Participants: Mark Finley
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000966
|
01:02 [Foreign Language]
03:32 I thank God for young people who sing 03:36 with their hearts and voices to the 03:38 glory of Jesus. Amen. Would you bow your heads 03:44 with me as we open God's word this afternoon? 03:47 Father in heaven we thank you, 03:51 that at this meeting we can focus our hearts 03:55 and minds on a sense of mission for Jesus Christ 04:01 and his kingdom. Lord when you called us 04:06 to be Christians, you've called us to be Christian 04:10 witnesses and so today lift our vision inspire 04:16 our hearts and encourage us with what we can do 04:20 to advance the kingdom of Jesus 04:22 we pray in Christ name, amen. 04:28 They came from varying directions. 04:34 Some of them came on trails, 04:40 as they walked those miles to the Galilee, 04:45 others have came in what from what 04:48 dessert like areas, climbing over rocks 04:50 and making their way through the sand, 04:53 some of them came along the sea of Galilee. 04:57 Jesus had an appointment with his disciples. 05:00 Christ was about to ready to go home. 05:03 You know man steps off a mountain and goes down, 05:06 but God steps off a mountain and goes up, 05:08 because the law of gravity cannot hold 05:11 the creator down. And so Jesus has set an 05:14 appointment with his disciples in the Galilee, 05:17 there are about 500 of them that came, 05:21 and the Bible records that story of Christ's 05:24 last meeting before He ascended to heaven. 05:29 Final words are extremely important. 05:34 As a pastor I have often been called to the 05:37 bedside of someone that's dying. 05:41 And I've observed the husband, the wife, 05:45 the children maybe it's the wife that's dying, 05:49 and the husband and children gathered around, 05:51 they know she has an hour, two hours, 05:54 three hours to live, they know this maybe her 05:56 last day, the doctors have said that the 05:59 disease is fatal. And that husband with his children 06:03 are leaning over, straining their ears, 06:06 trying to hear the last words of that wife, 06:10 that wife, trying to hear the last word of her 06:13 husband, because they know that final words 06:17 are important. They recognized that they may 06:19 not hear their husbands' speak to them again 06:22 and they want to catch the last significance, 06:26 that last I love you, that last honey be 06:31 faithful to Jesus, that last son never give up 06:35 your faith, hang in there with Jesus, 06:39 that son is listening to his father's last words, 06:42 that wife is listening to her husband's last words, 06:45 Jesus' last words were incredibly important. 06:48 And in Matthew chapter 28 verse 16 06:50 and onward Jesus said, the Bible says, 06:52 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, 06:55 to the mountain which Jesus had appointed 06:58 for them. And when they saw him, 07:01 they worshipped him: but some doubted". 07:05 The Bible says that is Jesus appeared 07:08 in their midst, they were filled with excitement 07:11 and anticipation but some doubted. 07:14 They doubted then and they doubt now. 07:19 They doubted there and they doubt here. 07:22 They doubted in the first century, 07:25 they doubt in the 21st century. 07:27 Jesus had a mission for them to take the world 07:33 with the Gospel. What was the world like 07:35 in the first century? It was secular and Godless. 07:40 It was filled with the philosophy of 07:43 Socrates and Plato. The world was filled with 07:49 Roman military might, it was filled with the sports 07:53 and games and 80 or 100, 000 people 07:56 would gather at the Colosseum in Rome. 08:00 So it was a sex centered, morally twisted, 08:04 spiritually dwarf generation. 08:07 It was a generation that was filled with 08:09 excitement and sports. We have a movie produced 08:13 by Hollywood that was a blockbuster bestseller 08:18 that cost over a hundred million dollars to produce 08:21 called 'The Gladiator'. They did not need to 08:26 produce a movie in ancient Rome called 08:29 The Gladiator. They had the real thing, 08:32 of the gladiator's participating in hand 08:35 to hand combat in the Colosseum. 08:39 You think Chicago is tough to reach, 08:42 try ancient Rome. It is a philosophical mindset 08:47 with the philosophers arguing to get both 08:49 Socrates and Plato. Christianity is very small. 08:53 The Roman games dominate society, 08:59 the Roman affluence in pleasure, 09:02 how are you gonna reach the world with 09:05 500 Christians at the time that are considered 09:10 fanatics, that are considered wild-eyed 09:14 fanatics who have no thinking ability, 09:18 there were no great men among them. 09:20 They were fisherman and a few tax collectors, 09:23 considered the offscouring of the earth. 09:25 The Bible says Jesus gathered them on the 09:27 hillside of Galilee but some doubted. 09:31 You leave a convocation like this you go back 09:34 to your local church, you go back on fire, 09:37 you go back saying God has a mission 09:39 and a message for Chicago. God is a mission 09:41 and message for America, God has a mission 09:44 and message for the world, the work of 09:46 God in earth is gonna be finished and some doubt. 09:49 God does not bless doubt, He blesses faith. Amen. 09:54 Nothing ever great has been accomplished by God, 09:58 for God by people who are filled with doubt. 10:03 There is a statement in a book called Prophets 10:05 and Kings by Ellen White, it's says this, 10:09 obstacles will never disappear before a halting 10:14 and fearful spirit. So if you believe that your 10:19 church is not gonna grow it's not gonna grow, 10:21 if you say look we've been 40, 50 members 10:25 for the last 30 years, this is a tough place 10:28 over here in Broadview and LaGrange, 10:30 we are so sorry we just have a few old members, 10:33 if that is your attitude it becomes a 10:35 self fulfilling prophecy. But if you say our 10:39 church is a place of prayer we are concerned 10:42 about that Brookfield-LaGrange 10:43 community. We are concerned about Burbank, 10:45 we are concerned about North Shore, 10:47 we are concerned about the Southside, 10:49 we are concerned for people that come to 10:50 Jesus Christ. We believe that it's contrary to 10:54 God's will for our church not to grow. 10:57 It is His will that all men and women be saved 11:00 and come to the knowledge of the truth. 