Hi, I'm Wintley Phipps,
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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 Jacobsen,
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Head of Prayer Ministry of
the North American division
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of Seventh-day Adventist,
Pastor Errol Stoddart,
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Senior Pastor of The Church
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of the Oranges of
Seventh-day Adventist
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in Orange, New Jersey,
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and Mrs. Adly
Campos, Speaker and President
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of Family
Well-Being International.
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You'll hear from
them a little later.
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When we surrender to God,
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our characters are like
clay in the potter's hands.
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And like clay in His
hands, everyday He moulds,
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and shapes us, and fashions
us according to His will.
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And just like a potter
takes clay and kneads it,
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and works it, he tears it apart,
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and then presses it together,
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sometimes God will
wet us, and then dry us,
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and then sometimes leave
us there for a little while
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without even touching us.
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And just when He
knows we're ready,
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He forms us into a
shape and makes of us
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what the scripture
calls a vessel of honor.
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When God made us,
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He made us in His
image to resemble, reflect,
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and reveal the
perfection of His character.
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And what the master potter is
shaping in us is our character.
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In Matthew 5:84, it says,
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"Be ye therefore
perfect even as your Father
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which in heaven is perfect."
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Now God would never tell us
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to try to be perfect
without making provision
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for our perfection.
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And He makes it clear
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that our perfection can
only be found in our union
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and relationship with Christ.
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In John 17:23, it says,
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"I in them, and Thou in me
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that they may be
made perfect in one
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and that the world may
know that Thou has sent me
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and has loved them
as Thou has loved me."
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Just as Jesus, the Son of God,
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in human form was
perfect in His life,
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so He requires
that His followers
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shall be perfect in their lives.
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When you look carefully
at the command of Jesus
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and the context in
which He spoke these words,
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you will see
that He was calling us
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to a life of perfection.
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Now stay with us.
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When Jesus spoke,
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He gave us examples
of the kind of perfection
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He was talking about.
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Let's look at it.
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Matthew 5:38, "You have
heard that it hath been said,
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'An eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth.'
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But I say unto you
that you resist not evil
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but whosoever shall smite
thee on their right cheek,
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turn to him the other also."
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Many read that and say,
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"I don't need that kind
of perfection in my life."
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Or he said, "If anyone wants
to sue you and take your shirt,
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handover your coat as well.
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If anyone forces
you to go one mile,
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go with them two miles."
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Notice, not if
someone requests you to go,
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but if someone
forces you to go one mile,
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go with them two.
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And then in Matthew 5:42,
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"Give to the one who ask you
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and do not turn
away from the one
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who wants to borrow from you.
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You've heard
that it has been said,
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thou shall love thy
neighbor and hate thine enemy,
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but I say unto you," said Jesus,
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"love your enemies,
bless them that curse you,
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do good to them that
hates you and pray for them
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which despitefully use
you and persecute you."
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Pray for those
who persecute you?
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"Yes," said Jesus, Matthew 5:45,
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"that ye may be the
children of your Father
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which is in heaven."
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So it is in this context
that Jesus holds before us
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this lofty goal
to which He wants us
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to aspire and achieve.
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He says, "Be perfect as your
heavenly Father is perfect."
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Now why would Jesus tell
us to be, what because of sin,
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He knows we could never be.
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I think it is because
Jesus' view of perfection
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is very different than
our view of perfection.
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Most people when
they speak of perfection,
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they think of what I
might call total perfection,
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they think of flawless,
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faultless, never have,
never will make a mistake,
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because we've all made mistakes.
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We are no longer candidates
for that kind of perfection.
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None of us can stake any claims
to that kind of perfection
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because we've all made mistakes.
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Today, many
would rather settle for
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and even flump their flaws
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and defects rather
than speak of striving
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and trying to be perfect.
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Some even believe that
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we should not
even try to be perfect
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because it is futile.
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"Why should we even
try to be something we know
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we can never be?
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We might as well purge that word
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and remove it from our
lexicon of spiritual words
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and religious ideas."
