Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Please join us today on Pressing
Into His Presence as we learn
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how intercessory prayer
will help finish God's work.
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Welcome to
Pressing Into His Presence.
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On our last program we
considered how God's plan
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for Christians, those
who have been born again,
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and re-created in the image
of Jesus, is to be co-laborers,
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co-heirs, and
co-intercessors with Christ.
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Jesus serves as our
great intercessor in heaven,
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and He wants us to
do this work with Him.
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Today we're going to
look at how this ministry
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of intercession is part of
God's plan to finish the work.
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If you're following
along in your companion book,
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also called Pressing Into
His Presence, today we are going
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to begin on Page 125.
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You will recall that we
have studied how the school of
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intercessory prayer
makes us more Christlike.
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To witness an amazing Christlike
intercessors heart in action,
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just consider Moses.
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On behalf of a rebellious
people, he pleaded with God in
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Exodus 32:32, asking God to
forgive the sin of the people.
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But saying to the Lord, If not,
I pray blot me out of Your book
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which you have written.
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He's talking
about the book of life.
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I don't know about you, but I
must confess, I'm not there yet.
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God still has a work to do in my
heart before I would willingly
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ask Him to remove my
name from His book of life
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to save someone else.
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I need His divine assistance
to become more Christlike,
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to walk in absolute
surrender, and live in perfect
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self-sacrificing love.
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The time I dedicate
to intercessory prayer
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is unsatisfactory.
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There is still
unfinished work in my heart.
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You know, a viewer once
called 3ABN to level a complaint
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against me,
criticizing the message I had
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delivered on prayer.
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What she accused me was
of trying to guilt people
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into praying more.
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I hope you don't feel
like I'm trying to guilt you
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into increased prayer.
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I believe the message of
this book and this series
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echo's a wake-up call from
God to us, His drowsy children.
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Christ desires to
come soon for His bride.
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And the bride must be prepared.
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And our lack of
prayer limits God's work
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in our personal lives.
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Are we likewise
limiting His work on earth?
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Neglecting our call to
intercessory prayer could be
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the chief reason
the work isn't finished.
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Let me share a
story with you that will
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illustrate what I mean.
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In 2008 I was
introduced to Dr. Paul Ratsara,
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who is president of the Southern
Africa Indian Ocean Division
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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And within an hour
of conversing with him,
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I recognized he was a Godly man.
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I say this not to lift
him up, but to acknowledge
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the presence of God in him.
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Dr. Ratsara is a man of earnest
prayer, who seeks God's wisdom
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for matters great and
small, spending hours daily
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communicating with the Lord.
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And finishing the
Lord's work is his passion,
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and he earnestly
pleads with Him for direction.
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At our first meeting he shared
how God had led him to encourage
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a tiny church membership,
only 273 people of a particular
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district in his vast division,
to make a two year commitment
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to prayer and fasting.
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The results in church
growth were jaw dropping.
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And I had originally planned
to share that inspiring report,
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both in my book,
and in this program,
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Pressing Into His Presence.
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However, when he
arrived at 3ABN in January 2010
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for an interview, I presented
him the rough draft to check
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for accuracy, and
my plan was thwarted.
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After reviewing my
narrative he said, Yes, Shelley,
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this is accurate, but I
think it best that we not
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put this in your book.
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You see, it was a very
poor district, and recently the
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country that shares its borders
opened, and thousands upon
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thousands of these church
members flooded across to enjoy
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a better standard of life.
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And he said, We would not want
anyone to question the voracity
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of this report saying, where
are these church members now?
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But I was crestfallen.
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It was such an incredible
report of what the Lord could do
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through intercessory prayer,
and I just relished writing it.
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And then Dr. Ratsara
said, with his winsome smile,
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I'll give you a
report, a good report to share.
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This too will
thrill your heart, Shelley.
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So Dr. Ratsara related
the story of a devout Muslim
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who had converted to
Christianity, and was turning
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the area in which
he lived upside down.
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A science teacher by profession,
this regimented academia man
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had found that his schedule
interfered with his first love
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of testifying to God's grace.
