Participants:
Series Code: SUES
Program Code: SUES000005A
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00:17 Once again good afternoon, friends,
00:19 welcome back to Secrets Unsealed. 00:21 And we're so happy to have you 00:22 as we continue our series "Equipping the Saints." 00:26 Now this is the fifth of five messages, 00:28 it's the last one in the series. 00:30 And what we basically tried to do 00:31 in this series of messages 00:33 is to look at from heaven's perspective, 00:36 from God's understanding as He gives it in His Word, 00:39 what the work is He wants accomplished 00:41 through us. 00:43 What is it He would want us to do 00:44 in the saving of the lost? 00:46 And we looked at how heaven operates 00:47 and all of those millions of angels 00:50 or all ministering spirits sent forth to minister 00:52 to those who inherit salvation. 00:54 We saw how Jesus ministered 00:56 and He came not just to do ministry 00:58 but to train ministers. 01:00 We saw the how Apostolic Church ran 01:02 that they were not just settled pastors 01:04 over congregations 01:05 but they went out as evangelists 01:07 and the Seventh-day Adventist Church 01:09 follow that model 01:10 during the time of its greatest growth. 01:12 And we saw that Jesus gave us in the Bible, 01:15 a template, the agricultural cycle, 01:18 that metaphor for how the work 01:21 of evangelism should grow. 01:22 That just like we need to prepare the soil, 01:27 sow the seed, 01:28 we need to cultivate the crop, 01:30 we need to harvest and then preserve. 01:34 We need to do the same thing with souls. 01:36 We need to win their confidence 01:38 by doing works of disinterested benevolence. 01:40 We need to share the truth 01:42 and sow the seed of the gospel. 01:44 We need to give them those Bible studies 01:45 to cultivate that interest. 01:47 We need to make appeals 01:48 and draw them to Christ in the phase of harvest. 01:52 And then when they're done with that, 01:55 we need to not just leave them there in the pew 01:57 but we need to train them, equip them, 01:59 so that the crop can be preserved 02:02 and move forward for seed for the next round. 02:04 We need to make disciples, we need to make missionaries, 02:08 not just more members, that's our goal. 02:11 So in this final message called "Discipline," 02:16 well, I want to talk about that fifth phase 02:19 of the agricultural cycle or the cycle of evangelism, 02:23 the one that is so often overlooked and neglected. 02:26 I want to talk about the discipline 02:29 of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. 02:33 But as always, before we begin, 02:35 let's start with a word of prayer. 02:37 Dear Heavenly Father, 02:39 Lord, I thank You so much 02:41 for yet another day of life. 02:43 I thank You for bringing us together here 02:45 in this place for this purpose. 02:48 And I would ask now 02:49 that You once again send Your Holy Spirit 02:52 not to just be in this room, 02:54 but to be in our hearts and in our minds, 02:57 to lead us into all truth as You've promised to do. 03:02 So, Lord, we claim that promise, 03:04 we ask that You would be our teacher, 03:06 for we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. 03:11 Please go to Acts Chapter 2. 03:14 Acts Chapter 2... 03:16 We're going to learn a few lessons 03:17 from the early church 03:19 that are applicable in the last day church. 03:21 Acts Chapter 2... 03:22 And as we mentioned in the previous message, 03:24 the Book of Acts there in Chapter 2 03:26 describes the Day of Pentecost, 03:28 but it does not involve 03:29 what we might typically think of as Pentecostal 03:31 in our common language today. 03:33 It actually was a very solemn thing 03:36 built on a study of the Word of God 03:38 and straight preaching of present truth. 03:41 And when Peter preached that message, 03:43 notice what 2:41 says, 03:47 "Then those who gladly received his word were," what? 03:52 "Baptized," right? 03:54 So this is the harvest phase. 03:58 "They were baptized, 03:59 and that day about three thousand souls 04:02 were added to them." 04:06 Notice it does not say 04:07 they were just added to Jesus, in a general way 04:09 but they added to them. 04:11 Skip down in fact, 04:13 it says here in the very end of verse 47, 04:16 "And the Lord added to the," what? 04:19 "To the church daily those who were being saved." 04:24 In this simple passage, 04:26 there are at least two important lessons for us today. 04:30 First lesson is that baptism is predicated 04:34 on an understanding and reception 04:37 of the Word of God. 04:39 You don't baptize people 04:40 just because they might hear the name of Jesus 04:42 or listen to a moving song or have a heartfelt moment. 04:46 They need to understand the truth of God's Word 04:48 and make an intellectual decision 04:51 to commit their lives to Him, 04:53 thus baptism is the demonstration 04:55 of that covenant 04:57 between the individual and the Lord. 04:59 Baptism is predicated on an understanding 05:03 and reception of the Word of God. 05:06 This is what Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 28, 05:08 when He gave the Great Commission. 05:11 It says here in Matthew 28:19-20, 05:15 standing just a few feet from the eternal kingdom, 05:18 He recites these words. 05:21 "Go," verse 19, 05:22 "therefore and make disciples of all nations, 05:26 baptizing them 05:28 in the name of the Father and of the Son 05:30 and of the Holy Spirit, 05:32 teaching them to observe a few of the things 05:36 that I have commanded you." 05:37 Is that what he says? No. 05:39 Nor does he say some of the things. 05:42 He says, "All things which I have commanded you. 05:47 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 05:50 Notice that in Christ's model 05:52 for how we're to make disciples, 05:55 it involves teaching people all things 05:58 and baptizing them 06:00 those who have been taught, 06:01 right? 06:03 Acts Chapter 8. 06:05 We saw this again in a previous message 06:06 but Acts 8:30, where here we see Philip, 06:11 running to this Ethiopian, 06:13 who has had his Bible open, says in verses 30 and 31. 06:17 "So Philip ran to him and heard him reading 06:19 the prophet Isaiah 06:20 and said, 'Do you understand what you were reading?' 06:22 And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' 06:26 And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.'" 06:28 So they have a Bible study first 06:30 so he can understand what he's reading. 06:32 And then in verse 35, it says, 06:36 "Then Philip opened his mouth 06:37 and beginning at this Scripture, 06:39 preached Jesus to him. 06:41 Now as they went down the road, 06:43 they came to some water. 06:45 And the eunuch said, 'See here is water. 06:47 What hinders me from being baptized?'" 06:49 You recognize that the baptism 06:51 was predicated on his understanding 06:53 and reception of the Word of God 06:55 presented through Bible studies. 