October 14, 2010. It started out like any other Thursday at Emmanuel Institute. I was awakened by God at around 6:00AM. Right away I dove to the Word of God longing to see what God wanted to speak to me. I studied the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4). I dug the background of the people of Samaritan from the time of Abraham, to Jacob, to Joshua, to Jeroboam and to Jesus’ time. I discovered the reason why the Jews disliked the Samaritans. It was there, at the mountains, where an altar was built. In that same city was where God rebuked them to worship God with all their heart. Yet, they chose to fear God but serve other gods. I love the word of God, I just wish I could have stayed in my room and read more of the wonderful stories of the Bible. But I concluded that I need to worship God with all my heart and not half-heartedly. Therefore, I need to seek those that are far from God, and that are longing for truth.
Breakfast started at 8:00AM with a very special and delicious vegetarian meal on top of the regular fruits, oatmeal, cornflakes, bread. After meal, it was time for kitchen duty, dish-washing with Joanna Coffy. At first, the encouraging words, high-pitched singing, and enforcing words from Joanna of “beating the old record” were bothersome. However, through Jesus, the annoyance worked patience. “Clean" and "fast” I repeated those words over and over. Finally, we beat the time and finished the dishes three minutes before 9:00AM. “Yeah!!” I felt good that we were able to get everything done in the kitchen and were able to go to the chapel for the morning devotional.
I went upstairs to my room, grabbed my bag, and hiked a five minutes’ walk through the woods to the chapel. As I walked in the chapel, the children; Grace, Tommy, Jarred, and Luke have taken their places in doing praise songs. I sure enjoyed seeing children, age four to eight, praising God with what they have.
To summarize the topic of the devotional in one word would be, “Cross.” Attilio Bonatti showed us the greatest reason why the Father seemed to forsake His only begotten Son as He hung on the cross. Why? Jesus has taken our sin and became sin. If the Father had come down to this world, everyone who has sin would perish in a moment from His holiness. However, Jesus was sin, and therefore He cried, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” Jesus felt the pressure and the agony of sin. He felt the sin of the world separating Him from His Father. Yet, behind the thick dark clouds, the Father in His glory, and billions and trillions of angels watched and were ready to hear a command from their powerful Commander, Jesus, for rescue. Instead, they heard the agony of their Master and saw their Creator died of Sin, because of you and I. Praise God.
In the class room, we learned Bible doctrine on the subject of the Millennium. Though I had hard time keeping up with the subject, I saw the importance of this study. To me, as a Seventh-day Adventist, it gave me the joy, the hope, and the assurance that Jesus has won the war for you and I. Satan will be bound and in the end, Satan will see the ultimate death from the result of transgressing God’s law. Isn’t that awesome?
After Bible doctrine, we had meeting debrief. There, we reviewed the names of the interests that came to our public evangelistic program. We planned on going out to visit the names and to labor for the Lord. God said that we need to labor for souls, not just through prayers alone.
Lunch was at 2:00PM. The smells of Asian food caused my stomach to growl and perhaps “free-up” some space. Lunch was delicious.
3:30PM, on our usual, Thursday, outreach-day, all the students met at Martin hall. We had quick review on our mission to visit the souls and to give encouragement to come to the Discover Prophecy seminar. We then equipped, prayed and finally, “LOAD-UP!!” The two priceless words from our out-reach coordinator, “Tom the Terminator.”
In the SUV, there were Attilio and Rebecca, while the rest, six of us, load up in the white van, which seated 12. Our numbers have dwindled from 13 to eight students. Satan have worked hard in our group and we’ve seen his effect on the souls that we have come in contact with, on our health, our devotion time, and even on our characters.
On the way to our first destination, we talked about different things. One subject that I recall is on the subject of persecution. I shared how many of the members in Indonesia have seen their houses burned, churches destroyed, and even seen from their own eyes, the death of their friends due to the conflict of religion in the suburbs of Indonesia. And yet, we took for granted of the worship that we have here in America.
On the first stop, Tim and Emmanuel, the students, went out to see our first contact. Second house, there were three to four members on the yard, Tim and Stephanie went out and spoke to those that resided there. On all the reports given from just those two experiences were positive and good experiences. It seems that they will be coming back for the evangelistic meeting.
The third stop was assigned to Alicia and I. The white van stopped in front of a Victorian house. It was puzzling on which door we needed to knock on, whether the front door, the opened garage door, or the back door. As we head toward the back door, we decided that it’s best to use the front door. While we head toward the front door, the back door opened. We turned around and saw a man in his late 60s, about six feet high, red baseball cap to cover his gray to white hair, clean shaved, wearing red sweater and blue jeans asking what we want. Right away I said, “We would like to see Mrs. Jane Doe (false name to cover personal information) please?” While putting on this fake smile, at least that’s what I felt. Mrs. Doe came out and we spoke to her about how she’s doing and what her thoughts on the meeting so far and if she had enjoyed the meeting. She said that she enjoyed the speaker, but personally, from the look of her tone and her expression, she did not seem to be too interested. In spite of it, we encouraged her to come to the meeting anyway. She said she’ll try to come on Friday’s meeting. So we left her with a couple of recorded CDs of the previous nights when she was absent. As we were walking back to the van, I felt as if I needed to do something more. I didn’t feel right.
