Participants: Jim Ayer
Series Code: MW
Program Code: MW000042
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00:01 Jesus set an open door before the people of Philadelphia,
00:03 the church of brotherly love and said, 00:04 please walk through it. 00:06 Accept an invitation to me, get to know me. 00:09 Svetlana did exactly that. 00:11 She walked all the way through that door 00:13 and she found brotherly love. 00:14 She found fellowship with Jesus Christ. 00:16 It changed her life. Stay tuned and find out how. 01:24 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 01:27 these are the words of Him who is holy and true, 01:29 who holds the key of David, what He opens 01:33 no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open. 01:37 I know your deeds. 01:38 See, I place before you an open door 01:40 that no one can shut. 01:42 I know that you have little strength 01:44 yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." 01:53 In the Book of Revelation Chapter 3, Jesus gave to John 01:57 the revelation about this church, Philadelphia, 02:00 the church of brotherly love. 02:02 Unfortunately, this is all that is left 02:04 and this really isn't what was left from the time 02:07 that John wrote his letter, because this was built 02:09 in about 600 AD. 02:11 Nothing here left, but yes indeed there is, 02:15 because Jesus laid before this church the open door. 02:19 He set before them a message of hope and salvation 02:22 as long as they would hold fast 02:24 and hang on and they did. 02:26 It is the only one of the churches that Jesus 02:28 had no negative counsel for. 02:30 They truly held fast. 02:38 Philadelphia was founded by Attalus II Philadelphus. 02:42 He was known for his brotherly love 02:44 because of the loyalty he had shown to his elder brother. 02:47 This city was established as a gateway to Phrygia. 02:50 This area was at the crossroads 02:52 of several trade routes. 03:01 One of the greatest crossroads of ancient civilizations, 03:04 Philadelphia is in an area called Anatolia, 03:08 which is a broad peninsula that lies 03:10 between the Black and Mediterranean seas. 03:13 Called Asia Minor by the Romans, 03:15 the land is the Asian part of modern Turkey. 03:26 The building behind me is a gorgeous building 03:28 right here on the campus of Zaoksky. 03:31 It's a huge campus. 03:33 It shouldn't be here. 03:34 Years ago, the people went to Moscow 03:37 to try and get permission to start a campus in Moscow. 03:40 But the officials would have nothing to do with it. 03:42 Finally after much negotiation 03:44 and time and energy, they said, we'll put you out here, 03:47 virtually in the middle of nowhere, 03:49 couple of hours from Moscow. 03:51 What happened was a miracle 03:53 because people came from all around 03:55 to donate their time, energy, love and money to this campus. 03:59 Today there is over a 1,000 students here. 04:03 What a miracle to the-- testimony of the power of God. 04:06 There's another miracle today we want to share with you, 04:09 and that's the miracle of Svetlana. 04:11 She was tuning the radio, came across AWR, 04:14 and fell in love with Jesus Christ. 04:17 She came to the campus today. 04:19 We talked with her and-- you're going to be excited 04:21 and intrigued about her story. 04:28 We actually traveled for hours to get here last night 04:32 and Svetlana has been trying to teach me 04:35 where we are, and it's Zaoksky. 04:38 I did it. Was I good? 04:42 She's a real sweet lady and I want to thank you 04:46 for allowing us to come and talk with you today. 04:51 Tell me, sometime ago you were tuning the radio 04:55 and you found AWR, share that with me. 05:01 I was friends with Ivana 05:03 and she told me about this organization in Tula. 05:18 This was a while back when Peter Kulakov was around. 05:26 We were a voice of hope and I wanted to write them 05:32 while I was attending Bible studies here. 05:39 So I decided to write to Voice of Hope and within a week, 05:44 I receive a letter in return with Bible assignments. 05:52 I was extremely happy and I still have those books. 