This seminar will feature current, front-line stories and fresh techniques of Adventists across the globe reaching out to strangers and spreading the present truth through the distribution of tracts.

ASI 2013: It's Time... To Be About Our Father's Business

<p>This seminar will feature current, front-line stories and fresh techniques of Adventists across the globe reaching out to strangers and spreading the present truth through the distribution of tracts.</p>

<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 2013 Seminar: Outreach

Edgar M. Williams

Search Party: Reclaiming Prodigal Brothers and Sisters

First of all, if you could bow your heads.

Thank you for the gift that you've given us.

Lord, we ask that you'd bless us today as we go about your work of searching out and finding our lost souls.

As a teenager, I made some very, very poor choices and I drifted away from the church.

I got into immoral activities and I was gone for 42 years.

I'm going to tell you a little story that of my return and what caused it all.

In 1992, my youngest sister went to the doctor for a normal physical.

The doctor saw something in the blood work that he didn't like.

He had no idea what he was looking at, but being a busy doctor and also a very conscientious man, he did not want to do the research himself because he figured that it would take too much time.

So he faxed to every specialty he could find in the United States saying, what am I looking at I need your help.

A doctor in Boston gave him a call and said, get her up here now, it's mesothelioma.

Once it's diagnosed over 95% of the time, it's already fatal.

They got her up there, they took out a lung, they actually lost her on the table twice.

She was on chemotherapy and radiation for several years, but she made it.

While Charlotte was recovering, I mean, after Charlotte recovered, her husband went through his midlife crisis.

Well, my wife and I had both been through divorces.

We knew all of the things that Charlotte was going to go through, so we figured that we would take her under our wing and help her through it.

Little did we know that that was God putting us under her wing to help us through it.

We went to dinner with her every Thursday night.

We just became very, very close, especially my wife and Charlotte.

In 2000, right around 2000, Pete came back.

Now, I wasn't back in the church at that time, and I told my wife, well, first of all, Charlotte accepted him back.

And I told my wife, if he hurts her again, I'll kill him.

In 2003, Charlotte started having lower back pains.

Finally Pete says, we're going to the doctor and find out what's going on.

Doctor said the results would be back by Wednesday.

Friday, the pain was so severe that they had to put her in the hospital to control the pain.

1 Sabbath, it came back, it was terminal.

Charlotte was a good Adventist Christian.

How could God take her at such a young age?

During the period of time that we visited her and so forth, my wife kept on saying, you know, I'd like to be more like Charlotte.

Her job of 35 years was eliminated because the company was bought out.

1 of her sons had drifted away from the church.

It every reason why She wouldn't be discouraged, but she wasn't.

Well, when she died, it dawned on me that if that had been me, I would have been totally lost.

Carol said, You know, I'd like to be more like Charlotte.

We need to go to church." Well, I told her if we did, there was only 1 we were going to.

I said, because it's the only 1 that teaches just the Bible and not a bunch of tradition.

I knew at that point that I was going to have some problems.

I had given up smoking at 87, but I still had a drinking problem.

At the end of her Bible studies on a Friday afternoon, Pastor Zollman, when he left, he asked her, and then I asked her, well, are you with me on this?

I took 25 of a 30-pack out into the campground.

However, I could have been tempted to go back and get it again.

I gave away the 30-pack, and I haven't even wanted 1 cent.

And because of that I knew that I had something to do other than just coming back to the church.

I went through 30 of Ellen White's works, probably 200 other books on theology, Adventist theology and so forth.

Then it dawned on me who better to go after those who've been away but somebody that's been there.

So I started looking around the church to find who was doing it.

The North American Division had 1 person who had another ministry that was doing it part-time.

I met with him for about an hour for lunch 1 day And that was it.

So we started our little organization we call FARM, Former Adventist Recovery Ministry.

What we try to do is encourage the churches to do what we can't.

And during that period, only 1 time did somebody come to find out why.

And when I came back, my name was still on the books.

