Participants:
Series Code: AWR
Program Code: AWR360014S
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00:01 Messages of Jesus proclaimed by Adventist World Radio
00:04 are circling our globe, 00:05 bringing hope to thousands of searching desperate people. 00:09 For more than 50 years, 00:11 our mission has been unchangeable. 00:13 We determined to penetrate all secluded 00:16 and remote corners on every land 00:18 with the gospel of the kingdom. 00:20 I invite you to come with me now 00:21 as we travel from the incredibly 00:23 diverse country of Zambia 00:25 to Israel to hear 00:26 another modern-day miracle story. 00:29 We then will journey to the island of Okinawa 00:31 before heading to Tanzania 00:33 to discover how a man's faithfulness 00:35 to God is so rewarding. 00:38 This is Adventist World Radio. 00:42 Welcome to Zambia, 00:44 a land filled with rugged mountains, 00:45 abundant wildlife 00:47 and many people searching for Christ. 00:50 God is at work in this land, 00:51 and we are excited to see 00:53 how lives are being transformed through the radio. 00:57 1,070 evangelistic campaigns have been held across Zambia 01:01 and the surrounding region, 01:03 God blessed, and it was a huge success. 01:06 People came by the thousands. 01:09 After the meetings, 01:10 almost 18,000 people were baptized, 01:13 and more than 80% of those baptisms 01:15 came from listening to Adventist World Radio. 01:19 Hi, I'm Cami. 01:20 And this is AWR360. 01:37 We're here in Lusaka, Zambia, 01:38 for the Zambia for Christ 2018 meetings. 01:41 And we have an incredible team of evangelists 01:45 that have come from all over the world, 01:47 really, United States, and in particularly, Europe. 01:50 We have a lot of people that have come 01:52 from the European continent, who have come to Africa 01:56 because they want to share the love of Christ 01:59 with the people here. 02:00 Adventist World Radio 02:02 has been broadcasting in Zambia since 2004, 02:05 but just before the evangelistic series, 02:08 we began a special emphasis. 02:10 Three months before we got here, 02:12 we started broadcasting 02:13 on a daily basis the prophetic message, 02:16 the same message 02:18 that we're presenting night after night 02:19 here at our evangelistic crusades. 02:22 And the results are showing 02:23 because we're finding people 02:25 who have listened to the radio 02:26 and they're coming to our meetings, 02:28 and they're accepting Jesus because of it. 02:31 Just over a year ago, 02:32 I was in Lusaka with Bob Peck 02:34 and Kathy and myself, and we were talking together, 02:36 talking with all of the pastors in the city of Lusaka, 02:39 and they said to me, 02:40 "We'll do 1,000 meetings." 02:42 So 1,000 evangelistic meets all in one city at one time. 02:47 That's the first, 02:48 that's the first time in the history 02:49 of the Adventist Church that so many meetings will be held, 02:52 and they have been held now. 02:56 Before Zambia for Christ began, 02:58 AWR broadcasters 03:00 would ask the listeners a question of the day. 03:03 This was based on the message 03:04 that was presented the day before. 03:06 Every day, one man named Mr. Wika 03:09 would call in with an answer 03:11 or to ask a question of his own. 03:13 We found out more about this man, 03:15 and it turns out that he runs a small business 03:18 repairing furniture 03:19 and every day he stops his work early 03:22 so his employees can listen to the AWR message. 03:26 AWR has not only reached the countryside 03:29 but has also penetrated through prison walls. 03:32 After listening to AWR on the radio, 03:35 nearly 900 inmates 03:37 in Zambia's maximum-security prison 03:40 have been baptized. 03:48 In a nearby town, a lady had a dream, 03:51 and in this dream, she saw a small radio. 03:55 Later that very day, her husband brought home 03:58 the same radio she had seen in her dream. 04:01 When they turned it on, AWR was the only channel that 04:04 they could tune in, no matter where they set the dial. 04:08 As they listened, 04:09 God's love transformed their home. 04:12 And today, they are both members 04:14 of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. 