Bill Kauble 0:46
Wow,

it is so good to see some of you guys this morning.

Thank you. It’s so great for us to be back together so great. And to see the vast audience that’s out here. We are so grateful. We warmly welcome you guys, both here and also on the Internet and on your phones, that we are just absolutely overflowing with our blessing from God for today and to be able to come back and have as many as 60. Guys, here we had prayer room upstairs, we one of the things that we celebrate, that we didn’t know how much we missed, was gathering together and praying together. We believe so much that we are faith based, Christ centered and grace driven. We have five pillars that we believe in with all our heart. One is Jesus is not only our Savior, but Jesus is Lord of our lives. The Bible is the final authority. We are men of prayer, we link with like minded men, and we give it away. And everybody who is involved in this ministry has a sense of what’s going on right now. Evil is increasing. Evil is absolutely increasing. But creation is increasing all the more graces what I have my dear friend and I won’t mention Frank Daniels by name. He prays for the people in Washington DC, he prays for that woman, that woman, I won’t say Nancy Pelosi name. And I won’t see Kamala her name. And that prison Biden guy and Chuck Schumer, but Frank prays for them for their salvation, because the issue is not them. They are not the problem. They are not the issue. This is spiritual, spiritual warfare. And so what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna take an offering this morning, the first offering in a year, right now. And we want to just basically come together as men.

And thank you, Father, we are so grateful for all the gifts you’ve given us the forum. You’ve given us Ron Tovar to head up the forum, Father, and we are so grateful that men, every man and influencers, we’re praying Lord, would come together and for him. Father, I thank you for the angel of this ministry, Pete Mackenzie, the fact that you continue to give him a powerful message, which is your message. And this morning, he’s going to be talking about Second Timothy three, and equipping us for what lies ahead and the reality, what’s going on in this world. So Lord, we pray that you would bless this offering that we’re going to collect this morning, plus these men, Lord, we are so so very grateful of the pearl of great price that you’ve given us, which is our salvation. And so the name of Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ, we say Amen. And thank you in Jesus name, amen.

Pete McKenzie 4:16
It’s okay

well, good morning guys. It’s good to see you.

And it’s good to be seen that can tell

we’ve taken some licks but we keep on ticking

who shakiness but they’re not going to shake us off.

You know, I feel like

days that we’re living in, I was always saying, Lord, you know what’s on your heart, what’s on your heart that you can give to my heart that I can share with these men’s hearts.

And,

you know, what I found is I need to be reminded, I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded over and over and over who I am and why I’m here and where I’m going and how I’m going to get there.

I need to keep perspective. It’s a hard thing to do to keep perspective and I’m talking about a biblical perspective. I’m talking about a Christ like,

Man of God perspective on what’s going on. Because we’re the guys that when the crisis comes in courage is required. God expects his men that’d be me and you

to have such confidence in him.

That will be the reliable ones with a crisis has come that we’ve talked about this for years. But it’s but it’s coming in ways that are, well, I just started thinking about words that would describe I want you to think a minute what words would describe what we’re experiencing now in the country in the world.

One of the first words that came to mind for me was surreal. surreal means marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream. You feel like you’re in a movie,

you know, apocalypse movie, a movie that we got everything but zombies, and we got a few of those I think

it’s means it’s unbelievable to improbable to believe and it’s inconceivable that we could be experiencing what the whole world is experiencing today.

Another word is uncertain. If there’s anything that’s certain it’s everything’s uncertain. Today, it means not knowing beyond any doubt, dubious, unsettled and opinions of doubtful promise or outcome, questionable or suspect as to the true nature of quality. disputable, dodgy fishy, strange shaky

every time you hear something that comes out and says, this is the way it is, this is what you need to do this, someone will come and refute it and say no, that’s not right. There’s two opinions, at least in May in usually more on everything where the where mask or not where they get a vaccine or not. Whether what’s transmission of disease? Is it real? Is it manmade? Is it going to be over? Are we going to be locked down, we’re going to be opened up.

It’s just so much going on this uncertain, that we just don’t know there too. So many opinions in that qualified expert. People with letters behind their names and their their disagreement disagreeing on all this stuff. So who you’re going to believe

another word is fearful.

That means you’re full of fear.

Instead of full of faith,

it means causing are likely to cause fear or fright or alarm, especially because of the potential outcome or sunk consequences.

So one of the things that’s happened is we’ve been become a nation, not that we weren’t fearful about a lot of things anyway, but we become a nation of fear.

And in our fear, we

don’t know exactly where to turn, or what to do.

And so we do whatever seem it’s best under the

another’s confounding

to throw into confusion or perplexity.

Think that’s pretty accurate for describing our culture today to failed to discern differences between opposing forces or opposites.

So that’s a confounding situation. Do you get it? Or do you don’t get it? Do you wear it or you don’t? Where do you go or don’t go? Do you fly or not fly?

And so it’s it reminds me of a warfare. After the Civil War and renegades were raging through Missouri and Kansas and they were raping and pillaging and stealing everything they touch they destroy. We’re living in a world today where there’s good and evil right and wrong.

Right and wrong, as I said.

And so we got to get the on both sides, people that think right is wrong and those that think wrong is right good is the those are calling evil, good and good evil. And the one that Scripture says curse. It is a nation that cause good, evil and evil good. We’re living in that day today. We’re living in a day where good and evil and right and wrong and biblical concepts and commandments and laws are being trampled on and thrown aside for power and control.

And it seems like we’re helpless.

It seems like what do we do about that? Seems like they’re committing sin on camera and own in broad daylight. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Can’t Fix it, you can’t stop it. It’s a matter of fact, it’s called right and not wrong.

And it’s like you looking at something. When I was a principal of a Christian school, I had kids who could lie, and these kids can lie.

And I’d see a kid running down the hall and I’d say, hey, Johnny, no running in the hall. I wasn’t running.

I just saw you running down the hall. It wasn’t me.

He was so convincing. I was convinced by the time we were talking, he didn’t run down the hall.

If you tell it tell a lie long enough, it becomes a truth.

And,

and that’s the days we’re living in.

These are the days that trauma and souls as Bill said earlier, it’s kind of like a guy acts out and does something unbecoming. A man of God, or a man.

And you say, you just showed me what you’re really like? He says, No, I just showed you what you’re really like.

And that’s days we’re living in. And we can see what we’re really liked by the, the days that we’re living in and how we respond.

in Scripture has been really clear. And Jesus went out of his way, and so did Paul. They went out of their way to tell us how this is how you act when you’re under strain when you’re under oppression, when you’re under difficulty when you’re facing dire consequences. This is the way you live, this is your spirit, this is your heart This is your attitude call did that and Floridians. When the philippian church was having all these

rogue profits coming in, and teachers, false teachers, and he basically said, Look, you need to have the same attitude Jesus had,

who he existed in equality, equality with God, but didn’t regard that as something to be held on to but he emptied Himself, He humbled Himself and became obedient. have this attitude in you that he had think of others is more important than yourself? You slaves, Peter said, and two thirds of the world was slaves at the time. Now you submit to your masters, not only those who are good and gentle and reasonable, but all those also those who are unreasonable. Why? Why should I do that? Because this finds favor with God.

Anybody can bear up under reasonable masters. But when you bear up under unreasonable masters, this finds favor with God.

Because you’re shining a light

into their lies. I’ve called you to be a light in the world. And the darker on the darker the world a brighter the light of Christ, the more unreasonable the master, the greater is your witness to and when you’re obedient to Him. And when you serve Him, and you do it with a joyful attitude, and and do all things without grumbling and complaining.

Because the day will come when you’ll have more than you grumble about and you can handle. So decide in your heart that you’re not going to grumble, you’re not going to complain. What good does it do? Where does it take you? Then bring joy to your heart? It doesn’t bring lightness. It brings heaviness, worry, fear, anxiety, do not fear for I am with you do not anxiously look about you, I’m your God.

Surely I will help you surely our strength you surely I’ll uphold you with my righteous right hand. These are the days when we will lean on the promises of God more than ever, amen. These are the days when we say we really believe this stuff. And it’s true and we believe it or not.

Hebrews 12 and his voice shook the earth.

But now he has promised saying, yet once more, I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven. This expression yet once more denotes the removing of those things that can be shaken as of created things so that those things that cannot be shaken will remain.

Therefore since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, which we may offer to God and acceptable service was reverence and awe.

For our God is a consuming fire.

There are things that are being shaken and things that can’t be shaken. Everything we’ve done everything we do, personally and collectively for discipleship purposes for sanctification for growing in Christ. Every time we read the scriptures and spend time in a devotional book and journal and have a quiet time every time we memorize and listen to the word. Every time we fellowship together in the word. Every time we pray together, it’s all going to shape us into the image and conform us into

The image of Jesus Christ so that when we attacked we respond like he did when we were revived we revile not, when we suffer, we utter no threats. When we’re slapped on one sheet we turn the other. God’s called us to a higher lifestyle that cannot be lived in the flesh. It cannot be lived in your own wisdom, your own power, your own control.

Don’t be drunk with wine that’s dissipation be filled with a spirit. The Scripture says, Why be filled with the Spirit? By empty yourself so the Spirit can fill you?

Well, let’s look at his Bill said earlier we want to look at

before get into second Timothy three. I titled this saying the bullies are running amok.

You know, so how do you feel don’t think South Korea is failing right now.

Who’s going to protect them?

As Taiwan feeling right now?

Who’s going to protect them, all these countries that the United States has had the power and the will to protect and take care of and be their ally. All that’s going down the tubes for them.

We don’t have a

plan for that anymore.

It’s not uncertain.

It is certain.

I looked up bullies bully is one who is habitually cruel, insulting or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable. They’ve always been bullies.

I don’t know about you, but I had a bully in school. It was back in the days when they used to flunk kids.

And you either passed or failed. And if you fail the fifth grade, you had to go to fifth grade again.

Y’all remember those days?

Well, when I was in about the seventh grade, we had a guy that had flunked twice, and he should be in high school.

He was a big burly guy, he figured out up front that I was probably the leader of the class, as far as guys go. Not elected leader, but just the guy that seemed to be the guy that picked the teams on the playground.

So he picked me out. And every day we’d have to walk down a hill to the field where we played all our sports at the grammar school I was in. And every day he had made me carry him up the hill on my back.

And I would look in the mirror that night, say this is what I’m going to do tomorrow. I’d carry him up the hill on my back and they say he was a bully. And so that was my first experience with a bully. I had a few others along the way. Taking care taking advantage of the vulnerable to, to call someone to do something by means of force threat or coercion, or maybe executive order. But that’s what’s been let loose in our culture in our world. It’s been It’s not the first time it’s come up, it’s always come up. There’s always been wars and bullies and murder and people that are lying and calling it right. People are deceiving. And that’s the thing that sums up everything the devil does his deception making you try to believe something that’s not true, and you make and you believe it is true, or vice versa. And so they’re running amok, and a mug means an episode of certain certain sudden mass assault on people or objects, following a period of brooding that is viewed as psycho pathological behavior occurring worldwide in numerous countries and cultures. So this is not a local thing. It’s not Orange County problem. It’s not a California problem. It’s not even a United States problem. It’s a world problem. And we’re just seeing amazing things happen and we ought to be excited about it. We ought to not be dropping our heads and say, Can you believe what we’re having to endure? who say can you believe the opportunities God’s opened up for us the people that are hungry? The people that need Christ, Bill and in Dennis in Ron met with these officers for Christ come up here, Ron. Where’s that microphone bill?

Right there. Grab that microphone, Ron. Yo,

Ron Tovar 19:42
yo, how scared I am.

Pete McKenzie 19:45
Now, this is something that needs to be shared, you know. Tell him what happened on Saturday. Keep it in five minutes.

Tell him about the condition of police officers today. And once you guys

Ron Tovar 20:07
okay?

We found

a vein of a culture that is very needy,

And, and 38 of them signed up 38 of them signed up to join for 4M meetings. So we’re putting this together. And there’s a few guys in here that are in law enforcement or first responders that we’ve called on if there’s any here we’d like to talk to you

of the Christians and an honor for me to be here because many of you are support or this or that ministries. And like I met dawn today, and he’s got that on fire thing going there. And there’s little fires all over the place. Before him is a little bit different. We’re trying to get it together, get us strong, and each other learn to depend on each other in prayer in groups of four, and then go out and win souls. winning souls is the whole deal. And just imagine what for m can do with that way of doing an intimate relationship with Jesus, and

and eventually going out and winning souls and touching the other

Bill Kauble 23:30
officers.

Ron Tovar 23:32
God bless you all.

