1 Convention Missionnaire 2005 Acts 13 (French) — George Verwer

Was to just stop buying all kinds of things and stop spending money on myself not completely and give that money to world missions. And I've never moved from that position all these years. When I met the woman who became my wife her father had been killed over here in the war and so she had a lot of money and God put it on her heart to give all that one money for world evangelism.

Of course all of our money together wasn't that much but God multiplied it and multiplied it. And now we have these three ships and this huge amount of money that God gives us every year. With four thousand workers in a hundred nations it all started very small.

Giving as a Priority in World Missions

And I would just urge you, many of you are young put your money on the altar for God. Make giving to world missions like this mission agency. Make that a top priority. And don't think of just what maybe I can give.

What can I trust God for to enable me to give not just tonight but every week. Truly it is more blessed to give than receive. It's ok to receive, we have to receive but it's more blessed to give. Let's commit this offering to God living God.

We thank you for the privilege of giving. We thank you that this is an important part of our meeting together. Giving touches the core of where we really are spiritually. We know that if we're not set free from materialism we'll never be the giving people you want us to be.

And we're claiming that freedom through the blood of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the funds needed to cover all the expenses of this great missionary endeavor. And of this great conference which in many ways is a model conference for the whole of France and the whole of Europe.

We give you all the glory in Jesus' name Amen.

We have now picked up this offering. The brothers who were designated will now pass and you will be able to place what you have received from God on your heart. I would also like to remind all those who have purchased the books of Georges Bervin and who desire a dedication after the meeting at the publishing stand you will be able to go see him and ask him to dedicate the book you have purchased.

Keep a smile on your face even as you give the offering. Tell him, but don't be shy he won't get angry, he's a Christian so you can tell him quietly you did well to give tonight.

My heart is full, I'm excited about this privilege to share with you again tonight. It was wonderful to meet some of you as you came over to get one of my books and to give me that chance to give you my address and to sign your book.

Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Christian’s First Passion

In fact I wanted to say something that's really important that our first passion is not world missions. We're talking mainly about that because this is a missions conference and so often times in other meetings we talk about all these other things which I believe are more important or equally important.

So we're not trying to do everything. On one weekend my first passion is just Jesus. And my first passion for you is not to necessarily get you out to Tibet or to become a missionary. It's to see you walking in the power and the reality of the Holy Spirit.

Many times I speak on the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Other times I speak about the lordship of Christ. Often I speak about the all-sufficiency of Jesus. I share my own wife's testimony because her father was killed in the war.

She was reared for a while, she had no father. Then she had an atheist step-father and she suffered through that man. He threw her out of the home terrible experience but in God's providence that's how I met her.

Just like when Joseph was betrayed by his brothers but God worked it out for good. My wife had a lot of different emotional and psychological struggles. They were causing illnesses in her body. They were all kinds of illnesses but these were more linked with her emotion and insecurity and struggle from the home and she heard a message of the all-sufficiency of Jesus.

We were going through some struggles in our engagement. We were engaged by then and I realized that I didn't have enough love to meet her needs. And she had somewhat said, yes I want to go to the mission field but I want a husband.

And she had this experience with God in the quiet of her own room based on a biblical message she had heard in a meeting on the all-sufficiency of Jesus and she woke up the next morning healed from those illnesses.

And I've watched that woman for 45 years followed Jesus with all of her heart and mind. We've not had a perfect marriage and I've never had a day when I didn't sense my wife was with me mentally and emotionally in the battle.

I carry a mobile phone with me. I usually talk to her 6 times a day. She sent me a text message, I love you. She sent me another text message that there may have been a terrorist attack on New Delhi a few hours ago.

We live in a world in which we never know what's going to happen. So what am I trying to say? Just trying to say Jesus is our priority not nations not mission strategy not money but Jesus the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit filling each one of us giving us the victory.

Moral Purity, Sexual Sin, and Grace

I often speak on the subject of moral purity and sexuality. That greater response when I speak about sex than almost any message I ever give because at 16 years of age I moved into the world of pornography and though Jesus set me free just like an alcoholic I have to be careful in that area all my life, even now as an old man.

