Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018052A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 mending broken people, 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 removing pain... 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:29 heal a heart that hurts, 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 mending broken people, 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 mending broken people. 00:57 Music. 01:10 Hello and welcome to another 3ABN Today Program. 01:13 We are so grateful that you have joined us 01:15 and allowed us to come into your Living Room 01:17 or maybe you're watching on your iPhone or your mobile device, 01:21 it may not be a... maybe it's an Android device 01:23 or an iPad or a Tablet 01:24 or maybe you're listening on radio, 01:26 we thank you for joining us 01:28 and Jill and I just want to say, "Thank you 01:30 for your support of the ministry of 3ABN 01:32 some of you... from the very beginning 01:34 over 30 years... 01:35 maybe some of you just recently 01:37 but thank you for your financial support 01:39 and also, your prayers. " 01:41 Why is this important to keep 3ABN in your prayers 01:44 or in your checkbook or your monthly donations? 01:47 It's because it is winning souls for Jesus Christ. 01:50 Jill: Amen. 01:51 And 3ABN is a worldwide ministry touching people 24/7 01:55 it's hard to believe isn't it? 01:56 We mentioned here in our Production worships 01:58 that we have during the week sometimes that 02:01 even while we're sleeping on our pillow, 02:03 this gospel is going around the world 02:05 because of your support 02:06 and because of the Lord Jesus Christ, of course, 02:08 but we just again thank you so much for that. 02:10 Today we have an exciting program, don't we? 02:12 We... I don't know if sometimes 02:15 you may be... get a little intimidated about Bible Studies 02:17 or you're at the gas pump and you're like, 02:20 "I think that person needs some help, 02:21 I should probably give him a tract or help him with something 02:23 I don't know what to do, I'll wait for later" 02:25 or you know there's someone in your church who says, 02:27 "Hey, if someone would give me a Bible Study, I would gladly... 02:30 yeah, I want someone to give me a Bible Study. " 02:32 Well, today you're going to find out how you can... 02:35 what... get tools on how to approach someone, 02:38 how to give Bible Studies 02:40 and we have some great friends in the ministry of 3ABN with us. 02:42 Absolutely, we're so excited about this Program today, 02:46 we're going to be talking about a philosophy of evangelism 02:49 and speaking of that, 02:51 we're talking about Emmanuel Institute 02:53 which is an incredible school of evangelism 02:56 and they have many different facets with that 02:59 and we're talking today about 03:00 how you can get involved in evangelism, 03:03 how you can get involved in Bible Studies 03:05 reaching out and winning souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. 03:09 As soon as we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, 03:12 right at that moment... from that point on... 03:15 we have a call on our life to share Jesus with others 03:19 so our guests today are no strangers to evangelism 03:22 and no strangers to 3ABN either, 03:24 we have Pastor Mark Howard, 03:26 you are the Director of the Emmanuel Institute 03:27 and we're so glad to have you here. 03:29 I am thrilled to be here, 03:31 this is going to be an exciting show today. 03:34 Amen... and you've been at 3ABN many times 03:35 and on many different programs. 03:37 Greg: And his wife too. 03:38 Jill: And your wife... she's a great cook 03:39 we love Stephanie's cooking 03:41 and we're trying to get her back again 03:43 for another cooking program. 03:44 Yeah, it's amazing I don't weigh more but yes, absolutely. 03:46 You exercise well. 03:48 Yes. 03:50 And sitting next to you is Pastor Kameron DeVasher 03:53 and it's a privilege and joy to have you here as well, 03:56 I know, you and your wife Emily were here several years ago 03:59 doing the "Anchors of Truth" Series for us. 04:01 Yeah, we've done some "Anchors of Truth" 04:02 and done some Camp Meetings here with 3ABN 04:04 and so, we're happy to be back again 04:05 and this time, in the capacity 04:07 as partnering with Emmanuel Institute 04:09 from the Mission Conference and Personal Ministries 04:11 and all the things you were talking about... 04:12 every member being inspired and trained 04:15 to be a soul winner for Jesus 04:17 so we're excited about the things 04:18 we're going to be talking about today. 04:19 Amen and I should have mentioned that Pastor Kameron's title... 04:22 he's the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Director 04:26 for the Michigan Conference 04:27 and we're just delighted and privileged 04:29 to have both of you here. 04:30 Thank you. 04:32 And I know you have a Scripture too, I think, that ties along... 04:34 goes along with Emmanuel Institute 04:35 but I want to ask you... before we go to that Scripture, 04:37 how long has Emmanuel Institute been in existence? 04:40 Emmanuel Institute started in the Michigan Conference 04:42 in 2009... and... yeah so we have... 04:46 and we've done a lot of training courses, 04:48 we used to run a 14-week training course... 04:50 was our longest one, 04:51 we've done 5-day, 7-day on occasion 10-day trainings 04:54 all different Speaker Trainings 04:56 and "How to give Bible Study Trainings" 04:58 and any number of things, so... 04:59 So, this is exciting, I don't know if you caught this 05:02 but he said, "Trainings" 05:04 so that doesn't mean they're just going to send you 05:05 like a packet of stuff in the mail 05:07 and you sit there and try to sort through all this... 05:09 you might do that as well, but there's actually on-site 05:11 you can actually go and attend and get instructions there... 05:14 multiple classes... if sounds like... or programs. 05:16 Yes. Hmmm... hmmm... 05:18 So, few years... and then, what is your role there 05:19 Pastor Kameron? 05:20 Well, I'm coming into the Mission Conference Offices 05:22 like this mission of Sabbath School 05:24 and Personal Ministries Director 05:25 and that department is parallel with the Ministerial Department 05:29 and their job is to work with the ministers 05:31 and the pastors in the field 05:33 and they do the public evangelism primarily 05:35 but the Personal Ministries and the Sabbath School... 05:38 these are the areas where lay people 05:39 have the main charge and responsibility of ministry 05:43 and so, a lot of times we kind of think that ministry 05:46 is a pastoral duty for the paid clergy... 05:49 as members, our job is to pray for 05:51 and financially support their work 05:53 when in reality, the work of the ministers... 05:55 is to train and equip the members 05:57 to be missionaries for Jesus 05:59 and so, we're trying to make that in the Mission Conference 06:02 be the understanding of how the lay ministry 06:05 and the paid ministers cooperate together to do the work of God 06:08 because it's not... it's not a model we have... 06:10 a 100 people watch one man work... 06:12 we want to have a model where the man there stands and teaches 06:15 everyone how to be a worker for Jesus. 06:17 Mark: That's right... Jill: Amen. 06:18 Greg: Yeah, well said, and so you're also a Teacher... 06:21 Professor of Emmanuel Institute? 06:23 I worked with Mark and Emmanuel Institute for years before this 06:25 teaching Bible Docs and helping other trainings and everything 06:28 and so, it's a natural fit 06:29 to cooperate together in this going forward, yeah. 06:33 Jill: Amen. 06:34 So when you have one of your sessions 06:36 how many teachers do you have come in? 06:37 We usually have about four or five teachers 06:39 in a typical session, 06:41 sometimes more... sometimes less... 06:43 but that's in the average. 