Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
When the term Reformed theology is used, it often refers to something less historical. Often it refers to a theology that acknowledges the doctrine of predestination and holds to a high view of the Bible as God’s inerrant Word. Sometimes it is also identified with the so-called five points of Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. These are all important teachings of the Reformed tradition, but they do not fully encapsulate or describe Reformed theology.
A better starting place is five statements that have been called the five solas of the Reformation. These five solas (sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone”) are sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), and soli Deo gloria (God’s glory alone). Put together, these solas clearly express the central concerns of the Protestant Reformation, which was about worship and authority within the church as much as it was about individual salvation. The “alone” in each is vital, and they emphasize the sufficiency of God’s Word and the gracious nature of salvation, received by faith alone, in Christ alone. The last of the five solas, soli Deo gloria, is the natural outworking of the first four. It reminds us that Reformed theology understands all of life in terms of the glory of God. To be Reformed in our thinking is to be God-centered. Salvation is from the Lord from beginning to end, and even our existence is a gift from Him.
Biblical Talks with Elder Michael Tolliver Podcast
Sermon of the Week, Philip Anthony Mitchell: Sacred or Worldly
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When we want the satisfaction of our desires above all else, we commit idolatry and worship something other than God.
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Welcome to Biblical Talks. Sermon of the Week. Beloved. When we want the satisfaction of our own desire to be above all else, we commit idolatry and we worship something other than God. Worldliness and godliness cannot coexist. When Israel strayed out the other gods, the Lord accused them of idolatry because he was Israel's husband. Jeremiah three and eight. Therefore, jeremiah 3 and 8. Therefore, if it's not surprising that James Called those church members Idolatry people, idolatrous people. The church is the bride of Christ. Ephesians 5, verses 22 and 23. So Friendship with the world is hostility Toward God. If you Cozy up to the world is hostility toward God. If you close up to the world and pursue worldly desires, you make yourself the enemy of God. I want you to chew on that for a second. And when you put yourself in the position, in that position, you cannot expect your prayers to be answers. You just can't. Pastor Anthony, philip Anthony Mitchell has a sermon called decide now, god or the world. It was a great message. Let's listen to a pastor, philip Anthony.
Speaker 2:Mitchell, before I walked out of my prayer room this morning, I saw a notification from CNN and if you have a political affiliation, don't throw a stone at me. I follow CNN and Fox News and MSNBC and BBC News. I just happened to get a notification on my phone from CNN and if you've been living in a cave and you're not aware that right now that Russia is trying to annex and take over the country of Ukraine, I saw this morning on my phone how President Putin had put all of his military defenses, including his nuclear weapons, on alert, as right now those two nations are in war. You know, as I stand here and I just think about that notification, I didn't even know. I'm not going to start in Romans 12. I'm just going to obey the Holy Spirit. I feel Matthew 24 in my spirit and I read from my ESV Bible and I don't have no notes, but I'm going to obey what God is putting in my heart right now to read to you. God is putting in my heart right now to read to you.
Speaker 2:The scripture says in Matthew chapter 24, matthew, who was an eyewitness of the life of Jesus Christ, recorded this conversation between Jesus and his followers. He said Jesus left the temple and was going away. And when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple, but they? He answered them and said you see all of these, truly, I say unto you there will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And as I'm reading, this prophecy came to pass in the year AD 70, when Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. And in the verse 3, he sat on the Mount of Olives and his disciples privately saying to him tell us when will these things be and when will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And Jesus answered them and he said unto them see that no one leads you astray. Yes, lord, yes, lord.
Speaker 2:I see this happening in our culture right now, from people who have been in the faith for decades, to artists, to preachers, people being led astray by false doctrines, the doctrines of devils and demons, being preached in pulpits across America every single Sunday, people saying I've tried Jesus and I've walked away. People are saying I've tried Jesus and I've walked away. I tried Jesus and I walked away, which for me is an oxymoron, for my Bible tells me that if anyone has truly been born again. They have been sealed with the Spirit of God, according to Ephesians, chapter 1 and verse 4. And if the Holy Spirit is in you, the Holy Spirit would not lead you away from Jesus. The Holy Spirit would not lead you away from the local church. The Holy Spirit would not lead you away from the Bible that he authored through 40 men. The Holy Spirit would not lead you away from the Father. So if men are turning away from Jesus, what spirit do they really have?
