Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190074A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello, and welcome to another 3ABN Today Program. 01:12 Thank you for joining us as you do each and every day. 01:15 And I always like to say thank you for your love 01:17 and your prayers and financial support. 01:20 We have good news for you today. 01:21 Jesus Christ is coming very soon 01:24 in the clouds of glory, 01:25 all you have to do is accept the free gift of salvation, 01:28 go and tell what He's done for you. 01:30 You'll be able to look up and say, 01:31 "Lo, this is my God whom we've waited for. 01:34 He's come to save us." 01:35 And He already has a mansion with your name on it. 01:37 Amen. So don't disappoint Him. 01:38 Right, Yvonne? I'm so excited. 01:40 And isn't it a great time to be alive 01:42 in the closing moments of earth's history? 01:44 What a privilege it is. 01:45 And to have technology that we can sit here 01:47 and literally reach the world. 01:48 Yes. Yes. 01:49 And all the time we're hearing about 01:51 new people who have been watching 3ABN 01:54 and who the gospel, the Holy Spirit 01:56 is just reaching around the world. 01:58 So it's just, it's exciting. 02:00 Speaking of the world, that was good segue. 02:03 We are going to hear a lot about 02:05 what's happening around the world 02:07 because today we're honored 02:09 and privileged to have Elder Ted Wilson, 02:12 and his wife, Nancy. 02:13 Thank you all for being here today. 02:15 Of course, he's our General Conference President, 02:17 for those of you 02:18 who are not Seventh-day Adventist that don't know. 02:20 We introduce them to you. 02:22 Elder Ted's a General Conference President 02:24 of Seventh-day Adventist worldwide, 02:26 and we're so thankful that you and your lovely wife Nancy 02:29 are here today. 02:31 And it's always a privilege to have you here. 02:33 And, of course, they're not guest by any means, 02:35 Greg and Jill Morikone. 02:37 And what Greg and... 02:39 We're gonna have a good time today in the Lord, right? 02:40 We're looking forward to it. Absolutely. 02:42 I mean, think about 02:43 what's happening around the world. 02:46 And we see all this crazy things 02:48 that are happening, 02:49 but somewhere among all of that, 02:50 when we find Jesus, we find that rock, 02:53 we find that peace that passeth all understanding 02:56 and the world didn't give it to us, 02:58 world can't take it away. 03:00 So when we accept Jesus Christ 03:01 as Lord and Savior of our lives, 03:04 life becomes exciting. 03:05 It does. 03:07 You never know what's gonna happen 03:08 except Jesus made a way for each and every one of us. 03:10 That's right. 03:11 And He said that whoever comes in Him, 03:13 He will in no wise cast out. 03:15 So anybody can come, everyone can come, 03:17 whosoever will, let Him come. Absolutely. 03:20 I've said Elder Wilson many times 03:22 before over the years, people say, 03:24 "Why are you a Seventh-day Adventist?" 03:26 And I say, "Well, if I found a church 03:28 that was closer to the Bible, the doctrines, 03:31 and was closer to the Bible than Adventist, 03:33 I'd go join it. 03:35 And so I'm not stuck on the name 03:36 Seventh-day Adventist, 03:37 but I'm a Seventh-day Adventist 03:39 because it teaches a Bible message." 03:42 And we believe in the whole Bible, 03:44 not just the New Testament. 03:45 So we believe in the whole Bible, 03:47 and I'm very thankful and privileged, 03:49 and I'm glad God has people in all churches. 03:51 You know, I don't know what church you go to if any. 03:54 We know God has people in all churches, 03:55 but it's exciting to as we begin to study 03:58 more and more. 03:59 I used to study with Jehovah's Witness 04:01 and Mormons, and Pentecostals, 04:03 different people 'cause I really wanted to know. 04:05 My mother became an Adventist the year I was born, 04:08 but I just didn't wanna be one because they were, 04:10 so in my studies, the more I studied, 04:12 I said, "Man, this church, 04:13 you know, it's amazing truth that God has given us." 04:16 And then an End Times message for an End Times people 04:19 to be the carrier of that message 04:22 handpicked by God 04:23 as the remnant church is an amazing thing. 04:26 No pride in that at all, it's humility, humbleness, 04:29 humble that God would trust 04:31 people to take His message to the world. 04:34 And you have the toughest position on earth. 04:36 I know President Trump has a tough position. 04:39 But you have a great responsibility 04:42 because it's a spiritual, not only physical 04:44 but a spiritual responsibility 04:47 that to lead about 20 plus million people now 04:50 around the world. 04:52 It's 21 million, so we pray for you 04:53 and Nancy every day. 04:55 And we always in our travels when we're talking about it. 04:58 We're so thankful that you have said, 05:00 "Lord, I'm willing to do 05:02 what You want me to do, send me. 05:04 And I'll go where You send me." 05:05 Both of you, 05:07 and what a ministry that you have. 05:09 And it's our privilege here at 3ABN 05:10 to be able to work together with a church. 05:13 We're not a church, we don't wanna be one. 05:15 We just wanna lift your hands. 05:16 That's all we're here for. 05:18 So thank you for being here today, 05:20 we won't call you a guest. 05:21 You've been here before, but as brothers and sisters, 05:23 thank you for joining us today. 05:25 Thank you, Danny. 05:26 It's a great privilege for us to be here with each of you, 05:31 Yvonne, and Greg, and Jill. 05:34 I wanna tell you, you were mentioning 05:36 about all the burdens and all the challenges 05:38 and all the heavy load and everything. 05:40 But you know what? 05:41 Every night, 05:43 I can just take them to the Lord. 05:44 Okay. 05:45 And I tell you, it's an amazing thing 05:47 to lean on the Lord not only at night, 05:49 but all through the day. 05:51 Okay. 05:52 And He'll do the same for anyone 05:54 who's watching right now if you've got a real problem, 05:56 real challenge. 05:58 Don't try and solve the whole thing yourself. 