Participants:
Series Code: ASAP
Program Code: ASAP000005
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00:22 One of the wonderful privileges enjoyed by people
00:26 living in most nations of our world today 00:28 is the freedom that they have to assemble 00:31 without fear of disruption or discipline by police, 00:34 army or civil authorities. 00:38 This along with guaranteed rights of religious freedom 00:41 allows people to gather together in churches 00:43 that have been dedicated to the worship of God. 00:47 Here they can freely express their devotion 00:50 to their Creator in the form of praise, 00:53 prayer and the study of His word. 00:59 However, in many parts of our world 01:02 Christians are not as fortunate. 01:05 In the country of Vietnam, 01:07 still emerging from dark decades of communism 01:10 that controlled the lives of the people, 01:13 freedom of assembly, 01:15 worship and religion is severely restricted. 01:19 Although the constitution of Vietnam 01:21 gives lip service to the freedom of religion 01:24 and official churches are allowed 01:26 to operate in the country this is permitted 01:28 only under the strictest control and regulation. 01:32 Churches that have registered with the government 01:35 find their congregations infiltrated 01:37 at all levels with communist agents 01:40 that monitor and influence the activities of the church. 01:45 Public evangelism is forbidden 01:47 and as a result churches die. 01:51 The pews in most registered churches 01:53 in Vietnam today, lie empty. 01:56 Without the ability to evangelize 01:59 no growth can occur. 02:04 But God had a plan to reach the people of Vietnam 02:07 that bypass the control 02:09 and restrictions of a communist government. 02:11 He impressed church leaders and ASAP 02:15 to work with Isaiah Duong 02:17 an Adventist pastor in California 02:20 that had fled the country of Vietnam 02:22 as a young man at the end of the war. 02:26 They asked him to produce a radio program 02:28 that would be beamed into the country 02:29 over short wave by Adventist World Radio. 02:33 The broadcast called Peace and Happiness 02:36 radio program has now been on the air for over 12 years 02:40 and the results have been amazing. 02:44 The listening audience is estimated 02:46 to be in the millions and many thousands of people 02:49 through out the nation 02:51 now consider themselves to be Adventist Christians. 02:55 To avoid control and regulation 02:58 by the government or local authorities 03:00 Adventist members meet in small groups 03:03 at different locations in what is called 03:05 a underground house church movement. 03:13 Each Sabbath, thousands of groups 03:16 of Adventist believers gather together 03:18 secretly to worship God. 03:21 Sometimes they are able to keep 03:22 one step ahead of the local authorities 03:25 and can enjoy uninterrupted fellowship. 03:28 Other times, their worship service is overrun 03:31 by angry police and they are taken off to prison 03:35 where they are interrogated, 03:37 fined and even sometimes beaten and tortured for their faith. 03:42 Can you imagine living in a country 03:44 that does not grant you the freedom to worship? 03:47 How would it affect your faith in God 03:49 and your commitment to live the Christian life, 03:52 if you knew that going to church 03:53 might mean going to jail, being fined or even beaten. 03:57 Would you still get up every Sabbath morning and go? 04:00 As you meet some of the individuals 04:02 in this video, put yourself in their shoes, 04:05 imagine how you would feel and what you would do 04:08 if you're asked by God to take a stand for your faith. 04:12 I would like you to meet a young woman 04:14 who made the bold decision 04:16 to stand firm for God at all costs. 04:19 Hau An Bao has dedicated her life to God 04:22 and works as a youth evangelist, 04:24 sponsored by ASAP. 04:26 The Lord has been good to her, 04:28 surrounding her with new friends 04:30 that share her same passion 04:31 and convictions to replace those 04:34 she lost in her commitment to stand for Christ. 04:37 She recently experienced a testing of her faith 04:40 when she went out witnessing with some of her friends. 04:43 Before we hear her story though, 04:45 I want to explain that in an effort 04:47 to ensure the safety of our missionaries in Vietnam, 04:50 we have digitally obscured their images. 04:53 I hope you will be able to get the sense of joy 04:56 and genuine dedication these people have in Jesus 04:59 as they share the challenges that they have faced. 05:04 One of the ways that we share faith 05:06 and the message of the Sabbath 05:08 and the soon coming of Jesus 05:10 is to handout literature and DVD's 05:12 that have on them the wonderful sermons 05:14 of pastor Isaiah Duong. 05:17 One night we decided to be really bold 05:19 and stand on the steps 05:20 of one of the registered Christian churches 05:22 and pass out our DVD's to the people as they came out 05:25 from a Christmas evening service. 