Restoration 2023: Religious Traditions or Relevant Truths

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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Carlos Moretta

11th Hour Triage

Thought it was going to be a skeleton crew this morning.

It's the summertime, most people either vacate, students graduate, they move on.

It's a pleasure to be here with you guys.

Those of you who have heard me speak here in the past know that I'm not a theologian.

And I usually speak on practical Christianity, because I think all of this stuff has to be applicable.

All the things that you learn in Sabbath school, that previous speakers speak, that they teach, you've got to apply it.

It's got to somehow work its way into your life.

So you're probably not going to hear anything new today.

I think we can all use that every now and then, kicking the pants.

I will make no assumptions about knowing everyone here.

Some of your faces are new to me and mine are new to you.

So again, my name is Carlos Moretta, I teach here at the School of Dentistry.

I just want to add, you know, maybe you should be praying for me as I speak.

And if I've offended you in the past, again, I remember I said that once in this group, I said, if I've offended you, let me know so that I can make things right with you because if I have a message that God needs you to hear, I don't want Carlos, you know, to keep, and I honestly didn't think anyone would respond.

There was a guy that was like, can we talk?

So I was like seriously So no, I mean that honestly, you know, I was so happy that it came up and we talked I don't see him here today.

I don't think Anyway, but if if if there is something we need to resolve, let me know, because I want God to be able to speak to your heart.

I am married to my first and only wife, Daphne, who by God's grace brought me to Advent Hope way back in 2003.

And so for the sake of a girl I wanted to know, that I wanted to get to know, I came to this Sabbath school.

And except for the 3 years that we spent in Kettering, Ohio, when she did her residency, It's been a little under 20 years that we came to, that this was our Sabbath school, our home Sabbath school, and this was our family.

About a year and a half ago, We adopted these 3 kids from Peru and their names are Mireya, Ileana, and Lily.

Of course, they're pseudonyms because They have to be when you do presentations.

But We, after adopting, have made our way over to Mentone Church.

They have a very robust kids ministry there and it's something that we needed and We feel very happy there, but it doesn't mean we don't miss our family here.

You guys, especially the new faces, may not know how blessed you are to have this ministry on this campus.

Someday you're going to sit down under the tree of life.

I always say this, and we're going to go over the, we're going to reminisce of the Advent Hope years and everything that we've been through as a ministry.

Enjoy it as you learn as much as you can.

Begin to settle into and learn to share the Adventist message to the world that's dying to hear.

I know it's not professional, but I'm not a preacher, I'm not a pastor, I'm not a minister.

So I'm just sharing with you guys what I've experienced recently, things that have really inspired me.

And we were at the Michigan camp meeting last week, and I just cannot recommend these 2 messages by Sean Boonstra enough.

I mean, yeah, there's this growing sentiment that public evangelism doesn't work.

And so it was, the messages were just so powerful.

He gave us, and he's got so much experience, so much depth with history, secular and religious history, and so he gave some incredible messages, some heartfelt messages that, you know, again, I wanna recommend those to you, and just bear with it, just follow him until the very end.

You're gonna be blessed, I guarantee you.

But the sentiment that public evangelism doesn't work is becoming more and more popular, especially within our church.

And it's very interesting that on Sabbath afternoon, Pastor Mark Howard was standing behind the platform, and 2 kids had no idea this was going to happen.

2 kids go up there, probably in their early 20s, 20, 21, go up to the platform and 1 of them starts sharing his testimony about how he didn't know God, He was in the world, so on and so forth.

His mom was listening to a message that Mark Howard preached in Evangelistic Series in 2007.

And he said it really piqued his interest.

And so he looked for more information on more messages from Mark Howard and you know eventually was said this is it.

And he gave his life to the Lord and he had a friend, a Muslim friend, who was more atheist than anything else.

And they grew up together, they would share, they would pretty much be on the same page, but this kid was having this unique experience with the Lord, thanks to the messages that Mark Howard had preached way back when.

And so, the Muslim kid, on the other hand, was having a very hopeless existence, and he came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter if I live 80, 90 years or if I take my life tomorrow, there's no purpose for it, it doesn't really matter.

This wasn't because he was depressed, it was a very logical conclusion for him.

And the moment before he did, he called his friend, who was having this incredible experience with Mark Howard, with Mark Howard's messages.

I've decided I'm going to take my life, and I just wanted to let you know.

In a very matter-of-fact way, not to press, not, this is just doesn't make a difference.

And the other kid said, wait, but there is a purpose.

And the guy decides to postpone his suicide.

Postpones a little bit more, a little bit more.

They start sharing, they start studying together.

And so he's gonna be baptized here in 2 weeks, I believe.

Long story short, he's sharing with his Muslim family.

And then, you know, this is, I think, this was during the divine hour message that these 2 kids are giving their testimony.

So Mark Howard comes in in the afternoon and he says, and people say that public evangelism doesn't work.

In 2007, he said that was 1 of the most miserable evangelistic campaigns, 1 of the most poorly yielding evangelistic campaigns.

And here I am listening to this testimony behind the stage.

And he showed point by point how that evangelistic campaign went, how over the years nothing came of it.

And then he hears this story from this kid in the morning.

And he says, you see how that thing came full circle?

And people say public evangelism doesn't work.

It's not our job to try and get these metrics so that we feel how things go with God's Word.

That was an amazing, amazing testimony and weekend.

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11th Hour Triage

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