06:00 That's right. Others will try to help. 06:02 Yes, you can analyze, but take it to the Lord. 06:06 Amen. Love it. 06:07 And He will truly respond because He's promised 06:11 to take our load and give us a lighter burden. 06:16 What a blessing it is to serve the Lord. 06:17 Absolutely. 06:19 The old song says, 06:20 "Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." 06:22 Yes. 06:23 And that's what we're gonna do. 06:24 You have any questions for Sister Nancy, 06:26 while she's here? 06:27 You know, I do. I do actually... 06:30 I knew she did. 06:31 I didn't ask her. 06:32 We hadn't talked about it, but I know that... 06:34 We haven't talked about it either. 06:35 No. 06:38 You know, it's often it's a privilege 06:42 and an honor to be married to a leader 06:47 and it's a challenge. 06:49 What are some of the challenges that you face, 06:53 you know, as the wife of a leader 06:55 like Elder Wilson? 06:59 I'm gonna learn something too. 07:04 I think anyone in leadership 07:08 understands that it's a lonely road. 07:13 And you are dealing with so many things 07:15 that everyone out there has no idea about 07:20 all of the angles of what you're dealing with. 07:23 And so it's very, very easy 07:28 to criticize. 07:29 And I feel like it's, 07:34 that has been one thing 07:36 I have learned how to deal with 07:40 and I let it roll off my back now 07:45 and I just pray for them 07:49 because you are often misunderstood 07:51 because of fake news. 07:53 I wanna just say it. 07:55 And I think a lot of times, a lot of times 07:59 people don't mean harm, 08:00 but they just don't have the full picture, 08:03 but also just the stress that I know the load 08:08 that Ted carries. 08:12 You know, I realize 08:17 that God is our burden bearer. 08:19 But I wish in more ways than 08:21 one that I could help lighten that load, 08:24 you know, because I see him 08:27 wrestling with things, 08:28 but he gives it to God continually. 08:31 Amen. That's the way to do it. 08:34 So anyway, those are two of the things 08:40 that sometimes I wish 08:44 he didn't have to deal with, 08:46 you know, the burden was a little lighter, 08:49 and even when he gives it to God, 08:50 you know, he has to deal with it. 08:53 So... That's a beautiful response. 08:55 But, you know, really if I can just interject 09:01 and bring in some scripture. 09:02 When you are trying to the best of your ability 09:06 to follow the Lord's leading. 09:09 And you're submitting your life every day 09:13 as sinful as you may be, but you are submitting 09:17 and asking the Lord to take your life, 09:20 you're consecrating yourself to Him. 09:22 As we're told every morning we should consecrate ourselves. 09:27 And then you're following, you know, the Word of God to, 09:31 according to your understanding, 09:33 and according to God's leading through the Holy Spirit, 09:38 that you are also being blessed 09:40 by that wonderful 09:44 volume of work called 09:46 the Spirit of Prophecy, which is, I believe, 09:50 heaven inspired material which does not take 09:53 in any way the place of the Bible, 09:56 but points to the Bible helps to explain 09:59 and expand your understanding. 10:02 And when you're in prayer 10:03 and you're asking the Holy Spirit to direct you, 10:06 then you can be at peace. 10:10 And you don't have to be 10:11 always worrying about everything. 10:13 And then you come back to, you know, 10:14 Christ's beautiful Sermon on the Mount. 10:20 And in Matthew 5:10, you know, 10:23 "Blessed are those 10:25 who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, 10:27 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 10:30 You think of what Christ went through Himself? 10:33 Perfect, He was God, He was fully human, 10:36 fully God, went through an enormous situation 10:42 of being persecuted, of being antagonized by others, 10:47 of being diminished by people. 10:52 And yet He stayed the course. 10:55 And when we are submitting to the Lord, 11:00 then you don't have to worry about yourself. 11:02 And you can claim these promises 11:04 that if you're persecuted for righteousness' sake, 11:07 kingdom of heaven is yours. 11:08 "Blessed are you 11:09 when they revile and persecute you, 11:11 and say all kinds of evil against you 11:13 falsely for My sake." 11:15 Because the Lord knew exactly what He was gonna go through 11:19 and what He did go through. 11:20 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad," 11:24 Matthew 5:12, 11:26 "for great is your reward in heaven, 11:30 for so they persecuted the prophets 11:32 who were before you." 11:33 So we're not walking on a road 11:37 untrodden in the past, 11:39 the Lord went through it, so many others. 11:41 And the big thing is, 11:43 just learn to give it all to the Lord and say, 11:46 "Lord, give me the wisdom, give me the words, 11:50 give me the manner, give me the sweetness, 11:53 give me the approach that I need to get through this 11:57 and I give you all the glory." 11:59 And when You do that, 12:01 you know, you can sleep securely, 12:04 rest securely. 12:05 I have a feeling that if you could be 12:07 anywhere you want in the world 12:09 and do anything you wanna do, 12:11 you'd be right there at the General Conference 12:12 doing exactly what you're doing 12:14 because, you know, you've been handpicked by God. 12:16 Well, we just put ourselves in God's hands. 12:18 Absolutely. Jill? 12:20 I was reading Isaiah Chapter 60 this week. 12:23 You know, the beginning of it, 12:24 "Arise, shine, for your light has come! 12:26 And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." 12:28 And it talks about the deep darkness 12:31 that covers the world. 12:32 There's people lost and alone 12:34 without any knowledge of Jesus, 12:36 without any knowledge of the truth in God's Word. 12:38 At 3ABN, our mission is to proclaim 12:41 an undiluted three angels' messages to the world, 12:44 and I know that's the mission 12:45 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church 12:46 to proclaim this gospel to the world. 