Pastor John Tilton & Pastor Fred Alcain
February 21, 2021 - W2108

"Preach the Gospel, and If Necessary…Use Words"

Awake, Arise, Act!

Pastor John Tilton & Pastor Fred Alcain

February 20 & 21, 2021

Welcome to New Hope Oahu--Everywhere & Anywhere!  We are continuing our current series Awake, Arise, Act! Last week, Pastor Stefanie Anderson shared a message about love--Loving God and Loving People.  Today, Pastor Fred Alcain and I will share: "Why and how should we love people?"

Matthew 22:37-40 NIV says: "³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The last part of the scripture means that every law that you read in the Bible is based upon these two great scriptures: "LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE."  It's our assignment.  It's the bull’s eye of the target--The Great Commission!

How do we do that?  And why? Say that in December 2019, if I told you that there would be a pandemic and almost half a million people would die and we were told to stay home for a year, that riots, political upheaval, and chaos would be in the streets, you would all think I was crazy! Yet it happened! Also, Texas had an ice storm! Has it ever snowed in Jerusalem?  Here are some national statistics to get a clearer picture of what’s going on in the nation: 

Mental Health:  CDC reports that emergency room visits for mental health increased by 24-31% in 2020. The Department of Health in Hawaii reported that 82% of respondents surveyed said in the last 6 months felt that they had a mental health condition.

Depression:  50% of young adults showed signs of depression--that's one in two young adults.

Divorce:  According to the New York Post, divorce in 2020 increased by 34%.

Domestic abuse:  Has doubled in many parts of our nation.

Suicide last summer:  In a given month survey showed one in four young adults say they contemplated suicide.  In October, it spiked to 36.9%.  This is a national statistic.  

Deaths:  Today, deaths due to COVID-19 is 491,455 people--almost half a million people.

Of those 491,000+ people, I wonder how many did not get to hear the good news of Jesus Christ?  What if no one reached out to them and they didn’t know the Lord before they passed?  That would be a tragedy; so, I would encourage each of us to be aware of and to do our part in sharing the good news that Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

Situational Awareness (SA) consists of three things that all branches of the military are familiar:

1. Perceive your environment or events that are going on

2. Understand and comprehend the meaning of what you just saw

3. Look to the future--forecast to make the best decision on what your call to action would be.

Take the Bible and apply it to the Situational Awareness to get an understanding of what God says will transpire; and what is happening! Did you know that in 2020, Bible sales and Bible app downloads were up 143%?  People are legitimately concerned and are searching, fearful, and needing the Lord; and we have an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people. Jesus said to love them enough to care about their future.  It’s not complicated! Be the person God called you to be.  When you walk in obedience, people then will notice you.  It all comes down to what you do and what people observe.

GOD IS CALLING ALL OF US TO BE A WITNESS AND TESTIMONY 

1. Live Out Your Faith

Matthew 5:16 NKJV says: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

God says that our greatest witness is our sincere love for one another.  When we see what is going on in the world and we know that we’re blessed to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have a gift!  It would be amazing if you would step out of the boat, be bold, and be willing to share this message with someone. In December 2018, I formed a ministry with our amazing Tech department to go into the community and do national concerts for Live Nation Entertainment. People came to me later saying that what I was doing was of the devil; and I told them sincerely, “When we’re producing these concerts, we have an opportunity to be Jesus and to share our faith and pray for them...”

2. Share Your Faith

Mark 16:15 ESV says: "And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'" 

Oftentimes, when we walk out of a weekend service and face the pressures of life at work, school, or family, being Christian isn’t always cool!  The environment is changing before our eyes in our society.  What if we applied Situational Awareness to the situation as sometimes, the most difficult people to minister are family members.  A few years ago, my parents started getting sick and I found it so difficult to lead them to Christ.  One day I decided to get "out of the boat" and just do it!  I sat down before them and said, “Mom and Dad, I want talk to you about Jesus." It was one of the most awkward moments with my parents--they were fidgeting and nervous. But I said what I had to say, and they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!  

Not long after that, my dad got dementia, and couldn’t walk or bathe himself; so, I helped him.  Then he passed away; and less than a year later my mom passed.  I look back and thank God that as awkward as it was, I had the gumption to step out and share Jesus with them!  Someday, we will be together again because I know where they are! 

