Good afternoon. Good afternoon. It is Thursday afternoon is 16th of March and it is just gone three o'clock. We hope you are well. Wherever you are right at this moment in time, may God bless you and strengthen you in the mighty name of Jesus. Yes, it's us. We are here # Christian Straight Talk, as we just rest in the presence of God and in and in the presence of the Word of God, there is so much going on. We got so much to think about this moment in time. It is Thursday. And normally we will do this in the morning. But we have changed our plans for the day. So anyone in the world of Buzzsprout and Spotify and all them places we thank you so much for the 1000s of downloads, and everything that goes on in the world of podcasting. We are so grateful for the download Simon we are in it is # Christian straight talk. We're ready to go.
Simon Pinchbeck:Really gone. It's great to be back across the mics. Ben and yeah, we're back. Seven days, we've it's been just a crazy time again. And it's been it's been a mad few it's always seems like a lot longer than it but because it seems absolutely so much nonsense going on you've got to deal with and yeah, but you know, it's currently a back of great that we're back with # Christian straight talk. And we said last week got some exciting news. And we have,
Reverend Ben Cooper:we have just come on the screen. Let's just change the picture. Give us a rundown Simon
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, in a couple of weeks, we're not ready to go yet. But in a couple of weeks where we're going to be we're going to still be doing this weekly podcast that's still going to go and out. But we're going to have extra content to more of a podcast some some great encouragement videos, Holy Communion as well. But that we that will be on Patreon, Ben, and that's right. Patreon is a subscriber platform form.
Reverend Ben Cooper:It's quite an interesting thing. Yes, enormous platform out there for you know, for content creators and, and those that are on all types of different skill sets, levels, podcasts and videos, everything like that. But we've filmed led that we're going to go on to that because we can do a lot more through that. And obviously, we just want to thank everybody in the world of Buzzsprout as well, because there's still this stuff is still going out. But there's more. There's lots more and it's given us the ability to do that. So if anyone wants to follow us over the Easter weekend, we are hoping to press the buttons at some point, aren't we possibly on a Saturday. So everybody that is listening to this podcast now or on this live stream, we are looking to press them buttons on probably Easter Saturday. And we just want to continue to really say thank you to those that are following us through Buzzsprout 1000s of downloads, hashtag Christian Straight Talk. Because we use EXILIM and everything we just everything's inter woven as we just string stuff, but we welcome you. And there is a big title on the table today. And the Scripture is quite hairy in text, isn't it? It's not an easy text to get your head around when you read it. It's a very deep, and a very powerful word from the New Testament. And the title today is the cost of following Jesus,
Simon Pinchbeck:you have been we've been in the Jesus button for like six weeks. And we've really examined some great stuff and it's led us it's led us into places that we never really knew before, to be honest with you, and today's is going to do the same. But there is a cost of following Jesus a big cost of follow Christ. And there's also a cost and not follow.
Reverend Ben Cooper:What is the greater I think the second one I've
Simon Pinchbeck:not resulted in it, you know, you following or not following you know, which is which is?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Gosh, when you when we're going to read out a scripture in a moment and you don't really hear many sermons preached on SD because when when you look at this text that we're going to read in just a few months from the book of locates Luke chapter 14, verses 25 to 34. And we'll just pick and as we feel the Holy Spirit is leading us just to speak about that, but you don't hear sermons do really on this subject, the cost of following
Simon Pinchbeck:Ben, it's interesting because I just thought that Ben, you know, the cost of following so it's Jesus was right up front about what it cost right up front. They're messing about he didn't hold back. He he we've both barrels, and it's all in here. But here's the deal, Ben, you know, when we look at some of the preachers and teachers today, I don't want to tell you about these. There's a cost is a struggle to Today, because all I want to tell you is, it's good times,
Reverend Ben Cooper:there's a cost and you can get rich following Jesus. But literally, that's the difference, you'll be blessed when you look at the text that we're about to read. And you really drill into that. And the cost of surrender, because that's what it's about, isn't it? Well, we saw
Simon Pinchbeck:the Reverend weeks ago, when we total surrender, and,
Reverend Ben Cooper:and you got to lay certain you got to lay everything down on the table, walk away from it. But as you walk away from it, it comes back to you. So it's an acknowledgment that Christ is king, here's the head, here's the great I AM. So the cost of following Jesus. And we could even say to ourselves, but is there a cost following Jesus? What what is the cost, and the Scripture lays it straight out in verse 25. When Christ is with a crowd, and they're all asking, and everything's going off, and the cost of being a disciple to lay everything down, and to walk into the garden of Gethsemane alone, and leave everything, family, business, life, money, yourself, leave everything outside, in a different arena, go into the garden, lay everything down, in the outside of that area of life, and fall to the floor, and call on Christ, not my will, Your will be done. And suddenly, what you lay down, you get back very differently, though, there's a restoration of laying down, but is a cost.
