Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME240817S
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00:15 [ "Great Are You, Lord" begins ] 00:18 ♪ 00:20 ♪ 00:28 ♪ 09:04 >> History tells us that 09:05 in ancient times, 09:07 if it was possible, soldiers 09:11 would spend careful time 09:13 in preparation prior to battle. 09:17 A host of things, 09:18 if time allowed, would be done. 09:20 Armor, for instance, 09:22 would be repaired. 09:23 If there was the proverbial 09:24 "chink in the armor," 09:25 they would fix it. 09:26 They would polish their armor 09:27 so as to look good 09:29 on the day of combat. 09:31 Arrows might be made 09:32 and put in their quivers there 09:33 near at hand. 09:35 Swords, for many years, 09:37 the universal weapon of war, 09:39 would be sharpened 09:40 to a durable yet fine edge. 09:44 And, of course, 09:45 historically so prevalent 09:46 was the use of the sword 09:49 that swords not only were merely 09:51 tools of the average soldier, 09:52 but they also became a metaphor 09:54 for the ability of a leader 09:56 to wage war at all. 09:59 And thus we find phrases 10:00 in the Bible. 10:02 Exodus chapter 18, "the sword 10:03 of Pharaoh." 10:05 Or in Judges, chapter 7, 10:07 "the sword of Gideon." 10:08 Ezekiel 21, "the sword 10:09 of the King of Babylon," 10:11 etcetera, etcetera. 10:12 Now, here's the thing. 10:14 None of those phrases referred 10:16 to the actual specific sword 10:18 of that individual ruler. 10:21 It was instead emblematic 10:23 of that ruler's ability 10:25 to successfully wage 10:26 war through his army. 10:30 In fact, even God is described 10:33 in these terms. 10:34 Again, Judges 7 speaks 10:36 of a "sword for the Lord." 10:39 And I guarantee you, 10:40 there's not a sword big enough 10:41 physically to fit in God's hand. 10:42 This is a metaphor. 10:44 It's talking about God's ability 10:46 to successfully defeat 10:47 His enemies through His army, 10:52 which I think brings up 10:53 an interesting question. 10:54 Wouldn't it be fantastic 10:55 if God was victorious in 10:57 and through our ministry for Him 10:59 in this next ministry year? 11:02 Is this mic on? I'm not sure. 11:03 There seemed 11:04 to be a drop in there. 11:05 [ Laughter ] 11:06 What I said was, 11:07 wouldn't it be fantastic 11:08 if God was victorious in 11:09 and through our ministry for Him 11:10 in the next year? 11:11 >> Amen. 11:12 >> Oh, amen! Yes. All right. 11:14 If the devil were sent packing 11:16 over the next ten months, 11:17 would that be a good thing? 11:18 >> Yeah. 11:19 >> Yeah! Amen. Absolutely. 11:20 God would be victorious. 11:22 But if that is to happen, 11:26 the sword of the Lord 11:27 here at Pioneer 11:28 and on this campus 11:29 needs to be sharp. 11:34 Now, as we mentioned last week, 11:35 we're not talking about actual 11:36 physical, you know, 11:37 bloodletting warfare here. 11:39 We're talking about much more 11:40 important battles than that -- 11:41 spiritual battles, battles 11:43 with eternal consequences. 11:46 And one of the key factors 11:48 in us having "a sharp sword" 11:50 is having a clear sense 11:52 of where this army is going. 11:57 You know, my Bible tells me, 11:58 1 Corinthians 14:40... 12:00 "Let everything be done decently 12:01 and in" -- what's that last 12:02 word? 12:03 >> Order. 12:04 >> ..."and in order." 12:05 In other words, be orderly. 12:06 Be orderly. 12:08 As a part of God's mighty, vast 12:09 army, we are to be orderly. 12:11 Let us work together. 12:12 Let us head in the same 12:13 direction. 12:15 Now, I've only been here 12:16 for just over a year, 12:20 so I do not claim to be 12:21 an expert yet on all things 12:22 Pioneer and Andrews, etcetera. 12:24 But I do nonetheless 12:26 this morning 12:27 want to share with you 12:28 the best of what I know 12:30 so far about the answer 12:32 to this directional question. 12:34 Lord, what would you 12:36 have as our goals 12:38 for the next ministry year? 12:43 And with that in mind, 12:45 to the best of my 13- 12:47 or 14-month ability, 12:50 here are the top four priorities 12:54 that I know to recommend 12:56 that we give special attention 12:57 to in the 2024-2025 12:59 ministry year. 13:01 There are other priorities. 13:03 We're going to talk about those, 13:03 as well. 13:04 But these are the four 13:05 that I would put at the top 13:07 of my list. 13:10 A first priority 13:12 that I strongly recommend 13:14 has to do with a distance 13:17 that needs to be shortened, 13:20 a divide 13:22 that needs to be destroyed, 13:25 a gap that needs to be bridged. 13:30 In fact, that's the verbiage 13:30 that I would use here for 13:31 the first part of this priority. 13:33 A first priority here -- 13:34 we need to bridge the gap. 13:37 You say, "Well, the gap 13:39 between what?" 13:40 The gap 13:41 to our university students. 13:47 In fact, that's what I would 13:48 put here, the first priority, 13:49 to bridge the gap 13:51 to our students. 13:53 Now, 13:54 when I think about students, 13:56 I'm not thinking here primarily 13:58 about our elementary-age 13:59 and our high-school-age 14:00 students. 14:01 Now, I'm not saying 14:02 that we're perfect. 14:03 We don't always bat a thousand. 14:04 I'm sure there are 14:05 some that feel the distance 14:06 between Pioneer and themselves. 14:07 I understand that, 14:08 but by and large we do a pretty 14:09 good job of bridging this gap. 14:12 We have two schools 14:13 that we support with hundreds 14:14 of thousands of dollars a year. 14:15 We have Pastor Ben 14:16 and Pastor Lindsey. 14:17 They're over there many, many, 14:18 many hours every week helping to 14:19 lead and guide. 14:20 On the weekends, 14:21 we've got Sabbath-school 14:22 programs and vespers programs 14:23 and all kinds of activities 14:24 in the summertime 14:25 and Pathfinders, etcetera. 14:27 Pioneer does a pretty robust job 14:30 of bridging the gap to that age 14:32 bracket of young people. 14:34 And, after being here 14:37 for just over a year, 14:40 I think that bridging the gap 14:42 with our university students 14:44 is one of our major challenges. 14:48 Now, to be fair, this gap 14:51 is not one of hostility. 14:52 In other words, this gap doesn't 14:55 exist because they hate us. 14:56 That's not it at all. 14:57 In fact, 14:58 I don't think I've heard that 14:59 from anybody in the last year, 15:00 okay? 15:01 Pioneer members 15:02 are not out running around 15:03 chasing down students, you know, 15:04 trying to do bad things 15:05 in their lives. 15:06 No, no, no, no, 15:07 that's not it at all. 15:08 It's not a gap of hostility, 15:09 but there is a gap 15:10 of engagement. 15:13 Moreover, you need to understand 15:14 that this gap is not 15:16 our challenge alone. 15:18 This is a fairly well-researched 15:21 part of Adventism. 