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To increase his time for soul
winning he decided to change
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his careers, and ironically
he became a farmer; planting the
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friends and working the
fields to support his family,
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all the while laboring
more fervently in the harvest
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fields of the Lord.
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Sometimes he conducted up to
8 evangelistic series a year.
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And in the first 27 years of
his, quote unquote, harvesting
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business, this farmer studied
his Bible, fasted and prayed,
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and went forth
preaching the Word of God.
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His harvest was plentiful.
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Get this: he baptized 24,650
people, half of whom were won
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to Christ during
the last 7 years.
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And as a result of his ministry,
56 churches were planted.
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One man! In recent years
this farmer has intensified his
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time of prayer and fasting
up to 7 hours daily: before,
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during, and even after
these evangelistic series.
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He earnestly intercedes
for the people, and he makes
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supplication for the
Spirit's power to preach.
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The great success that God
has granted him in converting
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hostile non-Christians to
our Lord has made him unpopular
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with certain
people in this district.
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Enraged, some
plotted and poisoned him.
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And after he ingested the lethal
dose that was administered
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by a trusted, but coerced
assistant, the Lord miraculously
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delivered him from death.
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And then later a small
group, bonded by mutual hatred,
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framed him for murder.
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And here he is sitting in
prison, and he said, Lord,
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I will not stop praying
until you vindicate Your name.
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And within three days the body
of the murder victim that had
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been weighted down by a 66
pound stone to prevent it from
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floating, this
body was discovered.
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It came floating to the top
of the river, and it still had
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the massive rock
attached to his waist.
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So under cross examination,
his false accusers broke down
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and confessed to the killing.
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God vindicated His holy
name, and the farmer's as well.
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And more recently this beloved
brother in the Lord conducted a
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four week evangelistic series
in a small town which had only
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80 church members in
an area that is extremely
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hostile to Christianity.
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And this report reads like a
chapter from the book of Acts.
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Through this farmer, strong
in the Spirit from weeks of
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fasting and praying, the
power of God was manifested.
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And it was just an
evangelistic explosion.
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It reminds me of what Jesus
said in John 14:12. He said:
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Now this is the type of greater
works to which Jesus referred.
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At the conclusion of
the four week campaign
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3,010 people were baptized.
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Our dear brother was not
interested in posting numbers
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for the appearance of success.
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He actually postponed a
good number of other baptisms
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until those people, and
candidates, could finish
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preparation classes, and
understand with certainly
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the commitment they were making.
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Then he embraced the
Fishers of Men program.
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Now I'm going to
explain that in just a second.
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But what happened was
these newly baptized Christians,
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using the Fisher of Men's
program, won many more souls
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to Christ in just three months.
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So hearing this report,
my heart leaped for joy.
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But then it landed with a thud.
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I've heard similar stories
coming out of Latin countries.
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Why isn't this happening
in the developed nations like
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the United States, or
Europe, or New Zealand?
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Oh how we need to be like this
dear farmer, and Dr. Ratsara.
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People who
intercede for lost souls.
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People who seek the Lord for
instruction, and the power to
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share the gospel so
our Lord can return soon.
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Why aren't we? Is it
complacency, lack of prayer
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and its accompanying power,
or simply fear that we don't
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know enough to
share the good news?
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You know, the call of
Jesus in Mark 1:17, 18 is this:
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Now those to whom Jesus
spoke then, the Bible said:
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You know, reports shared by Dr.
Ratsara proved my satisfaction
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it is not lack of knowledge
which limits our soul winning.
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Led by the Spirit, He is
the one who implemented this
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Fishers of Men
campaign in his division.
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And what they do, they simply
take newly baptized converts,
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and they train them to share
their testimony, and they train
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them to go share their
faith immediately to win souls.
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In June 2009 Dr. Ratsara
conducted an evangelistic
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campaign in Angola that resulted
in more than 6,000 baptisms.
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Now that sounds wonderful, but
at once these people were put to
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work for the Lord, and he
announced a special Sabbath
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in October to baptize
the converts who would be won
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by their witnessing.
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These are brand new converts.
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They give them a Bible.
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They gave them a book
called, Steps to Christ,
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and a few other materials.
00:12:36.79\00:12:38.39
And after simple
training, they were sent forth.
