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Good morning and happy Sabbath Church family.

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So my name is Rachel Santana.

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I am a graduate of SAU.

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I graduated in 2021.

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Surprisingly I actually graduated in business, which might not make sense as I continue this

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presentation, but I promise that is what God has called me to do.

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This little sermon message that I want to give is titled Answering the Call.

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I have spent a lot of my time serving, whether in multiple facets, different types of serving,

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but I have really felt God's call in my life to serve.

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So starting out, my first ever experience with missions and service was actually in

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2012 when I was just 14 years old.

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We flew to the country of Haiti down in the Caribbean and it was recently after those

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massive earthquakes that completely devastated the country.

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A couple of church members of mine, my father and I, we decided we want to go down and do

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a medical mission trip.

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We had a clinic, we had a VBS.

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I actually remember we partnered with Southern and there was a couple of college students

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that came down with us and they helped out with the VBS and the medical clinic.

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It was an amazing experience as a 14 year old to see this, especially going to a third

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world country, to really realize how well you have it living in a first world country.

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My father, bless him, he got so scared.

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I gave him a really big scare on that trip.

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We were playing with the kids and we had brought a soccer ball for them to play around with

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and they invited me and one of the other college students to go play with the kids.

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We were like, okay, yeah, that'll be fun.

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Let's go play with the kids.

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They take us, we go over a couple of different hills, through a pasture and then we find

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this kind of wide open space to play soccer.

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Well no one told my father where I was.

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It was not communicated to him.

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So when they were wrapping things up, they were looking for me, could not find me.

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My father was frantic trying to figure out where I was, if I had been kidnapped, but

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luckily I had just gone with the kids and I had come back.

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Let's just say I probably aged my father a couple of years that trip.

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Moving on, I actually had the opportunity, I went to Georgia Cumberland Academy and they

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have this mission trip they do over Thanksgiving break that goes up to Kentucky Appalachia

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where it's a lower income area where we volunteer to do projects.

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The one site that I was on, it was this lady that was kind of home bound, wasn't able to

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maintain her home or her yard.

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So us high school students, we cut her grass, painted her walls, we actually re-tard her

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roof.

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So we had a couple of kids up on the roof, they had some interesting lapel situation

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going on and we were re-tarding her roof so she wouldn't get any more leaks.

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After that, I actually attended Southern starting in 2016 and I felt God's call to do missions

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again.

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And after my experience in Appalachia, Kentucky, I firmly believe that you don't have to go

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halfway across the world to do missions.

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And so when I felt that call to be a missionary during my time of college, I decided to go

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to stay here in America and to be a task force dean at Shenandoah Valley Academy.

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It was a really interesting experience.

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I was going from taking only, taking care of only myself to taking care of a dorm of

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six to about 20, sorry, got sidetracked, taking care of a group of girls in a dorm that are

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about 75 girls.

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Was a big growth for me and it was also taught me that there's a lot of people that need

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help, not only in our community but also in our church as well.

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There's a drastic need that we need to share with our community and with those and our

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young people.

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And most recently, after I graduated Southern, I felt the call again to go out in missions.

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And this time I felt called to go out to South Korea as an English teacher.

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Here's your daily dose of serotonin.

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These are my kids that I taught.

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The program over there, I went as an English teacher.

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It's the SDA language school.

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I was located in Jeju Island in the South of South Korea and I was teaching kindergarten.

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This was my first time teaching in general.

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This was my first time interacting with kids that age for a long period of time.

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When my mother found out that I was going to be a kindergarten teacher, she laughed.

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But it was an absolutely amazing experience.

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I get there and they say, okay, we're going to give you the five-year-old class.

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I'm like, okay, five-year-olds, they're cute, they're adorable.

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The five-year-olds, this was their first time in school, absolutely no experience with English.

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I did not speak Korean at all.

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So my joke, which is not really a joke, but those first two weeks of teaching them, I

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learned more Korean than they learned English.