05:28 We were all having a lot of fun 05:30 wishing people a happy Christmas 05:32 when suddenly from out 05:33 of nowhere the police showed up. 05:37 It was clear that they were not there to hassle the people 05:40 from the registered church, they were there for us. 05:44 Immediately we stopped what we were doing 05:45 and ran into the night. 05:47 But four of us including myself were caught handcuffed 05:51 and taken into the police station. 05:54 They put us into separate rooms so that they could question us 05:57 and then see if our stories matched. 05:59 I decided that the best thing 06:01 that I could do in that moment was to pray. 06:04 God has promised to deliver us out of times of trouble 06:07 and I began to pray and ask Him to deliver my friends and I 06:11 out of the hands of these policemen. 06:13 I had no idea how He would do that. 06:16 As I was praying one of the policemen 06:18 who saw what I was doing 06:20 came and struck me on the head several times 06:22 and yelled, "stop doing that, stop doing that." 06:26 But all I could think to do was keep praying 06:28 and that is what I did. 06:30 My friends who did not get caught by the police 06:33 found each other on the streets and began praying for us. 06:37 They sent us text messages on their cell phones 06:39 to encourage us and tell us that they were praying. 06:43 The police kept us in the station 06:45 all night long keeping us separated, 06:47 interrogating us, not letting us drink water. 06:51 They accused us of distributing pornography 06:54 and tried to get us to sign statements 06:55 that we had done so, but we refused. 07:00 The next morning strengthened by prayer 07:03 and the Holy Spirit the other members of our team 07:05 decided to come down to the police station 07:08 to see if they could see us and talk to us. 07:10 But the police would not let them into the building. 07:13 They were still trying to get us 07:15 to sign these false documents. 07:17 Then something incredible happened. 07:20 The chief of police arrived at the station 07:23 and as he was about to enter the building 07:24 our friends were impressed to go up 07:26 and plead our case with him. 07:29 After they explained what had happened 07:31 and that we were being falsely charged 07:33 and that his officers were trying to get us 07:35 to sign false statements. 07:37 The chief of police went in and spoke with his men. 07:41 A few minutes later not only were we released 07:44 but the policemen gave us back the DVD's 07:46 that they had confiscated. 07:49 We couldn't believe what had happened. 07:51 Surely, God had answered our prayers 07:53 and sent deliverance 07:54 in the form of the Chief of Police. 07:57 As we came out of the building 07:59 we rejoiced with our friends 08:00 and stood in a circle right there 08:02 in front of the police station 08:04 to thank God for rescuing us from jail 08:06 just as He had the apostles long ago. 08:10 What powerful witnesses these young people are? 08:13 I wonder how eager I would be to share Christ 08:16 if I had to worry about the possibility of prosecution. 08:19 And yet that threat of prison only seems to fan the flames 08:23 of these dedicated laborers in Vietnam. 08:26 Did the images you just saw 08:27 in this video stories surprise you? 08:29 In light of how the media 08:30 now requests that Vietnam has religious freedom 08:33 you may be him yourself what is really going on there? 08:37 Pastor Isaiah Duong leader of the Seventh-day Adventist 08:40 house church movement in Vietnam 08:42 will give you an insider's look into a true state 08:45 of Christianity in Vietnam today. 08:48 You know that's the reason 08:49 we the government in Vietnam open up 08:51 and one took portrait to the word 08:54 that Vietnam have religious freedom. 08:57 The rest one Vietnam believes religious freedom 09:01 for Christian group in Vietnam 09:02 in order to receive financial aid to the country. 09:06 So Vietnam say okay, 09:08 we will give freedom but on out term. 09:11 Everything you do you have to ask 09:14 for permission from the government. 09:16 So we have to be very careful 09:18 when we hear religious freedom in Vietnam. 09:22 I have nothing against the government in Vietnam 09:26 because of my faith I want to share the Lord, 09:28 I don't want to mess that out with politics 09:31 but on the other hand I don't want the church 09:37 be under the government control. 09:39 The church must serve the Lord Jesus Christ 09:44 and only one Lord, one master 09:48 the church cannot serve any other organization 09:51 in that what I believe. 09:53 That's why I don't believe that 09:55 the church should be under government control. 09:59 Once a year Pastor Isaiah and ASAP 10:02 organize a secret training session 10:05 for the leaders of the house church movement. 