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>> Scripture reading today
00:09:25.16\00:09:26.06
is Matthew 9:35-38.
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'Jesus went through all
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the towns and villages,
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teaching in their synagogues,
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proclaiming the good news
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of the kingdom and healing
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every disease and sickness.
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When he saw the crowds,
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he had compassion on them
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because they were harassed
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and helpless,
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like sheep without a shepherd.
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Then he said to his disciples,
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'The harvest is plentiful,
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but the workers are few.
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Ask the Lord of the harvest,
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therefore, to send out workers
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into his harvest field.'"
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This verse -- Thank you.
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This verse actually relates
00:10:00.46\00:10:01.63
a lot to this next song
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that we're going to sing.
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I don't think
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lots of you guys know it,
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but one of the verses, uh --
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one of the phrases
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in it is "Send me."
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And I think
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when God is calling, he says,
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"Ask the Lord to send out
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workers into his fields.
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That can be all of us.
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And I just invite you
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to make this a prayer and
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just ask God, like,
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"Please send me into your field.
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I'm willing to do that.
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And so please join us
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as we sing.
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¤
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¤
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>> Thank you, Praise Team,
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for leading us in worship.
00:17:15.50\00:17:16.73
We appreciate that very much.
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Welcome to part three
00:17:21.37\00:17:23.74
of our sporadic,
00:17:23.84\00:17:26.57
occasionally installed series
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entitled "ChurchWorks."
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Parts one and two --
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It's been a little bit
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since we did parts one and two,
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and I know you remember
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every word that I say,
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but I am going to do a brief
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review of parts one and two,
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because it was in January
00:17:43.39\00:17:45.43
when parts one and two happened.
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So let me tell you
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a little bit about
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where we have been.
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In part one --
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"ChurchWorks," part one,
00:17:51.67\00:17:52.37
talked about
00:17:52.47\00:17:53.40
how the gates of Hell
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shall fall,
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and it focused in on an analogy
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that Jesus made
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in Matthew 16:18.
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He talked about
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how he is the rock --
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he himself is the rock
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on which the church is built,
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and the gates of Hell
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will not prevail against it.
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And the analogy is
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of Christians being so cohesive,
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so organized,
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working together as one person,
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that it is as if they
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have grabbed a battering ram --
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this is the picture
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Jesus is painting --
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and they work together
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in concerted effort,
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taking the fight to the enemy
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and prevailing
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over the fortress of Hell.
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That's what
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Jesus said will happen.
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Organization is important.
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This is God's work.
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We're not to be haphazard
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or sloppy.
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We're to take it seriously.
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We're to do it with joy
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and to the absolute
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best of our ability.
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That was part one.
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Part two of "ChurchWorks."
00:18:47.06\00:18:48.79
We talked about
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"The Great Omission."
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We talked about how it is
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that too many churches stop,
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essentially, at baptism --
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a new believer is baptized,
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and then we're done.
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And actually the Bible says,
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"No, we are called to take
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people to be full,
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devoted disciples of Jesus."
00:19:02.60\00:19:04.77
Take them to maturity.
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That's what is often omitted
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by so many churches.
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We went through
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eight characteristics
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of a genuine,
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mature disciple of Christ,
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and we finished with
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this summary statement.
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"A genuine,
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mature disciple is someone
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who is called by Christ
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to be with Christ,
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is loyal and obedient to Christ,
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is fruitful in the Spirit.
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making other disciples, is one
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who serves, sacrifices,
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and suffers for Christ,
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yet possesses
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inner peace and joy,
00:19:33.40\00:19:34.74
has spiritual
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authority, and lives
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for the purpose of glorifying
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God in 100% of his or her life.
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Someone say Amen.
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I mean, what a privilege,
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what a high calling
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we have to be called into
00:19:45.38\00:19:46.95
this kind of a kingdom.
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This is the kind of disciple
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God calls us to be.
00:19:51.59\00:19:53.52
This is the kind of disciple
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God calls us to make.
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And that brings
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us to part three.
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If, indeed, this is
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the kind of disciple
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that we are called to be,
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and this is the kind of disciple
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we are called to make,
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both of these
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will be much easier
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if we can get back to the place
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where ministers rule.
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Should I have
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the benediction now?
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Would that be helpful?
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Just finish now?
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Yes, sir.
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Let me explain what I mean.
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Let's start with the Bible.
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Take a look, please,
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at Jeremiah 3:17.
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Jeremiah third chapter,
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beginning with verse 17.
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It's page 508
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in the red pew Bible,
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which is somewhere around
00:20:42.17\00:20:42.84
where you're sitting.
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Page 508, Jeremiah 3:17.
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While you are looking that up,
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if we want to know
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how to best make
00:20:50.21\00:20:52.08
and to best be this kind of
00:20:52.18\00:20:54.12
genuine, mature disciple
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of Christ,
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then we have to have
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at least a basic understanding
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of how God Himself
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has historically
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structured His church.
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As we saw again in part one,
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God's work is to be organized,
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not sloppy, not haphazard.
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It is to be organized.
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And to this end,
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God put in place
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a simple structure,
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not a bureaucracy,
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but a simple structure
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within his people
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so that his purposes could
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be most effectively achieved.
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And let's start with what he did
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in the Old Testament.
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Jeremiah 3:17.
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My Bible, it says this.
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"At that time, they
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will call Jerusalem the throne
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of the Lord and all nations --"
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How many nations?
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What did it say? All nations --
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"and all nations will gather
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in Jerusalem
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to honor the name of the Lord.
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No longer will they follow
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the stubbornness
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of their evil hearts.
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Hmm.
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Now, here we have revealed
00:21:53.34\00:21:54.14
something very important,
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because here we have
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the guiding philosophy of God's
00:21:57.28\00:22:00.35
Old Testament kingdom structure.
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The guiding philosophy of God's
00:22:02.55\00:22:04.05
Old Testament kingdom structure
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was "Come here."
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"Come here to Israel.
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Come here to Jerusalem."
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We won't take the time
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to read it this morning,
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but if we were to read,
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for instance,
00:22:16.70\00:22:17.20
in Deuteronomy 28,
00:22:17.30\00:22:19.03
there's a slew of blessings
00:22:19.13\00:22:20.50
that would be Israel's, if
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they were to be faithful to God.
00:22:21.74\00:22:22.97
One of those is that
00:22:23.07\00:22:23.74
they would be the head
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and not the tail amongst
00:22:25.07\00:22:26.21
the nations,
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because some people think
00:22:27.44\00:22:28.18
that God doesn't have favorites.
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You should read the Bible.
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God here says, "Israel,
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you will be the head here.
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People will come here to
00:22:33.55\00:22:35.78
learn the deep things of God."
00:22:35.88\00:22:37.95
Moreover, the temple itself,
00:22:38.05\00:22:40.12
the very dwelling place,
00:22:40.22\00:22:41.22
physically speaking, of God
00:22:41.32\00:22:42.59
on Earth, was in Jerusalem.
00:22:42.69\00:22:45.43
This was an incredible thing.
00:22:45.53\00:22:47.30
God is saying, by his actions,
00:22:47.40\00:22:48.93
"Come here."
00:22:49.03\00:22:50.27
This is why God says,
00:22:50.37\00:22:51.03
in Jeremiah 3:17,
00:22:51.13\00:22:52.33
"All nations will come here."
00:22:52.43\00:22:53.74
This was His desire.
00:22:53.84\00:22:55.17
This was God's philosophy
00:22:55.27\00:22:57.74
in the Old Testament.
00:22:57.84\00:22:58.77
And he set up a simple
00:22:58.87\00:23:00.41
three-part structure to help
00:23:00.51\00:23:02.48
make that philosophy a reality.
00:23:02.58\00:23:04.98
The first part were
00:23:05.08\00:23:06.31
leaders of the people.
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Who are these?
00:23:08.05\00:23:08.85
Well, first of all, there were
00:23:08.95\00:23:10.35
patriarchs and elders.
00:23:10.45\00:23:11.75
These were leaders
00:23:11.85\00:23:12.75
in local families, local tribes,
00:23:12.85\00:23:14.49
maybe in a village.
00:23:14.59\00:23:15.49
They were seen as the leaders
00:23:15.59\00:23:16.83
of that structure --
00:23:16.93\00:23:18.06
"Come here" structure.
00:23:18.16\00:23:20.13
There were also judges.
00:23:20.23\00:23:21.96
These came later on.
00:23:22.06\00:23:23.13
Not always a pretty story.
00:23:23.23\00:23:24.63
Othniel was the first one.
00:23:24.73\00:23:26.00
Sampson, probably one
00:23:26.10\00:23:27.30
of the most famous later judges,
00:23:27.40\00:23:28.54
that didn't go so well.
00:23:28.64\00:23:29.64
But the point is,
00:23:29.74\00:23:30.57
is that these judges existed.
00:23:30.67\00:23:31.81
There were many of them,
00:23:31.91\00:23:32.41
and they had
00:23:32.51\00:23:33.17
a regional authority
00:23:33.27\00:23:34.64
beyond just a local tribe.
00:23:34.74\00:23:37.01
There were also kings.
00:23:37.11\00:23:38.81
This was not a part of
00:23:38.91\00:23:39.58
God's original plan.
00:23:39.68\00:23:40.68
It was a concession
00:23:40.78\00:23:41.75
because the children of Israel
00:23:41.85\00:23:42.78
pleaded for it, said, "Okay,
00:23:42.88\00:23:44.09
I will concede this to you."
00:23:44.19\00:23:45.52
Kings had authority
00:23:45.62\00:23:47.19
on a national level.
00:23:47.29\00:23:49.32
And lastly, there were prophets.
00:23:49.42\00:23:51.13
The prophets had authority
00:23:51.23\00:23:52.73
in all of these units,
00:23:52.83\00:23:53.90
in the family unit,
00:23:54.00\00:23:54.86
in the tribe, in a regional way,
00:23:54.96\00:23:56.56
in a national way,
00:23:56.67\00:23:57.57
and if God willed it,
00:23:57.67\00:23:58.70
these prophets even
00:23:58.80\00:23:59.73
had authority
00:23:59.83\00:24:00.90
internationally speaking.
00:24:01.00\00:24:03.27
They comprised the first part
00:24:03.37\00:24:04.74
of God's "Come here"
00:24:04.84\00:24:06.64
kingdom structure.
00:24:06.74\00:24:08.58
Part two -- priests.
00:24:08.68\00:24:11.88
They were really important.
00:24:11.98\00:24:13.72
They were all
00:24:13.82\00:24:14.45
male in those days.
00:24:14.55\00:24:15.62
This was a very stratified,
00:24:15.72\00:24:17.15
very small subset
00:24:17.25\00:24:19.15
of the Jewish population.
00:24:19.25\00:24:20.46
You had to be a descendant
00:24:20.56\00:24:21.32
of Aaron, later on,
00:24:21.42\00:24:22.26
it was a descendant of Zadok.
00:24:22.36\00:24:23.86
This very finely tuned
00:24:23.96\00:24:25.16
elite group of people,
00:24:25.26\00:24:26.63
highly trained, very expensive,
00:24:26.73\00:24:28.23
and located in Israel,
00:24:28.33\00:24:30.90
particularly in Jerusalem,
00:24:31.00\00:24:32.17
and their role was
00:24:32.27\00:24:33.34
to mediate the presence of God.
