Hi, I'm Wintley Phipps,
and welcome to our program
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Perfecting Me,
Becoming More Like Jesus.
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I'm so glad you joined us.
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My guests today on our
program are Ruthie Jacobson,
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Head of Prayer Ministry
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of the North American division
of Seventh-day Adventist,
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Pastor Errol Stoddart,
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Senior Pastor of The
Church of the Oranges
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of Seventh-day
Adventist in Orange, New Jersey,
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and Adly Campos,
Speaker and President
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of Family
Well-Being International.
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They'll be joining me
on our discussion later
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in the program.
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This program is
dedicated to the belief
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that there is
nothing more important
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or more exciting you
can do with your life
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than to become,
every day, more like Jesus.
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Every program is a celebration
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of how God's power
is at work in our lives.
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We trust you'll find
joy in being able to say,
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"Everyday Jesus is
molding me, shaping me,
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and every day,
He is perfecting me.
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Now let's get started.
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I have been
blessed to get to know
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a dear brother in the Lord.
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His name is Dave
Blakeslee, and Dave is a potter,
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a potter who loves the Lord.
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Let's go into his
shop and see Dave at work.
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God says in the
process of creation, He says,
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"Let us make man in our image."
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And I think, as an
artist, there is this process
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where we visualize something
that comes up out of us,
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and we either
speak it into existence
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or form it into existence
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and that's the
act of creativity.
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The creative
expression that I come to enjoy
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over the last 40 years is
making pottery out of clay.
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Delighted in being part
of a long string of humanity
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that has made pottery
for thousands of years.
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I love the idea
of pottery being used
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that I've made
with my own hands.
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I love the firing of pottery.
I love working with clay.
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Every aspect of
it fascinates me.
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Clay is
wonderfully soft and formable.
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It responds to
whatever impression
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it receives,
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and I just love that
fact that I can make anything
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I want out of it.
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It yields to my
hands, to the things
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that I see, I head for it.
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And I believe that we have
the same opportunity with God,
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who is a creative
God, who desires to form
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and fashion beauty and challenge
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and
opportunities into our lives.
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And as we, like
clay, yield to Him,
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yield to His hands in a sense.
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He makes beautiful
people, beautiful lives
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out of what we
might originally say,
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"How could this
happen, how could this be?"
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Before I turn this
clay into a vessel,
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to a piece of pottery,
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I need to go through a
process called wedging.
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And in that, I'm going
to cut the clay in half,
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slam it together a few times,
then go ahead and knead it,
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much like you would with dough.
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This is a
fairly forceful process
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in order to push out
any air bubbles in the clay
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and to homogenize it.
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And this is my first encounter
with this piece of clay,
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and the clay is
probably feeling that
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this potter's got a fair
amount of strength in his hands.
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There is a certain amount of
searching going on, on my part
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to check out the
quality of the clay,
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is it going to be useful for
what I want to make out of it,
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and I'm preparing
it for that purpose.
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This clay by in and of
itself is never going to become
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a pot, a vessel, a
pitcher, a platter, whatever.
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It's going to require a potter.
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It's going to
require surrendering,
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in a sense
submitting to the potter's hand.
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And we have to at some point
in our life agree with God,
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commit ourselves to
God, surrender to Him.
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What that means for
me, as a person, is that
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there was a day in
which actually at this wheel
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I decided that it
was time to follow Him
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for the rest of
the days of my life.
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And I submitted to Him
in that, and connected,
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in a sense, to His
Kingdom, and to His authority,
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and climbed up on
the wheel, if you will.
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At which point, God
began to work in my life,
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and I discovered so
many things about God
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that I never knew before.
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I discovered an
incredible loving Father,
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discovered the
wonder of His Word,
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discovered the presence
of His Spirit in our lives.
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That's a wonderful idea
that we could be fulfilled
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to the utmost in our lives
by yielding to God's invitation
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of, "Let me make you into this."
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We may not know
from the beginning
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what this is,
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but we're just
simply saying yes, yes, yes.
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And in the end we can look back
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and see all that He has formed.
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And what I'm doing right
now, this is called centering.