12:49 So how do you, Elder Wilson, as a leader, 12:52 encourage and inspire members to be involved in evangelism? 12:57 I know you have an initiative, Total Member Involvement 12:59 from the General Conference, but you can have a passion 13:02 for evangelism yourselves. 13:04 But how do you inspire 13:05 or instill that in other people? 13:09 First of all, let me thank 3ABN 13:13 for what they are doing. 13:15 A great adjunct, a great blessing, 13:17 a great support to the evangelistic outreach 13:21 of the church worldwide. 13:23 And what a blessing it is to hear of people. 13:27 "Oh, the first time I ever heard about 13:30 the full message 13:31 of God's precious plan of salvation 13:34 and the Great Controversy theme." 13:36 I heard it on 3ABN 13:38 or some other television network, 13:41 we praise God for that. 13:42 But 3ABN is such a blessing, people hear the truth, 13:47 they may have known some of the truth, 13:48 but then it becomes so expanded 13:52 because it is Bible based. 13:55 Now, when you become a Christian, 13:59 it's not as though you are now on easy street 14:02 and you just kind of cruise along 14:04 and expect everything to be given to you. 14:06 Okay. 14:07 And, you know, this is the way it ought to be, 14:12 you actually run into a lot of challenges. 14:15 But when you are born a Christian, 14:21 you are then born a missionary. 14:25 So when you become a follower of Jesus, 14:28 it's not as though you can just, 14:32 you know, kind of let everything slide by. 14:35 No, you're becoming a part of a movement. 14:38 So I'm hoping that everybody 14:40 who's viewing here today is not imagining, 14:45 well, I think I'll just become a Christian 14:47 and then I'll just kind of let the world go by. 14:49 No, you got to be part of it. 14:51 You've got to do something that will show 14:55 that Christ is in control of your life 14:57 because when you're connected with the Lord, 14:59 you cannot help but do something for someone else. 15:03 Yeah, that's good. 15:04 You cannot help but lifting their vision 15:07 to what truth is, 15:09 you cannot help but spending time with His Word 15:12 and also in prayer. 15:14 I don't know what people do without prayer. 15:17 I mean, throughout the day, 15:18 I'm shooting little prayers to heaven, 15:20 talking and talking to the Lord, 15:23 as to a friend. 15:24 And that's what we're told to do. 15:26 And He will hear and He will respond. 15:29 But this is the work of everyone, 15:32 not just pastors, and evangelists, 15:34 or people who are in the administration of 3ABN. 15:38 Everybody is involved in Total Member Involvement. 15:42 Every one doing something for Jesus. 15:44 So the way to try and encourage people 15:48 to get involved is to tell them 15:50 that the sacrifice of Christ was so great. 15:54 It was paid. 15:56 Salvation was paid by Christ for you. 16:00 Just as you said, when you began, 16:02 the Lord has a place in heaven. 16:03 Yeah. 16:05 He's got your name on the house. 16:06 Yeah. 16:08 And what a privilege, 16:09 but there comes a responsibility with it. 16:12 And that means you have to be involved 16:15 in helping others to know about it. 16:18 So when Jesus comes, you're not just gonna be there 16:20 by yourself and, "Oh, yeah, he's in the heaven." 16:23 You're gonna look around, you're gonna see those others 16:24 that you are sharing the gospel 16:26 with by word and by action. 16:30 It's not only by word, it's by what we do. 16:33 Yes. 16:35 And so, Total Member Involvement 16:37 is something that is catching fire 16:40 all over the world. 16:43 And I don't know, Nancy, you wanna share something? 16:44 I was gonna say you could think of it as a lifestyle. 16:47 Okay. It's not just an activity. 16:50 It's how we live our lives. 16:52 And if we are truly connected 16:56 with the Lord, 16:59 it should be a part of our everyday living 17:03 that we are touching lives in some way or another. 17:06 And if we pray every morning, Lord, you know, 17:09 I commit this day into your hands. 17:12 Show me, speak through me, 17:15 show me who needs an encouraging word. 17:17 You know, how may I help my neighbors, 17:19 help me to be sensitive to your leading 17:21 whether it's going through the checkout line, 17:24 in the grocery store, or, you know, 17:27 there are hundreds of ways God wants to use us every day, 17:31 but we have to realize that we are His hands, 17:36 His feet, His mouth, 17:38 and show me how I can touch a life today. 17:41 You don't have to preach a sermon in a church, 17:45 or a tent, or on the street. 17:47 You show by the way you relate to people around you. 17:52 And I think sometimes it's so easy in our country 17:57 because it's so easy to live here. 17:59 We don't really have hardships like many places do, 18:04 and it's very easy to become self-centered. 18:07 And think only of, what do I want to do? 18:10 Yeah. 18:11 How can I have fun today? 18:14 And if we see that, if we understand that 18:17 true living is serving others 18:21 because that was what... 18:23 How Jesus lived His life. 18:25 We are here to serve. 18:27 And we get much more enjoyment out of that 18:30 than selfish entertainment. 18:33 That's very true. 18:34 If I can pick up on that regarding young people, 18:36 you know, in many churches today, 18:38 including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 18:41 a lot of young people 18:42 simply don't find the church to be very relevant anymore. 18:45 And they kind of slip away and people aren't involved, 18:49 they're not involving the young people in things. 18:52 So our Youth Ministries Department 18:56 at the highest level in the church 18:57 our General Conference Youth Ministries, 18:59 we are focused on two things. 19:03 Gary Blanchard, our youth director, 19:05 very dynamic fellow. 19:06 And he's got a couple of 19:08 very dynamic associates as well. 19:10 We're focused on two things. 19:12 Number one, a relationship for young people with God 19:17 through Bible study, through the Word and prayer. 19:19 Yeah. 19:21 Secondly, service. Yes. 19:23 Doing something for others. 