05:59 So you called our studio, or you wrote our studio 06:04 and then they sent you a set of Bible lessons. 06:07 You did the Bible lessons. 06:10 Yes, Bible assignments and a little book 06:15 and I studied happily. 06:17 So our studio followed up with you then. 06:19 Yes, it did. And -- and what happened in your heart 06:22 as you started doing those lessons, 06:24 as you read the material, what happened? 06:29 You know, when I wasn't living with my husband, 06:32 I heard it from someone, 06:34 I didn't remember who, about this seminary. 06:43 I study at a school here and I decided 06:46 to go to the seminary once I went 06:50 and then I went again. 06:56 Now, it pulls me in like a magnet. 06:59 Saturdays are my days and that's it. 07:04 So, you heard that -- that the seminary that was here, 07:09 that was connected in someway with the people 07:11 who were giving you the Bible lessons. 07:15 Yes. Now your husband, Victor, 07:17 he wouldn't come on camera, but he was listening 07:20 at the same time. 07:21 Was he also doing the Bible studies? 07:25 No, he didn't. The Bible is only in my hands. 07:36 But when it came to baptism, 07:39 I turned my baptism assignment in. 07:50 But when it came for him to answer the question, 07:54 he just walked out of the room, that's it. 08:00 None of your neighbors, 08:01 no one else around you were Christians? 08:03 No, they are not. 08:05 But, this program touched your heart. 08:09 Of course, very heart. This was unexpected. 08:20 After the great Babylonian kingdom, 08:21 the Medes and the Persians took control, 08:24 then was Alexander the Great. 08:26 He stormed in like a mighty man he was, 08:28 took over everything. 08:30 But he died in a drunken stupor. 08:32 After that time, his four generals 08:34 split up the kingdoms. 08:35 Cassander, Ptolemy, Seleucus, Lysimachus. 08:39 Lysimachus controlled the-- area just to the north of us. 08:42 Seleucus controlled this area. 08:45 There were squabbles and fights between them, 08:47 deciding on who would get what territory. 08:50 Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, 08:54 was a border town. 08:56 It was a military outpost, a military area, 08:58 to this day it still is. 09:01 But somehow the legacy of Alexander the Great 09:04 still exists because they grow wine, they grow grapes. 09:07 They worship the God of Bacchus, the god of frivolity, 09:10 the god of drink and wine and party. 09:13 Still to this day, we see the great vineyards around 09:16 and everything else. 09:18 But Jesus made wonderful statement 09:20 to the people in Philadelphia, to the church, 09:23 the people of God. 09:24 He said, "I set before you an open door," 09:27 and the people in Philadelphia walked through 09:29 that door to get to know Jesus Christ 09:32 better, and they certainly did. 09:43 Here is another story of hope 09:46 from Adventist World Radio. 09:48 Prabha was ready to take her own life. 09:51 She had two small children and was abandoned 09:53 by her husband, and because her family 09:56 was too poor to help, Prabha had nowhere else to go. 09:59 Overcome by disappointment and grief, 10:02 she decided to commit suicide. 10:05 But that night, she says, was a great turning point 10:08 while tuning her radio, she stumbled 10:10 on a broadcast from Adventist World Radio. 10:13 Being a lifelong Hindu, she had never before heard 10:15 of a Christ who cared for her. 10:18 With a new hope in her heart, 10:19 Prabha decided to live for God. 10:22 So, she says, I'm sure I have a job 10:24 to do for the people who are like me on the edge of death. 10:31 Adventist World Radio shares the hope of Christ 10:34 with millions of people everyday 10:37 in their own languages. 10:39 For more information, visit awr.org. 10:45 As you can see AWR is frontline mission radio. 10:49 Our first priority is to travel 10:51 where missionaries cannot go. 10:54 We broadcast 1,000s of hours each day 10:56 in 70 major languages of the world. 11:00 AWR has the capability and capacity 11:02 of blanketing almost 80% of the world's population. 