Answering the Call (Rachel Santana, 09/28/24)

Good morning and happy Sabbath Church family.

So my name is Rachel Santana.

I am a graduate of SAU.

I graduated in 2021.

Surprisingly I actually graduated in business, which might not make sense as I continue this

presentation, but I promise that is what God has called me to do.

This little sermon message that I want to give is titled Answering the Call.

I have spent a lot of my time serving, whether in multiple facets, different types of serving,

but I have really felt God's call in my life to serve.

So starting out, my first ever experience with missions and service was actually in

2012 when I was just 14 years old.

We flew to the country of Haiti down in the Caribbean and it was recently after those

massive earthquakes that completely devastated the country.

A couple of church members of mine, my father and I, we decided we want to go down and do

a medical mission trip.

We had a clinic, we had a VBS.

I actually remember we partnered with Southern and there was a couple of college students

that came down with us and they helped out with the VBS and the medical clinic.

It was an amazing experience as a 14 year old to see this, especially going to a third

world country, to really realize how well you have it living in a first world country.

My father, bless him, he got so scared.

I gave him a really big scare on that trip.

We were playing with the kids and we had brought a soccer ball for them to play around with

and they invited me and one of the other college students to go play with the kids.

We were like, okay, yeah, that'll be fun.

Let's go play with the kids.

They take us, we go over a couple of different hills, through a pasture and then we find

this kind of wide open space to play soccer.

Well no one told my father where I was.

It was not communicated to him.

So when they were wrapping things up, they were looking for me, could not find me.

My father was frantic trying to figure out where I was, if I had been kidnapped, but

luckily I had just gone with the kids and I had come back.

Let's just say I probably aged my father a couple of years that trip.

Moving on, I actually had the opportunity, I went to Georgia Cumberland Academy and they

have this mission trip they do over Thanksgiving break that goes up to Kentucky Appalachia

where it's a lower income area where we volunteer to do projects.

The one site that I was on, it was this lady that was kind of home bound, wasn't able to

maintain her home or her yard.

So us high school students, we cut her grass, painted her walls, we actually re-tard her

roof.

So we had a couple of kids up on the roof, they had some interesting lapel situation

going on and we were re-tarding her roof so she wouldn't get any more leaks.

After that, I actually attended Southern starting in 2016 and I felt God's call to do missions

again.

And after my experience in Appalachia, Kentucky, I firmly believe that you don't have to go

halfway across the world to do missions.

And so when I felt that call to be a missionary during my time of college, I decided to go

to stay here in America and to be a task force dean at Shenandoah Valley Academy.

It was a really interesting experience.

I was going from taking only, taking care of only myself to taking care of a dorm of

six to about 20, sorry, got sidetracked, taking care of a group of girls in a dorm that are

about 75 girls.

Was a big growth for me and it was also taught me that there's a lot of people that need

help, not only in our community but also in our church as well.

There's a drastic need that we need to share with our community and with those and our

young people.

And most recently, after I graduated Southern, I felt the call again to go out in missions.

And this time I felt called to go out to South Korea as an English teacher.

Here's your daily dose of serotonin.

These are my kids that I taught.

The program over there, I went as an English teacher.

It's the SDA language school.

I was located in Jeju Island in the South of South Korea and I was teaching kindergarten.

This was my first time teaching in general.

This was my first time interacting with kids that age for a long period of time.

When my mother found out that I was going to be a kindergarten teacher, she laughed.

But it was an absolutely amazing experience.

I get there and they say, okay, we're going to give you the five-year-old class.

I'm like, okay, five-year-olds, they're cute, they're adorable.

The five-year-olds, this was their first time in school, absolutely no experience with English.

I did not speak Korean at all.

So my joke, which is not really a joke, but those first two weeks of teaching them, I

learned more Korean than they learned English.

I learned expressions like, sit down, stop that, as well as teaching expressions, repeat

after me.

That way I could try to get them to learn some English expressions.

But they are absolutely, they were amazing children.

They soaked things up so quickly, about six months into teaching them, I could talk very

comfortably in English and I knew they would get about 75% of what I was saying.

It was absolutely amazing to see how God had created us and our ability to absorb information

at that age.

It was absolutely amazing that our students were not Adventist at all.

I didn't go to an Adventist school to teach.

All the children that I had had no experience with Adventist or even Christianity at all.

So it was absolutely amazing to be able to have this class.

We had a joint worship together with all of the kids in the morning.

We would sing worship songs, take turns giving Bible stories.

It was absolutely amazing opportunity to share this message with these children.

And actually the little boy right here in the hanbok, the traditional garb here, his

name was Greg, was a very smart student and we were going over the chapter of vocabulary

for family.