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.34
If you committed a sin
00:24:35.44\00:24:36.74
and you offer sacrifice for
00:24:36.84\00:24:38.11
the forgiveness of your sins,
00:24:38.21\00:24:39.11
foreshadowing the lamb,
00:24:39.21\00:24:40.01
Jesus Christ coming,
00:24:40.11\00:24:40.91
you went to the temple
00:24:41.01\00:24:42.04
where a priest would intercede
00:24:42.14\00:24:43.81
for you and mediate
00:24:43.91\00:24:44.58
that presence.
00:24:44.68\00:24:45.91
The Jewish calendar,
00:24:46.01\00:24:46.78
all the festivals
00:24:46.88\00:24:47.45
that were there,
00:24:47.55\00:24:48.25
obviously, the priests carried
00:24:48.35\00:24:49.28
a very important role
00:24:49.38\00:24:50.72
in seeing that happen.
00:24:50.82\00:24:51.69
They were crucial
00:24:51.79\00:24:53.12
to keeping the main thing,
00:24:53.22\00:24:54.39
the main thing in God's
00:24:54.49\00:24:55.92
"Come here" kingdom structure.
00:24:56.02\00:24:58.99
And then, we get to part three.
00:24:59.09\00:25:00.46
And this was the most important.
00:25:00.56\00:25:03.10
The Jews.
00:25:03.20\00:25:04.73
The Jews themselves.
00:25:04.83\00:25:06.94
How do I know they
00:25:07.04\00:25:07.70
were so important?
00:25:07.80\00:25:08.44
Well, my Bible has
00:25:08.54\00:25:09.47
things like this in it.
00:25:09.57\00:25:10.21
Zechariah 8:23.
00:25:10.31\00:25:12.71
"This is what the Lord Almighty
00:25:12.81\00:25:13.91
says: 'In those days, 10 people
00:25:14.01\00:25:16.01
from all languages
00:25:16.11\00:25:16.91
and nations --"
00:25:17.01\00:25:17.88
so, here's this global picture
00:25:17.98\00:25:18.61
again --
00:25:18.71\00:25:19.85
"will take firm hold of one Jew
00:25:19.95\00:25:21.58
by the hem of his robe
00:25:21.68\00:25:22.82
and say, "Let us go with you,
00:25:22.92\00:25:24.79
because we have heard
00:25:24.89\00:25:26.19
that God is with you."'"
00:25:26.29\00:25:29.66
I mean, the imagery here --
00:25:29.76\00:25:30.89
I mean, this is vivid, right?
00:25:30.99\00:25:31.86
I mean, blessedly, I've
00:25:31.96\00:25:33.86
never had people grab the hem
00:25:33.96\00:25:35.36
of my pants as I walked --
00:25:35.46\00:25:36.77
"Please let us come with you!",
00:25:36.87\00:25:37.33
right?
00:25:37.43\00:25:38.20
I mean, this is vivid stuff.
00:25:38.30\00:25:39.57
God desired the world to come
00:25:39.67\00:25:42.07
to Israel, to come here,
00:25:42.17\00:25:43.91
because God would be shown
00:25:44.01\00:25:45.31
to be among them.
00:25:45.41\00:25:46.61
The people of Israel
00:25:46.71\00:25:48.18
were to be the people of God.
00:25:48.28\00:25:50.31
That was their task.
00:25:50.41\00:25:51.81
They were to live
00:25:51.91\00:25:52.81
out the law of God.
00:25:52.91\00:25:54.25
They were to be
00:25:54.35\00:25:55.05
the recipient of the blessings
00:25:55.15\00:25:56.72
of living God's way.
00:25:56.82\00:25:58.72
Not just spiritually and
00:25:58.82\00:26:00.46
socially, as tangible as those
00:26:00.56\00:26:01.19
were.
00:26:01.29\00:26:02.12
Even financially,
00:26:02.22\00:26:03.89
this was part of the plan.
00:26:03.99\00:26:05.19
They were to be
00:26:05.29\00:26:06.26
this locus, this center
00:26:06.36\00:26:07.73
of attention on the planet.
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.20
And all the world would come
00:26:09.30\00:26:11.47
here to Israel
00:26:11.57\00:26:13.03
to learn about God.
00:26:13.13\00:26:18.34
Now, question --
00:26:18.44\00:26:21.84
"Did it work?"
00:26:21.94\00:26:24.25
No, it didn't.
00:26:28.38\00:26:31.22
And the weakness was not in God.
00:26:31.32\00:26:32.92
When God creates something,
00:26:33.02\00:26:34.49
he's not the problem. Okay?
00:26:34.59\00:26:35.79
If there's a difference between
00:26:35.89\00:26:36.46
you and God, the problem
00:26:36.56\00:26:38.03
probably is with you.
00:26:38.13\00:26:38.96
Okay? Right?
00:26:39.06\00:26:40.20
And so God here,
00:26:40.30\00:26:41.00
He did a good structure,
00:26:41.10\00:26:42.33
but the people
00:26:42.43\00:26:42.96
were not faithful.
00:26:43.06\00:26:44.10
The people did not hold up
00:26:44.20\00:26:45.20
their end of this covenant.
00:26:45.30\00:26:46.27
They were unfaithful.
00:26:46.37\00:26:47.10
Among other things,
00:26:47.20\00:26:47.80
they became very ethnocentric.
00:26:47.90\00:26:49.57
You know, "Because we're Jews,
00:26:49.67\00:26:51.07
because of who
00:26:51.17\00:26:51.94
our mother and father was,
00:26:52.04\00:26:52.84
we're in like Flynn
00:26:52.94\00:26:53.81
to the kingdom.
00:26:53.91\00:26:54.61
Everybody else can just pick up
00:26:54.71\00:26:55.38
the leftovers."
00:26:55.48\00:26:56.61
That was not God's plan.
00:26:56.71\00:26:57.91
And so the "Come here"
00:26:58.01\00:27:00.12
kingdom structure failed.
00:27:00.22\00:27:03.75
So God had to make
00:27:03.85\00:27:05.22
some adjustments.
00:27:05.32\00:27:07.06
And He began
00:27:07.16\00:27:09.06
to do things differently.
00:27:09.16\00:27:09.99
And by the time
00:27:10.09\00:27:11.53
we get to the New Testament
00:27:11.63\00:27:13.16
church, particularly in
00:27:13.26\00:27:14.23
the Book of Acts,
00:27:14.36\00:27:15.66
things are going so well
00:27:15.76\00:27:17.07
that people are starting
00:27:17.17\00:27:18.50
to act downright normal.
00:27:18.60\00:27:21.67
Normal, as we have been defining
00:27:21.77\00:27:23.17
it in this series, right?
00:27:23.27\00:27:24.14
In harmony with God's will,
00:27:24.24\00:27:24.77
et cetera.
00:27:24.87\00:27:25.97
And they're so normal
00:27:26.07\00:27:27.74
that a new kingdom
00:27:27.84\00:27:29.58
structure is implemented.
00:27:29.68\00:27:31.85
The old kingdom structure
00:27:31.95\00:27:32.75
is built on this
00:27:32.85\00:27:33.68
this "Come here" philosophy.
00:27:33.78\00:27:35.42
But but the new kingdom
00:27:35.52\00:27:36.45
structure is based
00:27:36.55\00:27:37.79
on a philosophy of "Go there."
00:27:37.89\00:27:40.86
Any texts come to mind that
00:27:40.96\00:27:42.52
might support that philosophy?
00:27:42.62\00:27:44.19
You know, Matthew 28:18-20,
00:27:44.29\00:27:45.49
the Great Commission.
00:27:45.59\00:27:45.96
Jesus says,
00:27:46.06\00:27:46.83
"All authority in heaven and
00:27:46.93\00:27:47.66
earth has been given to me."
00:27:47.76\00:27:48.26
Therefore, what?
00:27:48.36\00:27:49.93
"Go! Go and make
00:27:50.03\00:27:51.90
disciples of all nations."
00:27:52.00\00:27:53.23
So it's 180 degrees out.
00:27:53.34\00:27:54.57
I mean,
00:27:54.67\00:27:55.50
geometrically, exactly 180 out.
00:27:55.60\00:27:58.04
Instead of coming here
00:27:58.14\00:27:59.81
to learn the things of God,
00:27:59.91\00:28:01.31
we are now to go there
00:28:01.41\00:28:03.21
to reach the nations. Okay?
00:28:03.31\00:28:05.18
And, again,
00:28:05.28\00:28:06.58
to support the implementation
00:28:06.68\00:28:08.62
of this philosophy,
00:28:08.72\00:28:10.02
God implements
00:28:10.12\00:28:11.19
a three-part structure.
00:28:11.29\00:28:13.66
The first part of the structure
00:28:13.76\00:28:14.99
were leaders of the people,
00:28:15.09\00:28:16.42
but no kings
00:28:16.52\00:28:17.53
and no judges this time.
00:28:17.63\00:28:19.03
Instead, we have
00:28:19.13\00:28:19.96
people like apostles.
00:28:20.06\00:28:21.76
Apostles were to lead
00:28:21.86\00:28:22.63
on a regional,
00:28:22.73\00:28:23.63
even a national level. Okay?
00:28:23.73\00:28:25.33
We also had elders.
00:28:25.43\00:28:26.90
They were to be the leaders
00:28:27.00\00:28:27.90
of the local church.
00:28:28.00\00:28:29.64
And we had deacons and
00:28:29.74\00:28:30.67
deaconesses there
00:28:30.77\00:28:31.77
to lead within the local church.
00:28:31.87\00:28:34.74
And one leadership position
00:28:34.84\00:28:36.34
carries over from
00:28:36.44\00:28:37.08
the old structure.
00:28:37.18\00:28:38.11
That's the role of prophet.
00:28:38.21\00:28:39.85
You know, we're told the gift
00:28:39.95\00:28:40.68
of prophecy goes all the way
00:28:40.78\00:28:41.72
down to the very end of time.
00:28:41.82\00:28:42.95
And, indeed, just
00:28:43.05\00:28:44.15
as with the previous structure,
00:28:44.25\00:28:45.55
a prophet has authority not just
00:28:45.65\00:28:47.16
within the local church
00:28:47.26\00:28:48.16
or over a local church,
00:28:48.26\00:28:49.26
or even regionally
00:28:49.36\00:28:50.53
or nationally,
00:28:50.63\00:28:51.29
but even internationally,
00:28:51.39\00:28:52.56
if the Lord wills it.
00:28:52.66\00:28:56.30
Second part of this
00:28:56.40\00:28:58.43
"Go there" kingdom structure
00:28:58.53\00:29:00.20
were priests.
00:29:00.30\00:29:01.90
And many of you are thinking,
00:29:02.00\00:29:02.87
"Wait a second. The curtain
00:29:02.97\00:29:04.01
in the temple was torn in two.
00:29:04.11\00:29:05.34
You know, so the Old Testament
00:29:05.44\00:29:06.71
priesthood is gone."
00:29:06.81\00:29:07.58
True. Now the priesthood is
00:29:07.68\00:29:09.38
not just the sons of Aaron,
00:29:09.48\00:29:10.35
the sons of Zadok.