15:23 You know, research tells us 15:24 that student engagement 15:25 in the life of the church 15:26 is a challenge across the board 15:28 in the 13 Adventist colleges 15:29 and universities 15:31 in the North American division. 15:33 And if you're a prospective 15:34 parent listening right now, 15:35 if you're considering 15:35 Andrews University, 15:37 you should know that here 15:38 at Andrews, 15:38 research shows that 15:40 our percentage of engagement 15:41 is equal to or exceeds 15:43 that of our sister institutions. 15:46 No one's brave enough 15:47 to say an amen. 15:48 [ Laughter ] 15:50 Oh, come on, you chickens. 15:50 Yes! Yeah, yeah. 15:51 Amen, amen. 15:53 In other words, 15:54 we here at Pioneer, 15:56 the Center for Faith Engagement, 15:57 our dormitory dean and housing 15:58 staff, other religious leaders, 16:00 and influential faculty 16:01 and staff on campus, 16:02 we are doing a number 16:04 of things correctly here in our 16:05 portion of the Lord's field. 16:06 Parents, 16:08 if you're looking for a place 16:09 that will engage your son 16:10 or daughter spiritually, 16:11 we are on the sharp end 16:12 of that spear. 16:16 And there is still more 16:17 good news. 16:19 If our assessment is correct, 16:21 one measure 16:22 of Andrews University's 16:23 student spiritual engagement, 16:25 church attendance here 16:26 at Pioneer solidly 16:27 increased last year. 16:30 [ Laughs ] 16:31 >> Amen. 16:32 >> Thank you, brother. 16:33 I appreciate that. 16:34 Lead the charge back there 16:35 in that half of the church. 16:36 They're a little slow, right? 16:36 Bring them in with it. 16:37 That's a great thing! 16:39 Praise the Lord. 16:40 We had an increase, 16:41 a very noticeable increase, 16:43 in student engagement 16:45 here at our worship services. 16:46 Amen? 16:47 >> Amen. 16:48 >> Amen. Yes. 16:51 And if we're honest, there still 16:54 remains a stubborn fact that 16:55 there are many A.U. students, 16:56 both in the undergrad 16:57 and graduate programs, 16:59 that we here at Pioneer can 17:00 and must do better at reaching 17:03 with the love of Jesus. 17:05 For as best we can tell, 17:06 there remain many students 17:08 that are not only not 17:09 a part of our fellowship here, 17:11 they're not a part of fellowship 17:11 anywhere. 17:13 To the best of our knowledge -- 17:14 and we're not judging -- 17:15 to the best 17:16 of our understanding, 17:18 there are many students that do 17:19 not appear to have a place 17:20 that they personally value 17:21 in the visible body of Christ. 17:23 And yet they are right here. 17:26 They are in our courts, 17:27 as it were. 17:28 They're literally 17:28 right next door. 17:29 And still they do not 17:32 engage here with Pioneer. 17:33 There is a gap. 17:39 Praise the Lord. 17:41 That must, and I believe, 17:43 can be changed. 17:46 I think the gap can be bridged. 17:49 And the answer to how do 17:51 we bridge that gap is not 17:53 primarily about music styles 17:55 or worship times or formats. 17:56 I mean, all of those things have 17:57 their place in this discussion, 17:58 but not first place. 18:00 In fact, if you want to know 18:01 a little bit more 18:02 about my thinking on this, 18:03 I write a monthly column 18:05 for The Adventist Review. 18:06 How many of you knew that? 18:07 I'm just curious. 18:08 How many of you? 18:09 Okay, both of us, okay, 18:11 knew about that, all right? 18:12 [ Laughter ] 18:13 Okay. So, you need to read it. 18:14 All right? 18:16 If for no other reason, you'll 18:17 see what your pastor is thinking 18:18 in between Sabbaths, okay? 18:20 So, they have allowed me, 18:22 perhaps against their better 18:23 judgment, to give me some space 18:24 regularly. 18:25 So, I write that column, 18:26 and it varies between 18:28 in print and online. 18:29 In August of last year, 18:31 August 23rd of 2023, 18:33 I wrote an article entitled 18:34 "How Not to Keep Young Adults 18:36 in the Church." 18:37 If you're interested in 18:38 how I think about this and how 18:39 my leadership works on it, 18:41 feel free to read the article. 18:45 But to the point -- rather than 18:46 music style, scheduling, 18:48 etcetera being the first line of 18:50 action in bridging this gap, 18:52 that first place belongs 18:54 instead to two things -- 18:56 knowing and belonging. 18:59 Knowing and belonging. 19:04 You tell me. Do we want 19:05 every student to personally know 19:07 and belong to Jesus Christ? 19:09 >> Yes. 19:10 >> Absolutely. Of course. 19:11 That's why we're here. 19:11 Jesus is the answer 19:13 to our and their great need. 19:16 But many of them 19:17 will not come to know 19:18 Jesus and belong to Him 19:20 until they know us 19:22 and belong here. 19:24 And, in my opinion, there are 19:26 few ministries better equipped 19:28 to make this happen than Belong. 19:30 Now, I'm going to get 19:32 real specific here this morning. 19:33 There are other ways 19:34 that we also reach out 19:35 to our university students. 19:36 Belong Ministries, I think, 19:38 is one that's just running on 19:39 high-octane stuff, 19:41 and you need to be a part of it. 19:42 Belong Ministries, for those 19:43 of you that don't know, 19:44 this is one of our newest 19:45 ministries here at Pioneer. 19:46 It was started last fall, 19:47 fall of 2023. 19:49 Mari Bowerman, you may have seen 19:50 her up here at the beginning, 19:51 announcement time. 19:52 She's our director. 19:53 She's doing a great job. 19:54 She's got a newly expanded 19:55 leadership team for this year. 19:57 Belong Ministries 19:58 does a variety of things. 19:59 I mean, for instance, we hold 20:01 special events throughout 20:02 the year for our students. 20:03 You may remember last year we 20:04 held one at Thanksgiving time. 20:06 We had about 30 20:07 or 40 students that we thought 20:09 would come to our meal. 20:09 More than 320 showed up. 20:12 There is a need, you know, 20:13 that Belong is beginning 20:14 to fill here. 20:15 Belong also provides treats and 20:17 care packages during test week. 20:19 You know, 20:19 to give a caloric boost 20:20 and to let them know 20:21 that we're thinking about them. 20:22 We're praying for them. 20:23 We have these tables set up 20:24 in various places around campus. 20:26 One of the ministries 20:26 of Belong 20:27 that I'm most excited about 20:29 is the adopt-a-student program. 20:30 That ministry, 20:31 I think, is excellent. 20:33 Students sign up 20:34 for this of their own accord. 20:34 Those of you that 20:36 are new students, you're here 20:37 for First Stop, on Monday, 20:38 Belong will have a booth, 20:39 and we encourage you 20:40 to sign up for this. 20:41 If you sign up for that, 20:43 people will give you food. 20:44 [ Laughter ] 20:46 People will care for you. 20:47 They will be praying for you 20:48 because that's what the adoptive 20:50 families here at Pioneer, 20:52 they're assigned to a student. 