SCC 2018 Campmeeting Friday Jun 15, 2018 Worship| Speaker Michael Kelly

thank you [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I had something else to say to encourage you to give for offering time but after listing to sister Sheila V Mills reminds us to be thankful to God I just figured there's nothing else I need to say in the offering time and the best thing for us to do to show our gratitude for gold that God has done for us is to give so as our Usher's come down to lift this evening offering I want you to dig deep into your wallets and your purses and I want you to find something that you can give back to God amen amen let us pray father in heaven we thank you for the opportunity to give some can't sing some can't preach some can't teach below you have blessed each and every one of us with resources directly from you to give back to you to further your cause so we ask that you bless the monies that we give in Jesus name Amen how many thing four people in the house a man anybody want to praise him anybody wanna praise him the Bible says let everything that has breath praise the Lord it sing the song sing the song I just won't I just wanna praise you forever and ever [Music] [Music] [Applause] wait where's ball [Music] [Music] ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh Oh [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] Oh make your Jesus thank you teased us why you thinking [Music] blessings and glory and [Music] blessings and glory [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] praise the Lord everybody we're gonna pray today just one you want you to do one thing for me if there's somebody next to you just grab their hand one of the things I like to remind those people of God is that we're part of the family of God and we talked about making it through this thing to have that power in the presence and holding on to his promises we need each other and so I want you just hold somebody's hand and while we pray today is that Alright it turtle God our Father we pause in the worthy name of Jesus our Christ our soon coming King we come Lord realizing Lord that we need you every hour of the day we need your Lord to show us who you are and all your fullness that we can experience the presence of your power we want to thank you Lord for what you've done so far here on this encampment you've changed some hearts you've opened some eyes you've reoriented some lives you've healed some marriages you've saved some children you've done some awesome things God and Lord it's so easy to celebrate while we're on the mountains out but truth is Lord we need to seal you we need you to seal the experience because we're Lord we're getting ready to go down into the valley and Lord there's some stuff with the valley Lord that we may not be prepared for it we don't let you lead as we go so god we asking you in the name of jesus lord as you open the windows of heaven and pour out whatever your people need in this valley we pray father for those laws that are going through grief and bereavement and depth circumstances right now we ask you more that you'll be the comforter that you have promised us as you are you rain in Jesus name we thank thee let the church say Amen amen and amen [Music] amen God is good and all the time amen it is my privilege tonight to introduce another one of my close friends pastor Michael Bruce Kelley the second pastor Kelly God has used pastor Kelly to to do a lot of amazing things for the gospel of Jesus Christ I'm just gonna just shortly share a few things he's a proud graduate of Columbia Union College now Washington Adventist University is there at Columbia Union College where he accepted the call to ministry I'm not gonna hold this against faster Kelly but I remember he was actually here at Oakwood for about two weeks but for whatever reason he couldn't he couldn't he couldn't handle it here so he had to transfer here the transferred to Columbia Union College but it's there that he received the call to to ministry he has served the youth as a youth pastor for the community pray center in Alexandria Virginia served as youth pastor at the Mount Rubidoux sevard Adventist Church of Riverside California and as youth pastor of Highland subdiv and his church in Benton Harbor he started his ministry in the Central States conference at the palace of peace Church in Colorado Springs and Claremont seventh-day Adventist Church and peploe Colorado event was transferred to the Alain Chapel subdiv and his charge of Lincoln Nebraska and while he was there he served as an adjunct professor in Christian ethics he currently serves as a senior pastor of the Mount Rubidoux seventh-day Adventist Church in Southern California where God has blessed him to lead an amazing community of believers and pastoral staff pastor Kelly preaches the gospel throughout the world he's had the privilege to preach in a number of countries and has also been awarded with a number of various awards in pastoral ministry including most recently the n-double-a-cp Riverside branch religion award certificate of recognition by the office of the mayor of the city of California of Riverside and a certificate of congressional recognition by the House of Representatives of the United States with all of these accomplishments and achievements though I believe that the verse of scripture though that Pastor Kelly would say characterizes his ministry is 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10 where he could boast in all of these accomplishments but I believe that he would say this that I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me for the sake of Christ then I'm content with weaknesses insults hardships persecutions and calamities for when I am weak then I am strong one of the things that I would say definitely characterizes the Minister of Pastor Kelly is a Ministry of weaken weakness and brokenness and transparency before the people of God and I think he would truly agree with the Apostle Paul where he says that God's grace is sufficient for him and so I'm happy tonight and privileged that we are going to hear from the man of God for this our pastor Michael Bruce Kelly the second and so after sister Sheila MacNeil hat would have blessed us with a word in song the nest boys that you will hear will be that of Pastor Mike Oh Bruce Kelly the second hear ye ham [Music] what do we do [Music] when I don't know what to do [Music] when I know what to say [Music] for the answers to those questions that seem to have no answer Oh [Music] know what [Music] No [Music] [Music] see - hello stay [Music] [Music] Angie your way is clear to me just Anstey [Music] you [Music] and with that a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] I'm gonna stay right here I'm going nowhere [Music] [Music] [Music] you will is clear to me [Music] [Applause] [Music] Boyet merci I will say this as much as I love see you see we didn't have that as see you see come on say that now it is it is an honor to be able to see everyone good evening happy Sabbath to each and every single one of you I want to thank of course my brother and I don't mean that and simply all you know that's my bro the last mother for real brother pastor green for that introduction it was funny when we were in seminary a pastor green got