3ABN On the Road

The Rebelution

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Jeffrey Rosario

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Series Code: OTR

Program Code: OTR000991


01:14 Lily of the Valley, let Your sweet aroma fill my life.
01:29 Rose of Sharon, show me how to
01:33 grow in beauty in God's sight.
01:44 And Fairest of Ten Thousand,
01:48 make me a reflection of Your light.
01:59 Daystar shine down on me,
02:02 let Your love shine thru me in the night.
02:13 Lead me Lord, I'll follow.
02:17 Anywhere you open up the door
02:28 Let your word speak to me,
02:31 show me what I've never seen before
02:42 Lord I want to be your witness,
02:47 you can take what's wrong and make it right
02:57 Daystar shine down on me,
03:01 let your love shine through me in the night.
03:11 Lord I see a world that's dying,
03:16 wounded by the Master of Deceit.
03:25 And it's Groping in the darkness,
03:31 haunted by the years of past defeat.
03:40 Then I see you standing near me Lord,
03:45 shining with compassion in Your eyes.
03:55 Daystar shine down on me,
03:59 let Your love shine through me in the night.
04:10 Lead me Lord, I'll follow.
04:14 Anywhere you open up the door
04:25 Let your word speak to me,
04:28 show me what I've never seen before
04:38 Oh Lord I want to be your witness;
04:43 you can take what's wrong and make it right
04:54 Daystar shine down on me,
04:57 let your love shine through me in the night.
05:09 Daystar shine down on me,
05:12 let your love shine through me in the night.
05:25 Jesus, shine down on me,
05:30 let Your love shine through me in the night.
06:01 Good evening. You know I am so blessed
06:06 by young people, and it's such a privilege
06:09 to have them in our church,
06:14 they're our future aren't they? Yes.
06:17 So let's make sure that we give them every
06:19 opportunity in our home churches to work.
06:23 Tonight, I have the very special privilege
06:27 of introducing our speaker, and he is a young man
06:32 and at the young of 17 he decided that he loved
06:37 Jesus more than world and that's rare isn't
06:44 it in this world. Jeffrey Rosario had an encounter
06:50 with the Bible when he was 17. It was really an
06:54 argument he needed to solve. He needed to win
06:58 an argument and its amazing how God uses
07:02 arguments even to bring us to him.
07:06 Well, his grandmother was a Sabbath-keeper
07:09 and he had to prove that she was right and through
07:12 that argument it brought him to the Lord.
07:15 He works today with Arise Ministries in
07:19 San Francisco Bay area, and he's reaching out
07:25 to more young people, and I know you're gonna
07:27 be blessed this evening listening to his message.
07:32 He's full of energy. He is excited to share
07:36 what's on his heart, and I just pray that
07:39 you'll be blessed, thank you.
11:48 Happy Sabbath. Happy Sabbath.
11:52 One of the things that is difficult about ASI
11:55 is you sit back there you look at the screen and
11:57 you see all these young people and they're pumped
11:59 up and they're excited about the Lord
12:01 and the one thing I hate about ASI is that when
12:03 you leave you know what I'm saying you go back
12:08 to the world, to the real world and you wish
12:10 that what you saw on stage here was represented
12:14 everywhere in the worldwide Church.
12:16 Can you say amen to that? Amen.
12:18 So I am sitting back, I'm listening to these
12:20 testimonies, and I am thinking
12:22 wow praise the Lord. But if only we can see
12:25 this stuff at a grand scale everywhere,
12:29 in every country, in every major city in this world
12:34 we wouldn't be here, amen. Amen.
12:36 We would be playing our harps in heaven.
12:39 We would be done, this thing would be over.
12:41 We would never have to come to another ASI
12:42 Convention again, amen. Amen.
12:45 Its kind of a weird amen right,
12:50 I would like to have a prayer with you before
12:51 we start and got some stuff boiling in my heart
12:55 and I wanna ask the Holy Spirit to make our time
12:57 together meaningful. I am gonna kneel;
13:00 I would like you folks to remain seated and just
13:01 bow your heads with me. Father in heaven,
13:05 thank you for this amazing privilege to witness
13:10 everything we witness here tonight. Father,
13:13 I just pray that some how some way through
13:17 the foolishness of preaching that you would
13:19 say something tonight that would open our eyes,
13:22 that would help us to see what you're seeing,
13:25 when you look down. Lord help us to see the
13:29 potential that you see in your church.
13:33 Help us to see the urgency,
13:35 the possibilities that you see with an entire
13:39 generation of young Seventh Day Adventists.
13:43 I pray for the Spirit to be with us here,
13:46 to interpret these words and we would all be
13:50 students and that you would be really the one who
13:53 is teaching us. We pray that you would lift
13:56 the curtain and give us a glimpse of our Lord.
13:59 In Jesus we thank you and we pray amen.
