Participants: Monique Brown
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR001032
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01:01 Good morning. Good morning.
01:03 How are we doing today? 01:06 Are we awake? Yeah. 01:08 Amen. 01:09 I'm trying to see how many of us are awake 01:12 by your response. 01:13 It seems like some are still sleeping but that's okay. 01:16 Amen. Amen. 01:17 I'm so happy to be here today, because every day 01:21 that we are alive is another day 01:24 we get to experience the love of Christ. 01:27 And it's also another day that we can tell someone else 01:30 about the love of Christ. 01:32 Let us have a word of prayer and then we will do 01:35 our devotional thought for today. 01:37 Heavenly Father, we thank You so much 01:40 that You have given us another day of life. 01:43 Lord, we have health, we have strength 01:47 but most of all we have peace because we know 01:50 that we are reconciled with You through Jesus Christ. 01:53 May we today and this morning Lord, 01:56 learn something new that we can use in our own lives 02:00 as we minister to others. 02:02 Help us to see what we can personally rise up 02:05 because we have been saved for service 02:08 and it's in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen. 02:12 So calling men and women to the mission field. 02:17 If we went like in the call to the mission field 02:21 to the call to receive on our cell phones 02:25 the intensity and the response 02:27 might be different for everybody. 02:30 So for some the call to the mission field 02:35 might be that really loud ring tone. 02:44 And for some of us will quickly pick-up the phone 02:46 andwe will say, hello Lord, 02:48 yes, I'm ready to work for You today. 02:51 I was waiting for Your phone call. 02:54 For others if we're too busy or we're not quite ready 02:59 to pick-up we'll just say to ourselves 03:03 I'll pick-up that phone call little bit later 03:05 or I'll just call Him back. 03:08 For others the call might be more like a vibration. 03:18 And some of us will pick-up that call and we'll say, 03:22 Father, I almost missed Your phone call 03:24 but, yes, I'll labor for You today. 03:29 For others it might be the perfect excuse to say 03:34 I'm sorry I missed Your call, it was on vibrate 03:39 or unfortunately the call might be missed 03:43 because the phone was on silent. 03:46 Now in my life it's been all three 03:49 because my phone was on silent 03:52 until I was baptized in June 2009. 03:56 And then it was switched to vibrate 04:00 and one day I was in class, 04:02 I was working on my PhD in New York City 04:05 and the vibration started to go off 04:09 and the Lord said I need you to work for Me. 04:13 And I sat in class and it was a chemistry class 04:16 so there were reactions every where on all sides 04:19 and I said, okay, Lord, I'll work for You. 04:24 No problem, because by trade I was a forensic scientist 04:28 with the New York City police department. 04:31 And so it was great. 04:33 During the day I'll go to work and during the weekends 04:36 I will server the Lord, no problem. 04:40 Then in March 2011 the ringtone went off 04:45 and it was loud and clear. 04:48 And God said I need you to work for Me fulltime. 04:54 Now that one I didn't pick-up right away. 04:57 I said you know, what, I'll have to call You back 05:00 on that later, God. 05:02 But then He called again 05:05 and eventually in September 2011 05:08 I resigned as a forensic chemist 05:10 with the New York City police department 05:13 and I went to work for the Lord fulltime. 05:17 And so when I speak with you this morning 05:19 about God calling us to the mission field 05:22 am I speaking to you from a perspective 05:24 that I can't relate to? 05:27 I'm speaking to you because I can relate 05:31 and I can share with you thousands of testimonies 05:34 in my little time how God has provided 05:37 and how God has used me to do His work. 05:40 But I'm least excited in sharing 05:42 what God has done for me 05:44 than I'm and what God can do for every one of us in here 05:49 because God wants us all to work for Him. 05:53 Let's turn in our Bibles 05:55 to John 20:19-23. 06:02 John 20:19-23 06:14 and it says, 06:16 "Then the same day at evening, 06:19 being the first day of the week, 06:21 when the doors were shut 06:23 where the disciples were assembled 06:24 for fear of the Jews, came Jesus 06:28 and stood in the midst, and saith unto him, 06:31 Peace be unto you. 06:34 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands 06:37 and his side. 06:39 Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 06:44 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you, 06:49 as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 06:54 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, 06:57 and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 07:01 Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, 07:07 and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained." 