20:52 We match up students 20:53 and families here at Pioneer, 20:54 and throughout the year 20:55 they're praying for you. 20:56 They greet you 20:57 on Sabbath mornings. 20:58 If you want to, 20:59 you can sit with them at church. 21:00 They'll invite you home for 21:01 for lunch on Sabbath. 21:02 You can come to vespers 21:03 at their house if you want to. 21:04 Students, all of this 21:05 is voluntary, but we want you 21:06 to know we care about you. 21:09 We long for you to know Christ 21:10 as we do, and so we love you. 21:12 Whether you ever make a decision 21:13 for Jesus or not, 21:14 we're going to love you and do 21:15 our best to take care of you. 21:17 By the way, 21:18 if you're a Pioneer family, 21:20 and you've not yet signed up 21:21 to be a part of the 21:22 adopt-a-student ministry, 21:23 you need to do it. 21:25 It is one of the best 21:26 opportunities to quite literally 21:27 make an eternal, 21:29 positive difference in the life 21:30 of a university student. 21:32 This is tremendous stuff. 21:34 At the end of the service today, 21:35 I'm going to give you 21:36 an opportunity to check a box, 21:37 and we'll make sure that you get 21:38 more information about becoming 21:40 a part of Belong Ministries. 21:42 Anyone that's a part of Pioneer 21:42 family here, 21:44 you can be a part of 21:45 Belong Ministries. 21:48 And here's the thing. 21:50 Belong Ministries does this 21:53 because we are convinced 21:55 that there are many 21:56 of our university students 21:57 that will not make a decision 21:58 to know and belong to Jesus 22:00 until they know and belong 22:01 with us. 22:03 Pioneer Memorial Church, 22:05 we are the campus church 22:07 for Andrews University, 22:09 and that is a privilege. 22:11 It is also a responsibility, and 22:13 we need to rise to the occasion. 22:15 It is our responsibility 22:16 to reach out 22:17 to as many students as we can, 22:18 welcoming them into our homes, 22:19 into our fellowship, 22:20 into relationship with us, 22:21 that they might see Jesus 22:23 and come to belong in Him. 22:26 Bridge the gap to our students. 22:29 That is a first priority. 22:34 A second one... 22:35 And this second one 22:37 I'm only going to be able 22:38 to brush the surface with. 22:39 It requires 22:40 a much deeper treatment. 22:41 I'm just going to 22:42 give you a little taste 22:44 of it here this morning. 22:45 And it's found 22:46 in Acts chapter 2. 22:47 Let me put it up here 22:47 on the screen. 22:49 "They" -- and this refers to the 22:50 3,000-plus believers that just 22:52 got baptized into the first 22:53 stages there of the Christian 22:54 church. 22:55 By the way, any word in yellow? 22:57 Would you read that out loud 22:58 when we come to it? 23:00 It says, "They devoted 23:01 themselves to the apostles' 23:01 teaching and to..."? 23:03 >> Fellowship. 23:04 >> "...to the breaking of bread 23:05 and to prayer. 23:06 Everyone was filled with awe 23:08 at the many wonders and signs 23:09 performed by the apostles. 23:10 All the believers were..."? 23:11 >> Together. 23:13 >> "...and had everything in 23:13 common. 23:14 They sold property 23:15 and possessions 23:16 to give to anyone who had need. 23:17 Every day they continued 23:18 to meet..."? 23:19 >> Together. 23:20 >> "...in the temple courts. 23:21 They broke bread in their homes 23:22 and ate..."? 23:23 >> Together. 23:24 >> ..."with glad and sincere 23:25 hearts, praising God and 23:26 enjoying the favor of all the 23:27 people. 23:28 And the Lord added 23:29 to their number daily 23:30 those who were being saved." 23:32 Now, I got to tell you. 23:33 This is one of the most pregnant 23:35 portions in all the Bible. 23:36 There are so many things 23:38 that can be drawn out of just 23:39 these few short verses here. 23:40 I'm just going to 23:41 pull out one thing, and that is 23:43 this -- genuine, deep, 23:45 transforming community was to be 23:47 the church's reality from the 23:49 very beginning of Christianity. 23:53 It was not an addendum. 23:54 It's not like, you know, 23:55 God started out perfect. 23:56 And then, you know, 23:57 we kind of messed it up, 23:58 and we got lonely. 24:00 He said, "Okay, we'll find 24:01 somebody that you can hang out 24:01 with." 24:02 No, no, no, no, no, no. 24:03 It is the essence of 24:04 Christianity that 24:05 Jesus in me has a tie 24:08 with Jesus in you. 24:10 Jesus is the source, 24:11 the foundation of our community, 24:12 and it is intended to be a deep, 24:14 trusting, abiding, 24:15 genuine community fellowship 24:17 that we enjoy in the body 24:19 of Christ. 24:22 And so I believe that at Pioneer 24:24 this next year, 24:25 this must also be one 24:27 of our top priorities. 24:28 We need to deepen our ties 24:30 with each other. 24:32 We must deepen our ties 24:33 with each other. 24:33 Now, over the last year, 24:36 it has been my privilege 24:37 to meet hundreds and hundreds 24:38 of wonderful Pioneer people. 24:40 You've been very welcoming to 24:41 me, to my wife, to my family. 24:43 I thank you for that. 24:45 And I also have heard from many 24:47 of those same wonderful Pioneer 24:49 people a sad refrain. 24:52 And it goes something like this. 24:54 "I don't know many people here. 25:00 This is a big church. 25:01 It's easy to get lost here. 25:04 I wish I had more friends 25:07 here at Pioneer." 25:11 I want to be clear about this. 25:14 This challenge to community 25:17 is not unique to us. 25:19 This is not because Pioneer 25:20 has some special problem. 25:21 No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 25:22 In fact, every large church 25:24 that I've been a part of 25:24 over the last 30 years 25:25 has had to deal with this issue. 25:27 Why? Because research tells us 25:29 that once you get past around 25:31 the 300-member mark, 25:32 it becomes very difficult 25:34 to maintain a deep sense 25:35 of community 25:36 unless the church is intentional 25:39 about making it happen. 25:42 And the answer to how 25:44 we can deepen our ties 25:45 with one another -- 25:46 to me, generally speaking, 25:47 again, this is a very light 25:48 touch on this topic, 25:49 more on it later. 25:50 But generally speaking, 25:52 there's two solutions to this. 25:53 And if you do these 25:54 two solutions, great things 25:56 can happen in deepening 25:57 your ties in this community. 25:58 Those two things are get 26:00 involved in a ministry 26:01 and join a GROW group. 26:04 Now, at the risk of sounding 26:05 horribly practical, 26:06 let me explain that "get 26:07 involved in a ministry" means 26:09 that you get involved in a 26:10 ministry. 26:11 [ Laughter ] 26:12 Genius, huh? Yeah. 26:13 Pretty good. Right? 26:15 You know, many times, I think 26:16 when pastors make these appeals, 26:18 people that are listening think, 26:19 "Oh, okay, the pastor 26:20 wants me to join this ministry 26:21 so that other people 26:22 will be reached for the Lord 26:23 and blessed to that ministry." 