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This word perfect
represents a state or condition,
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they think, reserved
only for God the father,
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God the Holy Spirit,
and Jesus Christ the Son.
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Many say, "So don't trouble
me or worry me or torment me
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with that
command and requirement
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of the word perfect."
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They say, as a matter of fact,
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when the role is
called up for perfect people,
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I know that anyone who
dares stand in that line
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is a fraud and a
flaming hypocrite.
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Anyone who dare say
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they are perfect and error free,
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they are either
deluded or they are con artist.
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Jesus is the only one
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who has ever lived a
perfect life on this earth,
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and that is true.
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A longtime ago,
we were once perfect,
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but look at the world
today, we are not that anymore.
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Some have said,
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"This view that the world
before television was perfect."
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Oh, no.
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The way they talk,
you would think that
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we had societal perfection
back in the '40s and the '50s.
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And in some ways
things may have been better
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but they were
definitely not perfect.
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Let me disabuse
you of any such notion.
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The only time we as
human beings new perfection
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was for a short time
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before the fall of
Adam and Eve in Eden.
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Only before the fall of
Adam and Eve were men prefect.
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But God is calling us
to a life of perfection,
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and we can be
perfect if we follow
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in the
footsteps of Jesus Christ.
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Now I want you to
know about a friend of mine
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by the name of Dave Blexley.
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Dave has been with us
for the last few shows.
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He has a ministry of delivering
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and showing us
how God can mould us,
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and make us, and shape us,
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and how God can take our
character just like clay.
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Yes, He is our potter.
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God can take our
character just like clay
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and work with us
and help shape us
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until we are fit
vessels for His use.
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Come with me now.
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Let's go to the potter's house.
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Well, at this point,
this pot could go, you know...
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I think we're there.
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I think this is pretty good.
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I'm sort of a waste now,
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and then God
comes along and says,
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"No, why you gotten into this."
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And I was like,
"I don't know, God.
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This is nice, I
like it this way."
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And He says, "No, I have
much bigger plans for you.
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The calling that I have for you,
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the vocation that I
have for you is much larger."
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That's the exciting
thing about allowing ourselves
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to be formed in the hands
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of a creating God,
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a God who has great
desires for our lives.
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And so I'm gonna began
to stretch this pot out,
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give it more form.
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And as I'm doing
this, this stretching,
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many of us go through
stretching experiences.
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Whenever there is a
major transition in our life,
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now that's a
stretching experience.
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We don't really know
what the outcome will be.
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And if this pot could
talk, it might be saying to me,
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"You know, potter,
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the walls of this pot
are getting rather thin.
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And I know that
it could collapse.
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If you keep
stretching me like this,
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I don't know if I can make it.
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And are you sure you
know what you're doing?"
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I don't know about you
but there had been times
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when I've
questioned that with God.
00:10:05.90\00:10:07.80
"God, do you
know this about me?"
00:10:07.84\00:10:09.87
I don't know if
you've ever wrestled with God
00:10:09.90\00:10:11.67
but I never win.
00:10:11.71\00:10:15.11
Even if I, in a sense,
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win by not
going His way, I lose.
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But if I trust in Him,
He really knows what's best.
00:10:21.58\00:10:26.92
And I have faith
that He can do things
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way beyond my self image.
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I discover all new things
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just like this vessel
is gonna discover them.
00:10:38.73\00:10:42.80
It could be
really robust, large,
00:10:42.84\00:10:48.68
and someday filled with flowers.
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Someday, sitting in a
prominent place in a house
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where everyone can say,
"Oh, how beautiful that pot is."
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And there will be
times in our lives
00:11:01.76\00:11:03.22
when it just seems
like God is all over us.
00:11:03.26\00:11:08.23
He's just bringing about
so many wonderful changes,
00:11:08.26\00:11:10.67
and it's very exciting.
00:11:10.70\00:11:13.30
Some of us would
call that revival,
00:11:13.34\00:11:16.40
new life in a sense.