04:19 The speakers here are becoming part of stories 04:21 like these on a daily basis. 04:23 The Lord is using them in a mighty and powerful way. 04:28 I was struggling to give the sermon 04:32 about health on Sabbath 04:35 because I thought the people 04:36 I'm approaching, they know everything. 04:38 So I spoke about tobacco, I spoke about alcohol, 04:41 I spoke about clean and unclean. 04:43 And when I did a baptism call, 04:45 the first person who came up was known by the community 04:48 as being someone 04:50 who was really addicted to tobacco 04:52 and had a huge alcohol problem. 04:54 There is a surprising, amazing lesson 04:57 I've learned in Zambia. 04:58 And that is when I return home 05:01 and wherever I'm going to go to preach, 05:03 I will end all my sermons with an appeal. 05:06 There are many people 05:07 that want to give their life to Jesus, 05:08 but somebody has to challenge them to do so. 05:11 On the fourth evening of our meetings, 05:13 an old lady came and she said to me, 05:16 "I had a dream before the crusade started. 05:19 I had a dream, and in my dream, I heard a voice calling me." 05:23 Now I didn't see the face, 05:24 but I could hear it was a lady's voice. 05:26 And when she came at the crusade 05:28 and she heard me, she said, "This is the voice." 05:31 She recognized the voice from her dream, 05:34 so she said, "I know that 05:35 God has called me to the meetings." 05:37 When I see people putting up their hands 05:40 or giving their lives or wanting to give 05:42 their lives to Christ, it gives you a feeling 05:45 that is literally indescribable. 05:47 It's an amazing feeling 05:50 and you know it's not necessarily you, 05:52 it's Christ working through you. 05:54 And that feeling of Christ working through you is amazing. 05:59 On the last Sabbath, 06:01 all of the meeting sites converge together 06:03 for one mass baptism, 17,968 people 06:08 giving their lives to the Lord, 06:10 walking into the depths of the water 06:12 and coming out new. 06:13 We are told that 06:15 80% of those being baptized here today 06:18 came from listening to Adventist World Radio. 06:25 We really need your help to help us 06:27 keep the radio broadcasting after these meetings, 06:30 whether it's in Rwanda or Romania 06:32 or here in Zambia because, you see, 06:35 the members came to the meetings 06:37 because they heard the message on the radio. 06:39 They got excited about the health messages, 06:41 about the Adventist prophetic message. 06:43 And then after they're baptized, 06:44 they go back to their houses 06:46 and they still have their radios. 06:47 And so we still need to continue to broadcast. 06:49 It's not cheap. 06:51 It does cost a lot of money, 06:52 but we need to keep the broadcast going 06:55 so that they'll listen to the message 06:56 over and over again. 06:58 Thank you so much for your support 06:59 for Adventist World Radio, 07:01 AWR360, Broadcast to Baptism, 07:03 as we continue to broadcast, 07:05 connecting people with Jesus, 07:07 training them through the AWR360, 07:09 that total member involvement concept 07:12 to witness for Jesus, live for Jesus, 07:14 listen and learn and study, 07:16 as they share the good news of Christ's soon return 07:19 with their friends and neighbours 07:20 so this work can be finished and Jesus would come. 07:47 As Christians, our family is much larger than 07:50 our immediate biological family. 07:52 And in fact, we have brothers and sisters 07:54 that live in more than 200 countries 07:55 all around the world. 07:59 We want to remember them in our state plan. 08:02 We can help you with that process. 08:04 Just log on to awr.org. 08:15 Today, we will hear the miracle experience 08:17 of a near-death escapes of one man 08:20 as he travelled from Zambia to Israel. 08:27 My uncle had tried to stone me to death. 