11:02 The church is not a comfortable country club 11:05 where we come to hold one and other's hands 11:08 and go eat lasagna and bake beans in the potluck. 11:12 Amen. That's not what the church is all about. 11:20 You know Pierre Berton was an English skeptic, 11:23 he didn't believe that all in Christianity. 11:26 He debunked the Bible but he loved the church, 11:31 because he said the church is the best place 11:33 to go on Sunday morning after you got drunk 11:37 on Saturday night, it's the best place 11:40 to go in town to sleep. You don't have to pay, 11:44 and he wrote a book called, The Comfortable Pew, 11:47 about all these Christians who simply come to 11:51 church Redeemed, How I Love To Proclaim It, 11:55 Redeemed, How I Love To Proclaim It. 11:59 I mean these people wouldn't know a soul 12:00 if they soul one. And there's no passion 12:04 in the soul, no fire in the stomach, 12:08 no burden for the lost. 12:12 The Bible says in Matthew chapter 28 verse 17, 12:18 when they saw Jesus, they worshipped him: 12:21 but some doubted, they doubted then 12:24 and they doubt now. They were complacent 12:27 then and they are complacent now, 12:29 they were laid to see then and they are laid 12:31 to see now, they had no fire in their belly 12:34 then and many have no fire and passion 12:36 for souls now, but the Bible says in verse 18, 12:39 some doubted, next three words, then Jesus came, 12:44 some doubted then Jesus came. 12:48 When Jesus comes he dissolves the doubts. 12:51 When Jesus comes he puts a new sparkle 12:53 in your eyes and a new passion in your heart, 12:57 when Jesus comes in your heart, 12:58 mind and life are redeemed by his grace, 13:02 you have to tell the story, the Bible says 13:04 then Jesus came and spoke to them. 13:06 All authority, all power has been given to be 13:09 in heaven and earth, go ye therefore. 13:11 Jesus says all power is given to me, 13:15 go ye therefore when we step out 13:18 to give out literature, when we step out to give 13:20 a Bible study. When we organize a small group 13:22 in our homes, when we become the lay preacher 13:24 for Jesus, we do not go in our power 13:27 we go in his. We do not go in our strength 13:30 we go in his we maybe week but he is strong, 13:33 we maybe ignorant but he is wise, 13:36 we maybe frail but he is almighty, 13:38 Jesus says all power is given to me 13:41 go ye therefore. Jesus does not call those 13:46 who are qualified. He qualifies those whom 13:49 he calls, amen. Witnessing is not a 13:53 spiritual gift that God gives some Christians. 13:57 Witnessing is a role that God gives to every 14:00 Christian, Jesus says follow me 14:03 Matthew 4 verse 19 and I will make you 14:05 fishers of men. If I have no interest in fishing 14:08 for people the reason is because I'm not following 14:10 him very closely, because he says follow me 14:14 and I will make you fishers of men, 14:16 so when you come to Jesus his love breaks 14:20 your heart, when you come to Jesus he gives 14:22 you a burden for lost people. 14:24 Jesus says all power is given to me, 14:29 we witness not in our power but in his. 14:33 You see mission is really God's work and before 14:37 you ever begin sharing your faith with 14:41 somebody else, before you ever begin passing out 14:43 literature to another person, the Holy Spirit is 14:47 already working in their life to draw 14:49 them to Jesus. When you begin getting involved 14:53 in soul winning and witnessing it radically 14:56 transforms your spiritual experience because 15:00 it puts you in the center of God's activity. 15:04 God does not need you to win some lost person, 15:08 God can use angels to do that, God can use 15:11 Holy Spirit to do that, but if you and I do not 15:15 participate in winning the lost we can not grow 15:19 spiritually and selfishness strangles out our 15:24 spiritual life. So it's not only that God uses us 15:28 to win lost people, it is that we, as we get 15:31 involved in some aspect of soul winning, 15:34 as we use the gifts that God has placed 15:36 in our hearts. We grow spiritually. 15:39 There's many people, they come to church 15:41 and they are the same today as they were five 15:44 years ago, and they keep coming to church 15:46 every Sabbath morning and they are hearing 15:48 these big bang, where they are getting this, 15:49 the preacher is getting up and preaching from 15:52 the word of God, and they are eating these 15:55 spiritual banquets every single Sabbath 15:58 and they keep getting fatter and fatter 16:00 and fatter and fatter spiritually until 16:03 they have a coronary heart attack spiritually 16:06 and fall over dead why? Because all they do is 16:09 take in the spiritual food, never exercised 16:14 their faith so their spiritual muscles 16:16 grow flabby. If you are not witnessing for Jesus, 16:22 you are not growing in Jesus. If you are not 16:25 witnessing in Jesus, if your church is not an 16:29 active vibrant Evangelistic church, 16:33 it will turn inward you will have all kind of 16:36 church squabbles and that church will 16:40 die spiritually. Witnessing churches are growing 16:44 churches Jesus said all power is given to me, 16:48 somebody said Pastor Mark I don't know 16:50 what to say, that's not your problem, 16:52 that's God's, dedicate your voice to God 16:54 and the Holy Spirit will prompt you what to say, 16:57 somebody said I've never had much training neither 16:59 did the demoniac when he found Christ and Jesus 17:02 said you go out now and share what you know, 17:05 if you share the little bit you know what 17:08 you don't know God will give to you. 17:11 You can't share what you don't know, 17:13 you may only have five loaves and two fishes 17:16 but little in the hands of Jesus is much, 17:18 small in the hands of Jesus is great, 17:21 all they had was five loaves and two fishes, 17:23 you may feel like that, we have such a small church. 