Participants: Mark Finley
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000741
|
01:01 Last year the ASI leadership invited me to come
01:05 and conduct a seminar for the leaders of ASI, 01:09 for the president, the vice presidents 01:11 and the varying ASI officers 01:14 and to specifically look at vision. 01:18 Where has ASI come from? What's its origin? 01:21 What are its roots? What's its core purpose? 01:26 What was the vision in the hearts 01:28 and minds of its early founders and what direction 01:33 does that vision have for the ASI organization today? 01:38 And so we spent five or six hours 01:40 studying together, praying together, 01:42 looking at the biblical foundation of ASI, 01:45 looking at its historical precedent 01:47 within the Adventist church. 01:49 We looked at the early ASI leaders and their spirit. 01:55 After those presentations, 01:57 Debbie Young our president said to me, 01:58 well, Mark, can you take those principles 02:02 and distil them into about a 50 or 60 minute presentation 02:06 for our ASI constituency? 02:09 And so my task this morning 02:11 is to take a five or six hour seminar 02:14 and boil it down to its distilled essence 02:18 and look at its core and walk together 02:22 through the history background 02:23 of some of the early ASI leaders. 02:26 It certainly will not be exhaustive 02:29 and I picked out just a few principles 02:31 for us to look at. 02:33 And so we'll really look at three things this morning. 02:36 We'll look at the biblical framework of ASI 02:39 and see its biblical roots. 02:42 Then we will look at some of its early principles, 02:46 how it was established. 02:48 But most of all, we'll attempt to take those principles 02:52 and apply them to businessmen and women in the 21st century, 02:57 to apply them to self supporting units 03:00 like Wildwood and Eden Valley. 03:04 ASI has dramatically changed over the years. 03:06 Initially it was birthed as an organization 03:10 of self-supporting institutions. 03:14 It was only later that business groups 03:16 were added to that and it's an interesting mix 03:19 of entrepreneurial business people, 03:23 many of whom have done well in their businesses 03:26 and sometimes struggling, 03:28 fledgling self-supporting institutions 03:31 that have made a contribution in God's work. 03:35 So we're gonna look at that but most of all 03:37 we'll take these principles and we'll say to ourselves 03:40 as we go through the message this morning, 03:42 how do these principles apply to my life? 03:45 How do they relate to me as a Christian? 03:47 Because whether I am in self-supporting work, 03:50 whether I'm an ASI member, 03:53 whether I'm a church administrator 03:55 or pastor or a layperson, 03:58 I'm first and foremost a servant of Christ. 04:02 And whatever my occupation is, most of us here today are 04:08 Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 04:10 So whatever there is that makes us different, 04:15 there is much more that makes us the same. 04:18 And our togetherness is much more than our differences. 04:23 So let's pray together 04:25 and then we'll open God's word and study together. 04:27 I hope you brought your Bible 04:28 because we're gonna do some study today. 04:31 Father, as we look at the core, the essence, 04:35 the heart of the ASI organization, 04:38 as we look at its biblical roots, 04:40 as we study the divine counsel as given to this church, 04:44 I pray Thee today that you would keep 04:47 the vision alive in this organization. 04:51 I pray that the vision of its pioneers 04:54 would inspire us and motivate us 04:57 not only as a corporate entity, 05:00 not only as institutions and businesses 05:06 but may the ASI pioneer spirit burn in our hearts. 05:12 May we recapture 05:13 the spirit of the biblical giants of the past. 05:18 May we recapture the spirit of the early 05:21 Adventist pioneers of the past 05:22 and the founders of the ASI movement. 05:26 May that spirit motivate our vision, 05:28 inspire our hearts and lead us 05:30 to unfinished work in this generation. 05:33 We pray Thee in Christ's name, amen. 05:37 As the shadows lengthened and the sun set 05:42 over the beautiful Alps 05:45 in the area of Torre Pellice in Northern Italy, 05:50 the Piedmont valleys, the home of the Waldensians, 05:54 a group of Seventh-day Adventist young people 05:57 gathered around the campfire. 05:59 They sang hymns, they shared their testimony 06:04 but most of all, these stalwart Adventist 06:07 young people with their Adventist pastor 06:09 and youth leader studied the Word of God. 06:13 And as they did, the night wore on. 06:17 They were deeply involved in their Bible study, 06:20 they were reliving the history of the Waldenses. 06:24 They were reliving those scenes of those stalwarts of faith 06:29 who had stood for Christ against the church state union 06:33 and the medieval church. 06:35 They relived the experiences of these Waldenses 06:39 as they huddled in caves together 06:41 there in the Piedmont valleys. 06:44 And in the darkness of those caves 06:46 sang the great hymns of the church, 06:49 "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." 06:52 And these young people began to sing, and as they did, 06:55 a Waldensian elder stepped out of the darkness. 07:00 There are still Waldensian churches 07:01 there in the area of Torre Pellice 07:05 and the Waldensian elder had been listening 07:06 to these consecrated godly young people. 07:09 He had been interested-- 07:10 He had been listening to their sermons. 07:13 He had been inspired by their testimonies 07:16 and he had been-- 07:17 He was impressed by their Bible studies. 07:19 As he stepped out of the shadows, 07:23 he stood there silently for a moment. 07:26 His eyes moistened with tears 07:29 and then he asked the pastor for permission to speak. 07:34 He explained that he had lived 07:35 in these valleys for many years. 07:37 That his grandfather had lived there, 07:40 that his great-great-grandfather 07:42 had lived there. 07:43 He talked about his Waldensian heritage 07:47 and then he said this, 07:49 "Today our churches are mostly empty. 07:55 Today we've lost most of our Waldensian young people. 08:00 They have moved from these valleys, 08:03 they have gone down to the cities of Europe. 08:07 Most of them have become worldly like 08:11 many other secular Europeans." 08:15 And then he made this insightful comment. 08:19 He said, "We've lost our sense of mission, 08:22 we've lost our sense of purpose." 