14:03 So our theme is inspired to finish strong and
14:07 as I was thinking about the theme,
14:09 I was looking at the picture, how many
14:11 of you seen the picture in that little brochure,
14:12 and it has a picture of a runner right running
14:15 a race and I was thinking of, oh thanks.
14:19 I was thinking in a sense the way that you finish
14:25 a race has a lot to do with the way that you,
14:27 what everybody start the race.
14:29 Recently I listened to my wife and I agreed
14:32 to run a 10 kilometer race and I noticed that
14:38 my attitude walking in to this race had a lot
14:42 to do with, with what happened after
14:44 the finish line, amen. So the way you finish
14:46 a race has a lot to do with the way that you
14:48 start a race and so as I was thinking about the
14:51 theme I was thinking well how can we be inspired
14:55 to finish strong. I mean you know what a raw,
14:58 raw sermon to pump everyone up and to
15:01 emotionally excite us is that gonna do it,
15:04 what is going to inspire an entire generation
15:07 of Adventists to finish strong,
15:10 and I thought to myself well what if that theory
15:14 were true then perhaps as we're thinking
15:17 of how this movement is going to finish strong
15:19 may be it might be helpful to think about how
15:22 this movement began the race in order to
15:26 illustrate and to demonstrate to us how
15:29 we should finish the race, does that make sense
15:30 amen. And so as I was thinking of that
15:33 I immediate thought of something very familiar
15:36 to everyone here. This movement began
15:38 with a certain caliber of young Adventists.
15:45 I was a lot more excited about that then you were.
15:49 When we read into the history books,
15:51 I'm kind of a new Adventist you guys are
15:53 older Adventists, so your excitement over this concept
15:56 should be greater than mine. When you look
15:58 at the books the way the movement began
16:01 was through a certain character of young people,
16:05 amen. That's how it began, it began strong,
16:09 we don't have time to get into all that
16:11 and many of you are more familiar with that
16:12 than I am, but it began strong.
16:14 It began with a certain caliber of young people.
16:18 And so if we're gonna finish strong.
16:23 You catch what I'm throwing. We should revisit,
16:25 we should remind ourselves of the attitude,
16:27 the mindset, the culture within the church
16:33 that was there when we began this race,
16:35 and I immediately thought of an amazing
16:37 generation of young people, and I'm sure it was a
16:40 lot smaller, it sort of a microcosm,
16:43 it was like the worldwide church in embryo
16:45 back in the early days. But what you saw there
16:48 has a powerful challenge for my generation
16:51 of young Adventists. So I am gonna be a party
16:53 pooper tonight and I'm gonna let you folks know
16:57 that we are living in a crises and you already
16:59 knew that can you say amen to that. Amen.
17:01 My generation of Adventists are living
17:05 in a very weird time in history.
17:09 For example there are some statistics that
17:12 I've being reading, and I wanna share them
17:14 with you in one book why our teenagers leave
17:17 the Church. Here's what I found, there is
17:20 50 percent chance that a teenager who gets
17:23 baptized in his or her mid teens will leave the
17:26 Adventist Church completely by the time
17:28 he or she is 25 years old. 50 percent chance,
17:35 here's another one from the Ministry International
17:37 Journal for Pastors. One in every five Adventist
17:40 Churches in North America doesn't have
17:43 a single child teenager or young adult.
17:47 In fact, the median age in these churches
17:49 is about 60 years old. Now that's 20 years
17:54 older than the average American.
17:59 Here's the last one because what we're seeing
18:01 in Adventism is reflected in what we're seeing
18:02 in broader sense evangelical Christianity
18:05 and this is an interesting survey.
18:08 It says according to the survey 7 in 10 young
18:10 people who attended the church regularly
18:13 in high school that's like what we saw up here
18:16 some of this young people. They stop attending by
18:19 age 23, 7 in 10 that is. Of that group 34 percent
18:27 said that they never returned to church even
18:30 occasionally by the age of 30. and now here's
18:32 a translation in English one in every four
18:35 Christian young person has left the church
18:37 for good, that's like 1, 2, 3 gone, 1, 2, 3 gone,
18:44 you with me. The Barna Research Group
18:50 has pumped out so many studies that basically
18:52 communicate this for the sake of time that
18:54 our generation of Christians and it applies
18:56 to our generation of Adventists read the Bible
18:59 less than any generation previous to us.
19:03 My generation of Adventists are less church
19:06 attenders than the previous generations before me.
19:09 My generation of Adventists spent time in prayer
19:13 less than the generations before me.
19:15 My generation of Adventists are less involved,
19:18 or my generation of Christians at large are less
19:21 involved in the Gospel missions to the generation
19:23 before me. We're living in a crises right now.
19:26 My generation of Adventists are basically
19:28 an endangered species and it's the true
19:33 is the same truth in the broader sense of
19:36 Christianity. And so there is something going
19:39 on that the norm in the church has changed
19:41 from what it used to be when we began the race.
19:44 For example here's a bit of a diagnoses from
19:47 my perspective and I think you would agree.
