Participants: Kenny & Chris Shelton
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW016026A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I wanna spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I wanna spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I wanna spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people. 01:06 Hello, Happy Sabbath 01:08 and welcome to 3ABN's family worship. 01:11 I am Chris Shelton 01:13 and I'm here with my husband Pastor Kenny Shelton 01:15 and we are so thankful to come into your home tonight 01:18 and to have worship with you. 01:19 And we have some wonderful guests with us. 01:21 And as I've said on a prior program, 01:24 we have to be on our best behavior 01:26 because to our right, is Sister Mollie Steenson 01:30 and she is the vice-president and general manager of 3ABN, 01:34 so we really got to watch our P's and Q's here. 01:36 I will, honey. Thank you. Yeah. 01:38 It is a joy to be here 01:41 and you just be yourself with me 01:43 because I guarantee you this 01:45 and people that know me will tell you this, 01:47 I am just myself with you. 01:48 Amen. That's right, that's right. 01:50 So we love you, Sister Mollie, 01:51 and I see the love of Jesus in your heart 01:54 and we like it when you're here with us, 01:55 we actually love it. 01:57 And to my left, somebody else I love, 01:59 this is my sister-in-law, Tamie, 02:01 and my brother-in-law, Bruce, 02:03 and they work in the donations department here, 02:05 they keep busy with all of the things, 02:08 that you have a home that you're sending in, 02:10 they're taking care of it and we really appreciate them. 02:13 Do you like being here too, Tim? 02:15 We're glad to be here, absolutely. 02:17 Good time of worship together. Amen, that is good. 02:20 Well, you know, 02:22 I think we've got a wonderful subject for tonight 02:24 because I know that there's a lot of people 02:27 who feel a need for something better. 02:29 They're feeling a need for the truth, 02:31 they want to know really, what truth is 02:34 and I've always said, if you ever pray and you say, 02:36 "Lord, show me the truth." 02:38 Your life is going to change 02:40 and there's a lot of people in this world 02:42 that are looking for hope, you know, we turn on the news 02:46 and we see all of these things that are happening in America 02:49 and other countries and it's heartbreaking 02:52 and people are asking, 'Is there any hope?' 02:55 And so our subject title tonight is, 02:57 "How to become a Christian? 03:00 How to become a Christian?" Oh, wow. 03:01 And I think it's not only gonna help those of you 03:03 who, maybe, have never looked into becoming a Christian. 03:06 I think it's also gonna help those of us 03:08 who are Christians that, maybe, 03:10 we haven't looked at all of the ramification 03:12 of just what a Christian really is, 03:15 but before we go into our study, 03:16 I'm gonna pass it over to my sister-in-law, Tammy, 03:19 'cause she's gonna lead us, her and her brother, Kenny, 03:22 they're gonna lead us in some wonderful music. 03:25 Okay, we've got a dear lady with us, 03:28 Marlene Hall, 03:29 and she's gonna play the piano for us, 03:31 she's been playing for most of her life, 03:32 I would imagine. 03:34 And she does an excellent job and we're gonna start out with, 03:37 I keep falling in love with Him. 03:39 And we want you at home to sing with us. 03:41 Absolute. 03:50 I keep falling in love with Him 03:53 Over and over and over and over again 03:58 I keep falling in love with Him 04:01 Over and over and over and over again. 04:06 He gets sweeter and sweeter 04:09 As the days go by 04:11 Oh, what a love between my Lord and I, 04:14 I just keep falling in love with Him 04:17 Over and over and over and over again 04:22 I keep falling in love with Him 04:25 Over and over and over and over again 04:30 I keep falling in love with Him 04:33 Over and over and over and over again 04:38 He gets sweeter and sweeter 04:41 As the days go by 04:43 Oh, what a love between my Lord and I 04:47 Just keep falling in love with Him 04:50 Over and over and over and over again. 04:55 You know what? Amen. 04:57 These two little choruses, because it was all selfishness 05:00 because I sing these two songs at camp meeting 05:02 and so it was good on my mind, it was familiar so... 05:06 Well, it's also... 05:07 The rest of you had to catch up. 05:08 It fits right in with our subject matter 05:12 and I just wanna encourage people 05:13 before we do the other song, as you mentioned, 05:16 'How to become a Christian' 05:17 and people say, "Oh, I've got that together.' 05:19 But, you know, 05:21 I believe the Holy Spirit is gonna help us 05:22 because it is a simple subject 05:24 but yet complex and it can be just as deep 05:26 and as long as you wanna dig. 05:28 There's more information there. 05:29 So we pray that it'll be a blessing today 05:31 and that's the songs fit right in, Tammy. 05:33 Oh, good. Absolutely. Absolutely. 05:34 Everybody knows. 05:36 Heaven came down and Glory filled My Soul. 05:38 I know everybody knows that. 05:39 I can remember when I was, maybe, five or six years old, 05:43 me and my two cousins, Doris and Loray, 05:46 would sing a trio, three parts, we were, like, 05:48 five, six, and seven and we were always saying, 05:51 "Heaven came down and Glory filled My Soul." 05:53 So I know everybody out there knows it, 05:55 so no excuses for not joining in and helping us 05:58 'cause we need help, there's only a few of us here today. 06:00 That's right. Yeah. 06:02 We do. 06:12 Heaven came down 06:13 And glory filled my soul 06:20 When at the cross 06:22 The Savior made me whole 06:26 Made me whole 06:29 My sins were washed away 06:33 An my night was turned to day 06:38 Heaven came down 06:40 And glory filled my soul! 06:47 Heaven came down 06:49 And glory filled my soul 06:53 Filled my soul 06:56 When at the cross 06:58 The Savior made me whole 07:02 Made me whole 07:05 My sins were washed away 07:09 And my night was turned to day 07:14 Heaven came down 07:16 And glory filled my soul! 07:23 Praise the Lord. Amen. Thank you. 07:26 Well, if you break that song down, 07:27 both of those songs, I think it would really sum up 07:30 what we're gonna study about today. 07:32 How to become a Christian? 07:33 And to begin with, 07:35 we're gonna jump right into the scripture. 07:36 Let's look at John, I mean, chapter 8:30, 31. 07:41 And, Sister Mollie, I'm gonna throw it over to you, 07:43 if you wouldn't mind to read that for us. 07:45 She can even have an open prayer, 07:46 if she would like to do that first and then... 07:47 Oh, absolutely, sure. Yes. 07:49 Would you do that please for us? 07:50 I would be delighted. Thank you. 07:51 Thank you. Let's pray. 07:53 Holy Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus 07:54 and we praise you 07:56 and thank you, Lord, for your presence that's here. 07:58 We ask now, God, 08:00 that you would just touch our hearts 08:02 and touch our lips 08:04 and let the words that come forth, 08:06 Father, touch the needs that those who are listening 08:10 and watching us today. 08:11 And, Father, I pray for everybody 08:13 under the sound of our voice, you will touch their hearts, 08:16 open their hearts, oh, Father. 08:18 Our hearts cry today 08:20 as through the power of your Word, 08:22 we will be drawn closer to you. 08:24 We will be conformed not to this world 08:27 but to your image and likeness. 08:28 That's our prayer, in Jesus' name. 08:31 Thank you. Amen. 08:32 Amen. Praise the Lord. 08:34 Okay, Well, the first scripture we are looking at 08:36 is John Chapter 8:30, 31. 08:40 I'm going to read it to you. 08:43 And then I want to expand on it just a bit 08:45 and then I'll pitch it to the others, 08:47 "As He spoke these words, many believed on Him. 08:52 Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, 08:56 If you continue in my word, 08:59 then are you my disciples indeed." 