Simon Pinchbeck:The deal is that, you know, we walk away, really from the world, don't we, we walk away, and we're one of the kingdom. And so the way, the so the way the world is swimming, you know, all the way, all of a sudden, where that salmon, who's going back, and we're swimming against the tide. Because, you know, many of you out there will have experienced this where you've had, you know, when you've suddenly encountered Jesus Christ and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. And you've accepted that total surrender, friends and family will either fall away or they'll say, yeah, he's use a nutcase or she's not coming, what's going on? And suddenly, you feel a little bit alone, don't you have been? John, I'd
Reverend Ben Cooper:say very much alone, following Christ is not all sugar coated, as the world and as them evangelists tell you're following Christ, there is a cost. There is a time of loneliness, there is a time of great presence of God, there is a time of being very alone and actually asking God, where are you? Because if you're in a very hajus, hard work space, and you've got a hard culture, and you've got all this stuff going on around you, and you're trying to follow Jesus, and you're, you're pressing and you're living for Him, and the cost is to lay everything down. And it can be a lonely place following Jesus can be a lonely journey. We're going
Simon Pinchbeck:to obviously, look at that scripture. We did mention him, but I think nothing encapsulates it, you know, moving away from the world more than than Jesus encounter with a rich young ruler, gender rich young room, and a so important this scripture that's it's in free, or the Gospels is to have it, if you got it, but the one in Mark, I believe, it gives a little bit extra, and it says, it's in Mark 1017. It says, Now, as he Jesus was going down the road, he came and one person came running up to him, and knelt before him and asked him good teacher, what shall I do to have eternal life? What was he gonna do to have to have this eternal life?
Reverend Ben Cooper:I want to live forever. I want to be saved on and be blood washed, Lord, I want to be a preacher. I teach a lot of Lord, I want to follow your Jesus, what have I got to do?
Simon Pinchbeck:So Jesus immediately knew his heart. And so he said to him, why do you call Me good? No one is good, but one that is God, You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not commit murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. And he answered him and said to him, Teacher, all these are things I've kept from my youth. Then Jesus looking at him, and this is what gets me in this war. Come on, read it, read it, then Jesus looking at him, loved him. Wow. He loved him,
Reverend Ben Cooper:even though even though he was just completely
Simon Pinchbeck:drenched in the world when he was in the world,
Reverend Ben Cooper:to work with the world and the world. And he loved everything about the world, but Jesus loved him. That is so powerful. It's it's it's beyond, isn't it? So even when he was in the full swing of it Everything in life and he actually had the audacity to go, Yeah, I've I've done it all. I've lived it Oh, and I'm still doing it on
Simon Pinchbeck:still do so. You know, then she just sort of looked at him and loved him and said to him, one thing you like because he knew his heart, he looked straight into his heart, he said, because that's what it's about in it. Yeah, this cost of Jesus, it's about changing your heart. And then cost following Jesus, you said one thing you let go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Come and take up your cross and follow me here and he was sad at this word. And he went away sorrowful for great possessions.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So laying down materialism, laying down all what you've earned, or what you work for the nest egg to the private hedge fund money that's sitting in the back end of that the the ivory tower that you've that you've built around for business and for life, and will you lay it down? Jesus says, Will you lay it down for me? Will you will you give everything away? And just come to me completely naked and exposed and having nothing to do with the world? Roar? What did he do?
Simon Pinchbeck:Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, how hard is it for those that have riches to enter the kingdom of God? And his disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches, big one, to enter the kingdom of God, it's easier for a camel to fully iron and neither impossible then for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And when you look at that, Ben, it's you know, if they're if the rich young ruler, I honestly believe, if the rich young ruler have gone, it's all I've given away, I'm given it is done, it is gone. If you've done a Zacharias and said, Look, I'm gonna give it all take it, take it, I want nothing to do that juicer returns room and gone. Now you don't have to do that.