06:59 "Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, 07:01 you may.' 07:02 And he answered and said, 07:04 'I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.' 07:05 So he commanded the chariot 07:07 to be still and Philips and the eunuch 07:09 went in down into the water, and he baptized him." 07:14 So the first lesson we read from Acts 2:41, 07:17 is that the baptism 07:20 is predicated on an understanding 07:23 and the reception of the Word of God. 07:27 Baptism has study first. 07:31 Also, I want you to notice, 07:33 as we highlighted in Acts Chapter 2, again, 07:36 that it says, "And that day about 07:38 three thousand souls were added to them." 07:39 And as we saw in verse 47, 07:41 that they were adding to the church, 07:44 those who were being saved. 07:47 Notice that when you are baptized, 07:50 these believers at least in Acts Chapter 2 07:53 were added to them. 07:55 Baptism joins you not merely to the idea of Jesus 08:01 in some mystical, personal spiritual connection, 08:05 but by baptism, 08:06 you become members of the body of Christ, 08:09 which is the church. 08:12 Notice what the Apostle Paul would say 08:13 in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14. 08:20 It says, "For as the body is one 08:22 and has many members, 08:25 but all the members of that one body, 08:26 being many, are one body, 08:28 so also is Christ. 08:31 For by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one," what? 08:36 "Body. 08:38 Whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, 08:40 and we have all made to drink into one Spirit. 08:44 For in fact the body is not one member 08:47 but many." 08:49 So you notice that when you join the church, 08:51 when you understand the Bible truth 08:53 and receive it for yourself, 08:54 you become baptized 08:55 and you become a member of Christ's body, 08:58 which is the church. 08:59 So lesson number one, baptism is predicated on understanding, 09:02 receiving the Word of God. 09:04 And number two, baptism joins you to the church, 09:07 not just to Jesus 09:09 in some mystical, spiritual sense, 09:10 but you become a member of the Church of Christ 09:14 here on the earth. 09:17 Staying in Acts Chapter 2, 09:18 there's another lesson we need to learn 09:20 about these newly converted members 09:23 of the early Christian church. 09:25 Acts 2:42. 09:30 After verse 41, says that, 09:31 "That day about three thousand souls 09:33 were added to them," 09:34 watch what happens after their baptism. 09:36 Verse 42, 09:38 "And they continued steadfastly 09:41 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, 09:44 in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." 09:49 They continued. 09:51 Notice that after they had, 09:53 "Gladly received the present truth of the gospel 09:56 that Christ is in the right hand of God 09:58 in the heavenly sanctuary." 10:00 And after they were baptized 10:01 and after they joined the church, 10:03 they kept studying even then. 10:10 Let me tell you something, friends. 10:11 One problem that I have seen in my own experience sometimes 10:14 and in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in general, 10:17 is that oftentimes we shun as we should the idea 10:21 that once saved, always saved. 10:23 No, no, that's not true. 10:24 You got to maintain that relationship with Jesus. 10:27 But while we shun that notion, 10:29 we sometimes accept the idea 10:34 that once learned, you're always learned. 10:37 So you can say I came into the church in 1983. 10:40 I went to this evangelist campaign held by elder 10:42 so and so and I gave my heart to the Lord 10:45 and I joined the church 10:46 and that was maybe the last time you studied 10:50 the truths of God's Word. 10:52 The doctrines that make us the people we are. 10:56 But these early believers didn't settle for that. 10:58 They received the Word. 10:59 They were convinced that it was true. 11:01 They were convicted cut to the heart. 11:03 They were converted when they yield to that truth 11:05 and they and they baptized, became members of the church. 11:09 And then what happened? 11:12 It says, then they continued 11:13 steadfastly 11:15 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, 11:19 in the breaking of bread and in prayers. 11:24 Acts Chapter 17, 11:26 another group of people is described, 11:28 who are commended for their nobility, 11:32 their fair mindedness. 11:34 Acts 17:10, we read, 11:38 "And the brethren immediately sent 11:40 Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. 11:43 When they arrived they went into the synagogue 11:45 of the Jews." 11:46 Verse 11, 11:48 "These were more fair minded 11:49 than those in Thessalonica." 11:52 Now why is that? 11:54 Were these nicer people, were they sweeter people, 11:56 were they better looking people, 11:57 were they more wealthy and affluent people? 12:00 What made them more laudable? 12:03 What made them more fair-minded than the Thessalonians? 12:07 By the way, I've always been interested. 12:08 I wonder if the Thessalonians read this passage. 12:10 They are like, "Wait a minute, what is he saying?" 12:12 Right? 12:13 But why is it that Paul makes this distinction? 12:16 He explains, "These were more fair-minded 12:19 than those in Thessalonica, 12:20 in that they received the word with all readiness, 12:24 and searched the Scriptures," how often? 12:29 "Daily to find out whether these things were so." 12:34 So they didn't just hear the message one time and say, 12:36 "Oh, that sounds good to me. 12:38 I'll take some of that," and they're done. 12:40 They received the Word and then they went home 12:42 and studied it for themselves. 12:45 And Paul was blessed by this. 12:48 He thought this was commendable, 12:50 this was laudable, this is notable, 12:52 this is fair-minded, 12:54 he thought, this was wonderful. 12:58 By the way, watch what keeps happening. 13:02 Chapter 17 continues there, look at verse 12. 13:05 "Therefore many of them," what? 13:10 "Believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, 13:13 prominent women as well as men." 13:17 Notice that their fair-mindedness, 13:20 that continuing studying attitude of the Bereans 13:25 is the reason why verse 12 begins with therefore. 13:30 So in the context, the fact that quote, 13:33 many of them believed in verse 12, 13:36 was a direct result of not only hearing the Word 13:38 but searching the scriptures daily to find out 13:41 whether these things were so. 13:43 Their continued study 13:45 established many of them in the faith. 13:48 Again, one thing I've noticed, is we sometimes adhere 13:51 to a once learned always learned 13:54 mentality. 13:57 It is this superficial reading, 13:58 this passive acceptance in the place of active study. 