Speaker 2:And Jesus said see that no one leads you astray, for many people are going to come in my name, two of the most dangerous words we abuse all the time. God said I can't think about how many believers have ruined and shipwrecked their faith and the faith of others because of these words God said. And because they got a big platform, we believe them. And because they bubble in on IG, we believe them. And because they're bubbling on IG, we believe them. Not every God said came from God and we love to run after every God said and, like every God said and put a thumb on every God said and repost every God said and retweet every God said. Man, if it don't line up with God's word, it's static in my soul, for many shall come in my name and say I am the Christ, and they will lead many in stray.
Speaker 2:Yeah, turn on the news and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for these things must take place, but the end is not yet, for nation will rise against nation this is what the Holy Spirit has given me. I don't care and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, and all these are but the beginning of birth pains. Oh, yeah, the earth is pregnant right now, with the end. Yeah, one of the things.
Speaker 2:I pray over you every single morning of my life that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened. I pray over you every single morning of my life that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened. I pray over my wife. I pray over my sons and my daughters. I pray over this church. I kneel down every morning long before you wake up, 4 am. I'm crying out for you as a church, those watching online. I cry out for you in tears, week in and week out. I pray the word of God over you from Ephesians, that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened. I pray what David said, what the word said in the Old Testament, that all of you would be like the sons of Issachar, who rightly discerned the times and you knew what to do about it, that you wouldn't just be led astray by everything you see on social media or on the TV, but you need to discern the times that you would know what to do about that. We are living in times you better know the word of God for yourself and you better know how to pray for yourself and you better be discerning to when you hear biblical teaching and real prophets and real pastors and real teachers in the earth preparing a church for the return of its broom.
Speaker 2:Like I'm staring at a clock right now that says 36 minutes and 44 seconds. It's barreling down on me. What if this clock I'm staring at was the last 36 minutes I had on earth? You think I give a darn about the acclaim of men or who like me on social media? You think I give a darn about any of that stuff? You think I'm preaching for an amen or for the size of a crowd? Ain't nobody going to give an account for me except me? And if anybody in here, if God took your breath. When these 36 minutes are over, are you going to be prepared to give your own account, like we're running to and fro and doing? But do you know? There's a clock on every single life in this room, every person watching me, just like I'm staring at this clock on my face right now all of us. Your clock is barreling down on you to zero. What are you doing? You see that clock, daniel. You see that clock, francesca. You see that clock of Dallas. That's all of us See. Y'all can see what I see. They don't see that every week and I think, man, if I didn't have nothing else to say except this last moment, I'm thinking about this clock. I don't care if y'all say amen, amen.
Speaker 2:If this was my last sermon, what would I want you to know? Why you live like you have all the time in the world? Why are you not living with a sense of purpose, on a sense of mission, like somebody did not call you, save you, anoint you, appoint you, gifted you, protected you. Why you live like tomorrow's promised to you? At what point in time does this get beyond services, where you start feeling the sense of man? Jesus rescued me for a purpose. If you saved in this room, wave at me yeah, you're going to give an account for the man that saved you.
Speaker 2:How many sermons do you need to hear? How many gatherings do you need to be in? At what point in time does this all click for you? Nah, that's not what you want. You want me to tell you that you're awesome. You want me to tell you that God is going to give you everything on your vision board. You want me to tell you that you're never going to have problems. You're never going to have trials. You're never going to be disappointed. You want me to tell you you're never going to be mad at God. You want me to tell you that you're going to have an easy trip and that everything you believe in for God is what you want me to tell you that you're going to have an easy trip and that everything you believe in for God is what you want me to tell you that God is enslaved to you and that he owes you something except wrath.
