Well, good evening, everybody.
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We're happy that you're here.
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I'm delighted I'm here.
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I've just been in Melbourne,
running a series of meetings
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for the last six weeks and
the weather is nothing like
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the weather here.
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So I'm delighted to be here.
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Some years ago I visited
Nablus which is over in Israel
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and I got up very
early on the morning,
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in fact about 4 o'clock.
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I'd hired a car and I
was driving up to Nablus.
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Now Nablus, in
case you don't know,
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is in what we
call the West Bank.
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Now that's highly,
highly ignited area,
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it's where no Israeli would go
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if he values his life
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and up there you
don't hire a Jewish car,
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otherwise you'd get stoned.
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I mean, literally stoned.
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Make sure your
numbers on your car are Arabs
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because it's highly volatile.
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But I wanted to go to Nablus
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because Nablus is the place
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where Jesus met
the woman of Samaria.
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And you remember
His meeting with her,
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she had come down to
get some water at the well
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and Jesus met her there
and if you have your Bibles,
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and I hope you do, I
want to turn to John 4:35.
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The fourth Chapter
of John and verse 35
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and He said these
words to the disciples.
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John 4, after the woman had
left to get back to Samaria.
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By the way Samaria is
only within walking distance
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of Jacob's well.
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And Jacob's well
is famous, of course,
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for two things not only
because of what Jesus did
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with the woman at the well
but also going back to the time
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when Jacob actually dug it
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and the water is still drinkable
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after all of these long years
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and I had a drink of
that water there at Nablus.
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But Jesus made a
statement which I want to
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preface my remarks
today with John 4:35
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and He says "Do you not say,
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'there are still four months
and then comes the harvest'?
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Behold, I say to
you, lift up your eyes
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and look at the fields,
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for they are
already white for harvest!"
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In other words as far
as Jesus was concerned,
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the harvest was now.
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It wasn't in the future.
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And if those words
were true 2,000 years ago,
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they are even more true today.
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The harvest is ready.
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The harvest is
ripe but the problem is,
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Jesus stated the problem over
here in the Book of Matthew,
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the 9th Chapter and I'd
like you to turn there to
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if you wouldn't mind
talking of the harvest
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and the issue of the last days,
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Jesus said in Matthew
Chapter 9 and verse...
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Well, verse 37 and 38.
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He said, "Then He
said to His disciples,
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'The harvest truly is plentiful,
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but the laborers are...'" what?
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"Few."
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So when it
comes to wining souls,
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is there a problem with people
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that are looking
wishfully to heaven.
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Is there a problem with
that? Not a problem at all.
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There are plenty of
people outside who want to know
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the truth, they may
not be able to articulate
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that that's their need because
they don't really understand
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but they have a
longing in their heart
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there's something better
than they've got at the moment.
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And Jesus said here,
the harvest is plenteous
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but He said the laborers
are few and then He said,
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verse 38, "Therefore
pray the Lord of the harvest
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to send out
laborers into the harvest."
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So what is the need?
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The need is for
laborers and in the church today
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that's what we
need to understand,
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we need people.
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We need young people like you.
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We need men and women
who will devote their life
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to the work of winning souls.
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That's our greatest need.
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You know, I visited
India some years ago
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and I went there to
see a number of things
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but one of the
things that I wanted to see
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above all things
was the Taj Mahal.
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One of the most magnificent
buildings in the world.
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And I was intrigued and also...
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not only intrigued
but rather shocked to hear
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the story of the Taj.
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I remember it was
built by Shah, a Mughal,
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Shah Jahan for his wife,
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his favorite wife who died.
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And he was so
devastated by her death
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that he wanted to
build something in honor
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of his favorite wife.
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So when her remains
were placed in a box,
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he put this box in the field
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and then he began
construction of the building
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around the box.
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And of course as
the days went into weeks
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and then they went into months,
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gradually the grief
that he had for his dead wife
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was surpassed by
the desire to build
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and the passion to
build this building.
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And on one occasion he
was walking around the field
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sizing up the building
and his foot kicked this box
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and it was so
dusty and everything,
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it just threw dust all over
his shoes and over his trousers
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and he said to
one of the servants
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that he had there,
get rid of that box.
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Little did the Shah realized
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that the box was
the remains of his wife.
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It had been forgotten
in the building of the Taj
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because he had become so
consumed with the building,
00:08:00.48\00:08:03.33
he'd forgotten the
reason for the building.
00:08:03.36\00:08:06.61
Now when I read that experience,
00:08:06.64\00:08:09.85
I thought that's
exactly what can happen to us.
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That the church today existed
originally for winning souls
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and the greatest danger
is, as we have become occupied
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with the church and
building the church,
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all good, the same as building
the mausoleum by the Shah,
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nothing wrong with
that, but the danger is
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that in the
building of the institutions
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and the building of the church,
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that we can forget
the reason that we're here
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and the reason is
not the buildings,
00:08:51.44\00:08:54.15
the reason is
not the institutions,
00:08:54.18\00:08:56.25
important as good as they are,
00:08:56.28\00:08:59.16
the reason is soul
winning, to grow the church,
00:08:59.19\00:09:02.79
that's the reason we're here.
00:09:02.82\00:09:04.78
That's the reason
the church exists.
00:09:04.81\00:09:07.42
All the other
things are there to help us
00:09:07.45\00:09:10.90
in the work of winning souls.
00:09:10.93\00:09:16.49
And today I want to talk
to you on the characteristics
00:09:16.52\00:09:19.70
of a growing church,
00:09:19.73\00:09:22.90
because over the years
one gain some information
00:09:22.93\00:09:26.51
as one watches
what is taking place
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in some areas and what
isn't taking place in others.
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And I want to
suggest to you that there are
00:09:33.60\00:09:36.36
a number of reasons
for a growing church.
00:09:36.39\00:09:42.19
The first reason that I have,
if the church is not growing,
00:09:42.22\00:09:46.27
it's not healthy.
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In other words
it's a sick church.
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I have a little
granddaughter who some years ago
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was three years of age.
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She's a bit older than
that now but she was three.
00:09:59.29\00:10:02.71
And she'd come to me
and probably she'd say,
00:10:02.74\00:10:05.86
look at my drawing and then
because I couldn't understand
00:10:05.89\00:10:09.43
all the scribbles and
the lines and so forth,
00:10:09.46\00:10:12.26
just appeared to me scribbles.
00:10:12.29\00:10:14.73
I said to her, Gracie, tell
me what does that represent.
00:10:14.76\00:10:17.61
Tell me what is
this, what is this
00:10:17.64\00:10:19.17
and she would explain that the
scribble represented the trees
00:10:19.20\00:10:22.71
and this scribble
represented a house
00:10:22.74\00:10:24.59
and this scribble
represented the sky.
00:10:24.62\00:10:28.42
I would never have
guessed it, except she told me.
00:10:28.45\00:10:32.60
But I understood
at the age of three,
00:10:32.63\00:10:35.85
that's what I'll
expect of a three year old.
00:10:35.88\00:10:40.16
But now that she is
nine, if she came to me
00:10:40.19\00:10:44.48
with scribbles like that,
00:10:44.51\00:10:47.19
I know there would be
something seriously wrong,
00:10:47.22\00:10:49.49
isn't that right?
00:10:49.52\00:10:50.76
Very wrong.
00:10:50.79\00:10:53.01
And so it is with the church.
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The church is not
growing, it's not healthy.
00:10:57.50\00:11:02.55
And if the church is
still doing scribbles,
00:11:02.58\00:11:05.85
when it should be
doing proper paintings,
00:11:05.88\00:11:08.39
there's
something very, very wrong.
00:11:08.42\00:11:10.86
The second suggestion I
have for a growing church
00:11:10.89\00:11:14.52
is that the church
does not grow by accident.
00:11:14.55\00:11:19.58
It just doesn't
happen, it's got to be planned.