significantly better grades than me significantly but people used to confuse us and so when I was slipping in my classes with my 2.5 they would go up to Pastor green and say man you need to step it up man we haven't seen you in class in a week and he's like no you're talking about Mike so the bad I love you I'm glad to be able to come and hang with you elder Jones thank you for the invitation to come and be able to share with you all all the way from Southern California there's Cali in the house let me tell you all in one day of travel I had five flights canceled five flights canceled on American Airlines I I had my assistant call all of the rest of my preaching engagements I say if I'm already scheduled no American to reschedule that right now so I said there's either one of two things either God really doesn't want me here or the devil is trying to stop me from being here and I think we'll find out by the end of the weekend what he said but either way it was it was a journey to get here I literally got the last flight that they had available out today so let's let's really get to work in the word today I want to let you know as Adventists telling the truth as made us very unpopular what did you all agree with that the problem is that I recognize truth is more than Sabbath diet state of the Dead in the second coming of Jesus for Jesus says sanctify them in thy truth thy Word is truth and what I found unfortunately with us is we like to lift up certain areas of truth but if this whole word is truth which I believe it is there are some areas in it that I believe we have neglected as a church and that's why we are where we are and so during camp meeting it's a time I know for all of us to come together and there are a lot of different preacher tricks that we can use to come and really excite 'full but but that is not my particular assignment I'm here to challenge you for the next two days and I recognize that that challenging might not be popular but I do understand that it even might even be offensive to some of us but it's the truth anyhow and so I want to I want to spend some time in a two-part series and I've entitled our series when we stopped being a church when we stopped being a church and today I simply want to preach under the subject we got next we got next let's go ahead and pray father in heaven we thank you for this opportunity to come and just be poured into by you God we're in an interesting time not only in secular society but particularly in our church and we need some serious help and help is sitting right in front of us in this word so God we pray as we open up the word that when you give us what we need that when it disrupts the status quo and it disrupts our everyday way of doing things that we would rather be disrupted for you than be comfortable for the enemy so spirit of the Living God fall afresh on us is our prayer in Jesus name that all of God showed us amen and amen I remember about my second year pastoring Mount Rubidoux I got a call late at night from one of my members and it's one of those calls that as a pastor you never want to get she said pastor my son has just been shot and killed it was a difficult call again the young man was about 22 21 years old he was involved in gang violence for most of his teen years and had decided to get out of the gang but you know once you get out you're never really out so they went to his apartment broke down the door walked in and shot him in his chest and his head and he was dead they wanted to have the funeral of course at Mount rubra Della's that was their home Church the church that he grew up in but there was some things connected to that particular funeral because as a result of him be used to being in a gang he still had his friends who were in a gang and so the police were all over the place because they were looking possibly for some retaliation and for that particular funeral my church was full of gang members full of gang members sitting sitting there and we're going through the funeral service and it was time for me to get up and preach and I remember I said lord I need something that's going to grab their attention and so I started with a line from from biggie smalls a notorious b.i.g one of his songs where he simply says when I die I want to go to because I'm a piece of mess it's not too hard to tell ain't no sense going to heaven with the goody-goodies dressed in white I like black Tim's and black hoodies I had their attention right away man was a dude dropping Biggie Smalls in church and so I preached that I got to the point where you were about to make an appeal you know how you do in funerals you sometimes can make those general appeals if you want to give your life to Christ you know stand up and do those things but the Lord and I'd already worked something out he had given me an assignment he said Michael I want you to call them to Christ like you were in church on Sabbath morning so what I did is I preached and I made the appeal and I called them down this if you need to give your life over to Jesus today right now I need you just slip out of your seat and I want you to come down here to the front casket sitting right down there in the front of the church and over a hundred gang members came down in surrender to Jesus Christ here's coming from their eyes because they recognize that this life is temporary but there's another life in Jesus that is eternal by church witness this and saw this a few hours later as we were having the the repast and hanging out after church a group of members pulled me aside they say pastor what a mighty move of God that we just saw does it I appreciate you being safe enough for us to have this conversation but we've got to be honest we're concerned for our children because what's going to happen if they keep coming to church it wasn't all happen with our teenager girls and some of those boys what's going to happen with their with their drug addictions in their habits what pastor we love that they gave their life over to Christ but but we're unsure if our children will still be able to be safe with them within our four walls and experience really taught me several things about church and people the first thing that it taught me about church is that our churches really aren't equipped and set up to reach people and change their lives I need y'all to hear me very carefully we're not set up to reach people and change their lives we're not resourced enough for that our facilities are not prepared for that mission wise and mentality wise we are not prepared to change people's lives now we know how to reach people with a revelation seminar and with evangelistic efforts and bring them in the problem is we don't know how to take somebody who has come in and deal with the mother who is going through a divorce we don't know how to do that we don't have a program at a church for somebody who is suffering from deep depression know we have to send them somewhere else we definitely can preach and teach and get them to come to accept Jesus we don't know how to really change their situation because we're not equipped for that that's number one I found so we can reach them but we can't really help change the dynamics of their situation we just hope miraculously miraculously through play certain things