17:28 Look at Chicago, some nine million people, 17:30 and Jesus said use what you have, when five loaves 17:35 and two fishes are given to Jesus he multiplies 17:38 them and as he multiplies them hungry multitudes 17:41 are fed. When you take your five loaves 17:43 and two fishes and give it to Jesus, 17:45 the little talent you have, Jesus multiplies 17:48 that with his power and he uses you powerfully 17:51 at his kingdom. Look he says all power 17:53 is given to me, if you have your Bible turn 17:54 to Psalms 62 verse 11, Psalms 62 verse 11, 18:00 "the essence of being an effective witness 18:02 for Jesus is to know that the power of the living 18:07 God is gonna work through you as you get actively 18:11 involved for Jesus and his kingdom". 18:13 Psalms 62 verse 11, God has spoken once; 18:18 twice I have heard this; the power belongs to God. 18:24 So as I go out witness for Jesus the power belongs 18:28 to who. to Him. Psalms 66 and verse 3, 18:34 how awesome are your works through the 18:37 greatness of your power your enemy shall submit 18:40 themselves to you and all the earth shall 18:43 worship you. The Bible says God's works 18:46 are awesome. The Bible says through the 18:48 greatness of his power, his enemies will submit 18:52 themselves to him. Jesus said to his church go 18:56 ye therefore all power is given to me. 18:58 When you step out in faith witness for Jesus, 19:01 when you say I can no longer maintain 19:03 the status quo. Our church can no longer 19:07 maintain the status quo, as a Christian 19:10 I can no longer simply go out to work for 40 hours 19:15 a week, come home eat supper, 19:17 watch television go to sleep, go out the 19:20 next day work for eight hours, nine hours a day, 19:24 come home eat supper, watch television read 19:26 a little bit of book, fall to sleep on my knees, 19:28 when I am praying, fall to sleep when I read 19:31 my three and half minute devotional today, 19:33 I can no longer be that kind of a Christian. 19:36 I can no longer simply have this superficial 19:40 Christian life, that's not the longing of my heart, 19:43 that's not the longing of my mind; 19:46 I want to be involved in the center 19:48 of God's activity I want to seek God at work, 19:50 I want God to use my voice, I want God 19:54 to use my witness, I can no longer simply come 19:57 to church on Sabbath morning and think that 20:00 is Christianity, I want my heart broken with 20:03 Jesus heart. Galatians 6:2 says Bear ye one 20:06 another's burdens, the burden that Jesus has 20:09 is the burden for lost world. We bear 20:12 His burden as we pray for our neighbors, 20:14 as we pray for our husband, doesn't know 20:16 Christ, as we pray our son that doesn't 20:18 know Christ, as we pray our daughter that 20:20 doesn't know Christ. We bear his burden 20:23 as we walk the streets of Chicago and pray 20:25 for that city. We bear Jesus' burden as we pray 20:30 for our neighborhood. We bear Jesus' burden 20:33 as we get actively involved in some formal 20:36 witness Jesus says, David says how awesome 20:40 are your works through the greatness of 20:41 your power, your enemies shall submit themselves 20:43 to you. Psalms 68 verse 35, O God you are more 20:48 awesome, Psalms 68 verse 35, you are more 20:52 awesome in your holy places: the God of Israel 20:54 is he who giveth strength and power to his people. 20:57 God you promised that if I step out for you, 21:00 you are gonna me strength and power. 21:03 I want to introduce you to some people today 21:05 around the world. I wanna take you with me 21:08 on a journey to meet some people, 21:10 simple people, common people, lay people like 21:14 you and lay people that have developed a burden 21:20 for souls. And God is using them powerfully come 21:24 with me to Brazil, come with me down to the 21:31 country in South America that has more 21:33 Seventh-Day Adventists than any single country 21:35 in the world, Brazil. 2.3 million people in 21:41 the South American division, 21:42 well over 1.5 million of them live in the country 21:46 of Brazil. As I was traveling through Brazil 21:50 one of the conference president said to me 21:52 Pastor Mark I want you to meet a man was 21:55 a passion for souls, this man is sharing Jesus 21:58 every place he goes and as the result of his 22:00 ministry 1200 people have come to Christ. 22:04 Well I expected to see, a large Brazilian 22:07 man with the strong booming voice, 22:08 and the conference president introduced me 22:10 to this man and he was a midget about this talk, 22:13 wake up looking up at me and I noticed 22:14 he was straining his neck so I got down on 22:17 my knees and I was eyeball to eyeball with 22:19 the midget. And I said to that midget, 22:22 I said sir, you must be a powerful preacher, 22:25 you must hold the lot of lay 22:26 Evangelistic meetings, I've been teaching 22:29 people to all the lay Evangelistic meetings 22:31 and I thought this is gonna be a good 22:32 illustration he said Pastor Mark I never 22:36 held one lay Evangelistic meeting in my life. 22:39 Well I got a pop my balloon; I said I better 22:42 try another angle here. So I said Mr. Midget 22:47 I didn't actually say that but that's what 22:49 I thought, I said sir, sir, you must give a lot 22:53 of Bible studies. He looked at me with big 22:55 smile and said Pastor Mark, I don't, 22:57 I never gave one Bible study in my life. 23:00 Now, well as I gonna go with that, because 23:03 I tell people the importance of holding 23:04 lay Evangelistic meetings, the whole importance 23:06 of getting Bible studies, and the leading soul, 23:07 I never did what I told them to do. 23:09 So I was getting nervous, now you must give 23:11 out a lot of literature, Pastor Mark I didn't 23:13 give out any literature. I said you want 1200 souls, 23:18 you didn't hold a lay Evangelistic meeting, 23:20 you didn't hold a Bible study and you didn't 23:23 give out literature, what did you do, 23:25 he said Pastor Mark, I will tell you 23:28 it's very simple, do you want me to tell you 23:30 the secret that midget told me? 23:32 You want to here, yeah, are you ready to do it? 23:35 Now we've got to practice here. 23:37 The first thing he said to do is smile, 23:39 now get ready that's what you do now, 23:41 come on I am teaching you what the midget 23:42 told me. You are ready. Your first thing 23:44 to do is smile and he said everyplace I go 23:49 I smile and I develop relationships. 23:52 I make friends then once I made the friends 23:55 I invite them to my house, 23:58 once they are there I just do two things 24:01 this and this, are you ready? 