So I was practicing with my students and like, okay students, what are some names of people

in our family?

And I would tell them to raise their hand and they would say, mom, dad, sister, grandma,

grandpa.

But this little boy, he raised his hand, he said, teacher, teacher, Jesus.

That right there made the trip for me.

It was an incredible feeling to know that the stories of Jesus that I was telling, the

stories of creation in the Bible were getting through to these kids and they were understanding

that Jesus is a part of their family.

After my time in Korea had ended, I moved back to the U.S. and I still felt that passion

and that call for service.

So in my ability to be an employee of Southern, I actually got the opportunity to be a sponsor

for an ERC mission trip, which happened this past May.

I just came back this summer.

There was a group of 12 of us and the program that it is, ERC stands for Evangelical Resource

Center, which is a program underneath the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University.

This was the most unique service I had ever done in my life because ERC is an evangelical

mission trip.

When we went there, we went in the month of May and we were gone for about three weeks

and we did about two weeks of preaching and I did 16 sermons.

I had never preached in my life before.

This was very nerve wracking, very uncomfortable.

The only time I had been up front was maybe part of a music group or a presentation in

class.

I had never given a 15, 20 minute presentation, let alone a 45 minute talk in front of a group

of people before.

It was definitely a growing experience for me, but it was absolutely incredible to be

a part of this group.

There was 12 of us in total.

Out of all of us, there were 11 preaching, so we reached 22 churches.

We did one church a week.

It was absolutely incredible.

These are some pictures of the churches that I was assigned to.

I had an English speaking church as my first.

They were such welcoming people.

They were super excited to have us.

They actually gifted us.

They call them Batiks, which is the traditional garb of Indonesia.

They were just so welcoming and so, what's the word I'm thinking of?

They were so happy for us to be there.

On the other side is my second church.

It was a large group of children who I tried to keep very much so engaged in my sermons.

Afterwards, I would say, okay, this is my question for my sermon.

If you can answer my question, I'm going to give you a little treat just to help them

staying engaged in the sermons and not letting them be left out.

Today's message, I particularly want to focus on good news.

The message that I'll be giving to you is actually an excerpt from the first sermon

I ever preached in my life while I was there in Indonesia.

It is a message directly tuned for church members.

This is something that I believe I actually was reminded of when I was there when I was

reviewing the sermons.

This is something, it was a great reminder for me and I think it'll be an amazing reminder

for you as well.

I want to highlight good news.

But this good news isn't just for a small group of people.

It's not just for church members.

It's for everyone.

I want to read together in Revelation chapter 14 verse 6.

Revelation 14:6

Let's read it together.

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to

preach to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.

This message is for everyone.

It doesn't matter what your background is, where you're from, what your culture is.

It is universal.

It's for everyone.

And it is urgent.

And it is final.

But to better understand this message that we see in Revelation 14, there's four main

questions we need to make sure we are understanding.

One, who are the messengers in this passage?

Number two, what is the message that is being given?

Three, who is the message for?

And number five, sorry, number four, why is this message so important?

So let's start with that first question.

Who are the messengers described in this text?

We can find the answer.

Oh, I'm sorry.

These messengers are preaching the gospel, the everlasting gospel.

But who are these people who are supposed to be preaching the gospel?

We find the answer in Matthew 28, and you might be familiar with this text.

And it says, it's the Great Commission.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded

you.

And to you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

We are God's messengers, church family, as followers of Jesus Christ.

We are called to preach the gospel.

We are the angels that are described in Revelation 14.

We are God's messengers for a broken world.

We are called to prepare the world for Jesus's return.

There are different ways to share the gospel, but we are all called to share the gospel

in one way or another.

But what is this gospel that we are preaching?

What does that mean, gospel?

Revelation describes it as an everlasting gospel.

The Greek word translates gospel as good news.

And according to Revelation 14, this good news is everlasting.

It's eternal.

It is the same good news that Adam and Eve received at the beginning of time.

It is the promise of a Savior.

It is the same exact good news that Noah preached right before the great flood, that there is

salvation from judgment that is coming.

It is the same good news that Jesus himself shared while he was here on earth.

Mark 1, 14-15 says this.

Let's read it together.

Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time

is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel.

Believe in that good news.

Lastly, this gospel is mentioned in the very last book of the Bible, if you remember, Revelation

Revelation 14:6

14, verse 6.

It says the everlasting gospel.

It is eternal.

That's why Jesus says in Matthew 24, verse 35, heaven and earth will pass away, but my

Matthew 24:35

words will not pass away.

Family, this message is eternal.

It is unchanging.

