､
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､
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>> Good morning, Pioneer.
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Welcome to
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second service here at church.
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It's a fantastic day, isn't it?
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Turn to the person next to you
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and say it's fantastic.
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We're glad you're here.
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We're glad you're here.
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If you're in the sanctuary,
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we're glad you're here.
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If you're joining us online,
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we're glad you're
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joining us there.
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Radio, however
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you are worshiping with us,
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thanks for worshiping here
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at Pioneer Memorial Church.
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Today, we get to celebrate
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a lot.
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Across campus -- it is
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spring break across
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our campuses,
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so we get to celebrate
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that we get a break
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for a little bit,
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which is a fantastic feeling.
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We also get to celebrate
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that, during this break,
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we have lots of students
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that have gone off
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and they've done amazing things,
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and they're going on
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mission trips to Bolivia,
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to Cuba, to other places.
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And in those moments,
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we tell them life change happens
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in amazing ways,
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and they will go
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and do incredible things,
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and they'll have this
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incredible experience
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where they get to see God
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working in real time in ways
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that they don't
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always get to see that.
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But we also tell them
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that God works in the everyday.
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And so you might have
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those mountaintop experiences,
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but God wants to meet
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you in the everyday.
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He wants to meet you when you
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show up to work in the morning.
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He wants to meet you
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when you have worship around
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the family table.
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He wants to meet you when
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you show up to your small group
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even though you're so exhausted,
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you just want to go home
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and sit down on the couch.
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But God meets you
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in the everyday,
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and He wants to change
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your life there, as well.
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So thank you for showing
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up today
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on this special Sabbath,
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because this everyday,
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God wants to meet you, as well,
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and He wants to change lives
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just like He always does.
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But join me in prayer
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as we invite God once again
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into this space
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and into our hearts.
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God, today, in this everyday,
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we're asking that you be here.
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We're asking
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that you connect with us
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in the ways that we need, God.
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Change us in the ways
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that we need.
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Fill us
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in the ways that we need.
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God, today, we ask for more
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of you, as we have been.
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God, we're asking
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that you please continue
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to be the God that
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reveals more of you to us
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so that we can worship you
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and praise you, and everything
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that we we have today,
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we give back to you.
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Our praise, our worship,
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all of that is straight to you
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and no one else.
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Today, God, be in this place.
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Amen.
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､
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､
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>> ､ Angels on high now
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､ Praising the angel
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､ Heavenly host
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bring praise to God ､
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､ Radiant sunshine
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､ Beautiful starlight
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､ All in the sky
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､ Bring praise to God
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､ All in the heavens
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､ All on the earth
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､ All honor His name
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､ All of creation
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､ Now and forever
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､ Honor His name
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､ All praise His name
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､
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､ Rivers and oceans
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､ Mountains and valleys
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､ All of the earth
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bring praise to God ､
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､ Women and children
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､ Men of all nations
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､ All He has made,
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bring praise to God ､
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､ All in the heavens
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､ All on the earth
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､ All honor His name
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､ All of creation,
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now and forever ､
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､ Honor His name
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､ All praise His name
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､
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､ Praise the Lord of all
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､ Praise the Lord of all
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､
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､ By his command,
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all things were created ､
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､ Heaven and earth
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bring Praise to God ､
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､ All in the heavens,
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bring praise ､
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､ All on the earth,
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bring praise ､
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､ All he has made,
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bring praise to God ､
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､
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､ Praise to God
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>> Amen.
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､
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､
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>> ､ Blessed are the poor
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in spirit ､
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､ For theirs
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is the kingdom of heaven ､
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､ Blessed are they who mourn
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､ For they will be comforted
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､ Blessed are the meek
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､ For they will inherit
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the earth ､
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､ And blessed are those
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who thirst for righteousness ､
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､ For they will be filled
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､
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､ Blessed are the merciful
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､ For they will have mercy
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､ And blessed are the good
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､ For they will see God
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､
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､ Blessed are the makers
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of peace ､
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､ Blessed are the makers
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of peace ､
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､ For they are the children
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of God ､
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､ For they are the children
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of God ､
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､ Blessed those who hunger
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for righteousness ､
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､ Righteousness
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､ For theirs
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is the kingdom of heaven ､
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､
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､ Rejoice and be glad
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those who sow in tears ､
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､ For they will see God
00:14:53.89\00:15:03.43
､
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>> If you have any association
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with this community,
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then you know
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that, last week, we had
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a little gathering here.
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The More Conference was
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a series of revival meetings
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that elder Don Maclafferty led
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out with us here, right here
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in this sanctuary all last week.
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Our tagline was
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"Seven nights for 70 minutes."
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And, indeed,
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we at least came fairly close
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to that on most nights.
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And I said to myself,
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when these things begin,
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having never done these types
00:15:44.31\00:15:45.31
of meetings here before, I said,
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if we get 200 people,
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I'll be thrilled.
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And then, we had over 500
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on opening night.
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We only dipped below 500
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one time --
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we had 490 one night.
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And two nights, we had over
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600 people that were here.
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It was phenomenal.
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It was fantastic.
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I mean,
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the blessing is still growing
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here in this community.
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It was a fabulous time.
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Let me share with you
00:16:10.97\00:16:12.10
just a little bit.
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I know that many
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of you were there.
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There are some of you
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that were not.
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Let me just give you
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a brief tour of
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where we went during that week.
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Again, our topic was revival.
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How do we reestablish
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or deepen our relationship
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with Jesus Christ?
00:16:25.68\00:16:26.61
And in order
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for those things to happen,
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there are steps
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that we went through,
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biblical steps, to help see
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that happen.
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On night number one,
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we talked about
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standing before God.
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This is the idea
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of recovering a sense of awe,
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of the awesomeness of God.
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You know,
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He's the creator of all,
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the master of the universe,
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of us,
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of this planet, of all planets.
00:16:47.40\00:16:48.87
He is all-wise, all-knowing,
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all-powerful, and recapturing
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a sense of that awe --
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Well, this is where
00:16:54.64\00:16:56.31
a conviction of sin comes from.
00:16:56.41\00:16:57.78
This is where a conviction
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of his great love
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and his goodness,
00:16:59.65\00:17:00.68
his righteousness to us.
00:17:00.78\00:17:02.35
Standing before God
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with a renewed sense of awe,
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is one of the first steps
00:17:05.52\00:17:06.42
in personal revival.
00:17:06.52\00:17:08.22
Night number two.
00:17:08.32\00:17:09.82
We looked at living God's Word.
00:17:09.92\00:17:12.73
To live God's Word,
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we talked regularly about
00:17:14.00\00:17:15.06
this phrase -- close the gap.
00:17:15.16\00:17:17.00
Close the gap.
00:17:17.10\00:17:18.77
And you say, "What gap is that?"
00:17:18.87\00:17:19.67
Well, this is the gap
00:17:19.77\00:17:20.50
between what the Word of God
00:17:20.60\00:17:21.77
says and how we live our lives.
00:17:21.87\00:17:23.57
You know, oftentimes,
00:17:23.67\00:17:24.31
we're slow to obey.
00:17:24.41\00:17:25.57
Sometimes we don't obey at all.
00:17:25.67\00:17:26.94
And yet all of God's commands,
00:17:27.04\00:17:28.41
all of his words to us,
00:17:28.51\00:17:29.38
are words
00:17:29.48\00:17:30.35
of goodness and kindness.
00:17:30.45\00:17:31.58
Not a single law
00:17:31.68\00:17:32.81
of God is for our harm.
00:17:32.91\00:17:34.22
All of it is for our good.
00:17:34.32\00:17:35.38
These are paths to freedom.
00:17:35.48\00:17:36.72
And so we talked about
00:17:36.82\00:17:37.62
closing that gap.
00:17:37.72\00:17:38.92
Every true revival includes
00:17:39.02\00:17:41.29
a return to the Word of God.
00:17:41.39\00:17:43.86
Night number three --
00:17:43.96\00:17:44.86
finding heart healing.
00:17:44.96\00:17:46.96
This is
00:17:47.03\00:17:47.83
a big night for many of us.
00:17:47.93\00:17:49.80
Bitterness can stop the work
00:17:49.90\00:17:52.40
of revival in our hearts.
00:17:52.50\00:17:54.24
If there is discord between us
00:17:54.34\00:17:56.27
and another human being,
00:17:56.37\00:17:57.41
it can slow down
00:17:57.51\00:17:58.71
and sometimes even stop
00:17:58.81\00:17:59.81
completely what God wishes
00:17:59.91\00:18:01.58
to do inside of us.
00:18:01.68\00:18:03.51
Even if we are in --
00:18:03.61\00:18:05.95
there's a relationship
00:18:06.05\00:18:06.92
that there is discord
00:18:07.02\00:18:08.02
and it's not our fault.
00:18:08.12\00:18:09.25
Maybe somebody did something
00:18:09.35\00:18:10.19
to us that we in no way
00:18:10.29\00:18:11.85
brought upon ourselves.
00:18:11.95\00:18:13.19
Even in those situations,
00:18:13.29\00:18:14.86
we serve a God who can heal.
00:18:14.96\00:18:16.93
God can bring healing even in
00:18:17.03\00:18:18.59
those situations,
00:18:18.69\00:18:19.43
and the bitterness
00:18:19.53\00:18:20.30
can be taken away.
00:18:20.40\00:18:23.00
Night number four --
00:18:23.10\00:18:24.43
come and worship.
00:18:24.53\00:18:26.53
The More meetings followed
00:18:26.63\00:18:27.94
the life of Elijah,
00:18:28.04\00:18:29.07
the ministry of Elijah.
00:18:29.17\00:18:30.14
Looking at the last portion
00:18:30.24\00:18:31.07
there of the book of 1 Kings.
00:18:31.17\00:18:32.54
And as part of that story,
00:18:32.64\00:18:34.91
Elijah, at one point,
00:18:35.01\00:18:36.18
rebuilds the altar in Israel,
00:18:36.28\00:18:38.21
the altar
00:18:38.31\00:18:38.91
for the worship of God.
00:18:39.01\00:18:40.38
And we talked about
00:18:40.48\00:18:41.58
our need to do that today,
00:18:41.68\00:18:43.59
particularly with regards to
00:18:43.69\00:18:45.15
our personal worship lives.
00:18:45.25\00:18:47.52
If we are in families,
00:18:47.62\00:18:48.99
we said, we need to have regular
00:18:49.09\00:18:50.99
and quality family worship.
00:18:51.09\00:18:53.03
We need to have the Word of God
00:18:53.13\00:18:54.73
and the worship of Him
00:18:54.83\00:18:55.70
be central in our homes.
00:18:55.80\00:18:57.40
Maybe our family is just us.
00:18:57.50\00:18:59.33
You know, our situation in life
00:18:59.43\00:19:00.14
right now, it's just us.
00:19:00.24\00:19:01.17
We also need to make sure
00:19:01.27\00:19:03.20
that we have that altar
00:19:03.30\00:19:04.44
in our lives,
00:19:04.54\00:19:05.17
a regular daily time
00:19:05.27\00:19:06.84
in prayer and Bible study
00:19:06.94\00:19:08.24
that we spend with Jesus.
00:19:08.34\00:19:09.54
Personal revival always includes
00:19:09.64\00:19:11.98
a return to this practice.
00:19:12.08\00:19:15.52
Night number five --
00:19:15.62\00:19:16.35
a cry for fire.
00:19:16.45\00:19:18.09
This is an important night.
00:19:18.19\00:19:19.95
In Elijah's day, he prayed,
00:19:20.06\00:19:21.89
he called for
00:19:21.99\00:19:22.86
for God to answer from heaven,
00:19:22.96\00:19:24.13
and literal fire descended.
00:19:24.23\00:19:25.86
It burned up the sacrifice
00:19:25.96\00:19:27.23
and the altar and the water
00:19:27.30\00:19:28.13
and the dirt around it,
00:19:28.23\00:19:29.03
and Israel declared the Lord,
00:19:29.13\00:19:30.73
He is God, the Lord, He is God.
00:19:30.83\00:19:33.03
Well, today, we do not need
00:19:33.13\00:19:35.40
physical fire anywhere near
00:19:35.50\00:19:36.81
as much as we need the fire
00:19:36.91\00:19:38.04
of the Holy Spirit.
00:19:38.14\00:19:39.21
We're promised
00:19:39.31\00:19:40.38
that there will come this great
00:19:40.48\00:19:41.21
outpouring at the end of time,
00:19:41.31\00:19:42.38
and we need to seek for it,
00:19:42.48\00:19:44.05
to ask for it.