24:04 We've got to practice it; you are ready 24:06 to practice it? I mean I know these are 24:07 Chicagoans, they are kind of conservative 24:10 and it's hard to, you know, you are ready, 24:11 you got to smile and got to do all things at once 24:13 if you wanna win 1200 souls, you are ready? 24:16 Alright. Smile. Now there's, come on get 24:19 your hand up, you wanna win, come on, 24:21 I know you are little conservative sort but 24:22 that's okay, like this and like this. 24:26 Let's practice once more; I think you almost 24:28 got it. Like this, like this, like this. 24:33 I said what are you talking about? 24:35 He said Pastor Mark it's very simple I smile, 24:38 I invite them to my home, 24:40 this is the object of turning on the video. 24:43 this is the power button I push like this 24:44 and turn the power. This way I put you a video 24:48 in and they've watched your sermons, 24:51 you preach to them, that's what the 24:53 conference president wanted you to meet me, 24:56 you preach to them and I baptized 1200, 24:58 because I always have a house group going 25:00 to my home. All I do is smile at everybody 25:03 I meet, invite them to my house, give them 25:05 a little Brazilian food you know, say or rice 25:07 you know, I give them a little Brazilian beans 25:09 and rice, put the video on, say let's watch 25:12 my friend Mark Finley and that's simple. 25:17 I said man; I could even do that one. 25:22 I mean that's not hard. 25:27 How many of you think you could do that? 25:29 How many can do that? I told you witnessing 25:32 was easy. What does it take? It takes a heart, 25:36 you see, it takes a heart, it takes a passion 25:40 for souls, it takes a love for people, 25:43 here is the simple man that all he did was smile, 25:48 develop relationships, invite people to his 25:52 home for supper, he would have three nights 25:57 a week, four nights a week, different groups, 25:59 8 or 10 in this group, 15 in this group and 26:02 they are coming to his house, watching videos, 26:04 coming to Jesus, coming to Church. 26:08 The midget taught me something, 26:10 this is what he taught me, that you do not have 26:13 to have sophisticated methods but the key 26:17 in soul winning is getting on your knees 26:21 and saying God lead somebody into my life, 26:25 you know that old song, lord lay some soul 26:27 upon my heart and love that soul through me 26:31 that may humbly do my part to win that soul 26:36 for thee. In this journey around the world 26:39 I am gonna introduce you to different soul 26:41 winners who use different methods, 26:45 but every single one of them had a passion 26:48 for souls, the commonality among 26:52 them is not that they have the same 26:54 spiritual gift, the commonality among them 26:58 is not that they use the same method, 27:01 the commonality among them is that everyone 27:05 one of them had a desire to win people for Jesus, 27:09 everyone of them. Let's go from Brazil 27:13 to the Sudan. Not long ago in the Sudan 27:17 continuing there was a terrible, 27:19 terrible civil war. That civil war in the Sudan 27:24 drove many Sudanese villages out of their 27:29 villages and it drove them into Uganda. 27:33 Along the Sudanese Ugandan border 27:36 they set up multiple refugee camps. 27:41 You know the Bible, in Second Chronicles, 27:46 Second Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 9 says this, 27:52 the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through out 27:57 the whole earth to shew himself strong on 28:00 behalf of those whose heart is loyal toward Him. 28:03 The eyes of the Lord are running and fro through 28:06 the whole earth, they are looking, 28:07 here's an honest man, here's an honest woman 28:09 and the spirit to God begins working with them 28:13 to draw to himself men and women that are honest 28:17 toward him. A young man felt that his wife 28:22 was in jeopardy in the civil war in Sudan, 28:26 so he fled his village with many other refugees, 28:29 they've traveled down dirt roads, 28:32 they've traveled through the jungle and they came 28:35 to a refugee camp in Uganda. 28:39 In that refugee camp there was a 28:41 Seventh-Day Adventist Pastor. He began to 28:46 study the Bible in that refugee camp, 28:49 he held a little Evangelistic meeting 28:51 in that refugee camp. They were not a lot of 28:53 people that came but a number did, 28:56 and among them was this young Sudanese 28:58 man who was in the camp for about 29:01 nine months. During the time that the 29:04 Sudanese young man was in the camp, 29:06 he studied the Bible with the Adventist Pastor. 29:09 The civil war in the Sudan succeeded, 29:14 so the refugee decided to go back home 29:16 to his village in the Sudan from Uganda. 29:21 Before he left since he had studied with the 29:23 Adventist Pastor and accepted Jesus, 29:25 accepted the second coming of Christ, 29:27 accepted the Sabbath he decided to be baptized, 29:29 and he was. As he made his way back home 29:33 a 150 kilometers or 90 to 100 miles he came 29:37 back into his village, that this young man 29:39 was thrilled, he said Jesus Christ has given 29:44 me the message of his love and truth I have 29:46 to share it. The Ugandese pastor had given him 29:51 a Bible and he have helped this young man 29:54 know how to mark his Bible and he helped him 29:57 how to share God's word. 29:59 So this new convert who'd only known 30:02 the Adventist message for a year now, 30:05 less than a year, nine months he began to share 30:09 from God's word. His message, 30:12 the God's message of love and God's message 30:15 of truth, he gathered around him quite a group 30:18 there in the village that he lived in Sudan. 30:24 And as his lay Evangelistic meetings 30:27 went on every night, five nights a week, 30:33 this young man would preach everything he knew, 30:36 he'd preached about Jesus and preached about 30:38 the second coming and preached about the 30:39 Sabbath, he is quite a powerful lay preacher. 30:42 Seven young men in his village made a decision 30:45 to be baptized, but he said to them look 30:48 I am not an ordained elder, I'm not a deacon, 30:51 I am just a new Christian. 