10:07 It was that one of these sessions 10:09 that I had the privilege of meeting 10:11 Dinh Le Minh and with the help 10:12 of a translator his story unfolded. 10:15 Dinh Le Minh is a poet and hymn writer 10:18 that has dedicated his life to God 10:21 and now works for the Adventist house church movement 10:23 as a lay pastor sponsored by ASAP. 10:27 I believe that we can gain inspiration 10:29 from the way that he has taken a stand for God 10:32 against the pressure of his family, friends and country. 10:39 I was born into a Buddhist family 10:41 but as I grew into an adult 10:43 I found little satisfaction in the rituals of Buddhism 10:46 and began a search for something more. 10:49 I began to study the bible with some friends in my village 10:53 and in 1993 I was baptized 10:55 and joined the Baptist church group 10:57 that met close to my house. 10:59 The first thing that I did after I was baptized 11:02 was to destroy the Buddha idol that was on my property. 11:07 My wife, my parents and my siblings 11:09 became very angry with me 11:11 because of my decision to become a Christian. 11:18 They would shout at me 11:19 and sometimes even hit me in anger. 11:22 At first I was discouraged 11:24 but then I remembered the passage of scripture 11:26 that says, "When my father and mother forsake me, 11:30 then the Lord will take care of me." 11:33 This brought me the greatest comfort and strength 11:36 but it was still difficult 11:37 to lose the friendship with my wife. 11:39 She stopped preparing meals for me 11:42 and when I would come home from my Bible studies 11:44 I would often find the door locked. 11:46 I would have to sleep on the roof 11:48 with only a straw mat for a blanket. 11:52 On those sad lonely nights 11:53 I would repeat the scripture text 11:55 that I had learned and it would always make me feel better. 11:58 I specially like the one in 1 Corinthians that said, 12:02 "No Temptation has overtaken you 12:05 except as is common to man, but God is faithful, 12:10 who will not allow you to be tempted 12:12 beyond that what you are able, 12:14 but with the temptation will also 12:16 make the way of escape, 12:17 that you may be able to bear it." 12:20 Finally I was able to obtain a Bible of my own 12:23 and I spent a lot of time reading it. 12:26 My wife began to wonder what I saw in this book 12:29 that could hold my passionate interest for hours at a time. 12:33 Without my knowledge 12:35 she began to read the Bible for herself 12:36 whenever I would leave the house. 12:39 God worked on her heart 12:41 and little by little she began to believe in God 12:43 and accept Jesus as her Savior. 12:47 After two years of study 12:48 she also became a Baptist Christian. 12:54 Everything was well in our home for five years 12:57 until one day a lay Bible worker from ASAP 13:01 visited our home and told us 13:02 about the Peace and Happiness radio program. 13:05 As my wife and began to listen to the broadcast 13:09 I had the strong impression that God was leading me 13:11 into a deeper understanding of His word. 13:14 And it was with joy that I accepted 13:16 an invitation to attend an ASAP lay Bible training program 13:21 where I had the opportunity 13:22 to learn many new things about God 13:24 and the teachings of His word. 13:27 While I was away at the seminar 13:29 pastors from the Baptist church visited my wife 13:33 and convinced her and my sons that Adventist were a sect 13:37 and that she should have nothing to do with them. 13:40 One day when a group of ASAP 13:42 lay pastors came to visit me in my home 13:44 my wife became very angry 13:47 pointing her finger at them said, 13:48 "you are teaching false believes." 13:51 Even though my wife and sons 13:53 have not followed me into the Adventist message 13:56 I'm still happy that the Lord has called me 13:58 into His service in this great movement 14:01 that is sweeping the country. 14:03 The day that I was baptized again 14:05 into the Adventist church 14:07 was the happiest day of my life. 14:09 My family does not yet understand 14:11 this new joy that I have 14:14 and they have lost their respect for me. 14:16 My sons shout at me and sometimes even hit me. 14:20 But I continue to pray for them everyday 14:22 and I believe that one day 14:24 they will join me in my new faith. 14:27 With the training that I have received 14:29 from ASAP and the Adventist Mission 14:32 I'm now a lay pastor for the Adventist Movement 14:34 in my corner of Vietnam. 14:37 We face many challenges everyday 14:39 but it is a joy for me to serve God. 14:43 Harassment and prosecution from local authorities 14:46 are among the many challenges faced by Dinh Le Minh. 14:50 He and his Bible workers have been 14:52 thrown in jail many times. 