Thank you . We thank you so much for joining us . It's Mark and myself as we gather across the mics . Me and Mark have had a few weeks off of the mics , you know from capturing each other . We've been seeing each other about here , there and everywhere , but we are just going to have a good old rumble and a chat again . So , wherever you are tonight , we thank god for your lives . Whatever you are doing , god is with you . Wherever you are , god is in your territory , because every place that the soul of your foot shall tread upon is your territory and god is with you . So all is well .
Speaker 1We want to bring you some encouragement this evening . Across the mic , our brother has got a great scripture . He's going to read the scripture out in a moment . So the title this evening is encouragement , and we need to encourage one another with strong biblical , foundational words . God is with you and god is shaping every one of us . Welcome everyone . We thank you so much for joining us this evening here on this podcast , as we rest , as we be still , as we wrestle with the scriptures of the living word and we say shine your light , lord . Let your light shine on us tonight , lord . Let your glory shine in us today , wherever we are across this world . We thank you to everyone that is listening in jesus name , amen , mark . Good evening , my friend good evening , ben .
Speaker 2How are you today good ?
Speaker 1to see you too , my friend yeah , yeah , it's .
Speaker 2Uh , it's always a pleasure to be in your in the lord's house it's cold outside , but it's uh it's cold it's warm within hallelujah .
Speaker 1You know the lord is with you , my friend , and it's so good to see you . Thank you for for taking time out of your busy life to come and chat about the Lord and share what God has placed on your heart . This evening , as we just wrestle with the Word of God and I mean wrestle in the most politest and most respectful way and my take on that comes from that great man , that great one that we look at , jacob . You know , when he wrestled with God , he said I'm not gonna go until you bless me . I'm not gonna let you go . I'm not gonna let you go , god . And I believe that's where we are today . God , I can't let you go because I can't come out of this wrestle . I want to hold on to you , I want to hold deep around you , lord , I want to put my arm , I want to hold on , lord , and not let you go , because , lord , if I let go , I don't know what the consequences might be . I don't know what's going to happen to me .
Speaker 1But do you know what the Bible says ? Walk by faith . Wherever you are this evening , walk by faith , be encouraged by the word of God . And you wrestle with the Lord , you wrestle with the scripture , you turn it over and meditate on it day and night . Let the word work in you and around you and within you , and let the Holy Spirit minister to you wherever you are . Remember you are unique , you are blessed . You are not a number . You are not a number like the government recognizes you as a taxpayer , as a commodity . You are a son and you are a daughter . And encourage yourself . If you've got no one around you this evening , encourage yourself the Lord , just as David did .
Speaker 1At that particular point it says David encouraged himself in the Lord and God said chase your enemy , pursue your enemy , overtake your enemy , take back every piece that is rightfully yours and I I say that to Mark and myself and everyone tonight . Wherever you are , pursue the enemy , take back what the devil has stolen and remind yourself who you are . In Christ Jesus , you are a warrior , you are blessed and you are a son and you are a daughter and you are gifted . So true , mark in it . Sometimes we need to remind ourselves who we are , not in the way of bigging ourselves up and blowing ourselves up to be supermen and women , but literally just go hang a minute . I'm a son and I'm a daughter .
Speaker 2I'm blessed . Well , a born again believer shouldn't be a proud person . I think . Knowing the Lord , it's a humbling experience , very humbling , and we all go through our own individual trials .
Speaker 1Yes .
Speaker 2We're afflicted . But when Job was afflicted he said the Lord has given , the Lord has taken away . He didn't say the devil has taken away .
Speaker 1The Lord has given .
Speaker 2And the Lord has taken away .
Speaker 1That's a big scripture , isn't it ?
Speaker 2Yeah , when you think about it , when you've lost everything .
Speaker 1The Lord has given me all this and the lord has taken this yeah , not the devil no , the devil has no power .
Speaker 1That's that's really important . It's just all smoke and mirrors . But why do we ? Why do we or not we ? But why do people ? Why do us me
even ? Why do we think that he's got all this power and authority ? Well , he hasn't even . Why do we think that he's got all this power and authority ? Well , he hasn't nothing compared . He's just all all noise and energy and and puffs and smokes and all that sort of stuff . Well , we are blessed , aren't we ?
Speaker 2we are safe in the arms of jesus we are , but sometimes we can be so prone to listening to the devil , who disguises himself as an angel of light and he does and uh , yeah , he , he hasn't got authority over us , but he can certainly try to rob , to try and trigger us to try and trigger something that might lead us to something , a fault that leads to an action .
Speaker 1That , lord , I need repentance , lord , in the company it comes across , because I had a thought , the thought turned to the action , the deed done . Oh Lord , why did I do that ? You know , being a believer and a human being , oh , my Lord , you know it's about enduring and walking with Jesus and trusting , and I do believe , mark , I think we might be right in saying this , that we need to encourage one another . 't we that we need to encourage one another , every christian , we need to encourage one another because we're living at gruesome times yeah , certainly you need fellowship with other believers and you need a prayer life and you need to be getting your spiritual meat yes somehow um , sadly , even in my experience it seems like going to churches and trying to find a message , trying to get fed .
Speaker 2Almost seems like you're being fed a scrap .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2And for me , yeah , I think .
Speaker 1I want more . I want more Jesus .