09:01 And, ladies and gentlemen, 09:02 I've looked up the word, 'believe' 09:04 and actually and I love the amplifier. 09:07 I've got this amplified Bible, 09:09 I've talked about it a few times, 09:10 as you can see the cover's off, it is falling apart 09:15 and it's just written there in all over the place 09:18 but the amplifier does that, 09:19 it just, kind of, amplifies the word 09:21 and that word 'believe,' 09:22 when you're reading it in the amplified, 09:24 it's instead of saying, "Many believed on Him," 09:27 it would say, "Many believed, trusted, 09:30 relied on and adhered to Him." 09:33 It's more than just saying, 09:34 "Oh, yeah, I give mental consent, 09:36 that I believe Jesus really was a good guy, 09:39 really was even God's son 09:41 or really was the Savior of the universe. 09:43 You adhere to Him, rely on Him, 09:46 being conformed to His image and His likeness 09:49 and then it goes on to say, "Then Jesus, then said Jesus 09:54 to those Jews who believed on Him, 09:55 If you continue in my word." 09:57 That's not just reading a scripture every morning. 10:00 That means hold fast to my teachings 10:03 and live in accordance with them. 10:05 It's more to within surficial, 10:07 this wall with the Lord Jesus Christ, 10:10 of being a Christian is not just surficial, 10:14 I mean, it takes our... 10:15 We must give Him our whole heart. 10:17 Amen. Amen. 10:19 God is really the key, 10:21 God is looking for a contrite heart. 10:23 He's looking for seriousness and there's also three point, 10:26 you touched on one, the belief 10:28 and I think 'continue in my word' 10:31 is another one and 'disciples.' 10:33 All three of those points, we're gonna cover here, 10:35 I wanna talk about the part that says, 10:38 'my word' because I found this little quote, 10:40 In The Faith I Live By, and it says, 10:43 "The Bible is the great standard 10:46 of right and wrong. 10:47 Clearly defining sin and holiness, 10:50 its principles running through our lives 10:53 like threads of gold, 10:55 our only safeguard in trial and temptation." 10:59 So I think as we come in, we're learning to trust, 11:02 we're learning to believe, 11:03 we're learning to fully lean on Christ. 11:06 And we're learning it through His word, 11:08 through his word. 11:09 We've got to be and I love how it says, 11:11 'if you continue' because a lot of times I think people, 11:15 they'll study, maybe, only once a week 11:17 when they go to church. 11:19 But 'continue' needs to be a daily thing, 11:23 a daily appetite as it were. 11:25 We need to be hungering for the word 11:27 each and every day. 11:29 That caught me 'the Bible is the great standard 11:31 of right and wrong.' 11:33 That's what's wrong with our world today, 11:35 is the Bible, is not the standard 11:38 to so many people. 11:40 So they have no standard of right and wrong. 11:42 It's what's good for me, what helps me, 11:45 what puts me on top. 11:47 It's not what the Bible says. Yes. 11:49 Good, very good point. 11:51 You know, you think about that, when it says, 11:52 'if you continue' and it's brought out here, 11:54 if we remain in the word, if we abide... 11:57 Hold fast to my teachings... 11:59 Hold fast to, and I like one thing. 12:01 When God said, "Stay in it. 12:04 Stay in it." 12:05 Well, that's pretty simple for me 12:07 and all these other words you say, 'stay in the word.' 12:09 I thought how interesting to stay in the word 12:11 and when he said, 'a disciple' I looked at that word, 12:14 the interesting disciple. 12:15 'Cause we, kind of, we're disciples of Christ 12:17 but it always means a learner. 12:21 We are to be a learner in the school of Christ, 12:24 we are eight people. 12:25 So we've started to, you know, 12:27 a class that will never graduate 12:28 from hopefully just in heaven, 12:30 we'll continue to learn. 12:32 And one thing I think that helps in the days 12:34 that we're living in 12:36 'cause we're living in such a technological world, 12:38 is you've got all of these little devices, 12:41 I remember back in the 80s, when I was in college, 12:44 I was in the Southern Missionary College. 12:46 And it was very expensive to get the Bible on cassette 12:50 but all of us are busy 12:52 and if you feel like you're too busy to stay in it, 12:55 you know, maybe, more than a half hour to an hour, 12:58 you can continue to listen to it now for free, 13:01 just download and listen, it's a beautiful thing. 13:03 So... 13:05 Now that to me, that's amazing 13:06 when you think about what Christ says, 13:08 'if you continue in my word, 13:10 ' I found a little something here. 13:11 Bruce, you may have something, maybe add to this, 13:13 I thought was interesting, I found... 13:15 I love Spirit of Prophecy, so I always look at it. 13:18 I pray in the each one of you, getting into, 13:20 along with the Word of God, 13:22 it always just brightens that up, 13:23 it just illuminates to help somebody like me 13:26 to be able to understand the truth and you're thinking, 13:28 "If we do that, well be a disciple, 13:30 we're gonna be saved in the king. 13:31 You believed on Him, you know, you're gonna be my disciples. 13:34 But it says, why is the world in a shape that it's in? 13:37 Why is it? 13:39 This little comment here, these three little lines. 13:41 Five Testimony, 433 says, "But these divine utterances" 13:46 Jesus making these utterances, says, 13:47 "If it finds no place in the heart of one 13:50 who is of the world and loves its pleasures." 13:54 The words that Jesus said, just what you just read, 13:56 He spake, "Believe on Him." 13:58 You know, stay in the word. 14:00 But they find no law, 14:01 these are the words of Jesus Christ. 14:03 They're to find lodging, Bruce, in the heart, 14:07 in our heart, find a place there, you know, 14:09 so it can grow and to spread. 14:11 But if our hearts are somewhere else, 14:13 around the world, things of the world, 14:15 it doesn't find lodging there, we just don't want it there. 14:17 Do you find that too? Yeah. That's true. 14:19 I thought it was interesting 14:22 to see what the test of a disciple really is. 14:25 And if we go to II Corinthians 5:17, 14:29 "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. 14:33 old things are passed away, 14:35 behold, all things are come new." 14:38 That's beautiful and, you know, 14:40 what I have found over the years 14:41 because there's a lot of people, 14:43 as you both are expanding on that, prefer the world 14:46 and but we have a lot of loved ones, 14:48 that I would love for them 14:50 to experience what God has for them. 14:53 And so I've learned to pray for conviction and conversion. 14:57 And you can do that too, with your children, 14:59 with your spouse, with your... 15:01 And God allows the Holy Spirit 15:04 to continue to knock on their heart's door 15:06 and say, "Hey, come over here. 15:08 We've got something better for you." 15:10 Now we've looked at 'belief' 15:12 and we've looked at the 'Word of God.' 15:14 Let's find out what a 'disciple' is, 15:16 what is a disciple? 15:18 You think about disciple... Okay. 15:19 There's two text, I wanna throw in here 15:21 before we move on, if it's okay, 15:23 and then, maybe, get a comment... 15:24 I've got one too. You've got one too. 15:25 Let's throw these in because to me, 15:27 it's just so important. 15:28 You know, not how fast you move 15:29 but how much of this we're going to retain 15:31 because I find that there's people 15:34 who will be watching right now, they come to the point, 15:36 you mentioned, praying for our children, 15:38 praying for our grandchildren. 15:39 We've prayed for 20 years for them, 15:41 we see nothing is happening. 15:43 We get a little discouraged and then we stop and we said, 15:46 sometime we stop what? 15:47 One prayer, one prayer, 15:49 one more time we go to God in prayer, 15:51 it would change that child, that individual. 