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I learned expressions like, sit down, stop that, as well as teaching expressions, repeat

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after me.

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That way I could try to get them to learn some English expressions.

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But they are absolutely, they were amazing children.

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They soaked things up so quickly, about six months into teaching them, I could talk very

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comfortably in English and I knew they would get about 75% of what I was saying.

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It was absolutely amazing to see how God had created us and our ability to absorb information

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at that age.

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It was absolutely amazing that our students were not Adventist at all.

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I didn't go to an Adventist school to teach.

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All the children that I had had no experience with Adventist or even Christianity at all.

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So it was absolutely amazing to be able to have this class.

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We had a joint worship together with all of the kids in the morning.

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We would sing worship songs, take turns giving Bible stories.

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It was absolutely amazing opportunity to share this message with these children.

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And actually the little boy right here in the hanbok, the traditional garb here, his

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name was Greg, was a very smart student and we were going over the chapter of vocabulary

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for family.

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So I was practicing with my students and like, okay students, what are some names of people

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in our family?

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And I would tell them to raise their hand and they would say, mom, dad, sister, grandma,

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grandpa.

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But this little boy, he raised his hand, he said, teacher, teacher, Jesus.

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That right there made the trip for me.

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It was an incredible feeling to know that the stories of Jesus that I was telling, the

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stories of creation in the Bible were getting through to these kids and they were understanding

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that Jesus is a part of their family.

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After my time in Korea had ended, I moved back to the U.S. and I still felt that passion

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and that call for service.

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So in my ability to be an employee of Southern, I actually got the opportunity to be a sponsor

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for an ERC mission trip, which happened this past May.

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I just came back this summer.

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There was a group of 12 of us and the program that it is, ERC stands for Evangelical Resource

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Center, which is a program underneath the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University.

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This was the most unique service I had ever done in my life because ERC is an evangelical

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mission trip.

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When we went there, we went in the month of May and we were gone for about three weeks

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and we did about two weeks of preaching and I did 16 sermons.

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I had never preached in my life before.

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This was very nerve wracking, very uncomfortable.

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The only time I had been up front was maybe part of a music group or a presentation in

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class.

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I had never given a 15, 20 minute presentation, let alone a 45 minute talk in front of a group

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of people before.

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It was definitely a growing experience for me, but it was absolutely incredible to be

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a part of this group.

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There was 12 of us in total.

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Out of all of us, there were 11 preaching, so we reached 22 churches.

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We did one church a week.

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It was absolutely incredible.

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These are some pictures of the churches that I was assigned to.

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I had an English speaking church as my first.

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They were such welcoming people.

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They were super excited to have us.

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They actually gifted us.

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They call them Batiks, which is the traditional garb of Indonesia.

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They were just so welcoming and so, what's the word I'm thinking of?

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They were so happy for us to be there.

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On the other side is my second church.

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It was a large group of children who I tried to keep very much so engaged in my sermons.

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Afterwards, I would say, okay, this is my question for my sermon.

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If you can answer my question, I'm going to give you a little treat just to help them

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staying engaged in the sermons and not letting them be left out.

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Today's message, I particularly want to focus on good news.

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The message that I'll be giving to you is actually an excerpt from the first sermon

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I ever preached in my life while I was there in Indonesia.

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It is a message directly tuned for church members.

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This is something that I believe I actually was reminded of when I was there when I was

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reviewing the sermons.

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This is something, it was a great reminder for me and I think it'll be an amazing reminder

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for you as well.

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I want to highlight good news.

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But this good news isn't just for a small group of people.

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It's not just for church members.

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It's for everyone.

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I want to read together in Revelation chapter 14 verse 6.

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Let's read it together.

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Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to

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preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.

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This message is for everyone.

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It doesn't matter what your background is, where you're from, what your culture is.

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It is universal.

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It's for everyone.

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And it is urgent.

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And it is final.