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I think of the centering process
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as the process of
becoming still in God.
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So the centering process
for me represents that time
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that I'm gonna spend with God.
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Now that may
sound rather strange.
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Does God enter the
room, do I see Him?
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No.
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Sometimes I feel a
sense of His Spirit.
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Sometimes I feel a
new peace, a new joy,
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sometimes I'm
inspired by a new thought,
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sometimes I'll read
something in scripture or a book
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that's inspirational about God.
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I believe that God
desires to communicate to us.
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This is not a very
exciting process right now,
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when it's the pot
going to be formed,
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but this is
foundational for a good pot.
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It needs to be centered,
the clay has to be uniform
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and still in my hands.
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It's important for us to
become still in the hands
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of an incredibly wise,
powerful, and loving God.
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This clay is
beginning to trust me,
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beginning to recognize
that I have a lot of strength,
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but that I'm gentle
in my approach to it.
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I don't want to
destroy it, I want to form it,
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I want to form it into something
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that it never
dreamt it could become.
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In the Book of Genesis
2:7, the Word of God says,
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"And the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground,
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and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life,
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and man became a living soul."
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For just a
moment, I would like you
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to imagine yourselves
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as an eyewitness to
God creating the world.
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I found that
thinking about God's
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unlimited
capacity for creativity
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will stretch your
imagination to its limits.
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Men build houses and skyscrapers
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out of brick and motor.
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God built the sky and
all the billions of planets
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out of nothing but
His word and power.
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There is no limit
to God's competence
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and creative thoughts.
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You know when
man creates anything,
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he need a starter kit.
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The cook in the
kitchen has to start
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with certain ingredients
to make her creation.
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And think about it,
every billionaire genius
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who has ever lived on the earth
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needed a starter kit.
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Steve Jobs, Bill
Gates, Alexander Graham Bell,
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the Wright Brothers,
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they didn't build
something out of nothing,
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they all started with something,
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but not so with God.
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God didn't need a starter kit.
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He is the only
one who can create
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something out of nothing.
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When the angels
looked at what God had made,
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they marveled at
His artistry and vision,
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and then to top it all off,
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God made man.
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God made us.
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Man was the crowning
act of the creation of God.
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Just think, mankind was
made by a master artist.
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And to help us to
understand the process
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He used to create
us, God in His word,
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likened Himself to a potter.
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Isaiah 64:8 says,
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"But now, O Lord,
Thou art our father,
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we are the clay,
and Thou our potter,
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and we all are
the work of Thy hand."
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Jeremiah 18:6 says,
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"Behold, as the clay
is in the potter's hand,
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so are ye in Mine
hand, O house of Israel."
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And then in Genesis
1:27, the Word of God says,
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"So God created
man in His own image,
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in the image of
God created He him,
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male and female
created He them."
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Friends when God created
man, He created us to resemble,
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reflect, and reveal His image.
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And not only His
image, but His character.
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And if there's one thing
in the world Satan hates most,
00:11:20.61\00:11:23.81
it is the image
and character of God.
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Wherever the
character of God is manifested,
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Satan is determined to
obliterate and destroy it.
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And he wants from wipe
from the character of man,
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any traces of the
image and character of God.
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His war is not so much with us,
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as it is with
the character of God.
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The great controversy
is all about the distortion
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and misrepresentation
of character of God.
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The servant of the Lord
says, "He who rejects the life
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and character of Jesus,
refusing to be like Him,
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declares himself
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to be in controversy with God."
00:12:08.86\00:12:13.73
God made us in His image.
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Now joining us again are
my guests Ruthie Jacobson,
00:12:21.97\00:12:25.21
Adly Campos, and Errol Stoddart.
00:12:25.24\00:12:28.48
I want to begin by asking
them about what they believe
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they know about
the character of God.
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Sister Adly, tell
me, what do you know
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and what do you believe
about the character of God?
00:12:37.35\00:12:42.52
First of all, I
know that He is loved.
00:12:42.56\00:12:46.13
He has shown us
in a very specific
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and wonderful marvelous
way how much He loves us
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by sending His
only Son to this earth
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so that we could have salvation.