07:12 So let's reflect all the events 07:15 that led up to this moment. 07:17 Here in this room we have 11 men 07:21 but these weren't ordinary men who were ordinary witnesses. 07:28 We have 11 men who witnessed the life of Jesus Christ, 07:33 the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the whole world. 07:40 These men have the privilege of walking with Jesus 07:43 for three and half years. 07:46 They witnessed Him feeding 5,000 07:49 with five loafs and two fishes, 07:53 the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead, 07:56 Jesus walking on water these men could say 07:59 that the blind can see, the lame can walk, 08:04 the deaf can hear 08:05 and the gospel is being preached to the poor. 08:09 Even John and his gospel in the last verse he says, 08:12 if we could write down everything that Jesus did 08:16 the world couldn't contain all the books 08:19 and then he says amen. 08:21 Talk about the clincher I can't wait to get to heaven 08:25 so hear what else Jesus did while He was there. 08:29 So there weren't ordinary men who were ordinary witnesses. 08:34 In my previous occupation when we would have evidence 08:37 we have to record every single detail. 08:40 What did it look like, what did it smell like, 08:44 what was it wrapped in. 08:46 Because we were eyewitnesses to evidence 08:48 that could turn someone's life upside down. 08:54 And these men were eyewitnesses 08:57 to evidence that turned the world upside down. 09:03 And because Jesus was basing the future hopes of His church 09:07 on this little band of witnesses 09:10 He asks them before His suffering and death 09:13 who do you say that I'm? 09:16 Because if you are going to preach the gospel 09:19 you have to believe that I'm the Savior of the whole world. 09:24 Now Peter response, You're Christ, the Son of God. 09:30 But because they fail to see 09:32 that the deaf and suffering of Christ 09:34 was just as important as His life in ministry 09:37 these men are locked in the upper room 09:40 discouraged and hopeless. 09:44 Acts of the Apostle says, "Crushed by despondency, 09:48 grief, and despair, the disciples met together 09:52 in the upper chamber, 09:54 and closed and fastened the doors, 09:56 fearing that the fate of their beloved Teacher 09:59 might be theirs." 10:01 These men were afraid. 10:04 Their faith cannot see beyond their disbelief. 10:09 Have you experienced that? 10:11 And if you haven't experienced its coming 10:15 because there comes a point in every single life 10:18 where our faith comes in contact with the crises 10:22 and it's in the crises that our character is revealed. 10:27 Because if we never came in contact with the crises 10:30 how would we know our characters? 10:32 How would we know we were impatient 10:34 if we were never stuck in traffic on the way to work, 10:38 on the day when we relate? 10:40 How will we know we were selfish 10:43 if someone never asks us for our last item? 10:48 It's through the crises where our characters are revealed. 10:51 And it was in this moment that Christ comes to His disciples 10:55 and He says on to them, Peace be unto you. 11:00 Consider what was going on in their mind at that time. 11:04 They were probably feeling the most disloyal 11:08 for deserting their master, the most doubtful 11:12 about Him being the Messiah 11:15 and the most fearful about their future. 11:19 And Jesus walks into the midst and He doesn't say, 11:22 I told you I would suffer what you guys doing here? 11:27 He doesn't say, I told you 11:29 I would rise again on the third day. 11:31 Oh, yeah, Peter, where is Peter? 11:33 Peter, I told you would deny Me three times. 11:37 He walks into the midst and He says, 11:39 Peace be unto you. 11:42 Not once but twice. 11:46 And then He says, as the Father has sent me, 11:49 so send I you. 11:51 Despite what was going on in their current condition 11:55 Christ says I'm sending you to work. 11:58 So what are some things that we can keep in mind 12:01 when Christ calls us as men and women to the mission field? 12:06 And the first thing is that Christ calls us 12:09 in our current condition. 12:12 He calls us where we are at that time. 12:17 The disciples were probably at that moment 12:20 feeling very low spiritually. 12:23 They probably felt so disloyal 12:26 but instead of throwing them away and casting them aside 12:29 Christ calls them for the mission field. 12:33 I don't know about you but that brings joy to me this morning 12:37 because that shows me 12:38 that when I feel the least spiritually 12:41 God sees the potential to do a great work. 12:45 God sees in me something that I can't see in myself. 