26:24 Yeah, guilty as charged. 26:25 That's true. 26:27 And did you know that 26:30 when you join a ministry, 26:32 you will meet other people? 26:35 Ah, yes. Aha! See? See? 26:39 And you'll probably meet people 26:40 that you could have 26:41 otherwise never met. 26:44 Who knew that reaching out 26:45 to others just might deepen 26:46 your social life? 26:48 Many a marriage has happened 26:49 in Create a Role. 26:51 Okay? Many a marriage 26:53 has happened in this ministry 26:54 or in that ministry. 26:55 People meet friends, 26:56 whether you marry them or not. 26:57 I can't promise -- I'm sorry. 26:58 New students, I can't 26:59 promise you that you will meet 27:00 your wife in Create a Role, 27:01 all right? 27:01 I can't say that, but 27:02 I can promise you this. 27:04 If you join a ministry, 27:06 if you become part of a ministry 27:07 here at pioneer, 27:08 you will meet people. 27:09 You will find new people 27:10 that have a common cause 27:11 because you joined 27:12 that ministry, 27:13 I assume, for a reason. 27:14 And there are few relationships 27:15 that endure and go deeper 27:16 than those that are built around 27:17 service for Jesus Christ. 27:20 You say, "Well, Pastor, 27:21 I don't know what to join." 27:21 Not a problem. 27:22 At the end of the service today, 27:23 I'm going to give you 27:24 an opportunity to check a box. 27:26 And it's just a box that says, 27:27 "Yeah, I want to become 27:28 involved in ministry here." 27:28 You may not know what it is. 27:29 Good news -- 27:31 we have a volunteer-engagement 27:32 committee, the VEC, that will 27:33 help you to find a spot. 27:34 And in so doing, 27:36 you will find new people 27:37 to become friends with. 27:39 And, secondly, very practical 27:40 thing, join a GROW group. 27:42 GROW groups 27:43 are our small-group ministry 27:44 here at Pioneer. 27:45 Jesus had a small group. 27:47 The apostles had a small group. 27:48 As best we can tell, 27:50 the entire New Testament church 27:51 was essentially 27:52 built of small groups. 27:53 Who makes himself an exception? 27:55 You may need 27:56 to join a small group. 27:57 You may need to become a leader 27:58 in a GROW group. 27:59 Now, last year 28:01 we did not have much publicity 28:02 about GROW groups -- my fault. 28:04 Okay? New kid on the block. 28:06 It didn't get on my radar. 28:07 We're going to change that 28:08 starting right now. 28:10 GROW groups are going to launch 28:12 here in the next 1 to 2 months. 28:13 Pastor Jacob Gibbs, 28:15 he's new on our staff. 28:16 I'm so glad that Pastor Jacob 28:16 is here. 28:17 One of his major duties is 28:19 to oversee GROW groups for both 28:20 the university and Pioneer. 28:22 He's going great guns. 28:23 He loves small-group ministry. 28:25 If you would like to become 28:26 a part of a GROW group, 28:27 or if you would like to lead 28:28 a GROW group, 28:29 at the end of the service today, 28:30 I'm going to give you 28:31 an opportunity to do just that. 28:34 You do these two things -- join 28:35 a ministry, join a GROW group -- 28:37 and they will go a long ways 28:39 towards helping you find deep, 28:40 abiding Christian community, 28:41 even in a large church 28:43 like Pioneer. 28:48 Which brings us to priority 28:49 number three. 28:52 Bridge the gap to our students, 28:53 number one. 28:53 Deepen our ties 28:55 with each other, number two. 28:56 And number three is found here 28:58 in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 and 11. 29:01 Paul says this. 29:37 A third priority around 29:38 which I pray we can unite 29:41 is this -- fund the mission. 29:45 Fund the mission. 29:48 I just want to thank the dear 29:49 sister that said amen to that. 29:51 We'll meet afterwards. 29:52 We can talk. We'll celebrate 29:53 together the good things 29:54 that are happening here. 29:55 Some of you are afraid that 29:56 I'm about to talk about money. 29:57 Your fears are about to be 29:58 realized, okay? 30:00 [ Laughter ] 30:01 Because money is a deeply 30:03 spiritual topic. 30:05 Jesus, 30:06 as I'm sure many of you know, 30:07 Jesus talked more about money 30:09 than any other topic 30:10 while He was here 30:12 because Jesus knows the effect 30:14 that how we use our money 30:16 or don't use our money, 30:17 the deep effect that it will 30:18 have on our relationship 30:19 with Him to say nothing 30:21 of the ability for the Gospel 30:22 to go to the whole world. 30:24 Now, to my way of thinking, 30:26 after one year here at Pioneer, 30:28 this funding of the mission 30:29 needs to take at least 30:30 two forms. 30:31 First of all, church budget. 30:34 Now, this is easily 30:35 the sexiest part of talking 30:37 about church ministry, isn't it? 30:39 Some of you woke up this morning 30:40 and said, "I sure hope he talks 30:41 about church budget today. 30:42 That would just make my day," 30:43 right? 30:45 Well, good news -- here we are, 30:45 right? 30:46 Here's the truth about 30:48 church budget. 30:51 Pioneer, we're all friends. 30:53 We're amongst family here, 30:54 all right? 30:56 As I mentioned a few months ago, 30:58 we have done a stellar job 31:00 with large projects that have 31:01 required directed appeals 31:02 and directed giving. 31:04 Renovate 2.0, which I got in 31:05 just on the tail end of it, 31:07 that is just one of the most 31:08 recent examples of a long litany 31:10 of tackling large, 31:11 targeted projects. 31:13 You all do great at those. 31:15 I mean, to the tune literally 31:16 of millions of dollars 31:17 over the years. 31:18 Praise the Lord. Amen. 31:22 It is also true that I have been 31:25 a part of some difficult 31:26 conversations on various 31:27 committees over this last year, 31:29 and those conversations 31:30 have gone something like this. 31:33 "Well, Pastor, we'd like to do 31:34 this for children's ministries, 31:37 but we don't have the money." 31:39 "Pastor, 31:40 we'd like to honor this request 31:41 for assistance to this person 31:43 or this organization in need, 31:45 but we don't have the money." 31:48 "Pastor, we'd like to do this 31:49 outreach to our campus or to 31:51 the wider Berrien community, 31:52 but we don't have the money." 31:56 Now, again, I want to be 31:57 very clear here. 31:58 I'm not leveling blame. 31:59 I'm not pointing fingers at 32:00 anybody. 32:01 In fact, if there's any blame 32:02 to go around, 32:03 it needs to be on me, 32:04 because I did not make 32:05 those needs clearer to you 32:06 over the last year. 32:07 So, rest assured, our financial 32:09 reporting is going to be 32:10 improving over this next year. 32:12 And we will continue 32:13 to do targeted giving. 32:15 There's going to be 32:16 some big projects coming out. 32:17 I'm sure 32:18 it's going to happen in there. 