30:54 And he said I can't baptize you, 30:56 but I will tell you what about a 150 kilometers 31:00 from here, 100 miles there was a pastor 31:02 that baptized me. I will walk there through 31:05 the jungles find him and bring him back 31:08 and he will baptize you. So this young man 31:12 had such a passion for souls, that he walked 31:16 back to the refugee camp about a 100 miles. 31:21 Found the old pastor, he said Pastor 31:24 I've got seven converts in my village I want you 31:27 to come baptize them, it's not too far away, 31:29 it's only 100 miles, let's go. And the pastor 31:33 was really nervous, he said look 31:35 I'm a little older; I don't think I can make 31:36 the journey. God will sustain you; 31:38 I don't think I can do it. Really there is a 31:41 civil war going on and I can't do it. 31:44 The young man now walked back 31:46 to his village alone. As he got back to the 31:49 village he came into the village and he said 31:51 Praise God, Praise God, I found the pastor 31:56 let's go, let's walk back. 32:03 Now I want you to calculate this in 32:05 your head, when he came back from the 32:07 village nine months before he walked 100 miles, 32:10 then he had to walk back to the village to find 32:12 the pastor, that's a 100 miles, then he had 32:14 to walk to back get the converts that's a 32:18 100 miles without the pastor, 32:19 then he has to bring the converts back to 32:21 the village, he must be really healthy. 32:25 This fellow had walked 350, 400 miles by this 32:29 time in the story. I asked when we heard 32:32 the story, this came to the general conference 32:34 of the Seventh-Day Adventists last year. 32:37 When I heard the story I said I wanna know 32:39 how long was it taking him to walk 32:42 this 100 miles, they said it was averaging 32:44 maybe 15 miles a day, so would take him 32:47 six days, seven days, he would rest on 32:49 Sabbath so it was about a week a little longer 32:51 maybe eight days. But they said Pastor 32:54 here's the amazing story. When the seven 32:58 converts were baptized in Uganda 33:02 in the village and they left the village 33:05 to walk back to Sudan after their baptism 33:09 it took them six months to get back. 33:12 And I said why, the war must have in fears 33:15 and they about no pastor. Because now every 33:19 village they came to on the way back 33:23 they stopped and they preached it. Amen. 33:26 Today all along that road from Uganda back 33:30 to Sudan we have seven, eight, nine, ten, 33:33 Seventh-Day Adventist churches. Amen. 33:36 Why? Why? Because of the passion, 33:46 the passion for souls. You say Pastor where 33:49 can I begin, where I can begin, 33:51 what can I do? The first thing you can do 33:55 is to begin to pray the dangerous prayer. 33:59 Also when it begins on our knees, 34:03 on your knees begin to pray, dear Lord 34:06 I wanna be a soul-winner. I'm not sure what 34:09 you want me to do, you may want me to give 34:11 out literature, you may want me to be part 34:14 of core of lay bible workers, you may want 34:17 me to have a video small group in my home, 34:20 you may want me to invite people to my home 34:22 to study the Bible with. I don't know what 34:24 you want me to do Lord, you may want me 34:26 to start a youth ministry for kids or 34:28 children's ministry, you may want me to be 34:30 a lay preacher. God has a witnessing role for you. 34:37 God has something special for you. 34:40 The first step is to get on your knees and say God 34:44 use me in whatever way you want. Amen. 34:48 Maybe God is calling you to be a prayer warrior. 34:52 Recently we saw a magnificent answer 34:56 to prayer. I would like to go to the screen 34:59 here please; I want to show you on the screen 35:04 a miraculous answer to prayer. 35:07 This story that I'm gonna tell you now happened 35:11 just six weeks, seven weeks ago. 35:14 This is Nigeria, I was preparing to a hold day 35:18 large Evangelistic meeting in this stadium. 35:22 Seven to eight thousand people came a night, 35:26 all around this stadium is a village known for 35:30 its witchcraft. As we came to the stadium 35:34 every night packed with people to know God. 35:39 One night 6'o clock in walked into the stadium, 35:43 something strange was happening I've never seen 35:45 anything like it before, dark clouds cam in over 35:49 the stadium at 6'o clock at night. 35:51 As I looked up the wind began to blow, 35:53 and we had huge screen, do you seen one 35:55 of the screens there in the upper portion 35:59 of the picture right here. These screens were 36:02 like 16 feet height, 24 feet wide, 36:06 they were five of them all over this stadium. 36:08 I stood and I saw the dark clouds come in 36:11 it had been beautiful all day, 36:13 the wind begin to blow it ripped the first screen 36:16 apart the second screen apart the third screen 36:18 apart before my eyes five screens have ripped apart. 36:21 Pretty soon it was thundering and lightening, 36:23 the chairs were blowing everywhere people 36:26 were running and screaming underneath the stadium 36:29 trying to hide, look at what happened, 36:31 these chairs were blown right over the 36:33 stadium walls. Here our auditorium our stadium 36:37 was absolutely devastated. Look at the stadium, 36:42 devastated, the platform devastated, 36:45 look here you see left-hand side way 36:48 up on the left-hand side this was the frame 36:50 of the screen, here's another screen here, 36:52 here's another screen turned apart, 36:53 platform turned apart. We as the rains came, 36:58 as the winds came that night that was I there 37:01 we get on our knees and we said God hold 37:03 the winds back but they weren't held back, 37:04 they came they devastated everything. 37:08 Some people who are involved in kinds of 37:13 witchcraft said where is your God now? 37:15 Where is your God now? Your God has no power; 37:18 your God can't keep the winds and rains away. 37:21 Look at those people praying in the mud, 37:23 look at them kneeling down in the rain, 37:25 nothing is happening; there is no power in God. 37:30 Chairs devastated, auditorium devastated. 37:34 Here's one of our screens, look at it devastated, 37:39 here's our platform, the wind was so strong, 37:43 look at that bar upper left the winds just 37:45 bent that bar right down. Everything was 37:51 in turmoil. Our staff came out, 37:53 we looked at the screens, we said, 37:55 what can we do? How can we repair 37:57 these even for tomorrow night? 