Michigan Camp Meeting 2018: As a Witness, Matthew 24:14

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Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Children's Ministries

Tami Milligan

Come Explore Ways to Make Salvation Real to Children

Father in heaven, I just thank you so much for the privilege of being here at Camp Meeting this year.

It's so wonderful, Lord, to catch up with our friends, to see each other again, to enjoy the weather and hopefully stay dry, especially for those who are tenting.

It's because we want to meet up with you.

We want to see your face in a deeper and your character in a more profound way.

We want to be within the reach of a very special blessing that you promise at the Tent of Tabernacles, at the meeting where you've instructed us to gather every year to praise you, to bring you gifts and offerings, and then you promise to meet here with us.

And so I thank you for the presence of your Holy Spirit.

And now as we take a few moments to consider the topic of surrender, I know Lord that unless you are here by the power of your Holy Spirit, nothing will really be gained.

But we know you are here because you promised.

And so we invite you in a powerful way that each and every heart and every ear that hears this message will hear what the Holy Spirit expressly speaks to them personally, not necessarily the words that I'm speaking.

So now, Father, I pray that you would make me a nail upon the wall fastened securely in its place.

And then from this thing so common and so small, hang a bright picture of your beautiful face, we pray.

When you think about the word surrender, do you have a picture that comes to your mind?

Or maybe an event in your own personal life where you surrendered?

Do you remember the first time you surrendered your heart to Jesus?

Have you ever surrendered your heart to Jesus?

And what did that look like to surrender your heart to Jesus?

I mean, that's probably something some of us have heard a lot, right?

So I'm curious, how did you first surrender?

Were you in the intimate space of your own room or your own place, where you just drop to your knees and surrender.

I think about my husband's experience, how that he always knew he was going to hell.

There was never a question in his mind growing up.

And he stayed as far away from church as he could get.

And he and his buddies used to joke about how that when they went to hell, how many parties they would have.

And how that they would just be a place where they would just all be together and still be having some fun somehow.

And then he recalls how that he was always homecoming king of his football team and captain of his basketball team.

And he was always all that and a bag of chips in his hometown.

In fact, to this day, when he goes back to his hometown, they're like, Patrick's in town.

And he dated this girl that was the homecoming queen, and they were together for like 4 years, and everybody just knew they would get married.

And during that time he was not faithful to her, but that was different.

1 day she was unfaithful to him and it broke his heart.

And he realized at the young and tender age of 20 that he would probably not make a very good husband and As he looked around He thought to himself that probably he would divorce at some point because that's what his parents did and that's what a lot of people did.

And as he looked around at his world, it became very dismal.

And he says in his own words that he was sick and tired of being sick and tired.

And 1 night, he was on his way home from work, and as he was going through his rock and roll stations, he paused at a hellfire and brimstone preacher.

And he doesn't recall that the preacher was talking about going to hell, but he was a fiery speaker.

And he went home and he started his bath.

And he turned off the water and he sank to his knees and he said a prayer like this, Dear God, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Please forgive me of my sins and make me a new man.

He'd never prayed before in his life never been taught to pray but he said it's interesting how in the soul of every human being is the ability to pray and He crawled into bed that night and when he woke up in the morning He was changed He was so excited He woke up and he thought something is new God accepted me and came into my heart.

And he went to work and he shared with everyone that he got saved last night.

And everyone said, did you go to a revival?

And he got off work early, and he went down to the Bible bookstore, and he bought a cross.

Because as he knew somewhere in the Bible it says, take up your cross and follow me.

And he bought a Bible and he only knew 1 scripture in the Bible and that was Jesus wept.

His grandma made him memorize that when he was a kid.

Because it was the shortest verse in the Bible.

And so he had a conversion, a time in his life where he surrendered his life.

And then my great-grandparents used to go listen to James and Ellen.

And so I'm a fifth generation Seventh-day Adventist on my side of the family.

And then I met this guy and married him, and he's so excited about this truth, and how beautiful this truth is, and how awesome all these truths are, and that you don't have to believe that when you die you go somewhere, you're, you know, somewhere hovering around, and that God does not burn people throughout all eternity.

And he just thinks these truths are amazing, and I married him, and I thought, wow, he's really excited.

So for me, surrender has been very different.

I don't have a time in my life where I remember.

The earliest memory that I have is probably around 3 or 4 years old, walking with my mom down the sidewalk and seeing a little yellow dandelion.

I didn't know, I mean my mother tells me now that's what that yellow flower was.

Bending over with my bottom in the air, you know how little kids bend over, looking at that flower and saying, pretty, such a pretty flower, mama, wanting to pick it for her, and having her bend down by me and look me in the face and say, Sissy, Jesus knew you were going to walk this way today, and he grew that flower just for you.

So from the time I was a very little girl, I knew Jesus adored me.

I wasn't sure if he adored you, but I knew he adored me.

And you know, that is a precious thing that parents can instill in their children, that Jesus adores them.

I'm learning anew every day that Jesus still adores me.

And I'm learning to believe it not because of what I see in my life that has ever been deserving.

Choosing to ignore Satan's hissing in my ear that I'm not deserving, that's the truth.

But choosing to believe the Word of God that says that I am bought with a price, that Jesus is thinking of me before I wake up in the morning, and out of all those sperm, He chose me.

