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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:17 CC by Aberdeen Captioning (800) 688-6621 www.abercap.com 00:22 ♪♪♪ 00:36 Jean Ross: Good morning, friends. 00:37 Welcome again to "Sabbath School Study Hour," coming to you from 00:39 the Amazing Facts' offices in Granite Bay, Sacramento. 00:43 We'd like to welcome all of those who are joining us for our 00:46 Sabbath School study time. 00:48 We've been going through the lesson entitled 00:50 "Making Friends for God." 00:51 Today we're working on lesson number six, which is entitled 00:55 "Unlimited Possibilities." 00:57 Now, if you don't have a copy of the Sabbath School quarterly, 01:00 you can go to the Amazing Facts website. 01:02 And if you click on the tab that says Study Hour, you'll be able 01:04 to download today's lesson and you can follow along with us, or 01:08 you can visit a nearby Seventh-day Adventist Church and 01:11 you can ask them for a lesson quarterly if you'd like to study 01:14 along with us. 01:16 We do have a free offer we'd like to tell you about. 01:18 It is a book entitled "Life in the Spirit," and we'll be happy 01:21 to send this to anyone who calls and asks. 01:24 The number for the book is 866-788-3966, 01:29 and ask for offer number 155. 01:31 Again, the number to call is 866-788-3966. 01:36 Ask for offer number 155, and we'll be happy to get this in 01:40 the mail and send it to you. 01:41 Or you can request a digital download of the book. 01:45 And if you'd like to do that, just text the code SH047 to the 01:50 number 40544. 01:53 Again, the code is SH047 to the number 40544, 02:00 and you'll receive 02:02 a digital download of the book entitled "Life in the Spirit" 02:04 and I think you'll be blessed as you read through that resource. 02:07 But before we get to our lesson, let's start with prayer. 02:11 Dear Father, we thank You that we have this opportunity to be 02:13 able to open up Your Word and study a very important lesson, 02:16 that of sharing our faith with others. 02:18 We know this is part of the Great Commission in making 02:21 disciples, and so we ask for Your blessing. 02:23 Guide us as we open up Your Word, 02:25 for we ask this in Jesus's name. 02:27 Amen. 02:29 Our lesson today is going to be brought to us by our youth 02:31 pastor here at the Granite Bay church, Pastor Luccas Rodor. 02:37 Luccas Rodor: Good morning, friends. 02:38 It is such a pleasure to be with you here this morning. 02:41 This lesson today is such a beautiful lesson, and I weigh 02:47 one of the most important ones we have because it has to do 02:49 with such a major arc in the quarter's lesson and in the 02:53 biblical teaching of what it means to make friends for God. 02:57 The title of today's lesson, as Pastor Jean has already said, is 03:01 "Unlimited Possibilities." 03:03 And basically up to now we've been talking about the different 03:06 aspects of what it means to make friends for God; how we should 03:09 interact with people, the messages that we should be 03:11 taking for them, the different ways that we can be intentional 03:15 on our service for God, how to deal with more difficult people 03:20 and different situations. 03:21 And so that's what we've been leading up to. 03:23 And today when we talk about unlimited possibilities, really 03:26 what we're talking about are the inexhaustible gifts that our God 03:29 has to reach people. 03:31 And so today's lesson is basically that; when we talk 03:33 about how God is inexhaustible in His gifts for us to be 03:38 witnessing and the fact that we should be witnesses of the 03:41 kingdom that is to come, of the things that we've seen and the 03:44 things that we've heard. 03:46 So today that's basically what we're going to be talk 03:48 about--what we're going to be talking about. 03:50 You know, friends, we're all called to be witnesses. 03:52 We're all called to be witnesses. 03:54 Our calling is not to convince people. 03:56 We're not called to be big 03:58 debaters or defenders of the gospel. 04:01 We're called to be witnesses--simply witnesses of 04:04 what we have seen and of what we have heard. 04:07 We're called to tell people about the experience that we've 04:10 had with God and how we have been changed and transformed 04:14 through our interactions with 04:16 God and our relationship with Him. 04:18 You know, the Bible--more specifically in the New 04:21 Testament where we find this in a very transparent form, we find 04:25 the Apostle John, for example, in 1 John 1:3 saying, "That 04:29 which we have seen and heard, we declare to you." 04:32 And then in another place in a very specific, in a very 04:35 difficult situation where Peter and John, they had been held for 04:41 a whole night, they were under--you know, kind of like 04:43 hostages of the Sanhedrin, 04:45 of the religious leaders in Jerusalem. 04:47 Under the oppression of that Sanhedrin and of that situation, 04:50 they were able to say, and this is Acts 4:20, "For we cannot but 04:54 speak the things which we have seen and heard." 04:58 The reality that we find here is that when someone has an 05:01 experience with God, when someone knows Him and walks with 05:04 Him, when someone has seen and heard things from God, 05:07 they cannot but speak of these things. 05:10 They can't shut it up. 05:11 They can't shut it down. 05:12 They can't be quiet. 05:14 They want to shout it out for the whole world to hear, and 05:18 this is what Peter and John are saying right here. 05:21 Now, one of the key questions when it comes to witnessing is, 05:25 well, what does it mean to be a witness? 05:26 Before we actually begin speaking about the gifts, we 05:30 have to determine what are witnesses, 05:32 what does it mean to witness. 05:34 Now, let me backtrack a little bit here and explain how we're 05:37 going to go through this lesson. 05:39 I presume that you've already studied it at home during the 05:41 week, and today what we're going to do is try to connect the dots 05:46 of each day during the lesson. 05:47 So we're not really going to go Sunday, 05:49 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. 05:50 What we're going to do is go through the different topics and 05:52 how they interact with each other, and I hope that that 05:55 makes sense. 05:56 So back to our original question here is, 05:58 what does it mean to be a witness? 06:02 How are we witnesses? 06:03 What do we--how do we define this term and this word? 06:07 Now, you have to remember that this is a word that Jesus 06:10 himself used in the context of his departure. 06:13 So after his resurrection, while he's spending time--the last few 06:16 moments with his apostles, with his disciples, Jesus uses this 06:20 term again and again. 06:21 "You shall be my witnesses. 06:22 You shall be my witnesses." 06:24 So it's a--it happens in a very specific moment of Jesus's 06:28 ministry with his disciples while he's instructing them of 06:32 what they had to do after he goes back, but this is not an 06:37 instruction that is limited to the disciples, and this is where 06:40 it gets important for us. 06:41 This is where we come into this whole picture because this order 06:44 that Jesus gave, this great commission, it wasn't limited to 06:47 the apostles. 06:49 This is something that is extended to the entire body of 06:51 Christ, the church throughout these two last millennia of 06:55 human history, these two last thousand years of human history. 07:00 And this is something that God not only reveals to the church 07:02 as a whole, this is something 07:04 that God reveals to us as individuals. 