WEBVTT 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:04.879 In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 00:00:05.019 --> 00:00:09.199 let us pray. Father God, we thank you so much 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.419 for bringing us to church today, and we thank 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:13.939 you for the beautiful singing and all those that 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.460 took part in this beginning of the service, Cindy 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:21.420 and Jennifer, who are so passionate about the 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:24.699 storytelling. We thank you, Jesus, for blessing 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:27.079 every person here today. In your loving name, 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:34.380 amen. So I really enjoy that story which you 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.960 talk about going down the river, Jennifer. I 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:40.219 was born in South Africa, and of course we moved 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:43.039 to the UK afterwards, but we go down the river 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:45.280 there with kayaks or something, whitewater rafting, 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:48.020 and if you fall out the boat, you've got to get 00:00:48.020 --> 00:00:49.820 to shore as quickly as possible because there's 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:53.219 crocodiles in the water, which is really cool. 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:57.619 All right, today we're going to read John 8 .31, 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:01.390 and it says, Then Jesus said to those Jews who 00:01:01.390 --> 00:01:03.929 believed him, If you abide in my word, you are 00:01:03.929 --> 00:01:06.790 my disciples indeed. And of course, 32 says, 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:08.730 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall 00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:11.650 make you free. But if you read further back, 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:19.189 let's go back to John 8, 27. They did not understand 00:01:19.189 --> 00:01:22.650 that he spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus 00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:25.989 said to them, When you lift up the Son of Man, 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:30.879 Then you will know that I am he, and that I do 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:34.120 nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me. 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:38.040 I speak these things, and he who sent me is with 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:41.420 me. The Father has not left me alone, for I always 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:44.219 do those things that please him. As he spoke 00:01:44.219 --> 00:01:47.700 these words, many believed him. So as Jesus spoke 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:51.480 to the Jews, they began to believe him and what 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:57.120 he was teaching, right? Excuse me. I'd like to 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:01.340 share a story. I don't know, all of a sudden 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:07.019 I've got a runny nose. Okay, so I work for Collegedale 00:02:07.019 --> 00:02:09.879 Church, and we had two HVAC technicians that 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:15.900 came over, and these guys had a really fun time 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:17.800 at the church because it was the week of VBS, 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:20.520 and we have a really big VBS, probably like 450 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:25.759 to 500 children at the VBS. The older guy, he 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.039 was probably about maybe 60 years old. And so 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:31.379 I started asking him, like, hey, do you guys 00:02:31.379 --> 00:02:33.919 have VBS at your church? So he said, no. And 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:36.240 of course, knowing me, I like to prompt, you 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:39.719 know, talk, tell me about it. So he said, oh, 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.280 no, I don't go to church. And the other technician 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.819 who was working with him for several months wasn't 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:47.379 aware of this, but she belongs to the Baptist 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:49.479 church. It was a tiny church, and they had no 00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:52.310 kids, so they never had VBS. So I said, come 00:02:52.310 --> 00:02:53.930 on, come and have a look at the VBS. And I saw 00:02:53.930 --> 00:02:55.509 the kids singing and doing all sorts of stuff. 00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:58.009 They were excited, especially the girl. And of 00:02:58.009 --> 00:03:00.430 course, that was my opportunity now to disciple. 00:03:01.550 --> 00:03:04.250 So it was really awesome. Thank you so much. 00:03:04.270 --> 00:03:06.430 I'm sorry, I forgot my hanky today. Perfect, 00:03:06.469 --> 00:03:13.509 thank you. I'm good, thank you. So I spoke to 00:03:13.509 --> 00:03:15.969 them and I spoke to the gentleman as well. I 00:03:15.969 --> 00:03:18.189 started saying, man, if you'd like to come to 00:03:18.189 --> 00:03:20.159 our church. I'll come and pick you up if you 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:21.580 don't have a vehicle. I know he has a vehicle. 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:24.419 But I was just kind of being warm, you know. 00:03:24.939 --> 00:03:27.159 And if you're passing by, you're welcome to come 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:29.740 and sit and watch the VBS. And they were on the 00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:31.479 clock. And, of course, we were paying for them. 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:33.960 So I said, come, come with me. They said, oh, 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.620 they can't do it. I said, listen, we're paying 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:40.120 you guys. Come. So he had a great time. But, 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:43.500 of course, he had an experience in his life at 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:46.759 church that he stopped going to church because 00:03:46.759 --> 00:03:49.860 of that. And I don't want to reveal that information, 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.599 but that is between, you know. But the young 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:56.139 lady was so impressed. She said she so wished 00:03:56.139 --> 00:03:59.800 she had a church where they had VBS. So I said, 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:02.580 you know what? And she also belongs to another 00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:06.360 Baptist church. I said, every time, it was our 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:09.550 VBS week, and I gave her the dates. And I said, 00:04:09.610 --> 00:04:12.009 you're welcome to come over here and help us. 