06:44 Wow, this is kind of whetting our appetite, isn't it? 06:47 That's right... absolutely 06:48 and I just want to know just a brief update on your family 06:50 so, Pastor Mark we'll start with you... tell us... 06:53 and we talked about Stephanie briefly... and your kids. 06:56 Well, it's hard to believe that my son just graduated college 06:58 was it two weeks ago... 07:00 and so, it starts to make you feel really old when it happens 07:05 and... so he graduated with a Finance Degree 07:08 and he's currently looking for... 07:10 he's got his job applications out and what have you... 07:14 and then my daughter just... is finishing up this week 07:17 her first year of High School... Academy... 07:20 at Great Lakes Adventist Academy. 07:21 Jill: Oh, that's a great school. 07:23 And... yes, and I pastor there as well so... 07:26 in that church so... yeah, they... they're grown up. 07:29 They're no longer itty-bitty little babies, are they? 07:31 No, no, no... and Stephanie has done the cooking shows 07:33 as you mentioned on here and Annalisa was just a... 07:36 We did one with Annalisa... I was trying to remember that 07:38 but she was just a little thing behind the counter... 07:40 to think she's in High School, it's amazing, 07:42 yeah, praise the Lord 07:44 and what about you Pastor Kameron? 07:45 Well, my wife Emily and I 07:46 are still doing well and we're excited about... 07:48 well, right now... in the middle of a move to Lansing 07:50 and we have three children... Henry is seven... 07:53 Edward is five... and Molly is three 07:56 and for those of you who might remember... 07:58 Mark: So far. 08:00 Kameron: Yes, no... no... no... slow down... 08:01 Mark's not a part of our family he likes to butt in 08:03 from the outside... we don't let him in those deliberations 08:05 Greg: You have three children... 08:07 We have three children... 08:09 seven... five and three... and that's good 08:10 and some of you might remember 08:11 that Edward had had some medical challenges and everything 08:14 and so, he continues to get better by God's grace 08:16 we want to thank everybody for their prayers and support 08:18 and so, life goes on and they're growing too 08:21 and so, life is busy but it's good... 08:23 there's never a dull moment in ministry right now. 08:25 I'm glad you mentioned that too because 08:27 I know we appreciate the prayers for the ministry at 3ABN 08:29 but we have many guests... 08:31 I mean, we count these gentlemen as family as well to 3ABN 08:34 but thank you for lifting them up in prayer 08:36 because these men are on the front line 08:38 and the devil likes to attack... cause problems and disruptions 08:41 but we know that the Lord is stronger 08:42 and He will see us through the storms of life. 08:44 Amen... amen... 08:46 Well, we have a Scripture, 08:47 let's go... this is Mark chapter 1 verse 17, 08:51 "Then Jesus said to them, 08:53 'Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. ' " 08:57 Now, tell me Pastor Mark, 08:59 why specifically you chose this Scripture. 09:01 Of course, you know, in soul winning... 09:03 people accused me of doing it because it was in Mark... 09:05 but it's the only one in the gospels 09:08 that, you know, we've heard that Jesus says, 09:10 "I'll make you fishers of men" 09:12 but I like that word "become" 09:13 because "become" implies that it's something that you weren't 09:16 but you will be through the grace of Christ 09:18 and when it comes to sharing our faith, 09:20 how many people say, "Well, I just can't do that, 09:22 I guess I'm nervous about it. " 09:23 You can become a witness for Christ 09:26 through the power of the Holy Spirit 09:28 and so, that's why I particularly like that verse. 09:30 Jill: Amen... amen... Greg: Wow! that's powerful, 09:32 yeah fantastic... we have some music 09:34 and then we'll get into Emmanuel Institute, 09:35 who's our music from today? 09:37 Our music today is from Pam Lister 09:39 and the song that she is going to be ministering is, 09:42 "Each One Reach One" 09:43 Music... 10:08 Today a man is somewhere 10:11 proclaiming the good news 10:15 Winning families to Jesus 10:19 all around his neighborhood 10:23 He tells them that God is able 10:27 to make their house a home 10:31 He wants to win his world for Christ, 10:36 but he can't do it alone. 10:41 But each one 10:45 can reach one 10:49 As we follow after Christ 10:53 we all can lead one 10:57 We can lead one 11:01 to the Savior 11:05 And together we can tell the world 11:10 that Jesus is the way 11:13 if we reach one 11:17 reach one. 11:24 Music... 11:29 The message is unchanging, 11:33 go ye into all the world 11:37 And share the love of Jesus 11:41 far away or door to door 11:45 You see, just like somebody told you 11:48 Jesus loves you so 11:52 You must tell someone, 11:54 who will tell someone 11:57 Until the whole world knows 12:02 Each one 12:05 can reach one 12:10 As we follow after Christ 12:13 we all can lead one 12:17 We can lead one 12:21 to the Savior 12:25 Then together we can tell the world 12:29 Jesus is the way 12:33 If we each one 12:37 reach one. 12:41 So will you go and labor 12:44 Will you hold high your light 12:48 One by one 12:50 and two by two 12:52 We can win our world 12:56 for Jesus Christ 13:00 Each one 13:03 can reach one 13:06 As we follow after Christ 13:10 we all can lead one 13:14 We can lead one 13:20 to the Savior 13:25 And together we can tell the world 13:29 that Jesus is the way 13:32 If we reach one 13:39 reach one... 13:48 Music. 13:58 Amen... thank you so much Pam, "Each One Reach One" 14:03 what a perfect song for a topic of evangelism. 14:06 We're talking today, if you are just joining us 14:09 with Pastor Mark Howard, 14:11 the Director of the Emmanuel Institute 14:13 and with Pastor Kameron DeVasher 14:15 the Sabbath School and Personal Ministries Director 14:18 for the Michigan Conference 14:19 and we're talking about Emmanuel Institute 14:22 but we're talking about it in context of 14:24 the philosophy of evangelism 14:26 and the need for training 14:28 so, let's talk about Emmanuel Institute as a whole 14:31 why... why the name 14:34 and why did you begin it? 14:36 Greg: Yeah... feel impressed to come up with 14:37 such an Institute? 14:38 When we were coming up with a name for Emmanuel Institute, 14:41 we wanted something 14:42 that had some Adventist-history flavor to it 14:44 and we'll talk about that maybe when we talk about 14:48 the significance of the message of evangelism 14:50 but obviously, "Emmanuel" is a name 14:53 the Bible uses for the Lord, 14:54 and I suppose, from the foundational level, 14:56 if you're going to be successful in reaching souls for Christ, 14:58 you've got to have "God with us" is what it really means 15:01 but in our history... 15:02 and it was the same reason that 15:04 we as a church chose that name for one of our first colleges... 15:07 it started out as the "Battle Creek College" 15:08 but it was relocated in Berrien Springs 15:10 and renamed: Emmanuel Missionary College 15:12 but it's interesting to me is 15:13 as I went back in history, I found a couple of quotes 15:15 when that college was established, 15:17 one from the Review and Herald of August 25, 1903 15:20 where it says, "Emmanuel Missionary College 15:22 has for its sole purpose the training of missionaries" 15:25 and for many people today, when we think of "missionary" 15:27 that's somebody who goes overseas 15:29 and they work in full-time ministry. 15:30 Greg: True. 15:32 But the mindset of "missionary" in our church was that 15:35 this is something every member does. 15:37 Another quote regarding the Emmanuel Missionary College 15:41 was found in the book, 15:43 "The Great Second Advent Movement" page 396 15:44 by J.N. Loughborough and he wrote, 15:46 "To qualify laborers fully prepared for work 15:49 in any part of the world where they may be called 15:52 in the providence of God to labor, 15:54 is the one great desire and aim 15:57 of the teachers of the Emmanuel Missionary College" 15:58 and the mindset... 16:00 in fact, there's a great painting on the wall of... 16:02 I forget which Hall it is at Southern Adventist University 16:04 by Nathan Greene 16:05 where it has these people in all these different occupations 16:08 nurse, doctor, architect, whatever... 16:10 and here's Jesus... has His arm around a young man 16:13 who looks like he's going into the ministry 16:14 and He's pointing them on in a direction... 