Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP210123S
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00:13 [ "Standing on the Promises" begins ] 03:19 [ "Testify to Love" begins ] 06:47 >> My name is Hope Malabrigo. I am from Canada, originally 06:51 born in the Philippines. And I am one of the student 06:54 chaplains here at Andrews University. 06:57 This is my story of being involved in service. Growing up, I was blessed enough 07:03 to be, you know, with two loving parents, great siblings, and we were blessed growing up. 07:10 And I think my parents really instilled the fact that, you know, we have to share our 07:15 blessings, especially with family members because they weren't as fortunate as we were. 07:20 And, so, I've always, you know, known the idea that I have to give whenever there are people 07:26 in need, and if I can share those blessings, you know, it will make them happy, and I know 07:32 that, in the end, it's, you know, for God when I do share my blessings. 07:36 I think one of the main lessons that I've learned is that there is always a need. 07:41 One of my social work professors would always say, like, you know, there will always be 07:45 poor people around you. And service taught me that, you know, we have to see the 07:50 need and we have to serve the people in need, and especially during this time, you know, of 07:55 a pandemic and COVID, a lot of people are in need, a lot of people lost jobs. 08:00 They're lonely. And, so, I remember one of our projects that we did last 08:04 semester was actually write cards to the homeless people, or just even, like, the seniors. 08:09 You know, I didn't understand how important it would be to them. 08:13 You know, I saw it as another service project, but, you know, we got feedback, and they said 08:18 all the senior residents actually loved the fact that we wrote them cards because they 08:23 felt loved and, you know, they were thought about, you know, during this time where a lot of 08:28 people might not visit them or, you know, talk to them. So a lot of people think, 08:32 you know, to serve people, you have to make these grand gestures or go on a mission 08:37 trip, you know. I've been to those. I've been to mission trips, and 08:41 I tell you, you know, they're an amazing experience, but you can serve people, you know, within 08:46 your own community, and I think that is so important. You know, within your own circle 08:51 of friends. And that is really what I've learned throughout these years, 08:55 you know, just showing love to people in your community and, you know, your friends. 09:00 And it's what God calls us to do. So I think that's -- 09:04 Service is just doing those things and having a willing heart to serve those around you. 09:09 I'm Hope and this is my story. ♪♪ 09:22 [ "Build My Life" begins ] 12:31 >> Let's pray the prayer again. Father, you heard us sing it. I will build my life upon your 12:37 love. It is a firm foundation. Oh, boy. 12:41 On this planet, right now, we need that firm foundation, as survivors. 12:48 I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be shaken. By your grace, Father. 12:56 We're listening carefully now. Don't let us be shaken. In Jesus' name, we pray. 13:03 Amen. 13:04 If Jesus is coming soon, and I believe he is... 13:13 and if he left us a mission... Before he returned to heaven, 13:22 and I believe he did, did he say this? 13:31 What year is this? 2021? What verse is that? John 20:21. Hmm. 13:39 And if our mission was to deliver a message that would be compellingly simple... 13:49 and I believe it is, how could you get more simple than this? "The maker of all things loves 13:56 and wants me." If all of that is true, then could it be... 14:04 that the fulfillment of this mission, the living it out, is to be as simple as the message, 14:11 uncomplicated? As uncomplicated as a poem once written. 14:19 As simple as this. Now, look at, the poem is not about Jesus. 14:25 Although maybe it is. We're going to read the poem together right now. 14:32 You may never have heard it -- heard of it in your life. The New England Historical 14:39 Society has written that this poem became one of the most popular poems in America decades 14:47 ago. Written by a Massachusetts librarian. 14:51 Isn't that something? A librarian. And his name? 14:54 Sam Walter Foss. The title of the poem -- "The House by the Side of the Road." 15:00 I'm going to put the bibliographical information right here on the screen right 15:06 now, and I would love it if you would download this poem. You'll see. 15:11 We're going to read it together. But just take a picture of that, and then, you can download it 15:16 later. It's all over Google. It's worth coming back to again 15:20 and again. Every time I read this poem, something is stirred up in my 15:24 soul, and I get to read it again right now with you. So, without further ado, "The 15:29 House by the Side of the Road." 16:52 Last stanza. 