Speaker 2I want more . But you know , you just have , like the Israelites collecting the manna , I think you just have to go and collect the scraps and you just have to gather it in .
Speaker 1Gather it in and feast on it , and it's so important that we do feast on it . The Bible is really clear , very , very clear . Faith comes from hearing the message , and the message is heard through the word of God . I wonder , when we look at the church and we talk about encouraging encouraging each other the church encourages us to be almost a super person , doesn't it ? Do you understand what I mean ? There's this fine line within so many areas of church where it will encourage you , with a motivational educator from the pulpit that is very well learned and very well schooled and a very professional deliverer of a message . But what is it doing ? Is it encouraging me as the flesh me , or is it encouraging me as the spiritual me ? Is it giving me what my itching ears want to hear ? That you are this super champion that you are because you can take all these scriptures and you can manipulate it , can't you ?
Speaker 1yeah you can . You can hear a great , you could almost say a motivational message about the fleshly me , but not dealing with the , the idiosyncrasies , the crucial things , things that need to be dealt with in my life . When I deal with me , I'm actually being encouraged the more I dig in me . Lord , take me to the cross . I want to lean into Jesus . There's a fine line isn't there in church ? Because we hear a lot of encouraging stuff . But is it encouraging me as the Christian or is it encouraging me as the human me ?
Speaker 2Yeah , that's right . Yeah , it can certainly be a question of what is being fed , and is it just a knowledge that just goes into your head ?
Speaker 1I mean , I've seen it and puffs us up .
Speaker 2I've seen it before in churches where , in some quite strict circles , where you know you'll be having communion , the Lord's Supper , and there'll be certain folk who will so reverently , peacefully sit and ponder things . But as soon as you walk out the doors after the service , the claws come out and there's the bitching begins .
Speaker 1Yeah , the fighting begins .
Speaker 2The infighting it's yeah there was a text ? Where was it where Paul wrote Fightings within and without yeah , 2 Corinthians , I think ?
Speaker 12 Corinthians . Yeah , yeah , you know we were talking about conflicts on the outside , harassment on the outside . You know attitudes and all that . And then suddenly he says but we've got fears within when he comes into Macedonia . I believe it's sitting in . Is it sitting in 2 Corinthians ? 2 Corinthians , chapter 7 , verse 5 ? You'll have to check that . It says we came into macedonia . Harassment on the outside , conflicts on the outside um , and what does it ? What else does it say ? Might you got it ? Turn it .
Speaker 2Read the scripture out uh ,
when we were coming to macedonia , a flesh had no rest but , we were troubled on every side . Without were fightings and within were fears
. Nevertheless , god that comforts those that are cast down , comforted us by the coming of titus .
Speaker 1So yeah , that's a great scripture the lord does permit trials and does permit yeah when you look at that great writer yeah the great writer of old , the great writer of the New Testament , is saying our bodies have got no rest , I'm tired , our bodies have no rest , conflicts , fighting on the outside , and then he's so open and honest and he goes and I've got fear within . That is a very encouraging scripture . Purely on the side of if Paul was feeling this , it's right for me to feel this . If Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane , I should feel sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane because we are grafted in and it's encouraging sometimes to have a chat with someone and go do you know what ? I am tired , I am worried , I am fearful Because if you walk in certain circles of church and certain areas of church and certain areas of church and you go into a church , people are not completely honest with themselves , as in emotions and feelings .
Speaker 1Yeah , how are you brother ? Yeah , I'm blessed , you have had a great week . The lord has . I've done this , I've done that , but actually we're going to church crying in a different way . But we're so fearful of putting the real me in the church arena because what will they say about me if I , if I say I'm really tired , I'm worried , I'm scared about israel . What's happening ? I'm worried about the . What's happening in palestine I'm worried about is there going to be a world war free ? What's happening to their cultures ? What's happening to our work ? I'm actually worried about my job , you know .
Speaker 1I think church has got a lot to answer for . It encourages , but is it encouraging the flesh or is it encouraging the spiritual ? Me , paul is the greatest encourager apart from Christ , because he's very open when he pens and he writes everything that he writes , doesn't he ? You know , when you think about the great writings that he's given us , he's very open and very honest . He wasn't frightened of putting his emotions and his fears on the table of the church when he's going to Corinth there , isn't he ? He said , if you read that on further , he says I didn't want to bring you this letter but I had to bring . I'm sorry that you're sorry , but I'm not sorry that you're sorry for because it had to be done . So you know , the honesty and the openness of the man , I think is very , very needed and required in all of our lives at this moment to be encouraged . If you're tired , it's okay . If you're tired , mark , it's all right .
Speaker 2Paul felt tired yeah , well , there's actually a conflict for me with that , with opening up and you know making myself vulnerable , apologizing or , you know , recognizing my own weaknesses , because there's one side of me that thinks , well , if I tell someone too much about myself , it's like giving someone a loaded gun . You don't know what they might do with that sort of information .
Speaker 2But as believers , we're also supposed to confess our sins to one another . So , yeah , what I wanted to share , the text that I came with in mind , that , if I may share it please , with you , let's , let's have it from galatians 5 , 22 , just the one verse .
Speaker 2But the fruit of the spirit is love , joy , peace , and I'll stop there because there are further fruit of the Spirit . So it's one fruit of the Spirit , but love , joy and peace , I mean these are things that , for the believer , will enable us to overcome the world . Thinking about love towards the neighbour , our neighbour , our enemies , which is the greatest commandment , and I've often wondered , lord , how can I love my enemy , how can I pray for my enemy ?