00:11:19.61\00:11:23.11
Just as a baby grows if it's fed
00:11:23.14\00:11:25.79
and nurtured and trained,
00:11:25.82\00:11:27.31
you see development, the
same is true of the church.
00:11:27.34\00:11:31.79
The third reason
I want to suggest
00:11:31.82\00:11:33.82
is that the Pastor is the key
00:11:33.85\00:11:38.17
to the growth of the church.
00:11:38.20\00:11:41.23
Now why do I say that?
00:11:41.26\00:11:43.32
Because he or she
must be totally committed
00:11:43.35\00:11:48.61
to the fact that the church
00:11:48.64\00:11:50.69
that he or she is
in charge of must grow.
00:11:50.72\00:11:55.67
They must be totally
committed to evangelism.
00:11:55.70\00:11:59.14
And unless we're committed to
that as leaders of the church,
00:11:59.17\00:12:02.55
the church is
never going to grow.
00:12:02.58\00:12:04.16
I'd like to think
of the paid pastor,
00:12:04.19\00:12:06.40
and by the way when
we talk about the pastor,
00:12:06.43\00:12:08.47
we're not necessarily
talking about the paid pastor.
00:12:08.50\00:12:11.14
There are two groups of pastors.
00:12:11.17\00:12:14.47
There is that
group that are paid,
00:12:14.50\00:12:16.49
that's the small group,
00:12:16.52\00:12:18.13
but then there is the
rest of us who're not paid
00:12:18.16\00:12:21.41
but we are called to
do the work of ministry,
00:12:21.44\00:12:24.41
to do the work of a pastor.
00:12:24.44\00:12:28.30
And we've all
got to work together.
00:12:28.33\00:12:31.51
And the paid
pastor is really the CEO,
00:12:31.54\00:12:36.04
if I could use
the business model,
00:12:36.07\00:12:39.31
the CEO of the church.
00:12:39.34\00:12:41.64
He sets the tone, he
sets the bias of the church
00:12:41.67\00:12:46.67
and if he has that bias,
the church will have that bias.
00:12:46.70\00:12:51.21
I was talking to a
pastor just recently
00:12:51.24\00:12:53.80
who was very successful
and is very successful
00:12:53.83\00:12:58.74
in growing his church.
00:12:58.77\00:13:01.09
And he told me that
the successful pastor,
00:13:01.12\00:13:03.33
he must breathe evangelism.
00:13:03.36\00:13:06.27
Now I like that expression.
00:13:06.30\00:13:07.74
He went on to say that
he sees the pastor as the...
00:13:07.77\00:13:14.13
what should we say, the...
00:13:14.16\00:13:16.16
playing coach, not
just a coach he said
00:13:16.19\00:13:18.69
but the coach must
be a playing coach.
00:13:18.72\00:13:21.07
He must get in the
trenches with the members,
00:13:21.10\00:13:23.87
he must do what he
expects the members to do
00:13:23.90\00:13:26.82
and if he expects the members
to get out door knocking,
00:13:26.85\00:13:29.19
he must get out and
do some door knocking.
00:13:29.22\00:13:32.05
If he expects the
members to entertain,
00:13:32.08\00:13:36.34
he must entertain.
00:13:36.37\00:13:38.66
He must be in the
trenches with the members.
00:13:38.69\00:13:44.25
Another in characteristic
of a pastor who is having,
00:13:44.28\00:13:48.80
has a growing church is
that the pastor must believe
00:13:48.83\00:13:51.87
in the Adventist
message, and must preach
00:13:51.90\00:13:55.47
the Adventist message
and preach it regularly.
00:13:55.50\00:13:58.94
And he must have a strong,
00:13:58.97\00:14:00.35
and she must have
a strong commitment
00:14:00.38\00:14:03.48
and strong convictions.
00:14:03.51\00:14:06.16
And if that
pastor has those things,
00:14:06.19\00:14:08.91
the church will get
catch that enthusiasm.
00:14:08.94\00:14:16.68
It will catch the
disease of evangelism
00:14:16.71\00:14:18.95
if I could use that word
because it is contagious.
00:14:18.98\00:14:23.89
The fourth suggestion I
have is that the growing church,
00:14:23.92\00:14:28.67
a soul winning
church will have a pastor
00:14:28.70\00:14:31.43
who trains his lay
folk to be soul winners.
00:14:31.46\00:14:37.18
I want to read you
a verse that I'm sure
00:14:37.21\00:14:39.30
you're familiar with
over in the Book of Ephesians.
00:14:39.33\00:14:41.92
If you've got your Bibles,
00:14:41.95\00:14:43.24
I'll prefer you to turn them up,
00:14:43.27\00:14:44.42
and not look on the screen,
00:14:44.45\00:14:47.68
because we have
television here but...
00:14:47.71\00:14:52.30
you know, I was talking to
my group today on Bible studies
00:14:52.33\00:14:56.51
and you know there is a desire
00:14:56.54\00:14:59.17
and there is
nothing wrong with this,
00:14:59.20\00:15:01.30
don't think that I'm having
a go at iPads and so forth.
00:15:01.33\00:15:04.64
But there are many of
us, in particularly the age
00:15:04.67\00:15:07.46
that we are
here who have iPhones
00:15:07.49\00:15:13.79
and iPads and all the
things that go with it
00:15:13.82\00:15:16.87
and you have the
Bible on the iPad.
00:15:16.90\00:15:20.98
Now I heard before,
there was a question
00:15:21.01\00:15:23.98
about memorizing scripture.
00:15:24.01\00:15:27.07
I want to suggest if you
want to memorize scripture,
00:15:27.10\00:15:29.26
that is not a very good
way to try to memorize it
00:15:29.29\00:15:32.30
because memorization is
helped by position on the page
00:15:32.33\00:15:38.34
and sometimes your
memory will not always be clear
00:15:38.37\00:15:42.38
as to exactly the
verse, but you remember,
00:15:42.41\00:15:46.34
uh, it's up the
top left hand corner,
00:15:46.37\00:15:48.10
I remember there
in the Book of Romans
00:15:48.13\00:15:50.54
but you can't do that
00:15:50.57\00:15:51.76
if you're going to
follow it on an iPad.
00:15:51.79\00:15:55.11
And so said I'm not
speaking, I'm not here
00:15:55.14\00:15:57.02
riling against
iPads because I prefer
00:15:57.05\00:15:59.07
you'd have an iPad than nothing
00:15:59.10\00:16:00.95
but the best is to have
the soul here in your hand,
00:16:00.98\00:16:03.94
get the idea.
00:16:03.97\00:16:05.01
So let's turn up
Ephesians, the 4th Chapter
00:16:05.04\00:16:08.35
and notice here,
Ephesians the 4th Chapter
00:16:08.38\00:16:12.39
and Paul is
writing here to the church
00:16:12.42\00:16:15.31
and he's saying in
Ephesians the 4th Chapter
00:16:15.34\00:16:19.55
that describes something
that's very interesting.
00:16:19.58\00:16:23.62
In Chapter 4 and you'll
notice here in verse 11.
00:16:23.65\00:16:31.12
He says, "He Himself
gave some to be apostles,
00:16:31.15\00:16:34.36
some prophets, some evangelists,
00:16:34.39\00:16:36.43
some pastors and teachers."
00:16:36.46\00:16:38.32
Now why did He
give all of those gifts?
00:16:38.35\00:16:40.99
Verse 12.
00:16:41.02\00:16:42.06
"For the equipping of the saints
00:16:42.09\00:16:43.49
for the work of the ministry,
00:16:43.52\00:16:48.09
for the edifying
of the body of Christ,
00:16:48.12\00:16:50.29
till we all come in to
the unity of the faith."
00:16:50.32\00:16:52.57
In other words, the text there
should not have a comma in,
00:16:52.60\00:16:56.19
other translations says in
order to fully equip His people
00:16:56.22\00:17:00.18
for the work of serving.