Speaker 2:See, and where that preaching is, the room will swell, because that's what we want to hear. It's not. Not what Paul wrote to Timothy in the last days. They'll gather for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Because your ears are so itchy, I want to just finish. Read this, pastor. This don't have nothing to do with Romans 12. I don't care.
Speaker 2:Then they're going to deliver you up to tribulation. You will be put to death and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake, and many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another and many false prophets will arise. Man, they're all over the country right now. You love them, you like them, you send them money, you support their ministry. You help fund the export of heresy and the doctrine of demons to other countries with your money. You support them with your attendance and you buy their books. You share their podcasts on social media. And because we're ignorant of God's word, we can't discern a lie from the truth and because of lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. We see that now. But those who endure to the end, they're going to be saved. Those who endure to the end Not, I tried, jesus and I left. Not, I was in the valley and I left. Not, it didn't make sense to me, I left. But those who endure to the end, they're going to be saved.
Speaker 2:Man that nothing is going to pluck me from his hand, not demons, Not darkness, not trials and tribulation, not my tears, not the prayers he didn't answer, not the dreams I have that he still did not do for me, philip Anthony Mitchell. It will not pluck me from his hands, not betrayal, not no person that walk away, not if they never know my name, not if I preach on the backside of a mountain. Nothing is going to pluck me from his hands, for in his hands is the safest place that we can be. If I got to go through hell in his hands, I'd hands, for in his hands is the safest place that we can be. If I gotta go through hell in his hands, I'd rather have hell in his hands than enjoy the pleasures of sin outside of his hands.
Speaker 1:Come on now, jesus Jesus.
Speaker 2:I like this last part. And then this gospel of Dallas is going to be preached to the whole world as a witness, and then the end will come. We don't care about that really, when you see TBN expanding and Christian programming expanding, when you see mission organizations expanding. Right now, we support a mission organization with thousands of dollars a month that's doing everything they can to make sure every unreached people group on the planet hears the gospel by 2023. I'm sorry, 2033. I'm sorry 2033. A portion of our budget thousands of dollars leaves this church every month to support missions, especially a specific organization that's making sure every tribe, every unreached people group on the planet hears the gospel before the year 2033, which will be exactly 2,000 years from the time Jesus left. He died in AD 33. The gospel is expanding and once it reached the ends of the earth, the Father's gonna whisper to the Son go now. Will you be ready for that day? I believe it may even happen in our own generation. I feel like the hand of Jesus is on the doorknob of eternity.
Speaker 2:The prophets know that those who are crying between the porch and the altar, they can feel that, and so I weep for you that you would want more than entertainment, more than just services, more than just three points and a poem. I'll weep for you that something inside you will be hungry. I'll weep for you that something will go for God. You will be hungry for God Almighty. You will be hungry for the scriptures that are able to save your soul. You will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit of God. You will love Jesus more than anything else in this life. You will see the gathering of the saints as sacred and holy. And now I feel Romans 12 coming up in my spirit. I want to read you something else. I want to read you something else. I want to read you Romans, chapter 1. Just listen as I read, and then I'm going to tell you something I feel in my spirit for Romans 12, and then we're going to be done. I want to read you this in Romans, chapter 1 and verse 8.
Speaker 2:Paul says in Romans, chapter 1, verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and then to the Greek or those who are not Jewish, for the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. Now watch verse 18. Since you think God owes you your vision board. He's talking about people who are far from God. For the wrath of God. I thought God was love and grace. You love that? Give me that camera.
Speaker 2:We love to keep telling people God is love and grace and he is, but we preach that to the point that we drunk and we forgot that God is also a God of wrath. That there must be a balance, that we don't take him like, we don't play him like he's a sucker, like he's not holy, like he don't hold your life in his hands, like he's not coming to give every man what is due them for the sins they have committed in this life, that the only thing that's going to save me is the blood of Jesus when I die. Like why we keep treating that like it's cheap and why we keep trampling under our feet the blood of Jesus and what he accomplished for us on the cross. No, this is what you deserve, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, by their unrighteousness, they suppress the truth.
