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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP181013A
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00:10 [ "Agnus Dei" begins ] ♪♪ 03:20 [ "He is Exalted" begins ] ♪♪ ♪♪ 05:41 [ "Forever" begins ] ♪♪ ♪♪ 08:37 [ "Breathe" begins ] ♪♪ 12:25 >> Today, we're gonna dial the clock back for a few moments 12:28 here in worship. We're gonna dial the clock back 12:31 20 years. 20 years exactly to this moment, 12:35 in fact. Here in the Pioneer Memorial 12:38 Church on the campus of Andrews University. 12:40 20 years. NET '98 -- some of you have 12:43 never heard of NET '98. 12:44 Subtract 20 from your age right now. How old were you 20 years ago? 12:51 20 years ago. October 9th -- so that would be just a few days earlier this 12:56 week. 20 years ago, October 9th, 7:15 in the evening, somebody up in 13:01 that mezzanine level hit a switch, and at the speed of light, a beam from two massive 13:09 satellite trucks that were parked out back here, shot up to a bevy of satellites belting the 13:14 planet -- one signal from here up to those satellites, six continents, dropped down, all 13:25 beaming in that beam. Over a hundred nations, 40 languages, 7,600 downlinked 13:36 sites -- [ fingers click ] -- simultaneously. A little preacher was standing 13:43 up here, and he was trying to preach in English. Downstairs in the commons were 13:47 all these little booths that had carpet tacked to them so they would be kind of soundproof, and 13:52 there were 39 other preachers preaching their hearts out in the languages of this world. 13:58 NET '98 started on October 9. It went till November 14. Can you believe that? 14:03 Five -- Over five weeks. That was the old way. Five weeks, five nights a week, 14:10 plus four Sabbaths, 31 satellite uplinks from the Pioneer Memorial Church to the 14:15 entire planet. And everyo-- every one of these uplinks began with this 14:21 32-second intro. If you never went to NET '98, I'm gonna remind you. 14:27 No, if you've gone, I'll remind you. If you've never gone, you'll see 14:29 it for the first time. Come on, take a look at this. 32 seconds, every single 14:34 program. ♪♪ ♪♪ 14:56 ♪♪ ♪♪ 15:17 Every time I hear that music begin to play, my stomach goes like this -- kwccch! 15:22 [ Laughter ] "Not again! Are we having to do this again?" 15:28 Oh, 41 times. Why did we do it? What's the big deal about 15:31 NET '98? I'll show you what the big deal about NET '98 was. 15:38 Just before he left, Jesus -- Matthew 28:19, verse 18 -- "I'm your lord. 15:45 I have all authority under heaven and Earth. I'm not inviting you. 15:49 I'm not suggesting. I am commanding you, go and make disciples of all nations... 15:56 baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to 16:00 observe all things what I have commanded you, and, lo --" how does it end? -- "Lo, I am with 16:07 you always to the end of the age." That was a big deal. 16:13 Never before in the history of Christianity -- according to my friend Russell Burl, all right? 16:17 Never before in the history of Christianity and never since has there been a simultaneous 16:23 evangelistic event that was global in nature that lasted that long. 16:30 And I tell you what, folks, we're not here to do anything but praise God. 16:34 Psalm 50:23 reads like this -- God says, "When you praise me, you will glorify me." 16:41 So we need to praise him. This is not about -- This is not about the church 16:45 that was a host site for NET '98. Certainly not about that little 16:50 preacher standing right there. This is about something God did. Kandus Thorp, in her book 16:56 "The Miracles of Satellite," hers is the history of satellite evangelism. 17:01 My friend Mark Finley was the big dreamer that launched it with NET '95. 17:06 But as she reviews that history, she says, "Humanly, you wonder, how could this ever have been 17:13 put together to happen the way it did. And by the way, speaking of the 17:17 luck of the draw, we got it. The only one, the only site, the only time it was truly global, 17:23 hundred nations, 40 languages. Let's find out what was happening here. 17:27 Come on, Chris. Chris Davisson, come on up here and stand with me. 17:29 Chris is a -- is a junior-high teacher at Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. 17:35 Chris, 20 years ago, you were -- you told me at first service you were sitting about right over 17:39 there. Is that right? >> That's correct. 17:42 >> And you were a row host. >> Yes, I was. >> Because Pastor Skip had 17:45 organized these row hosts, so every pew had somebody who was looking for visitors coming in. 17:50 And this church was packed. >> It was. 17:52 >> You'd go over to the seminary, it was packed in the 17:54 seminary. If we'd had the HPAC, it 17:55 would've been packed in the HPAC. 17:57 >> Mm-hmm. >> Now, Chris, so, one night -- 18:00 No, it's opening night, so you're -- Tell us the story. 18:03 >> I was sitting back in the back corner there, and I had met a woman. 