15:54 So let's not get discouraged with it 15:56 but notice that when you're talking about these words here, 15:58 Jesus said in John 12:48, He said, 16:01 "The word that I have spoken." 16:03 The passage that you read to begin with, 16:05 "The words that I have spoken, 16:06 the same shall judge him in the last day." 16:10 So it's very, very important about taking the word. 16:12 These words, He said, "Many believed on Him." 16:14 Jews believed on... 16:15 "If you continue in the word, you're my disciples." 16:17 He said, here notice these words are gonna come back, 16:21 what Jesus has spoken the same 16:22 should judge him in the last day. 16:23 And then John 8:47 says, "He that is of God." 16:26 So we're looking at say, "Are you of God? 16:29 Are you of God?" 16:30 You say, "Well, By the grace of God, 16:31 I'm one with Him." 16:33 Notice what it says, 16:34 "He that is of God, heareth God's words." 16:39 That means He gives audience to and He put... 16:42 Places Himself in a position 16:43 to where He can hear the Word of God, 16:46 "Faith cometh by hearing 16:47 and hearing by the Word of God," 16:49 and that word really means 'two' in the Greek. 16:51 He understands, He that says... 16:54 Word of God. 16:56 He understands the word because the Holy Spirit inside 16:58 helping Him to understand the word. 16:59 Amen, amen. 17:01 And you want the word, 17:02 you want to know what the word teaches 17:04 because when you become, we talk about being born again, 17:07 when you do become a disciple of Christ, 17:10 you're presented a situation that you're not sure about, 17:14 you wanna dig into the word to find out what it says 17:17 because one way or the other, 17:19 we're gonna be judged by the word. 17:21 It's gonna come back. You've got another passage. 17:22 Well, this is in John 2 and it gives the... 17:27 It's in the amplified 17:28 and it gives the definition of what a disciple is. 17:32 I'm not gonna read the whole Scripture, 17:33 although we'll probably read it little later 17:35 because it ties in with something else 17:37 we're going to look at. 17:38 But it says, "And His disciples believed in Him." 17:41 And we can all say... 17:42 Are we disciples? 17:44 Why, we believe in Jesus but it takes it further. 17:46 It says, "Adhere to Him, 17:49 trusted in Him and relied on Him." 17:52 See again, being a disciple, it's not just mental assent. 17:57 It is a deep abiding relationship with Him. 18:00 Oh, yes. Just stay with it. 18:02 Stay with it. Stay with it. Amen. 18:04 I know there's been times that I've held onto Christ, 18:06 when it seemed like there was no one else 18:09 and I would have... 18:11 I can remember thinking 18:13 there would be no hope without Him. 18:16 But you got to know something about Him 18:18 to want to hold on to Him, that's beautiful. 18:22 You know, we're looking at big... 18:25 How to become a Christian? 18:30 Have any of you ever met someone 18:34 who in their latter years, 18:35 they've been in church for years and years, 18:38 they did all the do's and they didn't do the don'ts 18:41 and they finally, 18:44 had a revelation of making Jesus Christ, 18:47 the Lord of their life and they got born again... 18:51 And they didn't know... 18:52 But they didn't know, thy won't. 18:54 If you'd ask them, 18:56 they would have told you they were a Christian. 18:58 They could have taken a test and made a hundred 19:01 but they'd never had that heart change. 19:03 Ever run did anybody like that, Kenny? 19:06 I was one for several years, I should know. 19:08 So I think a good point would be, 19:13 how did you get born again? 19:15 What happens to you when you get born again? 19:17 Is that a good question? It is. 19:19 And I think that's covered up, 19:20 some of our lessons will go down 19:22 because the thing is once you say, 'Born Again,' 19:24 your life completely... 19:25 Changes. Turns around. 19:27 Bruce brought that, 19:28 "Old things are passed away, behold, all things become new." 19:30 There's a change that takes place 19:33 and I noticed in my own life. 19:35 I said this before, I think it's good 19:38 because people need to realize 19:40 that all of us go through tests and trials. 19:42 Yes. 19:43 We're not, they say, "Well, it's just... 19:45 Everything's just going fine, everything's going..." 19:47 There's things in our life, 19:48 that's brought us to the point to where we are at now. 19:50 Experiences that God has given us in His word. 19:53 Many of them, hard lessons learned, 19:55 that we've by the grace of God said, 19:57 "We're not going to go back that way, 19:59 by the grace of God." 20:00 Difficult lessons. 20:02 So I understand, you mentioned, 20:03 'born again' of to the point of, 20:06 I said, "Well, you know, for years 20:08 you could teach the young married class which I did. 20:11 You can be a deacon, then you become an elder, 20:13 you receive the little plaques, you know, it says, 20:16 you know, a good teacher does that all, this kind of 20:18 right here, 20:19 you can go all through all those things 20:21 but never be born again. 20:22 That's absolutely right. 20:24 And the scared thing for me and I won't take much time, 20:26 the scared thing, I didn't know it. 20:28 That's right. That's the lukewarmness of it. 20:31 Many people say, I'm a Christian. 20:32 I'm doing, you say, all these things right here. 20:35 I didn't know it. 20:37 That's how lukewarm you can get 20:38 because people pat you on the back, 20:40 you're doing this right, 20:42 seems this is right, the others... 20:43 You're going through the emotion, 20:45 the head knowledge but there was not 20:46 and I did not know it 20:48 until the Lord brought things to my heart and my mind 20:50 because I began to pray. 20:52 I need the right relationship with you. 20:54 Amen. Yeah. 20:55 Did I ever mention 20:56 that I was a second grade Sunday school teacher 20:58 when I met Jesus Christ, the Lord of my life? 21:00 No. 21:02 See, I was doing all the do's and I didn't do the don'ts 21:05 but I had never made Jesus the Lord of my life. 21:08 And that is a concern on my heart, 21:10 of all other people that are in the church is doing the do's 21:13 and not doing the don'ts and professing 21:17 but never having a heart change... 21:19 But were you, I'd be careful, that you weren't hypocrite? 21:23 No. 21:25 So here's a different people say, 21:26 "Well, you hypocrite, because now you're saying, 21:27 you did through all this and you didn't..." 21:29 I didn't know it 21:31 because I looked at the do's and the don'ts 21:33 and trying to accomplish that. 21:34 And I didn't understand until, 21:36 till Diane walked by my desk and said and told me, 21:39 "I got saved" and I said, 21:41 "Oh, you get saved every summer." 21:43 And she said, "No, you don't understand. 21:45 I made Jesus Christ, the Lord of my life, 21:47 I gave my life to Him. 21:49 I love the Lord and He's in my life now, 21:52 I'll serve Him" 21:53 and it was, like, "Oh, I've never done that." 21:56 I go to church, I teach Sunday school, 22:01 I don't curse and I don't swear and I don't run with wild men, 22:05 the only wild man I ever run with, I married, 22:08 you know, and so I thought I was, you know, 22:13 I thought I was doing the right thing 22:16 and I thought but have I not... 22:19 Had I gone to sleep, it would not have been in Jesus 22:22 and I would not have spent an eternity 22:24 in the presence of God. 22:25 It's not how good you are, 22:27 it's your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ 22:29 who will bring you into, 22:31 conforming to his image and character. 22:34 I just heard the story. 22:36 Excuse me, I just heard the story this last weekend 22:39 of a man that was a pastor for 37 years and he said, 22:42 "I've just known the Lord in the last year." 22:45 He said, "After being a pastor for 37 years." 22:48 And people get... 22:51 I'm gonna be careful as you always say, 22:53 I'm gonna be careful. 