Pete McKenzie 23:33
God bless you. And thank you for that. We’re extremely excited about what God’s doing.

But the point of the matter is, it’s not just police officers that are committing suicide. We live in a day today was being shaken and those things that can be shaken are being shaken.

You know, I taught on this A number of years ago I’ve mentioned it in Scripture in teaching on various occasions, but I thought I’d share it with you and remind you of it again today in Second Timothy three. Paul was coaching Timothy up in first and second Timothy, Paul knew at the end of this this letter that he’s writing Timothy, he said, Look, I fought the good fight. I’ve run the race. I finished the course. I’m going out of here, Timothy, I’m leaving it in your hands. And so he’s coaching him up in these two letters. false teachers had come in and they were ravaging the church. And but he said, realize this in the last days difficult, hard to handle and hard to bear times will come. Why will that be for people will be lovers of self lovers of money. boastful, arrogant, revisers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, and this jumped out at me irreconcilable malicious gossips, without self control, brutal haters of good and those who do good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. Stay away from these kind of guys. Their false teachers, they’re coming in and they have looked quiet on the outside. Like Jesus said, the Pharisees you are Why did separate, separate groups on the outside, but inside your dead men’s bones. And that’s what was going on. They did everything for appearance, these false teachers as they were coming in and ravaging the church, just as Janice and jambres opposed Moses, and we don’t know who these two guys were, they assume they’re gyptian magicians that pose Moses. Remember when Moses went to see Pharaoh when he threw his cane down, it turned into a snake. Pharaoh said, well look at this, and they threw their canes down these magicians turned into snakes. And what happened? Moses, like ate their snake. So don’t throw your snake down in front of Moses. That’s what that’s what they’re as a moral that story. So these men also oppose the truth. They’re, they’re depraved in their minds, they reject it in regard to their faith. But they will not make further progress with their folly will be obvious to everyone. And that’s what’s going on now. The folly that’s going on in the shenanigans that are being held, whether it be an elections or anything else. It’s everybody sees it. I mean, on both sides of the aisle, they see it, no matter what your stance is, they see it, they see the folly of what’s happening. They see the error of what’s happening. But some embrace that and think it’s right, not wrong. Anything that you did accomplish your objective is fair game is right. It’s not wrong. Where it’s deception, or lies or murder, or any other sin that helps him accomplish their objective than that. That’s considered right in there. They system and they have a seared conscience. They don’t only don’t believe it’s wrong, they feel good about doing it. Scripture warns about those kind of folks. Now then, after he’s coached Timothy, as he’s coaching him up, he says, Timothy, you followed my teaching, you followed my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, love and perseverance, my persecutions and sufferings. So it’s, it’s in Michael Lowe shared that his dad did his eulogy. His dad had said, you know, Michael, you teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are. That’s what Paul is saying to Timothy here. Timothy, you’ve, you’ve learned from my teaching, but not only my teaching, but my character. You’ve watched me you’ve watched my conduct you watch how I responded, you watch treated people. You watch when I got slapped on one cheek what I did. And if you watch Jesus Christ, you just go, how could a guy do that? How could a guy hang on the cross and say, Father, forgive the guys that just put the nails in my hands and my feet? My conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, and love and persecutions.

But you know what, Timothy and all of them God rescued me. Timothy, be encouraged, you’re going to go through some hardship. You don’t have to go through a pandemic and all that were going on now in the world, to have hardship and difficulty and challenges. You’re going to have them just being in the church period. It’s about battleground that church is. And Satan’s always got his emissaries, you build a castle for God and the devil will build a chapel right next to it. Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. You live in a fallen world. We’re going to be persecuted. It’s going to go on until we go to heaven. People are not going to want to see you shine light into their darkness. See, the one thing that scripture does is it reveals our sin. We’ll see that clearer here in a minute. But here’s something that’s that we need to make peace with this reality. evil man and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. When you see evil man going from bad to worse, and so we looked at Psalm 73 about a month ago. Surely God is good. Is it Israel. But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling for I envied the wicked and there was no pains in their death. They had they take advantage of people and, and live off of other people. They’re parasites. They were their necklaces, their pride around their neck. And they’re covered with the violence of garments of violence. And so he was going on about how he just said, This is not right, this is wrong. How can they be getting away with this? This is no justice. This is not fair. And he then he got down to verse 15, and 16. And then 17. He says, If I’d have continued to think like this a little bit trade the honor of those who’ve gone before me, it bothered me, it disturbed me. I was upset until I came into the sanctuary of God and then I perceive their end. And then for the next several verses, he just talked about where they’re headed. The slippery slope of these evil men were on how quickly they will fall, how they’ll spend eternity separated from God and hail. And so instead of wishing that on them, we should pray that they would repent. We would pray that like Jesus prayed on the cross Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing. And I think that ought to be over the Supreme Court. That ought to be over the Congress. Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t understand the eternal consequences of what’s going on and what’s happening. But we do we’re men of God, we men of the word Jesus is Lord of our life. We’re men of prayer, we spend time in his presence we do we see, we know what the truth is. God has shown us how we should respond. But if you’re going to watch the news, and you’re going to look at the bad news, which is you’re going to walk away When’s the last time you walked away and said, Boy, that was a blessing that really edified me man that built me up. That encouraged my heart. You can’t do it, you walk away want to kick a hole in the TV sets, you want to go shoot something or somebody you pray fire down out of heaven. Like john and James were saying to Jesus, when they had these guys, and they were casting out demons and you want us to call a fire out of heaven on? Geez, remember Jesus said, you do not know what spirit you are off. Snow we do. That’s not who we are. You are a spirit, that’s a Holy Spirit. You be filled with the Spirit. Don’t be filled with one that’s dissipation be filled with the Spirit, the Spirit of love and joy and peace and goodness and kindness and gentleness and self control the spirit of hope, and joy. That’s what you draw. And if you’re not full of joy and hope, if you’re not full of patience, and goodness and kindness and gentleness and self control, it’s your fault. You’re not spending time in his presence. You’re forgetting who you are. You’re a man of God.

You love Jesus Christ, you find your identity in him. You want to spend the rest of your life learning to become just like him. Just like him means acting like camera responding like him thinking like him speaking like him. That’s what the world needs today. They need men speaking in terms of Jesus speaking in the attitude of Jesus they need looks like Jesus gave Peter when that rooster crow, look of grace and forgiveness that broke Peter. And that’s what it’ll do when you’re guilty and sin and shame and the God gives you that look, that look of forgiveness and compassion, that look of knowing our weakness and being gracious with us and merciful. God wants men like that. They fight his battles. We don’t fight them in the halls of Congress. We need Congress, we need government. Think today we wouldn’t but but we need that every country does. We need laws, we need boundaries. We need things to keep everything under control. But that’s not where the battles are fought and won. The battle the fog this morning up in that room, and those guys calling in on the phone and man are going to prayer. The battles fought in our hearts. It’s followed in our minds, it’s followed in ourselves. It’s followed in US conquering ourselves, submitting surrendering, giving ourselves to Christ, finding our confidence in him. putting our lives on the rock that can’t be shaken. Everything else is shaking out God shaking us to see what if we’re on the rock or not. And sometimes you feel like you’re sinking. And then you just pray that God would rescue you pray, God would lift you up, you save you and he says, Okay, I’m going to open up gorgeous. Let’s give voyagers a hand for letting us come back in here.

And we’re praying that Divi free let us back in on Wednesday sometime soon. You however continuing the things that you’ve learned and become convinced of knowing of whom you’ve learned them, you know what, Timothy, you lots of you, a lot of people have invested in your life. And I’m looking at a bunch of guys this morning and a bunch of guys listening on the streaming video. I’m talking to guys that have been in the word you’ve been taught. You’ve said under Chuck Smith, you’ve said under Chuck’s window, you said under great teachers. You’ve seen him on TV, you’ve heard him on podcasts. You’ve read their books. You come to men’s group. You’ve been taught, you’ve been rooted, you’ve been established in the word and built up in the faith. Now act like it live like it. Sacrifice like it. Humble yourself like it turned the other cheek like it. That’s what he’s saying here. Continuing the things you’ve learned and become convinced of what are you convinced? you’re convinced of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. Those are the two things that cannot be shaken, they’ll never change. You convinced that you’re a sinner, and you’re saved by grace through faith, and that’s not of yourselves, it’s a gift of God. You can this that you need to be crucified with Christ, so that you no longer live but Christ lives in you you convinced that you need to abide in Christ. And if you abide in Christ and His Word abides in you, you’re convinced that you’ll bear much fruit.

See, without this, we’re nothing we’re not salt. We’re not light, we’re worthless. What good are we? If we can’t turn the other cheek? If we can’t pray for our enemies and bless those who persecute us, what good are we to Christ, what goes away to the world? there are too few like us out there. There are too few, even in the church that are living the life that life

we’re not living a life just to attend and show up and read our Bible here. And there we’re living the life to be immersed in the spirit in marinated in the word in memorizing and listening to it and studying it and meditating on it. So that it shapes us, it forms us It changes our hearts, our minds, our attitudes, our worldview. So we don’t see people the way they are, we see them as they will be and could be when they come to know Jesus Christ. When they come to embrace the gospel when they’re forgiven, and they love Christ, because they’ve been given such grace and mercy and he’s had compassion on them. He’s forgiven them, of a lot of tough stuff of a lot of evil stuff that they’ve been into a lot of laws and broken a lot of commandments, they’ve not obeyed. And then it comes down and says in verse 16, All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction for training and righteousness. teaching you guys have been taught, you’ve read the scriptures, you can probably quote versus some scriptures good for that. It’s good for teaching and doctrine is for reproof, that means you’re doing something evil and wrong or disobedient, and you’re reproved or that you’re brought to a place of repentance, you’re brought to restoration, as what it means in correction, you’re reproved in the scriptures good for correction. That means you’re going in one direction and you restore them, you bring them back, you put back in the healthy place, what became unhealthy. You put them into a restaurant, or it’s like a pastor that falls in the pulpit. Charles Spurgeon said that man should go and sit on the back row until his repentance becomes as well known as his sin. He doesn’t dictate the terms of his own restoration, but he is restored in the church restores him, they they correct him, they bring him back to where he was even better than he was. So that’s what’s in God’s heart. God’s at the heart is there’s no failures in God’s economy. God brings all men back to where they should be where He created him to be. He brings them back to health and spiritual health and vigor and forgiveness. He gives them joy of knowing that they’re forgiven, they’re going to heaven. He gives them grace, unmerited favor. He restores them, he reconciles them, He forgives him, he redeems him. That’s what he does. He doesn’t come into the town like the Renegades did and burn and rape and steal and destroy everything they touch. It’s going on it always has gone on it’s going on today. But that’s not what God has called us to be. And that’s not what God is. He’s called us for such a time as this is Esther said for such a time as this

reining in righteousness. You have to be trained to be good, to be right to be wholesome, to be holy. It takes training it takes failure and repentance and brought back and it takes stumbling around and someone stopping and correcting us and saying this is a way walked out in it. That’s what fellowship and brotherhood is all about. That’s reason we come together. We love each other. We correct each other. We were abused each other and recruit, reprove each other. That’s what Christian fellowship is all about. We speak the truth in love. We speak the truth and grace and truth. And that’s what we have to learn to do with each other. Not rebuke and leave them in a pile. But rebuke and restore, reprove and restore, reprove and give grace proof, reprove and forgive. And bring them back to forgiveness, and wholeness and health and joy, and peace and all the fruit of the Spirit. Why is why is he talking about scripture being profitable for all this? And then he finishes up he started saying in the end times, we’re going to have terrible men. They’re going to love themselves. They’re going to love money. They’re going to be boastful, arrogant, proud, unloving, unholy, unforgiving, irreconcilable, haters of those who do good. He started out this chapter with that, but here’s how he ends it up. So that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Would that be you? Are you the man of God? He’s talking about? If I point at you today and go man of God, do you feel unworthy? Do you feel like Well, that’s not me? Well, if you followed me around last week or two, you wouldn’t say that good scene how to treat my wife, she treats me and how I respond to that view and say that, here’s what’s been coming out of my mouth, he wouldn’t call me a man of God. It’s time for men of God to take a stand, Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, act like man, be strong, do everything in love that set time that we’re in now. So time for men of God to be men of god, it’s time for men of God to be in the word be in fellowship, be in prayer, it’s time for us to be looking out and seeing what those divine appointments are. started going out with my buddy Lee, and golf and we decided we let’s go SCO us to some so they’ll put a twosome with us and we’ll get a chance to meet new guys and buy them the men’s group share the gospel with them. So that the man of God, that term is only used twice, once in First Timothy and the other right here in Second Timothy, by Paul, in the New Testament, it’s used a lot in the Old Testament, they would call it prophets, men, a god. preacher, teacher. So the man of God that would be us can be adequate. That means you’re up to the task has been given you adequate. And if there’s anything that’s been describing the leaders in churches, and you’ve heard me share this before, they’re insecure, they’re inadequate, they’re isolated, they’re lonely and fearful, sad that we’re doing great.