08:25 And then looking in the eyes of that youth pastor 08:29 and looking in the eyes of those young people, 08:31 he said to this, he said this to them. 08:33 "Keep your vision alive. Keep your vision alive." 08:41 But that leads us to a question. 08:43 How does any organization do that? 08:47 How are you sure and how can you ensure 08:50 that ASI will not lose the vision of its founders? 08:55 How can you be sure that the presence 08:59 of the spirit of the founders of an organization 09:03 remains within that organization 09:05 decade after decade and generation after generation? 09:09 How can the vision that birthed an organization, 09:13 grow and expand so that the organization 09:16 becomes everything that God wants it to be? 09:20 How can we be sure 09:23 that the church does not get sidetracked? 09:26 How can we be sure 09:27 that ASI does not get sidetracked? 09:29 How can you be sure that the organization 09:31 you represent does not get sidetracked? 09:35 Organizations succeed only as they do 09:40 that which has God as destined them to do. 09:44 They are successful only 09:46 as they maintain a sharp focus and one of the dangers 09:51 for the Seventh-day Adventist church today 09:54 and one of the dangers for ASI, 09:56 and one of the dangers for the organization 09:58 that you represent is that the longer time goes on, 10:03 the higher the possibility 10:06 that the vision will become dull. 10:08 The higher the possibility that the focus of the lens 10:12 of the organization will become blurry. 10:15 As generations pass, Seventh-day Adventists 10:20 have never been in it for the marathon, 10:22 we've always been in it for the sprint. 10:25 We've not been in it for the long term. 10:27 We have believed in the fabric of our being, 10:30 in the citadel of our soul, 10:32 in the essence of the core of our being of who we are. 10:36 Adventists have believed 10:37 that Jesus Christ is going to come. 10:40 We are Adventists. 10:42 We believe that Jesus is coming and He is coming soon. 10:46 But the more time passes, 10:49 the more possibility there exists 10:51 that we can pontificate about the coming of Jesus 10:54 with our lips but our lifestyles 10:57 do not reflect that sharpened focus 11:01 of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 11:04 Therefore how can an organization 11:07 remain sharp and clear 11:11 with a laser-like razor edge focus? 11:15 I suggest to you that ASI will only remain faithful 11:20 to its heritage and its calling. 11:23 And you and I will only remain faithful 11:24 to our heritage and our calling 11:26 if indeed we understand the biblical framework 11:32 in which ASI exists. 11:35 So we begin appropriately this morning 11:39 by examining the biblical framework of ASI. 11:43 ASI gets its mandate from scripture. 11:46 I invite you to take your Bible 11:47 and turn to Acts the 18th chapter. 11:50 Acts Chapter 18. 11:54 ASI in an essence, 11:56 if you summarize ASI in an essence, it is this, 12:00 one sentence that will define ASI 12:04 and the spirit of ASI. 12:08 ASI is an organization of institutions 12:12 and laypeople that support themselves 12:16 financially so that they can participate 12:20 in the mission of the church. 12:23 That's what ASI is. 12:24 It is not a separate organization 12:27 from the church. 12:29 It is rather an organization of institutions 12:33 and laypeople who have such deep commitment to Christ 12:37 that they are able to find out 12:39 how they can support themselves to do mission. 12:43 That precedent is found in Acts the 18th chapter 12:48 and we find it rooted in scripture. 12:51 The first self-supporting missionary 12:54 was Apostle Paul and he lit gospel 12:58 fires throughout Asia Minor, 13:00 in Ephesus, in Colossae, in Corinth and in Rome. 13:06 Acts the 18th chapter. 13:08 "And after these things Paul departed from Athens 13:11 and went to Corinth. 13:13 And he found a Jew" verse 2 "named Aquila, 13:16 born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy 13:19 with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had commanded 13:22 all the Jews to depart from Rome and he came to them. 13:26 So, because he was of the same trade, 13:28 he stayed with them and worked." 13:31 Notice the Apostle Paul 13:33 was a tentmaker who worked with his hands. 13:36 He was an ASI member. 13:39 He was a self-supporting missionary. 13:43 He worked to make tents so he could financially support 13:47 his missionary ministry 13:49 for the proclamation of the gospel. 13:52 And notice what the scripture says. 13:54 "So, because he was of the same trade," 13:56 verse 3 "he stayed with them and worked for by occupation 14:00 they were tentmakers. 14:01 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, 14:04 persuaded Jews and Greeks." 14:06 You let your eyes drop down to verse 8. 14:11 "Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, 14:13 believed on the Lord with all the household. 14:15 And many of the Corinthians, 14:17 hearing, believed and were baptized." 14:19 So the first self-supporting worker 14:22 had a laser sharp focus. 14:24 He had a clear vision. 14:26 God had called him 14:28 not to make money predominantly. 14:31 God, in fact, called him 14:33 to use his resources for mission. 14:35 God had called him to use his resources for evangelism. 14:39 He was not going to wait for the church to support him. 14:42 He had a passion, mission and he worked with his hands 14:47 to sponsor his mission. 14:49 The function of ASI is to bring together laypeople 14:53 who are willing to support themselves 14:56 because they believe that God has called them 14:59 to soul winning. 15:00 They believe that God has called them to mission. 15:02 They believe that God has called them to evangelism. 15:06 In the medieval church, when church and state united 15:10 and when unbiblical practices came into the church, 15:15 the medieval church developed a theology 15:18 of the laity that had three principles. 15:22 And here is the theology 15:23 of the laity of the medieval church. 15:25 First, the clergy are spiritually strong 15:30 and the laity are spiritually weak. 15:33 That's why the medieval church did not believe that the Bible 15:39 should be read by laity because they believed 15:42 that the clergy was spiritually strong, 15:45 the laity was spiritually weak. 15:47 Second, the medieval church believed 15:50 that the clergy had a spiritual calling 15:54 and the laity had a secular calling. 15:56 So there was a dichotomy. 