32:19 And I want to invite you to join 32:22 Darlene and I in every month, 32:24 setting aside substantial money, 32:26 whatever the Lord lays 32:27 on your heart, 32:28 to help support the church 32:29 budget here at Pioneer. 32:31 You know, almost all of the good 32:32 stuff that you appreciate 32:33 and enjoy about Pioneer falls 32:34 under that umbrella 32:35 of church budget. 32:36 I mean, children's ministries, 32:37 Pathfinders, the money 32:39 that we give to 32:40 Andrews Academy and to 32:41 Ruth Murdoch, 32:42 etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, 32:43 etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, 32:44 all that ministry happens under 32:46 the umbrella of church budget. 32:47 We need you. Please don't 32:49 ever say, "This is a big church. 32:51 They don't need my money." 32:54 Big churches have big potential 32:56 if we work together to fund it. 33:02 And there is a second way 33:07 that I would suggest 33:08 we fund the mission, 33:10 and that is support 33:13 Pioneer Media. 33:16 Let me tell you a little bit 33:17 about Pioneer Media. 33:19 Being a part of Pioneer here 33:21 locally is a great blessing, 33:23 okay? 33:24 Those of you that watch online, 33:26 you do not get all of 33:28 the blessings that we have here. 33:29 There's people 33:29 from all over the world. 33:30 We're working together. 33:31 We're seeking to educate young 33:32 people, etcetera, etcetera. 33:33 It is marvelous to be here. 33:36 And you also get 33:37 to have some of that blessing, 33:39 even if you don't live here, 33:41 because of Pioneer Media. 33:43 We are a local church 33:45 with a global reach. 33:49 Now, let's give credit 33:49 where credit is due here. 33:51 He doesn't know I'm going to say 33:52 this, and he would not like it 33:53 if I was going to say this, 33:53 but that's okay. 33:54 I'm sitting here, 33:55 and he's sitting there, okay? 33:57 Pastor Dwight Nelson 33:58 did a stellar job in creating 34:00 this global media footprint 34:02 over the last 30 years. 34:04 [ Applause ] 34:09 Amen and amen. 34:13 And I am pleased to say 34:15 to Pastor Dwight, 34:17 "I didn't break it." 34:19 [ Laughter ] 34:21 Now, Pastor Dwight's been 34:22 very supportive, right? 34:23 Nothing but supportive, okay? 34:25 But I can't help but think in 34:26 my mind if I were in his shoes, 34:28 you know, it's kind of like 34:29 handing the keys 34:29 to the family car 34:30 to your 16-year-old 34:31 that just got their driver's 34:32 license, right? 34:34 "Here, son. Take it. 34:36 Don't break it." Right? Okay. 34:38 Well, praise the Lord. 34:39 Through the hard work 34:40 of our Pioneer Media 34:41 employees and volunteers, 34:43 the Christ-centered, 34:44 Gospel-focused outreach of our 34:45 church has managed to both 34:47 maintain and expand over the 34:49 last year. 34:51 Did you know 34:52 that every day of every week, 34:54 there is a pretty substantially 34:56 large number of people 34:58 that access the material 34:59 produced by Pioneer Media? 35:01 In fact, those of you that are 35:03 statistics nerds, you don't have 35:04 to raise your hand. 35:05 You know who you are, all right? 35:05 There's help for you. 35:07 We can also get along together, 35:07 right? 35:08 Listen carefully, 35:09 because I'm going to give you 35:10 very quickly here a slew 35:11 of statistics that are all 35:13 from the last 368 days. 35:16 I think this was Thursday that 35:17 I got the report from Gaddiel. 35:18 These are actual stats. 35:19 We have 35:20 the paperwork to back it up. 35:21 Let me just briefly run through 35:22 this here for how 35:24 Pioneer Media is received in the 35:25 broader world. 35:27 Our website, pmchurch.org, 35:28 Pioneer Media 35:29 is in charge of that. 35:30 Over the last year, we had 35:31 1.4 million minutes watched. 35:34 Have you done 35:35 1.4 million minutes of anything? 35:36 I don't know if 35:37 I've ever sat down to -- 35:38 That's a lot of minutes. 35:39 That's tens of thousands 35:40 of hours. 35:41 30,000 stream views, 35:43 12,000 unique viewers. 35:44 Facebook -- now, we've been 35:45 working on 35:46 trying to boost 35:47 our Facebook presence. 35:48 1.2 million minutes 35:50 watched over the last year. 35:51 Our reach is about 210,000 35:53 users, and we had 25,000 35:55 content interactions. 35:57 Now, that's what you're looking 35:58 for on social media. 35:59 You want people to interact. 36:00 You want them to comment. 36:01 You want them to like, etcetera, 36:02 those kinds of things, 36:03 to share your content. 36:04 25,000 of those 36:05 over the last year. 36:06 Vimeo is a platform we've 36:08 been on for quite some time. 36:09 2.1 million minutes 36:11 watched over the last year, 36:12 5,700 unique viewers. 36:14 New this year is putting 36:16 our livestream on YouTube. 36:17 Some of you watching right now 36:18 are probably watching 36:19 on YouTube. 36:21 We had some things on YouTube 36:22 before for many years, actually. 36:23 This is the first year that 36:24 we put our livestream on it. 36:26 How did we do in the first year? 36:28 Not bad -- 300,000 views, 36:32 5,000,000 minutes watched, 36:35 and just in the last 90 days, 36:36 18,000 unique viewers. 36:39 That's good. 36:40 Those are strong numbers. 36:42 You know, Instagram. 36:43 Instagram is one that really 36:44 just we've had it for a couple 36:46 of years is my understanding. 36:47 We really tried to focus 36:48 this year on seeing 36:49 how we could boost Instagram. 36:50 There's a lot of Instagram users 36:52 in the world, right? 36:53 We have right now our reach 36:55 is about 1.1 million users. 36:57 It's not, you know, compared 36:58 to some others out there, 36:59 maybe it's not the biggest, 37:00 but this is substantial -- 37:01 1.1 million users. 37:03 And let me just give you one 37:04 example of how social media 37:05 can help to spread 37:06 the good news of Jesus Christ 37:08 and biblical teaching. 37:09 Pioneer Media last fall 37:11 put together 37:12 a high-quality short clip 37:14 from one of my marriage series 37:15 presentations 37:16 that I did last October. 37:18 Some of you may remember that. 37:19 It was called 37:20 "How to Stay Married Forever 37:21 and Like It." 37:22 It was a three-part series, 37:23 and the Pioneer Media team said, 37:24 "Okay, let's do 37:25 some experimentation here. 37:26 We'll put this short together, 37:27 just one, and we'll put it on 37:28 Instagram." 37:30 I was at a holiday party, 37:32 and it was a lot 37:33 of Andrews University 37:35 students that were there. 37:36 And one of the students 37:37 said to me. 37:38 He said, "Hey, Pastor Shane, 37:39 you went viral with that clip." 37:40 And I actually didn't know 37:40 that it had 37:42 been published at that point. 37:42 I said, "Oh, really?" 