07:06 Hopefully, this is something that you've already discerned by 07:09 this point; is that God has a plan, God has a mission for you. 07:12 As an individual, as a member of this body, God has something 07:17 that you--specifically right now at home that you have to do; a 07:21 gift that you have, a skill or a talent that He's giving you that 07:26 you should be using to engage the kingdom in the life of the 07:29 people around you. 07:32 You know, friends, none of us were won for Christ to just 07:35 sit--to just sit by idly and do nothing. 07:39 Peter exhorted the Christians in his second epistle, showing them 07:43 that God does not want us--and this is in 2 Peter 1:8. 07:46 That God does not want us to be barren or unfruitful. 07:50 Look at the terminology. 07:52 God does not want us to not have spiritual children, not to be 07:56 spiritually barren or unfruitful. 07:58 He wants us to multiply. 08:00 With what we know, with the experience that we have, He 08:02 wants us to engage with people, to invest in people so that they 08:06 can become then also disciples and witnesses for God. 08:11 And more than that, we were reached for a purpose. 08:15 We were reached for a purpose. 08:16 In Philippians 3:12 we read, "But I press on--" 08:20 And this is Paul. 08:21 "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ has 08:26 also lay hold--laid hold of me." 08:28 So look at what it's saying. 08:29 "I have been laid hold of so that I may lay hold of." 08:34 Basically what this is saying is that we were reached to reach, 08:38 we were converted to convert, we were convinced by God of the 08:44 glories of heaven so that we may go out and then convince people 08:47 and relate to people and reach people. 08:49 Basically, in his words, lay hold of. 08:52 I have been laid hold of so that I can lay hold of. 08:55 So that--in Christianity, it's one--and that's the--you know, 09:00 one of the most famous terms that we have in this whole thing 09:02 is that it's one beggar telling the other beggar where the bread 09:05 is at, and that's our situation when it comes to witnessing. 09:09 Paul declares that we have 09:10 to--that we have been laid hold of to lay hold of. 09:17 After reaching us--after God reaches us or lays hold of us, 09:21 He has given us a goal too, something that we have to do. 09:25 We must grow according to the image. 09:26 Isn't that what we always talk about? 09:28 We have to grow according to what? 09:29 To the image of God in us. 09:31 That's God's ultimate plan here. 09:33 It's to create in you the heart of Christ, the heart of God. 09:35 He wants to instill in you His will and His heart. 09:38 So that's God's ultimate goal, but to do that He has to 09:43 transform us into many Christs. 09:45 That's what Christian means, 09:46 small Christs that reach other people. 09:50 We must be fruitful as we trail through this process. 09:52 Now, Jesus's plan for his church was exactly this; to make each 09:56 and every one of us his witnesses, bearing testimony 10:00 of the things that we have seen and heard. 10:03 And, friends, we live for this. 10:05 This is the purpose of what we live for. 10:08 Today as Christians, we live for this. 10:10 And if our Christian life is not serving this purpose, it's 10:14 probably because we need to 10:16 remodel this according to God's will. 10:18 So, friend, understand what I'm saying. 10:22 If you weren't living for this purpose--and of course, we need 10:25 to work. 10:27 We need to go out. 10:28 We need to--you know, we have social interactions. 10:30 We do other things in life. 10:32 But if all these things aren't filtered by what it means to 10:35 live for Christ, then this life of ours needs to be remodeled. 10:39 It needs to be changed. 10:40 We need to refocus on what is truly important. 10:44 So the heart of the matter here is the definition of witness. 10:47 What does it mean to be a witness? 10:49 How do we witness? 10:50 How do we define this aspect, witnessing? 10:54 So in this process of defining it, we might become victims-- 10:58 and pay attention. 10:59 We might be victims of the wrong 11:02 concept of what it means to be a witness. 11:05 We might be defining witness as something--not something that 11:09 it's not, but limiting it to only one or another aspect of 11:13 what it means. 11:15 So, for example, many may associate the verb witness with 11:19 preaching or evangelizing. 11:23 Many may be tempted to define being a witness with either 11:27 preaching or evangelizing. 11:30 Now, we know that as a result of the apostles witnessing, many 11:35 people were evangelized, many people received the gospel; and 11:38 we know that these apostles, they used their opportunities 11:41 very well, very intentionally to proclaim the Word of God. 11:45 But witnessing, friend, is not primarily preaching and much 11:50 less evangelizing. 11:52 Did you get that? 11:54 Witnessing is not primarily preaching or evangelizing. 11:58 When the religious leaders in Jerusalem, they tried to 12:00 forbid--you remember the story. 12:02 This is in Acts chapter 4. 12:04 When they tried to forbid Peter and John-- 12:06 and we mentioned it earlier. 12:08 When they tried to forbid them of preaching and of teaching in 12:10 the authority of Jesus, we understand--through the answer 12:14 that the apostles gave these religious leaders, we know that 12:17 they understood very well what it meant to be a witness because 12:21 they said, "For we cannot but speak the things which we have 12:26 seen and heard." 12:27 You see, friends, to them it wasn't enough to preach. 12:29 They preached a lot. 12:31 We know that. 12:32 We know that Peter preached to 3,000--you know, a bunch 12:34 of people, and Paul later on, and the apostles. 12:36 We know that they did preach, but to them it wasn't enough to 12:40 only preach but to speak of the things which they had seen and 12:45 heard, the things that they had experienced with God, and that 12:48 is what a witness does. 12:50 That's what a witness does. 12:52 When Paul was commissioned to be a witness by God, Jesus 12:55 explained to him what that meant, and that's in Acts 22:15; 12:59 where we read, "For you will be His witness to all men of what 13:03 you have seen and heard." 13:04 Do you see something repeating here? 13:06 Do you see how we have these two words, of the things that you 13:08 have seen and heard, the things that you have experienced? 13:11 The things that you have what? 13:12 Witnessed. 13:14 That's what it means to tell people, to relate to them the 13:17 things that you have yourself experienced. 13:20 In a legal setting, in a court of law, the witness that is 13:24 summoned to speak--or the witness is summoned to speak 13:26 not about his or her own opinion. 13:28 They're not called to just--" 13:29 Well, I think it's this. 13:30 I think it's that. 13:32 I see it this way." 13:33 No. 13:34 They're called to relay the facts which were presented to 13:37 them by their firsthand experience of what they saw. 13:41 And so no one has the authority to testify based on something 13:45 that someone else saw. 13:47 They're not going to call someone that heard something 13:49 from someone else and got it fourth hand. 13:52 No. 13:53 They're going to call the eyewitness, people that have 13:55 seen, that have experienced the facts. 13:58 That is what it means to be a witness, and this is essential. 14:02 This is essential. 14:03 Jesus--now pay attention here. 14:05 Jesus didn't consider his apostles apt to be his witnesses 14:10 just because they saw him resurrected. 14:12 I mean, think about it. 14:13 If that's what qualified people to be witnesses, if that's what 14:16 qualified, you know, future generations to be witnesses, 14:19 well, most of us--any of us--none of us would be here 14:24 evangelizing and witnessing or, you know, spreading the gospel 14:27 because we in a real--very real sense of the Word we didn't see 14:31 Jesus 2,000 years ago. 14:33 We're not living 2,000 years ago. 14:35 So we read--and that's a reality that we find in 1 Peter 1:8, 14:39 where we read, "Whom having you not seen--" 14:42 This is talking about Jesus. 