1 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,000 It's wonderful to be here with each and every one of you. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,200 Today, we have a wonderful crowd and we appreciate so very much 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,300 your presence. If you consider yourself to be a 4 00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:17,300 visitor here today, we would hope and pray that you feel as 5 00:00:17,300 --> 00:00:20,900 you are. And that is our honored guest. 6 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:24,700 As I mentioned last Lord's day, I wanted to preach a sermon on 7 00:00:24,700 --> 00:00:28,500 abounding in the work of the Lord and may I say as an 8 00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:30,800 introduction before we go any further into this. 9 00:00:30,900 --> 00:00:32,800 This passage or the things that we're going to talk about. 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:38,200 I will give the congregation here credit over time and praise 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,600 for the growth that we have. All had we have seen growth 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:46,000 evangelistically, and we've seen our numbers increase, and we've 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,900 also seen some that have really grown in the faith. 14 00:00:48,900 --> 00:00:52,200 We have young men that are Desiring to do more for the 15 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,200 cause of Christ. We have three new teachers here 16 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,200 that are teaching and growing in Christ and we have other areas 17 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,100 to where we have grown as as a congregation. 18 00:01:02,900 --> 00:01:07,000 But as we enter the year, 2019, there are some things that we 19 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,400 need to improve upon if we want to continue to grow and myself 20 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,800 included, how is it that we can abound in the work of the Lord? 21 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:19,400 How is it that we can make sure that the congregation that meets 22 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:24,200 here from time to time in Bakersfield exist for another 50 23 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,900 years. If the Lord tarries These are 24 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:31,300 things we have to consider and may I say we have to consider 25 00:01:31,300 --> 00:01:37,400 them now or they will not happen 50 or 100 years from now, it has 26 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:39,500 to be. Now I want to talk about some of 27 00:01:39,500 --> 00:01:41,800 these things. The great Apostle Paul said 28 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:46,200 this, this is from the new King James in 1st Corinthians, 15 and 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,000 58. He said, therefore my beloved 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,700 Brethren be steadfast immovable. Always abounding in the work of 31 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:59,000 the Lord knowing that your labor is not Is not in vain in the 32 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,800 Lord. Very interesting. 33 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,800 The word steadfast the idea or the concept of being steadfast. 34 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,699 Really is the opposite of giving up. 35 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,200 It is the opposite of giving up. I got to tell you there's some 36 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,400 things that I really don't understand in my life. 37 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,200 I don't understand how it is. Sometimes that we have to almost 38 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:25,800 beg people to stay faithful. And sometimes we want it so bad 39 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,700 for them, but if some point in time it has to be more. 40 00:02:29,700 --> 00:02:32,300 It mean more to them than it does to us. 41 00:02:33,300 --> 00:02:36,300 If someone wants to lose weight and they hire a personal 42 00:02:36,300 --> 00:02:40,000 trainer, the personal trainer wants it really bad for that 43 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,700 person. But if some point in time, it 44 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:46,500 has to mean more to that person than it does to the one who's 45 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:50,400 encouraging that person to make changes in their life, what's it 46 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,500 mean to be steadfast? It's the opposite of giving up. 47 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,600 It literally means constantly moving ahead. 48 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:01,900 And may, I say, as we enter this year, if you're going to remain 49 00:03:01,900 --> 00:03:05,500 faithful, you have to make the determination in advance that 50 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:09,700 you are going to do nothing but constantly move ahead in your 51 00:03:09,700 --> 00:03:13,300 Christian Life, you have to make that choice, you have to make 52 00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:16,100 the determined resolve. That's what I'm going to do. 53 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,500 And that's what I'm going to be. And I'm not going to be anything 54 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:23,500 else in my life other than a faithful child of God. 55 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:25,100 Bye. But it's interesting. 56 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,400 It says steadfast and I just said that that means to 57 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:33,400 constantly move ahead but then he says immovable. 58 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:39,200 So how are you constantly moving ahead and being immovable at the 59 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,200 same time? This word immovable means. 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,400 This in means never distracted to the side. 61 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,500 Your eye has to be single. You can't be distracted to the 62 00:03:52,500 --> 00:03:55,100 side. Remember in Luke chapter 9, I 63 00:03:55,100 --> 00:03:59,800 won't go into this very far, but Jesus made the concept to in 64 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,600 Luke chapter 9, Jesus was talking to those would-be 65 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,700 followers, and he told one said, I'll follow you, just let me go 66 00:04:06,700 --> 00:04:10,500 bid them farewell at my house. We know what Jesus said. 67 00:04:10,500 --> 00:04:14,100 He said no man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is 68 00:04:14,100 --> 00:04:17,200 fit for the kingdom of God. What Jesus brilliantly. 69 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:22,300 Did he quoted an ancient proverb that dated back 800 BC? 70 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:27,100 And it means this, you cannot plow a straight Furrow if your 71 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:31,500 eyes are looking back. May I say this, you cannot 72 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:35,900 successfully live the Christian Life, if your eyes are peering 73 00:04:35,900 --> 00:04:40,400 back to your former life of sin with fondness and all the 74 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,500 wonderful thoughts and memories of what happened before. 75 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,900 Jesus said you have to turn loose from your life of sin, 76 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,200 that's the same thing. Paul is saying, you can't get 77 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,900 distracted by the peripheral issues of life and the sinful 78 00:04:56,900 --> 00:05:00,900 things that come your way, your eye has to be single and you 79 00:05:00,907 --> 00:05:04,500 have to press forward, you have to be steadfast constantly 80 00:05:04,500 --> 00:05:09,000 moving ahead and never distracted to the side. 81 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,100 And then he said this, I love this. 82 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,800 He says, always in, first of all, always means all the time. 83 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,700 Not every once in a while you see, you can't live the 84 00:05:22,707 --> 00:05:26,700 Christian Life every once in a while you can't do that. 85 00:05:26,700 --> 00:05:30,600 Every once in a while you can't get excited and motivated every 86 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,000 once in a while. He said as you do this you are 87 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,300 always and for all times going to abound in the work of the 88 00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:40,900 Lord. It means resolutely pursuing our 89 00:05:40,900 --> 00:05:43,700 goal, abounding in the work of the Lord. 90 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:49,800 You know, everybody in life. Would love to be successful. 