37:43 He said, "Oh yeah, it's got like 37:44 half a million views 37:45 or something like that." 37:45 "Really? Wow. 37:46 That's good news." 37:47 As it turns out, 37:49 the student was wrong. 37:51 It was actually a million views. 37:52 And today I think the last count 37:54 was 1.6 million views, 37:57 60,000 likes, 480 comments. 38:00 That's gold, 38:01 ladies and gentlemen, 38:02 because that means people 38:03 are engaging with the clip. 38:04 It's not just, 38:05 you know, a millisecond, 38:06 and they go to the next one. 38:07 They are engaging 38:08 with the material there. 38:08 There are 480 comments, 38:10 38,000 saves, and 48,000 shares. 38:13 In fact, that one clip alone 38:14 gave a real boost 38:15 to our Instagram followership. 38:17 We added over 5,500 followers 38:20 in the space of the next month. 38:23 Some people think that 38:24 you can't use social media 38:25 to spread the Gospel. 38:26 Ladies and gentlemen, 38:27 it's just not true. 38:29 You know, the demographic 38:31 that viewed that video 38:32 overwhelmingly, overwhelmingly 38:34 is young adults. 38:35 Overwhelmingly, yes. 38:36 Praise the Lord. Amen. 38:37 That's what 38:38 we're looking to do here. 38:38 And here's where 38:40 perhaps the deepest gold of all. 38:40 This number is going 38:42 to sound a little small, 38:42 perhaps to some of you, 38:43 compared to the hundreds 38:44 of thousands 38:45 and millions we mentioned. 38:46 But I'll tell you. 38:47 This is solid. 38:48 234 people so far have asked for 38:51 and received the link to the 38:53 entire marriage presentation. 38:55 Okay, 38:56 that's what you want to do. 38:57 You want to matriculate them 38:58 from social media from these 38:59 short clips onto your website 39:01 so they can get the full 39:02 experience of what happened, 39:03 what the presentation was. 39:04 Praise the Lord 39:04 for those 234 people. 39:06 But wait. There's more! 39:11 Our services are also 39:12 broadcast and rebroadcast 39:13 all over the world 39:14 through such outlets as, and 39:15 these are in alphabetical order, 39:17 3ABN, Better Life Broadcasting, 39:19 Blue Mountain Television, 39:20 Hope Channel, 39:21 which broadcasts in places 39:22 such as India, Canada, Africa, 39:24 Fiji, Romania, North America. 39:25 It Is Written TV, radio station 39:27 KLRF, radio station LSQD, 39:30 LifeTalk Radio, 39:32 ShareHope Radio, 39:33 our own WAUS, of course. 39:35 And our services are sometimes 39:36 also broadcast 39:38 on Greenville College Station in 39:39 Texas and Whitewater 39:41 Community Television, WCTV, 39:43 in Richmond, Indiana. 39:44 Many of these places also have 39:46 their own proprietary apps 39:47 on which you can access 39:48 Pioneer Media material. 39:50 And because of this, 39:51 because of this, 39:53 people quite literally 39:54 from across the country 39:55 and around the world tune 39:56 into our worship services. 39:59 I mean, just one example 40:00 of this multinational audience 40:01 out there. 40:02 60% of our Instagram followers 40:04 are not in the United States, 40:06 60%! 40:08 They're from countries 40:08 like India, Nigeria, 40:10 etcetera, etcetera. 40:11 Some of our viewers are, 40:13 of course, already Seventh-day 40:14 Adventists, 40:15 but many of them are not. 40:17 In fact, many of them are not 40:18 Christians of any sort. 40:19 They have no church family 40:20 to speak of, but they found us 40:22 through an online search, 40:23 a share, 40:23 a friend sent them a link 40:24 or something like that. 40:26 And it is through Pioneer Media 40:28 that many of them hear about 40:29 Jesus for the first time. 40:32 They hear about Bible prophecy 40:33 for the first time, 40:34 the three angels' messages 40:35 for the first time. 40:37 I got to tell you, every week 40:38 we receive, you know, mail 40:39 and e-mail and phone messages 40:41 that say how pleased people are, 40:43 the blessing that Pioneer Media 40:44 has been to them. 40:46 What a privilege! 40:47 What a privilege we here 40:49 at Pioneer have in not 40:51 just sharing the Gospel 40:52 with Berrien Springs, 40:53 but with the world! 40:57 Would you consider 40:58 joining us in supporting 41:00 this important ministry? 41:02 Those of us here 41:03 in our local congregation, 41:05 yes, this invitation is to you. 41:06 Those of you 41:07 that are watching us online, 41:08 yes, this invitation is to you. 41:09 You know, the budget 41:11 for Pioneer Media, 41:12 depending on the year, 41:13 only about a third to a half 41:15 of it comes from within Pioneer. 41:16 There are still 41:18 hundreds of thousands of dollars 41:19 that are needed beyond that, 41:20 in order to have Pioneer Media 41:21 be able to do what it does. 41:23 You know, we do an amazing 41:24 amount on very little coin. 41:26 We make every one of those 41:27 dollars stretch. 41:28 We've got three full-time 41:29 employees that help to make 41:30 Pioneer Media run. 41:32 They're doing a great job. 41:33 We have this small army 41:34 of volunteers that 41:35 run cameras and switch switchers 41:37 and advance slides 41:37 and mix lighting 41:38 and sound and all of that. 41:39 They do an excellent job 41:40 of getting the word out about 41:42 Jesus to the world, and we need 41:44 your support to make it happen. 41:45 Giving is very easy. 41:47 You go to pmchurch.org. 41:48 That's our website, 41:49 pmchurch.org. 41:50 Click on the "giving" tab up top 41:52 and then click on 41:53 "media ministry," 41:54 and you'll see the instructions 41:55 needed to be able to donate. 41:56 Together, together we can 41:59 and will do our part 42:01 to reach the world for Jesus 42:03 before He returns. 42:06 So, church, budget giving 42:08 and supporting Pioneer Media -- 42:09 two very tangible ways 42:11 that we can fund the mission, 42:14 which brings us to a fourth 42:16 and final priority. 42:18 And I've saved the best, 42:20 I think, for last. 42:24 A story... 42:27 Many years ago, when Darlene 42:29 was only my girlfriend 42:31 and not yet my wife, 42:33 we both worked at Sunset Lake 42:34 Summer Camp, and it was 42:36 the end of the season. 42:37 We were both driving our cars 42:38 down the mountain 42:39 to head back to home 42:40 and get ready for college. 42:41 She was in her 1981 42:44 Ford Escort, one of the worst 42:46 vehicles ever conceived by man. 42:49 It was an absolute wheezer. 42:50 There were 42:51 two hamsters for an engine. 42:52 One of them was sick, and the 42:53 other one was dead, okay? 42:55 You could not get anywhere 42:56 quickly in that vehicle. 42:57 I did not like working on it. 42:59 I was glad when we sold it. 43:01 Maybe we pushed it off the edge 43:01 of a cliff. 43:02 I don't remember. 43:03 I was driving, however, a fine 43:05 machine, my 1971 Datsun 240Z, 43:08 and, I mean, agile, lithe. 43:11 It was a great car. 43:12 And so, she's in front. 43:13 I'm behind. 43:14 We're going down through 43:15 a little town 43:16 called Bonney Lake, Washington. 