14:02 That's one of the reasons 14:04 the personal spiritual experience 14:06 and public witness of our members 14:09 and their families is often so poor. 14:12 We don't dig deep, 14:13 we don't review what we know 14:15 and we become functionally illiterate in the things 14:18 we should be students of. 14:23 Let me give another example from my own experience. 14:25 Once I was preaching a wedding homily, 14:28 true story. 14:31 And in preparing for this, 14:33 I wanted to challenge the couple 14:35 that to live a life of ministry, 14:38 like the life of Aquila and Priscilla 14:41 that we read about in the Book of Acts. 14:45 Instead, however, when I was giving the homily, 14:47 when I was up front in front of the congregation 14:49 and the couple was there, 14:51 I accidentally encouraged them to live a life of ministry 14:55 like Ananias and Sapphira. 15:00 Mercy. 15:02 You know what the saddest part is? 15:05 Not one eyebrow was raised, 15:08 and some people even said, amen. 15:13 Now I should have caught the blunder mind, 15:15 but it wasn't intentional, right? 15:17 But there was a congregation full of people, 15:19 Bible believing Christians, 15:20 all of them they heard, oh, yeah, 15:21 that sounds about right, I guess, I don't know. 15:24 They knew they were Bible names, 15:26 but they couldn't quite square 15:27 which one and they were like, "Whatever," 15:29 and they didn't discern for themselves. 15:37 Popular as it may be today, 15:40 the word disciple, 15:43 like you're a disciple of Jesus, 15:45 the word disciple is not a verb. 15:50 It is a noun. 15:51 It's a thing that you are not a thing that happens to you. 15:57 People will oftentimes say, 15:58 "I'm discipling or getting discipled." 16:03 No, friends, disciple is a noun. 16:06 It's a thing that you are. 16:08 But the way that you become a disciple 16:10 it's not through some weird process called discipling. 16:15 It's through something called discipline. 16:19 The root of the word disciple is discipline. 16:26 And discipline has gotten a bad rap in our society 16:28 and even in our church society these days. 16:31 We think of it as punitive, 16:34 that it's cold, and mean, and harsh, and cruel. 16:39 But discipline is supposed to be redemptive, 16:43 and encouraging, and growing to make you more like Jesus. 16:51 True discipleship requires effort. 16:56 It just requires struggle, requires practice, 17:01 it requires discipline. 17:06 Listen to the Apostle Paul from the Book of Philippians 17:10 2:12-13. 17:14 It says, "Therefore, my beloved, 17:16 as you have always obeyed, 17:18 not as in my presence only, 17:20 but now much more in my absence, 17:23 work out your own salvation 17:25 with fear and trembling, 17:28 for it is God who works in you both 17:30 to will and to do His good pleasure." 17:33 Notice he says, look, 17:34 I'm not going to be there always. 17:35 In fact, I'm not even there now. 17:37 But you need to keep working. 17:39 You need to work out your own salvation. 17:42 Is, by the way, the Apostle Paul promoting here 17:45 a gospel of works righteousness? 17:48 Of course, not. 17:51 How do we know? 17:52 We'll just look at what he finishes 17:53 the statement with. 17:55 "For it is God," he said, 17:57 "who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." 18:02 So clearly it is God who is doing a work in you, 18:06 but that requires cooperation on your part to work out 18:09 your own salvation. 18:10 He's advocating discipline, 18:14 make some choices, change some things, 18:18 accommodate, reprioritize, 18:21 do something different, 18:23 you got to make some changes, 18:24 work it out, he says. 18:28 Listen to this statement from Christian Education, 18:30 page 122. 18:31 "Let no one suppose 18:34 that conversion is the beginning 18:36 and end of the Christian life." 18:39 Yet how many Christians believe that I got converted, 18:41 I got saved, I had that experience, 18:43 she said never have that supposition? 18:45 "Let no one suppose 18:46 that conversion is the beginning 18:47 and the end of the Christian life. 18:50 There is a science of Christianity 18:53 that must be mastered." 18:55 Interesting. 18:57 There's a science of Christianity 18:58 that must be mastered. 18:59 It's a course of study. 19:01 "There is to be growth in grace 19:04 that is constant progress and improvement. 19:09 The mind is to be," 19:11 and here's our word, "disciplined, 19:14 trained, educated, for the child of God 19:19 is to do service for God in ways 19:22 that are not natural, 19:24 or in harmony with inborn inclination." 19:28 You know what, friends, 19:29 you might hear the message of Jesus Christ 19:31 and have the appeal of salvation, 19:32 want to have your sins forgiven 19:33 and be a member of his citizenry in heaven. 19:36 That's all wonderful. 19:37 But while we're here living on earth, 19:39 often times, more times 19:41 than not living according to biblical principle 19:44 does not come natural to the carnal hearts. 19:48 So think of all the things practically speaking 19:50 that is involved in being part of the body of Christ. 19:53 It's being a member of His church, 19:55 being a disciple of Jesus. 19:59 There's going to be a lot of stuff. 20:00 It's going to change. Let me put it this way. 20:03 True religion gets into every corner of your life. 20:07 It's going to change your calendar, 20:09 it's going to change your plans, 20:10 it might change your job, 20:12 it might change your friends, 20:13 it might change your language, 20:15 it might change your financial status, 20:18 it might change all kinds of things. 20:21 It's not just some pie in the sky theory that, 20:24 "Oh, I have this mystical relationship with Jesus. 20:26 I'm going to continue living as I always have." 20:28 No, no. 20:30 There's a change, a transformation 20:33 and it's not always comfortable. 20:35 That old man tries to come back from the dead 20:38 more times than we want to... 20:39 You have to push him down, 20:41 you have to work it out, he says. 20:45 And I'll say it again, 20:46 as we said in our previous series, 20:47 salvation is more than a mere transaction 20:51 to get you into heaven. 20:53 Salvation is a transformation 20:56 to fit you into the society of heaven. 21:01 In describing the Christian experience, 21:04 the Bible repeatedly employs 21:08 process language. 21:11 It never is this event. 21:13 It's always an ongoing development of growth, 21:17 a process. 21:20 1 John Chapter 3. 21:23 The Apostle John speaks of it in these words. 21:26 1 John 3:1, 21:32 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us 21:36 that we should be called the children of God! 21:40 Therefore, the world does not know us 21:41 because it did not know Him." 21:43 So praise the Lord that we're children of God. 21:45 But then he adds this, 21:46 "Beloved, now we are children of God," 21:49 present tense, then he adds," 21:52 and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be." 21:57 Pause right there. Time out. 21:59 Is it possible that you can come to Christ, 22:01 confess your sins, believe on Him, 22:03 be accounted as righteous 22:05 and have your citizenship in heaven? 