Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW190009A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, 01:10 and we welcome you to Family Worship. 01:14 It is so good to sit around the table 01:16 and open up our Bibles. 01:18 And we hope you have your Bible. 01:20 We hope you have a pen and pad. 01:22 And next to me is my wonderful godly husband. 01:26 Thank you, darling. Hi, honey. 01:29 I've introduced yourself for the rest of the people. 01:36 We were flirting. So this is fun. 01:38 JD, anyway JD Quinn. 01:40 We're just glad that you're with us 01:42 this evening. 01:43 We're going to have a wonderful time together, 01:44 wherever some of our wonderful friends, 01:47 I'll just go around, and we got Tim. 01:49 Yep. 01:50 We got Ryan, of course little Shelley. 01:53 We got Dee, and we have Robert. 01:55 Now this is the first time 01:56 that Robert's been able to spend the evening with us 01:58 and we just love Robert. 01:59 What all do you do at 3ABN, Robert? 02:01 Well, I'm in the production department, 02:02 and I do editing and some computer programming 02:05 and design work, and just kind of errands, 02:08 little bit of everything so. 02:09 He's a smart guy with incredible background. 02:12 He's very valuable to us, 02:14 he's been modest, he has a lot of talent. 02:17 Well, I'm proud to be here 02:18 and honored to be here, so thank you. 02:20 Amen. 02:21 And, Robert, we're excited that you're here 02:23 with us at the table. 02:24 And we're excited that all of you, 02:25 our family at home or joining us. 02:27 There is something so special about the Sabbath. 02:30 And I'll tell you upfront, if it weren't for the Sabbath, 02:33 I would probably work myself into an early grave, 02:37 because the Sabbath 02:39 is something that gives me permission. 02:41 JD always tell me, slow down, slow down, do this, do that. 02:46 And when the Sabbath rolls in, and you can just kind of... 02:52 And exhale. 02:54 So, that's what we're going to do here tonight. 02:56 We're going to talk about how to keep a finger 03:01 on your spiritual pulse. 03:03 But first we're going to open with prayer. 03:06 And then we'll have a song "Blessed Assurance," 03:09 and the lyrics will be at the bottom of the page, 03:13 the bottom of the screen and we invite you to join us. 03:16 Honey, you want to pray? Most certainly. 03:19 Father, as we come to You this evening, the Sabbath day. 03:22 We just want to thank You, Lord, 03:24 for Your mercies for Your grace. 03:26 Thank You, Lord, that we can be here 03:28 to concentrate on Your Word. 03:30 And, Father, we invite the Holy Spirit in, 03:32 the Holy Spirit that will be there 03:33 to just to enrich us with additional thoughts, Lord, 03:39 and so, Father, as we just start this, 03:41 we just want to thank You. 03:43 Thank You for each other. Thank You for our loved ones. 03:46 Thank You for Your hedge of protection. 03:48 We ask this in the name of Jesus. 03:49 Amen. Amen. 03:51 Amen. All right. 03:53 Now, at least, 03:55 we've got a couple of singers in the group. 03:57 But we invite you to join us 04:00 in making a joyful noise to the Lord. 04:09 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine 04:15 Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! 04:22 Heir of salvation, purchase of God 04:28 Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood 04:34 This is my story, this is my song 04:41 Praising my Savior all the day long 04:47 This is my story, this is my song 04:53 Praising my Savior all the day long 05:00 Perfect submission, all is at rest 05:06 I in my Savior am happy and blest 05:12 Watching and waiting, looking above 05:18 Filled with His goodness, lost in His love 05:25 This is my story, this is my song 05:31 Praising my Savior all the day long 05:37 This is my story, this is my song 05:44 Praising my Savior 05:47 All the day long 05:52 Amen. 05:53 It's a beautiful song. I love that song. 05:55 JD picked that song, yeah, but it's beautiful song. 05:58 Thank you. Yeah, I love blessed assurance. 06:00 I love the way that Tim plays. 06:02 Amen. Amen. 06:04 Well, let's begin 06:06 by opening to 1 Corinthians 10:12. 06:12 1 Corinthians 10:12. 06:18 Isn't it amazing how? 06:20 Do you ever do this when you're up speaking 06:22 and you know where you want to go? 06:25 And you can't find it 06:26 just because your mind is somewhere else, 06:28 that's me. 06:30 1 Corinthians 10:12. 06:31 I remember when a gentleman, when I was first on 3ABN, 06:35 I volunteered here a couple of years, 06:38 did quite a bit of programming up here. 06:40 But I had a gentleman called me and he said, 06:45 "Sister Queen, I'm enjoying your programs," 06:47 but he said, "don't forget 1 Corinthians 10:12." 06:50 And I jumped on it, and without looking it up, 06:54 I said, "Yes, therefore let him who thinks he stands." 06:59 Yes. "Take heed lest he fall." 07:03 Right. 07:04 That is something that I had prayed 07:07 for a long time because I think, 07:09 I'm following Paul's example. 07:12 That sometimes we can think 07:15 we're in a good place with the Lord, 07:17 but what we have to think about here 07:21 because I believe we can get so busy 07:22 doing good things, 07:24 we forget the best thing and the best thing is that 07:27 we maintain 07:29 that intimate relationship with God. 07:32 So we have to keep that finger on our spiritual pulse 07:35 and make sure that we are standing in Christ 07:40 that we really are united. 07:42 Now, honey, you've got 2 Corinthians I think, 13:5. 07:47 We just want to open up with a couple of scriptures 07:50 and we're just going to go for it. 07:55 That's 2 Corinthians 13:5. 07:58 Yes. 08:01 "Examine yourselves 08:02 as to whether you are in the faith. 08:05 Test yourselves. 08:07 Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, 08:11 unless indeed you are disqualified?" 08:14 Wow! 08:15 Now, here's the question. 08:20 We know that if we are in Christ, 08:23 we have assurance of salvation. 08:25 Nothing that we can do can save us. 08:28 Only we are saved by the grace in the blood of our Lord 08:33 and Savior, Jesus Christ. 08:35 But it's important to make sure what Jesus said in John 15:5. 08:40 You know, I mean, 08:41 he says, I am the vine, you are the branches. 08:43 But then I think it's John 15: 5 where He says, 08:45 "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." 08:47 We can't even stand apart from Him. 08:51 So how do we... 08:53 If we wanted to put a finger on our spiritual pulse, 08:57 how can we examine ourselves 09:00 and know that we are standing in Christ? 09:05 All right. 09:06 Well, the way that I start, first of all, 09:10 is I start every day with prayer. 09:13 You know, to me, that's... 09:15 And I think I picked that up from you, Shelley. 09:18 I used to have Shelley all the time, 09:19 because Shelley was a role model of mine 09:22 for many, many years. 09:23 Because she was in the Lord and I was searching. 09:26 I probably had a better foundation 09:28 then she did, 09:30 but I was lazy. 09:33 So I just kind of floated along. 