Hello, and we welcome you
again to session number two
00:00:26.42\00:00:29.39
of our very
special time together.
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Pillars of Faith.
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The word for
today in today's world.
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With our speaker
Pastor Jim Gilley,
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who, as we've said
before, just some time ago
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manned this desk
as president of 3ABN.
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But he has returned to
give us the word of God.
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His wife is with him,
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and we're always
happy to see Camille Gilley.
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But we had a wonderful
time in our first sitting.
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Christ, Our Great High Priest,
is the title of the message
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that was delivered with
power and with conviction.
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And today, Jim is going to
be speaking on the subject,
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God's Witness Protection Plan.
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That's kind of
an intriguing title.
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God's Witness Protection Plan.
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We know what the
witness protection plan is
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and who it's
supposed to keep us safe from,
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but tonight we get to hear
of God's witness protection plan
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and how God will keep us
safe from all hurt and harm.
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And we are excited to hear what
Pastor Jim has to say to us.
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So we ask you to put on your
listening ears and your praying
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mindset as he
brings us the word of God.
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We know God has much to
say to him and through him.
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Our Scripture lesson for
the evening comes from the
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book of Isaiah, Isaiah
43, and we want to consider
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verses 10-12.
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Then we will pray.
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And the next voice you will
hear will be that of our pastor,
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our friend, Jim Gilley.
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Isaiah 43, and I
begin reading at verse 10.
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The Bible says, "'You are
My witnesses,' says the LORD,
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'and My servant
whom I have chosen,
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that you may
know and believe Me,
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and understand that I am He.
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Before Me there
was no God formed,
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nor shall there be after Me.
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I, even I, am the LORD, and
besides Me there is no savior.'"
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And verse 12, "I have declared
and saved, I have proclaimed,
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and there was no
foreign god among you;
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Therefore you
are My witnesses..."
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Shall we pray.
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Gracious Father, how we
praise You and thank You
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for the power of Your word.
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How we thank You that
when the word goes forth,
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lives are changed,
hearts are touched,
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destinies are re-arranged,
lives are saved for eternity.
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And so we commit and
commend Your manservant to You
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again this day.
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Preach to him as
You preach through him.
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Bless him so that he
may be a blessing to us.
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Speak to him so that Your
words will be spoken to us.
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Give us open,
attentive, and receptive hearts
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and ears that we may
hear the word of God,
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but that also, dear
Lord, we may be impressed,
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and emboldened, and encouraged
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to do that which
we know is right.
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Forgive us of every sin,
and give us Your presence
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and Your power this day.
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And we praise You and
thank You in Jesus' name.
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Amen and amen.
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Just now, our pastor,
our friend, Jim Gilley.
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Thank you, Brother C.A.
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And it's good to be
with Brother Murray again
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and to hear his rich
voice reading the Scripture
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from the book of Isaiah.
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"'You are My
witnesses,' says the Lord."
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This is what God has
called us to be; His witnesses.
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He talks about all of
the great things that He did,
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but then He says in
the very next chapter
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that He is going
to do new things.
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He says, in fact, in
that same chapter in verse 19,
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"Behold, I will do
a new thing," He says.
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"Behold, it will spring
forth, that you shall know it.
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And I will even make
a road in the desert..."
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And He goes on about
these great new things that
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He wants us to witness about.
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And the greatest of
which was His Son, Jesus,
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who came, who lived,
and who died on the cross.
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You know, one of the
great privileges that I had
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over the years was to
know H.M.S. Richards, Sr.
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I knew H.M.S.
Richards, Jr as well.
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But knowing H.M.S. Richards,
Sr. was a very special thing.
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He was a man of God.
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He loved the Lord and
he was a man of experience.
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He lived a long life,
lived up into the 90's.
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And he was still preaching
right up until the very end
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of his life.
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And so he was a wonderful man.
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The other day somebody
gave me his last sermon.
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I haven't had a
chance to listen to it yet.
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But I'm looking forward to
listening to the last sermon
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of that great man who
loved the Lord Jesus Christ
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and was great because
of his commitment to Jesus,
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and because he
did love Him so much.
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Elder Richards use to
love to tell the story
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about when he was a young man.
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And he loved to
preach the gospel.
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And on Sabbath morning he
would get on the streetcar
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and he would ride out
of Takoma Park where he was
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going to college, and he
would go out to what he called,
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The Hill Church.
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And this was a place where
he was preaching the gospel
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every Sabbath morning.
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The conference had made
him the pastor of that church
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while he was going to college.
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Elder Richards had gone
out and been in evangelism
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for a few years
before he had gone back to
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Washington Missionary College.
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He was living in a little
apartment where his grandmother
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had also a room, and she
would prepare his meals for him.
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And so he would leave that
apartment on Sabbath morning
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and he would go out to preach.
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One Sabbath morning he said
that he was on the streetcar
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and there was a young
boy going up the street.
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It was a beautiful day.
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The boy was going skating.
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He had his skates
thrown over his shoulder
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and he was sort
of skipping along.
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And there was a grouchy
old man with an umbrella.
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As Elder Richards says, a
beautiful day and here this
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man had an umbrella.
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Which showed he was
pretty negative about things.
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He was predicting rain even
though it was a beautiful day.
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And he was waiting
to board the streetcar.
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And as the boy went by,
the skates bumped into the man.
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It angered him.
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And the man turned
and tried to hit the boy,
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but the boy moved away from him.
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So the wife pushed
the man ahead of her
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and pushed him on
into the streetcar.
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He went immediately to his
seat and he began to exchange
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a conversation
with that young boy.
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And the boy walked
up close to the car.
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He should have gone on.
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There's no question about that.
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But he walked up
close to the streetcar,
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and the man reached out
the window with his umbrella
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and he hit at the boy, and
he struck him right in the eye.
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Now this matter
finally came to a court trial.
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Elder Richards says he
was asleep there in his little
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apartment in Carroll
Avenue, and early in the morning
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he awakened, a
man was shaking him.
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It was a policeman.
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He said it was
the biggest policeman
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he'd ever seen in his life.
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It scared him to death.
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He said he thought the
time of trouble had started.
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And so this policeman told him,
"You're to be a witness today
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in the trial."
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So he went down
to the courthouse.
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This is where the trial
was to take place for that man.
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And he was being charged
with assaulting this boy.
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Elder Richards said he learned
a lot in that trial that day.
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He said that this
man was put on trial,
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and the witnesses were brought.
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And he said the witness
that took place before he did
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was a school teacher,
and she became very excited.
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And she said, "Why, Judge, when
that man looked out the window,
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he looked just like a demon."
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The judge said,
"Whoa, wait a minute.
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Have you ever seen a demon?"
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She said, "No."
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"Then how do you
know what one looks like?
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You just stick to what you saw.
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And don't have
another other expressions.
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Just tell me
what you witnessed."
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Elder Richards said he
kind of took some mental notes.
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He decided he was going to be
very careful in his testimony.
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When he got up, he
said, "Why, Judge..."
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And he began to tell
the judge what he thought
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of a man that
would do such a thing.
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And the judge said, "Young
man, I'm not interested in what
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your opinion is.
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All I want to know
is what did you see.
00:10:06.57\00:10:10.41
What did you witness?"
00:10:10.87\00:10:12.97
You know, that's what a witness
is supposed to do, isn't it?
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A witness is supposed to
tell what they have seen,
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what they
observed, what they heard,
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what they saw with their eyes.
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"'Ye are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord."
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That's what
He's called us to do.
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To tell what we've
experienced, what our experience
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with the Lord is.
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Not an opinion, not
an idea, not a theory,
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but tell us your experience.
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"'Ye are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord."
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The Bible says in Acts
1:8, Jesus said to them
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just as He was leaving, He said,
"I want you to be My witnesses
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all over the world," He said.
00:11:01.86\00:11:04.39
He actually was
more specific than that.
00:11:04.43\00:11:06.80
Acts 1:8
00:11:07.10\00:11:10.63
He says, "But you shall receive
power when the Holy Ghost,
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the Holy Spirit,
is come upon you;
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and you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem..."
00:11:17.77\00:11:21.31
Starting right there at home.
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"...and in all
Judea, and Samaria,
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and to the end of the earth."
00:11:27.28\00:11:32.05
"'You are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord."
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That's what the
Lord has called us to do.
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You know, He didn't
say, "You are My judges."
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He didn't say, "You are
My prosecuting attorneys."