22:07 You can be a child of God even now, is that possible? 22:10 Yes. 22:13 Is it also the case 22:15 that even once you've been converted 22:18 and you become a member of the body of Christ, 22:20 you're counted as a child of God 22:21 that there is still some growth in your life 22:23 that needs to happen after that commitment? 22:26 Yes. 22:28 Thus he can say, "Now we are children of God, 22:31 yet it has not been revealed what we shall be. 22:36 But," he adds, 22:40 "we know that when He is revealed," 22:42 speaking of a second coming, 22:44 "we shall be in," what condition? 22:47 "Like Him, 22:50 for we shall see Him as He is." 22:54 Verse 3, "And everyone who has this hope in Him," 22:58 does what? 22:59 "Purifies himself, just as He is pure." 23:04 They work it out. 23:06 It's a process of growth 23:07 and discipline and struggle and toil, 23:10 but God has promised to work in you 23:12 to will and do His good pleasure, 23:13 but you have to make the choice to grow 23:18 and change. 23:20 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul 23:22 shares the same sentiment of John. 23:24 Here in 2 Corinthians 3:18, 23:29 speaks of those who are looking at the life of Jesus 23:32 through a study of God's Word and he says, 23:34 "But we all, with unveiled face, 23:36 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord." 23:40 So notice when we look at scripture, 23:41 when we look at the life of Jesus. 23:43 Even when people look directly at Jesus 23:44 when He was here, 23:46 it was not His unveiled glory, face to face, 23:48 but it was as though you were looking in a mirror.? 23:50 It was a reflection, right? 23:53 It says, "But we all, with unveiled face, 23:55 beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, 23:57 are being transformed." 24:01 That's a process, doesn't say, we have been, 24:05 it says, we are being transformed, 24:07 into what? 24:09 "Into the same image from glory to glory, 24:13 just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 24:17 Friends, the ultimate goal of the Christian faith 24:21 is Christ's likeness. 24:26 Let me tell you something. 24:28 Christ's likeness 24:30 takes time and effort. 24:36 That's not to say we earn it on our own, 24:38 it's not to say it's apart from Christ 24:40 that we're meriting some sort of, no, no, no. 24:44 But when Christ calls you to do something, 24:46 He empowers you to do it, 24:47 but He expects that you will stand up and obey. 24:53 Jesus said it this way. 24:54 Look at Luke 6:40. 24:57 Luke 6:40. 24:59 Jesus declares, 25:01 "A disciple is not above his teacher, 25:05 but everyone who is perfectly trained 25:07 will be like his teacher." 25:10 Apparently becoming like Christ requires training. 25:15 It requires practice, it requires discipline. 25:23 There are essential spiritual habits 25:27 that every Christian must develop 25:31 to be more like Jesus. 25:35 One of those habits 25:38 was alluded to in the experience 25:39 of the new believers 25:41 in Acts Chapter 2, 25:42 something that some friends of mine have dubbed 25:44 the ministry of attendance. 25:47 Now, I might think like, 25:49 "Of all the things that you really want to talk 25:50 to about growing in grace 25:51 and becoming more like Jesus is the ministry of attendance?" 25:54 Well, yes, it is. 25:56 What did Jesus model in His own life in ministry? 25:59 When He went to Nazareth, it said... 26:02 He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day 26:04 as His custom was. 26:06 It was a habit, He just did it. 26:07 Did He go to church because everybody loved Him? 26:10 No. 26:12 Everybody didn't love Him at church, 26:14 but He went because it was Sabbath 26:15 and that's what you do. 26:17 It's a day the Bible says, of holy convocation, 26:20 it's a gathering of God's people, 26:21 and that's where God says to be, 26:23 that's where I'll be. 26:25 Acts Chapter 2, 26:26 what does it say in verse 46? 26:28 "So continuing daily 26:32 with one accord in the temple 26:34 and breaking bread from house to house, 26:36 they ate their food with gladness 26:37 and simplicity of heart." 26:39 Notice, they gathered together at church 26:42 and in homes, 26:43 even when it wasn't the Sabbath. 26:46 Now, you might think 26:47 as the Seventh-day Adventist, all right, 26:49 one of my practical duties is 26:50 I need to go to church every Sabbath. 26:51 Yes, you do. 26:53 But did you know there's 26:54 more to the life of the church 26:55 than just attending the worship service 26:57 on Sabbath morning? 27:00 Of course, were there for corporate worship 27:02 and study, fellowship, 27:05 but also for evangelism 27:06 and for prayer and for encouragement 27:08 for one another. 27:10 And this is critical not only to your own spiritual life 27:12 but to other people too. 27:14 You have a ministry of attendance. 27:18 Friends, let me explain it this way. 27:20 Attendance demonstrates what you value. 27:25 It's called voting with your feet. 27:28 The stuff you just show up to 27:30 is the stuff you actually care about, 27:33 whether you're paid for it, 27:34 whether you're required to 27:36 just because you want to be there. 27:39 And think about this in your local church context, 27:41 what things would be better if more people attended them? 27:49 Board meetings. 27:51 We need all the board members to come up, 27:53 and most churches board meetings are open. 27:54 Other members can come in and see 27:56 how it's going on in the church, 27:57 learn about the budget and the plans for evangelism, 27:59 and the building campaign and all these other things. 28:02 Church business meetings were not only are members allowed, 28:05 but they're expected to be there 28:07 as voting delegates of the local church function. 28:10 Friends, at the local church 28:11 business meaning you can control the budget, 28:14 you can control whether you do this ministry 28:16 or that ministry, you can do all kinds of things. 28:18 And I can tell you 28:19 from long years of experience now, 28:21 at least seem long to me. 28:24 The church after church, after church, 28:25 if you have 100 members, 28:27 you'll have 10 that show up at the church business meeting. 28:31 What's happening? 28:35 What about other events like 28:36 work bees or school events, 28:38 or church socials, or Sabbath school 28:40 or evangelist campaigns 28:41 or outreach activities, and of course, 28:44 the unsung martyr of the modern church 28:47 prayer meeting? 28:51 Which of those events would be improved, 28:54 if nothing else happened, 28:55 but just more people showed up to it? 28:59 What an encouragement that would be. 29:02 By the way, listen to this from Pastoral Ministry, 29:04 page 183. 29:05 "A prayer meeting will always tell the true interest 29:08 of the church members 29:10 in spiritual and eternal things." 