Participants:
Series Code: RPM
Program Code: RPM000002
|
00:11 Music...
00:19 Singing... 00:26 some more singing... 00:36 singing continues... 00:42 more singing 00:48 next stanza... 00:54 singing... 00:59 more singing... 01:05 singing... 01:11 beautiful song... 01:20 Well, we welcome our viewing audience to Tampa Florida 01:24 and to Mount Calvary Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:28 beautiful place, isn't it? 01:30 This is indeed... this is indeed a beautiful church 01:34 and the building ain't bad either. 01:36 No, that's right... in fact the building is fantastic 01:40 and brand new, I don't know how many seats 01:44 it's one of the largest churches I've ever been in though. 01:47 It is a beautiful church and they've treated us royally, 01:49 we're so glad to be here. 01:50 Oh they have been so good to us, 01:52 they gave me a special place to park 01:54 and I thanked them by backing into one of their trees, so... 01:59 Audience: Laughter. 02:01 But this is the kind of day that the Lord is going to bless 02:04 and we're just looking forward... 02:06 last night was fantastic. 02:07 It was a fantastic evening, you know Jim, 02:09 there are a couple of people 02:10 that we need to say "thank you" to... 02:12 one is the First Elder of this church, Elder James, 02:14 and the Pastor... Pastor Vincent... 02:16 and also the Zephyrhills Hospital 02:19 who has fulfilled every pastor's fantasy. 02:21 Pastor Gilley: That's right. 02:23 They have made lunches for everybody 02:24 which allows us to keep this congregation here 02:26 for the whole day... that's every pastor's fantasy. 02:29 Pastor Gilley: That's right, so if you're still home watching 02:31 my television and you're hungry... 02:33 you come on and join us... we have... 02:35 we have a nice lunch for you and you will enjoy it. 02:38 Well, listen... we got some good things on today 02:42 and right now, we're going to meet somebody 02:45 that I haven't met before, would you like to introduce her? 02:48 We're going to call Dr. Joan Francis up 02:49 to give us our official welcome and she is one of our Presenters 02:54 and we'll hear a little bit more about her a later on 02:56 but just now she has been assigned the task 02:58 to welcome us officially to this very auspicious gathering. 03:01 And right after that, we'll hear from 03:03 Sweet A-Chord musical group. 03:06 Good morning Saints, Happy Sabbath... 03:10 Audience: Good morning... Happy Sabbath. 03:11 Welcome to the second segment of our Conference, 03:14 we join the prophetic map, 03:15 "Global Footprint of Adventism and the Sabbath" 03:19 we welcome you to this, 03:21 we want you to continue to rethink, 03:23 revise and renew your commitment to the Lord of the Sabbath 03:27 and to all His children who need to know about the Sabbath. 03:30 Our focus today is on 03:32 Africa as a historical cultural center 03:35 of Christian faith and a place where Sabbath observance 03:39 has been preserved. 03:41 We hope as you listen, 03:42 you will understand what it means when it says 03:45 in Psalm 68:31 that Ethiopia will reach out her hands to God. 03:50 We want you to relate this 03:52 to the proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom 03:55 and want to welcome you to this service, 03:57 we want to hope that you enjoy all the blessings 04:00 that God has prepared for you, welcome again. 04:03 Piano playing... 04:12 more piano music... 04:16 more music... 04:21 I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, 04:28 I've been washed in the fountain, 04:33 cleansed by His blood! 04:37 Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, 04:44 For I'm part of the family, 04:48 The Family of God. 04:53 You will notice we say "brother and sister" 'round here 05:02 'cause we're part of a family and those oh so near, 05:10 When one has a heartache, we all shed a tear, 05:19 And rejoice in the victory of the family so dear. 05:28 I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, 05:38 I've been washed in the fountain, 05:42 cleansed by His blood! 05:47 Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, 05:57 For I'm part of the family, The Family of God. 06:06 For I'm part of the family, 06:12 The Family of God... 06:17 God... 06:20 Yes we're part of the family, 06:26 The Family of... 06:31 God. 06:38 Audience: "Amen. " 06:41 Walking off the stage... 06:45 The first speaker this morning is Dr. Keith Burton, 06:49 Dr. Burton is a Religion Professor... 