00:19:44.15\00:19:44.88
We're told
00:19:44.98\00:19:45.71
that every other blessing
00:19:45.81\00:19:47.02
follows in the train
00:19:47.12\00:19:48.08
of this one blessing
00:19:48.18\00:19:49.18
of the Holy Spirit.
00:19:49.28\00:19:50.42
The return to the word.
00:19:50.52\00:19:51.82
The return to the family altar.
00:19:51.92\00:19:53.15
Return to prayer.
00:19:53.25\00:19:54.36
All of these things
00:19:54.46\00:19:55.42
are fueled by the Holy Spirit.
00:19:55.52\00:19:57.69
Ask for it. We must have it.
00:19:57.79\00:20:00.23
Night number six --
00:20:00.33\00:20:01.36
mentor your Elisha.
00:20:01.46\00:20:03.70
A number of people
00:20:03.80\00:20:04.60
wondered at first
00:20:04.70\00:20:05.53
if this was a premature step,
00:20:05.63\00:20:06.84
because the idea is this --
00:20:06.94\00:20:08.40
that even in the early stages
00:20:08.50\00:20:10.64
of revival,
00:20:10.74\00:20:11.74
that we find someone else
00:20:11.84\00:20:13.31
to share it with.
00:20:13.41\00:20:14.68
Just as Elijah mantled
00:20:14.78\00:20:16.98
Elisha -- gave literally
00:20:17.08\00:20:18.38
his mantle --
00:20:18.48\00:20:19.71
symbolizing this transferring
00:20:19.81\00:20:20.92
of authority
00:20:21.02\00:20:21.78
and calling to Elisha.
00:20:21.88\00:20:23.02
We are called
00:20:23.12\00:20:24.32
to do the same thing today.
00:20:24.42\00:20:25.62
It was a powerful moment
00:20:25.72\00:20:26.82
when we looked --
00:20:26.92\00:20:27.62
we were asked to gather
00:20:27.72\00:20:28.86
around the sanctuary.
00:20:28.96\00:20:30.13
Those of us with more years
00:20:30.23\00:20:31.53
under our belt were behind.
00:20:31.63\00:20:33.06
Those of younger years
00:20:33.16\00:20:34.36
were in front of us,
00:20:34.46\00:20:35.30
and we had the privilege
00:20:35.40\00:20:36.40
of placing our hands
00:20:36.50\00:20:37.53
on the shoulder of
00:20:37.63\00:20:38.30
a young person,
00:20:38.40\00:20:39.27
praying for them,
00:20:39.37\00:20:40.27
mantling them,
00:20:40.37\00:20:41.60
passing the torch to them
00:20:41.70\00:20:43.41
that they would be empowered
00:20:43.51\00:20:44.31
for ministry.
00:20:44.41\00:20:45.27
It was a powerful night.
00:20:45.37\00:20:48.08
Number seven -- this was
00:20:48.18\00:20:49.68
Sabbath -- be an Elijah.
00:20:49.78\00:20:52.71
In the early days,
00:20:52.81\00:20:54.62
before Jesus publicly entered
00:20:54.72\00:20:56.22
his ministry,
00:20:56.32\00:20:56.89
a guy by the name
00:20:56.99\00:20:57.62
of John the Baptist came.
00:20:57.72\00:20:58.75
Many of you know that story.
00:20:58.85\00:20:59.79
And John the Baptist,
00:20:59.89\00:21:01.09
we're told, came in the power
00:21:01.19\00:21:02.56
and spirit of Elijah.
00:21:02.66\00:21:04.39
It was an Elijah message that he
00:21:04.49\00:21:06.03
had, calling the people back to
00:21:06.13\00:21:07.13
God in preparation
00:21:07.23\00:21:08.60
for the first coming of Jesus.
00:21:08.70\00:21:10.17
Today, the Advent Movement
00:21:10.27\00:21:11.73
is called to be
00:21:11.83\00:21:12.83
an Elijah movement.
00:21:12.93\00:21:14.47
Just as John the Baptist
00:21:14.57\00:21:15.60
was the forerunner
00:21:15.70\00:21:16.57
of the first coming of Jesus,
00:21:16.67\00:21:17.44
we are called
00:21:17.54\00:21:18.07
to be the forerunner
00:21:18.17\00:21:19.07
of the Second Coming of Jesus in
00:21:19.17\00:21:20.88
the spirit and power of Elijah.
00:21:20.98\00:21:22.68
We're to be filled
00:21:22.78\00:21:23.48
with the spirit
00:21:23.58\00:21:24.31
and fully dedicate ourselves
00:21:24.41\00:21:25.78
to the mission
00:21:25.88\00:21:26.88
that God has called us to.
00:21:26.98\00:21:30.59
Now, it didn't just happen here,
00:21:30.69\00:21:32.29
these meetings.
00:21:32.39\00:21:33.62
There were other things
00:21:33.72\00:21:34.36
happening during the day
00:21:34.46\00:21:35.32
last week, during the time
00:21:35.42\00:21:36.66
of the More Conference.
00:21:36.76\00:21:37.33
One of them
00:21:37.43\00:21:38.03
was an early morning
00:21:38.13\00:21:38.96
prayer walk, and that
00:21:39.06\00:21:40.40
prayer walk, on one day,
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.13
led over to Andrews Academy,
00:21:42.23\00:21:44.53
and pastor Don Maclafferty,
00:21:44.63\00:21:46.57
in his winsome way,
00:21:46.67\00:21:48.30
managed to get to speak
00:21:48.40\00:21:49.60
to the entire student body.
00:21:49.70\00:21:51.04
And he challenged them.
00:21:51.14\00:21:52.51
He said, "I'm going to give
00:21:52.61\00:21:53.24
you a silver coin."
00:21:53.34\00:21:54.08
Remember that silver coin,
00:21:54.18\00:21:54.91
those of you that were here
00:21:55.01\00:21:55.58
at the More Conference?
00:21:55.68\00:21:56.68
He said, "This is your entry,
00:21:56.78\00:21:58.91
entering wedge into having
00:21:59.01\00:22:00.65
a spiritual conversation
00:22:00.75\00:22:02.15
with another person
00:22:02.25\00:22:03.22
in the next 24 hours.
00:22:03.32\00:22:04.29
He said,
00:22:04.39\00:22:05.35
"I'm gonna come back tomorrow.
00:22:05.45\00:22:06.45
I want to hear what happened."
00:22:06.55\00:22:07.76
He came back the next day
00:22:07.86\00:22:09.59
and what was supposed
00:22:09.69\00:22:10.83
to have been a 20-minute
00:22:10.93\00:22:12.93
chapel service stretched out
00:22:13.03\00:22:14.93
to be an hour and a half of
00:22:15.00\00:22:16.50
personal, powerful testimonies
00:22:16.60\00:22:18.37
of our students
00:22:18.47\00:22:19.27
at Andrews Academy sharing
00:22:19.37\00:22:20.94
how the Lord had used them
00:22:21.04\00:22:22.60
to share His love and His Word
00:22:22.70\00:22:24.41
with other people just in
00:22:24.51\00:22:25.37
the last 24 hours.
00:22:25.47\00:22:27.34
Can someone say Amen to that?
00:22:27.44\00:22:28.61
I mean, that's tremendous.
00:22:28.71\00:22:29.61
That's a tremendous thing,
00:22:29.71\00:22:30.65
seeing our young people
00:22:30.75\00:22:31.48
get inspired and enthusiastic
00:22:31.58\00:22:33.08
about sharing their faith
00:22:33.18\00:22:33.85
with other people.
00:22:33.95\00:22:35.25
You know, on --
00:22:35.35\00:22:36.42
We also were blessed
00:22:36.52\00:22:37.89
to have dozens and dozens
00:22:37.99\00:22:39.35
of our university students here,
00:22:39.45\00:22:40.46
coming throughout the week.
00:22:40.56\00:22:41.62
The attendance for them built
00:22:41.72\00:22:42.92
throughout the week.
00:22:43.02\00:22:44.03
Towards the end, Pastor Don
00:22:44.13\00:22:46.23
made several specific appeals --
00:22:46.33\00:22:47.30
you know, "if you're a
00:22:47.40\00:22:48.10
university student, you wish to
00:22:48.20\00:22:49.20
rededicate yourself to God,
00:22:49.30\00:22:50.23
to His ministry,
00:22:50.33\00:22:51.33
please come forward."
00:22:51.43\00:22:52.57
It was astonishing.
00:22:52.67\00:22:54.54
I mean, tears came to my eyes,
00:22:54.64\00:22:55.90
maybe to yours, too,
00:22:56.00\00:22:56.81
as wave after wave
00:22:56.91\00:22:58.31
of our university students
00:22:58.41\00:22:59.47
came forward to say, "Yes,
00:22:59.57\00:23:01.21
I want to follow Jesus
00:23:01.31\00:23:02.34
with all of my heart."
00:23:02.44\00:23:03.75
It was a powerful time.
00:23:03.85\00:23:05.58
We concluded with actually
00:23:05.68\00:23:07.55
an eighth session
00:23:07.65\00:23:08.75
on Sabbath afternoon,
00:23:08.85\00:23:10.05
this last Sabbath afternoon
00:23:10.15\00:23:10.79
at 4:00.
00:23:10.89\00:23:12.09
And we -- at the very end,
00:23:12.19\00:23:14.06
we all circled around the edges
00:23:14.16\00:23:15.42
of the sanctuary here,
00:23:15.52\00:23:16.19
600-plus of us,
00:23:16.29\00:23:17.56
and I looked at that --
00:23:17.66\00:23:21.26
600-plus people
00:23:21.36\00:23:22.90
from all generations,
00:23:23.00\00:23:24.00
from young to
00:23:24.10\00:23:25.87
not so young anymore,
00:23:25.97\00:23:27.60
to people from all over
00:23:27.70\00:23:28.80
the world represented here,
00:23:28.90\00:23:30.47
area churches --
00:23:30.57\00:23:31.51
multiple area churches
00:23:31.61\00:23:32.57
represented, as well --
00:23:32.67\00:23:33.58
standing together,
00:23:33.68\00:23:34.68
holding hands,
00:23:34.78\00:23:35.71
singing praises to God.
00:23:35.81\00:23:39.18
I mean, it's just astonishing.
00:23:39.28\00:23:40.75
It's just astonishing.
00:23:40.85\00:23:42.35
It was a taste of what church
00:23:42.45\00:23:44.55
must have been like
00:23:44.65\00:23:45.32
back in Acts 2.
00:23:45.42\00:23:47.69
And it was a foretaste,
00:23:47.79\00:23:49.59
undoubtedly, of what heaven
00:23:49.69\00:23:51.99
will someday soon be like.
00:23:52.09\00:23:56.16
And of course, the question
00:23:56.26\00:23:57.33
that comes -- right?
00:23:57.43\00:23:58.77
I mean, after this kind of
00:23:58.87\00:24:00.04
powerful experience -- right? --
00:24:00.14\00:24:01.24
the question comes, what's next?
00:24:01.34\00:24:04.27
I mean, many of you
00:24:04.37\00:24:05.04
have asked me about that.
00:24:05.14\00:24:05.71
Many of you I know
00:24:05.81\00:24:06.51
have been talking to each other,
00:24:06.61\00:24:07.64
"What is it that God wants us
00:24:07.74\00:24:08.31
to do next?
00:24:08.41\00:24:09.04
We've got this great start.
00:24:09.14\00:24:09.88
This great thing
00:24:09.98\00:24:10.45
is happening here.
00:24:10.55\00:24:11.31
What is the next thing
00:24:11.41\00:24:12.65
that God wants us to do?"
00:24:12.75\00:24:14.52
Well, the final session
00:24:14.62\00:24:18.19
of the More Conference
00:24:18.29\00:24:19.79
this last Sabbath afternoon,
00:24:19.89\00:24:21.02
4:00, it was actually entitled
00:24:21.12\00:24:22.62
"Next Steps," okay?
00:24:22.72\00:24:24.23
Because Pastor Don took us
00:24:24.33\00:24:25.93
through four questions
00:24:26.03\00:24:27.66
to try to help us discern,
00:24:27.76\00:24:29.53
"How is the Lord leading us?
00:24:29.63\00:24:30.60
What do we do?
00:24:30.70\00:24:32.00
What do we need to do next
00:24:32.10\00:24:33.27
to capitalize on what
00:24:33.37\00:24:34.70
God is doing in our midst?"
00:24:34.80\00:24:36.97
The four questions.