91 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:55,200 That's the truth. Everybody wants to be successful 92 00:05:56,300 --> 00:06:01,500 but there's a saying you know, it says Success is uncommon. 93 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:06,600 It is not to be achieved by the common man and do you know why? 94 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,900 That is the reason is, everybody would love to be successful 95 00:06:10,900 --> 00:06:12,300 because that makes you feel good. 96 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:14,300 Makes you feel like you achieve something, right? 97 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:19,000 But not everybody successful in the reason for that is success 98 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:25,100 is not a goal. It's not success is not a goal. 99 00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:30,100 Success is a byproduct of doing the right things, right? 100 00:06:30,100 --> 00:06:34,100 All the time. That's that's what success is my 101 00:06:34,100 --> 00:06:37,000 dad used to say, it's a matter of doing this. 102 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,000 It's a matter of making habits of doing things that failures 103 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,800 don't like to do the hard stuff. So success is a byproduct of 104 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,200 doing that kind of stuff. It's working and Abiding, and 105 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,500 laboring, and then you be successful. 106 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:57,300 So what's it mean, by the way, have you ever heard somebody say 107 00:06:57,300 --> 00:06:58,700 now? Don't overdo it. 108 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,600 You know, somebody. It's just my personality, but 109 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:09,200 this is how I am. But I tend to overdo it with 110 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,900 things, I do working out or whatever and I've heard my whole 111 00:07:12,900 --> 00:07:14,200 life. I don't overdo it. 112 00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:17,800 Don't overdo it. Somebody might say, well, you 113 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:19,400 know, I want to be a Critic, don't overdo it. 114 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,600 I had a friend, tell me one time in college. 115 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:24,700 I think you're making too big a deal about this Christianity 116 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:27,400 stuff. You're taking it too far. 117 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,800 What does Paul say? He says that a bounding means to 118 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:37,500 go beyond or overdo it if we're going to be successful, we have 119 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:41,500 to over do it. That means we're going to go 120 00:07:41,500 --> 00:07:45,200 beyond what is normal? Go beyond what is easy and press 121 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:48,900 even harder. Now it's a matter of going to 122 00:07:48,900 --> 00:07:53,400 the extreme of are limits to overdue for the cause of Christ. 123 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:58,600 Now in chapter 16 and the first 12 verses you could pull out 124 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,400 about eight different things that we can use as examples on, 125 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,100 overdoing it or abounding in the work of the Lord. 126 00:08:06,100 --> 00:08:09,700 I've chosen for, I've chosen for number one. 127 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,700 Not going to spend a lot of time on this but number one, 128 00:08:12,700 --> 00:08:16,600 obviously, is in the first two verses of First Corinthians 129 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,700 chapter. 16, verses 1 and 2. One way that we can abound in 130 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:23,200 the work of the Lord is liberal giving. 131 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:28,700 Now, I'm talking about liberal giving from not only monetarily 132 00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:34,200 of our means, but also of ourself liberal giving of our 133 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,900 self in every aspect of life. Specifically, in the first two 134 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:42,200 verses monetarily, Paul says, now concerning the collection 135 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,700 for the Saints as I have given orders to the churches of 136 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:50,000 galatia. So you must do also on the first 137 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,100 day of the week. Let each one of you lay 138 00:08:52,100 --> 00:08:56,700 something aside, storing up, as he may Prosper, that there be no 139 00:08:56,700 --> 00:09:02,400 collections when I come. So understanding this in second 140 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,700 Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 6. 141 00:09:04,900 --> 00:09:09,600 But this, I say, he who sow sparingly will also reap 142 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,900 sparingly. Pairing Lee and he who sows 143 00:09:11,900 --> 00:09:15,700 bountifully will also reap bountifully. 144 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,900 Now, what's interesting about this this is an investment Have 145 00:09:20,900 --> 00:09:23,200 you ever stopped to consider that everything you do? 146 00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:26,500 For the cause of Christ is an investment. 147 00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:29,900 Now, I gotta tell you. This is where sometimes people 148 00:09:29,900 --> 00:09:32,200 in the religious World get this all messed up. 149 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:37,100 It is true that if you. So you, so in a certain way, you 150 00:09:37,100 --> 00:09:41,100 will reap in a certain way. But the denominational position 151 00:09:41,100 --> 00:09:46,400 of prosperity preaching is this if you give more, you're going 152 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:51,500 to reap more for your own enjoyment for your own benefit 153 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:54,000 for your own pleasure for your own reward. 154 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:58,000 But you know, the reward for giving more is in heaven. 155 00:09:58,100 --> 00:10:01,300 We are laying up Treasures in Heaven, that's the reward. 156 00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:05,400 So what does it mean by this, about how we sow and how we reap 157 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,700 from a practical standpoint? Here it is. 158 00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:12,400 I believe, with all my heart that God gives to givers not so 159 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,300 that they can reap the benefit of it in their own life, and be 160 00:10:15,300 --> 00:10:19,700 rewarded, but so that they have the ability and the capacity to 161 00:10:19,700 --> 00:10:24,800 do even more. So when you overdo it and you 162 00:10:24,900 --> 00:10:29,200 Give liberally, you will reap liberally and you'll be able to 163 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:33,300 do even that which is more. That's what it's about. 164 00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:38,000 It's about being able to do that much, is that? 165 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,700 Which is more? It's an investment, it's an 166 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:44,800 investment now. I know sometimes people are 167 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:49,300 poor. And just if you wonder about 168 00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:51,100 that, I'm going to talk about that. 169 00:10:52,100 --> 00:10:53,600 Sometimes people are really poor. 170 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,400 They don't have much, you know, Jesus, when he was sitting there 171 00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:00,400 at the court of women noticed as he looked across there and there 172 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,900 was the woman that Widow that gave two mites, which by the 173 00:11:03,900 --> 00:11:07,300 way, is 1/4 of a penny. Do you want to notice it in? 174 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:10,400 Monetary means today, it's 1/4 of a cent. 175 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,600 And he looked at all the others that were giving in the coffers 176 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,700 were being filled with these rich people, they gave out of 177 00:11:18,700 --> 00:11:23,900 their abundance, she gave out of her necessity. 