15:58 Laity by essence are spiritually weak 16:02 and laity in the medieval church philosophy 16:05 have a secular calling. 16:08 Then they said, the clergy will get special rewards. 16:12 Medieval church. 16:14 The laity will get ordinary rewards. 16:17 No special rewards for the laity. 16:20 But then the New Testament doctrine of the priesthood 16:23 of all believers was shared in the reformation period 16:29 and there was an explosion of understanding. 16:32 Take your Bible please and read 1 Peter Chapter 2. 16:36 1 Peter Chapter 2. 16:38 Here are the roots of all lay movements for God. 16:45 They are rooted in scripture, 1 Peter Chapter 2. 16:52 And the apostle cries out 16:55 against this unbiblical dichotomy 17:00 of laity in clergy. 17:03 In the New Testament every believer 17:05 is a priest of God to dispense 17:08 the grace of Christ to men and women. 17:11 In the New Testament 17:13 every believer is endowed by Jesus 17:15 with gifts to share Jesus' love 17:17 with a waiting world and a watching universe. 17:20 The dichotomy between clergy 17:21 and laity is a medieval fabrication 17:24 of the antichrist system. 17:26 1 Peter Chapter 2 and we look there at verse 9. 17:32 Peter says, "But you are a chosen generation, 17:37 a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 17:39 His own special people, 17:40 that you may proclaim the praises of Him 17:43 who called you out of darkness into this marvelous light." 17:46 Peter says there is no such thing in God's work 17:50 or plan as a hierarchical group of priests 17:53 to whom there has been given a spiritual calling 17:56 to communicate the gospel. 17:58 Peter says, to you and me in the church, 18:01 you are a royal priesthood. 18:04 Peter says to you and me, 18:06 you have the opportunity of opening God's word 18:10 and sharing God's love. 18:13 Now, Ellen White writing with divine insight 18:16 in the Gift of Prophecy 18:17 confirms this biblical theology of the laity. 18:23 Review and Herald, February 21, 1893, 18:27 "The work of the gospel is not to depend solely 18:31 upon the minister." 18:32 Can somebody say amen? 18:34 "The work of the gospel 18:35 is not to depend solely upon the minister. 18:38 Every soul should take action, 18:41 an active part in advancing the cause of God." 18:44 Every soul, every person who comes to Christ. 18:47 Now notice Medical Ministry 322, 18:51 "Work with your hands." 18:53 Now this is Ellen White's counsel to laity, 18:57 to self-supporting workers. 18:58 She says, Medical Ministry page 322, 19:02 "Work with your hands 19:03 that you may be self-supporting, 19:06 and as you have opportunity, proclaim the message." 19:08 So here is the mandate of ASI. Here is the heart of ASI. 19:14 An organization of men and women 19:16 who work with their hands to support themselves 19:19 so that through God's grace and by God's grace 19:21 and in God's grace they can share the gospel with others. 19:25 A number of years ago, Ellen White spoke 19:29 to a group of self-supporting workers. 19:32 We could call them 19:33 ASI members and that ASI convention, 19:38 I wondered what would the prophet of God, 19:42 if she were here this morning addressing this topic, 19:47 the spirit of ASI and how to keep that alive, 19:50 what would she say? 19:52 Well, one of the ways we know what she would say 19:54 is if we came back, 19:57 if we go back and read what she said. 19:59 Because she would say today, what she said then. 20:01 And here's what she said to a group of ASI workers. 20:04 "There is a place for everybody in the work," 20:07 and I'm quoting. 20:08 There is a place for who in the work for how many? 20:11 There is a place for what? A place for everybody. 20:14 And everybody is everybody. 20:17 Everybody is not nobody because nobody is not everybody 20:19 and if nobody were everybody, 20:21 everybody wouldn't be nobody, right? 20:22 Sure. 20:24 There is a place for who in the work? 20:27 Everybody. Are you somebody? 20:29 Somebody is part of everybody, right? 20:31 Nobody is not part of everybody 20:32 but somebody is part of everybody. 20:34 Are you somebody? 20:36 Yeah, you are more somebody than you think you are. 20:37 You are priest of God. 20:39 You are an ambassador of Christ. 20:41 "There is a place for everybody in the work. 20:44 We each have a work to do for God, 20:47 whatever our occupation." 20:49 Well, what's your occupation? 20:51 You have a work to do for God. 20:53 Now if you go back to the origin 20:54 of the Adventist church, 20:57 the origin of the Adventist church 20:58 largely is a lay movement and the Adventist church 21:03 was largely raised up by laypeople. 21:05 James White was not an ordained clergy member. 21:08 Initially, he was a what, everybody? 21:10 School teacher. 21:12 William Miller was not an ordained preacher initially, 21:16 he was a military officer and a farmer. 21:18 Joseph Bates was not an ordained minister initially, 21:21 he was a sea captain. 21:24 But each of these men, each of these men 21:28 were moved upon by God for mission. 21:31 I pray today that God 21:34 will keep this spirit of ASI alive. 21:37 I pray today that men and women with large capacity, 21:42 businesspeople in this church 21:44 and I pray today that every self-supporting institution 21:47 would have a laser sharp focus on mission. 21:51 We exist for one reason 21:53 and that is to get the job done. 21:56 We exist for one reason, 21:57 to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ 21:59 to the ends of the earth. 22:01 May it burn in our soul. 22:03 May it radiate in every fiber of our being. 22:07 Now as I study the spirit 22:10 of these Adventist self-supporting ASI pioneers, 22:17 there are six principles 22:19 that I want to walk you through this morning briefly. 22:23 We will simply introduce them. 22:25 And I want you to raise this question 22:27 as we go through them. 22:29 Do these principles characterize my life? 22:33 You know, it's very easy to talk about 22:36 what some other organization ought to be doing. 22:39 It's very easy to talk about what others ought to do. 22:45 But the question really is, 22:48 do these principles actuate my life? 22:52 Deep within my heart are the principles 22:56 that birthed the advent moment, 22:58 the principles to which the early ASI founders 23:04 and pioneers gave unswerving allegiance. 23:07 Do they fill my soul? Do they radiate from my life? 23:14 I could choose a number of those principles, 23:16 I've chosen six. 23:18 And I want to look at them with you. 23:20 Six principles of the early ASI leaders. 