19:49 We are in an identity crises it's part of the problem,
19:52 that my generation of young people have lost
19:54 their sense of their identity and you see
19:57 the symptoms of that. And the pastor was
19:58 easier to make a distinction now,
20:01 my generation more or less blends in,
20:03 there's a less of the distinction,
20:05 it's harder to tell the difference.
20:08 My generation has settled for low expectations
20:10 in our personal and public life for Christ.
20:13 My generations of Christians are experiencing
20:17 a lack of a sense of our personal calling.
20:21 We see it less as something that involves us
20:25 this whole thing with the Gospel and the norm
20:29 has changed. What was norm today is different
20:32 when I pick up my book and I read the book of Acts.
20:36 When I read in the book of Acts is very different
20:38 than what I see. How many of you would agree
20:39 with that. What was norm back in
20:41 early Christianity is weird today amen.
20:45 Amen. Well, I don't know what city you're from,
20:50 but I am over there in San Francisco San Jose
20:53 Bay area and let me say that again what
20:56 I read in the book of Acts is very
20:58 different then what I see, amen. Amen.
21:01 Something has changed, the norm has changed.
21:03 In my generation it is perfectly normal,
21:07 in my culture it's perfectly normal for a young
21:10 Adventist to have a weak knowledge of the Bible,
21:11 perfectly normal for a young Adventist to not be
21:14 able to defend their faith from scripture.
21:16 It's perfectly normal today for a young person
21:19 not to have prayer life, it's perfectly normal
21:21 for a young person today not to be involved
21:23 in missions, not to be evangelistically minded,
21:25 it's perfectly normal. So, if we were to rewind
21:28 time and go back to first century Christianity
21:31 and if you were to pull out a Christian from
21:33 the first century and fast forward and drop them
21:35 into our generation what would happen.
21:39 The person would freak out, amen. Amen.
21:42 They would think they're in another planet
21:45 and conversely if we were to take one of us
21:47 and rewind the time and drop us into
21:49 first century Christianity, what would happen?
21:52 We would freak out right, because we would
21:54 think we're in another planet why?
21:56 Because what was normal back, is not normal today.
21:58 What was normal back then, read the
21:59 book of Acts. It was normal for a Christian
22:01 to be walking down the side way and his shadow
22:04 touches someone and it heals them. Amen.
22:12 See you're not excited because this is not normal
22:13 to you, shame on you, it was normal back
22:18 then for Paul in Acts chapter 19 to go up
22:20 to a group of Christians and he essentially say
22:23 have you have been filled with the Holy Ghost,
22:25 and they're like what? And Paul is like huh,
22:30 in another words he's like what you mean by huh,
22:32 you haven't been filled with the Spirit.
22:35 In another words it reveals that to Paul to run
22:37 into an Adventist who has not been filled with the
22:40 Holy Spirit is weird thing. Are you following what
22:43 I'm saying? Yes. If I walked up to you after
22:45 this seminar said brother, sister,
22:46 have you been filled with the Holy Ghost.
22:49 What would you say? You would look at me
22:51 like I'm a nut, wouldn't you? Because they don't
22:53 normally ask you that type of stuff in church right,
22:56 it's weird, are you with me yes or no. Yes.
23:00 We are in a situation where the culture not only
23:05 in society but within the church is something
23:08 drastically different than what we see in
23:10 scripture okay. And this occasions a radical call,
23:16 a radical call to our generation and that call
23:21 is pretty simple. The Bible is calling us to be
23:25 rebellious and some of you parents are freaking out
23:30 right now because your kids are in here.
23:32 But listen to what I am saying.
23:33 The Bible is calling our generation to be rebellious,
23:38 okay. Open your Bible quickly to Romans chapter 12
23:40 because the clock is ticking really quick here.
23:42 Romans chapter 12 and when you get there
23:44 can you say Hallelujah for me. Hallelujah.
23:51 Or maybe you didn't bring your Bible because
23:52 you figured this was a youth night and maybe
23:54 we're not gonna need our Bibles.
23:57 Which means that to you it's not normal
23:58 for young people to use the Bible, shame on you,
24:02 I'm just kidding. Say Amen when you get
24:04 to Romans chapter 12. Amen.
24:06 Here I am, here I am verse 2.
24:10 And do not be what does your Bible say?
24:13 Conformed, okay. Don't be conformed to this what?
24:17 To this world. To this world, but what?
24:20 Be transformed by the renewing of your
24:22 mind that you may prove what is a good,
24:24 and acceptable, and perfect will of God, right.
24:26 So, here's the question the Bible there Paul
24:28 is writing to a group of Christian that lived where?
24:33 They live in Rome yeah and he's telling them
24:36 do not conform to this world. Now,
24:38 what does he mean by this world?
24:42 He's obviously not talking about the physical sphere
24:44 of the planet, right, don't be conformed to the.
24:47 No, he's talking about something else right.
24:49 Don't be conformed to this world,
24:51 what is he talking about? Don't be conformed with,
24:55 with, with, with the culture of your generation,
24:58 am I allowed to say that, don't be conformed with
25:00 mindset right of the world in which you live.