Speaker 1Teach me Lord , show me Lord , because in myself this is an impossibility . But all things are possible to those who believe . So , lord , all the ones that have wronged me . And I'm harboring stuff is stopping my progression in moving forward in jesus . It is not giving me these , these fruits that he's mentioned here , lord , it's , it's stifling the joy . I should be more joyous but , lord , I'm a little bit angry with this person . I'm a little bit frustrated with that person . Lord , I'm harbouring historical events , historical words that have been said over me . I'm harbouring stuff , lord . So forgiveness is such a powerful weapon in the face of the devil .
Speaker 2And you know what , Like yeah , this is one thing I can say to you is , as I heard you saying about the words in your head I find ,
all day there can come thoughts just coming up and that devil . He disguises himself as an angel of light . And even when we forgive our brother for one sin seven times seventy .
Speaker 1Over and over and over .
Speaker 2For just one wrong .
Speaker 1Just for one wrongdoing .
Speaker 2We have to keep coming back to the cross .
Speaker 1Because the multiplication that the scripture tells us about is beyond human understanding . So forgiveness is a doorway , isn't it , to what we're talking about the fruit of the spirit . Forgiveness is the ultimate door opener , because jesus wasn't even on the cross . He said father , forgive them , for they know . Know what they do . So forgiveness is a weapon thrusted in the face of the enemy's territory , because the enemy doesn't want us to forgive . So there's a difference of forgiving , but then I'll go into the area forget . How do I forget some things ? We can't forget , no , but it's okay that we don't forget as long as I've forgiven . So the crossing over from harbouring stuff . So when we look at verse 22 , mark , it says but the fruit of the Spirit is love , the first word , the great word . What does the Bible say about God ? God is love .
Speaker 2How do we show that to others ?
Speaker 1How do we do that to our neighbour ?
Speaker 2It has to be an unselfishness . We have to stop putting ourself first , which is naturally tough . It's so tough From the moment we're born , we we're nurtured , we're , we're looked after and , yeah , we're so prone to seeing ourselves through perfect eyes that we're single saints . We we'd so deceive ourselves to believe that yes you know , you know that's one of the worst lies , I think .
Speaker 1Deceiving yourself .
Speaker 2If I believe that today I've not done too badly , I haven't sinned much , that is a horrible lie of the devil to believe .
Speaker 1Yes , I've sinned much , lord , admitting Thoughts are . It's frightening , isn't it ? The thought pattern of a human being , the inner thoughts of the mind , the power of the mind , and the more you want Jesus , the more unusual and obscure thoughts come in . The more you want to be peaceful , the more you want more of love and the love of God and to be this holy and moving in these areas of righteousness . Suddenly your thoughts and your history and all this stuff is banging around the brain and it's really troubling , isn't it ? It can be really troubling the thoughts of a person , because no one can see any thoughts of anyone . It's just so personal to me the Father , the Son , the Holy Spirit . But do we forget that God sees our thoughts before our thoughts even come into existence ? He says that very clearly in the Psalms I knew what your thinking would be . I knew what your stretch of life would be Before you said a word . I knew what you would say Before you lived the breath . I knew every area of your life you would live in . So there is nothing new under the sun to god . God knows everything . He sees this stuff in my head . But why does it play all this rhythm of of unusual beat going on sometimes .
Speaker 1Have you ever thought to yourself I'm an oddball ? I've thought that so many times . Lord , I'm a bit odd . I can't be wired right , is it ? Am I ? Am I normal ? You're going to church . You see all these people and all that , and you look on the social networks and you . You look at all these bigger churches and everyone's bouncing up and down clapping and praising the lord and you think lord , help me .
Speaker 2We're strangers and pilgrims in this earth , yes , this world is not our home and and that's the that's part of the battle , I think , the war that is is waged upon us . Um , yeah , the we're , we're looking towards eternity and yeah , I mean , we were created in the image of God .
Speaker 1Yes .
Speaker 2And yet , you know , just before recording , we were talking about , about , um , some of our limitations , um things that we might forget . Yeah , like we , we all know about uh forget , uh , forgetfulness , and we all , we all have a memory , and even the beasts of the earth , the birds , they remember where they live , but we don't have any recollection of God . And yet we were created in his image . And then I wonder what is different about us ? What does God even see in us ? That he delights , inights in what does he see ?
Speaker 1he sees a son and he sees a daughter . He sees that childlike heart . He sees because the world gets us to be very thick-skinned and it , the world , really gets us to be like almost brutal in certain aspects of life . And so you've got this cross-referencing between a christian and a human being and the world and the governments and life and makes you think some strange and awkward things sometimes and you're , you're thinking I'm supposed to be a believer . Why am I thinking all this odd and obscured thoughts ? What is going on with me ? So you've got a battle within . I think the biggest battle some days is just with me , wrestling me , wrestling my mind , wrestling my thoughts , wrestling my heart , wrestling the decisions that I've done and I've got to do . I tell you , being a believer is the most enduring ever Anyone ever could do , is the most endurance race you'll ever run .
Speaker 2It's worth it though 100% , without a doubt .