23:23 Six aspects that characterized their lives. 23:28 Six principles that motivated them 23:32 as they started institutions. 23:34 Six principles that guided them as they reached out in witness. 23:38 Six principles that moved them 23:41 to step across geographical boundaries 23:44 and go to primitive places in mission service. 23:47 I use as examples men like 23:50 E. A. Sutherland and Percy Magan 23:53 who founded the laymen's movement 23:56 which later spawned and became ASI. 23:59 I use as examples early Adventist missionaries 24:02 and those in the supporting work 24:04 and those in the church work 24:06 and those in self-supporting work 24:08 to illustrate these principles. 24:10 First principle, when you study the history of ASI, 24:15 when you study the history of these 24:17 self-supporting workers 24:18 for God and these business people for God, 24:21 you'll observe one characteristic 24:24 that they all had and here's what it was. 24:26 They had a simple reliance upon God. 24:31 In short, they believed 24:33 that God was well able to handle His work. 24:38 They did not believe 24:39 the work would be free from difficulties. 24:41 They did not believe the work would be free from obstacles. 24:44 They did not believe that the work 24:46 would be free from financial needs. 24:48 But they believed 24:50 that there was no difficulty too great for God to unravel. 24:53 There was no problem too great for God to solve, 24:56 that there was no perplexity 24:58 too great for God to reveal an answer to. 25:02 One of the characteristics of these early pioneers 25:06 of both the Adventist church and the ASI movement was this. 25:10 They trusted God and they learned 25:13 how to place trust in the fabric of their own life. 25:17 They claimed passages like these. 25:19 Take your Bible please and turn to Philippians 4:19. 25:24 These passages were the hallmarks 25:27 of these early ASI leaders. 25:30 They learned to trust God. 25:31 They saw every problem and every difficulty 25:34 as an opportunity to trust. 25:36 They saw every challenge 25:37 as an opportunity for deeper faith. 25:40 Philippians Chapter 4 and we look there at verse 19. 25:46 "And my God shall supply all your need 25:50 according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 25:53 My God shall do what, everybody? 25:55 Shall do what? 25:57 Supply all your need according to His riches in glory. 26:03 I have a set of traveler's checks 26:05 in my back pocket that's signed by the bank of heaven. 26:09 It is in my back pocket of faith. 26:13 My God shall supply 26:14 all your need according to His riches in glory. 26:17 The cattle on 10,000 hills are His. 26:20 The silver and the gold is His. 26:23 You may be struggling 26:25 in some small self-supporting institution for finances. 26:29 You may be struggling in some ministry today 26:32 but if the work is of God, 26:34 He is well able to care for that. 26:38 That's precisely what these early advent pioneers believed. 26:45 This is the confidence that we have in Him. 26:47 If we ask anything according to His will, 26:50 He hears us. 26:52 Let me give you an example of this. 26:54 The year was 1901. 26:58 In 1901 Percy Magan, 27:02 E. A. Sutherland had just initiated 27:06 a move of old Battle Creek College 27:10 up to Berrien Springs, Michigan. 27:13 These men of God wanted to see the school there 27:18 which we now call Andrews University 27:21 and its related schools. 27:23 They wanted to see a school that trained missionaries 27:25 to go to the ends of the earth. 27:28 And that school has fulfilled that destiny. 27:30 It has sent out missionaries around the world. 27:32 But in 1901 it was struggling financially significantly. 27:38 And Percy Magan and Sutherland knew 27:41 that out west there may be a dollar or two. 27:46 And so they decided 27:48 that they would go out to California 27:49 to do little soliciting of funds. 27:52 Is there anybody here today 27:55 that's ever gone anyplace including California 27:57 to solicit a fund or two? 28:00 Now one thing I know about 28:01 self-supporting workers and ASI members. 28:05 They are not shy when it comes to asking for money. 28:09 All you need to do is walk through the booths 28:11 and talk to them for a few minutes 28:14 and they will tell you their needs. 28:16 So Percy Magan and Sutherland 28:19 were gonna go out to California. 28:22 They were gonna solicit a little money there. 28:24 There was only one problem. 28:26 They only had enough money for one train ticket. 28:30 But there was a worse problem then that. 28:33 They got a little more money 28:34 so they could buy two train tickets 28:36 but it only would get them to Chicago. 28:39 Had no money to go out to California. 28:42 So, well, Percy Magan and Ed Sutherland 28:46 get the train ticket, they go to Chicago. 28:49 When they get there, 28:52 Percy Magan looks at Ed Sutherland, 28:53 he says, "Ed, you watch the bags and the luggage. 28:58 Let me go solicit to see 29:01 if I can get at least one train ticket to California." 29:06 So with Ed Sutherland is sitting there 29:07 and Percy looks at him, he said, 29:09 "Now, Ed, you be praying while you watch the luggage." 29:13 Now here is the president 29:15 and the dean of one of our colleges in Chicago 29:19 sitting on the luggage praying 29:23 that God will get them enough money to go off to California 29:25 to solicit more money so the school can stay afloat. 29:29 But they believed that the dream was God's. 29:32 They believed the vision was God's. 29:34 They believed in a simple reliance upon God. 29:40 So Percy went out to solicit. 29:43 He saw the chief-- 29:48 the chief of the railway sitting in the railway office 29:51 with his heads in his hands, crying. 29:54 So in goes Percy and he says to him, 29:57 "Brother, is there a problem?" 29:59 The man began to explain problems 30:00 with his family and his home. 30:03 Old Ed is still sitting on the bags, praying. 30:05 Half hour goes by, he says, where is Percy? 30:08 An hour goes by, he says, where is Percy? 30:09 An hour and a half goes by, he says, where is Percy? 30:12 Two hours go by, 30:13 well, Percy is giving a Bible study in there to that fellow. 30:17 At the end of the Bible study, the man says, 30:18 what did you come into the office for? 30:20 He said, because I don't have enough money 30:21 to go to California. 30:22 No problem, brother, here's a ticket. 30:25 Gave him the ticket free. 30:29 Simple reliance upon God. 30:34 Simple reliance upon God. 30:36 The year is 1943, the place is Madison College. 