And if we have young people that want to go into world missions but they're not experiencing reality and victory in the sexual area they will seldom ever make it into what they want to do. The word of God is clear he who commits sin becomes a slave to sin.

And when you're a slave to sin you cannot be effective in the work of God. And as I challenged people to come on OM here in France so many years ago my first passion was not just to get them to reach all of Europe with the gospel.

Yes, I had that vision. My first passion was that they would become more like Jesus. The revolution of love the revolution of personal discipline the revolution of prayer and life of worship. That's what I talk about in my books except my latest book.

I'd love you to get one of those books. If I had more money and more books I'd give them free. I often do in some countries but you can get them at a low price. And one of those books, Le Défi Christian has brought me 25 ,000 personal letters quite a few from France.

I've read every single letter even when I had to have it translated. And my other book is about how to keep running the race no turning back how to keep on keeping on. If a character like me with all my struggles and doubts can run the race every day for 50 years then nobody has an excuse.

We all can be God's marathon runners. From our youth. In my life when I was 16 until we're older we can have our whole life totally given over to God. We're not talking perfection, we're talking reality.

We're talking about God's grace. So we know what to do when we sin. I remember even as a Christian leader having a failure in the area of pornography not buying anything. Hardly ever did that in my life I was in the woods and a pornographic magazine was hanging in a tree.

I was not ready for that. I noticed there were bullet holes through the girl's picture. Someone had used this magazine who knows what they used it for and then shot holes in it. How I would love right now to give you my victorious life testimony in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I zapped the magazine and triumphantly went out of the woods. How would you rather have the truth. That magazine that day for about 5 minutes made a complete fool out of me in that woods. I had to crawl my way back to the cross for forgiveness.

I was stronger. I was stronger in the battle after that terrible experience. So my message is grace. It's Jesus. It's living in purity and victory. It's being real. Don't pretend you're living up here spiritually when in fact you're living down here somewhere.

I've had thousands and thousands of people including many Christian leaders write to me and share their failures and the mess their life was in the mess their marriages were in as they broke and went through divorce.

And I've been involved with people like this all over the world. And I've seen God's restoring and God's transforming grace in their lives. God's grace. I never want to fail. Turn with me now to Luke's Gospel, chapter 10 the Gospel of Luke the story of the Good Samaritan.

We often have that when we're in Sunday school. I did want to mention two other books that I saw there on the book table. My friend brought them to me. I asked him to bring me two missionary books and I know both of them and I'm so thrilled that they have them.

Just give the titles. Please read these books. And the speaker who was with you last year Michael Griffiths. What a privilege to have all these books and try to spend a little time visiting the remaining displays that are still here.

Meet the people who have come to represent these organizations. We would appreciate prayer for our ship ministry and many other ministries. And if you will pray for our ship ministry 500 people I would like to give you a postcard I have of the ship to us.

I had some with me in my suitcase and I'd love to give that to you as a gift. We're just going to read these words of course in French starting at verse 25 right through to verse 37. Here is what the doctor of law said to put him to the test master, what must I do to inherit eternal life.

And Jesus said to him what is written in the law. Who are you. He replied you will love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength with all your thought. And your neighbor as yourself.

You answered him do this and you will live. But he wanted to justify himself and said to Jesus who is my neighbor. Jesus said a man came down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He fell in the middle of brigands who stripped him and left him half dead by chance.

A sacrificer came down the same way. He saw this man. He saw him and he was not ashamed but a Samaritan who was traveling came up to him and saw him and he had compassion. He approached him and bandaged his wounds pouring oil and wine.

Then he put him on his own mount. He took him to a hotel and took care of him the next day you seem to have been the next of those who had fallen in the midst of the brigands. He answered, it was he who exercised mercy on him.

And Jesus said to him, go, and you do the same.

The Good Samaritan and the Call to Compassion

What a powerful story.

I read it many times. It spoke to me over the years, but not in a very special way. I guess we tend to think it's a story for the semi-school, for the children. It used to be the flannel graph, now we have the PowerPoint.

The good Samaritan in PowerPoint. But about two years ago, as God was bringing many changes into my life, as I realized more and more that we're not just called to evangelize the world, we're called to build the kingdom in all of its aspects.