will happen number two I found this that there is a huge tension between seeking those who don't know and keeping ourselves safe from those who don't know Jesus now we have to be honest with this today because it's a tension and it's not a tension that we just came up with it's a tension that's even found throughout the Scriptures our issue is and here's the thing how do I bring somebody else in but then keep the church the way I've always wanted it to be how can I bring somebody in but but if bringing them in means the order of service needs to change that I'm not sure if they really need to come in if bringing them in means that maybe we dress a little different so everyone feels a little more comfortable then I'm not sure if I want to do that it brings somebody else in takes me out of what I've grown accustomed to that I'm not so sure if we should really bring them in but no one's really going to say that and it's a legitimate tension because the Bible declares whosoever will let him come and the problem is not the coming it's the whosoever will because whosoever will looks like drug addicts and prostitutes and Pharisees and people who don't dress right and eat right but but when the whosoever will comes we want the whosoever will to come because you see the coming looks good it looks good when you give the report at workers meeting the coming looks good on the adventist review after the baptism of 150 people the coming looks good at constituency meeting so we have records that we can run on but the people who have come their lives are not different because we don't change lives there's still in the same health condition if we're honest with ourselves we'll teach them how to pay tithe but not how to get out of debt and live debt-free we'll go to a poor neighborhood come on now and knowing that they will be more susceptible to the gospel and baptize all different kinds of folk with a certain economic status but when they come inside the church their economic says has not changed still laden in debt still go into loan March still doing all that stuff but they've come we'll talk more about that tomorrow but because of mentalities like this this is why the church is in the position that it's in in North America today I'm speaking specifically of North America not only are we having a hard time to be quite honest getting people to come we can't even keep the ones who have come and the ones who have grown up in this because so they've been forced to be in this now when they get a certain age they're gone the proof is in the pudding in an article July 2016 and the Adventist review the research said this the average age of a seventh-day Adventist pastor is 55 years old 55 years old that goes in conjunction with the average age of the member which is 51 you put those two together the church is not growing it's 9 and the only reason it hasn't died yet is because some of us practice a health message you just stay here a long time but-but-but it's a study called the grain of Adventism because young people this new generation that we're supposed to be preparing to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ has become completely and totally disenfranchised with the church now immediately what the thought is is we say to ourselves well that's because we need to get back to our roots and what we will discover especially on tomorrow is that the roots that we're saying we need to get back to angrily our roots because will allow us to call roots a roots that's just stuff we came up with but we believe that no the problem is we get back to our roots and the church will grow we'll keep our young people everything will be fine but but here's what's so interesting in that same article adventist review here's what the research said we have a huge challenge in the United States to reach and retain young people however survey data from pew and other credible opinion pollsters overwhelmingly show that young Americans listen to this are not becoming atheistic are y'all following that they are not becoming a they are not in this place where they don't believe in God they are not in this place where they're like the Sabbath and all these different ride throughs that's not where they are it continues they are rejecting organized religion so while we have a challenge and making young people interested perhaps it's not so much in Christ but rather in the seventh-day Adventist Church see here's what we're finding and what we really need to see today they have a problem with the institution not Jesus and see our problem is we've mixed Jesus and the institution thinking that they are simply both one in the same and if that's the case you have not read the Gospels of Jesus Christ because Jesus had a problem with the institution and the problem he had with the institution is it stopped being about what Jesus knew it was supposed to be about and the proof was in the fact that the institution of Jesus's day was not reaching the people that Jesus came to reach does that sound familiar and here is what we do here is what we do I have two challenges with this here's what we do when we've hear statistics about young people not being in the church anymore when we hear this idea about us not reaching them the first thought and I hear it all the time is to blame them when is the last time you have ever heard Walmart blame customers for not coming to Walmart Walmart doesn't do that the first thing Walmart does is when they start to see a dip in their customer retention rate is they look at themselves and they ask themselves questions what are we doing or not doing that is causing us to be unattractive to the people that we're trying to reach and here's what I want to tell you very clearly I don't believe that the message of God is unattractive but there is something that we are missing that is causing people to not want to be a part of this so I want to show you some data you also with me I want to show you just a little bit of data maybe you've seen some of this before now some of us get uncomfortable with data I know we don't like data but here's how I want you to view this I want you to put on your prophetic glasses for a little bit as you look at this data because the natural tendency when we see data like this is to say oh no that's not as these people did stab the other now remember I said prophetic glasses because if we really truly understand prophecy revelation 3 says that we are the Church of Leila and Laodicea had an issue with self-awareness Laodicea believed that they were rich and increased with Goods and in need of nothing but the data said that they were poor blind wretched and naked so what we must understand if there's any church that should look at itself first it should be the Laodicean Church cuz we understand our tendency is not to be self-aware is that making sense so as we look at look at this data I want you to look at this and don't try and fight it but just say okay what we do about let's go ahead and go to the to the screen for for a moment here let me read this year in 1996 Barna research group released a report entitled Christianity has a strong positive image despite fewer active that's the keyword participants at the time the perception of 85% of outsiders atheists agnostics persons whose faith is