14:44 "Whom having not seen you love. 14:47 Though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with 14:52 joy inexpressible and full of glory." 14:57 Now, friends, our relationship with Jesus is through faith. 15:00 Our relationship with Christ comes through faith, and this 15:03 means that we can walk with him even though we don't see him. 15:07 We can walk with him even though we don't see him physically. 15:10 What he told his disciples then that would qualify them to be 15:14 his witnesses is something that is repeated in our life today. 15:17 This is something that is 15:19 reproducible in us nowadays also. 15:21 That's what we find in Acts 1, verse 8, where we read, "But you 15:25 shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." 15:29 Friends, there is a fundamental connection between the power of 15:33 the Holy Spirit, what it means to receive the Holy Spirit, 15:37 coming upon my life and the witness that I have to bear. 15:40 There's a fundamental connection between one and the other 15:44 because this is exactly his action in my life that allows me 15:48 to show others the love that Jesus has in my life. 15:51 Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no way anywhere that I 15:54 would be able to actually be a true witness because then I 15:57 wouldn't have seen or heard anything. 15:59 I wouldn't be a firsthand witness. 16:00 It is only through the Holy 16:02 Spirit that I become a firsthand witness. 16:05 When we're speaking about the Book of Acts, friends, really 16:08 what we're talking about is--are the acts of the Holy Spirit. 16:10 So in that first church, we see the Holy Spirit moving among the 16:13 disciples and moving among the apostles, and that is what we 16:16 find today. 16:18 We find the Holy Spirit moving in our world, moving in our 16:21 church, moving in our congregations, and moving in us; 16:24 and it is only that way that we have any kind of authority to 16:28 preach or to witness. 16:30 Our witness is the fruit of a partnership. 16:33 It's the product of a partnership between me and the 16:35 Holy Spirit. 16:37 That's why Jesus in John 15:26 and 27 says, "But when the 16:41 helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the 16:46 Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify 16:49 of me, and you will also be witnesses--or will--also will 16:53 bear witness because you have been with me from 16:56 the beginning." 16:58 Do you see? 17:00 If witnessing is speaking of what we have seen and what we 17:03 have heard, then what we need most is for the Holy Spirit to 17:07 bring to us or allow us to taste or produce what it means to have 17:13 Jesus living in our life, and this is something that Peter 17:16 talks about in Acts 5:32; where he says, "And we are His 17:21 witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom 17:25 God has given to those who obey Him." 17:28 Friends, it's the Holy Spirit 17:30 that gives us authority to preach. 17:31 It's the Holy Spirit who gives us the authority to witness, 17:33 to testify. 17:35 By his actions, Jesus becomes provable in my life, Jesus 17:38 becomes real in my life. 17:41 We begin to experience the power of God through many 17:43 circumstances; for example, first through conversion. 17:47 We experience the power of God through conversion, the change 17:50 of direction and the change of connection. 17:53 The direction of my life, it goes from one direction, one way 17:56 that I was walking, and you have a 180-degree turn to go in a 17:59 different direction. 18:01 The direction of my life changes. 18:03 But not only this, the connection of my life changes. 18:05 What was I connected to before in my previous life? 18:08 And now the connection becomes a connection with heaven. 18:11 So that's the first change or that is a change that we find 18:15 when God changes our life. 18:17 Then we begin to reflect this Jesus of whom we've heard about, 18:20 but we had never experienced yet. 18:22 We begin to experience Him. 18:24 We begin to see the actions of God, and this is the proof. 18:27 This is the first proof that Jesus is alive and acting in us. 18:32 You know, when I speak of Jesus to somebody, I don't only share 18:35 with them the doctrines or my belief. 18:38 Friends, there are a lot of people that are very good at 18:42 speaking about the abstract aspects of the gospel. 18:45 They'll be very good at explaining doctrine; the 18:48 doctrine of salvation, the doctrine of the Sabbath, the 18:51 belief that we have in the mortal soul, 18:53 and so on and so forth. 18:55 There are many people that are very good at explaining the more 18:57 abstract, the more theoretical knowledge. 19:00 But if I don't have the catalyst, which is the practical 19:05 experience of what these more theoretical things do in my 19:08 life, it's dead. 19:11 It won't produce anything. 19:12 The problem, friend, with many believers today is that they 19:15 have nothing to say, nothing to show. 19:18 All those words are just empty. 19:20 They're superficial because they aren't real. 19:23 They haven't been lived. 19:24 They haven't been experienced before. 19:27 Someone's witness, friends, isn't accepted when it only 19:31 portrays something that someone else saw or someone else heard. 19:35 If the police know of someone that witnessed the crime, 19:39 they're not going to fill out the pages of their report with 19:41 the witness of someone else that said that they heard what 19:44 happened from somebody else. 19:45 No. 19:47 They're going to call the firsthand witness, 19:48 the eyewitness. 19:50 Friends, many Christians, unfortunately, 19:52 don't witness of Jesus. 19:54 They only relay the witness of others. 19:57 Did you get that? 19:58 There are many Christians that don't relay their own, that 20:00 can't witness. 20:02 They can only relay the witness 20:04 that they've heard from other people. 20:06 So what we need is the power of the Spirit acting in our life. 20:10 That's what Jesus is talking about when he said that the Holy 20:13 Spirit--the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. 20:16 We need to seek not only the anointment to preach, not only 20:19 the anointment to teach the acts in our life, and then we need to 20:23 open our mouth. 20:24 We need to seek not only the anointment, but the power that 20:28 act in our life to preach and to teach and to 20:31 share our experience. 20:33 And then after we've had these--this anointment of the 20:37 Holy Spirit, then we will be able to go out and to talk about 20:40 what is written in the Word of God. 20:42 You know, we need to not only speak what is written in the 20:47 Word of God, but we need to speak and we need to be able to 20:51 portray how what is written in the Word of God was capable 20:55 of changing our life. 20:57 That's what we need, really. 20:59 We will be able then--when we have the Holy Spirit, we will be 21:03 able to not only speak about what we believe, but how what we 21:07 believe was capable of changing us. 21:09 And that's what faith is, friends. 21:11 Faith--or better, belief becomes faith on the point of action; 21:17 when that faith produced something in my life, produced 21:20 the gifts of the Spirit in my life, and that's what we're 21:22 talking about today, the gifts of the Spirit. 