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He didn't say that you are
to prosecute and to accuse,
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or anything of that nature.
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He said you're to be a witness.
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A witness of what has
happened in your own life.
00:11:59.48\00:12:05.75
My friend, this is what
we have been called to do.
00:12:06.32\00:12:11.96
To witness.
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To tell the world
what Jesus has done in us,
00:12:13.83\00:12:17.40
and through us, and for us.
00:12:17.43\00:12:19.53
And that is what it
is really all about.
00:12:20.10\00:12:23.61
You know, when something
exciting has happened to you,
00:12:23.64\00:12:26.07
you want to
tell people about it.
00:12:26.27\00:12:28.08
It may be just
something sort of mundane.
00:12:28.11\00:12:31.45
One day I was with my
wife and we were on a vacation,
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and we were in Florida.
00:12:35.65\00:12:37.05
And I say vacation;
we had a few days off.
00:12:37.55\00:12:40.19
And my wife likes to
go to the mall sometimes.
00:12:40.56\00:12:44.89
And that day she was at
the mall and she was in one of
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the department stores.
00:12:48.53\00:12:49.90
So I was wandering down the mall
and a man came down the mall,
00:12:50.20\00:12:54.87
and he had a lot
of shirts with him.
00:12:54.97\00:12:57.41
I mean, he was
carrying a lot of shirts.
00:12:58.34\00:13:00.74
And he said, "They're
having a sale at Penney's,
00:13:01.94\00:13:04.98
and they're selling
shirts for two dollars."
00:13:05.01\00:13:07.82
Now this was
just a few years ago.
00:13:08.58\00:13:10.55
These were not
two dollars shirts.
00:13:10.59\00:13:13.09
Just all of a sudden the
manager walked in and said,
00:13:13.22\00:13:15.72
"Put all these
shirts on for two dollars.
00:13:15.76\00:13:18.29
I want them out of here."
00:13:18.39\00:13:19.73
So I ran over there.
00:13:20.66\00:13:22.10
And I bought shirts for myself,
for my sons, for my son-in-law.
00:13:22.43\00:13:27.90
I bought shirts for
all... Two bucks a piece!
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I was buying shirts.
00:13:31.67\00:13:33.38
And when I walked out of there
I had a whole load of shirts.
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And I was saying to
people when I saw them,
00:13:36.54\00:13:38.61
"They're selling
shirts for two dollars."
00:13:38.65\00:13:41.05
I was telling what had
happened, I was witnessing.
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Even when I walked out of
the store and was walking down
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the hall of the mall.
00:13:48.26\00:13:50.13
Because I had found something
that was kind of exciting.
00:13:50.76\00:13:53.73
You know, when you find
Jesus, you can't contain it.
00:13:54.76\00:13:59.27
It will show up on your face.
00:14:00.04\00:14:01.87
And you will be a
witness of our Lord.
00:14:02.37\00:14:08.84
I enjoy going to Israel.
00:14:09.34\00:14:12.31
You know you've heard me
tell that many, many times.
00:14:12.35\00:14:14.58
Because when I'm some
place and I can actually see
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where things
happened, it helps me understand
00:14:19.39\00:14:22.29
the Bible even better.
00:14:22.32\00:14:23.66
One of the places where
I enjoy going is the spot
00:14:24.09\00:14:28.00
that the Bible talks about
in Mark where there was a man
00:14:28.03\00:14:33.10
that was a demoniac.
00:14:33.20\00:14:35.00
He was possessed of the devil.
00:14:35.47\00:14:37.97
Let's read about that man.
00:14:38.14\00:14:39.81
It tells that Jesus, it
says, "Then they came to the
00:14:40.28\00:14:42.64
other side of the sea, to
the country of the Gadarenes."
00:14:42.68\00:14:45.68
This is Mark the 5th chapter.
00:14:45.71\00:14:48.32
"And when He had
come out of the boat,
00:14:48.58\00:14:50.29
immediately there
met Him out of the tombs
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a man with an unclean spirit..."
00:14:53.82\00:14:55.92
Right down by
the shore he met Him.
00:14:55.96\00:14:58.19
Jesus just came out of the boat.
00:14:58.73\00:15:00.56
And here is this wild man.
00:15:01.46\00:15:03.87
It says that he
had an unclean spirit.
00:15:04.73\00:15:07.37
"...who had his
dwelling among the tombs;
00:15:07.87\00:15:10.51
and no one could bind
him, not even with chains..."
00:15:10.54\00:15:14.08
They could not contain this man.
00:15:14.31\00:15:17.31
"...because he had often been
bound with shackles and chains.
00:15:17.71\00:15:20.68
And the chains had
been pulled apart by him,
00:15:20.72\00:15:23.08
and the shackles
broken in pieces.
00:15:23.12\00:15:25.45
Neither could anyone tame him."
00:15:25.49\00:15:27.82
Wild man.
00:15:27.86\00:15:29.19
Filled with the devil.
00:15:29.36\00:15:30.76
"Always, night and
day, he was in the mountains
00:15:30.96\00:15:33.19
and in the tombs, crying out and
cutting himself with stones."
00:15:33.23\00:15:37.27
You know, there
are cutters today.
00:15:37.87\00:15:39.90
I've seen some of these
young people who have come
00:15:40.40\00:15:43.00
for counseling, and they
would have places where they had
00:15:43.20\00:15:46.91
cut themselves many times.
00:15:46.94\00:15:49.21
This is a demonic
possession that takes place.
00:15:49.54\00:15:52.98
And this man
had that possession.
00:15:53.01\00:15:55.18
He was cutting
himself with stones, it says.
00:15:55.22\00:15:58.82
"When he saw Jesus from
afar, he ran and worshiped Him.
00:15:58.85\00:16:02.26
And he cried out with
a loud voice and said,
00:16:02.36\00:16:04.39
'What have I to do with You,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
00:16:04.66\00:16:08.00
I implore You by God
that You do not torment me.'"
00:16:08.03\00:16:11.73
But this was the demon
speaking from out of this man.
00:16:11.77\00:16:15.44
"And He said to him, 'Come
out of the man, unclean spirit!'
00:16:16.04\00:16:21.34
Then He asked him,
'What is your name?'
00:16:21.38\00:16:23.45
And the demon answered and said,
00:16:24.08\00:16:25.65
'My name is
Legion; for we are many.'
00:16:25.68\00:16:28.02
And he begged Him
earnestly that He would not
00:16:28.18\00:16:30.45
send them out of the country.
00:16:30.49\00:16:32.05
Now there was a
herd of swine that was
00:16:32.09\00:16:33.92
feeding near the mountains.
00:16:33.96\00:16:35.62
So all the demons
begged Him, saying,
00:16:35.96\00:16:39.19
'Send us to the swine,
that we may enter them.'
00:16:39.23\00:16:42.53
And at once Jesus
gave them permission.
00:16:42.83\00:16:46.10
Then the unclean spirits
went out and entered the swine;
00:16:46.40\00:16:50.21
there were
about two thousand..."
00:16:50.41\00:16:52.47
Two thousand pigs.
00:16:52.81\00:16:54.61
"...and the herd ran
violently down the steep place
00:16:54.94\00:16:57.91
into the sea, and
drowned in the sea."
00:16:57.95\00:17:02.85
Now that was quite
a moving experience.
00:17:03.59\00:17:06.49
You can imagine how the
people felt that saw it.
00:17:06.99\00:17:10.99
But especially those that
were taking care of the pigs.
00:17:11.09\00:17:13.73
They ran into town.
00:17:13.76\00:17:15.10
They got hold of the
people that owned the pigs.
00:17:15.13\00:17:17.67
And they brought them out.
00:17:18.27\00:17:19.70
And you know, those people
that were owning the pigs,
00:17:20.40\00:17:22.70
they were upset.
00:17:22.74\00:17:24.07
They asked Jesus to leave.
00:17:24.11\00:17:25.67
They said, "We don't
want You around here.
00:17:25.94\00:17:27.91
You're too expensive.
00:17:27.94\00:17:29.28
We just lost 2000
pigs as a result."
00:17:29.31\00:17:33.35
It's amazing how many times
that people will choose pigs
00:17:33.38\00:17:37.35
over the Savior.
00:17:37.39\00:17:38.72
Or how many times
people will choose swine's food
00:17:39.65\00:17:43.99
instead of Jesus.
00:17:44.79\00:17:46.33
How many times!