12:49 When I was first baptized 12:52 I felt so inadequate for all of-- 12:54 all of you all who are born Adventist. 12:56 I didn't know there was a gene for Adventism, 12:58 apparently there is because that's the term 13:00 that's used a lot. 13:02 And there is all these words 2,300 days, bees, horns, 13:05 kingdoms, it just sound like a modern day fairytale to me, 13:09 just in a make sense. 13:11 But God used the little that I knew and He blessed it. 13:16 And as long as I kept my eyes on Jesus 13:19 and I focused on Him God began to add more and more. 13:25 We should never feel that, you know, what, 13:27 I can be a witness for the Master 13:29 because I don't know enough. 13:33 I believe that the less we know intellectually 13:36 is the more we cry out for the Holy Spirit. 13:40 Because we have less confidence of what's in here 13:44 and more confidence in who lives in here. 13:51 We can consider the demoniacs 13:54 whom Jesus delivered in Decapolis. 13:56 Now these men they were so overtaken by Satan 14:01 that they no longer looked like humans, 14:02 they look like wild beast. 14:05 And when Jesus walks into this-- they get off the boat 14:08 and He knew what these men do. 14:09 The disciples go running 14:11 and Christ delivers these two men. 14:14 And these men who terrorize the whole city 14:18 were now clothed and sitting at the feet of Jesus. 14:22 But because others in the city were not ready 14:24 to receive the gospel they forced Jesus out the city. 14:28 And these two men they wanted to go with Jesus, 14:31 they wanted to learn more but Christ told them 14:34 to stay where they were 14:36 and to share what had happened to them. 14:40 These were the first two missionaries 14:43 that Jesus sent in this region. 14:46 And they never heard a sermon that came from His mouth 14:50 but all they knew was what Christ had done for them. 14:54 All they knew was what they had experienced. 14:58 And because of that experience they were able to prepare 15:02 the region for Jesus. 15:04 Because when He came back 15:05 the people were ready to receive Him. 15:09 God wants us to do something as simple 15:12 as sharing the love of Christ. 15:15 I was doing intercity health work in Detroit, Michigan, 15:19 and I have a opportunity to sit down with the lady 15:21 who came for health consultation 15:23 because I specialize in health ministry. 15:25 And she thought she was coming to talk about 15:27 fruits and vegetables 15:29 but God had been working on her heart 15:31 before she came. 15:33 And when she came to the center 15:35 and be began to sit and talk 15:36 she shared her testimony, she had it all at one point. 15:41 She had restaurant, she had stores, 15:42 she had house and cars 15:45 but she also had an unfaithful spouse. 15:48 And when she found out 15:50 instead of turning to the Savior, 15:53 she turned to drugs. 15:56 And next thing she knew 12 years of her life was gone. 16:02 At that moment and time what she needed to hear 16:06 was that God has forgiven her. 16:09 At that moment and time she needed to hear that-- 16:12 you know, what, I can move on with my life 16:15 because of the freedom that I have in Christ. 16:19 This is what the world needs to hear. 16:22 This is the witness for which the Lord calls 16:26 and for want of which the world is perishing. 16:29 Consider Paul when he was Athens, was in Athens 16:33 he made logic with alliance, logic with logic, 16:36 philosophy with philosophy, science with science 16:39 that at the end of his time he had little fruit. 16:43 But when he went to comment 16:46 and he determined not to know anything except Christ 16:49 and Him crucified he had much success. 16:54 In choosing men and women for His service 16:58 God does not ask whether they possess worthy wealth, 17:02 learning or eloquence and that makes me very happy 17:07 because I'm very poor and God owns everything 17:11 so I don't have enough worthy wealth 17:14 and I'm so happy that He doesn't choose on learning 17:16 because I'm not very smart 17:18 despite with my testimony sounds like 17:20 I just read very well. 17:22 And I'm so happy He doesn't choose based on eloquence 17:25 because sometimes I say the wrong words 17:28 at the wrong time. 17:30 He chooses us based on our humility. 17:34 He says can I teach them? 17:37 Will they walk in My ways and will they represent Me? 17:42 So when God wants us to work for Him, 17:45 when He calls us to the mission field 17:47 He calls us in our current condition 17:52 but also if Satan can't distract us 17:58 and make us believe that you know, what, 18:00 I don't know we're not to work for him. 18:02 He will distract us on what we have done in the past. 18:05 Remember he is the accuse of the brethren 18:09 and he will make us think 18:11 you're gonna use her or him to do Your work. 18:14 Have you seen what she's done in the past? 18:18 How can she possibly represent You? 18:22 But when I think of that and when I go into God's word 18:26 I'm reminded that the greatest sinners, 18:29 the greatest servants were the greatest sinners 18:32 who are saved by great God. 18:36 Let's listen Noah, he was a junk. 18:41 Abraham was too old. 18:45 Jacob was a liar. 18:48 Lia was tender, right. 