21:24 Then that belief became faith because it was real. 21:28 I will be capable of not speaking about only the things 21:31 that I believe theoretically, but I will be able to speak 21:34 about how these things that I believe theoretically we're 21:37 capable of changing my life. 21:40 Now, we see this in a very practical way in the gospel, and 21:43 here we're going further into the lesson. 21:44 We see this in a very practical way in the gospels by the very 21:48 diversity of Jesus's first apostles. 21:51 Here we find that Jesus's call was irresistible. 21:54 It was powerful. 21:55 Think about it. 21:56 Think about these men that Jesus called. 21:58 For example, in that group we had Matthew, a tax collector. 22:03 A tax collector was seen as someone who had sold his soul to 22:06 the Roman Empire, all right? 22:08 He was allied to the Roman Empire. 22:09 They were his employers, and that's why they were so hated by 22:12 the rest of the Israelite nation. 22:16 So we have Matthew the tax collector, and in the same group 22:19 we have someone called Simon the Zealot, a temperamental 22:23 revolutionary that hated any type of Roman collaborator or 22:27 any type of Roman worker or official. 22:31 And so can you imagine the kind 22:33 of tensions that they had in that group? 22:34 I mean, if today you can hardly get people who disagree 22:37 politically in a room and they'll start arguing with each 22:39 other, imagine back then where the hatred was multiplied, where 22:44 people killed each other and hated each other based on that. 22:47 Think about the--maybe the types of discussions that Matthew as a 22:51 tax collector and Simon as a 22:53 zealot would have with each other. 22:56 So here we find the power, how irresistible Jesus's call to 23:01 follow him truly was. 23:03 And just like these two men, we find that all the other 23:07 apostles, each with his own personality; but instead of 23:10 being an obstacle, instead of being a hindrance, this 23:13 contributed to the service that they were to provide 23:16 in witnessing. 23:17 So what Jesus is telling us basically by these men-- 23:20 think about it. 23:22 What Jesus is telling us with this group that he had there at 23:25 the beginning, what he's telling us is this: "If I could work 23:29 with them, if I could change the world with them, if I could 23:34 transform the lives of these humble fishermen and tax 23:38 collector and zealots, if I could work with them and mold 23:41 them, I can work with you too. 23:44 I can change you, too. 23:46 I can transform you, too. 23:47 I can change the world with you, too." 23:50 You see, friends, when it comes to the transformation that comes 23:52 from the gospel, it is--everything is about God. 23:56 It's not about me. 23:57 The only participation that I have in this whole process is 24:00 being available, is allowing Him, is opening my heart because 24:04 our God is a God that doesn't impose His will on anybody. 24:08 So when I open my heart to Him and I allow Him to work in me, 24:11 then He will come and He will change and He will transform and 24:14 He will embolden and He will give gifts and talents, and 24:18 that's what we find in this first group of disciples, 24:21 of apostles. 24:23 And this is a great encouragement for us today that 24:25 sometimes think that we don't have gifts, that we can't do 24:27 anything, that we are irrelevant, that we don't have 24:30 talents, that we are not skillful. 24:34 God can use anyone. 24:35 God can use anybody. 24:37 Diversity in the church, friends, was compared in the 24:40 Bible to the diversity of the body. 24:43 Has anyone ever heard of a knee wanting to be a nose? 24:45 And these are--this is the terminology that we find there 24:47 in the epistles. 24:49 Does--has anyone ever heard of a knee wanting to be a nose or 24:52 lips, or has anyone ever seen an 24:55 entire body wanting to be just the eyes? 24:57 First of all, that would be really funny if that would 25:00 happen, and it would be very weird. 25:03 But second of all and even worse, it wouldn't work. 25:06 A body that all the members wanted to be just one member, 25:09 that body wouldn't function at all. 25:12 We don't see feet complaining 25:13 because they've never eaten ice cream. 25:15 And of course I'm being silly here, but we've never seen feet 25:17 complaining because they haven't eaten ice cream or an ear 25:20 complaining because it's never experienced what it means to be 25:22 like inside a shoe, unless you have some very funny ears out 25:26 there that like to put themselves in shoes. 25:28 But that doesn't happen. 25:30 No. 25:31 Each member of the body has its own function, 25:32 has its own utility. 25:35 The feet--think about it. 25:36 The feet, they stay inside a very tight space for the most 25:39 part of their life and a place that really doesn't smell that 25:41 well, you know. 25:43 That doesn't smell very good, always tight, carrying the 25:46 entire weight of the body, but we don't find it trying to be 25:49 something that it's not. 25:51 A great problem that we face in the church today is the 25:53 hostility among the members, fighting, bickering. 25:57 All sorts of reasons: 25:58 jealousy, indifference, malice, ignorance, fear. 26:04 A divided body was the great problem of the church in 26:06 Corinth, and we find Paul 26:08 fighting and battling against this. 26:10 Some of them would say, "Well, I am of Apollos." 26:12 Other said, "Well, I am of Peter." 26:13 Others said, "I am of Paul." 26:15 And others yet trying to be even superior and, you know, having 26:18 that holier than thou mentality, "Well, I am of Christ." 26:22 When Paul saw this, he became indignant and he said, "What are 26:25 you talking about? 26:26 Is Christ divided? 26:28 Did I per chance or Peter or Apollos, did we die for you?" 26:33 So that can't happen. 26:34 When you see, friend, someone using their gifts for God, when 26:37 you see someone trying their best, don't fall into the trap 26:41 of being envious or jealous of them. 26:44 Praise God for someone that is doing their best at something 26:47 that you would like to do yourself. 26:48 Praise God. 26:50 I know many people that sing marvelously, many people that 26:53 know how to play the piano and they play up a storm. 26:55 Those are not my gifts. 26:57 I wish they were. 26:59 You're lucky that I'm not here singing for you. 27:00 It would not be pleasant. 27:02 So God gives His gifts to different people in different 27:04 ways, and we have to understand that. 27:07 Some people have many gifts. 27:09 I know people who can play piano and sing and preach and teach. 27:14 People with many gifts, and 27:15 there are some that have few gifts. 27:17 And the thing here is that both are under different temptations. 27:21 Those people that have many gifts might become tempted to 27:24 think, "Well, I am so good." 27:25 They become arrogant. 27:27 "I can do this and this and this. 27:28 I'm irreplaceable." 27:30 Friends, in the body of Christ, no one is irreplaceable. 27:33 We have a privilege to work for God. 27:35 We have a privilege to preach, to teach, to be used by Him. 27:39 It's something that He uses us to bless us. 27:43 So people who have many gifts, sometimes they become haughty 27:46 and they become proud. 27:47 "Well, I can do this and I can do that." 27:49 But on the other side, people that don't have many gifts or 27:52 many gifts that they know of, okay? 27:55 And we're going to talk about that in a few minutes. 27:57 They might be tempted to think that they are unimportant. 27:59 They might be tempted to be 28:01 jealous of those that have many gifts. 28:03 They might be tempted to think that they are irrelevant. 28:07 My friend, the divine order from God is to preach--it's for the 28:11 gospel to be preached by the entire body. 28:14 What does that mean? 28:16 The gospel has to be preached by everybody. 