Speaker 2:I don't understand. That means every person knows that God exists. They know his laws. It has been written on the hearts of all men. But what about those who don't obey? They have to suppress the truth, to ignore God. I don't believe that God has given every man a conscience. C-o-n science. The word con means with the word. Science means knowledge. God has put inside each man a with knowledge that he exists. And to ignore him you must suppress the truth, to disregard the Bible, you must suppress the truth. You have to work to say no.
Speaker 1:Oh, mercy Lord.
Speaker 2:You got to work to say no. You gotta work to reject the loving, free grace of God. You gotta work to be an atheist and agnostic. You gotta work to turn your back on the Lord Jesus Christ. That takes work. I already know what's coming.
Speaker 2:Dms or hate speech happens to me all the time. I don't care. I'm not afraid of no man, for my life is in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ and I will be his mouthpiece until he calls me home. For what can be known about god is made plain to them because god has shown it to them, for his invisible attributes, namely his internal power, his eternal power and divine nature, have been made clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in In these things that have been made so that they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him as God, but they became futile in their thinking. That's why you need to be transformed in the renewing of your mind. All of this is in Romans. They became futile in their thinking. That's why you need to be transformed in the renewing of your mind. All of this is in Romans. They became futile in their thinking.
Speaker 2:I'm about to get to 12 in a second and then their foolish hearts was darkened. Claiming to be wise, they made themselves fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Meaning I exchanged the glory of God for my own idols and watch the most dangerous thing God will do to any person. You want to know what discipline is. Discipline is not God's telling me no. Discipline is him not answering my prayer. We get mad at Dallas when God says no. We get at Jovita when God don't answer no prayer. He didn't give me this dream. He didn't give me this husband. I'm still single. He didn't heal this in my body and we think that's discipline when God says no. You know what discipline is. Listen. You know what I don't want. Let me tell you what I don't want.
Speaker 2:This is what we don't want. Watch, watch, verse 26. This is what you don't want. For this reason, what is this reason? Our constant rebellion. For this reason, god gave them over To dishonorable passions. And that's what we don't. We don't want God to give us over. We don't want God to keep fighting with us to submit and yield and obey. At some point in time, he says you know what, if you want your sin that bad, I'm just going to give you all of what you want. You can have all of that, but you can't have me. And that at the same time. And the worst thing God can do is give somebody over this. Ain't American preaching, right? This ain't going to make me famous, right? Ain't nobody calling me to preach at a conference, right? This is what we want. I want all of my sin, and God He'll do it. Let me just give you what you want. I want all of my sin, and God He'll do it. Let me just give you what you want.
Speaker 1:You can't have both Let me just hand you over to what you want. That bad.
Speaker 2:And he goes on to talk about wrath for a whole chapter. And then chapter three you know this passage for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And in chapter 4, abraham was justified by faith, trying to teach us by faith and not works and good deeds. And chapter 5, man that through God, he gave us peace through faith. And chapter 6, we was baptized symbolically and raised to life in Christ. Chapter 7, we've been released from the laws and the regulations. Chapter 8, there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I'm preaching the gospel to you. Chapter 9, god made a choice to save you. You didn't make that choice, you just responded to his grace. Chapter 10, if any man would call on the name of the Lord, they shall be saved. Chapter 11 talks about the gospel. And chapter 12, because of God did all of that for you.
Speaker 2:I feel three things to close this series with. Therefore, I appeal to you, my brothers and my sisters. Chapter 12, verse one by the mercies of god that you present your bodies for all I've done for you as a living sacrifice. I feel three things in my spirit. Number one how do I want to phrase it? How you live. It's so critically important. I'm almost done. See my clock barreling down on me. How you live is so critically important.
Speaker 2:Let me ask everybody in this room a question how are you living? I should go deeper, daniel. Who are you really living for? You living for yourself, you living for Satan, or you living for the Lord, jesus Christ, who saved you? I'm asking everyone in this room, everyone watching me, this question.