The same message that Adam and Eve received is the same message that we are preaching

today.

God is unchanging, and he is here to bring us home, the good news.

Why is it called good news?

Why is this gospel good news?

It is the good news that Jesus left his throne in heaven and came to the sinful earth.

It is the good news that Jesus lived a perfect life.

It is the good news that Jesus perfectly demonstrated the love of God.

It is good news that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

It is the good news that Jesus died in our place.

It is the good news that Jesus rose on that third day.

It is the good news that because of Jesus, our sins can be forgiven.

It is the good news that Jesus is coming again soon.

We are God's messengers, family.

We are here to proclaim the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

To bring the good news to those who are suffering with disease, we tell them that Jesus is our

healer.

To those struggling with finances, Jesus is our provider.

To the broken family that Jesus is brings reconciliation.

To those living a life of sin, Jesus is our redeemer.

God has given us this message of good news, family.

But the next question, who is this message for?

If we look back at Revelation 14, it emphasizes to every nation, every tribe, every tongue,

every people.

This good news is for everyone, family.

Not just us in our church.

Not just for our close friends and family.

For everyone who we interact with.

That one person who might be driving you crazy at work, that message is for them.

The message for God is not exclusive.

It's for everyone.

Each and every one of us face challenges.

Each and every one of us have problems in our life.

But that's why we need to share this everlasting gospel, family.

It is eternal.

It is unchanging.

It is for each and every one of us.

As it is for your family members, your neighbors, your friends at work or at school.

Because as we remember in John 3, 16, let's read it together.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have everlasting life.

It doesn't say for those who only do good things.

It doesn't say for those who are attending church regularly.

It says this is for everyone.

Whomever believe in Jesus.

This is for them.

Whoever will accept Jesus into their life.

In his love, God sends us as messengers.

We are called to proclaim the good news about Jesus and his salvation.

We are called to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ.

This morning, you may be thinking of someone who is experiencing sadness because of this

sinful world.

You may know of someone who is involved in drugs.

You may have a family member who is suffering from a disease because of bad choices in life.

You may have a friend who has believed in Satan's lies and is left behind a broken family.

Each and every one of those people need to hear the good news.

They need to be freed from Satan's lies.

This week, as we go into the start of this new week, praying and working for the salvation

for those we love, we need to remember that we are messengers of hope, sharing the gospel,

sharing the good news of Jesus Christ for a world that is suffering due to Satan's

lies.

So now that we understand who the messengers are, now that we know what the message is

and who the message is for, there is one more thing that we need to talk about.

Why is this message so important?

Why is it so urgent?

Why do we have to go out of our comfort zone to share this with those who are hurting?

Why do we need to do this now?

Why is this so important to preach this message urgently?

The angel in Revelation 14 says it for us.

The hour of his judgment has come.

The battle between good and evil is almost over, family.

Jesus is coming soon.

He will put an end to sin and suffering forever.

He will come to redeem those who have accepted him as their Savior, to those who have listened

and accepted the gospel.

We are God's messengers.

We are the ones who are preaching this urgent message, message of hope to a world full of

broken people, to bring this news of salvation and eternal life through Jesus.

We are the messengers, preparing people for the return of Jesus.

Everyone needs to hear this message, right?

But how will they hear it if it's not shared?

How will they know what this good news is if they do not hear it?

The apostle Paul points this out in his writings, this important question.

Let's read it together from Revelation 10-14.

How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one on whom they have never heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

This question is for you and me.

Paul is calling us out, church family.

We have heard the message of hope, the good news of the gospel, of Jesus' salvation.

We have this good news, but how will others hear it if we do not share it?

God is calling us to be his messengers.

Jesus is coming soon.

He offers salvation to everyone, and everyone needs to hear this message.

Will you choose to be God's messenger today in your family, in your work, in your school,

in your community?

When I was in Indonesia, there was two churches I was assigned to.

The first church I was assigned to, very welcoming church family.

They were so hospitable.

They were really excited for me to be there.

And as we went into our week of sermons, I preached every night, and I made an appeal

every night, which was not easy, mind you.

That was something I was very uncomfortable with, but praise God that I was able to move

forward with his strength.

But due to our time, due our week in that time, out of the seven meetings we had, we

had a total of only three guests.

Only three people attended our series that week.

And every time I made an appeal, every single night, only the church members would stand.

We never got a reaction at all from our guests.

And as we continued into the week, I was getting more and more nervous.

I was worried, am I doing something wrong?

Am I not preaching?

Am I not leaning on the Holy Spirit as I should?

And when we got to the end of the week and we made the final call for baptism, no decisions

were made.

We had been working with these churches for a long time.