11:06 Not only do we broadcast via shortwave radio, 11:09 but our signal is on over 1000 FM and AM stations 11:13 around the world as well. 11:15 Our podcast subscribers, internet users, 11:17 satellite downlinks are growing rapidly 11:20 evidenced by the 100,000 plus emails, 11:23 letters and phone calls we receive each and every year. 11:27 Yes, AWR is your mission radio. 11:31 No walls and no borders, 11:32 for AWR that means change lives and change hearts 11:35 around the world because God is using 11:38 the airwaves of AWR to reach people everywhere. 11:51 After its conquest by Rome in the 2nd BC, 11:54 Asia Minor enjoyed centuries of peace. 11:58 During the middle ages, as part of the Byzantine Empire, 12:01 it became a center of Christianity 12:03 and the guardian of the Greek and Roman cultures. 12:06 One of the chief medieval trade routes 12:08 passed through the region. 12:10 As the power of the empire declined, 12:13 Arabs and Mongols invaded. 12:15 In the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered 12:18 the peninsula and made Istanbul, 12:20 then known as Constantinople, the capital. 12:23 The Ottoman Empire lasted until 1922. 12:30 The concept of brotherly love is not exclusive 12:33 to the church in Philadelphia, but was known to Christians 12:36 throughout the Eastern Roman Empire. 12:39 And so was singled out to John 12:41 in his vision of the seven churches, as an example. 12:47 For centuries, Turkey was the center of Christianity. 12:51 Today the area is populated by a kind, hardworking people. 13:02 Constantine is perhaps best known for being 13:04 the first Christian Roman Emperor. 13:06 His reign was certainly a turning point 13:08 for the Christian Church. 13:10 In 313, Constantine announced toleration 13:13 of Christianity in the Edict of Milan, 13:16 which removed penalties for professing Christianity. 13:29 You had spent years under communism 13:33 where God was outlawed, 13:35 but now you found Jesus Christ. 13:52 Yes. I was in a serious car accident. 13:56 I couldn't walk and I couldn't stand. 14:17 I was also in a serious construction injury, 14:20 where I went under a serious surgery. 14:39 So you have a lot to thank the Lord for it. 14:44 Yes. I always thank God no matter what, forever. 14:51 You told me that-- you used to pack a gun 14:54 and you used to guard a store. 14:59 Yes, I had to. I work at this place for the government 15:04 on the way to Moscow, where without a rifle 15:08 you can't take a step. 15:10 You look like a sweet lady, would you've shot anybody? 15:15 I had to. Yes. You. But I always shot at the legs. 15:28 I had to guard trains and people tried stealing. 15:38 I had to run and chase them away. 15:43 We couldn't come to your home today, 15:45 because you said, maybe it would cause 15:48 problems with the neighbors and maybe later on 15:50 the neighbors would break yours windows and things. 15:55 Yes, anything can happen because they are all drunks 16:00 and they are all unfortunate. 16:10 One of the world's greatest architectural achievements 16:12 is the Hagia Sophia, a Christian Church. 16:16 Unfortunately, nothing remains 16:17 of the original Hagia Sophia, which was built on this site 16:21 in the 4th century by Constantine the Great. 16:25 Constantine was the first Christian Emperor 16:27 and the founder of the City of Constantinople, 16:29 which was called the new Rome. 16:32 The Hagia Sophia was one of several 16:34 great churches he built in important cities 16:37 throughout his empire. 16:42 Following the destruction of Constantine's church, 16:44 a second was built by his son, Constantius 16:47 and the Emperor Theodosius the Great. 16:51 This second Church was burnt down during 16:52 the Nika riots of 532, though fragments 16:55 of it have been excavated and can be seen today. 17:01 Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in her present form 17:04 between 532 and 537 under the personal 17:08 supervision of Emperor Justinian I. 17:11 After completion, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, 17:13 "Solomon, I have out done thee." 17:19 Justinian's basilica was at once the culminating 17:22 architectural achievement of late antiquity, 17:24 and the first masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. 