16:15 the idea being that whatever your occupation is going to be, 16:19 you're a missionary for Christ if you're a disciple of Christ 16:22 and so, this every-member-missionary thing 16:25 and that's what we wanted to lay hold of 16:27 in that name, "Emmanuel" 16:29 that everyone is called to be a missionary for Christ 16:32 or witness for Christ... and that He will enable anyone 16:36 to become an effective soul winner. 16:39 It kind of goes back to the text that we started out with 16:42 because "enable" "become" 16:43 you mentioned it's not a "make. " 16:45 Exactly, you could look at it if you choose some versions... 16:48 some other gospels 16:50 where it's just... "I'll make you disciples" 16:52 "I'll make you fishers of men" I should say... 16:53 but in the "Mark" version it says, 16:55 "make you become" 16:57 the implication being... 16:58 if it was a "make" it could be understood to be 17:00 an instantaneous transaction, boom... and miraculous... 17:03 therefore you could even lend it to the idea 17:05 that it's a spiritual gift if He makes you that... 17:07 Greg: But if not... 17:09 Kameron: Exactly, if not... if it does not come naturally to me 17:12 then that might have been "made" 17:13 but He says, "Make you become" 17:14 which has a stronger tie to a process... 17:17 a training that goes on 17:19 so, I'm sure that there are many people who feel ill-equipped 17:22 or actually in reality might be bad at soul winning 17:25 but being bad at something 17:27 is not evidence that you should do it less, 17:29 it's evidence... you should do it more 17:31 and so, we want to take people who may not 17:33 be called to full-time ministry 17:35 or be the "Missionary" 17:37 in the traditional sense of going overseas as a full time... 17:40 but every member of the church 17:43 that God has called to be His Remnant messenger 17:45 should be a missionary in their context for Jesus Christ 17:48 and so, our job is to help train and equip every member 17:52 to be a missionary for Jesus. 17:53 Mark: That's right. Greg: Wow! 17:55 So, I'm thinking the quote that you read was written 17:57 several years ago... 17:59 Greg: Long time ago... 18:00 Jill: So, we're in the 21st century 18:02 and is evangelism even relevant today? 18:04 I mean, do people even come to Christ 18:07 through these methods and... 18:08 That's such an excellent question 18:10 and because I've been involved in Evangelism 18:13 I mean, we started Emmanuel in 2009... 18:15 before that, I worked at different 18:16 Evangelism training schools 18:18 I went to one myself when I first came into the faith 18:21 and it's something you hear very often 18:24 and... and... you know, it's... it's... 18:27 I can't tell you how many places I've gone to work 18:29 and people are like, "Aw... that doesn't work here anymore" 18:31 and I love that because it's a challenge 18:32 and we just did a training in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 18:35 we had about 40 people... 18:36 church members from different area churches 18:40 and we sent them out just knocking on doors 18:43 and trying to find people 18:44 interested in studying the Bible. 18:45 Greg: Were some people scared to death? 18:47 Oh, absolutely... absolutely, that happens every... 18:50 you know what happens is... 18:51 and I've seen this time and again 18:52 whether it was at one of our training session that we do 18:55 on location... we do four months 18:57 or whether I'm going into a new location for a weekend 19:00 it never fails that people are petrified to go out 19:03 and when they come back they're excited and thrilled 19:07 and if you ask them before they went out 19:08 to knock on doors or to ask people... 19:10 they're like, "Oh, I don't want to do that" 19:12 they're scared... but when they come back... 19:13 we say, "What was your favorite part?" 19:14 "Oh, it's when we went out there... " 19:16 Greg: Really? Mark: Because they see the Lord 19:17 working... Greg: Amen. 19:19 Mark: You know, the Lord says, "The harvest is plentiful" 19:20 and... and... it's the laborers who are few 19:23 and so the harvest is out there 19:24 well, anyway, we went out, 19:25 we had probably 40 people who went out 19:27 for a total... I think we had two different times we went out, 19:29 we probably spent a total of two to three hours 19:34 actually out... knocking on doors... 19:36 we had 80 people sign up for studies. 19:38 Jill: 80 people... 19:40 Mark: 80 people in that short period of time. 19:41 Jill: Amazing! Greg: Wow! 19:42 Mark: So, people keep telling me 19:44 "Well, this kind of stuff doesn't work" 19:45 and I think it was Mark Finley who said, 19:47 "I'm going to let them keep writing books 19:50 about how it doesn't work 19:51 and I'm going to keep winning souls" so... 19:52 Greg: I like that. 19:54 Mark: there is some truth though to why people start to... 19:58 they'll say, "We've done this thing in our church 20:00 and it didn't work" 20:01 we're not seeing the... and, of course, that's all subjective 20:05 like, "What does it mean, 'it didn't work?'" 20:06 They didn't see the results that they wanted 20:08 but there are reasons for that 20:09 and one of the primary reasons is when we... 20:13 and this is a very common thing we misunderstand 20:17 and we define evangelism as an event that you do... 20:21 Greg: Yeah, true. 20:23 And evangelism is not an event, it is a... 20:26 we oftentimes refer to the agricultural cycle 20:28 in fact, I'll let you touch on that... but it's a lifestyle. 20:32 Greg: Okay. Kameron: It's a process, 20:33 even when I heard you talking about it earlier 20:35 when you referenced, 20:37 "We're ought to learn about evangelism" 20:38 I feared people at home might be like, 20:39 "Oh, well that doesn't include me, 20:41 yeah, that's for the Mark Finley's events 20:42 for the big Evangelists... that's for the campaign. " 20:44 And many people... pastors included 20:47 have come to think of evangelism like Mark was saying as an event 20:50 you go to ask a local church, 20:52 "Have you all done evangelism lately?" 20:54 And they think banners... public events and the whole thing 20:57 they have picture in their head 20:58 when in reality, evangelism is not a one-off singular event 21:02 it's a process that goes through mirroring the agricultural cycle 21:07 why did Jesus talk about plants so much in His ministry? 21:10 He did talk about fish and money and... 21:12 but He would keep coming back to these themes, 21:15 the soil and the seed and the crop and the harvest 21:18 and the preserving... 21:19 and you notice that that was Christ's mindset 21:22 that He had this understanding 21:23 that the growth of the Kingdom of God 21:26 would be akin to the agricultural process 21:28 that it would not be a one-time thing 21:30 it would actually be an ongoing, recurring 21:33 and ever-widening and growing process 21:36 and we want to help get that mentality 21:38 into people's minds 21:40 that evangelism is not something that someone else does 21:43 at a location on specific dates... 21:45 that evangelism is a lifestyle, 21:47 it's part of our DNA as Christians 21:49 and particularly, the Seventh-day Adventist Christians 21:51 we have a distinct message to give to the world 21:53 that we have... we have this opportunity to have this message 21:58 but what we need are more messengers 22:00 and so, that's what we're here to do. 22:02 And it's not just... 22:04 it's not just a... we say, "a lifestyle" 22:05 but there are several components 22:07 just like with the agricultural cycle, 22:08 if anybody has ever grown anything... 22:10 any of you Viewers have ever grown anything, 22:12 you go out... the first thing you've got to do is, 22:15 you got to till the ground. 22:16 Greg: That's right... prepare the soil. 22:17 Okay, you prepare the soil so... 22:19 and the reason you prepare the soil 22:20 is so you can plant the seed 22:21 and then once you plant the seed, 22:23 you get to cultivate the seed and once the seed... 22:24 all of these things are distinct and different, 22:26 once the seed has been cultivated over the summer 22:28 and you come to harvest time, right, 22:30 once you harvest, you're not done with the harvest 22:32 you've got another thing... 