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But to better understand this message that we see in Revelation 14, there's four main

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questions we need to make sure we are understanding.

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One, who are the messengers in this passage?

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Number two, what is the message that is being given?

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Three, who is the message for?

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And number five, sorry, number four, why is this message so important?

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So let's start with that first question.

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Who are the messengers described in this text?

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We can find the answer.

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Oh, I'm sorry.

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These messengers are preaching the gospel, the everlasting gospel.

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But who are these people who are supposed to be preaching the gospel?

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We find the answer in Matthew 28, and you might be familiar with this text.

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And it says, it's the Great Commission.

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Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and

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of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded

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you.

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And to you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

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We are God's messengers, church family, as followers of Jesus Christ.

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We are called to preach the gospel.

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We are the angels that are described in Revelation 14.

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We are God's messengers for a broken world.

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We are called to prepare the world for Jesus's return.

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There are different ways to share the gospel, but we are all called to share the gospel

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in one way or another.

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But what is this gospel that we are preaching?

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What does that mean, gospel?

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Revelation describes it as an everlasting gospel.

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The Greek word translates gospel as good news.

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And according to Revelation 14, this good news is everlasting.

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It's eternal.

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It is the same good news that Adam and Eve received at the beginning of time.

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It is the promise of a Savior.

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It is the same exact good news that Noah preached right before the great flood, that there is

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salvation from judgment that is coming.

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It is the same good news that Jesus himself shared while he was here on earth.

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Mark 1, 14-15 says this.

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Let's read it together.

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Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time

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is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.

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Believe in that good news.

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Lastly, this gospel is mentioned in the very last book of the Bible, if you remember, Revelation

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14, verse 6.

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It says the everlasting gospel.

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It is eternal.

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That's why Jesus says in Matthew 24, verse 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my

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words will not pass away.

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Family, this message is eternal.

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It is unchanging.

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The same message that Adam and Eve received is the same message that we are preaching

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today.

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God is unchanging, and he is here to bring us home, the good news.

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Why is it called good news?

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Why is this gospel good news?

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It is the good news that Jesus left his throne in heaven and came to the sinful earth.

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It is the good news that Jesus lived a perfect life.

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It is the good news that Jesus perfectly demonstrated the love of God.

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It is good news that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

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It is the good news that Jesus died in our place.

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It is the good news that Jesus rose on that third day.

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It is the good news that because of Jesus, our sins can be forgiven.

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It is the good news that Jesus is coming again soon.

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We are God's messengers, family.

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We are here to proclaim the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

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To bring the good news to those who are suffering with disease, we tell them that Jesus is our

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healer.

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To those struggling with finances, Jesus is our provider.

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To the broken family that Jesus is brings reconciliation.

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To those living a life of sin, Jesus is our redeemer.

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God has given us this message of good news, family.

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But the next question, who is this message for?

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If we look back at Revelation 14, it emphasizes to every nation, every tribe, every tongue,

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every people.

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This good news is for everyone, family.

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Not just us in our church.

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Not just for our close friends and family.

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For everyone who we interact with.

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That one person who might be driving you crazy at work, that message is for them.

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The message for God is not exclusive.

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It's for everyone.

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Each and every one of us face challenges.

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Each and every one of us have problems in our life.

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But that's why we need to share this everlasting gospel, family.

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It is eternal.

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It is unchanging.

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It is for each and every one of us.

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As it is for your family members, your neighbors, your friends at work or at school.

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Because as we remember in John 3, 16, let's read it together.

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God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him

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should not perish but have everlasting life.

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It doesn't say for those who only do good things.

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It doesn't say for those who are attending church regularly.

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It says this is for everyone.

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Whomever believe in Jesus.

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This is for them.

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Whoever will accept Jesus into their life.

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In his love, God sends us as messengers.

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We are called to proclaim the good news about Jesus and his salvation.

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We are called to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.

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This morning, you may be thinking of someone who is experiencing sadness because of this

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sinful world.