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:14.830 So you can learn how we do things, so you can 00:04:14.830 --> 00:04:17.149 go and share it with your church and other people 00:04:17.149 --> 00:04:19.850 in the communities. So she was really excited 00:04:19.850 --> 00:04:23.009 about that. Because even you guys, you're welcome 00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:26.110 to visit us for VBS Week at Collegedale, at the 00:04:26.110 --> 00:04:30.730 university campus. It's really interesting. But 00:04:30.730 --> 00:04:32.410 church family, this morning we gathered around 00:04:32.410 --> 00:04:36.230 a simple but powerful truth. Jesus didn't just 00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:39.829 call us to believe. He called us to multiply. 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:43.050 How do we multiply? We've got to be disciples. 00:04:43.709 --> 00:04:46.769 Because as disciples, we duplicate. We make more 00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:50.430 disciples, right? So we must remember that. Jesus 00:04:50.430 --> 00:04:53.610 does not want us just to believe. We've got to 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:55.810 go out and reach people, reach the communities. 00:04:56.110 --> 00:05:05.100 In Matthew 28, 19 to 20. Go therefore and make 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:07.699 disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:09.319 name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:12.180 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:15.160 you. And behold, I am with you always to the 00:05:15.160 --> 00:05:18.680 end of age. Notice, Jesus didn't say go and get 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:22.160 people to agree with you. He said make disciples. 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:27.959 Why? Because by believing, belief is the beginning 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:30.600 of the journey. But that's not the end goal. 00:05:31.839 --> 00:05:35.439 Discipleship. is the goal. In John 8 .31 it tells 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:41.199 us, and he makes it plain, we need to abide in 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.819 the word and make by disciples, as a disciple, 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:47.639 you will definitely do things to honor Jesus. 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:52.920 Is that correct? So today we start with belief, 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.420 and that belief is where it starts. Jesus is 00:05:56.420 --> 00:05:58.399 speaking in John 8 .31 to people who already 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:01.139 believed him. The Jews believed the gospel, right? 00:06:01.709 --> 00:06:04.730 But they believed in God and not Jesus. But they 00:06:04.730 --> 00:06:06.670 had faith in his teachings. They were open to 00:06:06.670 --> 00:06:08.829 instruction. But Jesus didn't say, because you 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:14.149 believe, it's okay. He did challenge them. He 00:06:14.149 --> 00:06:17.129 said, don't stop at belief. Continue in my word. 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:21.529 In other words, read your Bible every day. Don't 00:06:21.529 --> 00:06:23.310 just read it and say, oh, I read it. I read my 00:06:23.310 --> 00:06:26.129 five chapters. You know what? You don't read 00:06:26.129 --> 00:06:29.930 one chapter. Right, brother? One chapter and 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:33.170 learn it. So you can share it with other people. 00:06:33.649 --> 00:06:35.930 That's the important thing, to understand the 00:06:35.930 --> 00:06:38.670 Bible, understand the word. But if you think 00:06:38.670 --> 00:06:44.029 about it, in James 2 .19, it tells us that even 00:06:44.029 --> 00:06:49.610 the demons, even the demons know that Jesus is 00:06:49.610 --> 00:06:53.529 God. And they tremble at his name. And we've 00:06:53.529 --> 00:06:57.009 read about this. You believe that there is one 00:06:57.009 --> 00:07:00.810 God. You do well. Even the demons believe and 00:07:00.810 --> 00:07:06.910 tremble. But what happens with us? God isn't 00:07:06.910 --> 00:07:09.470 a one -time thing. He's not a one -time moment. 00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:13.670 God is a lifetime commitment. So if we get up 00:07:13.670 --> 00:07:16.149 every day, get on our knees, pray, pray for our 00:07:16.149 --> 00:07:18.269 family, pray for our church family, for friends, 00:07:18.430 --> 00:07:20.709 so we can get out there and reach communities. 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:24.129 It's important because sometimes there are communities 00:07:24.129 --> 00:07:26.730 around that have never visited your church or 00:07:26.730 --> 00:07:31.069 any other church. Why? We have not invited them. 00:07:35.470 --> 00:07:40.970 It's very simple. We can say that we fit because 00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:43.810 we bought a gym membership. It doesn't work like 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:47.189 that, right? It's the same with the book, with 00:07:47.189 --> 00:07:49.970 the Bible, the Word. You need to read it every 00:07:49.970 --> 00:07:53.209 day because as you read the Bible, you'll be 00:07:53.209 --> 00:07:56.050 transformed. And that transformation happens 00:07:56.050 --> 00:08:00.529 when? When we pray and we read. That's important. 00:08:00.730 --> 00:08:04.089 We need to read the Bible continuously, daily, 00:08:04.189 --> 00:08:09.930 with family and friends. You know, it's important 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:12.810 for us to even share the word with anybody you 00:08:12.810 --> 00:08:15.389 come into contact with. Whether they're Christian 00:08:15.389 --> 00:08:19.250 or non -Christian. I'd like to share this. We 00:08:19.250 --> 00:08:23.250 actually, I'm from a city called Durban in South 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:26.100 Africa. It's on the east coast. And it's a lot 00:08:26.100 --> 00:08:32.539 like Florida. You have one season, hot. So I 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:34.080 lived there a long time, but I didn't really 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:35.919 like it. But because all the family was there, 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:38.820 we stayed. It's a good life because you live 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:40.879 around, everything happens on the beach, and 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.480 everyone has swimming pools, so you have lots 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:46.580 of fun. But on a Sunday morning, about 300 to 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:51.440 400, oh, thank you so much. Thank you. About 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:56.490 300 to 400. of us Adventists would walk around 00:08:56.490 --> 00:08:58.950 with our green t -shirts with our seven Adventists 00:08:58.950 --> 00:09:01.750 on the back and have all markings, and we would 00:09:01.750 --> 00:09:05.470 approach anybody. We don't care which church 00:09:05.470 --> 00:09:08.389 you belong to, we would talk to you. So there 00:09:08.389 --> 00:09:11.389 were Jews, there were Muslims, Hindus, Tamils, 00:09:11.389 --> 00:09:14.470 and of course all those people have a completely 00:09:14.470 --> 00:09:17.710 different belief system to us. So we would speak 00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:20.690 to these guys. And even the Jehovah's Witnesses, 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:23.210 we'll get them. You know, they always catch people 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:27.009 on Sunday morning. So we will catch them on the 00:09:27.009 --> 00:09:29.570 beach and we will just stay there and we'll hammer 00:09:29.570 --> 00:09:33.610 them, you know. In a nice way, in a nice way, 00:09:33.669 --> 00:09:39.289 okay. So we need to, the Greek word for abide 00:09:39.289 --> 00:09:42.649 is meno. And the meaning of that is to continue, 00:09:42.750 --> 00:09:45.970 to dwell. So we want Jesus to dwell in our hearts. 