37:59 That night I said to my staff, I have to talk 38:04 to this audience, people are hallooed under 38:07 cement overhangs of the stadium, 38:11 people are trying to get out of this fear 38:13 storm that came through, I said I have to 38:15 speak to the people they said Pastor Mark 38:17 every cable is under three inches of water 38:20 you can't, you can't speak to them not 38:22 possible. But they said if you are willing 38:24 took them inside the control room put 38:28 a headphone on; you can talk to the people 38:32 because we'll use the speakers that 38:34 are on the stadium. I came in and I talked 38:36 to them about unanswered prayer. 38:38 I said you know there are times that God doesn't 38:42 answer our prayers and some of you are 38:44 wondering why hasn't God answered? 38:46 Does it take more faith to have your prayers 38:48 answered or does it take more faith 38:50 to have your prayers not answered. 38:53 And I said I know God I've walked with 38:56 God for 40 years, God's preparing to do 38:58 something great and dramatic in this series. 39:01 And if the Lord allows this storm to devastate 39:04 the stadium tonight, it's because he wants 39:07 to make his power and his grace even more 39:10 apparent. Because it's rained tonight, 39:13 because we've had an apparent defeat 39:14 tonight, it doesn't mean that we have 39:16 defeated all. It means that we believe by 39:19 faith that God is gonna move powerfully 39:22 tomorrow night, he is gonna move powerfully 39:24 the next night, he is gonna manifest his hand 39:26 in this meeting. After talking to the audience 39:30 we prayed and that night I went home, 39:33 and as I knelt down in my little room, 39:36 I said God I've walked with you for 40 years, 39:39 I've seen you worked miracles in Moscow, 39:42 in former Soviet Union, I've seen you worked 39:44 miracles in India and Pakistan, 39:46 and in intern South America. 39:48 I've seen you God worked miracles 39:50 through out Africa, through out 39:51 North America. God you do not have to 39:54 keep the rain back for me to believe in you. 39:57 You don't have to give me a sign God because 39:59 I've had signs all my live I've seen your power, 40:02 but God the people's faith here is so fragile. 40:05 The people's faith here is so, it so week 40:09 Lord and I know that many people 40:15 are practicing witchcraft and satanic 40:19 occult-arts. Lord manifest your hand and 40:23 tomorrow night give us a clear night. 40:25 The next night I went to the stadium 40:29 and as I went to the stadium that 40:30 night 6'o clock I want you to see what I saw, 40:33 this was the second night the dark clouds 40:38 came over the stadium, gentle rain 40:41 began to fall, I saw a repeat of what 40:45 was happening the night before as 40:47 one of our screens was devastated, 40:49 we called our prayer warriors, we got 40:52 on our knees and we cried out to God 40:54 in the rain, and in the mud, we said God 40:57 manifest your hand. Now you are gonna 41:00 see a miracle. I want you to see the center 41:02 of the picture, do you see the center 41:04 of the picture, I had people photographing 41:06 this as we prayed as it happened. 41:08 You see the center of the picture here 41:09 what is this, it's a white cloud, this white 41:13 cloud came over the stadium it 41:15 poured in rain in village around the 41:17 stadium, the wind devastated all around 41:19 the stadium, this white cloud got bigger 41:22 and bigger and bigger in a matter of 41:23 ten minutes. And as it did here 41:26 look you see this is, this is what I saw 41:29 on the stadium but this white cloud 41:30 covered over the stadium it protected 41:32 the stadium we did not get a drop of rain, 41:34 amen. Not a drop of rain. 41:41 All around the stadium it was pitched black, 41:44 but that white cloud covered over that 41:47 stadium for two hours and at the end 41:50 of my preaching it moved and it rained. 41:52 God is a mighty God. Amen. God is 41:59 a mighty God. God is willing to do incredible 42:04 things in the city of Chicago. 42:07 God is willing to do incredible things 42:09 in Chicagoland. The God who answers 42:12 prayer in Africa, answers prayer 42:14 in Chicagoland, amen. The God who answers 42:16 prayer in Brazil has not forgotten about 42:18 Chicagoland. The God who answers prayer 42:21 intern South America has not forgotten about 42:23 as here. Amen. There were three things 42:26 you can do to make a major difference, 42:32 how many of you want to, I wanna make 42:33 a difference for Jesus, I just wanna make 42:35 a difference for Jesus, there are three 42:36 things you can do. Number one, first get 42:40 on your knees and begin to pray, Jesus 42:42 whatever you want me to do I am 42:45 gonna do it. Lord lead into my life 42:50 people that I can share your love with. 42:54 All effective soul winning begins on our 42:59 knees opening our hearts for the blessing 43:04 and miracle of God in our life. 43:07 On our knees we say I am willing Lord, 43:10 I'm willing to be your witness; 43:12 I'm willing to do whatever you want 43:14 me to do. Step number one is a personal 43:18 encounter with the living Christ in prayer 43:22 in which we open our hearts and submit 43:25 our lives to him and tell him that we 43:29 will make ourselves available. 43:31 If you feel weak tell him that he 43:32 already knows it, say God I feel weak I need, 43:36 I need your strength, God if you will 43:38 ignorant I don't know what to say I need 43:40 your words. God my life is gym packed, 43:44 I work fifty hours a week I am a busy 43:47 professional God, I work 60 hours a week 43:49 I'm a busy professional, Lord 43:51 I don't have time, tell God that. 43:53 And then say God you help me rearrange 43:55 my priorities. The only way you can 43:58 have more time to do something is to take 44:00 less time to do other things. 44:02 The only way you could have more time 44:04 to do something is to take less time to 44:05 do other things. God I am willing to rearrange 44:10 my priorities for souls. On your 44:13 knees be honest with God. Second step 44:19 as the Lord places with in your heart, 44:23 the desire to participate in 44:27 witnessing do not squelch that desire. 