09:35 So I kept asking, Shelley, says, 09:37 I want to know the same Jesus that you know. 09:40 And, you know, she said two things to me. 09:42 Number one was, 09:45 you have to surrender to the Lord. 09:46 Well, that kind of threw me off a little bit. 09:48 You know, you try to surrender, 09:50 but if you don't really understand the term, 09:51 you really don't know what that really means. 09:54 And the second thing she said, 09:55 "Start every day off with prayer, 09:57 give Him permission to come in 09:59 and to be the light to your path." 10:03 And so personally, every morning I start off, 10:06 "Lord, I just give the Holy Spirit permission 10:08 to work in me, through me 10:10 to be my guide, to be my comforter." 10:12 Amen. 10:13 So that's how I personally start. 10:15 Why is prayer so important? 10:17 Well, even starting off with prayer, 10:20 I mean, I try to hit, 10:21 I try to pray first thing in the morning. 10:23 However, even prayer sometimes, 10:27 it's how we're praying, where we are for prayer. 10:30 Because I work at a ministry, I'm the church treasurer, 10:35 I'm doing this, I'm doing that, 10:38 I am talking about God all the time. 10:41 God is part of my life. 10:43 It's ministry is just what I am and what I do. 10:47 However, 10:49 if you start the prayer off in the morning and you're... 10:54 Am I really talking to God, 10:56 or am I just doing prayer by rote? 10:58 That's a wonderful point. 11:00 See, we have to get, 11:02 the prayer has to be the relationship, 11:05 even with your... 11:08 Even with your spouse, 11:11 you can get into a rut with good morning, 11:13 hi, once you breakfast, bye, out the door, 11:15 quick kiss and you're gone. 11:17 You're not having a relationship 11:18 with your spouse, 11:20 you're going through the motions. 11:24 And if you're going through the motions with God, 11:28 and it's not a real conversation, 11:31 your pulse is off in one place there. 11:35 So the prayer can't be just a prayer. 11:40 And there has to be with prayer. 11:43 And I know you pray throughout the day, 11:44 you start off. 11:45 But I think with prayer, 11:47 we've got to do more than seek His hand. 11:50 You know, we can't just be praying about situations 11:54 and what we need and everything. 11:56 I think we've got to really seek the face of the Lord. 11:58 Amen. 11:59 And for me personally, 12:01 and you know, it was when the Lord taught me 12:04 to press into His presence. 12:06 When I was praying, 12:07 and I say when, because right now I'm not. 12:10 But when I was praying an hour every morning. 12:15 I mean, you really taken that time to 12:18 and then sit at His feet and listen. 12:21 I mean, my spiritual life just, so now and I just, 12:27 you know, it's not a requirement 12:29 to pray an hour a day, 12:30 but I guarantee you, if you do, it will... 12:34 It's so rewarding. 12:36 But you do have to be, I think, 12:40 going to the Lord to talk to the Lord. 12:44 And then I think that you need to 12:45 get to that point. 12:48 The reason I think it's different 12:49 when I'm not praying for a long time is that, 12:53 I rarely hear the voice of the Lord 12:57 and I'm talking about the impression 12:58 of God's Spirit. 13:00 If I rush in 13:02 and ten minutes later I rush out, 13:04 it's like you don't get in that still space 13:09 where you can be still and know that He is God. 13:11 But if you're praying and waiting and expecting it 13:15 to be a two way conversation, that's incredible. 13:18 Well, you don't go to McDonald's, 13:19 or maybe I shouldn't say, 13:21 you don't go to fast food and expect a hot meal, 13:27 like you would if you were to go to a restaurant, 13:29 you know, three store, five store, five star. 13:33 You know because fast food is different from food 13:36 that you have to wait for it. 13:38 Because the cook, 13:39 they don't have it already made up. 13:41 So in that kind of same atmosphere, 13:43 you know, it's not, he's not a fast food chef, 13:48 even an oxymoron. 13:49 That works. 13:51 The point that I was making is that... 13:52 It is. 13:53 The point that I was making is, made like that, 13:56 "Choose this day who you're going to serve." 13:58 Amen. 13:59 So as I get up in the morning, I can automatically say, 14:02 "Well, what am I going to wear today? 14:05 Or who am I going to see? How am I going to pay this? 14:07 How am I gonna be..." 14:09 But I just choose, 14:10 and this is a great practice I think we gonna... 14:12 As you open your eyes 14:14 and as you take that first step, 14:16 "Jesus," and that's the point. 14:18 And then as the day progresses, 14:20 I think that from then you probably call on Him 14:24 10,000 times, 100,000 times through the day. 14:27 And choose this day who you serve. 14:29 I try to keep an ongoing prayer going. 14:31 Amen. 14:33 What works for me, I don't know what works for other people, 14:35 but when I know that my relationship is... 14:39 The direction it's supposed to be going 14:41 is when I start my prayer, 14:43 when I start conversing with the Lord 14:46 is focusing on Him and not myself at first. 14:48 Seek ye space. 14:49 I love to start out praising and thanking Him. 14:53 Amen. And focus on what He did? 14:58 Who He is? Who He is? 15:00 What He did for me? 15:01 And if I start out on Him first in my prayer 15:06 and then eventually work down to me. 15:08 Because how does your relationships work best? 15:11 When you are giving to the other person 15:13 that you want the relationship with. 15:16 And so I don't know how other, everybody has their own way. 15:20 But praise and thanksgiving is just the way to start. 15:26 Amen. 15:28 But the point I think that we can make 15:29 because we want to hit several other things, 15:31 but with prayer, 15:33 prayer is communicating with God. 15:36 And as you said, Dee, 15:37 if you don't have an open communication 15:41 with someone, 15:42 then you know your relationship isn't as strong. 15:45 But if you're trying to keep a finger 15:47 on your spiritual pulse, 15:49 check your prayer life. 15:51 If your prayer life is waning, if you see that it's just not 15:58 what it used to be, that could be, 16:01 you know, a little red flag to say, 16:02 hey, I'm kind of backsliding here, 16:05 because I'm not depending on the Lord. 16:07 But something that happened with me, 16:10 when God was teaching me to press into His presence. 16:13 I was praying an hour a day for about a week. 16:16 I forget what it is but, 16:19 and I still didn't feel super connected to God, 16:24 until I started praying the Word. 16:27 And boy, I'll tell you what, 16:30 when I started praying God's Word, 16:33 that made all the difference in the world. 16:37 Let's talk about the importance 16:40 if we're trying to keep a finger 16:41 on our spiritual pulse, Ryan, 16:43 and you're not spending any time in the Word, 16:47 is that going to weaken your condition? 16:48 Oh, absolutely. 16:50 In fact, personally I see prayer 16:52 and the aspect of studying 16:54 or communing with God in His Word, 16:57 that's kind of a, you know, step A, step B type thing. 17:00 In other words, you know, prayer is not a monologue, 17:03 it should be a dialogue. 17:05 The conversation, as it should be a dialogue. 