18:52 Gideon was afraid. 18:54 David had an affair and he was a murderer. 18:58 Moses had a stuttering problem. 19:01 Rehab was a prostitute. 19:03 Elijah was suicidal. John who ran from God. 19:06 The Samaritan woman had many husbands. 19:09 The disciples fell asleep. Paul was too religious. 19:13 And Lazarus was dead. 19:16 But God still did a great work. 19:20 One of my favorite verses in the Bible 19:23 is when the angels tell the woman at that tomb, 19:26 go tell the disciples and Peter. 19:30 Because that mean that God calls us by name 19:33 even when we fill Him miserably 19:36 He still wants to save us and use us to do a mighty work. 19:41 God calls us in our current condition 19:44 and then He gives us our mission. 19:46 Acts 1:8 says, "And you shall be witness on to me 19:51 in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria 19:55 and on to the other most parts of the earth." 19:58 Then when we look at that on the map 20:00 we know that Jerusalem is in the region of Judea 20:03 and then Samaria is the next region 20:05 and then we the other most parts of the earth. 20:08 Now Jerusalem was considered the most hardest 20:11 and unpromising field because it was there 20:15 that Jesus have begun to plant seeds 20:17 but we know, He wasn't well received 20:19 by the Jews priests and the Rabbi's. 20:23 So if we were to liken Jerusalem to us today 20:27 the hardest and most promising field 20:29 in our missionary experience 20:32 it would be our hearts, it would be ourselves. 20:39 Because the warfare against self 20:42 is the greatest battle that was ever fought. 20:46 The yielding of self, surrendering all 20:49 to the will of God requires a struggle 20:53 but the soul must submit to God 20:55 before it came to renewed and holiness. 20:59 So before we go out wanting to minister to everyone else, 21:04 is it well with our souls. 21:08 Because what good would it be 21:10 if we went and we share the gospel 21:12 and then we never made it to heaven 21:14 to see all the people that we met 21:16 while we were here on earth. 21:19 What a man is has more influence than what he says. 21:25 You see the reason why Jesus was so successful 21:29 in His labors is because He lived what He preached. 21:35 He took time to commune with God. 21:38 He knew where His soul stood. 21:41 He knew, you know, what, I can't commune-- 21:43 I can't go and serve and minister to others 21:46 if I have not connected with my heavenly Father. 21:51 And no one was more busy than Jesus was 21:54 but He made time to connect with God. 21:58 He made time to consider himself. 22:03 In order for us to affectively labor for the Master 22:07 we ourselves must have a relationship with God. 22:11 Everyone in here us as Christians 22:14 we should be the most kind, 22:16 the most unselfish and the most curious. 22:21 The strongest argument in favor of the gospel 22:25 is the loving and the lovable Christian. 22:29 You really want to minister, you really want to go out there 22:32 and share the gospel of Jesus Christ 22:34 we ask Christ to come into our hearts 22:36 and to teach us how to be loving and lovable. 22:41 Because how can we love others if we don't know 22:44 the one who is the author of love itself. 22:47 How can we go out and share 22:49 well, how good Jesus is if we never experienced it 22:53 in our own lives. 22:56 When Christ is in us it brings a healing 22:59 and a life giving current. 23:03 How else would Peter shadow be able to heal people? 23:07 Is because Christ was in him and it spread out. 23:13 And when we want to minister, when we want to serve 23:15 we first have to make sure is my-- is my soul 23:19 right with Jesus. 23:21 Am I joyful? 23:24 Because what other see around us 23:26 is what they think of Christ. 23:29 So what are we saying about our Savior? 23:32 Are we saying that He is the source of all our joy 23:37 if we are just as unhappy as everyone else? 23:41 Are we saying He is the provider 23:43 when we are always complaining about something we don't have? 23:48 Are we saying that we can trust Him 23:51 when we go through life just as confuse as the next person 23:54 instead of trusting God's promises? 