44:30 If the Lord is leading you to get involved 44:32 in a literature ministry get involved in it. 44:35 If the Lord is leading you to get involved 44:37 in a Bible study ministry, go to your 44:38 pastor, say Pastor I really believe that God 44:42 is leading me to get involved in a Bible 44:43 study ministry help me pastor to get 44:45 involved in that ministry. If the 44:46 Lord is leading you to get involved in 44:49 a small group ministry go to your pastor 44:51 and say Pastor I believe the Holy Spirit 44:53 is pouring in my heart I want to get involved 44:55 in a small group ministry help me 44:56 to organize a small group in my home. 44:58 Lord is putting it on your heart to 45:01 get involved in lay preaching, say to your 45:03 pastor, Pastor where are opportunities 45:05 that I can get materials DVD new beginnings, 45:07 DVD revelation of hope, DVD truth for 45:11 the end time, where can I, how can 45:15 I get some materials Pastor? Once God puts 45:20 in your heart the desire to be involved in 45:23 witnessing, make a decision that you 45:27 are gonna do whatever he puts in your 45:29 heart seek the material, seek the training. 45:32 And then thirdly as soon as you possibly can 45:37 implement what God is told you to do you 45:42 start to pray, you go to your pastor, 45:44 you get a few materials, you get some basic 45:46 training, and then you move, you move ahead. 45:49 If you wait until you feel you are ready, 45:54 will wait till the Lord comes. God will equip 45:59 you as you do. We are launching this year 46:04 a major Evangelistic initiative for Chicago, 46:10 what if? We had a thousand people 46:13 radically praying for the city. 46:17 How many of you today would like to commit 46:21 yourself to pray. I'm not going to tell you a 46:25 length of time only God can do that. 46:28 But to spend serious prayer time for Chicago, 46:33 Chicagoland, will you say Pastor Mark 46:36 we are going to, I'm gonna begin to pray 46:38 that the Holy Spirit will be poured out 46:41 on Chicagoland and that God will awaken 46:45 spiritual desires in the hearts and minds 46:48 of people. Pastor Mark, I'm gonna begin 46:50 to pray that God will touch my son, 46:53 my daughter, my husband, my wife, 46:57 I'm gonna pray that God will touch 46:58 my neighbors. Pastor Mark I am going to, 47:01 I'm gonna develop a prayer list, 47:04 a prayer list of names and begin to 47:07 pray for people by name. If you are 47:09 willing to say I wanna be a prayer warrior 47:11 for Jesus, I wanna do some serious 47:13 time praying for the lost of this city, 47:15 would you just raise your hand. 47:18 I want to pray, you look God tell you 47:20 how much time that is. There's something else 47:24 that God maybe calling you to do. 47:26 Maybe God is calling you to be involved 47:28 in Bible study ministry. We are gonna have 47:30 training classes starting this coming 47:33 September, my wife and some of our 47:35 other Bible instructors are gonna be here. 47:37 We are gonna have large classes to train 47:39 people to be involved in Bible study ministry. 47:41 Maybe that's a ministry God is calling 47:43 you to be involved, maybe He is calling 47:46 you to be involved in small group ministry, 47:48 sharing DVDs and cassettes, maybe 47:51 he is calling you to be involved in a ministry 47:53 for former Seventh-Day Adventists. 47:55 Are there any former Adventists in Chicago 48:00 and every city in the World that has 48:05 Adventists presence, there are former 48:07 Adventists. Do you feel that God is 48:11 leading you to do something special 48:12 for him? Give a Bible study be involved 48:16 in a small group, do you feel he 48:18 is leading you to do something special 48:20 for him, this year, maybe do some 48:23 lay preaching. How many of you feel God 48:26 is stirring me, God is stirring me, 48:29 I need to do something for Jesus beyond 48:32 what I am doing, I feel the Holy Spirit 48:35 moving in my life, I'm not quite sure 48:37 what that is but I want to be 48:40 involved in some area of witness for Jesus, 48:43 can I see your hands? God is gonna move, 48:45 God is gonna move on this city, 48:48 what if we had a thousand people 48:49 radically praying, what if there were two 48:52 or three hundred lay Bible instructors 48:54 giving Bible studies every week, what if 48:57 we had three, four, five hundred small groups 48:59 in homes, people are studying the Bible 49:01 watching the videos and DVDS. 49:04 What if we had a 100 lay preachers in Chicago 49:07 preaching, what if every church was opened 49:11 for an Evangelistic meeting, what if there 49:14 was a spiritual revival that swept through 49:17 Adventist churches in this city that lead us 49:19 to have a passion for Jesus Christ 49:23 and souls? Could Chicago be a model 49:27 for North America? With all of its complexity 49:32 of financial center, an academic center, 49:36 an intellectual center, a medical center, 49:40 diversity of cultures and peoples, could 49:44 Chicago be the spark that lights the flame, 49:52 that opens the hearts of men and women, 49:58 in the Adventist fellowship and community 50:01 through out North America to get actively 50:04 involved in service for Jesus. 50:08 Jesus is reaching out right now through 50:13 you to Chicago. Would you like to say 50:17 Lord I wanna make a deeper commitment 50:19 that I have ever made before. There is a 50:21 battle between Christ and Satan going on, 50:25 there is a battle between the forces 50:27 of good and the forces of evil, it will 50:29 take no half hearted commitment 50:32 to win this battle. A number of years ago 50:36 there was a pastor's meeting in Boston, 50:40 Massachusetts. The pastors there were not 50:43 at Seventh-Day Adventist pastors they 50:45 were pastors from a variety of 50:46 denominations. They were meeting 50:48 together to pray to study the Bible, 50:50 to talk about reaching America for Christ. 50:53 A pastor here in Chicago, one of the 50:57 pastors Evangelical pastors in Chicago 50:59 got an American airlines flight out 51:02 of O'Hare Airport to fly to Boston. 51:06 As he was sitting in the aisle seat, 51:11 he looked over at the window seat and 51:15 as they took off he saw the man sitting 51:17 at the window bow his head to pray. 51:21 And the pastor thought this is wonderful, 51:23 I have a Christian seatmate. As they flew 51:30 the man prayed for a while then he stopped. 