17:06 Have you ever talked with someone 17:08 who just hogs the conversation 17:09 or just you can't get a word in edgewise. 17:11 And sometimes I think we approach 17:13 a communicative relationship with God in that way, 17:17 that it's all us and not Him. 17:18 You know, we don't allow time for Him to speak to us. 17:21 And so when I go to the Lord in prayer, 17:23 you know, there are times that I do ask things of God. 17:26 In fact, He says, 17:27 "You don't receive because you don't ask." 17:29 But yet there are things that when I ask, 17:31 I plead for the Lord. 17:33 And this is very important we're talking about, 17:35 you know, checking our spiritual pulse, 17:37 you know, I find myself often praying, Lord, 17:39 and this is a hard prayer because you never know 17:42 what the response is going to be. 17:44 "Lord if there's anything in my life 17:47 that is not in harmony with Your will, 17:48 God, please reveal it to me, show it to me." 17:51 And I often find myself praying a prayer 17:53 that I've actually had Christian told me one time, 17:55 "Do not pray this prayer unless you mean it." 17:57 And I've asked the Lord on many occasions, 17:59 Lord, humble me. 18:00 Humble me, make me a humble servant. 18:03 Now, does God audibly respond, 18:06 do the heavens open 18:07 and you know, the clouds roll back, 18:08 and you know, well, you gonna hear that? 18:10 Absolutely not. 18:11 But then there comes the follow up response 18:13 from the Lord, 18:14 most 99% of the time through His Word. 18:16 Amen. 18:18 And you know, talking again about the aspect of spiritual, 18:21 checking your spiritual pulse, how can I know. 18:24 I think of this special scripture 18:25 and it's Psalm Chapter... 18:28 Psalm 119:11, of course tells us that, 18:32 "I have hid thy word in my heart, 18:36 that I might not sin against thee." 18:39 You know, God's Word has power, it has life transforming power. 18:45 And God will speak to us through His Word, 18:47 He will reveal His will to us through His Word. 18:51 And so when I'm praying to the Lord 18:53 and I'm looking for a response, 18:54 like I said, 99% of the time as I'm in the Word daily. 18:58 Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, 19:01 "Man shall not live by bread alone, 19:02 but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." 19:06 We live daily because we have to eat. 19:08 We need the nutrition, 19:09 we need that energy for us to continue. 19:11 Well, Jesus likened the Word of God unto real food, bread. 19:16 And so we need to eat of the Word of God daily, 19:18 that we might be filled up, 19:20 that we might have that open connection 19:22 and open response to Him that He may fill us up. 19:25 You know, in another word, another thing, 19:26 I know this is kind of on a, 19:28 kind of a scripture that we usually don't speak 19:31 of much more and more than a prophetic sense 19:32 because it is a prophetic scripture. 19:34 But you know, we are living in the last days 19:37 and Jesus said that, 19:38 you know, the love of many 19:39 in the last days will grow cold. 19:41 So if there's ever a generation, 19:42 ever a people that needs to be checking their spiritual pulse, 19:45 it is us in these last days 19:47 prior to the second coming of Jesus. 19:49 Amos 8:11 brings a clear reality to us. 19:52 It says, "Behold, the days are coming, 19:54 says the Lord God and I will send a famine in the land." 19:56 Notice that bread aspect, we need to eat every day, 20:00 okay, for that nutrition, 20:02 but we also need of the Word every day. 20:04 But you noticed what he says here 20:05 in regards to this famine, 20:07 "I will send a famine in the land," 20:08 not a famine of bread nor thirst of water, 20:12 but of hearing of the words of the Lord. 20:15 You know, I heard a sermon by Pastor Ivor Myers, 20:17 it was camp meeting I think 2016 maybe, 20:20 and he talked about how we need to be gathering bread now, 20:23 kind of like Joseph. 20:24 He went, his purpose was to free Egypt, 20:26 he was gathering bread. 20:28 Because there's gonna come a time 20:29 when there's a famine 20:30 and those who have gathered bread 20:32 will have enough to share it. 20:33 So checking that spiritual pulse, 20:34 how do I know for sure, Lord, 20:36 that I'm in good standing with You, that I'm in that, 20:40 I'm involved and engaged 20:41 in that saving relationship with You. 20:43 We have to be in the Word daily, 20:46 every moment. 20:47 And let me say something because I don't want people. 20:49 There are actually days in my even recent experience 20:55 where you get up and you think, 20:56 okay, I'll do this or I'm running late, 20:58 I'll do it when I get to work and you come to work 21:00 and it's just like... 21:02 Everything's out the window. 21:03 Now at the end of the day, 21:05 I'm not unsaved if I haven't been in the Word. 21:09 And so I didn't want to give that impression. 21:12 But what you do that for two or three days 21:15 and you will find yourself in a spiritual... 21:19 Well, you can go several days without food. 21:20 Yeah, it's just like if you fast with it... 21:23 Fasting from the Word, 21:24 you're going to end up spiritually weakened so. 21:26 Right. 21:27 Now I do want to say one thing and then point this over. 21:31 When you said, it is I agree, 21:32 I use the Word of God to... 21:35 This is primarily how He communicates with us. 21:37 Absolutely. 21:39 But 1 Kings 19:12, 21:41 this is one of my favorite verses 21:44 about Elijah's experience after he prayed in the rain 21:49 and he's up on the mountain 21:51 and you know, he's run from Ahab and Jezebel. 21:55 And God comes to him and he goes out 22:00 and there's a wind that comes and an earthquake, fire. 22:03 And he keeps saying, the Lord wasn't in the wind, 22:06 He wasn't in the fire, 22:07 It's not like the burning bush experience. 22:10 But what it says in 1 Kings 19:12 was, 22:14 "After the fire a still small voice." 22:17 And I do believe, 22:19 you know, the audible voice of God in the Bible 22:21 is like thunder hitting many waters, you know. 22:25 And it's, I think the still small voice 22:28 is when the Holy Spirit 22:29 impresses a thought upon your mind. 22:31 And I would even go so far to say, 22:34 if you've not had, I mean, 22:37 we've all experienced it sitting at this table, 22:39 haven't we? 22:42 If you've never experienced that, 22:44 then you want to ask God, 22:47 you know, because for me personally, 22:49 when I go for a while 22:50 with not being impressed by the Lord, 22:53 I think oops, 22:55 I'm losing that intimacy in my relationship with Him. 22:59 So to me that's something, 23:01 that's very important and I just want to say that. 23:03 You know, go ahead, I'm sorry. 23:05 I wanted to give Robert a chance to say something 23:09 because he's brand new and he probably 23:10 won't chop in here. 23:12 JD was talking about when he gets up, 23:16 he prays and his prayer is a prayer of surrender. 23:20 When you said you want God to make you humble. 23:22 You know what humility is? 23:24 Absolute total dependence upon God. 23:26 Absolutely. 23:27 You know when Paul said, 23:30 "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus 23:33 who humbled himself." 