00:12:38.42\00:12:42.82
They each had a little more than
three months to win one soul.
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Like the Samaritan woman who
encountered Jesus at the well,
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they went with the excitement
of discovering the Messiah
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to their villages to tell others
what Christ had done for them.
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And the special baptism
that was planned, and held,
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in October 2009
resulted in 14,396 more souls
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being baptized into Christ.
00:13:15.12\00:13:18.09
Just a matter of months
later, in December of 2009,
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another 22,850
people were baptized!
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I haven't had an update since
2010, but at the time of the
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writing of the book, Pressing
Into His Presence, God had added
00:13:35.68\00:13:39.78
an increase of at
least 37,246 souls.
00:13:39.81\00:13:47.66
In just six months, through
the seed of those original 6,000
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plus people that were baptized
at Dr. Ratsara's campaign
00:13:53.80\00:13:58.13
in June of 2009, in perfect
similitude to the book of Acts,
00:13:58.17\00:14:04.71
this story has no conclusion.
00:14:04.74\00:14:06.78
What would happen if
church members around the world
00:14:06.81\00:14:10.91
woke up to their duty as
co-intercessors, and co-laborers
00:14:10.95\00:14:16.32
with Christ? What would happen
if we earnestly prayed for the
00:14:16.35\00:14:22.12
Lord of the harvest to send
laborers into His harvest field?
00:14:22.16\00:14:26.90
You know, we're
actually commanded to pray that
00:14:26.93\00:14:29.73
in Luke 10:2. Jesus is speaking.
00:14:29.76\00:14:34.57
What if we all pleaded for
God to pour out His Holy Spirit
00:14:49.38\00:14:55.39
in the latter rain, as
commanded in Zachariah 10:1.
00:14:55.42\00:15:01.96
Look at what
this Scripture said.
00:15:02.00\00:15:04.73
This is God speaking.
00:15:05.70\00:15:07.14
The answer to these questions
of what would happen if we
00:15:12.24\00:15:18.91
earnestly prayed, finds a
witness in the personal stories
00:15:18.95\00:15:23.75
of those 273 church members,
the farmer, and the Fishers
00:15:23.79\00:15:29.49
of Men, and our dear
brother Dr. Paul Ratsara.
00:15:29.52\00:15:33.53
Fervent prayer would bring
about greater workings of the
00:15:33.56\00:15:38.00
Holy Spirit in our churches,
and in our individual life.
00:15:38.03\00:15:42.40
If we would be like those
who pattern their lives after
00:15:42.44\00:15:46.47
Elijah, and prayed earnestly.
00:15:46.51\00:15:50.41
You know, over the last
few programs that have been
00:15:50.45\00:15:54.18
dedicated to intercessory
prayer, we have covered six
00:15:54.22\00:15:59.25
of the seven points
that we promised to present
00:15:59.29\00:16:02.19
on intercessory prayer.
00:16:02.22\00:16:03.89
Now lets move to the final
point, and in a moment I'll
00:16:03.93\00:16:08.63
recap all seven of them.
00:16:08.66\00:16:10.33
Our final point is this:
intercessors have their reward.
00:16:10.37\00:16:17.51
They are doubly blessed.
00:16:17.54\00:16:20.41
Let me start by
sharing about my husband.
00:16:20.44\00:16:24.41
He is the kind of
man who knows how to make
00:16:24.45\00:16:29.18
everyone feel special.
00:16:29.22\00:16:30.75
J. D. is never too hurried
to acknowledge each and every
00:16:30.79\00:16:34.76
person around him; taking time
to uplift them in conversation.
00:16:34.79\00:16:38.99
And when we attend events he
frequently tells me in advance,
00:16:39.03\00:16:43.80
All right honey, we should plan
on leaving at a certain hour.
00:16:43.83\00:16:46.87
And at the designated time
I dutifully check my watch,
00:16:46.90\00:16:51.04
and I head for the door.
00:16:51.07\00:16:52.41
Sometimes it appears
that I'm anxious to leave,
00:16:52.44\00:16:55.38
only to wait for him
while he circles the room
00:16:55.41\00:16:59.38
on his goodbye tour; capping
off the occasion with words
00:16:59.41\00:17:03.79
of encouragement to everyone.