178 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:28,600 In other words, they gave out of what they had left over in 179 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,500 abundance and she gave out of her necessity. 180 00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:36,400 My whole point telling you, is this Jesus said, she gave more 181 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:40,300 than all of them because she gave all she had That is a 182 00:11:40,308 --> 00:11:43,700 Christian principle, not only in the giving monetarily of our 183 00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:48,400 means, but also the giving of our life and service to Christ. 184 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,600 She gave all she had, you know, in the Philippines done and I 185 00:11:53,700 --> 00:11:57,000 don't know that we have spent any time except this year 186 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:01,200 talking about money and I think the reason is is because they're 187 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,100 so poor. It's a third world country and 188 00:12:04,100 --> 00:12:07,500 the poverty level is so high. So we don't spend a lot of time 189 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:10,600 talking about money or giving of your means or anything like 190 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,500 that, but it's a subject that needed to be taught on in fact 191 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,700 at the preacher study and Rojas Dom's topic. 192 00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:21,900 Was he Talked on benevolence and he talked on the scriptural 193 00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:25,900 pattern for benevolence both personally and congregationally, 194 00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:30,800 and my topic was on the contribution, the treasury and 195 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,700 scriptural uses for the Lord's money. 196 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:36,100 And in that, even though we understand that they have 197 00:12:36,100 --> 00:12:40,900 nothing hardly, they still have to give, we all do. 198 00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:44,400 That's the work of the church. We all have to give it doesn't 199 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:48,000 matter what you have. You still have to give and it's 200 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,100 an investment. It's an investment. 201 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,900 And I think that all of us need to remember that as we continue 202 00:12:56,900 --> 00:12:59,900 to live the Christian Life. Alright, number two, this is 203 00:12:59,908 --> 00:13:02,600 very important. We have to have a vision for the 204 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:08,200 future, you know, in verse 5 First Corinthians 16. 205 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,200 Paul said this and I'm not going to make a bigger deal out of 206 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,200 what Paul said because I don't think he really meant that for 207 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,400 to be the point. We have to make a point about 208 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:24,400 this verse 5. He said, now I will come to you. 209 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,400 When I passed through Macedonia, for I am passing through 210 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:32,300 Macedonia. I use this verse to show that we 211 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:36,600 have we as a passage to show that with vision means you have 212 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,000 to have a plan. We have to have a plan of action 213 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:45,200 in every aspect of our life, and when you have a plan then you 214 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,600 have to have objectives to achieve that plan. 215 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,000 I use this passage just to show that Paul was not satisfied. 216 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,400 With the status quo. Paul was always talking about 217 00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:59,300 and thinking about another place to take the gospel and spread 218 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:03,600 the gospel to another place. So he says this, I have a plan 219 00:14:03,700 --> 00:14:07,300 that I want to come and see you when I passed through Macedonia. 220 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:14,100 Now, I made this point yesterday in my introduction about the 221 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:18,500 congregation here and I don't know, I could ask Darren right 222 00:14:18,500 --> 00:14:19,500 now. He'd probably tell me to the 223 00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:21,300 day, how long the church has been here? 224 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:27,000 But over 50 years, And you, and I got to thinking about this 225 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,700 last week. I started thinking about all the 226 00:14:30,700 --> 00:14:33,200 pain, the congregations in California. 227 00:14:34,500 --> 00:14:36,900 That had to close their doors and sell their buildings and 228 00:14:36,900 --> 00:14:41,000 shut it down. You know, even before my time. 229 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:44,000 Some of you older. Folks can remember all the 230 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,200 churches that existed in the Los Angeles area. 231 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,800 What about all of them? Remember those all those down 232 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:56,600 there. Now, we have LAX and Covina and 233 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:59,600 we have one very small in Anaheim. 234 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,000 What about going north? What about all the 235 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,400 congregation's north that used to exist and now you just keep 236 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,000 on driving and you passed towns that once had the light of the 237 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,000 Gospel shining forth and now they're no longer there. 238 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,400 What about around here? What about around here? 239 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:24,200 What about congregations that were close by here? 240 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:29,700 That no longer exist? If we don't have a plan, now we 241 00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:33,400 will be in the same boat when it comes time down the road and 242 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,800 everybody dies. We got to have a plan and we got 243 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:42,400 to be able to work that plan. Now, I think it's wonderful. 244 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:47,500 I think it's wonderful that we have not, we have not suffered 245 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:51,200 negative growth. Meaning this, you know, we've 246 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,000 lost a lot of people. If you go back a number of years 247 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,900 ago, I mean lost to death to passing away, but if you go back 248 00:15:57,900 --> 00:16:01,800 years ago, there was one family, the jostling family, I preached 249 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:04,700 nine funerals from that family nine. 250 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,400 Over the last. I don't know how many couple of 251 00:16:08,408 --> 00:16:09,900 years. Six people are. 252 00:16:09,900 --> 00:16:14,800 So six, seven of nine. People are passing away because 253 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:16,900 that's life. That's what happens. 