23:35 So when you're saying, Lord, humble me, it's let me make, 23:40 make me aware 23:41 that I am totally dependent on you. 23:44 But so JD is praying and he had trouble at first 23:48 with the word surrender. 23:50 It just means to yield, 23:53 to submit, give consent to God to being in charge. 23:58 That's right. 24:00 That is the most critical thing in the morning 24:02 to pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 24:05 And you always say, you know, increase my humility, 24:08 increase my faith, increase my courage, 24:12 and my wisdom. 24:15 But you, Robert, had the most amazing story 24:20 about the Japanese chef 24:23 that kind of goes with that surrender. 24:24 I had the same problem to the surrendering. 24:27 And I wrestled with that 24:29 my whole life actually, my whole Christian life. 24:31 And the Lord was recently helping me with that concept. 24:34 And it came through interesting way 24:38 in the way the Lord does. 24:40 There's a concept in the Japanese culture, 24:42 and there's a word called omakase. 24:45 And omakase literally means, 24:47 "I respectfully leave it up to you." 24:50 And where that comes from is in their culture. 24:52 If you go into a Japanese restaurant, 24:55 the chef, there are often very small restaurants 24:58 and the chef is the owner, and the proprietor, 25:01 and the shopper for the food, and the creator of the menu. 25:05 And when you go in, 25:08 the American way or our way of culture 25:10 might be just look for a menu and then pick off the items 25:13 that you want in menu. 25:15 But in their culture, 25:16 their ideal way or the best way 25:18 is to choose the omakase experience. 25:21 And what that means is 25:22 you go into the chef's restaurant, 25:24 you say, "I'm here, I respectfully leave it to you 25:28 to pick what you think is best for me for the meal. 25:31 And, boy, the Lord really touched my heart 25:34 with that idea that He is our great chef. 25:38 He's only created as 25:39 and so it helped me to move from surrendering to this, 25:46 you know, omnipotent God. 25:49 You know who as you know, 25:51 this, our lives lined out for us much more into, 25:55 He's our great chef. 25:57 He's our Creator. He's the one who loves us. 26:00 And If will allow Him, 26:01 He has the best experience for us for our meal. 26:05 And when you go into that experience, 26:08 they will suggest an item for you. 26:11 And then they'll actually take the watch 26:13 how you react to the flavors. 26:15 And they will tailor your continued meal for you 26:18 and your party depending on 26:21 what they know from their experience, 26:22 and they're the experts. 26:23 And so that has helped me a lot 26:25 and that idea of surrendering to God, 26:28 it's not a loss, it's a gain. 26:32 How arrogant and prideful it is to walk 26:35 into Japanese experts chefs 26:37 who have spent their whole life creating that experience. 26:40 How arrogant is to walk in there and say, 26:42 "Well, I think I should have some of that and some of that. 26:44 Could you put that together this way and leave off the, 26:46 you know whatever." 26:50 You know, on the face of is so arrogant, 26:52 and yet that's what we do with God a lot of times. 26:53 I know that's what I've done. 26:55 And we'd be much better off to just say, "omakase." 27:00 As you wish. Amen. 27:01 Tim, where in you a Christian experience 27:05 because I do know that you are led by the Holy Spirit. 27:08 And I know that surrender is something that, 27:11 you know, if you make it through the end of the day 27:13 and realize that you haven't been dependent upon God, 27:17 if you put the finger on your spiritual pulse, 27:20 that's an idea that it's weakened. 27:21 But where did that 27:24 the whole concept of letting God, 27:27 going the omakase route with God. 27:31 When did that become real for you? 27:34 I think that, 27:38 you know, having been raised in a Christian family 27:40 was to my advantage. 27:42 And I realized again 27:44 that didn't get me into the kingdom of God. 27:47 God doesn't have grandchildren. 27:48 But the fact that just it has been a pattern for me. 27:53 It has been, 27:55 I was led that way from the beginning. 27:59 I mean, you know, 28:01 my parents instilled that in me. 28:02 And so it's, it's again it's a matter of knowing the... 28:05 Yeah, I'm very blessed. 28:07 Knowing the steps of like this checking your pulse, 28:11 you know, we have even listed on our notes. 28:13 Some kind of a routine of what we should go through, 28:18 the prayer, and reading, and studying. 28:21 So all those have been instilled within me 28:25 and I don't know that I've ever questioned it. 28:27 I just have believed it and it's worked so well that, 28:32 you know... 28:34 Was part of your experience the fact 28:36 that you saw the results of doing that in your family? 28:40 I guess you could say that. 28:42 I think it's, you know... 28:44 This work so this is what I want to do. 28:46 So you knew the importance of the Holy Spirit 28:49 even growing up? 28:50 Right, yeah. 28:51 See, I grew up in a Sunday keeping church 28:53 that I never even heard about. 28:57 I mean, we never talked about Him. 29:00 And I remember when I came to Ephesians 3:16 through 20 29:06 somewhere in there. 29:08 When you know, 29:09 He talks about that we will be strengthened 29:12 by the power of God. 29:14 He's talking about the Holy Spirit. 29:16 And that Christ lives in our hearts 29:18 by faith through the Holy Spirit. 29:20 And that's when, 29:22 "Oh mercy, I was in my late 20s, early 30s 29:25 when it really became real to me. 29:28 And I think this whole idea of surrender, 29:31 I mean, I would pray but I didn't really get 29:34 into surrender till maybe I was in my... 29:38 When God called me to full time ministry 29:40 is when He really taught me that. 29:43 You know, I thought I was a good Christian, 29:44 but He taught me that. 29:47 I was just going to say as we have been in, 29:53 maybe it's because I have been in... 29:55 I'm almost 50 years old. 29:57 So I've been in this long time and I don't claim at all. 30:00 In fact it says, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands 30:03 take heed lest he fall." 30:04 So I'm always cautious of that. 30:07 But I think that... 30:09 Sometimes I think, are we still... 30:14 I know how to eat really well, because I do it every day. 30:16 Amen. 30:17 I know how to take a bath really well, 30:19 because I do it every other day, maybe. 30:22 You know, so, right? Exactly. 30:25 You don't know when I don't. 30:28 So, you know, in the same way, I think it's just... 30:31 I mean these are the things that we do, 30:36 but the thing about it is if we don't put to death, 30:40 the old man... 30:41 Amen. 30:43 If we don't put to death sin, 30:45 if we don't pluck our eye and throw it from us, 30:48 instead of putting it in a box in our top drawer, 30:52 for you know, when we need to go back to it, 30:54 to see something, 30:56 you know, it's a matter of putting to death the things 30:59 that are not of God. 31:01 And I know that sounds, maybe trivial. 