GYC SE 2012: Ultimate Purpose

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GYC Southeast

GYC SE 2012 Seminar: Personal Evangelism

Scott Moore

An Audience with God

So, what we are going to do right now, the title of today's message, this is part 1 of 3, the title of today's message is An Audience with God.

Just this morning, I was laying in bed, I had my handy-dandy iPhone that's got this neat little app on there called Pocket Sword, if you don't have that it's an incredible Bible study tool, and I was reading my verses this morning, and the reason that I was reading is because I have challenged all of my students at life, you have those t-shirts there, I challenged all of my students at life to read through the Bible in the 4 months that they are at our school.

You know, I wanted to say yes when people would ask me, but I couldn't say that.

So, you know, I could say, you know, I didn't read it straight from Genesis to Revelation, but I've read the Bible, I just didn't get it all in 1, you know, from 1 direction to the other direction.

And so I was reading that this morning, and as I was reading, I said, you know, God, I just, I really want to hear your voice today.

And you know, everybody says, God spoke to me, or I just heard this voice.

But I was impressed just to keep reading my Bible.

And we're gonna talk about today that when we read this book, We sit in an audience room with God.

And so on the screen there, you and I'll just be reading the screen together, it says, every church should be a training school for Christian workers.

Its members should be taught how to give Bible readings.

Now that's the testimony of Jesus language.

Have you ever heard somebody say, Ellen White said, have you ever heard that?

Does that affect you positively, negatively?

But if I say the testimony of Jesus says that every school, what are you gonna think?

Yeah, well, that or you're gonna have a different view of the writings of L.N.G.

White because it is actually the testimony of Jesus.

By the way, have you ever heard that Adam and Eve wore a garment of light when they were created?

So if you could see it out of here, you'd say, wow, maybe the testimony of Jesus has something going on, right?

Let me finish reading this and then I will show you that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Many people call her routing spirit of prophecy.

And then I'll show you the garments of light, right?

Every church should be a training school for Christian workers.

Its members should be taught how to give Bible readings or Bible studies, how to conduct and teach Sabbath school classes, how best to help the poor and to care for the sick, How to work for the unconverted, and if I go on this side of that curtain, that is from Ministry of Healing, page 148 and 149.

Have you ever gone to church and someone has made an appeal, passionate appeal, for you to go and outreach with them that afternoon?

I honestly, in my heart of hearts, do not believe that God wants you to witness out of guilt.

My wife, her name is Melanie, We have 5 children.

She's our chef, so she's cooking for them.

And she said, you know, I am at peace staying here while you go up there.

My brother lives in this area, so when I came up here, it was just like coming to see family, you know, and she wanted to be here.

My wife is the chef for life, life four-month lay evangelism school.

Sam's is about 5 minutes from where we hold our school.

And As she is shopping 1 day, the young lady behind the counter or behind that little cash register said, Mrs.

Moore, because the name shows up on the screen when you hand them the card, you know, the Sam's thing.

And my wife said, well it stands for Lay Institute for Evangelism.

Our school teaches you how to study the Bible with people, how to gain decisions for Christ, how to really enjoy being a witness for Jesus.

And this young lady named Tiara said, oh I would love to attend a school like that.

And my wife says, well I think I could arrange that, but would you like to have Bible studies too?

Last weekend, I baptized Tiara Ray into the Seventh-day Adventist Church because my wife dared to be a friendly Christian at Sam's Club.

My friends, witnessing is not something we do out of guilt, it is something that we do because we love Jesus.

And I know that's a little cliche, we love Jesus so we should do something for him.

But if you do it from any other motivation, it's not a pure motivation.

Continuing on here, I told you I would show you, so you're gonna go to Revelation chapter 12.

Guaranteed, I'm gonna say on the mark, get, everybody close your Bibles.

On your mark, get set, and when I say go, we're gonna see if a digital Bible, get your Bible out, You got it out?

We're gonna see if digital Bible can top the age-old practice of hand movements.

Alright so Revelation chapter 12 I was so frustrated with myself 1 day, I forgot my Bible when I went to a worship time, and this is just me, maybe you're not like me, but I was so frustrated because I forgot my Bible and by the time I got to the right part, you know how it is, you're scanning up.

I know these things, I've got the iPad, the iPhone, all that good stuff.

Here we are, Revelation 12, 17 says, And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which do 2 things." And what are those 2 things?

They keep the commandments of God and they have the testimony of Jesus, of Jesus Christ.

So here I say the testimony of Jesus says, And you don't get so offended about it, right?

Some people don't get offended by saying LNG White says, but if you say testimony of Jesus, people are like, oh, I get it.

So we're gonna take 2 verses and put them together.

Now we are gonna look at Revelation 19, 10.

Jesus Method

I'm the president and director of Lay Institute for Evangelism.

It is a four-month lay evangelism school located 45 miles northwest of Orlando, Florida, where 1 of the 2 Mickey Mouse lives in the United States.