25:04 Don't be conformed with the standards,
25:06 with the philosophies, with the perspective of
25:10 the generation in which you live right.
25:13 Do not be conformed, in another words he
25:16 is calling for nonconformists.
25:18 Now what's another word for a nonconformist,
25:22 a rebel, amen. Amen. It's not illegal to say
25:26 rebel in church is it? The Bible is calling for
25:29 a revolution right. He's calling for a generation
25:32 of people to rebel, right. And so I wanna say,
25:36 I wanna suggest the message we should be
25:39 communicating to our young people is a message
25:41 that says rebel, right. But obviously we're not asking
25:45 them to rebel. The Bible is not asking us to rebel
25:47 against authority, against institution per say,
25:50 it's asking us to rebel against a certain mindset
25:53 in our generation, are you with me yes or no. Yes.
25:56 And here's what the Phillips translation says:
25:57 Don't let the world around you squeeze you
25:59 into its mold, but let God mold your minds from
26:04 within, so that you may prove and practice the
26:06 plan of God for you that is good. That it meets
26:10 all his demands and it moves towards the goal
26:13 of true maturity. So here we have a concept
26:17 in scripture where early Christians were expected
26:22 to be rebellious against the certain culture
26:25 in their generation, are you with me yes or no?
26:28 Matter of fact if you are not convinced yet when
26:32 you look at the sermon into the Pentecost
26:35 when Peter is preaching. After he preaches his
26:38 fiery sermon and he gets to the end of his
26:40 sermon and remember he makes that amazing
26:42 appeal and before these people jump into the
26:44 baptismal tank. Peter says one last think
26:47 I don't know if you remember what he said
26:49 I just gonna quote here very quickly for the sake
26:51 of time but he says this in verse 40 chapter
26:53 2 of Acts. He says and with many other words
26:56 Peter testified and exhorted them saying save
26:59 yourselves from this perverse generation.
27:04 There was a week in standing between the
27:06 Baptismal candidate or the Baptismal tank and before
27:09 that guy jumped in, in early Christianity
27:11 he understood one thing when you get in there
27:13 you're making a statement that your life
27:15 will go counterculture, you with me. Yes.
27:19 Your life is going to have to go against the current
27:22 of your generation, so the current of our generation,
27:26 the flavor of Christianity in the modern world is
27:30 reflecting these statistics that we read.
27:34 The culture today expects very little from young
27:37 people, amen. The culture today stupefies young
27:42 people's progress to the maturity, okay.
27:46 I'm gonna sort of attempt to illustrate this here a
27:48 little more. Our generation has been identified
27:54 as a unique generation because we're the first
27:56 people ever in history to identify the group of people
28:01 from age about 12 to about 20 something
28:04 as adolescence, as teenagers. We're unique,
28:13 this is something new. When you look at history
28:16 there was no such thing. There's this segment
28:19 in society today that consists of these people
28:23 called adolescents, what is that? This is a new
28:29 modern concept. It is 20th century western inventions,
28:35 are you aware of that. And this myth that has
28:40 been introduced into our modern society
28:42 has directly effected the progress of Christianity
28:47 and specifically for tonight the progress of Adventism.
28:52 I believe this with all of my heart.
28:54 This segment of adolescence basically says that
28:56 an individual is not a child but that individual is not
29:00 an adult either, are you with me.
29:04 But in previous generations and in other cultures
29:07 there was always two, two periods into
29:10 development in a persons life. There was childhood,
29:13 and then there was adulthood.
29:15 But we have inserted an extra segment within
29:19 society and we called that adolescence.
29:23 Now two historians wrote this book called America
29:27 in so many words. I want you to listen with me
29:29 carefully, this sort of summary of what happened
29:34 "In the first part of the twentieth century,
29:38 we made a startling discovery.
29:42 There were teenagers among us! Until then,
29:47 we had thought of people in just two stages,
29:50 children and adults. And while childhood might
29:54 have its tender moments, the goal of the child
29:58 was to grow up as promptly as possible in order
30:00 to enjoy the opportunities and shoulder the
30:02 responsibilities of an adult. The girl became the
30:06 woman, the boy became the man.
30:08 It was as simple and significant as that.
30:11 But the reforms of the early twentieth century
30:13 with labor and mandating education through high
30:16 school, it lengthened the pre-adult years.
30:21 In earlier times, a person reaching adult size at age
30:24 thirteen or fourteen was ready to do adult work.
30:29 Now adult size was achieved as soon as ever,
30:32 but preparation for adult responsibilities was delayed.
30:37 Thus the years ending in teens became something
30:40 new and distinctive. The teenager remade our world.
30:46 The concept is subversive: why should any teenager
30:48 enjoying freedom submit to the authority of adults?
30:52 With the discovery of this new age,
30:54 ours has been the century of the teenager ever since.
