iShare 2015: The Challenge

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Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Witnessing on Campus

Bashar Fargo

Melissa Miranda

Willing to Be Led

I think I like to always start with by saying I come from the Middle East so it's a little more challenging to have meetings like I share, go door to door, do evangelism.

And we're definitely privileged to have that opportunity here in the United States.

So I pray that we all make use of that opportunity and it's something exciting.

1 day soon we won't have that opportunity and I pray that we may make use of it.

So this afternoon I'm going to be sharing some of our experiences on the university that I attended for my undergrad and then Melissa is going to be following up with her experience also and how the Lord has been using her right now on that same campus.

So if you don't mind, if you can bow your heads with me as we pray.

Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you once again for this time.

And we just pray for your presence, Lord.

In the midst, Lord, may your angels be present here, and may your Holy Spirit be present in our hearts to convict us, to lead us, Lord.

And the words that we speak today may be uplifting Jesus and Him alone so that we may be drawn to Him.

So An important question I think we always have to ask ourselves is, what is the purpose of my life, especially as a Christian?

And I'm going to ask you today, and You know, of course, this question is sometimes sort of redundant, but I think it's very important because it's going to determine every decision we make in our lives.

Fulfill his will in our lives now, what is that will that's that's the question, Right?

I mean, we do want to fulfill God's will.

There has to be a purpose in our lives, but really what is that purpose?

And if you can go with me to Isaiah, if you have your Bibles.

The Bible says, Okay, Isaiah 43, 7, the Bible says, Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory, I have formed him, yes, I have made him.

So do you notice that God is saying we were created for a purpose?

In the Bible, of course, we're not going to go through that study, but God's glory means His character, right?

Now, if that's our purpose is to glorify God, that's why He created us, and to basically reflect His glory, reflect His character, How can we do that?

As our sister mentioned earlier, we have to know Him because that's what God wants.

If I don't know who the person I'm worshiping, if I don't know who this person that I want to reflect who He is, then how can I reflect?

How can I show people who this person is?

Unless I have that relationship, unless I know this person.

Now, we know that Jesus said, For this is eternal life.

And John chapter 17 verse 3 says, This is eternal life that they might know you, God, and thou only Son, Jesus whom thou hast sent.

So, if God's purpose for us is to reflect His character, and we can do that only by knowing Him, and knowing Him essentially means having internal life with Him, then it will change our perspective about what we do every day.

Our decisions that we make, as I mentioned.

There is a purpose that, okay, I'm in this place, and there are people that need to know who I'm worshipping.

They need to know who this person that I have a relationship with, that they need to see Him in me.

That determined purpose is what we have and we need to have.

And I think that will kind of drive us to do God's will.

Now I want to read to you a quotation from the Desire of Ages, page 672.

And this is what it says, We cannot use the Holy Spirit.

Through the Spirit, God works in His people to will and to do His good pleasure.

This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift.

Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for his guidance and grace, is the Spirit given.

And sometimes we think, well you know what, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, and thinking that, you know, we can kind of use the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit can't be used.

We have to allow ourselves to be used by that Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes from God.

Now, In that process of knowing God's purpose, in that process of being used by the Holy Spirit, there's something I think more important that God wants us, more than even using us.

Because as it was mentioned today in the sermon, that God, of course, it's in God's word, God can use even the rocks to speak to him.

And in fact, God sometimes uses people and situations that were initiated by Satan and turns them around to bring something good.

So it's not a matter of as much using, but there is something more important than using.

And that is God is trying to save us in the process of using us.

And unless we understand that, our perspective of God would be probably a little different.

Oh yeah, God can use me, oh yes, for his purpose, and then what?

But God that we serve is not only wanting to use us for his purpose, but really his purpose is to use us and essentially save us in that process.

In the same chapter that we read earlier, Isaiah 43, I'll read verses 10 through 12.

You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He.

Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me.

I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Savior.

I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign God among you.

Therefore you are my witnesses, says the Lord, I am God." So our God is a God that wants to save.

And if we understand that kind of God that we worship is we know he's a selfless God.

We want to fulfill His purpose because He wants to at the end save us in that process.

And there are many examples in the Bible, we don't have time to share them, but all of God's servants, God sends them, but the main thing He wants to show them first is that who He is, how He feels about His people.

Jonah goes, God tells him, go to the Ninevites and talk to them.

Priscilla Santos

Lambs Among Lions

It is more than a blessing to be here with you today.

I was a literature evangelist for 4 years.

It was through the literature evangelism work that I actually gave my life to God.

But you know, God is amazing and once you make that decision to live for him, he takes you on a journey.