29:13 Let me tell you something, I'm a mean pastor. 29:15 I wouldn't like me if I was a member. 29:19 In the bulletin each week, 29:21 I make sure that we have printed up 29:24 the attendance from last Sabbath church service, 29:28 also the attendance to last Sabbath's Sabbath school, 29:33 and the attendance 29:35 at the last week's prayer meeting. 29:39 So they can see, all right, we have a membership of 324. 29:43 We have an average attendance of the worship service of 160. 29:46 We have an average attendance of Sabbath School of 90, 29:51 and we have an average attendance 29:52 at prayer meeting of 9. 29:57 "And a prayer meeting will always tell the true interest 29:59 of church members in spiritual and eternal things." 30:06 Look, Hebrews Chapter 10, for a moment. 30:09 Hebrews Chapter 10. 30:11 This is the quintessential attendance passage, 30:14 but it doesn't say 30:15 what you might expect it to say. 30:16 Hebrews 10:23, says, 30:20 "Let us hold fast the confession of our faith 30:23 without wavering, 30:24 for He who promised is faithful." 30:25 So notice, he's talking to people 30:27 who have been converted and convicted, 30:28 and they are now part of the body of Christ. 30:30 And he says, "Hang on, stay in there. 30:32 Let us hold fast." 30:34 And then what's the first piece 30:36 of advice he has in verse 24. 30:38 "And let us consider one another 30:40 in order to stir up love and good works, 30:45 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 30:49 as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, 30:53 and so much the more 30:55 as you see the day approaching." 30:58 There's so many lessons here. 30:59 Let's just take a few right off the bat. 31:01 First of all, 31:02 I take great comfort 31:06 in knowing that even in the early Apostolic Church, 31:11 it was already becoming a problem 31:14 for some to skip out on joining in the worship service. 31:18 It says, "As is the manner of some," 31:21 some are already skipping out on church and Sabbath School, 31:23 and they're disconnecting themselves 31:25 in the fellowship of other believers and whatnot. 31:28 And he says, "We don't need to do that, 31:30 please don't do that." 31:33 And he says, 31:35 "What should be our motivation 31:36 for attending these gatherings?" 31:38 Look again at verse 24. 31:39 "And let us consider," whom? 31:41 "One another!" 31:43 Not ourselves. 31:44 People will say, "Well, I go to church 31:45 whenever I get a blessing 31:47 or I like the music or I like the preacher, 31:48 I like this." 31:50 But Jesus didn't go over church for those reasons, 31:52 He went to minister not to be ministered to. 31:55 And here the apostle says the same thing. 31:58 "Let us consider one another 31:59 in order to stir up love and good works." 32:02 I like that analogy, stir up. 32:05 You know, there's two kinds of peanut butter in this world. 32:07 And I'm not talking about crunchy and creamy. 32:08 I'm talking about healthy and the other kind. 32:13 And you know when you're in the store, 32:15 which one is healthy and which one is not, 32:18 just by looking at it. 32:22 What is the distinctive characteristic 32:24 of healthy peanut butter? 32:28 Separation, right? 32:29 It's got that nice thick layer of oil on the top 32:32 and underneath is some peanut butter 32:34 flavored concrete, right? 32:36 And when you open that up, 32:39 if you were to pour off that oil into the sink 32:41 and just eat what's left, 32:42 it is a tasteless mass, barely, it's no good. 32:47 But if you were to just take that oil and smear, 32:49 you can't have that either, right? 32:51 So what do you have to do 32:52 when you get that healthy peanut butter? 32:54 You got to take a knife 32:55 and you got to get in there and stir it up, right? 32:58 And when you first put that spoon or knife in there, 33:01 you start to turn and it is a challenge. 33:06 It is the way the Lord has given us 33:07 to develop our muscles, right? 33:09 You just, uh... You get that first turn. 33:11 But as the oil starts to seep in that, 33:14 it gets a little easier, little easier, 33:15 and by the way, finally it becomes a little smooth. 33:18 And it's nice and you got peanut butter finally. 33:21 That imagery is what comes to mind 33:22 when I hear the apostle here telling us 33:24 that we go to church in order to stir up 33:27 love and good works. 33:29 Apparently there are potential latent love and good works 33:33 in the people at church, 33:34 but that needs to be stirred up. 33:38 And how do you stir it up? 33:40 By showing up. 33:42 You stir it up by showing up. 33:45 And he's telling people, 33:47 the first thing you need to do 33:48 to hold fast your faith is to go to church, 33:51 attend everything in the church, 33:54 as God's led... 33:55 By the way, the third lesson we can learn from this, 33:57 notice what he concludes there with verse 25. 34:00 "And so much the more 34:02 as you see the day approaching." 34:03 Friends, is Jesus coming soon? 34:05 Yes, indeed. 34:07 Have the prophecies expired and are expiring 34:09 even in our lifetime? 34:10 Yes, indeed. 34:12 I believe that Jesus is coming in this generation. 34:16 And if you believe that 34:17 apparently according to the Bible, 34:19 one of the ways we demonstrate 34:21 our belief in the soon coming of Jesus 34:23 as we increase our attendance at the local church. 34:28 As God's last day remnant movement, 34:32 do we not see the day approaching? 34:35 Does not this passage have particular significant 34:38 to Seventh-day Adventists? 34:41 I urge you, friends, determine in your heart. 34:46 When you go home from this event, 34:50 that you will develop a habit of faithful attendance 34:54 at the functions of your local church, 34:57 not only as a way to be blessed 35:00 which, incidentally, you will receive a blessing. 35:03 But more importantly, as a way to be a blessing 35:07 and an encouragement to others, 35:09 so we can finish this work and hasten the coming of Jesus. 35:14 There is a ministry of attendance. 35:17 You don't have to prepare anything. 35:19 You don't have to make a dish or write a talk, 35:23 or really even say a word, just come in and sit down. 35:27 And here's the extra credit bonus. 35:30 Sit down front. 35:33 So many times I've seen churches 35:34 that hold 300 and 30 show up 35:36 and they all sit in different corners 35:38 and parts of the church, scattered flock. 35:41 Come down and be a part of something, sit together, 35:44 just like fire is built 35:46 when sticks come together, right? 35:47 Why don't we stir up love and good works? 35:51 Be part and parcel 35:54 of the work of the church. 35:56 Now that's just one example 35:57 of the incredibly practical counsel 35:59 that so often is not given to new believers. 36:03 Was lofty rhetoric, grand oratory, 36:07 big speeches and stirring sermons? 