30:57 You guys can look this up for yourself but many
31:00 authors are now discovering this, they are commenting
31:03 on what has happened in society.
31:06 This is a new invention and it has directly affected
31:10 the caliber of young people that exist in our generation.
31:14 They have been delayed in their progress and their
31:17 development because of certain assumptions
31:20 that have been placed upon them,
31:22 certain expectations that they are surrounded
31:24 with and these are the low expectations of the culture
31:28 in which we live, and though it didn't start
31:30 in the Church, these assumptions,
31:32 these convention that exist have penetrated
31:35 into the mindset in the church and we see it now
31:38 reflected among our young Adventist people.
31:44 German historian Friedrich Heer says this.
31:47 Around the year 1800 he is about to give the picture
31:49 of what was life like around 1800 for a young person.
31:54 Young people of both sexes could reckon on being
31:56 considered adults as soon as the outward signs
31:58 of puberty made their appearance.
32:01 Girls attained marriageable age around in their
32:03 teens 15, 16, boys could join the Prussian army
32:07 as officer cadets at the age of fifteen.
32:10 Among the upper classes entry to university or
32:12 to profession was possible at the age of fifteen
32:16 or sixteen. Now some of you must be freaking out.
32:21 How many you can imagine your 15 year old ready
32:23 for marriage. There's a radical father in the back
32:30 somewhere. How many of you can imagine your child
32:35 of 16 years old ready for university level schooling,
32:38 anybody. If you press rewind just little bit that
32:44 would have been, what's the word folks normal.
32:49 What has happened, something's happened
32:53 it's change radically the caliber of young people
32:57 in our world. You might say well our teenagers
32:59 are way too immature to marry and so forth,
33:01 you're crazy? Yeah, yeah it is crazy, it's nuts,
33:08 it's insane. But that's what, that's what,
33:11 that's what it is, that's what the book say.
33:16 And this concept is not biblical,
33:19 because when we look at scripture we see that
33:22 the perspective of scripture on the life of a young
33:25 person is different than our perspective, okay.
33:28 I'm gonna suggest to you that when you look at
33:30 the scripture you don't find this concept of adolescence.
33:35 You don't find this concept there.
33:37 You don't find the progress through life as a child
33:42 then there's like a period of like a decade when
33:46 they're not in childhood and they're not in adult
33:47 and they jumped into adulthood. I don't find that
33:50 there, I'm very interested if anybody out there does.
33:53 Someone has noted that there's really three
33:55 main sections. There's two really childhood and
33:58 adulthood, but you can break that down into
33:59 three steps. The three steps look like basically
34:02 childhood, young adulthood and then senior adulthood
34:06 and somebody pointed out that from infancy
34:09 to about age 12 is what biblically speaking we would
34:13 call a child. From about age 12, 13 to about age 30
34:19 we would call a young adult,
34:21 and from about age 30 onward we would call them
34:26 a senior adult, not in the senior sense that
34:29 we think today. But listen to this,
34:32 I don't know if someone here is already thinking
34:34 but does that sound familiar anyway to you,
34:38 because when you look at the book of Luke
34:39 that's exactly what you see and if Jesus isn't
34:42 anyway the example of what it's means to be
34:44 a complete human, does that principle applied
34:47 to in the development of a person from childhood
34:49 to adulthood, no. When I read the book of Luke
34:55 I see something interesting there is a 1, 2,
34:57 3 step yeah. In the book of Luke Jesus pops
35:01 his head in right, in chapter 2 he's born okay
35:07 he is in the stage of infancy there,
35:09 and then he pops back out, you don't hear from him.
35:12 Then he pops back in and how old is he
35:13 Bible students, he's 12 years old,
35:19 and then he pops back out, he disappears and then
35:23 pops back in Luke chapter 3 is it, how old he is now?
35:27 He's 30 now here's the interesting thing when
35:30 he pops in at age 12 he pops in for a specific
35:35 reason because the Bible seems to suggest to us
35:37 that when Jesus pops in at age 12 he's coming
35:40 to terms with some serious stuff in his life, amen.
35:44 He's realizing wait a second I get the impression
35:49 that I'm like the son of God remember that.
35:52 And we find him at 12 years old what
35:54 is he a crazy rebellious anti-authority,
35:59 anti-parents, young person of course not you see
36:02 him in the temple, what is he doing?
36:03 He's debating with the theologians and Ellen White
36:06 says that his questions are deeper than the
36:09 answers that they're giving him.
36:12 You find the caliber there, right and then he
36:13 pops back out he goes back home.
36:16 But he goes back home please not as an
36:19 adolescent immature little kid. He goes back home
36:21 as a young adult. Then when you pops back
36:23 in he launches into his senior adulthood,
36:27 into his ministry, you follow what I'm saying.
36:30 I see that in scripture and I wonder why is it that
36:34 the Bible didn't insert there another thing
36:37 another glimpse of Jesus in his teen years.