We had sent out workers ahead of us to prepare for the harvest.

We had sent out Bible workers, trained people how to give Bible studies, encouraged the

church family to reach out to those in their community to invite them.

For they are the messengers, and we brought the message.

When our team came together after the end of our first week, there was so much praise

and so much excitement happening.

One student would say, oh, I had four decisions for baptism.

Another student who was stationed in a very large church said, I had 15 decisions for

baptism.

And as we went through the line, there was more and more positive news.

And finally, my turn came and I had to say that there were no decisions made for baptism

in my church.

And that was not an easy decision and not an easy experience to go through.

But luckily, there were some others who had had a similar experience and we were able

to find comfort in each other and through scripture in realizing this may not be the

time for harvest for this church yet.

We've left behind these sermons.

We've left behind these seeds.

And we just hope and pray that the message that is within the church members can continue

to be spread and there will be a further harvest on the road.

But the issue is, family.

I can preach until I am blue in the face.

I can share the love that was within me.

I can share this message.

But if I'm not sharing it to those who need it, to those who want to hear it, if I'm not

reaching out to those, if I'm just staying in my little comfort zone, if I'm just preaching

to those who already know this message, I am not being fruitful.

I am not sharing the message that I am commissioned to do, that Jesus calls us to do, to share

the gospel.

Because each and every one of us as believers of Christ are commissioned to share the good

news in the gospel.

Some people are called to share the gospel as a pastor or a teacher.

Some are called to share the gospel at their jobs.

And others share the gospel through the community service while working with their neighbors

and those in the neighborhoods and their friends.

But this week, I want to encourage you and challenge you that I want you to share the

gospel with those around you.

If you know someone who's going through a hard time, reach out to them and say, hey,

I have some good news for you.

I have someone who will help you through the struggles that you are going through right

now.

This will require some effort for us and it will definitely put us out of our comfort

zones.

But I promise the rewards will be great.

Because as the verse that we had for our scripture reading, 2 Timothy 1, 7, for God did not give

us a spirit of timidity, but the spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Family, today, God calls us to be his messengers.

We don't have much time because Jesus is coming soon.

Everyone needs to hear and receive this message, this good news.

This week, we will be sharing the word of God.

This week, we'll be inviting people to our church.

But the first decision begins today.

Today, both you and I must decide that we are going to be God's messengers.

The gospel needs to be shared with everyone.

We are the messengers that God is calling.

We are the ones called to share the gospel and the good news.

I went on mission trips and I served not because I was the best, not because I'm the smartest,

not because I'm a good preacher, or even because I have a deep understanding of the Bible.

I went on mission trips and I served not because I felt confident in myself, but because God

called me.

As we look at our own lives, we can see that we're not perfect.

We can point out all of our mistakes, all of our shortcomings.

We can be like Aaron and say, we can be like Moses, I'm sorry, and say, Lord, I am not

a preacher.

I cannot get up in front of anyone, but the Lord will provide.

I am guilty of not always listening to the call of Christ, always to share, to be that,

to fulfill that great commission of sharing the gospel and the good news.

As a family today, I would like you to join me in recommitting ourselves to accepting

God's call to be his messengers, to say, Lord, I want to be your messenger and share the

gospel.

If that is your commitment and you would like to make that commitment today, please stand

with me as we read this verse of encouragement one more time.

Let us read together this encouragement that God gives us.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but the spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Let us pray real quick as we ask God for our commitment.

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I want to thank you so much for this church family, Lord,

for this willingness, this want, desire to recommit ourselves to you, Lord.

We have seen that you have called each and every one of us to share the gospel, to share

the good news of Jesus Christ.

Lord, we all may not be sharing the gospel in the same way.

We all may have different tasks and different strengths, but the beauty of it, Lord, is

you will use each and every one of us in the way that you have created us to, to further

the message of Jesus Christ and of the good news.

Lord, we may not be comfortable.

We may not think we have the strength to do this, Lord.

We will be out of our comfort zone.

We will be afraid of what people may think when we ask them and encourage them and share

the message about Jesus.

But Lord, I hold on to that text, Lord, the text that you gave us that you have not given

us a spirit of timidity.

If we call upon you and we call upon your name, you will empower us, Lord, give us the

strength we need so that we can share your good news, Lord.

So as we go into this week, Lord, you see each and every heart here, each and every

person that is standing saying, Lord, I am here.

I am recommitting myself to your message and to your commission to share the good news.

So as we go through this week, Lord, we claim that promise in Second Timothy, Lord, we claim

that power, that love and that self-discipline that you will provide for us so that we can

fulfill your commission, Lord.

In Jesus' heavenly name, I pray.

Amen.