00:17:00.21\00:17:02.17
That's the work
of the paid ministry
00:17:02.20\00:17:04.80
is to train the church
members to become soul winners.
00:17:04.83\00:17:10.65
That's his primary
job, to equip God's people
00:17:10.68\00:17:14.40
for work in His service,
the New English Bible says,
00:17:14.43\00:17:17.68
"In order to get his holy people
00:17:17.71\00:17:19.37
ready to serve as workers."
00:17:19.40\00:17:21.26
Another translation
says, "His gifts were made
00:17:21.29\00:17:23.72
that Christians
might be properly equipped
00:17:23.75\00:17:26.05
for their service."
00:17:26.08\00:17:28.87
And let me read you
what Ellen White says,
00:17:28.90\00:17:32.69
"Let the minister
devote more of his time
00:17:32.72\00:17:35.38
to educating than to preaching."
00:17:35.41\00:17:38.96
Now I never
understood this for many years,
00:17:38.99\00:17:41.94
I'll have to confess.
00:17:41.97\00:17:43.58
But she says here
that our efforts must go
00:17:43.61\00:17:48.42
into educating
than into preaching
00:17:48.45\00:17:51.74
and I'm not
minimizing preaching,
00:17:51.77\00:17:53.24
I think preaching is
so very, very important
00:17:53.27\00:17:56.83
and we need to
become better preachers,
00:17:56.86\00:17:59.94
better preachers
and better preachers.
00:17:59.97\00:18:02.82
But that's not the
most important work,
00:18:02.85\00:18:06.47
the most
important work is educating.
00:18:06.50\00:18:11.97
"Let him teach the
people how to give to others
00:18:12.00\00:18:15.90
the knowledge
they have received."
00:18:15.93\00:18:18.52
And I'm challenged by that.
00:18:22.19\00:18:24.02
In fact most pastors
including myself for many years
00:18:27.34\00:18:30.91
devoted most of our
time to equipping ourselves
00:18:30.94\00:18:34.48
that that we could
become better preachers.
00:18:34.51\00:18:38.64
I have learned over the years
00:18:38.67\00:18:39.94
that's not the
primary responsibility,
00:18:39.97\00:18:43.29
important as preaching
is, and I'm not minimizing it,
00:18:43.32\00:18:46.65
I'm just trying to elevate
the necessity of education.
00:18:46.68\00:18:52.49
In fact she goes on to say,
"It is not the Lord's purpose
00:18:52.52\00:18:56.49
that ministers
should be left to do
00:18:56.52\00:18:58.28
the greatest part of the work
00:18:58.31\00:18:59.89
of sowing the seeds of truth."
00:18:59.92\00:19:04.37
That's why many
ministers get burned out
00:19:04.40\00:19:06.31
because they feel
all they're left to do
00:19:06.34\00:19:09.33
all the
responsibility of evangelism,
00:19:09.36\00:19:12.16
that is not the way it is.
00:19:12.19\00:19:16.55
In fact she goes on to say,
"In laboring where there are
00:19:16.58\00:19:19.20
already some in the faith,
the minister should at first
00:19:19.23\00:19:21.54
seek not so much to
convert unbelievers,
00:19:21.57\00:19:23.91
as to train the church members
for acceptable cooperation."
00:19:23.94\00:19:27.29
Doesn't it make sense
when you think about it?
00:19:27.32\00:19:29.87
You can do more as a team
than you can as one individual,
00:19:29.90\00:19:32.86
even though that
one individual might be
00:19:32.89\00:19:34.69
very efficient and
proficient and the best preacher
00:19:34.72\00:19:37.59
and the best
person that there is,
00:19:37.62\00:19:40.08
but if you've
got a dozen people,
00:19:40.11\00:19:43.50
you can multiply, your
effecting is far greater,
00:19:43.53\00:19:45.88
isn't that true?
00:19:45.91\00:19:47.52
It just makes sense.
00:19:47.55\00:19:50.06
And we need to as
leaders in the church
00:19:50.09\00:19:54.60
and I look upon you as
the leaders of the church,
00:19:54.63\00:19:57.78
you young people have
the church in your hands,
00:19:57.81\00:20:02.19
you are the
generation, the now generation.
00:20:02.22\00:20:05.65
And young people have
a tremendous influence.
00:20:05.68\00:20:10.33
The evangelistic
program I've just conducted,
00:20:10.36\00:20:12.53
we had young
people, a male and a female
00:20:12.56\00:20:15.06
do the introduction similar
to what we're doing here.
00:20:15.09\00:20:17.67
It was very, very effective
00:20:17.70\00:20:21.31
because it drew
other young people to come
00:20:21.34\00:20:24.91
and it's something
that's fresh and vibrant
00:20:24.94\00:20:27.92
and very wholesome
about young people leading out
00:20:27.95\00:20:31.22
and let no one despise
your youth as the Bible says.
00:20:31.25\00:20:35.19
You have a
tremendous responsibility
00:20:35.22\00:20:37.81
to take up the
opportunities that is ours.
00:20:37.84\00:20:40.84
Listen to this, "Those
who would be overcomers
00:20:44.80\00:20:48.12
must be drawn
out of themselves,"
00:20:48.15\00:20:50.82
listen to this,
00:20:50.85\00:20:52.95
"and the only thing which
will accomplish this great work
00:20:52.98\00:20:56.25
is to become
intensely interested
00:20:56.28\00:20:58.18
in the salvation of others."
00:20:58.21\00:21:00.21
Isn't that a powerful statement?
00:21:00.24\00:21:02.50
As you become
interested in helping others,
00:21:02.53\00:21:05.17
it'll help your own experience.
00:21:05.20\00:21:07.95
You become a different
person once you start sharing
00:21:07.98\00:21:13.12
and for your own salvation sake,
00:21:13.15\00:21:15.80
you must become involved.
00:21:15.83\00:21:19.27
"The greatest help
that can be given our people
00:21:19.30\00:21:21.97
is to teach them
to work for God."
00:21:22.00\00:21:26.34
Because an entirely
new experience takes place
00:21:26.37\00:21:28.92
once we begin to work for God.
00:21:28.95\00:21:32.72
"And to depend upon
Him, not on the minister."
00:21:32.75\00:21:38.84
If you think about
Jesus, what did He do?
00:21:38.87\00:21:41.54
He spent very little of His time
00:21:41.57\00:21:43.85
with the
multitude, is that true?
00:21:43.88\00:21:47.15
When you think about
it, Jesus didn't spend
00:21:47.18\00:21:49.86
a lot of time with
the large mass of people,
00:21:49.89\00:21:53.54
He spent most of
His time with the 12
00:21:53.57\00:21:57.46
because He realized that
the success of the church
00:21:57.49\00:22:01.77
in the future lay with those 12.
00:22:01.80\00:22:05.16
He was going to
leave and go back,
00:22:05.19\00:22:08.64
so His time with the
large numbers is fairly minimal
00:22:08.67\00:22:16.55
but He trained the 12.
00:22:16.58\00:22:21.81
"So long as church
members make no effort
00:22:21.84\00:22:24.28
to give others
the help given them,
00:22:24.31\00:22:26.27
great spiritual
feebleness must result."
00:22:26.30\00:22:32.89
No wonder some of
our churches are feeble
00:22:32.92\00:22:35.81
because very few
members are being trained
00:22:35.84\00:22:39.42
and being equipped to
do the work of evangelism,
00:22:39.45\00:22:43.00
that's why our soul winning
00:22:43.03\00:22:44.98
is not as high
as it ought to be.
00:22:45.01\00:22:49.28
And why our churches are
not growing as they should do.
00:22:49.31\00:22:52.45
Now, there are exceptions to
that and thank God there are.
00:22:52.48\00:22:55.65
I'm talking in a general sense.
00:22:55.68\00:23:00.62
The fifth point
that I'd like to make
00:23:00.65\00:23:03.29
today is the
healthy growing church
00:23:03.32\00:23:06.38
takes the Great Commission
as their modus operandi.