31:06 But that's part of the relationship. 31:09 If your prayer life... 31:10 What we have talked about, 31:12 if your prayer life is real and it's a relationship... 31:18 And see, I hear people say all time, 31:20 "If God would just tell me what to do." 31:22 He's trying to when you read His Word. 31:24 That's how He's trying to tell you what do. 31:27 Then you see, you get into the surrender, 31:30 because you see that is the choice, 31:32 because it's all this building of relationship. 31:35 Right, yeah. 31:36 And when our relationship breaks down, 31:39 it's exactly what happened to Adam and Eve. 31:43 When all of a sudden, 31:45 we feel guilty or we're afraid, 31:50 so if we're not praying, 31:52 and we realize our pulse is off, 31:54 we're not reading the Word, 31:57 we're not walking into surrender. 31:59 Then Satan comes in, and he drags us into fear, 32:04 and embarrassment, and all these human emotions. 32:09 And then, we stop the relationship 32:12 because we're afraid. 32:14 We feel guilty, we avoid God. We feel guilty. 32:16 So we start avoiding God, and then our pulse gets weaker, 32:19 and weaker, and weaker. 32:21 I have this beautiful little book next to my bed, 32:23 I love it. 32:25 It's "Letters to the Lord from His daughter," 32:28 and it's from the daughter. 32:30 So we'll say, every once in a while, 32:33 especially if I am feeling 32:36 not where I'm supposed to be, or I'm feeling guilty, 32:38 'cause there's this wonderful person there is, 32:40 "Lord, I failed you again. 32:43 I love you. I'm so sorry. 32:45 Help me come back. 32:48 Lead me back, I surrender, Father." 32:51 So there's all these different prayers 32:53 for different situations. 32:55 And I read this little book for encouragement. 32:58 But if we're going to be doers of the Word after... 33:02 If we're gonna have this relationship, 33:05 it is reading God's Word 33:07 that will help us overcome the guilt 33:10 and what we really need to tell ourselves. 33:14 I keep in mind, 33:16 "God loves me so much, 33:18 He wants me in heaven with every part of His being, 33:21 and He's doing everything to get me there. 33:23 He loves me." 33:25 If you are out of sorts with your spouse, 33:27 or your child, or your friend, 33:29 or any one that you have a close relationship with, 33:34 do they forgive you when things get out of sort? 33:36 If you go back to them 33:38 and say, "I'm so sorry, sweetie. 33:41 I did this, or I did that, or can we talk?" 33:45 No, they embrace you. They love you. 33:47 They want you back as bad as you want their relationship. 33:50 As long as it's not a habit. 33:53 Oh, that's a good point. Right. 33:56 There are boundaries on things. Yes. 33:59 If you have a normal healthy relationship, 34:02 and we've all done that where you said 34:05 we didn't read the Word today. 34:07 You get into a day where you're so busy, 34:10 things get away from you. 34:11 And all of a sudden you look around 34:13 and go, "Whoops, 34:14 I'm neglecting my relationships." 34:17 Right. I am a doer. 34:20 I am very focused one. You're a Martha. 34:22 I'm a Martha. 34:24 You're a Martha. Get the job done. 34:27 And we're talking for those who may be watching us 34:30 and don't know 34:32 what we're talking about Martha, 34:34 Mary and Martha were sisters of Lazarus. 34:37 And when Jesus would come to their house, 34:40 Mary would be sitting at His feet, 34:42 listening to Jesus. 34:43 And Martha would just be in the kitchen, 34:45 rattling the pots and pans. 34:48 And, you know, really I'm not Mary at heart, 34:52 but I live in a Martha's world. 34:54 So it gets really crazy. 34:55 So let me ask this question. Wait a second. 34:58 Oh, I'm sorry. I want to tell one thing. 35:00 The Lord told me, being a Martha is okay, 35:01 'cause He made me this way. 35:03 Sure. 35:04 I just cannot neglect the relationship. 35:08 Amen. 35:09 And He will take in and help soften. 35:12 I mean, people around here have seen me soften some. 35:18 God is working in on me. 35:20 So if you don't get in my way when I have a purpose, 35:25 then later, I'll come back and have a relationship. 35:28 And so, the Lord helps me. Okay, duly noted. 35:32 Yeah, the Lord knows, you know, when I've got to get this done, 35:36 and then it's like, "Okay, Lord, Dee, 35:39 you need to come back and sit at My feet 35:41 and be a Mary and feed on me 35:44 so that you can get the job done in My Spirit 35:49 and not your own." 35:50 And we can always tell 35:52 when you've been sitting at His feet. 35:54 Can we look at Romans 8:13 because something you said, 35:59 Tim, I just want to make sure 36:01 I agree with what you were saying is that, 36:04 this idea of putting to death. 36:07 You know, Paul said, "I die daily, brethren." 36:10 And Jesus said, 36:11 "You know, when you are to pick up your cross, 36:14 die to self is what this means and follow Him." 36:18 But you know, this is one thing 36:20 that I just really wanted to get across. 36:23 It is important that 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, 36:27 "When we are in Christ, we're new creations. 36:31 Old has gone, new has come." 36:33 But in Romans 8:13, Robert, why don't you read that? 36:39 "For if you live according to the flesh, 36:41 you will die 36:42 but if by the Spirit you put to death 36:44 the deeds of the body, you will live." 36:46 Okay. 36:47 So who helps us put to death the deeds of the body? 36:51 Spirit. It's the Spirit. 36:53 See, we can't even do that without Him. 36:56 Right. 36:57 I mean, that's what's so critical. 37:01 That's really a cooperation. 37:05 It takes the Holy Spirit and us, 37:07 because he says, 37:08 "If by the Spirit you put to death." 37:12 So you have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, 37:15 He's not going to force you, but neither can he do it 37:21 without your cooperation. 37:22 Right. 37:24 You have to open the door, 37:25 and He'll come in and do the work. 37:27 Yeah, yeah. 37:28 So talk about being doers of the Word 37:30 because this is what James said. 37:32 Yeah, absolutely. 37:33 So you know, the Bible teaches us 37:35 that we should be doers of the Word, 37:38 not just hearers only. 37:41 And, you know, I gotta pause for a moment, 37:43 because I got to just kind of set this up. 37:45 And then somebody else can build on this, 37:47 because I don't want to hog all the time. 37:48 But I got a lot to say. 37:51 You know, when you're talking about having a relationship 37:53 with Christ, there are many people 37:55 out there that have this mentality. 37:56 As we're sitting here talking about prayer and Bible study, 37:59 and I'm sure we're going to note 38:01 just a few more things that we must do 38:04 as a response of being saved, 38:06 as being in a relationship with God. 38:09 But yet, you know, I grew up multidenominational. 