GYC Europe 2012: The Hour Has Come

Personal Evangelism 2

Joakim Hjortland

Generation. Youth. Christ. (GYC)

IMPACT’ing Your Country for Christ: How to Run an IMPACT Week

This message was presented through a partnership between GYC and GYC Europe at the 2012 conference in Linz, Austria.

For other resources like this, visit us online at gycweb.org.

So I'm excited about this opportunity to share about this here and I don't believe it is a coincidence that I'm here having this workshop And I don't believe it's a coincidence that you are here on this workshop.

And I'm excited to see what will come out of how this movement will continue to reach out and make a difference, make an impact in this world.

Here we have a short outline of what we will look at in this workshop.

We'll talk about how the whole thing started.

I will share some testimonies from people that have been on the trip, and I will talk about what we do and give a couple of experiences to give you a taste of what we are experiencing during these trips.

Then I will look at 7 advices, 7 top 7 advices, what we have learned and things that can be good to know.

And then I will talk about the great potential, why I believe this concept have a great potential.

And then I will talk about a little bit about how to start, How can you start an impact project?

And then in the end, if we have time, we'll take some questions and answers as well.

Before we get into this, to introduce myself, I will just give you a 2 and a half minute testimony.

And I was raised in a good 70 amateurist home.

I believed in what we believe is true and I had a lot of knowledge.

When I was about 7 years old I read the you know Bible stories of Maxwell.

When I was about 14-15 I read The Great Controversy.

I had quite some knowledge, I knew a lot of what we believed, but I did not know God.

I did not have a personal living relationship to Christ.

It was around the time of my baptism when I was 15 years old when I actually started to to read the Bible before you know I read it sometimes maybe very seldom but I always brought it to church my Bible but at that time I started to read the Bible regularly Every day I read the Bible during a year and also I joined some Bible study groups about prophecy and different things and when I started to take time to the Bible also went to inspiration weekends and inspiration weeks and things like this.

That really changed my life in many different ways.

The biggest change was when I was 17 years old when God changed the highest goal of my life from becoming a professional soccer player, which was my big dream since I was 6, 7 years old.

Becoming a professional soccer player, winning soccer games.

God changed the goal from that to working for Him and winning souls for His kingdom.

And you know, for me at that time, He challenged me to remove this idol that soccer was in my life.

It was a hard decision for me to take, but I never regretted it.

And that will always be the case when we take a decision after God's will.

Sometimes we don't understand why they asked me to do this or why can't I do this, you know.

We don't always understand, but when we take a decision after God's will, we will never regret it.

And, you know, my big dream was to 1 day, you know, represent the Swedish national team in soccer.

For me, it would be a great privilege, a great honor to do that.

I tell you something, As Christians, we are ambassadors for Christ.

And that is a much greater honor, a much greater privilege and joy than anything else on this earth.

It says in testimony 7, page 49, that it is in unselfish ministry that true happiness is found.

And that is my experience, and I hope also, if it's not already, that this will be your experience as well.

So, let me start with telling you a little bit about how God raised up this movement.

Myself and a group of young people, we were at an inspiration week in Fredheim Health Center in Norway with David Gates and David Ashwick.

And many of us were really inspired, you know.

We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit on these meetings like we have never felt before many of us.

And in the end of this week, for Sabbath, you know, lunch after the divine service, we sat together, you know, eating, and then we started to talk about, you know, what to do.

So we decided that we wanted to organize an evangelistic campaign the following summer.

We organized a one-week evangelistic campaign in Oslo.

Most of us had never been a part of a magnetic campaign before.

But we wanted to do something and we did it.

And God blessed, we were inspired and we decided we want to continue with this.

So the following summer, 2008, we actually decided to have 2 projects.

So we had in 2 different cities in Bergen and in Molla.

We were now from 20, we went to be about 40 people.

And we were, again, God bless, it was inspiring and we wanted to continue, we wanted to, you know, do even more.

So we started to plan the following summer.