It’s easy for a spiritual leader or a pastor or missionary to feel inadequate for the tasks that we have today. It’s easy to feel that way. But you’re only feeling that way. Because you’re looking at yourself, your gifts, your power, your patience, your abilities, instead of looking at Christ, and abiding in Christ, and letting the word about in you so you’ll bear much fruit. And that’s when we get off base, we get exhausted spiritually, because we’re not walking in the Spirit, because we’re not ministering in the spirit, because we can’t take a punch. We can’t be disappointed. We can’t be hurt, where we can be. And we get low and discouraged. And there’s a lot out there in the Christian life and a lot people, missionaries and pastors just like those policemen who are going through PTSD and suicide and drugs and alcohol and broken marriages, who’ve been spit on culture. And they’re not perfect. They don’t do everything right. I mean, if you were in some of the pressure situations they’re in and find themselves in every day, do you would you always make the right decision? Would you always do it right? Would you always stand up and do the right thing? No, you wouldn’t and I wouldn’t. And that’s what men are going through today equipped for every good work everything God has called you to do. Being a husband is a good work. Being a father grandfather. It’s a good work. Being in a forum group and encouraged Other guys, that’s a good work, serving and helping people giving to the median. Let your money account for that stuff that’s going to be good and eternal. Lift burdens, help out. And this in the poor, invest in churches and ministries that are sharing the gospel and seeing God’s blessing and blessing others so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. So that would be us today. Keep a right perspective. Stay in the spirit, stay in the word. If you want to stay in the spirit. You got to nurture that by being in the word and prayer. Do it personally do it collectively. God has given us everything we need. What is God not given us that we need to bear up under everything we’re going through today. He’s given us everything. There’s nothing you need, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, financially, that God won’t provide that God won’t take care of the God won’t bless you with. He’s done it. We can’t say God if he had just given us a little few more Bibles on our phones. If you just given us a few more commentaries, for giving us some more churches in worship music, we’re going to stand before God and we’re going to stand there in the righteousness of Christ. And we will answer for what we’ve done the life we’ve lived the ministry that we’ve done and had. And it’s all for the gospel, but we all do it in different ways. But cause we have different gifts, different opportunities. But one day will stand and we want to hear him say Well done, good and faithful servant, amen. Enter into the joy of your master, there’s a joy in the master in heaven. It’s coming. But we’re not there yet. And I’m glad I’m not. Maybe some that I’m not today, I have opportunities today, I can still witness and pray and share and help and give and serve. When I die and go to heaven, I won’t be able to do what I can do today. So let’s redeem the time. And let’s be the man of God for such a time as this has to be the guys God’s called us to be. Let’s be adequate and equipped for every good work. Let’s encourage each other to love and good deeds and all the Moore’s we see that they appear. Can I get an amen from the congregation, you enter out here among the streaming video they’re saying in let’s go to prayer.

Father, we thank you for this time together, we thank you that we can gather again together and encourage each other. It’s just encouraging being together. It’s encouraging, knowing that you’ve opened the door again. But thank you for what you’ve done when we hadn’t been together. Thank you for the call and prayers. Thank you for the streaming video. Thank you for the forum groups that are functioning and growing. Thank you for all that you’ve done and all that you want to do in the days that he had helped us collectively to be the kind of men that attract other men to Christ. Help us personally and individually be the kind of men and kind of husbands and fathers kind of friends, neighbors. It would attract others to Christ and make them hungry. Thanks for the opportunities you’ve given us. Thanks for life. Thanks for our brothers that have gone on to be with you during the last year

because of COVID and other things. And so we want to worship and praise you and give you all the glory by the way that we serve you and honor you. In times such as this will give you the credit in Jesus name And all God’s men said amen, give give’em heaven guys

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Grace in Revival

Influencers is dedicated to Men, Missions, and Marriages. Orlando Sanchez has a special mission to minister to needy families. His food distribution ministry is flourishing during this time of Covid. After faithfully honoring God’s call to feed needy families for the last 33 years, God is blessing his ministry exceeding abundantly above all he can ask or think. In 2020 food donations to his ministry increased from 46,000 lbs per month to 200,000 lbs per month. His ministry has extended across the border into Mexico as he has been allowed to provide food to needy Mexican families. He recently signed a contract for a new warehouse in Stanton to store his over abundance of food supplies. Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread alone.” Orlando’s ministry distributes both bread to the needy and the bread of life, the Word of God to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness in Christ.

It’s important to get back to the basics….to what’s really important in our lives. All Christians are works in process. Even though we have been saved by grace through faith… born again of incorruptible seed, Philippians 3:12-13 says, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

As God’s works in process, in order to maintain our fellowship with our Heavenly Father, we need revival… a remedial refresher on who we are, where we are, and why we’re here… why we’ve been brought to this moment in time. The ultimate purpose is in Philippians 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Each of us has a story… As we reflect on our personal histories, our stories come into focus through the lens of His Story, for Jesus Christ is the cross-roads of history. Pastor Pete’s story began in Birmingham, Alabama where he was raised and attended church on Sundays like the other children in his neighborhood. As he grew older, he discovered sports. Competition became the driving force in his life. He realized that sports had become his God… his purpose for living. In his church, Pete was convicted of sin. When the preacher spoke, Pete’s guilty conscience compelled him to come forward to rededicate his life to Christ. Then each Monday he found himself engulfed over and over again in the sins of this world.

After high school, Pete was recruited by Auburn to play baseball where he excelled and became an all star. After graduation he played in the A league for the Detroit Tigers farm team in North Carolina. On a road trip, he and his team went to a bookstore. The book The Bobby Richardson Story caught his attention. Pete knew that Bobby Richardson was a famous player for the New York Yankees. Pete read that In Bobby’s third year of the minor leagues, he met a Christian ball player. Bobby realized that he could be both an uncompromising baseball player and an uncompromising Christian. The Bobby Richardson Story made Pete realize that he too, could be uncompromising as both a man of God and a ball player. Pete prayed, “Lord, I know I am not the man of God that you meant for me to be. Lord, please make me that man.”

Grace is the nature of God himself. Grace is God’s favor bestowed on the undeserving without the expectation that the recipient can make any payment in return. It is the unmerited favor given by the one who wasn’t required to give it to the one who didn’t deserve to receive it. Grace is dispensed by God through his gift of the Holy Spirit. Grace is contrary to our fallen sin nature.

In a marriage counseling session, Pete said to the husband, “You need to give your wife grace.” The man replied, “I hate grace.” He had built up a resentment bank against his wife. A resentment bank will break up any relationship. The world teaches that “you get what you deserve.” However, the Word of God teaches that grace transcends our own merit. Grace and Mercy are foreign concepts from the world’s perspective. Grace is a manifestation of the love of God. Love is the nature of God himself.

Pete recalls that early in his marriage, his wife Suzan said, “You’re going off to play golf again with your buddies. When will I get four hours of your undivided attention?” When Pete heard his wife’s complaint, he couldn’t get the car out of the driveway fast enough. As their marriage continued, Pete always anticipated spending time with Suzan on Tuesdays after she met with her Womens’ bible study group. He knew she would be in good spirits after she met with her Christian friends. One Tuesday as Pete was leaving for his tee time, she said, “Go out and beat those guys.” Pete almost didn’t play golf that day. Because of her gracious encouragement, he found himself wanting to spend more time with her.

Grace of God’s Holy Spirit focuses our minds on what’s really important. Grace is received only because God sent his son Jesus Christ so that we who were dead in trespasses and sins may be made the righteousness of God in him.

When Suzan approached Pete when he was playing ball in North Carolina after college, she told him, “I’ve met someone special in Mexico. His name is Armando.” They had broken up so many times before and Pete always flew into a jealous rage. She expected a similar reaction. However, she did not expect Pete’s gracious response. After reading the Bobby Richardson Story and dedicating his life to Christ, Pete had a profound change of heart. He had decided to give her grace. Suzan was surprised by Pete’s change of heart and she fell in love with the new man Pete had become. They were married a few short months after.

The story of Les Miserables is a story of grace. Jean Valjean desperately stole precious candelabras from the church where the parish priest had befriended him. The French gens d’armes caught him red handed with the stolen property. When they took him to the church to return the candlesticks, the priest said, “He didn’t steal them. They were a gift, in fact he forgot to take this matching golden candelabra with him.” This act of grace changed Jean Valjean’s life. The story of Les Miserables is the story of redemption through God’s grace.

A similar story of grace is the story of King David’s conviction after he had sinned with Bathsheba..

David had walked away from fellowship to the point that he no longer feared the Lord God Jehovah. God spoke to his prophet Nathan and told him to confront David about his sin. Nathan was reluctant to confront David. He knew that David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband Uriah murdered. God gave Nathan a story to tell David. Nathan told David about a poor man in his kingdom whose only possession was a precious little ewe lamb whom he cherished and loved like his own daughter. There was also a rich man in David’s kingdom who owned many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. A traveler came to the rich man’s house for dinner. Instead of taking one from his own flock, the rich man stole the poor man’s precious little ewe lamb, butchered her, and served her to his rich guest. David had been a shepherd as a boy so this story moved him deeply. The penalty for stealing a man’s sheep is to pay him back four times over. However David pronounced the death penalty when he said, “the man that did this thing must die.” Then Nathan stuck his finger in David’s chest and said, “You are the man.”

David was broken. When we fall from fellowship, God will call a brother to reprove and correct us. If you don’t find Nathan, then Nathan will find you. Correction is to restore to an upright position. Those who hearts are prepared for revival are ready to repent. They run TO the Lord not FROM the Lord. Jesus said, He who loses his life shall find it and he who finds his life shall lose it.

Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance. This Psalm begins, “HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions…. create in me a new heart.”

The new nature of Christ in us the hope of glory will convict our hearts when we sin. The Holy Spirit will shed the light of reproof and correction when we fall from fellowship. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, the comforter, will teach us all things that are true according to His word.

In the parable of the three stewards, the Master gave his three servants talents to invest while he travelled to a far country. To one servant he gave ten talents, to another five, and to the third, he gave one talent. …When the Master returned, the stewards to whom he had given five and ten talents, each doubled their master’s investment. The master said to each steward, “Well done thy good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little, I will make you rulers over much. Enter now into the joy of the Lord.”
The steward to whom he gave one talent said, “I know you’re a hard task master and you reap where you haven’t sown and gather where you have not planted and watered. I was afraid so I went and buried your talent in the ground. Here’s the talent you gave me…..” The master replied, “you wicked and slothful servant. You should have at least put it into the bank to earn interest. Give the one talent to my other servant who earned ten talents.”

The devil tricks men into turning their hearts against their Master. He had filled this wicked servant’s heart with fear, cowardice, and resentment. God blesses those who fill their hearts with the love of God to serve their Master with joy and faith. God never honors fear but he always honors faith.

In marriage counseling sessions, Pete takes notes while husbands and wives empty their resentment banks. He often takes three pages of notes as a wife recounts how her husbands has broken her heart over the years. Pete realizes that women are usually more committed to their marriage vows. Their sensitive hearts are easily broken by their husband’s inconsiderate attitudes and actions. Wives have such high expectations of the ideal marriage that the pain of their husband’s violations accumulate over the years. Each hurtful deposit has built up into a resentment bank. A wife’s turning point is when God says, “The reason I’ve shown you your husband’s failures is so that you will know how to pray for him and to show him the meaning of grace and mercy.” Suzan, Pete’s wife learned to never criticize, condemn, or complain about her husband. She filled her heart full of God’s grace and mercy. She held her husband to the higher standard of God’s gracious love.

It’s easy to get caught up into the “political correctness” of this world. The world indoctrinated us to think “what’s in it for me.” The world’s standard for interpersonal relationships today is, “I have a right not to be offended.” If I’ve offended them, I’m guilty of a “hate crime.”

However revival starts in our own hearts. Love conquers all. Grace motivated by the love of God is patient and kind. It is never rude, boastful, or proud. Love keeps no record of wrongs, is never resentful and doesn’t seek to get even. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes for the best in all things and endures all things. Love never fails.