254 00:16:17,700 --> 00:16:19,900 And fortunately, we baptize some folks. 255 00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:22,600 We've converted some folks. So we haven't suffered the 256 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,500 ramifications of big negative growth. 257 00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:32,100 So we remained relatively close to the same size because we are 258 00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:35,200 converting people proportionate to how many were losing, but can 259 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,500 you imagine if we stop doing that? 260 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:42,700 We get smaller and smaller and smaller. 261 00:16:42,700 --> 00:16:44,900 We have a challenge. We have a challenge ahead of us, 262 00:16:44,900 --> 00:16:46,500 and I say this to you, please hear me. 263 00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:53,400 I say this to you not as a - I'm not a negative guy but he might 264 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:54,800 said that this to me not long ago. 265 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:56,100 A preacher friend of mine. Good buddy. 266 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:57,900 He said you know what? There's three kinds of people. 267 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,700 There's people like you meaning me and then there's another kind 268 00:17:02,700 --> 00:17:05,500 of guy and then he says and then there's me, I said, oh what does 269 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:07,599 that mean? He said you know you are he said 270 00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:10,400 you're kind of uh you're the positive football coach that 271 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,099 gets in the locker room and tells his team, you can and get 272 00:17:14,099 --> 00:17:15,700 some to believe it, they can use. 273 00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:18,700 That's you. He said, then there's the person 274 00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,700 up in the stands that says, man, we got no shot. 275 00:17:22,900 --> 00:17:26,300 That's the negative guy. And I said, where does that put 276 00:17:26,300 --> 00:17:27,599 you? He said, well, here's me. 277 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:30,200 You've already lost the game. He just don't know it yet. 278 00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:34,400 I'm not the - guy and I never will be. 279 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,600 I choose not to do that. I will never do that. 280 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,600 But I'll tell you this. It doesn't mean that a positive 281 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:46,600 person cannot preach something - and it doesn't mean that I can't 282 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,200 make a negative statement. I'm going to make one now, 283 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:53,100 please hear me. We have a challenge, a huge 284 00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:56,600 Challenge, and a huge task. You know what, that is taking 285 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,600 The Greatest Story Ever, Told to people and the majority of the 286 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:05,100 people that RIT, don't want it. That's fact. 287 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:13,100 So what Jesus said and few there be that find it. 288 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:19,200 That's what Jesus said, our job is not about to result. 289 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:23,400 Our job is about the effort. And you know what, when the Lord 290 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,100 comes back, do you know the Lord is not going to say Frank? 291 00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:28,200 Let me see. How many, how many did you get? 292 00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:33,300 How many did you get, did, did you hit the number right? 293 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:37,000 No, he's not going to do that, but he's going to know whether I 294 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,600 took the gospel to people and spread the seed of it, he's 295 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,700 going to know that. He's got to know if I did my 296 00:18:42,700 --> 00:18:45,300 part. We have the majority of the 297 00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:48,100 people that are around us, we're trying to take the gospel to 298 00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:51,900 people that are so busy with everything else that becomes 299 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:53,800 their religion. And you just plug it in, 300 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:58,200 whatever it is just too busy. So what's going to happen? 301 00:18:58,700 --> 00:19:01,200 What can we do? I'll tell you exactly what we 302 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,800 can do. It has to change in the family. 303 00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:06,700 We have got to change the family. 304 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:10,100 We've got to get the family where the family needs to be. 305 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,800 And I'm talking about the structure of the family, the 306 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,700 structure of the Family. Wednesday nights were studying 307 00:19:16,700 --> 00:19:20,800 now about the structure of the family where the man is 308 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,500 fulfilling his role in the home, and the woman is fulfilling her 309 00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:28,400 role in the home and Lie, they had it right? 310 00:19:30,500 --> 00:19:31,800 Now, I'm going to say this to you. 311 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,500 Can you imagine what we could do together? 312 00:19:37,300 --> 00:19:43,000 If you as families would pull together, get the structure of 313 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,300 your family, right? And go shoulder-to-shoulder with 314 00:19:46,300 --> 00:19:50,600 me, as an evangelist laboring among you with our sleeves 315 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,500 rolled up working together. Can you imagine what we can 316 00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:56,900 accomplish? I'll tell you this. 317 00:19:58,500 --> 00:20:03,000 All successful works in the body of Christ that I know of today. 318 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,900 All successful, works are Works where the Evangelist is working 319 00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:12,600 among them and families are working to support the work. 320 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:19,900 yeah, working I'm an evangelist. It's my job to evangelize. 321 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,100 Can you imagine how it would be? If families would pull together 322 00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:26,500 and start strengthening those that we convert? 323 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:32,200 So the Evangelist can continue and preach the gospel and do the 324 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:37,400 work of an evangelist. Can you imagine how many people 325 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,100 we could save as Linwood? Smith said, one time if we 326 00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:42,300 didn't have to keep saving the same ones over and over. 327 00:20:44,300 --> 00:20:45,700 I'm going to tell you something families. 328 00:20:45,700 --> 00:20:48,400 I need you. Yeah I said it. 329 00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:50,800 I need you. The work needs you. 330 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,500 The future of the church needs you. 331 00:20:55,400 --> 00:21:01,200 We got to do better. You know, more people today, I 332 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:05,500 think are looking for churches. More than we're looking for the 333 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:10,300 truth. I think that happens so let's 334 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:12,600 take a look at this. We're talking about planting 335 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,500 we're talking about a vision, let's look at a passage that's 336 00:21:15,500 --> 00:21:21,800 found in Proverbs 29:18, notice Proverbs 29:18 where there is no 337 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:26,500 vision, the people perish. Now, what is the word vision? 