06:52 he's part of our group, 06:53 he's also the President of Life Heritage Ministries 06:57 and he has recently authored a book, 06:59 "The Blessings of Africa: 07:01 The Bible and African Christianity" 07:03 today, his topic is, "The Family of God. " 07:06 Join me in welcoming Dr. Burton. 07:09 Audience: Clapping... 07:17 Thank you Joan, 07:19 aren't you glad to be a part of the family of God? 07:23 Audience: "Amen. " 07:24 If you're happy to be a part of the family, 07:26 why don't you turn to your neighbor and let them know 07:28 how much you appreciate them. 07:32 Audience: Greeting each other. 07:36 You must excuse me, I'm still in "Crusade Mode" 07:39 I just finished a three-week meeting in New York 07:42 there in Huntington, 07:44 and by the grace of God 07:46 we saw the Holy Spirit working in mighty ways 07:49 but this morning we'll be speaking about the family of God 07:55 and those who were here last night 07:58 would have been exposed to 08:01 unique aspects of the global footprints of Adventism 08:06 and the Sabbath. 08:07 Bertram Melbourne, we saw... from India... 08:10 took us on a journey from Jerusalem to Johannesburg, 08:14 on this detailed excursion, 08:17 we learned about the concentric growth of the gospel message 08:22 we discovered that even as the gospel was being preached 08:27 in the northern regions of Galatia, 08:29 Philippi, Corinth and Thessalonica, 08:31 the all-efficient God ensured that the good news 08:36 also made the trip down south to Ethiopia, 08:40 Kenya, Ghana, and Azadi ou 08:44 we were also exposed 08:47 to an oft-forgotten chapter in history, 08:49 as Dr. Emory Tolbert detailed the fight for Sabbath fidelity, 08:54 during an exciting period in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 08:59 you know as Adventists, 09:02 we like to celebrate our pioneers 09:05 James and Ellen White, Joseph Bates, 09:09 Josiah Fitch, John Loughborough, Uriah Smith and others 09:12 however, as we saw last night, there are many other pioneers 09:18 who held the message of the Sabbath and the Advent down 09:22 and in Abyssinian Ethiopia, 09:25 surrounded by the forces of Muhammad 09:28 and assaulted by the arrows of Rome, 09:31 God had reserved for Himself 09:34 a remnant who had not bowed to Baal... 09:37 Audience: "Amen. " 09:39 And so as we reflect on the stories of faith 09:41 through persecution from last night, 09:43 I'm sure you will agree that surely, Ezana 09:47 and Wastatius and Felicitas... 09:49 will be counted among those who keep 09:53 the commandments of God 09:54 and have the testimony of Jesus Christ 09:57 although they died centuries before 10:00 the birth of our Movement, but surely I say, 10:04 they can be considered "Seventh-day Adventists" 10:07 in the most classic sense of the term. 10:10 While preparing for this presentation, 10:14 my thoughts took an involuntary detour 10:19 as I considered the meaning of the name, 10:22 Seventh-day Adventist, 10:24 subconsciously my mind strayed to the image of 10:30 Janus... the two-faced Roman god 10:34 who had the ability 10:36 to look in opposite directions at the same time, 10:38 hopefully, none would think it sacrilege 10:42 if I use this symbol to illustrate our mission 10:46 and identity, 10:48 indeed, as a people, we are serious about the past, 10:53 we honor the God of history who created in six days 10:58 and rested on the seventh, 11:00 we celebrate the God of grace 11:02 who showed mercy on our common parents, Adam and Eve, 11:07 and yes, Shem, Ham and Japheth and their unnamed wives, 11:12 we marvel at the God of power 11:15 who liberated Israel from Egyptian bondage, 11:19 and relieved the Jews from Persian oppression, 11:22 we base our salvation so definitely attained 11:26 by the one whose throne is forever and ever, 11:30 like Janus, we look back... 11:32 but even as we look back, 11:35 even as we celebrate our rich history, 11:38 even as we honor those who laid down their lives for the faith 11:43 we refuse to be prisoners of the past, 11:47 you see, we are a people of destiny 11:50 we stride in God's providence 11:54 we look for those waymarks, those great prophetic waymarks 11:59 we don't allow ourselves to be stuck in time... 12:03 we are not tenaciously tethered to treasured traditions, 12:08 we refuse to allow molded mistakes of yesteryear 12:12 to steal our hope of a better tomorrow, 12:15 like Paul in the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, 12:19 we are a forward-looking people 12:22 who don't always see things how they are 12:25 but picture them... how they will be 12:29 we focus our energies on the glorious vision of redemption 12:34 and restoration as we await the time 12:38 when the kingdoms of this world 12:40 become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Messiah, 12:44 like Janus... we look forward... 