The fourth house seemed the same thing happened again. Alicia and I jump out of the van, put on fake smile, and knock at the door. A lady, perhaps in her late 60s, opened the door half way. She seemed as if she was busy doing or getting ready for something. So I tried to rush, skipping to introduce our names, I talked to her about the meeting and the extended meeting. She then realizes that we came from the prophecy seminar. She communicated to us that she is usually busy on the weekdays, so, she’s only available during the weekends and may be coming on Saturday night’s meeting. Within seconds, she closed the door, and I find myself perplexed. I felt as if there was something that I should’ve done that I didn’t do. I was frustrated at myself.
The next stop was at a different town. It was about 20 minutes from where our first location was. When we stopped at this nice driveway of this light-green house, Joanna and Emmanuel went out of the van and went straight to the door. They knocked and knocked, no one answered. So they left the CDs and handouts on the front of the door. They entered the van. As the van started to reverse for our next destination, the driver, Mr. Hubbard stopped the van. Mind you that we were still at the driveway. Entered the next destination in the GPS, fiddle with it, and in about 10 minutes, a lady walked out of the light-green house. She looked at the van, and suddenly Joanna and her partner rushed out of the door to greet her. They spoke to her and gave her the CDs and the handouts from the nights that the lady have missed. She seemed to be surprised and happy.
The white house on the back of this small town was our sixth stop. Joanna and Emmanuel went to see their contact. They were invited to go in the house and as we were waiting in the van, Alicia and I stroke a conversation. Question on how can drawings bring souls to Christ came up. Alicia didn’t know the answer, so I threw the question to Mr. Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard then explained how many Christian drawings can actually tell a sermon by itself. And we may not see any expression from the viewer, but a drawing or an artwork can bring souls to Christ. So I asked again, “See, I used to draw, and I think I can draw at any time. The thing is,” I paused to gather my mind. “Since I am more of a visual person, I tend to believe only on the things I see.” “So how can you have faith on the things that you can’t see?” I then realized that I knew the answer to that thoughtless question. In that second, Emmanuel and Joanna arrived.
The next house came, the three of us than stroke another conversation. This time it was about how difficult it is for me to try to be genuine in making my partner to make decision from the Decision Lab. We talked and talked, and after getting to the main point, Mr. Hubbard concluded, (I am rewording) “Assdhy, you are a lot like me. Before this I was very selfish. When I started, I also had that defensive boundary that kept me from showing or speaking genuinely. Pray about it. God is the only one that can give you the genuine heart, only if you are willing to let God be in control.” I felt as if that was a rebuke from God.
When Joanna and Emmanuel arrived, I heard the most rebuking experience that I’ve ever felt since I’ve taken my first step in Emmanuel Institute. It hit my heart to the core and tore my heart in two as I listened to the story. It seemed as if God grabbed me and shook me and said with a loud voice. “Assdhy!!! Hear Me, look at Me, and feel My heart. Can you see that the job that you are partaking deals with living souls? Will you please be sincere and see that I am your God.”
After hearing the story, I saw that the work that I am in deals with living souls. Emmanuel and Joanna came back in the van with the worst news I’ve ever heard. The contact (let’s name her Jeanie) has a sister, who had a car accident along with her boyfriend. Jeanie’s sister is in a critical condition.
Three weeks ago, Emmanuel and Joanna came to this small town to survey the town on the people’s aspect of Christianity. They met a group of young people at a park and asked the group if they know about Jesus. They all seem to know who Jesus is, except for one. This young man does not even know who God is. After talking to this young man, he decided to have an in-home Bible study somewhere from four to five in the afternoon. He also told Joanna and Emmanuel that he does not possess a Bible. The week after the encounter with the young man, Joanna and Emmanuel brought a Bible and the Bible study guide for this young man. However, due to some conflicts prior to see the young man, they arrived at the house sometime after five. They did left the Bible in his sister’s possession to give to the young man when he returned. Last week, Joanna and Emmanuel were more focused on bringing people to the evangelistic meeting. They went to the young man’s home to invite him to the meeting but no one was home.
Jeanie’s sister severed broken bones and still in question whether she will live or not. Jeanie told Emmanuel that it seemed as if her sister were pushed out by her boyfriend at the time when the car rolled out of control. The girlfriend was found far from the broken car and is in critical condition. The boyfriend was found dead on site. Emmanuel then asked the Jeanie, “Where does the boyfriend live?” she pointed through the window at the house across the street.
It dawned on them that it was the same house of the young man, who knew nothing of Jesus, who chose to have a Bible study with Emmanuel and Joanna.
I felt the anguish in Emmanuel’s voice as he told this story. It brought me to tears knowing that I was so indulged in my selfish dilemmas in trying to fix myself. Yet, not realizing that many, thousands, even millions and billions of souls lost their life without knowing the God I serve. How selfish it is for me to live such a life. Yet, seeing souls literally lost in the battlefield between good and evil.
Bible worker, Christians, “Go ye therefore…” are words from Jesus to His disciples from Matthew 28. It is not just a mere command, but an obligation. It’s a heartfelt ultimatum from God to His followers, to seek souls for God’s kingdom. Go ye therefore, seek and save those that are lost.
12:17AM is the time. Hundreds perhaps are dying at this exact moment. Would you take a commitment, will you pledge to your life, will you dedicate your time to do what God have asked for you. You are not a Christian if you are not a disciple. Now, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Will you fear and serve our God of the most high? Will you waste no more of the precious gift of time that God have bestowed upon you? Will you do nothing as you see our Jesus died for our sin? Will you go?
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