338 00:21:26,500 --> 00:21:28,100 Mean? I've already established with 339 00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:32,600 you at the reason we put that up for Paul's plan was to show that 340 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:38,500 a vision includes a plan got to have a plan, but 29, May 18 341 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:41,500 tells us some rules about the plan. 342 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,700 All we have to do is find out what the word Vision means In 343 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:47,800 this passage. It's all we got to do, all we 344 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:50,200 got to do is go to the new King James, and it tells us what it 345 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:52,400 means here. It is, where there is no 346 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:58,100 Revelation, the people cast off restraint, that's what the word 347 00:21:58,100 --> 00:22:02,800 Vision means in that passage and Revelation is the word of God. 348 00:22:02,900 --> 00:22:08,000 So, what I'm saying is in our plans, it has to not only Clued 349 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:13,200 Revelation but our plans cannot go beyond revelation. 350 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:18,600 Take over helmet word of God. It's not about programs. 351 00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:21,700 You know, sometimes people in the religious World, they'll 352 00:22:21,700 --> 00:22:24,100 say, you know, it's not about the programs, we have the 353 00:22:24,100 --> 00:22:27,300 programs, but it's not about the program's about the southern the 354 00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:30,900 program, shouldn't draw you in, but they have the programs and 355 00:22:30,900 --> 00:22:33,000 the programs are drawing people in. 356 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,500 You see the point? Most people are looking for 357 00:22:39,500 --> 00:22:42,700 church that has what they're looking for, instead of what the 358 00:22:42,700 --> 00:22:47,300 truth is of the word of God. So in our plan, it has to not 359 00:22:47,300 --> 00:22:52,300 only include the word of God, it can't go beyond the word of God. 360 00:22:53,100 --> 00:23:01,700 Now, Vision. Vision by definition is dealing 361 00:23:01,700 --> 00:23:05,500 with an appearance. It is that which comes into 362 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:09,400 view. In the Lord's church and at in 363 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,500 this congregation we have a four-fold vision, its fourfold, 364 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:18,100 and here it is. We got to see a lost world. 365 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:25,000 We have to see a saving gospel. We have to see that the world is 366 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,800 lost without the gospel, and finally, we have to see our 367 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:33,000 responsibility and taking the gospel to a lost world. 368 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:36,100 Let me show you the importance of that. 369 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,000 Give you an example of that. Here's an illustration, I used 370 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,100 to use many many many years ago in another sermon. 371 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:44,600 But I love it. I think it fits. 372 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,400 There was a wise old Indian father, that had three sons. and 373 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:55,700 he decided he wanted to give all of his possessions in life to 374 00:23:55,700 --> 00:23:58,800 one of his three sons that showed the greatest prowess and 375 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,900 the greatest promise as the tested pointed to a mountain 376 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:05,700 that was bold against the sky, he sent all three of them up the 377 00:24:05,700 --> 00:24:09,300 side of the mountain, and he gave this instruction He said 378 00:24:09,300 --> 00:24:13,100 the only thing you have to do. The only requirement is when you 379 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:17,900 come back you have to bring back in your hand, a token to show 380 00:24:17,900 --> 00:24:21,900 how high you climbed. The first son wasn't gone very 381 00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:24,300 long. When he came back, he stood 382 00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:27,700 before his father and he opened up his hand and in his hand was 383 00:24:27,700 --> 00:24:32,000 a white Wildflower. His father knew exactly how high 384 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,000 he climbed because he knew that grew just above the Timberline. 385 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,500 The second son was gone for a long time. 386 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:41,900 When he came back, he stood before his father and he opened 387 00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:44,600 up his hand. And in his hand, he had a red 388 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,300 Flintstone which showed the father he made it almost to the 389 00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:51,600 top. But the third son was gone for a 390 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,200 long, long, long time. When he came back, he stood 391 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,600 before his father, he said, father in my hand, I have 392 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,300 nothing. Because where I went, there was 393 00:25:00,300 --> 00:25:03,900 nothing to bring back. But he said, father, Where I 394 00:25:03,900 --> 00:25:08,100 Stood. I stood on the mountain, I stood 395 00:25:08,100 --> 00:25:10,900 on the summit, and I overlooked the valley. 396 00:25:10,900 --> 00:25:13,200 And I saw two Great Rivers. Join the ocean. 397 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:17,700 His father said, it's been my life's ambition. 398 00:25:17,700 --> 00:25:22,300 That one of my sons would have seen what you have seen. you 399 00:25:22,300 --> 00:25:25,000 stand here as it were with nothing in your hand, to show 400 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:30,100 for your travels, but you have a vision in your soul, the 401 00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:34,900 greatest of all The point being in our life to as a Christian 402 00:25:34,900 --> 00:25:38,300 you may look back on your life and you may say, wait a minute, 403 00:25:38,300 --> 00:25:40,000 I got really nothing to show for it. 404 00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:43,900 But if you can say that where you have gone, you stood on the 405 00:25:43,900 --> 00:25:48,900 summit and you saw the two great needs of human need and soul 406 00:25:48,900 --> 00:25:51,000 starvation. Join the ocean of life. 407 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,800 If you can say that where you've gone, you've seen that, and you 408 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:58,200 did all, you could you'll have something far greater, you'll 409 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:03,200 have a vision in your soul. The greatest of all number 410 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:05,800 three, this morning. There's something else we have 411 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,200 to be nice and kind of audit first. 412 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,200 But we have to have a sense of flexibility, you know why? 413 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,900 Because sometimes plans change, and you can't get discouraged 414 00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:21,200 and quit because it did And if you run into a roadblock, so 415 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,600 what do you got to keep going? You got to have a sense of 416 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:27,400 flexibility. Paul didn't notice this first 417 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,500 Corinthians 16 6 and 7 and it may be that I will remain or 418 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:35,400 even spend the winter with you that you may send me on my way 419 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:40,000 wherever I go for. I do not wish to see you now on 420 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:44,600 the way, but I hope to stay a while notice, if the Lord 421 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:51,400 permits Everything we do has to be with the provision if the 422 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:53,600 Lord permits. Do you know why? 423 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:57,500 Because when you make plans, there are two things that are 424 00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:01,800 uncertain to things that are uncertain and two things that 425 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,200 you have nothing to do with number one, the uncertainty of 426 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,100 life. And number two, God's 427 00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:11,900 Providence, and God's will. So you have to subject in our 428 00:27:11,900 --> 00:27:15,200 planning in our vision. We have to subjected to the will 429 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,900 of God first Corinthians 16, 6 & 7. 