12:47 today, we are afforded another opportunity 12:52 for retrospection and anticipation 12:56 as we celebrate the global footprint 13:00 of Adventism and the Sabbath. 13:03 Now, "footprint" is a term used by the media 13:09 to define the extent of their transmitting power. 13:13 3ABN we learn has a footprint... a footprint... 13:17 that extends beyond North America, 13:20 to every continent on the globe. 13:22 This footprint mirrors the expanse of the gospel message 13:27 which continues to gain ground as we rapidly approach 13:31 the time of Christ's appearing 13:33 but even, as we reflect on the massive footprint... 13:40 I invite you to follow some smaller footprints 13:46 that remind us of our mission 13:48 and where do these footprints take us, you may ask, 13:53 well, they take us beyond this mighty Adventist Movement 13:58 which sees the additions of 14:00 thousands of precious souls every day, 14:02 they take us beyond the churches of Ethiopia and Armenia 14:07 who held on to the Sabbath truth 14:09 while their brethren in other parts of the globe 14:12 danced to Mithra's pipe, 14:14 they take us beyond the Lemba, the Akan, the Yoruba, Igbo, 14:20 the Kalenjin and other African tribes 14:23 that lived their lives to the weekly rhythm of seven, 14:27 they take us beyond the dispersed offspring of Israel 14:32 who have pitched their tents on all of earth's continents. 14:36 Where do these footprints take us? 14:38 They take us to the very beginning 14:41 when God created the heavens and the earth 14:45 the very beginning, 14:47 when the Father of Creation breathed life 14:50 into the parents of humanity 14:52 and placed them in the majestically manicured Eden. 14:55 This very weekend as I stand before you 15:00 my wife's family is holding a reunion in Atlanta, Georgia, 15:05 the scattered clans from Jamaica, Panama, Costa Rica, 15:10 California, Florida, New York, Maryland, Tennessee and Alabama 15:14 will assemble together 15:16 as they greet newly-discovered relatives 15:18 and rehearse the family history, 15:22 but even as the Henry family meets 15:25 they are mindful of the fact that their roots are deeper 15:31 than any genealogical software can dig, 15:35 like others involved in ancestral research, 15:39 their genealogical spade 15:42 may not be strong enough to uncover the roots 15:45 that lie beneath the coal mines of Scotland 15:48 or the diamond fields of Mozambique, 15:50 however, even as their quest for family identity is obstructed, 15:57 they are mindful that their roots go deeper 16:01 than human inquisitiveness, 16:03 although there may be many missing generations 16:08 and although these generations may be permanently untraceable, 16:12 they can find solace in the reality 16:15 that the roots of all of us are firmly planted 16:19 in that common homestead 16:21 from which every human being has sprung, 16:25 when we go to Eden my brothers and sisters, 16:28 even the orphan can claim to have a knowledge of her roots. 16:34 As tribal temptations tug at our loyalties 16:39 every now and then, it is good for the global Adventist family 16:44 to reflect on our common ancestry, 16:48 hence the trip to Eden this morning, 16:52 you will find that when we travel to Eden, 16:55 we are reminded that all members of the human family 17:00 share the same DNA... 17:03 Audience: "Amen. " 17:05 Oh, we may exhibit different human characteristics 17:08 but we are all from the same source, 17:11 the God of diversity who created culture, 17:15 may have scattered unique genetic markers 17:18 across the planet, 17:19 our hair textures, our lip densities, 17:22 our skin hues, our nasal dimensions 17:25 and eye angles may be noticeably different 17:28 but as God's Word has established 17:31 and Science... yes Science has confirmed 17:36 we all originated from the same loins... 17:40 Audience: "Amen. " 17:42 Some Christians get a little uncomfortable 17:46 when we talk about Science, 17:47 when certain reports come to the fray 17:51 for some reason they fear 17:54 that new discoveries may destroy fragile faith, 17:57 however, like Paul, 18:00 I am persuaded that we can do nothing against the truth 18:08 and if authentic Science is a quest for truth, 18:12 it can only confirm God's revealed Word, 18:16 indeed, we have reason to shout... 