And that as God's people, we have to be concerned about community. We have to be concerned about the physical needs and the other emotional needs in the town in which we live. And the nation in which we live.

And across the world, there's been a new emphasis. A few people have had it for years. It goes back to the book of Acts. But now many more people, through great congresses and great men and women of God, have this vision for transformation, transformed lives, transformed churches, where love and the fruit of the Spirit is being demonstrated, and then transformed communities.

Of course, that takes a long time. We'll never reach 100%. But we all must do what we can. And as I began to think on these things, this passage leaped out of the Word of God. I said, this is it. This is a picture of what God is wanting me to do with my life.

The wounded man laying by the side of the road. The religious man walks by and he doesn't do anything. Another religious man walks by, he doesn't do anything. What a powerful indictment of religion without love, religion without reality.

And then this Samaritan. He's considered the enemy. The Jews have no dealing with the Samaritans. They're enemies. Such a powerful story. Against nationalism, against racialism. And the Samaritan becomes our hero.

It's been told all over the world for 2 ,000 years. He takes care of this man. Puts bandages on him. Puts him in his Mercedes-Benz. Well, it's a donkey. And he takes him to this inn. And he gives money to the innkeeper.

And he says to the innkeeper, if you need any more money to help this man, please let me know. What a powerful story. I can relate to this. Because as a young man I was laying by the side of the road spiritually.

And I've already shared my testimony. A woman came along. And prayed for me. And then a business person came along. Gave me a seat in a bus to a meeting. And then Billy Graham, God's servant, one of God's good Samaritans.

Proclaimed the gospel. And I was saved. And I was healed. So this story became more special. Now, they're two small pictures. The good Samaritan, the man by the side of the road, and my own. Just two small pictures.

And now I want you to think with me. In thinking of this huge world in which we live. I want to think not just of one person. I want to think of millions of people. Because I see with my eyes of faith.

Millions of people laying by the side of the road. I want to think not just of one person. I want to think of millions of people. Of course, above all. We see all those who are outside of Jesus. We see them lying by the side of the road.

We want to do everything possible to reach them. Mission starts when we walk out into the street, not when we cross the ocean. But tonight I see seven specific peoples. And I would love you to write these down.

Seven people that I see laying beside the road across the world. These are seven people that need our prayers. Some of you have received my business card. And on the back of my business card are these seven people.

So I have the notes there for my sermon. I'll give you one. The first person I see is the child. The child at risk. Street children. Orphans. Millions of orphans. The sex slaves. Women by the hundreds of thousands sold even at ten years of age into sex slaves.

Thousands sold as young teenagers into forced marriages through their religion or through their culture. Millions of women every year who are raped. Sometimes even within the confines of church. Little girls.

Little boys. Serving in the army carrying machine guns at twelve years of age. This should break our hearts. This should change our lives. This should change the way we spend our money, the way we spend our time.

Even non-Christians are responding to some of these challenges. France has some of the greatest people out in the world doing relief and rescue and all of that kind of work. Many of them are not Christians.

But we believe they are doing, in the bigger sense, part of what needs to be done in this world. It is complete foolishness for us to stand off and away from non-Christians. It's a false idea. As if we don't need them.

As if we don't need any government. As if we don't need anybody in the arts and music. As if the only important thing is to go to church. And I believe this younger generation, your generation, often called the post-modern generation, is thinking through some of these issues and are going to be used to bring more salt and light into all of society.

These suffering children will feel the benefit. Many of them will be adopted into homes. And taken care of. And fed and clothed and educated. Really great challenges for anybody who is even half human, much less a child of God.

Caring for Abused Women and Challenging Male Violence

The second person I see by the side of the road is the abused woman. Women in Africa who have gone through female circumcision. Which has spread throughout Europe as well. Even though this legislation is not going to stop it.

It just carries on. I've read about a lot of terrible things in my life. I can usually finish the article. But when I read about female circumcision, female mutilation, I'm not able to finish the article.

Something rips out of me and I have to stop and weep or pray. Something rips out of me and I have to stop and weep or pray. And I have to admit that as a Christian leader, I made a lot of mistakes in my relationship with women in the ministry.