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A profound deep love
00:13:00.91\00:13:04.25
that is what
characterizes His character,
00:13:04.28\00:13:08.55
a person as holy as it is God.
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Wonderful, and love is
the zenith of His character,
00:13:12.49\00:13:16.89
it is the pinnacle.
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Of all the
attributes of God's character,
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love is the highest.
00:13:21.43\00:13:23.13
Pastor Stoddart,
what do you believe
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and what do you know
about the character of God?
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Well, I always
reference the Book of Exodus
00:13:28.97\00:13:32.27
when God came
down to the mountain
00:13:32.31\00:13:34.14
to speak with Moses.
00:13:34.18\00:13:35.51
Moses went up on Mount
Sinai to commune with God.
00:13:35.54\00:13:37.78
God revealed
Himself as a God of mercy,
00:13:37.81\00:13:41.12
a God of goodness, a
God who is righteous.
00:13:41.15\00:13:44.89
I think about
God in terms of Him
00:13:44.92\00:13:47.22
being the good shepherd.
00:13:47.26\00:13:48.59
When I think of His character,
He is a nurturer, He cares,
00:13:48.62\00:13:54.06
He looks out for the sheep.
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And of course, as
was so eloquently said
00:13:56.10\00:13:59.00
by Sister Campos,
He is a God of love.
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All of these things are
really a demonstration of God
00:14:01.14\00:14:06.07
being a loving and caring God.
00:14:06.11\00:14:08.78
And it's
interesting when Moses said,
00:14:08.81\00:14:11.31
"Show me Your glory."
00:14:11.35\00:14:14.68
God didn't show him lightning
in the sky or fireworks.
00:14:14.72\00:14:18.55
God began to tell
him about His character.
00:14:18.59\00:14:22.32
And there's a
wonderful statement,
00:14:22.36\00:14:24.13
"The glory of God
is His character."
00:14:24.16\00:14:28.70
So wherever I look in the Bible
and I see the character of God,
00:14:28.73\00:14:33.74
I know it's talking
about the glory of God.
00:14:33.77\00:14:35.70
And wherever I
see the glory of God,
00:14:35.74\00:14:38.21
I know it's talking
about the character of God.
00:14:38.24\00:14:42.08
Ruthie, what do
you want people to know
00:14:42.11\00:14:44.85
about the character of God?
00:14:44.88\00:14:48.35
Well, Wintley, my husband
and I have a favorite hymn.
00:14:48.38\00:14:53.32
It's number 100 in our hymnal,
00:14:53.36\00:14:56.26
Great is Thy
faithfulness, O God my Father
00:14:56.29\00:15:00.73
There is no shadow
of turning with Thee
00:15:00.76\00:15:04.07
Thou changest
not, Thy compassions,
00:15:04.10\00:15:06.67
they fail not As Thou
hast been Thou forever wilt be
00:15:06.70\00:15:11.87
And you know, His word
doesn't return unto Him void.
00:15:11.91\00:15:15.54
He cannot lie, He is
faithful, He is trustworthy.
00:15:15.58\00:15:20.42
He is a God of love, a
God of mercy, a God of power,
00:15:20.45\00:15:25.45
and we can depend on Him
00:15:25.49\00:15:28.02
because His Word is
true, and He is faithful.
00:15:28.06\00:15:32.06
And I love that last hymn,
the last verse, and of course,
00:15:32.09\00:15:36.93
the whole song is a prayer.
00:15:36.97\00:15:39.20
Pardon for sin and
a peace that endureth
00:15:39.23\00:15:43.77
Thine own dear
presence to cheer and to guide
00:15:43.81\00:15:48.54
Strength for today and
bright hope for tomorrow
00:15:48.58\00:15:52.51
Blessings all mine,
with ten thousand beside
00:15:52.55\00:15:56.45
Yes, absolutely.
00:15:56.48\00:15:57.82
You know that to me,
that's the character of God.
00:15:57.85\00:16:01.12
Yes, is it necessary to
become like the character of God
00:16:01.16\00:16:07.03
to be saved?
00:16:07.06\00:16:09.03
Pastor Stoddart,
what do you think?