19:25 And when you're involved in helping other people, 19:30 whether it's in a humanitarian way, 19:31 whether it is giving Bible studies, 19:33 whether it is feeding people, 19:35 or cleaning their house, or whatever it is, 19:37 you're doing something for somebody else. 19:40 It inoculates you against selfishness 19:44 and self-centered living, and it helps young people 19:48 to see a bigger vision. 19:51 So as Nancy said, you know, this is a way of life. 19:55 Yeah. And it needs to become that. 19:58 I'm reminded, we used to live in a very nice country, 20:04 a nice setting in African, West African Ivory Coast, 20:08 Côte d'Ivoire. 20:09 Very French speaking, very French oriented, 20:12 and the president some years ago, 20:15 very benevolent kind of person, 20:18 president for many years there, 20:20 his name was Félix Houphouet-Boigny. 20:23 And he was a physician actually. 20:25 And president for a long time there in that country. 20:29 And he had a saying 20:30 that was very, very much appreciated 20:34 and very well-known. 20:36 In fact, you'd come out of the airport in Abidjan, 20:38 the capital at that time, the major city. 20:41 And you'd see this big panel outside, 20:44 this big billboard. 20:46 And it said in French la paix..., 20:50 which means peace. 20:52 Okay. Peace. 20:53 Good job. Good job. 20:56 Peace is not a word. 20:58 It's a way of life. 21:00 Oh, that's good. 21:01 And so I like to insert 21:05 or exchange the word peace 21:09 with evangelism. 21:10 Whether it's personal evangelism, 21:12 public evangelism, 3ABN evangelism, 21:16 it's not just a word, 21:18 it's a way of life just as Nancy said. 21:20 That's good. 21:22 So that's really what Total Member Involvement is. 21:24 And I tell you, I don't care where you go, 21:27 Nancy and I were just in Rwanda recently, 21:29 just very, very few days ago, actually. 21:32 And back in 2016, 21:36 we had some public evangelistic meetings, 21:39 focusing on Total Member Involvement, 21:41 getting all the members involved, 21:43 not just pastors and elders, and but everybody, 21:47 and they got so excited. 21:49 Church members just said, "Yes, let's just get involved." 21:53 I mean, it was fantastic. 21:55 They had literally, 21:58 I don't know a couple thousand meetings 22:00 across that little country of Rwanda in 2016 22:03 because the Holy Spirit blessed in a marvelous way, 22:08 working through lay people and the rest of us, 22:12 over 110,000, 22:14 about 110,000 people were baptized. 22:16 Mercy. 22:18 Unbelievable. Praise the Lord. 22:21 In that little country because of that baptism 22:24 and the emphasis, the membership grew to about 22:28 850,000 people in that little country. 22:31 Wow! Amazing. 22:32 Nancy and I were just there just a few days ago, 22:35 as I said, maybe three, four weeks ago. 22:37 Three and half weeks ago. 22:38 And they celebrated 100 years of the presence 22:44 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Rwanda. 22:48 And do you know by the end of this year 2019, 22:53 they are anticipating with the Holy Spirit's blessing 22:57 and guidance throughout to reach a membership 23:00 of 1 million Seventh-day Adventists. 23:03 Wow! Praise the Lord. 23:04 Unbelievable. That is. 23:06 So, you know, they have a population of 23:09 about 12 million in Rwanda. 23:12 And that means, one out of every 12 people 23:15 that you pass on the street is gonna be a member 23:17 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 23:19 And it's much of that is 23:21 because of Total Member Involvement. 23:24 Church members who are engaged in doing something. 23:28 Amen. 23:29 And if I can segue also, 23:34 we have an emphasis 23:35 on those who are marginalized also. 23:39 Those who don't seem to be part of the ongoing activities, 23:45 visually impaired, hearing impaired, 23:48 speaking impaired, 23:50 people who might be disabled in some way physically, 23:55 orphans, widows, 23:58 people who aren't not all always in the forefront, 24:03 but are on the periphery, 24:04 and we've called this special needs ministries. 24:08 We're transitioning now to a new name, 24:10 which I guess everything could be called this, 24:12 but this new name is Possibility Ministries 24:16 to help people realize their potential. 24:18 That's good. Yeah. 24:20 And it's amazing in the last four years 24:23 to see how many people in many of these areas, 24:27 these categories are now 24:29 not only being paid attention to and accommodated, 24:33 but much more than that they are actually involved 24:36 in the evangelistic outreach of the church 24:39 and that's why everyone is to be involved, 24:42 Total Member Involvement. 24:44 Oh, I'm doing a lot of speaking but I'm just excited. 24:47 I'm excited why you're here. That's great. 24:48 You're here. 24:50 We always say the blessing is on the go. 24:52 Matthew 28:18-20. 24:53 "All power is given Me in heaven and earth. 24:56 Go ye therefore." 24:57 So when I go to churches, I say, 25:00 "How many years you are here?" 25:01 And they look at you and I say, 25:02 "Every hand you'd raise it unless you don't have one." 25:05 That there ye, 25:07 it didn't just say go Elder Wilson, 25:09 go Mark Finley, go Jill in the world, it said, 25:11 "Go ye into all the world." 25:13 So would you accept that free gift of salvation? 25:16 You can't contain it. Yep. 25:18 You can't contain it. 25:19 Now what's happening and maybe talk to us 25:21 a little bit about it. 25:23 Twenty one million people, that's great. 25:25 But 21 million people as a church and as a people 25:29 when we read Revelation, we get to the end, 25:32 some of the churches, one of them is called Laodicea. 25:36 And tell us, that is something 25:38 that seems to no matter what church or where you are, 25:41 even within family sometimes and personal church families 25:44 or world church, that's a problem, 25:47 that because the devil knows, right? 25:51 When people are on the go, 25:54 that opens room for the Holy Spirit 25:55 and invitation for the latter rain. 25:57 The devil is doing everything he can do to stop that. 25:59 So maybe talk to us a little bit about 26:02 where we need to go and where our mind should be 26:04 and how do we get past this or through this 26:07 and keep focused on Jesus? 