We thought, okay, now we should do 3 campaigns at the same time.

But we understood after a while that God had other plans.

A few years before this, An Adventist pastor in Norway, Sven Arvid Gustafsson, in the West Coast, he crashed with this helicopter.

And by God's grace, except for a little cut in his head caused by the plexiglass, he was unharmed.

And I don't have time to tell you all the stories, very interesting story also how he got this helicopter.

But anyway, this helicopter crash, it was covered in the media, and the 2 biggest television stations and all the biggest newspapers, they talked about this and they talked about it positively.

They talked about how this Adventist pastor, you know, had annual protection.

So people got to hear about an Adventist pastor with annual protection.

But still, even though it came good things out of it through that, Sven Arvid, he was wondering, why did this happen?

Why did God give me this helicopter just to take it away a few years afterwards?

Because the thing is this, this had really helped him in his work.

Before, you know, in this part of Norway, it's a lot of mountains and a lot of, you know, ferry crossings and things like this.

He, sometimes, he had to drive like 7, 8 hours in a day to just visit 1 or 2 contacts.

But when he got his helicopter, he could drive 1 or 2 hours and visit 7 or 8 contacts instead.

You know, it really helped him in his ministry.

So he was wondering, you know, why God, why does this happen?

Why does, you know, and he was wondering, he was praying to God.

And then what God did, he answered Sven by directing his thoughts to this quote in the book Education, about an army of young people.

And he said to Sven, Do you want to bring the army of youth, rightly trained, into your sphere of your mission?

And so he understood, okay, God wanted him to start to work with young people.

But then he was wondering, okay, but okay, how should I do this?

So then he got the idea that he should contact Matheson Mission School in Norway and talk with them about doing something, you know, with young people.

And the idea was that they could get together a group of young people that could go door to door 2, 3 weeks in the summer and could get contacts that he could work with during the rest of the year.

And So he talked with them and they liked the idea, but then the question came, you know, what about the budget?

How should we transport all of these people?

And without really thinking or realizing what he said, Sven Arvid said, you know, don't worry about that.

And then afterwards he thought, but how should I do this?

And, but around that time, he got to hear, by a coincidence, I don't believe it was a coincidence, but seemingly a coincidence, he got to hear about a car dealer that had a bus that was for rent.

So he talked with this guy and he asked him, how much would it cost to rent this bus for a couple of weeks and he said you know the price he was really shocked when he had a price it was about 50, 000 crowns which is about 6, 500 euros just to rent the bus for 2 3 weeks it's like crazy so but then he said to him and he asked him if he you know didn't consider to to sell the bus to him if he could sell it to him.

But the bus dealer, car dealer, he said, no, the bus isn't for sale.

But then Sven said okay when you decide to sell it let me know about it.

But then he said no it's not for sale I have no intention whatsoever to sell this bus he said.

Yes I know Sven said but as I said you know when you decide to sell it, contact me.

Paolo Benini

Group Evangelism: Still a “Mission Possible”

For other resources like this visit us online at gycweb.org.

Okay, this seminar is about church growth in Europe through small group.

I cannot use because my computer have not the connection.

Claudio Caronia, you know Claudio Caronia?

I wait for Claudio Caronia to bring me a cable.

Last summer I was in Dominican Republic for an evangelistic campaign.

And in Dominican Republic we have more than 300, 000 Adventists.

That means that there is an Adventist every 30 people, about.

And there is a population of 9 million and a half.

Last summer, I was in Israel, last June, and in Israel I was at the table with 1 friend from TED, Michael Hamilton, perhaps you know Michael Hamilton.

Then I met, in the same table there was the president of the ESD, Guillermo Gotti, came from Argentina, and myself from UD.

The 3 divisions together have less advantage than the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic, 300, 000, more than 300, 000.

The 3 divisions together, less than 300, 000.

But there is quite 500 million of inhabitants.

We cannot do by ourselves something in our great country.