18:20 when I believed geneticists announce that mitochondrial 18:25 and Y chromosomal DNA, verify what the book of Genesis 18:31 has established for three millennia, 18:33 we all have common parents in Adam and Eve, 18:38 we are emboldened when anthropologists declare 18:43 that the oldest human fossils 18:45 are located in the Biblical region of Ham 18:49 after all Genesis chapter 2 verses 10 through 14 18:53 informs us that all four rivers of Eden were situated 19:00 in the territory of Cush, 19:01 when you have time, look it up, 19:04 it speaks about the first river the Gihon 19:07 that encircles the land of Havilah where there is gold 19:10 and the Pishon that encircled the land of Cush 19:12 and then the Tigris... and the Euphrates 19:15 well when you look at Genesis chapter 10, 19:17 you will see that Cush or Ethiopia 19:22 fathered several children. 19:24 One of them was Havilah... 19:26 the same place where there was gold 19:29 where one of the rivers of Eden surrounds it, 19:31 another one of his children was Nimrod 19:34 who founded Assyria and Babylon... modern-day Iraq 19:37 where the Tigris and the Euphrates are located 19:40 and so we see from very early on in the Book of Genesis 19:45 the Bible lets us know that God located Eden 19:50 in the Biblical land of Ham and so, if indeed, this is so... 19:57 why should archeology give a contrary testimony? 20:01 As the very skeptics who decry the miraculous discover facts 20:08 that buttress our faith, 20:10 the people of God ought to be rejoicing 20:13 with jubilant affirmation 20:15 as the people anchored in divine providence 20:18 we ought to be a sentiment of the psalmist, 20:21 "the heavens declare the glory of God 20:23 and the firmament shows His handiwork. " 20:25 Audience: "That's right, amen. " 20:27 This ode to the Creator, evokes the joy of heaven, 20:31 as Cherubim and Seraphim lend their symphonic chords 20:36 to the grand chorus, however, even as we worship 20:40 we must be mindful that there are demonic forces 20:45 for which praise is cacophony... 20:47 for which rejoicing is bedlam 20:50 for which joyous jubilation is tantamount 20:54 to assiduously tormenting temper tantrum, 20:57 the enemy of souls is disturbed 21:00 when the scattered tribes of Adam 21:02 sing in harmonious accord, 21:06 already in the garden... that old serpent had orchestrated 21:11 the fragmentation of the first family. 21:13 When he had finished his devious work of deception, 21:17 those who had been created in the very image of God 21:20 were so confused and ashamed 21:23 that they ran and hid from their loving Father, 21:27 God had created humans for unity and companionship 21:30 and the one who had brought division to the heavenly courts 21:35 was set on sowing his seeds of discord 21:39 among the human family. 21:40 He did not stop with Adam and Eve 21:43 but injected the virus of prejudice 21:46 into the heart of Cain who despised his brother so much 21:50 that he murdered him with his own hands, 21:52 energized by his warm success, 21:55 the great dragon continued his divided revolt strategy 22:00 with the antediluvians 22:02 with these he organized the race dubbed the daughters of men 22:07 which opposed and eventually subsumed the sons of God. 22:11 His plan was temporarily halted 22:14 when Yahweh saved a remnant through Noah 22:18 and bade the favored family to repopulate the earth. 22:22 However, it did not take long for the scientist of doom 22:26 to set another plan in motion, 22:29 a plan that he knew was destined to divide the earth... 22:34 divide the earth once more... 22:36 Yahweh, I'm sure had hoped that after the lessons of the flood, 22:42 humans would unite in doing good and bring glory to His name 22:47 but they were subsumed by an evil agenda 22:51 and as they built Babel... in another act of grace, 22:56 Yahweh confounded the speech of those who built... 23:00 and as a result, earth's inhabitants 23:03 were geographically separated 23:05 according to language and ethnicity. 23:08 Not one to miss an opportunity, the great deceiver 23:13 began to plant seeds of discord 23:16 among the linguistically separated groups, 23:19 he had them create new religions 23:22 and the world we find that was born from Babel 23:26 was one that was divided by difference 23:29 and peppered with prejudice... 