00:29:10.45\00:29:11.41
Now it is all Christians
00:29:11.51\00:29:13.21
that are priests.
00:29:13.31\00:29:14.65
And I know
00:29:14.75\00:29:15.58
that you've probably heard
00:29:15.68\00:29:16.48
this text before,
00:29:16.58\00:29:17.32
but I want you to see it
00:29:17.42\00:29:18.29
again with fresh eyes.
00:29:18.39\00:29:19.35
Would you turn in your Bibles,
00:29:19.45\00:29:20.36
please, Revelation 1:5.
00:29:20.46\00:29:23.39
Revelation 1:5.
00:29:23.49\00:29:26.86
We're going to start halfway
00:29:26.96\00:29:27.66
through verse 5.
00:29:27.76\00:29:29.20
Page 823 in your red Bible.
00:29:29.30\00:29:30.83
8-2-3.
00:29:30.93\00:29:34.04
A famous text here,
00:29:34.14\00:29:35.97
but it is so crucial to
00:29:36.07\00:29:37.74
what it is that we're looking at
00:29:37.84\00:29:38.37
here this morning.
00:29:38.47\00:29:39.17
I want you to see it again.
00:29:39.27\00:29:40.68
Start midway through verse 5,
00:29:40.78\00:29:42.04
Revelation 1, where it says,
00:29:42.14\00:29:43.38
"To him who loves us..."
00:29:43.48\00:29:45.21
"To him who loves
00:29:45.31\00:29:46.18
us and has freed us
00:29:46.28\00:29:48.28
from our sins by his blood."
00:29:48.38\00:29:50.02
Who's that?
00:29:50.12\00:29:51.55
Okay, easy question.
00:29:51.65\00:29:52.59
That's Jesus, right?
00:29:52.69\00:29:53.72
"To him who loves us," Jesus,
00:29:53.82\00:29:55.09
"and has freed us from our sins
00:29:55.19\00:29:56.26
by his blood
00:29:56.36\00:29:57.63
and has made us to be
00:29:57.73\00:29:59.49
a kingdom and priests,
00:29:59.59\00:30:02.10
to serve his God and Father,
00:30:02.20\00:30:04.33
to him be glory and power
00:30:04.43\00:30:05.77
forever and ever. Amen."
00:30:05.87\00:30:07.07
Do you understand
00:30:07.17\00:30:08.07
how revolutionary
00:30:08.17\00:30:09.10
that sentence is?
00:30:09.20\00:30:11.17
Previously, the priests were
00:30:11.27\00:30:13.17
this very defined elite,
00:30:13.27\00:30:15.18
small, isolated group of people.
00:30:15.28\00:30:16.91
They were very expensive.
00:30:17.01\00:30:17.98
They were all located in one
00:30:18.08\00:30:18.81
place, right?
00:30:18.91\00:30:20.08
And now Jesus just turns
00:30:20.18\00:30:21.28
the kingdom upside down.
00:30:21.38\00:30:22.75
And he says, "Now, if you call
00:30:22.85\00:30:24.39
me Lord --" Jesus says this --
00:30:24.49\00:30:25.52
"If you call me Lord,
00:30:25.62\00:30:26.69
you are a priest."
00:30:26.79\00:30:28.02
Or to use more
00:30:28.12\00:30:28.92
current vernacular,
00:30:29.02\00:30:30.23
"You are a minister for God.
00:30:30.33\00:30:32.53
It doesn't matter if you're
00:30:32.63\00:30:33.46
male, if you're female,
00:30:33.56\00:30:35.00
if you're young or old,
00:30:35.10\00:30:36.16
in between,
00:30:36.26\00:30:37.00
if you call Jesus Lord,
00:30:37.10\00:30:38.60
you are a priest
00:30:38.70\00:30:39.77
in the kingdom of God.
00:30:39.87\00:30:40.67
You are a minister
00:30:40.77\00:30:41.74
in the kingdom of God.
00:30:41.84\00:30:43.41
He has given you gifts.
00:30:43.51\00:30:44.57
He has given you talents and
00:30:44.67\00:30:45.84
skills and passions and ideas
00:30:45.94\00:30:47.04
and creativity
00:30:47.14\00:30:48.51
so that you might carry out
00:30:48.61\00:30:50.41
the functions of your ministry."
00:30:50.51\00:30:53.55
This is astonishing.
00:30:53.65\00:30:54.45
What used to be
00:30:54.55\00:30:55.35
so stodgy and located
00:30:55.45\00:30:56.92
and expensive is now agile.
00:30:57.02\00:30:58.75
This priesthood is agile.
00:30:58.85\00:31:00.42
They can go all over the world.
00:31:00.52\00:31:01.79
They can move and bend
00:31:01.89\00:31:02.92
and breathe, because now we have
00:31:03.02\00:31:03.93
a whole world to reach.
00:31:04.03\00:31:05.09
It's all hands on deck.
00:31:05.19\00:31:06.66
Every Christian is needed.
00:31:06.76\00:31:09.03
That's why God made you
00:31:09.13\00:31:10.00
a priest.
00:31:10.10\00:31:11.10
That's why God made
00:31:11.20\00:31:12.40
you a minister for him.
00:31:12.50\00:31:17.04
Which brings us to the third
00:31:17.14\00:31:17.94
part of this structure.
00:31:18.04\00:31:20.61
And again, it's the Jews.
00:31:20.71\00:31:24.85
But this time, Jews are now
00:31:24.95\00:31:26.72
defined as all Christians.
00:31:26.82\00:31:29.98
How do I know?
00:31:30.09\00:31:31.09
My Bible tells me so.
00:31:31.19\00:31:32.39
Galatians 3:6-7.
00:31:32.49\00:31:34.82
"So also Abraham 'believed God,
00:31:34.92\00:31:36.83
and it was credited to him
00:31:36.93\00:31:37.96
as righteousness.'
00:31:38.06\00:31:38.99
Understand then,
00:31:39.09\00:31:40.20
that those who have faith
00:31:40.30\00:31:42.10
are children of Abraham."
00:31:42.20\00:31:43.53
What were the children
00:31:43.63\00:31:44.20
of Abraham called?
00:31:44.30\00:31:46.27
Jews. Yeah, exactly.
00:31:46.37\00:31:47.17
They were called Jews.
00:31:47.27\00:31:48.30
And so here,
00:31:48.40\00:31:49.50
those that have faith
00:31:49.60\00:31:50.51
in Jesus Christ
00:31:50.61\00:31:51.51
who are followers of
00:31:51.61\00:31:52.17
Jesus Christ,
00:31:52.27\00:31:53.04
they are spiritual Jews.
00:31:53.14\00:31:54.54
Now, why is this important?
00:31:54.64\00:31:55.84
There's a number of reasons.
00:31:55.94\00:31:56.68
You could do a whole couple
00:31:56.78\00:31:57.21
sermons on this,
00:31:57.31\00:31:57.85
but just briefly,
00:31:57.95\00:31:59.15
one of the things it means
00:31:59.25\00:32:00.22
is that we are now partakers
00:32:00.32\00:32:01.85
of the promises that were given
00:32:01.95\00:32:03.35
to Old Testament Israel.
00:32:03.45\00:32:05.22
The Promised Land is coming,
00:32:05.32\00:32:06.55
but instead of a place
00:32:06.65\00:32:07.32
in Palestine,
00:32:07.42\00:32:08.09
it's going to be in heaven.
00:32:08.19\00:32:09.72
It's going to be in the earth
00:32:09.82\00:32:10.39
made new.
00:32:10.49\00:32:11.09
Yes, say amen someone.
00:32:11.19\00:32:12.33
I mean, this is tremendous.
00:32:12.43\00:32:13.56
The covenant promises to Israel
00:32:13.66\00:32:15.53
there may be some redefinition
00:32:15.63\00:32:16.77
to them, some different
00:32:16.87\00:32:17.77
locations, but we are now
00:32:17.87\00:32:19.10
partakers of them.
00:32:19.20\00:32:20.20
We're grafted into this family.
00:32:20.30\00:32:21.77
We are spiritual Jews.
00:32:21.87\00:32:23.24
It doesn't matter who our mama
00:32:23.34\00:32:24.31
or our daddy was.
00:32:24.41\00:32:25.84
It matters who
00:32:25.94\00:32:26.54
our Lord and Savior is.
00:32:26.64\00:32:28.21
We can all be part
00:32:28.31\00:32:29.28
of this new Christian --
00:32:29.38\00:32:30.38
this construct
00:32:30.48\00:32:31.85
of spiritual Judaism.
00:32:31.95\00:32:33.88
It's an amazing thing
00:32:33.98\00:32:35.62
that's happened here.
00:32:35.72\00:32:36.52
You know, leaders of the people,
00:32:36.62\00:32:37.25
apostles and elders,
00:32:37.35\00:32:38.75
the priests and the Jews.
00:32:38.85\00:32:40.69
We are called just
00:32:40.79\00:32:43.86
as it was in the old structure,
00:32:43.96\00:32:46.73
in section number three,
00:32:46.83\00:32:48.70
to be the people of God,
00:32:48.80\00:32:51.90
to live out the life of Christ,
00:32:52.00\00:32:54.30
to have him being inside of us,
00:32:54.40\00:32:55.87
to live this out
00:32:55.97\00:32:56.71
on a daily basis,
00:32:56.81\00:32:57.97
so that when we go to
00:32:58.07\00:32:59.24
the nations of the world --
00:32:59.34\00:33:00.04
they're not coming here.
00:33:00.14\00:33:00.68
We need to go there.
00:33:00.78\00:33:01.94
When we go to the other people
00:33:02.04\00:33:03.35
that are out there that are not
00:33:03.45\00:33:04.35
yet ready for Jesus to come,
00:33:04.45\00:33:05.55
they will look at us
00:33:05.65\00:33:06.48
and they will see something
00:33:06.58\00:33:07.22
that they must have.
00:33:07.32\00:33:08.12
They will see
00:33:08.22\00:33:08.85
something that they want.
00:33:08.95\00:33:09.88
They will see Jesus in us.
00:33:09.98\00:33:12.62
Our task is to be the people
00:33:12.72\00:33:14.66
of God, that we might be
00:33:14.76\00:33:16.16
successful witnesses for Him,
00:33:16.26\00:33:17.53
that we might be His ministers
00:33:17.63\00:33:19.23
here and the world over.
00:33:19.33\00:33:23.80
So let's sum it up.
00:33:23.90\00:33:25.97
Leaders of the people
00:33:26.07\00:33:27.50
were to have apostles that lead
00:33:27.60\00:33:28.57
on a larger regional level.
00:33:28.67\00:33:30.31
Elders that lead
00:33:30.41\00:33:31.11
over the local church.
00:33:31.21\00:33:31.94
Deacons and deaconesses
00:33:32.04\00:33:32.74
that lead within
00:33:32.84\00:33:33.44
the local church.
00:33:33.54\00:33:34.34
Prophets that help
00:33:34.44\00:33:35.38
at all levels, all the time.
00:33:35.48\00:33:36.68
The gift of prophecy
00:33:36.78\00:33:37.48
is still with us.
00:33:37.58\00:33:38.58
We're all called to be priests
00:33:38.68\00:33:39.85
and to help the presence of
00:33:39.95\00:33:41.08
God to be able to spread
00:33:41.18\00:33:42.05
into people's hearts
00:33:42.15\00:33:42.78
around the world.