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:49.200 If we have Jesus in our hearts. When we come 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.139 into contact with people, I think we should only 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:55.360 say kind things, right? Because it's not self, 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.360 it's Jesus. So if we have Jesus speaking through 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.220 us, we're just the instruments, we're the vessels. 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:06.139 So when we are kind to people, it'll change us. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:08.960 It'll change us, it'll change our lifestyle, 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.659 our thoughts, our decisions, and even our conversations 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:16.279 with people. We'll only be talking about... The 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:19.980 Bible about Jesus. And that's our job. Because 00:10:19.980 --> 00:10:22.940 God sent Jesus out to spread the gospel and make 00:10:22.940 --> 00:10:25.919 disciples. So he got 10 disciples and they split 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:28.700 up and they went on. And now we are just a continuation 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:31.820 of that. Am I right? We're the continuation of 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:33.940 those disciples. We are here to do the same thing. 00:10:34.620 --> 00:10:38.059 So it's important as we read our Bibles, we need 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:40.840 to study. So it's not just about reading 10 chapters 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.360 for the day. And that's how I used to read before. 00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:49.649 Until I was corrected, you know. But we need 00:10:49.649 --> 00:10:53.470 to read with understanding. So the Bible needs 00:10:53.470 --> 00:10:56.549 to inspire us. We were talking earlier in Sabbath 00:10:56.549 --> 00:11:01.990 school. Brother Ben laid out and we had a wonderful 00:11:01.990 --> 00:11:05.049 Sabbath school. Thank you for that. And we were 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:08.230 talking about how people, how the Jews just came 00:11:08.230 --> 00:11:10.610 up with ideas. It wasn't the Jews that came up 00:11:10.610 --> 00:11:15.580 with ideas. It was God who inspired them. And 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:18.460 we know that, you know, inspiration comes from 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:21.419 Jesus, from God. So it's important for us to 00:11:21.419 --> 00:11:24.860 trust God because he will take care of us. In 00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:29.980 John 15, 7, it says, If you abide in me and my 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:32.740 words abide in you, you can ask for whatever 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:36.740 you wish for. But if you think about when a child 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:40.860 asks a parent for something, the parent loves 00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:44.899 their child. And likewise, God loves us so much 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:47.860 more that he wants to provide and give us things. 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:50.720 But he will only give us things within reason. 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:56.100 I know many people who've had hardships in their 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:59.919 lives and we pray and they pray for financial 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.419 blessings, you know. And they don't realize that 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:07.419 sometimes when we pray together, we say, life's 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:10.539 not just about finances. You know, when you're 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:14.580 most blessed, is when people love and care for 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:17.500 you and you love and care for others. That's 00:12:17.500 --> 00:12:21.700 a blessing. And so the guys just pray for money. 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:27.539 But in my opinion, I just feel that God blesses 00:12:27.539 --> 00:12:30.019 some people to be very wealthy and others not 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:33.139 so. But you have enough, right, Brother Darren? 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:35.919 You have enough to survive and pay your bills. 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.299 And I just think that's a blessing in itself. 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:43.299 So many people... have this misconception, and 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:46.399 they think, if I win the lottery, man, I can 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:51.039 do so much. You know what? If you win the lottery, 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:54.360 those people who cannot manage money, you can 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:56.679 have $100 million, and within a couple of years, 00:12:56.700 --> 00:13:02.539 it's gone. Unfortunately. So when we abide in 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:06.019 Jesus, and Jesus abides in us, we stay rooted. 00:13:07.019 --> 00:13:08.940 And it's important, because if we are rooted, 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:13.600 And we stay close to our source. And Jesus is 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:18.620 the source. As it tells us in Psalms 113, the 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:21.419 tree is planted near the stream, but the tree 00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:26.840 doesn't move. It produces good fruit. So it stays 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:29.259 close to its source, which is the river, the 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:32.799 water. If we stay close to our source, which 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:36.600 is Jesus, we'll be grounded and we'll be blessed. 