28:18 That includes me. 28:19 That includes here the media folks. 28:21 That includes my wife. 28:23 That includes you at home. 28:24 The divine order, the Great Commission is for the entire 28:28 gospel to be preached 28:30 by everybody, including you, including me. 28:34 You know, throughout Ellen White's writings, we find at 28:37 least eight reasons to become personally involved in 28:41 missionary witnessing and the expansion of the gospel, and 28:44 these are the eight reasons. 28:45 First of all, because it is the true proof of conversion. 28:49 We understand that we've been converted to the cause when 28:52 we're working in the cause. 28:53 That's one. 28:55 A second reason is because it is the divine plan to develop our 28:58 character or develop the character of Christ in us. 29:01 As we preach, as we witness, as we use our gifts, we are 29:04 developing the personality of Jesus or the image, the 29:08 character of Jesus in our life. 29:10 Thirdly, because it is the 29:12 secret for the growth of Christian life. 29:14 You want to know the secret of growing, the secret of working 29:17 for God, the secret of beginning this ministry? 29:21 It's using your gifts. 29:22 It's as simple as that. 29:23 What are your gifts? 29:25 We'll get to that. 29:26 The fourth reason is because it 29:28 is God's plan to strengthen our faith. 29:30 When I am involved, my faith is growing. 29:32 When I'm involved in expanding the gospel and taking this 29:35 message out, I am strengthening my faith. 29:39 Fifth, because it is the antidote against dissidence 29:42 and apostasy. 29:44 Look, friends, dissidence and apostasy comes about when people 29:47 have too much time on their hands. 29:49 That's the truth. 29:51 When people have too much time to start wondering, "Well, I 29:52 wonder if the Holy Spirit exists. 29:55 I wonder if Jesus really was God, if he wasn't the first man 29:58 to be ever creator, the first creation of the universe." 30:01 Dissidence and apostasy come about when people have 30:04 too much time on their hands. 30:05 When they get involved, when they're busy with the work of 30:08 saving souls, of being used by God to reach people, they won't 30:13 have time for dissidence or for apostasy. 30:15 Sixth, because it is the method 30:18 of Christ to promote a healthy revival. 30:21 The church today is in need of revival, but that revival has to 30:24 come from somewhere, and the healthiest way for that revival 30:28 to come is when we witness 30:30 the need in the world of this message. 30:33 Just staying at home cooped up inside, just digesting and 30:37 intaking messages from the TV and from the internet; just 30:40 doing that, we die. 30:43 Why is the Dead Sea called the Dead Sea? 30:45 Because it receives from many sources, but it doesn't give. 30:48 There's no outlet. 30:49 Just that way we need to have the intake, but we have to have 30:52 also the outtake. 30:54 We need to share, to give from what--or of what we have heard. 31:00 Seventh, because it is the remedy for spiritual apathy. 31:04 Do you find yourself in a low point in your spiritual life? 31:07 Do you find yourself tired of the spiritual life that you've 31:09 been having, seemingly dead? 31:12 Well, start using your gifts, witness to people the things 31:15 that you've seen and the things that you've heard, and I assure 31:17 you that that is a remedy for your spiritual life. 31:21 And finally, number eight, and what I consider to be the 31:25 sweetest and most glorious reason for my personal 31:28 involvement, is because this is 31:31 the best way to await the return of Jesus. 31:35 Being involved in Jesus's work, being in communion with him, 31:40 walking with him day by day and sensing--being sensitive to the 31:44 needs of people in the world, 31:47 it's the best way to await the return of Jesus. 31:49 That's--honestly, that's why I became a pastor. 31:51 I couldn't think of a better way of dedicating my life to this 31:55 than working at it 100% of my time, 24/7. 31:59 And I love it. 32:00 I love the fact that we can--or I can minister to people. 32:04 I can help--look, friends. 32:06 This is something that blesses me just as much as it blesses 32:08 the people being ministered to. 32:10 It's a blessing for me. 32:11 It's the best and sweetest way that I know of of awaiting the 32:14 return of Jesus. 32:17 Now, when we speak about witnessing, how that translates 32:21 into a practical term, into practicality, into the day to 32:24 day is through spiritual gifts, and this is a reality that we 32:28 find portrayed in the Bible. 32:29 So when we go to the New Testament, we find basically 32:32 three places that the New Testament speaks about the gifts 32:36 of the Spirit; and that's found in Romans chapter 12, in 1 32:40 Corinthians chapter 12, and in Ephesians chapter 4. 32:45 So through the study of these passages, we find two main 32:48 characteristics of the spiritual gifts and here, follow me, we 32:52 find two main characteristics of the spiritual gifts that pop out 32:55 of the text, that pop out of that narrative. 32:57 First of all, every gift is given by God. 33:01 All good gift comes from the Lord above. 33:03 That's the first thing that we find out. 33:05 And second, all gifts--every gift is given for the body, is 33:11 given to the body, to the Church of God. 33:13 If you have a gift, friend, if you have a talent, you can rest 33:16 assured that that talent was not 33:18 given to you for your personal selfish use. 33:22 That gift was given to expand, to unite, to mature, to 33:27 encourage, and to grow the body and the kingdom of God. 33:32 The gift was not given for you to use for personal gain or for 33:35 selfish uses, and we can add to this that the distribution of 33:41 these gifts is God's prerogative. 33:44 What that means is that God decides; it's not you. 33:46 God decides who He will give the gift to, where He will implant 33:50 it, what gifts are needed. 33:52 And that while the gifts that are mentioned in these lists and 33:57 in these chapters are all part of the original lists provided 34:01 by God that we find in the Bible, rest assured that God is 34:04 not limited to these lists. 34:06 God is inexhaustible. 34:08 God cannot be limited. 34:09 Those gifts that are there are gifts that were needed for that 34:13 first century church, but God is not limited to them. 34:17 New needs may bring God to offer new gifts. 34:20 For example, hospitality. 34:22 Hospitality is not a part of these original lists. 34:25 But as the church grew, as it was enlarging, as it expanded, 34:29 the need for hospitality was given. 34:32 And so that's another gift that we find also in the Book of Acts 34:36 and that we find in need of today. 34:40 At conversion--remember this. 34:42 At conversion when you meet Jesus, natural talent; the 34:45 talents that you had, the talents that God gave you, they 34:48 become a gift of the Spirit. 34:51 Even the things that you were born with, 34:52 they're gifts of the Spirit. 34:54 These are the talents of God that He has given you. 34:56 Now, since--and this is really important. 34:59 This is the continuation of this subject, this arc of the gifts. 35:03 Since every believer does have--and trust me, if you think 35:06 you don't, you do. 35:07 I'll tell you straight off, God gives everyone a gift. 35:10 Since every believer has at least one of the spiritual 35:13 gifts, everyone should do the best to find their gifts, to 35:18 discover what their gifts are, and finding your specific gift 35:22 isn't a work that will ever 35:23 be concluded or completed completely. 