22:54 People get caught up 22:56 and can get caught up with the do's and don't. 22:58 It's not that, that's not important 23:00 because our character, we're supposed to strive 23:03 to make our character like Christ. 23:05 Everyday we should be making headway with 23:08 but we're going to make mistakes. 23:10 We can't get there on our works. 23:13 We can't go to heaven on our works, we have to, 23:16 we're gonna make mistakes but we have to strive 23:19 but sometimes we get so caught up 23:21 in the do's and don'ts. 23:23 And I think, maybe, I even did that with my children. 23:25 Some what, because you wanna teach them 23:28 what you believe is right 23:29 but then it's so caught up, don't do this, 23:31 you can't do this, don't do, you know. 23:33 And so then you leave out 23:35 but you have to love Jesus first, 23:39 and you have to come to these things 23:40 somewhat on your own, 23:42 of what you feel convicted to do and to not, 23:44 you can't shove it down people's throat, 23:46 down your children's throats or anybody else. 23:48 It is important what we do 23:50 but that's not what's gonna get us to heaven. 23:52 That's right. Have a relationship. 23:54 Because, you know, Bruce, I, kind of, get... 23:56 I'm not confused about it. 23:58 Maybe, to this sense but still question comes, 24:00 "Okay, do this, right?" 24:01 We're talking about, we need to do this 24:03 because they're other people I know have these things 24:04 because I kind of felt like, 24:08 at least in my own life, we talked about... 24:12 You say an open hypocrite, 24:13 I wasn't trying to purposely do things wrong 24:15 but I was ignorant. 24:18 Even though they had knowledge, 24:20 ignored the scriptures and I think... 24:21 I thought I was doing the best I could do, 24:25 you know what I'm saying, 24:26 basically, it was self doing the things 24:29 but, you know, you wonder about the end results of their... 24:32 I didn't know to do any better, I hadn't had that experience 24:35 and I was, kind of, living up, 24:36 almost to the like that I had that, 24:38 maybe, I was taught, maybe, I didn't go far enough with it 24:40 but how does that work with other people. 24:42 If you happen to... 24:44 Be careful, die in the Lord, you know, 24:46 at that point in time but you are still lukewarm 24:51 but you don't know that you're lukewarm. 24:53 And you're striving to do the right thing, 24:54 I know if you continue on God, 24:56 he's not gonna leave you in a pitiful condition. 24:59 You know, we're just one stand with this maker. 25:03 First, the blade 25:05 and then the ear and then the whole core, 25:08 you know, I always call this a progressive revelation 25:11 and really, my life changed 25:14 once I started doing what we've been reading about, 25:16 once I started eating of the word. 25:18 Praying more and making a daily commitment 25:21 with my Lord and Savior. 25:23 Then my life changed and then I began to understand, 25:26 "Oh, what Lord really meant." 25:28 We say, Lord of our lives, 25:30 we've said that for years but what does it mean. 25:33 It means I'm gonna trust Him 25:35 even though I don't quite understand, 25:37 it means I'm gonna obey Him 25:39 even though I really am not sure 25:42 that that's the way to do it but he's my Lord. 25:44 He's leading, He's guiding me and He... 25:47 That's a big change because now, 25:49 I'm not doing it because of the do's and don'ts. 25:52 I'm doing it because I love and I trust Him. 25:55 There you go. Absolutely. 25:56 There's a real difference. 25:57 So, you know, the Bible also says, 25:59 "Thy way, O God, as to the sanctuary." 26:01 That's what we're talking about here, 26:03 when we're talking about the word, 26:04 when we're talking about believing, 26:06 when we're talking about prayer. 26:07 We're going through the sanctuary articles 26:10 and we're learning to love Jesus and we're... 26:13 Ain't it good that He is just so patient with us. 26:17 Praise God. He is so patient us. 26:20 The statement she made is not insignificant. 26:22 That was just the opposite, when you said, 26:25 we have to believe and we have to have faith, 26:29 even if we don't understand something 26:32 because there are things on this earth, 26:34 we will never understand 26:36 and many people have left the relationship with Jesus. 26:40 They've left their church because of bad things, 26:43 terrible things that have happened to them 26:45 and they say, "If God allowed this, 26:46 then how could He love us." 26:48 There are some things, 26:49 we will not understand here on this earth 26:52 and that is a tough thing to do, 26:55 to believe when you don't understand, 26:58 that's a tough thing. 26:59 That's when the faith kicks in. 27:01 That's not my thing, it takes your whole life to get there, 27:04 to keep striving to get there, is to say, 27:06 "No matter what, God, I'm gonna believe, 27:08 I'm gonna stay faithful, no matter what." 27:10 Amen. Just hold on. 27:11 So the experiences of life 27:12 really are the character builders, aren't they? 27:15 That's right. 27:16 The good and the bad 'cause everything... 27:18 Something's happened there, you say are bad 27:20 but as a end result, God has a way. 27:23 Folks know that and we know but we need to be reminded 27:25 because bad things are happening. 27:27 God will take those, if you're a child of God 27:30 and He will reverse that 27:31 and turn it right around to be the biggest blessing 27:34 you've ever had, if you let Him finish out. 27:36 Yes. 27:37 And not get discouraged, don't quit. 27:39 Don't blame the church, don't blame the people, 27:40 don't blame the... 27:42 Stay, and what we talked about in here, 27:43 we talked about just say it, just stay with it. 27:45 Stay with it. 27:46 Is the whole thing very simply put, stay with it, 27:48 don't give up 'cause He's coming soon. 27:50 You know, what you're talking about... 27:54 The faith, a lot of times we look at something 27:57 and we think about that, 27:58 "how could a loving God," like you said, 28:00 "allow that to happen." 28:01 We were just part of the evangelistic series 28:03 that went to London 28:05 and we toured the Tower of London 28:07 and a lot of good Christian people 28:09 lost their lives there. 28:10 Yes. 28:12 You know, were they not right with God? 28:15 See, God looks at things a little bit different. 28:18 We need to love Him unto death. 28:22 That's big. 28:23 But we can't do that unless we're studying everyday, 28:27 unless we have a tight connection to the vine. 28:30 We will never come to that point, 28:33 where not my will, just like Jesus prayed, 28:36 He didn't wanna go to the Cross 28:38 but He loved His Father so much. 28:40 He said, "Not my will but thine be done." 28:44 So you're there and I can see where some of these people were 28:48 at the Tower of London there, and I can just imagine 28:52 what might have been going through their mind 28:55 but it wasn't their will 'cause they wanted to live. 28:59 But they had to trust and the seed of the many people 29:03 that have gone before us, it produced more Christians. 29:06 Yes. So God sees the big picture. 29:09 We're looking through the glass darkly. 29:12 But He sees the big picture. 29:13 He's looking ahead where we're gonna spend eternity. 29:17 Amen, Bruce, he had something's gonna add. 29:19 I think you have a passage here. 29:20 I'm interested in. Yes. 29:22 Well, I just thought this was interesting, 29:26 the true sign of a discipleship. 29:29 If you go to 1 John 5: 3 and 2:4 29:34 and I know we've read this many times 29:36 but it's still binding, "This is the love of God, 29:41 that we keep His commandments. 29:43 He that sayeth, I know Him 29:45 and keepeth not His commandments is a liar 29:48 and the truth is not in Him." 29:50 That's heavy. 29:51 That's pretty heavy 29:52 but and I know we've read it many times 29:54 but it's still binding today. 29:56 Amen. It sure it is. 29:57 Thank you. That's solid. Absolutely. 