Dr. Hale Akamine [00:00:00]:

It was a true honor for my 2 very close friends, Dino Percsoff and doctor Clarence, to join me in our Fiji mission last month, where they stretched themselves and, beyond what they could actually imagine and experience the hand of god working. Let me read for you what they would have said if they were up here this evening. Kimu Do, would just say thank you very much. You guys are really wonderful in in providing, for the trip. What does it mean to go all in? What does it mean to give it your all? What does it mean to give it all you got? You know, we've seen, you know, on on television, vision, or maybe you had the opportunity to see it in person. You know, runners absolutely spent Their their legs hobbling, their arms flailing, trying to sprint past each other to the finish line and and many times just collapsing right after that. Maybe it's the basketball player who who, as the buzzer buzzer is about to to end the game, flings the ball across us, the court, and and somehow, miraculously, it it goes in and it wins the game for his team or or the quarterback that that scrambles back and forth back and forth avoiding the defenders Right before the clock ends, heaves the 90 yard Achaemenie Mary pass, and it's And it's caught, and and they win. Yeah.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:02:14]:

Or or the boxer getting pummeled, getting head Shots, stomach shots, and and and just one after another and refusing to go down. And when the final bell sounds, he is still standing. You know, we celebrate them for going beyond what a normal person would go, even calling them heroes. And then there's as a next level. Like Ingvar Lieberman, a 25 year old Israeli young woman, who on October 7th this year, she hears an unusual sound in the early morning hours and quickly realizes that that these were the sounds of war. And so she scrambles out of bid not to save her own life, but instead scrambling to rally the people of her little village of 700 kibbutz near Boris, killing over 20 gun and rocket firing terrorists. Herself killing 5 terrorists, and saving her village from being massacred. Miraculously, there were no casualties in her village.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:03:58]:

She gave it her all. She was all in. She gave it all she got. I I saw my all in person when I was 4 years old. My dad heard cursing and yelling, in the park across Tar Heelm. And since I was standing right next to him, he ordered me in a commanding voice, day behind, as he briskly walked towards the commotion. And and, of course, you know, I listened to my dad following but staying right behind. There, I saw him convinced 2 crazy guys swinging axes at each other to give him their axes.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:04:52]:

And then he gets them to shake each other's hand. Even at 4 years of our age, I understood that my dad put himself in danger for strangers. He knew somehow, he knew that his life was more than just about himself. He was all in. When you take a look at your life. What would you say you're all in for? For what would you say you're giving your all? If it's really worth dying for, is it worth living for? If it isn't worth dying for, is it worth living for. You know, this would be a a rather funny story if it wasn't So profoundly true. In John chapter 11, the the The story opens with a friend of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus informing Jesus that Lazarus, his BFF, is very sick.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:06:32]:

Jesus surrounded by his disciples tells him, Lazarus won't die. For sure, this relieved his disciples as as they figured, you know, Jesus, if he thought Lazarus was gonna die, was, like, probably gonna go to where he lives. And they all knew that that going back to Ethene, where Lazarus and his sisters lived, was like a death sentence because there were people trying to kill him. So the disciples were Quite relieved. Well, guess what? 2 days later, Jesus says, hey. Let's go back. You could imagine, like, the disciples freaking out because especially when Jesus says, We're gonna go and wake Lazarus up. And and, like, they actually said to him, like, well, you know, I I let him sleep.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:07:39]:

He'll get better. Let him sleep. Then Jesus says, Lazarus is dead. Man, I don't know about you, but if I was one of the disciples, I'd be thinking, Oh, darn. Oh, well. Well, we all gotta go sometime. Right? But Jesus insists on going back. Then the apostle Thomas.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:08:10]:

Yeah. Thomas the not quite all in disciple. No. He he's the one that I gotta see it, to believe it disciple. He says this in John 11/16. Then Thomas, also known as Didymus, said to the rest of the disciples, let us also go that we may die with him. Thomas understood what his life with Jesus was all about my life is only really worth living if it's worth dying for. I'm all in.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:09:11]:

If you're writing, you wanna take notes, you write down Galatians 2/20 and and and you can read it later. Galatians 2/20. Hear god's word. Pray god's word. Preach god's word and do god's word. Pastor Penny Dolovale, who coordinates our mission in Fiji. 11 years ago, after journaling for some time, here's god's voice tell him to start and to pastor a church. Now at that time, he had one of the most important jobs at Fiji Airways.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:10:03]:

He saw security at every one of the Asian, South Pacific, and North American airports in which Fiji Airway lands. And he has to fly out, at least to one of them, every single week, and make it back home. For sure, make it back on Sundays. Right? And and Penny hears from god that that that he, especially, is to minister to the poor people. Meaning that in Fiji, his paycheck and for many years now, how his retirement paycheck would pay for everything. I mean, Bibles, books, transportation for for the elderly, and for the young with fam the young families. And he would also pay for Sunday meals. He even undertook major construction of his home so that His house would become non Grace Community Church Nandi.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:11:25]:

No. They don't take offerings and tithes, by the way, in poor churches. After several years of pastoring his church, the denomination to which he belongs longs to asks him to become president of 4 struggling churches. Oh, they they would pay him double of what he was making as a pastor. Within 6 years, he saw the growth of his denomination go to where now it's over 15 Churches, including 1 in Tonga. You know? Several years ago, God puts on Penny's heart to start church leaders journaling groups given what journaling did and for him. And in one of his groups is a guy named Isai Tundreo, who was the CEO of Fiji Airports. Through journaling, god reveals to Isai to start a church in a poor rural area of Fiji, where after school, young kids roam the back streets.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:12:52]:

So when Issey retired, in April of this year, he buys a farm with a house in a poor area so that he can do church. He hires people in the area to work his farm so that they would have some income. And he starts an after school youth program made up of Christian kids, Muslim kids, and Hindu kids. And some of these parents now attend his church, besides his workers. You see, Penny and Issey didn't have to do what they they've done and what they're doing. I mean, there were already great Christians serving in their churches. I mean, they worked really hard at their job. And they did really well financially.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:14:02]:

And in fact, they deserve to to enjoy for every dollar they earn, not to mention their retirement dollars. But Penny and ACA just they couldn't see it. Their life in Christ wasn't worth just going half in. And and here's something crazy. Some of you took risks too. You know? God bless you. You gave donation to the Fiji mission in exchange for eating some of my bread. You know? Some of you didn't wanna take unnecessary risks, so you just gave donations.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:14:52]:

And some of you donated even more than expected because I insisted that you take some bread so just to stop me from asking, you just gave. You know? A portion of this monies that you gave this year was to reach a people way in the mountains. Right? People by the way, I've Never seen my my pastor friend had started this mission in in the mountains. But for some unexpected reason, the mission abruptly ended. So I was left with some unused donations, and and I really was disappointed, not wanting the the the monies you guys gave to to go unused. So I prayed and I asked the lord, Do you want me to give this away? Or or, like, then you gotta show me? Or or or maybe I should just take it back. Well, lo and behold, Penny tells me the story of Esai and what God was doing in in ECA's life and and in his church. So I go, oh, wow.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:16:08]:

That's great. And, Oh, by the way, Hale, you see he's gonna be at one of our conferences so you can meet him. And I said, oh, man. That's good. So At one of the conferences, obviously, I I I kinda gotta say it to the side. And I said, say, Tell me your story, not knowing what I had intended to do. So he tells me the story. And I said, you say, god wants you to have this envelope.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:16:43]:

And and he just starts to tear. And I said to him, Thank you. Thank you. God God bless you, he say. Penny and he say understood this, that the gospel was more than just about hearing and preaching a great story. In the book of Luke chapter 6 verses 47 to 48, This is what Jesus says. As for everyone who comes to me and hears my word and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They're like a man building a house who dug deep down and laid the foundation on rock.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:17:49]:

When a flood came, the torrent struck the house house, but could not shake it because it was well built. Over 700 years earlier, In Isaiah 28 is what the sovereign lord says. Look. I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is Safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. You see Penny and he say and and Dino, the other guy. Right.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:18:43]:

When when the fish when whom the Fiji mission team leader tells him, you know, since you lead worship in your small group at your all group at your house, you could lead worship in the various conferences we're going to do. So so what? So yes. That's what the Fiji mission team leader says. Okay. At the initial conference, due to some malfunction in the audio system, the the leaders and and the pastors during the conference, start to sing a cappella. And Dino eyes that he was that he was going to have to, if the sound system worked, to to lead worship to what sounded like the Fijian Tabernacle Choir of Angels. Right? Unfortunately, As Clarence knows, the audio system decides to work. And suddenly, there is you gotta see Dino, but he was He would just start to just drench in sweat.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:19:56]:

With guitar in hand, he led them in worship. And not not only is that, instructed him that since he was an elder at his church and the owner of the largest It's window washing company in Hawaii that I asked. I mean, the mission leader asked that he is gonna teach the pastors and the church leaders about the external validity of the Bible. He did. And and then there's doctor Clarence, who, was assigned by the mission team leader to teach the Fijian church leaders and pastors about diabetes, diet, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. So 7 months prior to his 1st mission trip last year, With integrity in mind, he went vegan, and he loses £25. Right? These men didn't just hear god's word. They didn't just pray god's word them preach god's word, but they did the word.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:21:20]:

But in verse 49 of Luke chapter 6, it says this, but the one who hears my word and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on ground on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck the house, it collapsed, and its destruction house had collapsed, and its destruction was complete. It is not enough to just hear it, pray it and say it. How solid is the rock that Penny, Isai, Clarence and Dino have built on. Romans 835 to 39. Can anything ever separate us from god from nice love. Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity or are persecuted or hungry or destitute or in danger or threatened with death. As the scripture says, for your sake, we are killed every day.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:22:18]:

We are being slaughtered like sheep. No. Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loves us. And I'm convinced that nothing can ever separate from God's love, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today, nor worries about tomorrow, not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above nor the earth Though indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus, our lord. God has your back. What are we afraid of? He loves you so much. In order for you to go all out, he traded away his only son to be tortured so that you could be empowered by god to expand our family, to expand this territory.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:23:26]:

And he says when we secure ourselves to the rock, that nothing, absolutely nothing, can ever separate us from his love. So the question is, What is your Goliath that is preventing you from going all in? What huge step of faith is the Lord telling you to make to put more of your life in him, to let him have more weigh with your time, your talents, and, yes, your personal treasures. For some, god is telling you, you need to go all in and make that relationship right. Give up your pride. And to you, Jesus is saying, I know what it's like to suffer unjustly. I know it's not fair. I really do know. For others, god is saying, I want your first fruits of your direct deposit, Not what's left over in your wallet.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:24:31]:

Spend it instead towards eternity in the savior's club. For some, you may need to go all in and initiate that heart to heart with that someone about getting it right with Jesus. Maybe it's a good friend, a family member, a coworker, a boss. One of you is gonna save an unborn baby from being aborted, and it's gonna cost you maybe your future plans. And god is telling you, go all in. Seek to be faithful more than successful. Hell, it's on by heart to to to do what you're kinda telling me, but, I mean, I don't see it. I don't see how it can work.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:25:33]:

Ezekiel, an Old Testament prophet, was being held hostage by the Babylonians, experiences the presence of god. And in the 3rd Chapter of Ezekiel, god gives him an assignment to warn the people of Israel to turn to god to get their hearts and their lives right with him. Verses 10 and 11. Then He added, son of man, let all my words sing deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourselves, then go to your people in exile and say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord says, do this whether they listen to you or not. You get what god is saying? Ezekiel, the Israelites may not listen to what I'm telling you to tell them, in fact, they're they're not gonna listen. But tell them anyway. In other words, I don't care that you aren't successful, but I really do care that you are faithful.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:26:54]:

What has the lord put on your heart that you're not doing because you just can't see it. That, you know, It's it's not gonna work out. They're not gonna respond. They they're gonna make fun of me, and they're gonna be upset when I tell them what you told me I supposed to tell them. But you know what god says? Just be faithful. Ezekiel, soon after he warns Paul, what god told him, god takes him to another place and says to him, share again. And and the lord tells him this. If you warn them and they don't turn from their ways and die, I it's on them.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:27:54]:

But if you don't tell them and they die, it's on you. Ezekiel warns them and starting in verse 22 and 23 of chapter 3 of Ezekiel. Then the lord took hold of me and said, get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there. So I got got up and went. And there, I saw the glory of the lord just as I had seen in my first vision by the Khibar River. And I fell down. And I fell face down on the ground. In the midst of failure, god smiled on him because he was faithful.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:29:00]:

What does it mean to live a life in Christ? What does it mean to live a life with purpose and meaning? To live a Ife. When you're going through dark times, when all you can see is dark times. And when you get really scared and yet you hold on to this with all your heart that the light and the hope who lives within you will keep you pressing on. He has your back. You can go all in. You can give it all you got. Let's pray. Heavenly father, we just praise and thank We praise and thank you for for the people we have seen who have decided to follow you, who have decided to go all in.

Dr. Hale Akamine [00:30:20]:

Lord, I'm not sure what you're saying to each one of my brothers and sisters in their walk. But I do know, lord, You're telling them, go all in. Give it all you got because I'm there with you. Lord, you've called us to be kingdom builders. You've you've called us to expand your territory, and you wanna use us. Lord, help me in my unbelief. Help me go all in. For in Jesus' name, amen.