26:10 You know, any culture, 26:14 even if it is economically challenged, 26:17 can be part of Laodicea. 26:20 If you allow the surroundings to lull you 26:25 into some kind of a safety approach. 26:29 Yes. 26:30 And, but the biggest challenge is with, 26:36 I would say, economically advantaged places. 26:40 Okay. 26:41 And you will know, I mean, you know, 26:43 our viewers, and each of us 26:44 will know places where it seems like, 26:48 you know, life's pretty, pretty good. 26:51 And we don't have to worry about 26:52 some of the very basic things of life. 26:55 Wherever that is the case 26:57 unless you are really in touch with the Lord 27:00 and feeding on His Word, 27:03 you will become self-satisfied. 27:06 You will become complacent, 27:08 you will become rather neutralized. 27:12 And that's what Revelation 3 is talking about. 27:15 Where Laodicea 27:17 and it actually is talking about 27:18 a place in Turkey 27:20 which was a place where the water was lukewarm. 27:24 It wasn't really hot. 27:26 It wasn't really cold. 27:28 Now, I don't know about you 27:30 but the other day we were with some relatives 27:34 and Nancy's oldest brother says, 27:36 "I never end a shower without turning it on cold." 27:42 Oh. 27:44 He's a brave soul. 27:46 And you know, and more power to him 27:48 because I don't really like that. 27:50 He does it once in a while. Oh. 27:52 Yeah, I like it. I can't do it. 27:53 It's a good thing, it stimulates. 27:55 It makes us feel good. 27:56 If it's morning, not at night. 27:59 But so cold can be good. 28:02 Hot, I love hot. Oh, yeah. 28:05 I grew up in Cairo, Egypt and I like hot weather. 28:09 I don't mind hot weather. 28:10 Nancy has a harder time with that. 28:12 I have a harder time with cold. 28:13 She likes cold. 28:15 But so hot and cold, we can understand. 28:19 Lukewarm is just kind of uncomfortable. 28:23 And so that's what the Lord is saying, says, 28:28 "You think 28:30 that you are rich and wealthy, 28:34 and really, 28:37 you don't know what you're talking about 28:38 because you're wretched, miserable, 28:40 poor, blind, and naked 28:43 because you don't see as I see," God says. 28:46 Yes. Yeah. 28:47 So in Revelation 3, He gives us the answer, 28:52 the antidote. 28:54 He says I want you to buy from me. 28:56 Don't buy it from somebody else. 28:58 Don't get it from some impure source. 29:01 Get it from me, gold refined in the fire. 29:06 In other words, the Christian experience, 29:09 you got to go through some challenges 29:11 and I'm gonna refine you, I'm gonna help you, 29:13 I'm gonna lean on me 29:14 and I'll really make you pure gold. 29:16 Amen. 29:18 You know, and then he says 29:20 that you can be rich, then you're gonna be rich, 29:22 white garments, that you may be clothed 29:26 that the shame of your nakedness 29:28 may not be revealed. 29:29 That robe of righteousness of Christ, 29:33 the pure robe of righteousness, His righteousness, 29:37 not our attempt to be righteous. 29:40 Yes. 29:42 By grace we are saved, that, not of ourselves, 29:45 it is the gift of God. 29:46 Ephesians Chapter 2 and other places 29:49 which will tell us 29:50 this is an amazing gift, 29:54 and we need to accept it by grace 29:56 and not try to earn it. 29:58 Our response because the Lord is working in us 30:01 is what then helps us to do good works, 30:05 not because we are earning our way 30:07 to heaven. 30:09 You know, maybe sometimes people allege that 30:12 Seventh-day Adventists are legalists 30:14 trying to work their way to heaven. 30:16 None of us will get to heaven 30:18 except by the grace of Jesus Christ. 30:19 Yes. Amen. That's right. 30:22 And that grace working in us begins to change us 30:25 to will and to do of... 30:27 His good pleasure. 30:29 Of God's will for our lives, you know. 30:32 So it's an amazing process, justification 30:36 which is this robe of righteousness, 30:38 but also the trials you go through 30:41 where you can be refined, become pure gold, 30:45 and then He says, 30:49 "You need to get some eye salve for your eyes. 30:54 So you can see clearly so that 30:58 you're not blinded by the devil." 31:00 You're not blinded by your own sufficiency, 31:03 but you are understanding the full picture 31:07 of what God has in store for you, 31:09 and who you are and your great need of Me. 31:13 So as we come to the very end of time, 31:15 and let me tell you, I believe, Nancy believes, 31:17 we are living in the very end of time. 31:19 I mean, Jesus is coming so soon. 31:22 And, you know, if people keep saying, 31:25 "Oh, well, you know, 31:27 that's just kind of a some historical thing 31:32 and I don't really believe it." 31:33 You know, you can say, "Well, if you're saying that, 31:35 then you are helping to fulfill 2 Peter Chapter 3, 31:40 "That scoffers will come in the last day say, 31:44 'Where is the promise of His coming?' 31:46 You know, for since the fathers fell asleep, 31:48 all things continue as they were 31:50 from the beginning of creation.'" 31:52 So I believe that the Lord is coming so soon 31:55 and He wants us to become 31:58 really hot for Him and not lukewarm. 32:01 Yes. 32:02 And the only way to do that is to be in connection 32:05 with Christ every day, 32:09 and the urgency of our message, the urgency, you know, 32:13 I'm drawn to that John Chapter 9, 32:17 where Jesus is speaking in verse 4. 32:20 Jesus is saying Himself 32:21 and how much more than should we. 32:23 He says, "I must work the works of Him 32:26 who sent Me while it is day, the night is coming 32:28 when no one can work." 32:30 There is an urgency 32:31 that each of us need to possess. 32:33 Amen. 32:34 And that can only come as we are daily in connection 32:36 with the Lord and He opens our eyes 32:39 with special eye salve so that we can see. 32:42 Anyway I get excited about it. 32:43 Oh, that's great. 32:45 I think there is such a spiritual lethargy 32:49 that is kind of predominant. 