00:24:37.07\00:24:37.84
Let me remind
00:24:37.94\00:24:38.51
you what they were.
00:24:38.61\00:24:39.41
The questions were, "What is
00:24:39.51\00:24:40.64
the Holy Spirit calling us
00:24:40.74\00:24:42.24
to do in -- four areas --
00:24:42.34\00:24:44.08
in our personal lives,
00:24:44.18\00:24:45.71
in our families,
00:24:45.81\00:24:47.32
in our local church,
00:24:47.42\00:24:48.88
and in our local community
00:24:48.98\00:24:50.52
and in the world?"
00:24:50.62\00:24:51.89
Excellent questions, right?
00:24:51.99\00:24:53.39
Now, the first question,
00:24:53.49\00:24:54.66
we have no record of what
00:24:54.76\00:24:55.76
the answers were because
00:24:55.86\00:24:57.26
individuals kept those things.
00:24:57.36\00:24:58.36
By the way,
00:24:58.46\00:24:59.06
if you weren't there,
00:24:59.16\00:24:59.79
we put all of the answers
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.16
to all four of these questions
00:25:01.26\00:25:02.50
individually on sticky notes.
00:25:02.60\00:25:03.87
Okay?
00:25:03.97\00:25:04.80
And so the first sticky note
00:25:04.90\00:25:06.53
was a personal one.
00:25:06.63\00:25:07.34
What does God want me
00:25:07.44\00:25:08.20
to do personally?
00:25:08.30\00:25:09.10
These are to be kept
00:25:09.20\00:25:10.11
in our Bibles or, you know,
00:25:10.21\00:25:11.27
bathroom mirror, refrigerator,
00:25:11.37\00:25:13.14
somewhere where we can see it
00:25:13.24\00:25:14.41
and be reminded of what
00:25:14.51\00:25:15.61
God is doing in our lives
00:25:15.71\00:25:17.05
or wants to do in our lives.
00:25:17.15\00:25:18.41
We do, however, have record of
00:25:18.51\00:25:21.75
questions two, three, and four,
00:25:21.85\00:25:23.28
all the answers to that.
00:25:23.39\00:25:24.55
600-plus answers came in.
00:25:24.65\00:25:27.12
Many thanks to Heidi Ha and
00:25:27.22\00:25:28.66
Lailane Legoh on our staff here,
00:25:28.76\00:25:30.13
administrative staff.
00:25:30.23\00:25:31.09
They collated all of those.
00:25:31.19\00:25:32.66
I think it's the first time
00:25:32.76\00:25:33.60
they've been asked to collate
00:25:33.70\00:25:34.40
600 sticky notes. Okay?
00:25:34.50\00:25:36.06
They did a great job.
00:25:36.16\00:25:37.70
And because of their collation,
00:25:37.80\00:25:39.47
we were able to put all of this
00:25:39.57\00:25:40.30
into a spreadsheet,
00:25:40.40\00:25:41.40
and this last Tuesday night,
00:25:41.50\00:25:43.37
the Pioneer elders met
00:25:43.47\00:25:45.34
for their strategic planning
00:25:45.44\00:25:46.91
session, and the main topic
00:25:47.01\00:25:49.21
was digesting the answers
00:25:49.31\00:25:50.81
that you had given
00:25:50.91\00:25:51.95
to those last three questions,
00:25:52.05\00:25:53.28
questions two, three, and four.
00:25:53.38\00:25:54.62
And I want to share with you
00:25:54.72\00:25:56.25
the major themes
00:25:56.35\00:25:57.69
that the elders identified
00:25:57.79\00:25:59.05
from this cluster
00:25:59.15\00:26:00.46
of answers that came back.
00:26:00.56\00:26:02.39
The first question was --
00:26:02.49\00:26:03.66
that we have records for --
00:26:03.76\00:26:05.73
what is the Holy Spirit
00:26:05.83\00:26:07.10
asking us to do in our families?
00:26:07.20\00:26:09.36
Five things came up.
00:26:09.46\00:26:10.73
The first was to have
00:26:10.83\00:26:11.90
regular, quality family worship.
00:26:12.00\00:26:15.17
Now, I am so glad.
00:26:15.27\00:26:16.40
This came up over and over.
00:26:16.50\00:26:17.54
There's 250-plus
00:26:17.64\00:26:18.84
answers to this particular
00:26:18.94\00:26:20.08
question, and this was repeated
00:26:20.18\00:26:22.64
many, many times.
00:26:22.74\00:26:23.71
I'm so glad.
00:26:23.81\00:26:25.11
You know, many times,
00:26:25.21\00:26:26.01
I think people
00:26:26.11\00:26:27.08
outside of Pioneer,
00:26:27.18\00:26:29.22
they look at Pioneer
00:26:29.32\00:26:30.45
and they think about
00:26:30.55\00:26:32.25
the public things we do,
00:26:32.35\00:26:33.39
things like this right now,
00:26:33.49\00:26:34.29
the worship service
00:26:34.39\00:26:35.32
or the More Conference or
00:26:35.42\00:26:36.69
other conferences that we host.
00:26:36.79\00:26:37.86
"Well, that's Pioneer."
00:26:37.96\00:26:38.99
It is Pioneer,
00:26:39.09\00:26:40.53
but the heart and soul
00:26:40.63\00:26:42.66
and engine is what happens
00:26:42.76\00:26:43.93
in the homes of our members.
00:26:44.03\00:26:45.70
And to have this many people,
00:26:45.80\00:26:47.40
I mean, hundreds of people
00:26:47.50\00:26:48.44
saying we need to have
00:26:48.54\00:26:49.84
regular, quality family worship,
00:26:49.94\00:26:51.27
amen and amen.
00:26:51.37\00:26:52.77
If I can pour more gas
00:26:52.87\00:26:54.21
on your fire, I would, right?
00:26:54.31\00:26:55.71
This is where the engine drives
00:26:55.81\00:26:57.48
not just for the current
00:26:57.58\00:26:58.08
generation,
00:26:58.18\00:26:58.81
but for future generations.
00:26:58.91\00:27:00.95
People also said this -- start
00:27:01.05\00:27:02.62
or improve our personal prayer
00:27:02.72\00:27:03.85
and devotional life.
00:27:03.95\00:27:04.89
Now, I was a little surprised
00:27:04.99\00:27:05.95
at this because, really,
00:27:06.05\00:27:06.96
this is kind of the answer
00:27:07.06\00:27:07.69
to the first question.
00:27:07.79\00:27:09.06
But many people, I think,
00:27:09.16\00:27:10.63
were recognizing
00:27:10.73\00:27:11.83
that if our families are
00:27:11.93\00:27:13.40
to be healthy,
00:27:13.50\00:27:14.46
it's going to start with me.
00:27:14.56\00:27:16.03
I need to have a personal
00:27:16.13\00:27:17.60
devotional life myself.
00:27:17.70\00:27:18.87
I need to be walking with Jesus
00:27:18.97\00:27:19.83
in His word,
00:27:19.93\00:27:20.64
in prayer time with Him.
00:27:20.74\00:27:22.30
A third thing --
00:27:22.40\00:27:23.44
play more together.
00:27:23.54\00:27:24.94
Not pray more together.
00:27:25.04\00:27:25.97
That's important.
00:27:26.07\00:27:26.61
Play -- P-L-A-Y.
00:27:26.71\00:27:30.35
Oh, good.
00:27:30.45\00:27:31.28
Somebody wants to play
00:27:31.38\00:27:32.18
more in their family.
00:27:32.28\00:27:32.65
Excellent.
00:27:32.75\00:27:33.55
We talked actually specifically
00:27:33.65\00:27:35.15
about this that particular night
00:27:35.25\00:27:36.15
when we were talking about
00:27:36.25\00:27:36.92
rebuilding the family altar.
00:27:37.02\00:27:38.82
It is much easier to have
00:27:38.92\00:27:40.59
your kids pay attention
00:27:40.69\00:27:41.79
in worship if you have been
00:27:41.89\00:27:43.06
playing with them earlier.
00:27:43.16\00:27:44.46
Ask me how I know.
00:27:44.56\00:27:46.93
Practice forgiveness,
00:27:47.03\00:27:48.10
reconciliation, and
00:27:48.20\00:27:49.26
building bridges.
00:27:49.36\00:27:50.17
Bitterness in our families
00:27:50.27\00:27:51.13
can cut off this --
00:27:51.23\00:27:52.37
the things that
00:27:52.47\00:27:53.50
God wants to do in our families.
00:27:53.60\00:27:54.94
We need to practice forgiveness,
00:27:55.04\00:27:56.14
reconciliation, and building
00:27:56.24\00:27:56.91
bridges.
00:27:57.01\00:27:57.97
And lastly, improve the health
00:27:58.07\00:27:59.81
of our marriages.
00:27:59.91\00:28:00.58
Amen.
00:28:00.68\00:28:01.51
This is a cornerstone for
00:28:01.61\00:28:02.78
any church, not just Pioneer.
00:28:02.88\00:28:04.31
Our marriages need to be
00:28:04.41\00:28:05.31
strong and healthy.
00:28:05.41\00:28:07.25
Now, what about
00:28:07.35\00:28:08.15
in our local church?
00:28:08.25\00:28:09.72
Well, a number
00:28:09.82\00:28:10.45
of answers came through.
00:28:10.55\00:28:11.55
Pray more.
00:28:11.65\00:28:13.29
Over and over and over,
00:28:13.39\00:28:14.96
in a host of different ways,
00:28:15.06\00:28:16.39
people said we need to pray
00:28:16.49\00:28:17.79
more -- individually,
00:28:17.89\00:28:18.89
corporately, at home,
00:28:18.99\00:28:20.26
at church, at school, et cetera.
00:28:20.36\00:28:21.96
You know what?
00:28:22.06\00:28:22.80
Johnny led us in this morning.
00:28:22.90\00:28:24.13
Amen. Exactly.
00:28:24.23\00:28:25.43
We need to be praying together.
00:28:25.53\00:28:27.00
It needs to be clear to all
00:28:27.10\00:28:28.37
and to us
00:28:28.47\00:28:29.44
that Jesus is in control.
00:28:29.54\00:28:31.21
And one of the ways we do that
00:28:31.31\00:28:32.71
is by recognizing him in prayer.
00:28:32.81\00:28:34.61
We also talk about
00:28:34.71\00:28:35.58
building community.
00:28:35.68\00:28:37.28
Now, I was a little surprised
00:28:37.38\00:28:39.11
to see this much --
00:28:39.21\00:28:40.92
elders were, too, to some
00:28:41.02\00:28:42.05
extent -- to see as many people
00:28:42.15\00:28:43.82
who did turn in this
00:28:43.92\00:28:45.19
in this question.
00:28:45.29\00:28:46.69
You know, we finished the
00:28:46.79\00:28:47.32
More Conference,
00:28:47.42\00:28:48.09
and you might think,
00:28:48.19\00:28:48.89
"Well, it's gonna be something
00:28:48.99\00:28:49.66
that's, you know, we need to
00:28:49.76\00:28:50.33
have more Bible studies
00:28:50.43\00:28:51.06
and whatnot,"
00:28:51.16\00:28:51.86
and certainly that was said,
00:28:51.96\00:28:53.36
but, overwhelmingly, one of
00:28:53.46\00:28:55.13
the top answers over and over
00:28:55.23\00:28:57.10
and over is that we don't know
00:28:57.20\00:28:58.70
each other well enough.
00:28:58.80\00:29:00.14
We do not have
00:29:00.24\00:29:01.44
strong enough personal
00:29:01.54\00:29:02.54
relationships in this church.
00:29:02.64\00:29:04.31
Lots of us have lots of friends,
00:29:04.41\00:29:05.91
but there's many that don't.
00:29:06.01\00:29:06.98
And we need to find ways
00:29:07.08\00:29:08.34
to build community.
00:29:08.44\00:29:09.58
Your answers suggested a number
00:29:09.68\00:29:11.15
of ways to do that.
00:29:11.25\00:29:12.38
Increase the number
00:29:12.48\00:29:13.45
and kind of small groups
00:29:13.55\00:29:14.75
or GROW groups,
00:29:14.85\00:29:15.65
including expanding
00:29:15.75\00:29:17.12
Sabbath School class options.
00:29:17.22\00:29:19.12
You know, GROW groups used to be
00:29:19.22\00:29:20.09
stronger than they are now.
00:29:20.19\00:29:21.72
This is my doing, so don't blame
00:29:21.82\00:29:24.16
anybody else but me.