36:11 But we don't take those lessons and make them practical. 36:14 What does it mean in the daily life? 36:18 Just like attendance at Sabbath School, 36:20 church and prayer meeting, 36:21 many other areas of your life require some pointed, 36:24 purposeful and sometimes painful acclamation, 36:28 when you decide to walk the high road of faith 36:30 in Christ. 36:33 Let's think about a few other these 36:34 with the time we have remaining. 36:37 Besides Sabbath keeping, 36:39 and all other church commitments 36:41 we've already mentioned, 36:42 we must not neglect the vital practice 36:44 of taking time for personal devotion in family worship. 36:49 True religion gets into your calendar, 36:52 it rearranges your schedule, 36:54 you might have to get up earlier than you thought, 36:57 you might have to make sure that happens 36:58 by going to bed earlier than you might usually do. 37:03 You might need to develop a habit 37:05 of reading your Bible in the morning, 37:07 of setting apart time for prayer. 37:15 Again, we read in 1 Peter 2:2, 37:18 "As newborn babes, 37:19 desire the pure milk of the word, 37:21 that you may grow thereby." 37:22 If you have been born into the church 37:24 as a disciple of Jesus Christ, 37:26 you need the Word of God to continue to grow. 37:30 You must feed on it. 37:31 Someone said, "The Bible is not intended to be cake 37:34 for an occasional eating, for occasional dessert, 37:36 it's supposed to be bread for daily eating," right? 37:41 Listen to this. 37:42 Our High Calling, page 215, 37:44 talking about new members of the church. 37:48 It says, "No renewed heart 37:51 can be kept in a condition of sweetness 37:55 without the daily application of the salt 37:57 of the Word of God. 38:00 Divine grace must be received daily, 38:03 or no man will stay converted." 38:08 You cannot stay converted, 38:11 just drifting on last week's experience. 38:14 You got to have a daily feeding on the Word of God. 38:18 True religion takes discipline. 38:21 You know why it's called a devotional life? 38:25 Because you have to be devoted to it. 38:28 It requires devotion. 38:31 It requires discipline. 38:35 How about this, does true religion 38:36 get into your pocket book? 38:39 Yes, indeed. 38:42 You know, and if you ever noticed this 38:44 in any conversation, 38:45 things get real when money comes into the picture. 38:48 It's all fun and games, 38:50 we can philosophize and theorize 38:51 and back and forth, we can go and banter. 38:54 But when money comes into play, 38:58 things get real. 39:00 What does Malachi 3:8 say? 39:03 In the Old Testament right before the Matthew 39:05 begins the New Testament... 39:06 Malachi 3:8, 39:08 the Lord asked this rhetorical question, 39:10 "Will a man rob God? 39:13 Yet you have robbed Me! 39:18 But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' 39:20 In tithes and offerings.'" 39:22 Please notice. 39:24 We often talk about the need to return 39:25 a faithful tithe with this, true. 39:27 But what does God call robbery, not returning faithful tithes 39:31 and giving offerings? 39:35 Verse 9, "You are cursed with acurse, 39:36 for you have robbed Me, 39:38 Even this whole nation." 39:40 So what's the remedy? 39:41 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, 39:44 that there may be food in My house, 39:47 and try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 39:50 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven 39:52 and pour out for you such blessing 39:55 that there will not be room enough to receive it.'" 40:01 Think about how... 40:02 We look at this as a biblical principle, say, 40:04 we should tithe, we should give offerings. 40:05 That's good, that's good. 40:08 But imagine you've just joined a church family, 40:12 and you've never once in your life 40:13 returned a faithful tithe nor given generous offerings. 40:20 Will that necessarily already fit in your budget? 40:24 Nope. 40:27 In America, today, 40:29 it is common for people to live on 100% 40:33 or for being honest, 40:35 more than 100% 40:37 of their monthly paycheck. 40:41 But God demands, 40:43 He requires a faithful 10% tithe 40:47 of our gross income and generous offerings beyond. 40:54 For many people, it is nothing short 40:56 of an act of pure faith 40:58 to give 10%, 15%, 20% 41:02 or more to the Lord and His work. 41:05 It's one thing to hear, 41:07 oh, a message that Jesus loves you 41:08 and you commit your life to Him. 41:10 But what happens when He says, 41:11 "All right, if you love Me, keep My commandments." 41:13 And one of those is return a faithful tithe. 41:16 You're gonna say... 41:21 True religion gets in your pocketbook, 41:24 it gets in your wallet, it changes things. 41:29 How about food? 41:32 You think conversion to Jesus Christ 41:34 and joining the great remnant movement 41:35 is going to change the way you eat? 41:39 Probably, so. 41:42 Go back to Genesis Chapter 1. 41:44 I'll show you a little overlooked passage 41:46 in the Bible. 41:47 Genesis 1:26-28, 41:52 to where God makes man in His image, in His likeness, 41:57 gives him dominion over the planets 42:00 and all that is in it. 42:02 And oftentimes we skip there 42:03 and say, "Okay, that's the end of that." 42:05 And we go on to Chapter 2. 42:06 But look at verse 29. 42:08 What is the very, and I mean, very first instruction, 42:13 given to man, 42:17 after the whole, be fruitful and multiply, of course? 42:20 What is the first practical instruction for daily living, 42:23 that God gives mankind in the Scripture? 42:27 What does it have to deal with? 42:30 Believe it or not, food. 42:32 Look at verse 29. 42:34 "And God said, 'See, 42:36 I have given you every herb that yields seed 42:38 which is on the face of all the earth, 42:40 and every tree whose fruit yields seed, 42:42 to you it shall be for food.'" 42:45 He tells him, not only who he is, 42:47 but what he is supposed to eat. 42:50 By the way, if you go to Genesis Chapter 3, 42:52 even after the fall, Genesis Chapter 3. 42:57 Notice what we read in verse 17, and onward. 42:59 "Then to Adam He said, 43:00 'Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, 43:02 and have eaten from the tree which I commanded you, 43:04 saying, 'You shall not eat of it.' 43:06 Cursed is the ground for your sake, 43:08 in toil you shall eat of it.'" 43:10 So you notice in Chapter 1, 43:12 the very first instruction is about food. 43:14 And now in Chapter 3, 43:16 as soon as sin comes into the picture, 43:17 he has to readdress this issue of food. 43:22 "Cursed is the ground for your sake, 43:24 in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 43:26 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, 43:29 and you shall eat the herb of the field, 43:31 "which used to be animal food has now become people food." 43:38 Till you returned to the ground, 43:40 for out of it you were taken, for dust you are, 43:42 and to dust you shall return." 