17:20 Isn't that good? I got to have that on my phone so I can read that again and 17:24 again. Download it. Something happens in me when I 17:29 read that line -- "Let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a friend to man." 17:34 I want to be a fr-- I want to be a friend to man. I want to be a friend to woman. 17:37 I want to be a friend to children. I want to be a friend to 17:39 the elderly. I want to be a friend with everybody. 17:43 I mean, wasn't Jesus that way? And by the way, Jesus was not an extrovert. 17:48 He was not an introvert. Jesus was Jesus. And the story you remember so 17:55 well begins this way. "And he was coming into the city of Jericho." 18:03 He'll be dead in a few days. He's coming into the city of Jericho. 18:07 That's right, the Jericho that lost its walls, long that ancient city long ago. 18:12 The walls have been rebuilt. And wherever Jesus is, there is a crowd swirling around him. 18:18 Shoot, if I had been alive when he was alive, I'd have been in that crowd every time I could 18:22 find a chance. Wouldn't you? They're swirling by, and you 18:26 know the noise of a crowd. And nobody notices that there is a blind beggar sitting by the 18:31 side of the road. Where most of Jesus' life happens, by the way. 18:36 By the side of the road. Now, when you're blind, your sense of hearing is very acute. 18:47 And so blind Bartimaeus can't see a thing. Smells the dust kicked up by the 18:54 crowd like a river swirling by. But he begins to pick up a name. A name that has passed from lip 19:02 to lip -- Jesus of Nazareth. And his heart jumps. Jesus of Nazareth! 19:07 Isn't this that miracle worker who healed lepers, who raised the dead, who gave legs back to 19:14 the lame? "I'm just a blind boy, but what could he do for me?" 19:19 And in his heart, Bartimaeus believes this is the moment of a lifetime, and he can't miss it 19:29 now. And so he does the only thing a blind man can do. 19:33 He sees no one. He has no idea where the one he's calling for is, but he 19:38 starts calling, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy 19:45 on me." And the crowd, a bit angry, bothered by the hot dust, are 19:51 quick to hush him up. "Shush!" My mother said you never say 19:55 "shut up" to somebody. "Shush your mouth." 20:03 The wrong thing to say to a desperate blind beggar. And all the louder now, "Jesus, 20:08 Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 20:13 He sees nothing. But Jesus hears every cry. I want you to know, whenever you 20:23 cry his name, the room may be packed or the space may be lonely, but he hears you every 20:31 single time. Jesus stops -- "Whoa! Hey, somebody's calling me. 20:38 Who is that? Who is this that is calling me? Find him and bring him to me." 20:45 Oh, let's pick up the record. This is Mark 10. Right near the end of Mark 10. 20:51 That dramatic short gospel. "Jesus stopped and said, "'Yo, call him.' 20:57 So they called to the blind man, 'Cheer up, boy! On your feet! 21:02 He's calling you." And Bartimaeus doesn't need a second invitation. 21:06 "Throwing his cloak aside" -- nothing's going to get caught between his legs now -- "he 21:11 jumps to his feet and he comes to Jesus." And he can't see a thing. 21:15 So he puts his hands out, and two strangers grab his hands, one on either side, 21:19 and they lead him. "Move. Move. Move. Move. Move." Here comes Bartimaeus. 21:23 "Move. Move. Move. Move. Move." Finally, they drop his arms. He doesn't know where to look. 21:32 But there stands Jesus. And I love what the voice of Jesus asks. 21:38 Take a look at this. What's the next line? Jesus, looking into those blind 21:44 eyes. But that earnest face asks one question. 21:51 "What do you want me to do to you, huh?" "What do you want me 21:56 to do to you?" Has he ever asked you that? Have you ever sat in the silence 22:06 and heard him whisper, "Girl, boy, what do you want me to do for you?" 22:14 What would you tell him? Hey, let's just close our eyes for a moment. 22:19 We'll be blind Bartimaeus right now. We'll close our eyes for 22:21 a moment. And let's just pretend -- and this isn't pretending, 22:25 by the way -- that Jesus is standing right here. Right in front of you. 22:29 And right now, because I'm going to quit talking, he's going to ask you the question, "What do 22:35 you want me to do for you?" Some of you, for years, have known in your heart, if you 22:43 could get one prayer answered, it would be this. Now's the time. 22:49 He's listening. Tell him. 23:09 You say, "Don't interrupt me right now, Dwight." I'm still talking to him." 23:12 I know. You're going to carry on this conversation. 