00:17:47.10\00:17:48.56
And Jesus, He never stays
where people don't want Him.
00:17:49.36\00:17:53.40
They ask Him to
leave, He was ready to leave.
00:17:53.44\00:17:57.64
And then something happened.
00:17:58.01\00:18:00.58
It says they came to Jesus
and they asked Him to leave.
00:18:01.11\00:18:04.81
And then they began to
plead with Him to depart.
00:18:05.08\00:18:08.08
And the man said to
Him, He got into the boat,
00:18:08.52\00:18:12.59
the man who was
demon possessed begged Him
00:18:12.62\00:18:15.32
that he might go with Him.
00:18:15.86\00:18:17.19
Now he wasn't
demon possessed anymore.
00:18:17.23\00:18:19.29
He wasn't out of
his mind anymore.
00:18:19.76\00:18:22.13
This man was healed.
00:18:22.76\00:18:24.10
When Jesus heals
somebody, they are healed.
00:18:24.13\00:18:26.90
This man was in his right mind.
00:18:27.00\00:18:29.37
But Jesus said, "I've got
a more important work for you
00:18:30.37\00:18:33.38
than going with Me."
00:18:33.58\00:18:35.04
"However, Jesus did not
permit him, but said to him,
00:18:35.51\00:18:38.58
'Go home to your friends,
and tell them what great things
00:18:38.61\00:18:43.75
the Lord has done
for you, and how He has
00:18:43.79\00:18:46.69
had compassion on you.'
00:18:46.72\00:18:48.72
And he departed and
began to proclaim in Decapolis
00:18:49.22\00:18:53.46
all that Jesus had done for him.
00:18:53.66\00:18:56.10
And all the people marveled
00:18:56.56\00:19:00.30
at what Jesus had
done for this man.
00:19:00.80\00:19:03.77
You know, this is
where witnessing begins.
00:19:03.81\00:19:06.61
It starts at home.
00:19:06.64\00:19:08.61
"Go home," He said.
00:19:09.18\00:19:10.91
"Go home to your friends,
go home to your family."
00:19:11.45\00:19:14.15
Now he didn't just home.
00:19:14.42\00:19:16.62
He went throughout all
the cities of Decapolis.
00:19:16.65\00:19:19.15
And whenever we're
there, we always visit
00:19:19.19\00:19:21.72
at least one of those;
and that's Beit She'an.
00:19:21.76\00:19:24.76
And we go there, and
the ruins are tremendous.
00:19:25.06\00:19:29.26
You can see what an impact;
this Roman city in Decapolis.
00:19:29.30\00:19:33.13
There were ten cities,
Roman cities, that were built
00:19:33.17\00:19:36.74
along that side of
the Sea of Galilee.
00:19:36.77\00:19:40.38
And it says that this man
went through those cities.
00:19:40.74\00:19:44.95
Now these were not cities where
Jesus would have been welcomed
00:19:44.98\00:19:47.92
most of the time to go.
00:19:47.95\00:19:49.32
So this man was able to
go somewhere where Jesus
00:19:49.35\00:19:52.39
would not be
accepted, not be even allowed
00:19:52.42\00:19:56.73
necessarily to come.
00:19:56.76\00:19:58.26
And Jesus told him, "Go home to
your friends, to your family."
00:19:58.76\00:20:06.53
Witnessing begins at home.
00:20:07.30\00:20:09.30
Sometimes I see young people,
and they, when you talk to them
00:20:10.01\00:20:16.58
about their home life, they
don't want to be a Christian
00:20:16.61\00:20:20.42
because they've grown up
with somebody who was not
00:20:20.45\00:20:25.79
a real Christian.
00:20:25.82\00:20:27.49
Somebody who gave a
different picture of the Lord
00:20:27.82\00:20:31.63
than the Lord
would have them give.
00:20:32.16\00:20:34.23
Go home to your family.
That's where witnessing starts.
00:20:35.00\00:20:38.53
It starts at home.
00:20:39.10\00:20:40.60
I remember one time going
into a home of a person that
00:20:41.04\00:20:46.47
everyone thought this
man was such a nice person
00:20:46.57\00:20:50.01
and such a great Christian.
00:20:50.05\00:20:51.65
But as we were talking
with his wife, she showed us
00:20:51.85\00:20:55.62
where she had been
struck on her arm, the bruise
00:20:55.65\00:21:00.46
that she had received.
00:21:00.69\00:21:02.22
She showed us a
hole in a wall where
00:21:02.26\00:21:04.83
he had punched with his fist.
00:21:04.86\00:21:06.63
She showed us a door that
had been torn from its hinges.
00:21:06.70\00:21:10.97
And you see, this man
was going home, taking off
00:21:11.87\00:21:17.01
his Christianity
just like it was a coat,
00:21:17.24\00:21:20.51
leaving it at the door.
00:21:20.54\00:21:22.14
And when he went into the
house, he was a horrible person
00:21:22.64\00:21:27.15
to live with.
00:21:27.25\00:21:28.58
Elder Fordyce Detamore
tells about going to hold
00:21:28.65\00:21:31.85
an evangelistic meeting in the
city where a lady had said to
00:21:31.89\00:21:36.56
to him over and over
again, "Oh, Brother Detamore,
00:21:36.59\00:21:39.29
I want you to please
come and visit my husband.
00:21:39.33\00:21:43.63
Please, he will not
come to church with me.
00:21:43.67\00:21:46.30
Please come and visit."
00:21:46.74\00:21:48.20
Brother Detamore said he went
to the home and he sat down.
00:21:49.07\00:21:53.01
Before he could say
anything, the lady said,
00:21:53.51\00:21:55.64
"Oh, Brother Detamore,
you don't know how hard it is
00:21:55.68\00:21:59.15
to live with a man
who's not a Christian.
00:21:59.18\00:22:01.62
Elder Detamore said it
was very quiet for a moment.
00:22:02.72\00:22:05.72
And the man looked at his
wife and said, "You know, honey,
00:22:07.19\00:22:10.19
I think I'm just about as
good a Christian as you are."
00:22:10.86\00:22:13.80
And Brother Detamore look at her
and said, "You know something?
00:22:15.26\00:22:18.30
I think he is too."
00:22:18.33\00:22:19.87
She said, "You do?"
00:22:22.17\00:22:23.64
He said, "Yes, I do."
00:22:24.34\00:22:25.94
And the man looked at
him and said, "You do?"
00:22:25.97\00:22:28.18
And he said, "Yes, I do."
00:22:28.21\00:22:29.54
That night the man
came to the meeting.
00:22:29.58\00:22:32.08
He came every
night to the meeting.
00:22:32.61\00:22:34.88
He gave his heart to
Jesus, he was baptized.
00:22:35.88\00:22:39.09
A few months later this
wife ran off with another man.
00:22:39.99\00:22:45.53
For years this man had
been living with a very
00:22:46.09\00:22:49.73
inconsistent witness.
00:22:49.76\00:22:52.43
She had not been true
to him all those years,
00:22:52.70\00:22:55.90
yet she had wanted
him to join the church.
00:22:56.44\00:22:59.17
But he was the man
who actually was closer
00:22:59.64\00:23:05.51
to being
spiritual than his wife.
00:23:05.85\00:23:09.05
The man continued on
in the church even after
00:23:09.08\00:23:11.25
his wife left him.
00:23:11.29\00:23:12.62
And Pastor Detamore,
when he would tell the story,
00:23:12.65\00:23:15.46
said that man was now
the head elder of that church
00:23:15.49\00:23:21.63
even after many
years had passed.
00:23:21.66\00:23:26.20
We must be witnesses at home.
00:23:26.84\00:23:31.84
That's where it starts.
00:23:32.31\00:23:34.04
That is the
most important place.
00:23:34.34\00:23:36.71
Go to your family,
go to your friends,
00:23:37.31\00:23:40.25
and be a witness there.
00:23:40.45\00:23:42.72
The next place
is at our workplace.
00:23:43.05\00:23:45.82
Sometimes in our
workplaces we are not witnesses.
00:23:46.52\00:23:49.39
When I was a young pastor
we had a man in the church
00:23:49.42\00:23:54.03
who'd lost his job, and
the church, pretty much,
00:23:54.06\00:23:57.50
was taking care of him.
00:23:57.53\00:23:59.03
I don't recall that he was
on any kind of state support.
00:23:59.57\00:24:05.61
At least if he was, it
wasn't enough to keep him going.