00:11:16.44\00:11:18.11
And I think of
other people who watch us
00:11:22.31\00:11:25.95
when we're going through
a growing time in our lives,
00:11:25.98\00:11:31.15
a high mountain
experience in a sense with God
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which doesn't happen
every single day of our lives,
00:11:35.66\00:11:38.99
at least not for me.
00:11:39.03\00:11:41.43
But it does happen.
00:11:41.46\00:11:42.93
I think of others, for
example, this pitcher over here,
00:11:42.96\00:11:46.80
I'm gonna call her...
00:11:46.84\00:11:49.37
I think I'll
call her Suzy today.
00:11:49.40\00:11:51.94
And Suzy is a wonderful pitcher.
00:11:51.97\00:11:56.41
I formed her earlier today,
and she's sitting over here,
00:11:56.44\00:12:00.85
and she can't help but
looking at Joseph here.
00:12:00.88\00:12:03.45
Joseph's enormous
vase is being formed.
00:12:03.49\00:12:06.76
And she's really quite excited
00:12:06.79\00:12:08.92
about the fact of
what's happening to Jo.
00:12:08.96\00:12:11.83
I mean, Jo is just a
hunk of mud a short time ago.
00:12:11.86\00:12:14.33
And now, look at him.
00:12:14.36\00:12:16.50
He's developing shoulders,
he's robust, and tall,
00:12:16.53\00:12:20.84
and really
becoming quite magnificent.
00:12:20.87\00:12:22.84
And there's
part of her is going,
00:12:22.87\00:12:24.21
"Oh, I remember what it was like
00:12:24.24\00:12:26.31
when the potter
hands were all over me
00:12:26.34\00:12:28.24
and shaping me and forming
me and it was so exciting.
00:12:28.28\00:12:32.21
And now I've
come off to the side.
00:12:32.25\00:12:37.62
And I hate to say
it, but I always wonder,
00:12:37.65\00:12:41.39
has the potter forgotten me?
00:12:41.42\00:12:44.13
Because I'm feeling
a bit dry at the top."
00:12:44.16\00:12:48.76
And some of us will go
through times like that
00:12:48.80\00:12:51.20
where we're watching
other people just developing,
00:12:51.23\00:12:54.24
becoming more and more
like Jesus in their lives,
00:12:54.27\00:12:57.61
becoming beautiful that way,
00:12:57.64\00:12:58.97
becoming matured, it's
exciting to watch them.
00:12:59.01\00:13:03.08
And yet with
ourselves, it seems quite still.
00:13:03.11\00:13:05.68
Quite quiet, like
not much is happening.
00:13:05.71\00:13:08.98
And has God loved us?
00:13:09.02\00:13:11.55
Did we do something
wrong? No, not at all.
00:13:11.59\00:13:15.06
You see the reality is that,
00:13:15.09\00:13:16.83
in order for this
pitcher to be complete,
00:13:16.86\00:13:18.83
it needs a handle
coming off of the back.
00:13:18.86\00:13:21.80
And if I try to put a handle
on it earlier, even right now,
00:13:21.83\00:13:25.70
it's still quite soft.
00:13:25.73\00:13:27.64
And I would
totally deform the shape.
00:13:27.67\00:13:30.51
So I am going to wait
00:13:30.54\00:13:32.07
until this
pitcher is mature enough
00:13:32.11\00:13:34.44
that stiffen off up here
00:13:34.48\00:13:37.11
that I can attach the
handle without deforming it.
00:13:37.15\00:13:40.58
But my eye is very
attentive to this pitcher.
00:13:40.62\00:13:43.75
I've not forgotten it.
00:13:43.79\00:13:45.22
Nor has God forgotten you.
00:13:45.25\00:13:47.39
There may be
something that He's waiting on,
00:13:47.42\00:13:49.26
maybe something in
someone else's live,
00:13:49.29\00:13:51.49
or some other
situation that He's waiting on,
00:13:51.53\00:13:53.70
or it may even be
you that He's watching,
00:13:53.73\00:13:56.60
and waiting until something
has become true in your life,
00:13:56.63\00:14:01.64
and then He's ready.