00:29:24.26\00:29:25.19
We're gonna strengthen
00:29:25.29\00:29:25.93
these things up.
00:29:26.03\00:29:26.63
We're going to build
00:29:26.73\00:29:27.40
small groups' muscles again
00:29:27.50\00:29:28.83
because we need to find ways
00:29:28.93\00:29:30.30
to develop genuine
00:29:30.40\00:29:31.50
Christian community afresh
00:29:31.60\00:29:32.83
here at Pioneer.
00:29:32.93\00:29:34.50
Also was mentioned this --
00:29:34.60\00:29:35.80
create ministries and social
00:29:35.90\00:29:36.97
activities that build
00:29:37.07\00:29:38.64
relationships -- key words here
00:29:38.74\00:29:40.38
next -- across generations.
00:29:40.48\00:29:42.61
Repeatedly, over
00:29:42.71\00:29:44.41
and over in the answers
00:29:44.51\00:29:45.58
that came into this question,
00:29:45.68\00:29:46.61
people said how much
00:29:46.72\00:29:48.02
they were blessed
00:29:48.12\00:29:48.88
and inspired by the
00:29:48.98\00:29:50.85
sheer breadth of ages
00:29:50.95\00:29:52.75
that participated
00:29:52.85\00:29:53.72
in the More Conference.
00:29:53.82\00:29:55.06
I mean, from 3 years old to
00:29:55.16\00:29:56.49
90-plus, we had people
00:29:56.59\00:29:58.59
regularly praying with one
00:29:58.69\00:29:59.79
another, talking
00:29:59.89\00:30:01.06
about Bible texts together,
00:30:01.16\00:30:02.13
these mini Bible studies
00:30:02.23\00:30:03.20
taking place across
00:30:03.30\00:30:04.13
the congregation, and it
00:30:04.23\00:30:05.37
was done cross-general--
00:30:05.47\00:30:06.80
cross-generationally.
00:30:06.90\00:30:08.27
Many, many, many of you said
00:30:08.37\00:30:10.11
that needs to continue.
00:30:10.21\00:30:11.41
We need to find ways
00:30:11.51\00:30:12.31
to do ministry
00:30:12.41\00:30:13.14
cross-generationally
00:30:13.24\00:30:14.34
and to do social activities
00:30:14.44\00:30:15.81
cross-generationally, as well,
00:30:15.91\00:30:16.81
to which I say amen,
00:30:16.91\00:30:18.31
and the elders say amen.
00:30:18.41\00:30:20.48
And what about
00:30:20.58\00:30:21.62
in our local community
00:30:21.72\00:30:22.68
and in the world?
00:30:22.78\00:30:24.45
Overwhelmingly,
00:30:24.55\00:30:26.12
the top answer coming back
00:30:26.22\00:30:27.52
from -- let's see -- what do we
00:30:27.62\00:30:28.19
we have in answer
00:30:28.29\00:30:28.86
to that question.
00:30:28.96\00:30:29.52
We had 178 responses
00:30:29.62\00:30:31.03
to that question.
00:30:31.13\00:30:31.66
Overwhelmingly,
00:30:31.76\00:30:33.16
this was mentioned.
00:30:33.26\00:30:35.03
Evangelism. Evangelism.
00:30:35.13\00:30:37.43
We want the community
00:30:37.53\00:30:39.43
to hear about Jesus Christ.
00:30:39.53\00:30:41.40
We want the community to be
00:30:41.50\00:30:42.67
ready for his soon return.
00:30:42.77\00:30:44.04
A number of details here.
00:30:44.14\00:30:45.07
This is just a, you know,
00:30:45.17\00:30:45.81
as best summary elders
00:30:45.91\00:30:47.44
we could put together.
00:30:47.54\00:30:48.31
We want evangelism
00:30:48.41\00:30:49.51
that's intentional, creative,
00:30:49.61\00:30:50.68
uses the health message,
00:30:50.78\00:30:52.01
open our homes to those who
00:30:52.11\00:30:53.55
are spiritually seeking, support
00:30:53.65\00:30:55.18
missionaries, both domestic
00:30:55.28\00:30:56.15
and foreign,
00:30:56.25\00:30:57.09
increase participation in
00:30:57.19\00:30:58.49
and the number of short-term
00:30:58.59\00:30:59.59
mission trips, et cetera.
00:30:59.69\00:31:00.89
Those were the kinds of things
00:31:00.99\00:31:02.19
we want to reach people for
00:31:02.29\00:31:03.76
Christ is what
00:31:03.86\00:31:04.56
overwhelmingly came through.
00:31:04.66\00:31:05.53
By the way,
00:31:05.63\00:31:07.10
did you know we have
00:31:07.20\00:31:08.63
an excellent opportunity for
00:31:08.73\00:31:09.90
a next step coming up April 5?
00:31:10.00\00:31:11.40
That's just
00:31:11.50\00:31:12.17
a few weeks from now.
00:31:12.27\00:31:13.50
Mark Finley --
00:31:13.60\00:31:14.34
anybody ever heard of him?
00:31:14.44\00:31:16.07
All right. Yes, yes, yes.
00:31:16.17\00:31:17.44
Mark Finley, one of the deans of
00:31:17.54\00:31:19.51
Adventist evangelism on
00:31:19.61\00:31:20.58
a global scale, is going to be
00:31:20.68\00:31:21.58
here that weekend.
00:31:21.68\00:31:23.38
The Lake Union is sponsoring
00:31:23.48\00:31:25.05
Pentecost 2025
00:31:25.15\00:31:26.72
training for evangelism.
00:31:26.82\00:31:28.02
Any of you
00:31:28.12\00:31:29.32
that want to learn
00:31:29.42\00:31:30.59
how to share your faith,
00:31:30.69\00:31:32.15
you need to be
00:31:32.25\00:31:32.82
here that weekend.
00:31:32.92\00:31:33.86
Mark Finley's going to
00:31:33.96\00:31:35.32
be speaking on Friday night.
00:31:35.42\00:31:36.32
He's going to be speaking
00:31:36.42\00:31:37.16
a number of times on Sabbath,
00:31:37.26\00:31:38.19
going into Sabbath afternoon.
00:31:38.29\00:31:39.59
If you like the King's Heralds,
00:31:39.69\00:31:41.00
they're going to be here, too.
00:31:41.10\00:31:42.40
They're going to be here singing
00:31:42.50\00:31:43.10
Friday night and Sabbath,
00:31:43.20\00:31:44.23
also Sabbath afternoon late.
00:31:44.33\00:31:45.10
They're going to do
00:31:45.20\00:31:45.70
a concert, as well.
00:31:45.80\00:31:46.57
It's going to be
00:31:46.67\00:31:47.67
a great weekend focused
00:31:47.77\00:31:49.54
on this next step of evangelism,
00:31:49.64\00:31:51.64
so I hope that you'll be
00:31:51.74\00:31:52.81
able to join us for that.
00:31:52.91\00:31:54.04
We also said
00:31:54.14\00:31:55.18
some other things -- discover
00:31:55.28\00:31:56.34
and meet the needs
00:31:56.44\00:31:57.55
of the community as Jesus would,
00:31:57.65\00:31:59.58
whether it's through health
00:31:59.68\00:32:00.35
classes, doing surveys in
00:32:00.45\00:32:01.75
the community to find needs,
00:32:01.85\00:32:02.95
doing felt-needs outreach,
00:32:03.05\00:32:04.15
serve at food banks,
00:32:04.25\00:32:05.32
et cetera, et cetera.
00:32:05.42\00:32:06.15
There was a slew
00:32:06.25\00:32:07.22
of different ideas of
00:32:07.32\00:32:08.39
how we can meet the needs
00:32:08.49\00:32:09.79
in our community as Jesus would.
00:32:09.89\00:32:11.56
And lastly,
00:32:11.66\00:32:12.83
this, to me, was fascinating.
00:32:12.93\00:32:14.13
We were collating this
00:32:14.23\00:32:15.50
as a group of elders.
00:32:15.60\00:32:16.50
We read through a bunch
00:32:16.60\00:32:17.53
a bunch of these answers here,
00:32:17.63\00:32:18.57
and we came up
00:32:18.67\00:32:19.67
with this summary.
00:32:19.77\00:32:20.54
Strengthen our church family,
00:32:20.64\00:32:22.77
develop community, and show
00:32:22.87\00:32:25.44
our love for one another --
00:32:25.54\00:32:26.88
so this is inside
00:32:26.98\00:32:28.01
of our church here,
00:32:28.11\00:32:28.88
inside of our church --
00:32:28.98\00:32:30.08
so that we might be an example
00:32:30.18\00:32:32.81
of Christ's love
00:32:32.91\00:32:34.05
and draw in new members
00:32:34.15\00:32:36.05
from the community.
00:32:36.15\00:32:37.55
So let that sink in.
00:32:37.65\00:32:39.32
We're saying two things at once.
00:32:39.42\00:32:40.79
We want to to have clear
00:32:40.89\00:32:43.73
pronunciation of the gospel.
00:32:43.83\00:32:45.26
We want to proclaim the gospel
00:32:45.36\00:32:46.46
of Jesus Christ visibly,
00:32:46.56\00:32:47.73
verbally, specifically to
00:32:47.83\00:32:48.60
the community,
00:32:48.70\00:32:49.43
and at the same time,
00:32:49.53\00:32:50.53
we want to be
00:32:50.63\00:32:51.23
the real deal right here.
00:32:51.33\00:32:53.10
We want to have the love
00:32:53.20\00:32:55.37
of Christ sufficiently flowing
00:32:55.47\00:32:56.71
through us that someone on
00:32:56.81\00:32:58.14
"the outside," who's not
00:32:58.24\00:32:59.51
a member of our church,
00:32:59.61\00:33:00.64
comes here and they say,
00:33:00.74\00:33:01.74
"I don't know what they got,
00:33:01.84\00:33:02.54
but I want it.
00:33:02.64\00:33:04.28
I don't know what's going on
00:33:04.38\00:33:05.38
here, but this is different.
00:33:05.48\00:33:06.28
I see something
00:33:06.38\00:33:07.28
here that I want.
00:33:07.38\00:33:08.35
I think that's awesome."
00:33:08.45\00:33:10.79
Now, ladies and gentlemen,
00:33:10.89\00:33:12.79
at the risk
00:33:12.89\00:33:13.52
of gross understatement,
00:33:13.62\00:33:14.89
this is excellent.
00:33:14.99\00:33:16.93
This is fantastic.
00:33:17.03\00:33:18.76
I mean, this --
00:33:18.86\00:33:20.46
these rich answers
00:33:20.56\00:33:22.40
that you gave back
00:33:22.50\00:33:23.80
on Sabbath afternoon saying,
00:33:23.90\00:33:25.20
"This is where we think
00:33:25.30\00:33:26.13
the Lord is leading,"
00:33:26.23\00:33:27.00
amen and amen.
00:33:27.10\00:33:28.50
Praise the Lord.
00:33:28.60\00:33:30.44
And in light of these answers,
00:33:30.54\00:33:32.37
and in light of the experience
00:33:32.47\00:33:33.94
of the More Conference
00:33:34.04\00:33:34.98
last week, and
00:33:35.08\00:33:36.04
in light of what the elders
00:33:36.14\00:33:36.81
have been doing
00:33:36.91\00:33:38.11
in this strategic planning
00:33:38.21\00:33:39.45
process,
00:33:39.55\00:33:40.65
there are three key things
00:33:40.75\00:33:44.22
that I want you to know.
00:33:44.32\00:33:45.99
The first one is
00:33:46.09\00:33:47.92
a very practical one.
00:33:48.02\00:33:49.62
The first one is simply this.
00:33:49.72\00:33:51.03
The strategic plan
00:33:51.13\00:33:52.36
that the elders are working on
00:33:52.46\00:33:53.60
will incorporate nearly all
00:33:53.70\00:33:54.86
of the priorities that
00:33:54.96\00:33:56.13
the More survey identified.
00:33:56.23\00:33:58.17
In other words, your elders,
00:33:58.27\00:33:59.40
you elected some smart people
00:33:59.50\00:34:01.37
because honestly, the draft plan
00:34:01.47\00:34:03.37
that we have been working on,
00:34:03.47\00:34:04.27
the answers
00:34:04.37\00:34:05.57
to these survey questions
00:34:05.67\00:34:06.74
have helped to sharpen it,
00:34:06.84\00:34:08.11
but not radically change it,
00:34:08.21\00:34:09.58
because your elders are already
00:34:09.68\00:34:10.41
saying, "Yep, we probably need
00:34:10.51\00:34:11.51
to be working on this,"
00:34:11.61\00:34:12.55
and, "Yep, this is a strength.