430 00:27:19,500 --> 00:27:22,600 What else, how about this James for? 431 00:27:22,700 --> 00:27:26,400 And James was condemned. Being presumptuous planning, 432 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,100 that's planning that basically presumes that everything is 433 00:27:30,100 --> 00:27:34,000 going to be exactly, as you have described it to me or plan to 434 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,500 be, you don't think about God at all. 435 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,100 So, here we go. Come now, you who say today or 436 00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:43,700 tomorrow, we will go to such and such a city, spend a year buying 437 00:27:43,700 --> 00:27:47,000 sell and make a profit. Whereas you do not know what 438 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:48,800 your what will happen tomorrow for. 439 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,000 What is your life? It is either even a vapor that 440 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,700 appears for a little time. And then vanishes away. 441 00:27:55,900 --> 00:28:00,600 Instead you ought to say, if the Lord Wills we shall live and do 442 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:07,500 this or that, You know, Paul had many dreams and ambitions. 443 00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:10,800 For taking the gospel to the world. 444 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:13,300 And I'm going to notice a passage with you. 445 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:18,200 That was in Apostolic times that dealt with miraculous Visions. 446 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,900 We don't have that today, but we do have the answer to prayer. 447 00:28:20,900 --> 00:28:24,200 We do have God's Providence, but I want to notice something that 448 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:28,000 happened to Paul. and just think about what if Paul would have 449 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:35,800 got discouraged, Quit. What acts 16 now when they had 450 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:41,000 gone through phrygia and the reason region of galatia they 451 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,100 were forbidden by the Holy Spirit, to preach the word. 452 00:28:44,100 --> 00:28:47,300 In Asia, after they had come to miss you. 453 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:51,400 They tried to go to basilia but the spirit did not permit them 454 00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:56,700 so passing by Miss Tia, they came to troas and a vision 455 00:28:56,700 --> 00:29:00,500 appeared to Paul in the night a man of Macedonia stood and 456 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:04,100 pleaded with him saying Saying, come over to Macedonia and help 457 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:06,300 us. Now, after he had seen the 458 00:29:06,300 --> 00:29:10,000 vision immediately, we sought to go to Macedonia concluding that 459 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:14,100 the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 460 00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:18,800 What an amazing Passage. They wanted to go to Asia 461 00:29:19,500 --> 00:29:20,600 Spirit. Stop them. 462 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,600 They wanted to go to the Athenian. 463 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,700 Nope. Spirit stopped him, they 464 00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:26,700 couldn't go east. They already been there. 465 00:29:27,100 --> 00:29:29,500 They wanted to go south. Couldn't go to South spirit 466 00:29:29,500 --> 00:29:31,300 said. No, they wanted to go north. 467 00:29:31,300 --> 00:29:35,000 Nope, spirit said no. So they went the only way they 468 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,500 could go, they went West and they found themself hitting the 469 00:29:38,500 --> 00:29:43,100 agency and then all of a sudden they got the Macedonian call. 470 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,900 Now, think about it this way, what if they were I'd have 471 00:29:46,900 --> 00:29:50,700 stopped too soon. I want to go over here. 472 00:29:50,700 --> 00:29:52,000 They said, okay, no problem over there. 473 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:53,100 Oh, my can't do it, I'll go get it now. 474 00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:54,500 Go. Well, back over here. 475 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:59,300 Yeah, you can go there sometimes plans change. 476 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,200 And we need to be flexible with our planning and not get 477 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,700 discouraged when it doesn't happen. 478 00:30:05,700 --> 00:30:08,800 And I really appreciate the the brothers here. 479 00:30:09,500 --> 00:30:11,800 When they pray in our congregational setting, because 480 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,800 they always pray for the work, and I appreciate that more than 481 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:16,600 you will ever know. Especially when you pray for me. 482 00:30:16,700 --> 00:30:19,200 Me. And when you pray for me, and 483 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,800 you mentioned me in prayer, laboring among you, but pray for 484 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:26,500 the work as a whole to pray for all of us in the work. 485 00:30:27,500 --> 00:30:33,000 Now watch what happens when we pray in first John 5 and 14. 486 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:37,300 Now this is the confidence that if we ask that, we have in him 487 00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:40,800 that if we ask anything according to his will he hears 488 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,300 us? Now you've heard me preach this 489 00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:47,200 from time to time. God hears, the audible sound of 490 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,300 everything. But this is a promise for the 491 00:30:51,300 --> 00:30:55,400 Christian, and if we pray according to his will with that 492 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,000 provision, he hears us. What does that mean? 493 00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:00,900 The word here? Debbie evine, presupposes. 494 00:31:00,900 --> 00:31:03,700 A response. What it's saying is when you 495 00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:09,400 pray God's going to answer the prayer, and it may be no, So 496 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:14,200 what when you pray according to God's will, it's not a matter of 497 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,500 you bending. God to you and his will to you. 498 00:31:17,500 --> 00:31:20,700 It's about you submitting, your will to God's will. 499 00:31:20,900 --> 00:31:24,500 And if you do that and you pray with that provision, God's going 500 00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:28,300 to answer our prayers, but fourthly and finally, this 501 00:31:28,300 --> 00:31:32,700 morning, As we looked at a number of these things so far, 502 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:35,700 we have to give liberally. We have to have a vision for the 503 00:31:35,700 --> 00:31:37,000 future. Obviously they have to be 504 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,900 flexible everything subject to the will of God, but finally, we 505 00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:45,400 have to be thorough now. I think thoroughness here. 506 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,800 Involves a commitment. It involves a commitment. 507 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,500 We have to be thorough, couple things about this back to verses 508 00:31:53,500 --> 00:31:57,800 6 and 7 again. And it may be that I will remain 509 00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:02,100 or even spend the winter with you that you may send me on my 510 00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:07,100 way wherever I go for. I do not wish to see you now on 511 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:11,200 the way, but I hope to stay with you a while. 