00:14:01.67\00:14:03.00
Joining us again are my
guests Ruthie, Adly, and Errol.
00:14:08.31\00:14:13.72
Ruthie, let me start with you.
00:14:13.75\00:14:17.12
The Bible says that God made us
00:14:17.15\00:14:18.99
in His image
and in His likeness.
00:14:19.02\00:14:23.09
Does that mean
He made us perfect?
00:14:23.12\00:14:27.50
I think He did at creation,
00:14:27.53\00:14:29.90
because if we
were made in His image,
00:14:29.93\00:14:32.53
and He said it was very good,
00:14:32.57\00:14:35.10
He must have been very happy
with the creation of mankind.
00:14:35.14\00:14:39.84
Why will He make
anything that wasn't perfect?
00:14:39.87\00:14:44.55
That's right.
00:14:44.58\00:14:45.91
I mean, you know,
why would a perfect God
00:14:45.95\00:14:47.35
make anything
that wasn't perfect?
00:14:47.38\00:14:49.15
So yes, He made us perfect.
00:14:49.18\00:14:52.49
And why do you think?
And He's happy with it.
00:14:52.52\00:14:55.02
You said, He was
happy with it. Absolutely.
00:14:55.06\00:14:57.69
He said it was very good.
00:14:57.73\00:15:00.53
Sister Campos, why do
you think He made us perfect?
00:15:00.56\00:15:04.67
Why do you think He
made us to reflect His image?
00:15:04.70\00:15:10.97
What was He doing?
What was He trying to do?
00:15:11.01\00:15:12.37
Because we were
made unto His own image,
00:15:12.41\00:15:14.54
so the fact that we
were made unto His own image
00:15:14.58\00:15:19.01
made us perfect as He was.
00:15:19.05\00:15:22.28
Right. Well, why do
you think He did that?
00:15:22.32\00:15:24.35
What was He
trying to say something
00:15:24.39\00:15:27.72
to the rest of the
universe, you think?
00:15:27.76\00:15:30.76
Why do you think He said,
00:15:30.79\00:15:32.16
"I'm gonna make
man in My image"?
00:15:32.19\00:15:35.96
Why would He do that?
00:15:36.00\00:15:37.63
Is that for His own
glory, for His own love,
00:15:37.67\00:15:39.93
because of His love?
00:15:39.97\00:15:41.60
Pastor Stoddart,
what do you think?
00:15:41.64\00:15:43.00
Why do you think
He made us perfect?
00:15:43.04\00:15:46.51
I do believe it
because God is love,
00:15:46.54\00:15:49.78
and His love was demonstrated
in His creation of humanity,
00:15:49.81\00:15:55.68
and His creation of
humanity was free will.
00:15:55.72\00:15:59.05
I think that was the
part of the perfection
00:15:59.09\00:16:01.62
that God created us
with, is the power to choose
00:16:01.66\00:16:06.73
so that we weren't
forced to do something.
00:16:06.76\00:16:09.50
He gave man the power
to choose good or evil.
00:16:09.53\00:16:13.23
And I think that's a big part
00:16:13.27\00:16:14.70
of what the whole discussion
of perfection is all about.
00:16:14.74\00:16:16.97
This business of free will,
00:16:17.01\00:16:18.57
man being able to
make his own choices.
00:16:18.61\00:16:19.94
Right.
00:16:19.97\00:16:21.31
And, Sister
Campos, He made us free,
00:16:21.34\00:16:24.91
gave us free will.
00:16:24.95\00:16:26.85
And He also, it appears,
00:16:26.88\00:16:30.49
made sure that our
perfection was provisional,
00:16:30.52\00:16:35.16
meaning that if we
would have to pass some tests
00:16:35.19\00:16:38.53
to before that that
perfection was permanent.
00:16:38.56\00:16:42.20
Tell us what
you know about that?
00:16:42.23\00:16:44.87
Yes.
00:16:44.90\00:16:46.23
As long as they
remained obedient to Him,
00:16:46.27\00:16:51.07
they were going to have
total absolute perfection,
00:16:51.11\00:16:55.18
exactly like God.