23:31 a world not too different than the world that we inherited 23:36 now, the casual reader of Scripture 23:40 may think that Yahweh endorsed the difference 23:43 wasn't He the one who overlooked Ham and Japheth 23:47 and placed His mantle on Shem? 23:49 Wasn't it He who separated the liberated Israelites 23:53 for a holy use? 23:55 Wasn't it He who enacted a covenant with Jacob's sons 23:59 and endowed them with irrevocable blessings? 24:01 Yes, while it is true that God had His special relationship 24:06 with a certain line of Shem's family tree, 24:09 don't be deceived, 24:12 God does not condone ethnic, cultural, national 24:18 or any other type of supremacy, 24:21 those who are tempted to use race or religion 24:25 as a platform to belittle others, 24:27 must be warned that they're not doing the work of God... 24:31 an enemy has done this. 24:33 Audience: "True... " 24:35 While it is true that Yahweh 24:39 forged a special relationship with Abraham's descendants, 24:42 let's not forget the true purpose of His election 24:47 when He called Abraham, 24:49 He made no secret of His ultimate plan 24:53 I will make you a great nation, He says, 24:57 "I will bless you and make your name great 25:01 and you shall be a blessing. 25:04 I will bless those who bless you 25:07 and I will curse those who curse you, 25:10 and in you... " He says, 25:11 "all the families of the earth shall be blessed. " 25:15 Did you hear that? Audience: "Amen. " 25:17 "All families of the earth shall be blessed. " 25:21 Abraham's descendants we're not elected to establish 25:27 an exclusive country club for members only, 25:30 they were to be the vehicle 25:33 through whom God's blessings 25:35 would flow to all of earth's families. 25:38 We should not be surprised then 25:41 to read Yahweh's commission and statement 25:44 to the Israelite multitude 25:45 before He revealed the Ten Commandments to them. 25:48 He says, "You shall be to me 25:51 a kingdom of priests and a Holy Nation" 25:55 With this declaration, every Israelite was 25:59 automatically installed into a priestly order. 26:03 The task of ministry was not just the responsibility 26:07 of the sons of Levi, but every member of the covenant 26:11 was to be an agent of reconciliation 26:14 as they pointed to the Lamb of God, 26:17 who takes away the sins of the world. 26:19 Audience: "Amen. " 26:21 God's reconciling plan is evident throughout Scripture. 26:25 It is not an exclusive plan 26:28 available only to those who can pay the premium, 26:32 it's not an elitist plan for those who are a part 26:35 of the right organization, 26:38 It's a comprehensive plan 26:40 that provides universal assurance to all... 26:44 who is it that says, 26:46 "You're in good hands with AllState" 26:49 let me tell you something with my God... 26:52 He got the whole world in His hand... 26:54 it's not just about the descendants of Abraham 26:58 but all the dispersed offspring of Shem, Ham and Japheth 27:03 have a role to play in the grand drama, 27:07 my brothers and sisters, 27:09 this was God's plan from the very beginning 27:14 Genesis informs us that although it was a son of Shem 27:18 who inherited the promise, 27:20 it was Melchizedek, a Jebusite, 27:24 a person of Ham who received his tithes 27:29 and blessed him 27:31 and it was the hermetic Canaanites... Tamar and Rahab 27:35 and the Moabitess, Ruth, 27:37 who were conjugates of Messiah's earthly ancestors. 27:41 Generations later... 27:43 when David was being prepared for the throne, 27:47 he had the faithful allegiance 27:50 of warriors from Philistia and Canaan 27:53 who were an essential part of his fighting force. 27:57 Indeed, when we look at 2nd Samuel chapter 18, 28:01 we find that Ittai the Gittite, Ittai the man of Gath... 28:06 Ittai the man of Philistia which came from the Caslahites 28:11 which came from Mizraim which is Egypt, 28:14 Ittai was one of his three trusted Generals 28:18 and how can we forget the fate of the loyal Uriah 28:22 an offspring of Ham's grandson, Heth, 28:26 or we can recall the warning that the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho 28:32 gave to King Josiah, the boy reformer, 28:34 in 2nd Chronicles chapter 35 28:37 when Josiah came out against this African king, 28:40 the African King sent him this message, listen very carefully, 28:43 "What have I to do with you, King of Judah? 