30:39 The weather is terrible. 30:41 Heat wave comes through the south 30:44 as bad as the heat wave 30:45 we've had now but much, much, much worse. 30:49 Madison from 1920 to 1950 was in its golden years. 30:54 For those of you who are younger, 30:55 you don't understand the significance. 30:57 Readers Digest, 1938 31:00 wrote a magnificent article about Madison. 31:03 New York Times articles on Madison. 31:04 It was a premier educational institution. 31:07 Head of the department of agriculture 31:08 came down there to see it. 31:10 I mean, they would grow thousands and thousands 31:12 of quarts of vegetables and beautiful flowers and its-- 31:18 it was spreading self-supporting workers 31:20 around the world but here now 1943, 31:24 there is a tremendous, tremendous heat wave. 31:29 And as the result of the drought, 31:31 fruit trees are drying up. 31:33 The crops are dying off. 31:37 Ed Sutherland gathers in the chapel the students 31:42 and the faculty, and he said, I do not believe 31:45 that it's God's will that these fruit trees dry up. 31:49 I do not believe it's God's will 31:51 that we would destroy what we've worked so hard for. 31:53 We cleared these fields with our own hands. 31:56 So one characteristic about self-supporting workers, 31:58 they knew how to work. 32:00 We cleaned these fields with our own hands. 32:02 And he said, I believe. 32:03 I was praying last night and the Word impressed me 32:06 to gather the students and the faculty. 32:08 We're gonna pray that it will rain. 32:09 Some of the faculty objected. 32:11 They said, no, if it does not rain, 32:13 we'll be the laughing stock. 32:16 Sutherland said, that's God's problem, 32:17 that's not our problem. 32:18 That's God's problem. So they began to pray. 32:22 They got faculty and students together 32:24 and they prayed and they prayed. 32:26 They got up off their knees, walked out 32:29 and the clouds came in the sky and it rained. 32:31 But the interesting thing is it rained 32:33 no place else in the Nashville area 32:35 except on the Madison farm. 32:38 And they-- 32:40 Nashville didn't get rain for two more weeks. 32:43 You want to read the thrilling story of that. 32:46 Go back to some of the early leadership, 32:50 God's beautiful farm and you read what God did. 32:55 Early self-supporting workers depended on God. 33:00 Notice a comment by Ellen White. 33:04 Ministry of Healing, 487. 33:08 This one quote may be the reason 33:11 God sent you to ASI this year. 33:15 You don't have to find too many million dollar bills 33:17 blowing down the street to become a millionaire. 33:20 Somebody is gonna need this right now. 33:22 Somebody is gonna need this. 33:25 And if you don't need it now, use it as a band-aid, 33:27 put it in your medicine cabinet 33:29 because you are gonna need it in the future. 33:32 "We are prone." We are what? 33:34 "Prone to look to our fellow man 33:37 for sympathy and uplifting, instead of looking to Jesus." 33:41 What are we prone to do? What do we prone to do? 33:45 Look to who? 33:46 Our fellow man for sympathy and uplifting instead of Jesus. 33:50 "In His mercy and faithfulness, God often permits 33:54 those that we place confidence in to fail us, 33:58 in order that we may learn the folly of trusting in man 34:01 and making flesh our arm. 34:03 Let us trust fully, humbly, unselfishly in God." 34:08 What are we prone to do? What are we prone to do? 34:13 We are prone to look to man to solve our problems. 34:17 That's our tendency. 34:19 And if we do that too much, what will God do? 34:22 What will God do? 34:24 He will allow people to do what? 34:27 Fail us. Why? 34:29 Because He wants us to learn to trust in Him. 34:33 So has somebody failed you recently? 34:35 Has some leader in ASI failed you? 34:38 Has some lay leader in your institution failed you? 34:42 Has somebody in your church failed you? 34:44 Has a leader in a particular ministry failed you? 34:47 If somebody fails you, 34:49 rather than criticizing the person 34:51 that fails you, get on your knees 34:53 and say, Jesus, thank you. 34:55 You want to teach me the folly of trusting in man. 34:58 You want to teach me how to depend totally upon You. 35:01 Simple reliance upon God. 35:04 I want to do that, what about you? 35:07 I want to give God permission. 35:08 Lord, if there are people that fail me, 35:10 Lord, people that I trust, people I have confidence in, 35:13 Lord, I give you permission to allow them to fail me, 35:16 because Lord, in the final crisis 35:19 and the final analysis, I want to trust in You. 35:22 Oh, Jesus, give me a sweet spirit 35:23 toward my brothers and sisters. 35:25 Jesus, even if they fail me, help me like Moses pray 35:28 that you blot me out of the book. 35:31 Lord, give me a pure spirit in my heart. 35:36 And, Lord, help me be supportive. 35:39 But, Lord, if people fail me, that's okay with me, Lord. 35:42 Because there must be something 35:43 in this man's heart that I must learn. 35:46 I must learn deeper faith. I must learn deeper trust. 35:50 One thing I see rooted in early ASI leadership 35:55 and I see rooted in early Adventist pioneers 35:59 is unswerving reliability on God. 36:05 Now there is a second thing, there is a second principle. 36:09 There is unswerving allegiance to know the will of God 36:13 as revealed in the Bible 36:15 and the counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy. 36:18 When you look at the early advent pioneers 36:19 and early ASI leaders, 36:22 they were committed to doing God's will in the Bible 36:26 and they were committed to the counsels 36:31 of the Spirit of Prophecy. 36:32 They believed 2 Chronicles 20:20, 36:37 this was a hallmark. 36:39 This is part of the ASI spirit. 36:43 It is unswerving allegiance to the will of God 36:47 in the revealed counsels of God's will. 36:52 2 Chronicles 20:20 here it is. Last part of the verse. 36:57 "Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be" what? 37:00 "Established. 37:01 Believe His prophets and you shall prosper." 37:05 There were times when the counsels 37:07 of the Spirit of Prophecy 37:10 went against the personal feelings and ideas 37:14 and ways of doing things of these early ASI leaders. 37:18 Now a good example of this 37:21 is the choice of the location for Madison College. 37:24 It's a fascinating story. 37:27 Percy Magan and E. A. Sutherland 37:31 left Berrien Springs 37:34 and they came down to form a new school in the south. 