00:33:42.88\00:33:43.32
And all of us
00:33:43.42\00:33:44.25
are spiritual Jews.
00:33:44.35\00:33:45.39
We are called to live
00:33:45.49\00:33:46.76
out the life of God
00:33:46.86\00:33:48.16
and to be his people.
00:33:48.26\00:33:50.16
Now, important question.
00:33:50.26\00:33:54.46
And those of you
00:33:54.56\00:33:55.80
that were either at or have
00:33:55.90\00:33:56.87
heard my GYC presentation,
00:33:56.97\00:33:59.43
I'd like you to keep quiet
00:33:59.53\00:34:00.37
for just a moment.
00:34:00.47\00:34:02.27
Those of you that don't fit into
00:34:02.37\00:34:03.17
that category,
00:34:03.27\00:34:04.04
a question for you.
00:34:04.14\00:34:05.77
What's missing from this
00:34:05.87\00:34:08.64
"Go there" kingdom structure?
00:34:08.74\00:34:12.58
Or maybe I should say, "Who is
00:34:12.68\00:34:15.38
missing from this
00:34:15.48\00:34:17.69
'Go there' kingdom structure?"
00:34:17.79\00:34:19.55
Pastors.
00:34:25.73\00:34:29.10
They're not listed there.
00:34:29.20\00:34:31.10
And some of you might think
00:34:31.20\00:34:31.97
I've made a mistake.
00:34:32.07\00:34:33.80
That I accidentally
00:34:33.90\00:34:34.57
left somebody out.
00:34:34.67\00:34:35.44
No, there's no mistake.
00:34:35.54\00:34:37.54
Pastors are not listed here
00:34:37.64\00:34:40.31
in this kingdom structure.
00:34:40.41\00:34:43.28
And you might be wondering,
00:34:43.38\00:34:44.31
"Well, how could that be?
00:34:44.41\00:34:45.45
I mean, after all, pastors are
00:34:45.55\00:34:46.35
the ones who are supposed to
00:34:46.45\00:34:47.45
lead our churches, right?"
00:34:47.55\00:34:51.02
Hmm.
00:34:51.12\00:34:52.65
Hmm, hmm.
00:34:52.75\00:34:56.16
Let's do some digging, alright?
00:34:56.26\00:34:57.29
Couple of questions.
00:34:57.39\00:34:59.16
First of all,
00:34:59.26\00:35:00.83
let's answer this question of,
00:35:00.93\00:35:02.96
what is the role of the pastor?
00:35:03.06\00:35:07.27
I mean, when people think about
00:35:07.37\00:35:08.64
the word "pastor," what normally
00:35:08.74\00:35:10.81
comes to their mind?
00:35:10.91\00:35:12.01
I was curious to hear what
00:35:12.11\00:35:13.21
the answer to this
00:35:13.31\00:35:14.18
was in kind of black-and-white.
00:35:14.28\00:35:15.78
So, in the last 30 years,
00:35:15.88\00:35:17.35
at a church within 10,000 miles
00:35:17.45\00:35:18.75
of here, I did a survey
00:35:18.85\00:35:20.15
and I asked one question --
00:35:20.25\00:35:21.95
"What is the pastor's job?"
00:35:22.05\00:35:23.72
Okay?
00:35:23.82\00:35:24.82
146 people turned in an answer.
00:35:24.92\00:35:27.56
That's not a bad sample size.
00:35:27.66\00:35:28.69
146 people.
00:35:28.79\00:35:30.03
Let me share with you
00:35:30.13\00:35:31.16
some of the results
00:35:31.26\00:35:32.29
of what they said, okay?
00:35:32.39\00:35:34.56
30 people said, "You're
00:35:34.63\00:35:36.36
the shepherd of the flock."
00:35:36.46\00:35:37.93
Okay?
00:35:38.03\00:35:38.87
That's the phrase they used.
00:35:38.97\00:35:39.90
That's why it's in quotes there.
00:35:40.00\00:35:40.57
30 people out of the 146
00:35:40.67\00:35:42.37
said, "Shepherd of the flock."
00:35:42.47\00:35:44.14
Now, there was a whole slew
00:35:44.24\00:35:45.71
of other types of answers,
00:35:45.81\00:35:46.91
and I just called
00:35:47.01\00:35:47.54
them miscellaneous.
00:35:47.64\00:35:48.44
About 86 people of the 146
00:35:48.54\00:35:51.08
gave widely varying answers.
00:35:51.18\00:35:52.81
For instance --
00:35:52.91\00:35:54.72
I'm paraphrasing here --
00:35:54.82\00:35:55.65
"To keep the church going,
00:35:55.75\00:35:57.52
to run the church."
00:35:57.62\00:35:59.52
Okay? Many people,
00:35:59.62\00:36:00.16
in various ways,
00:36:00.26\00:36:00.92
basically said, "Keep
00:36:01.02\00:36:02.86
the machinery humming along."
00:36:02.96\00:36:04.23
You know, the programming, keep
00:36:04.33\00:36:05.39
the building heated and cooled
00:36:05.49\00:36:06.49
and at the right times
00:36:06.59\00:36:07.30
and that kind of stuff, okay?
00:36:07.40\00:36:08.20
That's what they said.
00:36:08.30\00:36:09.40
They also said, "To have
00:36:09.50\00:36:10.73
office hours."
00:36:10.83\00:36:12.20
[ Laughter ]
00:36:12.30\00:36:13.47
Right? Okay.
00:36:13.57\00:36:14.70
How about this?
00:36:14.80\00:36:16.34
"To pray so we can eat potluck."
00:36:16.44\00:36:18.14
[ Laughter ]
00:36:18.24\00:36:22.14
There's a pretty high
00:36:22.24\00:36:22.88
level of skill involved
00:36:22.98\00:36:24.05
in that one, isn't there?
00:36:24.15\00:36:24.78
Yeah. You know?
00:36:24.88\00:36:25.65
Four years of undergrad
00:36:25.75\00:36:27.28
and two years of seminary,
00:36:27.38\00:36:28.25
that'll get you that. Okay.
00:36:28.35\00:36:29.75
Let's see -- "To shepherd,
00:36:29.85\00:36:31.22
counsel --" and this is a quote.
00:36:31.32\00:36:32.05
"To shepherd, counsel,
00:36:32.15\00:36:33.05
comfort, lead,
00:36:33.15\00:36:33.96
answer all phone calls,
00:36:34.06\00:36:35.46
go to all potlucks,
00:36:35.56\00:36:36.73
decorate for Christmas."
00:36:36.83\00:36:37.73
[ Laughter ]
00:36:37.83\00:36:40.46
I have been delinquent
00:36:40.56\00:36:41.26
in that last one.
00:36:41.36\00:36:41.96
I have not done that
00:36:42.06\00:36:42.90
very often in the churches
00:36:43.00\00:36:44.10
that I've been at here.
00:36:44.20\00:36:45.40
How about this?
00:36:45.50\00:36:46.10
"To meet the needs
00:36:46.20\00:36:47.24
of his congregation."
00:36:47.34\00:36:48.94
Okay.
00:36:49.04\00:36:51.37
"To agonize for the souls
00:36:51.47\00:36:52.94
of your members."
00:36:53.04\00:36:55.34
Not the people outside
00:36:55.44\00:36:56.51
of the church, but to agonize
00:36:56.61\00:36:57.78
for the souls of the members.
00:36:57.88\00:36:58.51
And I must say,
00:36:58.61\00:37:00.12
there's been a few times
00:37:00.22\00:37:01.35
when I have had church members
00:37:01.45\00:37:02.35
that have brought
00:37:02.45\00:37:02.98
agony to my soul.
00:37:03.08\00:37:04.52
So maybe there's some sort of
00:37:04.62\00:37:06.05
fulfillment there.
00:37:06.15\00:37:07.62
"To keep his wife happy.
00:37:07.72\00:37:09.42
Signed, Darlene."
00:37:09.52\00:37:10.33
[ Laughter ]
00:37:10.43\00:37:13.96
That is actually true.
00:37:14.03\00:37:14.93
She did turn that in,
00:37:15.03\00:37:16.16
and she did sign her name to it.
00:37:16.26\00:37:17.20
Okay? So, yes,
00:37:17.30\00:37:19.27
that's a pastor's job, yeah.
00:37:19.37\00:37:22.07
"Be an example to others."
00:37:22.17\00:37:24.11
Not bad.
00:37:24.21\00:37:24.94
"Keep members
00:37:25.04\00:37:26.24
'on track' spiritually."
00:37:26.34\00:37:27.78
Okay.
00:37:27.88\00:37:29.31
Uh, "Preach" -- sure.
00:37:29.41\00:37:30.48
"Teach" --
00:37:30.58\00:37:31.55
yeah, we know about that.
00:37:31.65\00:37:32.68
"Tell others about God."
00:37:32.78\00:37:33.82
Sure.
00:37:33.92\00:37:34.98
"Visit the sick."
00:37:35.08\00:37:36.62
How about this one?
00:37:36.72\00:37:37.79
"Bring and keep unity."
00:37:37.89\00:37:39.95
[ Whistles ]
00:37:40.06\00:37:41.42
Wow.
00:37:41.52\00:37:42.29
Okay.
00:37:42.39\00:37:43.73
I feel like I need an S
00:37:43.83\00:37:44.76
on my shirt right here.
00:37:44.86\00:37:45.99
Something like that, yeah.
00:37:46.09\00:37:46.73
"Bring and keep unity."
00:37:46.83\00:37:47.66
That's amazing.
00:37:47.76\00:37:49.16
30 people said,
00:37:49.26\00:37:51.43
"Make disciples."
00:37:51.53\00:37:53.94
Hmm. 30 people said,
00:37:54.04\00:37:55.10
"Make disciples."
00:37:55.20\00:37:56.14
Now, there is a measure of truth
00:37:56.24\00:37:57.44
to this one.
00:37:57.54\00:37:58.34
I was pleased to see it.
00:37:58.44\00:38:00.08
But of these 30 answers,
00:38:00.18\00:38:02.08
only 6 -- and of the 146,
00:38:02.18\00:38:05.75
6 represents about 4% of
00:38:05.85\00:38:07.78
the total number of responses.
00:38:07.88\00:38:09.18
Only six people honed in
00:38:09.28\00:38:10.65
on the precise
00:38:10.75\00:38:11.82
and correct answer,
00:38:11.92\00:38:13.25
biblically speaking.
00:38:13.36\00:38:14.46
The correct answer that
00:38:14.56\00:38:15.69
is found in Ephesians 4:11-13.
00:38:15.79\00:38:19.16
Let me put this
00:38:19.26\00:38:19.93
on the screen here for you.
00:38:20.03\00:38:21.53
Ephesians 4:11-13.
00:38:21.63\00:38:22.96
"So Christ himself
00:38:23.06\00:38:24.37
gave the apostles, the prophets,
00:38:24.47\00:38:26.43
the evangelists, the pastors --"
00:38:26.53\00:38:28.27
okay, here we go. This is it.