00:16:55.21\00:16:56.95
The moment they cross
the line, disobeyed God,
00:16:56.98\00:17:01.58
then it was limited
to us, limited to us.
00:17:01.62\00:17:06.65
And, Ruthie, that
provisional perfection was lost.
00:17:06.69\00:17:12.83
Tell me what you know
about how it was lost?
00:17:12.86\00:17:17.23
Well, it was lost because
God trusted the human race,
00:17:17.27\00:17:23.87
and He didn't want robots.
00:17:23.91\00:17:26.34
He said, "I love
you, I trust you.
00:17:26.37\00:17:29.01
I'm going to allow
you to cooperate or not."
00:17:29.04\00:17:33.65
And because of the
forces of the evil,
00:17:33.68\00:17:37.22
here in the Garden of
Eden, they were deceived
00:17:37.25\00:17:40.52
and they chose to
walk away from God.
00:17:40.56\00:17:44.46
And of course, we have suffered
as a result of that ever since.
00:17:44.49\00:17:48.60
But God could
have prevented that,
00:17:48.63\00:17:51.87
He could have
prevented our sinning,
00:17:51.90\00:17:55.64
but I'm so glad He didn't.
00:17:55.67\00:17:58.11
He gave us the power of
choice because of His love.
00:17:58.14\00:18:01.08
Yes.
00:18:01.11\00:18:02.44
You know, it all began...
00:18:02.48\00:18:03.85
Go ahead, Pastor.
00:18:03.88\00:18:05.88
Yeah, I was going to
say, the association,
00:18:05.91\00:18:08.72
the word association of
obedience and perfection,
00:18:08.75\00:18:12.72
I think that is a
great word, association,
00:18:12.75\00:18:15.12
because
perfection does not happen
00:18:15.16\00:18:18.53
outside of obedience.
00:18:18.56\00:18:20.70
And I'm sure we're
gonna come back to that time
00:18:20.73\00:18:23.16
and back in,
00:18:23.20\00:18:24.53
it's another word
that a lot of people
00:18:24.57\00:18:26.40
feel very
uncomfortable, obedience.
00:18:26.43\00:18:28.20
Just like perfection, yeah.
00:18:28.24\00:18:29.57
And yet obedience is so crucial
00:18:29.60\00:18:32.41
to the whole
business of serving God,
00:18:32.44\00:18:34.61
to the whole business
of growing into perfection.
00:18:34.64\00:18:38.38
You can't be perfect
unless you are lined up to obey
00:18:38.41\00:18:42.35
what instruction
God has given to us.
00:18:42.38\00:18:45.35
I have always marveled
00:18:45.39\00:18:46.72
and studied to try to understand
00:18:46.76\00:18:50.16
how that perfection was lost
00:18:50.19\00:18:52.93
and it seems like
it was lost beginning
00:18:52.96\00:18:56.26
in heaven with Lucifer
00:18:56.30\00:18:59.37
and it began with a distortion
00:18:59.40\00:19:03.10
and misrepresentation
00:19:03.14\00:19:04.91
of the true
loving character of God.
00:19:04.94\00:19:08.31
When you think about
it, He went to the angels.
00:19:08.34\00:19:11.48
A third of the
angels said, you know, God,
00:19:11.51\00:19:14.82
He's not all
that you think He is,
00:19:14.85\00:19:16.75
He is really not as
nice as He says He is,
00:19:16.79\00:19:19.99
He is a tyrant,
He is a dictator.
00:19:20.02\00:19:22.42
And the third of
the angels bought that,
00:19:22.46\00:19:25.29
and as a result His
perfection was lost.
00:19:25.33\00:19:30.87
Isn't that incredible?
00:19:30.90\00:19:32.57
And then he went to the
Eve in the Garden of Eden
00:19:32.60\00:19:35.10
and he said, "You know,
00:19:35.14\00:19:36.64
you don't know
God like I know Him.
00:19:36.67\00:19:40.21
He has an integrity problem.
00:19:40.24\00:19:42.61
He doesn't always
tell the truth," you know.