Speaker 1There's no doubt of not being that believer . But what you do is the more you want him , the more you find how far away you are from him . But you're not that far away from him . So it's an upside down way . The more you want him , the more you hunger for him , the more you realize your body is corrupted , the more you desire him , the more you realize your thoughts are obscured and strange . The more you want of the word , you'll find obstacles from getting you in the word . The more you want to lean into Jesus , the more you'll find that the world will be pulling you back . You know it's a journey . It's a journey of endurance . A journey , a great journey , though .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , the Lord puts it in us and I'm sure that the unbeliever can see that in true believers is that there's a strength that we have and there's an old Puritan called George Swinnock that I've got a text by him in front of me that says , a sanctified person is like a silver bell the harder he is smitten , the better he sounds wow , oh , that's a deep quote yeah , I think we we need to face affliction and the harder it is struck , the greater the sound the better he sounds .
Speaker 1The better he sounds .
Speaker 2And the troubling thing , even for me , ben , is , you know , public speaking , I can't , I really struggle with that and you know , when we are saved by Christ , we are saved that we would bear fruit for him and we belong to him . So if you stand in the midst of the crowd or at the front , or you turn away from the crowd and you stand up for Jesus , you know it's almost like because you become strange in a way , like you become separate . The Bible says we're peculiar people , peculiar yeah .
Speaker 1Yeah , you can feel that if you're with a crowd and you're going in the same direction , you get carried along by the crowd and you don't realise the distance that you can be carried along by a crowd . But when you turn around in that crowd and you try and walk the opposite direction , you are being still carried by that crowd but you're going in the opposite direction . So you're still amongst the crowd of life . But when you walk the opposite way to the crowd , there's resistance , you'll hit the wall of that crowd of life . But when you walk the opposite way to the crowd , there's resistance that you'll hit the wall of that crowd of of people and the volume of them will will naturally carry you back .
Speaker 2Because it's so , it's so difficult to keep going , you can't come off the gas it seems unnatural , but I think , like the salmon , you can just just naturally find your way . Yeah , yeah , the salmon up the stream .
Speaker 1Yeah , that is like I'm swimming home , lord . I'm swimming against the tide , I'm swimming against . But I can't go to the left of the bank . I'm going to get caught by a poacher on that side . I can't go to the right , I'm going to get caught on the left . I'm going to get caught by a bear . I've got to keep in the middle . I've got to keep in the river . I've got to keep moving . I can't jump out too much because I could get shot at . I've got to keep in the river . I've got to keep moving and I've got to be progressing . That's what Christianity is moving forward .
Speaker 1If the salmon stops , how far will you get swept back by the weight of the water ? The Bible says doesn't it ? Don't conform to the pattern of this world ? But when you go against the pattern , you're almost trying to reverse
your thinking , isn't it ? You've got to think different . But where do these thoughts come from ? The power of the brain , the power of the mind . We're just working and living our lives and we might have the most obscured thought popped out of nowhere , but it's in me . You might be in worship , you might be praising the Lord , you might be encouraging someone . You've had the most oddball thought the mind can be the battlefield of strange stuff .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , you're in worship and you think .
Speaker 1That's odd . Yeah , what am .
Speaker 2I thinking that , for what ?
Speaker 1have I done ? Yeah , what have I worship ? And you think that's odd ? Yeah , what am I thinking that for ? What have I done ? Yeah , what have I done ? Why have I allowed my ? How did that happen ? How did that thought get in my mind ? When I'm in ? I want to be more holy . I want to be more loving , I want to be more caring . I want to be more of a Christian .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1And all my thoughts are taking me the opposite way . So could we say that the mind is like the crowd ? The mind will take us the way of the world , but when you become a Bible believing believer of John 3.3 , you've got to go against yourself .
Speaker 2You're going against the grain of your flesh yeah , yeah , yeah , I think those things come up . Yeah , as a believer , yeah , yeah , we . It's not an act , it's not an act .
Speaker 1It's not an act , Mark .
Speaker 2The walk is a real walk . It's a real walk and in turning away from the world and the old ways , yeah , those things do crop up at unexpected moments .
Speaker 1Just going back to that quote . You said so the harder it is struck , the better the sound .
Speaker 2That's right . Oh , a silver bell .
Speaker 1So should we be welcoming strikes of affliction ?
Speaker 2Why not give the Lord the praise ?
Speaker 1He's given it .
Speaker 2Why not ?
Speaker 1What does that scripture say ? Consider it pure joy , my brothers and sisters , when you are reflected on every side , when you are pressed on every . Consider it pure joy . When we look at the scripture , mark the second word in on verse 22 of chapter 5 of galatians . We just had a quick word about love , but then it says joy . And then that scripture says consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds . So I have to get my mind in a place of I am going to face trials of many kinds , so there might be four or five trials in the day , there might be one massive trial in the day , there might be loads of little trials in the day , but what is for sure , sure , trials are coming my way , trials of the world . The crowd is going to try and get hold of me and carry me so far away from my destinational point . So , as that salmon , we we know where we got to go , but my mind and the crowd of my mind takes me far from my destination . But consider it pure joy , brothers and sisters , when you face trials of many kinds , because you know the testing of your faith deliver , uh deliver brings perseverance . Perseverance must finish its work . So you must be mature and not lacking anything .