18:08 She was a crossing guard near my school, and I had talked to her, befriended her, and then we were 18:13 told to get the invitation out that NET '98 was coming. And I invited her, but then, 18:20 that night, I was shocked to see her and her husband, Don, walk in and sit in my row. 18:26 >> Don and Angie Bishop are sitting over there in that pew with you. 18:29 >> Yeah. >> Unbelievable. Don was working at -- 18:32 What was it? >> Juvenile center. >> Juvenile center, yeah. 18:35 Somebody there had handed him one of these little video invitations back when they had 18:40 VHS. >> And he took it home. >> And watched it. 18:43 >> And watched it with his wife. >> Said, "I'm going." >> "And I'm going." 18:46 >> So, Chris, every night, tell us what's happening. I mean, you're just getting to 18:49 know these guys. >> Every night, we'd come in, we would greet each other, we would 18:53 pray with people, talk to them, see how their week was going, and then we'd sit, and we'd 18:58 listen, and hear about Jesus together. >> Yeah. 19:01 So, they're discovering Bible teachings that probably they had not read before. 19:06 >> Absolutely. >> You and Claudia -- Claudia's working downstairs, 19:09 but you're starting to form a relationship with her. Tell us about that. 19:11 >> Well, after the meetings were over, they graciously gave us our own set of VHS tapes. 19:19 And so Claudia wanted to watch them. So we got with our friends. 19:21 >> 'Cause she missed them downstairs, too. >> She did. She's down there 19:24 with the kids, she's ministering to them, and she wants to watch them. 19:27 So, we got our friends, Ivana Powski, Debbie Withers, and we got our children 19:32 together, and we sat and had light supper, and we'd watch them together. 19:36 And along came Don and Angie Bishop and their kids. And so we relived it. 19:42 >> Yeah. So, that's the end of November. It ended November 14. 19:46 You know what, Chris? I will never forget that Sabbath in December. 19:49 I should've checked to find out when that was, actually, but when those curtains parted, 19:53 there you were in the baptistery, there were Don and Angie and me, all four of us 19:59 standing there. And that moment when they went under the waters and came up, 20:03 new creatures in Christ. >> Well, once you make a friend like that as a row host, you 20:08 pretty much drop them as soon as the event's over. True or false? 20:11 >> Not at all, not at all. >> Not at all. Tell us what's been happening. 20:15 >> Don and I maintained our friendship, and he was here, he got a degree from 20:19 Andrews University, went to Lansing, went to Lafayette, and now is in Phoenix, Arizona. 20:24 And every Sabbath morning, either my pocket buzzes or his buzzes, 'cause we are 20:29 constantly, still to this day -- and I just got a buzz sitting over there in the front row from 20:34 Don -- saying, "Hey, happy Sabbath." >> "Happy Sabbath." 20:37 Did you tell him you were gonna share this story today? >> I did not yet. 20:40 >> Oh, okay. Well, he'll see it. >> I'll tell him later. 20:42 >> Chris, you know what? Two things. Number one, the importance of 20:46 row hosts -- the importance of people looking for, "Hey, is somebody visiting today?" every 20:52 Sabbath that's important. But number two, what you're showing us is, it's not just a 20:57 one-time little, "Hey, yo, get to know Jesus." It's like, "Can we be friends 21:01 forever?" >> Amen. >> And isn't that what Jesus 21:03 said to us? Forever friendship. Bless you. 21:06 Thank you for sharing that. 21:09 >> Hey, Jason, what a treat to have you live on our Skype 21:13 screen here. I mean, there you are in Lacey, 21:15 Washington, and here I am in little Berrien Springs, 21:17 Michigan. 21:18 But because of a mutual friend, our friend, Glenn Oftehauer. He told me about your story, and 21:23 I said, "I got to talk to this man." And so, Jason, 20 years ago, 21:27 something called NET '98 was happening. Tell me about your life 20 years 21:31 ago. >> 20 years ago, my life was quite a mess. 21:36 I had been raised in the LDS church and kind of left that, went into a lifestyle of drugs 21:42 and alcohol and all kinds of things I shouldn't have been involved in. 21:46 And then, I met my wife, Molly. She was a backslidden Adventist, and I was a backslidden Mormon, 21:52 you could say, and in the midst of everything and the chaos of life, something came up at the 21:58 Glendale Seventh-Day Adventist Church called NET '98, with a neat guy preaching. 22:04 We decided to go hear a few things and began to change my life. 22:09 The Adventists scared me a little bit. I thought they ate rubber meat 22:12 and did some very strange things, went to church on the wrong day. 22:16 It didn't work out very well. They weren't very convincing, initially. 22:19 I just thought they were strange. >> Yeah. 22:22 What was your reaction in response to NET '98? >> You know, I was very 22:26 convicted. Probably the most convicting was the Sabbath seemed very clear to 22:30 me that it was there, all the way in Genesis. All the way through, the 22:34 presentation very much challenged me. At the same time, I didn't like 22:39 it, so I actually set out to try and prove Pastor Dwight Nelson wrong by going to every church I 22:45 could find and find what the evidence was to disprove the Adventist teaching of the 22:51 Sabbath. There was a lot of things that were challenging. 