29:59 Yes, it is. 30:00 And that, kind of, separates the wheat 30:01 from the chaff many times, you know, 30:03 'cause a lot of people say, "Well, I love the Lord. 30:05 I'm following Him. He's the Lord of my life." 30:08 But then when they begin to study the word, 30:10 they're not willing to go where the shepherd's leading, 30:13 so that can be a real test. 30:15 So the past, it still comes back, 30:16 "He that is of God hearth God's word." 30:21 And then the thought and the principle is, 30:23 they're willing to do those things 30:24 that he makes clear to them. 30:26 It brings joy to their heart, 30:27 brings joy to everybody's heart, 30:29 I love being around somebody who's on fire, for Jesus. 30:30 Amen, yes. 30:32 May I like, when they come here and start talking about Jesus, 30:33 I'm thinking, this is good. 30:35 God, let her talk about Jesus than the weather. 30:37 You'll talk about Jesus rather than work, right? 30:39 Even than the puppies 30:40 and all the other things that go on. 30:42 We'd like to talk about... 30:44 If you get together and you sit down 30:46 and you talk for 10, 15... 30:48 And Jesus is not in the conversation, 30:50 we went the wrong direction as far as I'm concerned. 30:52 Somehow, He needs to be there always 30:55 because He's supposed to be in us 30:56 and it should be just coming out, 30:58 not trying to force somebody, not trying to force it on, 31:01 not trying to make somebody do anything, 31:03 it's just comes out. 31:05 You can't help it because He's living within, 31:07 so I think that's how to become a Christian, 31:10 we're talking about here, yeah. 31:11 And mentioning the puppies makes me think of this, 31:14 no matter what we do or what our job is, 31:18 we can use that to witness. 31:20 Amen. 31:21 Even puppies, we can use that to witness. 31:23 We can, I had an instance where it helped a little girl 31:27 that had a severe O.C.D. problem. 31:29 And the mom cried later, 31:32 after she got the puppy and said, 31:33 how it overcame, you know, 31:35 the problem with the little girl 31:37 and she had improved but, I mean, 31:38 someone told me and it was this lady's grandma 31:42 or this little girl's grandma. 31:43 She said, "This is a ministry for you, 31:47 it can be a ministry for you." 31:49 I never ever thought of it that way. 31:51 Now I think about that, when people come. 31:54 If there's something I can inject 31:56 and I don't want to offend people 31:57 or make people feel like I'm being critical 32:00 but if there's something I can inject, 32:02 when I meet these people that come to look at puppies. 32:04 I try to do it. 32:06 We can do that in all capacity of life, 32:08 we can always inject something 32:10 Where people can walk away and say, 32:12 "Well, they're Christians. 32:13 I know they're Christians." Amen. 32:15 Sometimes, it's just loving, just loving the people. 32:17 That's right. That's right. 32:19 You know, and I'm one that I prayed to be a blessing. 32:22 I prayed for an open door 32:24 because I think probably the quickest way 32:28 to close a door is to force it out. 32:32 And try to push it on somebody because you think they know it. 32:35 So I'm always saying, "Lord, open the door." 32:38 And when you pray for that door to be opened, 32:40 many times they begin to ask you 32:43 and then the Holy Spirit's able to bring it out. 32:46 We find this some time and go open for discussion, 32:49 you just talked about puppies 32:50 and you can talk about your work 32:52 and your work and our work but many times, 32:54 we'll go somewhere or something the other... 32:56 People ask, "What's your name?" 32:58 And I'll say, "I'm Kenny Shelton," 33:00 you know, and sometimes she'll say to me, 33:02 "Honey, you should say Pastor Kenny, so they know." 33:04 I said, "I don't wanna put them 33:06 in any kind of an awkward position 33:08 to where they might feel, I mean, pull a shade down." 33:12 I'd be careful what I say, 33:13 I want them to be their self in a sense, 33:15 if they're too loud, 33:17 we can talk to them about, hey, you know 33:18 but I don't want them to be, 33:19 and open up and just and just talk. 33:22 That's what we are. We're human beings. 33:23 Then you can get, have a feel 33:25 of where they're at in their relationship with Christ 33:27 because I don't know about you but when I was growing up 33:30 and somebody came along and said, 33:31 "He's just pastor so and so," I went like this... 33:34 You put on your, your other face. 33:35 Yeah, I was afraid to say anything 33:37 because it may be wrong 33:38 or I'm going the wrong direction. 33:40 I didn't know when you're just so, 33:41 I, kind of, like it just opened and I realized there's times, 33:43 maybe, it's good to make good introductions or whatever 33:47 but there's times that we're just, 33:48 we're open and 33:50 because we're looking for an opportunity 33:52 to present Jesus... 33:53 And sometimes it's intimidating, 33:55 you know, when you say, "I'm pastor so and so," 33:57 that intimidates people sometimes.. 33:58 Well, I've heard a lot of times people go in, you know, 34:00 business and lumberyards and different things 34:02 and they go in 'cause they... 34:04 Watch me here, they go in with a idea 34:07 because they're a pastor, 34:08 they're supposed to get 20 percent discount 34:10 and, you know what? 34:12 I just, I'm gonna use the word 'hate' 34:13 because I think in Bible's love list. 34:15 I just hate to hear that. 34:16 I do not like to hear that, it doesn't matter, you know, 34:19 "He that is great supposed to be the least." 34:22 You know, it's supposed to be the least. 34:23 So we don't go in, "Well, I'm pastor so and so. 34:26 Now will you give a discount." 34:28 No, if you were in my store I'm saying, 34:29 I wanna raise it up a little bit... 34:32 That'll be quite... 34:33 Since I'm here, and since you're talking about me, 34:36 see, I was saying that for the other side of the coin 34:39 because a lot of times people, 34:41 if they realize that you're in ministry, 34:44 then they might open their heart up to you. 34:46 You're absolutely right there. 34:48 Yes, and they have questions, so there's still... 34:51 Oh, yeah, I don't think they're right and wrong, 34:52 I think it's a matter of just a feeling laid out there 34:55 because you're wanting, I want to know, 34:57 you want to know, do they know Jesus. 34:59 Right. 35:01 Every person I ever see, I wonder if they, you know, 35:03 I'm talking to several guys this week 35:06 and I could tell where they're working... 35:10 Be careful with this one here, I might be real, 35:12 the music that was coming out of that little box 35:15 where they're working outside. 35:17 I realized their ears were not in harmony 35:19 maybe, with heaven. 35:21 They, maybe, didn't know that doing the best they could 35:23 but I knew right then and there, 35:26 that they probably were not because it was an acid rock. 35:30 My ears just can't, I can't stand, 35:32 my whole system goes out of whack. 35:33 Maybe, some of you like that at home 35:35 but it really does and then, you know, later they come by 35:39 and they were doing some things, 35:40 you know, and I had an off day. 35:41 They said, "Well, what do you... 35:43 We notice you don't, you know, you don't say, 35:46 you don't" and I got a chance to witness about smoking, 35:50 about language, about music 35:53 and then without condemning them at all. 35:55 So I'd like to hear things that elevate 35:57 and make my mind clear 35:58 and, you know, and, you know, when they left. 36:01 I was with them for like three days, 36:03 when they left, all three just, it has to be Jesus. 36:06 Hey, me, I'm not that... it has to be Jesus... 36:09 All three workmen came by and they came up to me 36:12 and they shook their hand. 36:14 They said, you know how? 36:16 How nice it is to work with someone 36:19 that's, it's just like, maybe, reasonable. 