Reverend Ben Cooper:I want your heart I want your heart. So it comes down to that fundamental point, doesn't it that Christ wants our heart. He's not interested in the materialism as long as we don't put all that as, as a God before him first. That's the issue, isn't it? That's the
Simon Pinchbeck:major point that Ben's just said if you hit that's number one, if you're number one in your life, you're in trouble, you're
Reverend Ben Cooper:in trouble, you're in trouble. It's okay to have a great business, okay to have all the staff that you've worked for, because God gives people the ability and the skill, to generate money to generate wealth. And God gives people the ability to be able to share that as well. And we're not saying there's nothing wrong with having all all that stuff. But if if it's at the top of the tree, if if if the car and the fame and the fortune and the house is is before Jesus, then there is a serious problem is
Simon Pinchbeck:a serious problem. And I often speak on this sort of stuff and because it's a journey, I've been on myself, but when I go when it's alright to have a few quid you really well. Thank goodness for that.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Thank goodness for that. I can keep that I can keep the little little bit in a little bit of stash or the large stash I can keep that. But it's about putting God first this is critical.
Simon Pinchbeck:And the Apostle Paul summed it up then and many people misquote this they say money is the root of all evil, but they miss out that one word bentonite one Timothy six Tim, it's the love of money, the love
Reverend Ben Cooper:of all and that's the same for anything of the world isn't it? When you get the love of whatever the world is offering you might be a great person in business you might be a great educator you might have might be a great scholar, you might be just really clever in the way of earning money making money. But is it if that's my God and my my goal just for purely for riches, then I'm in serious trouble. It's you know, it's a there's a way that you've got to look at it through Scripture. If if it's materialism, and that's my God. And I go to church on a Sunday for a few hours. That is not worth going to church because God wants your heart.
Simon Pinchbeck:Very true. And then John Wimber, though the guy that came up with a Vinyasa movement, he said, Show me where you put your time, your money in the energy, and I'll show you what you worship and it's pretty true. Really, because wherever you're spending your time watching too much TV, your first focus. Yeah, where's your first focus? Your
Reverend Ben Cooper:first where's your where's your eyes?
Simon Pinchbeck:You know, is it all that sort of stuff? Or is it money shopping? possessions? Yeah. Or is it Jesus?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Is it Jesus? Where does Jesus Come on? Jesus fit on the ladder of our lives. Where does he come? Because the cost is it's got to come first and he's got to come first. That means laying down absolutely everything put in everything down and walking away from everything, but then he will bring back what is relevant and what is important and rightful in his eyes and not in our eyes. And that is a difficult cross to carry. Because what we want to carry, maybe a little bit materialism, maybe a little bit of the world with us because we'd like the way that is working. But Christ is saying, You got to lay everything down. You got to pick up your cross daily, you got to die to self, and you just got a walk away from everything.
Simon Pinchbeck:And he said, pick up your cross. And the uneven been that across at this point, but we understand the human body. But the Apostle John sums it up Ben in, in one John 216. He calls it that the lust of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. It's
Reverend Ben Cooper:the three ones, the three, the three anchors that hold you back to the drawing factor. And in Luke chapter 14, verses 25 and 26. Quite a heavy, heavy read and we're just going to read this and just see how this gets dealt with. Because when you look at what this is a large crowds, were traveling with Jesus and what we got remember is there are many people that are traveling with Jesus, that won't doubt lay down a lot of stuff for Jesus. So there's a lot traveling with him, walking with him, but not really walking with him spiritually. There is like the religious folk, the church goers still the traffic, the Jesus traffic is still still the same. So
Simon Pinchbeck:do you know him? Do you know about him?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Because when you say you're walking through life to him, it says there are large trout crowds, we're traveling with him. Are you traveling with Jesus? Or are you walking with Jesus? Are you for Jesus? Are you just there for what you can get out of Jesus?
Simon Pinchbeck:Is the have you made him your Lord and Savior? Do is he? Number one
Reverend Ben Cooper:is he number one in your life? Then the scripture goes on? Let's read it. It says a large crowd was traveling with Jesus. And they turned around and said to him, and Jesus turned around and sorry. And they turned around and he said, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brother and sister, yes, even his own life, such a person cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry their cross, and follow Me cannot be My disciple to areas, you've got to literally walk away. But as you walk away, Christ brings it back. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It's about putting it in the correct order, overall, your life your priority. Jesus first it has to be Christ, first the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But then he puts on the back end of that as well, almost to make it even harder to do in a certain area of life and whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciples. Strong words from Jesus Christ.
Simon Pinchbeck:It's really strong when he Because don't forget, you know is is the Bible is Tanner's that if we hate someone is akin to murder. And so he's saying here if you don't hate your mother and father,
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah, that that is that is a that is a text that you're thinking, Lord, I can't even I can't even unpack that. I can't even work that out. But what do you mean? What are you saying Jesus?