23:58 Before we go out and save the world 24:01 self examination is something that we can all do. 24:06 As we seek to draw others 24:08 within the circle of Christ love 24:12 the purity of our language, our usefulness for service 24:17 and our joyfulness will be a witness to others around us. 24:23 When I was in college 24:24 I remember there was one gentleman 24:26 and this was before I was converted 24:28 and I would sit in the lunch room 24:30 and every day this gentleman will come 24:32 doing hot wheels, he was always happy. 24:35 He would heart wheels, he would sing 24:37 and it would frustrate me. 24:39 And I will say, I'm trying to enjoy my lunch 24:41 what is this guy doing, 24:43 doing cart west through the lunch room. 24:46 But then eventually Christ got hold of me 24:49 and eventually I have said now with this guy 24:51 who began to speak and I asked him 24:54 why are you always so happy? 24:58 And he said, you know, what, its Jesus Christ. 25:03 He's done so much for me. 25:05 He changed my whole life that I just can't contain myself. 25:09 And so sometimes we don't have to say a word 25:13 but when we reflect 25:14 the love of Christ in our hearts that's enough. 25:18 Someone once said preach the gospel 25:20 and when necessary use words. 25:25 So Jerusalem the hardest and most unpromising field 25:29 for the disciples for us today that would be our hearts. 25:35 And then Jesus says Judea, where is our Judea? 25:41 That would be our families 25:44 because sometimes we can become so immersed 25:46 and going overseas 25:47 and there is nothing wrong with going overseas 25:49 because I'm from New York and I'm here in Australia 25:53 but sometimes you miss the work that lies closes to us. 25:58 Sometimes in our homes if we're fathers and mothers 26:02 our children are lost. 26:06 Our first missionary field as parents-- 26:09 I'm not a parent by the way, but if you are, 26:12 if you want to be one day it's your home. 26:16 Because if you aren't raising your kids 26:18 the TV is raising your kids, the radio, or their peers 26:24 and Satan would get a hold of that and will change 26:27 the whole course of their lives. 26:30 But if you as a parent 26:32 if you set that tone in your home, 26:35 if you have morning and evening devotionals, 26:37 if you speak with your children you are doing a mighty work. 26:42 An Adventist home it says 26:43 "No work entrusted to human beings 26:47 involves greater or more far-reaching results 26:50 than does the work of fathers and mothers." 26:54 No other work is far-reaching 26:58 than that of fathers and mothers. 27:01 And if you are a son or daughter 27:04 are we fulfilling God's command 27:06 where it says to honor your father and mother. 27:09 I know I had a hard time doing that 27:11 because I don't have a very happy home. 27:14 I wasn't raised in a functional family, 27:18 very dysfunctional 27:20 and God had to do a lot of work on my heart 27:23 to forgive my parents. 27:25 And every day sometimes I still have to ask and pray 27:28 Father, teach me how to love them. 27:31 But our mission field, our Judea's are those 27:35 that are sometimes in the next room. 27:38 How often do we say, I love you. 27:42 Do we wait for crises 27:44 before our family members hear those words? 27:47 Do we wait till they are in the coffin 27:50 before we say how much we appreciated them? 27:54 Let's put time into our families. 28:00 Samaria well, should be the next region after Judea. 28:04 For us that would be our family-- 28:07 that would be our friends and our neighbors. 28:11 When I was in Detroit I did some Bible work 28:15 and missionary work with the church. 28:17 And there was a gentleman there powerful testimony, 28:20 he was immerged in the world and unfortunately 28:23 before he could get out he was in a party scene 28:26 and someone shot him in the back. 28:28 And in one night the course of his life changed 28:31 because now he is forever in a wheelchair. 28:34 But God still uses him to do the mighty work. 28:36 He has a powerful testimony. 28:39 And one day I was walking into church 28:41 and I was extremely busy-- I believe I had to preach 28:43 and so we are just running to church to grab something 28:45 and so I could leap quickly to go somewhere else. 28:47 And I said, happy Sabbath 28:49 and I kept going as happy Sabbath. 28:50 How are you doing? And I kept running on. 28:53 And in my mind I though he said happy Sabbath I'm doing well 28:58 because I had not conquered Jerusalem. 29:02 But later on that afternoon when I sat down with him 29:04 he said you know, what, 29:06 Sister Monica have a bone to pick with you. 29:09 And I said, 29:11 I don't like when people have bones to pick with me 29:13 because I don't eat meat and that's the problem. 29:17 And he says this morning you said happy Sabbath 29:20 and you asked me how I was doing 29:23 and I said terrible and you walked right by me. 29:29 In that moment I miss an opportunity 29:34 to share the love of Jesus 29:37 because I was so wrapped up in myself. 