28:47 I have not come against you this day, 28:51 for God commanded me... " the African king says, 28:55 "God commanded me to make haste: 28:57 refrain from meddling with God, 29:00 who was with me, lest He destroy you. " 29:04 If you remember the story, 29:07 Josiah did not listen to this message of God 29:09 and was indeed destroyed, 29:11 and there's more... 29:12 although not from Terah's line, 29:15 it was Ahasuerus, the Semitic king of Persia 29:18 who prevented the genocide of God's remnant 29:22 in his far-flung provinces, 29:24 and according to Ezra 29:26 wasn't it the Lord who stirred the spirit 29:29 of Cyrus and Darius 29:31 to use Government money to reconstruct the temple of God. 29:35 Further, it was not only Shem and Ham 29:39 who provided willing servants for Yahweh, 29:43 but Japheth's descendants have also featured prominently 29:48 in the divine drama, 29:49 indeed as our Savior hung on the cruel cross 29:53 it was a member of Caesar's army who declared, 29:56 "Surely, this man is the Son of God" 30:00 and the righteous Cornelius, another Roman centurion 30:04 was so sincere in his walk with God, 30:07 that he was one of the few worthies in Scripture 30:11 who was blessed with an angelic appearance 30:14 or I could talk about Phebe who Paul commends... 30:19 in Romans chapter 16, verses 1 through 2, 30:22 Phebe, he says, who was a deacon... 30:26 not a deaconess... 30:27 she held the office of deacon 30:29 in the church of Cenchrea right there in Corinth, 30:32 as we see... when we look at the Biblical record, 30:36 all of Ham's... 30:37 all of Adam's descendants were included in God's plan. 30:44 Audience: "Amen. " 30:46 Given the global breath of God's redemptive net, 30:50 we should not be surprised then, by the universal promises 30:54 that echo throughout Scripture, 30:56 lest Israel be puffed up by her election, 30:59 Yahweh poses the rhetorical question 31:02 through His prophet Amos, 31:04 "Are you not like the Ethiopians to me?" 31:08 And again in Psalm 87 verse 4, He proclaims, 31:11 "Among those who know me, I mentioned Rahab and Babylon 31:16 Philistia too and Tyre... and Ethiopia: 31:20 this man was born here, they say... " 31:24 and at the inauguration of God's kingdom, 31:27 He promises to deliver the remnant from Assyria 31:32 from Egypt, from Pathros, 31:35 from Ethiopia, from Elam, 31:37 from Shinar, from Hamath, 31:40 and from the islands of the sea, 31:43 on this great day of restoration He declares, 31:47 "from beyond the Rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants... 31:51 my scattered ones... shall bring my offering" 31:55 and then a powerful prophecy about the kings of the earth 31:59 bringing offerings to the temple of God. 32:01 The Psalmist writes, "Let princes come out of Egypt, 32:06 Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands unto God... " 32:11 this glorious vision of unity among the family of nations 32:16 is depicted beautifully in Isaiah, 32:19 he writes in chapter 19 verses 23 and following... 32:23 "In that day, there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria 32:28 and the Assyrian will come to Egypt 32:31 and the Egyptian into Assyria 32:33 and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians 32:36 in that day... " he says, 32:37 "Israel shall be one of three with Egypt and Assyria 32:43 a blessing in the midst of the Lord, 32:46 whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless saying, 32:49 'blest is Egypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands 32:56 and Israel... my inheritance'" 32:59 what a wonderful prophecy my brothers and sisters 33:03 in no uncertain terms, 33:05 God is letting us know that He is in the "blessing business. " 33:09 Audience: "Amen. " 33:11 This is the same God who does not wish for any to perish 33:13 but for all to come to repentance, 33:15 this is the same God who has enabled salvation 33:19 for everyone having faith 33:20 to the Jew first and also the Gentile, 33:23 this is the same God who promised 33:25 that all who believe in His Son 33:28 shall not perish but shall receive eternal life, 33:31 this is the same God 33:33 who grants us a glimpse of the great multitude 33:36 of the redeemed comprised of members 33:39 from every nation, kindred, tongue and people. 33:43 As the remnant of God anticipates that grand reunion, 33:49 I pray that we have been challenged by the prophetic word 33:54 we are excited about marching to Zion, 33:57 but let me tell you something, 33:59 if we are going to the same place, 34:02 we must march as a united people. 