36:40 I am not a Prophet I can't tell you but I wonder
36:43 if it's probably trying to communicate
36:46 something there. Now you remember that text
36:47 in 1st Corinthians chapter 13 I need to move here.
36:50 In 1st Corinthians chapter 13 I won't you take you
36:52 there but you remember when Paul says this
36:54 thing in verse 11 he says, help me quote it,
36:56 when I was a child I spoke as a child,
37:00 I thought as a child, then I understood as a child.
37:04 But when I became a teenager,
37:08 when I become an adolescent what did he say?
37:13 When I became what? A man, I wish Paul was here
37:19 and I wish someone would walk him and say,
37:21 Paul, beautiful verse, beautiful poetic
37:23 and everything but what was it like when you were
37:26 an adolescent and Paul would be like huh!
37:31 You know like an adolescent,
37:32 like a teenager, an adolescent and
37:33 he'd be like what's that, he would look at
37:38 you like you're crazy. Are you guys,
37:40 are you guys picking up what I'm laying down.
37:43 He would look at you like you're crazy because
37:44 you are crazy, right. It's something is wrong with
37:49 what's going on in my generation,
37:52 something is wrong, right. Your child you become
37:57 a man, you become a woman and when someone
38:01 is told that, they began to scratch their head
38:04 and they think well maybe I should probably live
38:06 like a man or like a woman and not like a child,
38:11 are you with me. I just spend so much time
38:13 in this but I'm kind passionate about
38:15 this new discovery. If you go to booth,
38:17 go to booth 505, you talk to that pastor from
38:20 Jerusalem, and he'll tell you that to this day
38:23 the Jews in Jerusalem in the Adventist Church,
38:25 when a young man turns 12 they do the ceremony
38:29 what's this thing called, can someone tell me,
38:30 Bar Mitzvah or something like that.
38:34 Forgive me brother if I slaughtered that,
38:36 and he basically says that's the time in life when
38:39 this young man goes to the ceremony and it's a sort
38:41 of a like a subliminal message welcome to
38:44 manhood brother, welcome to manhood, amen, amen.
38:49 And you see it taking place in Jesus there's another
38:51 crazy verse in the Lamentations chapter
38:52 3 verse 27. It says something like this,
38:54 he says Jeremiah he says it is good for a man
39:00 that he bear the yoke, can anybody finish that
39:04 in his youth. Read it for yourself, Lamentations
39:07 3:27 it is good for a man to bear the yoke
39:10 in his youth and I read that early and I scratch
39:12 my head. Jeremiah, beautiful verse but make
39:16 up your mind, are you talking about manhood or
39:18 are you talking about youth, which one?
39:19 Jeremiah says I've made up my mind,
39:23 I'm talking about both because biblically speaking
39:26 when you look at a youth you're looking at what?
39:30 Looking at manhood, amen, but you're looking
39:32 at an young adult, a young man and that has
39:36 certain implications in it, that's packed,
39:40 it's pregnant with ingredients that when
39:42 someone of a young age receives that and
39:45 believes that, it will impact the way that
39:47 individual lives their life. And in turn it would
39:50 impact the caliber, the culture that we see in our
39:53 Church, okay. I need to close with this passage.
39:56 The Holy Spirit managed to slip into the
40:00 New Testament two documents that were
40:01 specifically addressed to a young man,
40:05 we have the letters to Timothy right.
40:08 Now here's what I, here's why I think those
40:10 letters are significant because the letters to
40:12 Timothy being addressed to a young man
40:15 contain information that is representative of how
40:19 God feels about young people, you with me.
40:23 So, what God tells through the Holy Spirit
40:24 via Paul to Timothy is representative of what God
40:28 would tell young people of my generation.
40:30 Can you give me that much yes or no.
40:32 Okay so First Timothy chapter 4 and you're
40:35 familiar with this passage but listen to what
40:36 it says. Verse 12 it says: Let no one despise
40:41 your youth. Don't let anybody underestimate
40:48 you because you're a young man or a young woman,
40:50 that's the translation for you.
40:53 Now here's the weird thing, before the sermon
40:56 I read through the two letters of Timothy
40:57 carefully and you know what I discovered
41:00 that Paul left something out in those letters.
41:03 You wanna know what he left out?
41:05 He left out excessive flattery for Timothy,
41:10 he forget to tell Timothy, Timothy,
41:12 this is amazing you're so young and you're so
41:15 devoted to Jesus this is amazing,
41:17 I'm so thankful for you. I'm like Paul you
41:21 left out kissing up to Timothy because
41:23 he's so young and yet so spiritual.
41:29 And I wonder if Timothy would say you know
41:30 Jeffery you're crazy because Timothy being
41:34 a young man is expected to be a great
41:37 young Christian. Amen. There is nothing
41:40 abnormal about that, that should be what's
41:44 my word everyone? Normal, amen.
41:47 Okay so anyways. So he says here Timothy,
41:52 don't let anyone despise your youth.
41:54 In another words, don't let anyone underestimate
41:55 you because of your age, don't buy in
42:00 to the culture around you that has low expectations
42:03 about what you're capable of.