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You may know of someone who is involved in drugs.

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You may have a family member who is suffering from a disease because of bad choices in life.

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You may have a friend who has believed in Satan's lies and is left behind a broken family.

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Each and every one of those people need to hear the good news.

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They need to be freed from Satan's lies.

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This week, as we go into the start of this new week, praying and working for the salvation

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for those we love, we need to remember that we are messengers of hope, sharing the gospel,

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sharing the good news of Jesus Christ for a world that is suffering due to Satan's

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lies.

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So now that we understand who the messengers are, now that we know what the message is

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and who the message is for, there is one more thing that we need to talk about.

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Why is this message so important?

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Why is it so urgent?

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Why do we have to go out of our comfort zone to share this with those who are hurting?

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Why do we need to do this now?

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Why is this so important to preach this message urgently?

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The angel in Revelation 14 says it for us.

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The hour of his judgment has come.

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The battle between good and evil is almost over, family.

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Jesus is coming soon.

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He will put an end to sin and suffering forever.

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He will come to redeem those who have accepted him as their Savior, to those who have listened

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and accepted the gospel.

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We are God's messengers.

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We are the ones who are preaching this urgent message, message of hope to a world full of

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broken people, to bring this news of salvation and eternal life through Jesus.

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We are the messengers, preparing people for the return of Jesus.

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Everyone needs to hear this message, right?

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But how will they hear it if it's not shared?

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How will they know what this good news is if they do not hear it?

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The apostle Paul points this out in his writings, this important question.

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Let's read it together from Revelation 10-14.

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How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?

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And how can they believe in the one on whom they have never heard?

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And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

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This question is for you and me.

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Paul is calling us out, church family.

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We have heard the message of hope, the good news of the gospel, of Jesus' salvation.

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We have this good news, but how will others hear it if we do not share it?

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God is calling us to be his messengers.

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Jesus is coming soon.

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He offers salvation to everyone, and everyone needs to hear this message.

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Will you choose to be God's messenger today in your family, in your work, in your school,

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in your community?

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When I was in Indonesia, there was two churches I was assigned to.

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The first church I was assigned to, very welcoming church family.

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They were so hospitable.

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They were really excited for me to be there.

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And as we went into our week of sermons, I preached every night, and I made an appeal

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every night, which was not easy, mind you.

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That was something I was very uncomfortable with, but praise God that I was able to move

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forward with his strength.

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But due to our time, due our week in that time, out of the seven meetings we had, we

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had a total of only three guests.

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Only three people attended our series that week.

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And every time I made an appeal, every single night, only the church members would stand.

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We never got a reaction at all from our guests.

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And as we continued into the week, I was getting more and more nervous.

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I was worried, am I doing something wrong?

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Am I not preaching?

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Am I not leaning on the Holy Spirit as I should?

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And when we got to the end of the week and we made the final call for baptism, no decisions

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were made.

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We had been working with these churches for a long time.

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We had sent out workers ahead of us to prepare for the harvest.

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We had sent out Bible workers, trained people how to give Bible studies, encouraged the

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church family to reach out to those in their community to invite them.

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For they are the messengers, and we brought the message.

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When our team came together after the end of our first week, there was so much praise

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and so much excitement happening.

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One student would say, oh, I had four decisions for baptism.

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Another student who was stationed in a very large church said, I had 15 decisions for

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baptism.

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And as we went through the line, there was more and more positive news.

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And finally, my turn came and I had to say that there were no decisions made for baptism

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in my church.

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And that was not an easy decision and not an easy experience to go through.

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But luckily, there were some others who had had a similar experience and we were able

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to find comfort in each other and through scripture in realizing this may not be the

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time for harvest for this church yet.

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We've left behind these sermons.

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We've left behind these seeds.

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And we just hope and pray that the message that is within the church members can continue

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to be spread and there will be a further harvest on the road.

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But the issue is, family.

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I can preach until I am blue in the face.