23:16 The question will still be the same when you get back to your room. 23:19 He wants to know. "What do you want me to do to you?" 23:23 That's what he asked. "'What do you want me to do for you?' Jesus asked him." 23:27 And then, "The blind man said, 'Rabbi...'" How long would it take you to 23:35 answer? "Rabbi, I want to see." I want to see, please. 23:47 "Go." Boy, Jesus doesn't mince words, does he? 23:50 When he finds out what it is your heart wants most, the reply from him may be as simple as 23:55 this. "'Go,' said Jesus, 'your faith has healed you.' 24:00 And immediately, Bartimaeus received his sight and followed Jesus..." 24:06 What are the next three words? "Along the road." You know why? 24:11 Because Jesus lived in the house by the side of the road and most of his life happens along that 24:19 road. And guess what? When you follow Jesus... 24:23 along that road, you'll build your house by the side of that road. 24:30 And when the crowds swirl around you, the traffic of life, you will know that, just like your 24:35 master, you've been placed where they are. "And he followed Jesus 24:43 along the road." How does that line go? 25:04 In fact, Jesus gets only a few yards down the Jericho road. Only Dr. Luke, chronologically, 25:13 gets it and pastes the two stories together. The others put the story 25:19 wherever they want it. Matthew and Mark. So we have to go to Luke. 25:23 He's just told the story of Bartimaeus. Now it's Luke 19. 25:28 And notice how it begins. 25:34 Do you know why? Because he had to go, that's why. 25:37 He had to go. He could have gone around Jericho. 25:40 He could have said, "Listen, let's get to Jerusalem. I'm getting ready to die in a 25:45 few days." Nope, he has to go through Jericho. 25:48 There will be somebody in Jericho. Not a blind beggar, but a filthy 25:53 rich tax collector. Who, even with his platform shoes on, can't see over 26:01 the crowd. 26:11 "He wanted to see" -- on his tippy-toes -- "who Jesus was, but because he was short he 26:17 could not see over the crowd." But by the side of the road that Jesus travels is a sycamore 26:23 tree, and that ungainly, short, little businessman type scrambles up that tree 26:29 and precariously dangles from an overhanging bow just so that he can see Jesus. 26:37 If Jesus had stood in front of his heart early that morning and said, "What do you want me to do 26:43 for you?" Zacchaeus' prayer would have been... "Just give me a chance." 26:51 "Just give me a chance." He doesn't dare breathe the thought. 26:59 And Jesus had to go through Jericho to see this sight. He'll never forget it. 27:05 The tax collector dangling. And with a smile on his face -- I'm sure it was -- Jesus looked 27:11 up and said, "Yo. I'll bet you're Zacchaeus. I've heard about you. 27:16 You know, listen." And he uses this word. "I need you down here 27:21 immediately. Do you hear me? You know why? 27:24 Because I have a dinner invitation. It's at your house and we need 27:29 to let your wife know right now. And Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus comes down, he came down at once, and 27:36 he welcomed Jesus gladly. He can't even get home. We are told that Zacchaeus 27:41 listened very carefully to the preaching of the thundering wilderness preacher 27:46 John the Baptizer. And he's been convicted. And we are told he's already 27:52 begun to act on that conviction. So he doesn't even get home. Watch this. 27:58 "All the people saw this, and they began to mutter, 'He has gone to be the guest 28:06 of a'" what? Oh, a real live sinner. Oh! 28:18 The Jews had a phrase. It's sort of slang catchall to pull in all the tax 28:25 collectors and prostitutes and other riffraff of the immoral. And the phrase was 28:32 "tax collectors and sinners." You just heard it. Luke has already introduced us 28:38 to that phrase, which is the preamble to the beautiful scripture about this shepherd 28:45 that won't sleep until the last sheep is home. And you may be that sheep. 28:51 I may be that sheep. Here's the preamble to it. Luke 15:1... 29:01 He was like a magnet. I don't know why. The moral riffraff were drawn 29:05 him. You know why? Because nobody else cares for us 29:09 and everybody else has shut us out, but you love us. And they picked up on it like 29:15 fly to flypaper. "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering 29:22 around to hear Jesus," but -- pah -- every party loves a pooper. 29:26 That's why we invited you, party pooper Pharisees. 