And we have to thank God because there is a union in our division, the Romanian Union, that has quite 80, 000 Adventists.

If the Romanian Union was not there, we were collapsing.

But I want to tell you a good news today.

Even in our country, mission is possible.

I believe that there is great opportunity to grow even in our country.

And now, I have not the possibility to send you, to show you a picture, I tell.

I start with my country where I live now.

Every year in Switzerland, there are about a degree, we lose about 100% of our membership.

1 percent, no, no, 1 percent of our membership.

1 is the city of Arau, and the other is the city of Romanson, that are growing.

And that church are growing not because there is immigration.

Are Swiss-speaking, Swiss-original people that are attending the church.

The Church of Roman Sun this year will have about 15 baptisms.

Usually they have 2 baptisms, medium per church, every year.

And this church is a little bit different.

I was pastoring 2 churches in north of Italy, from 2005 to 2010.

Now I start with my picture because I need.

And he was 1 of the team, Claudio, for the job we realized in our.

Or if there's another computer, I'll put it in an Apple Pen.

In 2010, in 2005, I was moved from Sicily to the region of Milano in Italy, in the north of Italy, 1 of the most rich regions of Italy.

And when I left Sicily, because Sicily is a region where the church is still growing, like Spain, the same level.

So the Brother Francis told me, oh, now you're going the north.

In the north, there will be no possibility like here, because people are secularized.

There is no time for God, no time for church.

But I have to tell you, my greatest experience in mission, I arrived in north of Italy.

Usually, the church where I was pastor had between 2 to 5 Baptists per year.

1 of the churches, perhaps you heard because some newspapers, some papers, some Adventist magazines wrote about the Church of Bergamo.

The Church of Bergamo was established in 1973, And in 19, no, in 2006, the church had 67 church member, with a range, a medium of 34234 baptisms per year.

In another church, there was a medium of, average of 5, 6 Baptists per year.

I start now with a graphic, with some number.

When I arrived in north of Italy, the Union asked me to organize, to have even the leadership of the Sabbath school at the Union, at Union level.

And I heard about Sabbath school in some country, about for example Filipino, Latin America, India, where the Sabbath school was at the origin of a tremendous change in the life of the church and in growth for church member.

So I was in charge of that department, and I asked to the union to give me the possibility to share with the pastor and the board of the union what plan I had.

But then they asked me to train 1 leader for each field we have in Italy.

And they follow directly the North field and the other was under the direction of other people.

At the end I have to recognize that the other field, central field, South field, Sicilian field, didn't apply the principle.

In the Northfield, some churches start with that.

In Sicily, we have quite the same situation in the 4 years, 206, 207, 208, 209.

In the central field, the same situation.

Dan Millares

Sharing Divine Words with Human Hearts- Part 2

So I want to wish all of you welcome to this seminar It's called sharing divine words with human hearts.

I hope you're on the right place My name is Don Miliares and I'm from Sweden working at Swedish or Scandinavian TV station called lifestyle TV where we are broadcasting via satellite and internet.

The adventist message throughout all of Scandinavia, we're reaching millions through this technology.

It's a rewarding work, and that's where I am as a TV host and presenter and communication director of Lifestyle TV.

So for the last 6 years I've been a Bible worker, both for the Swedish Church Union and for Lifestyle TV.

Now, 6 or 7 years after I started with that, I'm at Lifestyle TV full-time.

It's a supporting ministry to the church.

I will share a little bit about my experience about what God has taught me in the topic, sharing divine words with human hearts.

I hope this will be practical, it will be inspiring.

My aim is that All of us will go from GYC Europe to be able to be engaged in this ministry of sharing the Bible with others.

So, before we start, let's have a word of prayer.

Then let's jump directly into this topic.

Father in heaven, we thank you so much for bringing all of us here, for giving us your Word.

Now, Father, we pray that you will send your Holy Spirit to all of us in this room and to those listening to this message, that we will be more efficient and inspired to share your word with others.