I did not affirm them enough. I did not help them develop their gifting. I didn't mean to do it, but I gave the idea that we men, we are really the ones that are leading the way into battle and you are to follow us.

One of the women who influenced me the most, she lived in Paris. She was the daughter of General William Booth. And God used her in a way that was beyond imagination. And through her preaching, tens of thousands came to Jesus.

And some little small-minded pipsqueal comes up to me and says, we can't really have any women preaching. Oh my Lord, have mercy on us. Oh Lord, may you remove this thought from my heart. The daughter of Billy Graham preaches today in the whole world.

She can preach better than him when she is far from the Holy Spirit. And I want to thank the Lord who was so patient with me. And I had all kinds of prejudices, all kinds of doubtful interpretations that came out of the context of the Word of God.

And I really want to be concerned about the situation of women in the world. Women who are beaten in their own homes by their own husbands. And in some cases, these men profess to be Christians. And let me tell you, young woman, if you marry a man with an anger problem, even though he may talk nice words, you are going to suffer.

And man, if you have an anger problem, you have only one hope, to be set free by the power of God. And to stay free by walking in obedience and reality. Beating of women within Christian homes has gone on for hundreds of years.

In other religions, it's much, much worse. In some cultures and religions, if you don't beat your wife, you are not considered a real man. So when the men get together, they got the story of how they put their wife in the right place.

This is how sick, this is how sick this planet is with all of our humanism, with all of our technology, with all of our sophistication. Many of us know these things. But when are we going to do something about it?

When are we men actually going to be the men that God wants us to be? I have a friend who handles only divorce. He's a lawyer. He's a tough guy. He was converted later in life. We say in English, he's a man's man.

And as he talked to me about divorce, all the people who come to him for divorce are professing Christians. He said something I'll never forget. 90 of the divorce, the problem is the man. The stupidity, the arrogance, the impatience, the anger, the folly of we men.

That's what he said. I never recovered from it. No wonder the prisons mainly have 9 men for every 1 woman. Almost all the wars in history have been led by us men. Don't misunderstand. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

And before God, there is no hope outside of Jesus. But I want to get to your heart tonight to be concerned about this situation. The whole HIV crisis. We're going to talk in a moment. The women are getting the more difficult side of this crisis.

Millions of men have left their wives to go to work in some other place. And when they come back to their wives, they brought HIV and AIDS back to their own wives. We're not talking a few dozen or hundreds or thousands of people.

We're talking hundreds of thousands. And this disease is spreading so fast that they estimate some parts of Africa may be completely wiped out. And never function properly again. You see so many women laying by the side of the road.

I cannot just give them a Bible. I cannot just say, well, God bless you. I must reach out and I must help them. I must try to find a place for them to stay. I believe this with all my heart. The third person I see by the side of the road is the person of extreme poverty.

Extreme Poverty, Materialism, and Prosperity Christianity

And I know we have poverty in France, we have poverty in the States, in England. We should be concerned about that. But the poverty I want to speak about for a moment is so extreme. In the early part of this year I walked into a slum in Kenya.

One million people live in that slum. In England and France, we would not allow our pets, our dogs would not be allowed to live like that. People are living like that all over the world. The massive, massive growth of slum and extreme poverty should be a huge concern for all of us as God's people.

We would become far more careful how we would spend our own money. Knowing what we spend even for a cup of coffee is more than those people spend in two or three days. I'm not saying we should get into some legalism where we don't drink a cup of coffee.

That would be ridiculous. But somewhere we can find some degree of balance so that more can be done for the poor and the suffering and the starving people across the world. Because this kind of challenge is so difficult and people don't like it, a new religion was born in America.

It's called Prosperity Christianity. And if you're really spiritual, then you've got all the money you could ever dream of. You've got your own private airplane. Your wife has at least 100 ,000 euros of jewelry.

You've got at least a 2 ,000 euro suit. When you're really spiritual, a gold-plated toothbrush. You think this is a joke? This is true. And they exported it from America. And the number one group to grab it were the Nigerians.

Now there may be some Nigerians here and you're probably not into this extremism. But now in Nigeria we have chaos. Because usually this kind of extreme prosperity goes hand-in-glove with immorality.