Our church spends millions per year on evangelism, but almost nothing on recovery ministries.

Do you realize that it is actually cost-benefit?

If you took the million absent members that we have in this country, in North America, and if we only got back 20% of them, 200, 000, Now you have to sort of deduct out the young and the old that don't have the incomes to pay much in tithe.

But if you also assume that those in the middle only make $30, 000 a year, tithe would be $3, 000 a year, that's $600 million.

Stop and think about what could be done with that tithe.

And believe me, it is a disgrace, but only about 30% of our church members pay tithe now.

But those that are returning do pay tithe.

By the way, that's 1 of the things that you want to let them know.

Doug Batchelor

One-On-One Witnessing

Why don't we have a word of prayer and then I'll share with you what I'd like to try to accomplish in our time together and hopefully that you will find that edifying.

Father in heaven, we believe that you and your Son come very close at times like this where we come together to know how to better serve you and in particular how to share you.

And Lord we just ask that your Spirit will be present in this room, this whole gathering this weekend Lord, and be in every heart and mind.

We're going to talk about a lot of principles and we just pray the things that we do discuss that we'll remember and then even more important help us to apply them to our lives.

So be with us now and bless and we thank you for this opportunity to share together.

We thank you and pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Well, I'm starting out a little embarrassed, but it's probably good to be humiliated just before you begin.

And anyway, my time with you, I'd like to dedicate to talking about some of the principles of one-on-one witnessing.

Time permitting, I may actually pass around this microphone and right now I'll just turn that off to prevent feedback And take questions.

And again, I do not consider myself an expert, but I'm going to share with you what I have learned, what seems to work for me, and I think it's worked for some others.

When it comes to how do you share your faith on a one-on-one basis?

You know, when you're in public evangelism, people come to church, you stand up, you preach, they're expecting to hear you talk about God and religion.

That is actually easier than when you try to strike up a conversation with someone on the airplane.

And I'm just like you in that sometimes I'm afraid.

You don't want to be annoying or obnoxious to people.

But at the same time, I think we should establish some basics.

If you look in your Bible in John chapter 3, if you've got your Bibles with you, John chapter 3 and you know we could read verses 1 through 3.

This is of course an audience where Jesus is doing some one-on-one witnessing with Nicodemus.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

And this man came to Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher, come from God, no 1 can do these signs that you do unless God is with them.

And Jesus dives right in and says to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless 1 is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Now, 1 reason I'm starting with this verse is because it's establishing a principle.

There are a lot of people in the world, and most of those people are not gonna be in the kingdom of God unless they're born again.

So there is an urgency to our helping people understand what it means to be born again.

Sharing our faith with people is not sort of an interesting hobby or a novelty.

I heard about a man a few years ago that was working in the drive-thru window of a Taco Bell And there was a lady that was, he could look over his shoulder from the window where all these cars were lined up and they're putting in their orders.

And he saw a lady had come to the counter that was great with child, and she let out a yelp while she was standing in line in the store, and she went into labor just right away.

Well, he told, he was manager, and so he told someone call 911.

He went out to see if he could make her comfortable, and the next thing he knew, he was catching a baby.

Well, of course, that took a little time to, away from the drive-up window, and people were very upset that their drive-up orders were being delayed and they were complaining.

What's more important, human beings or pinto beans?

Isn't it more important that people live forever?

Matthew chapter 28, 18, the last words of Jesus should be a first priority for his followers.

And he spoke to them saying, all authority, power has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

Go therefore, now notice that he's telling us we can go and we can share for him, why?

Because he's been given all power, we're not going alone.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

So he's telling us to go to everybody, everywhere, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've commanded you, or to be able to teach them comprehensively what Jesus taught, and then this is the wonderful promise at the end.

Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

So there is no time, there is no place that He is not with you, especially if you are going for Him.

So if you are willing to be used by God then He will work with you.

Think about when God looks down on this earth, what are his priorities?

When he sent his son, why did he send his son?

And so how important is it to the Lord that people find out about salvation?

Is there anything on earth that is more important to the Lord than people finding out about salvation?

So if this is the priority with God, will the Lord help those that are willing to cooperate with Him.

So when I get scared about sharing my faith, I try and remind myself this is something that is very precious to the Lord, and God seems to intervene.

Now, That doesn't mean that every time you line up with someone in a market waiting to be checked out or you sit down next to a stranger on a bus or an airplane that the Lord is going to provide an opportunity for you to make a gospel presentation.

I look for those opportunities, though I admit sometimes I've gotten on airplanes and I'm so tired I hope nobody will talk to me.

But I remember I had a little rest on my first flight coming here yesterday so on the second flight I thought, oh, Lord, I got an empty seat next to me, let's see what you arrange.

And sometimes I've got Karen and the boys in that seat, but this time it was gonna be just whatever happened.

And this young man came on the plane and he kinda nodded that that was his seat next to me.

And I thought, oh, good, you know, he looks like a prime suspect.

And as soon as he sat down, he put on his seatbelt, he pulled out of his little backpack a beanie, you know, a what do you call them, beanie?

No, not a yarmulke, a, you know, a ski hat.

In Canada they call them toops or toops or something.

He pulled on, you know, 1 of these, and he pulled it right down over his eyes.

And he slept the whole time, and I thought, how am I going to talk to this guy?

So you know, the prior flight, I was able to visit a little bit with the lady there.

So you pray for opportunities, but you don't want to be obnoxious, and you don't want to feel like everybody that you pass going by every day, their eternal destiny weighs upon you.

I've met young Christians who thought the world is lost, and if I don't tell them, they'll be lost.

And they've almost felt like they had to stop everybody on the street and grab them by their shirt and say, do you know the Lord?

And so you need that balance of praying for and being ready for the opportunities God gives us, and He'll give you opportunities.

Now I want to, I just want to establish why this matters.

If you look, for instance, In Acts chapter 4 verse 12, Acts chapter 4 verse 12, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

So for people to be saved, how important is Jesus?

There is no other name given among men under heaven whereby we must be saved.

If people are going to be saved, anybody who is saved is saved by Christ.

Let me give you 1 more verse on that theme.

1 John 5, 12, he who has the Son has life, he that does not have the Son does not have life.

So it's kind of a frightening thought that everybody that you see every day is gonna fall into 1 of 2 categories, life and death.

Some people, well, first of all, all have sinned, right?

And so the whole world is under a death penalty, and if they don't have Jesus, they are still terminal.

Now as a Christian, God is giving you in the blood of Christ the serum for the disease of the world.

You've been given the healing antidote for the sins of the world in presenting Jesus in the gospel, right?

So shouldn't it be a priority for us to look for those opportunities to tell people If they don't learn about Jesus, what is their destiny?

Now you might be thinking, well if I don't reach him, he'll just reach him with someone else.

If they're meant to be saved, you can think like a predestination Calvinist.

Terry Anderson

Leasa Hodges

ASI New Beginnings Evangelism Training

Lord, we are privileged to come here together to find and learn another way to reach people.

You have a way for every person in this world to be told the gospel, and this is a tool that you've inspired individuals and given them the wisdom to create, And we want to continue to share this, that people can take this tool to their homes, to their churches, to tell people about your soon coming.

May the Holy Spirit inspire us here all this morning.

And thank you, Jesus, for what you've done for us, for dying on the cross, that we all have the opportunity to be in heaven together.

Well, Welcome to the ASI DVD training program.

How many of you have heard of the New Beginnings DVD program?

Well, ASI, about the year 2000, you know, when all the Net series started happening, Mark Finley, Doug Batchelor, they started doing these big, huge Net meetings.

And we sent them off to hold these big meetings around the world, right?

Well, but they have, you know, like 356, 10, 000, 100, 000 people coming to these meetings.

Okay, yeah, 90%, 90% of these baptized members leave with the evangelists.