Professor James Edwin Orr taught theology at a university. In the 1940’s he took his theology students to some religious sites in England. At the Epworth rectory they visited the home of John Wesley, an English reformer. Wesley prayed for revival both in England and America. The students visited Wesley’s house and observed the notebooks of his personal diary and meditations. They were in awe of the legacy of this Man of God whose ministry God used to change the course of history through revival in England and the United States.

One student noticed worn patches in a rug beside Wesley’s bed. The professor told the student that Wesley wore out this rug with imprints of his knees while he prayed for revival. Soon afterwards, the students met in the bus to to resume their tour. The professor realized that one student was missing. When he returned to the rectory, he found the student kneeling in the worn spots of Wesley’s prayer rug. The student prayed in tears, “Lord do it again. Lord do it again with me.” Professor Orr said, We’r leaving, let’s go. The student continued in prayer, “Lord do it again with me!” Then Billy Graham got up from Wesley’s prayer rug and left the rectory with his professor.

Our prayer is that there may again be revival in this land and that the revival would start with me….

…That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Bill Kauble 0:09
Our joy is to be in this environment, and to allow the Holy Spirit to come in and help themselves to our lives. We believe that we are faith based, Christ centered and grace driven. We have five pillars that we believe in. One is Jesus is not only our Savior, but he’s Lord of our lives. The Bible is a final authority. We’re men of prayer, we link with like minded men. And we give it away give the gospel away. The thing that embodies that we want everybody within influencers to be part of the forum group. Ron towbars here Ron’s gonna come here, stand up and give us a word. It is so important we believe that every man in influencers be involved in a forum. So Ron, share,

Ron Tovar 1:02
thank you.

It’s, um,

you don’t have to be all that smart to realize that.

suicide rates are up and, and people are drinking more and, and drugs are really prevalent. And I’m seeing it amongst people that I have contact with and discipled for many years and worked with men worked with men for many years, over 30 years. And have and right now

you really can’t see a vehicle that’s more effective or more powerful than for him.

we’ve all been through it. We’ve all been banged around and knocked around. And, you know, God has sustained us and kept us. We God has placed us in a position where we’re the ones who make the difference. Someone has to oppose and push back what the devil is doing. Here in our county, in our cities. And in our country. One of the most patriotic things we can do is serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, you know, one of the anti political things that you’re feeling and unrest, and all of that is serve the Lord and be Christ centered, and walk with Jesus. And, and and spread that and the vehicle to do it today. And forsaking the assembling when everything else is coming against us to assemble is go find three guys. And pour, pour that tenacity that God put in your heart. That’s how God has strengthened you. And, and one of the most beautiful things about for him is, you know, for years, I’ve seen people sit in the back rows of churches, I’ve seen men go in and out of church, where you know, feeling the same way they came in, and not connected with other men. And and for em is doing the opposite of that. We are having victory. We are Touching Lives. We’re gonna pray for the forum groups right now. Lord, I thank you for the annoying thing that’s on this program. I thank you for the annoying thing that’s on. Ron Father, we just we just cry out, Lord, that You would encourage men’s hearts to be involved in the forum where this is not about any process, any program. This is simply about for men coming together, to worship you and to share Christ with each other. Lord, thank you for this man. And God, thank you for the men that are in the groups and the groups that are going to be formed in Jesus. Amen. We want to be known as a ministry of prayer. And next Tuesday, we will be returning to Woodbridge Community Church at seven o’clock for prayer. We’ll also be involved on the phones that that time to the same time. So I would like right now to to close in a prayer and then Peter has a special guest. He wants to talk to the Lord that just lift up influencers and you’ve been such a faithful God, such a faithful God, Lord you have provided from us so many years. Lord, we just asked you that if anybody has been involved with this ministry has been blessed if they would contribute generously and father just

Bill Kauble 5:00
Thank you for this time that we’re together this morning, I should have blessed our time together and bless the offering for the purposes that you choose In Jesus name, amen.

Pete McKenzie 5:11
You know, we’re committed to ministering to men and women’s marriages and to missions and we want to we have a number of missionaries in our group and we love them we try to support encourage, pray for them, and their flame, or Londo, make your way up here, buddy. One of them that’s been in our group, as long as I can remember, he hadn’t grown any taller since then. But

but this is this is one of our All Star heroes. Orlando Sanchez, in Orlando, is on the frontlines out there feeding people right now they just don’t have another meal coming in. And he is, it’s such a

time that

in such great need, that he’s getting a lot of food donated to his ministry. And and getting a lot of food donated. That’s a wonderful thing, except when you get that much food donated, you need somewhere to put it

as you’re preparing it to be able to meet the needs of the hungry. So Orlando came to me this last week, and we were talking about what can we do to help Orlando tell us what we can do to help? Well, first of all, thank you so much for your love, because that’s something that you was proving to us, by your teachings by your life. And I remember one day, Bill Campbell was asking us how this ministry was really influencing us how it really affecting us. And I can testify number one, I learned something that had been on all men. Praise God, at this age. I believe I’m learning. I need to love God with all my heart. But besides that, my wife is no question and now i i cannot be more than thankful to be with Lupita because I remember when he was praying with me, for me, and I can tell you today’s like a honeymoon with Lupita. In does one of the miracles because I remember the word from Pastor Pete. He told me so clear in you know, Pastor Pete, you told me this needs to be a miracle because you gave me the percentage of divorcing CCI. But no, God was having compassion on us. And today we are celebrating 33 years in I can tell people is hoping Jesus, amen. Way to go.

Orlando Sanchez 7:37
Yeah, thank you so much in just, it’s amazing. It’s not wait how can I explain is too much before pandemia. We will show you from 40 to 60,000 pounds of food monthly basis. In during all the 2020 gear unit. Lamia was giving away over 200,000 pounds of food monthly basis. And for sure when pastor Pete says about food with these scams. Now, there are donating us closing cars and we can bless many people. But the good thing on this one is like I’m so excited because I’ve been now going back to Mexico. That is another thing that I can testify. I never imagined that one day I will be returning to my own country. But now as ambassador of Christ, not just because God conquered my heart. But now I can share the gospel and let them know who really crisis. And with that in mind, I can tell you and share with you. I’m working with our own foundation down there. As a Mexican by bird. It’s a great honor. But you know what, as Christ representative, I can tell you he never imagined because today we are having an encounter with TV and personalities that he never imagined. And now the Lord allows me to pray with secretaries of the state and can be decreased really me? Well, that’s what God was choosing someone like me and I’m saying, Lord, thank you, here I am. But I can tell you we already started crossing the border with non legal money free, because we’re going by the legalities. But I’m still working with all the foundation, for sure many things that are needed, but God knows. And he’s in control. As long as he will be taking the steering Well, we’re heading in the right direction. Just the very last thing last week when I call pastor Pete because this need of warehouse. I went in the day before yesterday, I signed a contract for this warehouse in the city of Stanton in and I’m waiting now for the decision from the owner. But we feel that about the requirements and here we are celebrating today. prayer was answered and you got to warehouse. All right. Hallelujah. I didn’t know that.

Pete McKenzie 9:45
We’re proud of you or Orlando, and we’re proud to be a part of your ministry. We want to encourage you every way we can and y’all join me in prayer. And as we pray for Orlando Father, we just thank you for providing the need that Orlando had for warehouse space. Thank you that you’ve made it possible

For him to cross the border legally and go into minister in Mexico, thank you for the in Santa Ana and all around Orange County where he’s feeding the hungry and taking care of the poor and the sick, sharing the gospel and seeing people come to know Jesus Christ. So we ask your continued blessing and anointing on him in his ministry in Jesus name, and all God’s men said, Amen. God bless you, buddy.

Well, it’s been a great morning already. And I have a few thoughts I want to share with you this morning that are kind of gonna be, you know, as I was thinking about it, I said, this might be a little remedial. And I thought, well, I want to make sure I know what remedial means.

So I looked it up.

And here’s what remedial means. It’s intended as a remedy. It’s concerned with the correction of faulty living habits, and the raising of a man of God’s general competence. A reminder that, that which you may know, but have forgotten, and an encouragement for us to live what we have received in our salvation. I never liked it. When they said Pete, you need remedial training. That means initial training one that red hot, and I didn’t do that well with it. So they got me to go be retrained. Sometimes in the Christian life, we need to be continually reminded not sometimes, but all the times of who we are. And while we’re here, and where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there. So as we come to this message today, I want to share some thoughts with you that I’ve shared over the years, but I need to be reminded of it on a regular basis, especially in the days we’re living in in the days have always been troublesome. Jesus in this world, you’re going to have tribulation, it’s going to be tough. I started out and you know, my testimony, but I’m going to immediately share it with you again, just briefly, I was raised in a Christian home, I was raised in solid church, sang hymns went to Sunday school, walk the owl, which was kind of common with kids in our church in those days, when I was eight years old. Join the church. As far as I knew that I was a Christian, I believed all this stuff. Christians are supposed to believe I believe Jesus was God’s Son, and that God loved me. And I’d been baptized. And so as far as I knew I was a Christian. But as I grew up, sports was my God. And that’s all I live for the next ball game played basketball and baseball in high school, and, but the older I got, the more I started having problems with more and more different kinds of sin. And you know, what I didn’t know. And what I was so frustrated with, is I didn’t know what to do with it, or where to go with it. How do you conquer sin? When you got a problem and you got a sin problem? What do you do with that? How do you stop doing? How do you start doing right things and stop doing wrong things. I found myself in Romans seven. And I’ve never really heard of Romans seven. But when I did hear about us that that was me, things I knew I should do, I didn’t do and things I knew I shouldn’t do. I was doing all the time, and kind of enjoyed it. But what I didn’t enjoy was the guilt and shame that came along with it. And I had guilt and shame because I was raised in a church and I knew what the gospel was. And I knew that I knew right from wrong, I know knew good and evil. And I understood that I had a conscience. And I thank God for my conscience. But I didn’t like a guilty conscience and ashamed conscience. And that’s what I was dealing with all the time. So the only thing I knew to do to deal with sin was at the end of our services in the church, they would have an invitation at the end in the there were three things you could do. You could come in what they call, move your letter from one church you were attending, and now you’re coming to become a member of this church, you can come down the aisle and join the church are you could come down and receive Jesus Christ and is your personal Savior. Or the third thing is you could come down and you’ve been a backslider you haven’t been living it you haven’t been talking it yet, and you need to change your way. So you come down and rededicate your life. Well, if you go to that church today, you’ll see a little plaque at the beginning as you go through the door and there’s a carpet that goes all the way down to the front big church. It says a Pete Mackenzie Memorial carpet.

And the reason it was is because I read dedicated about every other month or so and I felt like read it. Kayden every week but who got to be embarrassing? password literally roll his eyes when he’d see me coming down the middle aisle. And my brother would get up and walk out, because he was ashamed of his little brother. But I didn’t know what else to do. What do you do and you know, it really helped for about 24, sometimes 48 hours, and I was really dedicated. And then I’d be right back in the owns stuff. So I went through that and I went to Auburn played ball at Auburn got out of Auburn, and we had some pretty good teams there. And I got drafted by the Detroit Tigers, and they sent me up to North Carolina to play in their a league and in several years before that, I remember Billy Graham was on TV and he was preaching a revival at Yankee Stadium. He had Bobby Richardson who played second bases acquired an all star second baseman for the Yankees in those days in the late 50s, early 60s. And he was a Christian and Billy had had him give his testimony during the crusade. And mom had called me in from whatever I was at Duke said, I think you’re gonna want to watch this. And so I watched Bobby shears testimony, we all get up to Rocky Mount and bond. I’m sitting on the bench for the first time in my life. And the team had been going since April, and we had played in the College World Series. And we didn’t get through with all that till join the team. The first of July, we had two months left in the season, we were at a pretty good little team, and we’re in the pennant race. So I wasn’t getting to play much. But at the same time, we got rained out one night, some of that three or four of us on the team went over to a local mall, and we were wandering around the mall and I went into a bookstore with the guys. And as we were browsing through the racks, one of the guys picked up a book and I looked over to see what it was. And it was a Bobby Richardson story. And I thought Good grief, he’s written a book. I think I’ll buy it and read it. So I bought the book. I was reading it in the evenings in this little bedroom and the two of us that had bedrooms in a widows house and close to the ballpark. And I was reading and I was really identifying with Bobby who was born in a small town in in South Carolina and went to similar church to me San with the Yankees out of high school. In his second or third year in the minor leagues, Bobby met a guy that was a real unashamed Christian as he described him with the Yankees, and he was playing on the same team with him. He became good friends and started hanging out with this guy. And he made this comment it was changed my life. He said, for the first time in my life, I began to realize that I could be a professional baseball player and an uncompromising Christian at the same time. And boy, the word that jumped off the page there was uncompromising. I said, Boy, that’s all I do is compromise back to Romans seven things I know I shouldn’t do i do things that no I should do. I don’t do wretched man that I am. What who saved me from the body of this death. And so that night, I prayed. What I found later was the center’s prayer, this sinners prayer. And I was frustrated. And I just said, God, I’m a total failure, trying to be a Christian, I can’t keep the roof. I can’t do what’s right, I can’t do what I know I ought to be doing. And I don’t know how to change that. I know, I’m not the man You created me to be. But here’s a mystery to me. But I want to be Why did I want to be I never thought about that at the time. But I thought back on that a lot. Over the years, and I just saw God put it in my heart to want to be a man of God. I think he does that with guys. I’m not the only guy he deals with like that, and he puts in your heart don’t want to be a man of God. But how do you get from here to there? So I said, Would you this was my request, would you make me that man, and God’s been doing that for the last 50 plus years, making me a man of God helping me understand how to overcome sin in my life. And you know, I’ve had the great privilege of ministering to men for the last 30 years. And you know, I want to do this also, I want to share with you that I was talking about my being remedial his thoughts on grace, because I was saved by grace through faith. That’s the phases 289. And so, if you look up grace, here’s the definition, you’ll find its unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification, acts of kindness, courtesy or leniency toward the guilty, undeserved approval or favor.