36:23 They couldn't use the word like reasonable, 36:25 that you could talk with us 36:27 and fit in and we felt so at ease. 36:32 I don't know if that's good about, 36:34 that we felt so at ease, 36:35 that if we want to say something, 36:37 we could do it and we wanna thank you for that. 36:40 I thought, "Thank you, Lord, for that opportunity." 36:42 So that's my story. I'm sticking to it. 36:45 You made them not feel intimidated. 36:46 I didn't want them to, because you can't reach anybody 36:49 when you try and some, they're intimidated. 36:51 They couldn't reach me 36:52 when they tried to force me to do something, 36:54 my mind goes up, I'm done. 36:56 My-sister-in-law, Chris, here 36:58 had a wonderful idea when I started selling puppies. 37:01 She said, I have a puppy folder, 37:03 that I give to the buyer, she said, 37:05 "Why don't you put a steps to Christ in that?" 37:07 But like you, I try to get a feel first. 37:10 I don't want to offend or make somebody mad. 37:13 So after meeting people, talking to them, 37:16 then I ask the Lord to help me to know 37:18 which ones that I should slip that in and, maybe, 37:20 which ones that it would, you know, infuriate, 37:22 not help at all. 37:24 So, I mean, those are things 37:25 we just have to rely on the Lord, 37:27 to give us that feel of people. 37:28 You know, Bruce, you find this in light. 37:30 It's not so much. 37:31 Would give him a scripture and give him a Bible study. 37:33 I can remember years ago, church over there 37:37 just in the beginning in 3ABN, that was, kind of, 37:39 the church at that point in time. 37:42 Of course, did somebody mow the lawn 37:45 while I was a pastor but I mowed the lawn. 37:47 You know, that time didn't have the riding mower, 37:48 so push more had big... so on and so forth. 37:51 This is good for all of us, we need to, you know, 37:53 what Holy Spirit can do is working 37:55 and so, you know, I'm down 37:56 in this big old ditch and going on. 37:58 You can't hardly stand, your feet go underneath 37:59 lawn mower, you know. 38:00 I'm fighting all and doing all this 38:02 and pretty soon, you know, I did it week end, week on. 38:04 Pretty soon the neighbor across the street came over, 38:06 said, "You know, we noticed 38:08 that you do a good job mowing the lawn. 38:11 And now, would you be willing to mow my lawn for me", 38:15 because I'm on the business evidently 38:17 and I said, "Do you need help with it?" 38:20 They said, "Well, yeah, since you do this, you know, this..." 38:23 I never said, "No, I'm the pastor of the church." 38:24 I said, "Well, sure, I'll be glad to help you." 38:27 So I started mowing that one and mowing that one 38:29 and then the ones behind us, they come in, they said, 38:31 "I know you're mowing this one over here, 38:33 so it must be your business, so you do." 38:35 And I say, "Well, it's part of my business. 38:36 It is." 38:38 Well, ours is indeed is one big real city, 38:39 you know, living 38:41 but can you mow this here. 38:42 So I was mowing all kind of houses around 38:44 then we got to next block. 38:45 I couldn't do. 38:46 I told I can't do all and he came by 38:48 and I was mowing another guy down. 38:49 None of them ever knew 38:52 that I was the pastor until finally, 38:54 they started asking, this is after the whole summer, 38:57 they said, "This is what you do for a living." 38:59 You know what? 39:00 Because I would never take a dime. 39:03 I said, "You need help. I'm glad to be able to do." 39:05 Little younger then, you know, 39:07 I'll be glad to do that, they said, "This is... 39:10 Do you make a living mowing lawns?" 39:12 No, I don't. "What do you do?" 39:14 So I'm pastoring right there at that church. 39:17 "You got to be kidding." 39:18 Anyway, the opportunities to witness, 39:20 the opportunity was there, you could have maybe... 39:23 I could probably could get out and hold of them and say, 39:25 "I'm the pastor there. 39:27 I don't do this" And not saying this wrong do that 39:29 but may I felt that they needed help 39:31 and so it was a good opportunity 39:33 to be able to witness. 39:34 He finally want to come over and visit, 39:35 you know, doing different things. 39:37 It was a good opportunity to be a disciple. 39:39 At least I just wanted, I'm a Christian. 39:41 We are to love people, we're to help people. 39:43 Many times, helping people 39:45 is starting where they need the help the most 39:48 and, you know, what a need opportunity says hopefully, 39:50 it opened some doors... 39:52 Now, we're doing, Brother Bruce, we're doing good 39:53 we're on the first one still yet. 39:55 Mollie, we're in trouble. 39:57 I think that most people appreciate the fact that, 40:01 they know that you care. 40:03 That's the point, that's the point. 40:05 That's the whole point. Willing to help. 40:06 And they're willing to listen. 40:08 Amen. Really if we don't care. 40:12 You know, if you met somebody, 40:14 even you were not a Christian. 40:16 And they were rough and sharp with their tongue 40:19 and they didn't care, they didn't help either. 40:21 You didn't feel the love, I mean, 40:23 there's been people that I've talked to, 40:25 that profess to be Christians 40:26 and they're just, kind of, looking everywhere 40:30 but at you when you're talking to them. 40:31 It's like, well, you just really don't matter. 40:34 You know, would you want to be a Christian 40:36 if that was the only example that you've seen? 40:39 You know, what Pastor Kenny did 40:41 was he gave them the Jesus example 40:43 because what did Jesus do? 40:45 First and foremost, He got involved in their lives. 40:48 Secondly, He ministered to their needs 40:52 and then, after He gained their confidence, 40:56 He presented... 40:57 And they trusted Him, 40:58 then He could invite them to salvation, 41:02 tell them about what it means to be a Christian or whatever. 41:08 But first and foremost, 41:09 you have to gain people's confidence 41:11 and I'm gonna use it right 41:12 saying, that'd be a true saying, 41:15 people don't care how much you know 41:17 until they know how much you care. 41:20 So first and foremost, 41:22 you were ministering to their needs. 41:25 Then they gained confidence in you, 41:26 then you tell them about the Lord Jesus Christ. 41:29 One act of kindness can do way more than preach 41:33 and, you know, sometimes, 41:34 just want to act of kindness can bring somebody around 41:36 and start to ask, why that you did, 41:39 what you did. 41:41 And find that you're a Christian 41:43 and then you could start from there. 41:44 But where does all this love come from? 41:47 Oh, okay. God. 41:49 It comes from God 41:51 but it doesn't just happen overnight 41:52 'cause the many of us, 41:54 we didn't have that kind of love toward each other, 41:56 toward other people growing up, 41:59 so it came from God and from Him, 42:02 in dwelling in our hearts and He begins to change us 42:06 and mould us and that's what part of that, 42:08 being that disciple is, shall we try another? 42:11 Absolutely. Praise the Lord. 42:12 Shall we find out what a disciple truly is? 42:15 You gave us a definition of what a disciple does? 42:18 Let's look at Acts 11:26. 42:22 And how about you there, brother Bruce, 42:23 would you read that for us? 42:25 Acts 11:26, "And when he had found him, 42:30 he brought him into Antioch. 42:31 It came to pass that a whole year, 42:34 they assembled themselves with the church 42:36 and taught much people 42:37 and the disciples were called Christians 42:39 first, and adding on." 42:41 There you go. They taught people. 42:46 They believed, they continued in the word. 42:48 Good. 42:50 And they became a disciple, which is a Christian. 42:53 Amen. It's beautiful. 42:56 And, you know, there are any of, 42:57 but to begin with, I mean, 43:00 there was a Greek and Jews there in abundance. 43:04 It was interesting when Paul went to these places 43:07 and we find it difficult, 43:09 I'm not sure how you handle it with today, 43:13 all of the stuff that's going on 43:14 but I think it's a good principle 43:16 that somehow we need to look at it 43:17 or find something... 