Speaker 2:This is how I'm closing out the series how are you living? What is your first thoughts when you wake up in the morning? I am not a perfect man and I don't rise perfect, but I rise everyday, desiring to do all I can to be obedient to the one that saved me. I'm trying to love my wife. I'm trying to disciple my children. I'm trying to be a faithful preacher of God's word. I'm trying to multiply disciples and obey him, even if it costs me, hurt me, even if they reject me, until he calls me home.
Speaker 2:How are you living? I'm praying. I'm denying my flesh. I'm dealing with the evil and darkness in me. When I'm jealous of preacher so-and-so, I got to work that evil out of me. When I feel lustful, I got to work that out of me. When I feel like God owes me something. I got to work that out of me. How am I living? I'm living trying to kill everything in me that I know he does not like or it hurts his feelings. No one in this room likes your feelings being hurt, but the scripture says in Ephesians do not watch.
Speaker 2:Grieve the spirit of God. That word grieve in the Greek means to emotionally wound. Grieve in the Greek means to emotionally wound that. My thoughts, my actions, my heart, my deeds, my coldness towards my brothers and sisters, those things they hurt the heart of God. And when they rise up in me, philip Anthony Mitchell, in me, I'm trying to put those on the altar again. I throw myself on the altar on Tuesday, philip, you nasty. I throw myself back on the altar on Thursday.
Speaker 2:How am I living? I'm trying to live each day on purpose. I'm trying to make the most of every opportunity. I'm thinking about the one who I will stand before one day and I want to hear him say Daniel, well done that good and faithful servant.
Speaker 2:You handled your gifts right. You handled your relationships right. You handled your talents right. You handled your time right. You handle your talents right. You handle your time right. You handle your money right. You handle your hurt right. You handle your offenses right. You handle your betrayals right. You said I'm sorry. You apologized, you forgave, you let go. You made right. You prayed, you sought me. And when I hurt you, you still loved me. And when I bruised you, you still loved me. When I wounded you, philip, you didn't walk away from me. And when I told you, no, you can't get this, you still loved me. When I said that might not happen in your lifetime, you still served me. Present your body.
Speaker 2:So my question for everyone as we leave this series how are you living? Examine your own life as we walk out of this series. How are you really living? You can fool me. Your IG can fool me. Your Facebook can fool me. Your IG can fool me. Your Facebook can fool me. There is someone you cannot fool, the all knowing the almighty, the omnipotent one, the omniscient one.
Speaker 2:And when it feels rough, just get a glimpse of the cross and then look away from the cross and say man, I owe it to you To give you everything. I got To be what you asked me to be. Don a witness for you, like watch man. I owe that to you. Sam. Look man, jesus, I owe that to you. Like, watch, I want to please you.
Speaker 2:So I don't hold people in unforgiveness. I don't hold man. I just keep trying, rhonda, to keep trying to do what's right. Watch, I fall down. I'm talking to you. I make mistakes.
Speaker 2:I was in sin on Saturday night. I got up in tears. That's not my husband. Man the righteous fall seven times Danielle man. They brush right us again. I feel. Help me, holy Spirit. Help me, holy Spirit. Another verse, two things, three things in my spirit. Do not be conformed to this world, but be, ye, transformed by the renewing of your mind. I'm almost done.
Speaker 2:I feel the Spirit telling me that you need to start thinking about what you're thinking about. I'm almost done. This is no notes, this is the Holy Spirit. I feel the Spirit telling me right now you need to start thinking about what you're thinking about. You live in a house of thoughts. Look at me. The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your thoughts. Your life will never be greater than your thoughts. You think. If you just get to a certain place in terms of status or financial acquisition, you think your life is going to be what you really want. That's why there are millionaires who commit suicide Like I'm thinking about. I'm looking at these ladies. I'm thinking about Kate Spade, who hung herself in an apartment a multimillionaire, luxury fashion house dead because of her mind. Your mind needs to be renewed. It don't matter what you accumulate in this earth. The quality of your life is going to be in direct proportion the quality of your life into the quality of your mind. You live in a house of thoughts. Here's my question to you how strong is that house? You need to start thinking about what you're thinking about.