Simon Pinchbeck:What do you means is I am before I am before now, I was on I was on a men's event and we were talking about one of the biggest struggles for for men and for women is their relationship with earthly for sure. And a lot of guys on there had poor relationships bad relationships with their with their father and was struggling but one guy there said no, my my dad was amazing. He was all five through the week. We found these fit up in we found the sky, flat on his face, crying his eyes out. stuff coming all out. We suppose. He said he's just It's just I've just really just hit me up put my father before Jesus. Yeah, wow, wow, I'll put my father before Jesus.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And it's really important to understand what what we're looking at here. It has to be our Father in heaven. First, it has to be Christ. First. It has to be the power of the Holy Spirit. The Living Word has to be first and foremost in our lives because the Scripture is so clear. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else shall be added unto thee. If you've got troubles and drama and things breaking out in your life, and things are just going on. It's really important to put Christ first to lay everything down and I keep seeing this picture formation of people needing to walk into the garden of Gethsemane alone. It's important because when you go in alone, you really seek the will of the Father. And when you come out, you pick back up your church family, you pick back up those that are around you, there comes a point in your life when you've got to be like Christ, and you've got to leave your father and mother, leave your brother, your sister, leave your wife, leave your children in that degree, and go spiritually into that place. And just be alone with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit,
Simon Pinchbeck:you've unpacked a couple of things there, Ben, and we're in that spiritual we, that it is hard, didn't we, when we did that podcast on your own personal Garden of Gethsemane? And it's very interesting, because I was speaking to a guy yesterday, who is ministry really is one to one stuff, you know, he just comes alongside people, and guides them, you know, to Jesus really, and, and like he was saying exactly what we've been saying, this is your number one call is on your face, on your knees, to Jesus, it's not your spiritual director, not your bishop, not your church leader, not your mate from you know, the Breakfast Club. No, it's, it's, it's Jesus. It has
Reverend Ben Cooper:to be Jesus. Jesus first has to be the living Word of God,
Simon Pinchbeck:you're a church leader, right. And I've been involved in various ministries, and many times been people that go to church profess to be a Christian come to you and say, My life's a trainwreck. And
Reverend Ben Cooper:how many, how many leaders don't actually confess that their life's a train wreck, because all of our lives can quite simply in the eyes of Jesus, even in our own eyes, think to ourselves, my life looks like a car crash at the moment.
Simon Pinchbeck:But then you say to these people, you're examining your own life, and you say, these people? What time are given to what time I'm like, given the job? What time am I given to God?
Reverend Ben Cooper:What is the what is this time in the world? Do I spend time with Jesus? Or do I spend time in the TV? Do I spend time in the world? Because that's what he's talking about here, surrendering your life to Christ, giving yourself through Scripture through being a servant of the Most High following Jesus, there is a cost of follow Jesus. But the cost of not this is the thing, isn't it? This is why we see in the UK at this moment in time, why the church generally is so weak, and so woke at this moment, because we have got to get into the Word and the Word is gotta get it in us. Yes, we aren't born again, spirit filled believers, and that word is within us. But we got to start speaking scripture over our lives over situations, you know, Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. And the cost of following Christ, first and foremost, means going into the garden of Gethsemane, leaving everything on the fringe when Jesus went in there, as we know, and as the scripture says, He left them on the outside of the garden, and he went in, and he spent time with his father, his spiritual father. And when you unpack that, and when you look at that, and this is what I believe we all need to do. We need times in our day and our moments of breathing, of going into that spiritual place of literally being on the floor, and saying, Lord, I need your will.
Simon Pinchbeck:So I think I think you're right. And I think, exactly, this is exactly what Jesus meant when he said, pick up your cross and follow Me. Because just by saying a little prayer, or whatever, I don't mean, you know, no, you know, Paul, Paul says, you know, he says, You've got to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And this is, and this is what we got to do on a daily basis. And it been, you know, say what yourself back, get back to. If you don't know who you are, strip yourself back. And suddenly what Jesus was showing you are you are,
Reverend Ben Cooper:he does and you pray that prayer, Lord, strip me back, Lord, cut away from me everything that is Deadwood, everything that is not for eternal value, what in my life has eternal value. When you look around, there is a percentage of everything that that you are not going to take in that casket to the next life. Everything has no eternal value. What is the value of materialism?