08:30 And now my cousins were here to finish the job. 08:36 Find out how God is using Adventist World Radio 08:40 to reach the Muslim community 08:41 and other difficult to reach areas 08:43 with the gospel message. 08:45 Adventist World Radio is broadcasting 08:47 to the most remote locations of the world, 08:49 in more than 130 different languages. 08:52 We've been doing this for the past, 08:54 well, almost 50 years now. 08:55 But I've never seen anything like this before. 08:58 From baptizing rebels and assassins, 09:00 almost daily we receive news of amazing miracles 09:03 taking place all around the little old ball of mud. 09:06 Wisam's story right here in Nazareth is an example 09:09 that especially touched my heart. 09:14 Being born Muslim, 09:15 Wisam was taught to hate Christianity. 09:18 So, when his sister decided to become a Christian, 09:21 he was sent by his family to kill her. 09:24 But because of a miraculous dream from God, 09:27 he decided to begin studying the Bible. 09:31 He soon returned to Nazareth 09:32 to share his new belief with his family, 09:35 and his uncle upon hearing this, 09:37 became very angry and ordered his stoning. 09:40 This happened over and over 09:43 until finally his brother stepped in. 09:45 Then his father advised Wisam to flee the country. 09:49 Years later, after his father and uncle died, 09:52 Wisam's mother invited him to return. 09:55 He immediately saw an opportunity 09:57 to share Jesus in Nazareth 09:59 so he decided to set up a centre of influence 10:02 where he used the Bible 10:04 to teach English to his fellow people. 10:07 We also gave Wisam AWR Godpods 10:10 which he distributed among his community. 10:14 Recently though, things took a turn 10:15 for the worse as the sons of his dead uncle 10:18 found out what Wisam was doing. 10:21 They too had participated in his stoning 10:23 many years before and now rallied a mob 10:26 and went to Wisam's house to attack it. 10:35 Wisam's wife Audrey heard the commotion downstairs 10:38 and rushed out to see what was happening. 10:42 She knew right away 10:43 that Wisam was in serious trouble 10:45 and fell on her knees and began to pray. 10:48 Wisam's brothers rushed to protect him, 10:50 when he was hit with a metal rod. 10:53 But then his own cousin pulled out his knife 10:55 and stabbed Wisam. 10:57 But to his astonishment the knife bent, 11:00 leaving him unharmed. 11:04 Wisam's brother then picked up the bent knife and said... 11:07 Try again to kill the man of God. 11:09 As the mob retreated, they threatened, 11:11 "You will not know where or when, 11:13 but we will kill you." 11:15 Several months later, 11:16 Wisam received a shocking phone call 11:18 that these same two cousins had been killed 11:21 while riding their motorcycle. 11:22 It just reminds me that if God is for us, 11:25 who can be against us? 11:28 This miraculous event agitated the Muslim community 11:30 so much that Wisam knew it was the perfect time 11:34 to use AWR's cell phone evangelism. 11:37 He immediately sought out 11:38 someone to translate the sermons into Arabic. 11:41 He found a man named Jamil who readily agreed to help. 11:46 Jamil worked for days, 11:48 sometimes late into the night, 11:49 translating the Bible-based sermons. 11:52 As he read, he was so greatly 11:54 moved by the presentations 11:56 that he felt compelled to share them 11:58 with one of his friends from the Baptist Church. 12:01 She was so amazed by the sermons, 12:03 that she shared them with her pastor, 12:05 who was also impressed by what he read. 12:07 He then sought out Wisam to preach at his church. 12:10 Wisam presented at the Baptist Church, 12:12 sharing Bible prophecy, 12:14 our health message and Ellen White's writings. 12:17 Their hearts were so convicted that the pastor 12:20 and almost his whole congregation 12:22 made the decision to be baptized 12:24 into the Seventh day Adventist Church. 12:26 And on a beautiful Sabbath day, 12:28 we held a church service at the Jordan River. 12:31 Then one by one they entered into the water. 12:35 Wisam had the joy of baptizing 12:37 these precious souls with Elder Duane McKey. 