22:55 The state of the dead was another big challenge for me. I'd had spiritual encounters 22:59 with what I believed was a dead brother. All kinds of different things 23:02 that had happened that made some of the teachings challenging, but a lot of it was also 23:08 cultural. The idea of being disowned from my family in the LDS faith made 23:12 it a big challenge and made me very reluctant, initially, to go ahead and get baptized. 23:19 I wanted my family to know what I was doing, but I was scared of it. 23:23 I actually kind of tricked my family into coming to my baptism, which was hardly 23:28 polite. I was the first to get a bachelor's degree, even though 23:33 I'm the youngest of 10, and they're big on family, so we decided to have our youngest 23:38 daughter, Emily, dedicated in church and thought I would get baptized in the same service, 23:43 and so we invited my family, they came. After graduation on Friday, 23:48 Saturday, we dedicated my daughter. I was baptized, and the next 23:52 day, I moved to California, hoping to not have to see my family for a while. 23:56 >> So, you made the decision. >> Yes. >> And then, you say, "Okay, 24:01 God, I'm gonna start following where you lead," and of all places, you end up in the 24:05 Orient. Go explain that one. >> We tried a lot of things, 24:09 ended up in South Korea, the one country my father told me not to go, but -- 24:13 [ Both laugh ] It's just how it works. It was a miracle to get there, 24:18 and within months, I ended up in Sahmyook University, studying theology. 24:24 >> What in the world would you be doing in a little place that we've never heard of called 24:29 Lacey, Washington? >> Well, I'm currently pastoring. 24:33 I've been pastoring for over 10 years now. >> Wait a minute. 24:36 Jason, Jason, you are a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor now? 24:40 >> Proudly, yes. >> Bless you. Bless you for letting us come 24:44 barging in with this Skype conversation. We are putting our hands 24:47 together, and we are praising God for what he did through you. >> Amen. Me too. 24:55 [ Applause ] >> What a story, huh? Backslidden Mormon, ends up in 25:00 NET '98, and now he's pastoring in the Washington conference. We give God the glory. 25:07 God says, "When you praise me, you glorify me," and we praise Him for what He's done. 25:10 My friend Ken Logan's coming out, our beloved minister of music. 25:14 Ken, you had 31 sessions. Trust me, you were in the thick of it for 31 sessions, as you 25:21 planned with your music team the music for all of those events. Look what God has done. 25:27 >> God's been good. >> Incredible. 25:29 Now, you get up in the summertime to British Columbia, 25:31 and when you were up there, either last summer or the summer 25:34 before, you heard a story about a Dr. Glen Gill. 25:38 You'd been in touch with him. He wrote you a letter. Can you share the story of 25:43 Dr. Gill? >> Well, it's great to be back in touch with him, this time by 25:47 e-mail. Been several years, and he shared a touching story that I'd 25:52 begun to hear there. Happy to be able to share it in detail here today. 25:58 >> Go ahead. Share it with us, please. >> So, speaking for Glen Gill, 26:03 "I was a Christian long before NET '98. But I was not a member of the 26:07 Seventh-Day Adventist Church. I was raised as a missionary kid by parents who were both 26:13 Baptists. We had live in India for 10 years, where my dad worked as 26:18 a missionary doctor with the Canadian Overseas Baptist Mission. 26:23 While in India, I attended an interdenominational American boarding school in Kodaikanal, 26:30 Tamil Nadu. It was there that I accepted Christ and was baptized at the 26:35 age of 12. Since then, I have been actively involved in church. 26:42 I married and SDA member in 1985, and we spent many years attending both Sunday church and 26:49 SDA churches. But as our kids grew older, we decided it would be best to just 26:55 attend one church so as not to confuse them. We chose the Seventh-Day 27:01 Adventist Church. I had no problems with this since, by then, I was convinced 27:06 the Sabbath is Saturday, not Sunday. I still, however, have trouble 27:13 with some of the other SDA fundamental beliefs." Dr. Gill continues, "It wasn't 27:20 until Dwight Nelson's NET '98 series that it finally all clicked for me. 27:26 We were in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the time, and it was being broadcast in a rental church the 27:32 SDA congregation was using. As a physician, I was trained in the scientific method, and all 27:40 of Dwight's talks were very scientifically thought out and explained with great 27:45 illustrations. So, I immediately clicked with his style of presentation, and 27:52 for the first time, the Old and New Testaments were connected for me, and I understood the big 27:59 picture. That was so exciting for me. My wife wasn't even at the 28:04 meeting when Dwight called for anyone to come forward who wanted to commit their life to 28:08 Christ. I knew I was ready and went forward. 28:13 Shortly thereafter, I formally joined the Seventh-Day Adventist Church by confession of faith. 