00:38:28.37\00:38:29.34
He's going to give us the job
00:38:29.44\00:38:30.01
description now --
00:38:30.11\00:38:31.07
"the pastors and teachers,
00:38:31.17\00:38:32.71
to equip his people for works
00:38:32.81\00:38:35.51
of service,
00:38:35.61\00:38:36.71
so that the body of Christ
00:38:36.81\00:38:37.88
may be built up until we all
00:38:37.98\00:38:39.71
reach unity in the faith
00:38:39.81\00:38:41.05
and in the knowledge of the Son
00:38:41.15\00:38:42.28
of God and become mature,
00:38:42.38\00:38:44.45
attaining to the whole measure
00:38:44.55\00:38:46.05
of the fullness of Christ."
00:38:46.15\00:38:48.62
That's the Bible's answer.
00:38:48.72\00:38:49.69
Let me just sum it up here.
00:38:49.79\00:38:51.13
The pastor's job is
00:38:51.23\00:38:52.56
to equip members for works
00:38:52.66\00:38:54.20
of service both inside
00:38:54.30\00:38:55.83
and outside of the church.
00:38:55.93\00:38:57.00
Because if you're going to grow
00:38:57.10\00:38:57.87
up into the fullness of Christ,
00:38:57.97\00:38:58.83
that assumes that you're doing
00:38:58.93\00:38:59.53
what he asked you to do,
00:38:59.63\00:39:00.74
which includes Matthew 28:18-20,
00:39:00.84\00:39:01.77
three angels messages working in
00:39:01.87\00:39:03.81
the church and outside of it,
00:39:03.91\00:39:05.37
helping them to reach
00:39:05.47\00:39:06.64
maturity in Christ.
00:39:06.74\00:39:08.41
Now, think carefully
00:39:08.51\00:39:10.75
for a moment.
00:39:10.85\00:39:11.88
What this means is that if
00:39:11.98\00:39:13.92
a pastor is doing
00:39:14.02\00:39:16.02
his or her job,
00:39:16.12\00:39:19.02
that they will be equipping
00:39:19.12\00:39:20.69
others to do ministry and,
00:39:20.79\00:39:24.06
as a function of their job,
00:39:24.16\00:39:25.46
not doing ministry on their own.
00:39:25.56\00:39:26.76
Do you follow me now?
00:39:26.86\00:39:28.23
They may do ministry
00:39:28.33\00:39:29.66
of their own -- right? --
00:39:29.76\00:39:31.30
but not as a function
00:39:31.40\00:39:32.73
of their job as a pastor.
00:39:32.83\00:39:34.90
If they are a pastor,
00:39:35.00\00:39:36.04
they will be equipping
00:39:36.14\00:39:37.21
other people to do ministry
00:39:37.31\00:39:38.84
for God, both inside and
00:39:38.94\00:39:40.04
outside of the church, helping
00:39:40.14\00:39:41.01
them to grow to maturity.
00:39:41.11\00:39:43.35
So if you look around
00:39:43.45\00:39:44.55
and you think to yourself,
00:39:44.65\00:39:45.58
"Well, why isn't
00:39:45.68\00:39:46.55
the pastor doing thus and such?"
00:39:46.65\00:39:48.82
Maybe the answer is
00:39:48.92\00:39:50.32
you're supposed to be doing it.
00:39:50.42\00:39:53.49
Just a thought, right?
00:39:53.59\00:39:54.72
Chew on that one
00:39:54.82\00:39:55.59
for a little bit.
00:39:55.69\00:39:56.93
Because the pastor's job,
00:39:57.03\00:39:58.46
biblically speaking --
00:39:58.56\00:40:00.30
highest court of appeal here,
00:40:00.40\00:40:00.96
the Bible --
00:40:01.03\00:40:02.60
biblically speaking,
00:40:02.70\00:40:03.26
is to equip,
00:40:03.37\00:40:04.60
not necessarily to do
00:40:04.70\00:40:05.77
the ministry themselves.
00:40:05.87\00:40:07.20
They may do ministry themselves,
00:40:07.30\00:40:08.20
but not as
00:40:08.30\00:40:08.97
a function of their office.
00:40:09.07\00:40:14.91
This brings us squarely
00:40:15.01\00:40:18.51
to a second question.
00:40:18.61\00:40:19.98
First question --
00:40:20.08\00:40:21.12
"What's the pastor's job?"
00:40:21.22\00:40:23.05
Second question is easily
00:40:23.15\00:40:25.25
more disturbing
00:40:25.35\00:40:27.92
and more liberating,
00:40:28.02\00:40:29.22
if rightly understood.
00:40:29.32\00:40:31.59
And the second question is this.
00:40:31.69\00:40:34.76
"Who are the pastors
00:40:34.86\00:40:39.53
in local churches?"
00:40:39.63\00:40:42.84
Who are the pastors
00:40:42.94\00:40:45.71
in local churches?
00:40:45.81\00:40:49.64
All right,
00:40:49.74\00:40:50.51
time-out for just a moment.
00:40:50.61\00:40:52.65
If I'm going to lose you
00:40:52.75\00:40:53.98
someplace in part three
00:40:54.08\00:40:56.55
and in part four next week,
00:40:56.65\00:40:57.89
it's gonna start right now.
00:40:57.99\00:40:58.82
Okay?
00:40:58.92\00:40:59.72
Not because of disagreement
00:40:59.82\00:41:00.82
or angst or anger
00:41:00.92\00:41:01.82
or any of that thing,
00:41:01.92\00:41:02.69
because of complexity.
00:41:02.79\00:41:04.96
Because I'm gonna dig into
00:41:05.06\00:41:06.33
some some subtleties here
00:41:06.43\00:41:08.86
that we have
00:41:08.96\00:41:10.60
not correctly dealt with
00:41:10.70\00:41:12.83
in the Adventist
00:41:12.93\00:41:13.64
church in the West.
00:41:13.74\00:41:15.40
We have failed in this regard.
00:41:15.50\00:41:17.27
The devil has capitalized
00:41:17.37\00:41:19.41
on these subtleties
00:41:19.51\00:41:22.61
and brought in confusion,
00:41:22.71\00:41:24.65
and it is a deadly influence
00:41:24.75\00:41:27.12
every single day
00:41:27.22\00:41:29.38
in the Adventist
00:41:29.48\00:41:30.15
church in the West.
00:41:30.25\00:41:32.89
And there's a little bit of
00:41:32.99\00:41:34.46
complexity here, so I need
00:41:34.56\00:41:35.59
your full attention.
00:41:35.69\00:41:36.59
So if anybody next to you
00:41:36.69\00:41:37.49
is sleeping,
00:41:37.59\00:41:38.89
please take your elbow
00:41:38.99\00:41:40.16
and gently go like this, okay?
00:41:40.26\00:41:42.26
And say, "Pastor Shane told me
00:41:42.36\00:41:43.47
I had to do this to you.
00:41:43.57\00:41:44.93
I don't know why, but you should
00:41:45.03\00:41:45.87
wake up right now, okay?"
00:41:45.97\00:41:47.37
Is everybody with me?
00:41:47.47\00:41:48.74
Are we ready?
00:41:48.84\00:41:49.74
Okay.
00:41:49.84\00:41:50.87
All right, let's go here.
00:41:50.97\00:41:52.81
It is true that Ephesians 4
00:41:52.91\00:41:55.78
defines the role of a pastor.
00:41:55.88\00:41:58.18
It does that.
00:41:58.28\00:41:59.68
But who, biblically speaking,
00:41:59.78\00:42:02.35
is to be the pastor
00:42:02.45\00:42:04.19
in the local church?
00:42:04.29\00:42:07.42
Let's go back to Ephesians 4.
00:42:07.52\00:42:09.49
Ephesians 4:11-13.
00:42:09.59\00:42:10.76
"So Christ himself
00:42:10.86\00:42:11.96
gave the apostles, the prophets,
00:42:12.06\00:42:13.56
the evangelists, the pastors,"
00:42:13.66\00:42:15.70
and the Greek word there
00:42:15.80\00:42:16.87
that's translated as pastors
00:42:16.97\00:42:17.93
is poimane.
00:42:18.03\00:42:19.60
Poimane.
00:42:19.70\00:42:20.94
Now, you don't have to know
00:42:21.04\00:42:21.84
Greek to understand all of this,
00:42:21.94\00:42:23.51
but let me just point out
00:42:23.61\00:42:24.24
that's the word
00:42:24.34\00:42:25.04
that is being translated here
00:42:25.14\00:42:26.11
into English as pastor,
00:42:26.21\00:42:27.38
and that is
00:42:27.48\00:42:28.14
a minority interpretation.
00:42:28.24\00:42:30.75
In other words,
00:42:30.85\00:42:31.55
the Greek word "poimane" is not
00:42:31.65\00:42:33.62
generally interpreted
00:42:33.72\00:42:34.58
as "pastor."
00:42:34.68\00:42:37.15
It is generally interpreted
00:42:37.25\00:42:38.92
by a different word,
00:42:39.02\00:42:39.82
which is quite common.
00:42:39.92\00:42:40.82
It's the word "shepherd."
00:42:40.92\00:42:42.89
"Shepherd," okay?
00:42:42.99\00:42:45.36
And, in fact, overwhelmingly
00:42:45.46\00:42:46.96
in the New Testament, that is
00:42:47.03\00:42:48.46
how "poimane" is translated.
00:42:48.56\00:42:50.60
It is as "shepherd."
00:42:50.70\00:42:51.63
So let's keep reading here.
00:42:51.73\00:42:53.54
"The evangelists, the pastors,
00:42:53.64\00:42:54.77
the poimane and the teachers,
00:42:54.87\00:42:56.44
to equip the people for works
00:42:56.54\00:42:57.97
of service," goes into
00:42:58.07\00:42:58.74
the job description.
00:42:58.84\00:42:59.67
So this is what a "poimane"
00:42:59.77\00:43:01.14
is supposed to do, all right?
00:43:01.24\00:43:02.98
Notice this -- 1 Peter 5:1-4.
00:43:03.08\00:43:06.05
Peter's writing this.
00:43:06.15\00:43:07.42
"To the elders among you."
00:43:07.52\00:43:09.05
Who's the letter to?
00:43:09.15\00:43:10.85
Okay. He's talking to elders
00:43:10.95\00:43:11.62
right here.
00:43:11.72\00:43:12.75
Let's be very clear about this.
00:43:12.85\00:43:13.79
To the local church elders.
00:43:13.89\00:43:15.06
This is a general epistle.
00:43:15.16\00:43:15.99
It's written across,
00:43:16.09\00:43:16.86
not to a particular church,
00:43:16.96\00:43:17.99
to all churches
00:43:18.09\00:43:18.79
that will read this.
00:43:18.89\00:43:19.93
"To the elders among you,
00:43:20.03\00:43:21.53
I appeal as a fellow elder
00:43:21.63\00:43:23.13
and a witness of Christ's
00:43:23.23\00:43:24.50
sufferings,
00:43:24.60\00:43:25.53
who also will share in the glory
00:43:25.63\00:43:27.20
to be revealed: Be shepherds."
00:43:27.30\00:43:30.34
Greek word "poimane."
00:43:30.44\00:43:33.51
Be shepherds.
00:43:33.61\00:43:34.98
Who's to be shepherds?
00:43:35.08\00:43:37.05
Elders are to be.