00:24:05.91\00:24:08.71
So we had to take up
offerings to help this man.
00:24:08.74\00:24:11.91
We kept hoping
he would get a job.
00:24:12.01\00:24:14.22
And finally he did.
00:24:14.75\00:24:17.02
And we were so happy.
00:24:17.99\00:24:21.06
The next Sabbath I
said, "Joe, how are you?"
00:24:21.32\00:24:24.69
He said, "Well,
I'm not very good."
00:24:24.73\00:24:26.16
I said, "What happened?"
He said, "I got fired."
00:24:26.19\00:24:28.00
I said, "You got fired, Joe?"
00:24:28.03\00:24:30.40
He said, "Yes."
00:24:30.67\00:24:32.00
I said, "Tell me about it."
00:24:32.47\00:24:34.24
Because here I was ready.
00:24:34.94\00:24:36.27
He said, "They fired me
because I'm a Christian.
00:24:36.37\00:24:38.77
Because I'm a
believer, I'm an Adventist."
00:24:38.97\00:24:41.98
I said, "Tell me, Joe."
00:24:42.01\00:24:43.91
Because I was ready to go and
have a discussion with his boss.
00:24:43.95\00:24:48.52
I wasn't afraid to do that.
00:24:48.55\00:24:50.19
And he said, "Well, I went
to work, and you have never seen
00:24:51.05\00:24:56.49
so much smoke in your life."
00:24:56.52\00:24:58.43
He said, "Everybody was smoking.
00:24:58.86\00:25:00.93
And all kinds of
cursing and carrying on there.
00:25:01.36\00:25:04.67
Those workers,
they're so hard and cold."
00:25:04.87\00:25:09.17
He said, "The next day I
went back and I went through the
00:25:09.40\00:25:13.17
whole place and I
passed out smoke signals,
00:25:13.21\00:25:17.11
and told them about smoking
and how it was harmful to them,
00:25:17.45\00:25:21.08
and how they needed
to quit doing that."
00:25:21.12\00:25:23.08
And he said, "The
next day I took the Bible
00:25:23.99\00:25:26.76
correspondence course."
00:25:26.79\00:25:28.12
And he said, "I took those cards
and went all through the plant,"
00:25:28.16\00:25:31.56
and he said, "I
handed them out to everybody.
00:25:32.59\00:25:34.66
I said, 'You
need to fill this out.
00:25:34.70\00:25:36.23
You need to be studying this.
00:25:36.26\00:25:37.73
You need to study
what the Bible says.
00:25:37.77\00:25:41.27
And by the way, you're
probably going to church.
00:25:41.67\00:25:43.61
If you are, you're
probably going on the wrong day.
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.67
You need to study this.'"
00:25:45.71\00:25:47.04
He said, "The next
day they fired me."
00:25:48.48\00:25:51.45
I said, "Joe, I'm sorry.
00:25:52.58\00:25:55.62
I probably would have
fired you the first day.
00:25:55.65\00:25:58.02
Because that is not
what God has asked us to do.
00:25:59.25\00:26:03.93
He didn't say,
'You are My judges.'
00:26:04.73\00:26:08.46
He didn't say, 'You are
My prosecuting attorneys.'
00:26:08.76\00:26:12.57
He said, 'You are My witnesses.'
00:26:12.60\00:26:14.84
Joe, a witness is
suppose to just live it.
00:26:14.87\00:26:18.51
Explain it when you're asked.
00:26:19.07\00:26:21.58
You whole life can be a great
illustration if you will simply
00:26:22.04\00:26:27.68
allow people to see the
difference in your life.
00:26:27.72\00:26:32.79
It can be such a difference."
00:26:34.19\00:26:36.02
I thought of another
situation, a story I've told.
00:26:37.13\00:26:40.10
I've told it before on
television, so some of you
00:26:40.30\00:26:42.33
may have heard it before.
00:26:42.36\00:26:43.70
Last time I told it, the
gentleman that it happened to
00:26:43.73\00:26:47.90
contacted me and said that
he had heard me tell the story.
00:26:47.94\00:26:52.77
And it's a true story.
00:26:52.81\00:26:54.38
You know, years ago
typesetting was a profession
00:26:55.28\00:27:00.85
that was very popular.
00:27:00.88\00:27:02.22
Today it's all done by computer.
00:27:02.25\00:27:04.35
I can remember when they
started going from typesetting,
00:27:04.75\00:27:08.79
and this was not
that many years ago,
00:27:08.82\00:27:11.46
until they started
going over to the computer
00:27:11.56\00:27:14.50
situation where they
set all the type by computer
00:27:14.53\00:27:17.80
for newspapers and so forth.
00:27:18.17\00:27:20.54
This is one of the
newspapers in the east.
00:27:21.34\00:27:23.91
And there was a man who worked
there, and his name was Andy.
00:27:24.17\00:27:28.18
Andy was a Christian.
00:27:28.98\00:27:30.48
A very good
Seventh-day Adventist Christian.
00:27:31.21\00:27:34.45
And he just quietly
went about his work.
00:27:35.08\00:27:38.29
Working next to Andy was
a man by the name of Harold.
00:27:39.02\00:27:42.66
Now remember, when
they set type in those days,
00:27:42.69\00:27:45.46
it was set in lead.
00:27:45.76\00:27:48.20
If they set a line of
type and they made a mistake,
00:27:48.63\00:27:51.53
they had to tear the
whole line out and redo it.
00:27:51.57\00:27:55.24
It was a lot of work.
00:27:55.47\00:27:57.14
They were under
a lot of pressure.
00:27:57.24\00:27:59.01
They had to get
the newspaper out.
00:27:59.21\00:28:00.91
They had to get this type set.
00:28:00.94\00:28:02.64
They had to get
all of this done.
00:28:02.78\00:28:04.68
So it was quite an experience
and quite a work for them to do,
00:28:04.95\00:28:09.28
and not so easy as it is now
with the computer where you just
00:28:09.48\00:28:12.89
delete and just go on.
00:28:12.92\00:28:14.59
They had to go back and really
actually tear out a whole line
00:28:14.62\00:28:19.79
of this lead
typeset and redo that line.
00:28:19.83\00:28:24.20
So it was a pressure job.
00:28:24.87\00:28:27.54
Harold would get very upset.
00:28:28.00\00:28:29.67
He was working next to Andy.
00:28:29.70\00:28:31.57
Harold had never
given his heart to the Lord.
00:28:31.81\00:28:34.28
And he would get very
upset and he would curse.
00:28:34.31\00:28:37.05
He smoked, they
said, like a chimney.
00:28:37.41\00:28:39.85
He would talk about the
weekend; he would buy himself,
00:28:40.35\00:28:43.79
not a fifth of
whiskey, but a quart of whiskey.
00:28:43.89\00:28:47.79
And he said it would
be gone by 24 hours later.
00:28:47.82\00:28:52.69
He would have drunk
the whole thing himself.
00:28:52.73\00:28:55.26
He said that
nothing was safe around him.
00:28:56.10\00:28:58.33
He said your wife wasn't
safe, your money is not safe.
00:28:58.37\00:29:02.10
"Nothing that you
had was safe around me."
00:29:02.30\00:29:05.37
He said, "That's the
kind of person I was."
00:29:05.91\00:29:08.44
Then he said one day he
was talking and he knew that
00:29:09.04\00:29:13.95
Andy was so
careful about everything.
00:29:13.98\00:29:17.39
He said, "Andy, you know, I
notice that you don't get upset
00:29:17.82\00:29:21.49
when you set a
line of type wrong and
00:29:21.52\00:29:24.13
you have to take it out.
00:29:24.36\00:29:25.69
Never heard you
us a curse word."
00:29:25.73\00:29:27.43
Andy said, "No, you haven't."
00:29:28.16\00:29:30.20
He said, "I also notice
that when you get ready to eat,
00:29:30.73\00:29:33.90
that you bow your
head and you're praying.
00:29:34.20\00:29:38.04
It looks like you're praying."
00:29:38.07\00:29:39.41
He said, "That's right, I'm
having a blessing over my food."
00:29:40.11\00:29:44.71
He said, "I've noticed
that when we tell dirty jokes
00:29:45.28\00:29:48.55
that you don't laugh.
00:29:48.58\00:29:50.75
You don't condemn us,
but you just aren't around
00:29:50.85\00:29:55.26
when the punch line comes.