00:19:42.64\00:19:45.78
And with that
distortion and misrepresentation
00:19:45.81\00:19:48.72
of the character of
God, perfection was lost.
00:19:48.75\00:19:52.49
So react to that.
00:19:52.52\00:19:54.72
Tell me what you think of
00:19:54.76\00:19:57.16
when you think about
that perfection being lost
00:19:57.19\00:20:00.23
because of the
enemy sowing discord
00:20:00.26\00:20:04.47
and sowing distress
in the hearts of man
00:20:04.50\00:20:09.54
and human beings.
00:20:09.57\00:20:12.97
Ruthie, what do
you think about that?
00:20:13.01\00:20:15.54
Well, I think...
00:20:15.58\00:20:16.91
And I'm glad that you backed up
00:20:16.95\00:20:18.61
and put this in
the context of heaven.
00:20:18.65\00:20:21.18
I think that if Satan,
00:20:21.22\00:20:24.09
if Lucifer had kept his eyes
00:20:24.12\00:20:26.15
in the right place at that time,
00:20:26.19\00:20:29.59
this whole thing
could have been avoided
00:20:29.62\00:20:31.79
if he could have kept
his eyes on the Father,
00:20:31.83\00:20:35.16
and worshipped Him, and
sought to bring Him glory,
00:20:35.20\00:20:39.97
but he chose to look at
himself and to be prideful.
00:20:40.00\00:20:44.51
And I think we have
the same responsibility,
00:20:44.54\00:20:48.24
the same opportunity today.
00:20:48.28\00:20:50.28
We can look up or
we can look around us,
00:20:50.31\00:20:54.32
and this is why we're told,
00:20:54.35\00:20:55.68
"Don't look at
your circumstances.
00:20:55.72\00:20:57.69
Don't look at the things
that are going on around you,
00:20:57.72\00:21:00.52
but keep your eyes focused."
00:21:00.56\00:21:03.06
What a privilege. Absolutely.
00:21:03.09\00:21:04.89
Pastor Stoddart, what do
you think about that tactic
00:21:04.93\00:21:07.73
that the devil has
so effectively used
00:21:07.76\00:21:11.33
to bring
destruction, and to sow discord,
00:21:11.37\00:21:15.70
and to cause us to
lose our perfection?
00:21:15.74\00:21:18.61
What is so powerful
about that tactic of distorting
00:21:18.64\00:21:22.81
and misrepresenting
the character of God
00:21:22.84\00:21:25.01
that is so effective?
00:21:25.05\00:21:27.78
Well, we know that all
distortions began right there
00:21:27.82\00:21:31.99
with the devil misrepresenting
00:21:32.02\00:21:33.46
and distorting
the character of God,
00:21:33.49\00:21:34.92
and who God is, and who God was,
00:21:34.96\00:21:38.83
but his tactic
worked as you can see.
00:21:38.86\00:21:42.76
The Bible makes it very clear
00:21:42.80\00:21:44.13
that one third of
the angels were...
00:21:44.17\00:21:46.87
And you imagine, the
one third of the angels,
00:21:46.90\00:21:50.54
they were perfect themselves.
00:21:50.57\00:21:52.67
And imagine, one third of
the perfect angels in heaven
00:21:52.71\00:21:55.98
who had never known sin,
00:21:56.01\00:21:57.85
who had never
known unrighteousness,
00:21:57.88\00:22:00.65
who had never known deceit,
00:22:00.68\00:22:03.39
Lucifer was so effective
00:22:03.42\00:22:05.15
that he was able to trick them
to following his sophistries,
00:22:05.19\00:22:09.12
and let them
astray and away from God.
00:22:09.16\00:22:11.19
Yeah.
00:22:11.23\00:22:12.56
Sister Campos, I think it
is his most effective weapon
00:22:12.59\00:22:16.77
throughout
history, confusing people
00:22:16.80\00:22:21.20
about the true
loving character of God.