Simon Pinchbeck:You're not going to take the 50 inch TV, Ben, I can't
Reverend Ben Cooper:get a coffin big enough of that phone. Yeah, the phone really welded to your chest. Isn't it interesting. When you go out, you come in with nothing. And you go out with nothing. But when you come in, you don't realize that you're gonna go out and it's that it's that gap in between? How do I live my life? No. How do I live my life
Simon Pinchbeck:accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You'll lose friends, you will lose deals, you'll lose money, you'll lose all that sort of thing. But you'll gain the biggest cost gain and amazing thing but but you got to be prepared. There's nothing you said it to me time and time again. Although sometimes I wonder about you, or some of the stuff you do but you say Anything you say, you say, God don't do deals under the table, because there's
Reverend Ben Cooper:nothing done under the table. Everything is above the table. You just mentioned something really important the cost of following Jesus, and straight away I went to the persecuted church. So if we take this, this happens all the time, God reveals Himself to those that are in, let's just take the faith of being a Muslim. So if you are in Iran, if you're in Afghanistan, and you're across the globe, somewhere, and you are a Muslim, suddenly you have a visitation from the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And Christ opens your heart, suddenly, around you, the environment around you becomes very foreign. And this This is where the scripture comes really strong. Because when Christ comes in, and you have been in an iron ideology, and you've been foreign following force, gods and, and everything that goes along with that, like that, in all them world religions, what happens so strong in in Islam, if someone says, I am rejecting Islam, and suddenly I am a Christian, what happens? They lose their family, they get kicked out of the village, they lose absolutely everything and their life could be taken by their own family. So when you look at this scripture, it is the ultimate sacrifice within the West. If we suddenly say to our family, and we're the only Christian in armor, Christian, Oh, yeah. All right. See you later. You're not I mean, that there's got no got no implications whatsoever.
Simon Pinchbeck:I remember when, you know, I'd made the decision to accept Jesus Christ. I remember a lady I knows. She said, I was listening to a group of I was in a calf, listen to a group of women and they say, oh, you know, that song and Pinchbeck, he's, he's gone. He's following a call. He's gone after he's gone off the rails and they're all having a good laugh. And that's about
Reverend Ben Cooper:that's about all it gets within the westernized world, or we get people laugh and joke and snares. But if you are a born again, believer in the persecuted church, didn't it? Yeah, it didn't tell over here, a little laugh at that one. But the cost of following Jesus, the West doesn't understand what the West don't understand the church in the UK, the Church of England, the Pentecostal moments, all denominations within the UK don't, we don't really understand what the cost is to follow Christ. If you want to know what the cost is, you've only got to go and open doors, release International and find through the persecuted church, the cost will cost you your life. And forever you walk on this earth, there's every possibility that your family will reject you, chase you, you would lose your children, you would lose your husband or your wife, you would lose your business, you would lose everything if you come out of another, another religion, the cost of follow, but in the West, what church you're going to church what? Now you'll be back next
Simon Pinchbeck:is the truth. But it is all relative. And it's all because all of a sudden, you know, you you can't associate really with bellows down a pub. You know, we used to drink few, a few pints with, you know, your life, but we're in our remember. I remember I got to meet a man who was on a building site. And he you know, he fought it for a number of years, but vonlee You know, he accepted Jesus Christ. And so the following day, he's in back in the van, you know, they're off to the building. And, and he said, I was in the van and been in the band five minutes when, when a plastic bag full of porno books came flying over and flying over, you know, he said, and they were passing them around. And he said to him, I'm sorry, I'm not. I'm not that we're not I can't you know, I've turned on Jesus. And they've gone. Well, what's What's all that about? They said, Well, I found you know, I love Jesus. He said, with that the van did an emergency stop because everyone beholding Well, you know,
Reverend Ben Cooper:it's like, it's crazy. Isn't it so easily. So you might be a believer. Let's say that you've suddenly become a Christian. You got to go back to work tomorrow. You got to go in your home life and you got to tell the environment around you. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. You got to be prepared for that for the laughter You got to be prepared for the insults. You got to be prepared for what happens in Assam saying as soon as you say I'm a believer, they want to bring trash to your door. They want to get you to react. They want to bring the filth that they'll bring in in droves and they are trying to stretch you they're trying to get you angry. They're trying to get you frustrated. They're trying to get a reaction,
Simon Pinchbeck:but you can't be you can't be 80 90% faithful to your wife or husband, can you No no,
Reverend Ben Cooper:no, no, he's gotta be under 100% So you've got to be all in for today's how do we get oh fill in for Jesus. Well, when you look at that, that question that you just asked, how do we become all in for Jesus, when we're living in the UK, we've just had this crazy budget this stuff that's gone out, you know, it's like the politicians are not bothered, you got churches very woke, you've got we're in financial difficulties across the nation, the fuel crisis and I'm trying to be a believer when all this rubbish is breaking out is that it is about enduring, pushing in and keeping in the Word of God.
