Participants: James Rafferty
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000672
|
01:00 We have a quite a number of young people here
01:04 from Souls, and they're going to be sharing with us 01:07 about their school and their program 01:09 and what's going on down there in Souls. 01:12 The first person that's going to be up here with us 01:14 this morning is, Rocky. 01:15 Rocky, how are you doing? I'm great. 01:17 Absolutely fantastic. 01:19 And as I was gonna say, absolutely, 01:21 you better be great, right? 01:23 And so Rocky, tell us, what is Souls? 01:25 Souls is a college of discipleship in evangelism. 01:30 It's a place where those who want to learn 01:32 the Bible and learn how to be effective 01:34 in both personal and public evangelism 01:36 can come to study. 01:38 Jesus said, if we know and follow Him 01:41 godly character, disciple making, 01:43 and evangelistic fruitfulness 01:45 will be in the natural and spontaneous result. 01:48 And at Souls we mentor our students to know 01:50 and follow Jesus. Amen. 01:52 So how long has Souls been around, 01:54 when did it get started? 01:55 It started in 1998. 01:58 In the mid 90s Joe Holloway, 01:59 the Publishing Director of the Florida Conference 02:02 realized that a school up in the Review and Herald 02:04 named George King Institute was effective 02:07 in training literature evangelism. 02:10 He felt that a school modeled after that sort 02:12 would be profitable for the Southern Union. 02:15 And where is it located, I mean, 02:17 is it close by here, Florida? 02:19 Not too far from here. Okay. 02:20 Actually it's 45 minutes east of Orlando, Florida. 02:24 Just off the Turnpike. 02:26 Okay. And what was the campus there. 02:27 Is it a trailer park with a bunch of rundown trailers 02:29 or what's the campus like there? 02:31 Well, last time I was there, 02:32 it was actually a very nice place. Okay. 02:34 A few days ago, it was a facility built 02:37 once upon a time to be a school. 02:39 So there is dormitory there, a cafeteria, 02:42 administration building, classrooms. 02:44 It's a beautiful setting. 02:45 There is places there for RVs 02:47 and the Florida Conference actually operates 02:50 it much like they do Camp Kulaqua. 02:52 It's a place where people come 02:53 and have meetings just like this. 02:54 Awesome, awesome. 02:56 So what makes Souls unique or different 02:59 from let's say any other 03:01 type of Bible school or college? 03:03 I think there are two or three things maybe 03:06 that I would like to point out that makes Souls 03:08 effective and unique. 03:11 One is in our school, you can come to school 03:13 therefore one year receive a pastoral degree 03:16 and a certificate in pastoral ministry. 03:18 Or two year associates degree in religion. 03:21 But during those school years we provide 03:24 two practicums, ten weeks long each time 03:28 and our teachers actually not only teach 03:30 in the classroom but they will come out in the field 03:33 and mentor the students there. 03:35 So if you come for one year you've received 03:38 two ten week practicums, if you come for two years 03:41 at Souls, you receive four. 03:43 Not only that but then when you graduate, 03:45 Souls diligently works to find full time employment 03:49 for you in the ministry. Awesome. 03:52 Some of our graduates are working as pastors, 03:54 we have some that are working as publishing leaders 03:57 in some of the conferences across North America. 04:00 Some are working as chaplains 04:01 and youth leaders in academies and colleges, 04:05 and some are working as Bible workers 04:07 holding evangelistic series and such. Amen. 04:09 So who are these people up here with on the podium? 04:12 This is some of our staff. I'm glad you asked. 04:15 To my far left is James Detrick 04:17 and his wife Sarah. 04:19 James is the Director of Souls. 04:20 He has his bachelor's degree 04:22 from Southern Adventist University. 04:24 Sarah is a graduate from South Western 04:26 Adventist University, also with a degree in religion. 04:30 Omar Rivera is just graduated 04:33 with his master's divinity from the Andrews University. 04:37 And we have other professors and teachers 04:39 that come in and teach us. 04:40 Well, in fact James, I believe you've come 04:41 three times now and taught a class 04:43 on Daniel and Revelations. 04:44 I have been there a couple of times indeed, 04:45 yes, and it has been a joy, 04:47 it has been a blessing to be there. 04:49 So lets, anything else you want 04:51 to share with us about Souls. 04:53 Just want to emphasis that there is anyone 04:55 listening today that is interested in learning 04:58 how to do effective Bible work 05:00 and public evangelism, log on to our website 05:03 it's soulscollege.com 05:05 give us a call, send us an email 05:07 we will be happy to answer your questions. 05:09 Okay, let me talk to couple of these folks 05:11 and see what they have to share. 05:12 Omar, come on up here and talk to us. 05:14 You just getting started with Souls, I understand? 05:18 That's right. Tell us a little bit about 05:20 your relationship with Souls 05:22 and what Souls has to offer? 05:23 Well, my relationship with Souls 05:25 is I will be teaching there, the Dean of Religion classes. 05:28 And the classes that we are offering right now 05:30 our classes that covers varieties areas 05:34 between New Testament, Old Testament, 05:36 and church management. Okay. 05:38 The student can be able to have a knowledge 05:41 and practical skills in church management 05:44 and souls management leadership, 05:47 as well as studies in academies field like, 05:50 Daniel, Revelation, history of Old Testament, 05:55 SDA history and so forth. 05:57 Okay, and how if a student comes to Souls, 06:00 are they just taking a year off 06:01 and doing something on the side, 06:03 that it's kind of a diversion from college or education, 06:06 or is Souls something that is accredited 06:09 and part of furthering your education. 06:11 Well, we have an aggressive program 06:13 that includes the combination of a practical and theory 06:17 together like Ellen White advised, 06:19 to any educational institution. 06:22 And as well when you finish the first 06:24 or second year whatever you choose, one of them, 06:26 you have the opportunity to transfer 06:28 most of the 90% of the classes 06:30 to any other accredited educational institution 06:34 in United States because we are affiliated 06:37 with Drake University too and that's why right now 06:42 it make us stronger than before. 06:44 Okay, so basically a young person is gonna be 06:46 able to take what they're learning here 06:48 and apply them to their continuing education 06:50 if they want to go further. Absolutely. 06:51 Or they can take what they're learning 06:52 and go right into the field of ministry 06:54 and working for God. Sure. 06:56 If you want to continue or they want to stop 06:58 the education right there, but most of them 07:00 they continue to study. 