00:22:21.24\00:22:25.64
And one of the
reasons that his tactics,
00:22:25.67\00:22:27.64
Sister Campos, I want
you to speak through this,
00:22:27.68\00:22:29.14
why this tactic is so effective
00:22:29.18\00:22:32.38
is because he's using a tactic
00:22:32.41\00:22:35.48
that God's
character won't let him use,
00:22:35.52\00:22:39.32
if you understand what I mean.
00:22:39.35\00:22:41.49
God's character, His
integrity won't let him distort,
00:22:41.52\00:22:47.70
you know, other
people's characters.
00:22:47.73\00:22:49.06
So tell me what you think
about that, Sister Campos?
00:22:49.10\00:22:52.63
We are by nature self-centered,
very self-centered.
00:22:52.67\00:22:59.11
And he knows that when he draws
00:22:59.14\00:23:02.91
the attention away
from God's character
00:23:02.94\00:23:06.08
by minimizing,
00:23:06.11\00:23:07.62
deceiving us in
regards to his character.
00:23:07.65\00:23:10.85
He knows that
we will immediately
00:23:10.89\00:23:13.19
start looking at ourselves,
00:23:13.22\00:23:15.16
that's exactly
what humanism has done.
00:23:15.19\00:23:19.76
Never mind the God in
heaven, you are a god,
00:23:19.79\00:23:23.93
do whatever you like to do.
00:23:23.97\00:23:26.67
If it feels good,
do it, do it, do it.
00:23:26.70\00:23:30.44
So he has
succeeded because of that.
00:23:30.47\00:23:33.98
Ruthie, how do you think that
our perfection is reclaimed,
00:23:34.01\00:23:38.51
and how do you think
the Word of God tells us
00:23:38.55\00:23:42.35
that we can be perfect again?
00:23:42.38\00:23:44.75
What has heaven done to
make sure that that happens?
00:23:44.79\00:23:50.19
Amen.
00:23:50.23\00:23:51.63
What an
invitation! What an invitation!
00:23:51.66\00:23:55.40
You know, the Lord
doesn't throw anybody away.
00:23:55.43\00:23:59.10
Elder CD Brooks used to say,
00:23:59.13\00:24:01.77
"When people feel like
they are at the very bottom,
00:24:01.80\00:24:05.74
they don't see hope anywhere."
00:24:05.77\00:24:08.54
Christ is there,
saying, "I'll take you.
00:24:08.58\00:24:10.91
I'll take you,"
because of His shed blood.
00:24:10.95\00:24:14.72
There's power in the blood.
00:24:14.75\00:24:17.35
And by beholding,
we become changed.
00:24:17.39\00:24:20.29
We don't have hope in ourselves,
00:24:20.32\00:24:23.16
but we have a God for
whom nothing is impossible.
00:24:23.19\00:24:27.16
It's just mind blowing.
00:24:27.20\00:24:29.30
Yes, it is.
00:24:29.33\00:24:30.67
Pastor Stoddart, before we
go, we just have a few moments.
00:24:30.70\00:24:33.80
I want you to speak
to one important thing.
00:24:33.84\00:24:36.81
And that is, when
God looks at all of us,
00:24:36.84\00:24:39.74
as Ruthie was saying,
when God looks at all of us,
00:24:39.77\00:24:43.35
right, He sees not
just the way we are,
00:24:43.38\00:24:47.95
but He sees us in perfection.
00:24:47.98\00:24:53.72
That's His vision,
that's His dream for us.
00:24:53.76\00:24:58.33
Tell me about that before we go.
00:24:58.36\00:25:01.43
Well, I love the
fact that, first of all,
00:25:01.46\00:25:04.80
He sees me through
the lenses of Jesus.
00:25:04.83\00:25:08.14
When God sees us,
00:25:08.17\00:25:10.01
once we've accepted
Jesus Christ as our savior,
00:25:10.04\00:25:12.87
when God looks at us,
00:25:12.91\00:25:14.48
He is looking at us
through the lenses of His Son,
00:25:14.51\00:25:17.61
Jesus Christ, our advocate.
00:25:17.65\00:25:19.18
And I thank God
everyday for that.