42:07 I don't know that, that's what I see and then
42:09 he adds another thing to it. He has another edge
42:11 another blade to it, he says but be an example,
42:15 so here's the thing with that. In order to be an
42:18 example towards other people, the implication
42:22 there is that I have to be at a higher level than who?
42:26 The other people if someone's gonna look up
42:29 to me I kind of have to be up there right.
42:34 To be look up to, you follow what I'm saying,
42:36 so there's assumptions here in Paul's letter
42:40 to Timothy that are representative and
42:41 that to me communicate to my generation wow.
42:45 God expects greatness from our young people
42:51 and God's message to us is if you wanna finish
42:54 these things strong, then you better rewind
42:57 the tape and figure out how this whole thing
42:59 started and the way that it started was a stuff
43:02 we saw here tonight being normal, amen.
43:07 There's these two lovely ladies here from Portugal.
43:12 These two ladies from Portugal
43:13 I don't know where they are,
43:15 and they are probably tuning radio now.
43:16 But I met them in Spain and I talked to them
43:18 the other day up in the room and I said what do
43:20 you think and they said it yeah it's very different
43:23 and said what do you mean.
43:26 All these young people excited about the Bible,
43:29 and in my heart I thought oh man I'm gonna have
43:30 to break the news to her. I am gonna have to
43:33 tell you look this is not normal.
43:38 Welcome to America and I'm flattered but this
43:41 is not normal, you are with me.
43:43 Yes, yes, but it should be normal, amen,
43:46 it should be absolutely normal.
43:49 Brothers and sisters, my burden tonight
43:51 is Jesus will not come back unless we expect
43:56 greatness from our young people because of
43:57 that if that quote means anything to you at all,
44:00 remember that when an such an army
44:03 of how soon the and Jesus will come back,
44:13 if that stuff means anything at all.
44:17 Then I reckon that something radical has to
44:20 change and I am basically submitting to you
44:23 that God is calling for a radical culture revolution
44:27 within Adventism today, and that has a lot to
44:30 do with expectations that we have for them.
44:34 I'm reading this book, I have a few minutes left
44:37 I'm reading this book call The Dumbest Generation.
44:42 I am flattering you want to know what the subtitle
44:44 is or don't trust anyone under 30, that's a subtitle.
44:50 Blew me away, you know what the thesis is,
44:55 very flattering thesis. My generation is the
44:59 dumbest generation ever, since the days of like
45:05 you know Augustus and those guys.
45:10 Even the secular folks are like something's
45:15 not right here, it's a piece of the puzzle missing
45:20 here there's an ingredient, the secular people
45:22 are like what is going on and in that book there's
45:27 this pretty interesting statement I like
45:28 to read to you, and he says in page 186
45:30 of the book The Dumbest Generation he says,
45:33 "Freedom is never more than one generation
45:38 away from extinction." Ronald Reagan and then
45:42 he says, he adds to that, "a more elemental
45:46 rule maybe knowledge is never more than
45:48 one generation away from oblivion."
45:52 And we're gonna take one extra step tonight
45:54 and say Adventism is never more than one
45:58 generation away from extinction, amen.
46:03 Have you thought about that if that generation
46:05 right here if that generation is in crises
46:08 then it's kind a like a dominate there's nothing,
46:11 nothing will come after it, never is, is, is,
46:14 is Adventism more than one generation away
46:17 from extinction. Listen to these words from pen
46:20 of Ellen White. I'm gonna share two statements
46:23 with you and then we're gonna close this thing.
46:24 This first statement to me is amazing.
46:31 Here's what she says in fundamentals of Christian
46:33 education 281 I would write that down FE281 listen
46:36 to what she says. If we wish to do good to souls,
46:44 how many of you wish to do good to souls.
46:46 Okay you're with me then, our success with
46:50 these souls, how many you're wish to be
46:52 successful reaching souls? Okay, you're with me.
46:55 Our success with these souls will be in proportion
46:59 to their belief in our belief in them.
47:09 Let me do that one more time,
47:12 if we wish to do good to souls our success
47:15 with these souls, i.e., tonight our young people
47:18 will be in proportion to their belief in our belief
47:23 in them. Notice what she didn't say our proportion
47:28 that our success will be in proportion to how
47:30 much we believe in our young people.
47:32 Now why didn't she say that because that's was
47:34 nowhere near as good as what she did say,
47:37 she said our success in inspiring and motivating
47:41 and educating and leading and directing and
47:43 disciplining and everything else to our young people
47:45 will be in proportion to their belief in
47:50 our belief in them. Translation, here it is:
47:55 Are they picking up on the impression that
48:00 it's a something like wait a second,
48:04 I think my mom expects me to be an amazing Christian.
48:08 I think my dad expect me to change the world for Jesus.
48:15 I'm getting the impression Sabbath by Sabbath
48:17 that my Pastor actually thinks that I could be
48:20 instrumental in ministry. I'm getting a subtle
48:24 hint that my elders think that I have what
48:28 it takes to be in the church board.