28:19 Things have not been the same since. My marriage has been 28:25 strengthened, I'm involved more than ever in our church, been an elder in the SDA church for 28:29 about 14 years now. I feel closer than ever to Christ and thank him for guiding 28:36 my life all these years and never giving up on me. Amazing grace!" 28:45 Glen concludes, "Please thank Dwight and his team for all the work, effort, and prayer put 28:51 into NET '98. It was life-changing for me. God bless, Glen Gill, 28:59 Williams Lake, B.C." >> Hallelujah. To God be the glory. 29:03 What a beautiful testimony. Ken, thank you for being in the thick of it with us. 29:07 >> Our privilege to have ministered together. >> God bless you, yep. 29:11 You know, folks, I still am amazed that in these 7,600 downlinked sites that people 29:17 would actually -- I just -- would get up out of their seats and come to a screen. 29:22 You're just coming to a screen to make a decision like that. One of the treats for me with 29:29 NET '98 was being able to focus on some interviews that we put together. 29:35 We flew in a family, had a great story that was on the cover of People magazine and 29:39 Reader's Digest. This one was a bit different. I want you to -- 29:44 I want to see if you recognize the very special individual we brought in for October 31's 29:51 meeting 20 years ago. We'll roll it on the screen. See if you recognize him. 29:56 Good evening, everyone. 29:58 It's a treat for me to introduce to you tonight one of our 30:01 special guests that we have just flown in from the great state of 30:05 "New Joisey" here in America. 30:09 He sang last Sunday night at Kennedy Center. Last Wednesday, he was at the 30:13 National Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the land. He's going to be getting some 30:19 Handel oratorio -- In fact, he has a career in oratorio and opera. 30:25 Ladies and gentlemen, Charles Reid. Welcome him, will you, please? 30:28 Nice to have you, Charles. Thank you. Opera performance, which means 30:33 it opens up doors for you to begin setting up a professional career track. 30:38 >> It gives you the tools that help to refine your talents. >> So, you end up down in 30:44 Charleston, South Carolina, at one of these incredible moments and places where musicians from 30:49 all over the world come. >> We were at this gathering after a performance, and all the 30:54 wealthy donors are there, and they're talking to this up-and-coming star, and they 30:59 said, "Well, now that you've sung at the Met and you've been here and you've won this 31:03 competition and you've done that, where do you see yourself? What's next in five years?" 31:07 And without dropping a beat, he just said, "To go where the Lord leads." 31:12 >> Oh. >> And it -- it shocked me. And it put a hush on the 31:16 conversation, too, but... [ Laughter ] >> I bet. 31:20 But... >> It was -- Over the next couple of weeks, I 31:25 would say, I started reflecting on my walk with Christ, and I started to realize that, 31:33 somewhere along the way, in developing my career, it all became about me, and my 31:40 relationship largely was a prayer life of asking God to back me up on my plans... 31:46 >> Mm. >> ...and for all intents and purposes, I'd put away my Bible, 31:52 I heard scripture at church, but I felt that I was living a sound, Christian life, and yet I 31:58 had turned my back on what I had found to be the source of life, which is that relationship with 32:04 Christ. >> Did that redirect you, then? >> It did. It did. 32:08 I started to realize that this wasn't what I wanted, and I made it a point to try to figure out 32:15 how to rid me of myself and start to follow Christ and start to listen to where God was 32:23 leading and look -- look what His scripture said, and about that time, I... 32:28 >> You bump into this wonderful young lady. >> ...had a whole bunch of 32:31 things happen. >> Yeah. I mean, you meet Julie. >> I met the beautiful woman... 32:35 >> Fall in love. >> ...who I married. >> You're gonna sing at the end 32:38 of our program tonight. Six months later, spring 1997, you make a decision. 32:43 >> After much, much studying, I decided that it was time to join the Seventh-Day Adventist Church 32:51 and become a practicing member there. >> Follower of Jesus Christ. 32:56 >> Follower of Jesus Christ. >> The passion for the Lord Jesus in your heart. 33:00 >> Definitely. >> Yeah. What is it, before you sing for 33:04 us tonight, Chuck? What is it that lights up your life? 33:07 What is your passion? >> Well, I think it is most succinctly put in the song I'm 33:12 going to sing tonight, and it's from an oratorio by Mendelssohn, called "Elijah." 33:17 And in this song, the question is begged, "Where can I find God? 33:23 Where can I come into the presence of God?" And the answer, through the 33:27 prophet Obadiah is, if with all your heart you seek Him, you'll surely find him. 33:33 >> Amen. >> And I think that really is it. 33:37 That's the most difficult challenge you'll ever face in your life is figuring out how to 33:42 truly seek God with all your heart in his word, in your prayer life, in every aspect of 33:49 your life. >> Thank you for coming here and sharing that passion. 