00:13:38.219 --> 00:13:41.259 So that's very important. So it's not just about 00:13:41.259 --> 00:13:45.440 keeping in touch with Jesus occasionally. It's 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:47.639 not like you're going to visit Jesus. We need 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:50.820 to be with Jesus, walk with Jesus every day of 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:54.259 our lives. You know, sometimes people think I'm 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:57.139 crazy, but when I'm walking around the church 00:13:57.139 --> 00:14:00.620 there by us, the church is a little bigger than 00:14:00.620 --> 00:14:04.519 this church, Collegedale. And we walk around 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.940 there, and I like to... I like to pray aloud, 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:09.720 you know. Of course, I don't pray super loud, 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.500 but I talk, you know, when I pray. And I'm walking 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:15.820 around, and I'm praying, and I pray, Lord, please 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:18.460 bless every person that enters the church. Keep 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:20.480 everybody safe. Bless their families. Bless our 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:23.059 friends. Just bless everybody, the sick people, 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:26.639 et cetera. And people, sometimes people who don't 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:28.720 know me, they think, man, this guy's crazy, you 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.620 know. But I'm talking to Jesus, and that's the 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:33.980 way I like it, you know. And I love to sing. 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:37.019 He's able, you know, and I sing that and I walk 00:14:37.019 --> 00:14:40.299 around and do my work. So we need to be just 00:14:40.299 --> 00:14:44.620 like the tree, to be planted close to our source 00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:49.200 of nourishment. From the source, it keeps us 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:53.039 strong, keeps us faithful, and we are nourished 00:14:53.039 --> 00:14:57.279 spiritually. So the fruit that we produce will 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:00.360 be a good reflection of Jesus, the goodness, 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:04.710 the love, the kindness, and we'll remember. That 00:15:04.710 --> 00:15:09.710 as we thrive in goodness, people will want to 00:15:09.710 --> 00:15:12.710 be with you. Because if you're a good person, 00:15:12.769 --> 00:15:15.230 a kind person, have you ever noticed when you 00:15:15.230 --> 00:15:17.389 have a conversation with someone and you speak 00:15:17.389 --> 00:15:21.470 very kindly to them, it opens an opportunity 00:15:21.470 --> 00:15:25.950 for you to share the gospel. Have any of you 00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:29.669 ever experienced that? It's amazing. Sometimes 00:15:29.669 --> 00:15:31.629 you're speaking and sometimes you're working 00:15:31.629 --> 00:15:34.200 and you're rushing. And it's a work environment. 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:37.200 But if you just step back and just take a minute 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:42.220 and speak to the person kindly, caringly, that 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:44.860 person is willing to listen to you when you talk 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:47.440 about Jesus. Even the person who's not even a 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:53.580 Christian, they will listen. So the thing is, 00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:59.700 my mom was Muslim. And when she married my dad, 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:03.500 Of course, I wasn't around, but it was a big 00:16:03.500 --> 00:16:05.220 thing. So they didn't come to go to their wedding, 00:16:05.340 --> 00:16:08.879 et cetera. But my mom became Christian. And she 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:10.919 was happy not to be with her family. I'm sure 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:15.700 she missed them. But so she was always very careful. 00:16:15.820 --> 00:16:18.200 You know, she'd be praying over us. And, oh, 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:22.519 man, it was super crazy for us because she would 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.100 always be instilling us, instill the story in 00:16:25.100 --> 00:16:27.200 us, you know, the love of Jesus, all those type 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:29.779 things. Of course, it's good, you know. But, 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:33.379 of course. I was a bit of a naughty guy, but 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:36.620 my mom, she would give me a spanking every day, 00:16:36.700 --> 00:16:41.240 even if I didn't need it. But that's South Africa. 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:45.100 You straighten the child out very quickly. So 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:49.220 I always took the brunt of it. So that's okay, 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:52.620 but I know Jesus has blessed me for that. So 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:55.659 Jesus has made it clear, because obedience is 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:59.240 the proof of discipleship. Abiding leads to freedom. 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:06.980 That's in John 8 .32. So John 8 .32, And you 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:08.819 shall know the truth, and the truth shall make 00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:12.900 you free. They answered him, We are Abrahams, 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:18.039 we are, sorry, where is this one? Sorry, sorry, 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:22.380 sorry. We are Abrahams, we put out of the synagogue. 00:17:22.700 --> 00:17:28.539 I'm sorry, I'm lost here. So anyway. You shall 00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:31.799 know the truth. And in Luke 6 .46, the challenge 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:36.579 is clear. The challenge is very clear. It tells 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:40.740 us, we were talking earlier about, we all say 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:44.180 that we know Jesus. We know God. We all say, 00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:47.319 Lord, Lord. But we don't listen to what Jesus 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.140 teaches us, what God teaches us. So the important 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:55.000 thing is for us to obey. Obey Jesus. And stick 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:58.079 with Jesus all the way, no matter what. In any 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.119 situation, Jesus will have you covered. He's 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:04.859 got your back, and he'll protect you. Obedience 00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:07.200 is not optional for a disciple, because that 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:10.859 comes naturally, to be obedient to Jesus as a 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:13.599 disciple. Because you want to do kind things. 