Whatever God may be calling you to do, I encourage you to share Jesus!  One day at a Bruno Mars concert catering area, a security guard grabbed me and said, “Pastor, you got to pray for my son.  He’s in Queens Hospital and his body is frozen from the torso down.”  She is crying in the middle of all the people eating, and I prayed, “Lord, we pray for healing.  We bind him in Jesus' name!”  People were looking at us and wondering what was going on.  At the following concert for the Eagles, I asked how her son Sanford was doing, and she said that he was getting better and moving.  Praise God!  Take it to the streets!

Pastor Fred is coming up.  He was playing timpani drums in a musical with the famous Ron Bright when Pastor Wayne walked up to him and said, “Fred, would you play your timpani at my church?”  Here's Fred to tell you the story...

PASTOR FRED ALCAIN: 

Actually, I had a series of invitations: The first was from my Kamehameha School band director Clark Bright, who invited me to take part in “Let the Heavens Rejoice,” a musical outreach production that New Hope was doing.Growing up, my big dream and hope was to one day be a Broadway musician; so, when the opportunity came to work with his legendary father, Ron Bright, one of Hawaii’s finest musical directors, I jumped at the chance! I was invited to play percussion and timpani drums in the orchestra.  One day during a sound check toward the end of the show’s run, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro walked up to me and said, “Fred, if I buy you some timpani drums, will you come and play them at New Hope?"

My reactions were, “Wow, he knows my name, I’m somebody now!  My second thought was, "Yes, I will!”  I jumped at the opportunity to do something I already loved to do with musicians and singers. They were people whose skill for the arts was only surpassed by the way they love--the genuineness of their hearts! And I said, "Yes!" The rest is history. What started as an invitation to take part in a musical became an invitation to use my gifts at church and ended with me inviting Jesus into my heart--the most eternal decision I have ever made! It took...

3. An Invitation to Faith

Romans 10:13-15 NIV says: ¹³ “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." ¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Basically, Paul is saying that salvation comes from Jesus--He is the only way.  One of the Core Values at New Hope Oahu is: "Effective evangelism comes from people inviting people."  The good news needs to be heard, that’s where you and I come in.  We need to love and show love! 

Extension Ministry:  Responding to His commission to partner with Him in reaching others.

Awake = Responding to His Commission

Matthew 28:19 NIV says: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,^"

Jesus didn’t say to build a nice spot and gather.  He told us, "Therefore go."  People are out there, not just in communities, but to all nations. We don’t need a stage or sermons--all we need is love! As we Awake to go and respond to our commission, the next thing we do is...  

Arise = To Partner with Him  

John 14:26 NKJV says: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

As we extend outside of the church building, we are empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit.  We don’t do events just for the sake of events--that’s entertainment.  We partner with the Holy Spirit and stay under the hand of God, follow the cloud by day, and fire by night for purposes that are eternal.  As we Arise by partnering with Him, we then act and reach out to others, and become the feet of Jesus, our Savior, baptizer, healer and Coming King!

Act = In Reaching Others

Romans 10:14 NKJV says: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Through the years, our Extension Ministry has used many methods and approaches, but the principle has always been to connect everything we do to a soul! Pastor Wayne says:  "Methods may change but your principles never do, our principle has remained to win souls for Jesus." We’re glad to partner with Pastor Justin Smith to present the gospel in creative ways:  The NHO dance team "preaches the gospel without using words!" Pastor Wayne preached the gospel to me by loving me enough to get to know my name and finding out my hopes and dreams.  He was loving me and knew that I had a God-sized hole in my heart that only Jesus could fill!  It was about my heart; and through one invitation to faith, I found new hope in Jesus Christ! I challenge you to respond to His Commission to partner with Him and to reach out to others to Awake, Arise, and Act!  It's as simple as loving God and loving people, and to present the gospel creatively. Follow Holy Spirit and invite others to Jesus Christ--He is mighty to save!

STUDY QUESTIONS: 

1. What is a circumstance or invitation (your “timpani drum”) that brought you to church?

2. What would be a testimony to share God’s goodness with others?

3. What Situational Awareness have you learned from 2020?

4. How are ways you live out your faith?