29:41 I was in such a hurry to do something 29:44 that I missed it to serve a friend, 29:48 to serve someone who looked up to me, 29:52 someone who just needed an encouraging word. 29:55 And how often do we do that? 29:57 We take for granted our friends and our neighbors. 30:01 We don't think that they might need an encouraging word 30:04 and we hurry pass them. 30:07 But Jesus the busiest man in the whole world 30:10 was never in a hurry 30:14 yet no one left Him unfulfilled. 30:18 Let's think about it. 30:19 Mary said, if You would have come earlier 30:22 my brother Lazarus he wouldn't have died. 30:25 But Jesus was still on time, amen. 30:29 Let's think about on his way to see Jairus' daughter 30:33 and that going through the crowd and the woman 30:36 who have the issue of blood touches His robe 30:38 and He said who touched me 30:40 and the disciples are like, look at the multitude. 30:42 What do you mean who touched You? 30:43 We have to go see Jairus' daughter. 30:46 But she was healed. 30:48 Jairus' daughter was healed. 30:51 And Christ was never in a hurry. 30:54 No way in the word of God does it say and Jesus ran. 31:00 He took His time and so we should take our time 31:04 ministering to our families and to our neighbors. 31:09 How can we minister to our neighbors? 31:11 We can start by saying hello, good morning. 31:15 And we can start by smiling 31:18 because when we smile to someone else 31:21 that might be the only smile they get that day. 31:26 For some people the hug that you give them 31:28 might be the only hug they get that day. 31:32 Can you imagine, they say that if you get 16 hugs 31:37 I believe it is, don't quote me on it, 31:39 that it helps you to lower your blood pressure. 31:42 Sixteen hugs a day. 31:43 When I heard that I just started hugging people. 31:46 I don't even know them, I just say, give me a hug, 31:48 give me hug, I need to get my quota in. 31:51 But those are the little things that we can do 31:53 to those that we know, those who are our friends, 31:56 those who are our neighbors, to show how much we care 31:59 and to show that Jesus loves them. 32:02 when we see our friends going down the wrong path 32:05 let's not take the approach of godly work on them, 32:09 Jesus will won't work on their hearts. 32:12 Jesus wants to use you to save your friends 32:15 and to save your neighbors. 32:18 In Ministry of Healing it says that, 32:20 "We should study how you can best help those 32:23 who take no interest in religious things." 32:28 We should study how to serve 32:30 those who don't believe in Christ. 32:32 Sometimes we thing, they don't believe in Christ 32:35 I got to run. I can't help them. 32:39 But what we should do is see the points 32:41 where we can connect with them on. 32:43 They might not believe in Christ 32:44 but you know, what, last time I said 32:47 we all get hungry and we all like to eat. 32:51 Maybe I can just invite them over for dinner. 32:54 Maybe I can invite them over to a health talk. 32:58 The health message is one of the easiest ways 33:01 that we can reach the hearts of men and women. 33:04 Because everyone is sick these days, almost everyone 33:08 and our health message is the right arm of the gospel. 33:14 How do we reach our neighbors and friends? 33:18 Just by taking time and by finding ways 33:24 that we can save them through the power of Christ. 33:28 Judea and then the other most parts of the earth, 33:33 what is that mean for us today, everyone else. 33:37 So when I first started to do God's work, 33:40 when I first thought of literature evangelism 33:42 and this was when I was still working 33:44 and I woke up one day and I had some glow tracks 33:47 and I said Lord, I'm gonna give this to someone today. 33:51 I'm not gonna put it in their mailbox 33:53 though there is nothing wrong with that. 33:54 I'm not just gonna you know, slide it, you know, 33:56 on the table though there is nothing wrong with that. 33:59 I said, Lord, give me the courage 34:01 to hand it to somebody. 34:03 And so I went to the bus stop 34:06 and there are a couple of people that were there 34:08 and my heart was beating like crazy and I was afraid 34:11 and I said, Lord, I don't know who to give this to. 34:13 And so I just waked up to one gentleman 34:15 and I walked, hey, how are you doing 34:17 and I just gave it to him and I left them. 34:20 And I said oh, Lord, hopefully that blesses him. 34:23 And he comes back over to me 34:25 and he says what church are you from? 34:28 And ask camera says no I answered 34:31 I'm a Seventh-day Adventist Christian 34:32 have you heard of us? 34:35 And he says yes, I grew up at the Seventh-day Adventist 34:39 but I left the church. 34:42 And on the back of the card 34:44 I stamped the church that I attended 34:46 and he said thank you so much for this. 34:49 I want to start going back to church. 