12:41 God is calling all who are willing to proclaim 12:43 His last day message. 12:45 Adventist World Radio not only broadcasts 12:48 into the Muslim countries in their own languages, 12:51 but we are working with people like Wisam, 12:53 helping to share the gospel message in countries 12:55 that still need to hear the wonderful story of Jesus. 12:59 Thank you for supporting AWR. 13:01 Jesus is coming soon, 13:03 and he invites you and me 13:05 to be a part of this great movement 13:07 that will light the earth 13:08 with the knowledge of His truth. 13:50 I grew up a farm boy in North Dakota, 13:54 till I went away to Union College 13:56 and met and married this young lady. 14:02 And two weeks 14:03 before our fourth child was born, 14:06 we started medical school 14:08 and moved up here to this delightful 14:11 Ooltewah, Tennessee area. 14:14 And so we love it here. 14:20 When we went to the rally here and saw what AWR is doing 14:26 and how they could get into areas where, 14:30 as far as I know, no other ministries can reach. 14:34 And some of the stories that were given with Cami 14:39 and places they've gone and Duane, 14:42 that really impressed me and I said, 14:44 "This is a really worthy ministry." 14:48 I met Jeff Wilson, 14:51 who said he could do our will and trust here. 14:55 It was painless. 14:58 It went smoothly. 14:59 Jeff took care of it all. 15:01 And to get the trust 15:04 without any out of pocket cost was 15:08 way beyond what I expected. 15:20 It's truly is amazing to witness our Heavenly Father, 15:24 our great protector, intercedes us across our globe. 15:28 Let's continue on 15:30 to the African country of Madagascar. 15:33 Hi, I'm Cami Hi, I'm Cami Oetman. 15:35 And this is Ray Allen, vice president with AWR. 15:39 He has been with 15:41 Adventist World Radio for 26 years. 15:43 And he has witnessed some tremendous growth 15:46 especially here in Madagascar. 15:48 Ray tell us a little bit about 15:49 what you've seen in this beautiful country. 15:52 Well, as you know, 15:53 Madagascar is one of the poorest countries 15:55 of the world. 15:56 But I remember on my first visit, 15:58 I was very surprised, when the leader said 16:01 they were planning to start an FM station. 16:03 I thought to myself, 16:04 "Where are you gonna get the money to do this?" 16:06 But these leaders stepped out in faith 16:08 and they established their first FM station in 1996. 16:14 Since then, there has been tremendous growth 16:17 in number of stations. 16:18 And today, we have 22 stations in Madagascar. 16:21 Wonderful. 16:22 Now if you add this to the two hours 16:25 of shortwave broadcasting that we do every day, 16:28 we have seen tremendous growth 16:31 in the number of people who have heard of Jesus, 16:33 His love, and His soon coming. 16:35 Today, we have over 40 churches in this country 16:38 that have been started by the radio alone. 16:42 Now this is really, really tremendous. 16:44 We have a handful of paid staff 16:46 but hundreds of committed volunteers. 16:48 And together, we have produced this growth, 16:51 and we are happy 16:52 that the leaders are still planning 16:54 to establish more stations 16:57 so that many more people in this land 16:59 will come to hear of Jesus 17:00 and His second coming and be ready. 17:23 God is blessing Madagascar. 17:26 And we feel blessed and honoured to be here 17:28 in this beautiful country 17:29 hearing the stories that AWR has produced. 17:37 Adventist World Radio 17:38 is also spreading the hope of salvation 17:40 through the Internet. 17:41 Let's discover the unique way 17:43 in which God obtained the attention 17:45 of a United States marine in the island of Okinawa. 17:49 AWR president Duane McKey was preparing to preach 17:53 at one of the more than 160 evangelistic sites 17:56 across Japan during the recent AWR360 18:00 and Total Member Involvement event. 18:02 At the same time, our AWR partner, 18:05 YouTube evangelist Mark Fox contacted us 18:08 to share testimony he had just received. 