And more and more leaders all over the world, it's a known fact, by any of us who are involved with people are falling into gross immorality, even as married men. And even as we travel around the world, more and more of these men and women who preach this gospel fall into the grossest immorality.

There are 500 verses in the Bible about sex. But we don't hear much about it in our churches. And one of the reasons we don't hear about it is because so many are not living victoriously. Because the Word of God is so clear.

And God is calling us, God is leading us to be concerned about the poor. And to live a life of moderate, sensible lifestyle. To release maximum money for the Kingdom of God. It was Peter who said, we're poor yet we're making many rich.

What a testimony. Paul.

We know God does prosper some people. God's sovereign working in people's lives. God has called people into the business world. I know people in the business world. They make millions. But their business is in the hands of God.

They don't boast in their riches. They don't think they're better than other people. They don't give the idea that they're spiritual and those without money are not spiritual or living in unbelief. God is using all kinds of people.

Let's make a commitment tonight to the extreme poor. Let's read more about this. Let's use our time more profitably. A great man of God who influenced my life has said the great sin of this generation is the sin of wasting time.

And when I see the way people use their time, I wonder what in the world do they believe. Do they believe anything? And then somebody gives a sermon. Without Jesus you're going to hell.

Whoa! Do we believe that?

Do you believe all these people around you in France? They're going to hell? If you believe that, and I do believe it with a lot of struggle, you're going to want to use as much, as much of your time as you possibly can to reach them with the gospel.

That doesn't mean you don't rest or relax or take a holiday. All that is part of our humanity. We cannot deny our humanness in our effort to reach the world with the gospel. Please remember that. The fourth person I see laying by the side of the road is a person with HIV and AIDS.

HIV/AIDS and the Fourth Person by the Road

42 million of them. 20 million already dead. And even here in France, where if you have HIV, you usually get this expensive medicine. You can live another 10 years. Most people, they think 10 years is enough.

At least that's what they say. So in France, we're very blasé about HIV and AIDS. That's a word, by the way, we use in the English world. One of the French words that we've taken into the English world.

We're very blasé in America about HIV and AIDS. In other words, we don't really care. And some church leaders said, that's just God's judgment on these days. That's a real intelligent thing to say. Have you ever noticed that a lot of God's chosen, frozen, are not very strong in the intelligence factor?

May the Lord have mercy on us. There's some books about HIV and AIDS in French. I'm ashamed I don't have them with me. I wasn't very well organized in this particular trip. I had them in Brazil. I had them all over Latin America.

Almost every day, I'm trying to raise money to print these books and leaflets that help prevent AIDS because AIDS is relatively easily prevented. The fifth person I see by the side of the road and now the sixth person I see.

Access to Clean Water and the Sixth Person

This will surprise you. The person who can't even get pure water. Have you ever thanked Jesus for the water you drink? In most parts of France, there's so much water. But more and more, we're realizing how valuable pure water is.

Twenty-five percent of the people on planet Earth do not have direct access to pure water. Praise the Lord in answer to prayer. Missions are now getting involved in this. Non-Christians have for years, but in a very small way.

Yes, we can get involved in it. You may go to a country as a water engineer to save thousands of lives and let Jesus shine through you to touch them as the water of life all at the same time. But the sixth person will surprise you even more.

Abortion, the Unborn Child, and the Power of Forgiveness

Because the sixth person laying by the side of the road has never been born. Never been born. In five months. Terminated. A little baby with arms and eyes and legs. We've seen pictures of them in our newspapers.

We've seen amazing kinds of pictures of them in their mother's womb.

And yet, somehow, our culture doesn't even believe God exists.

That we're all just evolved, grown-up animals of some kind. In fact, many now believe the animal species is equal to the human species. And so we must esteem the woman as God. So she makes the final decision.

And the Word of God condemns this. We are concerned about the women as well. We have already spoke about that. And women who have come through abortion. Many with huge psychological and emotional problems.

Some have committed suicide. Others have found Jesus. They've become forgiven. And they're just as clean before God as I am or anyone else. Because that's the power of the blood of Christ. I've made many mistakes in my life.