00:23:06.41\00:23:13.29
You know the statement
that Jesus gave over here
00:23:13.32\00:23:16.08
in Matthew Chapter 28,
the last recorded statement
00:23:16.11\00:23:21.04
that Jesus made before
He went back to heaven,
00:23:21.07\00:23:23.40
Matthew 28:18
onwards where Jesus said,
00:23:23.43\00:23:30.03
He came and
spoke to them saying,
00:23:30.06\00:23:32.17
"All authority
has been given to Me
00:23:32.20\00:23:34.15
on heaven and on earth.
00:23:34.18\00:23:35.59
Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations,
00:23:35.62\00:23:38.56
baptizing them in
the name of the Father
00:23:38.59\00:23:40.88
and of the son and
of the Holy Spirit,
00:23:40.91\00:23:43.08
teaching them to
observe all things
00:23:43.11\00:23:45.96
that I have commanded you,
and lo, I'm with you always,
00:23:45.99\00:23:49.16
even to the end of the age."
00:23:49.19\00:23:52.19
I notice that
there are four verbs
00:23:52.22\00:23:53.94
that Jesus used here.
00:23:53.97\00:23:55.09
First of all He said go.
00:23:55.12\00:23:58.49
Then what did He say next?
00:23:58.52\00:24:01.07
Baptize. Then
what did He say next?
00:24:01.10\00:24:04.96
Make disciples. And
then what did He say?
00:24:04.99\00:24:08.40
Teach them.
00:24:08.43\00:24:12.47
Four great verbs, go.
00:24:12.50\00:24:15.83
That's the preparation,
that's an indication
00:24:15.86\00:24:18.65
to my mind of the
preparation that we need to do
00:24:18.68\00:24:20.75
before evangelistic
meetings ever take place.
00:24:20.78\00:24:23.26
That's when we run
our five day plans,
00:24:23.29\00:24:24.88
that's when we run
our cooking classes,
00:24:24.91\00:24:26.59
that's when we run
our depression classes,
00:24:26.62\00:24:28.66
that's when we do
all the seed sowing.
00:24:28.69\00:24:31.46
We go out, we do door knocking.
00:24:31.49\00:24:36.37
We use the beyond
and any other method
00:24:36.40\00:24:38.63
that we can think of
that will get some interests.
00:24:38.66\00:24:42.68
That's the
preparation that we have to do
00:24:42.71\00:24:45.24
and listen, if we
don't do the preparation
00:24:45.27\00:24:47.34
before the program starts,
00:24:47.37\00:24:49.19
the results are always going
to be very minimal, always.
00:24:49.22\00:24:54.56
But some of us have learned
that if we till the ground
00:24:54.59\00:24:57.76
before we try to harvest,
00:24:57.79\00:24:59.66
then we naturally
get a good harvest,
00:24:59.69\00:25:01.93
but if we try to harvest
that which hasn't been sown,
00:25:01.96\00:25:05.07
we'll have very minimal results
00:25:05.10\00:25:07.18
and that's why
some people are negative
00:25:07.21\00:25:08.82
regarding public evangelism
00:25:08.85\00:25:10.40
because when the
public evangelistic meetings
00:25:10.43\00:25:12.92
have been run, very little
preparation is ever been done.
00:25:12.95\00:25:15.54
We blame the
evangelist then for a failure.
00:25:15.57\00:25:18.24
It's not the evangelist's fault.
00:25:18.27\00:25:20.90
It's the lack of
preparation that's been done.
00:25:20.93\00:25:24.33
But if we will
do the preparation,
00:25:24.36\00:25:26.18
then good results
will always follow...
00:25:26.21\00:25:30.07
always.
00:25:30.10\00:25:32.77
And we need to
do those four things
00:25:32.80\00:25:34.58
that Jesus
outlines in these verses
00:25:34.61\00:25:36.75
and it's a bit
like a stool, you know,
00:25:36.78\00:25:38.62
you have a four legged stool
and only have three legs on it,
00:25:38.65\00:25:41.81
and see what happens.
00:25:41.84\00:25:43.89
It'll never be
stable, you can't sit on it.
00:25:43.92\00:25:46.33
We need the four things
in order to be successful
00:25:46.36\00:25:50.66
in our evangelism
00:25:50.69\00:25:52.09
and we'll talk a
little bit more about that.
00:25:52.12\00:25:55.24
Then the sixth
point that I've got
00:25:55.27\00:25:57.50
is the growing
evangelistic church
00:25:57.53\00:26:00.56
has a leader who
has a very clear vision
00:26:00.59\00:26:05.06
of where the church needs to go.
00:26:05.09\00:26:10.30
Very, very clear.
00:26:10.33\00:26:13.26
And he's able to
convey that vision
00:26:13.29\00:26:15.96
to every person in the pew,
00:26:15.99\00:26:20.18
so that members
understand the vision.
00:26:20.21\00:26:25.71
You know the Bible
says without a vision
00:26:25.74\00:26:27.84
what will happen to the people.
00:26:27.87\00:26:29.75
They perish.
00:26:29.78\00:26:32.53
And one of the greatest
things that we can do as leaders
00:26:32.56\00:26:35.28
in the church is
to convey the vision
00:26:35.31\00:26:38.75
that we have so that
every person in the congregation
00:26:38.78\00:26:42.47
will get that vision.
00:26:42.50\00:26:48.48
My next point, point seven.
00:26:48.51\00:26:52.23
The healthy growing
church has clear goals
00:26:52.26\00:26:57.04
for the next five years.
00:26:57.07\00:26:58.40
How important that is?
00:27:02.20\00:27:05.06
What might those goals be?
00:27:05.09\00:27:09.64
Well, one of the goals might be
00:27:09.67\00:27:12.20
that we would
like to see this church
00:27:12.23\00:27:15.21
increase its members by 40%
00:27:15.24\00:27:18.13
over the next five years.
00:27:18.16\00:27:22.77
Now that's a quantitative,
it's a realistic number,
00:27:22.80\00:27:27.23
40% over the next five years.
00:27:27.26\00:27:32.20
That means that if we
break that down into five,
00:27:32.23\00:27:37.57
how much growth
would you need each year?
00:27:37.60\00:27:40.53
You're foundation members
of the math's class I can see,
00:27:45.87\00:27:51.53
some mathematician tell us...
00:27:51.56\00:27:53.90
Eight percent.
00:27:53.93\00:27:55.33
Yes, 8%, that's not
hard to work out, is it?
00:27:55.36\00:27:59.45
40/5=8, all right,
00:27:59.48\00:28:02.55
then if we're
going to have 40% growth
00:28:02.58\00:28:04.88
in our church over
a five year period,
00:28:04.91\00:28:07.77
we break it down into 8%.
00:28:07.80\00:28:12.76
So this year
we're planning to win 8%
00:28:12.79\00:28:15.76
to grow our church by 8%.
00:28:15.79\00:28:18.17
Now why is it
important to do that?
00:28:18.20\00:28:20.01
Because if we're
going to do that,
00:28:20.04\00:28:22.06
then we need to put in place
00:28:22.09\00:28:24.65
programs to make
sure that happens.
00:28:24.68\00:28:26.47
It's not gonna happen
just because we decided
00:28:26.50\00:28:29.04
that's going to happen.
00:28:29.07\00:28:30.29
It's going to happen only
when we make that decision
00:28:30.32\00:28:34.43
and then we put
into operation plans
00:28:34.46\00:28:37.51
that will facilitate the
growth of the church by 8%.
00:28:37.54\00:28:41.17
And I tell you, look,
8% is not a huge number,
00:28:41.20\00:28:45.62
because the
larger the church is,
00:28:45.65\00:28:47.35
the more people
you've got to help.
00:28:47.38\00:28:49.60
If it's only a small
church if it has say 50 members,
00:28:49.63\00:28:54.29
well, how many baptisms would
you need in membership of 50?
