Reach - September, 2009

Churches Increase Use of Tithe Reversion Funds by 90%

The Conference Finance Department is a little nervous. We can’t put our finger on the exact reason, but local churches have increased the amount of tithe reversion spent on evangelism by a whopping 90% since this time last year. Praise God!

“Why is this good news? Shouldn’t we be cutting back?” I hear you say. Let me give you three reasons why spending money on mission is important.

1. We have been instructed by God to spend.

Paul says in 2 Cor 12:15, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” There is nothing more valuable to God than the salvation of the lost. What price can you put on the salvation of a soul? Jesus would give His life for just one person. May we always value the lost with the same price.

2. It shows what is important to us.

We can talk all day about our love for the lost, about our desire to fulfil the ‘Great Commission’, but actions always tell the real story. When you

put your money where your mouth is, you mean what you say. I like how Jesus said it. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21).

3. It grows the church and expands the Kingdom.

Jesus said that out of our lives would flow streams of living water (John 7:38). Of course, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Money will not convert one soul. People who have found Jesus share Him with those who haven’t. This is how it works! So spending money does not guarantee anything. But it can often provide a bridge by funding a program or advertising or just meeting a need. Let us not be content with what we do now, but with ever increasing effort reach Australia for Christ.

Pastor Justin Lawman

What is Tithe Reversion?

Each year the Conference gives back to each church 50% of their increase in tithe paid during the previous year for the purpose of Evangelism.

The EOC Drug

I’ve been addicted for 26 years and can’t break the habit. Once it is in your system you can’t stop or help yourself. You always crave more. The feeling of euphoria and exhilaration it brings

one gets hooked they can’t shut up. Even shy introverts, when they taste, it become vocal. Although some think it would be embarrassing, studies find that when one addict helps another person get hooked there is exceeding joy and happiness that lasts for weeks at a time.

I brought a bunch of EOC to Newcastle with the permission of the Conference President and Evangelism Coordinator in August (they are both really addicted in case you did not know). I found they both got high every day with me as well as other really wonderful church members in Newcastle as we did our All Power Seminar and evangelistic mission. We are seeing hundreds becoming addicted. It’s great. We want you to join the party!

The party is in Luke 15:7. “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that

OK, I can hear you all screaming for the recipe so I’ll tell you how to make the EOC drug and use it. You can do this from your own home.

Commit to being real Christian.

Commit to quit being a “religious” person who goes to church once a week for two hours and decide to become a real Christian. This drug only works on Christians – not once a week pew warmers.

Take the drug yourself

That means daily time in the Bible, receiving the heart of God for lost

Leo Schreven

humanity. Loving your neighbour as you do yourself. Having the joy of salvation in your own heart, knowing you are covered by Jesus’ righteousness and He presents you faultless before His presence with exceeding joy! You can’t give what you don’t have.

3. Exercise evangelistically. Jesus said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” He did not say, “I will make you lazy and stink like a dead fish.” When you eat of the banquet table the Master has set, you need to exercise evangelistically or you will end up on a high cholesterol spiritual diet and have a heart attack and die!

4. Recognise evangelism is not an event.

Evangelism is a way of life. It is who you are. It is not a program created by a person. It is something that you can’t keep in. It is having the eyes of Jesus to see in every person you meet a candidate for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Studies have shown that less than 2% of Adventists have tried it or are current users. However, there is a growing population of Adventists becoming addicted in Australia, particularly in the NSW area.

1. Have a burden for the lost. God came to “seek and save that which is lost.” That ‘lostness’ of humanity needs to be reawakened in Adventists. We need to see every non-Christian as a precious souls who is lost. To see the thousands of people today in Australia who went to Christless graves as lost forever - while we

are sitting on our committee meetings trying to figure out if Adam had a belly button or not…

If you do points 1 to 5 and then pray, “Lord lay some soul upon my heart that I can win,” then God will make you an evangelistic vessel. You will lead someone to Christ. You will see someone light up with the joy of salvation. You will

see someone baptised. You will taste the supernatural. And when you do, you will taste the EOC drug and be hooked for life. God is hooked on it. All of heaven is addicted. Come on and join the party.

Leo Schreven, Motivational Speaker & Evangelist

Leading the World’s Toughest Enterprise - The Local Church

Workshop at Big Camp | Monday 12 to Thursday 16 October This workshop is counted as one subject towards the Lay Training Certificates 1 and 2

Workshop Description

The local church is in the ‘front-line’ of bringing hope of Jesus in a hopeless world we live in. Leaders of local churches are running the toughest enterprise in the world - they do not have traditional leverage as found in private organisations e.g. hiring / firing and compensation plans. However, they have a powerful God-given method to galvanise and mobilise the local church. In this workshop we learn practical, local church leadership skills that will transform your church to become an effective soul-winning church. Our speaker is one of the founders of Gateway Adventist Centre in urban Melbourne that has grown from 35 to 200 people in two congregations with 80 baptisms in six years!

Presenter: Johnny Wong

Johnny Wong is the Elder of Gateway Adventist Centre (GAC), a new Adventist outreach centre located in the heart of Melbourne City. He has been involved in three church plants since his university years, then recently planted Gateway City (2003) and Gateway Hawthorn (May 2008). He is now coaching several churches in Australia and Asia in urban evangelism. Johnny’s passion is to see young people mobilised as an army

Over 800 Attend All Power Seminar

Over 800 people attended the ‘All Power Seminar’ held at Newcastle Panthers Club throughout the weekend of 7-9 August. An average of 45% of those attending the seminar were non-Adventists. “This was a fantastic response and gets us excited about what might happen in February 2010 when we run the program again with a much larger advertising budget,” said Justin Lawman, Evangelism Director for the North NSW Conference.

After the conclusion of the All Power Seminar, Leo Schreven ran a two week evangelistic seminar called ‘The Turning Point’. Of those who attended the All Power Seminar, 305 continued on to attend ‘The Turning Point’ where Leo introduced the life changing power of the Scriptures.

At the end of ‘The Turning Point,’ 20 people made the decision to be baptised. These 20 requests for baptism, plus another 30 requests for visitation or prayer, are being followed up by local pastors.

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Leo Schreven presenting The Turning Point at Hamilton Church

Leo Schreven presenting the All Power Seminar