37:40 They were encouraged by Ellen White to do that 37:42 and they were looking for the property. 37:45 And as they were traveling toward Nashville up the river, 37:48 they came to a farm called the Ferguson Farm. 37:52 Percy Magan and Sutherland 37:55 went out and looked at the farm. 37:57 And as they walked over the property 37:58 looking at that farm, 38:00 they kept saying no, not this place. 38:02 No, not this place, never this place. 38:05 First, it's too big, 700 acres, much too big. 38:08 Second, the soil is depleted because it was a hog farm, 38:13 that's pigs and goats and they just ruined the land. 38:18 So the land is ruined, 38:19 worst soil, Magan says, I ever saw. 38:22 We can never use this farm. 38:24 And Sutherland chimes in, he says, it is too rocky, 38:26 it's too rocky, it's too rocky, let's go. 38:29 So they move on. 38:32 Some time later Ellen White 38:33 went to look at property with them 38:35 and she said to Magan. 38:39 Magan, what do you think about that Ferguson Farm? 38:41 Here was his response. 38:43 Sister White, I try not to think about it at all. 38:48 It's the worst piece of property I ever saw. 38:50 No possibility at all. 38:53 She said, but the other night in a vision, 38:59 the Lord impressed me that that should be the property. 39:04 It was almost as if Magan and Sutherland said 39:06 we'll go get, go find out again, 39:08 I think you heard wrong. 39:10 Because their response was oh-- 39:13 Four words, "Oh, Lord, not here." 39:18 Oh, Lord, not here. 39:21 But because they believed, contrary to their thinking 39:26 and contrary to their personal desires and will, 39:30 the counsel of the Spirit of Prophecy. 39:33 They accepted what Ellen White said 39:36 and knelt by a pile of rocks 39:40 and consecrated that property to Jesus. 39:44 And then they went to work cleaning the rocks out, 39:48 purchasing the property. 39:51 And to the amazement of scores of people, 39:56 it was soon yielding 3,000 gallons of peaches, 40:01 1,000 gallons of string beans, 2,200 gallons of grapes 40:06 and it became an agricultural school 40:09 that was the envy of America. 40:11 The Spirit of Prophecy spoke and they listened. 40:16 May I ask you a question? 40:19 In your personal life, you see, wouldn't it be easy to say, 40:25 oh, this is what our school should do 40:27 in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy. 40:28 Today, it's too bad they are not doing them. 40:31 Oh, that's an easy question to ask. 40:32 Our hospitals, they should be doing this and this. 40:34 Oh, that's an easy question to ask. 40:36 But here's my question to you. 40:38 In your personal life, 40:42 have you made an unswerving commitment 40:46 to follow God's will as revealed in the Bible 40:49 and follow His counsel 40:51 in the area of the Gift of Prophecy? 40:53 Have you personally made that decision 40:57 in the area of health reform, in the area of diet? 41:01 Have you personally made that decision 41:04 in the area of what you watch or don't watch over the media? 41:08 Deep within your heart, have you made that decision? 41:13 We have here today people from supporting institutions, 41:17 people from ASI organizations, we have conference, leadership, 41:23 let me ask you a question, we have laypeople. 41:26 Wherever you are responsible 41:29 and your sphere of influence whatever it is, 41:33 have you made a bedrock principle 41:36 that to the best of your knowledge and your ability, 41:39 you will leave the area that you lead 41:42 in harmony with the principles of scripture 41:45 and the divinely revealed 41:47 will of God in the Gift of Prophecy? 41:50 How can ASI keep its mission clear? 41:54 How can the Adventist church keep its mission clear? 41:56 First, by simple reliance upon God. 41:59 Second, by unswerving allegiance to the Bible 42:02 and the divinely inspired counsels 42:04 that God has given to this church. 42:06 Thirdly, you'll notice in ASI 42:09 that ASI took up very carefully the ministry of Jesus. 42:15 Matthew 16:24, third principle. 42:20 ASI was birthed in sacrifice. 42:23 Third principle, ASI was born in sacrifice. 42:29 Without sacrifice, according to the prophet of God 42:33 and the teachings of Jesus, 42:34 the work of God on earth will not be finished. 42:38 Matthew Chapter 16, we look there at verse 24. 42:42 The scripture says, 42:43 "Jesus speaks to His disciples then." 42:46 He called them from their fishermen's nets. 42:49 He called them to a self-supporting ministry, 42:52 a ministry that no organization was gonna support them, 42:55 they had to discover alone how to be supported initially. 42:59 Matthew 16:24, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 43:03 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, 43:06 and take up his cross, and follow Me.'" 43:09 Are you personally willing to make sacrifices 43:12 so the work of God will go forward? 43:15 When Magan and Sutherland found the property, 43:17 the Ferguson property for the Madison School, 43:20 that 700 acres, 43:23 Magan had-- Sutherland had inherited a little money 43:27 and he took all of his inheritance, 43:29 $12,714 and he put it down on that school. 43:34 Are you willing, are you willing, 43:39 not to give out of your abundance 43:44 but are you willing to make a sacrificial gift 43:49 for a cause that God puts in your heart 43:51 to finish His work on earth? 43:53 And when I talk about sacrifice, 43:54 I don't only mean money. 43:56 Money is sometimes, for many people, 43:57 the easiest thing to give. 43:59 What about your time? What about your energy? 44:04 Somebody said, anybody wrapped up 44:05 in themselves is a small package. 44:07 One of the things I noticed about these early ASI leaders 44:11 is they put their lives on the line 44:14 for a cause they believed in. 44:16 If the cause was worth dying for, 44:19 it certainly was worth living for. 44:23 You know, from 1902 to 1924, Magan and Sutherland 44:27 and their staff made $13 a week. 44:29 You say, well, that was back then. 44:31 Oh, yeah, you try to go back then and live on $13 a week. 44:35 When the school didn't have textbooks, 44:38 they decided to take $600 44:40 that they had saved and buy the textbooks. 44:44 The work of God on earth will never be finished 44:47 unless men and women make sacrifices. 44:50 Not long ago, my colleague 44:52 Vice President General Conference, Mike Ryan 44:54 was meeting with some of our Global Mission pioneers. 