Simon Pinchbeck:Keep it in the word tears. Yeah, because you, we have said this many times on this platform. And you know, it's we just can't say enough that you can't beat the flesh in the flesh. You can't
Reverend Ben Cooper:surrender you surrender is the key, you have to do it with the Holy
Simon Pinchbeck:Spirit and total surrender, but we can't do it. We've got we've got not got the strength in the flesh, you know, the Spirit of God that
Reverend Ben Cooper:gives because that's what being born again means doesn't it to be born again, you come back to the same that same nugget in the Gospel of John three, we've got to be a born again, Christian, we got to be a John three Christian, we got to stand on the Word of God. And as we stand on the Word of God, and as we're in the Garden of Gethsemane, and we're seeking the will of the Father, and He is calling us and He is drawing us, the challenges of life will become highlighted. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is achievable. Because what what God does is the vinedresser when he cuts everything away, and everything gets cut away, that is not producing fruit, but we want to hang on to that dead wood.
Simon Pinchbeck:If you Yeah, you. That's right. So we go. We go. Yeah, Jesus, you can have that when I'm hanging on to this
Reverend Ben Cooper:is one for me, one for Jesus one for me, whatever, that's the daily thing in it, then you know, you that's, you know, once you've made that decision for Christ down in there, because that's when the struggles really start. That's when you start finding out more about yourself and start giving more of yourself to Jesus. Yeah. And so he's so it's, it's less of you more of Jesus. So you're looking within yourself looking within yourself. And you got to be so careful, because a lot of the world looks within themselves because they're self centered. But we're not talking about being self centered with Christ, because that that Christ deals with pride and arrogance and everything like that. But when you look within, as the scripture says, Don't don't look across your brother across the wayside. Because what you see there, he has a he has a speck of sawdust, and you got a plank in your own eye. So it's deal with dealing with arrogance is dealing with the pride of life, it's dealing with just the general run of being a human being, and sometimes living for Jesus will be the biggest challenge that you will ever have in your life.
Simon Pinchbeck:And Ben, I gotta be honest, and I'll be honest, I will be honest, is that the problem is, you know, there's a lot of hypocritical Christians out there. Yeah, who are living one way, but But saying they're doing this in another one. So welcome to
Reverend Ben Cooper:my world. Yeah, exactly. So we can call in an environment if we're
Simon Pinchbeck:not getting what there's no compromise, no compromise, compromise. Look, look. And Ben said it earlier, you know, get into the we need to get into the Word. And once you get into the Word, do you read all his stuff? Yeah. And I'm with revelation of the Holy Spirit. And it speaks to and you know, you know what you've got no, you know, that. There's so many. We said it before, but there's so many imperfect people in the Bible, and that God still uses them. But they recognize their imperfections, don't they? Yeah,
Reverend Ben Cooper:I think it's important to reiterate and to go back on that that rich young ruler that you spoke about, he was boasting of living in the world, he was boasting about all what he's got, and everything, even boast in in all what he had, and what he what he was doing and what he had done in life. It's really important to be encouraged in this. Jesus still loved him, Jesus still loved him. So you look at John 316, For God so loved the world, you know, and he gave his one and only begotten Son that whosoever shall believe in him. And then we come on to a real different subject altogether belief. How can I believe when I haven't heard, you know, this nation? What is the percentage of the gospel going out in spirit and in truth on Sundays and across the airwaves? The heavens are choir as in where are the leaders? Where are the church?
Simon Pinchbeck:Voice we say that and, you know, God has been pushed out of, of the government he's been pushed out of education, education, big time. He's and he's been pushed out to push further and further out so so when we do make a decision it took for Christ it. It does open us up to, to all sorts of really cool really, you know, in a way But having said that, you know, if we stand firm, yeah, we will be a shining light and people will come tax and
Reverend Ben Cooper:we stand firm, Simon has made something really important and a comment near how we can't actually stand firm. The only way we can stand firm is because he has placed our feet upon the rock. So we are on solid ground. So we are already on solid ground, we're not in the mud in the mire we are on solid ground, and he has saved us and he has set us free and just like the rich young ruler, and he the rich young ruler was was bragging was both for one was saying all this stuff to Christ. But Christ just said he loved him. He just loved him in the mess in the muck. And that is what happens through salvation, we are saved. And we are rescued when we're in our worst time of our life. And that rescue is a continuum all through the journey, as we are going through this walk as a human being as a believer, and that's where redemption comes in. Because we're always we have been redeemed. But we're keep being redeemed forgiveness.