34:52 So the other most parts of the earth 34:55 it could be the bus driver, 34:58 it could be the person on the chair next to you, 35:01 it could be the co-worker that you pass by 35:03 every single day and you never even look at them. 35:07 We should pray and ask God for opportunities to minister 35:12 and they will come. 35:15 Right before I left my job about two weeks before 35:19 I got into a car accident and I expected it 35:22 because when you're getting late to work for the Lord 35:25 to do anything things are going to go wrong 35:27 because the enemy will be upset. 35:30 And I got into this accident 35:32 and I said, oh, great, this is wonderful. 35:35 I asked the Lord well, 35:36 hopefully I can minister to this person 35:39 and so we got out, we exchanged details, 35:41 and I had Steps to Christ 35:43 and after we exchanged insurance information 35:45 I gave him the Steps to Christ and we began to talk. 35:49 And he also grew up 35:51 in the Seventh-day Adventist church. 35:54 There are many who have left the fold 35:56 that God wants to call them back 35:58 and He wants to use us to do it. 36:01 And he said things happened. 36:04 I started to work on the Sabbath and after a while 36:06 I just drifted away. 36:09 And after we had that conversation 36:11 I encouraged him. 36:13 You grew up in this wonderful message. 36:15 You know that you to back our Sabbath day, 36:17 Jesus loves you He wants you to come back. 36:20 Won't you come back? 36:22 And I said a prayer with him. 36:24 Now I don't know what happened after we left 36:27 but God knows what happens. 36:30 And sometimes all God want us to do 36:32 is plant that little seed and God will give the increase. 36:38 He doesn't need us to do everything all at once. 36:42 Sometimes He just wants us to play a little part. 36:47 In the United States there is the Golden Gate Bridge. 36:51 Is anyone familiar with the Golden Gate Bridge? 36:53 Very popular bridge in California. 36:56 Its also the number one bridge for suicides, 36:59 suicidal jerks in America. 37:01 Number one, people will fly, people will take buses, 37:04 people will drive to this bridge to die. 37:08 This bridge it was open in 1937 and since then 37:14 more than 1,400 people have jumped from this bridge. 37:19 This bridge is 75 meters high 37:23 and when you hit the top of the water 37:26 you're hitting at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour. 37:31 As you would expect most people die upon impacts 37:35 but some people don't and Kevin Hines 37:40 was one of those men who didn't die. 37:45 And when he shares his testimony 37:47 he shares that he was on his way to the bridge, 37:50 he was on the bus and he was crying 37:53 and he purposed in his mind, he said, God, 37:57 if one person stops me on the way to this bridge 38:01 I won't jump. 38:03 If one person will tell me how much they care 38:06 I won't do it. 38:09 As you would expect no one stops, no one asked him. 38:13 he gets to the bridge and he stood on the bridge 38:17 for 40 minutes. 38:20 No one asked him what was wrong. 38:24 Someone did come up and they asked him 38:26 if will take a picture of them. 38:30 And he took the picture and it was than point 38:33 that he realized that no one cared and he jumped. 38:37 But someone did care and His name was Christ Jesus 38:42 and He saved him. 38:45 But what about the people who don't make it? 38:49 What about the people who are just waiting for us to say, 38:53 how are you doing? 38:55 Why are you crying? 38:58 Where a society that's so engrossed 39:00 with virtual friends and Facebook friends 39:03 and Instagram and Twitters that we fail to see 39:06 the ones who walk by us everyday. 39:10 Our mission field sometimes it's not some where 39:13 over in Africa though there is nothing wrong with that. 39:16 Sometimes it's in some intercity 39:19 thought there is nothing wrong with that. 39:21 Sometimes it's the person that's right next to us 39:24 that we miss 39:26 because we are on our phones, 39:29 over engrossed in ourselves. 39:34 None need wait until call to some distant field 39:39 before beginning to help others. 39:42 Doors of service are open everywhere, all around us 39:46 are those who are in need of our help. 39:49 The widow, the orphan, the sick and the dying, 39:54 the heart sick, the discouraged, the ignorant 39:57 and the outcast on every hand. 40:01 And God just wants us to help 40:03 meet whatever need that they have 40:06 because some people won't hear the gospel 40:09 unless you meet a simple need. 40:12 We were knocking on doors in Detroit and we met one lady 40:16 and she was hungry and she needed clothing. 40:20 And we took her request and at the end of her request 40:23 we ask that we could pray for her and she said no. 40:27 Because plenty of people always want to pray for her 40:29 but no one ever helps her. 40:32 She was also an alcoholic. 