00:25:19.21\00:25:20.98
I praise God that
in spite of my self,
00:25:21.02\00:25:22.82
in spite of my best self,
00:25:22.85\00:25:27.39
and I want to make
that clear, my best self,
00:25:27.42\00:25:30.83
with my striving and
sometimes my not measuring up
00:25:30.86\00:25:36.43
that Jesus Christ
is my intermediary.
00:25:36.46\00:25:40.40
God sees me through the
eyes of His Son, Jesus Christ.
00:25:40.44\00:25:44.24
And I praise God for
that, because through that,
00:25:44.27\00:25:46.78
I am justified.
00:25:46.81\00:25:48.18
I love Elder EE
Cleveland used to say,
00:25:48.21\00:25:50.51
"We are justified
before we are qualified."
00:25:50.55\00:25:53.11
That's right, that's
right. And it is so beautiful.
00:25:53.15\00:25:56.35
It is so beautiful that
Jesus sees us as perfect
00:25:56.38\00:26:02.16
while we're growing,
00:26:02.19\00:26:04.13
because He covers
us with His grace.
00:26:04.16\00:26:06.03
Thank you for
being with us today.
00:26:06.06\00:26:07.43
When Adam was created by
God in His thoughts and actions,
00:26:12.37\00:26:16.40
Adam and Eve were perfect
in character, in temperament,
00:26:16.44\00:26:22.04
in attitude, and nature.
00:26:22.08\00:26:24.18
They were perfect.
00:26:24.21\00:26:25.88
It's hard to imaging it now,
00:26:25.91\00:26:27.35
but when we came
from our creator's hand,
00:26:27.38\00:26:29.95
we were perfect.
00:26:29.98\00:26:31.32
Not only in
stature and physique,
00:26:31.35\00:26:33.56
we were perfect in mind,
00:26:33.59\00:26:35.52
in character,
and in personality.
00:26:35.56\00:26:38.69
When God created us,
He created us to resemble,
00:26:38.73\00:26:41.83
reflect, and
reveal His perfection.
00:26:41.86\00:26:44.97
We were made in
the perfect image
00:26:45.00\00:26:48.10
of our perfect
God in conscience,
00:26:48.14\00:26:50.74
moral makeup, man was perfect.
00:26:50.77\00:26:54.51
But his perfection was
provisional and limited.
00:26:54.54\00:26:58.21
Perfection was dependent upon
00:26:58.25\00:27:00.15
obedience and
faithfulness to God.
00:27:00.18\00:27:03.42
Adam's perfection was
conditional on his loyalty
00:27:03.45\00:27:07.26
and devotion to God.
00:27:07.29\00:27:09.26
His perfection was
qualified and temporary.
00:27:09.29\00:27:13.29
His perfection was
tied to a time of test
00:27:13.33\00:27:16.80
and examination.
00:27:16.83\00:27:18.30
It was conditioned upon his
faithfulness to God's commands.
00:27:18.33\00:27:23.51
As long as he remained obedient,
00:27:23.54\00:27:25.71
man would retain his perfection.
00:27:25.74\00:27:28.14
But Adam sinned, and
for the last 6,000 years,
00:27:28.18\00:27:31.61
true perfection has
not been seen by mankind.
00:27:31.65\00:27:35.58
Thank God, Jesus Christ came.
00:27:35.62\00:27:37.69
And by His sacrifice,
00:27:37.72\00:27:39.59
He restored to us
perfection as a gift of grace.
00:27:39.62\00:27:45.39
All are lost through Adam.
00:27:45.43\00:27:48.16
Our only hope is a
transformation of character
00:27:48.20\00:27:52.67
through repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ
00:27:52.70\00:27:56.57
as our personal savior.
00:27:56.60\00:27:59.17
I'm Wintley Phipps.
00:27:59.21\00:28:00.61
And until next time, remember,
00:28:00.64\00:28:03.24
to be a Christian
00:28:03.28\00:28:06.11
means to be Christ like.
00:28:06.15\00:28:11.52
God bless you.
00:28:11.55\00:28:12.89