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Open Door SDA Church

Dwayne Lemon

The Gospel of Health

This year of 2022 makes 30 years that I have been privileged to be part of this movement known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

And, you know, as I reflect back, my love, My devotion to God is deeper.

Most certainly not a perfect man that stands before you, I assure you of that.

But if there's 1 thing that really sticks out to me when the question is asked.

At this point in my life, I don't think anything surprises me.

I've just seen so many people in the church, on fire for God, holding high positions of leadership, very influential, baptizing by the thousands, and today they're gone.

And usually when you're a studious, when you're a very studious Seventh-day Adventist Christian, when you're studious, you usually don't leave the church and join another church because you already have been educated on Babylon and error and all these things.

So usually When someone is studious, if they leave the church, they go right into the world.

They just become, I guess, the best worldling that they could be.

As I assess my heart, 1 of the things that I know that has been very consistent, And this is something that I really want to give to each of you as a gem, because I'm a living testimony of this, and I am not exaggerating with what I'm about to tell you.

It was right when I was in the hip-hop industry, I was dancing, I was doing choreography and everything for a lot of the stars in the world of R&B and hip-hop.

And I started bouncing around from church to church, you know, Because I was trying to find out, okay, let me figure out religion.

And I remember that I went to the Roman Catholic Church, wanted to see how things were there, and it didn't feed my soul.

I went to the Pentecostal Church, lots and lots of excitement, that's for sure.

I became a Muslim because Muslims seem to be very intellectually intriguing.

And so I became a Muslim and I started to walk with the teachings of Islam for a period of time in an offshoot group from Islam called Nuwabians.

And it was right at the time that I was ready to give up just on God because it seemed so hard.

I was like, Lord, I'm trying to figure out, but it's really hard.

And it was right at that time that I gave God an ultimatum.

I said, if you don't tell me who you are by tomorrow, I'm just going to walk away.

And so that next morning a friend of mine found a flyer on the street and it had all the topics that I had questions about.

And that was the first time I came in contact with this thing called Seventh Day Adventist Christians.

And I had to admit, I heard a teaching that I never heard before.

I said, this is so consistent with scripture.

It was almost like everything they believe is right in the Bible.

I got baptized and immediately the first person that I went to was my dancing partner, Damian.

And I said, D, you have got to hear this.

I found something that is better than sliced bread because we used to eat a lot of bread.

And, you know, I was just like, bro, I found something amazing.

And then me and him started to light the streets of New York on fire.

I mean, we would go to the subways everywhere and just start sharing.

And that's why a couple of weeks ago when I was on the same pulpit with Doug Batchelor, it was just, it was so humbling because I'm like, I used to watch this guy.

You know, I used to take the amazing facts booklets and give it to people, and now I'm like, standing next to this man as a fellow laborer.

But the 1 thing that has been consistent is from the moment I joined this church 30 years ago until right now I have spent time in people's homes who do not know what I know sharing what I know with them for 30 years.

And believe me, I know what it is to make a great six-figure income.

I got very high in corporate and I was extremely busy.

I was a very high executive, but I always made time to at least 1 day for 1 hour out of a week to be in somebody's home, sharing what I know that they do not know that they need to know.

I promise you, family, some of you are just too busy.

You gotta take a moment to spend some time with souls.

I'm glad you're giving out tracts, because that's a start.

Give out the tracts, give out the glow tracts, do all those things, because it's part of our work.

But God wants you and I to enter into people's homes and to give real meaningful ministry that people are needing in such a time as this in Earth's history.

And I promise you, take 1 day, 1 hour out of 1 week to just sit in somebody's home, wear a mask, gloves, and shields, whatever you need to wear to feel at peace, because there's still people that's willing to open their doors to messengers of hope, like you and like me.

And I wanna talk a little bit about that today in a particular method that I believe God has given to us as his people that is just ever so timely and if God can increase our faith in embracing what I will be sharing with you, because it's not my thoughts, I assure you, it's God's thoughts, I think the Lord's going to take us on some serious higher ground.

And so as we prepare our hearts to receive the word, let's go ahead and let's have a word of prayer.

I'd like to invite you to kneel with me if you're able to.

If you're not, just bow your heads where you are.

And let's go ahead and let's prepare our hearts to receive the word.

Our loving Father, we are very grateful once again for the gift of life.

We also thank you for the gift of health.

And I realize that some of us may not have health perfectly, but you are still the God that heals and there very well may be a plan, according to your will, of greater restoration than what we're already experiencing.

But Lord, we know there's others who are in a worse condition than we, so we still can praise you for our condition of health.

And Lord, we thank you for opportunities.

We now are an audience ready to hear heaven speak.

So teach us on earth how to remain silent before thee.

Open our hearts, help our minds to be prepared to receive the word.

And I pray through the power of your Holy Spirit, make it plain to us.

Intrigue our hearts that we will become participants in that which is your will in these very last moments of Earth's history.

For we ask all of these things in Jesus' name.

I would like for us to take our Bibles and go to the book of James chapter 2.

There is something that we need to understand as it relates to us being God's gospel workers, and James chapter 2 does it well.

And I will tell you, brothers and sisters, I'm not exaggerating, you know, the more that you sit down with other people sharing God's message of love, hope, and warning, you will find that it creates a fire in your own heart.

I know tons and tons of Christians who often say my fire's going out.

We talked briefly about that, even in our Sabbath school with my young brothers and sisters today.

And you will find that what the Bible says in the book of Proverbs where it talks about he that waters gets watered also is very, very true.

The more that you avail yourself in ministering to others, you will find that it ministers to you and you leave that home with a boost in your own heart.

And I want all of you to experience this.

But when we embrace this gospel call that Jesus gives to each and every 1 of us, I want us to remember something.

In fact, before we look at James 2, let's get a little bit more context.

You can keep your finger on James too because we will go back there.

But let's go to Matthew 28 and let's just review the Great Commission.

In Matthew, the 28th chapter, Let's notice what the Bible says.

And in Matthew 28, Jesus says it like this.

The Gospel of Health

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