00:28:54.32\00:28:59.27
You folk are smiling
when it comes to mathematics.
00:29:03.23\00:29:07.21
How many 50?
00:29:07.24\00:29:09.65
Four. Yeah, four.
00:29:09.68\00:29:13.05
Now surely, four
members shouldn't be hard,
00:29:13.08\00:29:16.98
is that right if
you've got 50 members?
00:29:17.01\00:29:20.60
Dear, oh, dear.
00:29:20.63\00:29:23.49
The problem is that our thinking
00:29:23.52\00:29:25.12
is often being too small,
00:29:25.15\00:29:29.18
therefore I put into
operation all the plans
00:29:29.21\00:29:33.09
that will need to be added
if we're going to be successful
00:29:33.12\00:29:36.40
in growing our
church in the coming year
00:29:36.43\00:29:39.91
and those plans will vary.
00:29:39.94\00:29:42.10
For example, I think one
of the good things these days
00:29:42.13\00:29:45.01
is that we can
run depression classes
00:29:45.04\00:29:47.68
and down in Melbourne,
we had Cheri Peters come
00:29:47.71\00:29:51.56
and some of the best
interests that we got
00:29:51.59\00:29:53.81
came from her program.
00:29:53.84\00:29:56.77
Because you see people
00:29:56.80\00:29:58.78
who come to her
program have a need
00:29:58.81\00:30:03.22
and until the
person has the need,
00:30:03.25\00:30:05.19
I don't think they're ever
gonna turn their hearts to God.
00:30:05.22\00:30:08.55
But these people came out
00:30:08.58\00:30:09.74
and many of
them are studying now
00:30:09.77\00:30:11.91
and attended the
meetings all the way through
00:30:11.94\00:30:13.75
and are planning to be baptized.
00:30:13.78\00:30:16.07
Quite a few of them said to me,
00:30:16.10\00:30:17.51
pastor, we're going
to be baptized soon.
00:30:17.54\00:30:19.56
Wonderful, wonderful.
00:30:19.59\00:30:23.66
And it happens when we plan.
00:30:23.69\00:30:27.03
And not only that,
depression courses,
00:30:27.06\00:30:29.95
many people are
suffering from depression
00:30:29.98\00:30:31.79
in our society today,
00:30:31.82\00:30:33.26
and we can run those programs
00:30:33.29\00:30:35.83
because that's
all on video and DVDs
00:30:35.86\00:30:39.87
and you don't have to
know all the information
00:30:39.90\00:30:41.84
because the information's
been done by a professional.
00:30:41.87\00:30:45.84
Helping people give up smoking
if that's what you want to do,
00:30:45.87\00:30:48.47
cooking classes,
wonderful avenue,
00:30:48.50\00:30:52.34
when we use it evangelistically,
00:30:52.37\00:30:54.07
not just to
teach them how to cook
00:30:54.10\00:30:56.04
because if we just
teach them how to cook,
00:30:56.07\00:30:59.08
all they're doing is
extending their life a little,
00:30:59.11\00:31:01.56
to sin a little bit more.
00:31:01.59\00:31:03.68
So that's not our purpose,
00:31:03.71\00:31:07.00
our purpose has
to be evangelistic,
00:31:07.03\00:31:10.05
that we are
extending their lives
00:31:10.08\00:31:12.28
so that they've got time
to not only to live longer
00:31:12.31\00:31:15.74
but to get to know
God, isn't that right?
00:31:15.77\00:31:18.13
Yes.
00:31:18.16\00:31:20.58
And so we will have plans,
00:31:20.61\00:31:23.33
we'll have plans
for the next five years.
00:31:23.36\00:31:25.30
We'll then break that
down into three years,
00:31:25.33\00:31:27.19
into one year and when we have
plans like that in our church,
00:31:27.22\00:31:33.13
then there are plans
that we can all accomplish
00:31:33.16\00:31:39.27
and I talk to you not
because I'm expecting you
00:31:39.30\00:31:41.73
to be the paid
ministry at the moment,
00:31:41.76\00:31:43.23
some of you are and
some of you will be,
00:31:43.26\00:31:45.47
thank God for that
but many of you won't
00:31:45.50\00:31:48.34
but you are board members,
00:31:48.37\00:31:49.97
you are members of your church
and it's time that you spoke up
00:31:50.00\00:31:54.17
and helped on
your board meetings
00:31:54.20\00:31:56.20
and your business meetings
to talk about these things,
00:31:56.23\00:31:58.80
bring these subjects up.
00:31:58.83\00:32:01.11
It may be a new thought to some
of the members of the church,
00:32:01.14\00:32:04.03
but if you get
passionate about it,
00:32:04.06\00:32:06.08
it's amazing how your passion
00:32:06.11\00:32:08.69
will start to filter through
to other members in the church.
00:32:08.72\00:32:12.27
Eight percent
growth, and I have found
00:32:15.79\00:32:20.09
that evangelism is best divided
into three simple sections.
00:32:20.12\00:32:23.93
The first is the
sowing and we've been talking
00:32:23.96\00:32:26.62
all about these preparation
programs, the sowing.
00:32:26.65\00:32:31.24
And the better
the sowing is done,
00:32:31.27\00:32:33.03
the better the
reaping is going to be.
00:32:33.06\00:32:35.53
Then there is the
reaping and as we said,
00:32:35.56\00:32:39.61
it's no good trying to
reap what you haven't sown.
00:32:39.64\00:32:44.90
And it's no good sowing
unless you plan to reap,
00:32:44.93\00:32:47.15
isn't that right?
00:32:47.18\00:32:49.67
One of the strange
things that I have noticed
00:32:49.70\00:32:52.75
in some of our churches
is that they are very keen
00:32:52.78\00:32:56.12
on running all
over these programs.
00:32:56.15\00:32:57.60
This is not a new
thought to many at all.
00:32:57.63\00:33:00.79
We've been doing a
lot of these things,
00:33:00.82\00:33:02.33
but those same
churches often never reap
00:33:02.36\00:33:06.36
the interest
that they stimulate.
00:33:06.39\00:33:11.20
They get these people
on the cooking classes
00:33:11.23\00:33:13.89
and the depression classes
and maybe Cheri Peter's program
00:33:13.92\00:33:18.49
and this program and archeology
00:33:18.52\00:33:20.61
and all these other
programs that we can run,
00:33:20.64\00:33:22.82
but we never then
take in the next step
00:33:22.85\00:33:25.59
of trying to reap them,
00:33:25.62\00:33:26.66
that's where the
public meetings must be run.
00:33:26.69\00:33:31.99
And then the third
section, the sowing,
00:33:32.02\00:33:34.96
then there's the reaping
and then the third section
00:33:34.99\00:33:37.56
is the nurture,
00:33:37.59\00:33:39.50
because we must
nurture these new people,
00:33:39.53\00:33:42.12
otherwise they'll drop out
00:33:42.15\00:33:44.07
because we've got to
nurture them with new friends.
00:33:44.10\00:33:47.44
We've got to
nurture them to help them
00:33:47.47\00:33:49.97
overcome bad habits.
00:33:50.00\00:33:51.38
We have to nurture
them in all the things
00:33:51.41\00:33:53.64
that they need
to be supported in
00:33:53.67\00:33:55.68
when they have
accepted a new way of thinking.
00:33:55.71\00:33:59.36
That's where the
nurture comes in.
00:33:59.39\00:34:02.24
And those three things
must always be put together
00:34:02.27\00:34:05.62
and when we put them together,
we'll have great success.
00:34:05.65\00:34:09.71
I'd like to suggest to you
that a healthy growing church,
00:34:09.74\00:34:15.54
board meetings
are very different
00:34:15.57\00:34:17.48
to ordinary board meetings.
00:34:17.51\00:34:22.31
Very different.
00:34:22.34\00:34:24.26
A growing church
has board meetings.