00:43:37.15\00:43:38.48
"Be poimane of God's flock
00:43:38.58\00:43:39.95
that is under your care,
00:43:40.05\00:43:41.55
watching over them."
00:43:41.65\00:43:42.98
Isn't that interesting?
00:43:43.08\00:43:44.25
Elders are
00:43:44.35\00:43:45.12
to watch over the flock.
00:43:45.22\00:43:46.25
Elders are to watch
00:43:46.35\00:43:47.16
over the local church.
00:43:47.26\00:43:48.19
They are the poimane
00:43:48.29\00:43:49.29
of the local church.
00:43:49.39\00:43:50.06
They are the shepherds
00:43:50.16\00:43:50.79
of the local church.
00:43:50.89\00:43:51.86
Then he goes on --
00:43:51.96\00:43:52.86
"Not because you must,
00:43:52.96\00:43:54.10
but because you are willing,
00:43:54.20\00:43:55.20
as God wants you to be,
00:43:55.30\00:43:56.43
not pursuing dishonest gain,
00:43:56.53\00:43:57.83
but eager to serve,
00:43:57.93\00:43:58.77
not lording it over those
00:43:58.87\00:43:59.83
entrusted to you,
00:43:59.93\00:44:00.84
but being examples
00:44:00.94\00:44:01.94
to the flock."
00:44:02.04\00:44:02.87
Why does he talk about being
00:44:02.97\00:44:03.94
eager to serve,
00:44:04.04\00:44:04.67
not lording it over them?
00:44:04.77\00:44:05.77
Because elders had authority.
00:44:05.87\00:44:08.91
You don't have to tell people
00:44:09.01\00:44:09.71
to be careful with their
00:44:09.81\00:44:10.58
authority, unless they have
00:44:10.68\00:44:11.48
authority to be careful with.
00:44:11.58\00:44:13.85
Continuing on.
00:44:13.95\00:44:15.62
"And when the Chief Shepherd --"
00:44:15.72\00:44:17.15
Who's that?
00:44:17.25\00:44:19.35
That's Jesus. That's right.
00:44:19.45\00:44:20.76
"When the Chief Shepherd --"
00:44:20.86\00:44:21.59
again, "shepherd," Greek word
00:44:21.69\00:44:23.26
"poimane" -- "appears, you will
00:44:23.36\00:44:24.43
receive the crown of glory
00:44:24.53\00:44:26.19
that will never fade away."
00:44:26.29\00:44:29.43
This is the highest office
00:44:29.53\00:44:30.57
that the local church
00:44:30.67\00:44:31.67
has to offer -- being an elder.
00:44:31.77\00:44:34.20
Elders are to be
00:44:34.30\00:44:35.34
the shepherds of the flock,
00:44:35.44\00:44:36.50
not because I say so,
00:44:36.60\00:44:37.67
but because the Bible says so.
00:44:37.77\00:44:39.44
Overwhelmingly,
00:44:39.54\00:44:40.38
in the New Testament,
00:44:40.48\00:44:41.31
when the Greek word "poimane"
00:44:41.41\00:44:42.04
is used,
00:44:42.14\00:44:43.08
it is translated as "shepherd."
00:44:43.18\00:44:44.68
Most of the time,
00:44:44.78\00:44:45.68
it refers to Jesus or to God
00:44:45.78\00:44:47.25
because he is
00:44:47.35\00:44:48.22
the master shepherd, right?
00:44:48.32\00:44:49.12
He's ultimately the one
00:44:49.22\00:44:50.29
that is to lead our churches.
00:44:50.39\00:44:51.22
Amen? Right?
00:44:51.32\00:44:52.69
But when we're talking
00:44:52.79\00:44:53.39
about structure
00:44:53.49\00:44:54.19
and we're talking about
00:44:54.29\00:44:54.99
human beings helping to lead
00:44:55.09\00:44:56.39
out here, it applies to elders.
00:44:56.49\00:45:00.63
They are the poimane.
00:45:00.73\00:45:02.00
They are to be -- let it be
00:45:02.10\00:45:02.86
clear.
00:45:02.96\00:45:04.00
The elders are the pastors
00:45:04.10\00:45:05.80
of the local church.
00:45:05.90\00:45:07.77
All of which naturally brings up
00:45:15.51\00:45:16.88
a pretty important question,
00:45:16.98\00:45:19.85
right?
00:45:19.95\00:45:22.15
If the elders are the pastors
00:45:22.25\00:45:23.25
of the church, then what
00:45:23.35\00:45:24.89
are you doing here, Shane?
00:45:24.99\00:45:26.62
Right?
00:45:26.72\00:45:28.69
What about all the men and women
00:45:28.79\00:45:29.89
around the world
00:45:29.99\00:45:30.79
that we usually call "pastor"?
00:45:30.89\00:45:31.93
Right?
00:45:32.03\00:45:33.06
Aren't they the ones
00:45:33.16\00:45:34.20
that we are paying to be leading
00:45:34.30\00:45:35.96
in our local churches?
00:45:36.06\00:45:37.73
I want to be really clear here.
00:45:41.67\00:45:45.07
I have great respect
00:45:45.17\00:45:47.11
for my colleagues
00:45:47.21\00:45:47.98
in pastoral ministry
00:45:48.08\00:45:49.18
in the global West.
00:45:49.28\00:45:50.78
I have great respect for those
00:45:50.88\00:45:51.61
outside of the global West, too.
00:45:51.71\00:45:52.98
But for this morning, I want to
00:45:53.08\00:45:53.88
focus on the global West.
00:45:53.98\00:45:55.18
That's Australia, North America,
00:45:55.28\00:45:57.02
Europe, and those
00:45:57.12\00:45:58.22
that have kind of
00:45:58.32\00:45:59.32
broadly similar
00:45:59.42\00:46:00.32
cultural guidelines.
00:46:00.42\00:46:01.56
Often that's referred to
00:46:01.66\00:46:02.59
as the West or the global West.
00:46:02.69\00:46:04.86
I have great respect
00:46:04.96\00:46:05.69
for the pastors that
00:46:05.79\00:46:06.73
are working in the global West.
00:46:06.83\00:46:07.66
It is long hours.
00:46:07.76\00:46:08.63
It is hard work.
00:46:08.73\00:46:10.33
They are very dedicated people,
00:46:10.43\00:46:12.33
almost all of them to a person.
00:46:12.43\00:46:14.27
They are doing the best
00:46:14.37\00:46:17.64
that they know to do.
00:46:17.74\00:46:21.44
But the truth is --
00:46:21.54\00:46:23.75
the truth is that when it comes
00:46:23.85\00:46:26.25
to the role of the local pastor
00:46:26.35\00:46:29.38
in the Adventist Church
00:46:29.48\00:46:30.59
in the global West,
00:46:30.69\00:46:32.69
the role of a pastor
00:46:32.79\00:46:34.16
that stays
00:46:34.26\00:46:35.22
over an established church,
00:46:35.32\00:46:36.93
that is paid to stay
00:46:37.03\00:46:38.96
over an established church,
00:46:39.06\00:46:40.06
usually for years at a time,
00:46:40.16\00:46:41.26
and to be its primary caregiver
00:46:41.36\00:46:42.73
and its "pastor,"
00:46:42.83\00:46:44.67
that role is not found anywhere
00:46:44.77\00:46:47.40
in the New Testament.
00:46:47.50\00:46:48.54
Nowhere, not at all,
00:46:48.64\00:46:49.80
in any shape or form.
00:46:49.90\00:46:50.84
Zero, nada, nothing.
00:46:50.94\00:46:53.27
It's not there.
00:46:53.38\00:46:55.81
I didn't put it into
00:46:55.91\00:46:56.75
my kingdom structure,
00:46:56.85\00:46:58.01
not because I forgot about it
00:46:58.11\00:46:58.98
or I missed it,
00:46:59.08\00:46:59.71
because it's not there.
00:46:59.81\00:47:03.72
In fact,
00:47:03.82\00:47:04.59
so contrary was this conception
00:47:04.69\00:47:07.32
and practice of pastoring
00:47:07.42\00:47:09.19
to the New Testament
00:47:09.29\00:47:11.19
that our Adventist pioneers
00:47:11.29\00:47:13.16
actually had a name for it,
00:47:13.26\00:47:16.13
a name that would distinguish
00:47:16.23\00:47:17.67
that kind of pastoral role
00:47:17.77\00:47:19.77
from the kind of pastoral role
00:47:19.87\00:47:21.17
that they actually
00:47:21.27\00:47:22.24
wanted in the churches.
00:47:22.34\00:47:23.97
They called them
00:47:24.07\00:47:24.71
settled pastors.
00:47:24.81\00:47:27.24
Settled pastors.
00:47:27.34\00:47:28.68
And you might be thinking,
00:47:28.78\00:47:29.38
"Well, what is a
00:47:29.48\00:47:30.25
settled pastor?"
00:47:30.35\00:47:31.68
Well, let me give you my
00:47:31.78\00:47:32.61
definition of a settled pastor.
00:47:32.71\00:47:34.48
Three decades of doing
00:47:34.58\00:47:35.22
pastoral ministry,
00:47:35.32\00:47:36.02
I've had plenty of time
00:47:36.12\00:47:36.75
to look and to see.
00:47:36.85\00:47:38.12
This is my best take
00:47:38.22\00:47:39.49
on what a settled pastor is.
00:47:39.59\00:47:43.19
In the Western Adventist Church,
00:47:43.29\00:47:45.66
the typical settled pastor --
00:47:45.76\00:47:47.50
or TSP for short --
00:47:47.60\00:47:50.20
the typical settled pastor is
00:47:50.30\00:47:51.40
someone who is seen
00:47:51.50\00:47:52.40
as the primary caregiver
00:47:52.50\00:47:53.60
in the local church.
00:47:53.70\00:47:55.14
He or she is the primary person
00:47:55.24\00:47:56.47
who oversees the flock,
00:47:56.57\00:47:57.67
visits its sick,
00:47:57.77\00:47:58.84
and puts out its fires,
00:47:58.94\00:48:00.51
the primary person
00:48:00.61\00:48:01.64
who rebukes those in sin,
00:48:01.74\00:48:03.21
brings in new believers,
00:48:03.31\00:48:04.35
and oversees the church's
00:48:04.45\00:48:05.48
administrative machinery,
00:48:05.58\00:48:07.35
tasks which many TSPs are
00:48:07.45\00:48:08.98
sufficiently skilled at
00:48:09.08\00:48:09.95
that most church members
00:48:10.05\00:48:11.29
would never consider doing
00:48:11.39\00:48:12.42
such things themselves.
00:48:12.52\00:48:14.76
The TSP is furthermore located
00:48:14.86\00:48:16.29
over preferably
00:48:16.39\00:48:17.06
only one church,
00:48:17.16\00:48:18.43
and his or her success
00:48:18.53\00:48:19.56
is often gauged by the number
00:48:19.66\00:48:20.63
of people
00:48:20.73\00:48:21.40
in their particular flock.