the favor of God bestowed on the undeserving without expectation that the recipient can make any kind of payment in return. Now like that definition, let me read it again.

the favor of God, this, this stowed on the undeserving without the expectation that the recipient can make any kind of payment in return. In other words, I’m going to do something good for you and there’s no way you can pay it back. And that’s grace. And then unmerited favor given toward one who does not deserve it by one who did not have to give it. That’s grace. Now, there’s some things about grace, I want to share some insights about grace with you. Why we struggle with grace, I was sharing with a guy one time who was talking about his wife and his marriage, who having lunch. And he was talking in the course of our conversation, I was just sharing with him, you got to give your wife grace. And I explained what that meant, and how he needed to respond to his wife. And he looked at me and said, I hate grace. In other words, he didn’t want to give her she didn’t deserve grace. He had his resentment bank full of things toward his wife, and I’m sure she had a bigger one toward him. But, and I said, Well, you better not hate grace. Because if you hate grace, you go, you’re gonna love hell have to love hell. Because that’s the only way you can stay out of hell and go to heaven is by grace through faith. So we’re saved by grace through faith. Now, Grace is a unique character trait of the Judeo Judeo Christian God, Jehovah Jesus Christ. And what that means is, there’s no other God, that call themselves god, there’s no other God that’s worshipped, that has this whole understanding, or character of grace. Everything else is works. And you say, by grace through faith, it’s not of yourselves. It’s a gift of God, not as a result of works, but every other God has works. And the way that you control people is by works and merit, you earn it, you, you don’t get it, unless you deserve it, you’ve earned it, you’ve worked for it. You if you’re gonna find approval and acceptance, then you got to be good, you got to be obedient, you got to do what you’re told to do. And it’s easy to control people when you’re on a workspace system, and a workspace religion, or business or marriage, for that matter. But, but God, Jehovah God, and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dispense grace, that unmerited favor toward people who don’t deserve it. And who can’t pay back to get it. No other religion has the concept of grace. Grace is foreign to the unregenerate mind. In other words, we have a fallen mind. And we’ve been raised with things like if you ever heard there’s no free lunch. In other words, yeah, they say it’s a free line to it, there’s a, there’s a hook in there somewhere, they’re gonna get you one way or the other, they’re not going to give it to you for free. And that’s really true. In most cases, you get what you deserve. You won’t love earn it. You want me to love you then earn my love. And that’s what we find out about love. There are four kinds of love. Let’s say there’s arrows, which is romance, there’s phileo, which is a love of friendship, and a best friend. There’s store gay, which is family love. And then there’s a God Bay, which is God’s love. Now those other three loves other than a copy, love are all based on merit, they have to be reciprocal, if I’m going to be your friend, you have to be my friend back. If I’m going to love you, you have to love me back. I’m gonna get along in this family, then we have to all pull together. If not, if you’re not going to earn my love, then you’re not going to get my love. And that’s what we grew up with. That’s that’s what makes sense to the regenerate. That’s just and that’s fair. You want mercy, show that you deserve it, the other Do unto others before they do it unto you. And so those are the kind of things we grew up with, by all means, give others what they deserve, and not one penny more. So those are the values that we grew up with. So someone comes along and says we’ll give them grace. And what does that mean? That means you need to forgive them. Well, they have an ask, will it be in your best interest to forgive them anyway? And so you don’t have to carry it around? Well, they don’t deserve it. Well, that’s why it’s called grace. Because they don’t deserve it if it wouldn’t be grace, if they deserved it if they earned it. So it changed my life in my marriage when my wife got a handle on this and start giving me grace.

I’ll never forget, I was going to play golf one day and she said this early in our marriage. She says you’re going to play golf with those guys spend four hours with him, When am I going to get four hours of your time. So I couldn’t get down to the car and put my gloves in the car quick enough to get out of there. Then she had a Bible study on Tuesdays. And Tuesday was the best day to come home. It was a bunch of godly women, and they’d come to our apartment and there was about seven or eight of them, and they would study a Christian book, all the book was called the Christian family. And Tuesday was a good day to come home because she was kind of into it. She was had a blessing and being around all these godly women. And so and then the next time I went to play golf, I was heading out the door, and she says, I’m glad you got a chance to play, go beat those guys. And a man I stopped and said, Who are you? What do you do with Susan? That kind of thing. She followed me down to the car and waved as I left, kind of made me want to stay. But I didn t Time waits for no man. But you know, that’s the whole thing about grace. Grace has no rationale. People have a natural opposition toward grace where it violates their system of justice and fairness, then where’s the fairness? And that guy did this? And you’re gonna let him off the hook where that’s not fair. That’s not right. How much have we felt like that? What’s going on in our country today? What happened in our recent election? What’s going on with all the executive orders? What? And when there’s 1000, things like that that’s going on? And how often have we said, That’s not right. That’s not fair. That’s not just and we’re judging. And you know, we’re right about that. We may be right about that. But what good does it do? How good does it do to us to recount all the unjust and the unfair and the wrong things that are going on? What’s the benefit? That’s reason I don’t watch the news, and hardly ever listened to it. is because when I hear all this going on, and my critical, judgmental spirit just rises up within me, well, that’s not a spirit, I want controlling me, I want the Holy Spirit controlling means. So what what happens when the Holy Spirit controls me? Pray for them. They don’t deserve me to pray for Do you know how many babies they’ve killed, and you want me to pray for them? You know, how they’re putting people in bondage. You know how they’re stealing our freedoms, you know, how they’re changing and stomping on our constitution and our Bible and you want me to give them grace. They’re guilty. They deserve punishment. Vengeance is mine, said the Lord. I heard I think I shared this last week about the Iranian pastor and having a great revival over in Iran. And his little brother was caught and executed for crimes against religious crimes or something. He wanted revenge. And he was so angry, and God says revenge is mine. And he says, Well, can I get angry and mad just in hate him? No, you can’t hate him. See, when the Holy Spirit comes in, he changes things and it goes against everything, every fiber in our body that’s sinful, and fallen prey and for those who persecute you, blessing your enemies, turning the other cheek, going the second mile. Those things just don’t fit in our system. They don’t fit in our justice system, our fallen nature, you get what you earn, you get what you deserve, and what you deserve. You stole a horse you stole our cows are gonna hang you and they hang them. And they did steal. But there’s no grace. Only in Jesus Christ, you just discover grace for his death made it possible for him to be both gracious and just. So God has called us and given us a new nature. When I received that holy spirit that night in Rocky Mountain. I said, God made me that man, I came to know Christ at night. I didn’t know what was missing in my wife. I thought I knew I knew all about Christ, but I didn’t know Christ. I didn’t know him personally. I didn’t have his Holy Spirit living in my heart. And that night, he gave me the Holy Spirit, living in my heart. And it changed me. And that’s another story. But Susan came up to tell me about Armando about that time, and I was a different guy. And God worked a miracle in our heart and we ended up getting married six years. slider. And she went from breaking up with me to seeing a different guy.

And I was given her grace. That would have never been possible for me when she told me about her mind. But I felt sorry for her because she didn’t understand what’s going on with me. And she was crying all the time. And all I could do is feel sorry for her and give her grace. And God healed us. And God gave us 50 great years together by His grace. See, because when he died on the cross, he took care of the sin. It was just and it was right, that sin had to be paid for. And he paid my debt on the cross, I should have hung on the cross, I deserve to hang on the cross my sin and nail me to the cross. But Jesus said, I’m going to take your sin on myself and I’ll die on the cross for you. That’s Grace has unmerited favor. That’s foreign to the human fallen, mindset and understanding. Nothing in the object of God’s grace merits God’s favor. You know, way to go, you’ve done you’ve been a blessing you’ve served, you’ve sacrificed, you’ve surrendered. Way to go, Well, thanks, I appreciate that. But I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do. God has called me up higher. He’s called you up higher. If you have the Holy Spirit in your heart. God is calling you up to a higher standard that cannot be reached about human gifts, human understanding human wisdom, it cannot be attained. It has to be lifted up by the Holy Spirit. And that’s the reason we draw clear to God, close to God, we abide in Christ, we get in the word, we become men of the word, men of prayer, men of chasing after other men who are chasing after Christ. That’s a reason we gather in fellowship. That’s a reason we memorize and read and study and hear and meditate on God’s word because we want to attain to that higher standard, which is what turning the other cheek giving grace when they deserve punishment, they deserve bad and we’re gonna give them good. And you know, what grace does? He remember Les Miserables

and Jean Valjean,Jean stole, he, this priest brought him and fed him gave him a place to stay. And then he stole some candelabras in the middle of the night and left with him. And then the gendarmes caught him and brought him back to the priest. And they we found this stuff, and we knew that he had been at your house, so we figure he stole it from you. And the priest went, No, he didn’t steal it. He just forgot to get this one here.

And he gave it to Jean Valjean, Jean. he could see him going back to school, our going back to the prison on that island, which was absolutely hideous. But he didn’t have to go back. Why? Because the priests gave him grace. It changed his life, he became a new creature, a new person. And the rest of the story is beautiful.

How that changed his life, what changed his life, Grace, I deserve to go back to the prison. But he gave me grace and free. Jesus did that on the cross for me and you if you know Jesus today, in all interpersonal relationships, but one reciprocity is required and is essential. And that’s what we said earlier, that you get what you deserve. If you’re going to be my friend, then I have to be your friend. But if I don’t want to be your friend, we’re not going to be friends.

If I don’t want to love you, then we can’t be together in love. Because I’m not loving you back. I’m giving you love, but you’re not reciprocating. That’s every other kind of love. But God’s love says, I’m gonna give you Grace, I’m gonna love you no matter what. And you know, here’s the secret. There’s a power in the Holy Spirit that gives us the spirit of patience and goodness and kindness and gentleness, love, hope, peace, self control, that says, that’s those character, the nature of the Holy Spirit in us now we have to do something with that. Once we receive that, we can either nurture it or forget it. And God gave us a spirit to nurture. And my job is to nurture to Jesus, if you abide in Me and my word abides in you, you’ll bear much fruit. For apart from me, you can’t do anything. So my, what I have to decide is, is is my God, a God of grace. And if the answer to that is yes, then I have to ask myself, am I a man of grace? Am I giving people Grace? Or am I judging them and saying that man needs to die? What’s what David did, but broke David’s heart, so I quit running from God after he had killed you, Ryan committed adultery with Bathsheba. And he told the story. Nathan the Prophet came to confront David and he told him a story. There was a young shepherd. And he had one little lamb a ewe lamb. It was like a pet and a member of the family and they loved him. It was a big Shepherd that had a big amount of sheep in his flocks. And he had all he can need and more in the custom was when you have a guest that comes in visits you you kill one of your sheep and feed them. Instead of killing me, he had a guest that came in instead of killing one of his sheep, he went over and stole the ewe lamb from the little shepherd and killed him. And David stood up and said, That man should die. And Nathan stuck his finger right back in David’s chest and said, Thou art the man. That’s what you did with you, right? You had a whole hair on full, full of wives and you went and stole his one wife. And David broke. And when David broke, he repented. And he wrote Psalm 51 be gracious to me, oh God, according to your loving kindness according to the greatness of your compassion blot out my transgressions. who hadn’t prayed brought out my transgressions. who hadn’t bright Forgive me from us in lift this guilt and shame. See, guilt is not a bad thing. Guilt is says, You’ve done a bad thing. So guilt is not a bad thing, because it helps you see you’ve done a bad thing. But shame is different. The devil tempts you to sin and shames you when you do. Shame means you’re a bad person. And that’s what the devil Heat’s on you. You’re a bad person. You’re unworthy. You haven’t measured up. He says, all those things. Do you got a list of things here? That the devil says to guys, when he’s trying to just discourage and defeat us. He come along and say, if you do and God says, If you do this, you’ll die. It’s what he told he. Remember what God said, we can’t eat that fruit would die, you surely shall not die. You can do this and you can get away with it. That’s okay. God doesn’t know what it God’s just trying to control you. He doesn’t want you to have all the enjoyments in life that he has. He’s not fair. He’s not right. He’s not just sweat. The devil comes along and trust and entice us with I know that you’re a hard taskmaster when the slave that had one talent. And he hid it in the ground. And the master came back for an accounting. And he said, I knew you are a hard taskmaster who gathered where you have not sold repo you have not scattered. So you knew that I was a hard taskmaster, that’s what the devil will come along and say, Jesus is hard taskmaster? Well, he’s not he’s a, he’s a God of grace. He will come along and look at you and go, you know, you’re unworthy. I know you’re seeing God knows you’re seeing you know, you’re seeing you and whether you call yourself a man of God. Look on worthy you are. And so that’s why we say do you find your identity, your worthiness in Christ? Because I can come along and call you unworthy all day long? And I am absolutely right. And you can call me unworthy. And you’re absolutely right. I am unworthy. But I’ve been made worthy. I’m unrighteous, but I’ve been made righteous in Jesus Christ. So when I stand before God, that that great Throne Judgment,