44:56 Incidentally, we have thousands and thousands 44:59 of Global Mission pioneers around the world, 45:02 right now, thousands of them. 45:03 These Global Mission pioneers are local people 45:06 working in local soil that are sharing the gospel. 45:08 And Mike was meeting 45:10 with one of the Global Mission pioneers. 45:11 He was way out in the hinterlands 45:13 and he put his arm around that mission pioneer 45:14 and he said to him, what might I do for you? 45:17 Is there any way that we can help you? 45:19 And the mission pioneer looked at him 45:20 and he said, yes, there is. 45:22 And then the mission pioneer looked down at his feet 45:25 and there were two mission pioneers standing there 45:26 and one had bare feet and one had shoes on. 45:28 And the mission pioneer said, 45:30 we have only one pair of shoes between us. 45:32 Just one. 45:34 And we use that pair of shoes 45:37 whoever walks to the farthest village. 45:39 He said, we have a group that we study the Bible with 45:42 and do evangelist meetings 45:43 with in a village about 12 miles away. 45:45 We have another one in a village 45:47 about three miles away. 45:48 And he said to him, look, whoever needs the shoes 45:52 worst is the one who walks the farthest. 45:55 So if it's my turn to go to the village 13 miles away, 45:58 I have the shoes for today. 46:00 If it's his turn to go to that village, 46:02 he has the shoes for today. 46:03 The one who only has to walk three miles 46:06 doesn't get the shoes but the road is kind of rocky 46:09 and at times our feet are bloody 46:11 by the time we get to the village. 46:12 Pastor Mike, do you think you could help us 46:16 get one more pair of shoes? 46:22 I do not fully understand that sacrifice. 46:28 Do you? Do you? 46:32 Do you know what it means to give your life, 46:35 your soul, your all? 46:41 Before we get out of this earth, 46:44 before we leave here, 46:46 God is going to have a group of people 46:50 that want to go home 46:53 more than they want to stay here. 46:57 They have smelled the glories of the Promised Land 47:04 and they want to go. 47:06 What will keep the vision of ASI sharp, 47:10 a group of people that are totally dependent on God 47:13 with simple reliance and trust? 47:15 A group of people that are motivated by the Spirit 47:19 to follow the counsel of the Bible 47:20 and the Spirit of Prophecy? 47:21 A group of people that for them 47:26 they make sacrifice, commitment. 47:29 Fourthly, ASI always was a group of ministries, 47:37 organizations, institutions that shared resources. 47:42 Part of the vision of ASI is the sharing of resources 47:47 so that unusual institutions that have been blessed 47:49 will share them with other institutions 47:51 that are struggling and need help. 47:54 The spirit of ASI is those who have been unusually blessed 47:58 in their businesses will share. 48:00 I will say to you today that I am concerned 48:03 what I see in some quarters of ASI 48:06 and in the Seventh-day Adventist church in general. 48:09 The competition between organizations 48:12 and ministries is not in harmony with God's will. 48:17 God is leading us 48:19 not to compare ourselves with other ministries, 48:23 because when you compare yourself with another ministry, 48:25 another organization, one of two things happens. 48:28 Either you are doing better than they are 48:29 and you become proud and you lose your soul 48:31 because you are proud or you are doing worse 48:33 than they are and you become depressed. 48:36 And God wants you neither to be proud nor depressed. 48:38 I love what the Bible says. 2 Corinthians 10:12. 48:43 What is the essence of ASI? 48:45 The essence of ASI is shared resources to get the job done. 48:51 2 Corinthians 10:12, 48:54 "For we dare not class ourselves" 48:58 we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves 49:01 "with those who commend themselves. 49:04 But they, measuring themselves by themselves, 49:07 and comparing themselves among themselves, 49:09 are not wise." 49:11 It is not wise to compare your ministry 49:14 with somebody else's. 49:15 It is not wise to think that you can hoard resources. 49:19 ASI was a ministry birthed to share resources. 49:23 We see that in Magan and Sutherland. 49:26 Magan and Sutherland worked together for 15 years. 49:30 The church was going to start a new medical school 49:33 on the west coast, Loma Linda, California. 49:37 Magan had gone to the medical school, 49:39 taken a medical course in Nashville, 49:41 became now a medical doctor. 49:43 He was called to go out to California. 49:50 Sutherland was devastated. 49:52 Here's my colleague, we worked together 15 years. 49:54 He went to him, Percy, you can't go. 49:57 Percy, I need you. 49:58 Percy, what's gonna happen to Madison? 50:00 They prayed, they worked together. 50:02 They discovered that it was God's will for Magan to go. 50:08 So Magan left. 50:10 Magan goes out there starting a school called 50:12 the College of Medical Evangelists. 50:14 As he is out there, he is in financial trouble. 50:17 They had a nursing program down in Glendale, California 50:22 and the nursing program was in real trouble. 50:25 So he contacts Sutherland. 50:31 He says, Sutherland, I'm in trouble financially. 50:33 What did Sutherland say? I told you not to go. 50:35 Sutherland says, okay, 50:36 I'm gonna send my four best fundraisers 50:39 headed by Mary Haskell to raise money for you. 50:42 So a board meeting is taking place 50:45 out there at Loma Linda 50:47 and the board votes to close down 50:49 the nursing program in Glendale. 50:51 And these four women walk in and they look at Sutherland, 50:57 rather Magan and Magan's teeth drop. 50:59 You know, his eyes get big and he said, what's happening? 51:01 And they said, oh, E.A. Sutherland sent us 51:06 and we have $60,000 for you to keep that ministry alive. 51:11 And the ministry of medical missionary work continued 51:15 because Magan had such a commit-- 51:18 rather Sutherland had such a commitment 51:21 to shared resources. 51:23 But do you know what God did? You know what God did? 51:25 Did you ever hear Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia? 51:27 You ever hear that? 51:31 Mary-- 51:34 Lydia Funk Scott of Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia 51:39 shortly after that came to Madison, 51:42 was in the hospital there, was blessed 51:45 and she gave them a million dollars. 51:47 I will tell you something. 