43:17 Now, where 43:18 this story takes place, 43:20 since then, 43:21 there's lots of shopping malls 43:22 and all this building, etcetera 43:23 has come up. 43:23 In those days, 43:25 it was still fairly country. 43:26 We came to this stoplight, 43:28 and we were approaching it. 43:29 I don't know, maybe we're, 43:30 you know, 800 feet away, doing 43:31 about 40, 45 miles an hour. 43:33 And the light turns yellow. 43:36 Now, easy question. 43:39 What does that mean when 43:40 the light turns yellow? 43:42 [ Laughs ] 43:46 A bunch of Adventist lead feet. 43:48 "Speed up! That's right. 43:49 Downshift. Gun it!" 43:50 So, my wife, 43:53 she sees the light. 43:54 My girlfriend at the time, 43:54 Darlene. 43:55 She sees the light. 43:56 She presses on the brake. 43:57 The brake lights come on. 43:58 I am behind her. 43:59 So, I thought, "Ah, she's going 44:01 to stop for the stoplight." 44:02 So, I put the brakes on 44:03 in my car, too. 44:05 And then I look up again, and 44:07 her brake lights have gone off. 44:09 She's going to make 44:10 a run for it, right? 44:12 So, I take my foot off my brake, 44:14 and I push on the gas. 44:16 And then, being a 1971 44:18 Datsun 240Z, 44:19 there are some things 44:20 that you just have 44:21 to regularly keep tabs on. 44:22 So, I looked down 44:23 at the oil gauge 44:24 just as a matter of course. 44:25 Looking down at the oil gauge. 44:27 And when I looked up, 44:29 her brake lights were on, 44:32 and they were on like this on, 44:33 okay? 44:34 So, the back end 44:35 of this very softly 44:36 sprung 1981 Ford Escort 44:38 was like this, stinkbug 44:39 fashion, right? 44:40 She is slamming on her brakes. 44:41 Aah! And I put my foot 44:42 on the brakes there. 44:43 The front brakes lock up, 44:44 and I slide 44:45 right into the back of her. 44:48 [ Sighs ] 44:50 I get out of the car. 44:52 There's steam rising from my 44:53 very crumpled hood and fenders. 44:55 The back of her car is 44:56 kind of folded under like this. 44:58 Okay? 45:00 The rear fenders are bulging out 45:01 a little bit, and I get... 45:02 [ Groans ] 45:03 And, of course, you know, 45:05 these were different times. 45:07 I began to give a little lecture 45:08 about how one should go 45:09 through an intersection, 45:10 you know, just communicating 45:11 my poignant thoughts 45:13 at that point, right? 45:14 And long story short, we pulled 45:17 the cars off to the side. 45:18 Mine was still drivable enough. 45:19 And, you know, there's water 45:20 all over the ground, 45:21 antifreeze, etcetera. 45:22 And we spent the next 45:23 2 1/2 hours or so by the side of 45:25 the road. 45:25 I'm trying to fix the holes 45:27 with what I have and getting 45:28 some water back in the radiator 45:29 so we can drive home. 45:30 The highway patrol shows up. 45:32 He thought it was really amusing 45:33 that we were dating. 45:35 [ Laughter ] 45:36 "Oh, you two are together. Ha!" 45:38 You know, "That's right." 45:39 And then he gives a lecture. 45:40 He doesn't give me a ticket, 45:41 right? 45:42 Usually the person 45:43 that runs, you get the ticket. 45:44 He doesn't give me a ticket. 45:45 He gives her a lecture. 45:47 Yeah. 45:48 She's forgiven him, but it's 45:49 still kind of a sore point. 45:50 So, after the service, you may 45:51 want to go lightly on that one. 45:52 All right? 45:54 So, he gives her this lecture, 45:54 right? 45:56 And, you know, we get things 45:57 back together enough, 45:58 and we make it home. 46:00 Here's the thing. 46:01 Months later, months later, 46:06 I am underneath my 240Z, 46:08 as I often was, 46:10 and I took off the rear 46:13 drums on the rear brakes, 46:14 and I looked at the brake shoes 46:15 there and they looked brand-new. 46:17 I thought, "Well, that's 46:18 strange. 46:19 I replaced those months ago." 46:22 And then it's like this 46:23 epiphany came over me. 46:25 No, no, no. Could it... 46:28 Oh, no! 46:32 So, before the accident, 46:34 I had been working on my car, 46:36 and I replaced all the brakes, 46:37 all four corners, brand-new. 46:41 And when you put new brakes 46:43 on most cars of that vintage, 46:44 when you put new brakes on, 46:45 after you put the drum on, 46:46 you have to adjust them 46:47 so that when you push 46:48 on the brake pedal, 46:49 they'll actually contact 46:50 the drum. 46:51 I had forgotten to adjust 46:55 the rear brakes at all, 46:58 so when I slammed on the brakes 47:00 at the intersection, 47:01 the fronts were the only ones 47:03 getting any pressure. 47:04 They locked right up, and I slid 47:06 smack into the back of Darlene. 47:09 It wasn't her fault. 47:11 It was mine... 47:14 a pattern that was to be 47:15 repeated many times 47:16 in our relationship. 47:17 [ Laughter ] 47:22 You see, you can seemingly do 47:25 everything else right, 47:28 but skipping one key step 47:31 can quickly turn success 47:33 into failure. 47:37 A fourth 47:40 and most important priority, 47:41 the one that I believe 47:42 needs to be adopted 47:43 by Pioneer, and, frankly, 47:45 by every other church out there, 47:47 it's one that we've already 47:48 talked about, one that ties 47:49 all the others together. 47:51 It is simply this. 47:53 Relentlessly 47:55 pursue revival and reformation. 47:59 Never give up. Never stop. 48:01 Keep pursuing revival 48:03 and reformation 48:06 because we can do all the other 48:07 priorities that we have. 48:08 We can seemingly 48:09 do them perfect. 48:11 But if we don't have the 48:12 Holy Spirit within, transforming 48:13 and empowering and leading us, 48:15 we cannot succeed 48:16 in this greatest intersection 48:18 here at the end of time. 48:20 Now, again, 48:21 we've talked about this before, 48:22 but this time I want to share 48:23 with you a new development. 48:26 While it is definitely 48:27 the Lord's desire that we ask 48:28 individually for the filling 48:29 and the transformation 48:30 of the Holy Spirit 48:31 each day, individually 48:32 in our own time with God, 48:33 there also comes a point 48:35 when it is absolutely crucial 48:36 that we join together 48:38 in praying for and planning 48:40 for those great corporate 48:41 outpourings of God's Spirit. 48:43 And to that end, 48:45 in March of 2025, 48:46 we are going to have 48:48 a very special event here 48:49 at Pioneer that I think 48:51 you will not want to miss. 48:53 March 1 through 9, 2025, 48:56 that's just before spring break. 48:57 March 1 through 9 -- put it 48:58 on your calendars, please. 48:59 March 1 through 9, 2025, 49:02 Pioneer will be hosting a very 49:03 special series of meetings 49:05 learning about revival 49:06 and reformation, 49:07 praying for the filling 49:08 of the Former and Latter Rains 49:09 of the Holy Spirit. 49:11 Now, Don MacLafferty, 49:13 many of you know Don. 49:14 Don is a treasure 49:15 in the Adventist Church. 