43:19 When Paul went and he began to minister 43:22 and there was interest. 43:23 He stated you notice in here, he stayed for a year, 43:27 many other places, he stayed for a year and a half and more 43:30 because he was tying 43:31 and wrapping up the work the way it should be 43:33 rather than get some folks there, which is good. 43:36 When you're working with churches and you can go 43:38 and you can hold meetings like we've been doing, you know, 43:40 and then you have other people there, 43:41 to continue to tie it up and continue to train 43:44 and to teach them, that's beautiful. 43:46 So many times, 43:48 if a person goes in there and hold meetings 43:49 and then they leave and there's no one there 43:51 to take care of those precious people, 43:53 that we're looking. 43:54 I think work education says on there, 43:56 that many golden opportunities and privilege 43:58 and even souls are lost 44:01 because we didn't stay long enough 44:03 or there wasn't someone else to go ahead. 44:06 All of us working together, each one doing our part 44:08 and I thought how wonderful that is to think about it. 44:12 In fact, any... 44:13 I think in the Roman rule, later it's named Cassyria, 44:16 I think it was Cassyria, 44:18 so there was a change that took place, 44:19 but the Gospel never changes 44:22 and I think the principle on which it was taught 44:24 and things that transpired. 44:26 I can learn from that, I need to be reading that, 44:29 I need to, you know, 44:30 the book 'evangelism' is go over. 44:32 I've read many times and I still go over 44:35 and I still underline what's not been underlined 44:37 and I'm thinking why? 44:38 How could I have missed this? How could I have missed this? 44:40 It's good but it always comes back. 44:42 It's me, self-denial, no matter what the line says, 44:46 self-denial, self-denial, self-denial. 44:50 That's what it is and so winning. 44:51 We have to love souls more than we love the ease 44:54 and, you know, we wanna sit down 44:56 and let somebody else do it so, I think in here, 44:59 when you're looking at this disciple called Christians, 45:03 is because when we... 45:05 Christians, I would say, what is Christian? 45:07 What does it really mean? 45:08 Does it mean to be Christ like or doesn't it? 45:09 Well, it means to be Christ like 45:11 and that's how we find how He worked with the people, 45:14 how He loved and we look at His characteristics 45:17 and see how He was, is how we are to become, 45:21 so we can't become like Him unless we're beholding Him. 45:25 And so that's where we learn to love 45:27 and I can remember as a young Christian 45:30 and, maybe, there's ladies here, 45:31 maybe, you can empathize with me but, you know, 45:34 we go through a lot of changes during the month 45:37 and I can remember saying, "Lord, you didn't say 45:40 that I was only to be a Christian when I felt good." 45:44 Because there's times, you don't feel good. 45:47 And you're, you know, especially, when you're young 45:49 and you're wanting to be a disciple, 45:51 you're wanting to be Christ like 45:52 but it just isn't there. 45:55 So I can remember pleading with Him, saying, you know, 45:57 how am I to be loving and kind, how am I to be sweet, 46:01 when I don't feel good. 46:03 I mean, you know, you don't have the patience, 46:05 the kindness and the empathy that just comes naturally. 46:09 And so that was a lot of prayer but the good thing is, 46:13 we can pray about anything and everything 46:15 and we can ask God for His love, 46:18 we can ask Him for his empathy. 46:20 We can ask Him for His patience and put self aside... 46:24 Well I think, Kenny will agree with me 46:26 that I didn't realize, I know he didn't until we got older. 46:31 But our dad was disabled with a heart attack at 35, 46:34 in massive heart attack and back then, 46:36 there was nothing to be done, you know, 46:38 and he was in constant pain, 46:41 he couldn't do the things he enjoyed, 46:43 the simplest things and yet he made people happy, 46:47 all of the time and as I matured and grew up, 46:51 I look back at that and I think, "How did he do? 46:53 How did he put on that good face? 46:55 How did he make people smile at church and laugh and joke 46:59 and make people feel good about themselves, 47:01 when he was in so much pain? 47:03 And could do, I mean, nothing. 47:05 If you can do nothing that you enjoy 47:08 and that's where he was at, 47:10 nothing that was fun to him, he could do. 47:12 And yet he had enough of the love of God in him. 47:16 To share, to make people laugh, to make people feel good, 47:19 I'm afraid I would fall short. 47:22 If I was in his position, I'm afraid I'll fall short. 47:24 Those days, you know, that he couldn't walk 47:26 actually across the road. 47:28 Yes. 47:29 It wasn't there or walk the street, 50 feet. 47:32 He couldn't go across the road, 47:35 he's had to lay down and take, 47:36 they call, nitroglycerin tablets 47:37 under your tongue, I mean, years ago. 47:39 No bypass, no harsh and nothing like that. 47:41 So it was, it was so I guess, could have been so discouraging 47:47 especially, when your doctor, I won't mention who it is 47:49 and he's passed away since, but at that point of time, 47:52 he said, "Tommy, you know, your heart is so bad. 47:55 You're never gonna get well, there's nothing we can do, 47:57 at least half of it is permanently damage." 48:00 And he said this, he said, 48:01 "You're really not too good to anybody." 48:04 See, that was... 48:05 Oh, what a cruel thing, 48:07 you're not really any good to anybody. 48:08 Says, you know, I just recommend, 48:10 want you to go out and try to get your little job, 48:11 maybe, at the gas station. 48:13 He said, "You'll last a day or two 48:14 but you'll fall over dead." 48:15 Oh, my. 48:17 And, you know, dad came out and said, "You know, 48:18 can you imagine saying that, he said, but you know what? 48:21 I have a family. 48:22 I have children, I want to live as long as I can 48:24 and, you know, I'll try to make people happy." 48:26 He grew because the grace of Christ, 48:29 above those remarks 48:32 and he realizes other things going on 48:35 and when he had a decent day 48:36 that he could make someone happy. 48:38 That's what he wanted to do and bring joy to the hearts, 48:40 that's very interesting. 48:42 We have to learn to do that. 48:44 Not necessarily how we feel but based upon God's Word 48:47 is how we conduct our self because, some of us, 48:50 we acted the way we felt, sometime, "Lord, have mercy. 48:54 Maybe, I'm the only one that's..." 48:56 No. No, the Spirit of Prophesy. 48:57 You talk about that and not just your physical feeling 49:01 but your spiritual feeling, 49:02 there will be times that we don't feel it. 49:05 There will be times that we don't have the love 49:07 that we have at other times, 49:09 we go ahead and you do the actions. 49:11 Amen. 49:13 Because then it will come, it will come around 49:14 and you will regain that spiritual quality 49:17 and that love that you had. 49:19 You go ahead and you do the actions, 49:21 even if you will feel it. 49:22 Yeah, act on principle but I think acting on principle 49:26 and pray, pray, pray, you know, because God has love, I mean, 49:32 we're talking here, we're actually getting into 49:35 what it is like to be a Christian 49:37 and what Christianity is all about. 49:39 But it's emptying so and letting Jesus come in. 49:43 And as you guys were talking about your dad, 49:45 I'm thinking about this young lady 49:46 that came to our meetings in London. 49:49 She has terminal cancer, she was just full of it. 49:54 They had actually misdiagnosed her, 49:56 they had given her diagnosis that's someone else's. 49:58 Someone else thought they had cancer 50:01 and they were getting treated where here she had it 50:04 and she wasn't getting treated. 