00:16:09.06\00:16:10.40
Is it necessary?
00:16:10.43\00:16:13.90
Well, I was reading a
book earlier this week,
00:16:13.94\00:16:19.04
and a pastor had a conversation
with a member of his church.
00:16:19.07\00:16:23.78
The member of his
church basically said,
00:16:23.81\00:16:25.25
"You know pastor, I really
don't want to be a disciple,
00:16:25.28\00:16:27.88
I just want to
be a regular member
00:16:27.92\00:16:29.35
of the church."
00:16:29.38\00:16:31.25
You know, this thing of
discipleship and all of that,
00:16:31.29\00:16:33.79
I don't want to
get into all that.
00:16:33.82\00:16:36.16
I'm already
saved as a Christian.
00:16:36.19\00:16:38.19
I don't need the rest of that.
00:16:38.23\00:16:40.33
And I think
that a lot of people,
00:16:40.36\00:16:44.27
who are Christians,
often have the mindset
00:16:44.30\00:16:48.44
that all I need to do is
to believe a set of doctrines,
00:16:48.47\00:16:53.51
to have a certain theology,
to ascribe to a certain,
00:16:53.54\00:16:59.21
you know, code of ethics,
00:16:59.25\00:17:01.22
and I don't need the rest of it.
00:17:01.25\00:17:02.92
Character of God
and all that, eh,
00:17:02.95\00:17:05.12
I could take it or leave it.
00:17:05.15\00:17:06.96
And really, I
think people miss it
00:17:06.99\00:17:11.13
because the character of God,
having the character of God,
00:17:11.16\00:17:16.46
demonstrating
the character of God.
00:17:16.50\00:17:18.03
And here is really is
00:17:18.07\00:17:20.20
reflecting the character of God,
00:17:20.24\00:17:22.60
that's the word,
that's the important word,
00:17:22.64\00:17:25.04
reflecting the character of
God because reflecting suggests
00:17:25.07\00:17:29.74
that something is shining on
me and it's bouncing from me,
00:17:29.78\00:17:34.02
emanating from me back out.
00:17:34.05\00:17:35.78
When we say a
mirror reflects a sun,
00:17:35.82\00:17:38.25
the sun is shining on the mirror
00:17:38.29\00:17:39.85
and the mirror
is reflecting back
00:17:39.89\00:17:41.62
what it takes in.
00:17:41.66\00:17:44.36
And so reflecting the
character of God says,
00:17:44.39\00:17:47.03
I'm taking God in
00:17:47.06\00:17:49.66
and is bouncing
off of me back out.
00:17:49.70\00:17:53.37
So I don't think
there's an option.
00:17:53.40\00:17:55.70
I think if we are saved,
00:17:55.74\00:17:58.01
reflecting the
character of God is a must.
00:17:58.04\00:18:01.21
Because it says, I
have Him shining on me,
00:18:01.24\00:18:04.55
He's inside of me, and then
He is bouncing back off of me
00:18:04.58\00:18:08.55
in my relationship to the world,
00:18:08.58\00:18:10.69
in my
relationship to the family,
00:18:10.72\00:18:12.59
in my relationship
in dealing with people.
00:18:12.62\00:18:14.99
That's beautiful.
00:18:15.02\00:18:16.36
Let me say, you know,
00:18:16.39\00:18:17.73
my three R's are
resemble, reflect, and reveal
00:18:17.76\00:18:24.47
the character of God.
00:18:24.50\00:18:26.53
We are called to
resemble, to reflect, and reveal
00:18:26.57\00:18:32.67
the character of God.
00:18:32.71\00:18:34.84
Sister Adly, is it...
Yes, now, Pastor Phipps...
00:18:34.88\00:18:36.78
Yes, go ahead.
00:18:36.81\00:18:39.95
The one and only thing
that we will be taking to heaven
00:18:39.98\00:18:44.79
will be our characters.
00:18:44.82\00:18:48.62
If we plan to be in heaven,
00:18:48.66\00:18:51.36
we must begin to
reflect His character here
00:18:51.39\00:18:55.90
and make it a must in our
lives to reflect His character
00:18:55.93\00:19:00.70
in everything we do and say.