35:27 It's not something that will ever end. 35:29 Because as we continue to develop it, as you continue to 35:32 get better and to find out your gift, rest assured that you're 35:35 going to find more. 35:37 You're going to develop newer gifts, more gifts, and this 35:40 means that the gifts that aren't 35:42 present now might be present in the future. 35:45 Perhaps there's a gift that you don't have right now, but you 35:48 will have in the future. 35:49 Friends, I am not one of those 35:51 people that was born being able to preach. 35:55 It might not seem so, but I am an introvert. 35:57 I am. 35:59 I'm not an extroverted person. 36:00 I'm not shy, don't get me wrong, but I am an introvert. 36:04 And so beginning to preach when I was, you know, 19, 20 years 36:07 old, that was difficult for me. 36:09 I remember the first time that I preached. 36:10 It wasn't when I was 11. 36:12 I wasn't a child prodigy 36:13 preaching when I was 8 years old. 36:14 It took time. 36:16 I was 19 or 20 years old in the third year of seminary, and I 36:21 had to preach because it was part of--you know, part of what 36:23 I was going through at school, and I remember that I planned to 36:26 preach for 45 minutes. 36:29 I got up to preach, my legs started shaking, my hands-- 36:32 my palms got sweaty. 36:33 I became pale, and I--the sermons that I planned for 45 36:37 minutes came out in 5 minutes, and my dad had to come up 36:40 and finish the prayer for me. 36:41 That was difficult. 36:43 I was tempted to--" 36:44 You know what? This isn't going to work out. 36:45 I'm not going to be a good pastor. 36:47 This will never work for me." 36:48 It was a gift that needed to be developed. 36:50 At least the fear of speaking in front of people was something 36:52 that needed to be developed. 36:54 Speaking to a camera, this is something pretty new to me too 36:57 and so I'm developing that gift. 36:59 You see, God, He gives you opportunities to develop gifts. 37:02 Not all gifts are born with you. 37:04 You develop them, and God has 37:06 patience with you and so should the church. 37:09 The church should also have patience with people trying to 37:11 develop their gifts. 37:13 So the question here is, how do we discover our gifts anyway? 37:19 How do we discover these gifts? 37:20 Well, first of all, pray about it. 37:21 Pray intently about it. 37:23 Pray for the Lord to reveal them. 37:25 Since spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit, they have to 37:29 be discovered in a spiritual context. 37:33 And here I'm not talking about a casual prayer, right? 37:36 This isn't the prayer that you're going to make when 37:37 you're, you know, having lunch. 37:39 "Lord, please bless this meal. 37:40 Oh, by the way, just help me find a spiritual gift." 37:41 No. This is an intentional prayer. 37:44 This is something that has to be spoken about intentionally 37:47 with God. 37:48 Pray that the Lord may reveal to you your place within his body. 37:52 Second of all, explore the possibilities. 37:55 It's very important to become acquainted with as many 37:59 spiritual gifts that exists; and the best way to do this, the 38:02 best way to start, begin with the list in the Bible. 38:05 Begin with what you find there, with what God has already 38:07 revealed in there, but remember that these lists do not exhaust 38:12 the gifts and that the gifts are 38:14 not limited to those mentioned here. 38:17 These are suggestive lists of the necessary gifts needed 38:21 during that first century. 38:22 They were necessary to compel 38:24 and to impel the first century church. 38:27 But since we don't live in the first century, there are many 38:30 gifts that aren't mentioned there. 38:31 For example, today we have media, we have TV, we have the 38:34 internet, we have websites. 38:37 And so we need people gifted with cameras, people gifted with 38:39 media, with microphone, with internet. 38:42 I can never do any of that. 38:44 I am a millennial, but I don't 38:46 have this gift of being that tech-savvy. 38:48 I mean, I could get around, but I'm not like the crew here that 38:51 are so good at what they do. 38:54 I can't do that. 38:55 These are gifts that God gives, which they are using for Him, 38:59 and this is something--just one example of so many gifts that 39:03 aren't mentioned in the Bible 39:04 because we live in different times. 39:06 So explore the gifts. 39:08 Try to discover, try to know what they are. 39:10 In third place or thirdly, as much as possible, try to 39:15 experience with other gifts. 39:16 Try different gifts. 39:18 Try to use them and see what the results will be. 39:21 One of these gifts, for example, is evangelism. 39:25 How will you know if you don't try? 39:26 How will you know that you're 39:28 good or not good if you don't try? 39:29 You know, a recent study about church growth revealed that at 39:33 least 10% of any given local congregation, 10% of the people 39:38 do have this gift, but less than 2% of them actually use it. 39:43 What a tragedy. 39:45 Remember--in this context, remember that just because 39:49 someone is not gifted in something today doesn't mean 39:52 that they may not receive and learn. 39:55 If you really want to test any given gift, try to do some 39:58 research first. 39:59 Look, see some tips, see some methods. 40:01 If you want to be good at giving a Bible study, well, try to 40:04 research how do people give Bible studies and implement 40:07 those as you try. 40:08 Don't be ashamed. 40:10 Don't be embarrassed. Don't be timid. 40:11 God has given us a spirit of 40:13 boldness to conquer this world for Him. 40:15 So try it. 40:17 How will you know if you don't try? 40:19 Now, on the other side, don't insist in something that you see 40:23 that you're not going good at. 40:25 Sometimes there are people that are not good at singing. 40:28 They're just, you know--and in that sense, you have to have 40:30 that good sense, that good judgment to recognize what 40:33 you're good at and what you're not good at, and things that you 40:36 can get better at and things that you can't. 40:37 I mean--of course, we're called to sing and praise God, but not 40:40 all of us are called to be worship leaders. 40:43 If I don't have a voice--that's my case. 40:45 A voice that is on key, I'm not going to be a worship leader. 40:47 I'm not. 40:49 I can recognize that. 40:50 I'm mature enough to understand that I don't sing very well. 40:52 Lucky for you. 40:54 So we have to understand that difference right there. 40:58 Fourth of all, search your feelings. 41:00 Search your feelings. 41:01 And again, look. 41:03 Feelings aren't always the best guide and we can't base 41:06 everything on our feelings, but they should be considered. 41:09 If someone tests their gifts, they can ask themselves, "Do I 41:12 find satisfaction in this? 41:14 Am I find this enjoyable? 41:16 Does this bring me joy?" 41:18 Well, this may be an indication of your gift. 41:21 But don't confuse being nervous--okay, that first time 41:24 everyone's going to be nervous, or most people will be nervous 41:27 the first time trying something new. 41:29 Don't confuse that with the lack of satisfaction. 41:32 Sometimes you have to insist a little bit. 41:33 Try it out, see how it goes. 41:36 And lastly, since the gifts are used by the body of Christ, 41:42 await the confirmation of the church. 41:44 Other Christians may recognize gifts in you, gifts that you 41:48 have, and confirm that we have this gift. 41:51 And so in this way, an atmosphere of affirmation and of 41:55 confirmation must be sustained in the church. 41:58 Members need to be sincere in encouragement. 42:02 So encourage. 42:04 If you see perhaps a younger youth in the church or even 42:07 someone that's a bit older, encourage. 42:08 "Look, you're good at this. 42:10 I see you doing this. I see you speaking. 42:12 You're a good Sabbath School teacher. 