And I've been working with different ministries.

I've worked with Cristo on theme ministry, Little Light Ministries, Loma Linda University, all the way to Aven Hope.

I was their co-outreach coordinator for 2 years.

1 of my co-coordinators is over there, and then now I'm the associate director.

So evangelism everywhere and more evangelism to come.

But my goal for you today is that you feel encouraged, blessed, and empowered.

But before we begin, I do have to make a very major disclaimer I am NOT an expert in school evangelism oh I'm not an expert in any form of evangelism I only know of 1 who is and that is God God alone knows how to reach the human heart and save a soul.

So before we begin, let us go ahead and ask our Heavenly Father, the expert, to be here with us today.

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord God, we come before you knowing how much we need you.

Lord, we need your Holy Spirit to work in our lives and in our hearts, and if ever we're going to make a mark on campus, it's going to be through your might.

So Father, I ask that the words of John the Baptist be our words that we decrease as you increase.

And Father, I ask that your words be shared today.

So I ask, Lord, that you help us to understand that today.

Alright, Lambs Among Lions on campus evangelism.

This looks like a messy student, but then again this looks like every student I know.

It actually looks like she's about to cram for an exam, if you will.

There's even, looks like there's energy drinks.

Be warned, I'm a nurse, we'll talk afterwards.

We get so involved in school that sometimes we can't really see ourselves doing anything but study.

In fact, in nursing school they tell us you need a minimum of 8 hours a day.

We're like, Lord, I barely have time to do personal devotions, let alone evangelism.

But the thing is, friends, the gospel needs to be carried to people.

People aren't just going to, or we shouldn't just wait for them to come to us, we should come to them.

It says here, we are not to wait for souls to come to us.

When the word has begun preached in the pulpit, the work has but just begun.

There are multitudes who will never be reached by the gospel unless it is carried to them." Now here's the thing, friends.

We have a lot of what I like to call pastor-oriented evangelism.

We find someone who's interested in the gospel and they're a little rough around the edges and we're like, we know how to deal with you.

And then we go to the pastor and we're like, here you are, and they're like, job well done.

It says here that the pulpit is actually where it just begins.

We have a very key role to play in evangelism.

Now turn to your Bibles to Matthew 28 18 through 20.

Now for those of you who have been involved in evangelism this verse or set of verses should be memorized already.

Matthew 28 18 through 20 it is the great commission and it was 1 of the last words that Jesus said to us so should we pay attention?

Matthew 28 18 through 20 and here we have 1 command and 2 promises.

Starting in verse 18 it says, And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth go he therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost teaching them whatsoever I have taught you and lo I am with you always even until the end of the world.

Someone else wants to know that hope as well.

Because we are investing in a heavenly family when we're doing evangelism here.

We want to take as many people as we can with us.

So it makes sense to spread the gospel, right?

Most people will not come unless they are invited.

In fact, all people won't come unless they're invited.

But in order to successfully fulfill this commission, we must understand the 2 promises beforehand.

So verse 18 tells us, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

You know, that word power translates to the word exosia, which means strength or influence.

So when Jesus says he has all power, he means he has all strength, he has all influence.

And when he tells you to go in his stead He equips you with his exosia.

In other words, he's promising when you go in the name of Jesus You go with the influence of the divine power to make things happen.

There have been many roadblocks in getting things done in evangelism, but you know when you serve a God who can make things happen, Suddenly all doors are open.

I remember we tried to work with a different, or with a certain school at the university we were working at.

And for a year and a half, we tried to work with this school over and over again.

And they kept shutting the door and shutting the door and shutting the door.

We kept praying and we're like, Lord, we need to reach this school.

Finally, actually, just last year, the doors suddenly opened.

Series

Witnessing on Campus

Willing to Be Led

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Morning Devotional

Devotional

34m

GYC 2012 Seminar: Unleashing the Power - A Practical Guide for Finishing God's Work

Beyond Good Intentions

1h

Preparing For the End of Time

1. Why Prayer Matters

45m

“Stolen Valor”

38m

Plenary Sessions

AMEN 2022 Mission Program

50m

Dave Fiedler: Core of the Controversy

Omega - Nothing New Here

1h 27m

How to Study the Bible and Empower Your Devotional Life- Part 2

58m

Plenary Meetings

One More

49m

"Tell It Again"

God’s Love Language

56m

The Three Angel's Messages

04 The Hour of His Judgment Has Come Part 1

56m

iShare 2013 Seminar: How to Become a World Changer for Jesus

102: Know Your Gifts & How to Use Them

38m

Sound Doctrine