00:19:00.74\00:19:02.77
Yes, as a mater of fact,
some people really believe
00:19:02.80\00:19:07.14
that you can live
anyway you want to live,
00:19:07.18\00:19:11.31
but you're going to come
up with the character of God.
00:19:11.35\00:19:15.18
Some people really believe,
I don't have to worry about it,
00:19:15.22\00:19:19.39
but God has called
us because He wants us
00:19:19.42\00:19:22.69
to grow every day to
become more like Him.
00:19:22.72\00:19:26.46
Sister Ruthie,
why do you think...
00:19:26.49\00:19:27.83
I don't think it's an
option. Yes, go ahead.
00:19:27.86\00:19:30.40
I don't think
it's an option, is it?
00:19:30.43\00:19:32.03
No, no, it is not an option.
00:19:32.07\00:19:34.30
And I jokingly tell people that
nobody's going to be in heaven
00:19:34.34\00:19:40.51
walking up to an
angel and saying,
00:19:40.54\00:19:42.61
"What did you say to me?"
00:19:42.64\00:19:43.98
You're going to have
your character fixed now,
00:19:48.12\00:19:53.25
you're not going to
heaven with an attitude,
00:19:53.29\00:19:55.49
you know what I mean?
00:19:55.52\00:19:56.86
That's right.
00:19:56.89\00:19:58.39
Why do you think the
enemy has been so successful
00:19:58.43\00:20:03.10
in not focusing
or in keeping us,
00:20:03.13\00:20:07.54
as people of
God, from focusing on
00:20:07.57\00:20:11.04
becoming more like
the character of God?
00:20:11.07\00:20:13.44
Why has he been so
successful do you think?
00:20:13.48\00:20:16.61
Sister Ruthie, why do you
think he's been so successful?
00:20:16.64\00:20:19.88
Well, I think one of the things
that he uses, Wently, is fear.
00:20:19.91\00:20:24.99
I think he doesn't want us
to understand what a loving
00:20:25.02\00:20:29.02
and tender God we
have, compassionate.
00:20:29.06\00:20:33.46
And I like something
that Pastor Blakeslee said,
00:20:33.50\00:20:37.97
he said, "God is
standing at the foot of your bed
00:20:38.00\00:20:40.90
when you wake up in the morning,
00:20:40.94\00:20:42.57
anxious for you to wake up
00:20:42.60\00:20:44.71
so that He can
spend some time with you."
00:20:44.74\00:20:46.84
I think one of the
ways that the enemy,
00:20:46.88\00:20:50.65
one of the
things he uses is fear.
00:20:50.68\00:20:53.11
He doesn't want us to
know that we are forgiven,
00:20:53.15\00:20:56.75
that we can be cleansed,
00:20:56.79\00:20:58.19
that the Holy
Spirit can dwell in us.
00:20:58.22\00:21:00.32
He lies about this. Yeah.
00:21:00.36\00:21:03.16
Pastor
Stoddart, why do you think
00:21:03.19\00:21:04.79
the enemy has
been so successful?
00:21:04.83\00:21:07.00
I believe one of the
reasons he's so successful
00:21:07.03\00:21:10.80
is because that
is his primary focus.
00:21:10.83\00:21:14.94
That's the thing he wants
to do more than anything else
00:21:14.97\00:21:18.07
is to efface the
character of God in us
00:21:18.11\00:21:23.45
because he is angry that
God made us in His image.
00:21:23.48\00:21:27.62
And so throughout history
00:21:27.65\00:21:30.85
that's what his focus has
been, how can I obliterate?
00:21:30.89\00:21:35.32
How can I destroy?
00:21:35.36\00:21:37.73
How can I deface the character
of God in Wintley, in Adly,
00:21:37.76\00:21:44.57
in Ruthie, in Errol
00:21:44.60\00:21:46.94
'cause that the
main thing he's about.
00:21:46.97\00:21:51.41
So tell me what you
think about that, Pastor?
00:21:51.44\00:21:54.54
Well, I think that,
when we look at history,
00:21:54.58\00:21:58.55
and I love history, I try
to be a student of history.