00:48:21.50\00:48:23.63
The typical settled pastor is
00:48:23.73\00:48:24.73
the primary,
00:48:24.83\00:48:25.63
if not only, communicator
00:48:25.73\00:48:26.74
of the scriptures on
00:48:26.84\00:48:27.47
Sabbath morning,
00:48:27.57\00:48:28.77
a task requiring 10 to 20 hours
00:48:28.87\00:48:30.27
at least each week in
00:48:30.37\00:48:31.14
preparation, in addition
00:48:31.24\00:48:32.21
to all their other duties.
00:48:32.31\00:48:34.08
The TSP is often believed
00:48:34.18\00:48:35.44
to be "more spiritual"
00:48:35.54\00:48:37.21
than the average member
00:48:37.31\00:48:38.38
and certainly more capable
00:48:38.48\00:48:39.25
when it comes to
00:48:39.35\00:48:40.05
the various forms of ministry.
00:48:40.15\00:48:42.02
He or she is widely thought
00:48:42.12\00:48:43.45
to be the most "in-tune" pathway
00:48:43.55\00:48:45.15
to God in the church,
00:48:45.25\00:48:46.52
and consequently,
00:48:46.62\00:48:47.36
many members believe
00:48:47.46\00:48:48.49
that if the pastor hasn't
00:48:48.59\00:48:49.46
visited them,
00:48:49.56\00:48:50.76
they haven't been visited,
00:48:50.86\00:48:52.99
that if the pastor hasn't prayed
00:48:53.09\00:48:53.93
for them,
00:48:54.00\00:48:55.03
they haven't been prayed for,
00:48:55.13\00:48:56.67
even if other dedicated members
00:48:56.77\00:48:58.50
have already done so.
00:48:58.60\00:49:00.57
The TSP's role is seen
00:49:00.67\00:49:02.44
as so central to a church's
00:49:02.54\00:49:03.97
legitimacy that a church
00:49:04.07\00:49:05.74
without such a pastor
00:49:05.84\00:49:06.94
is perceived to be inferior
00:49:07.04\00:49:08.44
to the churches who do.
00:49:08.54\00:49:10.75
The TSP is furthermore to be
00:49:10.85\00:49:12.21
on call 24 hours a day,
00:49:12.31\00:49:14.22
since it is difficult to predict
00:49:14.32\00:49:15.65
when situations will arise
00:49:15.75\00:49:16.95
that no one else
00:49:17.05\00:49:17.72
wants to deal with.
00:49:17.82\00:49:19.42
In essence,
00:49:19.52\00:49:20.76
the TSP is someone
00:49:20.86\00:49:22.86
who is paid to be a Christian.
00:49:22.96\00:49:29.43
This is understandably
00:49:29.53\00:49:30.40
a taxing job,
00:49:30.50\00:49:32.03
and TSPs consequently
00:49:32.13\00:49:33.50
often stay at a church
00:49:33.60\00:49:34.37
for 3 to 7 years
00:49:34.47\00:49:35.87
and then either transfer
00:49:35.97\00:49:36.91
to a larger church
00:49:37.01\00:49:38.17
or, too often, burn out
00:49:38.27\00:49:39.94
and start another career
00:49:40.04\00:49:41.24
in a field unrelated
00:49:41.34\00:49:42.71
to pastoral ministry.
00:49:42.81\00:49:45.61
And if you think
00:49:45.71\00:49:46.48
that last part is a joke,
00:49:46.58\00:49:47.62
you're not aware of
00:49:47.72\00:49:48.82
the current statistics
00:49:48.92\00:49:49.98
in the North American division.
00:49:50.09\00:49:52.12
This is a serious problem.
00:49:52.22\00:49:53.82
We have many more pastors
00:49:53.92\00:49:55.66
leaving than
00:49:55.76\00:49:57.16
are coming on board.
00:49:57.26\00:49:59.23
This is not a joke.
00:49:59.33\00:50:00.00
This is reality.
00:50:00.10\00:50:02.20
And again,
00:50:02.30\00:50:03.83
the role of the typical
00:50:03.93\00:50:04.77
settled pastor
00:50:04.87\00:50:06.50
cannot be found anywhere
00:50:06.60\00:50:09.27
in the biblical gospel
00:50:09.37\00:50:10.51
structure of the local
00:50:10.61\00:50:11.74
New Testament church.
00:50:11.84\00:50:13.34
It is simply not there.
00:50:13.44\00:50:22.25
What do you do with this?
00:50:22.35\00:50:26.45
I mean, this is a fairly
00:50:26.55\00:50:28.09
impactful point,
00:50:28.19\00:50:30.83
wouldn't you say?
00:50:30.93\00:50:34.10
Well, I'll tell you what
00:50:34.20\00:50:34.96
we're supposed to do about it,
00:50:35.06\00:50:36.16
because there is a very
00:50:36.26\00:50:37.10
good answer to what's supposed
00:50:37.20\00:50:38.70
to happen in regard to this.
00:50:38.80\00:50:41.17
And if you want to know what
00:50:41.27\00:50:42.07
that answer is, you'll have to
00:50:42.17\00:50:42.87
come back next week to part 4.
00:50:42.97\00:50:44.51
Okay?
00:50:44.61\00:50:46.07
So I hope that you can be there
00:50:46.17\00:50:47.68
because we're going to cover
00:50:47.78\00:50:48.44
some good things.
00:50:48.54\00:50:50.35
But this does lead me
00:50:50.45\00:50:51.75
to a final question
00:50:51.85\00:50:52.81
that I do want to deal with.
00:50:52.91\00:50:54.72
The question is this.
00:50:54.82\00:50:56.72
If a settled pastor is
00:50:56.82\00:50:58.89
not the one who is supposed
00:50:58.99\00:51:00.29
to do all of that ministry,
00:51:00.39\00:51:01.82
then who is supposed
00:51:01.92\00:51:03.73
to be the primary caregiver
00:51:03.83\00:51:05.39
and evangelizer and discipler
00:51:05.49\00:51:06.90
and prayer, et cetera,
00:51:07.00\00:51:07.56
et cetera?
00:51:07.66\00:51:08.53
Well, the Bible gives
00:51:08.63\00:51:09.80
an excellent answer.
00:51:09.90\00:51:10.67
The New Testament
00:51:10.77\00:51:11.47
actually has this answer
00:51:11.57\00:51:12.43
in many, many places.
00:51:12.53\00:51:13.84
We're just gonna pick one here.
00:51:13.94\00:51:14.80
Galatians 6:1-2.
00:51:14.90\00:51:17.57
"Brothers and sisters --"
00:51:17.67\00:51:18.57
Who's that?
00:51:18.67\00:51:19.91
Are those only elders?
00:51:20.01\00:51:22.11
Are these pastors or apostles?
00:51:22.21\00:51:23.75
No, no, these are Christians,
00:51:23.85\00:51:24.41
right?
00:51:24.51\00:51:25.25
Brothers and sisters.
00:51:25.35\00:51:26.05
This is to the church
00:51:26.15\00:51:27.12
in Galatia.
00:51:27.22\00:51:28.28
But it's not addressing
00:51:28.38\00:51:28.82
officers.
00:51:28.92\00:51:29.92
It's addressing the general
00:51:30.02\00:51:30.92
populace of the church.
00:51:31.02\00:51:32.22
"Brothers and sisters,
00:51:32.32\00:51:33.29
if someone is caught in a sin,
00:51:33.39\00:51:35.69
you who live by the Spirit
00:51:35.79\00:51:37.33
should call the pastor
00:51:37.43\00:51:38.66
immediately so that
00:51:38.76\00:51:39.73
he can restore that person."
00:51:39.83\00:51:44.10
People have warned me about
00:51:44.20\00:51:45.00
the New International Version,
00:51:45.10\00:51:46.17
and maybe this is one of those
00:51:46.27\00:51:46.77
times when...
00:51:46.87\00:51:49.27
What it actually says is this --
00:51:49.37\00:51:50.71
"...you who live by the Spirit
00:51:50.81\00:51:52.34
should restore that person
00:51:52.44\00:51:53.27
gently."
00:51:53.38\00:51:54.24
Don't call the pastor,
00:51:54.34\00:51:55.08
don't call the elder,
00:51:55.18\00:51:55.84
don't call the professional.
00:51:55.94\00:51:57.25
If you are someone who is filled
00:51:57.35\00:51:58.45
with the Holy Spirit of God,
00:51:58.55\00:51:59.31
if you are living
00:51:59.41\00:52:00.22
the Christian life,
00:52:00.32\00:52:01.15
God calls you to intercede.
00:52:01.25\00:52:03.79
You who are spiritual should
00:52:03.89\00:52:05.02
restore that person gently.
00:52:05.12\00:52:06.39
He says, "Now, be careful
00:52:06.49\00:52:07.56
or you yourselves
00:52:07.66\00:52:08.39
may also be tempted," right?
00:52:08.49\00:52:09.56
So it's not like there's
00:52:09.66\00:52:10.36
no risk here.
00:52:10.46\00:52:11.39
But even this rebuking of people
00:52:11.49\00:52:13.13
in sin,
00:52:13.23\00:52:13.83
one of the things
00:52:13.93\00:52:14.56
that most people won't touch
00:52:14.66\00:52:15.63
with a 10-foot pole."
00:52:15.73\00:52:16.93
"Call the pastor.
00:52:17.03\00:52:17.97
He'll take care of it."
00:52:18.07\00:52:19.30
The Bible here says
00:52:19.40\00:52:20.50
"If someone is caught in a sin,
00:52:20.60\00:52:21.50
you who live by the Spirit
00:52:21.60\00:52:22.34
should restore that person
00:52:22.44\00:52:23.41
gently," as Jesus would, with
00:52:23.51\00:52:25.57
wisdom and counsel from others,
00:52:25.67\00:52:26.84
yes, but you, you.
00:52:26.94\00:52:29.14
And it goes on to say
00:52:29.24\00:52:30.01
a very famous phrase --
00:52:30.11\00:52:31.65
"Carry each other's burdens" --
00:52:31.75\00:52:33.52
in most translations, it says,
00:52:33.62\00:52:34.42
"One another's burdens" --
00:52:34.52\00:52:36.02
"and in this way, you will
00:52:36.12\00:52:36.99
fulfill the law of Christ.
00:52:37.09\00:52:38.39
Did you know there's"
00:52:38.49\00:52:39.25
more than 100 "one another"
00:52:39.35\00:52:40.96
texts in the New Testament?
00:52:41.06\00:52:43.36
Love one another.
00:52:43.46\00:52:44.26
Care for one another.
00:52:44.36\00:52:45.06
Pray for one another.
00:52:45.16\00:52:45.79
Help one another.
00:52:45.89\00:52:46.46
Serve one another.
00:52:46.56\00:52:47.76
You are the ministers
00:52:47.86\00:52:49.20
of the local church.
00:52:49.30\00:52:51.07
You are the ones
00:52:51.17\00:52:52.13
that are to be the primary
00:52:52.23\00:52:53.13
caregivers and the ones
00:52:53.23\00:52:54.37
that are doing evangelistic
00:52:54.47\00:52:56.04
work, that are bringing people
00:52:56.14\00:52:56.74
in and discipling them.
00:52:56.84\00:52:58.04
And when things go wrong,
00:52:58.14\00:52:59.24
God is calling you to help
00:52:59.34\00:53:00.41
them make those things right.