00:34:24.29\00:34:27.60
We cannot do away
with board meetings.
00:34:27.63\00:34:29.89
When we're running a church,
00:34:29.92\00:34:31.30
you've got to have organization.
00:34:31.33\00:34:33.45
I meet some people who
always are bit negative
00:34:33.48\00:34:35.95
about all these meetings.
00:34:35.98\00:34:37.06
Now there is a place
we've got to organize.
00:34:37.09\00:34:40.58
You can't have everyone
00:34:40.61\00:34:41.64
running in different directions,
00:34:41.67\00:34:42.83
otherwise you do nothing.
00:34:42.86\00:34:44.59
It must be organized
but a growing church's
00:34:44.62\00:34:48.59
board meetings
are very different
00:34:48.62\00:34:50.07
to another
church's board meetings
00:34:50.10\00:34:51.53
because a growing
church's board meeting,
00:34:51.56\00:34:53.73
the first thing that they
discuss at the board meeting
00:34:53.76\00:34:56.32
is the soul winning.
00:34:56.35\00:34:58.61
And every
department that gives a report
00:34:58.64\00:35:01.45
then is reporting
on how they are helping
00:35:01.48\00:35:05.07
achieve the aims
that the church has
00:35:05.10\00:35:08.51
for the year, get the idea?
00:35:08.54\00:35:10.43
How is the Sabbath
school contributing
00:35:10.46\00:35:12.67
to growing our
church by 8% this year?
00:35:12.70\00:35:16.02
How the youth department,
how is that contributing
00:35:16.05\00:35:19.26
to the growth of the church?
00:35:19.29\00:35:20.61
What are they doing
to help grow the church?
00:35:20.64\00:35:24.14
What is each department doing
00:35:24.17\00:35:26.82
and that's what's
discussed at the board meeting.
00:35:26.85\00:35:29.19
Ahead of what color
carpet we're going to have
00:35:29.22\00:35:31.22
and whether we're going to paint
00:35:31.25\00:35:32.59
the church today or next week,
00:35:32.62\00:35:35.24
they are important things
00:35:35.27\00:35:36.70
but they're not the
most important thing.
00:35:36.73\00:35:38.31
The most important thing
is the evangelistic emphasis.
00:35:38.34\00:35:41.52
And so the first
thing that we discuss
00:35:41.55\00:35:43.64
on a growing church's
board meeting is the evangelism.
00:35:43.67\00:35:47.01
That's the first
thing on the agenda.
00:35:47.04\00:35:50.26
And then we relate that back
to our growth aims and plans.
00:35:50.29\00:35:57.21
Our budget is set,
the church sets its budget
00:35:57.24\00:36:00.82
with evangelism
as its top priority,
00:36:00.85\00:36:04.40
not just by giving a
few dollars at the end
00:36:04.43\00:36:06.74
when there's
everything else been cared for.
00:36:06.77\00:36:08.58
No, evangelism is
the most important thing
00:36:08.61\00:36:11.44
and if there's
anyone going to suffer,
00:36:11.47\00:36:12.91
it's not the evangelism
00:36:12.94\00:36:15.49
because that is top priority.
00:36:15.52\00:36:18.80
I'd like to suggest my
point number nine is this.
00:36:18.83\00:36:23.49
A growing evangelistic church
will have a public evangelism
00:36:23.52\00:36:27.58
as part of its yearly outreach.
00:36:27.61\00:36:32.14
Now I cannot
emphasize this too much.
00:36:32.17\00:36:35.70
Now you say, well,
it's all very well,
00:36:35.73\00:36:37.05
you love public evangelism
and that's what you do,
00:36:37.08\00:36:39.62
so you're going
to emphasize this.
00:36:39.65\00:36:40.93
Now, let me explain why it must
00:36:40.96\00:36:43.78
fit into every
growing church's program.
00:36:43.81\00:36:47.05
Any church that is not
using public evangelism
00:36:47.08\00:36:50.91
is not growing by very much.
00:36:50.94\00:36:54.48
Now you can have some growth
00:36:54.51\00:36:56.73
without running public
programs, that is true.
00:36:56.76\00:36:59.21
It'll be one or two
here, the youth of the church
00:36:59.24\00:37:01.21
and there's
nothing wrong with that,
00:37:01.24\00:37:02.46
that's
important, very important.
00:37:02.49\00:37:05.99
But if we're going
to see real growth,
00:37:06.02\00:37:08.47
you got to have
a reaping segment
00:37:08.50\00:37:10.95
in your church
program every year.
00:37:10.98\00:37:15.15
Not just once every
so often like it happens.
00:37:15.18\00:37:19.46
You know, I got to a church
00:37:19.49\00:37:20.55
and we run an
evangelistic program
00:37:20.58\00:37:23.35
and then they sit back
and don't have another one
00:37:23.38\00:37:25.94
for the next five years.
00:37:25.97\00:37:28.36
This is what happens
over and over and over again.
00:37:28.39\00:37:31.25
That's not the
plan that we have.
00:37:31.28\00:37:32.84
There must be a
reaping component
00:37:32.87\00:37:35.13
in the church
program every year.
00:37:35.16\00:37:38.59
Now when I'm talking
about a reaping campaign,
00:37:38.62\00:37:40.82
I'm not necessarily talking
about someone standing up
00:37:40.85\00:37:43.57
the front and doing it solo.
00:37:43.60\00:37:46.40
That is a very important
00:37:46.43\00:37:48.74
and a very
effective way of doing it
00:37:48.77\00:37:51.38
but it's not the only way.
00:37:51.41\00:37:53.47
Running Daniel and
Revelation seminars,
00:37:53.50\00:37:56.68
seminar evangelism
is very, very effective
00:37:56.71\00:38:00.94
and we've already got those
seminars, already done for us.
00:38:00.97\00:38:05.10
All we have to
do is to make a path
00:38:05.13\00:38:07.23
of our church
plan for this year.
00:38:07.26\00:38:09.17
In other words, if I'm believing
00:38:09.20\00:38:11.92
in a reaping
campaign as a pastor,
00:38:11.95\00:38:15.73
I'll work out and say
well, at this particular month,
00:38:15.76\00:38:18.93
for these two months,
00:38:18.96\00:38:20.03
this is going to be our
reaping segment of the year.
00:38:20.06\00:38:22.65
We're going to be
sowing here and sowing there
00:38:22.68\00:38:24.89
and we're going
to be keep sowing
00:38:24.92\00:38:26.50
but we're going to
have a reaping campaign
00:38:26.53\00:38:28.50
because the cream
that comes to the surface,
00:38:28.53\00:38:31.34
we can reap as that
cream surfaces, get the idea?
00:38:31.37\00:38:35.76
Because cream will come to
the surface at different times.
00:38:35.79\00:38:41.99
And as it does, we skim it
off and we're always reaping--
00:38:42.02\00:38:47.02
we're always
sowing and always reaping
00:38:47.05\00:38:51.01
and of course that implies
00:38:51.04\00:38:53.08
that we're always
nurturing as well.
00:38:53.11\00:38:56.31
The three things,
we're rowing the boat
00:38:56.34\00:38:59.72
with now three oars.
00:38:59.75\00:39:03.56
Two at the
front, one at the back,
00:39:03.59\00:39:10.15
keeping the boat straight.
00:39:10.18\00:39:13.23
Because each of those
things is very important,
00:39:13.26\00:39:16.93
vital if we're going to
have success in our church.
00:39:16.96\00:39:20.23
In fact let me read you a text
that supports what I'm saying.
00:39:20.26\00:39:23.67
It's found over
here in the Book of Acts,
00:39:23.70\00:39:26.67
the 20th Chapter, I
call this 2020 vision.
00:39:26.70\00:39:31.22
That's how you can remember it.
00:39:31.25\00:39:32.99
Acts 20:20.