22:33 you've got to do something with the green that you... 22:34 Greg: Preserve it. 22:36 Mark: Yeah, you've got to preserve it and so, 22:37 you think about it in terms of the agricultural cycle 22:40 and think of it in terms of just taking one of those things. 22:43 Okay, the farmer goes out... tills the ground... 22:44 tills the ground, tills the ground... 22:46 he goes out in the fall and he's like, 22:48 "I don't know... I don't get it, I don't get it, 22:50 I guess, farming doesn't work anymore 22:51 because I don't have a crop. " 22:52 Well, it would be ludicrous to do that 22:55 and yet, in the spiritual application 22:58 preparing the soil to make the way for the seed, 23:01 Jesus said, "The seed is the Word of God. " 23:02 So, preparing the soil is, "What do you do... " 23:05 I mean, listen, we live in a day and age 23:07 where it's understandable that people are skeptical 23:11 when you come knocking on the door 23:13 or even if you see them... and then invite them in to... 23:15 "You want Bible Studies or something... " 23:16 and they're like, "Who are you?" 23:18 And so, when Ellen White talks about Christ's message, 23:20 she talks about He... 23:22 first He won the confidence of people, 23:24 you go through that... that soil preparation phase 23:27 so that people are more open to the seed, okay, 23:30 but the whole reason the farmer's tilling the ground 23:33 is for the purpose of planting the seed 23:36 you would never just see the farmer just out there tilling, 23:38 tilling... tilling... tilling and never doing anything else, 23:40 but yet, as Christians, 23:42 how many times are we making friends with people 23:44 which is important 23:45 but we never introduce something spiritual, 23:47 saying, "I don't know, they might be offended. " 23:48 Jill: We don't make the bridge. 23:50 We don't make the bridge to the next... 23:52 or we focus on... on one phase... 23:54 maybe we're trying to plant seeds all the time 23:56 but we're never building the relationships 23:58 to prepare the soil. 23:59 Maybe we're trying to harvest 24:01 and this happens all the time, 24:02 we hold an Evangelistic Meeting 24:04 so now, imagine it in the reverse, 24:05 well, kind of the same... the harvest... 24:07 the farmer's looking for a harvest to crop 24:09 but he never planted anything, 24:12 and he gets a few... 24:13 as one may be interested... a few wild strawberries... 24:14 so, you can't neglect one of those pieces 24:19 and then fault evangelism. 24:20 Greg: Right. Jill: It's good. 24:22 And there are churches who will... who have this... 24:24 "Evangelism-as-an-event mentality" 24:27 they compartmentalize it and separate it out 24:28 and then... they'll kind of review, 24:30 "What shall we do as a church?" 24:31 Because they want to do something, 24:33 I think there's an inherent drive 24:34 inside of any born-again Christian to do something 24:36 but they may not know exactly what it is, 24:38 and they'll say, "Oh, we're going to do this... " 24:39 and they'll do "Felt-Needs Community Outreach" 24:41 which are fantastic 24:42 but then they'll say, "That is our evangelism" 24:45 or they'll do a campaign... a big campaign 24:47 or they'll do just the Bible Study Offers 24:50 and they'll send out, like, literature and Glow Tracts... 24:52 all of which are good 24:53 but we end up having a... a method 24:55 where you're having a few good things 24:57 disconnected from each other 24:58 and the results are still not significant 25:01 and I think the rationale behind that 25:04 is that you're not doing bad things, 25:06 you're just doing a bad process of tying them all together 25:09 and having... because you look at that statement, 25:10 "Christ's method alone" right, 25:12 she talks about how it's Christ's method alone 25:14 that brings true success 25:15 which, by-the-way, that means there could be false success too 25:17 but if you want genuine true success, 25:20 you follow these steps but He mingled with them 25:22 and won their confidence 25:23 and then He bid them, "Follow me" 25:25 so Christ's method alone is a process... 25:28 it starts with this... and then leads to this with a goal of... 25:31 so that each phase in the process 25:33 is looking forward to the next phase of the process, 25:35 I prepared that soil with the expectation... 25:38 I'm getting that ready for the seed, 25:40 I'm getting those rows ready for the seed 25:41 and when you put the seed in, you don't say, 25:42 "All right, that's done, 25:44 I'm looking forward to the crop so that I can help it grow 25:46 and then I can have a harvest" 25:47 and then you've got to preserve it 25:49 and then they become in turn workers in the field 25:51 and so it's a cycle that never ends. 25:54 So, we've recognized this in certain... 25:56 we have a history of this myopia where we have focused on... 26:00 so we did the big public evangelistic meetings, 26:02 we realized we weren't baptizing the people we needed to 26:04 and I remember, this has been... 26:05 it was more emphasized, 26:08 it's been... probably 15... 20 years ago 26:09 where the big emphasis was "Pre-work" 26:11 we've got to do more pre-work, 26:12 we're not doing the pre-work and that's why... 26:14 we need to get Bible Workers and hire... 26:15 Greg: You'll get a bigger harvest. 26:16 We should do a big wave to get a bigger harvest 26:18 which is good except for... we focus on one thing 26:22 and then it was like, "Well, no, it's not the pre-work 26:25 we need to focus more on the felt-needs... 26:28 we need to get... meet people's needs... 26:29 Greg: Would that be like the cultivating of the seed... 26:31 Kameron: Preparing of the soil. 26:32 Greg: Preparing of the soil still... okay. 26:33 Okay, and... and all of that's true 26:35 but it can't exist independently 26:38 and so, independently, 26:39 "Okay, we're going to have this thing and this thing" 26:41 and then, "Oh it doesn't work" 26:42 and then we have the... the... for example, 26:44 you have the situations where people look at the results 26:47 and you hear a common gripe that people will have is, 26:51 "We did this evangelistic meeting, 26:52 we baptized all these people and two years later, 26:54 not one of them is... is here... " 26:55 Jill: They went out the back door. 26:57 They went out the back door. 26:58 And so we now have an emphasis on discipleship 27:00 which is yet another phase of the cycle 27:02 so we're focusing on one or the other. 27:05 The problem is... what happens is... 27:07 like again, you take it to the agricultural cycle 27:10 and the people will... they want to fault evangelism 27:12 and say, "Well, we're not going to do that again, 27:14 evangelism doesn't work. " 27:16 But that's like a farmer who goes and harvests his field, 27:18 he puts the grain in one of those big wagons 27:20 and then he goes in and he sits inside for six months 27:23 and then six months later he goes, 27:24 "I don't know what happened, all this grain rotted... 27:26 I mean this... I don't know this... 27:27 where's all the food that we're supposed to have from this thing 27:29 it doesn't work anymore. " 27:31 So, you can't blame evangelism, you've got to look at, 27:35 "Are we really understanding evangelism 27:38 the way the Scripture presents it 27:40 or have we just compartmentalizing it 27:41 the way... I don't know what's convenient or whatever 27:43 and leaving pieces out?" 27:45 Evangelism is a cycle and a lifestyle. 27:47 So then, I'm going to take it then that Emmanuel Institute 27:50 teaches the whole process. 27:52 Mark: Oh absolutely. 27:53 Greg: Yeah, and that's great. 27:54 Mark: And I'll say this, 27:56 we used to do these longer trainings and it's funny... 27:58 the longest training was like a four-month program 28:00 and there are still schools out there and they're good programs 28:04 and I remember, we go through four months 28:06 and we have students be like, 28:07 "Oh, if we just had another month, 28:09 we just had another two weeks" 28:10 and we would wrestle, 28:12 "Should we lengthen the program?" 