00:21:58.58\00:22:03.08
When you look at the,
even the early church,
00:22:03.12\00:22:06.79
when you look at the
message to the seven churches,
00:22:06.82\00:22:09.46
we see this
business of compromise,
00:22:09.49\00:22:13.23
the breakdown of
what Christ was all about.
00:22:13.26\00:22:18.23
There was this gradualization
into secularization,
00:22:18.27\00:22:22.64
there was this shifting.
00:22:22.67\00:22:25.61
And seemingly, the
church wanted to be more
00:22:25.64\00:22:31.21
like the world
00:22:31.25\00:22:33.21
in order to attract
the world, seemingly.
00:22:33.25\00:22:37.55
Or people who
came into the church
00:22:37.59\00:22:40.09
were not truly converted to
the principles of the church,
00:22:40.12\00:22:43.79
and the standards
began to be lowered.
00:22:43.83\00:22:46.63
And throughout history,
00:22:46.66\00:22:49.10
one of the great
challenges we see is
00:22:49.13\00:22:53.23
people who call
themselves Christian
00:22:53.27\00:22:56.84
badly reflecting
the character of God...
00:22:56.87\00:23:00.04
Absolutely.
00:23:00.08\00:23:01.41
And the character
of God becoming effaced
00:23:01.44\00:23:03.88
throughout history
as these great people,
00:23:03.91\00:23:07.98
who were to be
bastions of Christianity,
00:23:08.02\00:23:10.99
who were the
leaders of Christianity,
00:23:11.02\00:23:15.09
who in essence did
everything they could
00:23:15.12\00:23:18.19
that was apposed to
the example of the Christ.
00:23:18.23\00:23:20.96
When we think of the popes,
we think of the whole reason
00:23:21.00\00:23:25.30
for the reformation.
00:23:25.33\00:23:26.77
And I was reading
recently again about,
00:23:26.80\00:23:28.60
I did a series
recently on Islam.
00:23:28.64\00:23:31.64
And the fact that
the Prophet Muhammad,
00:23:31.67\00:23:33.58
one of the things that drove him
00:23:33.61\00:23:35.91
away from Christianity
because in his early years
00:23:35.94\00:23:39.21
he was raised with
tremendous exposure
00:23:39.25\00:23:41.78
to Christian values,
to Christian principles.
00:23:41.82\00:23:45.39
He had read his Bible as
a young person, as a child.
00:23:45.42\00:23:48.79
But one of the
things that drove him away
00:23:48.82\00:23:50.56
from Christianity was
the example of the people
00:23:50.59\00:23:53.76
who called themselves Christian.
00:23:53.80\00:23:55.70
And so whether
it's secularization,
00:23:55.73\00:24:01.40
whether it's the
need to make people feel
00:24:01.44\00:24:04.01
more comfortable
coming into the church,
00:24:04.04\00:24:06.31
whether it's
lowering the standards,
00:24:06.34\00:24:09.44
whether it's
people feeling like,
00:24:09.48\00:24:11.71
"I don't need to be
bothered with all that.
00:24:11.75\00:24:13.28
I just need to claim
Jesus and that's enough for me."
00:24:13.31\00:24:16.25
All of these
things, I believe impacted
00:24:16.28\00:24:19.19
the breakdown of Christianity
00:24:19.22\00:24:21.29
and what we
could technically call
00:24:21.32\00:24:22.96
the
secularization of Christianity.
00:24:22.99\00:24:25.06
Right, before we
leave, tell, each of you,
00:24:25.09\00:24:27.90
just give me one thing,
you think churches can do
00:24:27.93\00:24:31.33
to help grow
people to become more like
00:24:31.37\00:24:34.24
the character of Christ.
00:24:34.27\00:24:35.60
What's the one thing you
would like churches to do?
00:24:35.64\00:24:37.44
And we just have a
few seconds. Sister Adly?
00:24:37.47\00:24:41.71
Well, we need to teach more,
00:24:41.74\00:24:45.75
and speak more on this
subject of reflecting Jesus...
00:24:45.78\00:24:51.12
The importance that has not...