43:47 Did you notice that even after the fall into sin 43:52 that we were supposed to eat a plant based diet? 43:58 It was God's original idea. 43:59 It's not until after the flood occurs 44:02 that God allows the eating of flesh foods. 44:04 And even then there are restrictions, 44:06 clean versus unclean, no blood, it had to be all... 44:10 There were restrictions on it. 44:13 God's original intent is that we be plant based, 44:17 whole foods eaters. 44:21 Now imagine... 44:22 Of course, of course, 44:23 this doesn't apply to any of you, 44:25 but imagine you grew up 44:26 not necessarily eating the most healthful foods. 44:28 Do you have a taste for, you know, 44:31 unclean meats or richly prepared foods 44:34 with lots of extra additives, 44:35 stripped of their nutrients and deep fried? 44:37 You know, I used to... 44:41 Confession is good for the soul. 44:42 So here we go. 44:44 I always grew up as a vegetarian. 44:47 I'd never eaten any meat in my life and I still haven't. 44:51 Clearly, doesn't stunt your growth but... 44:55 But I would often look down 44:56 at people who might have a lean turkey sandwich 44:59 or something like that, 45:00 they don't know about the health message. 45:02 Oh, well, I was eating deep fried cheese sticks 45:04 in ranch sauce with a Dr. Pepper. 45:08 I'm like, "Oh, no, they got meat on their plate." 45:10 They doesn't know the truth, right? 45:14 I know plenty of vegetarians 45:16 who don't really eat vegetables. 45:20 The idea is to go back from God's perspective and say, 45:23 "What is the most wholesome healthful way 45:25 I can go about eating, 45:27 so I can care for this body that God has given me 45:29 in the way His Word prescribes?" 45:32 Listen to Proverbs 23:1. 45:35 For any of you struggling with diet and lifestyle, 45:37 here's one for you. 45:38 "When you sit down to eat with a ruler..." 45:41 Now I'll pause right here. 45:43 You know, it's only been a relatively recent invention 45:47 that has allowed each of us to live like kings and queens. 45:52 There was a time when if you wanted a pizza at 2 AM, 45:56 there wasn't somewhere available to get it. 45:59 If you wanted burgers and fries and tacos and all kinds of it, 46:03 right now we live in it. 46:04 If you go down to Honolulu right now, 46:07 anytime of the day or night 46:08 you can get any type of food in any quantity you want 46:10 for relatively inexpensive. 46:12 And they can do it real quick minutes, 46:15 you'll have the food right on the plate. 46:17 But think back in ancient times, 46:18 were there are many people 46:20 who could have those deep fried cheese sticks 46:21 anytime they wanted them? 46:22 Of course, not. 46:24 They had to work for it. 46:25 The only people who could live 46:27 the American lifestyle diet wise 46:30 were the wealthy, the rulers of the time. 46:35 And Proverbs 23:1 speaks about 46:37 when you go to eat in that kind of environment 46:40 and those kind of circumstances, 46:41 here's the counsel. 46:42 "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 46:45 consider carefully what is before you." 46:48 Notice this biblical principle before you eat. 46:52 Think. 46:56 Friends, when you come to Jesus, 46:58 He's going to start meddling around in your cupboard, 47:02 He's going to get into your pantry, 47:05 He's going to change the way you grocery shop, 47:07 it's going to change things, it takes discipline. 47:09 Notice what the discipline here is, 47:11 "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, 47:13 consider carefully what is before you, 47:15 and put a knife to your throat 47:19 if you are a man given to appetite." 47:22 Again, I don't know 47:24 if he's speaking in broad language 47:25 and hyperbole or if he means 47:26 you're literally supposed to take that knife 47:28 and before you pick up that greasy, salty, 47:30 whatever nasty food that looks so sweet 47:33 and delicate at the time, 47:34 he says think and put a knife to your throat, 47:39 if you're prone to an indulgence here. 47:41 Goes on to say, 47:43 "Do not desire his delicacies, 47:46 for they are deceptive food." 47:51 It might look like food, it might smell real good, 47:54 but it is not the food that is best for you 47:57 that God prescribes in His Word. 48:02 If that wasn't pointed enough, 48:05 and I don't think I've ever heard a counter 48:07 more pointed than put a knife to your throat. 48:09 Maybe Jesus when He said, "Pluck out your eye, 48:12 or cut off your hand," 48:14 but the Bible makes some pretty intense statements, 48:18 does it not? 48:21 Listen to this one, 48:22 Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, page 153 and 154. 48:27 "Those who have received instruction regarding the evils 48:30 of the use of flesh foods, tea and coffee, 48:33 and rich and unhealthful food preparations, 48:36 and who are determined to make a covenant 48:37 with God by sacrifice, 48:39 will not continue to indulge their appetite 48:42 for food that they know to be unhealthful. 48:45 God demands that the appetites be cleansed, 48:49 and that self-denial be practiced 48:51 in regard to those things which are not good. 48:54 This is a work that will have to be done 48:57 before His people can stand before Him 48:59 a perfected people. 49:05 You mean when I come to Christ and I get baptized, 49:07 I got to start coming to church and not just church, 49:09 but Sabbath School and prayer meeting 49:11 and then social meeting and the business meeting? 49:14 Yes. 49:16 And then I got to have my daily devotional life 49:18 with prayer and Bible study? 49:20 Yes. And family worship? 49:21 Yes. 49:23 And I need to return tithes and offerings? 49:26 Yes. 49:28 And I need to change... 49:29 Do you recognize that the disciple life, 49:31 it takes discipline? 49:34 That is not natural to the unconverted heart 49:36 that we need the power of Christ in our lives 49:38 to make the change that He requires. 49:45 Notice that she doesn't merely say 49:47 that this is a choice, she calls it a work. 49:51 Friends, you don't go 49:53 from pork chops to carrot sticks on a whim. 49:59 Giving up alcohol, cigarettes and Coca Cola, coffee, 50:04 it isn't easy. 50:06 It takes discipline. 50:14 Well, I'm already offending most everyone. 50:19 Let's go to one more area of life 50:20 that the Bible gives us counsel 50:21 that we don't often want to hear. 50:24 How about clothing and adornment? 50:30 As we mentioned, a life of faithfulness 50:31 to God word invades every corner of your life, 50:34 your pantry, your bank account, your Google Calendar, 50:37 and yes, even your clothes closet. 50:42 Notice what the Bible tells us about Jesus Christ 50:44 in Isaiah 53:2. 50:45 It says, "He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, 50:48 and as a root out of dry ground. 50:50 He has no form or comeliness. 