00:34:12.65\00:34:13.65
Let's capitalize on it."
00:34:13.75\00:34:14.98
Please continue to pray
00:34:15.08\00:34:18.12
that the Holy Spirit will lead
00:34:18.22\00:34:19.82
in these planning meetings.
00:34:19.92\00:34:20.86
Our hope is still that,
00:34:20.96\00:34:22.02
by the end of the school year,
00:34:22.12\00:34:23.02
we will have a workable draft
00:34:23.12\00:34:24.63
that we'll be able to share
00:34:24.73\00:34:25.46
with you, begin to get your
00:34:25.56\00:34:26.33
feedback on, and be able to go
00:34:26.43\00:34:28.16
into next school year running.
00:34:28.26\00:34:31.83
A second thing
00:34:31.93\00:34:33.84
that I think is very important
00:34:33.94\00:34:35.07
for us to know is found
00:34:35.17\00:34:36.84
in Joshua 24:14.
00:34:36.94\00:34:40.18
Would you turn there with me,
00:34:40.28\00:34:40.78
please?
00:34:40.88\00:34:41.74
Page 166 in the red Bible
00:34:41.84\00:34:44.38
that's in a pew somewhere nearby
00:34:44.48\00:34:45.21
where you're at.
00:34:45.31\00:34:45.91
Page 166, Joshua 24,
00:34:46.01\00:34:50.55
beginning with verse 14.
00:34:50.65\00:34:51.75
And we're just going to read
00:34:51.85\00:34:52.49
two verses here, 14 and 15.
00:34:52.59\00:34:54.39
Let me tell you where we're
00:34:54.49\00:34:55.46
at in this story in Joshua.
00:34:55.56\00:34:57.33
Joshua 24 is the final chapter
00:34:57.43\00:34:59.69
in the book of Joshua,
00:34:59.79\00:35:01.13
and at this time,
00:35:01.23\00:35:02.50
Joshua is an old man.
00:35:02.60\00:35:04.10
He is full of years.
00:35:04.20\00:35:05.80
At the beginning of Joshua,
00:35:05.90\00:35:06.87
that's not the case.
00:35:06.97\00:35:08.14
He is taking Moses' place
00:35:08.24\00:35:10.01
at that time, and he leads
00:35:10.11\00:35:11.31
the children of Israel
00:35:11.41\00:35:12.51
into the Promised Land,
00:35:12.61\00:35:13.68
they conquer
00:35:13.78\00:35:14.71
the nations that are there.
00:35:14.81\00:35:15.58
There's a whole lot of
00:35:15.68\00:35:16.11
successes.
00:35:16.21\00:35:17.08
There's some failures, as well.
00:35:17.18\00:35:18.51
And at the end of this time,
00:35:18.61\00:35:21.05
Israel is established
00:35:21.15\00:35:22.38
in the Promised Land.
00:35:22.48\00:35:23.62
Joshua is old.
00:35:23.72\00:35:24.89
He knows that his time
00:35:24.99\00:35:25.79
is very limited now.
00:35:25.89\00:35:27.39
He calls all of the children
00:35:27.49\00:35:29.06
of Israel together, all of the
00:35:29.16\00:35:29.99
elders, all of the patriarchs,
00:35:30.09\00:35:30.86
et cetera, all the leaders there
00:35:30.96\00:35:32.59
because he wants to renew
00:35:32.69\00:35:34.56
the covenant with them --
00:35:34.63\00:35:36.16
not the covenant with him
00:35:36.26\00:35:37.40
but their covenant with God.
00:35:37.50\00:35:39.30
And so he goes through
00:35:39.40\00:35:40.57
and he repeats the history of
00:35:40.67\00:35:41.84
how Abraham had been called
00:35:41.94\00:35:42.90
and then Moses was
00:35:43.00\00:35:44.07
God's chosen leader, and they
00:35:44.17\00:35:45.04
went through the wilderness,
00:35:45.14\00:35:45.94
and they came into the
00:35:46.04\00:35:46.44
Promised Land.
00:35:46.54\00:35:47.64
He repeats all these successes.
00:35:47.74\00:35:50.55
They have made a great start.
00:35:50.65\00:35:56.42
But now Joshua tells them
00:35:56.52\00:35:58.55
a next step.
00:35:58.65\00:36:00.86
Verse 14 --
00:36:00.96\00:36:03.09
"'Now fear the Lord,'
00:36:03.19\00:36:04.59
Joshua says, 'and serve Him
00:36:04.69\00:36:06.73
with all faithfulness.
00:36:06.83\00:36:08.20
Throw away the gods
00:36:08.30\00:36:10.40
your forefathers worshiped
00:36:10.50\00:36:12.00
beyond the river and in Egypt,
00:36:12.10\00:36:13.57
and serve the Lord.'"
00:36:13.67\00:36:15.34
Pause there for just a moment.
00:36:15.44\00:36:16.57
This is -- this is --
00:36:16.67\00:36:17.91
this is kind of amazing.
00:36:18.01\00:36:19.21
They have made a good start.
00:36:19.31\00:36:21.44
But somehow, these idols
00:36:21.54\00:36:24.51
from way back when,
00:36:24.61\00:36:25.91
when they were, you know,
00:36:26.01\00:36:26.75
surrounded by pagan nations
00:36:26.85\00:36:27.58
and slaves, et cetera,
00:36:27.68\00:36:28.45
are still there.
00:36:28.55\00:36:30.22
These idols are still there.
00:36:30.32\00:36:32.95
And so Joshua says,
00:36:33.05\00:36:34.09
"You made a great start, but..."
00:36:34.19\00:36:36.69
Let me read it one more time.
00:36:36.79\00:36:37.79
"Now fear the Lord and serve Him
00:36:37.89\00:36:38.79
with all faithfulness.
00:36:38.89\00:36:39.63
Throw away the gods
00:36:39.73\00:36:40.73
your forefathers worshiped
00:36:40.83\00:36:41.83
beyond the river and in Egypt,
00:36:41.93\00:36:43.00
and serve the Lord --"
00:36:43.10\00:36:44.27
verse 15 --
00:36:44.37\00:36:45.47
"but if serving the Lord
00:36:45.57\00:36:47.17
seems undesirable to you,
00:36:47.27\00:36:49.04
then choose for yourselves
00:36:49.14\00:36:51.17
this day whom you will serve,
00:36:51.27\00:36:53.48
whether the gods
00:36:53.58\00:36:54.54
your forefathers served
00:36:54.64\00:36:55.44
beyond the river,
00:36:55.54\00:36:56.21
or the gods of the Amorites,
00:36:56.31\00:36:57.45
in whose land you are living.
00:36:57.55\00:36:58.91
But as for me and my household,
00:36:59.01\00:37:02.35
we will serve the Lord."
00:37:02.45\00:37:06.35
"Choose you this day," he said.
00:37:06.45\00:37:12.66
A second key point
00:37:12.76\00:37:14.93
that we must remember
00:37:15.00\00:37:16.90
as we see things beginning
00:37:17.00\00:37:18.43
to build here by the power
00:37:18.53\00:37:19.57
of God is this -- revival is
00:37:19.67\00:37:22.40
a decision,
00:37:22.50\00:37:23.77
not an event or a feeling.
00:37:23.87\00:37:27.61
Revival is a decision,
00:37:27.71\00:37:29.78
not an event or a feeling.
00:37:29.88\00:37:34.72
Now, ladies and gentlemen,
00:37:34.82\00:37:35.72
the More Conference was
00:37:35.82\00:37:36.72
genuinely awesome.
00:37:36.82\00:37:37.55
It truly was.
00:37:37.65\00:37:38.45
If you missed it,
00:37:38.55\00:37:39.79
you missed a huge blessing.
00:37:39.89\00:37:40.89
Great things
00:37:40.99\00:37:41.96
are happening because of this.
00:37:42.06\00:37:43.86
And let me tell you
00:37:43.96\00:37:44.73
a little secret.
00:37:44.83\00:37:46.70
Having been in pastoral ministry
00:37:46.80\00:37:48.33
for more than 30 years now,
00:37:48.43\00:37:49.53
I've been to more
00:37:49.63\00:37:50.47
than one meeting. Right?
00:37:50.57\00:37:53.27
If you want to know
00:37:53.37\00:37:54.34
how pastors die, it's death
00:37:54.44\00:37:55.44
by committee, all right?
00:37:55.54\00:37:56.47
That's how we roll.
00:37:56.57\00:37:57.91
It's the Adventist way --
00:37:58.01\00:37:59.07
committee, committee, committee.
00:37:59.17\00:37:59.71
Right? Right?
00:37:59.81\00:38:00.51
There's a great strength to
00:38:00.61\00:38:01.01
that, right?
00:38:01.11\00:38:01.61
And it's true,
00:38:01.71\00:38:03.28
some of the meetings
00:38:03.38\00:38:04.55
I've been to in those 30 years
00:38:04.65\00:38:05.75
were not worth my time.
00:38:05.85\00:38:07.25
They'll be hour, half hour,
00:38:07.35\00:38:08.38
whatever, that I'll never
00:38:08.48\00:38:09.05
get back, right? Okay.
00:38:09.15\00:38:10.22
But many of
00:38:10.32\00:38:11.82
those meetings were excellent.
00:38:11.92\00:38:14.02
Fantastic.
00:38:14.12\00:38:16.12
In fact, I mean,
00:38:16.22\00:38:17.16
I've been to retreats and
00:38:17.26\00:38:18.13
conferences and training
00:38:18.23\00:38:19.26
sessions and in-service
00:38:19.36\00:38:20.06
days and summits
00:38:20.16\00:38:20.93
and special weekends and good
00:38:21.00\00:38:21.80
old-fashioned pep talks,
00:38:21.90\00:38:22.63
and I've even been
00:38:22.73\00:38:23.80
to some revival meetings.
00:38:23.90\00:38:25.13
And again,
00:38:25.23\00:38:25.93
many of them were excellent.
00:38:26.03\00:38:27.30
Fantastic.
00:38:27.40\00:38:28.40
But after having attended
00:38:28.50\00:38:32.34
all of those,
00:38:32.44\00:38:33.04
I have come to a hard
00:38:33.14\00:38:34.38
and fast conclusion that
00:38:34.48\00:38:35.78
you cannot dissuade me from,
00:38:35.88\00:38:37.08
and here it is.
00:38:37.18\00:38:38.08
As exciting and inspiring
00:38:38.18\00:38:40.28
and powerful as events can be,
00:38:40.38\00:38:42.08
they are not
00:38:42.18\00:38:43.39
the key to long-term
00:38:43.49\00:38:44.95
spiritual success in Christ.
00:38:45.05\00:38:47.66
Instead, long-term
00:38:47.76\00:38:50.06
spiritual success with Christ
00:38:50.16\00:38:51.83
utterly depends on what
00:38:51.93\00:38:53.56
I personally do or don't do
00:38:53.66\00:38:55.93
after the event is over.
00:38:56.03\00:38:59.10
That's where the gold is found.
00:38:59.20\00:39:02.64
Now, again,
00:39:02.74\00:39:03.47
this is not to diminish
00:39:03.57\00:39:04.47
what we experienced last week.
00:39:04.57\00:39:05.87
What happened last week was
00:39:05.97\00:39:07.18
and remains truly awesome.
00:39:07.28\00:39:08.71
And now is the time
00:39:08.81\00:39:10.98
where the rubber meets the road.
00:39:11.08\00:39:13.88
Let me put it another way.
00:39:13.98\00:39:15.38
The programming enhancements,
00:39:15.48\00:39:18.32
the suggestions, the changes,
00:39:18.42\00:39:20.69
the multiplication that the
00:39:20.79\00:39:22.66
elders are working on right now,
00:39:22.76\00:39:24.09
the things that they're going to
00:39:24.19\00:39:24.59
offer to us,
00:39:24.69\00:39:26.09
they're going to be good.
00:39:26.19\00:39:27.46
They're going to make the best
00:39:27.56\00:39:28.20
recommendations and changes
00:39:28.30\00:39:29.50
that they know how to make.
00:39:29.60\00:39:30.87
But none of those programming
00:39:30.97\00:39:32.93
changes by themselves
00:39:33.03\00:39:34.60
will save any of us.
00:39:34.70\00:39:37.14
You cannot make your way
00:39:37.24\00:39:38.17
to heaven by programs.