00:17:03.82\00:17:05.72
Sometimes these
tours are quite lengthy.
00:17:05.75\00:17:07.96
If anyone shares a problem
with J. D. he will immediately
00:17:07.99\00:17:12.46
pray with them. You know,
I try to respond in the same
00:17:12.49\00:17:15.46
manner, but sometimes I
fall short on my efforts.
00:17:15.50\00:17:18.67
It seems that I am destined
to rush from one deadline
00:17:18.70\00:17:22.80
to another. And perhaps that's
a destiny of my own making,
00:17:22.84\00:17:26.27
I don't know. But I'm geared to
bolt off of the elevator as soon
00:17:26.31\00:17:30.31
as the door opens, just like
a race horse out of its stall,
00:17:30.35\00:17:33.95
whether we are on
the right floor or not.
00:17:33.98\00:17:38.32
And I hate to confess, but I
have on more than one occasion,
00:17:38.35\00:17:44.06
mouthed these
words: I'll pray for you,
00:17:44.09\00:17:47.86
and later forgot
to carry through.
00:17:47.86\00:17:50.00
I've learned that it's best
to pray with people immediately,
00:17:50.03\00:17:54.64
if possible, when we know that
they have a need for prayer.
00:17:54.67\00:17:58.34
Praying for another in
their presence is still a form
00:17:58.37\00:18:02.48
of intercessory prayer.
00:18:02.51\00:18:04.11
When we learn of someone's
problems, whether through a
00:18:04.15\00:18:08.25
firsthand report,
or even discernment,
00:18:08.28\00:18:10.75
God is inviting us to pray.
00:18:10.79\00:18:13.39
The personal difficulties of
others are not revealed to us
00:18:13.42\00:18:17.59
so that we may wag our tongues
to start a whisper campaign.
00:18:17.63\00:18:21.73
You know gossip is
nothing more than Satan's sick
00:18:21.76\00:18:26.84
counterfeit to intercession.
00:18:26.87\00:18:28.97
In my race against time I
sometimes can't always pray
00:18:29.00\00:18:34.81
with someone immediately,
but in those instances I ask God
00:18:34.84\00:18:39.15
to bring their need to
my remembrance, and cause me
00:18:39.18\00:18:42.62
to be a faithful
prayer warrior for them.
00:18:42.65\00:18:46.35
Keeping a prayer
list handy would be ideal,
00:18:46.39\00:18:50.06
but I don't always do that.
00:18:50.09\00:18:52.26
But my prayer
journal serves this purpose.
00:18:52.29\00:18:55.73
I can review the
segments on intercessory prayer,
00:18:55.80\00:18:59.07
and I can be promoted to
intercede again for someone
00:18:59.10\00:19:02.64
who has yet to see the answer.
00:19:02.67\00:19:04.44
You know, when I do
pray with someone personally,
00:19:04.47\00:19:07.01
I try to remember afterward
to share one piece of advice
00:19:07.04\00:19:10.85
with them, and this is
it: pray for others who are
00:19:10.88\00:19:14.25
in your situation.
00:19:14.28\00:19:15.62
I advise you to do the same.
00:19:15.65\00:19:17.69
For example, if you had
just suffered a divorce,
00:19:17.72\00:19:21.32
intercede for others who are
facing similar emotional strain.
00:19:21.36\00:19:26.80
This advice
serves a good purpose.
00:19:26.83\00:19:29.36
Just as praying for the
salvation of someone who has
00:19:29.40\00:19:33.17
hurt you can introduce
forgiveness to your heart,
00:19:33.20\00:19:36.97
interceding for a person in
a similar situation to yours
00:19:37.01\00:19:41.71
can foster patience
and endurance in you.
00:19:41.74\00:19:45.11
Often as you sincerely
seek God's mercy and comfort
00:19:45.15\00:19:50.32
for someone else, you will
find a greater measure of mercy
00:19:50.35\00:19:54.82
and comfort for yourself.
00:19:54.86\00:19:56.52
You are, in a sense, casting
your bread upon the waters.
00:19:56.59\00:20:01.10
God's Word says in Ecclesiastes
11:1 it will come back to you.