Speaker 1The scripture says so I've got to go through the fiery furnace . I've got to go through the refiner's fire to come out like pure gold . I've got to go through the hoop of life . So , all these skirmishes that we have all day , all these battlefields of words and mindsets and situations that are breaking out like like bulldozers coming at me when I don't have the strength to hold back the system , I've got to focus in the Word . I've got to focus in the Scripture . I've got to dig deep in the Word of God . I've got to dig into this Word .
Speaker 1You know , when it's dark I go to Psalms 119 , 105 . Your Word is a lamp unto my feet , a light for my path . Sister or brother , as me and Mark are sitting opposite the mics , as we sit opposite each other , we want to encourage you , encourage you in the Word of God , encourage you to open your Bible , encourage you to flip the Word of God open , encourage you to look at the Scripture , encourage you to rest in the Word , encourage you never to give up , encourage you to seek the love of God and and be that braggadocious believer for God . Believe things are going to happen . Believe there is a turnaround . Because belief is so powerful , mark Believe in it . And then , if I can believe this stuff , my mind starts to get refreshed .
Speaker 1It does yeah , I believe it .
Speaker 2Yeah , and gladness as well . Think refreshment and gladness . There's a deep inner joy and comfort that the Lord brings .
Speaker 1Sorry .
Speaker 2I was trying to find another quote from one of the Puritans . I've got a good book here . It says there was one about the apostles . Thomas Watson said they went away rejoicing and counted it worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ , that they were graced so far as to be disgraced for the name of Christ , oh Lord , and yeah , I think . Well , have you ever been sort of compared with what a Christian ought to be ?
Speaker 1Yeah , I get that a lot , Mark .
Speaker 2Or labelled as not being a Christian .
Speaker 1Yeah , a lot of the time , a lot of the time , it can be quite harrowing , it can be quite disheartening , you know , because people always want to pull your history out of the bag and label you what you was .
Speaker 2Even myself . I think I can sometimes .
Speaker 1Yeah , I label myself . Yeah , easy .
Speaker 2I think that's not what we should do . We should be looking forwards , but yeah , we can certainly look back , yeah .
Speaker 1And we can be our own worst enemy sometimes . But the Bible is very clear that our history is gone . God cannot look at our history .
Speaker 2No .
Speaker 1Because it's the opposite to what he says . And every moment we are going into history . We are 31 minutes and 22 seconds into this podcast and how I was at the very beginning of this podcast has gone to the cross of Calvary . It's been nailed , everything's been nailed to the cross and every second that ticks over on that timer on this podcast , it is creating a historical event for us and our history . Every second , every moment , every millisecond is now to the cross of calvary . So everything is all well because our history and all we've done , all these we've done these minutes , almost 32 minutes we've done . But that , the thoughts , the doubts , the fears , anything that's been in while you've been listening by you , you've been with us on this podcast it's all gone to the cross . It still goes to the cross , it automatically goes to the cross . How would you mean ? Romans 8 , verse 1, ? There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus . No condemnation , mark , nothing .
Speaker 2Nothing , no condemnation . Nothing , nothing no condemnation , nothing before . Yeah , I , I was . I had just before the the recording . I thought about calling this something like um , uh , our lord knows his sheep yes and I was thinking about how a sheep , a shepherd , knows his sheep and um definitely you know sheep , maybe they don't . I've never shared sheep or had anything to do with with that , but I'm sure that sheep are not probably wanting , not wanting to be shared .
Speaker 2Not at all , but when ? When we're born again believers , we have to keep . When we're born again believers , we have to keep well , those aspects that we'd rather not see . I think we actually have to voluntarily come to him and humble ourselves before him and allow him to shear those overgrown parts of us off .
Speaker 1That's definitely right . That's definitely right . The more we want Jesus , the more we see that the wall that we got on our skin is corrupt and smelly and we need to be sheared . We need to be cleaned , we need to be washed in the blood of Jesus . We need to go in the sheep dip , we need to go in the crimson tide every moment , all the time , as the shearer . You know the sheep is led to the slaughter . You know , when you look at Christ , we are born again , we are spirit-filled .
Speaker 1You know I've got to turn this around in my mind . I've got to . The Bible says we serve a God that calls the things that are not as though they are . I've got to realize that this world is the opposite to what the Scripture says . But I can't live in what the world says because then I'll be living in the opposite to what the scripture says . But I can't live in what the world says because I'm living . Then I'll be living in the opposite to what the bible says .
Speaker 1I've got to live in what the bible says and then suddenly realize I'm going to have these , these moments of hardship facing me on every turn the left , the right , the front , the back , 360 degrees around . There should be areas of hardship , because if there wasn't , where does it put me ? Not in the kingdom of God , because the Bible talks about trials and temptations and fears and doubts that , great writer that you spoke from , our bodies have got no rest . We're harassed , we got conflicts , I got fear within if I haven't got all this stuff . All this stuff actually sharpens me and takes me more to jesus . That's what it does . Yeah , it doesn't take me away from him . It actually takes me into him . The trials take me into him , the sin takes me into him , the fears take me into him , the worries , the thoughts take me into him . So if I didn't have all this stuff , where
in the world would I be ?
Speaker 1yeah , you probably wouldn't be here , wouldn't even be thinking of him no , because it's the holy spirit that brings the the gentle wording of you're in error .