then he’ll, he’s not going to say we’ll get McKinsey scale out here. Let’s see if he’s been good or bad. See, if we’re gonna let him into heaven. All he wants to know is Do I have the righteous robes of Christ of white robes of Christ washed clean by the blood of Christ, say by grace to just ask a guy if you want to know if a guy’s a believer or not ask him this question. If you died today, and you were standing at the gates of heaven, and Jesus says, Why should I let you in? What would you tell him? Now, I’ve asked that question to scores and scores of people over the years. And usually, nine out of 10 times quite honestly, even with church going people. I’ll get a merit based answer. I get an answer that says, Well, I’ve tried to be a good person. I’ve tried not to hurt others. I’ve tried to do what I’m supposed to do. And they give you a merit base workspace answers. Instead of saying, I am unworthy, I don’t deserve it. I’ve been saved by grace, he forgiven me for all my sin. So I’m standing in the white robes of Christ enter into the Masters heaven. good and faithful servant. Why is he good and faithful because he has a righteousness of Christ? Because he’s been washed by the blood of the Lamb. He’s been given grace. He didn’t deserve it. That’s what he got. Can you imagine that day You’re guilty, unworthy, you’re shameful and weak, you prayed and prayed and they died Anyway, you can’t trust God. We could go on and on. But that’s the way the devil operates. Because if there was one word that captured everything the devil is does, it would be deception. And deception is the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid that which is not true and invalid. I’ve talked to couples all the time, and they have resentment banks. And they’ve got all this stuff in their resentment bank. And you know what, it’s pretty much true. I’ve taken three pages of notes sometimes on people empty in their resentment, banks, mostly wives, they have bigger resentment banks, because they’re more committed to the relationship, they’re more easily hurt and wounded. That doesn’t mean they’re weaker vessels. That just mean God has given them tender makeup and tender personalities. And it’s a good thing until they’re wounded and hurt and mistreated. And then they start keeping score. And men do the same thing. We just don’t pay enough attention or care enough to keep a lot of score, in my opinion. But what they do is they start emptying their resentment bank, and they have every reason in the world not to give grace if they want don’t want to give grace. Because this is pretty much all true. I’d say 80% of all this stuff I take hear from her and hear from him. is true. They’ve done that. They could document it. Sometimes they have it on video. But where are you go with that? What do you do with that? What is God do with all my sin? Does he ever resentment bank to me, and that’s how we’re that’s our standard guys. If Jesus had a resentment bank on me, then I’m totally in my rights to have a resentment bank on my wife, or on you or you on me. But he has no resentment banks. It says I forgive your sin. And you know what, I don’t just forgive it, I put it behind me as far as the east is from the west. And so rather than judging you and making you pay and wanting to hurt you, like you’ve hurt me, which is what goes on in these marriages and relationships and family relationships. And they just hurt and wounded each other. And you know, that’s the whole thing about being hurt and wounded, all you can do is hurt and wound. If you’re healed, and forgiven and restored, you can help others be healed and forgiven and restored. But if you’re just hurt and wounded, and you’ve been soaking in your bitterness, and your anger and your desire to hurt or get revenge, all you can do others, you’re just hurt looking for a place to happen. And looking for a guy to honk at, or looking for a politician to curse and criticize. God hadn’t called us to be critical on people that deserve it. God’s called us to pray for them. God doesn’t show me shortcomings in you so I can judge you in person criticize you. He shows me shortcomings coming so I can pray for you. And I’ll know how to pray for you. How many wives take that and husbands take that toward their spouse. They see the shortcomings. I know more about my show, Susan knew more about my shortcomings than anybody else will ever know.

But she prayed for me. And I read her journals now and she prayed for children and her grandchildren. She prayed when they messed up and they like everybody else, children, they messed up. They made some very bad decisions and choices. And she was just pouring her heart out bringing them before the Lord. She didn’t judge him she’d never heard her criticized one time anybody and she got after me when I did. That’s the kind of person that I want to be. That’s the kind of person that’s going to share the gospel and use words if necessary. That’s the kind of person that’s going to do good. And that’s the reason we love games so much in the journey to the Enter chamber, the two allegories and Gabe was a black man. And he got it showed him how to take care of his crops so that they wouldn’t die out during droughts and things and irrigate them and, and he had healthy crops when all those white farmers around crops are dying. This one guy got so jealous and angry and bitter that he came over in set fire to gabes barn as you recall. And so Gabe came out and started fighting the fire and as a guy was running away at the time he stepped in a hole and broke his leg. He couldn’t move. And so gay bill and he got to attend into the barn went over and took the guy and put him in his wagon, took him home. Gave him to his family. Yet the doctor they took care of his leg and for the next several months gay brought To the family because that man wasn’t able to provide for him. And what do you call it? Don’t we love gay because of that? Don’t we hope that he’s a real guy? People ask rocky all the time, is gave a real guy. Is he a real man? Because they want him to be. They want to see men like that, who are men of grace, who have men of faith that believe in God and can’t be easily wounded and hurt and be overly sensitive. Today, all we’re doing is telling people to be overly sensitive. All this sexual harassment and hate crimes and all this kind of stuff. If you’ve been disappointed, then that’s, then that’s harassment. If you say good morning, and they don’t respond, that’s harassment. If you feel not included, that’s harassment. And we’re just feeding that thing inside of us. They’re feeding it that always gets offended, that always gets hurt. It wants to get even it puts hurt on other people. See, when the devil is in charge, that’s all it can happen. Jesus looked at the Pharisees and says, your of your father, the devil, and he was a murderer and a liar from the very beginning and your desires to do His will. And when you open your mouth, all you can do is lie because it’s your native language. That’s all the devil can do. It seems like God’s unleashed him on our culture today. Well, if he has, where’s the man of grace, it’s gonna fight back. We talked about fighting back taking our country back calling for revival. And we didn’t call him for Jesus to come even so come, Lord Jesus. But God has not called us to do that God has called us to Yes, there’s nothing wrong with that. But God has called us to fight the battle, and how are we going to fight the battle, but God’s weapons and whatever his weapons, it’s a helmet of salvation, saved by grace through faith. That means we’re dispensing grace, everywhere we go, every chance we get the belt of truth that holds everything together. That’s a word of God, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes fit with the gospel of Christ. That’s how we fight we’re not fighting flesh and blood. But boy, it’s hard to remember that when we see all the injustice, but we have to remember it. God has called us to be men of grace in prayer. We’re not going to fix this thing, being sarcastic and judgmental, and complaining. And we have to repent of that. I do that all the time. That’s reason I don’t listen to the news. Because that’s all the flesh in me comes up. I can’t listen to it. Because that’s what it come up. So I want to bless and pray for. So if I hear the news at all, it’s the know how to pray now. Know what my next prayer request is going to be for the country, the world for what’s going on, and what God’s doing. So let’s call for revival. And we know what God did with Billy Graham, maybe there’s another one out there.

We need a revival in our homes. We need a revival with a husband, loving his wife and a wife, loving and forgiving her husband. We need a revival with our children. We need to share the gospel and have family prayer times. We need to gather when we can. And we need to gather together in fellowship in the spirit with each other, pray that we pray on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Fridays. But we need a revival. We need to pray that God would give us a revival in our own hearts and start with me. And that be the prayer is it starts. But then God bring a revival to our nation. I don’t know if it’s going to change anything or change the government or change the people in government. But I’m praying for some Apostle Paul’s, from Hollywood from Washington, DC that right now persecuting and will be persecuting Christians who Jesus comes to like he’s doing in Iran to dreams and visions and doing miracles and bringing great revival in the nation of Iran. And what if God wanted to take our country down and steal our freedoms, to bring a great revival? And that’s what it took to bring a revival in America that we would lose our rights and lose our freedoms. And we would have to suffer like we’ve never had to suffer for our faith. Would God see fit to some men like us to bring revival? This pray that that would be the case, Father, as we close today, we thank you that you’re the God of revival, personal revival in our own hearts. When you revive us and you give us new life, a new forgiveness, a new sense of grace and a new sense of being able to give grace because we’ve received it from you that we could do it in our homes and our families that we could do it in our churches. Lord, the church needs grace. It needs revival it needs to, to be awakened to be faith base. Instead of fear based, and that’s what we all need. Our country needs revival and if you need to tear our country down to bring revival and so that there won’t be a single person in this nation who doesn’t know that there’s a God and he came to redeem us, he came to save us and he’s given us grace and there’s no need for all the suicides that are going on. There’s no need for all the worry and anxiousness and anxiety and stress that’s going on in our culture and all the medical physical problems that go along with that. But Lord, there’s a peace that surpasses all understanding. And so friends come to the principes who hung on a cross and gave us grace. So we give we thank you for the grace that we’ve received. We pray that would be grace givers even today in Jesus name And all God’s men said Amen