different than Christianity run Church was favorable toward Christianity so this is a 1996 favorable view of Christians but one decade later everything has changed 38 percent of young people outside of Christianity claim to have a bad impression of present-day Christianity their experiences have led them to see Christians as having an us-versus-them mentality y'all found that so when they get the flyer to come to your church this is what they're thinking us versus them so I don't know if I'd necessarily want to come yet because I don't know how that I'm gonna be received let's go the next slide let's go the next slide outsiders believe Christians do not like them because of what they do how they look or what they believe they feel minimized or worse demonized by those who love Jesus that's a contradiction right there demonized by those who love Jesus I want to go to the next one here here is what the Barna research says the common perceptions of Christianity 91% say were anti-homosexual 87% judgmental eighty-five percent hypocritical seventy five percent to political now when it comes to elections but the way we are political inside of the dealings of the church seventy-two percent say we're out of touch with reality seventy eight percent say we're old-fashioned 70 since they were not as sensitive to others and 68% say y'all just boring why do I need you to hear this because this is the perception people have of the church you're trying to get them to come to be a part of that's what they're thinking so in his book you lost me barniz group resident owner David Kinnaman details six perceptual grievances that Millennials or young people tend to Harbor against the church as a cultural institution these grievances hold that the church is intolerant of doubt elitist his relationships anti Sciences beliefs overprotective of his members shallow and its teaching and represses of differences so the NAD says hey Barna can you do that same thing for our young people in the Adventist Church because we want to say what do they think about us so this was Christendom as a whole but then Barna did something just for the Adventist young people and here's what they came up with all right twenty-eight percent of s das amongst of these young people who were surveyed said the church does not have a safe place for you to doubt your relationship with Jesus so when you doubt price they're told something's wrong with you where's your faith what's going on and that's amazing that it's unsafe in the church because for three and a half years the disciples walked with Jesus and still doubted him and it was safe even amongst Jesus Christ himself when he would be like dude I just calmed the sea I just raised Lazarus from the dead and you still questioning so they make it very clear that man you all don't give us really room to be able to down the next grievance that they have here it's thirty four percent say that we are exclusive now that what does that mean that means like you know it's weird like you can't really be around other people that aren't SDA they don't believe like you like don't read any other kind of books or things like that you really shouldn't be involved don't go those different kind of places where there's not non s das there now a lot of us have a lot of not as gay friends and that's a little interesting to say because Jesus says that were the salt of the earth and the last time I checked salt can't make a difference unless it's mixed in with something like his shining light like actually it's a shine in darkness but yet what the SDA young people say is I was raised and taught to not be around those kinds of people I witness where the Sunday choir could not sing in my church I witness where it was okay to have a service on Sunday night but not Sunday morning I grew up in a church where Sunday preachers we're not allowed to preach here I just have this exclusive for the mentality where we need to be separate from everybody else the next thing 47% say anti-science you know that whole thing with creation and and an evolution and whatnot and some of us throw the baby out with the bathwater God is the god of science we have gravity because he made it and we all might be afraid of science but we can embrace it understanding that all science comes from the Creator who created everything but they say we're anti science the next to the next page the next page well next one 36% say overprotective and they describe this kind of idea you see it happen all the time where a deal don't watch this o can't listen to that don't go here don't get that up no oil no boys no none of this kind of stuff and so they're very protected in and and have this casing around them and then you send them to Oakland or CUC and they get turned out because they've been so protected that they have not been taught how to live righteously in unrighteous situations because you try and shield them from all that twenty-nine percent say our church is shallow in its teachings what Daniel revelation how can we be shallow here's what the young people said they said it's shallow to be able to break down prophecy and not be able to get along with the person in the pew next year they said it makes no sense how we can stand here and eloquently wax the Word of God and our people don't even practice Matthew 18 shallow to be able to keep a Sabbath and not have the character of the one who gave us the Sabbath is they the adults who are saying this this is the young people who are finally seen through our stuff and 37 cent percent say that we are repressive we're repressive we we hold people back [Music] [Applause] don't allow them to express themselves in various ways and I'm gonna I'm gonna say this I know it's a very unpopular thing but but it was very disturbing to me and I was having this big conversation with it on Twitter and we're actually gonna be having some meetings around it but one of the statements that came out from our general conference in regarding to the music that was appropriate at the General Conference made it very clear that African American expression of worship is not welcome there there knows no say that but they gonna say that it's a dog whistle theology is what I call it we press you don't don't stand up don't clap don't do it don't express yourself repressive repressive in careers repressive in all different kinds of areas in life and this is what they think of our church and they've gotten to a place they say you know I'm gonna fight it I'm just not gonna come so it's with this understanding that I want to get to my text okay if I get to the text today but you got to view the text understanding the data you're following is keep everything that I just said in mind with what I'm about to read in First Samuel chapter three and verse 11 here's what the Bible says the Lord said to Samuel behold I am about to do a thing in Israel he's about to do a thing in Israel now here's what you need the thing that God is going to do is not with Eli it's now with Samuel and Samuels responsibility now and what we're going to find in the text is Eli's responsibility is to get Samuel ready to take over the priesthood now if we're following this logic and we understand what always has happened in Scripture Moses got Joshua ready Moses got him up to