512 00:32:12,500 --> 00:32:18,500 Paul understood. He understood the realities and 513 00:32:18,500 --> 00:32:23,100 he understood the importance of staying a while and the work. 514 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:26,200 And may I say this to you, I love to hold gospel meetings 515 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:28,000 that go throughout the country and do that. 516 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,000 We have gospel meetings here in, you know, what happens day. 517 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,200 What happens? Oh the preacher and by the way, 518 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:35,200 you know who the greatest preacher is that the next guy 519 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,700 that came into town? The latest guy and everybody 520 00:32:38,700 --> 00:32:41,100 gets excited. Oh, and we have somebody here. 521 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:42,800 That holds us a gospel meeting, you know? 522 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:44,400 It's wonderful. Everybody gets excited. 523 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:45,500 Oh, it's cold. Oh dear. 524 00:32:45,500 --> 00:32:48,400 That is great. Then about Tuesday or Wednesday 525 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,600 of the following week. The excitement goes away and we 526 00:32:52,600 --> 00:32:54,900 just kind of In Time start reverting back to what we've 527 00:32:54,900 --> 00:32:57,600 always done, right? Kind of happens. 528 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:05,000 But the work has to continue and the work takes thoroughness and 529 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:08,500 the work takes time. It takes time. 530 00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:14,400 Now, Paul was not a superficial guy, he was not a superficial 531 00:33:15,100 --> 00:33:17,200 preacher. In fact, I'll tell you. 532 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:20,600 Sometimes there's a lot of superficial preaching in the 533 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,100 world today. This actually really happened by 534 00:33:23,100 --> 00:33:25,500 the way. I can't even imagine being 535 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:29,600 called this, but there was a preacher in some denomination 536 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:35,300 who's preaching was so shallow, It had no depth that had no 537 00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:36,600 meaning. It was so shallow, you know what 538 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,700 they called him. His congregants gave him a 539 00:33:39,708 --> 00:33:43,100 nickname. You know, was birdbath. 540 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:46,400 He's so shallow they called him birdbath. 541 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:47,800 Can you imagine walking to Billie Holiday? 542 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:55,100 Here's birdbath, how you doing? Preaching is not shouting. 543 00:33:56,700 --> 00:34:01,500 Preaching is edification preaching, the word needs to 544 00:34:01,500 --> 00:34:06,500 have that kind of effect. And may I say this to there's a 545 00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:10,199 three-fold responsibility or three phone work of the church, 546 00:34:10,900 --> 00:34:17,000 it's evangelism edification and benevolence and that is it. 547 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:20,600 Now, my job is to be an evangelist. 548 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:24,400 It's also my job to help in the edification, but not just me. 549 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:28,800 It takes the teachers to, I'm excited about this and I'm 550 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,000 excited about the future. And what what? 551 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:33,600 We might be able to teach here? I want to meet with the teachers 552 00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:38,300 really soon all the men that teach and brainstorm some 553 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,100 subject matters that would help the congregation. 554 00:34:41,100 --> 00:34:45,000 Perhaps also getting some information and feedback from 555 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:48,800 the congregation on subjects that they they would feel would 556 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:52,400 be helpful if they heard preached from the pulpit to have 557 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,900 some sort of a plan and a structure that we stick to. 558 00:34:55,900 --> 00:34:59,800 So we can make sure that we are edifying, the body of Christ, 559 00:35:02,300 --> 00:35:06,600 Looking forward to that. Listen to this, let me show you 560 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:16,600 how thorough Paul was. In Colossians 1 and 28 him. 561 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,900 We preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom 562 00:35:20,900 --> 00:35:25,300 that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus that's 563 00:35:25,300 --> 00:35:28,300 pretty thorough. Then in Ephesians chapter 4, he 564 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:32,100 talked about perfecting the Saints or equipping the Saints 565 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:36,100 and he said this and he himself gave some to be Apostles, some 566 00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:39,100 prophets, some evangelists some pastors and teachers. 567 00:35:39,300 --> 00:35:42,400 Look at this phrase here for the equipping of the Saints. 568 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,900 For the work of the Mystery for the edifying of the body of 569 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:48,800 Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith, and the 570 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,300 knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man. 571 00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:55,200 You know what sometimes we do, we quote this passage and we add 572 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:59,000 a comma. So we say it like this, For the 573 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,600 equipping of the Saints. Pause for the work of the 574 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:05,400 ministry. Pause for the edifying of the 575 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:08,300 body of Christ. That's not what it says. 576 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:12,500 It's one sentence. Look for the equipping of the 577 00:36:12,500 --> 00:36:14,200 Saints for the work of the ministry. 578 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:17,800 That's you. That's you. 579 00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:22,900 It's my job to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry. 580 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:28,000 That means it's not just the preacher, it's you, and it's my 581 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,700 job to help and trained and equipped. 582 00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:34,500 What else he goes further to the measure of the stature of the 583 00:36:34,500 --> 00:36:37,400 fullness of Christ that we should no longer, be children, 584 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,600 tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of 585 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,500 Doctrine by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of 586 00:36:44,500 --> 00:36:49,300 deceitful plotting. Verses 15 and 16 says this. 587 00:36:51,300 --> 00:36:53,800 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him, in all 588 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:57,200 things, which is the head even Christ from whom the whole body 589 00:36:57,200 --> 00:37:00,300 fitly joined together and compacted by that, which every 590 00:37:00,300 --> 00:37:03,900 joint supplieth, according to the effectual, working in the 591 00:37:03,900 --> 00:37:07,900 measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the 592 00:37:07,900 --> 00:37:10,800 edifying of itself. In love, Paul took the word of 593 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,800 God. Second Timothy, 3:16 and 17 to 594 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:18,700 equipped or perfect, the Saints. That's a work and that's 595 00:37:18,700 --> 00:37:22,000 together and that took time. And, you know, the first time he 596 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:23,900 went to Corinth, he was there about a year. 597 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,200 The second time he was there, he was there for about three 598 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:30,400 months. He used the entire time to train 599 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,500 and work with them and I want to notice a passage found in 600 00:37:34,500 --> 00:37:36,700 Galatians chapter 4. I love this passage. 