And so ASI was thinking, and we thought, you know, instead of 1 person or 1 organization going to these different parts of the world, holding these big meetings, what would happen if lay people, if ASI members, would go and hold meetings?

So instead of 1 evangelist reaching 10, 000 people, what about if 1, 000 Adventist ASI members went and preached and reached 10 people?

Okay, but what happens when ASI members go is they go and they train church members.

So the church members in the local area are invested in evangelism.

And they go out and they make friends, they invite people, they have connections, And then when they hold an evangelistic meeting, their friends and their neighbors and their coworkers are coming to these meetings.

So an evangelist holds a meeting, and then when the evangelist leaves, who's left behind?

And so we thought let's put these beautiful graphics and sermons that are already all written out into the hands of the lay people and let them reach their own community.

And what we have found is that when this is done, 90% of the people that are baptized into the church are still in the church a year later.

We want to empower local church people to do meetings in their own neighborhoods, to their own family, to their own friends, and to their coworkers, even their enemies.

And you'll find out how to invite your enemies to your meetings.

So I just want to share with you, so the first program that we did, we did 3 test programs and I want to share with you some experiences that we've had with this program in different parts of the world because it can work anywhere.

So the first, okay, Matthew 24, and I'd like everybody to read this together, okay?

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Okay, now when we hear this verse, we, when we hear this verse, we always hear the preaching part, right?

Now when an evangelist comes and leaves, he's no longer there to witness.

And so the church member is left there to be a witness.

And this is why we are preaching and we're staying as a witness, and this is why this program is so effective.

So we have gone to all 13 divisions of the church with this program, and this actually is a very dated slide.

Okay, so we have trained, I think it's close to 100, 000 now, of lay people in their own churches with this program, and these lay people on average have held 3 home meetings.

And that means that's 300, 000 plus home meetings.

And on average, about 10 people attend a meeting in people's homes.

And we'll explain to you and train you how to hold the meetings in your homes.

And on average, at least 50% of the people that come to your meetings will get baptized because you have developed a relationship with them, you have developed friendships with them, and they will get baptized.

And so actually, we've gone to all the continents around the world except for Antarctica.

And I think there's only penguins there to preach to.

So we haven't done a training program there.

But we've gone to all of the other continents.

1 of the first countries that we went to was Moldova.

And I tell you, this training was held in January.

A Siberian clipper came over and just hung over Moldova.

And, you know, Moldova at that time was, it's still poor, but it was extremely poor then.

And hardly any of the church members had cars.

And we wondered, you know, it's minus 36 degrees, people have to walk.

And we held it in this big theater, and we thought how many people would come.

And we trained them, we gave them a DVD player, and we gave them a DVD disc that held all the graphics and the sermon notes, and then we also printed the sermon books for them.

So they had everything to go home and start the meeting that night.

And we were planning on training about 600 people and 1, 200 people showed up.

Many of them had to walk miles in that cold.

And the thing about Moldova is it's a very small country, and it has 2 conferences, the Northern Conference and the Southern Conference.

Back to Menu

Series

ASI 2013 Seminar: Outreach

Literature Distribution for Today’s Mind in Today’s World

Transcript

Description

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

John Chung, Chelsy Jourdan, and Sebastien Braxton: Cubicles and Christ

The Word in the Workplace

1h

GLOW Rally 2010: Let There Be Light

GLOW 2010 Literature Evangelism Testimonials, Part 1

49m

Literature Evangelism

Literature Evangelism- Part 2

1h 4m

The Butterfly Effect of Literature Evangelism

1h

GLOW: Giving Light to Our World

GLOW Part 2: How to Fit a Preacher in a Pocket

44m

Total Member Involvement

6. Moving The Ship

1h

Grow Your Church- Part 1

2h 21m

OYC 2010 Plenary Sessions

The Good News Gospel

46m

From Sunday to Sabbath

1h 2m

Personal Evangelism 1

Sharing Divine Words with Human Hearts- Part 1

2h 16m

Sound Doctrine