00:39:38.27\00:39:39.94
It's not going to happen.
00:39:40.04\00:39:42.04
Much less, by themselves,
00:39:42.14\00:39:43.14
are they going to lead
00:39:43.24\00:39:44.08
to long-term success for God,
00:39:44.18\00:39:45.55
much, much less single-handedly
00:39:45.65\00:39:47.25
cause the finishing of the work
00:39:47.35\00:39:48.35
of spreading the gospel.
00:39:48.45\00:39:49.65
Because that will only happen
00:39:49.75\00:39:51.25
if you and I
00:39:51.35\00:39:52.62
choose a revived life.
00:39:52.72\00:39:58.36
The mountaintop
00:39:58.46\00:39:59.46
experience of last week,
00:39:59.56\00:40:00.76
praise the Lord for it.
00:40:00.86\00:40:01.93
Praise the Lord.
00:40:02.03\00:40:02.80
It was awesome.
00:40:02.90\00:40:04.90
But our task going
00:40:05.00\00:40:06.57
forward is not to sustain
00:40:06.67\00:40:08.47
the same level of feeling.
00:40:08.57\00:40:10.37
Did you hear me?
00:40:10.47\00:40:11.77
Not to sustain
00:40:11.87\00:40:12.81
the same level of feeling.
00:40:12.91\00:40:13.64
Listen, feeling --
00:40:13.74\00:40:14.78
feelings are the spice of life.
00:40:14.88\00:40:16.64
But if you have a plate full
00:40:16.75\00:40:18.25
of spice for every meal,
00:40:18.35\00:40:19.41
you will get sick.
00:40:19.51\00:40:20.88
Okay?
00:40:20.98\00:40:22.22
We are instead called here
00:40:22.32\00:40:23.69
to be steady in good times
00:40:23.79\00:40:25.22
and in bad, in high feelings
00:40:25.32\00:40:26.32
and in low
00:40:26.42\00:40:27.12
and everything in between,
00:40:27.22\00:40:28.12
to choose daily
00:40:28.22\00:40:29.76
to follow Christ.
00:40:29.86\00:40:31.33
That's where the gold is found.
00:40:31.43\00:40:33.23
Choosing to follow Jesus Christ.
00:40:33.33\00:40:35.40
Because, ultimately, revival
00:40:35.50\00:40:36.63
is a choice,
00:40:36.73\00:40:37.83
not an event or a feeling.
00:40:37.93\00:40:43.54
Which brings us
00:40:43.64\00:40:44.67
to crucial point number three.
00:40:44.77\00:40:47.54
Turn in your Bibles, please, to
00:40:47.64\00:40:49.08
Jeremiah 12:1.
00:40:49.18\00:40:51.21
Jeremiah 12:1.
00:40:51.31\00:40:53.38
Page 516.
00:40:53.48\00:40:56.52
516 in your red pew Bible.
00:40:56.62\00:40:58.15
Jeremiah 12,
00:40:58.25\00:40:59.05
beginning with verse 1.
00:40:59.15\00:41:01.72
Let me get you up to speed on
00:41:01.82\00:41:03.02
where we're at in this book.
00:41:03.12\00:41:04.16
Jeremiah was one
00:41:04.26\00:41:05.46
of the major prophets of Israel.
00:41:05.56\00:41:07.13
He had one
00:41:07.23\00:41:08.16
of the hardest jobs of prophets,
00:41:08.26\00:41:09.73
I think.
00:41:09.83\00:41:10.87
They sometimes refer to as
00:41:10.97\00:41:12.00
the weeping prophet because he
00:41:12.10\00:41:13.07
had an awful lot to cry over.
00:41:13.17\00:41:14.74
It was a terrible time,
00:41:14.84\00:41:16.60
spiritually speaking,
00:41:16.71\00:41:17.71
in Israel's history --
00:41:17.81\00:41:18.51
militarily, for
00:41:18.61\00:41:19.37
that matter, as well.
00:41:19.47\00:41:20.64
I mean, it was a mess.
00:41:20.74\00:41:22.48
Jeremiah's ministry spanned some
00:41:22.58\00:41:23.91
of the worst times
00:41:24.01\00:41:25.05
in the history of God's people.
00:41:25.15\00:41:27.42
Now, even in the first
00:41:27.52\00:41:29.25
four chapters of Jeremiah,
00:41:29.35\00:41:30.42
he's already had
00:41:30.52\00:41:31.49
a rough ride of it.
00:41:31.59\00:41:33.25
In fact, just prior to this,
00:41:33.36\00:41:34.66
if we were to read at the end
00:41:34.76\00:41:35.16
of chapter 4,
00:41:35.26\00:41:35.96
an attempt has been made
00:41:36.06\00:41:36.89
on his life, and so we might,
00:41:36.99\00:41:39.13
from a human perspective,
00:41:39.23\00:41:40.30
kind of understand the complaint
00:41:40.40\00:41:43.60
that he is going to bring next.
00:41:43.70\00:41:46.23
Let's see what he says.
00:41:46.33\00:41:47.34
Jeremiah 5 beginning --
00:41:47.44\00:41:48.37
or, 12, beginning with verse 1.
00:41:48.47\00:41:51.24
"Jeremiah says to God,
00:41:51.34\00:41:52.61
'You are always righteous,
00:41:52.71\00:41:54.41
O Lord,
00:41:54.51\00:41:55.71
when I bring a case before you.
00:41:55.81\00:41:57.75
Yet I would speak with you
00:41:57.85\00:41:59.65
about your justice.
00:41:59.75\00:42:01.25
Why does the way
00:42:01.35\00:42:03.15
of the wicked prosper?
00:42:03.25\00:42:04.62
And why do
00:42:04.72\00:42:05.92
all the faithless live at ease?
00:42:06.02\00:42:07.79
You have planted them,
00:42:07.89\00:42:08.82
and they have taken root.
00:42:08.92\00:42:09.66
They grow and bear fruit.
00:42:09.76\00:42:10.86
You are always on their lips
00:42:10.96\00:42:12.53
but far from their hearts.
00:42:12.63\00:42:14.36
Yet you know me, O Lord.
00:42:14.46\00:42:16.23
You see me
00:42:16.33\00:42:17.43
and test my thoughts about you.
00:42:17.53\00:42:19.43
Drag them off
00:42:19.53\00:42:21.20
like sheep to be butchered.'"
00:42:21.30\00:42:22.74
Jeremiah is not very happy
00:42:22.84\00:42:23.61
right now, okay?
00:42:23.71\00:42:24.87
"'Set them apart
00:42:24.97\00:42:26.07
for the day of slaughter.
00:42:26.17\00:42:27.08
How long will the land lie
00:42:27.18\00:42:28.71
parched in the grass
00:42:28.81\00:42:29.74
and every field be withered
00:42:29.84\00:42:30.75
because those
00:42:30.85\00:42:31.75
who live in it are wicked?
00:42:31.85\00:42:32.61
The animals and birds
00:42:32.71\00:42:33.38
have perished.
00:42:33.48\00:42:34.28
Moreover, the people are saying,
00:42:34.38\00:42:36.08
"He will not see
00:42:36.18\00:42:37.29
what happens to us."'"
00:42:37.39\00:42:40.59
Pause there, please.
00:42:40.69\00:42:44.29
Now, we might be tempted
00:42:44.39\00:42:48.70
to think
00:42:48.80\00:42:50.60
that because Jeremiah has
00:42:50.70\00:42:51.70
such a hard job,
00:42:51.80\00:42:52.90
and there was just an attempt
00:42:53.00\00:42:53.84
made on his life,
00:42:53.94\00:42:55.64
that he has kind of grounds
00:42:55.74\00:42:57.04
to be grumpy, right?
00:42:57.14\00:42:58.34
And that God's answer to him
00:42:58.44\00:43:00.51
would kind of be soft and warm
00:43:00.61\00:43:02.04
and fuzzy and smiley face
00:43:02.14\00:43:03.11
and ice-cream cone
00:43:03.21\00:43:04.68
and "Hope you feel better,
00:43:04.78\00:43:06.01
Jeremiah," kind of thing.
00:43:06.11\00:43:09.38
But Jeremiah has had
00:43:09.48\00:43:12.45
a good start with God.
00:43:12.55\00:43:15.92
It's been rough,
00:43:16.02\00:43:17.36
but he has seen
00:43:17.46\00:43:19.16
the hand of God move.
00:43:19.26\00:43:23.06
And in essence,
00:43:23.16\00:43:24.10
God is about to say,
00:43:24.20\00:43:27.27
"Get ready, because something
00:43:27.37\00:43:29.77
better is coming."
00:43:29.87\00:43:30.87
Notice what
00:43:30.97\00:43:31.87
he says in verse 5.
00:43:31.97\00:43:35.78
"God says to Jeremiah,
00:43:35.88\00:43:38.11
'If you have raced with men
00:43:38.21\00:43:40.85
on foot
00:43:40.95\00:43:42.45
and they have worn you out,
00:43:42.55\00:43:44.89
how can you compete with horses?
00:43:44.99\00:43:48.96
If you stumble in safe country,
00:43:49.06\00:43:50.73
how will you manage
00:43:50.83\00:43:52.53
in the thickets by the Jordan?'"
00:43:52.63\00:43:56.23
Hmm.
00:43:56.33\00:43:58.93
A third point
00:43:59.03\00:44:01.50
that we must remember
00:44:01.60\00:44:03.00
at this phase
00:44:03.10\00:44:04.01
in what God is doing
00:44:04.11\00:44:05.27
in our midst is this --
00:44:05.37\00:44:07.41
revival is not an end,
00:44:07.51\00:44:09.14
but a glorious,
00:44:09.24\00:44:10.48
promise-filled beginning.
00:44:10.58\00:44:13.55
Revival is not an end,
00:44:13.65\00:44:15.72
but a glorious,
00:44:15.82\00:44:17.15
promise-filled beginning.
00:44:17.25\00:44:19.35
And this message is
00:44:19.45\00:44:20.76
clear in this text.
00:44:20.86\00:44:23.02
In other words,
00:44:23.12\00:44:24.19
revival is not a destination
00:44:24.29\00:44:25.89
but a launching point.
00:44:25.99\00:44:27.30
Revival is not the goal,
00:44:27.40\00:44:29.43
but simply the precondition
00:44:29.53\00:44:30.80
necessary to reach the goal
00:44:30.90\00:44:32.50
that God has set for us.
00:44:32.60\00:44:34.04
And, again, we can see this
00:44:34.14\00:44:35.37
clearly in this text.
00:44:35.47\00:44:36.37
Verse 5 again, please.
00:44:36.47\00:44:37.11
Jeremiah 12:5.
00:44:37.21\00:44:38.64
"God says to Jeremiah,"
00:44:38.74\00:44:40.24
and I think, by extension,
00:44:40.34\00:44:41.18
to us, "If you have raced
00:44:41.28\00:44:43.08
with men on foot
00:44:43.18\00:44:44.55
and they have worn you out,
00:44:44.65\00:44:46.11
how can you compete with horses?
00:44:46.21\00:44:48.05
If you stumble in safe country,
00:44:48.15\00:44:49.82
how will you manage
00:44:49.92\00:44:51.09
in the thickets by the Jordan?"
00:44:51.19\00:44:53.76
Do you see what
00:44:53.86\00:44:54.72
God is saying here?
00:44:54.82\00:44:57.76
God has not merely called us
00:44:57.86\00:45:00.83
to achieve average things.
00:45:00.93\00:45:06.23
Every elementary-school student
00:45:06.33\00:45:07.70
has been in a foot race
00:45:07.80\00:45:08.97
against other human beings.
00:45:09.07\00:45:10.71
I think I can safely say that.
00:45:10.81\00:45:11.87
Doesn't matter where you went to
00:45:11.97\00:45:12.81
elementary school,
00:45:12.91\00:45:13.71
if you were in the U.S. system,
00:45:13.81\00:45:14.94
at some point, you had to go out
00:45:15.04\00:45:16.61
in P.E. class, right?
00:45:16.71\00:45:17.88
And you had to race.
00:45:17.98\00:45:18.78
You know, so we've
00:45:18.88\00:45:20.25
all done this.
00:45:20.35\00:45:20.92
It's an average thing.
00:45:21.02\00:45:22.25
But God, spiritually speaking,
00:45:22.35\00:45:24.49
is calling us in these last days
00:45:24.59\00:45:26.49
to race against horses,
00:45:26.59\00:45:28.26
to race against
00:45:28.36\00:45:29.46
much stronger opponents.