601 00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:40,000 You know why? Because it shows that there's a 602 00:37:40,008 --> 00:37:44,600 period of time for growth and Galatians, chapter 4. 603 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:50,300 My little children from whom I labor and birth. 604 00:37:50,300 --> 00:37:57,000 Again, get this until Christ is formed in you. 605 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:01,000 You know why people struggle a lot? 606 00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:06,400 Christ is not formed in them. Do you know why they sometimes 607 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:10,100 have priority problems? Christ is not formed in them. 608 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:13,400 You know why? They have attendance issues. 609 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:20,000 Christ is not formed in them. We have somewhere around 60 here 610 00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:23,900 60 or so. Plus in this assembly this 611 00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:29,700 morning, Wednesday night. We get on, average 17, 15 17 one 612 00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:34,600 time, we had 11 recently, Come on, we can we can do better than 613 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:38,300 that. Oh, we can do better than that. 614 00:38:38,300 --> 00:38:41,900 That's not good enough. You know what the problem is and 615 00:38:41,900 --> 00:38:45,600 I want to say this so I'm not misunderstood, I'm not talking 616 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:48,000 to the precious older folks to do, all they can to be here and 617 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,100 would be here if they could but they can't get out. 618 00:38:50,100 --> 00:38:52,900 I'm not talking to you. I'm not talking about those that 619 00:38:52,900 --> 00:38:55,100 have ailments, where they can't get around in their sick. 620 00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:57,400 I'm not talking about that at all, and I'm not talking about 621 00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:59,900 the fact, there's sometimes, there are extenuating 622 00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:01,900 circumstances beyond our control. 623 00:39:01,900 --> 00:39:06,600 I'm not talking to you either, but out of the congregation size 624 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,800 that we have, I guarantee you. Some people are just making a 625 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:13,500 choice. And when you choose otherwise, 626 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:17,100 you know what Jesus Christ is not formed in you. 627 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:23,100 He's not. because if he was, you know, what happens, 628 00:39:24,500 --> 00:39:26,300 Automatically the Lord's number one. 629 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:31,900 Automatically we demonstrate that he's number one by our 630 00:39:31,900 --> 00:39:37,100 example, by our Behavior, I want to challenge each and every one 631 00:39:37,100 --> 00:39:41,600 of you and 2019. I want to challenge every single 632 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:46,900 one of you in 2019 that when a year goes by let's look back and 633 00:39:46,900 --> 00:39:51,000 say that Christ was finally formed in me. 634 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,100 Let's do that. That's number one. 635 00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:56,600 What do I need the congregation to do? 636 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:58,700 I need you to, I'll do my part. I will work. 637 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:03,400 I will work as hard as I can. I will labor among you patiently 638 00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:07,600 until Christ is formed in you, but you got some work to do. 639 00:40:08,300 --> 00:40:11,700 We all do. We all do Christ, needs to be 640 00:40:11,700 --> 00:40:16,100 formed in US. We need to stay faithful folks, 641 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:19,700 we need to keep plugging at it. Staying in there, hanging in 642 00:40:19,700 --> 00:40:21,600 there, and if you get stuff, it's all right. 643 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:25,300 It's tough, don't quit. Don't be superficial, we have 644 00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:29,700 way too much superficial Christianity Today on the 645 00:40:29,707 --> 00:40:33,800 surface and that must certainly grieve the heart of God. 646 00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:38,300 But remember if families will pull together and families will 647 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:41,300 have Christ formed in them? Can you imagine what we can do 648 00:40:41,300 --> 00:40:43,100 together? I'm going to tell you what will 649 00:40:43,100 --> 00:40:45,800 happen. Instead of sitting back thinking 650 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:50,900 a whole look how bad it is. We may say, you know what? 651 00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:53,900 We may yet to see our finest hour. 652 00:40:55,700 --> 00:40:59,000 Now I'm in it. I'm in it for good. 653 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:02,100 But I need you every step of the way. 654 00:41:03,300 --> 00:41:05,000 What have we learned today is we close? 655 00:41:06,700 --> 00:41:09,100 We learned that if we're going to abound in the work of the 656 00:41:09,100 --> 00:41:11,800 lord, we have to give liberally, not only monetarily but of 657 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:14,600 ourself got start doing that. Got to be better, right? 658 00:41:14,700 --> 00:41:17,300 Gotta do better. Number two, we got to have a 659 00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:19,100 vision for the future. That's the plan. 660 00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:21,500 We have to plan our work and work our plan and we're going to 661 00:41:21,500 --> 00:41:23,900 have such a plan. We're going to have such a work 662 00:41:23,900 --> 00:41:27,900 lined out, still need you but we cannot go beyond the word of 663 00:41:27,900 --> 00:41:29,900 God. We cannot go beyond Revelation. 664 00:41:29,900 --> 00:41:33,100 Number three, we got to be flexible because sometimes 665 00:41:33,100 --> 00:41:36,200 things change and we have to submit everything that we do. 666 00:41:36,500 --> 00:41:39,900 To God's Will and not be discouraged and give up if 667 00:41:39,900 --> 00:41:44,300 something didn't work. And finally be thorough and 668 00:41:44,300 --> 00:41:46,400 realize this is not an overnight thing. 669 00:41:47,500 --> 00:41:50,500 I need you to be committed to the Long Haul. 670 00:41:51,500 --> 00:41:54,400 Commit to the Long Haul. Let's be thorough. 671 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:56,900 And finally, please please, please. 672 00:41:58,900 --> 00:42:02,700 Let Christ be formed in you. Change your life. 673 00:42:03,900 --> 00:42:06,500 Let's go be better. Let's go be better in the future 674 00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:08,000 than we've ever been in days gone. 675 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:09,600 By I'm finished. Thank you for your kind of 676 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:13,000 listening. We thank you for listening to 677 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:17,800 our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. 678 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,300 Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional 679 00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:24,600 information, or you would like to receive a free Bible 680 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:30,100 correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at her 681 00:42:30,100 --> 00:42:32,500 Church of Christ Bakersfield.com. 682 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:38,400 Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 683 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:42,800 Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us. 684 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:45,600 We would love for you to be our honored guest.