00:39:33.02\00:39:35.41
This is talking about
the work in the Book of Acts
00:39:35.44\00:39:38.79
and how the church
grew in the early days,
00:39:38.82\00:39:42.36
in the 1st
Century and Paul outlines
00:39:42.39\00:39:45.02
how he grew the church.
00:39:45.05\00:39:46.52
It says, verse 20, "How I kept
back nothing that was helpful,
00:39:46.55\00:39:51.97
but proclaimed it to
you, and taught you--" what?
00:39:52.00\00:39:56.31
"Publicly and from--" what?
00:39:56.34\00:40:01.24
House to house.
00:40:01.27\00:40:03.29
There's the combination
of both things together
00:40:03.32\00:40:07.67
and that's what we must do.
00:40:07.70\00:40:11.14
We must have the personal
work as well as the public work
00:40:11.17\00:40:17.00
and unfortunately
often we find churches
00:40:17.03\00:40:20.05
that want to major
in one or the other,
00:40:20.08\00:40:23.09
but we've got to have
both as to have a balance
00:40:23.12\00:40:27.93
and that's one of
the strange enigmas
00:40:27.96\00:40:33.64
of many of our churches.
00:40:33.67\00:40:36.54
And today the idea
that public evangelism
00:40:36.57\00:40:39.39
doesn't work is a myth.
00:40:39.42\00:40:42.09
It's a greatest myth
that continues to be repeated.
00:40:42.12\00:40:45.86
And unfortunately
it's given some legs
00:40:45.89\00:40:48.28
because sometimes we try
to run evangelistic programs
00:40:48.31\00:40:51.97
and we've done
very little preparation
00:40:52.00\00:40:53.43
so what's gonna be the results
00:40:53.46\00:40:55.19
I don't care if
Gabriel was the preacher.
00:40:55.22\00:40:58.29
And no preparation is
done, very little results
00:40:58.32\00:41:01.61
will take place
because there's nothing magical
00:41:01.64\00:41:04.64
about just standing up
in front of an audience.
00:41:04.67\00:41:06.77
That's not magical.
00:41:06.80\00:41:08.32
What is important is to
have people who are interested
00:41:08.35\00:41:13.43
and who have been
prepared in the audience,
00:41:13.46\00:41:16.92
then you can do
something with those people,
00:41:16.95\00:41:19.33
and then it
becomes a reaping campaign
00:41:19.36\00:41:22.21
and unfortunately
some have tried to go to
00:41:22.24\00:41:27.59
Sunday keeping churches
00:41:27.62\00:41:28.90
to try to emulate the
way they do evangelism
00:41:28.93\00:41:31.78
and has never worked
in the Adventist church.
00:41:31.81\00:41:36.63
I've been to
places like Willow Creek
00:41:36.66\00:41:39.29
and churches like that and
it never ever has ever worked
00:41:39.32\00:41:43.88
inside the Adventist
church because our message
00:41:43.91\00:41:46.84
is different to theirs.
00:41:46.87\00:41:49.15
We are not just changing them
00:41:49.18\00:41:50.83
from one Sunday
keeping church to another.
00:41:50.86\00:41:53.61
We have to teach them a
completely new lifestyle,
00:41:53.64\00:41:57.71
a completely
new set of doctrines
00:41:57.74\00:42:00.03
and so with public evangelism
goes the teaching emphasis
00:42:00.06\00:42:04.32
and Adventist public
evangelism is different
00:42:04.35\00:42:07.78
to Sunday keeping evangelism
00:42:07.81\00:42:09.67
because it
involves a teaching aspect
00:42:09.70\00:42:13.98
and a very deep
teaching program.
00:42:14.01\00:42:19.33
Now I also
believe in small groups.
00:42:19.36\00:42:24.29
I believe that no
church is really going to grow
00:42:24.32\00:42:27.49
except it has a small
group ministry going on,
00:42:27.52\00:42:34.45
because in the small groups,
00:42:34.48\00:42:36.17
that's where the
nurture takes place,
00:42:36.20\00:42:39.71
that's where the
relationships are built
00:42:39.74\00:42:42.11
in those small groups.
00:42:42.14\00:42:43.88
And any church that
seriously wants to grow
00:42:43.91\00:42:46.57
must have small groups.
00:42:46.60\00:42:50.26
And unfortunately I have noticed
00:42:50.29\00:42:52.18
that those who
are into small groups
00:42:52.21\00:42:54.86
and we have some who are
very high on small groups
00:42:54.89\00:42:57.71
in the Adventist
church, and that's good,
00:42:57.74\00:43:00.63
but what's not so good
is that often those people
00:43:00.66\00:43:05.23
are not into public preaching,
into the reaping aspect of it.
00:43:05.26\00:43:09.40
So they're so high on
developing small groups
00:43:09.43\00:43:12.90
but they never do the reaping.
00:43:12.93\00:43:15.35
And then there are
others who want to major
00:43:15.38\00:43:17.59
in the public program
that they are not interested
00:43:17.62\00:43:19.96
so much in the small
groups, both are wrong,
00:43:19.99\00:43:22.97
because we need both to go
because one feeds the other.
00:43:23.00\00:43:27.36
I was in Melbourne just recently
00:43:27.39\00:43:30.85
and I went to one
of these small groups
00:43:30.88\00:43:33.67
and they were
actually celebrating
00:43:33.70\00:43:36.14
the communion
service in the small group.
00:43:36.17\00:43:38.48
Now I've never been in a
small group which celebrated
00:43:38.51\00:43:40.77
the communion service
before and I was very intrigued
00:43:40.80\00:43:43.51
by took place, very intrigued.
00:43:43.54\00:43:46.95
I saw there the
interaction with the people,
00:43:46.98\00:43:50.10
I saw the
encouragement that took place,
00:43:50.13\00:43:53.23
I saw the fun that they
had together as they laughed
00:43:53.26\00:43:56.43
and so forth together.
00:43:56.46\00:43:58.36
And then I
noticed that they affirmed
00:43:58.39\00:44:01.19
one another in that group.
00:44:01.22\00:44:04.41
And the social
interaction that took place,
00:44:04.44\00:44:07.20
no wonder they're
keeping their people
00:44:07.23\00:44:09.90
because the people
love meeting together
00:44:09.93\00:44:12.78
and then public program,
00:44:12.81\00:44:14.60
when it comes in
the church on Sabbath,
00:44:14.63\00:44:16.57
simply all the
church comes together
00:44:16.60\00:44:19.22
but the real work is
done in those small groups
00:44:19.25\00:44:22.22
and I want to encourage
you as leaders in your church
00:44:22.25\00:44:24.88
to get small groups going.
00:44:24.91\00:44:28.75
It's vital, it's important.
00:44:28.78\00:44:30.75
And by the way, small
groups are not something
00:44:30.78\00:44:32.92
that we've copied from
Sunday keeping churches,
00:44:32.95\00:44:34.91
they copied it from us.
00:44:34.94\00:44:36.32
Ellen White talked
about small groups,
00:44:36.35\00:44:41.87
she calls them cottage meetings.
00:44:41.90\00:44:46.21
And she said that the
cottage meetings are so
00:44:46.24\00:44:48.31
very, very important
00:44:48.34\00:44:52.63
and so we need to
follow her counsel
00:44:52.66\00:44:56.25
and follow that through.
00:44:56.28\00:44:59.73
And people are
best nurtured you know,
00:44:59.76\00:45:02.05
sometimes I have noticed
that some of our small groups
00:45:02.08\00:45:06.57
are groups that are
concerned with only nurture,
00:45:06.60\00:45:10.84
not evangelism, so
talking to one another.
00:45:10.87\00:45:16.38
Church members who
are only nurturing people
00:45:16.41\00:45:20.14
will never grow
strong Christians.
00:45:20.17\00:45:24.24
There needs to be
more than just nurture.
00:45:24.27\00:45:26.58
Nurture is
important, but there needs to be
00:45:26.61\00:45:30.34
an outreach as well,
00:45:30.37\00:45:32.10
because the nurturing takes best
00:45:32.13\00:45:34.60
as we read before as
we share with others.