the promised land Joshua got him in the responsibilities of the older generation of which I have to say now I am a part of I might not be as old as you but I'm not a millennial so I'm not preaching to myself I'm in this with you and the responsibility of the older generation is to get Samuel ready so Jesus can come but getting Samuel ready has been difficult because of what I just showed you does that make sense you can see something incredible in this tax because the environment that now Samuels in is described in this way in 1st Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1 now the boy samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli and word from the Lord was rare in those days visions were infrequent during this particular time and this is an environment listen to me carefully that has been created that Samuels grown up in this place where the word of the Lord is scarce where the priesthood is somewhat in shambles it's not where it's supposed to be and here's the first point that I really want us to get tonight and it's a reiteration of something because we have to get this before we can move on that say did not get the priesthood that way it was Eli so what we see from the church ain't young people's fault it's not their fault that we blame them like it is but sadly fall how do I know they weren't in charge they they were not the the president's the first elders the treasurer's the pastors the decision-makers @gc that was not them what we are seeing in our church is a direct result of what we have created I [Applause] know that's tough to hear but it's okay cuz we can fix it but we can't fix it if we don't think we're the problem and we've done a lot of good for this church but we've also Eli did some good stuff but the way that the priesthood is was a direct result of the culture that Eli had created and what I'd like to suggest to this generation today what I like to call sometimes that Moses generation and if you're wondering if you're in the Moses generation if you were baptized by Cleveland Oh Brooke Cerritos folks generation this generation has created a culture that has made church stop being Church because I'm gonna tell you this right now if Jesus were here today we would have to explain to him what church is now because he wouldn't give some more about that tomorrow now exactly what is the environment that is created during this particular time what is this environment that that eli has created in verse four the bible says this let me start actually verse two it happened at that time Eli was lying down in his place now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well and the lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying in the temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was that the Lord called Samuel and said Here I am and he ran to Eli and said Here I am for you called me but he said I did not call you lie down again so he went and laid down the high priests could not tell that that was the voice of God speaking to Samuel the high priest who if you look at this the previous chapter chapter 2 was continually to minister in the temple the high priest who we should have gotten a hint was missing something because instead of seen that the sister was praying he thought that she was drunk so removed from this thing but yet still in it and here's the way I'd like to describe the time of Eli a lot of religious activity but no spirituality and when I look at our church today Oh God help me get this thing when I look at our church today I see that the current phase in our condition is a lack of true spirituality you know we do religion well we have epic order of a service and great musics and good preaching and solid understanding of prophecy yet when it comes to living like Jesus we fall short man we have folk who talk about homosexuality and and talk about how it just is horrible sin in quote Romans 1:26 but out of that same mouth they don't read down to Romans 1:28 we're gossiping it's mentioned as an abomination to God I'm spiritual well Croats prophesy backwards and forwards and haven't introduced some of the Jesus in years on spiritual we will become concerned with what someone wears and hold a grudge with someone for over three years unspiritual we will be concerned about the order of music and what's being played in the sanctuary they haven't once complained about the number of unchurched people that have not yet found Jesus I have yet to get an email in a phone call complaining about the fact that there are still lost people out there I'll get that tall I get the calls about the dress and the music being loud and all that stuff and that's a symptom we're religious but we're not spiritual and so why you think the kids aren't because they've seen us play religion let me tell you why I know it's very clear because let me tell you what I'm having to teach this other generation I have to teach them how to listen to the Spirit of God see but we weren't taught that we were taught the list where you have a list you'll need the spirit and that's why we lose our minds when something comes up that ain't on the list and here's what the real spiritual person ought to do [Applause] [Music] the real spiritual person looks at the list if you got that list and still checks with the spirit that's Galatians 5 the Galatians 5 makes it very clear that the Spirit will lead you to do the things that you should not please and some of the things that you please are okay but the spirit just doesn't want you to do it but because we are so used to doing this life based on what we've always been taught we don't be led by the spirit anymore so we don't go just projection so someone tell you what's happening in church a lot of religious activity but no real spirituality and I'm gonna tell you what's missing when's the last time you feel real saw the power of God in this church that's one with the power of God because he used the preacher and 100 people came down for the appeal I'm doing about the power of God when you saw marriages get back together well you saw folk who who who are completely broken but now oh well because of the power of God but we don't see that because I got to tell you we are very religious but we're not spiritual and what the young people are saying is I don't want to be religious I want to be spiritual and so imma keep the Sabbath but my community is going to be at another church that's spiritual we gotta be spiritual as it were called to be we're not just led by the spirit when it comes to doctrine we're led by the spirit when it comes to everyday life so he says Eli back send Samuel back I love God the Bible says that the Lord called yet again Samuel so Samuel arose and went to Eli and said Here I am for you called me but he answered I did not call my son lie down again now I'm surmising now good Hama Leticia is gonna tell you I'm surmising now but based on what we've experienced in the text I think it's fair enough to say that something's going through Eli's mind I wait a sec I know this boy ain't crazy something's happening here but I don't think Eli connects it to God because I believe Eli had this in his mind if God was gonna talk to someone about the priesthood [Applause] surely the way he would work has come to me first then I'll