Amen. Give them heavn guys

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Thanks, Pete. All right. Well, good morning, guys. Oh, there’s the camera, right? Yeah, I can’t I can’t say enough about Pete’s leadership and his role model and his mentorship in my life and the difference it’s made with my wife and I and me being a man of God. I just can’t thank you enough. And all you guys. It’s humbling to be. It’s humbling to be standing up here. Speaking and giving a message when so many of the guys in this group are role models for me and guys I look up to and so I’m grateful. I’m honored to be able to share and there are some things on my heart that I’d like to dive into. And I got a good word of encouragement from my brother, Bill Colville, as he always encourages me before I come up here and he pulls me aside and really just gives me that heartwarming. Don’t blow it. Right here, right here. So I’ll try not to blow it. No promises. But anyway, I’ll first I want to do is share an experience I had at work and the smartphone. Okay, it seems like it’s all right. All right. All right. Yeah, I just there’s just an experience that God put on my heart reminded me of that happened a few years ago that I just think illustrates some good points. We were We were dispatched one night to the beach for reports of a man in the water. struggling, it was like 10 o’clock at night. And our rescue boat our lifeguard boat arrived first two lifeguards one dove in and went to the victim. And there was a there was a struggle in the water. So the other lifeguard announced that on the radio that they were struggling, and that’s right about when we got on scene. And the the ambulance that was with us I was on the fire engine, that one of the one of the doors of the cab flew open and that medic charged down the sand into the water jumped into the water and swam out to help the situation. And so we’re just do what we do. And we’re sprinting to we always move with a purpose. But this was a little bit more. And we all we all go splashing into the waves and the and the other lifeguard had jumped in and the three of them were working to to help the victim and bring him to the shore. we all we all got hands on him and helped him onto the gurney, he was having some kind of psychological crisis, some kind of behavioral crisis problem, and probably also on drugs. And this was a suicide attempt. And so he was fighting and struggling to breathe fighting and struggling to keep us from stopping him. And it was chaotic. Got him on the gurney, began to treat him for hypothermia and possible drug overdose. And we’re all now experiencing hypothermia, because none of us remember to bring our beach towels to this outing. We’re all in full uniform, so and it was crazy. And that that that sense of urgency that that medic had just flew stuck with me. And so talking to him later. turns out he’s a lifeguard or he was a lifeguard before he was a firefighter paramedic. And there’s something there’s something that all lifeguards know that if you’re trying to rescue someone in the water, and they’re struggling, they will drown you too. And it’s such a serious thing that lifeguards will actually push away from somebody if they’re struggling too much and panicking and flailing. Or if there’s something up to him, and they see them in that condition, they’ll keep their distance from them not to abandon the rescue or give up on the person, but because of the risk to themselves, right. And you can imagine that I thought about the discipline that that takes to be watching somebody struggling to live gasping for air clinging to anything, but have to know that you have to keep yourself back. Right? And and because they know that if they if they drown, then nobody’s getting saved. And I just thought that preaches. I just think I see that so much about how that translates into a few ways we can illustrate what goes on with us as Christians. And so I identified three ways. The first one is as we find ourselves in a world spiraling down out of control, which it is we can’t ourselves get out of control, we need to also be, we need to realize that we’re the ones who are supposed to know that God is in control who is in control, right? And we can’t fight the way the world fights and we can’t we can’t do that same thing because we need to have the wisdom to know the will will be dragged down the same way the world gets dragged down if that’s what we do, right, Romans 1212 Be patient in affliction. So that’s one way number two, sometimes even I in the middle of trying to help someone, like we often find ourselves do whether it’s a brother who’s gone away word or whether it’s somebody that’s lost that we’re trying to reach. We need to realize that the temptation to sin can be overpowering our effectiveness and we need to know When to when to pull back. And it’s and then again, it’s like the lack or not to abandon the mission or quit. But to realize that possibly the only person that they may ever know who is anchored to Christ, we have to keep ourselves safe, right and Galatians six tells us about this brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourself so that you also won’t be tempted. Something to keep in mind. And then the third way, and you guys will love this, especially you, Ron, we can’t do this Christian life alone. In the same way it take it took all of us to help that one victim it takes the body of believers caring for each other and having each other’s back to reach a lost world and to do the Lord’s work. Hashtag for him. So and we need Jesus to be the guide, we need him at the center of it also for for where two or three are gathered together in my name. I am there among them. Matthew 1820. And so that just that just leads me to these essentials, I wanted to bring up just kind of what I see as the essentials of a good Christian walk, at least what I’ve learned is a man of God, sort of a barometer, these four things where you can, we can all look at where we’re at with these four things, any given day, any given week, any given month, and and how healthy of a amount we have this we have in our life. And it’s simple. It’s just not always easy, but the Bible prayer, Holy Spirit and fellowship. How are we doing with that, take away any one of them and you’re at 75% take away two of them here at 50%. If you want to give yourself a if we want to give ourselves a grade of where we’re doing and I know personally, how well I’m navigating life and how well my character is holding together out there in the world. How well I’m doing with all that parallels, how much I’m spending time in God’s Word in prayer, whether I’m looking for the Holy Spirit, whether I’m tuned into him, and whether I’m around other guys who know the Lord, less of those things. The worldly fill more of those things, and I’m walking in the Spirit and Jesus is is who’s seen most when, when I’m seeing if that makes sense. We as men of God, we have to be, we have to have Jesus as Lord of our life like this ministry teaches, we need to have the Bible as our as our final authority. We really need to have the Bible be our compass for our direction, and and where we go to to navigate this life. We’ve got to be praying, we’ve got to be in prayer. We got to be in prayer all the time. The Bible says Pray without ceasing. Pray constantly. So I like it when preachers are the best illustration I’ve heard said is think of prayer, like a like background music to your life. That’s always kind of playing. Your heart is always speaking to God’s heart, your spirit to God’s Spirit, your mind to God’s mind, you’re in tune you’re, you’re wondering more than anything, whether you’re where God wants you to be. And and everything that you face, you want to know what God wants you to do. And if and that’s you’re just we’re how we’re positioned and how we’re postured silently to the world inside, inner dialogue with him. And so that when you’re actually praying out loud, or somebody can hear you that’s just turning the volume up on your heart on what’s already just been kind of always playing. I’ve just always loved thinking of it that way. Our number one prayer, what we should be praying most for is that everybody would get closer to Jesus. Everyone will be closer to Jesus. That’s the overarching prayer that we’re just trying to get a world to Jesus, he’s the only way to everlasting life. He’s the only way to God. And he’s the he he’s getting closer to Jesus is where the solution to every problem lies. His guidance will help us navigate through whatever this world brings us. And so all these things mentioning the Holy Spirit, you know, the Holy Spirit is active everywhere. He’s on the move. He’s nudging us, he’s opening doors for us. He’s guiding us. He’s correcting us. He’s always available. He doesn’t shout, but he’s always around. And so a healthy life in God’s word and a healthy prayer life. Just give him more access to you. And that’s what fellowship does to fellowship with other believers, why we want to be around like minded men on the same path that we are, we can be at different points in the journey, but we’re on the same path towards Jesus. It just gives him more access to us to have his way with us. And so that’s, that’s what I’ve learned. I learned years ago, it’s not something I came up with, but those four things are what I use to kind of measure and like I said, they always parallel how well I’m doing, how I’m talking to my wife, how I’m dealing with the things that work. If I’m if I find myself in that pinch point, and when I get down and I finally pray. It’s like almost immediately like, well, what is this last week? of my life included, has included a healthy regimen of these things. Am I really paying attention to the Lord? And, and that’s what I’ve learned. So moving right along. The next thing I wanted to do was just have us wrestle with a question. And and a point and and we’ve kind of we’ve talked a lot about it in prayer this morning. We’re always talking about it, but just how the world looks right now and where we stand with it all. And the question that I have for us to wrestle with is, do we truly believe what we say we believe, and know what we say we know, in regards to the Lord? Because if we do, then we have, we’d have that competence in the Lord, regardless of what it looks like out there. And I know that right now. Absolutely. These are unprecedented times and my heartbreaks frequently. I mean, it’s, it’s crazy out there. There’s all these conspiracy theories about who’s pulling strings, and what groups are getting together and what people are doing all this big, overarching, diabolical story that’s going on out there. But we’ve got the spoiler alert, the devil is behind it all. Amen. And his forces and his spiritual authority that he has is behind it all. He, the devil’s forces influences the actions of men. And we have to be reminded, and I have to be reminded constantly, our war is not against people. Right? We have to remember that. And there is and there’s, there’s temptation all around to get angry and get worrisome and lose hope and, and nobody’s gonna get any judgment out of me, because I’ve had a heck of a last just the last 12 months, like we talked about. And like, when I was here in August, I told you a lot about I mean, it, it gets hard to keep that compassion for people for sure. But, but we have to, we have to keep trying, you know, the dynamics of our society are changing rapidly. And we and that’s, that is what it is. And things seem to be falling out of place, everywhere. But as things are falling out of place in the world, they’re falling into place biblically. Right? And we know that Jesus told us about all these things and called them birth pains to the End Times. He said, this is this is not a surprise, he gave it to us in the playbook. But it but it is it is very real. It’s a lot to bear. And, and if you try to bear it alone, it’s impossible to stay positive. And that’s what I found. And that’s why we’re so up in arms about having to wear masks all the time or not being able to eat at restaurants were up in arms about our election results were up in arms about the civil unrest and all those things. Like I said, genuinely challenge me and break my heart the same way they do everybody’s but but is the is God still the God that we believe in? Still is right and another spoiler alert. Godwin’s? Godwin’s. Okay. So that’s how we should be living. And I just, I just wonder, and I wonder what the world sees when they look at the body of believers right now. Again, not to shake my finger at anything anybody’s doing specifically, but do they see the love? Do they see love? First, I just I just want us to consider love, first and foremost in our actions and our words and what we do with our community. People, every one of us are known as somebody who believes in Jesus. So do they do those people know that we love them? Do they know that God loves them? Because we want people to know what we know about God, and about Jesus, and about life and death and the path they’re on. We want desperately to that we’re trying. We’re trying to join Jesus in saving the world. Right. And the thing about getting people to know what we know, is another phrase that I love, which is no one cares what you know, until they know that you care. So what message are we sending out there? Right? Are we? Are we being too harsh? Are we being too hypocritical? These are the questions that we have to ask. Pete’s been talking to us a lot lately about just the fact that Jesus refers to us as a holy priesthood. So here’s First Peter, chapter two verses one through five therefore rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by people but chosen and honored by God. You yourselves as living stones, a spiritual house are being built to be a holy priesthood. And that’s it. That is an honor. That is a privilege that should that that should humble all of us and give us inspiration and motivation to First Thessalonians chapter five verses 14 through 18. warn those who are idle, comfort, the discouraged help the weak Be patient with everyone. See to it that no one ever pays evil for evil to anyone. But always pursue what is good for one another and for all. Rejoice always pray constantly give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. In Jesus, I wanted to finish up here and I and I, we hit up a little bit of time, so I’ll have to fit it in. But Matthew chapter four, at the end of this last year, I was, I was looking for a Bible study. And that was kind of between Bible study, I decided I wanted to finish out the year by reading the Gospels, which is always a good choice to go back through it. I won’t tell you how far I got, because that’s not important. But part of the reason I didn’t finish is because I got stopped and was just meditating and taking notes on Matthew chapter four. I loved it. Matthew, chapter four chapter I’ve read plenty of times, is where right after Jesus gets baptized, Matthew chapter four picks up with the temptation in the wilderness. And then he starts his ministry, but you know what he does, before he starts his ministry. He starts the very first for m group. So you see Jesus tempted in the wilderness, fasting for 40 days, 40 nights suffering through that, then the temperature comes in the devil takes him for a ride and puts them through all that. Jesus handles it like a champion that he is, gives us some beautiful gems like man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God, and that we should worship the Lord and serve him only. Mike drop. And then he says, devil Get out of here and the devil leaves him God sends His angels to minister to him. He picks himself up, and he heads to California, and he begins his ministry. And then we pick up in chapter in verse 18, where he’s walking along the Sea of Galilee, and he sees Peter and Andrew, and they’re fishing. And he says, follow me. And I will make you fishers for people. And immediately, they left their nets and followed him. Then he’s walking a little bit more, he sees James and john. And he tells them to follow him. And immediately they follow Him and leave their leave their nets leave their dad, and it’s on some power there. Verse 23, we read. Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. When the news about him spread. So they they brought to him all of those who were afflicted, those who are suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon possessed the epileptic, the paralytics. And he healed them large crowds reforming and it was on. And the first thing he did was say, hey, you for dudes, get tight. Follow me, and let’s go change the world. And so I just see us here in this coming out of our 2020 wilderness coming out of our election wilderness, our lockdown wilderness and some in some ways, we’re still finishing going through that wilderness, that’s time of suffering. And we just need to be reminded that Jesus is still very much on the move. And he is looking at each one of us right where we’re at and saying, grab a couple guys. Get tight, follow me, and let’s go change the world. And we can’t we’re beating that up a lot. Because we really, I believe in, it’s something God is doing. And it’s obvious in this ministry of getting guys together, and making them tight. And there’s something intimate about the about the number four, those three of those guys that he just picked up, Peter, James, and john became Jesus’s tightest disciples, do your research, look into the different places where, where those three were. And the other disciples weren’t how many times Jesus took his three and made this for him, that core four. So it’s important. And another point I just wanted to make as we close here, going back to the life guard situation, and that whole story, and I think about the way that medic charged, he knew his brother was in trouble, and he charged, no hesitation to be that kind of brother. And I know that that’s the kind of brothers we’re going to have in these four groups. Because these four m groups, these guys are going to be getting closer to Jesus. And I know that’s what he’ll do through them. Something something’s trying to drag you down, or you’re getting too close to something that’s going to pull you under your brothers are going to be coming after you and any of us who have had brothers that are that tight know that that that’s true. And vice versa. We’ll be looking out for each other that same way. So don’t be that one guy. Try not out there trying to save the drowning world by himself. I’ve made that mistake I’ve been in that period of time. Definitely don’t be in the world drowning along with the world. I’ve also been there too. But be somebody who listens to God and knows that the that the fellowship that he’s calling you to it’s the same as he did with the original All disciples as it is right now. It’s the same calling. He’s still moving. He’s still working, it’s still the same Jesus the same God, it’s alright. may not look all right, but we should have that confidence in God that others can glean off of and see. And so when I say, know what you say, you know, I’ll leave with this first Corinthians 1558. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know, that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. And without us closing prayer. Father, God, thank you, thank you for this time in this place, and these brothers, this brotherhood, I know their sisters watching too. And thank you for them to Lord. But this men’s ministry is calling men forward, to unite together to get strong and you and I know it doesn’t stop there. I know you’re going to change the world through these men and these groups. And so I just pray behind that, Lord, I just push into that, that you would go with them, that your Holy Spirit would lead and that everyone would have a group of four following Jesus. And I just thank you God, that we have the opportunity to still hear each other this way. And it’s in Jesus name that I thank you, Lord, Amen. Give him heaven. Now, what

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Rescue Mission

Phil Hansen is a fire fighter and paramedic first responder in LA County. He is also a leader in his church and leads a missions ministry to Israel. Phil has been on the front lines of the Covid crisis in LA. Recently he and a fellow EMT were called to help lifeguards who were responding to a struggling swimmer. As their ambulance arrived, the medic ran to the shore and jumped into the water to meet the lifeguards who were attempting to save the drowning man. The man was on drugs and was trying to commit suicide. Lifeguards are taught that if a person is struggling, that person will often drown the lifeguard who is trying to save them. They need to back away from the struggling swimmer and then when the person calms down, they can pull him to the shore.