Speaker 2Well , that's the glorious thing , how you were in the crowd . You were so far from him and yet God reached his hand in and he pulled you out . But he's not like that shepherd that is forcing , like going to grab you . You come to him because you love him , but you're still . You come to him because you love him , but you're still . You have that old nature in you still that still wants its own way . And that's the glorious thing with this life is that we learn to love him . We just learn that we just have to keep going back to that cross .
Speaker 1We have to keep praying , and that that is the purpose of the cross . The cross will always be here until when he comes back . What do we mean by the cross ? Will always be here , the symbolic gesture of this cross that's there in this studio . We've got crosses all around this church and a cross to me is really important because when I look at the cross , it makes me remember a church without a cross . What's it all about ? Our aim is to have a cross in every , every part of this , this holy place , because a cross reminds me of calvary , and that is what redemption is about redemption .
Speaker 1Why do I need to be redeemed ? Because I need to be redeemed in my thoughts . I need to be redeemed of my actions . I need to be redeemed in my thoughts . I need to be redeemed in my actions . I need to be . I'm in a circle , a circle of always being redeemed .
Speaker 1I know there was one sacrifice , one sacrifice once and for all , but that was for all of my life , from birth to death on this earth , the same for all of us . One sacrifice , once and for all humanity . That's where we know the bulls and the goats and all that didn't do it . The old testament tells us that . So I am in a a circle of being rescued and being redeemed , not because I'm sinning all day long , left , right , right and center , but my thoughts and my mind and me as a human being . As that great writer again says O wretched man am I ? Why do I do the things I hate ? Why can't I do the things that I should do , that are godly , that are right , that are holy ? O wretched man am I ? The cross makes me realize that I was a wretch , but I'm saved by grace . So if I didn't have the sin , or if I wasn't aware of the sin , where would I be ?
Speaker 1Yeah , you'd be living in it , you'd be in it so far in it .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1So actually we're on the right side of the glory .
Speaker 2Yeah , I mean there has to be conviction of our , our sin , and our sin always reminds us of our weaknesses and limitations and yeah , that's why I say you have to be so careful , like when , when the devil comes to you and says , hey , mark , you haven't been hey mark that you haven't been that bad today , have you ?
Speaker 1well , yeah , you've been a good dog today , mate , you've been a good boy yeah , and you go . Thank you , lucifer . I am , and I , the biggest sin of pride and then arrogance and then suddenly that he goes I've got you ?
Speaker 1yeah , it's , I think . Do you know what I think one of the biggest things for all of us maybe to deal with I don't know , I just speak to myself maybe pride , actually admitting that I'm a , not a failure , that that can be a brutal , but I'm a sinner saved by grace and I don't get things right . I make mistakes , more mistakes . Do we make more mistakes than we've ever made ? Or is it because it looks at we want this holy walk so much it highlights the mistakes that we could make ? The more I want him , the more I'm spiritually aware of the world around me and the world on me and the world so close to me , the touch of the skin of the world .
Speaker 1It's that bubble , isn't it ? It's like you can almost be in it . You could just roll , turn left and you're in it . And you're trying to find the narrow path all the time . You're walking down a narrow , you're walking on a tightrope of faith so thin it can't be seen to that eye level , because the Bible says the just shall live by faith . So the narrow path is non-existent to the human being , but it's existent and it's in existence to the spiritual person , the believer , because the Bible says the just shall live by faith , the opposite to the world . But the more I live by faith , the more I live by holiness , the more I live by Jesus , the more I live by the word , the more the highlighter pen of worldly areas that I have and I walk in Right . You know , sometimes we can be too harsh on ourself when actually it's the Holy Spirit saying oh yeah , it's all right , you're aware of it .
Speaker 2Yeah , you know what If you're , if you're flogging yourself with you know if you're , if you're , if you have to put yourself away from society and ostracize yourself that that's not going to . That's not going to liberate you .
Speaker 1No , no , mark , because we're in the world but we're not part of the world . We have to go to work , we have to study , we have to go to ASDA . I've got to go to Blue Wall , I've got to get on the M25 . I've got to do these journeys that all of us are journeying , but I'm not going to let the worldly journey get hold of me .
Speaker 2No .
Speaker 1I'm in the world , but not part of the world . I walk on the same stretch and I walk the same tarmac and I shop in the same shop and I journey the same journey , but it's not the same journey .
Speaker 2But the Lord will give you peace and you've got to keep coming back to him and asking for that peace . And , yeah , he can give you the strength you need to stand in the midst of trial or sit in traffic or go through blue water or whatever . Whatever situation you're in , if you're facing a battle , the Lord can give you the peace to surpass all of that .
Speaker 1So what's coming up now right in front of us , the calendar of all of us across the world , or the majority of us , is Christmas . So everywhere I go , I'm faced with the pagan way of Christmas . You can't help but deny it . You can't help but see the pagan way of Christmas is done , christmas is commercialized , paganism is exalted .
Speaker 2It is everywhere and , to be honest with you , even Old Testament Israel , they were lusting for the vegetables back in Egypt . Yeah , they made a molten calf when Moses went up into the mountain .
Speaker 1When he was getting the tablets .
Speaker 2So you know there's paganism all throughout history and even in the church , and I know it's right to see these things and discern it , but we shouldn't be troubled by it .
Speaker 1No , we can't be troubled by it it .