51:49 When you share your resources as an institution 51:54 that's been blessed by others and as you share together 51:58 as we are done with the spirit of competition, 52:01 conference work and self-supporting work 52:03 working together, 52:04 institutions within self-supporting work 52:06 working together, ministries working together. 52:09 We are on the same team and God calls us 52:13 to unite with the mission of Jesus Christ 52:18 in the spirit of love and humility so we can go home. 52:23 Fifth principle. Here it is, fifth principle. 52:28 ASI was birthed in loyalty to the church organization. 52:36 It was birthed not as a counter church, 52:42 not as a critic to the church but it was birthed 52:48 as a laymen's movement within the Adventist church. 52:54 It was birthed in loyalty to mission 52:59 because it is still written, Acts of the Apostles, 107, 53:04 "Enfeebled and defective as it may be, 53:08 the church is the one object of Jesus' regard." 53:12 Enfeebled as directed and defective as it may be, 53:15 the church is the one object of Jesus' regard. 53:18 In scripture, the church is the bride of Christ. 53:22 Is your wife perfect? 53:24 Oh, you don't have to raise your hand, 53:25 she may be with you. 53:27 I'll ask you, sir, what if somebody wrote a document 53:31 about all the faults of your wife 53:32 and it was a hundred pages? 53:33 Would you read it? 53:36 You would burn it up. 53:38 How do you feel as a man 53:40 when you hear somebody criticizing your wife? 53:42 But in the Bible, the church is what? 53:45 The bride of Jesus Christ. 53:48 Are there weeds in the church? Sure. 53:50 But will the weed and tares grow together till the harvest? 53:52 Will they? 53:53 And it's not your job or mine to go around 53:55 and thinking who the weeds are and pull them out, right? 53:59 The church is God's own as I told a group not long ago. 54:05 Do you think that Noah house-trained those animals 54:09 before they went into that ark? 54:13 You think any elephant ever let a load in that ark? 54:18 Do you think that sometimes the ark stunk a little bit? 54:23 I would much rather be in an ark 54:26 that at times may stink a little bit 54:29 than be in the waves 54:30 and be sucked up before the ark comes to safety. 54:34 "He that has ears, let him hear 54:35 what the Spirit says to the churches." 54:38 Sure, there are some faults in the Adventist church 54:41 but you can go and wallow around 54:44 among the manure if you want. 54:46 But as for me and my house, 54:48 I believe God is taking this ark through. 54:58 ASI has been called by God in the ark... 55:09 to a divine destiny. 55:11 To a divine destiny. 55:14 The reason we are the remnant 55:16 is because the remnant remain. 55:18 And we're not interested in any offshoots 55:19 because offshoots shoot off and they don't remain. 55:26 The answer to every offshoot 55:27 that ever was or ever will be is this, it's the shaking. 55:33 In every movement in the past, God has called out. 55:37 At end time He is gonna shake out. 55:40 When the majority of Israel drifted away from God, 55:44 God called out New Testament Christianity. 55:46 When New Testament Christianity drifted away from God, 55:49 God called out the reformers. 55:51 When the reformers only went so far, 55:52 God called out the advent moment. 55:54 Ecclesia, Ec is out clesia is called. 55:58 There was always a called out movement. 56:00 But in the-- 56:01 If you keep having a called out movement 56:03 for the movement that becomes apostate, 56:05 you never stop having a called out movement 56:07 because the called out movement that you called out, 56:09 if time goes on, becomes apostate. 56:10 Are you with me? 56:12 So in the final generation, in the last days, 56:14 it is not a called out movement anymore, 56:17 it is a shaken out worldly movement. 56:20 So in the last days, 56:21 God will allow circumstances that will come, 56:24 that the worldly class among us will leave 56:27 and God will have a church that is pure. 56:30 A church that rises and His end time 56:33 people committed to Him will preach His gospel 56:36 to the ends of the earth 56:37 and tens of thousands will be saved and Jesus will come. 56:40 Last principle in ASI, here it is. 56:43 We end with what we began with. 56:48 Jesus spirited ASI 56:53 as a single minded focus on mission. 56:58 ASI supporting schools are for mission. 57:00 ASI sanitariums are for mission. 57:02 ASI health food factories are for mission. 57:04 ASI restaurants are for mission. 57:06 ASI publishing houses are for mission. 57:09 Mission, soul winning, 57:11 evangelism is the heart, the essence. 57:14 Charles Spurgeon was in England 57:19 one of the mighty preachers of generations ago. 57:23 And as Spurgeon was there, 57:24 a group of businesspeople in America 57:26 knowing his charismatic ability 57:28 to hold an audience said to Spurgeon. 57:31 Spurgeon, come to America, we'll give you $50,000, 57:37 you make 50 speeches. 57:38 We'll give you $50,000 to come to America. 57:41 In addition to that, Spurgeon, we'll pay your wife's expenses, 57:45 we'll pay a secretary's expenses for you. 57:48 And, Spurgeon, in addition to that, 57:51 we'll put you up in lavish hotels. 57:53 Spurgeon, we believe 57:54 that if you took your techniques of preaching, 57:56 applied them to businesspeople, 57:58 you can motivate these businesspeople 57:59 to make scores of money. 58:01 This business group in America said come, Spurgeon. 58:03 Spurgeon wrote back and here were his words. 58:07 "I regret to inform you 58:11 that I cannot accept your invitation 58:13 because the price that you've offered me $50,000 58:18 is not high enough." 58:20 They were amazed and then he said, P.S. 58:23 I can stay in London and win souls. 58:28 I can stay in London and win 50 souls for Christ. 58:33 That's the passion of my life. 58:38 What is the passion of your life today? 58:43 Are you sold out for God? 58:49 Have you said to Jesus, 58:50 Jesus, the passion of my life is to lead some man, 58:57 some boy, some girl to Christ in the kingdom. 59:03 As we bow our heads to pray... 59:08 I want to ask you this question. 59:10 Do you live a life of totally reliance upon God? 59:15 Are you committed to seeking God's will? 59:17 Are you willing to sacrifice for Jesus? 59:20 Do you rejoice at the success of others? 59:23 In your heart is there one tinge of criticism 59:25 or you're loyal to the church? 59:28 And do you have a single minded focus upon mission? 59:30 Oh, Jesus, may it be true for us 59:33 that the passion of our souls 59:37 and the vision of our life is a finished work 59:40 in this generations, oh, Jesus, oh God. |
Revised 2015-05-14