50:53 And when we see Him, 50:54 there is no beauty that we should desire Him." 50:57 You know, Christ could have come down here 50:58 in the most ornate regalia, 51:00 He could have been glowing with the divinity. 51:03 People could have just looked at Him from miles away and say, 51:05 "Oh, my! 51:06 There goes the Son of God. 51:08 Just look at Him." 51:11 But He didn't do that. 51:13 He was beautiful but from the inside out 51:16 His character was what He wanted people to see, 51:19 He wanted to reveal the glory of God in His good deeds. 51:26 And that's exactly what the Bible tells us to be like. 51:28 Listen to Philippians Chapter 2, 51:31 said, "Let this mind be in you which was also in," whom? 51:36 "Christ Jesus." 51:37 And explain what that includes. 51:38 "Who made himself of no reputation, 51:44 taking the form of a bondservant, 51:46 and coming in the likeness of men." 51:51 Friends, let me just put it this way. 51:52 One evidence, I'm not saying the evidence, 51:54 but one evidence of genuine conversion is simplicity, 52:01 economy and modesty of our apparel. 52:07 Look at Genesis Chapter 35. 52:11 Genesis 35:1, 52:15 a revival in the household of Jacob, 52:19 and look what we find. 52:20 "Then God said to Jacob," there in Genesis 35:1, 52:23 "'Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, 52:25 and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you 52:28 when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.' 52:31 And Jacob said to his household and to all who are with him, 52:33 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, 52:35 purify yourselves, and change your garments.'" 52:39 He said, we're going to be getting back to God, 52:41 we're going to make things right, 52:42 we're going to practice the biblical lifestyle 52:44 and it include changing their clothes 52:46 and it goes on to explain what that meant. 52:48 Verse 3, "'Then let us arise and go up to Bethel. 52:51 And I will make an altar there to God, 52:53 who answered me in the day of my distress 52:54 and has been with me in the way which I have gone.' 52:57 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods 53:00 which were in their hands, 53:01 and the earrings which were in their ears. 53:03 And Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree 53:05 which was by Shechem.'" 53:07 Why did he hide the earrings and the idols? 53:09 Was it like a squirrel burying an acorn 53:11 so they can come back and get it later? 53:14 No, it was so that they would leave it there 53:17 and walk away permanently. 53:21 You find the same thing in the Book of Exodus 53:23 Chapter 33, 53:24 after the whole golden calf incident, 53:26 and the Lord had great displeasure with His people, 53:29 they needed to revive and reform themselves. 53:32 Exodus 33:6, notice what it says. 53:35 "So the children of Israel stripped themselves 53:39 of their ornaments by Mount Horeb." 53:43 By the way, most Bible translations 53:45 get the tense of that verb, 53:46 "Stripped them of their ornaments," 53:48 correctly when it says they wore jewelry no more. 53:53 It wasn't just for that one day of the week 53:55 or that one off handed event, 53:56 it was from then on, they change their apparel, 54:00 and their ornamentation to be more simple, more modest, 54:03 more in line with biblical principle. 54:07 Thus the Apostle Peter can say in 1 Peter 3:3-5. 54:11 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward." 54:15 And he gives examples, "Arranging the hair, 54:17 wearing gold or putting on fine apparel. 54:20 Rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart, 54:23 with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, 54:26 which is very precious in the sight of God." 54:29 Now, clearly, we're not supposed 54:30 to go make ourselves gazing stocks 54:32 and aim to be ugly. 54:33 That's not what God wants. 54:35 We should be beautiful, 54:36 but with the beauty of holiness, 54:38 with a character that is like Christ 54:40 that they can see our good works 54:42 and glorify our Father who is in heaven. 54:45 Friends, if time would permit me, 54:46 we could go on to touch on other areas of our lives 54:49 that a walk with Christ necessitates pointed change, 54:53 entertainment, language, relationships, temperament, 54:59 etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. 55:08 Couple of years ago now, 55:09 the Seventh-day Adventist Church lost a spiritual giant, 55:11 a hero of the faith, Elder CD Brooks. 55:16 One of the remnant's most prolific 55:18 and faithful evangelists is now sleeping in Jesus. 55:24 I knew he'd been ill for some time, 55:25 but when I heard the news, I still cried. 55:31 I went back and re-listen 55:32 to one of his innumerable powerful messages. 55:34 This one entitled "I Want My Church Back." 55:38 And speaking to fellow pastors and evangelists, 55:40 he appealed to them saying, 55:43 "Young and old need the discipline 55:46 of the Word of God. 55:48 When people feel like they can do what they please, 55:52 then the church loses its premium value, 55:55 but feel goodism is pervading our congregations, 56:01 creeping in and our churches 56:03 and our schools are floundering. 56:05 We fail our people. 56:07 When we water down and compromise, 56:09 and undermine, and repudiate 56:12 the message that God has given us, 56:14 to bear and to live." 56:19 Brothers and sisters, 56:21 the world will tell you to follow your heart. 56:26 But Christ says follow the Word. 56:29 He says in verse, Romans 12:1, 56:31 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, 56:33 by the mercies of God, 56:34 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice." 56:39 James 1:22, says, 56:41 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, 56:44 deceiving yourselves." 56:47 Friends, the deepest blessings God has to offer 56:50 come not from a mere hearing of the word, 56:52 but a doing of the word by the grace of Christ Jesus. 56:56 If that is your desire, 56:58 to not merely appreciate but to purposefully apply 57:03 the principles of inspiration in your life today, 57:07 would you join with me, 57:08 as we rededicate our lives to Christ even now? 57:11 Let's bow our heads. 57:14 Dear Heavenly Father, 57:17 Lord, we thank You for creating us at all. 57:22 And even after we sinned and rebelled against You, 57:25 You send Your Son to redeem us, and to bring us home with You. 57:32 Lord, there is no value 57:33 that we can estimate to place on salvation. 57:40 And we cannot ever repay You nor we can merit anything, 57:45 in spiritual areas. 57:48 But You have asked us to be co-laborers with You 57:50 and to work out our own salvation. 57:53 Lord, please give us the strength 57:55 to apply the Word to not just be hearers, 57:57 but to be doers of the Word 57:59 that through discipline, we can be disciples, 58:02 and we can follow Jesus and become like Him, 58:05 for we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. |
Revised 2019-07-12