Speaker 2No , we can't be troubled by it , it's always um . Cs lewis wrote something about how the the flame , though it has so much um impurities in it , it's not the essence of of the flame no and and so yeah , in in this pagan darkened world we see so much that's wrong , even in the church maybe . Maybe , uh bishop , uh home , you know , homosexual exactly all that stuff going on but it , it's , it's not new there's nothing new under the sun .
Speaker 1The book of ecclesiastes is very clear . There's nothing new under the sun . There's a season for everything , there's a reason for everything and also , when we are talking the way , we are talking openly and candidly and straight out of what we're saying it's really important to understand . There are some great and some beautiful things in this world . Yeah , there's some amazing things nature and life and hope . So , just because we might have highlighted a few things here , hope has never lost .
Speaker 2The world is beautiful the world is beautiful , yeah the world is beautiful .
Speaker 1There's some beautiful human beings on the earth . There's some lovely people . There are beautiful people . There are beautiful things to see .
Speaker 2The world is amazing I'll be honest with you , ben , where , where I've , I've seen a few churches , and there's one I have in mind ,
where things are so bland it's almost like they want to clip your wings .
Speaker 1Of course they do .
Speaker 2They want to take the personality out of you . They don't really want you wearing colours . No , they want women to wear their head coverings . Some are okay , but some can be so legalistic on it .
Speaker 1You've lost the power of what it's about .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1That's the thing , isn't it ? And then you go into legalism .
Speaker 2The thing is , there's a lot of beauty in this life that we ought to enjoy there's so much beauty , it's a narrow path , because the liberals will be so far from they'll just be doing whatever pagan thing they want to do .
Speaker 1Yeah , so you've got liberals , and then you've got the legalistic way .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1And you're trying to find the in-between ground of the holy ground , because when you walk in the holiness of God , have you ever experienced that colours come alive , that the world actually comes alive when you get the joy of the Lord in your body , when you get the love of God and you realise not get it , but you've got it .
Speaker 2But when you actually realise all is okay , suddenly color of life is better , is brighter yeah , I'll tell you what sometimes such clouds have been over my head values , what , what I , what I plan for that's right in the coming days , years , but we live day by day and actually I'm not taking anything that I've amassed in this world .
Speaker 1Nothing With me . No , that's correct .
Speaker 2So I think with that , that was like a cloud over my head and I think if we're able to let go of some of our relation , to this world , yeah . The Lord will help us . Definitely , mark , and the best way for him to shear that part off of us is just to really submit to the cross and ask him .
Speaker 1Come to the cross . Yeah , and that's important , mark , you're saying come to the cross and sometimes being encouraging . You know we need to be encouragers because this world you come to the cross , repentance suddenly life is so powerful with Jesus , life is so powerful and refreshing . You know , there is so much for every one of us to do for Jesus , for life , for your neighbor , for your friend , for your brother and sister . Life is so colorful and so joyous being a Christian . When you realize that you are a John 3 , 3 , and you are saved by grace , and you are a sinner saved by grace , suddenly the world becomes so bright and vibrant .
Speaker 1But we can't allow the thinking of the world to drive us . Oh , do you know what I mean ? Enjoying the glory of God , enjoying nature , enjoying the sights around the world , enjoying people and community , enjoying life . That is the powerful thing to enjoy it but not engage in the sin side of it . There's so much color and joy out there . Look at the stars and look at the sun rays . Look at today's weather that we've had here . It's been freezing , cold , but the frost this morning was so powerfully good to look at the sun when it comes up . There's so much to be happy for happy , for in God , the world is yours .
Speaker 1And I don't mean that in a motivational go and sin and enjoy . What I'm saying is is every place that your foot shall tread upon is your territory . God is the creator of this world and sometimes , as a Christian , do we let all this joy and everything go by because we're so trapped in our mind of dirty thinking . If you know what I mean , and what I mean by that , is just trashful stuff . It can get us down and rather than looking out the window and go yeah , that's my mind just doing that . But I'm a believer , I'm blood washed and I'm going to enjoy the world . I'm going to see the great things that God has done . Look at the rivers and the seas and the world and the oceans and the stars . I'm going to travel this globe on aircraft . I'm going to see the great things of God .
Speaker 2There's so much to do in this world , yeah we could certainly , you know , focus our minds on trying to get rich and trying to attain , but actually the Lord's given it .
Speaker 1It's there , enjoy it . It's there for the taking . Imagine being on an aircraft now in a beautiful , clear summer's day , looking out the window and looking over the circle of the earth , seeing the clouds , looking down and watching this nation and that nation as you fly over and the beauty of God displayed across the heavens . There is so much for Christians to explore that God has done . That is in the good side , and we've got to be careful that we don't get entrenched in political ideology , work ethics . That makes us a robotic , legalistic nothing . Do you understand what I mean by that ? Trapped with mortgages ? I understand we've got to have a house . I understand we've got to pay rent . I'm not saying that . But what I'm saying is is don't let the trappings of the world get you , because all of us have got rent to pay . We've all got put fuel in cars . We've all got to jump on trains . Jump on . We've all got to commute and get about . But I don't let that get hold of me . I can't be trapped by it .
Speaker 1The bible says the only debt that we should ever be outstanding is the debt of love . And when you live as that radical , braggadocious Christian and a believer , the world becomes bright and powerful . Yeah , it does Not in the way of the way the world looks at it , but in the way that God says what did he say to Adam ? The world is yours , subdue it , enjoy it . Take the way that god says . What did he say ? Oh adam , the world is yours , subdue it , enjoy it .