00:29:55.29\00:29:57.09
But I've never heard you tell
a joke that was off-colored."
00:29:57.79\00:30:02.30
He said, "No, I don't."
00:30:02.83\00:30:06.30
He said, "Is that
part of your religion?"
00:30:06.80\00:30:08.70
He said, "Yes it is."
00:30:09.37\00:30:10.81
Well he said, "Listen, I'd
like to know a little bit more
00:30:11.61\00:30:14.91
about your religion.
00:30:14.94\00:30:16.31
Could you tell me a
little bit about it?"
00:30:17.05\00:30:19.01
"Yes," he said, "I'll be
happy to tell you about it.
00:30:19.88\00:30:22.38
Let's get together and study."
00:30:23.42\00:30:25.22
So he got together
and went to his house,
00:30:25.72\00:30:28.92
and he sat down
at the kitchen table.
00:30:28.96\00:30:31.83
And he got out his Bible
and they began to look up text.
00:30:32.13\00:30:35.93
And Harold said,
"Now wait a minute.
00:30:35.96\00:30:37.90
I don't know one
book from the other.
00:30:37.93\00:30:40.50
I don't know, you're
going from one book of the Bible
00:30:40.87\00:30:44.01
back to another
book of the Bible.
00:30:44.04\00:30:45.74
And I don't know about this.
00:30:45.94\00:30:48.48
Listen, I've
always been a Catholic.
00:30:48.71\00:30:51.85
If I get the
priest to study with us,
00:30:52.21\00:30:54.42
would you study
with the priest?"
00:30:54.45\00:30:56.55
Andy said,
"Sure, I'd be happy to."
00:30:57.19\00:30:59.25
And so they began to study.
00:31:00.26\00:31:02.19
They went
through those 28 lessons.
00:31:02.99\00:31:06.19
They studied the Sabbath,
they studied the second coming,
00:31:06.39\00:31:10.97
they studied the
state of the dead.
00:31:11.47\00:31:14.54
And on each one of these
subjects, they would look up
00:31:14.97\00:31:17.27
every text.
00:31:17.31\00:31:19.04
And then Harold would
look over at the priest and
00:31:19.77\00:31:23.14
he would say,
"Father, is that what it says?"
00:31:23.38\00:31:26.11
The priest would nod and
say, "That's what it says."
00:31:26.55\00:31:29.62
And they would move on.
00:31:30.72\00:31:32.42
And finally when it got down
to the end of those studies,
00:31:33.76\00:31:39.19
Harold looked over to the priest
and he said, "You know, Father,
00:31:40.06\00:31:43.50
you married my wife and me.
00:31:43.53\00:31:45.37
You have baptized
all of our children."
00:31:46.53\00:31:49.07
They had five children.
00:31:49.10\00:31:50.51
He said, "You've
baptized our children.
00:31:51.27\00:31:53.27
You have been with me
when my wife and I had so many
00:31:53.78\00:31:57.25
problems and troubles.
00:31:57.45\00:31:58.88
And you have been
with us and encouraged us.
00:31:58.91\00:32:01.98
And I will love you
the rest of my life.
00:32:02.58\00:32:06.76
But as of this moment," he said,
"I'm no longer a Roman Catholic.
00:32:07.82\00:32:13.03
I'm a Seventh-day Adventist."
00:32:13.76\00:32:15.80
And the priest looked
at him and said, "Harold,
00:32:16.80\00:32:20.84
you're doing the right thing.
00:32:21.40\00:32:23.20
You're making
the right decision."
00:32:24.11\00:32:26.37
And Harold gave
his life to Jesus.
00:32:27.31\00:32:30.31
He went off to
one of our colleges.
00:32:30.35\00:32:32.21
Now Harold was a
very intelligent man.
00:32:32.65\00:32:34.95
And even with a big
family, and working full-time,
00:32:36.02\00:32:40.59
he was straight "A"
and he did four years of
00:32:40.92\00:32:43.59
college in three years.
00:32:43.63\00:32:45.79
And he became a
Seventh-day Adventist minister.
00:32:47.23\00:32:51.93
All because the man he
worked next to witnessed.
00:32:52.90\00:32:59.01
That man didn't pass
out the smoke screens,
00:32:59.94\00:33:02.34
he didn't try to sign up
people with a Bible course.
00:33:02.38\00:33:05.11
But when someone
asked him about their faith,
00:33:05.51\00:33:09.18
because they saw that
his life was different,
00:33:09.22\00:33:13.62
when they saw this and
asked him, he was ready
00:33:14.22\00:33:19.16
to give an answer.
00:33:19.76\00:33:22.66
"'You are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord,
00:33:23.13\00:33:28.84
'and My servant
whom I have chosen.'"
00:33:29.10\00:33:33.11
Edgar A. Guest wrote a poem.
00:33:33.88\00:33:35.78
It goes something like this.
00:33:35.81\00:33:37.31
He said, "I'd
rather see a sermon
00:33:38.81\00:33:40.52
than to hear one any day;
00:33:40.55\00:33:42.82
I'd rather one
should walk with me
00:33:43.39\00:33:46.39
than merely show the way.
00:33:46.86\00:33:48.92
The eye's a better pupil,
far more willing than the ear;
00:33:49.52\00:33:53.50
Fine counsel is confusing,
but example's always clear.
00:33:54.03\00:33:59.97
And the lectures you deliver
may be very wise and true,
00:34:00.34\00:34:04.97
but I'd rather get my
lesson by observing what you do.
00:34:05.97\00:34:10.41
For I may misunderstand you
and the high advice you give,
00:34:11.15\00:34:17.62
but there's no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live."
00:34:18.42\00:34:27.86
Someone once said, "What you
are doing is ringing in my ear
00:34:28.66\00:34:33.87
so loudly that I cannot
hear what you are saying."
00:34:33.90\00:34:40.81
"'You are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord,
00:34:41.34\00:34:45.65
'and My servant
whom I have chosen.'"
00:34:45.91\00:34:49.85
As we said, we
call this message,
00:34:50.39\00:34:52.15
The Witness Protection Program.
00:34:52.19\00:34:54.22
And the reason I have is that
there are so many individuals
00:34:54.42\00:34:59.09
in the Bible that have run
into so many different problems,
00:34:59.13\00:35:03.90
it looked like there would
be no way that they could be
00:35:04.20\00:35:09.44
victorious through
some of these things.
00:35:09.47\00:35:11.34
Recently I've been
studying in the book of Acts.
00:35:11.37\00:35:14.61
And what a message
the book of Acts has.
00:35:14.91\00:35:19.08
It's just tremendous.
00:35:19.31\00:35:20.98
This was an in-depth study that
I did, and I was so blessed.
00:35:21.02\00:35:25.69
Even though I'd
been through Acts before,
00:35:25.72\00:35:27.89
going back through it
slowly, carefully studying
00:35:28.09\00:35:32.06
all of the things that
have happened in there to Peter
00:35:32.09\00:35:36.87
and to Paul.
00:35:36.97\00:35:38.30
And we see that these
were men, that they were doing
00:35:38.43\00:35:42.70
the very best that they could
to have a winning experience
00:35:42.74\00:35:47.28
for the Lord,
witnessing for Him.
00:35:47.31\00:35:49.44
And sometimes they were
suffering from all kinds
00:35:49.84\00:35:54.98
of things that
were happening to them.
00:35:55.02\00:35:58.15
Look at how many times
that Paul was put into jail,
00:35:58.19\00:36:02.72
how many times he was beaten,
00:36:02.92\00:36:04.86
how many times
he was shipwrecked,
00:36:04.89\00:36:07.20
how many times that it
looked like there was no way
00:36:07.23\00:36:11.27
that he was going
to be able to make it.
00:36:11.30\00:36:13.47
And yet he was there.
00:36:13.57\00:36:15.37
Because God brings
us through these things.
00:36:15.40\00:36:19.41
You see, in God's
witness protection program,
00:36:19.44\00:36:22.38
and He says that He will,
He will protect His witnesses.
00:36:22.41\00:36:27.28
It doesn't mean that
we won't have trials.
00:36:27.32\00:36:30.35
It doesn't mean that
we won't have problems.
00:36:30.39\00:36:32.75
It doesn't mean that
things won't happen to us
00:36:32.79\00:36:35.86
that are just really
more than we can bear.
00:36:35.89\00:36:40.20
But what it means is
that He will bring us through.