33:51 God bless you as you sing for us. [ Applause ] 33:56 Unbelievable. Charles and Julie, 20 years ago... 34:01 >> You know, in the first service, I was so shocked. 34:05 I hadn't seen this video, and I was so shocked when I saw the 34:08 video and I saw my hair and the bagginess of my trousers and the 34:12 width of that tie and everything else. 34:15 I just -- I was stumped. But, you know, today, we're 34:17 thinking back, and we're looking at the outcomes of what came 34:21 from NET '98, and I just want to let you know that God continued 34:25 to bless Julie and me richly. 34:29 We have been able to -- We've had opportunities to serve everywhere we've gone -- 34:34 New Jersey, New York, and over in Europe for many years. And then, eventually, in 2012, 34:41 we got to come here and join this community. >> You're on our early teen 34:47 team, as you help lead with our teens. But you know what? 34:51 I got to say this, Chuck, before you and Julie sing. You know, what was beautiful 34:55 about your testimony, it was vulnerable and transparent. And you know what? 35:00 God uses that. And so thank you for what you're doing with our kids, you got 35:05 your own kids, but 20 years later, sing for us again. You both sang at the end that 35:09 night when we had the "Altar Call Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Coming," and that's the night 35:13 that the physician we just heard about comes to the screen. Sing again. 35:19 God bless you. 35:21 ♪♪ ♪♪ 35:34 >> ♪ In this world of darkness ♪ ♪ We are given light ♪ >> ♪ Hope for all the dying ♪ 35:54 ♪ How will they know ♪ ♪ How will they know ♪ ♪ That Jesus loves them ♪ 36:08 ♪ And He died to save them ♪ >> ♪ Count them by the millions ♪ 36:24 ♪ Blinded slaves to sin ♪ >> ♪ While inside they are dying ♪ 36:36 ♪ How will they know ♪ ♪ How will they know ♪ ♪ That Jesus loves them ♪ 36:51 ♪ And His heart is breaking ♪ >> ♪ Carry the Light ♪ >> ♪ Carry the Light ♪ 37:06 ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ Go and tell the children ♪ ♪ They are precious in His 37:17 sight ♪ ♪ Carry the Light ♪ >> ♪ Carry the Light ♪ 37:27 ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ Go and preach the gospel ♪ ♪ Till there is no more night ♪ 37:39 ♪ In the name of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ Go ye into all the world ♪ 37:55 ♪ Go ye into all the world ♪ ♪ And carry the Light ♪ >> ♪ Carry the Light ♪ 38:10 ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ Go and tell the children ♪ ♪ They are precious in His 38:21 sight ♪ ♪ Carry the Light ♪ >> ♪ Carry the Light ♪ 38:32 ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ Go and preach the gospel ♪ ♪ Till there is no more night ♪ 38:43 ♪ In the name of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ Carry the Light ♪ ♪ The Light ♪ 38:55 ♪ Carry the Light ♪ [ Applause ] 39:11 >> I want to take the few moments we've got left... 39:15 to tell you why I believe the church is strategic to God 39:19 carrying the light right now. 'Cause I have some friends who 39:23 are worried about the church. They're worried about what's 39:27 happening up in Battle Creek just a few miles up the road. 39:31 There's a whole lot of hand-wringing going on in some 39:33 circles, where people are saying, "I just don't -- 39:36 I just d-- This -- This is probably it. 39:38 This is going to collapse this faith community." I want to share with you why I 39:45 believe not. 20 years ago, the church was preoccupied with saving the 39:49 world. 20 years later, if we're not careful, the church will be 39:53 preoccupied saving the institution. Now, the danger is, that in our 39:57 effort to save the institution, we could lose an entire generation while we're waiting. 40:03 Here's why I believe that that will not happen. You know why? 40:06 Jesus made three promises. I'm gonna share the three promises with you, share two 40:09 quotes, and then sit down. Pull out your study guide, 'cause I want you to get these 40:13 three. You'll take them home, you can brood over them later. 40:16 Open your Bible to promise number one from the Lord Jesus himself. 40:19 We're talking about Matthew 16. Open your Bible to Matthew 16. Take a look. 40:25 Jesus speaking, red-letter words. Watch this. 40:29 Matthew 16:18 -- "And I tell you," Jesus speaking, "that you are Peter." 40:33 So he's talking to Peter. "And on this rock," but now he points at himself. 40:37 Peter's name means "rock," but this is a different form of rock in the Greek. 40:41 And he says, "On this rock," he points to himself, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell 40:48 will not overcome it." Would you write that down in your study guide, please? 40:51 "I will build my church." The church has one builder. It is not I. 40:57 It is not you. It is not the theological seminary. 41:01 It is not the leadership gathered in Battle Creek today. The church has one builder, and 41:05 the builder is the one who says, "I will build my church." We have nothing to fear for the 41:10 future of this church, because we know the builder. What are you thinking? 