00:20:01.13\00:20:07.34
When you give a measure
of sympathy, and devotion,
00:20:07.37\00:20:11.41
and intercession God
measures it back to you.
00:20:11.44\00:20:15.34
In fact, just as God
established the law of gravity,
00:20:15.38\00:20:20.02
He has established a law of
reciprocity that Jesus shared
00:20:20.05\00:20:26.02
in Luke 6:38. Listen
to this: Jesus said...
00:20:26.05\00:20:30.96
When we pray with mercy and
love for others, mercy and love
00:20:44.07\00:20:49.48
is measured back to us.
00:20:49.51\00:20:50.95
Certainly we should
avoid praying for others with a
00:20:50.98\00:20:54.48
selfish motivation of
gaining personal benefits.
00:20:54.52\00:20:57.59
That would be
displeasing to God.
00:20:57.62\00:20:59.89
But He's the One
who knows your heart,
00:20:59.92\00:21:03.22
and He knows when you're
sincerely asking for others.
00:21:03.26\00:21:07.40
And there is a
reward that accompanies
00:21:07.46\00:21:10.33
intercessor's prayers.
00:21:10.37\00:21:12.70
Intercessors are doubly blessed.
00:21:12.73\00:21:15.97
I'm sure most of you are
familiar with the story of the
00:21:16.00\00:21:20.01
ancient patriarch Job.
00:21:20.04\00:21:22.51
Ah, poor Job! The devil had
a heyday with him, didn't he?
00:21:22.54\00:21:26.51
Satan did everything he
could to ruin Job's life,
00:21:26.55\00:21:30.72
including placing an
unsympathetic spirit in Job's
00:21:30.75\00:21:34.89
friends who were
there to comfort him.
00:21:34.92\00:21:38.33
And I would say that
with quotes and unquote's.
00:21:38.36\00:21:41.33
So what happened was after
enduring a long-winded dispute
00:21:41.36\00:21:46.27
with his companions, Job finally
turned his eyes toward heaven.
00:21:46.30\00:21:50.77
And guess what he did?
00:21:50.81\00:21:52.84
He prayed for his friends.
00:21:52.87\00:21:54.98
He interceded on their behalf.
00:21:55.01\00:21:57.05
And what happened?
00:21:57.08\00:21:58.51
Mercy and forgiveness flowed.
00:21:58.55\00:22:00.92
And God responded by giving
Job a double portion blessing.
00:22:00.95\00:22:07.26
Listen to this. Job 42:10 says:
00:22:07.29\00:22:11.93
Now all intercessors may not be
flooded with earthly fortunes,
00:22:26.74\00:22:32.01
but God will multiply His love,
His mercy, and His grace to you.
00:22:32.05\00:22:37.45
Intercession inspires a living
relationship with the Lord.
00:22:37.49\00:22:43.32
Your double portion blessing
on earth may be spiritual.
00:22:43.36\00:22:49.16
It may be spiritual growth.
00:22:49.20\00:22:51.57
It may be an
increased intimacy with God.
00:22:51.60\00:22:54.70
But in heaven it's going
to be a joy inexpressible.
00:22:54.74\00:23:00.68
As we pour out our hearts in the
priestly work of intercession,
00:23:00.71\00:23:06.31
we are pressing
into the presence,
00:23:06.35\00:23:09.72
right into the heart of heaven.
00:23:09.75\00:23:13.05
And when we stand in the
gap to plead for the perishing,
00:23:13.09\00:23:18.76
God's blessing comes down on us.
00:23:18.79\00:23:22.70
We're praying down His
blessings on the world,
00:23:22.73\00:23:26.30
and we demonstrate
Christ's love for the lost
00:23:26.33\00:23:29.87
and the suffering.
00:23:29.90\00:23:31.24
And our faith in God's
power to deliver absolutely
00:23:31.27\00:23:37.15
goes through the roof.
00:23:37.18\00:23:38.51
God shines His face on us when
we are interceding for others.
00:23:38.55\00:23:43.82
He looks on us with
approval. Halleluiah!