00:36:40.43\00:36:45.43
He will bring us through
whatever it is that we face.
00:36:45.80\00:36:51.97
Because He is our
Lord, He is our God,
00:36:52.01\00:36:55.74
He is our Savior, and He
is the one who will change you
00:36:55.94\00:37:02.18
and He will change me when
we give Him that opportunity
00:37:02.22\00:37:07.86
to do that.
00:37:07.99\00:37:09.32
I am so excited about what's
happening throughout the world.
00:37:09.42\00:37:13.40
I see Paul, the
great tent-maker.
00:37:13.43\00:37:15.96
There are a lot of
witnesses that are going forward
00:37:16.06\00:37:18.70
and are witnessing for Him.
00:37:18.73\00:37:21.14
The board chairman of 3ABN,
Bruce Fjarli, and his family
00:37:21.57\00:37:27.51
are part of those witnesses.
00:37:27.84\00:37:29.78
They're some of
those witnesses that go out
00:37:29.81\00:37:32.25
into the world.
00:37:32.35\00:37:33.68
And they have been
giving and giving and helping
00:37:33.98\00:37:37.89
in places like India.
00:37:37.92\00:37:39.69
They have
organized over 900 churches.
00:37:39.99\00:37:44.69
That one family.
00:37:44.73\00:37:46.36
This was begun by Merlin Fjarli.
00:37:47.26\00:37:50.17
And Bruce and the
family have continued it.
00:37:50.20\00:37:53.20
They, through their witnessing
program, have a number of
00:37:53.47\00:37:58.97
orphanages that
they've organized,
00:38:00.04\00:38:02.04
they've organized
over 900 churches in India,
00:38:02.08\00:38:05.31
over 300,000
baptisms, and still growing.
00:38:05.41\00:38:10.95
Still going
forward and witnessing.
00:38:11.65\00:38:15.59
You see, God is
still multiplying
00:38:15.62\00:38:18.76
the life of a witness.
00:38:18.96\00:38:21.86
He is still multiplying
those that are finding a way
00:38:22.13\00:38:28.40
to present the
gospel, even in places where
00:38:28.80\00:38:33.54
you would never think
that it's going to happen.
00:38:33.58\00:38:36.21
I remember that sometimes
people get the idea that
00:38:36.54\00:38:40.72
evangelism is dead,
that there's no way that
00:38:41.08\00:38:44.49
the witness is
going to go forward.
00:38:44.79\00:38:46.96
Not too long ago I went to the
memorial service for my friend,
00:38:47.79\00:38:52.86
Ron Halvorsen.
00:38:52.89\00:38:54.23
And I remember that his
friend, Jim, was the one
00:38:54.80\00:39:00.04
that brought him the gospel.
00:39:00.07\00:39:02.87
And these two boys, growing
up there in New York City.
00:39:03.74\00:39:13.72
And Jim's mother, grandmother,
went to a meeting that was held
00:39:14.58\00:39:19.39
by R. Allan Anderson.
00:39:19.42\00:39:23.09
People thought that
was probably a failure.
00:39:23.26\00:39:27.13
That meeting was thought
by many people to be a failure
00:39:27.16\00:39:30.73
because there were probably only
two ladies that were baptized
00:39:31.20\00:39:35.37
from that big meeting
held in the Carnegie Hall
00:39:35.40\00:39:40.38
that would not have
been baptized otherwise.
00:39:40.74\00:39:42.94
And one of them
was Jim Londis' mother.
00:39:42.98\00:39:46.05
Grandmother, rather.
00:39:46.38\00:39:47.78
And she gave her heart to Jesus.
00:39:48.12\00:39:50.42
And she brought her
grandson, Jim Londis, to Jesus.
00:39:50.45\00:39:54.19
And Jim went and found
his friend, Ron Halvorsen,
00:39:55.16\00:40:00.40
and brought him to Jesus.
00:40:01.13\00:40:04.50
You remember the story, I'm
sure you've heard Ron tell it.
00:40:04.97\00:40:08.00
It's a thrilling story
about how Ron found the Lord.
00:40:08.27\00:40:11.97
Ron was out there in
the gangs, but the witness
00:40:12.01\00:40:16.08
of Jim Londis, his buddy...
00:40:17.01\00:40:19.51
Didn't preach to him,
wasn't preaching in a class,
00:40:19.55\00:40:22.22
or anything like that.
00:40:22.25\00:40:23.65
Years later, Ron had already
been a successful evangelist.
00:40:24.05\00:40:29.92
At the point had already
baptized over 5000 people.
00:40:29.96\00:40:33.53
And baptized
thousands more even after that.
00:40:33.56\00:40:36.97
And we were together
in Fort Worth, Texas.
00:40:37.70\00:40:41.34
R. Allan Anderson was
an old man by this time.
00:40:41.60\00:40:44.41
He was there
preaching at a camp meeting.
00:40:44.64\00:40:47.91
And I said to Ron,
"Ron, have you ever shared
00:40:48.31\00:40:52.51
with this man who
was spreading the gospel,
00:40:52.85\00:40:55.35
who thought that
probably he had no effect there,
00:40:55.38\00:40:59.62
have you ever
shared that with him?"
00:40:59.65\00:41:02.06
He said, "No, I haven't."
00:41:02.52\00:41:04.03
He said he didn't
want to hear that.
00:41:04.06\00:41:05.39
I said, "Come on, Ron."
00:41:05.43\00:41:06.76
And I took Ron
down to Elder Anderson,
00:41:06.80\00:41:09.76
introduced him
to Elder Anderson.
00:41:09.80\00:41:12.83
And to Elder Anderson he
said, "R. Allan Anderson, you,"
00:41:12.87\00:41:18.21
Ron said to him,
"baptized me in New York City."
00:41:18.24\00:41:21.81
Elder Anderson shook his head,
"No, son, I don't think I did.
00:41:22.94\00:41:27.75
Because," he
said, "we only baptized
00:41:27.78\00:41:30.92
two elderly ladies there.
00:41:31.12\00:41:33.12
And that was my biggest
failure in evangelism ever."
00:41:34.12\00:41:38.79
Ron said, "Yes, but one of those
ladies brought her grandson
00:41:39.49\00:41:45.10
to Jesus.
00:41:45.43\00:41:46.77
Her grandson witnessed to
me and brought me to Jesus."
00:41:47.50\00:41:53.58
And already at that time,
Ron said, "And the Lord has
00:41:54.41\00:41:57.75
given me over 5000 baptisms.
00:41:57.78\00:42:00.48
So you see, Elder Anderson,
your meeting was not a failure."
00:42:00.52\00:42:05.29
Tears came down his cheeks.
00:42:06.15\00:42:08.82
Tears came down his cheeks.
00:42:09.32\00:42:11.53
He thought that it
had been a failure.
00:42:11.89\00:42:13.86
But, you see, when
you're witnessing for Christ,
00:42:13.90\00:42:16.63
whether it's in a
public meeting or one on one,
00:42:16.67\00:42:19.50
there are no failures.
00:42:19.53\00:42:21.30
There are no failures.
00:42:21.70\00:42:23.71
Sooner or later, when
you're casting the truth out,
00:42:24.37\00:42:28.68
it's going to
catch with somebody.
00:42:29.58\00:42:31.71
And it caught with Ron.
00:42:32.61\00:42:34.15
Ron battled right up to the end.
00:42:34.82\00:42:36.58
I was so happy that
3ABN was able to carry
00:42:36.62\00:42:40.56
the last of the series
from Charlotte, North Carolina
00:42:40.59\00:42:44.46
when he did that series
there in the Ovens Auditorium.
00:42:44.66\00:42:48.86
And it's still being
shown sometimes on 3ABN,
00:42:48.90\00:42:52.53
particularly on
the Proclaim channel.
00:42:52.57\00:42:56.67
You'll see it.
What a wonderful series.
00:42:56.87\00:42:58.77
I hope they keep
showing it till the Lord comes.
00:42:58.81\00:43:02.04
And Ron, it was so wonderful
that he was able to give
00:43:02.48\00:43:06.68
that witness one more time
so that thousands and millions
00:43:06.72\00:43:12.69
around the world were
able to hear that message.
00:43:12.72\00:43:17.99
And it all goes back to a
failure that he felt like,
00:43:18.43\00:43:24.33
R. Allan Anderson felt
like he had, but it didn't.