41:15 That he used a shoddy material? He wasn't clever enough? He wasn't bright enough and he 41:20 put the wrong human mixture together? Are you crazy? 41:24 You think the devil has the brawn and the brains to take down God's creation that He has 41:31 built? "I will build my church." He's the builder. 41:36 We can rest secure in that assurance. Promise number two -- jot it 41:39 down, please. Promise number two, also the words of Jesus. 41:44 Speaking through Paul. Find Acts 20. Paul has gathered on the shore 41:50 with the elders from the fledgling church plant in Ephesus. 41:55 He can't even get into the city. It's two hours away. He's got to -- 41:58 They came to meet him because he's hurrying to Jerusalem. This is Acts 20. 42:02 Drop down to verse 28. Paul's speaking now. Watch this. 42:05 He says, "Keep watch..." 42:07 This is verse 28. "Keep watch over yourselves and 42:09 all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you 42:13 overseers." I see Brian and Becky out there, 42:15 and we're gonna have an ordination for elders next week. 42:18 And deacons, as well. Paul's saying, "Hey, elders, 42:21 church leaders, deacons..." "Keep watch over yourselves and 42:24 all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you 42:27 overseers." Now here it comes. 42:28 "Be shepherds of the church which He..." 42:30 Did what? "He bought with His own blood." 42:34 Would you write that down, please? 42:36 Jesus not only declares, "I will build my church." He declares to us today, "I have 42:40 bought my church." Lord, how did you -- What currency did you use? 42:44 The crimson currency of Calvary. It's clear. It's his blood. 42:48 "I have bought this church. It is a blood-bought movement. Nail-scarred hands today. 42:57 This movement, His church will be blood-bought for eternity. I will build my church. 43:05 I have bought my church." And so, the naysayers -- and I've got some friends who are -- 43:11 and the doomsayers. And those who fret and worry that somehow we can't have 43:16 absolute confidence and quiet assurance in the security and longevity of the church that 43:20 Christ has built and bought. I beg to differ with you. Because he has built it and 43:25 bought it, that is our security, that is our quiet assurance. Carry the light. 43:30 Chuck and Julie sang their hearts out a moment. Carry the light. 43:34 You can't carry the light if everybody's one little candle, running around, lost in the 43:37 dark. You have to have the movement, and the church of Christ in the 43:42 New Testament is a continuation of the community of Israel in the Old, and God has always had 43:47 a community, and He will have a church that goes through to the very bitter end. 43:53 Get off this worry and anxiety bit. Tell your friends to take a 43:57 chill pill. God is not gonna lose the church. 44:02 And I'm speaking to those of you who are young. Because the temptation now when 44:05 you're young is, "I have no roots in the church, so not a big deal to me. 44:08 I could walk out tomorrow." I suppose you could. But this church is built on the 44:13 blood and the bones of the apostles and every generation that has followed it since. 44:20 This church is going through, because it's Christ's church. "I will build my church. 44:26 I have bought my church." Promise number three. Final promise. 44:29 Jot it down. Ephesians 5. Take a look. 44:34 Just go a few more pages. Oh, look at his assurance embedded in these words. 44:38 Ephesians 5. Familiar words in verse 25, but we'll get beyond 25. 44:44 Watch this. 44:52 Keep reading. 45:08 "I will build my church, I have bought my church --" jot it down now -- "and I will bring my 45:13 church to be with me." For all eternity. You say, "Dwight, where's he 45:20 gonna bring this church?" Come on. Where do you think he's gonna 45:23 take his bride? It's called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 45:27 The church -- He's gonna bring the church into eternity. You know, I've been reading the 45:32 Book of Revelation for my personal worships in the morning for the last month, I suppose. 45:38 A friend of mine gave me -- You know, the ESV has it. I got to tell you about this. 45:41 The ESV has come out with every book of the Bible in a journal. So he gave me Revelation and 45:46 John. And here's how it works. So, you open the -- 45:49 Little black covers, all of them. You open the journal up. 45:52 On this side, on the left side, is the ESV text. On this side is blank lined 45:58 paper, and you can go line by line, is what I'm doing. Line by line through the 46:03 Book of Revelation and just respond and react and ruminate. Brood over it. 46:08 Our pastoral staff, we all have them now, these little black Revelation journals, and we're 46:12 doing it for staff worships every Monday afternoon. 46:15 But I'll tell you what. And by the way, I'm using my 46:18 friend Ranko Stefanovic's commentary on the 46:20 Book of Revelation, so I'm reading that in tandem with the 46:23 Apocalypse. Here are two mighty points that 46:27 you cannot -- you cannot -- shut up when you read Revelation. 