51:33 The pastor looked over and he said 51:35 I'm really delighted to have a Christian 51:36 seatmate, he didn't identified himself 51:38 a pastor, certainly didn't say that 51:40 he was going to the pastors meetings 51:41 in Boston. And the man looked up 51:43 and said what made you think 51:46 I'm a Christian. And he said I saw you 51:48 praying. And the man was rather cynical 51:51 and he said do you think only Christians pray? 51:57 And the man said, I guess not. 52:01 And the pastor didn't quite know what to say. 52:04 Do you think only Christians pray and 52:05 the pastor gonna fumbled for words 52:07 and he looked at me say well if 52:08 you not a Christian, what are you? 52:10 And the man looked at up and he said 52:12 I'm a Satanist. And he said let me tell you 52:16 something, there is a pastors meeting 52:19 in Boston and the pastor said the 52:21 hair back of his head just stood up, 52:23 he got all cold chills, he said there 52:25 is a pastors meeting in Boston and a group 52:28 of pastors are gonna be gathering together. 52:31 I'm meeting a group of Satanists there 52:34 and we are gonna pray that pastors 52:36 families are broken up that their marriages 52:38 end up in divorce, we are gonna pray 52:41 that Satan disrupts those meetings 52:43 and that their children are lost. 52:45 We are serious about the prince 52:48 of darkness dominating the world. 52:51 I was preaching in Melbourne, Australia and 52:54 I told that story at the end of my 52:58 presentation to a group of Seventh-Day 53:00 Adventist pastors, Greg Evans was 53:02 the Evangelistic coordinator in 53:03 Melbourne. He stood up and he said 53:05 Mark I have to say something. I said, 53:07 tell me about it. He said my wife was 53:10 on train in Melbourne, Australia a couple 53:13 of months back. As she was on that train 53:16 she saw a woman sitting across 53:18 when her praying. My wife said oh I 53:22 don't meet many Christians in Melbourne, 53:24 Australia because it's pretty secular you 53:25 must be a Christian, the woman said 53:30 I'm not a Christian at all but what you 53:31 need to know is that every noon at 53:33 12'o clock Christians, that Satanists 53:37 pray that the evil forces will come 53:39 over Melbourne. I told both of those stories 53:43 at a prayer conference in South Africa. 53:45 We had representatives from all over the 53:48 world there. They were leaders in 53:51 the Seventh-Day Adventist church 53:52 from around the world. A leader from Europe 53:54 came up after and he kind of looked 53:55 a little white and he said Mark 53:57 we need to talk, I said why? He said 53:58 I was in Spain recently where one 54:01 of our church elders told me a similar 54:05 story of meeting somebody who was 54:07 intent on prayer but he was a Satanist 54:11 praying for the forces of darkness. 54:13 Now let me open my heart for you. 54:15 We are in a battle between good and evil, 54:17 we are coming into the narrows, the narrows, 54:20 just before the coming of Jesus. 54:23 Those who were involved in the occult and 54:26 Satanism recognized. They are pouring 54:32 out their souls in agony to their lord 54:37 Satan to cover this world in darkness, 54:39 to keep the light of the gospel from going. 54:42 Now here's my question is for you. 54:44 Are the Satanists more intent about winning 54:49 the world for darkness? Then we are 54:52 about bringing light to the work. 54:56 Are the Satanists more intent about keeping 55:00 people in darkness? While we at times 55:04 are in laid to see in complacency, they 55:08 are fighting a battle because they believe 55:11 that the destiny of the world is at stake. 55:15 They believe that Satan one day will rule 55:19 the world as prince of the world. I thank 55:23 God that the power of the living Christ 55:26 is greater than the power of Satan. Amen. 55:29 I thank God for the resurrected Lord. 55:32 And I thank God that when Christians 55:36 step out to follow Jesus Christ 55:40 armed with prayer, filled with 55:43 the word of God as we step out 55:46 on the mission of Jesus, as we entered 55:51 here in Chicago, a year long journey 55:54 to take this city for Christ, I thank God 55:57 that the words of Jesus echo and re-echo down 56:00 the cars of time, I thank God 56:02 that the words of Jesus speak to our 56:05 hearts this afternoon I thank God that the 56:07 words of Jesus lift us from our seats 56:10 send us into the street to witness for Jesus. 56:13 Jesus said all power is given to me, 56:17 go ye therefore, would you like to say 56:21 Jesus I wanna be used of you, 56:23 would you stand right now if you 56:24 wanna say that Jesus I wanna be used of you, 56:27 Jesus I wanna be used of you. 56:29 All power is given to me Jesus said go 56:33 ye therefore, will you go with the prayer 56:36 in your heart, will you go committed on 56:40 your knees to pray for souls, will 56:43 you go saying as opportunities availed 56:46 himself I wanna be involved for Jesus. 56:49 I wanna do something for Jesus maybe 56:52 a youth ministry, maybe giving out literature, 56:53 maybe a prayer ministry, maybe a Bible 56:55 study ministry, maybe a small group ministry, 56:58 maybe a lay preacher, I wanna do something 57:00 for Jesus, I don't want the status quo, 57:02 I don't want business as usual. 57:04 I don't wanna simply maintain the experience 57:09 of God, I wanna grow in Christ. 57:12 I wanna have my heart burned with love 57:14 for Jesus. I wanna have passion in my soul, 57:19 I wanna leave this place committed 57:20 to get on my knees and ask God 57:22 what you wanted me to do. 57:24 If I need a little training I wanna 57:26 get that, if I am not God let trained 57:27 and keep me back wherever you puts in 57:29 my heart I'm gonna do. I wanna take 57:32 advantage of participating, touching, 57:35 Chicagoland for Jesus. And that word 57:38 Chicago is an interesting word 57:40 Chicago, I like that go, the go part. 57:45 Jesus said go ye therefore, Chicago. 57:49 You go and you grow, you don't go, 57:53 you don't grow. Will say Jesus 57:57 I'll go and grow for Chicago, let's 57:59 say it together. Jesus I'll go and grow 58:06 for Chicago, let's pray. Father in heaven 58:09 I thank you for my friends in Chicago, 58:13 Lord renter again to a year long 58:15 Evangelistic meeting for Jesus, 58:17 we wanna grow, and go grow 58:20 to reach Chicago for Jesus. |
Revised 2014-12-17