go to Sam and so he missed out on God because he thought God was gonna do things the way he's always done see here's a problem then finally but too many of us inside the church we think that God's gonna move the same way he did in 1974 and the Bible says that God is the same yesterday today and forever but not his methods and I know that because Isaiah 43 says forget the former things behold I'm about to do a new thing where you saw me open up the Red Sea but what I'm about to do I'm about to make a way in the desert and rivers in the wilderness but if you're so caught up on what I have already done you'll miss out on what I'm about to do damnit eight is right now you're all the Adventist Church is behind [Applause] [Music] we still doing things like we did them 10 years ago when if you keep up with the times things change every month she's all the same you all the same Sabbath school same time of worship same or the service same a Y same we keep doing the same thing over and over and then when people show don't show up and there's two of them talking about where two or three are gathered [Applause] he said that's where I'll be now I'm gonna take that out of your mouth right now because the context for that is Matthew 18 where Jesus says where two or three people have a problem and come together to fix it I'll show up and help them fix it not where your service is old boring and lack [Applause] and you got two people it's all about the spirit is here we have the last days and there's a remedy [Music] here's what's crazy we call new things worldly secular unspiritual and we try and block it and here's the thing is crazy this younger generation has new ideas new thoughts new energies and this church muffles them it just cuz they're nope nope God didn't do it that way but glower Adventist Church doesn't just need Bible these Ellen White to help out with some of this stuff here's what she says you probably heard all this before but you know we cherry-pick you know we like when she says this but she says methods need to be improved she said there must be no fixed rules [Applause] there's 1895 [Applause] like its 1895 our work is a progressive work and there must be room left for methods to be improved upon under the guidance of the Holy Spirit unity must and will be preserved see listen to that statement she's saying new methods but with those new methods it can't be all right y'all just do that we gonna keep doing this she said there must be unity with that so we can move forward here's another one she says this different methods from the past means will be devised to reach hearts they'll be devised to do what everybody see the goal is to reach arts not to entertain not to just be up long technology but saying how can we do something to reach the hearts and a reaching a heart in 2018 looks differently than 1975 the goal is the same but how you get there is different that's what she says some of the methods used in this work will be different from the methods used in the work in the past now she's saying this in 1902 yeah I'll miss that so that means what she's saying in 1902 don't do what we did in 1895 now here's a party that's gonna get all of us but let no one because of this block the way by criticism now uh uh you know people think I'm crazy I really think that the purpose of Sabbath school is is correct that we need to be as a church together studying the Word of God I do believe that there's something about studying in this kind of environment now it's a little bit of Babylon if it really was full cuz all these teachers talking all at once and all that different kind of stuff going on I get I remember a guest came to my Sabbath school once out there like where do I go like have y'all painted zip it back in I believe in the study of the word now I think we all do small groups and that's a whole different subject but the idea is I said you don't man I really want to get my folk to come this out of school and a lot of people like to throw this out there if you really were spiritual you'd be rats at school right so I found two reasons why my people weren't coming to Sabbath school found two reasons one reason was the subject matter here's what they said is it pastor man would come but the Sabbath School lesson isn't scratching where I'm itching in my life it's it's not like right now I need to learn how to communicate my marriage right now I'm struggling with my finances and how to be biblical and what God has laid out for us in and being the the lender and not the borrower and so I went to myself to teachers I said y'all check this out I would love for us to change you know the lesson to doing a few things there's another group that came to me said pastor we just want to study the Bible we'd like to just open the Bible and look at a book in the Bible and just study that and I remember I went to know my teachers I said look guys one of the one of these groups of people they have a class we can form it they just want to study the Bible instead the Sabbath School lesson someone said I'll pass so we can't do that usually said we can't say the Bible said the Sabbath School lesson [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and I was just quiet and it caught them what they said they caught them what they said oh well you know what I mean past I said nothing really don't but so say y'all while we getting crazy I said why are we getting crazy I said people have discovered this we have a community as this old people come an hour to get to our church some people are driving two hours and get to our church getting here at 9:15 is very unrealistic I said what if we started Sabbath school at 10:30 what we just did that well pastor they get up to go to work [Applause] see how can we as it right let's just do an experiment let's see what happens attendance went from about 50 to 300 now y'all let me tell you something that was at my progressive California I know y'all think about us out there and my progressive California church was a battle to do that new idea not to do away with Sabbath school but simply to change it and improve the way we're doing it so that our people can benefit and I caught hell Cavs be real job that's ridiculous and it's demonic that's a completely different story y'all let's let's read this novel that's recently ain't got nothing to do with God or or something like that but the idea of what sister white is saying is if we're looking at an idea and we want to change it and we want to move it and the goal of the idea is to reach more hearts you're getting in the way of God when you criticize and I think each of us myself included can think of a God move that we stopped because we criticize somebody and got one more now in 1907 see don't tell me my sister was not progressive so she tells the Brethren men are needed who pray to God for wisdom and who under the guidance of God can put new life into old methods of labor and can invent new plans and new methods of awakening the interests of church members and reaching the men and women of the world new life being able to look at God and say God you are God and however you choose to move is how you're gonna move and if you move differently than the way I was brought into the church as long as it's you're moving then we were okay with