32:51 And if we don't stay connected, 32:54 if we don't make a real effort to connect with the Lord, 32:59 we'll be distracted constantly 33:01 because the enemy is always trying to distract us. 33:03 So if we don't make that conscious decision to say, 33:07 I need to plug into the source right now, 33:10 and talk to the Lord and read the word. 33:13 You just, you can fall into that thing 33:16 where you just get swept away with the lethargy. 33:20 Amen. Great. 33:21 I think that happens when we realize 33:24 that scripture is our only hope. 33:27 It's our only source of strength. 33:29 That's good. 33:30 And prayer because as soon as we become, 33:33 begin to feel self-sufficient, 33:36 well, I've kind of arrived, you know... 33:38 Yes. 33:40 We are in a dangerous place. 33:43 That's right. 33:44 And if we can sense every day that without, 33:46 you know, we are nothing without that connection... 33:50 That's right. 33:52 To God 33:53 and we have to be emptied of self. 33:58 But we can't do that ourselves. 34:00 We have to come to Him to do that. 34:03 And I have a dear prayer partner 34:06 and we've talked about 34:07 how we are sinful by nature 34:11 and without God in our lives 34:13 we have no control and we've talked about 34:17 the struggle it is to die to self and she said, 34:21 you know, when she pointed this out one day 34:23 it was brilliant. 34:24 She said, "You know when you're dead, 34:26 you don't respond to anything." 34:28 So I know when I hear something 34:33 or I have thoughts or feelings 34:36 that I know are not 34:39 what they should be I think, 34:40 oops, self is not dead. 34:42 It's a red flag because if self was truly dead, 34:46 I wouldn't respond in my heart, 34:48 in my mind or by my words, 34:53 you know, the wrong way because self would be dead. 34:56 Right. It's a constant struggle. 34:58 It's true. Yeah. 35:00 Earlier you mentioned about youth and young people, 35:03 getting them excited about the Lord. 35:05 There's a new emphasis, correct? 35:07 When your mission youth young people... 35:09 Oh, yes. 35:10 Tell us a little bit about that? 35:12 I still like to consider myself youth, 35:13 I mean, older side of youth. 35:15 Enjoy where you can. 35:17 You are. You are. 35:19 But this is intriguing to me, 35:20 sounds like one year in mission service, 35:21 I'm not quite sure. 35:23 Let me assure you that... I can join. 35:26 You and Jill not only look younger, 35:29 you are younger. 35:30 Yeah. Thank you. 35:33 They like to remind us here at 3ABN 35:35 and in our administrative meetings. 35:36 Oh, yes. You're middle age now. 35:38 And we think, "No, we're still young." 35:41 Thank you. 35:43 Well, we have some dynamic young people 35:46 all over the world. 35:48 I mean, in some parts of the world, 35:51 the church itself 35:53 is maybe 50% young people. 35:57 Is it really? I mean, young people. 35:59 We're talking about like, you know, 25 and younger, 36:03 25 years old or younger, 30 years. 36:05 That's higher percentage actually than I thought. 36:07 Oh, it's enormous. 36:10 And the young people are so vibrant 36:12 and they're so happy to be part of the church. 36:15 Amen. 36:17 They get involved, you know, 36:18 in all kinds of community outreach, 36:20 evangelistic activities, literature distribution, 36:24 doing things for people, and the church itself 36:29 just becomes alive because of this young people. 36:32 And I'd like to encourage so many people 36:36 out there in local churches, 36:38 get to know the young people in your church. 36:41 That's good. 36:42 Get to at least know their name, 36:44 and just greet them. 36:45 You know, Marisse, it's great to have you here 36:48 this Sabbath day or, you know, 36:50 it's wonderful to have you as part of our church. 36:54 Adam, thank you for being part of our youth group. 36:57 Get to know the names of these young people 36:59 and make them feel welcome 37:01 and then get them involved in something. 37:02 Yes. 37:04 But we have a program called One Year in Mission. 37:08 It's an opportunity for young people 37:12 to take 10 months out of the year, 37:16 and to actually go to a particular place, 37:19 doesn't have to be outside of their country, 37:21 but in organized program to actively reach out 37:26 to the community and evangelism 37:28 and in all kinds of service opportunities. 37:30 That's good. 37:31 The leader in this, they have taken it by storm 37:35 is what we call the region 37:38 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 37:39 called the South American Division. 37:42 They have hundreds, literally thousands right now, 37:46 I think probably about 2000 or 3000, 37:49 who are actively involved 37:51 in little groups all over South America, 37:55 reaching out to people, Bible studies, singing groups, 37:59 community outreach, 38:01 all kinds of things, touching the lives of people 38:03 in an unusual way. 38:05 These young people who are part of this, 38:08 they will never be the same again. 38:11 Yeah. That's right. 38:12 So when they go into a profession, 38:14 when they get into a local church, 38:15 when they're doing, you know, things that professionals 38:19 and adults begin to do and everything else, 38:21 they will be different people. 38:23 Yes. 38:24 And it's so exciting and other divisions, 38:26 other regions of the world 38:27 now are becoming very excited about and they... 38:31 We have another wonderful program called 38:33 1000 Missionary Movement, 38:35 which is primarily been in Asia-Pacific area, 38:38 but is also in other places. 38:40 Dynamic young people who are reaching out 38:43 and other places in the world 38:45 are beginning to see the potential of this. 38:48 So the young people are just awesome. 38:51 I was gonna say it's not just students 38:53 that take a year out of their school year... 38:55 Young professionals. 38:57 We met a number of young professionals, 39:00 who had, you know, maybe an attorney 39:02 or an accountant or whatever, who have taken a year off 39:06 and have enjoyed it so much. 39:08 They've stayed another year. 39:09 And they are contributing in a tremendous way. 39:13 And many of them are working in our centers 39:18 of influences in large cities. 