00:45:29.56\00:45:31.09
And by His grace and
00:45:31.19\00:45:32.23
for His glory,
00:45:32.33\00:45:33.29
He intends for us to win.
00:45:33.40\00:45:36.70
Any man or woman today can
00:45:36.80\00:45:38.43
stumble when they're walking,
00:45:38.53\00:45:40.34
even if they're walking in open,
00:45:40.44\00:45:41.77
peaceful country.
00:45:41.87\00:45:42.87
But God, spiritually speaking,
00:45:42.97\00:45:45.14
is calling us in these last days
00:45:45.24\00:45:46.94
to race in thicket-filled,
00:45:47.04\00:45:48.74
thorny, risky territory,
00:45:48.84\00:45:50.41
and by His grace and
00:45:50.51\00:45:51.58
for His glory,
00:45:51.68\00:45:52.68
He intends for us to win.
00:45:52.78\00:45:55.72
In other words,
00:45:55.82\00:45:56.85
in God's kingdom,
00:45:56.95\00:45:58.82
being spiritually revived,
00:45:58.92\00:46:01.02
being alive in Him,
00:46:01.12\00:46:02.66
is just average.
00:46:02.76\00:46:06.09
It's just average.
00:46:06.19\00:46:09.43
Revival, as good and as exciting
00:46:09.53\00:46:11.60
and as joyful as it is,
00:46:11.70\00:46:13.03
is a baseline, not a pinnacle.
00:46:13.13\00:46:15.74
There is still something more
00:46:15.84\00:46:18.31
that God wants to give us.
00:46:18.41\00:46:22.18
Which reminds me of a story.
00:46:22.28\00:46:26.51
Last summer, I had the privilege
00:46:26.61\00:46:28.02
of attending my very first ever
00:46:28.12\00:46:29.78
in my entire life
00:46:29.88\00:46:31.02
Michigan Conference
00:46:31.12\00:46:31.92
Camp Meeting.
00:46:32.02\00:46:33.42
Now, if you haven't made
00:46:33.52\00:46:34.26
your reservations to
00:46:34.36\00:46:35.49
to go to Michigan Conference
00:46:35.59\00:46:36.42
Camp Meeting, meets up at
00:46:36.52\00:46:37.39
Great Lakes Academy, just a hop,
00:46:37.49\00:46:38.59
skip, and a jump from here.
00:46:38.69\00:46:40.03
We need to overflow the camp
00:46:40.13\00:46:41.46
with Pioneer people.
00:46:41.56\00:46:42.53
We need to get to the place
00:46:42.63\00:46:43.37
where we have to have
00:46:43.47\00:46:44.10
a couple potlucks so all the
00:46:44.20\00:46:44.90
Pioneer people can do it.
00:46:45.00\00:46:45.87
You need to be there.
00:46:45.97\00:46:47.37
It's a great blessing,
00:46:47.47\00:46:48.17
tremendous blessing.
00:46:48.27\00:46:48.97
By the way, Don Maclafferty is
00:46:49.07\00:46:50.44
going to be one of the speakers
00:46:50.54\00:46:51.57
at Camp Meeting this year,
00:46:51.67\00:46:52.34
so hopefully you can
00:46:52.44\00:46:53.04
join us for that.
00:46:53.14\00:46:53.98
Last year was my first time.
00:46:54.08\00:46:55.51
My schedule was such
00:46:55.61\00:46:56.78
when I wasn't busy
00:46:56.88\00:46:57.85
at the gate guarding against all
00:46:57.95\00:46:59.25
of the evil elements
00:46:59.35\00:47:00.92
that might be able to come in,
00:47:01.02\00:47:02.08
I had an hour and 15 minutes
00:47:02.18\00:47:03.99
or so every day that I could
00:47:04.09\00:47:05.52
do with as I wanted to,
00:47:05.62\00:47:06.69
and I chose almost every
00:47:06.79\00:47:07.72
day to go
00:47:07.82\00:47:09.16
and exercise, to ride my bike.
00:47:09.26\00:47:11.39
I have a mountain bike.
00:47:11.49\00:47:13.96
I love to go mountain-biking.
00:47:14.03\00:47:14.73
Not many mountains
00:47:14.83\00:47:16.33
in that part of the world,
00:47:16.43\00:47:17.30
but you can at least go riding.
00:47:17.40\00:47:18.97
And there happens to be a
00:47:19.07\00:47:21.14
Rails to Trails project
00:47:21.24\00:47:23.87
that's not far from the academy.
00:47:23.97\00:47:24.91
In other words,
00:47:25.01\00:47:25.74
there used to be a railroad
00:47:25.84\00:47:26.47
track that went
00:47:26.57\00:47:27.41
behind the academy there.
00:47:27.51\00:47:28.41
They paved it.
00:47:28.51\00:47:29.54
They've turned it all
00:47:29.64\00:47:30.18
into these level,
00:47:30.28\00:47:31.48
mostly, paved paths.
00:47:31.58\00:47:33.45
And you can ride for miles.
00:47:33.55\00:47:34.32
You can walk for miles.
00:47:34.42\00:47:35.18
You're out in nature.
00:47:35.28\00:47:36.25
It's beautiful.
00:47:36.35\00:47:37.55
I got at the end,
00:47:37.65\00:47:39.35
towards the end of the week,
00:47:39.45\00:47:40.16
out onto the trails.
00:47:40.26\00:47:41.19
I'm on my bike,
00:47:41.29\00:47:42.12
having a great time,
00:47:42.22\00:47:43.16
and I turned around
00:47:43.26\00:47:45.63
one of the curves.
00:47:45.73\00:47:46.96
Remember, these are old train
00:47:47.03\00:47:48.13
tracks, so not many
00:47:48.23\00:47:49.03
sharp turns out there.
00:47:49.13\00:47:50.47
And I turned in there,
00:47:50.57\00:47:51.70
and what was in front of me
00:47:51.80\00:47:52.73
was this very long,
00:47:52.83\00:47:54.50
straight stretch.
00:47:54.60\00:47:55.70
I don't know how --
00:47:55.80\00:47:56.40
I think it was miles.
00:47:56.50\00:47:57.84
I mean, I didn't measure
00:47:57.94\00:47:59.71
that particular section, but,
00:47:59.81\00:48:00.58
I mean, you could see
00:48:00.68\00:48:01.28
a long ways.
00:48:01.38\00:48:03.11
And, after, I don't know,
00:48:03.21\00:48:05.25
maybe a mile
00:48:05.35\00:48:06.55
into this straight stretch --
00:48:06.65\00:48:08.52
And I have this rearview mirror
00:48:08.62\00:48:09.62
on my helmet, and I look
00:48:09.72\00:48:11.22
in the rearview mirror,
00:48:11.32\00:48:12.69
had hardly seen a soul all day.
00:48:12.79\00:48:14.82
And lo and behold,
00:48:14.92\00:48:16.29
there is another cyclist
00:48:16.39\00:48:18.83
just coming around the bend
00:48:18.93\00:48:20.90
and falling in a mile behind me.
00:48:20.96\00:48:24.57
I think, "Oh, okay. Good.
00:48:24.67\00:48:26.20
Somebody else
00:48:26.30\00:48:26.90
is getting exercise."
00:48:27.00\00:48:28.44
Don't think a thing of it.
00:48:28.54\00:48:30.04
Many hundred more feet riding.
00:48:30.14\00:48:31.54
I look again
00:48:31.64\00:48:32.44
in the rearview mirror,
00:48:32.54\00:48:33.31
and the bike is noticeably
00:48:33.41\00:48:35.51
bigger in my mirror.
00:48:35.61\00:48:38.51
Hmm.
00:48:38.61\00:48:40.32
Now, I'm not the world's
00:48:40.42\00:48:41.85
best cyclist, but I move along
00:48:41.95\00:48:43.75
at a decent pace.
00:48:43.85\00:48:44.85
All right?
00:48:44.95\00:48:46.12
And I'm thinking to myself,
00:48:46.22\00:48:47.72
"Wow. That's --
00:48:47.82\00:48:48.72
That's impressive," right?
00:48:48.82\00:48:50.23
Don't think anything more
00:48:50.33\00:48:51.36
about it for another several,
00:48:51.46\00:48:52.49
many hundred feet.
00:48:52.59\00:48:53.76
Look in my mirror.
00:48:53.86\00:48:54.73
It's bigger.
00:48:54.83\00:48:56.56
And I thought to myself,
00:48:56.67\00:48:57.67
"Ah, okay. This person's
00:48:57.77\00:48:58.93
on a road bike, right?
00:48:59.03\00:49:00.10
I'm on my mountain bike --
00:49:00.20\00:49:01.00
big, heavy, lumbering thing,
00:49:01.10\00:49:01.54
right?
00:49:01.64\00:49:02.74
They're obviously on a road
00:49:02.84\00:49:03.67
bike, right?
00:49:03.77\00:49:04.64
It weighs 2 pounds,
00:49:04.74\00:49:05.54
carbon fiber,
00:49:05.64\00:49:06.68
this kind of thing, right?"
00:49:06.78\00:49:08.21
And then they get closer still,
00:49:08.31\00:49:10.15
and I can see the handlebars
00:49:10.25\00:49:11.65
sticking out like this.
00:49:11.75\00:49:13.52
"Oh, no.
00:49:13.62\00:49:15.92
That's a mountain bike."
00:49:16.02\00:49:19.32
Any guesses what I did next?
00:49:19.42\00:49:23.32
I sped up.
00:49:23.43\00:49:24.56
[ Laughter ]
00:49:24.66\00:49:26.63
I thought, "Okay, yeah, I --
00:49:26.73\00:49:29.10
I was not doing my best.
00:49:29.20\00:49:29.90
I could -- I can put on
00:49:30.00\00:49:30.90
a little more here.
00:49:31.00\00:49:31.63
And so I step up the pace,
00:49:31.73\00:49:32.40
right?
00:49:32.50\00:49:33.07
And, you know,
00:49:33.17\00:49:34.44
a quarter-mile or so later,
00:49:34.54\00:49:35.37
I'm looking in my mirror,
00:49:35.47\00:49:36.47
and this guy is looming
00:49:36.57\00:49:38.67
large now behind me.
00:49:38.77\00:49:40.74
"Oh, my goodness!" you know?
00:49:40.84\00:49:42.21
And my ego could not take it
00:49:42.31\00:49:43.21
any longer.
00:49:43.31\00:49:44.18
It was clear he was
00:49:44.28\00:49:45.01
going to overtake me.
00:49:45.11\00:49:46.11
And so instead of continuing on
00:49:46.21\00:49:47.62
as I had intended,
00:49:47.72\00:49:48.52
we came to a crossroad.
00:49:48.62\00:49:49.82
I slowed down, did a U-turn,
00:49:49.92\00:49:51.49
just like I had supposedly
00:49:51.59\00:49:53.12
planned to do that all along,
00:49:53.22\00:49:54.09
right?
00:49:54.19\00:49:54.76
[ Laughter ]
00:49:54.86\00:49:56.22
And of course,
00:49:56.32\00:49:57.26
now I'm facing this guy, right?
00:49:57.36\00:49:59.16
And sure enough,
00:49:59.26\00:50:00.60
he comes barreling towards me,
00:50:00.70\00:50:02.03
big smile on his face.
00:50:02.13\00:50:04.70
Do you know what he was riding?
00:50:04.80\00:50:07.47
It was an e-bike.
00:50:07.57\00:50:09.60
[ Laughter ]
00:50:09.70\00:50:12.91
In other words,
00:50:13.01\00:50:13.78
it had a battery and
00:50:13.88\00:50:15.34
an electric motor on his bike.
00:50:15.44\00:50:18.71
And he's all smiles.
00:50:18.81\00:50:20.28
And let me tell you,
00:50:20.38\00:50:21.22
this guy was not in shape, okay?
00:50:21.32\00:50:23.65
I mean,
00:50:23.75\00:50:24.49
he was definitely a passenger,
00:50:24.59\00:50:25.69
not a participant, right?
00:50:25.79\00:50:27.19
And I'm not going to go into
00:50:27.29\00:50:27.92
all the details,
00:50:28.02\00:50:28.82
but if you saw him like, "No,
00:50:28.92\00:50:30.29
no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:50:30.39\00:50:31.09
No triathlete here, right?"
00:50:31.19\00:50:31.96
Okay.
00:50:32.06\00:50:33.06
I mean, the only exercises
00:50:33.16\00:50:34.23
he's doing is this, right?