07:01 That's the best of both worlds. Sure. 07:03 Thank you, Omar. Appreciate that. 07:05 Who else do we have over here? 07:07 Crystal James, how are you doing? 07:09 Good. All right. 07:10 Thank you. So you are connected 07:12 with Souls and have actually attended there. Yes. 07:15 Why did you choose to attend Souls? 07:17 Well, James, I chose to attend Souls because 07:20 I was tired of running from God. Okay. 07:22 You know, the world has success 07:24 but I really wanted to be successful 07:26 in the eyes of God himself. 07:27 You know, like having the Godly character, 07:30 making disciples, and being evangelistically fruitful. 07:34 And wanting to do that Souls was the place for me to be. 07:37 He had been showing me in my life for a couple of years now 07:41 taking me stepby step patiently, amen, 07:44 God is patient and I just love that. 07:46 And He just showed me, Crystal, 07:49 this is where I want you at this time in your life 07:51 and I said, yes Lord, I'll follow you. 07:53 Amen, amen. 07:54 So you went through the program there? Yes. 07:57 and now what you are doing? 07:58 Well, I just got through my ten week practicum 08:01 doing Bible work at the Clermont Seventh-day 08:04 Adventist Church and James that was awesome. 08:06 It was phenomenal. 08:07 We got a chance to give over 25 Bible studies, 08:11 and for Bible study there was a church member 08:13 always there and I just really thank Souls 08:16 for teaching me that. 08:17 And also just God for guiding me and leading me 08:21 in the place where I needed to be whenever 08:23 was ready to bring others into His kingdom. 08:25 So when you're talking about when you do 08:27 Bible work you're going in to these homes 08:29 and doing Bible studies but you're also bringing Church 08:31 members with you and connecting them 08:33 to those Bible studies. Yes. 08:34 That is awesome because that's just what we need 08:36 as a church, isn't it? Yes. 08:37 We need to get involved in missionary work 08:39 and of course, we can be motivated 08:40 by these young people to do that. 08:42 So anything else you want to share with us, Crystal? 08:44 Well, I just want to tell everyone 08:47 that if you're ready to just let go 08:49 and let God work in your life 08:51 especially all the young people out there 08:53 that Souls is a great place for you to be. 08:56 If you're mission minded and you want to do God's will 08:58 and learn how you can be more effective 09:00 in evangelistic witnessing, amen, 09:03 then you should come on down to our school. 09:05 Amen, thank you, Crystal. Praise the Lord. 09:07 Miguel, come on up here. 09:08 I've know Miguel for a long time, 09:10 well, my long time but there are few sessions 09:12 and we become friends and God has really blessed 09:15 our friendship and I know He has been blessing 09:18 leading your life, Miguel. 09:19 You are a student that went through Souls, 09:22 you went through the whole experience. 09:23 So tell us about that experience at Souls? 09:26 Well, just to be completely honest 09:29 it was wonderful. 09:30 I mean, it was such a blessing to be there. 09:33 Just imagine a school that your main text book 09:36 is the Bible, is the word of God. 09:38 You come to class with your Bible in your hand 09:41 and also some other books that be a such blessing. 09:43 And then each class is focused on one thing, 09:47 the gospel of Jesus Christ. 09:48 Every single class is so gospel centered, 09:51 it's really been such a blessing. 09:52 And what it has done for me has taken me 09:55 from a dry, traditional relationship with Christ, 09:59 you know, grew up as Adventist. 10:01 And has turned it into an exciting vibrant growing 10:05 experience with Christ. 10:07 And I've begin to see how real Christ really is, 10:10 how real the gospel really is, so-- Amen. 10:14 It has been quite a blessing for me. Amen. 10:16 Now, did you go through the one year program 10:17 or you go to the two year program? 10:19 I went through the one year program. Okay. 10:20 And what you're doing now, 10:22 I mean, tell us you've gone through the program, 10:24 you've been blessed spiritually, 10:26 you've grown in the Lord, 10:27 you found a vibrant experience with God. 10:30 So what has that led to? 10:31 Well, when I finished there, 10:33 well, actually while I was still there, 10:35 I was doing a practicum, doing Bible work here 10:38 in Florida for a little bit and then now I'm working 10:41 in a Atlanta, Georgia finishing up 10:42 one year Bible work for Loganville SDA Church, 10:46 and that has been such a blessing doing that. 10:48 They also allowed me to do the evangelistic series 10:50 back in September 10:51 and has got 18 nice series. 10:53 The Lord really blessed with that. 10:55 We are able to put the series on DVDs 10:57 and now we're able to go into the community 10:59 and share those DVDs with people 11:00 who didn't get a chance to come out to the meetings. 11:03 And so thanks to Tori Jenkins, 11:05 I also have a website now and we're able to put 11:08 those DVDs on the website, 11:10 that you can view them straight 11:11 from your computer if you high speed Internet. 11:14 So a lot of people have been blessed 11:15 going to that website and there is other things 11:17 there also and just so you know, 11:19 that website is OneTrueGospel.com. 11:22 So please check it out and get your blessing. 11:24 OneTrueGospel.com. Amen. 11:27 So Miguel, you are about 19 years of age? 11:31 Twenty actually. Twenty, okay, 11:32 just turned twenty, gone through the twenty. 11:34 Okay and in the last year or so you've gone 11:38 from just kind of, you know, to a vibrant relationship 11:43 with the Lord and are doing evangelism 11:45 and Bible work, have a website, 11:48 have DVDs on the website and you are encouraging 11:50 everyone to access that website 11:52 in order to do evangelism, witness and share. 11:56 Praise the Lord, isn't that what we want 11:58 for our young people today, and we can have that, 12:01 we can actually get that experience for them 12:03 through this school, Souls. 12:06 And I love the acronym, I really, 12:08 really love the T-shirts too. 12:10 Every time I go down there 12:11 they give me another one of their T-shirts 12:13 and they've got hats now too 12:14 and I want to get one of those hats. 12:16 Anything else you want to share with us here? 12:19 Well, I just want to say that for any young person 12:21 that's out there right now, 12:22 if you are currently experiencing this gospel 12:24 and you're seeing how real God is, 12:26 please don't sit there and be ideal and just, 12:28 you know, let it fade away. 12:29 But come to Souls and learn how to relate 12:32 your experience to other people. 12:34 Or if you're somebody in search 12:36 of a closer experience, come to Souls 12:37 and they will most likely bring you 12:39 to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 12:41 And let me tell you it's a whole lot more 12:42 than what we've heard it to be. 12:44 The gospel is so powerful 12:46 so I would encourage you all to go. 12:48 Romans 1:16 says, well, I am not ashamed 12:50 of the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God 12:54 unto salvation and I've truly been learning 12:57 that the gospel has some amazing incredible power. 