00:43:24.37\00:43:28.54
When you witness, you
see, you plant the seed,
00:43:29.04\00:43:33.31
and the Lord will water.
00:43:33.61\00:43:36.21
"'Ye are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord,
00:43:36.68\00:43:39.61
'and My servant
whom I have chosen.'"
00:43:39.65\00:43:43.95
We get to travel some now
and then, my wife and I do.
00:43:45.22\00:43:48.56
And one trip we made, we stopped
in London for a few days.
00:43:49.92\00:43:54.90
I was so happy to be able
to spend a little time there.
00:43:55.26\00:43:59.00
Because I wanted to
go down to Hyde Park.
00:43:59.23\00:44:02.57
There's a place in Hyde
Park called, Speaker's Corner.
00:44:02.60\00:44:05.97
It has a history that goes
way back into the olden days
00:44:06.51\00:44:10.65
when freedom of speech
was really not available
00:44:10.85\00:44:14.05
anywhere in the world
except the queen or the king
00:44:14.08\00:44:17.69
had set aside this
area in Hyde Park and said,
00:44:17.72\00:44:21.62
"You can say
anything you want to here.
00:44:21.66\00:44:24.43
Now you don't be
saying it anywhere else,
00:44:24.53\00:44:26.80
but you can say
anything you want to
00:44:26.83\00:44:28.80
in this particular place."
00:44:28.83\00:44:30.73
It was a protected place.
00:44:30.77\00:44:32.60
And people would go
there and they would shout
00:44:32.90\00:44:35.87
their infidelity, and
they would shout their faith.
00:44:35.90\00:44:39.67
And one night there was a young
man preaching in Hyde Park.
00:44:40.71\00:44:44.85
And as he preached, there
was a skeptic that kept trying
00:44:45.98\00:44:50.49
to get him to listen
to what he was saying.
00:44:50.52\00:44:53.79
And he would shout
out words to the speaker,
00:44:53.82\00:44:56.46
but the speaker ignored him.
00:44:56.49\00:44:57.99
And so this man turned to a man
that was helping the speaker.
00:44:59.19\00:45:05.43
He knew that he was a helper
because he had some tracts,
00:45:05.97\00:45:09.34
and he knew that when
the speaker got through
00:45:09.37\00:45:12.07
that he was going
to pass these out.
00:45:12.11\00:45:14.01
So he turned to the young man
and he said, "Are you with him?"
00:45:14.11\00:45:16.34
He said, "Yes I am."
00:45:16.38\00:45:17.71
He said, "What do you know
about Christianity anyway?"
00:45:18.21\00:45:20.98
The young man
said, "I don't know much.
00:45:21.02\00:45:22.45
I haven't been a
Christian very long."
00:45:22.48\00:45:24.89
He said, "Well let
me ask you a question.
00:45:24.92\00:45:26.72
Give me the date
of Jesus' birth."
00:45:27.32\00:45:29.59
He said, "I don't know
the date of Jesus' birth."
00:45:31.06\00:45:33.56
He said, "Well tell me
this, where was He born?"
00:45:34.40\00:45:38.17
"Well," he said, "I'm
not sure where He was born."
00:45:39.07\00:45:42.00
"Ha, ha. Well where did He die?"
00:45:43.10\00:45:46.34
He said, "I'm not sure.
00:45:47.38\00:45:50.05
I don't know
exactly where He died."
00:45:50.45\00:45:53.05
"Oh," he said, "you don't know
very much about it, do you?"
00:45:53.38\00:45:56.85
The young man
looked at him and he said,
00:45:57.99\00:45:59.72
"Sir, I don't know much
about what you're taking about.
00:45:59.75\00:46:04.03
But a few months ago
I came into this place,
00:46:05.39\00:46:10.17
and I was absolutely miserable.
00:46:10.77\00:46:13.87
You see," he said,
"I was an alcoholic.
00:46:15.00\00:46:18.37
I drank up everything,
every dime that I made.
00:46:18.41\00:46:23.95
I was mean to my family.
00:46:24.31\00:46:26.41
My wife, I would beat her.
00:46:27.25\00:46:29.68
I would never give
enough money for the food,
00:46:30.49\00:46:33.29
or the family,
the house that I have.
00:46:33.32\00:46:36.02
Never.
00:46:36.56\00:46:37.89
On top of that, I
was mean to my children.
00:46:38.49\00:46:42.90
I hated myself.
00:46:43.83\00:46:45.43
I had absolutely
no desire to live.
00:46:46.60\00:46:50.07
My children hated me so
much that they would run
00:46:51.07\00:46:54.54
and they would hide
when I would come home.
00:46:54.58\00:46:57.01
My wife cried all day long
as she went about her work.
00:46:57.51\00:47:02.18
No, I was miserable.
00:47:03.39\00:47:06.42
I was going to take my life.
00:47:07.06\00:47:08.39
And one night I came here
to this park and I sat down.
00:47:08.42\00:47:11.99
I was thinking how
I would take my life.
00:47:12.63\00:47:15.23
And I heard this
man talk about Jesus.
00:47:16.26\00:47:18.83
And how Jesus
could change my life."
00:47:20.27\00:47:22.84
He said, "I sat
here and I listened.
00:47:23.87\00:47:26.14
And he told me about a
Man, Jesus, who went to a cross,
00:47:26.81\00:47:32.81
died on that cross,
that I might have life.
00:47:33.68\00:47:38.25
How He was resurrected.
00:47:39.55\00:47:41.42
How He came from heaven,
that He was the Son of God,
00:47:42.09\00:47:44.93
but He gave Himself for me.
00:47:46.73\00:47:50.37
And how He's coming back."
00:47:51.87\00:47:53.87
And he said, "I listened.
00:47:54.94\00:47:56.74
And I said, I want that one.
00:47:57.47\00:48:01.28
I want Him to come into my life.
00:48:02.18\00:48:07.38
I want Him to be my God.
00:48:08.22\00:48:12.25
To be my Savior, to be my King."
00:48:12.75\00:48:16.22
And he said, "That night I
came here, I got on my knees,
00:48:16.93\00:48:20.76
and I gave my life to Jesus."
00:48:20.80\00:48:23.13
And he said, "I've
worked every day since then.
00:48:25.73\00:48:29.27
I've been able to keep a job.
00:48:29.30\00:48:31.17
I haven't had
one drop to drink."
00:48:31.57\00:48:33.74
He said, "I've been
able to take money home,
00:48:35.61\00:48:38.38
and there's
food now in our home.
00:48:38.41\00:48:41.18
On top of that,
recently," he said, "I bought
00:48:42.32\00:48:45.22
my wife a new dress.
00:48:45.25\00:48:47.16
First time I've ever
bought her a new dress."
00:48:47.59\00:48:51.49
He said, "I bought
my kids some clothes.
00:48:52.49\00:48:54.96
And I'm good to them now.
00:48:56.13\00:48:57.87
They love me now."
00:48:58.87\00:49:00.30
And he said, "At the end
of the day when I come home,
00:49:01.17\00:49:03.84
they run, when they
use to hide from me,
00:49:03.87\00:49:06.57
now they run out
through the front gate
00:49:06.68\00:49:09.04
and they jump up in
my arms and they cry out,
00:49:09.44\00:49:12.65
'Daddy has come
home. He's come home.'
00:49:12.68\00:49:16.18
No," he said, "I
don't know these things
00:49:16.89\00:49:19.92
you're talking about,
but I do know what Jesus
00:49:19.95\00:49:26.06
did for me."
00:49:26.36\00:49:28.86
My friend, that is what
Jesus has asked us to do.
00:49:29.93\00:49:33.70
"'You are My
witnesses,' saith the Lord,
00:49:34.24\00:49:37.87
'My servant
whom I have chosen.'"
00:49:38.44\00:49:42.28
You see, the
demoniac now had a message
00:49:43.31\00:49:46.18
that he could give
throughout all of the Decapolis.
00:49:46.58\00:49:51.35
The man that was there
with Andy, Harold, had a message
00:49:51.95\00:49:58.36
that he could
give wherever he went.
00:49:58.39\00:50:00.80
Ron Halvorsen now had a
message that he could share.
00:50:01.40\00:50:06.27
Why? Because it had
been shared with him.
00:50:06.30\00:50:11.31
And we look at all of these and
we see that it was the result
00:50:12.21\00:50:19.28
of a witness.
00:50:20.28\00:50:21.82
Someone telling what
Jesus had done in their life.