29:37 [ Scoffs ] I know some churches that welcome sinners and eat them. 29:42 And there's a big difference. "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 29:51 It is a calculated risk that Jesus takes to go home with Zacchaeus. 29:55 He knows exactly how the tongues will wag. "Desire of Ages" 30:02 dramatically describes the risk this way. Don't ever forget what you're 30:06 about to read. 30:15 Keep reading. 30:24 Your reputation is going to get smeared. They're going to start talking 30:27 about you, whispering about you. They'll eventually throw you out. 30:30 He knew the cost. Keep reading. 30:39 Several years ago, a group of homosexuals gathered for a camp meeting. 30:44 Kinship, they called it the Kinship Camp Meeting. I was a younger pastor then. 30:51 And the word was out word, word on the street. "You're not to go. 30:56 You're not -- Even if they invite you to preach, don't go. We don't agree. 31:02 We do not agree." And my eyes were wide as I began to read the names of some 31:11 leading pastors who said, "We're going anyway." That was Jesus. 31:20 "I'm going anyway, do you understand? 31:23 I'm going anyway. You want to stop me? 31:28 "But no question of policy could influence his movements." Keep reading. 31:31 "With him" -- Now, this is a big deal. 31:37 "I don't care about that tatted arm. 31:39 Those tattoos don't bother me. I don't care about the bangles 31:42 and the piercings on appendages all over that body. 31:47 I don't care what color the skin is. 31:49 I don't care how messed up the life is." 31:54 External. Those are all external 31:57 distinctions. 31:59 Why was Jesus not stopped by external distinctions? because the external is a facade 32:09 for the internal, and it's the internal that he was longing to touch. 32:16 "You can come any way you want, just come to me. You can come as you are, but I 32:22 will never leave you as you are." That's the kind of friend He 32:27 was. They loved Him for it. They threw parties for Him. 32:31 Keep reading. No, "that which appealed to Jesus' heart" -- this is so 32:35 beautiful. "That which appealed to Jesus' heart was a soul thirsting for 32:39 the water of life. How does that verse go? "Then why should I sit in the 32:43 scorner's seat?" Always picking, critical, critical, critical, critical. 32:47 Some churches make their living being critical of everybody else outside the church. 32:51 "Why would I sit in the scorner's seat? "Why will I hurl 32:55 the cynic's ban?" You've been banned? You can't come into this church. 32:59 You can't -- You can't do that. I'm sorry. 33:01 You -- You do not belong. Do you understand? Find another church down 33:05 the road." Well, find a church by the side of the road and you'll be fine. 33:10 Because churches that are built by the side of the road are built for the people that walk 33:14 the road, and they have no barrier to those who wish to enter and worship. 33:21 Find a church by the side of the road, not way off. 33:29 "Let me live in my house by the side of the road, and please, let me be a friend 33:35 to man. That was Jesus. And it was the spirit of 33:40 friendship, that spirit that won Zacchaeus' heart. Ah, come on. 33:44 So Zacchaeus, before -- Oh, ooh, ooh. Go back. "But Zacchaeus stood up." 33:47 So this is before. He's down from the tree, but he hasn't gone to the house yet. 34:03 And Jesus breaks down into a smile, and he needs the crowd to hear this. 34:07 "And Jesus said to him" -- to Zacchaeus, but he's talking to the crowd -- "'Today salvation 34:12 has come to this house because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.'" 34:16 You know what it means to be a son of Abraham? It means to be a member in good 34:20 and regular standing in the faith community. And Jesus, in one declaration, 34:26 makes that man good and regular, like all the rest. 34:37 Yeah, why would you do this, Jesus? Ah, I'll tell you. 34:40 "For the Son of Man came to seek and save" lost people. That's why. 34:47 Wow. "For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." 34:54 What was that last line in that "Desire of Ages" quote? "That which appealed to Jesus' 34:59 heart was a soul thirsting for the Water of Life." That's all that counts. 35:03 "The external distinctions mean nothing to me. What's happening on the inside? 35:07 That's what I want to know." Shoo. A house by the side of the road. 35:13 He did it to Zacchaeus. He did it to Bartimaeus. He did it to the woman at the 35:18 well, he did it to the woman taken in adultery. He did it to 'em all. 35:21 You know why? Because the maker of all things loves and wants me, that's why. 35:26 Never forget that sentence. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take this 35:30 sentence, the truth of this sentence, to the world. All universal truth is 35:35 summarized in this one line. All revealed universal truth is summarized in this one line. 35:40 The maker of all things loves and wants me. Which is why Jesus had his house 35:48 by the side of the road and why we must build our houses by the side of that same road. 35:53 Don't you think? The question that begs itself right now is, "Okay, Dwight, 35:57 how, how, how? I'm in a dormitory. I can't build a house. 36:00 I work on this campus. I live in the community. I work in a factory. 36:04 I work at the hospital. I'm in a clinic. I'm in an office. 36:07 I can't" -- What do you mean you can't? I ask you one question -- are 36:12 there people where you live? Are there people where you study? 36:16 Are there people where you work? Yep. Yep. Yep. Good. That's all you need. 36:21 You can build your house by the side of that road. I'm going to leave you now with 36:26 three simple steps to build your house by the side of the road. Jot these three down. 36:31 No study guides in these pandemic days. That's okay. 36:34 You'll remember them. I'm going to put them on the screen for you one at a time. 36:37 Number one. 36:44 Jesus had no idea who Bartimaeus was. They never met before. 36:48 He has never met Zacchaeus, but Jesus, not an extrovert, not an introvert, Jesus being Jesus 36:55 meets a stranger and then sets out to win that stranger to a friendship. 37:00 Be friend or befriend strangers. And there's no reason why you and I can't do the same. 37:07 I'm telling you what. There is no reason we can't. In person or online. 37:14 Social interaction or social media interaction, keyboard to keyboard. 37:19 It doesn't matter. You can be a friend to even strangers. 37:25 [ Chuckles ] Look at, come on. The Bible is clear. 37:28 Proverbs 18:24. "A man must show himself friendly." 37:30 And by the way, that's true of a woman. A woman must show herself 37:34 friendly. That's all you have to do. You don't have to be a 37:37 superstar. You don't have to be the most popular kid on the campus. 37:40 You don't have to be the most friendly guy in the office. You just be you. 37:45 That's all He needs 'cause that's all Jesus was. He was just Jesus. 37:52 But it worked every time. Except for the times it didn't work. 37:59 Not everybody's going to love you. Not everybody's going to 38:03 high-five you. That's okay. I just finished the 38:08 autobiography of Malcolm X on MLK Day this week. I started it just before 38:15 Christmas and finished it. And everybody here knows Malcolm X, the most well-known 38:19 Black activist in the 20th century, perhaps. Eventually becoming a global 38:23 ambassador for Islam. So imagine my surprise as I'm reading this -- and I shared 38:28 this was some of you the other day -- imagine my surprise when reading this I discover that 38:33 Malcolm X met Seventh-Day Adventists. Come on, I got to share this 38:38 with you. This is straight out of his autobiography. 38:41 As told to Alex Haley, the great writer. "About this time, my mother 38:45 began to be visited by some Seventh-Day Adventists" -- kind of misspelled it, but Haley got 38:50 it right anyway -- "who had moved into a house" -- by the side of the road, by the way -- 38:55 "who had moved into a house not too far down the road from us. They would talk to Mom for hours 39:01 at a time and leave booklets and leaflets and magazines for her to read." 39:05 Yep. They got to be Adventists. "We began to go with my mother to the Adventist meetings that 39:09 were held further out in the country." This is Lansing, Michigan. 39:13 So this is a little outside Lansing, Michigan. That's where this is happening. 39:17 So he's going with his mom. "For us children, I know that the major attraction was the 39:21 good food they served." Let's hear it for Adventist potlucks. 39:25 Give me an amen for that. Come on. That's the one -- That's a big loss about 39:29 the pandemic, no potlucks. What is the deal with that? Who -- [ Sighs ] 39:36 They'll come back. They'll come back. So, "I know that the major 39:40 attraction was the good food they served." Keep reading. 39:43 "But we listened." That's the deal. You do the potlucks because you 39:46 want to serve those who are there, but they're listening while they're there, and 39:49 Malcolm X is very honest. He said, "We were listening to what they were saying." 39:53 "There were a handful of Negroes from small towns in the area, but I would say" that little 39:58 church "was about 99% white people." You got the picture. 40:10 End quote. Malcolm X. Amazing. 40:20 When you're friendly to a 12-year-old, you have no idea what the 12-year-old will 40:24 turn out to be. But you're still friendly to a 12-year-old because you don't 40:28 care what she turns out to be. She's a 12-year-old and you love her. 40:35 God bless that little church outside Lansing, Michigan. "They were the friendliest white 40:42 people I'd ever seen." "Let me live by the side of the road, my house. 40:48 Let me live and be a friend to man." Befriend or be a friend 40:52 to strangers. That's what Jesus did. All right, three simple rules. 40:55 Here are strategies. Here comes strategy number two. Take the initiative. 40:58 Hey, let me tell you something about this. If Jesus had not taken the 41:01 initiative with the woman at the well as he did last Sabbath when we were together, she 41:05 wouldn't have been saved. If he was waiting for her, she would never have opened 41:09 the door. He took the initiative. He took the initiative with 41:12 Zacchaeus. He took the initiative with Bartimaeus. 41:15 He's taking the initiative with you and me. Why? 41:17 Because that was his strategy. That little classic, "Ministry of Healing." 41:21 Let me share this with you. This is incredible. This is Christ's modus operandi. 41:24 You want to know how Jesus operated with a house by the side of the road? 41:28 This is it. This is it. "Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching the 41:32 people. Number one, the Savior mingled with men" -- and women -- "as 41:36 one who desired their good." Now, here's the key word. Watch this. 41:40 This is kind of magic. Whoa! That red circle goes around the 41:43 word "mingled." You know why? Because that's the key. 41:46 That's the key. He just mingled with them. "I'm just here. 41:50 What are you talking about? Let me be a part of that. Latest football scores? 41:54 Okay, come on, I can do that." He mingled, "he mingled with men as one who desired their good." 42:02 He wasn't just hanging around. They knew there's something good about this guy. 42:06 He wants the best for me. I don't know. He just was Jesus. 42:10 Just like you are you. But people pick up on it. "The Savior mingled with men as 42:17 one who desired their good. Number two, he showed sympathy for them." 42:21 "Wow, that happened to you? I am so sad. I'm sure that guy didn't know 42:26 what he was doing, but if he did, I apologize to you. That is bad how you were 42:31 treated." He sympathized for them. He showed his sympathy for them. 42:36 "Number three, he ministered to their needs." Find a need and fill it. 42:39 That will often open a door for you. You find a need that that person 42:42 has, and you fill that need and that opens the door. It often opens a door. 42:45 "Number four, he won their confidence." "You can trust me. 42:48 I'm on your side." And then, number five, he says, "Yo, come on. Let's go. 42:52 Follow me down the road with a house by the side of the road. Let's go." 42:58 I tell you what. If you're living in 2021, and you are, whether you're a 43:03 student, a faculty member, a community member, just a human being, one of the great gifts 43:10 that social media has given to you and me is it's the perfect place to mingle with people. 43:16 You can mingle with people. You don't have to know them. They know you. 43:20 They've gone by your -- They've commented on your picture. 43:23 "That post, ooh, yeah. I'm commenting." You know, what? 43:26 Why don't we turn the tables? You're always waiting for people to comment on your stuff. 43:30 Why don't you go ahead and comment on somebody else's? Maybe it's not just to have the 43:34 coolest everything out there so that you can just drive the numbers up. 43:38 That's not the point. You're hanging around people like Jesus did. 43:41 Your house is beside the road. Comment on that stranger's post. "Boy, that was provocative. 43:45 You know what, I agree with you. I never saw it that way before." Extend a compliment. 43:52 Don't lie. But mingle. Those of us living in this world 43:57 of social media now have been given this huge traffic opportunity. 44:01 There are people everywhere. Do just like Jesus did. Just mingle among them. 44:06 I think of you faculty who have electronic contacts with your colleagues nearly all over 44:13 the world. And some of the you know some very well-known other faculty 44:18 members -- researchers, writers, scientists, you know them. Those of you who are faculty, if 44:28 I might have your ear for a moment, you have a reputation, these people have a reputation, 44:32 but have you ever -- have you ever considered connecting with one of them? 44:36 You know, you say, "Man, I'm not going to write to that guy. Who am I? No." 44:40 What do you mean? All it takes is somebody to just get behind a keyboard 44:45 and just... "Hey, I really appreciate it. I've been using your book 44:48 in my class. This was insightful." The issue is not, "Well, will he 44:53 write back and compliment me back?" No, the issue is just making a 44:57 connect. You live in a house by the side of the road. 45:00 Just connect with him. I mean, why couldn't it happen for you like it happened with 45:08 C.S. Lewis, the great C.S. Lewis, Clive Staples Lewis? One day an American woman, 45:14 living in -- true story -- living in Illinois, has a question. 45:18 So this brilliant mind, she decides, "I'm going to write him a letter." 45:22 There was no social media back there, so she had to just do this like this. 45:26 She writes him a letter. She sends it to him. It crosses the pond. 45:30 He eventually looks, read his mail. He said, "I'm gonna let this 45:34 lady know this." He answers her. She sends another letter 45:38 sometime later. He sends an answer back. They never met, but they carried 45:43 on a conversation over the Atlantic. An unknown American woman 45:50 living in the state of Illinois is corresponding with the great C.S. Lewis. 45:55 Yep. Yep. Yep. Because all it took was she took the initiative. 46:00 She just said, "Hey, I really need to ask you this." Why not? 46:05 Faculty, you have contacts. You're selling yourself short if you're thinking, "I don't 46:10 have influence." You have incredible influence. And that woman didn't have a 46:14 shred of influence, but there was a response, and then, there's a response, and there's 46:18 a response. With your bright mind and your sensitive heart, who better to 46:24 make contact with that individual that the Spirit brings to your attention. 46:29 Ah. "Let me live in my house by the side of the road and be a friend 46:33 to man." Three simple strategies. Here's the last one. 46:36 Befriend or be a friend to strangers. Take the initiative. I got it. 46:39 Finally, share your "capital F" Friend. Why? Because the Maker of all things 46:45 loves and wants me. And if the Maker of all things loves and wants you, don't you 46:50 suppose Jesus loves and wants the people that you have connections with, that you have 46:54 relationships with? 46:56 He wants them, but he wants them through you. 47:00 Why not? Share your "capital F" Friend. 47:07 The day will come. I'm not just saying write every 47:10 famous person you can think of now. 47:12 "Dear President Biden." No. 47:15 I tell you what, I wish somebody would write that young lady who 47:18 read the poem. "Hey, I'm a student at 47:21 Andrews University, and I just want you to know that was 47:24 masterful. You go, girl." 47:27 You can find her. She's got a publisher. 47:30 The publisher has an e-mail address. You write to the publisher. 47:34 The publisher will send it on. Wow. Why? Because the Maker of all things 47:38 loves and wants me, and the day will come when the Spirit whispers in my eye -- my ear, 47:42 and the Spirit says, "Dwight, this would be the time now, pass this along." 47:46 "You know what? I've discovered something in this life that has changed my 47:49 life. It's so simple. I'm embarrassed to share it with 47:52 you, but can I pass it on? The Maker of all things loves and wants me." 47:56 Why not? You don't have to trumpet it. "Hey, I just wrote so-and-so." 48:02 "Come on, keep it to yourself." You never know what'll happen. Because this little lady in 48:10 Illinois, let me tell you the rest of the story here. They took all those letters. 48:15 After Lewis died and after she died, her estate took the letters, got permission, and 48:20 they've published them in a book called "Letters to an American Lady." 48:24 I read that book. I could not believe my eyes when I discovered that this woman had 48:30 met some Seventh-Day Adventists. All right, follow this. She met some Seventh-Day 48:34 Adventist, and I praise God it was a very positive experience. We don't know. 48:37 We don't have her letters. We just have what she -- We just have how Lewis responds. 48:41 She's met an Adventist, and she's asked him, "Do you know anything about these 48:45 Adventists?" Watch this. On October 26, 1962, one year 48:49 before he died, from Cambridge, Magdalene College, this brilliant Englishman and 48:56 world-renowned apologist for Christianity wrote back to Mary -- 'cause her name is Mary. 49:04 She writes, and he writes back. I'll put the clip from that letter right here. 49:09 "Dear Mary..." And then, dot, dot, dot, dot. So I'm leaving that part of the 49:13 letter out. "What you say about VII Day Adventists" -- I like 49:18 that, "VII Day." We're not Adventists just one day a week. 49:22 Seven-Day Adventists. Take it from an Englishman. Not bad. 49:42 They got to be a first-name basis. Ain't that something? 