50:06 And she, I mean, she would leave our meetings 50:09 and just end up in the hospital, 50:11 out on the streets throwing up 50:13 but she would come in with a smile, 50:14 she wanted to be 50:16 where the Spirit of God was 50:19 and she was always loving, always kind, 50:22 always had a smile and see that's our Savior, 50:25 as we look at our Savior, 50:29 He's just been beaten. 50:31 He's had a crown of thorns put on His head. 50:33 He's had His hair pulled out and He's laid out on a cross 50:38 and they're about to nail His hands 50:40 and He says, "Father, forgive them." 50:44 He's not even thinking, 50:45 "Oh, God, help me with the pain. 50:47 I need help with the pain." 50:49 He says, "Father, forgive them 50:53 for they know not what they do." 50:54 When you're filled with the Spirit... 50:55 That's selfless. 50:57 The Holy Spirit, 50:58 wasn't that Stephen, when he was stoned. 51:00 laying out this up against them or you're getting hit with 51:03 big old rocks and stone, you know, 51:05 but God gives you a vision, you know, could see Heaven, 51:08 see the glory of God. 51:09 It takes over. 51:11 The Spirit takes over, if that should come to you 51:14 or to me if God sees fit. 51:17 Never, never be afraid 51:19 of what the world may throw at you because, 51:21 I know that the Spirit of the living God will be there, 51:24 if He calls you to do that, 51:26 He will be with you 51:27 and will be like some of the ones 51:29 who were being burnt 51:30 and they were singing praises and so on. 51:32 I truly experience that, 51:34 one time I was in terrible, terrible pain. 51:39 It was called childbirth... 51:41 Well, I'm not there. 51:42 And for hours 'cause it was going on much longer 51:45 than it was supposed to and I was constantly... 51:48 They were teaching you to focus on a little dot in the room 51:51 but I didn't, I would close my eyes 51:52 and I would see Jesus 51:55 and I would sing hymns in my mind 51:58 and about 18 hour later, 18 and a half hours later, 52:03 I remember saying, 52:06 "Christ, I can't see you anymore. 52:07 I can't focus, the pain is so great. 52:10 I can't sing anymore." 52:13 And at that moment when I prayed that prayer, 52:16 my mother was sitting next to me 52:18 and she began to sing, 52:21 that moment and I fell asleep. 52:25 I fell asleep for ten minutes. 52:27 I woke up, I said, "The baby's here." 52:29 They're like, "Oh, no, honey, 52:30 you're just now getting into your worst labor." 52:32 I said, "No, she's coming." 52:34 And she was, see, 52:36 when I couldn't take it anymore. 52:38 He taught me, that when I couldn't take the pain 52:41 because of my relationship and my focus on Him, 52:45 He was there to take it. 52:46 Amen. Praise God. 52:48 And I think that's to me, that's how people were... 52:53 On the, the martyrs, sacred tree 52:56 or whatever it was and they were being burned 52:57 and they were singing, 52:59 is because the Holy Spirit, Stephen, 53:01 the Holy Spirit came down 53:02 and He takes that when we can't take it anymore. 53:05 You can't lose by accepting Jesus into your heart, 53:10 you cannot lose by asking Him to come in and be your Lord, 53:14 to be your Savior, to be anything and everything, 53:19 our hope in this world. 53:21 There's no loss in it. 53:22 No, absolutely. Best thing we can do. 53:24 Will anybody object if I take the next 53:28 because I have something that keeps going in my mind... 53:30 Okay. 53:32 Because we titled it, one of the first steps 53:34 in becoming a Christian, is to believe in God, 53:40 believe in God 53:42 not believe in a "Higher Power." 53:44 There you go, yes. 53:46 A higher power that could be anything under the sun 53:51 and is, to some people. 53:53 This says, we have to believe in God 53:56 and it says it singularly not plural. 53:59 So does that mean there is only one God, 54:02 it doesn't say believe in gods. 54:04 That's right, that's right. 54:06 And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 54:09 and thou shalt be saved and thy house, 54:12 and they spake unto Him, 54:13 the word of the Lord 54:15 and to all that were in his house." 54:17 Amen. That's powerful... 54:21 Can I expand the... 54:23 From the amplified. Yeah, please. 54:24 Oh, yes. Please. 54:25 Big end to this amplified, I've got it, verse 31. 54:28 Let me just read it. 54:30 "And they answered, believe in 54:32 and on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is" 54:35 and here's the part that amplifies, 54:38 "Give yourself to Him, 54:40 take yourself out of your own keeping 54:42 and entrust yourself into His keeping. 54:45 And you will be saved 54:47 and this applies both to you and your household this way." 54:51 Oh, I love it. 54:52 Give yourself to Him, 54:54 totally release yourself to Him, 54:56 praise God. 54:57 Amen. That's what it's all about. 54:59 And what the Amplified does for me, 55:01 is it keeps it from being superficial, 55:04 it makes it a deep personal relationship. 55:07 I agree with it. 55:09 I mean, just two illustrations when you think about. 55:12 That was Paul, you know, in prison. 55:16 He had Felix, presented Christ and so to him and he just, 55:20 what he said, 55:21 "Come back another day when it's more convenient." 55:24 And then he spoke to the jailer, 55:26 when he found out, you know, that they were still all there, 55:29 all the people in the jail were there because of, 55:32 as it were one man in there because of what they heard, 55:34 so anyway, then the other jailer come back and said, 55:37 "Oo, glory, was this, you know," 55:39 What I hear is beautiful and then went to the house 55:43 and it's pretty clear that Paul then spoke to the whole family. 55:46 He had an opportunity through the jailer 55:48 to go speak words of truth to the whole family. 55:50 Whole family said, this is beautiful, 55:52 we wanted to, 55:53 and so he baptized them all. 55:55 So how wonderful that is when we see, you know, 55:57 this passage is just like this. 56:00 How God can work and it wasn't just the jailer, 56:04 one of them was open and receptive. 56:06 The other closed the door and said, 56:08 "No, at more convenient time," 56:09 that's what most people are doing in the world today. 56:11 Yes. 56:12 Find another convenient time, I'll wait till I retire, 56:14 I'll wait till everything, my ducks rolling 56:15 or, you know,da-da-da, 56:18 you know, you may never come to Him. 56:19 In my life, like Tammy said too 56:21 because there are spirits working in this world. 56:24 There's a Spirit of God 56:25 and there's the spirit of the enemy 56:27 and many people are being deceived 56:30 thinking that they're on the right track, 56:32 thinking that they're a disciple of Christ. 56:34 But they're being deceived by the wrong spirit, 56:36 so we have to go back to the Word, 56:38 continue in the Word, 56:40 eating that Word to know what truth is. 56:43 So... So how to become a Christian? 56:44 Worship Him in Spirit and in truth. 56:47 Trust God. Yes. 56:48 You don't have to do anything, He's done it all, 56:51 keep that in your mind. 56:52 He's done it all. 56:53 All you have to do is accept Him. 56:55 Amen. 56:56 Isn't that beautiful and I like to say, 56:58 stay with it. 56:59 I'm not going to get away from that one, 57:01 "Stay with it." 57:02 Because you have, He said, "If you abide in me," 57:04 that means you stay with it 57:06 and that means a lose connection, 57:07 that means it's... You're tied in. 57:09 We've just got 23 seconds left. 57:11 Can you just give everybody a quick prayer? 57:13 Absolutely. Let's pray and pray at home. 57:15 Bow your heads with me, "Father in heaven, 57:17 thank you for your love. 57:18 Thank you for your Holy Spirit. 57:19 Thank you for this time we spent together, 57:21 we give you praise, honor and glory for decisions 57:23 that are made now, 57:24 that there's somebody out there wants to become a Christian, 57:26 we thank you in Jesus name. 57:28 Amen. Amen. 57:30 God bless you and we'll see you next time. |
Revised 2016-10-24