13:00 Miguel, Crystal, Omar, Rocky, James, and Sarah, 13:03 thank you so much for sharing this morning 13:05 those powerful testimonies. 13:07 I know there are people here and out there listening 13:09 who are going to be blessed 13:10 and encouraged to get a hold of you. 13:12 So be ready for the phones to ring. 13:15 God bless you. 13:19 Well, that is powerful to me and I've been affiliated 13:24 with Souls off and on for a few years 13:26 doing a Revelation, Daniel, Revelation intensive there. 13:29 But for those of you who maybe interested 13:31 in sponsoring a true missionary 13:34 to the country of America. America. 13:40 Now we do send missionaries overseas, don't we? 13:42 In fact, America is still the number one missionary 13:45 country in the world we're followed 13:47 close behind by South Korea. 13:49 I don't know if you knew that, 13:50 they are gaining on us. 13:52 They are preparing to be the number one missionary 13:55 country in the world, but America is still number one 13:58 But sometimes we forget about this country, 14:02 isn't that right? 14:03 Souls is an opportunity to send missionaries 14:07 to America and we need missionaries 14:10 right here in America. 14:11 And so I want to encourage you to get 14:13 hold of Souls college and that's what it is 14:16 that's the way you get hold of them SoulsCollege.com, 14:20 www.SoulsCollege.com Get on their website, 14:28 get hold of them, 14:30 allow them to be a part of encouraging the young 14:34 people that you know, the young people 14:35 in your life, to have a vibrant, 14:38 experience for the Lord to learn 14:40 how to do literature evangelism. 14:42 To learn how to do speaking evangelism. 14:45 To learn how to Bible work and to be part of a church 14:48 where young people can encourage and stir up 14:53 the older ones and the members to be a part of outreach 14:56 and witnessing and evangelism and sharing 14:58 and grow in that church to be strong 15:00 and spiritual in the Lord. Amen. 15:03 Amen. Amen. 15:04 Now we're going to have a special music, 15:10 so stay with us. 15:16 You know I'm so glad that we serve the Lord 15:18 that places us where He needs us to be, 15:22 and now where we wanna be. 15:26 And sometimes those two come together 15:28 in a beautiful way. 15:29 I don't know about you but I had one of those weeks 15:31 where I was really frustrated with where 15:33 God has placed me, 15:37 but it's when we give our lives over to Him 15:39 that He is able to use us in those places. 15:58 Don't ever stop working with me Lord 16:05 No matter how hard I push you away 16:12 I can see the tears streaming down your face 16:20 As I walk away again I need your love 16:29 And I need to feel your light inside me 16:33 I need to reach out for your hand that leads me home 16:41 And if I turn away, oh, Lord I pray today 16:49 Don't ever stop working with me Lord 16:56 So much temptation in this world 17:03 I can't count the times I've let you down 17:10 Forgive me Lord, I cry out once more 17:17 As you hang on that cross again 17:23 I need your love and I need to feel your light inside of me 17:31 I need to reach out for your hand that leads me home 17:39 And if I turn away, oh, Lord I pray today 17:46 Don't ever stop working with me Lord 17:52 I need your love 17:56 I need to feel your light inside of me 18:00 I need to reach out for your hand that leads me home 18:08 And if I turn away, oh, Lord I pray today 18:18 Don't ever stop working with me Lord 18:25 Don't ever stop working with me Lord 18:34 Don't ever stop working with me Lord. 18:46 Well, this is our Sabbath school lesson time, 18:48 we have about 40 minutes 18:50 and we're gonna get right into our lesson this morning. 18:52 We are in lesson 10 of our quarterly families of faith. 18:57 Families of faith. And we're just gonna follow 19:00 the lesson here this morning and move through it 19:03 point by point as we have opportunity. 19:06 And as we do that I'm just going to 19:07 ask you to pause with me for a moment 19:09 and let's just ask God to be here through His spirit, 19:12 in prayer. Father in heaven, 19:14 we wanna thank you for the testimonies 19:16 that been born this morning to your goodness 19:19 and power in working in our lives. 19:21 We want to thank you for the creators you give us 19:23 for the opportunities you have give us to come apart 19:26 and to enjoy nature and your creation. 19:30 Want to thank you, Father, 19:31 for this opportunity to open your word 19:33 and I wanna pray that you'll draw our minds away 19:36 from the distractions of the world of the weak of life 19:40 and that You will cause us to focus now on the lessons 19:43 that You would like us to learn, 19:45 as we open and study and look to Jesus Christ. 19:48 Our author and our finisher, 19:50 we pray this now in His wonderful name, amen. Amen. 19:55 Hebrews Chapter 12, I told you last night, 19:59 but I thought it was providential that I was here. 20:02 One of the reasons I feel that it's providential 20:03 that I'm here is because of Hebrews Chapter 12. 20:08 See, I felt impressed for this weekend to study 20:12 and share with you from Hebrews Chapter 12 20:14 and it wasn't until I got the quarterly, the lesson, 20:17 the outline because I was asked to do the quarterly 20:19 for this weekend. 20:20 It wasn't until I receive that quarterly 20:23 that I realize that the very theme that I was sharing 20:27 and studying and preparing was the very 20:28 same theme for the quarterly for this week, 20:31 Hebrews Chapter 12. 20:34 In the quarterly they quote parts of Hebrews 12:1 and 2. 20:37 I would like for us to read all of it 20:39 this morning, Hebrews 12:1 and 2. 20:41 Wherefore see we also are compassed, 20:46 surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, 20:49 let us lay aside every weight, 20:52 and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 20:56 and let us run with patience the race 21:00 that is set before us. How? 21:03 Looking unto Jesus, who is the author 21:07 and the finisher of our faith. 21:10 Who for the joy that was set before Him 21:14 endured the cross, despising the shame, 21:17 and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God 21:21 What was the joy that was set before Jesus? 21:27 Yes, you this morning are the joy 21:30 that was set before Him. 21:31 If you think that it was joyful to hear those 21:34 testimonies and even experience 21:37 the testimonies this morning of Souls being 21:40 one of the Lord, can you imagine how God feels, 21:42 how Jesus feels? 21:43 He is so happy all heaven rejoices of a one sinner 21:47 that is saved. 21:48 I have to say, that's what motivates me. 21:50 Many times people will ask me, James, 21:54 how did you ever get to the place you're at. 21:55 I mean, you're on television, 21:57 you're doing ministry and evangelism. 22:00 And I always respond, well let me tell you 22:02 how I got here. 22:04 I woke up Thursday morning, 22:08 always tried to travel a day early 22:10 when I'm going to the east coast. 22:12 I woke up at 4 O'clock in the morning. 22:14 My alarms were set for 4.30 but I woke up 22:17 at 4 because that's when the Lord 22:18 wanted me to get up. 22:19 And there was a reason for that because living 22:21 in Eugene, Oregon it very rarely snows 22:23 but this morning it was snowing. 22:27 I didn't know that so I got outside. 22:29 It was snowing and I needed four wheel drive 22:32 to get to the airport. 22:33 When I got there got on the plane, 22:35 they deiced it twice. 22:39 Finally we left and we got into Salt Lake City, 22:42 well, we didn't get into Salt Lake City 22:43 we got to Salt Lake City. 22:45 We circled it a few times and we're running out 22:47 of fuel so they had to take us to Twin Falls, Idaho. 22:50 We landed there and refueled 22:51 got into Salt Lake City, 22:53 we had blizzard conditions there 22:54 for a while and by the time we landed 22:56 my plane was gone and so was every other connection 23:00 through every other city 23:01 that they could think of to Orlando. 23:04 So I had one of two options. 23:06 One, I could go standby on a 5 O'clock flight 23:09 to Orlando hoping I could get on, 23:12 or two since I had to get here by last night 23:15 I could leave at 12 O'clock that night fly all night 23:19 to Atlanta have a three hour level over there 23:22 and then leave at 7 O'clock from Atlanta 23:24 to here, getting here Friday morning. 23:28 You asking me how I got here, 23:29 you asking me many times how is that you get to, 23:33 to do television program. 23:34 So I'm telling the very basics 23:36 and that is it's by doing the little things, 23:38 it's by the little duties, 23:39 it's by just living life and reaching out. 23:44 So I'm sitting in the airport going this try, 23:47 you know how trials are. 23:49 Going through this trial and thinking to myself, 23:51 what am I going to do, what am I going to do. 23:54 And as I'm sitting there praying the peace of God 23:57 comes upon me and all of the sudden God just tells me, 24:02 James, it doesn't matter, 24:04 it doesn't matter just trust me for this, just trust me. 24:07 Just relax and trust me. 24:08 So I open up my Bible, open up my computer 24:10 and I start studying because that's what 24:11 I was going to do anyway. 24:12 When I got ther I was going to study. 24:14 So I said I'm just going to study, 24:15 I'm just going to trust that God is going to work 24:18 this out for me, and I decided to call 24:20 my airline travel agent and I called her 24:23 and talked to her and she said, James, 24:25 she said that they always have seats 24:26 available on airplanes. 24:28 Even though you're going standby and she said 24:30 I'm seeing this flight and I'm see that is oversold 24:33 but there are always seats in first class. 24:37 You need to go up to the counter and you need to 24:39 tell them that you know they have some seats 24:43 and you need to get a seat in first class. 24:46 I said okay, I left to the counter 24:49 told them my situation, 24:50 told them if they had said I could get on the plane, 24:52 told them I needed to get to this location 24:54 because I was going to be on television 25:01 all over the world. 25:04 And they said, well, just hold on just a second here. 25:06 Just hold on just a second, 25:07 let's see what we can do and in a few minutes 25:10 they produced for me a first class ticket. 25:15 And I was praising the Lord, 25:16 and I just started studying 25:17 and I just started praising God, 25:19 sitting in that airport I had a smile on my face. 25:21 Even though I got there at around 11.30 25:24 and my plane didn't leave until 5, 25:26 I was very, very happy. 25:28 I left there at 5 O'clock. 25:30 Do you believe in divine appointments? Yes. 25:32 I left there at 5 O'clock 25:34 I got into my first class seat 25:36 see next to another man who neither one of us were, 25:38 you know, the normal first class passengers 25:42 and we began to talk. 25:43 His name was David. 25:46 Ask me what I did. 25:47 Now, you know how that is for me. 25:50 I want to use that as an 25:52 opportunity to share about the Lord. 25:55 And normally in a situation like this 25:57 I'm tired maybe a little bit, you know, grumpy because, 26:00 you know, I've been sitting in airport 26:02 for hours but in this occasion I was happy. 26:05 And I believe that God was in control and he was. 26:07 Because David was a brand new Christian. 26:12 Had just started attending church with his daughter. 26:18 David asked me as we got our complimentary meals 26:25 if I would like to pray with him. 26:28 He said, you pray and I'll pray. 26:31 He said now I'm not really experienced 26:33 at praying, he is a geologist and basically atheist, 26:38 believing in evolution and yet he said, 26:41 I would like to pray too. 26:42 And so I prayed and he prayed 26:44 this simple earnest prayer. 26:46 David is part of the family of God. Amen. 26:51 David is not where I am, he's not where you are 26:53 but David has began this journey, 26:56 and as we sat there talking together 26:59 and sharing together I was just praising God 27:01 for this divine appointment. 27:03 I had been on cloud nine ever since. Amen. Even since. 27:07 Our lesson this morning is about 27:09 the family of God, the family of faith. 27:12 And friends sometimes we think about 27:14 family of God, we narrow it down don't we. 27:17 We think about perhaps Adventists or maybe just 27:21 Christians, but I believe the family of God 27:24 is all over this world, in every church, 27:28 in every religion and non religion. 27:30 I believe that God has his people every where. 27:33 And the Bible bears this out, 27:35 in fact when you read the Bible you find point 27:39 after, point after, point, 27:40 time after time you find that God is working 27:44 in the lives in the hearts of different individuals. 27:48 One of these experiences is found right here 27:51 in the first part of our lesson on Sunday. 27:53 Acts Chapter 10, let's just look there this morning. 27:56 Acts Chapter 10, here is a powerful story friends, 28:03 a powerful story of how God is working 28:06 in the life of a man who is part of the family of faith. 28:12 What is his name? Cornelius. 28:15 What does Cornelius do for a living? 28:19 He is a soldier, he is in the military, right. 28:23 Yes, he is a leader, he's in charge of others 28:28 but Cornelius is also a part of the family of faith. 28:35 Now this is challenging to say the least. 28:38 For Peter, for the Apostles, 28:40 for the disciples, they are challenged in many 28:44 ways to recognize that Cornelius, 28:49 a Roman soldier will be part of the family of faith. 28:54 You ever been challenged that way. 28:57 Now I have to tell you that 28:58 when I was talking with David, 29:01 he was drinking vodka tonic. 29:07 Do you think he is part of family of faith? Yes. 29:11 I can go back to my own experience, 29:13 I can go back to the time when I was converted. 29:16 When I accepted the Lord is my savior and was 29:19 still listening to rock and roll music, 29:21 going to church on the wrong day 29:24 and doing all kinds of other things. 29:26 But Jesus was still my savior.Amen. 29:28 I didn't understand, I hadn't grown, 29:32 I didn't have the lights that we all have 29:34 but Jesus was still my Savior. Amen. 29:37 Cornelius is in the army, the Roman army. 29:40 The Romans that were responsible 29:42 for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, 29:44 is Cornelius part of family of faith. Yes. 29:46 Absolutely. Does Peter know that? Not yet. 29:52 It's going to take some supernatural experiences 29:57 for Peter to realize that that man 30:00 is part of the family of faith. 30:03 Is that what it takes for us? 30:04 Sometimes, sometimes that's what it takes. 30:11 But I believe, friends, this morning 30:12 that God wants to open our hearts and minds to help us 30:15 to recognize that He has his people out 30:17 there everywhere. Amen. 30:19 I was just in Thailand 30:20 just a few weeks ago at Mission College. 30:22 Mission College, Thailand, 30:25 700 plus students, 30:28 it is a Seventh-day Adventist institution. 30:31 They have 3ABN over there by the way. 30:33 High to Mission College if you're watching 30:35 this morning, no they won't be 30:36 because they're 15 hours ahead of us. 30:39 If they're watching this evening and 60% 30:42 of the students at Mission College are Buddhists. 30:48 Told it was a Mission College, 30:50 it lives up to its name. Amen. Amen. 30:52 Now these students, these Buddhist students 30:57 most of them are from Thailand. 31:01 The Thai people are a very unique people. 31:05 You heard about all of the controversy 31:08 that's taking place today, in our world today, 31:11 concerning those cartoons, 31:14 those Muslim cartoons. 31:16 We have the right to free speech, 31:19 we have the right to exercise our free speech 31:21 and we're going to print whatever we feel like 31:24 printing no matter what it causes, 31:27 no matter who it offends. 31:28 That is the mindset of the west isn't it? 31:31 Indeed we are moving forward in that way 31:33 and causing all kinds of death and problems 31:36 because of our rights. 31:38 But in Thailand there was a young man, 31:41 a rap singer, musician, very popular 31:45 who put together an album and in one of those albums 31:49 he used some words from the Qur'an 31:52 that offended the Muslims. 31:56 So this man when he found about this 31:59 publicly apologized, withdrew his song 32:04 and his album though 32:05 they had thousands, perhaps hundreds 32:07 of thousands of them duplicated, 32:10 withdrew it from the market at the personal 32:13 cost of much money. 32:16 Because he did not want to offend a religion 32:20 that was different from his. 32:22 That is the attitude, 32:24 that is the nature of the Thai people. 32:27 They are humble, likable, friendly people and God 32:32 is responsible for that. Amen. 32:35 Because whenever we see goodness, 32:36 whenever we see grace, 32:38 whenever we see that kind of an attitude 32:40 coming from anywhere we know that God is the source. 32:44 He is the author as well as the finisher. 32:48 I was privileged to be in Thailand, 32:49 I was privileged to share a Mission College 32:51 there and talk to those 700 students many of them 32:55 Buddhist students and the belief by faith that many 32:58 of them are part of the family. 33:00 They just perhaps haven't seen God, you know, 33:02 or known God have been introduced to him 33:04 and that was my responsibility 33:06 and as I did that my night for that week, 33:08 we made an appeal at the end of the week 33:11 we asked people if they wanted 33:12 to begin Bible studies. 33:14 If they would like to accept Christ as their savior, 33:16 if they would like to be baptized 33:18 and over 100 of those students responded 33:22 positively. Praise the Lord. 33:24 Every where you go, people are sitting next to you, 33:30 walking by you, rubbing shoulders with you 33:33 they are part of the family of faith. 33:37 Yes they are part of the family of God, 33:39 the family of faith. 33:40 And so Cornelius is part of the family of faith. 33:43 But what has to happen in order 33:45 for peter to recognize this. 33:46 Well, Peter is tired and hungry and it says there 33:50 in Acts Chapter 10 verse 9 that, 33:53 Peter went up to the house top to pray about 33:56 the sixth hour and he became very hungry verse 10 says. 34:00 He would have eaten but while they made ready 34:02 he fell into a trance, a vision and he saw heaven 34:07 open and he saw vessels descending like 34:10 a big sheet held up with the corners, 34:13 and in this vision there was all manner of four 34:18 footed beasts of the Earth, wild beasts, 34:20 and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 34:22 There were snakes, you know, 34:23 and reptiles and may be some monkeys in there, 34:25 all kinds of creatures, all kinds of creatures. 34:30 And a voice came to Peter, 34:32 rise up, Peter, kill and eat. 34:36 What do you think, would you do it? 34:40 I don't think there were any big franks on that sheet. 34:45 And so Peter says, no way, no way. 34:48 I'm not eating. 34:50 That is not my regular Loma Linda diet. 34:53 I'm not eating any of that stuff, Lord, 34:55 there is no way that I'm gonna touch that. 34:57 I've haven't anything verse 14 says, 34:59 that is common or unclean. 35:04 Now unclean of course is the food that the Bible 35:06 says we shouldn't eat because it wasn't made 35:08 to be eaten it was made to scavenge the Earth. 35:11 Common can be that food or it can be clean food 35:15 that is simply become defiled in some way. 35:19 So Peter saw all of this food on the sheets both 35:23 the unclean and the common, and the voice, 35:26 verse 15, spake to him again the second time 35:29 and said "what God hath cleansed, 35:35 that call not thou" what? 35:38 I think it's interesting that God doesn't say unclean. 35:42 When he interprets his dream to Peter, 35:44 see some people think that Jesus Christ 35:47 came to die on the cross in order to make pig clean. 35:53 Now the Bible doesn't say that anywhere that I know of. 35:56 Even in this verse that is not in the intend, 36:01 but Jesus did come to die on the cross 36:05 so that we could recognize that he is the savior of all 36:09 people 1 Timothy 4 verse 10. 36:12 Jesus said in John Chapter 12 and verse 32 36:16 if I be lifted up will draw all unto me. 36:21 And in John Chapter 10 he says I have many sheep 36:24 that are not of this folds, 36:25 then will I call and they will hear my voice 36:28 and hopefully they'll hear His voice through us, 36:31 amen. Amen. 36:32 And so Peter is confused, he is wondering here 36:37 God is saying that there are those in this context 36:40 the gentiles, he doesn't know that yet who are unclean, 36:43 who are common I should say. 36:45 Because of their association, 36:47 because of their lack of association, 36:48 because of their uncleanness of life 36:50 or whatever and God has come to cleanse them. 36:54 This was done three times and then the vessel was 36:56 received up into heaven and Peter was doubting 36:58 he was not understanding what it meant. 37:01 And as he was thinking about it, 37:06 there was a knock on the door. 37:08 Did you hear that? 37:09 Yes, there was a man that had come 37:13 that was sent by Cornelius to fetch 37:15 Peter to the house of Cornelius. 37:18 He was there at the door and Peter was thinking 37:21 about this, thinking about this, verse 19, 37:24 and as he thought about it, 37:27 the Spirit said unto him. 37:30 I really like that phrase right there don't you. 37:34 There are times when we rely too much 37:39 on the word of God itself 37:42 and become disconnected from the Spirits. 37:46 Now there are times when we can't go to the other 37:48 stream of course and we need to be careful, 37:51 we don't want to just go by the Spirit, 37:52 the Spirit, the Spirit and be contrary to God's word. 37:57 But there are times 37:58 when we can hedge ourselves into the word of God. 38:00 These were one of those times 38:02 when Peter need to be careful, careful. 38:04 Peter, don't just go by what you understand 38:07 God is saying, listen also to what, the Spirits. 38:12 Because there are times, friends, 38:14 when only the Spirit can direct us. 38:17 People ask me questions all the time, James, 38:20 what do you think I should do in this circumstance. 38:22 What is your counsel for this kind of a situation 38:25 and I have to tell them as I share with them 38:27 everything that I can think of concerning 38:30 what God has to say in His word I had to tell them 38:32 but ultimately in the end 38:35 only you can make that decision. 38:37 Only the Holy Spirit can tell you 38:38 what you need to do, amen. Amen. 38:41 The Holy Spirit has to be the final say, 38:44 the final words. 38:45 We have to have that unction. 38:48 1 John says, that unction from the holy one 38:52 who teaches us all things. 38:54 I'm so thankful that Peter had the unction, 38:56 because Jesus told them earlier in ministry, 38:59 Peter said, Jesus said to Peter, 39:00 the Holy Spirit has been teaching you Peter, 39:02 you remember that. 39:03 He was taught of the Holy Spirits 39:06 and it says that he listened. 39:09 Because the Holy Spirit told him there are three men 39:11 here that seek you arise, 39:14 therefore and go with them and don't have 39:17 a doubt about anything 39:19 I'm the one that sent them. Praise God. 39:21 Do you believe that the Holy Spirit can speak 39:26 to us as clearly and as simply 39:28 and as powerfully today as it did? 39:32 Yes, God's Holy Spirit can speak to us today, 39:37 it can communicate to us today. 39:38 And so Peter went with these men and he entered 39:43 into Caesarea says in verse 24. 39:46 Cornelius was waiting for them and Cornelius 39:50 had called together all of his kinsmen and near friends. 39:55 Cornelius wanted to share this experience with others, 39:59 so he called all of these people together. 40:03 They were all waiting for Peter. 40:07 Peter was there, powerfully led by 40:11 the Spirit of God, sharing there with Cornelius 40:16 one who was part of the family of faith 40:18 and opening up to them the word of God. 40:23 He confess, he was honest, he said, 40:25 you know, I thought that it was unlawful thing 40:28 for me who was a Jew, verse 28, 40:30 keep company with someone like you who is a gentile. 40:33 But God showed me, amen. Amen. 40:38 God showed me, it's so important for us today, 40:41 friends, to recognize that God 40:43 has His people everywhere. 40:45 Because there are times when we can be confined 40:49 and constricted by denominational boundaries. 40:54 We can be hindered and limited by the idea 40:59 that well we are the church. 41:02 You know, and I've heard that it has been said 41:04 and I like this phrase that we should consider 41:06 ourselves more the church of the Remnant 41:12 than the Remnant church. 41:14 See the church of the Remnant means 41:17 that we are part of a Remnant of people, amen, 41:21 that are all over the place. 41:24 And that when the time comes, that testing time, 41:27 there are going to be people from all different 41:30 walks of life who are gonna take their stand 41:32 for the truth, they are gonna stand with us. 41:35 Because they have in the times we live in, 41:40 in the months and years previous to the test, 41:42 they've been developing the character of Christ. 41:45 You see them, you see them everywhere you go. 41:47 You see people who are part of this family of faith 41:50 and they are developing the character 41:52 of Christ, you see the spirit of Christ in them and, 41:55 you know, those people are going to learn 41:56 in weeks and months 41:58 what it's taken us a lifetime to learn. 42:01 They are, but none of us, none of us are going to 42:06 get into heaven or gonna past the test, 42:10 are gonna endure this time just because we know 42:13 intellectually what the truth is. 42:15 Are you with me? Yes. 42:17 That's not it, that's not where it's at. 42:21 If we think that our acknowledgment, 42:23 our ascent to mental truth constitutes 42:26 righteousness, we are under a fearful delusion. Amen. 42:30 We must be grounded and founded on Jesus Christ. 42:36 Amen, amen. This is so significant. 42:40 I want to share with you a thought, 42:41 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, 42:43 Paul has a burden for this when he is talking 42:47 at a church in Corinthians 42:49 and we are not getting far off our lesson, 42:51 because the next part of our lesson here that 42:54 we're not getting off at all 1 Corinthians 2:2, 42:57 in other words what was the emphasis, 42:59 what was the focus of the early Christian church. 43:04 Acts 15, 1 Corinthians 2:2, 43:06 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 tell us that 43:09 they believe, that they need to focus not on the militia, 43:13 not on the side issues but on Jesus. 43:16 Paul called it, I call it the Pauline pledge. 43:18 Paul said I would know nothing among you 43:20 but Jesus Christ and him crucified. 43:24 Prove all things but hold fast to those thing 43:25 which are good. 43:28 Acts Chapter 15 says, let's not put false tests 43:31 upon the new believers. 43:32 Friends, don't get side tracked 43:35 by false man made tests. Amen. 43:38 Get your focus on Jesus. Amen. 43:41 Get yourself on the foundation. 43:44 He is the test. Amen. 43:46 And so Paul here in 1 Corinthians again 43:48 is emphasizing the same basic truth. 43:50 1 Corinthians Chapter 3, 43:52 powerful, powerful insight. 43:55 He is dealing with a church that he raised up 43:57 in Corinthian, a very ungodly city and he is 44:00 concerned for them because this carnality 44:03 among them they're, they're slipping away 44:05 from the gospel of Jesus Christ. 44:07 And he says here in 44:08 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 and verse 11, 44:10 he says "for other foundation can no 44:13 man lay than that is laid" 44:15 and that foundation is Jesus Christ. 44:19 Jesus Christ is the foundation. 44:22 Now, friends, if you don't have a foundation 44:25 well, let me illustrate it this way. 44:27 Back at our ministry we have a home, 44:30 it has five bedrooms, 44:31 two and half bathrooms and a car port. 44:34 That home would be worth a lot of money 44:39 if only it had a foundation, 44:42 but it was built on railroad ties and sand. 44:45 It was built with the idea that Jesus is coming 44:48 soon and so that five bedroom, 44:51 two and half bathroom home with the car ports 44:54 is worth almost nothing. 44:58 It is actually deteriorating 45:00 to the place where you can't live in it. 45:02 Huge cracks are appearing in the walls and soon it 45:07 will not be safe to even walk into that home 45:10 because it has no foundation. 45:12 Now, friends, the Bible is telling us 45:15 that the foundation of our experience 45:19 of our religion needs to be who, Jesus Christ. 45:22 Twenty seven fundamental believes is good, 45:24 that's good but let me tell you this morning, 45:29 the devil believes 45:31 the seventh-day is the Sabbath. Amen. 45:33 The devil believes that Jesus is coming soon. Amen. 45:38 The devil believes that when you die you sleep. 45:44 So what's the difference between his faith and ours? 45:47 It better be Jesus. Amen. 45:50 It better be that we have a foundation underneath us. 45:53 Amen. Amen. 45:55 Paul says, this is the foundation. 45:59 Then he goes on verse 12. 46:01 Now if any man builds upon this foundation, 46:03 here it is, gold and silver and precious stones. 46:07 There are people in the world today, 46:10 I like to think that they're the Adventists 46:14 who are building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, 46:17 gold and silver and precious stones. 46:21 See those are the qualities of truth 46:26 and understanding that last, that endure, 46:29 gold, silver and precious stones represent truth. 46:33 True understanding of the Bible of God's words. 46:37 And then it goes on to say wood, 46:41 hay, and stubble. 46:43 Now here we have in contrast of those things 46:46 that will endure the fire, that will endure the flame, 46:48 we have those things that will be burned up. 46:50 I believe this represents false doctrine, 46:53 false understanding, 46:54 false interpretation of God's words. 46:57 Follow me closely this morning, 46:58 there are those in the family of faith. 47:00 Are you with me? 47:02 That are building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, 47:05 good doctrine, and there are those 47:07 in the family of faith that are building upon 47:11 a foundation of Jesus Christ false doctrine. 47:14 True or false? True. 47:19 Paul goes on, every man's work, verse 13, 47:23 shall be manifest for the day shall declare it, 47:25 because it will be revealed by, fire. 47:29 There is going to be test. 47:30 God has a test not a man made test a heaven bond test. 47:35 And it's going to test every man's work. 47:38 It will be revealed by fire, 47:41 and fire shall try 47:43 every man's work of what sort it is. 47:44 Is it good or bad, is it the gold or is it the wooden, 47:47 and hay and the stubble. 47:49 If any man's work abides which he's built there on, 47:53 he will receive rewards. 47:55 But if any man's work, verse 15, be burned up, 48:00 if you're teaching false doctrine, 48:02 if you believe in false doctrine and this time 48:04 of test comes and your doctrine is burned up. 48:08 You will suffer loss. 48:11 But, but he himself shall be, what's the word, 48:18 saved, yet as so by fire. 48:20 Now this is incredible, isn't it? 48:23 Think about this there are people in the world 48:26 today that are part of the family faith. 48:29 They don't believe the same way you believe 48:31 and what they believe isn't necessarily true 48:34 according to God's words. 48:35 It's wood and hay and it's stubble. 48:37 And there is a time coming when those 48:39 doctrines are going to be tested. 48:42 There is a time coming, friends, 48:44 when Jesus return is going to be eminent 48:47 and not one Christian believer is going to have 48:50 been ruptured from this Earth. 48:52 Are you with me? 48:54 There is a time coming when millions 48:56 of believers out there are going to realize 48:59 that they are here for the duration. Amen. 49:01 Are you with me? 49:02 They're going to realize that there is no such thing 49:05 as a secret pre-rapture or mid oppose 49:09 until Jesus comes. 49:11 Are you with me? 49:12 And it's going to be a terrible 49:13 ordeal to realize that. 49:14 They haven't prepared for that, 49:16 they weren't ready for that, 49:17 they weren't in their minds and hearts thinking 49:21 this is the way it was going to be. 49:23 It's going to be terrible ordeal but you know what, 49:25 they're still gonna be saved. 49:27 They're still gonna be saved if they have 49:30 Jesus Christ as their foundation. Amen. 49:34 Are you with me? 49:35 And we're going to be part of helping them 49:38 to get through the disappointment 49:40 and the grief and the struggle 49:43 of their disappointment theological expectations. 49:47 In that time, we who are part of this family 49:51 of faith and I'm not going to point at them and say, 49:52 yeah, I told you, I told you, 49:53 you should have believe it. 49:54 We're gonna say brother, sister, 49:55 let me share with you from God's words. 49:59 The truth, the gold, the silver, 50:00 the precious stones, let me encourage you, 50:02 let me confront you, it's okay. 50:04 You may not be ruptured out of here, 50:07 you may have to go through with us these 50:10 seven last plagues but God is going to keep 50:12 you and protect you, amen. Amen. 50:14 Let me share with you the promises 50:15 that I've been storing in my heart 50:17 and in my mind in preparation for these events. 50:20 We're going to have the privilege of encouraging 50:23 one another in the family of faith. 50:24 That's what Peter did, Peter didn't say I'm not 50:26 going to Cornelius, I'm not going to a Roman soldier, 50:29 I'm not going to go and share with him. 50:32 He listened to the Spirit of God 50:34 and he went to Cornelius and he testified. 50:37 Now you got to understand, 50:40 it wasn't easy for Peter to do this 50:42 and it may not be easy for you. 50:44 It wasn't easy for Peter to do this. 50:46 See Peter received a lot of flack from the 50:50 brethren for talking to these 50:53 non-Jewish people. Didn't he? 50:56 And he had to rehearse that vision 50:58 again and again, in order to convince the brethren 51:02 that the spirit had led him to do this. 51:05 You may go through some similar experiences. Amen. 51:08 You may have to go through a little bit of flack, 51:11 people may not understand why you're doing 51:13 what you're doing, but don't deny 51:15 the leading of the spirits. 51:17 God has a foundation, upon which many people 51:21 some of whom are not even Christians are building. 51:26 You know, there are many Muslims in the world 51:28 today who believe in Jesus Christ. Amen. 51:31 You know, we get a false understanding 51:34 of the Muslim faith from the news, from television. 51:39 We come to the conclusion that all these Muslims 51:42 in the world today, all one billion of them are all 51:44 terrorists, that's not true, 51:46 that's not true at all. 51:48 There are a small group, yes they are, 51:51 and they give a bad name to the rest. 51:52 But I've been to Muslim countries, 51:55 I've gone to Pakistan three times 51:56 and they are honest, 51:58 faithful Muslim people who believe, 52:01 who believe, who I pray with and share with 52:04 and I've talked with. 52:06 They're honest people in every religion, 52:09 in every walk of life 52:10 that are part of the family of faith. 52:15 And really we're encouraged aren't we 52:17 to be more compassionate, more understanding 52:21 of the family of faith. 52:22 When we look back at the experience of God's 52:25 people of old, this quarter we're looking at 52:28 the experience of Abraham and Sarah. 52:31 Abraham did a few things where he kind of fudged 52:34 the truth didn't he. 52:35 Sarah was told she was going to have a child 52:38 and she laughed. 52:40 She did, she laughed, she thought, you know, 52:43 there is no way, there is no way. 52:46 I mean, Abraham was 75 years old when he was 52:51 told he was going to have a child. 52:52 Seventy five, what do you think of that? 52:55 He was a 100 years old 52:57 when he actually had a son, took 25 years. 53:01 I know it usually takes nine months 53:02 but it took 25 years. 53:06 Why do you think it took Abraham 25 years? 53:10 Because that's how long it took for Abraham 53:12 to completely give up on himself 53:16 and begin to trust the Lord. 53:18 We talked about that last night didn't we. 53:20 You see, we many times doubt, 53:25 and even like Sarah and Abraham, 53:27 the lesson quarterly asked us this quarter, 53:29 do you think that we would do as well in their 53:32 position as they did or better than them. 53:34 I wonder, I wonder if we are not doing the same 53:37 thing that they did Abraham and Sarah did them, 53:39 that we're kind of laughing but that's why 53:41 we are still here because we are kind of snickering 53:43 we are kind of unbelieving or in 53:45 unbelief at the promises of God. 53:48 We read one last night, God promised us He said 53:51 that you can lay aside every weight and the sin 53:57 that's so easily entangles you. 53:59 You can do that, how? 54:02 By looking unto Jesus, the author 54:04 and the finisher of our faith. 54:08 Praise God. Amen. But I don't know. 54:11 Do you think we can do it? 54:13 Well, if we look at ourselves 54:15 that's what Sarah did, 54:17 we're gonna laugh at that promise. 54:19 If we look at ourselves that's what Abraham did, 54:23 we're gonna laugh at that promise 54:25 and it's going to take a while. 54:28 One year, two years, five years, ten years, 54:32 twenty years, twenty five years 54:36 and then it says here in Romans. 54:38 Let's look at the story here as Paul picks it up 54:41 in Roman's Chapter 4. 54:43 I love this, this is so powerful. 54:46 Romans Chapter 4 the family of faith, 54:51 verse 19 of Romans Chapter 4. 54:54 "And he," that is Abraham we're talking about here, 55:00 "being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body." 55:09 Now, let's just stop right here just for a second. 55:11 Abraham is 100 years old, okay. 55:17 He is 100 years old and God has told Abraham 55:20 you are going to have a child. 55:24 What would you think? 55:27 I think that any of us here that are 50 or over 55:30 would have a question about that, 55:33 and probably it's a good thing. 55:37 And Abraham has one of two conclusions 55:40 that he can come to at a 100 years of age. 55:42 He can say there is no way that I can have 55:45 a child, because as the verse says he was dead. 55:51 In other words, there is no way that he could 55:52 physically do it, okay. 55:55 And Sarah was too. 55:57 Or he can say well God said it and I believe it. 56:04 It took Abraham 25 years 56:06 to come to that second conclusion. 56:08 God said it and I believe it. 56:12 I wonder if we're doing better than Abraham today. 56:17 And so verse 21 says, this is so powerful, 56:21 he staggered not at the 56:24 promise of God through unbelief. 56:26 Oh yeah, well, then how come it took 25 years 56:30 if he didn't stagger. 56:33 What was the deal with Hagar if he wasn't staggering. 56:36 Friends, I love the word of God here, 56:39 because the word of God does what the gospel 56:42 has promised us it will do. 56:45 Love covers a multitude of sins, 56:49 God turns our defeats into victory 56:53 and He looks upon our lives as though 56:55 it was a life of uninterrupted victory. 56:59 Because of the blood of Jesus Christ. 57:02 And so Abraham here is revealed to us as one who 57:06 staggered not at the promises of God through 57:09 faith and he gave glory to God. 57:11 And really that's what the essence 57:12 of the everlasting gospel of the Third Angels message 57:16 is calling us to do, isn't it. 57:17 Fear God and give glory to Him. Amen. 57:25 He staggered not at the promises of God through 57:29 unbelief, but was strong in faith, 57:31 giving glory to God. 57:32 Here it is verse 21, "and being fully persuaded 57:38 that, what He, God had promised, He, 57:42 God was able also to perform." 57:47 Amen. Isn't that powerful? Amen. 57:49 I think this morning it's time for us to become 57:55 fully persuaded Amen. 57:58 Some of us are pretty much persuaded, right, 58:02 partially persuaded. 58:04 On the way, on the road of persuasion, 58:07 but God remember, as the finisher, 58:09 He started our persuasion of faith 58:12 and he is going to finish our persuasion of faith. Amen. 58:16 He is going to work in us in such a manner 58:19 that we will become fully persuaded. 58:22 Aren't there things in your life this morning, 58:24 friends, aren't there things in your life 58:29 that you're still struggling with. 58:31 Areas where you know you need to grow, 58:34 I want to give you some help this morning. 58:37 I want you to look at those areas 58:40 and I want you to remember 58:43 what God has done for you in the past. 58:46 I want you to remember those things that 58:48 you used to struggle with but you don't struggle with 58:50 anymore, even if it's only one. 58:53 I want you to remember how it was that 58:56 Jesus Christ gave you the victory. 58:59 I know how it was in my life because as a young man 59:02 I was raised at a very young age tasting alcohol. 59:08 My grandmother was an alcoholic, 59:10 my mother was an alcoholic. 59:11 I was an Aloteen, when my mom was in AA, 59:13 my dad was an alcoholic. 59:15 I just came from that background. 59:17 My grandfather ran a bar. 59:20 So in my system, in my heritage, in my culture, 59:24 it was inevitable for me and that's exactly 59:26 the way I went, drinking, drinking, drinking. 59:30 And yet when I gave my heart to the Lord, 59:34 He took it away. 59:35 He gave me the victory, He persuaded fully, 59:39 persuaded me but I didn't have to have that in my life. |
Revised 2014-12-17