42:13 You're a good greeter. 42:15 You have that--you know, a way of well--a warmth of you." 42:18 Encourage people. 42:20 Tell them that they're good at something because in that way 42:22 you're encouraging them to become active participants in 42:25 the expansion of the kingdom. 42:27 Encourage people. 42:28 The church must provide opportunities so that gifts may 42:31 be recognized and placed into practice. 42:35 And in this context, we have the parable of the talent where, you 42:39 know, one servant was given more and one some and another one was 42:42 just given one talent. 42:44 Now, the moral here, the lesson that we learned from this 42:47 parable--this is in Matthew chapter 25, verse 14 through 30. 42:52 The lesson in this parable is not about how many talents were 42:56 given, but about how they were used. 42:59 And the lessons is the more you use, 43:01 the more will be given unto you. 43:03 And if you just bury it, you hide it and you don't use it, 43:06 even what you have will be taken. 43:08 And in this way, we have also what applies to the laws 43:12 of learning languages. 43:13 When you don't use it, you lose it. 43:16 That's how it works with God's gifts. 43:17 If I'm not using it, I will lose it. 43:20 So, friend, use your gifts, the gifts that God gives you. 43:24 So pray, keep your eyes open for opportunities and possibilities. 43:29 Don't quit until you find out where you belong, and even then 43:33 don't quit. 43:34 Continue going on. 43:36 You might feel afraid, nervous, scared to use your gifts, scared 43:41 of failure, but remember what the great hockey player Wayne 43:44 Gretzky once said. 43:46 "You miss all shots that you don't take." 43:48 And that's true here. 43:49 You're going to miss all the shots that you don't take. 43:52 Remember that the use of your gift and the regular practice 43:55 may be the divine instrument to develop you and grow you into a 44:00 mature Christian and grow you into a part of the body of 44:03 Christ, the grown-up part of the body of Christ. 44:06 You know, friends, before God, all Christians find themselves 44:10 in the same position, a priesthood to which we are 44:13 admitted at baptism. 44:14 And this is a reality that we find in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 44:18 9 that says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal 44:21 priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may 44:26 proclaim these praises--or the praises of Him who called you 44:30 out of the darkness into His marvelous light." 44:33 You know, the term layman in the context of the spiritual gifts 44:38 cannot be defined by the dictionary, where the definition 44:42 is an uninformed, someone that is not professional, someone 44:45 that, you know, is not really good or not--doesn't know, is 44:48 not experienced in any given talent or any given occupation. 44:52 The word layman cannot be 44:54 defined in this context by the dictionary. 44:58 The definition has to come from Scripture, from the Bible. 45:01 In the Bible, layman comes from the Greek word--a technical word 45:05 called laos or laos, which literally means the people of 45:09 God, the people of God. 45:11 A layman is a member of the church of God; of the laos, the 45:15 people of God. 45:17 And in this sense, even the pastors are laymen in God's 45:21 vineyard, but with a different function. 45:24 They're part of the people of God. 45:26 Look, for example, 45:27 what Sister White says in "Gospel Workers" page 351. 45:30 She says, "The work of God in this earth can never be finished 45:34 until the men and women compromising our church 45:36 membership rally to the work and unite their efforts with those 45:40 of the ministers and church officers." 45:43 Look at what she says in "Christian Service" page 68. 45:47 "The dissemination of the truth of God is not confined to a few 45:51 ordained ministers. 45:53 The truth is to be scattered by all who claim to be the 45:56 disciples of Christ. 45:57 It must be sown beside all waters." 46:00 And finally, and this one is even harsher. 46:04 This is in her manuscript 151 of 1897. 46:07 It says, "The members of the church are trained to rely--" 46:11 Unfortunately. 46:12 This is an unfortunate situation which she is relaying to us. 46:15 "The members of the church are trained to rely upon preaching, 46:19 and they do little for Christ. 46:21 They bear no fruit, but rather increase in selfishness 46:24 and unfaithfulness. 46:26 They put their hope into the preacher and depend upon his 46:29 efforts to keep alive their weak faith." 46:33 Friends, this is so unfortunate. 46:35 My dear friends, missionary witnessing, testifying doesn't 46:40 only bless the object to whom is being ministered, but also the 46:44 subject of ministration. 46:46 When you witness of God, you're not blessing only the person 46:49 you're witnessing to, but it is a blessing to you; perhaps an 46:52 even greater blessing to you that God is giving you. 46:58 Unfortunately, we live in the time of spectators, in the time 47:02 of fans; seen in the secular world where stadiums are packed 47:06 full of people to watch football, sports events, or 47:10 baseball, or basketball, or to shows--music shows or concerts, 47:14 and we live in that culture. 47:16 That's just part of our culture today where practically the 47:21 totality of the people in these huge place just sit by observing 47:26 a few perform while they themselves are limited to 47:30 sitting, watching, and applauding. 47:34 This era of spectators--this time that we live in is invading 47:38 our homes where millions of people are dependent on the TV, 47:43 on the internet, on social media platforms, numbed and seduced by 47:49 these shiny fantasies. 47:51 And what's worse, this mentality threatens the very church where 47:56 a few perform--a few people are up there performing and many 48:00 become--have become nothing more than fans for Jesus. 48:04 Friends, Jesus does not need fans. 48:08 Jesus wants disciples. 48:10 He wants witnesses. 48:13 The church doesn't have a stage; it has an altar where we come 48:17 with the gift of who we are. 48:19 You know, in the midst of the medieval Protestant reform, 48:24 Martin Luther rediscovered a very important truth, that each 48:28 Christian is a priest and has an offering to offer. 48:33 And this offering in his case was not mass. 48:36 In our case, it can be whatever we can substitute for that mass, 48:40 whatever people place in the place of that. 48:43 No. 48:45 The offering that we have to offer is the dedication of him 48:47 or herself in obedience and service. 48:51 Each Christian has the duty, has the responsibility of sharing 48:55 with others the gospel that they have received. 48:57 And you know that the root of the word responsibility is the 49:00 ability of response, our ability to act and react to what God has 49:05 called us to do and what He has revealed His will to be. 49:09 The Adventist movement has 49:11 historically gone through some phases. 49:13 I mean, you look at it, we find the first phase of the pioneers, 49:15 that they were, you know, taking the message forward. 49:18 We have the period of consolidation, we have the 49:21 period of expansion, and finally, nowadays we find 49:23 ourselves in the period of challenge. 49:26 And what is our greatest challenge? 49:28 Involving as many people as possible in ministry, not 49:32 allowing that Jesus's Great Commission becomes his great 49:36 omission where people become lukewarm. 49:42 They become just nothing, fans just observing, just looking. 