00:50:22.38\00:50:29.49
How about you?
00:50:30.23\00:50:31.56
How about you?
00:50:32.09\00:50:33.43
"I wondered life's
path with an easy tread,
00:50:33.46\00:50:36.13
I wondered where
pleasures and riches lead;
00:50:36.16\00:50:39.00
until one day in a quiet place
I met the Master face to face.
00:50:39.03\00:50:45.37
I met Him and knew
Him and blushed to see,
00:50:45.41\00:50:49.28
that His eyes full of
mercy were fixed upon me."
00:50:49.74\00:50:54.08
And then I turned
my eyes upon Jesus,
00:50:54.12\00:50:56.92
looked full in
His wonderful face;
00:50:57.49\00:51:01.72
and the things of
earth grew strangely dim
00:51:02.52\00:51:06.86
in the light of His
glory and His grace.
00:51:07.56\00:51:13.50
I have, many times in
my life as a young man,
00:51:14.27\00:51:17.34
had Jesus shared with me.
00:51:19.24\00:51:21.34
But probably never
so completely as when
00:51:22.24\00:51:28.68
I was a young man in college.
00:51:28.88\00:51:31.15
At that point I was
wondering about the future.
00:51:32.15\00:51:35.72
And a man by the
name of Leon Strickland
00:51:36.22\00:51:38.39
saw me out on the camp ground.
00:51:38.49\00:51:40.20
It was during camp meeting,
and I was not in the meeting.
00:51:40.23\00:51:44.53
I was sitting out
on the camp ground.
00:51:44.57\00:51:46.17
He was the assistant
pastor of the church.
00:51:46.20\00:51:48.50
He stopped by and he said, "Jim,
what are you thinking about?"
00:51:48.54\00:51:52.51
I told him, I said, "Look,
I'm thinking that I'm going to
00:51:53.41\00:51:58.95
lose out on this world and lose
out on the world to come too."
00:51:58.98\00:52:03.55
And he said, "Why
are you thinking that?"
00:52:04.89\00:52:06.82
I said, "Because
there's no way I can be perfect.
00:52:07.79\00:52:12.09
No way at all.
00:52:12.83\00:52:14.70
So I'm going to be
lost, but at the same time
00:52:15.70\00:52:19.83
I'm going to miss
out on some of the things
00:52:19.87\00:52:23.10
that could be happening here."
00:52:23.51\00:52:25.71
Because I was
very active in sports.
00:52:25.74\00:52:27.41
I wanted to play
professional baseball.
00:52:27.44\00:52:29.61
I knew that if I went into that,
then my spiritual experience
00:52:29.91\00:52:34.28
was certainly going to suffer.
00:52:34.32\00:52:35.98
Leon Strickland explained
to me righteousness by faith.
00:52:37.75\00:52:43.36
He witnessed to me
as no one ever has.
00:52:43.39\00:52:47.66
I said, "Where
did you get this?"
00:52:47.70\00:52:49.53
He said, "I got it
from a book called,
00:52:50.07\00:52:52.63
Christ Our Righteousness, by
Ellen White and Elder Daniels.
00:52:52.93\00:53:00.64
And so I said, "A.G. Daniels."
00:53:01.71\00:53:05.38
I said, "I've
never heard of him."
00:53:05.71\00:53:07.05
He said, "He was the president
of the General Conference.
00:53:07.08\00:53:09.78
And these are
compilations from Ellen White
00:53:09.95\00:53:12.12
that he put together."
00:53:12.15\00:53:13.52
I thought the rest of that
weekend about what he had said.
00:53:15.19\00:53:19.66
There was hope in Jesus.
00:53:21.20\00:53:23.90
Even though I knew I could never
be perfect, and never would be,
00:53:25.97\00:53:29.80
I've wondered how
about righteousness by faith.
00:53:31.21\00:53:35.94
Does that come from Jesus?
00:53:36.34\00:53:38.91
How about it?
00:53:39.45\00:53:40.78
That next Friday night a
friend of mine called me.
00:53:40.92\00:53:43.39
He wanted us to
go driving around.
00:53:43.42\00:53:45.65
And I said, "Well,
let me get back with you."
00:53:45.69\00:53:47.86
I said to my mother,
"Mom, do we have the book,
00:53:48.16\00:53:50.23
Christ Our Righteousness?"
00:53:50.26\00:53:51.59
And she said,
"No, we don't have it."
00:53:51.63\00:53:55.13
We just had a few
books, our little bookcase.
00:53:55.66\00:53:58.27
But I then began to look
down and I saw one little book
00:53:58.90\00:54:03.57
wrapped at the
bottom in brown paper.
00:54:03.61\00:54:08.44
And I knew
before I even opened it,
00:54:09.64\00:54:13.05
that was, Christ
Our Righteousness.
00:54:13.65\00:54:15.52
How it got there,
mother said she never knew.
00:54:15.55\00:54:17.89
I'm sure she
bought it at some sale
00:54:17.92\00:54:19.92
and didn't realize
what she was buying.
00:54:19.95\00:54:22.19
I looked at the end of it,
and stamped across the end was,
00:54:22.29\00:54:25.19
"Christ Our Righteousness."
00:54:25.23\00:54:26.76
I tore the cover
off, the little page off,
00:54:26.80\00:54:30.03
the brown paper wrapping,
and I began to read it.
00:54:31.17\00:54:34.94
I read that book
through a number of times
00:54:35.57\00:54:39.04
before I read anything else.
00:54:39.07\00:54:40.88
And I found the
assurance in Jesus.
00:54:41.91\00:54:46.28
A witness, Leon Strickland,
sharing Jesus with me.
00:54:47.22\00:54:54.59
And A.G. Daniels sharing
the writings of Ellen White.
00:54:55.39\00:55:00.33
When I read that book now,
those statements don't seem
00:55:00.36\00:55:05.03
quite so electrifying, but.
00:55:05.07\00:55:07.00
Because remember,
this was before the days of
00:55:07.04\00:55:09.70
Morris Venden, before the days
of people like Heppenstall and
00:55:09.90\00:55:15.98
others that have
taught righteousness by faith
00:55:16.01\00:55:18.51
in our church.
00:55:18.55\00:55:20.25
But this was a
new beginning for me.
00:55:21.68\00:55:26.25
Oh, I'd known Jesus as
a child, as a teenager.
00:55:27.02\00:55:32.56
But all of a sudden, as an
adult I had made a decision
00:55:33.56\00:55:38.10
as a result of a witness
that was talking about Jesus.
00:55:38.77\00:55:45.54
Not only talking, but living.
00:55:45.57\00:55:47.98
Because Leon
Strickland was a real witness.
00:55:48.64\00:55:52.38
He was a man that was
filled with the Holy Spirit.
00:55:52.65\00:55:56.69
Today is your opportunity,
not only to accept Jesus,
00:55:57.49\00:56:02.26
but to determine that you're
going to live in such a way that
00:56:02.29\00:56:05.49
you are His witness.
00:56:05.69\00:56:07.86
You are His witness of
all of the great things
00:56:08.86\00:56:14.14
of the gospel in what
He would share with you
00:56:14.84\00:56:20.81
if He was sitting with you.
00:56:20.84\00:56:22.74
What Jesus would share, He
wants you to share with others.
00:56:23.01\00:56:29.22
Won't you enter His
witness protection program?
00:56:29.88\00:56:33.39
A program that means that
you are willing to witness,
00:56:33.49\00:56:37.83
knowing that you have
the assurance of life eternal
00:56:38.13\00:56:44.30
through our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
00:56:44.63\00:56:47.70
Father in heaven, I
thank You today, Lord,
00:56:47.74\00:56:51.41
that we can have the
assurance of life eternal
00:56:52.17\00:56:56.34
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
00:56:56.71\00:57:00.15
Father, I know
that You are coming soon
00:57:00.62\00:57:03.79
in all the clouds of glory.
00:57:03.82\00:57:05.89
That Your Son,
Jesus, will be coming
00:57:05.92\00:57:09.02
to reap from this
world all of those
00:57:09.69\00:57:15.36
who have given
their life to Him.
00:57:15.60\00:57:17.73
Father, today, I pray that You
will help us to give our life
00:57:18.53\00:57:22.07
to Your Son, Jesus.
00:57:22.30\00:57:24.07
In His wonderful and
powerful name we ask it, amen.
00:57:24.11\00:57:28.61