40:34 We went back the next day with food and clothing. 40:39 And we handed everything to her 40:42 and she just started to cry. 40:45 And she said you are the first group of people 40:48 who helped me in my need. 40:51 And when we left there we asked her, 40:53 can we pray for you? 40:55 And she said, please do. 40:57 Same lady we met a simple need 41:01 and she was able to accept prayer 41:04 and she was able to accept help 41:06 to get deliverance from alcohol. 41:09 A simple need that God want us to meet 41:12 when it comes to different people 41:14 so it can open their hearts to receive more of the gospel. 41:19 Jesus calls in our current condition, 41:23 Jesus then gives us the mission fields 41:27 but then He also equips us for service 41:30 and I'm happy about that because I feel very powerless. 41:35 But when He gives us the Holy Spirit 41:38 we can do anything in His name. 41:41 When we believe in Christ as our Savior 41:45 the Holy Spirit now becomes our guide, 41:48 our counselor, our sanctifier, and our witness. 41:53 The Holy Spirit teaches us 41:56 what to say and who to say it to. 42:00 I won't dwell them to this too much 42:01 because we have a seminar on the Holy Spirit. 42:04 And I encourage everyone, 42:06 so please go to that workshop if you can 42:10 because it's the Holy Spirit that teaches us how to work. 42:14 It's the Holy Spirit that impresses upon us. 42:18 There was one time when I was at a booth 42:21 and a lady came to the booth and she began to speak with me 42:25 and she had health problems 42:27 but she was concerned about her sister 42:29 and then all the sudden something said 42:32 keep talking about her 42:33 and move it from her sister to herself. 42:37 And we began to speak and then all of a sudden 42:40 she began to share her struggles. 42:42 The hatred that she have for her sister 42:45 and she blows out and she starts crying 42:48 and we have to rush to a separate room 42:51 and she began to share 42:53 how she wanted to murder her sister the other night 42:57 and how she had hatred for her sister. 43:01 And so we prayed and we spoke together 43:06 but if I had not prayed for the Holy Spirit 43:09 the opportunity would have been missed. 43:13 The Holy Spirit is what equips us to do God's work. 43:17 When the disciples were waiting for the Holy Spirit 43:21 they did not wait in idleness 43:24 but they were preparing their hearts 43:26 to receive the Holy Spirit. 43:29 They were repenting before God. 43:31 They were confessing their unbelief 43:34 and they were asking God to help prepare them 43:36 for the work that they were getting ready to do. 43:39 For three and half years they missed a lot of things 43:43 that Jesus was trying to tell them 43:45 and at that moment they just wished that they could go back 43:49 and they could hear once again 43:51 and they could see what Christ was trying to teach them. 43:56 Let's not miss this opportunity to work for Christ. 44:01 Let's not look back on our lives 44:04 five, ten, fifteen, twenty years from now 44:07 and say I wish I could have lived those years 44:09 working for the Lord. 44:11 Let's take advantage of it today. 44:15 Let this weekend be the opportunity 44:19 to really train ourselves 44:20 so we can be equipped to do God's work. 44:24 The greatest want of the world is the want of men. 44:29 Men who will not be bought or sold, 44:33 men whose in their in most souls 44:35 are true and honest, 44:38 men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, 44:42 men whose conscious is as true to duty 44:45 as the needle to the pole, 44:47 and men who will stand for the right 44:49 though the heavens fall. 44:52 That's what Christ wants of us today. 44:55 He wants us to labor for our brothers and sisters. 45:00 For those who are not yet in the fold. 45:05 We're not sent to do battles for God 45:09 but to be used by God to do His battles. 45:14 God can equip us to do mighty things for Him 45:17 as long as we respond to the call. 45:21 Will you answer when the ringtone is super high 45:25 or will you switch it to vibrate 45:28 or will you worse yet turn it to silent? 45:33 When God calls us this weekend to do a might work for Him 45:37 let's pick-up on the first ring 45:40 because He wants us to do a mighty work for Him. 45:44 Let's pray. 45:46 Heavenly Father, we thank You so much 45:48 that though we have failed you in many ways 45:52 You still desire to use us to do a mighty work. 45:56 Be with us this weekend, 45:58 may we take some time not thinking about ourselves, 46:01 not thinking about what we are missing 46:03 but focusing in on the work that You would have us to do. 46:07 And it's in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17