00:23:43.85\00:23:49.26
Well, our time is
quickly slipping away,
00:23:49.29\00:23:53.60
so what I'd like to do is recap
the seven points that we've
00:23:53.63\00:23:58.57
covered in these last
four programs that we've had
00:23:58.60\00:24:02.14
on intercessory prayer,
because I think that these
00:24:02.17\00:24:05.61
are very important points.
00:24:05.64\00:24:07.78
First I'm just going
to go through all seven.
00:24:07.81\00:24:10.65
You know that should be plenty
of motivation for us to get
00:24:54.09\00:24:58.26
serious about
intercessory prayer.
00:24:58.29\00:25:00.43
When God was first teaching
me to press into His presence,
00:25:00.46\00:25:05.40
He impressed me of a
need to follow the leading
00:25:05.43\00:25:08.97
of the Holy Spirit to
learn how to pray like this.
00:25:09.00\00:25:15.94
And the Holy Spirit impressed
me to start with praise,
00:25:15.98\00:25:21.35
which is such a faith builder.
00:25:21.38\00:25:23.79
Then He added repentance as the
next segment, so that I could
00:25:23.82\00:25:30.66
come before the Lord with
clean hands and a pure heart.
00:25:30.69\00:25:34.36
And then affirmation as
the next segment of prayer;
00:25:34.36\00:25:38.33
where I took God's Word
and I prayed it back to Him.
00:25:38.37\00:25:43.17
And then afterward, when
I was praying and I said,
00:25:43.20\00:25:47.94
Lord how should I go?
00:25:47.98\00:25:50.08
How should I continue?
00:25:50.11\00:25:52.15
Then what He did was He
impressed me to first practice
00:25:52.18\00:25:57.25
intercessory prayer
before I prayed for myself.
00:25:57.29\00:26:01.32
And I can understand why as
what He did was take me to...
00:26:01.36\00:26:07.40
You know, when we
pray for others first,
00:26:07.46\00:26:09.83
it certainly squashes
our self-centeredness.
00:26:09.86\00:26:12.23
I understand that completely.
00:26:12.27\00:26:14.34
But why did He
have me intercede?
00:26:14.40\00:26:18.21
By beginning with the
broader circle of humanity,
00:26:18.24\00:26:21.61
then slowly narrowing my
focus to those with whom I share
00:26:21.64\00:26:26.28
a common bond, and finally
to focus on my beloved husband.
00:26:26.31\00:26:32.02
I believe it was for the very
reason of increasing intimacy
00:26:32.05\00:26:37.76
in prayer, before He
took me to the next segment.
00:26:37.79\00:26:42.90
My appeals for world
situations, for the downtrodden,
00:26:42.93\00:26:47.30
for Christians around the
world, and for my associates
00:26:47.34\00:26:51.61
were sincere. And prayers for
my church family, and my friends
00:26:51.64\00:26:56.64
engendered even
greater enthusiasm.
00:26:56.68\00:26:59.61
And at the point of praying
for my extended and close family
00:26:59.65\00:27:04.95
members, I was praying
with heartfelt confidentiality.
00:27:04.99\00:27:10.96
Ultimately though, praying
for my husband J. D. aroused
00:27:10.99\00:27:16.90
intimate and passionate prayer.
00:27:16.93\00:27:19.40
God was preparing my heart
to be laid bare before Him.
00:27:19.43\00:27:25.04
As I pressed further into
His presence, with openhearted
00:27:25.07\00:27:30.65
humility, openhearted intimacy,
I was ready to make meaningful,
00:27:30.68\00:27:37.52
honest supplication
on behalf of my own life.
00:27:37.55\00:27:41.09
So please join us next
time as we move into this next
00:27:41.12\00:27:47.00
segment of prayer, supplication,
where we are praying for God's
00:27:47.03\00:27:51.97
help to overcome the things that
are going on in our personal
00:27:52.00\00:27:56.97
lives, when we are praying for
God to grace us with the grace
00:27:57.01\00:28:02.04
our Lord Jesus Christ,
His love, and the fellowship
00:28:02.08\00:28:05.95
of the Holy Spirit.
00:28:05.98\00:28:07.35
And that's our
prayer for you, too.
00:28:07.42\00:28:09.82