ASI 2012: It's Time... To Be About Our Father's Business

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

ASI 2012 Plenary Sessions

Frank Fournier

It’s Time... To Afflict Our Souls

Allen Lloyd

Increasing Your Capacity to Learn, Retain, and Apply Knowledge

John Bradshaw

Doubtless

ASI Members in Action

Abraham Lincoln, Ellen White, Emotional Intelligence & True Leadership

Steve Wohlberg

Christ Our Righteousness in the Last Crisis

Chad Kreuzer

It’s Time... To Overcome

Self and Salvation - The Two Emotional Attributes Necessary For Salvation

Phil Mills

Friends Forever

Shawn Boonstra

My Father’s Business

Ted N.C. Wilson

ASI Presents

Steven Grabiner

He Shall Reign Forever

It's just important for the preacher to know that the people listening are awake.

I noticed some friends of mine, some dear friends of mine, when we passed in Lexington, Kentucky, some people down here were the most, they were the best church members in the world.

In Kentucky we had this little thing, and Keith will tell you about this, we had this thing when people fell asleep in church, it wasn't good.

We had a deacon in the church, his name was Jim, he was the head deacon.

When someone fell asleep during the church service, you knew trouble was coming because Jim would stand up and walk out.

And I knew trouble was coming, I mean I hated this.

And Jim would walk out and he would go to a cupboard we had out on the foyer with the word Deacons written on it.

And he'd go out to the Deacons' cupboard, This is what would happen when somebody fell asleep in Lexington, which is not far from here.

And Jim would go out and he would get this, it was a big long pole that stood in the corner of the deacon's closet.

And on the end of the pole there was a knob, a rounded knob, is what would happen.

And then Jim would come walking back into the church, our beloved head deacon, and he would be holding the long pole and everybody knew what was coming.

And I, I mean, I knew what was coming, I dreaded this.

And Jim would come in with the long pole, and remember this is what happened when somebody fell asleep in church, and heads would turn and people would look and they'd be, you know, 1 of the dear sisters over here would gasp a little bit, oh, not again, dear God help us.

And when somebody fell asleep in church, Brother Jim the Head Deacon would come up with that long, that long pole and he'd walk right up the front and when someone fell asleep in church, he would take that pole and, and jab, he would jab the preacher.

So please don't fall asleep on me, it just makes me nervous, break out in a cold sweat, Not good.

What a great place to be, ASI, the National Convention.

Our theme for this weekend, this week, weekend, is it's time to be about what?

I believe it's time to be about our Father's business.

So let's pray and talk a little bit about this from what I hope will be a biblical perspective.

Please bow your head with me as we pray together.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you that we can come to you today in the name of Jesus.

We are reminded of the words of the old hymn, in our hand no price we bring, simply to the cross we cling.

I thank you that we have this, really this oasis, a place where we can come together and celebrate that we are yours and be challenged a little bit, challenged and inspired.

Please, Lord, would you speak to our heart.

And I pray that you would be merciful to me.

And please do not allow the fallenness and the inadequacy of sinful humanity to get in the way of the working of your Spirit.

I will not ask that you send your spirit to be here.

Instead, I will thank you that your spirit is here.

So speak, dear Lord, and be heard, please, we pray.

I think I'm right in saying that in this world we love sure things.

If you knew that there was a place that you could take your hard-earned money and invest it and you were guaranteed a risk-free return that was handsome, that was attractive.

You'd be all over that, you would love that.

We like the idea of a can't-lose investment.

1 of the reasons, 1 of the reasons so many people lost their shirt during the housing crisis was that, well, you can't possibly lose on real estate, right?

That's 1 of the reasons so many people, as many people as did, came out of this thing kind of hard.

Unfortunately, many can't lose investments turn out to be, can lose investments.

Now what I'm about to tell you is very difficult for me to tell you.

It's difficult for me to tell you, I'm from New Zealand originally.

In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held.

New Zealand is traditionally the rugby superpower of the world.

Now there's a South African or 2 around here who's gonna disagree with me but I don't mind I have the microphone and they don't.

You can talk about South African rugby when you preach.

New Zealand was expected to win the 1987 Rugby World Cup and did.

The last Rugby World Cup was 2011, last year New Zealand was expected to win the 1987 Rugby World Cup and did, no problem.

The last Rugby World Cup was 2011, last year New Zealand was expected to win it, New Zealand won it.

Now we, we played along with the French and allowed them to think they were in the game, they pushed us a little, but we won in 1987, we were the favorites.

But do I need to tell you what happened in 1991, and 1995, and 1999, and 2003, and 2007?

New Zealand was the can't lose overwhelming favorite in all of those Rugby World Cups.

And in all of those other ones, we didn't lose once.

There was a big screen there, the citizens came out.

He swam so well, many people thought he had won, but he didn't win, he came second.

He came second by 1 one-hundredth of a second.

The New Zealand, no hang on a minute, I'm on a, I'm stuck in a groove.

The United States basketball team, the men's basketball team, had won the gold medal at every Olympic game since 1936.

And they got to Munich and they couldn't lose.

And they played the Soviet Union in the final and they couldn't lose.

And with seconds to play, they were leading 50 points to 49.

As a matter of fact, America thought that they had won until there was some confusion with the clock And they added a second and then they added another second, I think it was, and they gave the ball back to the Soviets with a second and a half left to play or something like that.

And something happened and the Soviets scored.

The United States went home without the gold medal.

Series

ASI 2012 Plenary Sessions

Doubtless

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

And. Worship. Him.

37m

Harbingers of Hope

1h 6m

Prayer

02 Prayer

57m

Morning Devotional: It's War Time

It’s Wartime - Part 4: War in a Garden

50m

Lessons from a King: The Experience of Solomon

52m

SWYC 2006 Plenary Sessions

A Call to Unity

1h

The Left-Handed

41m

Ron du Preez: The 'Day' that Changed the World

From Telegraph to Tell-A-Vision: Sharing a Sanctuary with Sinners

41m

Keys to Growing a Powerful and Vibrant Prayer Ministry

2. From Spiritual Laodicean to Daring to Ask for More: Melody’s Story

1h 13m

Heart Issues

Transforming Difficulties into Triumphs- It’s a Heart Issue

1h 8m

Dave Steward: Prayer Inspiration Weekend

Faith is Closer Than You Think

58m

The Joy of the Lord

34m

Sound Doctrine