00:53:00.51\00:53:01.78
God is not looking for
00:53:01.88\00:53:03.45
a hired gun to come in
00:53:03.55\00:53:04.91
and do those things for you,
00:53:05.01\00:53:06.15
because he's equipped you
00:53:06.25\00:53:07.32
to do it.
00:53:07.42\00:53:09.08
You are God's ministers.
00:53:09.18\00:53:12.12
Every last one of you,
00:53:12.22\00:53:13.49
young and old, male and female,
00:53:13.59\00:53:15.32
you are His ministers, and you
00:53:15.42\00:53:17.69
are called to fill this role.
00:53:17.79\00:53:20.23
And you know what?
00:53:20.33\00:53:21.13
In my experience --
00:53:21.23\00:53:22.93
in my experience,
00:53:23.03\00:53:24.37
most people have no idea
00:53:24.47\00:53:27.30
how revolutionary
00:53:27.40\00:53:28.70
the Adventist Church
00:53:28.80\00:53:29.84
has been in this regard.
00:53:29.94\00:53:32.67
I mean, it blows your mind.
00:53:32.77\00:53:34.68
Most people, you know --
00:53:34.78\00:53:35.81
especially in the West.
00:53:35.91\00:53:36.98
I mean, we kind of brought
00:53:37.08\00:53:37.78
this on ourselves.
00:53:37.88\00:53:38.61
People drive by the Adventist
00:53:38.71\00:53:39.65
church, they think, "Oh, there's
00:53:39.75\00:53:40.35
just another, just like
00:53:40.45\00:53:41.18
every other belly button
00:53:41.28\00:53:41.92
out there, right?
00:53:42.02\00:53:42.75
No difference between them
00:53:42.85\00:53:43.55
and anybody else
00:53:43.65\00:53:44.35
except for the day of the week
00:53:44.45\00:53:45.02
they go to church on.
00:53:45.12\00:53:45.79
>> No, no, no, no,
00:53:45.89\00:53:46.65
no, no, no, no, no, no.
00:53:46.76\00:53:47.89
>> If you know the DNA
00:53:47.99\00:53:49.49
of the Adventist church --
00:53:49.59\00:53:50.53
in fact, if you know the
00:53:50.63\00:53:51.63
practice of the vast majority
00:53:51.73\00:53:53.66
of the Adventist churches
00:53:53.76\00:53:54.66
outside of the global West,
00:53:54.76\00:53:57.50
then you will understand
00:53:57.60\00:53:58.47
at least a little bit of just
00:53:58.57\00:53:59.73
how revolutionary this place is.
00:53:59.83\00:54:02.14
It's astonishing.
00:54:02.24\00:54:03.57
Next week, in part four,
00:54:03.67\00:54:04.77
I'm going to share
00:54:04.87\00:54:05.51
with you some things --
00:54:05.61\00:54:07.08
Well, I'm going to show you some
00:54:07.18\00:54:08.68
of Adventists pasts,
00:54:08.78\00:54:09.98
Adventism's past.
00:54:10.08\00:54:11.11
I'm going to show you
00:54:11.21\00:54:12.05
what I believe is going to be
00:54:12.15\00:54:13.08
Adventism's future.
00:54:13.18\00:54:14.52
And I'm going to begin
00:54:14.62\00:54:15.32
to show you, to the best
00:54:15.42\00:54:16.02
of my ability,
00:54:16.12\00:54:16.75
what God is calling us
00:54:16.85\00:54:17.92
to do with settled pastors,
00:54:18.02\00:54:19.45
with church members in ministry,
00:54:19.55\00:54:20.56
and the structure of
00:54:20.66\00:54:21.32
the local church.
00:54:21.42\00:54:22.46
And if you've never heard the
00:54:22.56\00:54:23.66
things that I'm gonna share next
00:54:23.76\00:54:24.86
week, it will blow your mind.
00:54:24.96\00:54:25.99
Guarantee you will have
00:54:26.09\00:54:27.73
something to talk about
00:54:27.83\00:54:28.60
at potluck next week.
00:54:28.70\00:54:30.27
All right?
00:54:30.37\00:54:31.17
This is crucial stuff.
00:54:31.27\00:54:33.13
So I hope that you can be here.
00:54:33.23\00:54:35.30
Until then,
00:54:35.40\00:54:38.01
I invite you to think carefully.
00:54:38.11\00:54:40.78
Is there ministry either inside
00:54:40.88\00:54:45.65
or outside of the church
00:54:45.75\00:54:48.62
that God has equipped you to do?
00:54:48.72\00:54:50.15
You have the tools.
00:54:50.25\00:54:51.59
He's given them to you,
00:54:51.69\00:54:53.56
but you are letting
00:54:53.66\00:54:55.09
someone else do it.
00:54:55.19\00:54:57.33
Either a pastor
00:54:57.43\00:54:58.29
or somebody else out there.
00:54:58.39\00:54:59.43
They are doing the ministry
00:54:59.53\00:55:00.53
that God has called
00:55:00.63\00:55:01.96
and equipped you to do.
00:55:02.06\00:55:03.63
Is that the case in your life?
00:55:03.73\00:55:07.57
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:55:07.67\00:55:08.27
brothers and sisters,
00:55:08.37\00:55:09.60
if that is the case,
00:55:09.70\00:55:10.31
I just want to
00:55:10.41\00:55:11.01
gently challenge you.
00:55:11.11\00:55:12.94
Get in the game.
00:55:13.04\00:55:15.18
Get out on the field of battle.
00:55:15.28\00:55:17.51
You are a priest of God.
00:55:17.61\00:55:19.25
You are a minister of God.
00:55:19.35\00:55:20.88
He has equipped you.
00:55:20.98\00:55:21.72
He has gifted you.
00:55:21.82\00:55:22.55
He has called you.
00:55:22.65\00:55:24.05
And the work will
00:55:24.15\00:55:24.82
never be finished
00:55:24.92\00:55:26.09
unless you get in the game,
00:55:26.19\00:55:27.49
unless you get on
00:55:27.59\00:55:28.29
that battlefield
00:55:28.39\00:55:29.02
and begin to do what
00:55:29.12\00:55:30.03
God has called
00:55:30.13\00:55:31.03
and equipped you to do.
00:55:31.13\00:55:32.26
Can you imagine --
00:55:32.36\00:55:33.73
Can you imagine
00:55:33.83\00:55:34.73
what would happen
00:55:34.83\00:55:36.03
if even half of the members
00:55:36.13\00:55:38.03
of all the churches
00:55:38.13\00:55:38.77
in the global West
00:55:38.87\00:55:39.73
took back the ministry
00:55:39.83\00:55:41.20
that rightfully belongs to them,
00:55:41.30\00:55:42.60
if they did their ministry,
00:55:42.70\00:55:43.74
the ministry
00:55:43.84\00:55:44.57
that God had given them to do,
00:55:44.67\00:55:45.87
rather than waiting for a pastor
00:55:45.97\00:55:47.24
or someone else to do it?
00:55:47.34\00:55:48.61
Imagine if, member after member,
00:55:48.71\00:55:50.85
young and old, rich and poor,
00:55:50.95\00:55:52.15
regardless of background,
00:55:52.25\00:55:53.55
pursued Christ, passionately
00:55:53.65\00:55:55.35
praying, passionately
00:55:55.45\00:55:56.42
witnessing, passionately
00:55:56.52\00:55:57.65
discipling, filled
00:55:57.75\00:55:58.79
with the Holy Spirit of God.
00:55:58.89\00:56:00.06
Can you imagine
00:56:00.16\00:56:01.12
what this would do?
00:56:01.22\00:56:03.19
I mean, the work would
00:56:03.29\00:56:03.99
be finished in short order.
00:56:04.09\00:56:05.86
The work of sharing Jesus Christ
00:56:05.96\00:56:07.40
in the context of
00:56:07.50\00:56:08.26
the three angels' message
00:56:08.36\00:56:09.26
with the world
00:56:09.36\00:56:10.10
would be finished
00:56:10.20\00:56:10.77
in short order,
00:56:10.87\00:56:11.90
and at long last,
00:56:12.00\00:56:13.64
the church would once again be
00:56:13.74\00:56:15.57
a place where ministers rule,
00:56:15.67\00:56:19.91
where the real ministers
00:56:20.01\00:56:20.84
rule the day.
00:56:20.94\00:56:22.04
You.
00:56:22.14\00:56:23.85
Such a church would be normal
00:56:23.95\00:56:29.68
in the eyes of heaven.
00:56:29.78\00:56:32.69
Here's to normal
00:56:32.79\00:56:33.39
Christian living.
00:56:33.49\00:56:35.46
Here's to ministers leading
00:56:35.56\00:56:37.49
the ministry day.
00:56:37.59\00:56:39.46
May the Lord guide us
00:56:39.56\00:56:41.20
as we rediscover
00:56:41.30\00:56:43.30
His plan for His church.
00:56:43.40\00:56:46.20
>> Amen.
00:56:46.30\00:56:47.54
>> I'm Shane Anderson,
00:56:52.24\00:56:53.24
the lead pastor here
00:56:53.34\00:56:54.44
at Pioneer Memorial Church.
00:56:54.54\00:56:56.64
At Pioneer Media,
00:56:56.75\00:56:57.75
we have been blessed
00:56:57.85\00:56:58.75
by the financial support
00:56:58.85\00:57:00.42
that comes from our viewers like
00:57:00.52\00:57:01.85
you, that enable us
00:57:01.95\00:57:03.35
to continue this ministry.
00:57:03.45\00:57:05.82
We've made a conscious decision
00:57:05.92\00:57:07.22
not to continually appeal to you
00:57:07.32\00:57:08.72
for that support.
00:57:08.82\00:57:10.36
However, keeping this ministry
00:57:10.46\00:57:11.56
going takes money
00:57:11.66\00:57:12.73
to support our staff and
00:57:12.83\00:57:14.20
technology needs.
00:57:14.30\00:57:15.93
If God has blessed you
00:57:16.03\00:57:17.60
and you would like to further
00:57:17.70\00:57:18.57
the work of this ministry,
00:57:18.67\00:57:19.97
we invite you
00:57:20.07\00:57:20.87
to partner with us.
00:57:20.97\00:57:22.54
You can donate
00:57:22.64\00:57:23.54
on our website -- pmchurch.org,
00:57:23.64\00:57:26.57
then click "Giving" at the top,
00:57:26.68\00:57:28.91
then select "Media Ministry."
00:57:29.01\00:57:31.71
Or call the number
00:57:31.81\00:57:33.01
877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:33.11\00:57:35.52
Again, that number is 877,
00:57:35.62\00:57:38.02
the two words "His will."
00:57:38.12\00:57:40.72
My prayer is that the God
00:57:40.82\00:57:42.42
who has blessed you
00:57:42.52\00:57:43.76
will continue to pour
00:57:43.86\00:57:44.93
into your life the gifts
00:57:45.03\00:57:45.96
of His joy and His hope.
00:57:46.06\00:57:48.30
Thank you, and
00:57:48.40\00:57:49.83
I'm looking forward to seeing
00:57:49.93\00:57:50.93
you right here again next time.
00:57:51.03\00:57:53.10
¤
00:57:53.20\00:57:54.87
¤
00:57:59.77\00:58:09.75
¤
00:58:09.85\00:58:19.76
¤
00:58:19.86\00:58:27.77