00:18:13.720 --> 00:18:17.099 You want to be like Jesus. And Jesus is a good 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:20.759 person, is a good God. So we want to be like 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:25.339 Jesus. If you walk with God, can you think about 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:30.170 this? If we do an inspection today to say, how's 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:34.390 your walk with God? Will it be clear that you 00:18:34.390 --> 00:18:38.009 prove to be a disciple for Jesus? Or would it 00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:40.470 be completely different? Maybe just be a religious 00:18:40.470 --> 00:18:46.029 routine. True disciples are not lukewarm. They 00:18:46.029 --> 00:18:50.109 are bold. They are bold for Jesus. So no matter 00:18:50.109 --> 00:18:54.309 where you are, you know, I'd like to just share 00:18:54.309 --> 00:18:57.700 this story. Sorry I'm deviating. When we came 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:01.119 to America and we're in the South, we love it 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:03.660 here. I wouldn't want to give this up for anything. 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:06.900 But in South Africa, you had a mixed pot, you 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:09.619 know. We had friends that were all different 00:19:09.619 --> 00:19:12.819 religions, all different colors. We'd just be 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:15.500 there and we'd do things together. And you could 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:19.759 tell people about Jesus. And of course, for me, 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.299 I love to hammer my Muslim friends and my Hindu 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:26.200 friends. And I say, guys, there's only one way. 00:19:27.609 --> 00:19:30.490 There's only one way, and that's through Jesus 00:19:30.490 --> 00:19:34.490 and with Jesus. But the Muslim guys always say, 00:19:34.549 --> 00:19:36.869 if they become Christian, they'll be Seventh 00:19:36.869 --> 00:19:41.990 -day Adventists. Do we know why? It's our diet. 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:48.150 It's our diet. But I said, end of the day, it's 00:19:48.150 --> 00:19:50.809 all about Jesus. You can get up there and say 00:19:50.809 --> 00:19:53.519 what you want to say. You guys worship false 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:56.160 prophets. Of course, we mustn't be so harsh, 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:58.279 but these are close friends. We can talk. We 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:00.660 need to talk openly. They used to also try and 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:03.819 hammer me, but I said, let's open the Bible. 00:20:04.779 --> 00:20:08.480 And I said, sometimes you get to a part in the 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:10.099 Quran that says, if you don't understand this, 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:14.079 refer to the Bible. Have you ever heard that? 00:20:14.839 --> 00:20:18.000 It tells them, you need to refer to the Bible. 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.599 So when you show them that, And these guys' eyes 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:26.500 opened so wide. That's amazing. But we must be 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:29.980 very careful. We must not be wishy -washy. We 00:20:29.980 --> 00:20:32.900 need to be bold for Jesus. Have you ever heard 00:20:32.900 --> 00:20:36.740 of the narrow few principle? Okay, the narrow 00:20:36.740 --> 00:20:39.259 few principle works like this. It's like a bottleneck. 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:43.920 The fewer people you reach out to, the fewer 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:47.119 people, the fewer souls you win. You make less 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:49.779 disciples. So let's say your closing ratio is 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:53.500 10%. So if you only speak to 10 people for the 00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:58.000 month, you make a disciple of one person. But 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:01.400 if you speak to 100 people for the month, 10 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:06.740 % is 10, and so on. So that's the narrow few 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:10.039 principle. So the more people you speak to, the 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:13.579 more people you can convert and make disciples. 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:16.269 When you make a disciple and they come to church, 00:21:16.490 --> 00:21:19.309 they mustn't just sit and warm the pews. They 00:21:19.309 --> 00:21:23.289 need to help Cindy. Because I see that poor young 00:21:23.289 --> 00:21:27.150 lady has worked like crazy in this church, you 00:21:27.150 --> 00:21:30.769 know. So we need to get people in here to volunteer 00:21:30.769 --> 00:21:33.950 and to be committed. That's one way of keeping 00:21:33.950 --> 00:21:39.950 people in the church. In Ministry of Healing, 00:21:40.049 --> 00:21:44.180 page 148. We are told that every church should 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:47.259 be a training school for our Christian people. 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:52.859 Does that make sense to you? We need to train 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:56.440 everybody. I personally think we need to train 00:21:56.440 --> 00:22:00.779 them young so they can be committed to Christ. 00:22:01.579 --> 00:22:05.099 And we need to make church exciting for the young 00:22:05.099 --> 00:22:09.980 people. I remember when we lived in the UK. And 00:22:09.980 --> 00:22:11.599 I hope you don't mind me sharing this. I like 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:14.500 to share my, you know. I had a little daughter 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:16.980 at the time. Well, she's big now. I still have 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:21.339 her. But she had just turned four years old, 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:24.220 and we were worshiping at Newbold College. And 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:25.900 Newbold didn't, they used to worship in the 00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:30.680 hall that time. That was back in 2000. And it 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:33.140 was traditional service. So, of course, for a 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:36.799 four -year -old child, it wasn't exciting. It 00:22:36.799 --> 00:22:40.799 was not exciting. So we found this church just 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:43.579 across the road from Newbold. It was an Anglican 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:46.799 church, but it was rented by Newbold College. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:55.140 And that service was loud. And they had drums 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:58.799 and guitars and all sorts of instruments. But 00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:02.099 this little girl of mine was so excited to go 00:23:02.099 --> 00:23:05.279 to that church service, I said, Lord, forgive 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:06.900 me. I'm going to go sit there with my child. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:09.440 So I would take her straight off to Sabbath school. 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:11.140 Because if you don't go straight off to Sabbath 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:13.599 school to that service, you will not get in. 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:16.960 You'll be standing in the vestibule, or you'll 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:20.420 be looking through the windows. That small little 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:24.019 Anglican church was full, full to capacity. But 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:26.299 my daughter was excited to go to church. And 00:23:26.299 --> 00:23:30.220 every Sabbath, we'd be rushed in the morning 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:33.480 to be on time for Sabbath school and to be super 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:37.789 early for that church service. It's not always 00:23:37.789 --> 00:23:40.349 the best thing, but if it works for the particular 00:23:40.349 --> 00:23:43.130 child or the person, I think we should do it. 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:45.569 I'm not saying change things in your church. 00:23:45.609 --> 00:23:52.369 Please don't misunderstand me. So we have 1 ,440 00:23:52.369 --> 00:23:56.329 minutes in a day. How do you plan to use those 00:23:56.329 --> 00:24:01.829 minutes? These are 1 ,440 opportunities in a 00:24:01.829 --> 00:24:09.039 day. How would you make these work for you? So 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:12.059 it's important for you to use your time effectively 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:15.819 and efficiently to serve Jesus. Because God is 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:20.859 a God of order. He's a God of love. But he plans 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:25.279 things. So there's another piece that I've picked 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:28.240 up. People are leaving churches, not just our 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:33.440 church, every church. Why? They don't feel included. 00:24:34.539 --> 00:24:38.799 They don't feel like they're loved. So the simple 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:41.619 thing about discipleship is, where does the mission 00:24:41.619 --> 00:24:46.240 start? At the front door, the greeter. When I 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:49.740 came in, sister and brother greeted me very warmly. 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:53.599 If I didn't have a church, this would be my church 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:56.980 because of them. And that's how it works. You've 00:24:56.980 --> 00:24:59.920 got to greet people. Can you imagine if a visitor 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:02.079 comes to your church and the greeter's there? 00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:08.759 Welcome. You know, no smile, no handshake. That 00:25:08.759 --> 00:25:11.799 person is not going to feel welcome. So it's 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:15.440 a very simple thing. Just be warm and kind and 00:25:15.440 --> 00:25:21.660 loving and a genuine welcome. But you must remember, 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:25.059 as we spoke earlier, even in a workplace, or 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:26.539 if you walk in the store, you're going to buy 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:31.579 bread and milk or whatever, my wife often... 00:25:33.609 --> 00:25:36.269 It gives me a bit of grief because wherever I 00:25:36.269 --> 00:25:38.829 go, I'm always talking about church and things 00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:42.230 like that. And sometimes I know I may overdo 00:25:42.230 --> 00:25:43.970 it. I stand and talk to a person for 10 minutes 00:25:43.970 --> 00:25:48.069 and I don't know this person from anywhere. But 00:25:48.069 --> 00:25:51.130 we talk. And then all of a sudden we exchange 00:25:51.130 --> 00:25:53.829 numbers and we contact each other later and we'll 00:25:53.829 --> 00:25:57.369 have a Bible study. Whether it's over the phone 00:25:57.369 --> 00:26:00.130 or they'll come to the church or whatever. But 00:26:00.130 --> 00:26:05.400 it's simple things. And I'm not forceful. I don't 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:07.940 force myself on anybody. But I just like to be 00:26:07.940 --> 00:26:09.880 kind, greet them nicely, and say, hey, Jesus 00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:12.980 loves you. And the person will say, hey, sometimes 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:15.619 some people haven't even heard about Jesus. And 00:26:15.619 --> 00:26:20.500 that's in America. Can you believe that? In America. 00:26:22.259 --> 00:26:25.319 So I come from Africa, and man, people know about 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:28.599 Jesus there. And I come to America, this great 00:26:28.599 --> 00:26:32.450 country, and people don't know about Jesus. So 00:26:32.450 --> 00:26:36.569 that's kind of shocking for me. But kindness 00:26:36.569 --> 00:26:40.630 definitely opens the door. A smile is like a 00:26:40.630 --> 00:26:43.849 magnet. It draws people. People may not say things, 00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:47.569 but it's powerful. It shows the love of Christ. 00:26:47.829 --> 00:26:51.109 And that's so important, to be loving and to 00:26:51.109 --> 00:27:00.190 be kind. In Luke 14, 23, it tells us, Then the 00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:02.329 master said to the servants, Go out into the 00:27:02.329 --> 00:27:05.170 highways and hedges and compel them to come. 00:27:05.430 --> 00:27:09.109 Come in that my house may be filled. But if you 00:27:09.109 --> 00:27:13.509 read further back, let's read 16. A certain man 00:27:13.509 --> 00:27:16.269 gave a great supper and invited many and sent 00:27:16.269 --> 00:27:19.930 his servant at suppertime to say those that were 00:27:19.930 --> 00:27:22.829 invited are to come over because they are ready 00:27:22.829 --> 00:27:25.269 for them. But these people that were invited 00:27:25.269 --> 00:27:30.980 all made excuses. Are we like those people? Sometimes 00:27:30.980 --> 00:27:34.180 I feel that I am. Especially friends that invite 00:27:34.180 --> 00:27:38.039 us out, non -adventures invite us for lunch on 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:40.299 Sabbath to their homes, because obviously I won't 00:27:40.299 --> 00:27:43.900 go to a restaurant, but to their homes. And I'm 00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:46.200 the type of guy, I work the whole week, I work 00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:49.759 long hours. When it gets to Sabbath, I like lay 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:55.700 activity, you know. So we must be very careful. 