28:13 But there's a statement in the book: Education 28:14 that has really resounded with me, 28:16 now we have really shifted our programs 28:18 to very shorter intensives, really targeted... 28:23 because not many church members can take four months off 28:26 and we want to impact the local churches 28:29 at the Lay level 28:31 but we would have students want this longer period of time 28:34 and there's a statement in the book, "Education" 28:36 it says, "It is in the water not on land 28:38 that men learn to swim. " 28:40 Jill: I like that. 28:41 And there's only so much you can learn in a classroom, 28:43 now, in our classroom, we have... 28:45 we have them going out... we do practical labor 28:47 but all of that aside, a person will never learn 28:50 how to be an effective soul winner 28:51 until they take the Lord at His word 28:53 and they go out and they say, "Okay, Lord, I'm going to be... 28:55 I'm going to witness for you" so you promise... 28:56 what did Jesus say? 28:58 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you 28:59 and you will be witnesses unto me. " 29:01 Do we believe that? 29:02 And we receive the Spirit, we receive the Lord, right 29:04 and so, let's go out in faith 29:06 and the Lord will teach you and it's a process of becoming 29:09 it doesn't happen overnight, 29:11 I can't tell you how many times I have put my foot in my mouth, 29:14 said the wrong thing... but that's how the Lord teaches us 29:17 and somebody said once that the... 29:19 the biggest problem new soul winners make 29:21 is not making enough mistakes. 29:23 The biggest mistake that new soul winners make 29:25 is not making enough mistakes. 29:26 We're afraid we're going to mess it up, 29:28 the Lord knows ahead of time when... 29:30 Yes, you're afraid of doing anything 29:32 because you do not want to mess up. 29:33 And oftentimes you'll see this almost lethargy 29:35 or apathy at our local church and we'll admit, 29:38 "Why is it so lifeless and everything like this?" 29:40 And we often think 29:41 that what we need is a fiery preacher to come in 29:43 and a Revival Series or something... really preach to us 29:45 Mrs. White has repeated counsel 29:48 where she talks about how our churches are dying 29:50 and the people want a Minister to come and preach to them 29:53 but that's not the answer 29:55 in fact, this is one of my favorite statements, 29:56 she says in: Testimonies for the Church, 29:57 Volume 6, 29:59 it's also found in: Christian Service, Chapter 5, 30:00 where she says, "It is evident 30:02 that all the sermons that have been preached 30:04 have not developed a large class of self-denying workers. " 30:06 She said, "Look around and listen 30:08 to all the sermons you want 30:10 but is it actually training people for effective service. " 30:13 She continues, "This subject is to be considered 30:15 as involving the most serious results... 30:17 our future for eternity is at stake. 30:18 The churches are withering up because 30:21 they have failed to use their talent in diffusing light. " 30:24 Jill: Hmmm... 30:25 The reason we have churches is not for a lack of preachers 30:28 and preaching... 30:29 it's for a lack of training and then working for the Lord 30:32 that there's a lifeless spirit in there 30:34 and so I believe it that the Holy Spirit is still... 30:36 still leading His church 30:38 and the Lord has a blessing to bestow 30:40 if we're willing to follow His counsel 30:42 and put to use the abilities 30:43 in a minimal... as they may be at that time 30:46 but develop them for God's glory 30:48 life will return. 30:49 Pastor Mark just mentioned about some of the training courses 30:52 which will make it in little more detail 30:54 we're going to have contact information here 30:56 in a few minutes so get your pen and paper ready 30:57 because if you're interested in attending... 30:59 I know there's a lot of information on your website, 31:01 maybe give that quickly 31:02 so people could start to look that up 31:04 because that's where the most recent, 31:05 up-to-date information is at 31:06 then we'll proceed on, what's the website? 31:08 Yeah, the website it: www. Emmanuel 31:10 I'm an old guy, now it anymore... 31:13 http:slash slash... 31:15 www. Emmanuellnstitute 31:18 Emmanuel 31:20 there are a lot of ways to spell Emmanuel 31:21 Emmanuellnstitute. org 31:25 Okay, and you'll find the most up-to-date information there 31:29 some of your training courses and classes and the cost 31:31 and that sort of thing, that's exciting isn't it? 31:33 It is very exciting... to me to think of evangelism as a cycle, 31:37 I love that agricultural process 31:40 and to think of that because I can see in my own experience, 31:43 how I might have focused on one aspect... the harvest 31:47 or you focus on... maybe planting 31:48 and you get stuck in the planting... 31:50 and I love that concept of the entire cycle 31:53 and that Evangelism is to be a lifestyle 31:57 so, that's incredible 31:58 but as we think about it, 31:59 method is not the only thing that's important, 32:01 the message is important so talk to us about the message. 32:05 Well, it's interesting 32:07 of course, as Seventh-day Adventists 32:09 you get Three Angels Broadcasting 32:11 we see, in fact... you were talking about that 32:14 before I go into it about Matthew 24. 32:16 Do you mind if I give a very brief little Bible Study? 32:18 Greg: Please. Jill: Please. 32:20 If you turn your Bibles, in Matthew chapter 24, 32:21 this is a passage that not just Seventh-day Adventists 32:24 but all Christians are familiar with, 32:26 in Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus is talking about 32:28 the signs of the end 32:30 and the approach of the coming of Jesus 32:32 and He says some pretty stark things 32:34 about wars and rumors of wars and all of that... 32:36 you'll find that in verses 6, 7 and 8 there 32:38 and then it says in verse 9, 32:39 "They'll deliver you up to tribulation and kill you" 32:41 so it is a pretty bleak outlook, right? 32:43 But if you go down to verse 13, it says, 32:45 "But he who endures to the end, shall be saved. " 32:48 so, clearly the Lord saw that no matter how tough... 32:51 there will be those who endure to the end, 32:53 there will be a remnant who will be there 32:55 and, verse 14, "this gospel of the kingdom 32:58 will be preached in all the world, 32:59 as a witness to all nations and then the end will come. " 33:02 Greg: Hmmm... hmmm... 33:03 So, as He gives this overview... the synopsis of end-time events, 33:05 that concludes where there's going to be a group 33:07 who endures to the end and they will be saved 33:09 and through them the gospel will be given to the whole world 33:11 and the result: then the end will come... 33:13 now go to Revelation chapter 14, 33:15 in Revelation chapter 14 which is where 33:18 Three Angels Broadcasting Network... 33:20 it's their mission too... 33:22 the entire chapter is simply 33:26 an expounding on 33:28 Matthew 24 verses 13 and 14 33:30 those who endure to the end will be saved... 33:31 the gospel goes to the world... 33:33 and then Jesus returns 33:34 because in verses 1 through 5, 33:36 it describes the character of those remnant people... 33:39 the messengers, right? 33:40 And then, starting in verse 6 33:42 you find the three angels' messages 33:45 and notice what it says in verse 6: 33:47 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, 33:49 having the... " what? the everlasting gospel 33:51 to do what with it? "To preach... " 33:53 To whom? 33:55 "To those who dwell on the earth... 33:56 to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people... " 33:58 it's exactly what Jesus said would happen, right, 34:00 and then it adds in verse 7, "saying with a loud voice" 34:02 so what he's saying here is that gospel message 34:05 that would go to the world 34:06 and that's when you get into 34:08 those three angels' messages, right? 