17:28 Its influence both architecturally and liturgically 17:32 was widespread and enduring 17:34 in the Eastern Orthodox Roman Catholic 17:36 and Muslim worlds alike. 17:42 Through the radio waves of AWR, God 17:45 is reaching people around the world. 17:48 We'd like to offer you an edition of Making Waves. 17:51 It's four of our episodes brought 17:52 to you from around the world. 17:55 God speaking to hearts, the hearts of the listeners of AWR, 17:58 exciting stories. We hope that you share those 18:01 with friends and neighbors, acquaintances, 18:03 anyone you come in contact with. 18:04 Join us to make waves. 18:06 It's completely free. 18:08 Right now the information is on your screen. 18:11 For your free, no obligation DVD, 18:13 write to Adventist World Radio, 12501 18:17 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, 18:19 Maryland 20904 or call 1-866-503-3531 18:27 or log on to www.awr.org/MWDVD. 18:34 Be sure to request offer number 10. 18:37 That number again is 1-866-503-3531. 18:45 Here is another story of hope 18:47 from Adventist World Radio. 18:50 Tong hated his life. 18:51 All the ways on edge. 18:53 He often found himself angry at the actions of others. 18:56 I lived under the control of people's words, he says. 18:59 The anger and hopelessness led Tong to wonder 19:02 if anyone would miss him if he killed himself. 19:06 A classmate suggested Tong tune in 19:08 to Adventist World Radio. 19:09 Listening that night, Tong heard, 19:11 for the first time, 19:12 of a God who loved him unconditionally. 19:15 That night I got back my life, he says. 19:19 Tong knows there are many others 19:20 like him in China, iving in hopelessness, 19:23 believing that no one loves them. 19:25 I pray they find God soon, he says. 19:28 Jesus will help them to leave the world of sin. 19:34 Adventist World Radio shares the hope of Christ 19:37 with millions of people everyday. 19:40 For more information visit awr.org. 19:49 The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed 19:51 I as a rival to Hagia Sophia. 19:55 Construction on the Mosque began in 1609 19:58 and took seven years. 20:00 Sultan Ahmed died only a year after 20:02 the completion of his masterpiece at age 27. 20:06 He's buried just outside the mosque 20:08 with his wife and three sons. 20:12 These magnificent buildings in modern day Istanbul 20:15 are the accomplishments of men 20:16 who wished to be great 20:17 and remembered here on earth. 20:19 In contrast, the remains of the church 20:22 in Philadelphia is just rubble. 20:24 Yet the faithfulness of the believers 20:26 are remembered by Christians throughout history. 20:40 Our Making Waves team has visited 20:41 many places in the world. 20:43 And we've seen the stronghold of Hinduism. 20:46 We've been to the areas of Buddhism. 20:49 Here in the area of Islam, 20:51 even though this is a free state 20:53 at the moment, there is pressure 20:54 that is building to close it down. 20:56 We just came from Ukraine and Russia 20:59 where for a while Russia was open, 21:01 but it's starting to close. 21:02 How long are these places going to be open? 21:05 How long is it going to be possible 21:07 to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 21:11 Unfortunately, it seems like in many of these areas, 21:13 the opportunity is fading rapidly. 21:16 I hope you'll help us to spread the gospel soon. 21:25 Tell me as we're closing, 21:26 what has AWR and the Gospel meant to you. 21:32 How has it really changed your life? 21:38 You know, I receive a calendar 21:41 with Jesus Christ on it. 21:49 One day I felt sick and I pray and he answered my prayers. 22:02 I felt his touch and this calendar 22:06 had a picture of a young boy 22:08 and a girl and I felt that 22:10 Jesus touched me the same way. 22:17 So, Jesus has touched your heart. 22:21 And now, we're all brothers and sisters in Christ. 