34:05 Audience: "Amen. " 34:06 We may define ourselves by our places of birth 34:08 or our places of domicile, 34:10 but we must never forget that we are all God's people 34:15 we are all the works of His hands, 34:18 we are all His inheritance, 34:21 the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Israelites, 34:25 the Americans, the Trinidadians or the Cambodians, 34:29 the Yazidis, the Russians, the Ghanaians, 34:32 the Sri Lankans, the Chinese, the French, 34:36 we are all His children, we are one nation, 34:40 we are family. 34:42 Audience: " Amen, thank you, thank you, thank you thank you" 34:47 audience clapping... 34:49 Many Christian writers... in closing, 34:52 have received inspiration from Jesus' promise 34:55 of a gigantic Passover meal 34:57 at the inauguration of the Kingdom, 35:00 they invite all to come on in where the table is spread 35:04 and the feast of the Lord is going on, 35:06 they pledge, "I'm going to sit at the welcome table, 35:11 I'm going to feast on milk and honey... " 35:14 they're excited about the grand banquet 35:17 that welcomes all who transition from mortality to immortality, 35:22 I have not seen the menu for that day 35:25 however, I do believe 35:27 that the wholesome food that have been gathered 35:30 from the heavenly farm 35:32 that is nourished from water from a very special river, 35:35 in John's apocalyptic vision of the renewed Jerusalem, 35:39 he tells of a river flowing 35:42 from the throne of God and the Lamb, 35:45 this river nurtures the therapeutic tree 35:48 whose leaves bring healing to the fractured nations, 35:51 the force of this river breaks every curse 35:55 that has plagued humanity, 35:57 it is to this river that the Spirit and the Bride 36:01 offers an open invitation, 36:03 "Come, and let him who hears, come... 36:07 and let him who thirsts, 36:09 come and drink from the water of life freely... " 36:14 sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, 36:17 members of God's family, 36:19 my brothers and sisters in Christ, 36:22 that water is available today... 36:26 that water that comes from the river 36:29 that flows from the throne of God 36:32 and the almighty God 36:34 who calls every nation, kindred, tongue and people, 36:37 says, "drink... drink... drink from the water of life freely. " 36:43 Audience: "Amen. " Clapping. 36:46 At this time, we're going to hear from Joan Francis, 36:49 Dr. Francis, is the Chair of History and Political Science 36:55 at Columbia Union College 36:57 and is also the Dean of the Institution. 36:59 Audience: "All right. " 37:01 Children are part of God's family too. 37:05 Audience: "Amen. " 37:06 An African proverb states 37:08 "When an elder dies... a library is burnt" 37:11 this saying implies and rightly so, 37:13 that elders are the repository of great wisdom 37:17 and knowledge and of our heritage, 37:19 when they die, in too many cases, 37:22 that knowledge is lost, 37:24 we want to change that and so all the information 37:27 about the role of the Sabbath and Christianity 37:29 in the world and in Africa, 37:31 we want to be able to pass on to our children now, 37:35 in fact, we have Biblical evidence for this, 37:38 turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 6 verses 7 to 9, 37:43 I might not be reading from your version but look at that text 37:46 I'm going to read part of it, and the Lord is saying here, 37:50 "These commandments that I give you today, 37:53 are to be upon your heart: impress them on your children, 37:58 talk about them when you sit at home, 38:01 and when you walk along the road, 38:04 and when you lie down and when you get up. 38:07 Tie them as symbols on your hands, 38:10 and bind them on your forehead. 38:13 Write them on the doorframe of your houses, 38:16 and on your gates. " 38:17 Now, that was that time and that society 38:20 if we were saying it today, we might say, 38:23 "Talk to your children when you sit at home, 38:26 when you text-message them on the road, 38:29 when you call them up on your cell phone, 38:32 when you e-mail them, 38:34 when you sit down to eat with them, 38:37 when you take them out to the restaurant, 38:39 when you wake them up, 38:41 put them as symbols on your computer, 38:44 put them as illustrations on your refrigerator, 38:47 write them in their Facebook or whatever book it is, 38:50 and put it on YouTube 38:52 and all the other communication areas, 38:55 in fact, we need to pass on our heritage to our kids. " |
Revised 2017-02-13