34:09 "Fear God... give glory to Him... 34:10 for the hour of His judgment has come" 34:12 notice there there's a tie... 34:14 the gospel includes the message about the judgment 34:16 it's still the gospel 34:17 right, and he goes on talking about 34:20 "worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, 34:21 the sea and the springs of water. " 34:22 Which is allusion to the Fourth Commandment 34:24 about the seventh-day Sabbath 34:25 then, verse 8, the fall of Babylon is talked about 34:28 which is those false doctrines 34:30 that made all the world wander after the beast 34:32 and then, finally, the warning against the Mark of the Beast 34:34 in verses 9 through 11 34:36 and it says in verse 12, 34:37 "Here is the patience of the saints; 34:39 here are those who keep the commandments of God 34:41 and have the faith of Jesus. " 34:42 That remnant who endure to the end will be saved 34:45 and what's the very next thing we see? 34:47 Verse 14... "Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, 34:49 and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, 34:51 having on His head a golden crown, 34:53 and in His hand a sharp sickle. " 34:54 What is that a reference to? 34:55 It's this return of Jesus and the second coming. 34:57 So, Revelation chapter 14 34:59 which is where the Seventh-day Adventist Church 35:01 and again Three Angels Broadcasting Network 35:03 gets its Mission Statement from 35:04 is simply the giving of the gospel to the world 35:09 in those last days 35:10 so as Seventh-day Adventists, 35:11 of course, we are to give the gospel to the world 35:13 but it includes that judgment-hour message, 35:16 that call to faithfulness to the commandments of God 35:18 and the faith of Jesus 35:19 and the other truths that have been so overlooked 35:22 and distorted by this other power 35:24 and so, the message we have to give is 35:27 not just a simple message 35:29 but it's a pointed, timely message 35:32 it's not just truth... 35:33 it's Present Truth... it's here for now. 35:35 Well, and another thing about... about that is, 35:38 when you take the word "gospel" 35:39 and the word "gospel" literally means "good news" 35:42 the one thing that's consistent in a definition of news is... 35:46 news is not something that's kept quiet, 35:48 news is... news is proclaimed 35:50 and so, the whole idea here is, 35:51 this is a message that's proclaimed 35:53 and in the context of this, 35:55 you know, in Revelation 14:12, 35:57 "here are they that keep the commandments of God 35:58 and the faith of Jesus" 36:00 this is something that is really important to understand 36:04 this whole "commandments-of-God" thing... 36:07 you know, there are a lot of believers 36:10 who have learned that... have been taught that 36:12 the commandments of God have been done away with 36:15 at the cross... or what have you... 36:17 and they don't process this through 36:19 that the commandments of God... 36:21 the Bible says it's sin... 36:23 the gospel is a divine remedy for sin, okay, 36:26 sin, according to the Bible is transgression of the Law of God 36:31 the breaking the commandments of God... 36:32 the Apostle Paul says, "I would not have known sin 36:34 if I didn't know the Law" in Romans 7 36:36 The Bible says, "Where there is no law, 36:38 there is no transgression" Romans chapter 4 36:42 and so, the Law of God is what defines sin 36:45 which is this disease that the gospel is a remedy of 36:49 but if you take the law away from the picture, 36:51 if the law is done away with... 36:53 where there is no law, there is no transgression, 36:55 there is no more sickness 36:56 and now the gospel becomes 36:58 a cure for a disease that doesn't exist 37:00 and then you have to ask yourself, 37:01 "Then what is this whole thing about?" 37:04 And it confuses the character of God 37:06 it can't do anything else... 37:08 if there's no remedy... there's no disease to be remedied, 37:11 then what is the gospel about? 37:13 So, the message that we proclaim these three angels... 37:17 puts this gospel in a setting that brings to view 37:20 the character of God in a way that nothing else can, 37:24 otherwise, it makes Him look arbitrary and mysterious 37:28 and so this... the message is 37:31 always going to be core and central. 37:33 You know, we were training... it's interesting 37:35 and you talked about, Greg, 37:36 how people get nervous about sharing their faith 37:38 and what have you 37:40 but here's something that I... I use this example sometimes 37:43 I have never yet held a training class 37:47 for guys to tell them to tell their buddies 37:51 how their team beat their buddy's team in the Super Bowl. 37:55 In other words, it's like, "You know, Pastor, I... 37:58 my team just totally wiped out my friend's team in the big game 38:01 how can I share that with them?" 38:03 Because... and the point isn't that we don't... 38:08 yeah, we don't naturally get nervous about some things 38:10 but when you're excited about the message... it drives you 38:15 and one thing I've learned in our training 38:18 is one of the most effective things we do 38:20 as a part of our training 38:22 is go through our beliefs from Scripture 38:24 where people... 38:26 a lot of people grow up in the church they grew up in 38:28 and they don't know from Scripture why they believe 38:29 what they believe 38:31 and boy! when they find out 38:32 you... you... you can hardly hold them back, 38:34 I mean, there's a little bit of steering 38:36 like a sail on a boat but they're moving... 38:39 it's hard to move a boat with a sail 38:40 when the boat isn't going anywhere, right, 38:42 and so, when people get excited about the message, 38:44 the message is always what's going to drive evangelism. 38:47 Okay, so someone at home is saying, 38:48 "You know what, I'm not excited about the message 38:50 how do I get excited about the message? 38:52 What would you say to them at home?" 38:54 Come to Emmanuel... 38:56 Come to Emmanuel, amen. 38:58 Watch 3ABN... I mean, the reality is, 39:01 I've known people that tell me, 39:03 "Pastor, I just... I don't know how to give a Bible Study" 39:05 I say, "How long have you been in the church?" 39:06 "10 years... 20 years... 30 years... " 39:09 I said, "Look, take a printed lesson... 39:12 get some friends on a Sabbath afternoon 39:14 and say, 'Hey, let's just practice going over this. '" 39:17 Greg: Wow! 39:18 The reality is, a lot of people aren't excited 39:20 because they aren't studying it personally for themselves. 39:23 You have to own it, you know. 39:25 You can hear it... but hearing... 39:26 this is why all the sermons preached don't do it, 39:28 there's something different about you... 39:30 you know, so even... you watch 3ABN or what have you 39:33 but if you're taking it and you're taking notes 39:35 and you're applying it and you're personalizing it, 39:38 that's what gets you excited about the message. 39:40 Well, listen to this, 39:41 Review and Herald, October 22, 1889 39:44 one of my favorite statements, I say that about every statement 39:47 this is one of the best okay. 39:48 "If church members are educated 39:51 to be silent and useless members 39:53 instead of benefiting the church, 39:56 they will be a hindrance to its advancement and growth, 39:58 if they're educated to lean upon the minister, 40:00 they will become only inefficient 40:01 and demoralized members 40:03 and the church will be powerless 40:04 instead of active and efficient. " 40:06 Now, that sounds pretty gloomy 40:08 but think about what it's predicated on, 40:10 "if the church members are educated 40:12 to be silent and useless members... " 40:13 that implies... they didn't come that way, 40:16 everyone... someone who just became a Seventh-day Adventist 40:19 who just came to an Evangelistic Series... 40:21 who just had a Bible Study... 40:22 they can't stop talking, 40:24 they'll go to the water cooler 40:25 and the other people may be talking about sports 40:26 and they're like, "We're talking about the Mark of the Beast 40:28 brother, and the Sabbath" they'll just go on and on... 40:30 now, praise the Lord, you might want to educate them 40:32 how to be more effective in their witness, right, 40:34 six weeks... they're on fire... 40:37 six months... I mean, there's still a flame, 40:39 it might... six years... if they're still here at all... 40:42 Greg: Hmmm... Jill: Yeah. 40:44 I hate to say it but listen, you're making me think of... 40:46 when I first came in the church... 