49:47 So, my dear friend, I truly hope that when it comes to your 49:51 witnessing and your message that you have to spread, that God may 49:55 use you, that He may bless you, that He may reveal to you His 50:00 gifts or the gifts that He has for you, that you may be a 50:03 faithful servant using your gifts for God. 50:05 That was our "Sabbath School Study Hour." 50:08 Please do not forget. 50:09 If you want this booklet, "Life in the Ministry," you can call 50:12 the number 866-788-3966 or you 50:18 can send a text for a digital download. 50:22 May God bless you. 50:24 May He be with you, and we hope to see you again here next week 50:26 for another study of the Sabbath School lesson. 50:28 May God be with you. 50:31 male announcer: Don't forget to request today's life-changing 50:34 free resource. 50:35 Not only can you receive this free gift in the mail, you can 50:37 download a digital copy straight to your computer or 50:40 mobile device. 50:41 To get your digital copy of today's free gift, simply text 50:45 the keyword on your screen to 40544 or visit the web address 50:49 shown on your screen, and be sure to select a digital 50:52 download option on the request page. 50:55 It's now easier than ever for you to study God's Word with 50:58 Amazing Facts wherever and whenever you want, and most 51:01 important, to share it with others. 51:08 announcer: Amazing Facts changed lives. 51:16 Charlie Greene: My life was in turmoil. 51:18 My wife and I were fighting all the time. 51:20 I got away from everything and everybody. 51:23 I don't know, it just--I always had this emptiness in my heart, 51:26 that I wanted filled. 51:28 I just felt like I went my whole life, you know, just searching 51:30 for something. 51:33 My father died, and that ruined me a lot. 51:36 My father didn't believe in suicide. 51:39 I didn't want to live, but rather than disrespect him I 51:42 decided I would just become so mean and someone else would do 51:45 it to me and I wouldn't have to. 51:46 So I joined the army thinking, "What better place to get killed 51:49 than in the army." 51:50 And while I was in the army, my daughter got injured. 51:53 She was in an accident, and she was blind and paraplegic, 51:59 and--it's just like I felt the whole world was coming 52:02 down on me. 52:03 One morning I just really got mad and I gave God a cussing 52:07 like you wouldn't believe. 52:08 I said, "I'm not Moses. 52:10 I'm not Abraham. 52:11 You know, I don't--but I put my sandals on just like they did 52:15 and I'm a man. 52:16 I don't want to know why this is happening to me, 52:19 I just want to know that it's happening for a reason. 52:22 If you tell me right now that this is all for a reason and you 52:25 can stack on me from here to the end of time, 52:28 and I will never complain again." 52:31 And that little TV came on. 52:34 It had been sitting there just static all night long, and 52:37 there's this minister when he pops up and he says, "Today's 52:40 lesson is from the Book of Job. 52:42 God only lets those suffer that he loves the most." 52:45 And I said, "Well, that's all you had to say, Lord. 52:47 I appreciate it." 52:48 From that day forward, I knew that he was there and he was in 52:51 my life and that he would help me. 52:55 I went to prison just almost immediately after that. 52:59 I was in prison for aggravated assault. 53:01 I was in one of the worst 53:02 prisons in the state of Tennessee. 53:04 It was full of gang activity. 53:06 I got my throat cut; 52 stitches. 53:10 My neck, I could take those fingers and stick them all 53:12 through my mouth. 53:14 I'd gone to the library that day because it was really about the 53:17 only thing to do when I ran across this little book called 53:21 "The Richest Caveman." 53:22 This book is hilarious, but it is great. 53:26 I'm sitting there with this big beard I'm thinking, "Hey, I know 53:28 what it's like to look like a caveman." 53:30 I'm not an educated person, I guess you'd say, 53:34 but I'm a simple guy. 53:35 I'm just really a simple guy. 53:37 That's what I loved about Doug Batchelor because this guy is 53:41 just straight out as you can get. 53:44 And my wife and I, we've kept contact through all these years 53:48 and so much is going on. 53:53 And I told her, I said, "Listen, 53:54 this is the center of my world right now." 53:58 And I said, "I really want you to be involved in it with me. 54:01 I need it." 54:03 And I said, "You will too if you ever just take hold of it." 54:06 I told my wife, I said, "Listen, I've got this Amazing Facts 54:08 Bible study going here, and this is the best way for you to get 54:13 this information, I think," I said, "because it's broken down 54:18 and they give you questions and--to make you look 54:24 for these things, you know. 54:26 So it's not anyone telling you, you find it on your own. 54:29 And they teach you actually to use the Bible." 54:31 She was there faithfully every Wednesday until we decided, you 54:36 know--she wanted to be baptized also. 54:39 She saw coming around. 54:41 The choice was made. 54:43 In October 4th, 2014, my wife and I were baptized in the water 54:49 at the same time and we started our walk together, 54:55 I guess you'd say. 54:56 I went through everything that a man could possibly go through, 55:00 I guess; from marital trouble, loss of family members, death in 55:06 my family, my children were harmed. 55:09 And my daughter is handicapped for life. 55:12 I went to prison, but still I kept my word to God that He 55:17 could stack it on me as much as He wanted and I'd never question 55:21 Him again, and I didn't. 55:23 But I can say this much. 55:25 He never put nothing on me that I couldn't handle, and He walked 55:29 with me through it all. 55:31 And I'd like to say that anyone 55:33 who is in prison not to give up. 55:38 Don't lose hope. 55:40 Put your faith in the Lord and study, 55:43 and seek Him and He will seek you. 55:45 My name is Charlie Greene, and I want you to know that you and 55:48 Amazing Facts have changed my life. 55:58 ♪♪♪ 56:06 ♪♪♪ 56:14 Doug Batchelor: On several occasions, scientists have 56:16 demonstrated that people and even creatures can struggle with 56:20 depression when exposed to continual darkness. 56:23 This can be seen every year in 56:25 the winter months in the Arctic regions. 56:28 The beautiful village of Rjukan, Norway is situated in a deep 56:31 valley where mountains block the 56:33 sun's rays for about 6 months every year. 56:36 This, of course, keeps the 3,400 residents in a state of shade 56:40 and sometimes depressing darkness throughout the winter. 56:43 Then the town leaders got a bright idea to help illuminate 56:47 their village during the murky months. 56:49 In October 2013, Rjukan installed an array of three 56:54 gigantic 550 square foot mirrors 56:57 on a nearby mountain 1,000 feet above the town. 57:02 The computer-controlled and solar-powered mirrors track the 57:05 sun through the winter months and reflect a giant beam of 57:09 sunshine down to the town square, brightening their lives. 57:14 If you visit Rjukan in the winter months today, you can 57:16 often see the people gathered or sitting on benches around the 57:19 town square bathing in the reflected sunshine. 57:24 Like those mirrors on the mountain, the Bible says that 57:27 Christians are to reflect the light of Jesus, who is the light 57:29 of the world, into this dark planet. 57:32 Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world. 57:36 A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 57:38 Nor do we light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a 57:41 lampstand and it illuminates everybody in the house. 57:45 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good 57:48 works and glorify your Father in heaven." 57:51 So, friends, use today to brighten the life of someone 57:55 else by reflecting Jesus. 57:58 ♪♪♪ 58:07 ♪♪♪ 58:20 ♪♪♪ |
Revised 2020-07-30