So just to give you a little bit of bearing as to where life is, we're located on the church campus of the Lady Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is 5 minutes from 1 of the largest retirement communities in Florida called The Villages.

And so we are really learning how to work with people that are very set in their ways.

And so it's a good experience for us and for our students.

What we are going to do now is we are going to go over Jesus' method of studying scripture.

On the screen You just see this title, right?

Bible study methods, there's actually 5 methods that we teach.

The first is, so we have small, medium, and then we have extra large.

How many of you knew that Jesus had a method of studying scripture?

You knew that Jesus had a particular method?

Okay, maybe you, okay, 1 person did and so that's why the rest of us are here, right?

Because this is an intriguing title and it caught our attention and that's what we do as instructors is we give things creative titles so we can get you to stay in our classes.

Not really, I think you're gonna find this to be a very exciting study, so let's pray.

Lord Jesus, we do again thank you that we could share this part of the time that you have put your presence in with each other.

We thank you Jesus that we have the privilege of being able to be here and to spend time with you and your word and with each other.

Bless us Father with not only intelligence but a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Open your Bibles to the New Testament book of Luke.

This is the last chapter in the New Testament book of Luke.

In the book of Luke chapter 24, there are 2 disciples that are walking on the road from Jerusalem to a city called Emmaus.

And these 2 disciples are walking in the daytime.

And as they are walking, these 2 disciples are talking to each other about what has been happening in Jerusalem over the weekend.

And all of a sudden, a third individual begins walking with these 2 men in broad daylight.

Now why the Bible doesn't say this was odd to them, I don't know.

Why the Bible doesn't say they were a little shocked that some guy all of a sudden appeared and began to walk with him, I don't know these things.

But for some reason, well the Bible says that God held from their eyes who he was.

These disciples are walking along and then a third individual begins walking with them and what is that third individual's name?

So we're in Luke 24, Verse 13 begins the walk to Emmaus.

And Jesus said unto them, verse 17 of Luke 24, What manner of communications are these that ye have 1 to another as you walk and are sad." So were these disciples happy?

Nope, these disciples were sad, and they're walking along.

Jesus starts walking with them, And he says, what's going on guys?

And 1 of them, verse 18, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass here in these days.

Was Jesus intimately associated with what had just happened that week, that weekend?

More so, hey brother, more so than the disciples were.

And then they said, how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be crucified, talking of Jesus of Nazareth, verse 19, so on and so forth.

And then, verse 25, Jesus speaks to them.

We are in Luke 24, 25, talking about Jesus' method of studying scripture.

Luke 24, 25, then he said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe, Luke 24, 25, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?

You ought to have cleaned your room and since you didn't you don't get ice cream with the rest of the family.

Vegan ice cream with the rest of the family.

I'm just trying to gauge my audience here.

Some people like vegan ice cream, some people turn their nose up at it.

By the way, Life is doing a children's evangelistic meeting.

2 days ago we went out with our Life van.

We had installed a bullhorn underneath the hood.

Softy music and we gave away vegan ice creams with invitations to a kid's evangelistic meeting.

Anyway, Jesus says, "...ought not Christ, who had suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" And notice what Jesus does next.

"...And beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he expounded or explained to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Samuel, did these 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus and Jesus, did they have a Bible in their hand?

Because every boy in the first century Galilean culture by the age of 10 had the first 5 books of the Bible memorized.

10 years old, first 5 books of the Bible memorized.

So beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, he explained unto them the things concerning himself.

Now couldn't Jesus have just said, hey guys, let me shake your hand.

2 weeks ago, I baptized a young man named Matt.

Matt's brother came to his baptism, drove his motorcycle from Panama City all the way down to Orlando, Florida, near Orlando, Florida.

And when I shook his hand, his hand bent in a place that a hand doesn't normally bend.

And so I knew immediately that something was wrong with Matt's brother's hand.

These disciples could have shaken, shook the hand of Jesus and known exactly who it was, but Jesus didn't do that.

Couldn't Jesus have said to these guys, hey, it's me fellas, ho ho, hang on, you don't have to be sad anymore, here I am, woo, couldn't he have done that?

How many of you ate too much for lunch today?

Okay, maybe this is why the answering is coming so slow.

We could do an exercise, we could sing Lean forward, lean backwards, to the left, to the right.

If you feel the need to do that, go ahead and bob and weave, whatever you need to do.

Jumping jacks in the back, I'm comfortable with this.

I tell my students all the time, if you fall asleep while I'm teaching, get in the back and do jumping jacks and come sit down, do some push-ups, whatever you need to do.

Conviction is the Key

Father, this is exciting for us, this sacred time that you have set apart for us to be with you.

Please give us more opportunity to spend time with you or just wake up our minds to the fact that we have that opportunity and we need to take it.

We love you Jesus, we ask that you will be with us as we study your word now.

I was sitting on a couch in Marisol and Joe's home.

There's a couch on this side of the room.

Joe is sitting right there in his easy chair and there's a couch on this side of the room.