And I'm a nurse, so I get to say those things.

But truly, God chose us, He ordained us, He anointed us.

That's the other thing I learned this morning in my devotions.

Every day as we choose Christ and ask for the Holy Spirit to come in, we are anointed.

We need to walk with our heads up because we are anointed by the God of the universe to be little vessels just shining His love through that new anointing of the Holy Spirit every day.

And that's why Paul said he died daily, because Every day you get to make a choice.

And every day God is the same gentleman who does exactly what you wish him to do.

No One Else Will Do It

Heavenly Father, I just want to praise your holy name for the opportunity to come again before your presence and ask and plead and yet thank you at the same time that you are here.

That your presence is here and you invite us to call upon your name.

And you love to bless us with your greatest blessing, even more than mothers and fathers love to give good gifts to their children.

And so we pray for the Holy Spirit, which is Jesus living his life in and through us.

And we pray, Lord, that you will instruct us that the words that are spoken may not be the words that are heard, but what is heard is your voice.

And so now, Lord, make me a nail upon the wall, fasten securely in its place.

And then from this thing so common and so small, hang a bright picture of your face, is my prayer in Jesus' precious name.

So, I have this saying that I really like to say.

Just because I can doesn't mean I should.

Because, you know, it's a blessing to have gifts and talents, and everyone is born with gifts and talents from God.

Every 1 of you here reflect a picture of God's grace and who Jesus is in a way that is unique only to you.

And sometimes we like to almost pretend or think that we're not as gifted or as bright or as whatever equipped as maybe the next person to do what God calls us to do.

Every 1 of us is anointed and ordained to reflect Jesus.

Remember we talked about out of all those options that were swimming around that egg.

He chose me to be here at such a time as this.

But at the same time, we often say to ourselves, do I have to do this another year?

You know, maybe you've been a Sabbath school teacher or a youth teacher, or maybe an adult instructor, teacher, pathfinders, or a teacher at a school, and you're like, I have done my duty, I've done my part, I've done my years, it's time for someone else to take over.

And so sometimes it's tempting to look around and say, Lord, who else?

And I really don't like to sing solos, mostly because I look around, there's so many other people who sound so much better.

But then I think to myself, if everyone did that, nobody would sing, right?

And so God has given us gifts and talents, and It does not matter if your voice stutters or if you are smooth when you speak.

It's really what the Holy Spirit, when He shows up, it really matters not.

He can shine through any instrument that's willing.

And so that is why we're even told in the very end that those leaders that God will raise up to finish the work will be oftentimes unlearned, people that aren't of great talent, But you know what?

They are plugged into the ultimate source of power.

And that's why each 1 of us have a calling on our life.

So just because I can doesn't mean I should.

That means when the nominating committee calls you, and you know they've prayerfully asked if you would do a job.

I think it's important to pray about it, don't you?

And a lot of the time, most of the time the Lord tells me to do it.

But I love to know that the nominating committee is really prayerfully considering.

Now I've been in churches where it wasn't that way.

Oh, yeah, they can do this, or he can do that, or she can do that.

But really and truly, I love it when in most churches we've been to, they get on their knees and they plead for the Lord to put the right person in the right position.

But my husband reminds me that God does want us to have healthy boundaries too and he wants us to allow him to take good care of us and if we don't really take good care of ourselves we're not any good to ourselves or anybody else right so it's important not to do a lot of things halfway but probably to do maybe a fewer things really well.

And so praying, Lord, how shall I prioritize?

And that's where you can be really surprised.

Sometimes the things that God calls you to prioritize are not things you would have necessarily thought humanly were the priority.

But I love to be about God's errands, because that's when it really works so smoothly.

Do you see that that's a match over there?

It says, I'm burned out, and it shows the match's little mouth.

And it's pretty much, do you ever feel that way?

Kind of like, okay, my wick is really short and it's all burned out, what are we gonna do?

You know, but my husband tells me that's what I didn't finish.

He'll say, honey, when you're asked to come do a women's thing or to speak, will you please run it through me?

Because you say yes too much, and then you're stressed and I see you being very tired.

And I said, I tell you what, honey, I will do that.

But will you promise me you'll pray first before you answer?

And he said, yes, I will give it thought and prayer.

He'll say, honey, I really feel impressed you shouldn't do that 1.

Now I have to be honest, I've been married 36 years in August, 35 years.

But for most of our marriage, I've definitely thought that I knew better.

I just figured, you know, I had a lot of reasons for why my way was the best way.

But you know, the older I get, the more I appreciate the wisdom God has given our houseband.

And I'm allowing him to lead more, and it's a lot better.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Do you sometimes have people look at you and they try to give you advice and you feel like saying, why don't you take over?

There are times that we can be critical of 1 another and have a very good opinion of what the other person should do.

But I think if we just prayed for each other and encouraged each other more, it would be better.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are in the household of faith.

I really like that scripture because so many times I feel more gratified when I'm doing things for people not of the household of faith.

So maybe the people of the household of faith, they're easier to kind of overlook.

I mean it's way more exciting to give a Bible study to a heathen than to help somebody in the church who needs a little help, right?

So I thought that that was very interesting.

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Children's Ministries

No One Else Will Do It

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Come Explore Ways to Make Salvation Real to Children

58m

No One Else Will Do It

47m

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