49:16 He's most known in his earlier 49:17 part of his career 49:18 for his excellent work 49:20 with children's ministries. 49:21 I mean, 49:22 Don was the guru for many years 49:23 that you would go to for help 49:24 with children's ministries. 49:25 Recently, Don has done 49:27 some tremendous work in the area 49:28 of revival and reformation. 49:30 The book that's available 49:31 for you at the door 49:32 when you go through, 49:33 that's just a sample of how 49:34 the Lord has been leading 49:35 in his life. 49:36 And Don's going to be the main 49:37 instructor during those days, 49:39 March 1 through 9 of 2025. 49:41 There's basically going to be 49:42 two tracks 49:43 that you can take advantage of. 49:45 The first one is that there 49:46 will be meetings in the morning 49:47 and the afternoon. 49:48 Anyone is welcome 49:49 to attend those. 49:49 They will be specifically 49:51 targeted for pastors and elders 49:52 in the Lake Union 49:54 that wish to learn 49:54 how to facilitate revival 49:56 and reformation in their area. 49:58 I'm very grateful 49:59 to the Lake Union 50:00 and the North American Division 50:01 for helping to fund 50:02 this very special event. 50:03 Thank you for helping make it 50:04 possible for those pastors 50:05 and elders 50:06 to be able to be here. 50:07 And the second track, there will 50:09 be meetings in the evening, 50:10 each one of those evenings. 50:11 Obviously, that's going to fit 50:12 most of your schedules 50:13 a little bit better. 50:14 We want you to be able to come 50:15 and to hear this teaching. 50:17 Any District 9 church is 50:18 going to be welcome to join us 50:20 that wishes to learn how to 50:21 facilitate revival and 50:22 reformation in their own lives 50:24 and in their churches. 50:25 And to prepare for this special 50:27 event, beginning next month, 50:29 our own local elders 50:31 and a handful of invited leaders 50:33 are going to be meeting together 50:34 to go through this material 50:35 ahead of time 50:36 so that they can help 50:37 be teachers and leaders 50:39 in the March 1 through 9, 2025, 50:41 effort. 50:42 You're going to be hearing 50:43 more about this in the days 50:44 ahead as the schedule 50:45 continues to flesh out. 50:46 We'll have more details for you, 50:47 but until then, please join me 50:49 in praying that God 50:51 will pour out His Spirit 50:52 on our humble efforts 50:54 to see revival and reformation 50:56 in our lives 50:57 and in the lives 50:58 of our churches. 50:59 I mean, you tell me. 51:01 Haven't we been on the planet 51:02 long enough? 51:04 Yes! I want to go home. 51:07 I don't want to be here any 51:08 longer. 51:10 It is time to sharpen 51:12 our swords. 51:14 Yes, to bridge the gap 51:15 to our students, 51:16 to deepen our ties with each 51:17 other, to fund the mission, 51:18 and, yes, to relentlessly pursue 51:19 revival and reformation. 51:21 We need to sharpen our swords 51:23 that the sword of the Lord 51:24 will have maximum effectiveness 51:26 in and through us. 51:28 May the Lord richly bless us 51:31 as this part of His mighty, 51:33 vast army prepares 51:36 for the final battles ahead. 51:38 [ Applause ] 51:50 [ "Stand Up! 51:53 Stand Up for Jesus" begins ] 54:21 I want to give you 54:22 an opportunity 54:23 to very tangibly respond 54:25 to what we've been chatting 54:25 about here this morning. 54:27 If you have a device 54:29 that can send a text message, 54:30 you can send the word "sharp" -- 54:33 s-h-a-r-p, sharp, to the number 54:36 that you see here on our screen, 54:37 (269) 281-2345. 54:40 That is our Pioneer Ministry 54:42 texting service. 54:43 And if you do that, 54:43 if you text the word "sharp," 54:45 you will receive back a form. 54:46 It asks for your contact 54:47 information, 54:48 and then it talks about 54:48 "next steps." 54:50 If you click on that, there are 54:51 six things you can choose from. 54:52 And very briefly let me 54:53 just show you. 54:54 Number one, "My Decision..." 55:01 Belong needs to expand. 55:03 We're off to a great start. 55:04 We need you to help 55:05 and join the team. 55:06 Number two... 55:12 Maybe you don't know. 55:13 Is it Belong? 55:13 Is it something else 55:14 that you'd like to be a part of? 55:15 Check that box. We will make 55:17 sure that someone from the VEC 55:18 gets in touch with you 55:19 so that we can help you get 55:20 involved in ministry. 55:21 Number three... 55:26 We need to get this a-running, 55:27 and Pastor Jacob is going to be 55:28 looking for our participation. 55:30 Check that box. Somebody will be 55:31 in touch with you regarding 55:32 that possibility. 55:34 Number four... 55:38 Church budget is calling. 55:39 Please answer the call. 55:41 Number five... 55:47 It's truly 55:48 a unique opportunity we have. 55:49 Join us as we help 55:50 to finish the work. 55:52 And lastly, number six... 55:57 This is not a registration. 55:59 If you click on that, 55:59 you're not registering for it. 56:00 It's simply saying 56:01 that you'd like to be kept 56:02 on the inside loop as 56:04 information continues to flow, 56:05 so that you can be ready 56:06 and prepared 56:07 when those meetings come. 56:08 Let's pray together. 56:11 Jesus, 56:12 you have been so good to us. 56:15 We're just on the cusp here, 56:16 Lord, of a new ministry year, 56:18 and we long to be a very 56:19 sharp sword in your hands. 56:22 Help us, Lord. Equip us. 56:24 Fill us with the Former 56:25 and the Latter Rains 56:25 of your Holy Spirit 56:27 that this ministry year might be 56:30 one completely for your glory. 56:33 Bless us, Lord, in this way, 56:35 for we ask it in your name. 56:36 Amen. 56:38 ♪ 56:40 ♪ 56:50 >> I'm Shane Anderson, 56:52 the lead pastor here at 56:53 Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:56 At Pioneer Media, we have been 56:57 blessed by the financial support 56:59 that comes from our viewers 57:00 like you that enable us 57:02 to continue this ministry. 57:05 We've made a conscious decision 57:06 not to continually appeal to you 57:07 for that support. 57:09 However, keeping this ministry 57:10 going takes money to support 57:12 our staff and technology needs. 57:15 If God has blessed you, 57:17 and you would like to further 57:17 the work of this ministry, 57:19 we invite you to partner 57:20 with us. 57:22 You can donate on our website, 57:23 pmchurch.org. 57:25 Then click "giving" at the top. 57:28 Then select "media ministry." 57:31 Or call the number 57:32 877-HIS-WILL. 57:35 Again, that number is 877, 57:37 the two words, "His will." 57:40 My prayer is that the God 57:41 who has blessed you will 57:43 continue to pour into your life 57:44 the gifts of His joy 57:46 and His hope. 57:47 Thank you and I'm looking 57:49 forward to seeing you right here 57:50 again next time. 58:00 ♪ 58:02 ♪ 58:12 ♪ 58:22 ♪ |
Revised 2024-09-04