46:32 Point number one. No matter -- No matter -- 46:41 what the dragon -- that would be Satan -- and his two 46:44 confederates -- that would be the sea beast and the earth 46:46 beast. 46:47 No matter what the Satanic confederacy does at the end of time, in its efforts, in its 46:55 coalition to seize control of the entire human race... When you read the 47:01 Book of Revelation, I'm telling you what. One point. 47:05 Mighty point number one is that Christ, our Lord, triumphs spectacularly not only in the 47:11 beginning, not only in the middle, but he triumphs in the end. 47:16 He wins. Just in case you haven't read the Book of Revelation lately, 47:20 let me just read this to you. Let me just say this to you. He wins. 47:25 Number one, mighty point -- he wins. He comes riding back, his robe 47:29 dipped in blood, on that white stallion. He wins. 47:33 The Satanic trinity obliterated. That's mighty point number one. But a corollary to it is mighty 47:39 point number two, and that is that the church of Christ Jesus, battered and bruised and 47:44 bloodied, though she has been -- and I'm learning now -- she will yet be the church of 47:49 Christ Jesus, the remnant seed of the woman, against whom the dragon is enraged and seeks to 47:53 destroy the church of Christ Jesus, the remnant of the woman. 47:58 She also wins in the end. She wins when she stands beside her lord and savior. 48:06 He wins, and in his win, she wins. So, all this consternation, all 48:12 this wringing of the hands and all the websites that are popping up, "Oh, this is it! 48:16 It's all over in Battle Creek!" Forget it, forget it. I don't know how Battle Creek 48:20 will turn out. And neither do you. But what I do know, three short 48:26 promises from the Lord Jesus himself. And guess what -- the church 48:31 survives. Two quotations, then I'll sit down. 48:37 Quotation number one, put it on the screen, please. A little over a century ago, the 48:43 American writer Ellen White wrote these words. You see them there. 48:51 So, we're talking about a 2,000-year history now -- two millennia -- the church, 48:54 throughout the span of Christianity. "The church has been as a city 48:57 set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, the pure 49:01 doctrines of heaven have been unfolding within its borders." All through history. 49:05 Now here comes a line. "Enfeebled and defective as the church may appear right now --" 49:11 pretty weak, pretty enfeebled, huh? -- "the church still is --" read this -- "the church is the 49:17 one object upon which God bestows in a special sense His supreme regard." 49:23 There's no higher word than "supreme." You don't have "supremer" and 49:27 "supremest." It's just "supreme." There's one object on this 49:32 planet -- one object on this planet -- belting the planet in every time zone of Earth. 49:36 There is a church, and that church is the only object upon which God pours his supreme 49:42 regard. I'm not worried about the church. 49:46 Somehow God is caught napping? The enemy destroys the church? You kidding? 49:55 "Yeah, but, Dwight, isn't there something about the church falling?" 49:58 Oh, you're talking about this one. Let me put the second one on the 50:00 screen. Oh, it's true -- same author once more on the screen. 50:05 You see the words. "The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall." 50:14 So, come on, members of the church all over this campus, members of the church all over 50:21 the planet watching right now. Take hope. It may appear that it will fall. 50:28 It will not. I have three promises, and I'm betting on all three promises. 50:34 For the longevity and the security of the church to the very end of time. 50:38 To the end of time. So, anybody comes to you and says, "Hey, girl, you need to 50:42 leave this place." [ Fingers click ] "Get out of here. 50:44 Come on. You don't need the church. Rubbish." 50:48 You need the church more than the church needs you. Because it's going through. 50:52 Now, I may get booted out. Paul says, "Every day --" Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9, 50:57 "Every day, I just have to pummel my body, because after preaching and teaching to 51:01 everybody else, I could get lost if I lose my focus. I will build my church, I have 51:09 bought my church, I will bring my church home with me one day." The church is not -- 51:13 How could -- How could you bring home what's not there? The church is not gonna fall. 51:19 Take heart, take courage. 51:21 But keep reading the sentence. "The church may appear as about 51:23 to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in 51:27 Zion will be sifted out." If I'm not hanging on to Jesus, 51:31 adios. "The chaff will be separated 51:33 from the previous wheat. There's one more sentence. 51:35 I'm not leaving it out. 51:41 So, something's coming. 51:43 Something's coming that will be a terrible ordeal. Well, if you read the 51:47 Book of Revelation and you understand that the confederacy that ruled during the Dark, 51:51 Dark Ages, Middle Ages, will also resurge at the end of time. Then you can you can understand 51:56 that what was bloody once will be bloody again. I understand that part. 52:00 But, apparently, churches are like vineyards. Churches have to be pruned. 