39:20 And it's a huge asset. 39:24 These are centers that we're establishing 39:26 in large cities 39:28 'cause that's another big area 39:29 that we're focusing on mission of the cities. 39:31 Yes. 39:32 Helping people in these huge metropolitan areas 39:35 to know that there is hope. 39:36 Something beyond just yourself and fighting for, 39:39 you know, an existence. 39:40 So these centers of influence are touching many lives. 39:44 And young people are working in these 39:46 to reach out to others. 39:47 That's great. 39:49 I was going to ask about the cities, 39:50 and we haven't told you this yet. 39:52 But starting the second quarter of this coming year, 39:56 3ABN will be in Chicago 39:58 to 2.1 million viewers in the city. 40:01 Oh, fantastic. 40:02 Miracle or what, 2.1 million viewers on cable. 40:07 And I think also Atlanta looks like Atlanta. 40:10 I'm not sure it's... 40:11 It's not solidified yet, but they're working toward it. 40:12 Yes. 40:14 Yes, but Chicago is supposed to be 40:15 the second quarter to 2.1 million in the inner 40:20 within the City of Chicago 40:21 will be hearing the three angels' messages 24/7. 40:24 Praise God. 40:25 And recently where Michigan and Wisconsin 40:28 how many viewers do we add through cable? 40:30 It was one 1.1... 1.1, 1.2 million. 40:33 1.1, 1.2 million. 40:34 The entire million 40:36 in the entire state of Michigan. 40:37 3ABM getting in some of these major cities. 40:40 So it's amazing what God is doing. 40:42 They're near to us. 40:44 Talk a little bit about and I can't believe 40:45 our time is getting down so close. 40:47 But we wanna talk a little bit, 40:49 you said while ago you believe Jesus 40:50 is coming soon, why? 40:52 And people will say to me, 40:53 "Well, my grandparents thought Jesus was coming and, 40:56 you know, their grandparents 40:57 before them thought Jesus was coming." 41:00 What's different? 41:01 Everyone will have their own perspective. 41:03 Mine is I say, "Well, Daniel says, you know, 41:06 men shall run to 41:07 and fro knowledge be increased." 41:08 So let me ask you a question. 41:10 Right now we can send messages around, 41:14 as we're speaking, is going up to satellite to 41:16 22,300 miles to space, 41:18 connecting to other satellites down in the homes of people, 41:22 anywhere on planet earth 41:23 that people really wanna watch in three seconds. 41:25 Now I say, "Now how much 41:28 could technology improve or speed improve 41:31 if the world lasted another thousand years." 41:33 So it tells me when this gospel 41:34 the kingdom should be into all the world. 41:36 So with technology, you can't really improve 41:39 on three seconds, 41:41 so we have to be right there to the end, 41:43 but in your perspective, why is it 41:46 that you really believe Jesus is coming soon for our viewers 41:48 that maybe we are a little caught up Laodicean, 41:51 maybe we're just 41:52 somewhat discouraged as you said, 41:53 we're looking at self instead of serving others. 41:57 Talk to us a little bit about that? 41:59 Well, first of all, you just see and look, 42:04 if you're at all interested in world news. 42:08 Every day, you will see 42:10 on your preferred news website 42:15 or whatever you're looking at, 42:17 the absolute atrocities that are taking place 42:20 all over the globe. 42:22 Yes. 42:23 The way that people are losing heart about life itself, 42:28 confusion, absolute distraction 42:32 on the part of so many people 42:35 because they're not sure 42:37 what is really gonna happen in the future. 42:39 Things are literally falling apart. 42:42 Now right now, as we speak, 42:45 I didn't check today but, 42:47 you know, the stock market seems to be 42:48 doing pretty well and has for quite a while 42:51 in the United States that could change momentarily, 42:56 but political situations around the world, 42:59 social settings, fulfillment of scripture, 43:03 all these things are happening 43:05 with such a powerful acceleration, 43:09 that it tells me that the end of 43:12 the world is very soon. 43:14 People don't have the answers anymore. 43:16 You know, politicians can't fix things 43:18 like they used to be able to. 43:19 And things are just in such disarray. 43:22 Nancy and I travel a lot, all over the world. 43:26 And we get a chance to observe and see what is happening. 43:30 And also observe people 43:33 and how they're responding to things. 43:35 To me, this is a huge indicator that the Lord is coming soon 43:41 because people are just without hope, 43:44 so many of them. 43:45 Secondly, the prophetic understanding 43:48 of the books of especially Daniel and Revelation, 43:53 and we just came from speaking every year 43:57 we try to do this, in fact, next year, 43:58 we're gonna do it twice public evangelistic activities. 44:03 And, you know, to see how the Holy Spirit 44:06 touches people's lives and changes them 44:09 and helps them to accept truth. 44:11 This to me is a huge indication that the Holy Spirit 44:14 is moving all across the planet in a powerful way. 44:18 Amen. 44:19 But the very fulfillment of the Books of Daniel 44:22 and Revelation and those prophecies 44:24 which I know 3ABN is very attuned to, 44:28 and you present those kinds of things. 44:30 That tells us that we are in the tips of the toes 44:34 of the statue of Daniel Chapter 2. 44:36 Amen. Toenails. 44:38 At the toenails. That's right. 44:39 And the Lord's return is imminent. 44:41 Yes. 44:43 And so I could just see that, you know, 44:47 we're just hanging on with our fingernails, 44:51 to the very, very end of time scenario, 44:53 but we shouldn't be afraid, we shouldn't be upset, 44:56 we shouldn't be nervous 44:58 because the Lord's gonna carry us through... 45:00 Amen. 45:01 You know, and He's gonna be coming. 45:02 He says, "I'll be with you to the very end of time." 45:05 And that's a wonderful promise. 45:07 Part of, you know, 45:09 the Great Commission, Matthew 28. 