Speaker 2Take the land , cook from it , eat from it , live from it , increase in numbers , enjoy this globe that I've created yeah , so before um , you know when , when we go to , when you go to bed and have your nighttime devotions , you can at least thank him . There are things to thank him for .
Speaker 1Mark , the list is long .
Speaker 2We can go and take things that are burdening us and worrying us , or we might not think of it going at all , but actually just thanking him for this day that that he's given us , that he's given us another you're right , mark , and I think what we've got to do is we've got to flip this around .
Speaker 1Yes , I've got thoughts and I've got things in my head and my life that are not right and not godly , but I cannot live because the devil wants me to live as you are a dirt bag . He wants me to think that , oh dear me , you're bad . Yeah'm bad , but I'm not bad Because I'm blessed . I'm a son of the living God . I am blessed and highly favoured , and sometimes I actually think now , in this world that we're living in , there's so much doom and gloom and destruction that we can live in this perpetual mode of thinking of its end unfinished , when actually no , the world is for living .
Speaker 1I'm a Christian , it's my territory , I'm not owned by the government , I'm owned by the king . I'm blessed . I'm not owned by the workplace . No one owns me but Jesus . I can go anywhere and do anything . I'm free , living under the grace and the mercy and the favour of God . I think it's a change . It's a mindset change , but not the . You've got to be careful , haven't we ? Because the mindset change could take us to a place of like the prosperity and the motivational , and that place where we think we become untouchable where then ?
Speaker 1we become arrogant and I am a super human being .
Speaker 2Yeah , that's a bad part .
Speaker 1That's a bad part . So there's that fine line again . Isn't there the fine line of enjoying everything God has given us everything , but also realising it's still a narrow path ?
Speaker 2Yeah , I think great people that I've met in life live quite modestly and probably quite in their own ways like have been successful , but they still it's still like a daily walk , like great men of God that I know has to be a daily walk keep chipping away , keep moving along . I think these great men that are arrogant . They just seem to it's me take leaps .
Speaker 1There's something very wrong with arrogant there is Mark keep away from them we've hit the time button , we've almost stretched the hour , and when you look at the scripture that mark , through the grace and through the power of the holy spirit , has brought to the table today , it's galatians , chapter 5 , verse 22 . But the fruit of the spirit is love , joy , peace . There's so much more obviously on the back end of that , but we've just been talking about the first three . We didn't even really get , we just spoke about the words . We didn't really even open up the fabric of each word . We'd , we didn't just dissect it in any way , major shape or form . But the conversation just flows , doesn't it so ? When , when I get love , the key thing , the healing thing that I need as a believer is the love , love of god , because that is the springboard to everything , isn't it ? The word love starts to open doors
to forgiveness , repentance joy peace .
Speaker 2And we're to seek the greatest gifts and horses about . You know , if I have not charity , yeah . But we really need these fruits . We really need these fruits . It's all you know . If someone wants to , you know , speak in another supernatural language if the clause come out after or even during the service . No , these fruits are a higher priority for the believer .
Speaker 1They're top of the list .
Speaker 2They're top of the list . If anyone teaches you about the Holy Spirit , I think they should be making a big point about this about pursuing these gifts .
Speaker 1And you've mentioned 1 Corinthians 13 , verse 13 , and it talks about faith and hope , but it says the greatest of these is love . When I love the unlovable , when I want the more of the love of God , when I seek that one word , that one word , that word charity , in a certain translation and in what I've got , the NIV , the word love . The Bible says God is love . So when I seek the love of God and I seek this love , it's God wrapped up in them few letters . And then when I seek that word love and I get into that love , and I get into it and I'm in God , and then God will heal me and he will give me joy , he will give me peace , he will give me forbearance . He will do all that .
Speaker 1The one requirement I actually believe that we are required to do is to love and to seek love , and that's not this soppy agape , this soppy worldly love that is a far away . This is the , the love of god , the love that sent his son to the cross . This is the love that would save the dirtiest sinner across the world . This love , this love we are talking about , is not of this world . Love is critical . Love changes everything , mark .
Speaker 2Yeah , yeah , it heals , it binds up hearts , it really .
Speaker 1Sets the captives free .
Speaker 2Yeah , it does .
Speaker 1Yeah , it does , mark , We've hit , it does , mark , we've hit , we've hit the button . We've hit the button , my friend , and it's been great , you know , and uh , god bless . Thank you for your life , mark . Thank you for bringing a scripture to the table today and it's been great just chatting , rambling , speaking , being honest , opening up , speaking to god , allowing the holy spirit in . And we thank you for wherever you are now , wherever you are capturing this podcast , we pray that one day , when we're all in glory , we will just worship the Father , the Son , the Holy Spirit .
Speaker 1You know , wherever you are , love is everything , son , the Holy Spirit . You know , wherever you are , love is everything . Love is absolutely the pinnacle , the crescendo of our faith . Love is the top of that list . I've got to love more . I've got to walk more in love . I've got to do more . I've got to give more . Give that love to this world that doesn't understand what love really means . God bless you wherever you are . We thank you for your life , we thank you for your commitment to jesus christ and we love you from the very bottom of our heart . Have a great day wherever you are today , stay blessed , stay in the word of god and we'll see you soon . Take care .