52:08 And so God would allow his church, his bride -- ouch! ouch! ouch! 52:14 Remember we've been talking about pruning with the vineyard? 52:17 God will allow his church to be pruned. 52:20 It'll look like this baby's going down. 52:22 It's adios time. No, no. 52:25 She will not go down. Stay with it. 52:29 Stay with Him. You know why it works this way? 52:35 Because the Devil is ticked off to high heavens. 52:39 The problem is, he can't get up to high heavens and get at the 52:42 head. So instead of attacking the 52:44 head, you know what he attacks? The body. 52:46 The church is the body of Christ. 52:48 Revelation 12:17 -- "And the dragon was enraged with a woman and went to -- went off to 52:54 make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of 52:58 Jesus." That's the deal. You think he's gonna sit around 53:01 and twiddle this thumb the closer we come to the end of time? 53:04 He can feel it. He reads. "No, you turn on the church, and 53:09 I'll destroy this. I will destroy them!" Sorry. 53:14 You've been trying for 2,000 years, and you have failed, because Jesus promised 53:18 us, "I will build my church, I have bought my church, I will bring my church to be with me. 53:23 Where I am, there you may be, also. I will bring my church home. 53:27 Hallelujah. What do yo say? Hallelujah! 53:31 Praise God. So, keep praying for Battle Creek. 53:34 We're gonna pray right now. Keep praying for Battle Creek. That's tomorrow. 53:36 The big discussion is tomorrow. Keep praying. Keep praying. 53:41 I'm not worried, though. Don't you go getting all fretty and angstsy. 53:47 [ Scoffs ] Quiet confidence in the Christ who is lord of our church. 53:53 Quiet confidence. But we must pray. Karen and I are late Wednesday 53:57 night. We got Ted Wilson on our little -- my little phone, 54:02 smartphone. And we watched it -- 12 minutes long -- as he opens up his 54:06 heart. And he appeals to the world church. 54:09 This is our world church president. He appeals to the world church, 54:12 "Would you please, from this Sabbath to the next Sabbath, would you be praying for God to 54:17 intervene in the very human process?" I thought to myself, "Good for 54:21 you. What could be more powerful than the people of God banding 54:24 together, uniting together, and pleading with him to do whatever it takes, keep the enemy at bay, 54:30 hold off that dragon, hold him off, and let your church that you bought with your blood, that 54:35 you built with your own hands, and that you will bring home one day -- let the church go through 54:41 to the end with you, Jesus. Come on. What's so wrong with that? 54:47 Gonna invite you to kneel. Let's pray. Let's pray for the church. 54:51 Let's pray for Battle Creek right now. 55:00 Oh, God, lord of the church... head of the body... cornerstone, foundation... 55:13 Lord Jesus... bridegroom of the bride... builder. 55:21 Oh, God. We bow before you now. We cannot control the events 55:28 around us, not on the planet, not in the church. But we can pray, and we are 55:35 praying earnestly right now that you will descend upon that gathering of leaders in 55:39 Battle Creek, and you will do what only you can do. Walls will come down. 55:46 Hearts will be united. And a decision will be made to advance your kingdom on Earth 55:52 through the humble church. Weak and enfeebled though we are -- we don't just appear it, 55:59 we are -- oh, God, please, do whatever it takes. We believe Jesus. 56:07 "I will build my church." We believe Christ. "I have bought my church." 56:12 We believe our soon-coming savior. "I will bring my church back 56:17 to me." So, give us hope, give us confidence, and a holy boldness 56:25 to assure our friends and neighbors, hang on. Hold on to Jesus. 56:31 He wins, and the church wins standing beside him on that day. And on that day, oh, God, may 56:40 not one person bowed before you right now, may not one person anywhere on the planet where 56:46 this signal is going right now, may not one person be missing. For that marriage supper, that 56:54 homecoming of all homecomings. In the name of Jesus, we humbly ask. 56:59 Amen. Amen. 57:06 >> We've been really blessed by the financial support that comes 57:08 from our viewers, and we've made a conscious decision not to 57:12 continually appeal to you for that support. 57:15 The fact is, as everyone in the industry will tell you, we're 57:18 needing to make constant upgrades to our technology. 57:21 So if God has blessed you and you'd like to further the work 57:23 of this ministry, we invite you to partner with us. 57:26 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:29 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission of blessing your 57:32 community and our world. You can donate on our website, 57:35 newperceptions.tv. Or call the number. 57:38 You know the number -- 877-HIS-WILL. 57:41 Again, that number is 877 -- the two words "HIS-WILL." 57:45 And may the God who has blessed you continue to pour into your 57:48 life the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:51 Thank you. 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Revised 2018-10-19