40:48 and as... you know, as I've taught people, 40:49 people are like, they resound with this story 40:52 that... I remember coming to church 40:54 and I was just so excited about sharing 40:55 and I didn't know a whole lot but I just... 40:57 I felt... I wanted to share it... 40:59 and I remember people saying, "Oh, you're just new... 41:01 don't worry, you'll be like us after a while" 41:06 I was like, "Aaaah... " 41:08 and that's what happens 41:09 we can acclimate people sometimes 41:12 to a... "that's the Pastor's job and talent. " 41:16 And then that statement in which she says, 41:17 "if church members are educated... " 41:19 and I've never seen a church in my whole experience 41:21 as a Seventh-day Adventist which is from birth... 41:23 hold a: How to be a silent and ineffective church member course 41:27 but sometimes the education occurs. 41:30 I used to think of it as a... 41:31 Mrs. White talked about, "Every church should be a 41:33 Training School for Christian workers" 41:34 I used to think, "You know... " 41:36 and I used to think it was a powerful line to say, 41:38 "Every church should be a training center" 41:39 and then it dawned on me, 41:41 "Every church already is a training center" 41:42 we are constantly training members, 41:46 either to be effective or ineffective soul winners 41:49 but the training is ongoing, 41:51 it doesn't have to be a formal course, 41:52 you just learn it by osmosis to being a part of it. 41:55 Okay, so our time is going by quickly, 41:57 so, okay, as we've talked about the relevancy of evangelism 42:00 and the message versus the method and stuff 42:02 so, tell me a little bit about Emmanuel Institute then, 42:04 how am I going to learn the stuff there, 42:06 tell me a little about it as you have to say, 42:08 "Man, I want to go there and experience the courses. " 42:10 Well, as I said, I mean, you get online 42:11 and we have different... we have several different courses 42:14 and we focus on different things, 42:15 like, for example, last year we had a 42:17 Conference-wide Evangelism Training 42:18 and we did a... we did a Speaker training... 42:21 Greg: So you only did it for the Conference? 42:22 No, no... no... anybody can sign up and come to the Programs 42:26 that are on our site 42:28 we've had people from all over the place, 42:30 literally, all over the world. 42:31 Greg: Wow! 42:33 But it's... you know... you got to... 42:36 each training is specific to a certain thing 42:38 so we did it... like the "Speaker Training" 42:40 was specially geared to a person 42:42 who wanted to be a lay preacher in an evangelistic series, 42:45 but our typical programs are usually going over the... 42:47 clearing throat... pardon me... 42:49 Greg: Like the details about the course. 42:51 Kameron: Well, we have the Bible Study Docs 42:53 we'll cover it... like you were saying, 42:54 what kind of... lights that fire and literally 42:56 there is less that gets people excited 42:59 than knowing what they believe 43:00 and starting to share what they believe. 43:01 So, the Bible Docs Program is a huge part of that 43:04 and then that training of that cycle of evangelism, 43:06 getting that mentality... walking through each phase 43:08 of where Lay people could be involved 43:10 in every one of those phases, 43:12 like, teaching them how to... 43:13 like, we're talking about nuts and bolts, 43:16 we're talking about literally how to a conversation... 43:18 there are... and there are people 43:19 who are petrified to talk to people, 43:21 not just about spiritual things... about anything. 43:22 Jill: Some people are just shy. 43:24 And they're just shy how do you... 43:26 how do you break through? 43:27 So you give them the practical insights, 43:28 here's how to start up a conversation 43:30 and here's how to transition it to a spiritual conversation... 43:32 you kind of test the soil a little bit 43:33 and see if there's an interest and... 43:35 if there is an interest, what should I do then 43:37 and how can I get a Bible-Study interest 43:39 how do I maintain it? 43:40 So all those practical steps of... "Now I've got this message 43:44 I want to be a messenger, how do I go about doing that?" 43:47 Emmanuel Institute does both of those 43:49 and our hope is beyond training the individual members 43:54 that through them we'll help train the churches 43:56 that they're a part of 43:58 to become Training-Center Churches 43:59 because I have been in a church where they've... 44:02 we've sent people to the Emmanuel Institute 44:03 and the difference before they went... and after they went 44:06 was palpable... you could see it in the church, 44:08 there was a spirit of, "Let's get out and win souls" 44:11 and they're not waiting on the Pastor to... like, 44:14 "All right, now we're about to do some evangelism or whatever" 44:16 they're not waiting for a Conference initiative, 44:18 they have it within themselves 44:20 and that, I think, is the ultimate ideals to have, 44:23 every member have that drive inside of them 44:25 and not just the... not just the desire for it, 44:28 but the practical training to put it into practice, 44:30 so that they can go into their local churches 44:32 and we can see less dependency on the Pastor 44:35 and more dependency on Christ and His mission 44:37 through every member. 44:39 Yeah, I have to add that that when... when... 44:42 one of the things people fail to keep in mind 44:44 when they're witnessing and you even mentioned, 44:46 I think one of the most common challenges people have is, 44:49 "How do I make the transition... I know how to be a friend, 44:51 how do I get into spiritual things?" 44:54 And one thing that we too often forget 44:57 is that the success in that area 44:59 is dependent wholly upon the Spirit of God, 45:02 a person who is totally disinterested today 45:05 may be totally interested tomorrow. 45:06 When I came into my conversion experience, 45:09 I went from a disinterested person through life... 45:11 through an event the Lord took me through in my life 45:14 He totally opened me up to be interested in spiritual things 45:18 and so, as Christians, sometimes we get all discouraged 45:21 because I asked my friend 45:22 or I'm trying to talk to my co-worker about spiritual things 45:24 they're not interested, 45:26 instead of realizing that they're not interested today... 45:27 Greg: Oooh, that's good. 45:29 And they may... and we get the idea 45:31 that we've got to be real preaching... 45:32 I'm doing this kind of... there's more detail to this 45:34 but it really is as simple as bringing up something spiritual 45:38 to see if that person is open to spiritual things. 45:41 I go to my friend at the water cooler, 45:42 we're talking about the weather, 45:44 he says, "Man, these storms are terrible" 45:45 I say some things like, 45:47 "You know, my Pastor just was talking about that... 45:49 something in Bible prophecy about that 45:51 in our Prayer Meeting this week. " 45:52 As simple as that, I'm not preaching to him 45:54 and then, how does he respond? 45:56 He's either going to say, 45:58 "You talk about that stuff in your church?" and open up 46:01 or he's going to be like, "You know what? 46:02 I got to get back to my desk. " 46:04 Okay, but just the little... 46:06 we call that, "throwing out test seeds" 46:09 just say anything spiritual related to church... prayer... 46:12 Bible Study... anything... 46:13 and see how they respond. 46:14 A month later... he might say, 46:16 "You know a month ago, you mentioned about... 46:17 you know, hey, can you tell me a little more about that?" 46:19 Mark: It happens all the time. Greg: Does it really? 46:21 And that's why we... 46:22 the Spirit of God is always working on hearts 46:24 and I've had churches, they say, 46:26 "Oh we've already knocked on doors in our... 46:27 in our neighborhood 46:29 you know, we did that six months ago. " 46:30 In six months... everything can change... 46:32 Jill: Oh yeah. 46:33 You're looking for the people, 46:34 you're not going to get everybody every time, 46:36 you're going to get the people 46:37 the Spirit of God has been able to grab the attention of 46:40 and that's happening constantly 46:41 and if we just go forward with confidence... and you mentioned, 46:44 I think earlier we were talking about family members... 46:45 same way... family members can be the hardest people to reach 46:48 because they know you the way you were before 46:52 and they know your faults and everything... 46:54 but the Lord is still working and I tell you, 46:57 when people see you as spiritual 46:59 and they're not spiritual, especially in a family, 47:01 you're the last person they want to talk to. 47:03 Jill: It's intimidating. 47:04 It's intimidating... it's just, "I don't want to go there" 47:06 but when something happens and they need spiritual help 47:08 you know the first person they're going to go looking for? 47:10 And it will happen... so I tell people, 47:12 "Don't be afraid to be spiritual... 47:14 it may be a put off now, 47:15 like, people are getting put off by that 47:17 but the same people that are getting put off now, 47:19 they're going to be coming to you later 47:21 when the Spirit of God is able to reach through their heart" 47:24 and I'm... again, I've seen this happen time and again. 47:27 The Lord is always... in fact, one of my favorite statements 47:29 Ellen White makes in Evangelism 127 is, 47:31 "There's far more being done by the universe of heaven 47:34 than we have any idea... so that souls will be converted. " 47:37 Greg: Wow, praise the Lord, we have heaven on our side. 47:39 Mark: That's exactly right. 47:40 Kameron: Wow, it's absolutely true. 47:42 I'm so encouraged as I listen to this 47:43 just to see what God is doing in the Michigan Conference 47:47 but what God can do in each one of our hearts 47:49 you know, how He can transform our lives 47:51 and our churches, so, Pastor Kameron, 47:53 maybe this is a little more for you... 47:54 I know we're focusing on Emmanuel Institute 47:56 and what God is doing there in the training 47:58 but what training are you doing 48:00 throughout the Michigan Conference 48:02 or what resources 48:03 or what are you all involved in 48:05 for training churches for evangelism? 48:07 Well, to be clear, this is my second week on the job 48:09 so it's limited right now 48:11 no... but the Personal Ministries Department 48:13 has existed long before I was there 48:15 and they definitely see, 48:17 in partnership with the Emmanuel Institute 48:18 and other trainings in our Conferences 48:20 that training of Lay people is one of our primary goals, 48:23 that's... we want to make sure that that happens 48:25 and also providing resources for those different avenues 48:28 so, we think of the Discipleship Handbook 48:31 that was recently produced 48:32 starting in the Michigan Conference 48:34 and soon will be launched as a General Conference Resource. 48:36 Jill: And what is that about? 48:37 That is... about that very question 48:39 whenever you have that great harvest of souls 48:41 and then they... because that's how this happens oftentimes 48:44 so, you'll have a big event and new people will come in, 48:46 they're excited by the event itself 48:47 and the messages are stirring and convicting 48:49 and they give their hearts to the Lord 48:50 and the next week the banners come down... 48:52 the evangelist goes away and it's back to routine... 48:54 and their stage is different 48:55 and lo and behold, six months later or a year later 48:59 half of them are gone 49:01 and people will still say, 49:02 "Well, that's evidence that evangelism doesn't work. " 49:04 The problem is that we stopped short of the finish line. 49:07 We should stop looking at baptism and church membership 49:10 as... "Now, we've won... woo... hooo... " 49:11 Mark: Hmmm... hmmm... 49:13 Kameron: No, no, no, no, what happens now is, 49:14 we need to take them through, what does it mean? 49:16 Because they might have heard one message on the 2,300 days 49:19 or the seventh-day Sabbath 49:20 and they... they understood it, 49:22 they made an intellectual assent... an agreement 49:24 but it hasn't been woven into their life yet... right... 49:27 they don't know it for themselves, 49:28 they don't know the church history, 49:30 they don't know their place in this great prophetic movement 49:32 they don't know the skills to share effectively 49:34 and so, it's little wonder that if we... poof... 49:37 they fall of a cliff... and so we want to establish a handbook, 49:40 this is one of the many resources that have been 49:42 and will be developed to help new members 49:44 and all members... be better, effective disciples of Jesus. 49:48 Well, it teaches existing members... 49:49 this isn't something that "Pastor does" 49:51 it teaches existing members how to disciple 49:53 and usually we'd try to connect the member 49:56 who was a friend of that person who came in 49:58 and it teaches them how to disciple them into the church. 50:00 Kameron: Right, there's a mentorship that's involved. 50:02 It's systematic... very practical. 50:04 Kameron: Absolutely. 50:05 We're almost out of time but can you give me 45 seconds 50:07 on BibleStudyOffer. com 50:08 and what is that all about. 50:10 All right, BibleStudyOffer. com in 45 seconds... 50:13 BibleStudyOffer. com 50:14 is an online way to get decisions for Bible Studies... 50:19 commitments for Bible Studies... 50:20 to find people who are interested 50:21 in studying the Bible. 50:23 Action online portal... 50:24 Yeah, it's a portal... and so different than some other ones, 50:27 which are fine in their own regard, 50:29 they're not just... you take the course online 50:31 or you send off our mailed-in offers 50:33 what happens is, BibleStudyOffer. com 50:35 if someone logs in to the computer and says, 50:37 "I would like this Bible Study" 50:38 what happens is, they get a knock on their door 50:41 from a local church member near their home 50:43 with their materials they've requested 50:46 saying, "Hi, I'm with BibleStudyOffer. com 50:49 you wanted these 'It Is Written' Bible Studies 50:51 there's a 'Landmarks of Prophecy' DVD Set 50:54 I'm here to help you with this... " 50:55 and they can choose whether they want to do it personally 50:57 by themselves... 50:59 or they'd like to do it one-on-one with a partner 51:01 or if they want to do it in a small-group setting 51:03 most of them will probably do it just on their own 51:04 and that's fine 51:06 but we can still drop them off and then in exchange, 51:08 get to know them a little bit 51:09 and the goal is to... 51:10 not just have every member be a missionary 51:13 but have every church to be a Bible School 51:15 for their surrounding community, 51:17 so, BibleStudyOffer. com is a powerful resource 51:20 that's helping make that a reality. 51:22 Amen... there's so much more 51:24 I just feel like we need several hours to be sitting here. 51:26 Greg: We just touched the surface. 51:28 Jill: We will come back in a few moments 51:29 with some closing thoughts 51:31 from each one of our Pastors here 51:33 but right now, we want to put up the address 51:35 for Emmanuel Institute. 51:37 We hope and pray you have been energized 51:39 and excited and inspired to get out and work for Jesus 51:42 so if you would like to financially support 51:45 what takes place there or if you want to get involved, 51:47 here's how you can do just that. 51:49 Music. 51:52 To support the Emmanuel Institute of Evangelism 51:56 in their efforts to recapture the missionary spirit 51:59 of the early Christian church 52:00 by training members to become active soul winners, 52:04 please visit their website, Emmanuellnstitute. org 52:07 there you will find information on all their programs 52:10 and you'll be able to register online. 52:12 The website again is: Emmanuellnstitute. org 52:17 you may also call them at: 517-316-1578 52:23 or write to them at Emmanuel Institute of Evangelism 52:27 Post Office Box 36 Edmore, Michigan 48829 52:33 Music... |
Revised 2018-07-09