Simon Pinchbeck:Listen, if you're out there and really you're, you're on love. Brink really all just put your toe in the water, you know, and you want to challenge yeah, don't. Don't jump out of an aircraft Don't. Don't put on lycra and go for a bike ride. Don't go for a 10 mile run, don't do it. Triathlon and Ironman, the biggest Shush, psychology.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Challenge to biggest you want to get some sponsorship. Now your whole life salary Jesus, that is the greatest and most powerful, it's the most awesome thing that anyone can ever do in the world is it's funny isn't it makes me laugh. And I say I've committed myself to him. But I didn't know anything about Jesus till he came to me. And he presented himself to us. So he comes to us. But then it says whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So but now I have the power. I don't like to say like I've had the power but now the power of free will. Am I going to follow you? I know you. I am in love with Christ. I love the word. But now I have a choice. Do I go to the gym? Or do I go to the prayer meeting?
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, one of the biggest, one of the biggest costs of following Jesus is we have to we have to open our minds,
Reverend Ben Cooper:don't we? And our mind the battlefield.
Simon Pinchbeck:And what did Paul say in two Corinthians 10? Ben what the reason I
Reverend Ben Cooper:always said loads of things. Refresh me on that one. It's the mind of Christ. What what are we there?
Simon Pinchbeck:He said. He said Our battle is not against flesh in our okay.
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, and in heavenly places, and the thoughts and pulling down the stronghold and all that stuff.
Simon Pinchbeck:And then what we've got competing for our thoughts these days, we've got every everything I mean, social media, TV,
Reverend Ben Cooper:Netflix, TV sports, look
Simon Pinchbeck:at this week, they're all trying to compete for your mind. And
Reverend Ben Cooper:yeah, and the thing is, media is very clever. The media, you know, the social networks, how it can, it can get you very robotic in the way that you live through social media through the advertising for everything. You got to be careful because the mind can be easily led astray. Right the mind can be led astray to simply lead astray through your thought through your thinking. So the Bible says that we have the mind of Christ, the wasteland of the mind. It's really important that we fill our eyes with the Word of God our eyes in the Word.
Simon Pinchbeck:Totally. And you know, I'm getting excited there because it is. This is an exciting, really exciting subject, really, because it lays it all out there. And what you said there the wasteland of the mind. And an idle mind is what is the devil's workshop. That's why I
Reverend Ben Cooper:don't mind but then you've got an idle mind. And then you've got a mind that is literally overthinking. So we're overthinking. So when we overthink and we over anticipate we become planning and we roadmap in our lives, or
Simon Pinchbeck:you are you fall into the reasoning and the scientific side of things. And
Reverend Ben Cooper:so we're planning our lives when actually we don't know, because we're not living by faith because we've so you've got someone that has got an idle mind that is in it can be in a bit of an issue and someone that has got a busy mind because the busy mind is keeping us away from Scripture scripture. Yeah. So there's trying to get that in between that that, that that place of father fill my mind, fill my thoughts fill my mind, my body, my soul with the Word of God, but how do we get to that stage? Well, there is a scripture. Yeah.
Simon Pinchbeck:Paul says, you know, we have to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Amen. That's what he says. And, and here's the deal, you know, I'll speak them on might ever they say, Oh, we got a sky coming to church and he said, Look, you know, I know a lot of the Scriptures He says, But you know, I know I'm gonna say but don't understand them. But we will never caught on the stand and really not go to understand it just go to believe and
Reverend Ben Cooper:just to believe there's something very important in that. There's a difference between believing and understanding. Theologians go down the route of understanding and reasoning and unpacking. But you can only get the true depth of it when the Holy Spirit reveals the Scripture, when you've had that moment in the word or garden, and you read that scripture and it becomes like living water, and you've only just read it, you haven't studied it. You haven't gone down the theological route, you've just studied it. But there's another area I think that we need to think about a lot is faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of God. So hearing the word, so we've got so much technology around us at the moment, you can get it through your through every device under the sun, so my faith will grow. When I hear the word of God, if the church hasn't been preaching the gospel, I'm not going to grow. No, no. So there we have a real sticky bit of chocolate walk in, don't worry, we've got a bit of glue there because I can't get free from certain things because the church hasn't preached it. So if the church hasn't preached it, I haven't heard it. I've got a woke minister in the pulpit that is very liberal with everything that's going on. But faith comes from hearing. So my faith is lifted, my faith is strengthened by hearing. So faith comes from hearing and hearing the message of the Word of God. So I will only grow in my faith when I hear the word of God if the church isn't preaching. I'm not gonna grow.
Simon Pinchbeck:Well, that's where you got do your own stuff in it. Yes. Where you got comes back to David doesn't hear you got to do your own stuff. And you know, I love this scripture, Ben in Philippians. You know, it's started about four six, Paul says, He said, Don't be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and guard your minds through Jesus Christ. Wow. And then he goes on to say, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just whatever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are good report. Is there any virtue, if there's anything praiseworthy meditate on these things, meditate on these things. Now, think about these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these two, man, the God of peace will be with you. So what he's saying is think on these things. Yeah.