00:45:34.63\00:45:39.72
As we help
others, we help ourselves
00:45:39.75\00:45:43.36
and nothing is more wonderful
than to be able to share
00:45:43.39\00:45:46.45
with something
else and I often go home
00:45:46.48\00:45:48.79
from an evangelistic
meeting on cloud nine
00:45:48.82\00:45:51.76
simply because to
have had the privilege
00:45:51.79\00:45:54.13
of speaking to people
and to see their reaction
00:45:54.16\00:45:56.72
and their positive reaction
and accepting the message
00:45:56.75\00:45:59.26
lifts my own spirits
and it'll do your spirit
00:45:59.29\00:46:03.15
just so much good
when you're visiting people
00:46:03.18\00:46:05.59
and you're studying with them
00:46:05.62\00:46:06.67
and you see the
light in their eyes,
00:46:06.70\00:46:09.40
suddenly adorns on
them what you're saying,
00:46:09.43\00:46:11.82
and it makes sense
they will tell you.
00:46:11.85\00:46:14.54
That change that takes
place in people's hearts
00:46:14.57\00:46:17.26
will encourage
you like nothing else.
00:46:17.29\00:46:19.99
And as Ellen
White has reminded us
00:46:20.02\00:46:22.04
the way to grow
spiritually is to help others.
00:46:22.07\00:46:26.62
My last point is
00:46:26.65\00:46:30.18
prayer is vital,
00:46:30.21\00:46:34.05
a vital strategy in
growing the evangelistic church.
00:46:34.08\00:46:39.03
Prayer for our own conversion
and prayer for the lost
00:46:39.06\00:46:42.15
in our communities.
00:46:42.18\00:46:43.70
I have been with
pastors who have taken me out
00:46:43.73\00:46:46.81
in their churches,
00:46:46.84\00:46:49.05
when we're
organizing evangelistic programs
00:46:49.08\00:46:51.47
and on Sunday
morning we've gotten up early
00:46:51.50\00:46:53.48
and we have gone to
strategic places in town
00:46:53.51\00:46:57.85
and we have prayed for the town.
00:46:57.88\00:47:01.69
I think that's a wonderful idea,
00:47:01.72\00:47:04.15
praying for the lost
and this particular pastor
00:47:04.18\00:47:08.13
used to take his
elders and his leaders up
00:47:08.16\00:47:10.60
and they would pray
at different sections
00:47:10.63\00:47:14.20
around the town.
00:47:14.23\00:47:16.01
Wonderful idea.
00:47:16.04\00:47:20.23
And if you'll do that,
you'll find the transformation.
00:47:20.26\00:47:26.71
Now I said there was 11,
there's actually 12 points.
00:47:26.74\00:47:32.39
What's the 12?
00:47:32.42\00:47:34.70
Every member has
an assigned territory.
00:47:34.73\00:47:38.97
You know, the
older I get the more
00:47:39.00\00:47:41.90
I'm convinced that
we all need to have
00:47:41.93\00:47:46.26
our own territory and work,
00:47:46.29\00:47:47.49
we've done that with
your upheld permissions
00:47:47.52\00:47:49.21
over the years and
it's been very successful
00:47:49.24\00:47:51.53
because if you go
back year after year,
00:47:51.56\00:47:53.51
my wife goes back to a territory
00:47:53.54\00:47:55.16
that they haven't
and they know her now
00:47:55.19\00:47:57.23
and they just give her
very large sums of money
00:47:57.26\00:48:01.42
because they've
gotten to trust her.
00:48:01.45\00:48:03.21
Now the same is true,
if you work your territory,
00:48:03.24\00:48:06.43
then you'll find
that the people will begin
00:48:06.46\00:48:10.07
to develop a
relationship with you.
00:48:10.10\00:48:12.39
And so we need to
have our own territory.
00:48:12.42\00:48:16.96
You know, I have a vision,
00:48:16.99\00:48:19.70
if I could borrow Martin
Luther King's phraseology.
00:48:19.73\00:48:25.60
I have a vision today
00:48:25.63\00:48:29.00
that every pastor in our church
00:48:29.03\00:48:34.41
will have a
passion for the lost,
00:48:34.44\00:48:39.65
not just the
administration of the church
00:48:39.68\00:48:41.73
but a passion for the lost.
00:48:41.76\00:48:43.95
I have a vision
where I see lay people
00:48:43.98\00:48:46.54
everywhere
supporting their pastors
00:48:46.57\00:48:49.37
and helping them and
being trained by their pastors
00:48:49.40\00:48:52.90
so that they can
go out to win souls.
00:48:52.93\00:48:58.10
And I have a vision
where I see the last great work
00:48:58.13\00:49:04.32
that's going to
take place on this earth
00:49:04.35\00:49:07.07
driven by young people
00:49:07.10\00:49:09.80
who are committed to this cause,
00:49:09.83\00:49:13.89
committed to
spreading the Adventist message.
00:49:13.92\00:49:18.87
That is their
passion, that is the other job
00:49:18.90\00:49:21.67
that they do is only done
to provide them with money
00:49:21.70\00:49:25.74
so that they can
do their passion.
00:49:25.77\00:49:28.69
Their passion is their main
drive in life, winning souls.
00:49:28.72\00:49:33.25
Everything else is
there to support that.
00:49:33.28\00:49:36.19
I have a vision and
I would like to think
00:49:36.22\00:49:39.55
that it's going to
start with those of us
00:49:39.58\00:49:41.62
who are in this conference.
00:49:41.65\00:49:44.80
As we go back to our
churches to inspire and to lead
00:49:44.83\00:49:50.90
and to provide an impetus,
00:49:50.93\00:49:57.78
because if we will
stand and if we will explain
00:49:57.81\00:50:03.31
our enthusiasm
and folk will see it,
00:50:03.34\00:50:05.67
it'll be contagious.
00:50:05.70\00:50:09.73
And I want to
encourage you as we pray now
00:50:09.76\00:50:13.41
that God will be
able to transform our life
00:50:13.44\00:50:17.08
not just into
believing what we believe
00:50:17.11\00:50:19.78
but in sharing what we believe
because Jesus is coming soon.
00:50:19.81\00:50:24.48
Is that right?
00:50:24.51\00:50:25.54
I believe that
and you believe it,
00:50:25.57\00:50:27.15
that's why you're here.
00:50:27.18\00:50:28.41
And I want you to be
ready when Jesus comes.
00:50:28.44\00:50:31.16
Let's just bow
our heads in prayer.
00:50:31.19\00:50:33.58
Our wonderful Father in heaven,
00:50:33.61\00:50:34.95
I just want to thank
You today for the privilege
00:50:34.98\00:50:37.73
that is us to be a
member of Your family,
00:50:37.76\00:50:40.87
the last great
work on this earth.
00:50:40.90\00:50:43.62
Lord, You have
called us from darkness
00:50:43.65\00:50:45.90
into marvelous
light and I pray Lord
00:50:45.93\00:50:48.39
that You will just be
continue to be with us
00:50:48.42\00:50:50.40
and inspire us and
enthuse us and just help us
00:50:50.43\00:50:54.65
to take the
lead in our churches,
00:50:54.68\00:50:56.78
to support our paid ministers
00:50:56.81\00:50:59.47
so that together we can march
toward that heavenly kingdom.
00:50:59.50\00:51:03.05
There are so many
people, the harvest
00:51:03.08\00:51:05.25
Jesus said is
plenteous, it's the reapers
00:51:05.28\00:51:08.48
and so I pray for
the reapers today.
00:51:08.51\00:51:10.75
Bless us now I
pray and be with us
00:51:10.78\00:51:13.58
until Jesus comes, is
my prayer for His namesake.
00:51:13.61\00:51:17.21
Amen.
00:51:17.24\00:51:18.53