Maybe I should move this illustration over to here.

So here's a couch, here's a couch, and Joe is sitting right there in his easy chair.

40 years prior to this, Joe had married a Roman Catholic.

His family disowned him, told him that they didn't want to see him anymore.

I'm like, whoa, Joe, that's pretty harsh.

I don't understand why a family could do that.

But that's what happened in Joe's situation.

Joe does not ever come back to the Seventh-day Adventist church until 1 Sabbath.

He's driving by, and he decides, hey, maybe I need to go in there today.

He goes into the church where we are holding an evangelistic meeting.

He makes a decision to get re-baptized and to join the church, and he does that.

So this is the Monday after Joe has been baptized, And so we go over to Joe's home to visit with Joe and Marisol.

And as we are visiting with Joe and Marisol, I am sitting on this couch over here with Pastor Ron Werner.

Pastor Ron Werner is the pastor, was the pastor, he's retired now I understand, of the Grand Round Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oregon as well as the Sheridan Church in Oregon.

So he loves visiting, praise the Lord for pastors that love to visit.

They may make you uncomfortable but they sure do love visiting you, by the way.

Not to see what you have on your coffee table as far as magazines are concerned, but just to say hello.

Pastors don't come to people's houses to see what they're doing wrong, so just keep that in mind.

So I'm sitting over here on this couch, Marisol is sitting over there.

Joe is sitting here just reveling in his new relationship with Jesus Christ.

Praise and glory that the weight has rolled off of his back of not having been to church in over 40 years, to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

And So I'm looking at Marisol and Marisol is like this.

Typically it means that somebody is closed off.

They're not open to hearing what you have to say or they're really evaluating what you have to say.

It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing, right?

So here's Marisol, she just looks madder than a hornet, and she's got her hands like this.

And so we're just chit-chatting, and Marisol's hands come down.

And the moment Marisol's hands come down, I said to Marisol, Marisol, tell me, Which Sabbath would you like to become a Seventh-day Adventist Christian?

Now you will have to forgive me for trying to do my best or at least a type of accent, an Hispanic accent, so please forgive me if I get it wrong, Okay?

I asked Marisol, which Sabbath would you like to become a Seventh-day Adventist Christian?

And Marisol said, you think I need to be baptized?

I know cheating, I know smoking, I know beating the children, I know beating my husband, I feed him, I love him.

Did Marisol need to be re-baptized, by the way?

Okay, she had an issue with anger, but that's 1 thing.

People that we work with say, man, why do you go to church on Saturday?

I mean, why can't you go play golf with the guys tomorrow?

Well Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 through 11 says, Exodus chapter 31 verse 16 says, Luke chapter 4 verse 16 says, Revelation chapter 14 verse 6 through 12 says, Revelation chapter whatever says, Revelation this, Matthew that, and when they're finished they don't ever want to talk to you again about any scriptural topic.

Somebody says to me 1 day at work, I just can't stand the fact, this is when I was a truck driver, I can't stand the fact that my grandmother is in heaven right now, his grandmother just passed away, he's another truck driver, completely distraught because she was like his mother to him.

Completely distraught that she's up there now able to see everything that he's doing down here that's bad.

And I opened up my Bible, I always carried my pocket Bible, I carried my dagger, you know a big Bible is a sword, I carried my little dagger, you know.

It's not the size of a wallet and I pulled it out and I said, man, you familiar with the Bible at all?

I said, no problem, I'll find it for you.

I found Ecclesiastes chapter 9, I handed it to him.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know not anything, neither have any more reward for anything that is done under the sun.

And he looks up at me, and he says, she don't know what I'm doing.

He said, nope, she don't know what I'm doing.

That guy was so grateful to me for showing him that the Bible said that his grandmother couldn't see him.

Now, maybe I should have left it with his grandmother seeing him, right?

Because then he would have been a little more cognizant of the stuff that he was doing that wouldn't glorify the Lord.

But you can't even let somebody that wants to glorify Satan live in darkness, you understand?

You got to share the truth with them, but you got to do it in a way that is palpable, that is chewable.

How many of you like greens with no salt and no lemon juice?

Okay So you got to put some salt and lemon juice on the Bible when you feed people the Bible you understand Good to see you brother all these people popping up.

Completely closed off, just glaring at me.

And I started to open my Bible and I was going to go to Exodus chapter 20 verses 8 through 11 and I was going to show her why she needed to be rebaptized because she hadn't been keeping the Sabbath for 40 years and she knew about it but she said that she loved Jesus and if somebody loves Jesus then certainly because John 14, 15 if you love Jesus he says keep my commandments So certainly you love Jesus.

And as I was opening my Bible, I did not hear an audible voice, But I get this deep impression that goes like this, Scott, you didn't say anything about baptism.

And I'm sitting there, and inside of my head I'm having this conversation.

Marisol says, you think I need to be re-baptized?

Series

GYC SE 2012 Seminar: Personal Evangelism

Conviction is the Key

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

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