18:11 It was Stephen's testimony, listen to his story. 18:17 All right, I was in Afghanistan. 18:19 I was doing my first tour in Afghanistan. 18:21 It was in 2009 through 2010. 18:24 And it was very hard. 18:26 We were getting, you know, reports from other battalions 18:29 that we've lost friends we saw people lose their lives, 18:33 friend and foe. 18:35 And I thought to myself, 18:36 "What kind of God would allow mankind 18:38 to be this way, 18:40 to do these terrible crazy things?" 18:42 As I returned back home to garrison, 18:48 I was on a destructive path. 18:50 I chose alcohol as a medicinal purpose 18:53 to forget the pain and the struggle 18:56 that I had felt when I was in Afghanistan. 18:59 After a few years passed, 19:00 I met my wife in Japan, on Okinawa, 19:05 we decided to move back 19:07 to Japan after a couple spells in Michigan. 19:09 She didn't like the weather. 19:11 And I continued on my destructive path. 19:14 I drank, I smoked even after I had my first son. 19:17 I even told myself I'm gonna quit smoking. 19:19 I'm gonna drink less. 19:21 Of course, never saying that I'm going to stop drinking, 19:24 but I continued drinking and I continued smoking. 19:26 And it just didn't seem like I was ever gonna stop. 19:29 And then a friend, an angel was sent by God to me 19:36 in the form of a friend. 19:37 And she spoke to me of my issues and she said, 19:40 "Maybe you need to pray a little bit." 19:41 And so I started praying 19:43 and I started getting intrigued and interest in God. 19:46 So I decided to do some research. 19:49 And I went online, I found Mark Fox 19:52 on the Internet on YouTube 19:54 and I started listening to this guy preach 19:56 and share his testimonies 19:58 and share these amazing Bible prophecies online. 20:02 And it inspired me because he... 20:04 I could feel his emotion, 20:05 I can feel his passion for the Lord. 20:08 And it inspired me. 20:10 I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me of the wrong 20:13 that I was doing in my life. 20:16 And so I knew I needed to change 20:18 and I went online, I found a church, 20:20 the closest one that was nearest to me, 20:23 and I went and I found Pastor Mason. 20:25 And he's been helping me, 20:27 you know, in the faith ever since. 20:29 And I've become a vegetarian, I've quit smoking. 20:31 I've quit drinking. 20:34 And I don't plan on stopping. 20:36 I want to praise the Lord as much as I can 20:38 because I know, without God, I'm only going to fail. 20:41 And I'm going to cause people harm. 20:43 And I don't want to do that anymore. 20:46 Isn't it exciting how God used YouTube to reach Steven. 20:51 After just a few months, he was volunteering his time 20:55 for the local AWR meetings 20:57 which just happened to be 20:58 a Duane McKey series and he was baptized. 21:02 Isn't our god amazing? 21:11 I grew up in Indiana, 21:13 and I've been a farmer all my life. 21:16 My father every time, we'd plant a field, 21:19 when we got through, we'd always kneel down there 21:21 and pray that we've done our part, 21:23 now the Lord will do His. 21:25 And He always come through. 21:31 After praying about it, 21:32 my wife and I decided to do a gift annuity through 21:35 Adventist World Radio. 21:37 It goes to people 21:39 that normally is not gonna hear it. 21:42 And that's what 21:43 our three angels' message is all about, 21:45 to every nation and return the people. 21:50 When you're a farmer, 21:51 you don't have a retirement plan. 21:54 It was a good way to supplement our retirement. 21:57 It's been a blessing to us, 21:59 and I know it's gonna be a blessing 22:00 to those others around the world. 22:11 Let's head to our final destination 22:13 in the country of Tanzania in Africa. 22:16 How evident was the success 22:17 of one man's faithfulness to God? 22:24 With colourful clothes and herds of cattle, 22:27 the Maasai people 22:29 are spread throughout this land. 22:31 Watch as one very wealthy Maasai tribal leader 22:34 does the unthinkable, 22:36 he puts his faith in God first before everything else. 22:40 This is AWR360. 