00:27:56.470 --> 00:28:00.670 Because Jesus is inviting us. And sometimes that 00:28:00.670 --> 00:28:02.930 opportunity to go and sit with non -Adventists 00:28:02.930 --> 00:28:07.230 is what Jesus wants us to do. Just to be kind, 00:28:07.289 --> 00:28:10.069 loving, and to sometimes just talk about the 00:28:10.069 --> 00:28:13.930 Bible. I have my special verses that I like to 00:28:13.930 --> 00:28:18.130 talk to people about. And sometimes my kids say 00:28:18.130 --> 00:28:20.890 I'm embarrassing, but, you know, if you share 00:28:20.890 --> 00:28:23.349 something, people will go, they become inquisitive. 00:28:23.990 --> 00:28:26.329 And I don't. Push it on them. I say, go and read 00:28:26.329 --> 00:28:31.170 your Bible. Not my Bible. Read your Bible. So 00:28:31.170 --> 00:28:35.829 we need to remember, simple things makes things 00:28:35.829 --> 00:28:41.250 happen. So we're talking about we must not make 00:28:41.250 --> 00:28:44.750 excuses. Because when it comes to Jesus, we need 00:28:44.750 --> 00:28:48.269 to go out there full force. Put on our coats, 00:28:50.049 --> 00:28:53.769 not formal, casual, so we can go out and reach 00:28:53.769 --> 00:28:57.450 these people. We need to reach the communities, 00:28:57.690 --> 00:29:01.049 which is people in our community that would like 00:29:01.049 --> 00:29:04.529 to come to church. At our church, we've been 00:29:04.529 --> 00:29:08.470 getting lots of Muslim visitors, Hindu visitors, 00:29:08.589 --> 00:29:10.509 lots of Indian folks are coming over to the church, 00:29:10.609 --> 00:29:14.970 and people are searching for Jesus. People are 00:29:14.970 --> 00:29:19.089 searching, people. They really are. We may not 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:21.529 notice it, but people are really out there, and 00:29:21.529 --> 00:29:24.490 they're hungry for the truth. So we need to invite 00:29:24.490 --> 00:29:28.670 these people in. Sister White reminds us, one 00:29:28.670 --> 00:29:33.349 soul is more value to heaven than a world of 00:29:33.349 --> 00:29:38.490 houses, land, and money. One life changed for 00:29:38.490 --> 00:29:41.849 Christ can set off a chain reaction that multiplies 00:29:41.849 --> 00:29:47.009 for eternity. So every disciple you reach and 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:51.250 you make will make more. Can you imagine if you 00:29:51.250 --> 00:29:53.480 make one, that person makes two? Those two make 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:58.940 two. The numbers increase. So we need to go out 00:29:58.940 --> 00:30:03.180 there and make disciples of people. God gives 00:30:03.180 --> 00:30:06.839 us a simple example. Do we know Abraham from 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:12.579 the Bible? Joseph? Job? Abraham, who walked blameless 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:19.460 before God. So Abraham lived a life of integrity 00:30:19.460 --> 00:30:24.200 and obedience. But God made him a father of many, 00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:27.619 didn't he? So we need to keep up that integrity, 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:31.259 that way of life. It's very important. And what 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:35.279 about Job? Job suffered. He lost his family. 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:37.980 He lost wealth. We don't care about money, but 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:41.640 we worry about our family, our children. He lost 00:30:41.640 --> 00:30:47.480 those people. But Job never cursed God. He continued 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:50.809 to trust God and love God. Even told his wife, 00:30:50.849 --> 00:30:52.549 because his wife said, why don't you die, you 00:30:52.549 --> 00:30:55.369 know, and then you can just curse God. He said, 00:30:55.390 --> 00:30:59.410 no way, he'll never do that. And then Joseph, 00:30:59.670 --> 00:31:05.809 Joseph, even he prospered in prison. The prison 00:31:05.809 --> 00:31:10.369 warden trusted Joseph so much that he gave him 00:31:10.369 --> 00:31:12.690 the power to be in charge of all the other prisoners. 00:31:13.410 --> 00:31:17.210 Can you imagine that? That's the guy that was 00:31:17.210 --> 00:31:23.460 sold. Do you remember? He was sold. But that 00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:26.579 was God's plan. He turned him into a good person, 00:31:26.660 --> 00:31:32.440 a good leader. God blessed him. So Genesis 39, 00:31:32.779 --> 00:31:37.359 God is with him in prison, giving him favor as 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:39.059 he put him in charge of all the other prisoners 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:42.920 and allowing the warden to trust him to lead 00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:46.960 the other prisoners. These are the promises. 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:51.839 I like to hold on to. Philippians 4 .19. Does 00:31:51.839 --> 00:31:55.779 anybody know that one? My God shall supply all 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:59.460 your needs according to His riches in glory by 00:31:59.460 --> 00:32:02.319 Christ Jesus. That's one, but I've got five. 00:32:02.859 --> 00:32:05.980 We must remember, this particular verse tells 00:32:05.980 --> 00:32:10.779 us that God loves us. He cares about us. When 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:14.460 something happens to you, God knows. He knows. 00:32:14.640 --> 00:32:17.589 If something bad happens to you, He gets sad. 00:32:18.230 --> 00:32:21.450 It's like a parent. If something happens to you, 00:32:21.490 --> 00:32:25.549 as big and old as I am, my dad is late, but my 00:32:25.549 --> 00:32:27.609 mom, if something has to happen to me, she'll 00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:30.829 be worried about me. Well, at least I hope. But 00:32:30.829 --> 00:32:35.170 God will be sad. So God makes a way, no matter 00:32:35.170 --> 00:32:37.470 what our challenges we face, the challenges we 00:32:37.470 --> 00:32:40.710 face, God will help us overcome this. The second 00:32:40.710 --> 00:32:44.349 one for me is Philippians 4 .13. We should all 00:32:44.349 --> 00:32:47.490 know that one. We can do all things through Christ 00:32:47.490 --> 00:32:50.529 who strengthens me. So you know we can do all 00:32:50.529 --> 00:32:53.230 things. In Sabbath school, we spoke about the 00:32:53.230 --> 00:32:56.269 things we can accomplish with Christ and the 00:32:56.269 --> 00:32:58.410 things we can accomplish without Christ, which 00:32:58.410 --> 00:33:01.630 is nothing. So we need to trust Jesus because 00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:05.089 Jesus will make it happen for you. Then the third 00:33:05.089 --> 00:33:11.069 one is 1 Corinthians 10 .13. No temptation has 00:33:11.069 --> 00:33:14.069 overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 00:33:15.559 --> 00:33:20.079 God will give you a way out of temptation. Let's 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:24.079 trust Jesus and follow Jesus every day of our 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:29.880 lives. The fourth one is Micah 7, 18 to 19. God 00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:33.980 pardons sin and forgives the transgression. God 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:37.500 forgives our sins. Why? Because he loves us. 00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:43.140 It's like a baby. If you smack your child that's 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:46.579 three or four years old, That child will forgive 00:33:46.579 --> 00:33:49.640 you very quickly. But smack your brother or your 00:33:49.640 --> 00:33:52.019 sister, oh, they're going to hold a grudge against 00:33:52.019 --> 00:33:56.859 you forever, you know. So he loves us so much, 00:33:56.859 --> 00:34:00.900 and he wants us to prosper. The fifth one, Isaiah 00:34:00.900 --> 00:34:06.240 41 .10. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not 00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:09.780 be dismayed, for I am your God. God is with you, 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:14.210 so we should never fear. He is present. At every 00:34:14.210 --> 00:34:16.989 single minute of the day. You're never alone. 00:34:17.550 --> 00:34:21.909 He's always got you. So we need to live this 00:34:21.909 --> 00:34:25.110 mission daily. There are over 2 billion people 00:34:25.110 --> 00:34:27.070 in the world that have never heard about Jesus. 00:34:28.130 --> 00:34:32.949 Including people in America. Yet every day we 00:34:32.949 --> 00:34:36.750 pass people in the supermarket, on the roads, 00:34:36.929 --> 00:34:40.130 wherever we are, we pass people who have never 00:34:40.130 --> 00:34:44.340 heard about Jesus. So we need to be bold. Even 00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:48.239 if we have a simple Jesus loves you t -shirt, 00:34:48.420 --> 00:34:53.820 that simple t -shirt will get people's attention 00:34:53.820 --> 00:34:59.519 and they will want to acquire about Jesus. So 00:34:59.519 --> 00:35:03.280 we need to be active, be welcoming, be warm. 00:35:03.940 --> 00:35:07.179 We must be quick to forgive. When people do something 00:35:07.179 --> 00:35:10.480 against us, we need to forgive them. We need 00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:12.599 to mentor people, mentor the next generation, 00:35:13.019 --> 00:35:17.159 share the gospel, talk about Jesus, pray and 00:35:17.159 --> 00:35:20.679 read your Bible every day. Have you thought about 00:35:20.679 --> 00:35:24.440 this? The more people you teach about the word, 00:35:24.619 --> 00:35:28.539 the better you become. You are more blessed than 00:35:28.539 --> 00:35:31.239 the person you're teaching because you learn 00:35:31.239 --> 00:35:34.440 it. And I tell you, if you read something 20 00:35:34.440 --> 00:35:37.800 times or 50 times, it's like the back of your 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:40.590 hand. You know where to find it in the Bible 00:35:40.590 --> 00:35:44.389 quickly. You can actually just say it out loud 00:35:44.389 --> 00:35:47.190 without even looking at your Bible. That's what 00:35:47.190 --> 00:35:52.130 a blessing it is. I remember there was a pastor 00:35:52.130 --> 00:35:56.289 who had finished, left school in elementary school. 00:35:57.389 --> 00:35:59.469 But he read the Bible about a hundred times. 00:36:00.429 --> 00:36:04.449 And he could quote just like that. He was so 00:36:04.449 --> 00:36:07.329 blessed. And it was a blessing to be in his company. 00:36:08.019 --> 00:36:10.820 Because when he preached, he would just preach 00:36:10.820 --> 00:36:12.980 and he'd rattle off from the Bible without even 00:36:12.980 --> 00:36:15.440 looking at his Bible. And of course, we'll check 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:18.800 through the Bible quickly and see if it's true. 00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:24.179 And he was 100 % correct all the time. So the 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:27.400 mission is not just for pastors or missionaries 00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:32.099 or evangelists. It's for every one of you. That's 00:36:32.099 --> 00:36:35.139 the mission. We need to go out there and reach 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:38.679 communities. Even a child, I was looking at the 00:36:38.679 --> 00:36:40.980 young lady that was singing up here today. She 00:36:40.980 --> 00:36:43.300 did such a great job. I forgot her name, I'm 00:36:43.300 --> 00:36:47.000 sorry. But she did a great job. Even a child 00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:49.760 that shares a story about Jesus with another 00:36:49.760 --> 00:36:53.440 child, that's part of the mission. They're spreading 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:56.619 the gospel. They're making disciples. So when 00:36:56.619 --> 00:36:59.679 this child advances the mission by singing up 00:36:59.679 --> 00:37:02.219 here and going to school and telling their friend, 00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:05.039 that friend will be inspired to do the same thing. 00:37:05.500 --> 00:37:07.320 They don't always have the courage to do what 00:37:07.320 --> 00:37:11.260 she does, but you know, maybe someday. But we 00:37:11.260 --> 00:37:15.119 need to remember, belief begins the journey. 00:37:16.260 --> 00:37:19.820 And we need to abide so we can sustain the journey. 00:37:20.500 --> 00:37:24.260 But obedience also proves the journey is true. 00:37:25.780 --> 00:37:28.239 Jesus has called us all to multiply the mission, 00:37:28.380 --> 00:37:31.880 not to keep it to ourselves. Let's live our lives 00:37:31.880 --> 00:37:39.460 for Jesus. Anthony, can we? I have a little slide. 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:44.039 Can you guys see it? It says, Satan tries to 00:37:44.039 --> 00:37:48.039 limit your praying because he knows your praying 00:37:48.039 --> 00:37:53.219 will limit him. So the more you pray, the more 00:37:53.219 --> 00:37:57.260 evil and bad things will repel. So we need to 00:37:57.260 --> 00:38:00.719 remember that. That is so important that as we 00:38:00.719 --> 00:38:03.480 pray and read our Bible, Jesus will continue 00:38:03.480 --> 00:38:09.139 to bless us. You have 1 ,440 minutes. How will 00:38:09.139 --> 00:38:12.980 you use them? Will you use them to disciple others? 00:38:14.340 --> 00:38:16.659 That's something you need to ask yourself. But 00:38:16.659 --> 00:38:19.619 I will be praying that every one of you will 00:38:19.619 --> 00:38:23.760 invite just one person to church. Maybe next 00:38:23.760 --> 00:38:26.159 Sabbath, or the following, or next month, whenever. 00:38:26.619 --> 00:38:29.639 Invite one person. Let's fill this church, fill 00:38:29.639 --> 00:38:32.780 these pews, because Jesus loves you. Anthony, 00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:37.880 can we do one more, please? Now this one, okay, 00:38:38.059 --> 00:38:42.500 it's important because Adam and Eve did not think 00:38:42.500 --> 00:38:45.880 about the consequences, right? They did not think 00:38:45.880 --> 00:38:48.280 about the consequences. The things they did, 00:38:48.360 --> 00:38:52.480 the sinning. So now we have to deal with that. 00:38:53.400 --> 00:38:55.639 So that's why I put this on, just to remind you 00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:58.099 that when you think of Adam and Eve, you think 00:38:58.099 --> 00:39:01.360 of this. Because if they had listened to God, 00:39:01.500 --> 00:39:05.690 we would not be doing laundry. All right? So 00:39:05.690 --> 00:39:09.510 this is so important. I just want to share, people, 00:39:09.630 --> 00:39:13.409 you all know the truth. We've all read our Bibles 00:39:13.409 --> 00:39:16.349 and we've studied. But the great thing is if 00:39:16.349 --> 00:39:19.469 we can study with other people, whether they're 00:39:19.469 --> 00:39:22.329 Adventists, Christians, non -Christians, whoever, 00:39:22.630 --> 00:39:26.309 let's just read our Bibles and share the gospel. 00:39:26.789 --> 00:39:27.809 Thank you so much.