Reverend Ben Cooper:So get the word in your eye, gay, you're gay. And then we can have a connection very, there's a chain link there, back to the old testament to the book of Joshua, meditate on the worst day or night, then you will be prosperous and successful. He talks about prosperous and being successful. So you can have all that around you. But it's got to be putting the word of God first. That scripture that you read out, is seeking God it's about putting the scripture in its first and foremost place. The the proverb, writer of Proverbs very clearly tells us to put put that word on the tablet of your heart of your heart, and then out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water, so the word is core
Simon Pinchbeck:word is called. And if we cannot, we cannot live we need that word. You know, we need it. We need scripture in our backbone, Scripture scripture, because that's how we are we know the truth,
Reverend Ben Cooper:and the truth will set you free. So critical to
Simon Pinchbeck:true says frequently was set as free from sin.
Reverend Ben Cooper:And there is a journey on its own the word sin, sin, there may be areas of life, there may be stuff going on around you within you your head, and you're suddenly becoming this Christian that is hungry for Jesus. And you're alerted to all this stuff that's going on around us and around you. And suddenly you can feel just very unsteady in your walk. But you've got to hold it tight because what Christ is doing, he's alerting us to what we wasn't very aware of before when we was in the world. And sometimes a journey with Jesus is until we cause a sign because there is a strip back that might take our entire life have been on the potter's wheel, he's reshaping and remoulding
Simon Pinchbeck:we will never be what they say fully sanctified. Well, we will never be because because we're like an onion, we realize we're an earthen vessel we get rid of one layer. Yeah. And there's another layer
Reverend Ben Cooper:and there's that great apostle writes Yeah, let's Thomas said, he writes a wretched man am I why do I do the things I hate? And I can't do the things that I know that I should do. A wretched man Amaya will a
Simon Pinchbeck:cost. We have to change your mind and we have to change your heart and when you make it right there, which is thinking and Jeremiah said then in 79, he said he said the highest deceitful above all things.
Reverend Ben Cooper:The heart. I have to have a heart after God. This is critical. We're coming to the end of this point. Carsten there's so many scriptures in this but we've reached the 45 Minute. And we're just running out of air time on this. But what we need to do is to encourage each other in the Word of God to be a strong brother or sister standing in the living word, resting on the Scripture getting the word of God in your air gate, your iron gate, you know, faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of God. So we started off this earlier and we've come quite a long journey just just putting the general word out there narrative out there the cost of following Jesus Simon what a what a cost, but what a blessing
Simon Pinchbeck:what a blessing and the you know, the cost of not following Jesus it we haven't even got there you can't even think about and, and I will end end on this. You know, the enemies, the enemies all over all over you as soon as you start as soon as you step up, put your head above the parapet say I'm a believer, I'm a believer, use a target on your back the enemy enemies there. And is the deal if you're in a church or whatever, you know, the enemy is quite happy. If you're in a church, your enemies you don't mind if you're in a church, you don't mind if you if you sing, the worship songs he took on if you go to Bible study, what will get him and gets him and it gets him every time? Yes. If you know you are in Jesus Christ,
Reverend Ben Cooper:and you declare, I am a born again, spirit full believer, I am a blood wash sanctified, my name is stamped in the lamp. And as soon as you talk like that,
Simon Pinchbeck:and is a squall is a scripture, because, you know, very quickly, Jesus didn't argue with the devil when he came brilliant, the early days, and all he did was quite scripture. And that's what we've got to do. And when we're in these types of situations, the Bible tells us that there will always be a way out.
Reverend Ben Cooper:It is written brother or sister wherever you are. We thank you so much for following us today.# Christian Straight Talk. There has been so much coming out of that the very first scripture that we started in the cost of following Jesus. But we want to encourage you at this very moment in time, never give up in your faith. Never give up because you got to press and you got to press and you got to press and when you feel like you've pressed in enough, you got to keep
Simon Pinchbeck:pressing, keep pushing
Reverend Ben Cooper:in the Word of God and God bless you.
Simon Pinchbeck:And very quickly we'll end on this is what we said very early. Is that get on your knees get on your face before Jesus said And that's your first port of call. Amen. Pick up the phones but what else?
Reverend Ben Cooper:Yeah, God bless you have a great afternoon. Whatever your time is in the world at this moment, it is about 10 to fall by the by the clock up on the wall. It is Thursday, the 16th of March. May God bless you and strengthen you. And as we always say, Be encouraged keeping the Word of God. Stand up for Jesus. And we love you in brotherly love in Jesus name. God bless Amen.