Now, about 7 years ago, I was converted through a friend sharing the Bible with me.

I was working at Volvo Cars in Sweden, and I looked around me in my life and I just said, isn't life more than this?

Isn't life more than just earning my money, having the respect from my family and friends?

So I got in contact with Bible studies, personal Bible studies.

A friend of mine just opened the Bible, and for the first time in my life, I found fulfillment in my life.

I started to share the Bible with others.

And I remember when God called me to full-time ministry.

We went to a youth rally and I brought some of my friends that I studied with from the university and my co-workers at this company I worked at.

I brought 6 of them to this youth conference in Sweden, and the preacher made an appeal.

And I bowed down, praying for my friends that I studied with and brought there.

I just asked God simply, Father, speak to them, speak to their hearts, in the same way as you spoke to me once.

And when I opened my eyes, and I saw the people that had answered the altar call, I saw 5 of my 6 friends standing there, giving their hearts to Jesus.

Since that day, that has been my fulfillment, my ministry, my aim in my life.

And God has just led me and taught me a lot of things throughout these last 6, 7 years, of which some I will share together with us today.

Now, to give Bible studies or to share the Word of God, It needs some preparations.

So we will go through some preparations in doing this efficiently.

We will go through the actual Bible study, how to share what to say and what to not say.

We will have some practical tips on what to do and what to not do.

That will be the first session, or the first about an hour I think, in this seminar.

Then we will continue and talk more about the reaching the hearts.

Giving Bible studies, sharing the Word of God, is more than just sharing information.

It's more than just knowing what to say, it's knowing how to say it.

It's knowing how to cooperate with the Spirit of God in this work.

That's what we're going to look into in the second part of this seminar after the short break.

Let's first look at some Bible verses that will inspire us.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 1, verse 23, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but by imperishable through The living and abiding Word of God.

Now according to the Bible, in this verse, what is it that makes us be born again?

Now, we know that the Holy Spirit is there working in our hearts.

We will talk about that in the second part of this.

But here, the Bible uplifts the important part of conversion, that there is actually power in the Word of God to change a human person.

I believe all of us in this room have experienced that.

And maybe you have also experienced that in some of your friends or family members.

And now we're here together to be more efficient in helping others to have the same experience that we have through this personal relationship with Jesus.

Now in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11, encouraging words, God says to us, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth.

It shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the things for which I sent it." God simply says, when my word goes out there, when you share in a Bible study, when you preach, when we at Lifestyle TV send out through internet and through satellite TV, the Word of God, it will have an effect.

It will accomplish what God sent it out to do.

I believe the core of every outreach activity and evangelistic effort in the Seventh-day Adventist Church should be based on sharing the Word of God.

Now, let's go into the preparations in how to do this in a practical, personal level with others.

I believe that the first thing all of us should do when you go home from GYC to your local church, to your school, to your family, wherever you go, find someone that wants to do the same thing with you.

Find what I call a prayer partner to bring with you.

Ecclesiastes 4, 9 and 10 says, 2 is better than 1, because they have a good reward for their toil.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

IMPACT’ing Your Country for Christ: How to Run an IMPACT Week

2h 15m

Group Evangelism: Still a “Mission Possible”

2h 9m

Sharing Divine Words with Human Hearts- Part 2

2h

Sharing Divine Words with Human Hearts- Part 1

2h 16m

The Fragrance of Life

1h 23m

Men and Women of the Hour: Moving the Movers

2h 13m

Men and Women of the Hour – Empowering Youth for This Time- Part 2

1h 48m

Men and Women of the Hour: Empowering Youth for This Time- Part 1

2h

Daniel and Adventist Identity

1h 52m

A Vision of God: Who is God, Really?

1h 56m

The Everlasting Gospel: The Good News Amidst the Judgement, Babylon, and the Mark of the Beast- Part 2

1h 37m

Sanctuary, 1844 and Beyond- Part 2

1h 55m

Sound Doctrine