00:24:51.15\00:24:55.26
time now, us as Christians...
teach not to be distracted
00:24:55.29\00:25:02.26
with so many other
topics and subjects
00:25:02.30\00:25:05.73
that we are not
spending time with Jesus,
00:25:05.77\00:25:10.41
beholding His glory,
beholding His character
00:25:10.44\00:25:13.78
so that we can become like Him.
00:25:13.81\00:25:16.54
Unless we do that, we
will not be successful
00:25:16.58\00:25:21.48
in our efforts to
behold, to contemplate Christ,
00:25:21.52\00:25:25.79
and imitate Him, and reflect
His character to the world.
00:25:25.82\00:25:30.06
So well said,
we've run out of time.
00:25:30.09\00:25:32.13
Thank you so much
for being with us today.
00:25:32.16\00:25:34.13
The Lord has made
it possible for us
00:25:39.73\00:25:42.30
to have a righteous
character in this life,
00:25:42.34\00:25:45.94
so that we may
reflect the image of Christ
00:25:45.97\00:25:48.44
to the world and bring
hope and joy to others.
00:25:48.48\00:25:52.81
By the power of the Holy Spirit,
00:25:52.85\00:25:55.55
the moral image of
God is to be perfected
00:25:55.58\00:25:59.25
in our character.
00:25:59.29\00:26:01.56
Every day we are
kept by the power of God
00:26:01.59\00:26:05.69
and Jesus wants to
live His life in us,
00:26:05.73\00:26:09.70
perfecting our character,
00:26:09.73\00:26:11.93
and He wants us to work to
the utmost of our knowledge
00:26:11.97\00:26:15.17
and power to carry out
the purpose for which He came,
00:26:15.20\00:26:19.17
and lived, and died,
and that is to restore us
00:26:19.21\00:26:22.98
into the image
and character of God.
00:26:23.01\00:26:25.88
And the molding hand of
God will bring out in us
00:26:25.91\00:26:29.22
God's character
and God's divine image.
00:26:29.25\00:26:33.22
Everyone who wants to
enter the kingdom of God
00:26:33.25\00:26:36.49
will develop a character
that is the counterpart
00:26:36.52\00:26:39.83
of the character of God.
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.16
And because no one can
dwell with God in heaven
00:26:42.20\00:26:46.03
except those who
bear His likeness,
00:26:46.07\00:26:49.30
Jesus came to earth
00:26:49.34\00:26:51.71
that He might
transform the character
00:26:51.74\00:26:54.18
and develop in us
the moral image of God.
00:26:54.21\00:26:58.25
Higher than the
highest human thought can reach
00:26:58.28\00:27:01.35
is God's ideal for His children.
00:27:01.38\00:27:03.42
Godliness, God-likeness,
and yes Christ-likeness
00:27:03.45\00:27:07.82
is the goal to be reached.
00:27:07.86\00:27:10.53
Because of God's love
and power, we all can say,
00:27:10.56\00:27:13.70
"As I become more like
Jesus, He is perfecting me."
00:27:13.73\00:27:18.50
Hebrews 13:20 says,
"Now may the God of peace,
00:27:18.53\00:27:21.74
that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus,
00:27:21.77\00:27:24.51
that great
shepherd of the sheep,
00:27:24.54\00:27:26.21
through the blood of
the everlasting covenant
00:27:26.24\00:27:28.88
make you perfect
in every good work
00:27:28.91\00:27:31.31
to do his will,
00:27:31.35\00:27:32.71
working in you that which
is well pleasing in his sight,
00:27:32.75\00:27:36.35
through Jesus Christ, to
whom be glory for ever and ever.
00:27:36.38\00:27:40.32
Amen."
00:27:40.36\00:27:42.06
There is nothing more important
00:27:42.09\00:27:44.06
or more exciting you
can do with your life
00:27:44.09\00:27:46.66
than to become more
like Jesus everyday.
00:27:46.70\00:27:50.13
I'm Wintley Phipps, and
until next time, remember,
00:27:50.17\00:27:53.34
to be a Christian
is to be Christ like.
00:27:53.37\00:27:56.77