14:54 In during days of interrogation, 14:57 hunger and torture for their faith 15:00 through it all he continues to stand firm for God. 15:04 In a recent hymn that he wrote he penned the words 15:07 "My blood is more precious in God. 15:10 Whenever Jesus needs it I'm willing to give it." 15:15 When I think about the persecution 15:17 this man faces from his family 15:19 I remember what Jesus used to say to His disciples 15:22 and others who suffered estrangement 15:25 from their loved ones as a result of following Him. 15:28 He encourage to them with these words 15:31 found in Matthew 19. 15:34 "And everyone who has left houses 15:36 or brothers or sisters or father or mother 15:40 or children or fields for my sake 15:42 will receive a hundred times as much 15:45 and will inherit eternal life." 16:02 Nguyen Thi Minh is no ordinary ASAP lay pastor. 16:06 With fierce determination 16:08 she works in the rapidly expanding 16:10 underground house church movement in Vietnam. 16:14 Constantly she sees God's hand at work. 16:18 Recently while Nguyen Thi Minh was visiting members 16:22 in her district to nurture their faith 16:24 she encountered police. 16:27 What shall God helped her 16:29 turn a very difficult situation into a soul winning venture. 16:36 When the police brought me to the prison 16:38 they interrogated me briefly 16:39 and when my answers did not satisfy them 16:42 they threw me into solitary confinement. 16:46 I did not have any idea 16:47 how long they would keep me there 16:50 but God gave me strength and I was not afraid. 16:54 I decided to pass my time in prayer. 16:57 Once a day they would bring me some food 16:59 and pass it through the door 17:01 then after four days they pulled me out 17:04 of my small dark room and let me to in larger cell 17:08 that had 21 other women. 17:11 When the other inmates saw me 17:12 I think they most of thought that I was crazy 17:14 because I had a big smile on my face. 17:18 I was just happy to be somewhere 17:20 where I could once again have the opportunity 17:23 to talk to people about Jesus. 17:27 They were only enough blankets 17:29 for about half of the women that were in that cell. 17:31 And so it was necessary to share a blanket 17:34 with another inmate. 17:37 Being the new person in the cell 17:39 I was paired up with the meanest woman 17:41 the one that no one wanted any thing to do with. 17:45 When I went over to her that first evening 17:48 she glared at me in an angry way. 17:51 She gruffly said, "This blanket is only for me." 17:55 And then turned her back towards me. 17:59 Not knowing what else to do 18:00 I started praying for this lady. 18:03 I asked that God would change her heart 18:05 that He would speak through me 18:07 to help her see His love. 18:09 Right there before my eyes God performed a miracle. 18:13 The woman turned around and looked at me. 18:16 I smiled at her and began talking softly to her, 18:20 sharing the love of God with her. 18:23 I told her that it did not matter 18:24 what she had done in the past 18:26 that God still loved her and wanted to be her friend. 18:30 How could God love me, she asked, 18:32 when I stole so much money from the bank? 18:36 I shared with her the story of Jesus 18:39 and how God loved us so much 18:41 that He gave His only son to die for our mistakes. 18:45 Her eyes cold heart melted 18:48 and she asked me to help her pray the prayer of repentance. 18:52 And right there in that cold cell 18:54 she accepted Jesus into her heart. 18:57 She was a changed woman. 19:00 That night not only did I thank God for a warm blanket 19:05 but I also thanked Him for a new friend, 19:08 a new sister in Christ. 19:11 The next morning when the other ladies 19:13 in the cell saw that change in the woman 19:16 they began to ask me what had happened? 19:19 What had I done to change the attitude 19:22 of this woman so dramatically in one day? 19:26 I was happy to share with them 19:28 that it was nothing that I had done 19:31 but that it was the Creator God in heaven 19:34 that had changed her. 19:35 Nothing is too hard for Him. 19:38 He created us once, 19:40 He also has the power to create in us a new heart. 19:45 That day three other ladies accepted God into their hearts 19:49 and accepted Jesus as their Savior. 19:53 After spending about ten days in Jail the police called me 19:57 into the interrogation room again 19:59 and asked me many questions about the work that I do. 20:03 Knowing that my new friends were in the cell praying for me 20:06 I felt the power of God come over me 20:09 and I spoke to the men with assurance and confidence. 20:13 God gave me the words that 20:15 I needed to answer their questions 20:17 and even gave me the courage to witness 20:19 to the police officers about the Bible 20:22 and God's love for them. 20:24 I guess I may never know 20:26 what my word had any effect on them. 20:29 But I continue to keep them in my prayers. 