38:12 I mean, I was Pentecostal for many years of my life. 38:14 But God set me on a journey 38:16 where I was, you know, studying with 38:18 Baptist Christians for a few years, 38:20 Methodist, and Church of Christ, 38:21 and I just kind of went on this nice denominational tour 38:24 where I was studying and trying to gather 38:26 and understand from a different perspective, 38:30 you know, the gospel and the understanding 38:32 of where people are coming from. 38:34 But I was taught in many aspects, 38:36 at least from certain people's perspective, 38:38 and that is, "You know what, 38:40 all I have to do is just believe in God," 38:44 You know, manipulation of John 3:16, 38:46 "Just believe in the Lord, and I shall be saved." 38:49 And so I know I believe in Him, 38:50 I put my trust in Him that He has done 38:53 what I cannot do, and that is good enough. 38:56 So don't tell me that I have to pray every day, 38:58 don't tell me that I have to read my Bible every day, 39:00 don't tell me that I have to do all these things 39:02 because now you're applying a works approach to salvation 39:06 when really, "I'm already saved." 39:08 But really, the Bible supports the fact that we must be not 39:11 just hearers of the Word, but also we should respond. 39:15 That is the response of being saved 39:18 or in a saving relationship with Christ. 39:20 I think of that famous text where Jesus said, 39:22 "If you love Me," John 14:15, "keep My commandments." 39:27 Peter, when he was preaching, 39:29 you know, to the people in the Book of Acts, he says, 39:31 you know, we should obey God rather than man. 39:33 There's an obedience factor. 39:35 And so once I come to Christ, 39:37 and I realize that He has saved me, 39:39 and that I am now engaged in a saving relationship, 39:42 it should be my natural response. 39:44 And I'm gonna use the four famous words 39:47 of my good friend, Dennis Priebe, he says, 39:49 "Really, the human mind should only have two words. 39:52 We can only have two words in our vocabulary. 39:54 It should be Yes, Lord. 39:56 Yes, Lord." 39:58 You know, whatever is required, 40:00 and I have to even use that word requirement 40:01 but nonetheless, 40:03 you know, sometimes, 40:04 you know, God will call us to respond in a way 40:07 that we may think, "Oh, you know, 40:08 that's not necessary because I'm already saved." 40:10 But yet, we must be respondent to God, 40:13 and doing what is required, in showing forth 40:17 that wonderful Christ-like spirit, 40:19 and that wonderful character. 40:21 And, you know, 40:23 we live in a world and I hate to even say this, 40:25 but, you know, you've heard the expression, 40:26 "Monkey see, monkey do." 40:27 You know, people look upon us and they look, 40:29 you know, they they're looking 40:31 and I know, we're getting to this point, 40:32 I don't want to jump too far ahead 40:34 but we're getting to the point 40:35 where we're going to talk about, 40:36 you know, producing spiritual fruit. 40:38 You know, when you are a doer of the Word also, 40:40 and not just to hear 40:42 that you will produce the fruits of the Spirit. 40:44 The fruits of the Spirit will be evident in your life 40:46 and those around you 40:47 will be able to look upon your life, 40:49 your actions, your deeds, 40:50 and they will be able to see because of that, 40:53 they will duly note that, okay, this person's different. 40:55 This person does have a relationship with Jesus. 40:58 So back to that, again, checking your spiritual pulse, 41:02 you know, are you responding to the gospel 41:05 in doing something for the kingdom of God? 41:08 Are you not just reading the Word and listening to it, 41:11 and then saying, well, I'm already saved, 41:12 I don't need to do anything else 41:14 because I'm not going to work my way to heaven. 41:16 We don't work our way to heaven to be saved, 41:19 we do the works of a Christian because we are saved. 41:24 Go ahead. I just want to say one word. 41:27 I do believe 41:29 that all you have to do is believe in Jesus 41:31 and you'll be saved. 41:33 But let me explain, 41:34 I'm not contradicting what you just said. 41:35 No, yeah. Absolutely not. 41:37 Because the word believe in the Greek means 41:40 to adhere to. 41:42 To be living in, to put all your faith upon, 41:46 so if we are disciples of Jesus, 41:51 you know, 41:53 1 John says that, "We must walk as He walked." 41:58 And so this is something that He patterned for us. 42:01 But it's something that, 42:03 you know, 42:04 do you remember when you first fell in love? 42:08 Did your heart not beat strong, 42:10 did your pulse not maybe get a little, 42:12 you know, we get excited when you're around somebody. 42:16 We need to be filled with that spiritual zeal 42:19 in the love for God. 42:21 That it isn't when we say that obedience, 42:26 some people get all bent out of shape for the Word. 42:29 But I believe with all my heart that we only obey by grace. 42:34 It is as God puts His Holy Spirit in us, 42:38 He works to cause us, 42:41 to be what He's called us to be. 42:42 He works in us to will. 42:44 Just a quick object lesson, 42:46 to kind of cap off what I was saying earlier. 42:48 You know, my wife often tells me, 42:50 you know, I'm looking at the relationship with God, 42:52 I know it's not exactly the same, 42:53 but it's similar. 42:54 And, my wife often tells me, 42:57 and out of nowhere she'll just look at me and she'll smile, 42:59 and I'll look over and like, Why are you smiling me? 43:01 It's kind of weird, you know. 43:02 I'll see, she'll just give me a smile. 43:04 And I should say, I know, 43:05 but she will say, she wants to say 43:07 I know that you really love me. 43:08 And I'm like, well, of course, I love you. 43:10 She's like, we know. But I know that you love me. 43:12 I'm like, well, what are you getting at? 43:13 And she said, Well, I know that you love me 43:15 because of these little things you do for me. 43:17 You don't just tell me, you love me. 43:19 You show me that you love me 43:21 by doing these little things for me 43:22 that you don't have to do. 43:23 You just do it. 43:25 And so that makes me feel good, 43:26 it makes me feel 43:28 all warm and fuzzy inside to know that my wife, 43:29 you know, notices those things. 43:30 And I do the same for her. 43:32 I noticed that the little thing she does, 43:33 and just back again to the whole point 43:34 of a relationship, 43:36 you know, a relationship 43:37 you can't go and tell your wife or your spouse, 43:39 you know, just walk through the house and say, 43:40 "Oh, honey, I love you." 43:41 But yet, there's no outward showing of that. 43:43 There's no response of that. 43:44 So again, being doers of the word, 43:46 not just hearers of the word. 43:47 Amen. JD, you had a thought. 43:49 Well, I just want a new board, 43:50 you just segue right into it 43:52 'cause there's the see part of this particular verse. 43:55 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, 43:59 deceiving yourself." 44:01 So it's kind of like you just added right there, 44:03 you could just walk through the house. 44:04 Yep, you know. 44:06 That's James 1:22. 44:07 James 1:22. 44:08 That's just what we were reading. 44:10 What is the main cause 44:13 of a relationship? 44:16 Breakdown. Breakdown. 44:18 What is the root reason? Neglect. 44:21 Like intimidation and neglect. 44:23 So, well, finish your thought. 44:24 Well, no. 44:26 And so it just as we were saying, 44:28 there's got to be 44:30 some relationship in there. 