48:31 You follow what I'm saying, our proportion,
48:35 our success will be in proportion to their belief
48:37 and our belief in them. In another words are we
48:39 convincing our generation of Adventist that they
48:42 could literally, literally usher in the second coming
48:45 of Jesus. So, I'm just, it's a simple suggestion,
48:49 let's begin to expect greatness from our
48:52 young people. I told you had two quotes for you right,
49:01 I had two quotes that was one,
49:02 here's the last one. Messages to young people
49:09 page 192, lengthier, so listen closely
49:15 "God desires us to make use of every opportunity
49:20 for securing a preparation for His work."
49:23 Now this is addressed to young people, okay.
49:26 God expects, God what everybody? Expects.
49:30 God expects us, us me my generation,
49:33 God expects us to put all our energies into its
49:37 performance and to keep our hearts alive to its
49:41 sacredness and its fearful responsibilities.
49:46 Many who are qualified to do excellent work,
49:48 accomplish little because they attempt little.
49:53 Thousands pass through life as if they had no
49:55 great object for which to live, no high standard
49:59 to reach, that sounds exactly like San Francisco,
50:02 California. One reason of this is the low estimate,
50:07 the low whatever everyone,
50:08 the low expectations you can say which
50:12 they place upon themselves.
50:16 Christ paid an infinite price for us.
50:20 And according to the price paid He desires us
50:22 to value ourselves. Our young people are worth
50:28 eternity, yes, sky is the limit and she continues
50:33 be not satisfied with reaching a low standard,
50:36 I mean this is drill over and over here.
50:39 We are not what we might be, or what it is God's
50:42 words that we should be or not.
50:45 God has given us reasoning powers,
50:46 not to remain inactive, or to be perverted to earthly
50:50 inserted persuades, but that they maybe develop
50:52 to the outmost, refined, sanctified, ennobled,
50:56 and used in advancing the interest of His kingdom.
51:00 Last line, expect what everyone expect that the
51:05 Lord will work in and by and through you.
51:11 What a message to young people, amen.
51:14 Here's a two fold expect that God expects the world
51:17 from you, or believe that God expects the world
51:20 from you and expect the world of yourself.
51:25 Now someone might be thinking wait a second
51:26 Jeffrey this doesn't not make any sense,
51:27 you got the sequence wrong, how can we expect
51:29 greatness from our young people when our young
51:31 are unconverted, and I'm with you on that.
51:34 But I wonder in many cases if they had concept
51:39 that wait a second, this is the potential
51:42 I wonder if that huge picture of God's view
51:48 of their potential would send them to their knees
51:51 and say there is no way I can pull this off.
51:53 Why are they bored, because when the expectation
51:56 is down here hey you can pull that up with your
51:58 own guts you don't need Jesus for that,
51:59 are you with me. But when you let them know
52:01 what God's thinks of them I wonder if that
52:04 won't send them to their knees and say Lord,
52:06 I need help. Brothers and sisters, my time is up,
52:10 here's the simple message.
52:12 The principle is the same with our relationship
52:14 with God. My success as a Christian in my personal
52:17 life will be in proportion to how much I believe
52:20 that God believes in me. All God is asking
52:23 for is for us to treat others as he is treating us.
52:26 So, my message is simple as I appeal to you folks
52:28 who are leaders in your churches,
52:31 you're members of the board and some
52:32 pastors here, there are people here in business,
52:37 my message is simple join me to rebel against
52:39 the low expectations that our culture has
52:42 towards our young people. Join me in this culture
52:45 revolution where we refuse to expect this notions
52:49 and we return to the biblical pattern and when
52:52 we look at our young people they get the hint,
52:56 they're expected to be great and when that takes
52:58 place I think Jesus will come,
53:00 here's a simple formula. Expect greatness
53:03 from our young people,
53:05 I'll see you in heaven, amen. Amen.
53:22 The blood of men and nations is upon us,
53:28 As the church remains distracted from the call.
53:34 The Savior's great commission still unheeded,
53:38 To take His Word of redemption unto all.
53:49 To every creature I'll preach the gospel,
53:55 In season out of season I would faithful be
54:01 This was our Savior's consuming passion
54:07 In every hour, it's still God's power,
54:13 Unto salvation for the world,
54:18 Unto all who will believe.
54:29 Oh, how then shall they hear without a preacher,
54:35 That our gracious Lord is ready to forgive?
54:40 To us it's been committed as His stewards,
54:45 That light to shine every moment that we live!
54:57 To every creature I'll preach the gospel,
55:02 In season out of season I would faithful be
55:08 This was our Savior's consuming passion
55:14 In every hour, it's still God's power,
55:21 Unto salvation for the world.
55:25 to forgive?
55:26 To us it's been committed as His stewards,
55:27 That light to shine every moment that we live!
55:28 To every creature I'll preach the gospel,


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Revised 2014-12-17