it and it might not be my preference which has nothing to do with nothing because we're not here for our preference we're here to worship God God does not care about your preference heaven is not catered to your preference and so what we have to be able to say is God we're gonna be open so whatever you're going to do and I love what the book of acts as if it's of God it will succeed and if it's not of God it will fail but we're gonna be so in tune with your spirits that even when a new idea comes we'll be able to tell it you but because Eli wasn't in tune he didn't see the new thing that God was about to do so he goes back I'm almost done I'm almost a see I see much time I think I'm well over it though so the Lord called Samuel again for the third time he calls begin for the third time I ask myself what is Eli having this this this hard time getting and I think here's the other part I don't think ela I believed that not only would God not use that method but there's no way God could be using someone that young I remember I was 29 years old when I got the call to go to Mount Rubidoux from Allen chapel in California's home and Roberto was one of those bigger churches I'm gonna say George's Church trust me Church a church and so the mortgage at the time was 60,000 a month they just got a building for eight million dollars it's not remember when I came in at 29 there were a lot of people who were really concerned kid a young man like that handle that church what are they doing out there in California there was even some opportunities did you say hey man you know that's too much over there we got some other places over here Peter go and I remember somebody came up to me someone came up to me not Rubidoux when i was on the way they heard about my assignment they came up to me and they have this concerned look on their face they said pastor I don't mean to be offensive I heard you're you're going to Rubin up I was gonna ask how old are you I said I'm about Jesus's age when he got started [Applause] in a moment hitting that the culture we've created is Jesus couldn't even pass through some of our churches because we would look at him and say you ain't old enough you not experienced enough but in the way in world of God God doesn't look at age he looks at anointing and I found something about God that the anointing covers generation to generation but because we have limited God to an age we miss out on the anointing on the young people now wish we as a people but stop looking at age when it comes to assignments and things like that and it's one of the greatest things I'm gonna give this conference its props not just because I'm here but one of my best friends Pastor Dave young Griffin one of the most innovative moves that that I've seen ever take place is after his first district being there for a year called them to be youth director but the problem is that's an anomaly and we get excited with youth days and we send them up here with a free wit written prayer [Applause] [Music] and we'll stick them on praise team and we'll have them sing and we parade them up and we think that that's really empowering our young people that's not empowering our young people if you really believe that our young people are the future generation if you really believe that they are the ones they're going to usher in the second coming of Jesus Christ that they need to be the head elders and the treasurer's and on the church boards it in church business meetings that's where they need to be we're trying to reach young people themselves it could be real like our leadership does even look like the people we're trying to reach what you'd be preparing them not waiting for a certain age and then oh you can go now up you can have this church now up you can have that position now because you've been here long enough there were some people that listen let me tell y'all this I'm just about done I'm just about done let me take this there's a young lady at my church she's just graduating high school this year winter menace II she organized the national March for gun violence in high schools she's a part of the team that did that and secular society already out of high school has offered her positions to be analyst on some of these top shows but we'll tell her who can organize a national March they seem that ready to be on leadership in a 50 member church [Applause] generation Z you can play softly for me now please this vision group they get things done y'all and here's what's blowing my mind can you imagine if all of that was harnessed for the kingdom I'm gonna keep its real Jesus I don't really believe this would have been here because this world would not be ready for what these young people can do but we've created this culture and environment that says you're too young your ideas don't fit what I've done before it's not of God wait and there was a time where they would wait they're not waiting anymore so Samuel goes a lie and Eli says hey all right I got it now it's the Lord so he says here's all I want you to I want you go back to sleep once you go back to sleep and if this voice comes again if this voice comes again say speak Lord for your servant listen for your servant is listening now the Bible says something very interesting here at this particular time the Bible says that Samuel did not know the Lord follow the tax is no lower now if the Lord wanted to he could have made it very clear to Samuel this is me he's done before angels Gabriel showing up donkey's talking bushes burning not being consumed God could have been like dude that dude Eli ain't gonna get it Samuel let me you talk about this this is me I'm going to show you that it's me i'ma make background open up and do all this kind of stuff that you'll know it's me that way but God doesn't do that he specifically speaks to Samuel knowing Samuel to solve the riddle had to go to Eli and gods hope was that Eli would get it the first time because God wanted the generations to work to get y'all not seeing this thing yet [Applause] he said Ilana skipping over you I want to set up a scenario where Sam you'll need you and when you two work together it's going to be the passing of the torch of the priesthood and that is what God is calling for our church to do to not have these generational wars to not be going back and forth but for the generations of God to work together and it might look a little different it might be an open-mic it might be a poet but it's going to be the work and we'll do it together and there one or two things is going to happen either God is going to wait for us to get this thing together or he's going to have to allow one generation to come [Music] [Applause] and that's not mean that's bible so my challenge to us is Samuel I think he's ready I think he's ready for this thing that God is about to do don't you sense what God has set up you see I used to get upset with Trump but now I say thank God for Trump because he's setting up us to do something incredible in this world we're gonna talk about a little bit tomorrow but now that we've got this immigration stuff going on and families being split apart what do you think now the church can do that's an opportunity [Music] and Samuel is ready and either we help them or get out the way because we need to