44:32 Yeah. 44:34 The thing that, 44:36 if you do have a relationship with the Lord, 44:41 or if you want 44:42 to have a relationship with the Lord, 44:43 I think it's very important to know 44:45 that the Creator of the universe 44:47 has the supernatural power to woo us. 44:51 And wooing us, 44:53 then we're interested 44:55 because there's something going on. 44:58 And then I think we can go, then as we fall in love, 45:02 then we want to demonstrate that love. 45:04 I mean, it just comes natural. 45:05 We're in Jeremiah 31:3, 45:07 you know, He says, 45:09 "I have loved you with an everlasting love. 45:10 Therefore, I have to run you with cords of love. 45:15 I enjoy that. 45:16 Robert, I know that you have been very active 45:20 in your Christian life, 45:22 and in teaching classes, and leading, 45:26 how do you feel about fruit bearing? 45:32 The thing that helps me in this conversation 45:34 is first principles, 45:37 when I saw the title, pulse, taking the pulse. 45:39 Pulse is a measurement. 45:41 It's vitality, a measurement of our vitality 45:43 of our aliveness if you will. 45:46 And what helps me is thinking about the first principle, 45:48 that's the first principle of our human bodies 45:50 is our pulse, 45:51 getting down to first principle's on it. 45:53 One thing that helps me as the Great Commission 45:56 is we're called to be disciples and to make disciples. 45:59 When you said disciple, and that kind of segue, 46:01 I thought, well, maybe God wants me to share that. 46:05 If I'm a disciple, a disciple is a learner. 46:07 And if we're going to be a disciple of someone, 46:10 we have to spend time with them. 46:11 We have to learn from them. 46:13 And you don't do that by, 46:15 you know, going about your duties to the day 46:17 and then, you know, checking in at night 46:20 before you go to bed. 46:21 And so God... 46:23 Like you said, lose us and loves us 46:25 but our relationship 46:28 I think foremost is as His disciples. 46:29 We're learners, we're following Him, 46:32 He's given us a course, He's given us a mission. 46:36 And for me, that helps me to couch it 46:38 in terms of I'm a disciple of Jesus 46:41 and His disciples spent time with Him. 46:44 They had the privilege and the honor 46:46 of being in person with Him. 46:47 We don't have that. They walked in His footsteps. 46:49 But we can do the same thing. Right. 46:51 One last thing. Sure. 46:53 We talked earlier about hearing the still small voice, 46:55 and we do have all heard that. 46:57 But it only comes when we quiet ourselves. 47:00 Absolutely. And so those prayer times. 47:02 If, you know, have people that want to, 47:03 haven't heard the still small voice of God 47:05 and want to hear it more, 47:09 I don't know how to, 47:10 I don't know there's a formula for it, 47:11 but what I do know is your odds go way up, 47:14 if you'll pray and meditate. 47:15 Be still and know that I am God. 47:17 So I encourage everybody to do that, myself included. 47:21 I just gotta add something 'cause you set it up nice 47:25 where I was going with something. 47:26 I think there's a major aspect 47:28 of checking your spiritual pulse. 47:30 One of the common questions that I would receive 47:34 while I was travelling on the road as an evangelist, 47:36 I would have people come to me and say, Ryan, 47:38 how can I know that I know God? 47:40 And how can I know 47:42 that I'm being led by the Holy Spirit? 47:43 Now, I think all of us would agree that in, 47:46 you know, in checking our spiritual pulse 47:48 to make sure that we're in, 47:49 you know, engaged and actively living 47:51 in that saving relationship with Christ 47:53 on a day to day basis. 47:55 We must not just hear the Holy Spirit, 47:57 because the Holy Spirit's going to speak to everyone. 48:00 But we have to respond to now of the Holy Spirit 48:03 that is bestowed upon us. 48:04 And one aspect of the gospel 48:06 that many people don't consider 48:08 and you said it earlier, you mentioned the commission. 48:11 You mentioned the commission. 48:13 You know, a person 48:14 who bears the spiritual fruit of a Christian 48:17 is someone who is going to respond accordingly 48:22 when they receive that guiding spirit. 48:25 And one thing that comes to my mind, 48:27 I remember years ago I saw this, 48:30 one of the series that I saw by Pastor Lee Venden called, 48:34 "All About Jesus Revival Seminars." 48:36 And it really, really helped me understand, 48:38 have a better understanding too. 48:41 You know, making Jesus the focal point 48:44 of your relationship with God 48:47 and so, I remember him saying in there 48:50 and in throughout the seminar, 48:51 he sets up what is called the three legs of the stool. 48:55 And the three legs of the stool, 48:56 of course, is, we've talked 48:58 about a couple of them so far, prayer, okay, is one. 49:00 Bible study is another. 49:02 And these are just very fundamental. 49:03 He's not saying this is the only thing 49:04 but very fundamental, 49:06 you have to have these three major aspects 49:07 in order to be able to say, okay, 49:09 I'm heading in the right direction, 49:11 I'm in a saving relationship. 49:12 But the third leg of the stool, 49:14 of course, is witnessing, sharing. 49:17 And you remove any one of those and the stool isn't stable. 49:20 Absolutely. 49:21 You're moving one of those, the stool is not stable. 49:23 So the scripture that comes to my mind, 49:25 that's always stuck out to me again, 49:26 I have people saying, Ryan, 49:27 how can I make sure I have the Holy Spirit? 49:29 What's one of the indicators 49:30 that I'm being led by the Holy Spirit 49:31 or that I've received the Spirit of God in my life, 49:33 and I'm following that? 49:35 Acts 1:9, okay. 49:37 I love this verse. 49:38 And it really, really gives us some insight here. 49:40 I'm sorry, Acts? 49:42 Acts 1:9, and the Bible says here, 49:46 "But you shall receive power, 49:49 when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 49:52 You shall be witnesses to me, in Jerusalem, 49:54 and all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 49:58 So how can I make sure? 50:00 What is one of the indicators, those pulse indicators that 50:03 that I'm living in a saving relationship, 50:05 I'm being led by God. 50:07 When we receive the Holy Spirit, 50:09 one of the natural responses we can't keep our mouth shut. 50:12 We want to go, we want to go shout His goodness, 50:14 we want to go tell people about what He's done for us. 50:17 And, you know, I'm not trying to be critical or judgmental 50:20 because I've been in this situation 50:22 so many times in my life. 50:23 Where you just kind of become complacent, and stagnant, 50:26 and you kind of stop sharing Christ in the way 50:29 that the Bible encourages us to 50:31 because we kind of get settled 50:33 in the fact that we're already saved, 50:35 you know, we go to church, 50:36 you know, we do these, 50:38 we're in the motion, we're following emotion. 50:39 But you know, if you really stop for a moment 50:41 and ask yourself that question, 50:42 when's the last time 50:43 I really shared Jesus with someone? 