Speaker 2:Science teaches us about neuroplasticity that whatever you think about, the most your brain conforms to that. Science has taught us your brain has new neurons that are firing, ready to go in whatever direction you tell them to go. It's no wonder, then, the Bible says in Lamentations that his mercies are new every morning, waiting for you to start thinking a positive thought in the morning, that if you think negative, your mind turns dark. It rewires the molecular structure of your brain. This is all scientific. All science is doing is catching up with everything the Bible says Jovita. Then catching up with everything the Bible says Jovita, then it's no wonder the scripture says in Philippians that whatever things are lovely, whatever things are noble, whatever things are trustworthy, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worth praising, think about these things.
Speaker 1:Second Corinthians.
Speaker 2:Second Corinthians, chapter 10. Where is it? I know it's in here somewhere. Lord help me. Is it in here? Is it 1 Corinthians, chapter 10? No, I quote it, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds. Strongholds are thought patterns in your mind. Come on, sir, that we take every thought captive that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we bring it. We tear them down. That is every time I have a negative thought. I keep tearing them down. You don't like her. I got to tear that down. Don't forgive them. I got to tear that down. Beyonce is your wife. You got to tear that down. You don't like her. I got to tear that down. Don't forgive them. I got to tear that down. Beyonce is your wife. You got to tear that down. God, I'm jealous of that person. You got to tear that down. We take every thought captive and make it obedience to the Lord, jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:So I feel the spirit telling me as we close out the series you got to start thinking about what you're thinking about. You got to renew your mind. All my note takers. You want some points. I'll tell you how to renew your mind. You need exposure to words. How about that? That's number one. I'm going to make up an outline.
Speaker 2:Number one you need exposure to words. That's the first thing. You need to transform your mind. You need exposure to words. That's the first thing. You need to transform your mind. You need exposure to words First the word of God, holy words, the words of life, the only words that's going to remain in the end. You need exposure to words the Bible, spiritual books, biblical podcasts, educational podcasts, read, listen, podcasts, read, Listen to audio Bible. I don't even listen to music in my car, no more. When I'm driving, I'm listening to the Bible. I'm listening to audio books. I'm listening to podcasts. I'm using my drive time to renew my mind. What are you doing with your time? You say I don't got time to read a book, but you drive to work for half an hour. Exposure to words will renew your mind. I'm creating an outline.
Speaker 2:Exposure to people will renew your mind. Mentors, coaches, people who are wiser than you. Ask a question. The Bible says in Proverbs I'm reading through Proverbs now if you keep the company of wise, you will be watched Wise. You need to check your circle Some of you not growing in your mind because your company's weak. All you got is friends that complain and talk about. Woe is me. Nah, man, I got people around me that are trying to do something with themselves. My closest friends are pastors who love their wives, love their children, love the word. They love Jesus. My pastor loves his wife, loves the word, loves his children, loves Jesus. My coach loves his wife, loves his children, loves the word, loves Jesus. My mentor's the same. I'm surrounded by positive people, by positive people. What did I just say? Exposure to words will transform your mind. Exposure to people will transform your mind.
Speaker 2:Exposure to places Some of you need to friggin' travel. You need to go somewhere. Go to a conference, go to Buckhead, get out of Clayton County, do something you need to see. You need to see, you need to travel. Sometimes you will go a place and see something and your appetite will be changed. Some of you eating hot dogs not even knowing that steak exists.
Speaker 2:Exposure to places get in rooms. Those are the places. Get in rooms. Does this make sense? Jovita man, get in rooms. Jovita, my friend, our guest worship leader I think one of the best worship leaders in the country. You knew her story Been around this whole nation singing and delivering the gospel through song and all manner of church. Why do you think she's such a beast? Because she's been in multiple rooms. She can read a room. Her mind has been transformed from the places that she has been, the things that she has read, the people she has been exposed to. Who are you exposed to? What are you reading? Where are you going reading? Where are you going?
Speaker 2:Our pastor says that God will let you live on whatever level you settle for. If you're not going to the next level, that's your fault, not God's fault. You need to transform your mind. Why you ain't telling me it was 12 o'clock? No, I'm done. Holy Ghost, don, I'm done.