20:32 In the end they made me 20:34 sign a piece of paper and let me go. 20:38 I thank God for the opportunities 20:41 that He gave to me by sending me to jail. 20:46 Praising God for jail time 20:48 is to be expected from our ASAP pastors. 20:53 The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:4 20:57 "Rejoice in the Lord always." 21:01 As I have traveled to churches sharing the amazing things 21:05 that the Lord is doing in Vietnam today 21:08 I often have people asking me if there is something 21:11 that they can do to help the work of God in Vietnam. 21:16 I am happy to tell them about there are many options. 21:20 For $70 per months you can support 21:23 one ASAP lay pastor like Nguyen Thi Minh, 21:28 for only $5 you can supply a Bible 21:31 to one of your brothers and sisters, 21:34 $65 for purchase a DVD player 21:37 and set up sermons on DVD. 21:40 This resource will be used to nurture the faith 21:43 of entire house church congregation. 21:46 It's been such a privilege for my wife 21:48 and I to be members of the board of ASAP 21:52 and also to have opportunities to donate 21:56 in accordance with how God has blessed us. 21:59 As you hear the stories that are being told about 22:02 what's happening in Vietnam today 22:04 it seems like the latter rain is being poured out 22:08 at least in its initial stages on that country. 22:12 And there is just a hunger and thirst for God's word. 22:16 And I think anyway that we can distribute God's word 22:20 whether it's through the scriptures themselves 22:23 or DVDs or over the radio waves 22:27 there are million of people 22:29 wanting to listen and they are listening. 22:33 Pastor Isaiah produces DVDs 22:35 that are being distributed all over the country. 22:39 It's very inexpensive but huge amounts of material 22:43 can be placed on one DVD. 22:47 I just can't think of a more important project 22:51 than to actually getting God's word 22:53 into the hands of the people. 22:56 One of the lay pastors that came for training 22:59 when I had the opportunity of being there 23:03 had helped to make arrangements for a book 23:06 that Pastor Isaiah had written 23:08 on "The Truth About the Sabbath" 23:10 to be printed in Vietnam. 23:12 There was a printing press 23:14 that was kind of a alternatives sort of location 23:18 and they did work for Buddhist actually 23:21 and for Christians sometimes 23:23 and he had made arrangements for 10,000 copies of this book, 23:27 "The Truth About the Sabbath" to be printed. 23:30 And right during the time 23:31 when the book was being printed the authorities 23:34 broke into this press and ransack the place, 23:38 burn the many of the books, threw the people out 23:42 and it seem does though it was just a total loss 23:46 and then this faithful lay pastors 23:49 thought well I'm gonna go back and see. 23:52 So couple weeks later he went back to the location 23:55 and kind of sifted through the rubble 23:57 and under all the dust and dirt 24:00 he found a canvas lifted it up 24:03 and here were all 10,000 copies 24:06 of "The Truth About the Sabbath" 24:08 unharmed and unhurt. 24:10 All the Buddhist material and all the other books 24:13 that have been printed have been destroyed 24:15 but God's hand had been 24:17 over those 10,000 books, precious books. 24:23 God loves those books enough to protect them 24:26 than He certainly gonna give them 24:28 into the hands of people who need to know the truth 24:31 and by sending a donation to ASAP 24:35 you can ensure that this kind of ministry would go on 24:40 that there will never be a lack of resources 24:43 to provide truth filled literature 24:46 to people in Southeast Asia. 24:48 I want to take this opportunity to thank you 24:51 for your prayers and financial support 24:55 as you partner with ASAP 24:57 and this important ministry 24:59 you are joining arm and arm with the lay pastors 25:02 who are finishing God's work in Vietnam. 25:06 May God bless you as together 25:08 we look forward to the soon coming of Jesus Christ. 25:22 Jesus, I stand for you 25:29 No matter what you lead me through 25:35 They will chase me out 25:39 And close me down 25:41 But Jesus I'll stand for You 25:48 Jesus, I've stood my ground 25:54 When unbelief was all around 26:00 I have felt the sting 26:03 Rejecting brings 26:06 But Jesus I'll stand for You 26:12 I'll always stand, I'll always stand 26:18 I'll always stand for You 26:24 I'll always stand, I'll always stand 26:30 I'll always stand for You 26:35 A time will come, when everyone 26:42 Will turn their eyes on the risen Son 26:48 But until that day, this world will turn away 26:54 And so I'll take Your hand 26:57 I'll always stand for You 27:12 Guilty of disgrace 27:16 But You took my place 27:21 So Jesus 27:24 I'll always stand for You 27:30 A time will come 27:33 When everyone 27:36 Will turn their eyes on the risen Son 27:43 But until that day, this world will turn away 27:49 And so I'll take You hand 27:52 I'll always stand 27:58 For You |
Revised 2014-12-17