for me, 24:32 you know to never let a soul go. That's right. 24:34 Because it means eternal life or eternal love. 24:37 John was really serious about that, 24:39 he, too often I think we kind of let people drift away 24:44 and don't do anything about it, 24:45 but John was intense about maintaining 24:49 and keeping this young man in the fold. Amen. 24:58 In the second chapter, the Book of Revelation, 25:00 God specifically writes to the church here at Ephesus 25:04 "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 25:07 these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars 25:09 in his right hand, 25:11 who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. 25:14 I know thy works, and thy labor, 25:16 and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear with them 25:20 which are evil." 25:21 And he goes on to say. 25:22 "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, 25:26 because thou hast left thy first love. 25:29 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, 25:31 and repent, and do thy first works 25:33 and here is the reward of those for doing 25:36 the first works To Him that overcometh, 25:39 will I give to eat of the tree of life, 25:42 which is in the midst of the paradise of God." 25:45 What an exciting point. 25:48 Since you found Jesus Christ now 25:50 and the fullness of His love, 25:52 what does that mean to you? 25:55 Foreign language 25:58 I'm really peaceful in my soul 26:00 and I hope that somebody will take care of me and help me. 26:05 Foreign language 26:09 Lidia, I want to thank you so much for sharing today 26:12 and being in the rain out here but still staying, 26:14 thank you so much. Thank you. 26:18 It's going to be fun to be with you in heaven. 26:20 Foreign language 26:25 In that Church of Ephesus, 26:27 so many years ago in New Testament times, 26:29 the Christians did have some challenges in their faith. 26:33 We've heard those stories as they've been repeated. 26:37 We also saw in today's program, 26:39 the story of Lidia in Russia. 26:42 Lidia was a person who all her life 26:44 had sought to learn more about the Christian faith. 26:47 The Apostle John in the Book of Revelation 26:50 wrote letters to the seven churches. 26:53 The first Church was Ephesus, 26:55 this place where we're standing right now 26:58 and the counsel that Jesus Christ gives 27:00 to the church of Ephesus. 27:02 Part of it says, I know that you have persevered, 27:06 even though you have suffered greatly for my name, 27:10 but you have not grown weary, Chapter 2 Verse 3. 27:14 That is the characteristic both of Lidia 27:17 and the people here in Ephesus. 27:20 You and I want to be those kind of people, 27:23 won't you support Adventist World Radio? 27:27 I hope that you'll partner with us 27:28 to spread the gospel to these people 27:30 who are hungry and thirsty. 27:32 If you would like to do that, give us a call. 27:34 1-866-503-3531 or you can write us at 12501, 27:40 Old Colombia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904, 27:46 or log on to www.awr.org. 27:51 Thank you for watching and please, 27:52 join us again for another exciting gospel adventure, 27:55 because around the world, AWR is making waves. |
Revised 2014-12-17