22:44 We are in Tanzania, 22:45 a country famous for the Maasai people, 22:48 known for their distinctive customs 22:50 and brightly coloured dress. 22:52 They welcomed me with a native jumping dance. 22:55 From a standing position, 22:56 these warriors can vertically spring over three feet high. 23:00 Their smiles made me feel right at home 23:03 and they even allowed me 23:04 to carry one of their precious babies. 23:07 I enjoyed every moment 23:08 and fell in love with these dear people, 23:10 who received me with open arms. 23:13 The Maasai have a semi nomadic lifestyle. 23:16 Even this village 23:18 we are at right now is temporary. 23:20 Every aspect of their lives revolves around their cattle. 23:24 The cows determine 23:25 where the village moves, 23:27 based on where the herds can eat grass. 23:29 Cattle is their currency and their main source of food. 23:33 Nothing is left to waste, 23:35 even their huts are made of cow dung. 23:38 For a man to give away 23:40 his cattle is foolish and unheard of. 23:42 That's why Abraham's story is amazing. 23:45 He owns more than a thousand cows. 24:01 I have over a thousand cows. 24:03 And I'm considered rich by my Maasai people. 24:06 But something was missing in my life. 24:11 Abraham's heart was convicted at an evangelistic series 24:14 and he became a baptized member 24:16 of the Seventh-day Adventist church. 24:20 Most Maasai cannot read or write, 24:22 so they learn from the radio. 24:24 Abraham was overjoyed when he tuned in AWR. 24:29 It was the topic of tithing 24:30 that really caught his attention. 24:38 They spoke of faithfulness, and trust in God, 24:41 and that 10% belongs to Him. 24:45 As his eyes took in all that he owned, 24:48 he knew what he had to do. 24:50 In that moment, he made a commitment. 24:52 Like Jacob of old, he marked every 10th cow. 24:56 By the time he was finished, 24:57 more than 100 cows had been designated for God. 25:02 My friends and neighbours thought I was crazy! 25:06 To the Maasai, 100 cows is worth about $30,000. 25:11 You just don't give away 25:13 the most important resource you own! 25:15 Despite the ridicule, 25:16 Abraham remained faithful to God. 25:20 His neighbours stopped laughing nine months later. 25:23 They were shocked to see that 25:24 many of Abraham's cows gave birth to twins 25:28 and his sheep triplets! 25:31 Cows rarely have twins. 25:33 It's considered historic when they do. 25:36 Immediately, everyone understood that 25:38 this miracle came from a higher power. 25:41 After the Maasai witnessed Abraham's faithfulness, 25:44 they approached the union president, 25:46 Pastor Godwin Lekundayo, 25:48 and said "We want to tithe too." 25:51 Pastor Godwin was amazed and said, "Are you Adventist?" 25:55 They replied "No, but we want God to bless us 25:59 just like he's blessing Abraham." 26:01 And praise the Lord, nine months later, 26:04 their cows had twins too. 26:08 Here is something else amazing, 26:10 every time a thief would steal 26:12 any of Abraham's cattle, 26:14 the cows would always return home, 26:17 as if guided by unseen hands. 26:20 Now thieves fear stealing from Abraham. 26:24 I praise God for Adventist World Radio. 26:30 Abraham credits AWR for changing his life. 26:34 Everyone sees that the more he gives, 26:37 the more he is blessed. 26:42 Thanks to Abraham's testimony, today over 80 Maasai, 26:45 have accepted Jesus and have been baptized 26:49 and all of them now listen to the Adventist World Radio. 27:00 These kinds of miracles 27:01 not only happened a long time ago, 27:04 they're happening today. 27:05 Our Heavenly Father is ready to multiply your blessings. 27:09 The unreachable are being reached 27:11 by Adventist World Radio. 27:13 Together, we can finish the work. 27:15 We need your faithful prayers and dedicated support. 27:18 We all can look forward to the day 27:20 when we see the fruits of our labor 27:22 and praise God for allowing us to be part of His good work. 27:26 This is AWR360. |
Revised 2020-12-10