49:46 "Hey, tell me about these Adventists. What do you know?" 49:49 "I don't know, but if what you just told me, if they have that kind of love, if they have 49:55 so much charity, there must be something very right about them." 50:02 So much love. Somewhere, I remember reading a sentence that goes like this. 50:07 The last rays of merciful light. I'll put it on screen for you. 50:27 That simple. You thought you had to preach a sermon about God's love. 50:30 You do not. All you have to do is build your house by the side of the 50:37 road and be a friend to man. For Jesus. For Jesus. 50:45 To which I say amen. And amen. Yeah. 50:51 Take out your Connect Card right now. I'll put it on the screen for 50:54 you. You can do it in your -- You can do it with your device 50:57 there. pmchurch.org/connect. Once you get to that page, 51:02 you'll see my next step today is, "How can I act on this, Dwight? 51:07 Well, what about this?" 51:13 Me, too, I'm putting a check mark right there. Why not? I want to be that. 51:18 Box number 2... 51:23 You're not saying you're going to do it tomorrow, but you know what? 51:26 Make a deal with your own heart and the Holy Spirit. "You point out somebody to me, 51:30 Spirit. I'll hear you. And help me then connect." 51:36 Why not? You got nothing to lose. And somebody might have eternity 51:41 to gain. Because you were a friend by the side of the road. 51:47 Box number three... 51:53 Every time we put this up, somebody else says, "Hey, me, too." 51:57 So I keep putting it up. Because some of you never been baptized in your life, and I 52:02 don't know why, and it doesn't matter to me at all. It's not the externals that 52:07 count. Jesus loves you. He knows your heart. 52:09 And right now, the Holy Spirit is saying, "It's your turn. Guess what, this is your day." 52:14 Put a check mark there. They'll get in touch with you electronically, and that's what 52:19 we'll do. Why put it off? Had a young man come to me 52:23 after chapel. He said, "I was in church last Sabbath. 52:27 I want to be baptized." You go. "Can you help me with Bible 52:33 studies?" We got it. We got it. Why not? 52:38 So, if something's happening in your heart right now, keep the door open. 52:41 Don't slam the door. Keep the door open. Keep the door open to Jesus. 52:47 Put a check mark there. Make sure we have your e-mail address, and we'll be back in 52:51 touch with you electronically. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Go back. Box number four... 52:59 What you don't know is that what we've been sharing these last few Sabbaths, all the fill in 53:03 the blanks are coming from "Desire of Ages." I don't quote it every time. 53:07 That book has changed my life over and over and over again. You want an e-version that you 53:12 can have on your device, please send your e-mail address to us. We'll send it to you. 53:18 Let's pray. The singers are going to sing a beautiful song, by the way. 53:21 "Make Me a Servant." I just love that, Vivian. "Make Me a Servant." 53:25 That's what it means to have a house by the side of the road. Jesus, I'm your servant. 53:30 And we'll sing in our hearts with them. Oh, Jesus, why did you make it 53:35 so simple? No, no. The question is, why have we made it so complicated 53:39 and so hard? As the Father sent me, I'm sending you. 53:45 Tell them the Maker of all things loves and wants you. Build a house by the side 53:49 of the road, you can do it. This is nothing. You can do it. I did. 53:53 Oh, Jesus, know our hearts and know that we would want nothing more, to build that 54:01 house right beside yours by the side of that crowded road. In your name, we pray. 54:10 Amen. [ "Make Me a Servant" begins ] 57:15 >> I want to take an extra moment to thank you for joining 57:17 us in worship today. It's by the continued support 57:19 from viewers like you that we're able to bring this program. 57:22 Today I want to invite you, though, to share with us how 57:25 this ministry has blessed you. I get inspiring notes, e-mails 57:28 from viewers literally all over the world telling me, "Look, 57:30 Dwight, God has been blessing me this way, he's been 57:33 doing this." I would love to hear from you, 57:35 as well. Just visit our web site, you 57:37 know it, newperceptions.tv, and click on the "contact" link 57:41 at the top of the page. Send me a note. 57:43 Let me know what God has been doing right now in your life. 57:47 Once again, thank you for being with us today. I hope you'll join us right 57:51 here next time. And until then, may the God of grace journey with you every 57:55 step of the way. 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:18 ♪♪ |
Revised 2021-02-04