00:50:34.36\00:50:35.53
And so I'm thinking, "This is
00:50:35.63\00:50:36.67
not going to -- this is not
00:50:36.77\00:50:37.50
going to be pretty, right?
00:50:37.60\00:50:39.23
But he's all smiles
00:50:39.33\00:50:41.07
because he knows he caught me.
00:50:41.17\00:50:42.94
[ Laughter ]
00:50:43.04\00:50:47.04
Now, undoubtedly, in my
00:50:47.14\00:50:49.71
ego-stricken mind,
00:50:49.81\00:50:52.41
this man felt the thrill
00:50:52.51\00:50:54.82
of victory as he went past me.
00:50:54.92\00:50:56.58
Right?
00:50:56.69\00:50:58.32
And I suppose, to some people's
00:50:58.42\00:51:00.36
reckoning, indeed, his "win"
00:51:00.46\00:51:02.89
on the e-bike was legitimate.
00:51:02.99\00:51:04.49
I mean, if it's whoever gets to
00:51:04.59\00:51:05.66
the finish line first, yeah.
00:51:05.76\00:51:06.66
If we'd kept going,
00:51:06.76\00:51:07.50
he would have beaten me.
00:51:07.60\00:51:08.46
That is true.
00:51:08.56\00:51:09.60
But even if his victory was
00:51:09.70\00:51:11.97
real, it was not based
00:51:12.07\00:51:14.60
on attributes that he had.
00:51:14.70\00:51:18.51
He did not own them.
00:51:18.61\00:51:20.68
He instead was dependent
00:51:20.78\00:51:22.54
on something which,
00:51:22.64\00:51:23.58
in a very real sense,
00:51:23.68\00:51:24.85
was not part of him --
00:51:24.95\00:51:26.61
in this case, a battery
00:51:26.72\00:51:27.98
and an electric motor.
00:51:28.08\00:51:28.88
In fact,
00:51:28.98\00:51:30.09
physically it appeared clear
00:51:30.19\00:51:31.99
to my eyes
00:51:32.09\00:51:33.25
that no real work had been done
00:51:33.36\00:51:35.52
inside of that man.
00:51:35.62\00:51:37.93
In fact,
00:51:38.03\00:51:38.93
he appeared to be the same
00:51:39.03\00:51:40.40
out-of-shape, unhealthy man
00:51:40.50\00:51:42.10
after that race was over
00:51:42.20\00:51:43.63
as he was before it started.
00:51:43.73\00:51:48.04
He had gotten outdoors.
00:51:48.14\00:51:50.11
He had made a good start.
00:51:50.21\00:51:52.61
But the core of who he was
00:51:52.71\00:51:55.91
had not yet been changed.
00:51:56.01\00:52:03.35
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:52:03.45\00:52:05.52
the More Conference was
00:52:05.62\00:52:07.39
fantastic.
00:52:07.49\00:52:10.56
God gave us a deep and inspiring
00:52:10.66\00:52:13.33
start, a marvelous taste
00:52:13.43\00:52:15.26
of what he has in store for us.
00:52:15.36\00:52:17.53
And make no mistake, praise God,
00:52:17.63\00:52:19.53
it is just the beginning.
00:52:19.63\00:52:22.50
It's just the beginning.
00:52:22.60\00:52:24.21
The best is yet to come,
00:52:24.31\00:52:26.68
for there is still something
00:52:26.78\00:52:28.14
even more than what
00:52:28.24\00:52:29.31
the More Conference
00:52:29.41\00:52:30.25
has already brought to us,
00:52:30.35\00:52:31.78
that God has in store for us.
00:52:31.88\00:52:34.25
You know, it's tempting
00:52:34.35\00:52:35.25
to do a real cliffhanger here.
00:52:35.35\00:52:36.25
I can tell you, "What is
00:52:36.35\00:52:37.55
this great next step
00:52:37.65\00:52:38.42
that God has in store?",
00:52:38.52\00:52:39.42
and then I won't tell you there.
00:52:39.52\00:52:40.29
I'm just gonna tell you I'm not
00:52:40.39\00:52:41.12
gonna tell you today, all right?
00:52:41.22\00:52:42.79
But if you come two weeks from
00:52:42.89\00:52:44.13
now, if you come two weeks
00:52:44.23\00:52:45.63
from now, after spring break,
00:52:45.73\00:52:46.70
everybody's gonna be back.
00:52:46.80\00:52:47.60
Two weeks from now,
00:52:47.73\00:52:48.83
I'm going to share with you
00:52:48.93\00:52:49.86
about a particular next step,
00:52:49.96\00:52:52.23
a next step that I can say,
00:52:52.33\00:52:54.10
without fear of contradiction,
00:52:54.20\00:52:55.74
that if you take it,
00:52:55.84\00:52:57.01
it will make
00:52:57.11\00:52:58.17
the More Conference look small
00:52:58.27\00:53:00.04
in its effect by comparison.
00:53:00.14\00:53:01.84
I do not say that lightly,
00:53:01.94\00:53:02.84
but I mean it.
00:53:02.94\00:53:03.75
Absolutely mean it.
00:53:03.85\00:53:04.81
It is a step
00:53:04.91\00:53:06.25
that can take all of the gains
00:53:06.35\00:53:07.78
made this last week at More
00:53:07.88\00:53:09.48
and solidify them,
00:53:09.58\00:53:10.89
multiply them,
00:53:10.99\00:53:12.02
and bring us to a place
00:53:12.12\00:53:13.66
where all of the normal
00:53:13.76\00:53:15.62
things that I described
00:53:15.72\00:53:16.89
at my beginning of my sermon
00:53:16.99\00:53:17.99
two weeks ago will take place.
00:53:18.09\00:53:19.53
Do you remember those things?
00:53:19.63\00:53:20.50
Thousands baptized in a day,
00:53:20.60\00:53:22.16
church planting,
00:53:22.26\00:53:23.20
missionaries going all over
00:53:23.30\00:53:24.03
the place, people --
00:53:24.13\00:53:25.43
miracles being wrought,
00:53:25.53\00:53:26.94
the work ultimately being
00:53:27.04\00:53:28.10
finished.
00:53:28.20\00:53:29.70
In two weeks,
00:53:29.80\00:53:30.61
I'm going to share with you
00:53:30.71\00:53:31.54
what that next step is that,
00:53:31.64\00:53:33.14
by God's grace,
00:53:33.24\00:53:34.31
will bring those things about.
00:53:34.41\00:53:35.48
So I hope
00:53:35.58\00:53:36.54
you can be there with us.
00:53:36.64\00:53:39.65
Until then, keep on going.
00:53:39.75\00:53:44.85
Consider the lessons each day
00:53:44.95\00:53:47.06
that you learned last week.
00:53:47.16\00:53:48.42
Pray, study, by yourself,
00:53:48.52\00:53:50.23
with others, at church,
00:53:50.33\00:53:51.63
at home, at school.
00:53:51.73\00:53:52.99
Continue to grow in the
00:53:53.09\00:53:54.13
fellowship with each other
00:53:54.23\00:53:55.33
that you started last week,
00:53:55.43\00:53:56.50
deepening those sweet ties.
00:53:56.60\00:53:58.17
Make the ministry plans
00:53:58.27\00:53:59.60
that so many of you
00:53:59.70\00:54:00.47
have been telling me about.
00:54:00.57\00:54:01.57
Go for it. Don't wait.
00:54:01.67\00:54:03.00
Start now.
00:54:03.10\00:54:04.17
Go where God is leading you.
00:54:04.27\00:54:05.27
If you need help,
00:54:05.37\00:54:05.84
come and see me.
00:54:05.94\00:54:06.54
If you don't need help, start.
00:54:06.64\00:54:07.34
Get going.
00:54:07.44\00:54:08.21
Do these things
00:54:08.31\00:54:09.34
that God has called you to do.
00:54:09.44\00:54:10.21
Don't wait.
00:54:10.31\00:54:11.15
The finest hour of the church
00:54:11.25\00:54:13.01
lies just before us,
00:54:13.11\00:54:15.15
and may the revival
00:54:15.25\00:54:16.38
that has begun
00:54:16.48\00:54:17.49
continue unbroken
00:54:17.59\00:54:19.19
until that glorious day.
00:54:19.29\00:54:21.89
､
00:54:29.66\00:54:37.47
>> Oh, the love that the Father
00:56:10.07\00:56:11.43
has lavished upon us.
00:56:11.53\00:56:12.53
Thank you, Jesus,
00:56:12.63\00:56:13.47
for only continuing
00:56:13.57\00:56:14.94
and enlarging on that love.
00:56:15.04\00:56:16.67
We pray, Lord,
00:56:16.77\00:56:18.07
that, indeed, we would become
00:56:18.17\00:56:19.44
accurate reflectors of
00:56:19.54\00:56:21.08
that great love that you have.
00:56:21.18\00:56:22.98
Please, Lord, send the former
00:56:23.08\00:56:24.11
and the latter rains
00:56:24.21\00:56:24.95
of your Holy Spirit.
00:56:25.05\00:56:25.81
We long for it.
00:56:25.91\00:56:26.75
We have had a taste, Lord.
00:56:26.85\00:56:28.12
We want more. We crave more.
00:56:28.22\00:56:30.05
Please prepare us, grow us,
00:56:30.15\00:56:32.72
give us your holy boldness
00:56:32.82\00:56:34.12
to do whatever it is, Lord,
00:56:34.22\00:56:35.39
that you're calling us to do.
00:56:35.49\00:56:36.93
And may Your kingdom be a bigger
00:56:37.03\00:56:38.76
and a better place because of
00:56:38.86\00:56:40.46
what You have begun here now.
00:56:40.56\00:56:43.13
We pray this in Your name.
00:56:43.23\00:56:44.37
Amen.
00:56:44.47\00:56:45.37
Thank you for joining us today.
00:56:48.07\00:56:49.67
You know,
00:56:49.77\00:56:50.71
our goal with every worship
00:56:50.81\00:56:52.21
service at Pioneer Memorial
00:56:52.31\00:56:53.81
is that our listeners will come
00:56:53.91\00:56:55.18
to know Jesus Christ as their
00:56:55.28\00:56:56.51
personal friend and savior.
00:56:56.61\00:56:58.35
Have you taken this step
00:56:58.45\00:56:59.48
in your life,
00:56:59.58\00:57:00.68
or would you like to know more
00:57:00.78\00:57:01.95
about what this step looks like?
00:57:02.05\00:57:03.72
If so, I have a special gift
00:57:03.82\00:57:05.75
that I would love
00:57:05.85\00:57:06.62
to put in your hands.
00:57:06.72\00:57:07.82
It's this little book,
00:57:07.92\00:57:09.12
called "Steps to Christ."
00:57:09.22\00:57:11.33
Now, it's not a very long book.
00:57:11.43\00:57:12.99
As you can see,
00:57:13.09\00:57:13.73
it's only this thick.
00:57:13.83\00:57:15.53
But don't let the size fool you.
00:57:15.63\00:57:17.47
This is one powerful book.
00:57:17.57\00:57:19.33
In fact,
00:57:19.43\00:57:20.37
this book is so powerful,
00:57:20.47\00:57:21.60
so life-transforming
00:57:21.70\00:57:23.10
that it's become a favorite
00:57:23.20\00:57:24.37
for millions all over the world,
00:57:24.47\00:57:26.01
making it one of the most
00:57:26.11\00:57:26.94
translated and most published
00:57:27.04\00:57:28.14
books in history.
00:57:28.24\00:57:29.48
It can be yours for free
00:57:29.58\00:57:31.51
by calling the number
00:57:31.61\00:57:32.61
on your screen 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:32.71\00:57:35.12
That's 877,
00:57:35.22\00:57:36.55
the two words "his will."
00:57:36.65\00:57:38.42
Call today.
00:57:38.52\00:57:39.69
You can also download
00:57:39.79\00:57:40.82
a free copy at
00:57:40.92\00:57:42.12
pmchurch.org/stepstochrist.
00:57:42.22\00:57:44.76
That's
00:57:44.86\00:57:45.79
pmchurch.org/stepstochrist.
00:57:45.89\00:57:48.66
Don't wait. Get your copy today.
00:57:48.76\00:57:50.97
A forever friendship with Jesus
00:57:51.07\00:57:52.67
is waiting for you.
00:57:52.77\00:57:54.60
､
00:57:54.70\00:57:56.87
､
00:58:00.34\00:58:10.25
､
00:58:10.35\00:58:20.26
､
00:58:20.36\00:58:28.44