start being a church again so as your heads are bowed maybe your eyes are closed I want to make two appeals today my first appeal is just all of us in general if you know you have been in a position where we've gotten in the way and you're a part of that Eli group and you know the man my mentality is kind of got in the way of what some of God's young people are trying to do for his work in this world I've got in the way but God tonight I don't want to get in the way I want to help empower them I want to pour into them and help them become what I know you want them to become if that's you I just want you to be bold and just saying to your feet right now say god I'm confident right but now I get it and you can study some of this stuff yourself and say you know what can I see it I see it what kind of like I've been blocking a few things you've been blocking it with your mentality you've been blocking it with your criticism you've been blocking it by not giving up yourself to pour into another generation and if you're sitting I'm hoping that you're sitting because you're saying god I'm not doing that I'm empowered in generation so that means welcome come back here and visit any other time I'll see a whole new generation as we poured into them god bless you all who are standing and those who are sitting because you're already pouring into these people and then here's my my second appeal that's very simple God right now is calling somebody today he's calling somebody today and he's calling you very specifically and here's what's amazing about the calling when Eli said go back and say your servant here's what Eli is doing there that Hebrew word for servant is the word that is entitled to the priest and so he is acknowledging that God has already called you and I'm acknowledging it too and I won't let you know tonight that whether you before you've accepted this appeal or not God has already called you he's already put his hands on you as far as your salvation and so today all you need you to do is say speak Lord for your servant is listening and I know it's it's typical there's a lot of people here but part of the proof of your speaking is gonna be just I want you to slip down how do you see and I'd love you to take this preachers hand and give God your heart if you've never given this thing over to Jesus Christ before and you want to do that and the reason we want you to come down is not for the show but it would be so irresponsible of us to have you make a decision for God and not be able to follow up with you on your journey so there's somebody here who's not given their life over to Christ this is not for a special prayer or anything like that this is for somebody whose needs to make that move to give themselves over to Jesus tonight if you need to do that I wouldn't let you know there's an environment here for you to do so and you can still stand if you're like I'm not gonna get it out of the way now getting out of the way doesn't mean Galloway and do nothing it means you're gonna be intentional and pouring into the generation you're gonna pour into them into the generation that's behind you all right but if you need to give your heart to Christ someone should come down you want to start pouring into this generation I want you to stand to your feet now I'm gonna give you just a few moments to make either one of those decisions today and this isn't just like so we can have the numbers and look cool on camera or any that kind of stuff no no this is real we gotta get back to being the church God is not coming back for an institution he's coming back for a church we need to be the church we need to be the church need to be the church I know we can I know we can cuz he called this specific group of people to do something in these last days and we gotta get it we've got to get the world is depending on us to get it I just wanna give you a few more moments and now I wanna pray I want to give you a few more moments and I wanna pray few more moments and let's pray father in heaven we are sorry cuz we took a beautiful perfect message that you entrusted to us to get this world ready for your beautiful appearance and we jacked it up we became insular we started caring about things you don't care about we started getting upset with things that you weren't upset about and we didn't love the things that you loved we didn't care about the things that you cared and so now we're in this place where our church seems to be falling apart at the seams dividing amongst ourselves on so many different issues and god it's amazing we're divided on issues that you'd even speak up speak out on so father we first apologize and we repent in the name of Jesus thank you that there is still grace and mercy and we're sorry but we don't just want forgiveness we want repentance and repentance by definition means a rearranging of our minds but we got a look at church differently [Music] and God I pray that tonight we got some text we can look at we got some data we can look at and Holy Spirit we have you to help us put all of it together I don't expect everybody just hearing one sermon to buy into everything that was said but I do expect us to do what the Bereans have done God and go home and study ourselves and allow your spirit to speak to us and see where we are and how we can do better god I pray for the previous-generation behind most of us maybe some of them are even here they're in a different worship service maybe even right now god I pray that they will not be so dispersed that they think that their ministry and that what you call them to do can't take place amongst this group of people God it can and I pray that it will and when it's unleashed heaven help the kingdom of hell for what we are gonna unleash on them because god we are coming for the devil but we're not coming with our old stuff that we've always done we're coming with the fresh Armour of Jesus Christ and we pray that that would strike a blow to his kingdom that he's never seen so get us out the way get our mentality out the way change our minds and power this group help us a pour into them and then God when we do that we pray that your coming will be sooner we've ever thought because we are tired of all this we just want to be with you this is our prayer in Jesus name God got service amen and let's say Amen just two quick announcements all pastors and spouses please remain after this service for the rehearsal and don't forget that Sabbath school starts at nine o'clock in the morning thank you Pastor Kelly thank you thank you let us say you mad once again we want to invite everyone to stand at this time so we have our benediction but as reverently powerheads our gracious Father in Heaven we want to thank you for allowing us to be here tonight to hear this powerful message and we actually allow it tonight that you would make us one help us there Lord to move from where we are to where you would have us to be stop being rude stop being religious but becoming spiritual and we thank you for what you will do for us in Jesus name we do pray amen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Oakwood University

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Id: 03Gzk4Ts5FE

Length: 88min 27sec (5307 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 15 2018