50:46 How many people lately have I pointed towards Jesus? 50:49 How many people have I won to the kingdom of God 50:52 because I've shared the goodness of Jesus? 50:54 That's a great spiritual indicator. 50:57 If you're being led by the Spirit, 50:58 the same spirit that God gave to the disciples 51:01 and those on the day of Pentecost, 51:02 then you know, that same spirit is still at work today. 51:05 Can I give the... 51:07 Something that I think precedes that? 51:09 When someone asks me 51:11 and it ties right into what you're saying 51:14 because I agree 100%. 51:15 When some of you might want to turn 51:17 to 1 Thessalonians 3:12. 51:21 1 Thessalonians 3:12, people will ask me, 51:25 how do I know, if I have the Holy Spirit? 51:30 Well, in 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 51:33 Paul says, 51:35 "May the Lord make you increase and abound in love." 51:39 So who's doing the work here? 51:42 God. 51:44 "To one another and to all just as we do to you, 51:47 so that He may establish." 51:50 He's again the one that's doing the work. 51:53 "Your hearts blameless in holiness." 51:57 Boy, don't we wanna be blameless in holiness? 51:59 Right. 52:01 How does Paul say, 52:02 "Growing love, grow in holiness." 52:05 So he says, 52:06 "Blameless and holiness before our God and Father, 52:09 the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 52:11 with all his saints." 52:13 Romans 5:5 says that, 52:15 "God pours His love into our hearts 52:17 by the power of the Holy Spirit." 52:19 Love, unselfish love 52:22 is the essence of His character. 52:25 The fruit of the Spirit is love. 52:27 When you have the Spirit living in your heart, 52:33 the love of God loves the fulfillment of the law, 52:36 loving with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. 52:38 Love your neighbor as yourself. 52:40 It is love, 52:42 His character in you that makes you wanna win. 52:44 Absolutely. Absolutely. 52:46 It allows you to see, witnessing opportunities. 52:49 If you're looking out at the world 52:51 through God's eyes, spirit of love, 52:55 we don't witness to certain people 52:57 because we don't see that their need. 53:01 And it's God's love and the Holy Spirit 53:03 that lets us see the need and the opportunity to witness. 53:08 Amen. 53:10 Let's turn. 53:11 We're just almost out of time, 53:13 there's one scripture I really, really want to get in. 53:17 And I didn't come with a list of scriptures, 53:19 it just, they keep popping up. 53:21 We can do these for hours. 53:23 Amen. 53:25 But we do wanna mention what we're looking 53:26 at here and everything 53:27 when it comes to witnessing, 53:29 it may be as simple 53:30 as having a prayer with someone. 53:31 Oh, absolutely. Thank you. 53:33 And there's people that need prayer 53:34 on every block. 53:36 Absolutely. yeah. 53:37 Amen. 53:38 2 Corinthians. 53:40 2 Corinthians? Yes. 53:41 And actually we'll begin with verse 17, 3:17. 53:45 2 Corinthians Chapter 3, let's begin with verse 17. 53:51 It says, "Now the Lord is the spirit 53:53 and where the Spirit of the Lord is, 53:55 there is liberty. 53:56 But we all, with unveiled face 53:59 beholding as in a mirror 54:02 the glory of the Lord," what is the... 54:03 Do you have the Amplified today? 54:05 What does that say, beholding? 54:07 "And all of this, all of us with unveiled face continued 54:10 to behold in the Word of God." 54:12 In the Word of God. 54:13 Beholding the glory of the Lord 54:17 are being transformed into the same image, 54:21 from glory to glory, 54:22 just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 54:25 I think what this is saying, 54:26 and this is another way 54:28 to keep a finger on your spiritual pulse. 54:31 When your eyes are focused on Jesus Christ, 54:33 the author and finisher of your faith. 54:37 The Holy Spirit's working in you. 54:39 If you don't see transformation in your life, 54:41 you better check your spiritual pulse. 54:44 So the Holy Spirit when He says, 54:46 from glory to glory, 54:48 when Moses showed his glory, 54:51 or God showed His glory to Moses, 54:53 what did he do? 54:55 He declared his character. 54:56 So it's kind of like 54:58 from one level of God's character, 55:01 to the next. 55:02 We should be progressing, and if we're not. 55:05 The only way to do that 55:07 is as you're saying here beholding Him, 55:09 you know, I think it was Mrs. White that said. 55:12 In no other part of the Bible is salvation made more plain 55:15 than in John Chapter 3 55:17 and Christ's conversation with Nicodemus 55:19 and in John 3:14, 55:21 to feed on what you just said, 55:22 Jesus says in verse 14, 55:25 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 55:27 even so must the Son of man be lifted up." 55:30 And you go back to that story in Numbers 21, 55:32 and you focus on what's happening there. 55:35 You know, Moses puts the serpent on a pole 55:37 and the only way they could be saved as by beholding. 55:40 And I think of also what Christ said in John 12:32, 55:44 "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, 55:46 I will draw all people to Myself." 55:48 So just the practicality of what we're talking about 55:51 during this study 55:52 is it's just as simple as, you know, Ryan, 55:54 I'm not really praying like I should, Ryan, 55:56 I'm not really studying my Bible like I should, 55:58 you know, I'm not witnessing like I should. 55:59 But I think what really kind of gets us on that path 56:03 is simply take our minds off the distractions 56:06 that the devil is setting to eclipse that of Jesus. 56:09 And then put Jesus, behold it in front of us, 56:12 uplift him, 56:13 place him before us at all times, 56:15 and as we focus on the love 56:17 and the wonderful character of Christ, 56:19 all of these things begin to fall. 56:21 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. There you go. 56:23 Things of this world will fade. That's right. 56:26 You're going this way, 56:28 you can look in your rear view mirror 56:29 and all those places there, they get smaller and smaller 56:32 until you don't even recognize it. 56:34 Strangely down, brother. 56:35 Love Jesus, folks. Love Jesus. 56:37 And you won't have to worry about it. 56:38 Well, you know, none of us here ahead... 56:40 I just want to thank each one of you 56:42 for joining us and for your contribution. 56:44 But what we want to tell you at home is 56:47 none of us here feel that we've made the mark. 56:51 I mean, we're not trying to set the standard. 56:55 We all... 56:57 We each try to keep a spiritual inventory, 57:00 where we're constantly having it. 57:03 And I think when you're in a public eye, 57:07 it would be easy to get a big head. 57:09 I'm just going to say that. 57:11 But if you've got pride in your life, 57:14 it's just taking you in the opposite way. 57:16 So what you've got to do 57:18 is keep your finger on your spiritual pulse, 57:20 and ask the Lord cause me the hunger 57:23 and thirst for righteousness. 57:25 Fill me, Lord. Fill me. 57:27 And just rely on Him. 57:29 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2019-03-21