Speaker 2:And if there's one more passage in Romans 12, I feel like those three things are my spirit. How are you living? What are you thinking about and how do you love that passage in my spirit, verse nine let love be genuine. So my question to you is how are you living? How are you thinking? How are you loving? I feel like you will never love well if you don't love these three people well, if you don't love God. Well.
Speaker 2:Some of you say, man, I love God. No, you don't. You can't tell me I don't love God. Well, some of you say, man, I love God. No, you don't. You can't tell me I don't love God. Yes, I can, because God has a love language. See, he wasn't in the five love languages that got the Gary Chapman role. He don't. Where's the touch and quality time and words of affirmation? And that? No, god has a love language.
Speaker 2:John, his follower, told us his love language. He recorded jesus saying these words if you love me, you would obey my commandments. So he feels love when we're doing all we can to just follow him in obedience. Not, I'm not perfect, but I'm doing all I can to just obey. You got to love God with all your mind, heart, strength and soul. Then you got to love the people next to you, man, I love my brothers and sisters.
Speaker 2:I don't even know Danielle personally, but I love her. I fight for her on my knees. I pray demons away from her, like you. Don't even have to know them. Just, man, especially when we're in a gap, man, just love. You know how powerful love is, just freaking, just love. Man, it's so draining to be hateful, it's so draining to hold people in unforgiveness and it's so draining to some of y'all. You love keeping drama. You love holding people in unforgiveness and gossip. Just love people, man. Life goes better when you just love. But there's a third person and I'm done at Dallas. You listening to me, you listening to me. You need to love God. You listening, you need to love your brothers and sisters. You, you need to look in the mirror and you gotta learn to love yourself you gotta love yourself.
Speaker 2:I know some of y'all don't love yourself by. Let you stay on levels that god is trying to take you to the next level. You don't love you. You stay in abusive situations. You don't love you. You gotta love yourself. You gotta love yourself. The scripture even says love others as you love yourself. You can't even love other people right when you don't honor your own self. Jesus, I don't even know what I just preached, but that's all I got in my spirit. Hallelujah, god in my spirit. How do we sum that up? We're living in the last days. You need to pay attention to the times that we're living in. You need to know, just like me, there's a clock on you. You need to start thinking about what you're doing with the clock that's on you. Start thinking about what you're thinking about. Start thinking about how you're living. Start thinking about how you're loving. That is the end of Romans, chapter 12 series. I have nothing more to say but what the Holy Spirit just gave you beloved.
Speaker 1:There are two answers to every question God's answer and everybody else's answer. When those two disagree, when God's answer and everybody else's answer disagree, everybody else is wrong. May we truly seek God in these times we're living in.
Speaker 3:Hello, my name is Michelle Tolliver and Biblical Talk's book offer for the month of October is Free at Last. The Gospel and the African American Experience by Dr Carl Ellis. The words of Martin Luther King Jr's I have a Dream speech have become enshrined in US history. But after the end of King's generation of leadership, what happened to the African-American struggle for freedom? Like the ancient Israelites, the African-American community has survived a 400-year collective trauma. What will it take for them to reach the promised land that King foresaw to be truly free at last?
Speaker 3:In this classic historical and cultural study, dr Carl Ellis offers an in-depth assessment of the state of the African American freedom and dignity, stressing how important it is for African Americans to reflect on their roots. He traces the growth of the black consciousness from days of slavery to the 1990s, noting especially the contributions of King and Malcolm X. Ellis examines elements of black culture and offers a distinctive perspective on how God is active in culture more broadly. Free at Last. Concludes with a call for a new generation of jazz theologians and cultural prophets to revitalize the African American church and expand its cultural range. The book also includes a helpful glossary of people, events and terms. Terms. Ellis writes it is my prayer that the principles contained in this book will play a role in building bridges of understanding and facilitating reconciliation. Where there has been alienation For any amount of donation to Biblical Talks, we will send you the book. Please go to biblicaltalkscom and click the donate here tab. Thank you for listening to Biblical Talks.
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