45:11 But I'm gonna be with you to the very end. 45:13 Yes. 45:14 When Jesus was hanging on the cross, 45:16 we were on His mind. 45:17 So what a shame it would be to sleep through 45:19 the most exciting times of earth's history, right? 45:21 Exactly. We should be awake. 45:23 It won't be too long. 45:24 Yvonne too will be able to look up. 45:26 Jesus will come back and we can say, 45:27 "Hallelujah, We're Home at Last!" 45:30 Speaking of that, that's the song 45:31 that we're gonna play for you right now. 45:35 Do you know what I'm gonna say, about three to five minutes. 45:39 Lari Goss puts together 45:41 what you're about to hear right now. 45:43 Praise God. 45:44 "Hallelujah, We're Home at Last!" 45:46 Reggie and Ladye... 46:00 Hallelujah to the Lamb! 46:04 Hallelujah to the Great I AM! 46:08 Hallelujah, all pain is past! 46:12 Hallelujah, we're home at last 46:18 There's excitement in Heaven 46:21 Like there's never been before 46:26 Jesus stands up Heaven is changed 46:29 Forevermore and more 46:34 The angels surround the Savior 46:37 To escort the Son of Man 46:41 He returns to earth victorious 46:46 To fulfill salvation's plan 46:53 Hallelujah to the Lamb! 46:57 Hallelujah to the Great I AM! 47:01 Hallelujah, all pain is past! 47:05 Hallelujah, we're home at last! 47:17 At the sound of the last trump 47:21 The dead in Christ will rise 47:25 We're going home at last 47:29 We'll surround the sea of glass 47:34 No more empty mansions 47:37 No vacant seats around the throne 47:42 Heaven is finally Heaven 47:45 When God's children are home 47:53 Hallelujah to the Lamb! 47:57 Hallelujah to the Great I AM! 48:01 Hallelujah, all pain is past! 48:05 Hallelujah, we're home at last! 48:13 Hallelujah, Hallelujah 48:17 Hallelujah, Hallelujah to the Lamb! 48:25 Hallelujah, Hallelujah to the Lamb! 48:30 Hallelujah to the Great I AM! 48:34 Hallelujah, all pain is past! 48:38 Hallelujah, we're home at last! 48:43 Hallelujah, we're home at last! 48:50 Hallelujah, 48:55 we're home, We're home at last! 49:03 Home at last! 49:07 Praise the Lord. 49:09 Amen. 49:12 Amen. Wow. 49:13 No more empty mansions, no vacant seats... 49:16 Seats around the throne. 49:18 That's my favorite line right there. 49:20 No vacant seats around the throne. 49:22 Heaven is finally heaven when God's children are home. 49:25 Yeah. Amen. 49:27 Think about that. 49:28 And from heaven's perspective... 49:30 Yeah. No more empty mansions. 49:32 No vacant seats around the throne. 49:35 Great for all of us. That's a win-win, right? 49:36 Amen. 49:38 Jesus comes to redeem His people. 49:39 And as people get to meet Him face-to-face. 49:43 I just wanna say one thing 49:44 I think He is even more anxious 49:47 for that day to come than we are. 49:49 Than we are because He knows all 49:51 and we have no idea, I have not seen nor ear heard 49:55 either enter the heart of man. 49:56 Our time is almost gone. 49:57 Talk to us a little bit with changing technology, 50:00 changing every year almost every day. 50:03 What are we doing 50:04 in the digital world as a church? 50:06 What some of the... 50:07 How are we keeping up with the pace? 50:09 Well, not only 3ABN does this, 50:12 but many other aspects of the church, 50:14 using the internet and satellite activity 50:18 and all of that, and social media today 50:21 is just so prevalent. 50:24 It's absorbing people's minds and many times 50:26 it's not that great for them, you know, 50:28 they compare themselves then with other people 50:31 and what looks good 50:32 and people can become discouraged. 50:34 So we need to bring them hope on social media. 50:36 We need to bring them 50:38 something that takes their eyes off themselves 50:41 and brings them closer to the Lord. 50:44 We have some beautiful initiatives, 50:47 digital evangelism initiative, 50:50 where we're not only 50:51 going to be putting a lot more content 50:54 on the internet to help people 50:57 find things easier in their search engine optimization 51:01 to find things that are of real value, 51:05 and then also to help guide people 51:08 who are interested in a specific things 51:12 electronically and legally, of course, 51:14 and because we have all these challenges today 51:17 through the use of social media, 51:18 but do everything in a proper way 51:20 to guide people towards helping them 51:23 know things of truth, 51:26 guiding them to studies of the Bible 51:28 to interesting things 51:30 that will appeal to them 51:32 in terms of a truly 51:36 eternal value as opposed to 51:38 just something very peripheral or earthly. 51:42 So there are a lot of wonderful initiatives 51:44 that are taking place. 51:46 And the Seventh-day Adventist Church 51:48 is working in this area along with many others 51:50 partnering with various organizations 51:54 including ASI of which 3ABN is apart. 51:58 So it's an exciting thing. 52:00 We also have, 52:01 as we mentioned earlier in the program, 52:03 the Spirit of Prophecy writings by Ellen G. White 52:08 that I believe are inspired by God. 52:10 We have a new initiative that we're working on, 52:12 we're not totally opening it up yet, 52:15 but it's for people all over the world 52:18 to be able through programmed activity 52:23 to translate this into local languages 52:26 as volunteers. 52:28 Wow, that's great. 52:29 And we're investing money in the system 52:31 so that volunteers can do this, so that those writings can be 52:35 in multiple languages around the world, 52:38 and not just in English 52:39 and a few other prominent languages. 52:42 So these are the kinds of things 52:44 that the church is involved with, 52:46 that are really gonna make a difference. 52:48 Jesus is serious about coming back isn't it? 52:51 He's very serious about coming back. 52:52 Amen. 52:53 He's gonna give us the technology and say, 52:55 "Look, if you're a little lazy, 52:56 get on this at least use this technology. 52:58 Let's get this gospel into all the world." 53:00 We're gonna have to take a short break, 53:02 go to news break. 53:03 We'll be back for a closing thought. |
Revised 2019-10-21