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I can share the love that was within me.

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I can share this message.

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But if I'm not sharing it to those who need it, to those who want to hear it, if I'm not

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reaching out to those, if I'm just staying in my little comfort zone, if I'm just preaching

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to those who already know this message, I am not being fruitful.

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I am not sharing the message that I am commissioned to do, that Jesus calls us to do, to share

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the gospel.

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Because each and every one of us as believers of Christ are commissioned to share the good

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news in the gospel.

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Some people are called to share the gospel as a pastor or a teacher.

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Some are called to share the gospel at their jobs.

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And others share the gospel through the community service while working with their neighbors

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and those in the neighborhoods and their friends.

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But this week, I want to encourage you and challenge you that I want you to share the

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gospel with those around you.

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If you know someone who's going through a hard time, reach out to them and say, hey,

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I have some good news for you.

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I have someone who will help you through the struggles that you are going through right

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now.

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This will require some effort for us and it will definitely put us out of our comfort

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zones.

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But I promise the rewards will be great.

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Because as the verse that we had for our scripture reading, 2 Timothy 1, 7, for God did not give

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us a spirit of timidity, but the spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

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Family, today, God calls us to be his messengers.

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We don't have much time because Jesus is coming soon.

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Everyone needs to hear and receive this message, this good news.

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This week, we will be sharing the word of God.

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This week, we'll be inviting people to our church.

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But the first decision begins today.

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Today, both you and I must decide that we are going to be God's messengers.

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The gospel needs to be shared with everyone.

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We are the messengers that God is calling.

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We are the ones called to share the gospel and the good news.

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I went on mission trips and I served not because I was the best, not because I'm the smartest,

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not because I'm a good preacher, or even because I have a deep understanding of the Bible.

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I went on mission trips and I served not because I felt confident in myself, but because God

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called me.

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As we look at our own lives, we can see that we're not perfect.

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We can point out all of our mistakes, all of our shortcomings.

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We can be like Aaron and say, we can be like Moses, I'm sorry, and say, Lord, I am not

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a preacher.

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I cannot get up in front of anyone, but the Lord will provide.

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I am guilty of not always listening to the call of Christ, always to share, to be that,

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to fulfill that great commission of sharing the gospel and the good news.

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As a family today, I would like you to join me in recommitting ourselves to accepting

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God's call to be his messengers, to say, Lord, I want to be your messenger and share the

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gospel.

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If that is your commitment and you would like to make that commitment today, please stand

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with me as we read this verse of encouragement one more time.

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Let us read together this encouragement that God gives us.

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For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

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Let us pray real quick as we ask God for our commitment.

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Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I want to thank you so much for this church family, Lord,

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for this willingness, this want, desire to recommit ourselves to you, Lord.

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We have seen that you have called each and every one of us to share the gospel, to share

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the good news of Jesus Christ.

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Lord, we all may not be sharing the gospel in the same way.

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We all may have different tasks and different strengths, but the beauty of it, Lord, is

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you will use each and every one of us in the way that you have created us to, to further

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the message of Jesus Christ and of the good news.

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Lord, we may not be comfortable.

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We may not think we have the strength to do this, Lord.

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We will be out of our comfort zone.

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We will be afraid of what people may think when we ask them and encourage them and share

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the message about Jesus.

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But Lord, I hold on to that text, Lord, the text that you gave us that you have not given

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us a spirit of timidity.

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If we call upon you and we call upon your name, you will empower us, Lord, give us the

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strength we need so that we can share your good news, Lord.

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So as we go into this week, Lord, you see each and every heart here, each and every

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person that is standing saying, Lord, I am here.

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I am recommitting myself to your message and to your commission to share the good news.

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So as we go through this week, Lord, we claim that promise in Second Timothy, Lord, we claim

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that power, that love and that self-discipline that you will provide for us so that we can

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fulfill your commission, Lord.

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In Jesus' heavenly name, I pray.

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Amen.