22:25 Of course, yes. 22:28 There is a better world to come in, yes. 22:36 Seems like you've had kind of a hard life? 22:40 And it still is. 22:41 Well, can I give you a hug now? 22:46 Wow, I got a kiss too. 22:48 Hope my wife hopefully won't see the kiss. 22:52 Thank you for coming today and sharing. 22:54 Thank you, thank all of you. 23:01 I'm going through a lot of pain right now. 23:07 Ben, why don't you join us? 23:09 Come on and let's pray for her here. 23:13 We have Dr. Schoun to help pray for us here. 23:18 No, now we got-- 23:19 Now, we got the team, and you get a kiss too. 23:26 So do you have a radio like this one? 23:29 No. What is your radio like? 23:32 We don't have a radio. We don't have anything. 23:37 Everything is broken. 23:40 Well, I tell you what, 23:43 we maybe able to provide you a radio, 23:50 you can take this that's another kiss, Oh God 23:58 Thank you. 24:01 So, let's-- let's bow our heads 24:03 and have a prayer together, okay. 24:10 Okay, let's pray. 24:13 Our loving Father in heaven, 24:16 we thank You for this opportunity 24:18 to hear the story of Svetlana 24:21 and we thank You that You have brought her 24:24 to the family of God. 24:25 And now we uplift before You, 24:27 the fact that she needs healing in her back. 24:30 And Lord, we just pray that Your Holy Spirit 24:33 will be poured out upon her and her husband. 24:36 That You will be close to them 24:38 and that Your healing power would be felt by them. 24:41 And someday very soon, Lord, 24:43 we hope to see each other together in Your kingdom. 24:47 In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, 24:50 we pray, amen, thank you. 25:00 Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love, 25:03 sounds like a good church to belong to. 25:06 They must have really had good relationships 25:08 with each other. 25:10 It kind of reminds me of the story 25:11 we had today in our interview, 25:14 Svetlana, although in her case, 25:17 we might say, she had sisterly love, 25:20 but then, I'm getting ahead of the story. 25:22 Svetlana and her husband lived 25:24 in the little country village of Zaoksky. 25:27 Her neighbors weren't interested 25:29 in God or Christianity. 25:31 But one day she heard, 25:34 and this was in the early 1990s, 25:36 that an old burned out building 25:38 was being turned in to a school 25:40 by some people called Adventists. 25:43 She also heard that these people 25:45 had a radio broadcast called the Voice of Hope. 25:49 Curiosity got the best of her 25:51 and so she turned on her radio 25:54 and tuned in to the Voice of Hope. 25:56 She liked the program and she listened day by day, 26:00 until finally the day came when she felt compelled 26:05 to allow Jesus into her life as well. 26:09 Svetlana had a special personal relationship 26:14 with Jesus, and with Jesus in her heart, 26:16 she felt closer to the people around her as well. 26:19 I know we've experienced some of that 26:22 sisterly love ourselves. 26:24 Well, Svetlana now says that, with Jesus in her life, 26:28 he meets all of her needs. 26:30 She had health problems and many other difficulties, 26:33 but Jesus fulfills them all. 26:35 I believe that one of her favorite Bible verses 26:38 is Philippians 4:19, "My God will supply 26:42 all your needs according to His glorious 26:44 riches in Christ Jesus." 26:47 AWR brings the hope and message of Jesus 26:51 to the people of the world. 26:53 Won't you help AWR to reach the peoples 26:58 and languages and nations of the world, 27:00 who have not yet heard the message of God? 27:04 The commission of Jesus was to go 27:06 ye into all the world. 27:08 AWR is working to do just that, 27:10 we're your mission radio. 27:11 If you'd like to partner with us, 27:12 give us a call 1-866-503-3531 or you can write us 27:19 at 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, 27:23 Maryland 20904 27:26 or log on to the website www.awr.org. 27:32 Thank you for watching. 27:33 Please join us again for another 27:34 exciting Gospel adventure, 27:35 because around the world AWR is making waves. |
Revised 2014-12-17