One of the biggest.

Is the failure to speak on this subject to God's people.

One of my mentors was Dr. Francis Schaeffer who lived across the border. At the end of his life, this became his passion. I drew back from him. I thought he's become extreme. I continued my own way. And I know God has forgiven me.

And now I will no longer be quiet. Even in countries where it's totally unacceptable to speak on this subject. And then my final person, laying by the side of the road. This planet. Mr. Planet. Mr. Earth.

Environmental Stewardship and Small Acts of Faithfulness

That's when people really get surprised. People who have known me all my life. George Verwer has really gone crazy. He's talking now about the environment. He's talking about ecology. He's talking about taking care of the earth, the woods and species and the birds.

It was not easy for me to make this change. Men and women of God. Especially the younger generation. Concerned about the environment. Realizing this is God's creation. And he has put us as stewards, caretakers of his creation.

It changed my whole attitude. I know there are extremes. I'm not wanting extremes. And I know I probably can't do much. But I'm going to do my little bit. And if I'm an old man. And if I can't preach anymore.

And I can't do much. I'm going to walk around my neighborhood in London. And I'm going to pick up rubbish and put it in a bag. Because I live in Britain, which is one of the dirtiest, rubbish-filled nations in the whole of Europe.

Perhaps, of course, maybe a small thing. But life is not mainly big things. Life is small things. Sensible recycling is such a small thing. But it makes a difference. You've all heard the story of the starfish?

It's a famous story. A bunch of starfish were washed up on the beach. And there was a little boy. He was picking up the starfish. He was throwing them back in the ocean. And a wiser man came along. Oh, you're wasting your time.

Look at how many of them are. It doesn't make any difference what you're doing. But the little boy picked up another starfish. And he threw it in the ocean. And he said it makes a difference to this one.

We may feel we can't do much.

There's too many lying by the side of the road. But if we all do a little bit, it can help change the world. We can be the soul and the light. Non-Christians will be watching. And when they see it, they'll be knocking on our door.

And we'll ask it. Why are you different? Then we can share Jesus. In closing, I want to read Isaiah chapter 6. Because for the time, we'll not read the whole passage. We see Isaiah having this great experience with God.

He sees the greatness of God. He worships God just as we have tonight. Let's just read what it says, especially in verse... I think they're in verse 3. In a great way, in the chorus they sang, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty.

The whole earth is filled with His glory. Have you experienced that as you've been worshiping tonight? I have. The greatness of God. The glory of God. The reality of God. And what was the response? In verse 4, the glorious singing shook the temple to its foundation.

The entire sanctuary was filled with smoke. And you see the response of this man of God. Then I said, my destruction is sealed. I'm a sinful person, a member of a sinful race, yet I've seen the King, the Lord Almighty.

Just read that first line. I'm a man whose lips are impure. I live among a people whose lips are impure. And my eyes have seen the King. I've experienced that many times. To see the greatness of God. And to see my sin.

And so you repent. And you have to humble yourself. I had to humble myself. It's not easy. It's more difficult for us men than for women. We bow before God. And look what happened when he acknowledged his sinfulness.

Read verse 6. Isn't that beautiful? He touched my lips. Guilt is gone. The guilt is gone. Sins are forgiven. Praise Jesus for such words. Such words of glory. Such words of hope. I believe we've been having experience with God during these times, especially during the time of worship.

And we've considered the suffering in the nations of the world. And as we humble ourselves. And I believe many of us are willing to do that, and are doing that. We are better able to hear God's voice.

Isaiah’s Call and the Prayer of Availability

So what did God say to Isaiah at this moment in history? Verse 8, And I heard the Lord asking, Whom shall I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us? Verse 8, And I said, Lord, here am I standing.

Isn't that a powerful prayer? That's one of the most preached on texts in all the missions conferences of the world. Missionaries have been preaching from Isaiah 6 for as long as I can ever remember. And usually when we get people to pray that prayer, here am I, send me.

We get them to make a commitment to go to the mission field. I don't agree with that. I believe this verse taken from the Old Testament has to be used in a more generic, a more general way. I believe it's a prayer that every Christian can pray.