Rescuing a drowning person is an analogy of Christians who are trying to save the lost. When we attempt to bring a person to salvation through Christ, the first thing to remember is that we will be dragged down into the problems of the world if we get into their personal struggle. We must “keep our heads above water” by remembering Romans 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…” Second, the temptation to sin is real when we’re in the struggle with someone “overtaken in a fault.” Galatians 6 says, “BRETHREN, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Third, we can’t do the Christian life alone. We were called to the body of Christ to minister to each other. It takes a community of believers to care for the lost. Matthew 18:20 says “when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.”

Four things are essential to maintain our fellowship and our walk with Jesus Christ. These four are The Bible, the Holy Spirit, prayer and fellowship with believers. Prayer is like the “background music” of our lives. Prayer is “tuning our hearts to sing thy praise.” Prayer is continually aligning my heart with God’s heart, attuned to His “resonant frequency.” This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, “pray without ceasing.” When we pray aloud, it’s turning the volume up to the background music in our hearts.

Keeping our proximity to Jesus is the secret to living the life that God is calling us to live. Fellowship with other Christians and meditating on the Word of God keep us in close proximity with our Lord.

True peace is only through Jesus Christ, the prince of peace. To have peace with one another we must first reconcile our hearts with Christ, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. In order to maintain fellowship and communion with one another, we need to meet each other at the foot of the cross.

Do we truly believe what we say we believe and know what we say we know regarding our relationship with the Lord? It’s easy when we observe the world around us to become discouraged and influenced by the darkness of this world. The temptation is to lose hope and to become critical and judgmental. The dynamics of our society remind us that the world is full of strife, contention, tribulation and division. There is much confusion and chaos in the world around us. However, God is still Sovereign overall. He’s still in control. According to Romans 8:28, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

We’ve been called by God to deliver the good news of the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Unbelievers are not our enemies. They are our mission field. However, they don’t care that we know until they know that we care. John says that Jesus came not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. According to Romans 2:4, it is the goodness (not the wrath) of God that leadeth thee to repentance.

1 Peter 2:1-3 says, “WHEREFORE laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,”

Therefore Romans 12:17-18 says, “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18, “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

In Matthew 4 Jesus was led into the desert to be tempted of the devil. To counter the three temptations of the devil, he responded with three verses from the Word of God: Thou shalt not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.

After his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus started his 4M (four men) group. Then Jesus went to the shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw two brothers Peter and Andrew who were casting their fishing nets. He said “follow me.” They dropped their fishing nets and followed him. Then he saw two other fishermen brothers, James and John tending their nets with their father Zebedee. Jesus said to them, “Follow me.” These two sets of brothers were Jesus’ first 4M group. He said, you’re fishing for fish, I shall make you fishers of men.

Phil’s EMT partner who jumped into the water did not hesitate to do whatever it takes to save the drowning man’s life. It didn’t matter that he was suffering from hypothermia and that the drowning man didn’t want to be saved. Likewise as Christian men our exhortation is in 1 Corinthians 15:56… Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as ye know that’s your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Galatians 5 says stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. Only use not liberty as an occasion to sin, but in love serve one another…

…that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Cornerstone

In Luke 9 Jesus and the disciples went through Samaria to spread the gospel message. When John saw that no one believed, he said, “Do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them like Elijah did?” Jesus said, “you don’t know what spirit you’re asking. I did not come to destroy but to save.” He had said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Jesus confronted the Pharisees who thought that they were righteous because of their own good works. They thought that everyone else was condemned for not keeping the letter of the Old Testament law. However, Jesus said in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

In Matthew 16, Jesus had returned from Caesarea and asked his disciples, “Whom do men say that I am?” They said, some say that you’re John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the prophets returned from the dead. Then Jesus asked them, “But whom say ye that I am?” This is the central diagnostic question for followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter answered Jesus’ question: “Thou art the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Jesus said, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.”
He said to Peter, “Thou art Peter, a little stone, but upon this rock, Petra, the foundation stone, I myself will build my church.” Jesus Christ himself, The stone which the builders rejected is the foundation stone to those who believe and a stone of stumbling to those who believe not.

If Jesus said, “Why should I let you into heaven?,” What would you answer? Men look on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, Most people think that they will enter heaven because of their good works. They think to themselves, if the good I’ve done outweighs the bad, then God will let me into heaven. However, Jesus said, “there is none good, no not one.” The Apostle Paul said, “In my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” He said that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Therefore the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

In Colossians 1, Jesus Christ holds all things together. He himself is the cornerstone, the foundation and the stone of alignment… the reference point and measuring standard upon which the whole building of God’s church is founded.

Individual believers within the church are living stones, built into God’s temple…the dwelling place of the living God. 1 Peter 2:5-7 says, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner…”

1 Peter 2:9 continues, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

We’ve been called as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. The priest is the one who speaks to God on behalf of God’s people. The priest is the spokesman for the people whom God has called. According to Romans 12, we’re to offer our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is our reasonable call to worship.

The Church is the assembly of believers, the body of Christ. The church is the dwelling place, the temple of the living God. Even though there are many denominations and different congregations, we have been called to the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

In Mark 9:38, John said to Jesus, we saw someone casting out devils in your name and we told them to stop because they didn’t follow us. Jesus said, “Why did you say that? Ether they are for us or they are against us. If they are casting out devils in my name then they are for us.”

The distractions of the world around us will turn our hearts from the light of the truth of the Word. When we focus on the affairs of this world and the divisiveness and confusion all around us, the devil will ensnare us and pull us into the darkness of strife and contention. The darkness will separate our hearts from our fellowship with God. Where there is strife and division there is confusion and every evil work. However, the word of God says, set your affection on things above, not on things of this world. For that which is seen is temporal but that which is unseen is eternal.

It’s important to remember that Jesus the Christ, the son of the living God, is the foundation of the church and the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Churches call men to attend regularly, to serve diligently, and to give generously. However, man looks on the deeds, behaviors, works, and outward appearances, whereas God looks upon the heart.

Churches stopped growing about fifty years ago. Churches began competing for members and pulling people from other churches. They stole members from other churches by giving them more entertaining music and more eloquent and appealing “prosperity gospel” preaching. They began preaching a social gospel and appealing to peoples’ pride by focusing on “what’s in it for me.” The church stopped growing by converting unbelievers to the church of the living God by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

In the Old Testament, God judged Israel when they turned their hearts away from God’s commandments. When they intermarried with pagans and pursued other gods, the true God gave them up to their vanity and their own devices. They became prey for the devil and his purpose… to steal, kill and to destroy.

The church in the time of Peter like today’s church was struggling though hard times. The church was persecuted and the believers were marked out as deviant from the norms of the politically correct culture. However, the darker the night the brighter the light shines.

There can be no victory without a battle…. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Our battle is a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of God’s elect. Men say that the recent election was the most important election of our times. However, from God’s perspective, the most important election is our election of God.

Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:10, ““Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”
What are “these things?” These are the things in 2 Peter 1:4-7: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

As the church, the called out, the elect of God, our Father has given us his gracious gift of Holy Spirit. In Christ our cornerstone, He has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness. His ultimate purpose is that we would be blessed by blessing Him….

…that as living stones, we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

A Higher Standard

Isaiah 55 says God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts than our thoughts. His word is the higher standard. The characteristic of God according to the Old Testament is loving kindness and tender mercy. His steadfast love is singularly significant… His love is remarkable and extraordinary… a higher standard than the standard of this world.

In Matthew 5 Jesus said, “you have heard that you should love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” This is the world’s standard. However Jesus continued, “but I say love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you and despitefully use you.” Why? Because unconditional love is the nature of God himself. God wants to reproduce his children “after his kind.” He loves us despite the fact that we were unlovable. He has given us his love with mercy and grace even though we do not deserve it. He loved us not because we were deserving but because God is love…. not because of who we are but because of who He is.

According to Acts 1:8, Jesus said, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, you shall receive power from on high and you shall be witnesses unto me. The power from on high is the power to overcome the power of this world. Anyone can resent and wish evil upon their enemies. However the power of the Holy Spirit is to love the unlovable and to forgive the unforgivable. This is the love wherewith he loved us, for in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

The love of God is remarkable, uncommon, and above the standard of this world. Jesus said, therefore be ye perfect as your father is perfect. The perfection is not in our own power. The perfection is in the power of the Holy Spirit… the spirit of God in Christ in you the hope of glory. For in Christ he has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Our perfection is not in our sinful nature that we inherited from Adam. Instead, our perfection is in the righteousness of Christ we inherited from God when we were born again of his Holy Spirit… born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you… that ye love one another. The ability to love one another is a gift he gave to us. The purpose is that we shall be his witnesses… that those who do not know Christ can witness the love of God which is not of this world. Therefore encourage one another to love and good deeds.

Even churches seem to be in competition and strife against other churches. However, 1 Corinthians 13 is the higher standard. The “charity checklist” for the love of God begins in verse 4: Love is patient, love is kind. It’s never selfish or rude. It’s not prideful or touchy. Love rejoices with the success and blessings of others. It rejoices whenever truth wins out. Love beareth all things, believeth all things , hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth.

Today’s worldly standard of political correctness says, “I have the right not to be offended.” The world will trick us to criticize, condemn, and complain. However, the love of God is not easily provoked and thinketh no evil. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father except by me.” According to John 15 Jesus Christ is the standard. He said, “Unless the branch abides in the vine, the branch cannot bear fruit. I am the vine and ye are the branches.”

Outside of Christ, the Christian life is impossible. Unless we have the power of Christ in us, we cannot forgive the unforgivable and love the unlovable…. not even ourselves. If our love doesn’t carry us above ourselves, then it’s not the love of God. As the apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.”

Oswald Chambers said, “After being born again of God’s spirit, I found myself on a mission to abide in Christ in every area of my life… to bring all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. I don’t need to change and arrange my circumstances. Jesus himself found himself in the circumstances where God planted him. He always did his father’s will. Therefore seek the Lord while he may be found. In the early stages of a new Christian’s walk, it’s a deliberate effort. Then as we mature, abiding in Him becomes second nature.”

Pastor Pete remembers when the Irvine Boys and Girl’s Club where his church was meeting had a change of direction. Their director said, “I’m sorry but in six months, we’ll need to use our auditorium for a different purpose than the assembly hall where your church meets.” Pete could tell that this man was concerned for the continuation of Pete’s congregation. Pete assured him, “we’re so thankful for your generosity in allowing our church to meet here these many years. You made the right decision. God will take care of the needs of our congregation. He will provide a place for us to meet. God will bless your decision to proceed in the direction he’s given you.” The director said, “Thank you for your kind Christian response.”

As men of God we have not been called to stand against the standards of this world. Instead, we have been called to be witnesses for Christ of God’s grace, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. These are the qualities of the unconditional love of God which is His righteous standard. We cannot love in our own power. However of Him are we in Christ Jesus who was made unto us God’s wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. In Christ we were called to His higher standard… as Jesus said, “to love one another even as I have loved you.”

God works all things for good to those who love him and are called according to His purpose. The lyrics to the song, “Is He worthy?”, are appropriate to remember God’s remarkable love wherewith he loved us…. for his love is His nature, not ours. Because He loved us we can love Him… The greatest blessing is not in the blessings, but that we have the high and holy privilege of loving Him…

“Is He Worthy?” Lyrics by Andrew Peterson:

Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? (We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory?
Is He worthy of this?
He is
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah, hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe (People and tribe)
Every nation and tongue (Every nation and tongue)
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory?
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?
He is, He is…

…Is He worthy of all blessing and honor and glory? He is! He Is!

The blessing is not in the blessings, but in blessing Him…
…That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael