EP 42 Enduring Affliction; God's Love

Another week of the Pick It Up Podcast and this one is one you're gonna want to listen into. We talk about how enduring affliction not only can impact someone else, but grows your walk with HIM. Faithfulness is a big key factor to enduring affliction. What about enduring someone else's afflictions? We also scratch the surface of God's Love and Sharing God's Love! 

Once again we are grateful for your willingness to listen in and we pray you get prayed up and studied up to show thyself approved! 

Bro. Lane, Bro. Philip, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David  

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Pick It Up Podcast, the podcast where we'll discuss what it means to pick up your cross and follow Christ. Living a life where Christ takes commitment, sacrifice, and ultimately being obedient to his word. Not only on Sundays, but every day. God's word says it, that settles it. So pray about it, practice it, and proclaim it. Let's get into it. Episode 42. We're gonna do a new intro, episode 50. New season, episode 50. Preacher's mic's not on either. My bad preacher.

SPEAKER_05 0:49

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

What you done did to your mic, preacher.

unknown 0:53

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

There it goes. I don't know why it mutes it every time. Hello? There it is. It mutes it right here every time. That's a control board issue.

SPEAKER_05 1:03

The user. I reckon.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

But y'all boys know good.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

It's Friday. Off day. Ain't got work today. No, off tomorrow.

SPEAKER_02 1:20

What you doing?

SPEAKER_03 1:22

I don't know. I haven't plans. What y'all doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Y'all boys ain't just ain't gonna talk today? Like y'all or letting y'all have it, though.

SPEAKER_03 1:33

Oh, yeah. Aren't you going balling today?

SPEAKER_02 1:35

Huh? Yeah, we're leaving here in just a little bit. Balling all weekend. Where y'all gone? Takes our canna. Takes our canna.

SPEAKER_05 1:43

You gonna be balling on Sunday? No, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

I got I got three times I'll either be home tomorrow, either five o'clock in the evening, ten o'clock at night, or one o'clock in the morning. Hopefully it's a one o'clock. We'll see how, yeah. We'll see how them boys play. It's a one-day tournament? No, it's four-day. Our championship games on Monday. But anyway. Well, y'all boys have been faithful this week.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah. Nah I've been worrying a little bit. Y'all got camp. Oh, man.

unknown 2:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

I'm excited. Tell Ryan yesterday for them camp naps.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

That bell rings after wreck time. Go crawl up in the bunk. Take about a three-hour nap.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

Evening walk to get an ice cream, Snicker ice cream.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Hope John doesn't listen to this.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

It is slowly approaching us. Week and a half.

SPEAKER_05 2:45

Contemplating carrying our equipment over there in the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

We thought about that. I thought about that more last night.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Don't they got some over there?

SPEAKER_02 2:52

I don't know if they had a podcast equipment. Yeah. I thought about that last night. Wouldn't that be cool? We could sit up right in the dead center of the tabernacle at 5 o'clock in the morning and do our podcast with John.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Or do kids camp because I'll be there. Oh, kids camp. Yeah, we can do kids camp. We can do both. Yeah, we'd be gone both weeks.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

I'm good with it. Well, Brother Dave, why don't you give everybody an update on the building project we have here going on at Shady Grove?

SPEAKER_05 3:27

We're going to be without uh bathrooms again and this week. Probably gonna be somewhere in around the mid-70s, close to 80 degrees inside the building. So you might want to pair. I think I told somebody, I think I'm gonna preach in a pair of short pants this morning. But we have the sealing grid. They have the sealing grid out of our sanctuary revival and adding a balcony. And it's just taking some time. But everybody's been great and uh what's the word? Patient and understanding. So let's hope that continues.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Everybody but preacher.

SPEAKER_05 4:03

Everybody but me. I'm a little different when it comes to that.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Get it going. Let's go.

SPEAKER_05 4:09

Stress out. All right, what are we gonna talk about this morning, boys?

SPEAKER_02 4:13

I don't ask y'all a question. Y'all never really didn't answer me. Have y'all been faithful this week? And I'll go one step, I'll go one step further. Have you studied yourself approved unto God to show that self-approved?

SPEAKER_05 4:25

I have, but mine's been focused around uh what I'm gonna preach Sunday. So are you gonna preach? I share it now, then everybody hear it twice. Do I? So where are you gonna preach? I'm gonna preach a chitty group in the pulpit. Well. And I'm gonna talk about Christian growth and the necessity of growing as a child of God.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Which goes back to study and show yourself approved.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

Being faithful.

SPEAKER_05 4:52

Yeah, being faithful is part of it for sure. I tell you where I get that from is because the if you understand uh the situation that the people were in that particularly Peter wrote to in his epistles, pre first and second Peter, is these Christians were in exile. First verse says that. Uh basically they were kicked out of their homeland. They were living in the region of Turkey as opposed to Jerusalem. You don't need to know all that. But the the problem, the not the problem, but the point is this is they were being uh excluded, or they were being persecuted, or they were being basically kicked out of their homeland because of their faithfulness to Christ. So you you ask us if we've been faithful, but I guess one earmark of that is if you are a faithful child of God, then you are going to be persecuted. You're gonna be talked about, you're gonna be laughed at, you're gonna be ridiculed, but uh that's because the lost world around you see you as a stranger, as a pilgrim, as a foreigner. You're not normal in their eyes. Yeah. No, you're not because you've been born again. That changes you. Or it should change you. It ought to ought to be evidenced in your life. Should be a motivation. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Where where are you at in the scripture?

SPEAKER_05 6:16

I'm all over the place. I'm just paraphrasing a whole bunch. But Lane brought up faithfulness, so I was just addressing the faithfulness. Well, how those people in those days were faithful in spite of everything. I mean, they're losing their homes, they're losing their private day, they were losing their families. I mean, faithfulness would cause you to have discord within your own family. And we talked about that last week. How mother and father and brother and sister and all that can be uh what's the word, that relationship can be harmed as a result of you following Christ.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

Well, what's faithfulness look like to you in your life?

SPEAKER_03 6:58

I was just sitting there thinking, I was like, faithfulness, I think, is the peace or patience during the disaster.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Yeah. Well, you may not what'd you say, peace or what? I don't forget. Well, you you may not get peace all the time while you're faithful.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

There's gonna be times when it's tough. But during those trials it tells us to count them as joy.

SPEAKER_05 7:30

Mm-hmm. Yep. Uh Paul might Peter made that comment to his to people he was writing to, the very thing. He says, Count it all joy when you fall into all these different kinds of temptations because you're faithfulness. It's true. And what motivates you to be faithful is just a recollection of what you at and who you are. You are a child, you are God's child, you've been bought by the blood of Jesus, you've been redeemed, you have an inheritance, and that inheritance is incorruptible, it's undefiled, it fades not away. You're guaranteed to go to heaven. There's all kinds of things that motivate us to live a life of faithfulness to Christ. And I know I roll through that, but but I've studied it most of my adult life. And the same thing can happen to anybody else who faithfully studies the word of God their whole life. You grow. You get to the point where, you know, it's just who you are.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

I think that's become part of your fabric. I think that's the key there, preacher, that I've been thinking about and I finally found the scripture because I remember preaching when we were in Hebrews. But you take someone who says, Hey, I'm faithful. I'm faithful to God. I trust in him a lot of the uh majority of the time as far as when trials come my way, when tests come my way. I'm at church every week, you know, I'm dedicated to serving him every week on Wednesday night, whatever it might be. But then when they get to the point of, I really just don't know where to start in the Word of God. I really just don't know what this means. I I I kind of don't understand, I just kind of don't grasp the word of God. And therefore, you're almost like it's stagnant faithfulness, if that makes sense, makes sense. You know, it's faithfulness, but you're never, like you said, you're never really growing. And I think about the verse in in Hebrews chapter 5, verse 13, for someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature who through training have the skill to recognize a difference between right and wrong. And I remember when I preached that in when we were in Hebrews, which was years ago, uh Elliot was not even a year yet, and I got him up on stage and he loved eating solid food at that time, but yet when he saw that bottle, that's really, really one, because he was still a baby, he was still growing. I think that's how we are. Faithful Christians ought to be is hey, we ought to strive to go after that solid stuff, which is the word of God, and grow in it. Amen. Because faithfulness is stagnant sometimes. I mean, I'd say for even us as pastors, we kind of go through the motions, you know. Good talk.

SPEAKER_05 10:02

How what is it that keeps you or enables you to maintain your faithfulness in the uh in the eye of affliction? I mean, we've all seen instances where there are people of our church family, my maybe our own physical families, that uh where it seems to be people going through some tough times. I think about uh currently, how does you current situation of Ryan's family, his parents in particular, and his mom suffering through some tremendous, tremendous you can't call anything but affliction, you know, but that comes on the physical side of cancer and health problems and this and that. Really, really, you know, how uh easy is it to maintain your faithfulness in those times, you know, or Philip your example, you know, you've been through a whole lot in the last couple years, but you've made you and Marcy both have maintained your faithfulness to God, you know. Wasn't easily done. But there's a whole lot easier done, easier is easier for you to do because of your maturity in Christ, you know. Even as a middle-aged man, you know, you've you've advanced to the point. On the other side of that, if you were a um what's the word, lacadaisical, if you were a slothy uh Christian, where you weren't putting any effort into your walk with Christ or any effort in your Christian growth, and these afflictions come, it's not nearly as easy to deal with or handle. Yeah. Because you don't have those, you're not standing on the promises. You can't rely, can't fall back upon the word of God. Maybe you don't have that relationship with a church family that you know is gonna love you and support you no matter what. You know.

SPEAKER_03 11:45

Like I said, so there's a there's a peace there and a confidence that, you know, especially when you have a church family or you're faithful to God and you rely on Him and them to carry you through, you get and you get peace.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 12:03

I got an interesting perspective for you to consider everybody to consider if we talk about this. I don't know how afflictions become part of this this conversation, but it did. Uh but so hard to view it this way, but this is the way it needs to be viewed. Uh can you understand that the affliction you went through was not an accident? You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 12:32

We say that all the time.

SPEAKER_05 12:33

Yeah. Afflictions for the child of God, afflictions aren't accidents. So here's a word you need to put there. They're appointments.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Appointment.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

Afflictions for that child of God who's going in Christ, maybe even the family, are appointments. They're not accidents. In other words, nothing passes by us as God's children that he doesn't know of.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Yeah. Like his checkpoint, like his servant Job, I mean, he knew.

SPEAKER_05 13:01

So then we automatically ask that question. Three-letter word. Why? Why? Why me, Lord? Why am I suffering? Why am I being afflicted? Why am I and that's an unfair because you're not going to get an answer. Just accept the fact that God's allowing it and try to look for God in it, and that's where you grow. I've said it thousands of times. It's in the fire, it's in those tests to where you gain ground with God, where you grow. You grow in time of affliction more than you ever will. Your faithfulness will be multiplied tenfold through affliction as opposed to, you know, just perfect life. So when they come, don't don't look at them in a negative light. See it in a simple point.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Count it as joy.

SPEAKER_05 13:48

That's all I got, boys. I got joy, joy. See you next week.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Now I'll just I was when you're saying that, and I was sitting here thinking when I was in that hospital bed or in that not really courtroom, but Zoom meeting, bankruptcy and things. And I never really thought why me. Why me? Yeah. Never really thought. I always thought, you know, this sucks, you know. That's right. It does, but I know that sin has part of that. There's a reason for that. And uh I think we go through that because of sin and to mature you and to see where you're gonna go, you know, on your on your walk. Yeah. And to me, that's the only way to mature.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Well, I I often see it like that too, like if you're going through a tragedy or you know, I think God, in my eyes, I'm like, God's gonna see how I'm gonna handle this. You know. How how am I gonna handle this? Am I gonna handle it God's way or or am I gonna worry, you know, or be faithful to Him through it? Yeah, it's and it's it's you know, uh and I've been in Colossians with the teenagers last couple weeks, and it it talks about that. It talks about live wisely in front of everybody. Well, it says live wisely among those who are non-believers, you know, because they're wanting to see how you're gonna live through the tragedies, through the afflictions, you know. I about messed that word up. Uh, but through all the the headache and heartache, they're gonna see how you're the decisions you're making.

SPEAKER_03 15:34

Yeah. See how you're gonna handle it.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

My bad.

SPEAKER_05 15:50

I didn't know. I didn't know that was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

Just don't talk about it, preaching.

SPEAKER_05 15:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

What happened? Just don't worry about it. We'll talk about it later. Uh yeah. What were you talking about? I don't know now. Colossians. I'm scared to repeat it. No, it's nothing you did.

SPEAKER_03 16:10

I just I also was thinking, you know, a while ago he was talking about affliction. Um when we first initially have that, I think our natural instincts for the flesh to take over and be mad and get, you know, blame somebody else or something like that. But I think the faithful person or the person of God usually just calms down and thinks about it, you know, and eventually gets it right. Yeah. And work through it.

SPEAKER_05 16:46

I tell you what happens, and you see it in that mature Christian life, the person who's grown, is uh you you move from the why me, Lord question, oh poor pitiful me, and you roll it in your pity, to why not me. Right. Why not me? Why why why why would not I be appointed under this? I can handle this, and I'm gonna handle this, and the reason I'm gonna handle this is so that uh this lost world around us may see that there is a God in heaven. Make sense? So when you you attack you attack afflictions with that perspective, oh my goodness, is God not getting the glory or what? Right when you have that why not me perspective. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 17:31

It's almost like why not me. And you take you, Philip, it's more like a it's it's almost more than a mindset, more than a perspective. It's uh it's a lifestyle. It's a it's a I mean I can remember very well the day of your surgery. We walk in there and you got Bible verses written all over your arms and legs and head and wherever, you know. And but your mindset was your mindset your mindset was that you were going into that surgery, hey, whatever the outcome is, that God's gonna get the glory for it. Because of your because you were leading the lost world to his word, which your surgeon, you know, not knowing what he believed in, but just hey, this is what I believe in, this is what I'm gonna trust in during the surgery. So it's all it's just a lifestyle. And I think that's where I've I got last week, too, during my sermon, is just the fact of people just need to breathe, take a second, calm down, and just remain faithful. You know, don't overreact. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Well, you know, I had this thought a lot in the last week. The people that are around us watching us, you know, I I just talked about that in Colossians. You know, we we are put here to to be a light in Christ. The way we live, the way we act, the things we do, you know, and if tragedy comes our way and we don't handle it so well, you know, um people see that. Yeah, yeah. And and that's within the body of the church, or just when you're out, you know, by yourself wherever, you know, people, you know, they know Philip's a Christian. They know he believes in God. How's he gonna handle situations? And his word was brought up in 2 Timothy. I I spoke on it uh Sunday night, and the word ruin, ruin those that are around you, ruin those that are hearing, you know. And what it's talking about here is the the foolish talks that we have, conversations, foolish conversations we have, arguments and stuff within the church. Yeah, the nonsense stuff within the church, you know. Uh the the little ones, the ones around you listening, the ones that are not quite as polished as you are in God's word, it can ruin them. Yeah, you know, and sway them a different way. Yeah, and that's that's not just within the body of church, that's outside of here too. You know, if if uh we don't show our true faith to others and through tragedies and circumstances, uh it could ruin them.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

You know? They're like, well, you're supposed to have faith in God, you're supposed to be strong in your faith, and here you are stressed out and worried about this other stuff. And I understand that it's you know, we're speaking boldly in here because we can with God's word, but you know, we I I have been blessed my life, other than a few instances with my mom and cancer and stuff like that, that I haven't had to go through a tragedy, you know, and I thank God for that every day, you know. But what how will I react?

SPEAKER_03 20:42

I'd say do you feel it coming?

SPEAKER_01 20:44

I hope not, you know, but but if when it comes to that day, how would I react? Right, you know? I've thought about that a lot. And I'm I'm praying and I'm not saying that something's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

But if something does, you know. Are you ready? Am I ready? Yeah, you know, because I don't I don't feel like the Lord's just gonna bless me and let me live a perfect life my whole life, you know. It's like preacher said, you know, we we gain ground in in the fire and stuff like that. So I'm like, where where is it coming, Lord? kind of thing.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

Well let me ask you this. If you're not ready, have you prepared enough or had people around you enough to help you?

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Yeah, I would think I would hope so, you know. Um definitely.

SPEAKER_03 21:35

Especially like if you're not able to handle it. I know you because we're we're we gotta give everything to God, let Him handle it, but there's people around you that also should have the responsibility to help you.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Yeah. You know, we we take I think a lot of times we take that verse, Philippians four thirteen, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And we kind of take it out of whack. Sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

Yeah, what's the context?

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Yeah, and I think I think what he's talking about there is if you're in God's will.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

If you're in God's will, you can do all things. Now he's not talking about I can you can go out here and do this and that out of God's will and he's gonna be there for you.

SPEAKER_04 22:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

But it's being in his will. And I think when we go through a tragedy or something and you're striving and doing your best to be in his will, that's when that verse comes in effect. I can do all things. I can conquer this. I can get through this because of who I am in Christ.

SPEAKER_04 22:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:35

So do you think other do you think some people go through trials that other people wouldn't consider trials or wouldn't consider afflictions?

SPEAKER_03 22:42

If you talk about the word afflictions, I think people have their own perspective on things. Right. So some things are different for others. All people are quite, you know, created differently, different problems. And yeah, most definitely.

SPEAKER_02 22:57

I mean, I think about that, and the reason I asked that question, because I it keeps coming back to my mind what Brother Don said a few weeks ago in my prayer group. We talked about tithing and giving and everything, and he said, you would be surprised of the faithfulness that you might have if your wash and dryer gets two more months because of the way you've been given. You know, you know something that you only think about, something small. Because a lot of people, wash and dryer goes out, boy, you are stressed to the maximum. Oh, we just stressed to the max. Our dryer just went out, so you gotta go spend $600, $700, $800, whatever. You get mostly a clothesline.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

No, listen. Her she hit a curve. We had to go buy four new tires. Dryer done went out. We just like, mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

You living in afflictions right now.

SPEAKER_03 23:39

And then the pole collapses.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

That's a good point.

SPEAKER_03 23:43

But you've been in the word lately. I need to get some more in it. Uh but God had a God has a plan and we just laughed it off. Said we trust him. Well, ended up didn't have to replace the whole dryer. We just replaced the part, so it saved us $500.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Well, you know, I look at I don't look at things as coincidences anymore. You know, I think God has a plan.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Oh, Marcy straight up said that he's laughing at me right now.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Well, no, I'm thinking about that $1,000 you spend on tires and this and that. We got a break. Well driver hooked us up. There you go. But that money that was spent there, I look at that like God didn't want you to spend that money somewhere else. Right. You know, you may have blew it somewhere else, so he said, I'm gonna take care of this now. Yeah. And in the meantime, I'm gonna get him a new pool in a in a dryer.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

I say we're gonna have to wait on the uh winter cells to see if we can get a new pool.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

I got an extra water trough, but I bet you do.

SPEAKER_05 24:45

I'm good. And better now. Being quiet, but I'm good. Hey, I I do have a thought uh as I sit back down here. And if you ever consider the fact that uh how how other people and the afflictions they're going through can be comforted by your faithfulness.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Yeah. Philip asked that question a while ago. Yep. Having people around you.

SPEAKER_05 25:11

There's a verse of scripture in 1 Thessalonians that I shall share with you. Chapter 3, verse 7 says, Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

That goes back to Colossus. By your faith wisely.

SPEAKER_05 25:29

So others can be comforted by your faith. That gives case in point to the principle that we understand the importance of the church family of being there for one another, comforting one another, you know, showing up, showing support, uh, sitting in that waiting room at the hospital, that kind of thing, you know. Yeah. Uh our your faith can bring comfort and hope to those who are in affliction.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Well, would you say that that um people that are stressing, worried, got something going on in their life, who do they turn to? The faithful.

SPEAKER_05 26:05

Well, that's when they uh that if they're a child of God, they get driven to God. Yeah. And they show up in our offices, you know, uh, want to talk and crying and whatnot. But that's that's by design. Oh, yeah. The whole thing, God allowed that that affliction was to get them to you to redirect that life to press them towards me.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

I'd go past even us as pastors, they they'll reach out to their friends that are faithful, you know. First. Yeah, they're gonna reach out to a buddy or you know, or whatever and say, Hey, I I need you to pray for me about this. You know, they turn to the faithful. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_05 26:41

My there's so many examples that it uh we ought to get my wife on this thing sometime. But through the years, and she just retired this year from Drew Central, 28 years or something like that, of service. Uh but the the number of times that people would come to her through uh the school system because they knew who she was, knew who she represented, how she carried herself, and uh they'd she'd pray with them, they cry together, and then it just kept a it just built a relationship. But she's that person that people just knew they could, if they needed a touch from God, and they didn't even know they needed it, they just find themselves in her presence because she strove to be. I guarantee you, she had been in the word of God that morning prior to getting to that school, and uh that she may have the very word that she had read that very morning. You know how God does that? He'll give you the word you need at the right time, and that's that's how others can be comforted by our faithfulness to God and his word. Let me ask you this. Just as an example, uh I'm just pulling her out of the hat, but it it's it's anybody can live that life.

SPEAKER_03 27:51

Right. And speaking on that, so when Miss Kim left, is there anybody in the waiting to not necessarily replace Miss Kim, but be that like take up the I tell you what, she's she's worried about that big time and uh praying about that big time before she ever retired.

SPEAKER_05 28:08

Yeah, that was a that was a thing that she knew that that she was been there all these years because that's where God wanted her. And boy, reaching that con reaching that decision that all right I'm done, you know, and retiring and making that call, knowing that this influence is no longer gonna be there.

SPEAKER_04 28:25

Right.

SPEAKER_05 28:25

All you can do is pray and trust that God will put somebody in that spot. And more than likely it's gonna be some of those individuals that had experienced her that's gonna take that spot. Right. Uh and we got plenty of folks, you know, either school local school system also central to where people can turn to that are part of our church. It don't just have to be me or I mean me, my wife, because who she is married to me, and that's not the deal. It's her her personal walk, it's her personal faithfulness commitment that that brings people to her. So somebody will replace her. But that didn't come easy for her.

SPEAKER_03 29:06

On that same aspect, preacher, like like you, you know, you you always say it in a pulpit, you know, you're getting older and not gonna be able to do this forever. Have you feel like you've trained or prepared others to take the torch?

SPEAKER_05 29:23

We shall see, shall we? Yeah, you have to rely upon that. I mean, it's something you think about. You know, I've I've got 30 years, almost 30 years invested here. Uh this is by no means my church. Put that away. It is my family. But man, when you invest that much time into something, you know, it's it's part of you. And knowing one day that that's, you know, that's gonna go away. It's it's interesting to think about. But you again, you just gotta trust the Lord. Right. He knows.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

Well, I've heard a lot of people say, preacher, you know, you're talking about getting to your age, you've mentioned it from the pulpit before. Oh, I'm getting old, y'all. It ain't gonna be long. I've heard a lot of people say, well, he ain't quitting until he dies. You know, so he ain't gonna retire until he dies.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

He ain't got no gray hair yet.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

He ain't gonna how old are you turning someday, preacher?

SPEAKER_05 30:16

61. My birthday is to be Sunday, 61 years old. 61. Yep. I'm ancient, boys. Still got a little left in me, though. Amen. Amen. Let's see what happens. I don't know. I don't think retirement is in the vocabulary of a really a minister. I don't I haven't got there yet, but I don't know. I d I look at the examples that's gone before me, and uh I don't I don't I can't recall a man who had preached for 30, 40, 50 years, just stop. You just don't do it. You can't, really. So I have no idea how the future's gonna unfold. I'm gonna leave that in the hands of God, not worry about it.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

What's that what's that word called when a preacher kind of sits back and not senior pastor, but oh yeah, starts with a E. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:12

Let me think about it a minute, I'll get back to you.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Emeritus. Yeah, he's gonna be emeritus.

SPEAKER_05 31:21

Pastor Emeritus.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

What does that mean? Oh, just balls. Sit back, balls.

SPEAKER_05 31:26

You just take it, you don't go anywhere, you just take a back seat. Preacher gonna be on observe.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Hey, that was good. Hey, you need work on that kind of thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 31:36

Who knows? I really believe the Lord come the end of the world to happen. Jesus shall return.

SPEAKER_03 31:43

That's right. Are we we're talking about carrying a torch and you know, praying that God has it, but uh are we all replaceable?

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Oh, I think that the Lord made us for certain things, but I mean He can do negative.

SPEAKER_05 32:02

Your position may be filled, but you're never unique individual. And there'll never be another Philip. That's amazing part about God. You got all these human beings who've lived throughout history, and no two are alike. No two fingerprints alike. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 32:20

No two souls, every soul's different. Ryan says all the time, I'm just like Mike.

SPEAKER_01 32:26

Yeah. Lane replacing his dad, and he's just like Mike. Like Mike. No, I I um I think I'm thinking you're right. Lord calls us to do a certain job, you know, and I guess yeah, your position can be filled. I I talked about that to the teenagers Wednesday night. I said, you know, Lord may put you on this place, this planet, to talk to one person. You know, of course he wants you to talk to more than one, but he may have one person in mind for you. And how are you accomplishing that? Have you already let that pass by? And I brought up an instance in my life where I had someone in my life that Lord put on my heart daily. I was with them daily, and I failed. I failed, and I live with that regret. You know, I still have that opportunity and I need to make it happen.

SPEAKER_05 33:19

So there's a principle I'm going to point out Sunday that uh needs to really be uh understood and adopted and implemented in the lives of our church. And that's love. A love, uh a specific love, a love for the brethren. And that triggered when Watson said that, because I had the same regrets. You know, there have been people that I've had in my life too to where I just let it pass by. Uh but when you let love motivate you, then you you can't be quiet. Because you know you you know the difference, you know what the outcome's gonna be if if they don't have you know, they don't know you're God. But whenever we uh we love one another, it'll show up. There's a there's a story I'm gonna share. I'm gonna go ahead and share it because everybody's not gonna listen to this. It occurred years ago. Um I mean tw 20 years ago. Anyhow, there was a family in our church, uh, husband and wife, three kids, who hit on hard times. And uh I knew about it and they needed they need some help with their light bill, that kind of thing. And it you're limited is what you can do, you know, financially, particularly. Because you can we can give every dollar that comes in the off-plate away, you know, to help people pay the light bill. But this was a genuine need, authentic need. I mentioned that from the pulpit. And uh and the way I approached it, I said if any of you're able or you'd like to assist, here's one way we can assist this family. You know, and you can go up there and you know put money on on their account. I think it was Piggly Wiggily at the time, where you could go pay your light bill kind of thing. And uh a few days later, so I made an announcement a few days later I got a call to to uh they needed the account number to apply the money, and I failed to give anybody that. So I went to Piggly Wiggily and I had that information. And the girl at Piggly Wiggily asked me the question, why are all these people? Why are all these people you know putting money on on this person's account? And the mile response, well, that's our church family. This is what they do. And the number of people that had gone by and put fifty or seventy-five or hundred dollars on that account impressed her. And then she asked me the question. She said, Where is this church? Come on with me. Yeah, right? And now, how's that isn't a witness? Yeah, I mean, it's a powerful example, and that's love for one another. Love your brothers and your sisters, and it'll show up. Probably our most powerful witness that we have as a collective, as a body of Christ, is that. And Jesus said it himself, you know, that's the greatest commandment. Love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.

SPEAKER_01 36:16

Well, my my thought goes with that is what if for the next couple months that family didn't have an electric bill because the church done overpaid it, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:26

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

Yeah, you know, they had they had a balance, they were in the what do you call it, in the green, they weren't in the red anymore. That's an awesome thought that you know, that someone will go above and beyond for you. Right. You know, that's what family and church family is all about. And I think we have that here at our church. Well, most yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:43

Where I can attest to that. Yeah. Well, I got ridiculed a little bit, I remember that, uh, because I I mentioned it from the pulpit, and so everybody now everybody knows this family's got problems.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 36:54

But it I was telling the church, I wasn't telling the world. Yeah. Your family. It's your family, yeah. And that was my response to the critic. And of course, the people who benefited the family, they were extremely grateful. And uh that allowed them to, you know, the flexibility to get back on their feet.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:14

Helped a lot.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

That's good stuff, just that thought.

SPEAKER_05 37:18

But love for one another is a big deal. And that that's a motivator, Rand. Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_03 37:24

That's when I say it gives you heart flutters.

SPEAKER_04 37:27

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 37:27

Makes you warm and so.

SPEAKER_03 37:30

Makes you want to be a part of it. Yeah. Especially people on the outside, like like the girl taking the money, seemed like, you know, I want to I want to know what she did. I want to be part of that.

SPEAKER_05 37:42

Yeah, she asked the question she asks me, where's this church at? Yeah. I need my electric bill paid. You know, to my knowledge, I she didn't ever come to church. You know, but that that that's that's I'll let God do with that whatever he wants to do with that.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

But yeah, but even if it's not this church, that specific church, thinking of a church or maybe her, or that maybe they're getting closer to Jesus. Maybe she didn't know Jesus.

SPEAKER_05 38:09

You never know where that would have led. Uh well, God's gonna use it. That's faithfulness. That's that's how we started this conversation. That's that's faithfulness. Just be faithful to that unction. And we'll what I mean by unction, that that Holy Spirit conviction when you God kind of places upon your heart, maybe as a bird and however you see it, to do something like that. Well, you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna go by there and I'm gonna drop $20 on that account. I can do that. I'll just not go out to eat lunch today and I'll help this family out. Yeah. And if you'll if you'll pay attention to that conviction, that unction, that God directing you and guiding you, man, you're gonna you just sit back, stand still and see how God can do what God can do with that simple act. And you aren't doing it to get a reward.

SPEAKER_01 39:00

You know, we we see as pastors up here, we see quite often people come up here needing help. And I struggle with that a little bit because, yeah, I want to help people. Yeah. I want to help them. And of course, you have some that show up pretty regular, and you're like, no, I ain't helping you no more. But then you see a genuine person show up. But what I struggle with is I think about, you know, people, you know, this is people's tithes or offerings that they've given to the church. And we need to make make good decisions with it. Be responsible. Be responsible, make good decisions with it. But to me, it's different within the church. If someone from the church comes up and be like, man, I'm struggling, I need some help. Well, that's what this is all about.

SPEAKER_03 39:41

Yeah. You know, then it's no-brainer.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

Yeah. You know, you we're your family. Yeah, you're definitely gonna take care of it. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_05 39:48

Well, as as a pastor, you you uh you're on the side of it where you see a lot of the ugly, but you also see a lot of the the reward like that, the number of times that you know, there's been a a family in the church that's struggling, you know, maybe somebody's in a surgery or not, whatever, and need some help, and somebody'll come along and would would you give this to them, you know, maybe maybe a hundred dollars, whatever it is. You know, they don't want them to know who gave it kind of thing, but it's just to be a benefit to them. And then you're on the you're you're the one that gets to relay that blessing, you know, and hand the butt. I I've seen instances where we've taken up love offerings in some pretty serious situations. Somebody lose a house, house fire, that kind of thing, to where it'd be thousands of dollars. And man, when you you hand them that they just they're full of emotion and just can't handle it, boy. But that's love. Yeah. And that that's sacrificial love. And I think that's the ultimate goal. I'm gonna mention that. I wrote that down, Elaine. In my sermon notes, you mentioned I think it's our staff meeting toward the end of it. You know, what's our goal? Do we have any goals? You remember saying that? Yeah. That they caused me to think, what is the goal? You know, why why follow our directives in the scriptures of what the Bible tells us to do? And I think that I think that's my answer. Our ultimate goal is love. To demonstrate to those around us, especially the lost word around us, the love of God. And what does that look like? Well, it's the cross. That's the ultimate example. Be good stewards, yeah. I mean, ain't a more powerful motivator in the world than love. There's no way.

SPEAKER_03 41:35

I hear stories all the time of somebody helping somebody like that, and and I think, man, I need to be I need to be like that a little bit more. You know, I need to think of that when it comes to me. Cause a lot of times I I I don't know. I guess I may just shrug it off and not really think about it too much, and then like I need to be I need to dig down on that and be that person's yeah. You know, just a even sometimes just the thought or the phone call.

SPEAKER_05 42:07

Yeah, exactly. It's super rewarding. Yeah. I mean, it's just amazing awarding. When when you demonstrate sacrificial love, then uh the what you get back from that from God can only come from heaven.

SPEAKER_04 42:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:21

Which is a a contentment and a peace and a fulfillment and a satisfaction, and it all comes as a result of your willingness to sacrifice. Yeah. Man, that's good.

SPEAKER_03 42:32

I know this is go ahead. But when I do it, I don't want to do it because of me. Yeah. You know what I mean? I want to do it because of he.

SPEAKER_01 42:42

And I want to make sure that he gets the glory in it. Amen. You know, um, preacher, you told me when I first started to go.

SPEAKER_05 42:48

You'll be the beneficiary of it, though.

SPEAKER_01 42:50

When I you told me when I first started here, going down the road, we was going to the hospital somewhere to see somebody. And someone popped up in your mind, you said, I gotta call them. You know, and you told me when you got off the phone, you said, I've learned in my years of ministry, if the Lord puts someone on your heart, just go on and do it. Just go call them.

SPEAKER_05 43:11

Stop by, go to little house, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:14

And I failed at that at some times, but I've also tried, strive to do that. You know, if someone I ain't thought about in a while pops up in my mind while I'm driving down the road, I'm like, well, Lord, you you put them there for a reason. Let me just check in on you. I mean, just check in. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:29

I had the same thought yesterday about Tyler Jones. Yeah. I was like, I'm gonna call it that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:35

You know, just call. I mean, Lord, I think the Lord puts people on your mind and heart, you know. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05 43:41

Now we just callous to it sometimes because of what might happen. So when you do that, you make that stop or you make that phone call, you know, you may be on the phone for 30 minutes. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Just just be ready, because they they may very well

SPEAKER_01 44:01

But we don't know, God knows that morning, but we don't know what that person is going through. Right. They may need that person to talk to. And you know if it's you.

SPEAKER_05 44:10

Yeah, they they wasn't gonna initiate the conversation.

SPEAKER_03 44:13

I was literally listening to a uh video last night and it was a uh God story. Guy was sitting on a couch, or I don't he don't I don't remember where he said he was, but he said that he was praying that if God was real and he was looking after him, that he would get him out of this, get him a place to live, something to eat, and get a ride to do it. He said he got a phone call from his buddy, who's the only Christian buddy he had. He said, Hey, I had it on my heart. God was calling telling me to call you. And uh he said, and I feel like you need a place to live. Like instantly.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:58

And uh he said that the guy lived 20 minutes away. And um he's like, Yeah, I'd love that. Come get me. When can you come get me?

SPEAKER_01 45:07

He's like Not only do I need a place to live, I need a ride.

SPEAKER_03 45:10

Come on, get me. He's like, when are you gonna come get me? He's like, Well, how quick can you get your badge packed? He said, Take me 10 minutes. He said, Well, I'm already in your driveway. There you go. You know, and it's like God already knew, and he had already left, didn't even call a guy, got there, then called him. It's like, so I mean, how awesome. He wasn't taking no for an answer. Well, I mean, I think God just told him to go.

SPEAKER_01 45:30

Well, I I think we underestimate the way God works sometimes. Yeah, I really do. And I said that Sunday night from the pulpit, we don't take God serious enough. Uh I think he, you know, the God of the Old Testament is still the same God in the New Testament. Yeah. You know, the one that pointed stuff out and showed things and and took people places, that's still the same God.

SPEAKER_00 45:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:51

But we we kind of downplay it a little bit, you know, and and uh God works in our lives. And if we'll just allow him, take him serious. Right. I think that's a big issue. We don't take God serious enough.

SPEAKER_05 46:05

God works in our life. You know, a lot of people have that question well, what am I doing? And what I mean by that is there's so many people that okay, they're not gonna teach Sunday school, they're not gonna be seen on the stage singing songs, they don't have those talents, yet they want to be used of God, they want to work and bring honor glory to God through the church. But what they don't realize is what we're talking about here. Those little phone calls, those little visits, just words of encouragement. I mean, you've got a gift, you know. Uh find out what that is and and do it. Follow the leadership of the Spirit of God and be faithful to that and just stand back. I'm telling you, watch, see what God can do with you. You think you're not making or capable of making a difference, or you can't contribute? All of us can by demonstrating love. Somebody needs you. Somebody needs to hear from you, somebody. Just do it. And trust the Lord for the results. See, our success for God is being obedient to that direction. That's that's that's where you succeed. When you says okay. When you say okay and you go, then that's that's it. Not the results. You you know, you they may hang up on you when you call them. Right. You know, I'm not gonna share with you. You didn't fail. You succeeded when you followed the Lord in doing what he asked you to do. Can you imagine what this place would be? This is one institution, this one arm of the body of Christ, the greater good, the kingdom of God, if all of us adopted that and was willing to sacrifice? All right, I'm gonna turn off this YouTube video I'm watching here, and and I'm gonna spend 30 minutes calling people.

SPEAKER_03 47:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 47:48

And just say a little prayer, Lord, who you want me to call?

SPEAKER_03 47:50

I can instantly think of two people right now.

SPEAKER_05 47:52

And that name drop in your mind and just say, look, I don't have any motives. I'm just I'm just loving. Lord, put you on my mind. And when you put it that away, when you say it that away, oh my goodness. You don't know what's happening to that. Exactly. The goosebumps that come up on that guy driving down the road to answer the phone, you were thinking of me, God put me on your mind. Yeah, I can't. I don't know why. But so here I am. Yeah. I'm just saying I love you, and if I can help you, let me know. That is tremendous.

SPEAKER_01 48:23

Well, it's funny because you remember the 18-wheeler driver we helped out that the one you pulled over, Philip. Now, uh he did he call him? We got he's called me a couple times and I've called him. Stop by here and eat. Yeah. And it's because of the, and I'll say the word impact that we had on him that night.

SPEAKER_04 48:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:44

But just the thought of, man, there's someone here that there's a safe place.

SPEAKER_02 48:48

Right.

SPEAKER_01 48:49

Someone I can reach out to that that lives a faithful life that loves me. That loves me. Yeah. And I don't know the dude, I can't remember his last name, you know. His first name's William. But just that bond that you can connect with someone that quick, you know.

SPEAKER_03 49:05

I can look him, look him up on my computer. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 49:08

He runs his ID.

SPEAKER_03 49:10

He's looking licking quite a bit of diesel that day. I pulled him over. Didn't know it was him, it was a different truck.

SPEAKER_05 49:15

So I think it's important also to be looking, looking for God in those types of situations.

SPEAKER_03 49:22

Yeah, the opportunity.

SPEAKER_05 49:23

I got us for sitting here right now, today, sometime today, God's gonna put somebody in your life, you know, and you'll have that little thing. Well, I need to ask them, I need to talk to them, I just need to say something. Just do that, follow that, and then trust God for the results.

SPEAKER_02 49:38

I brought up that story. I brought up that story uh Sunday about the woman and the little boy in Walmart parking lot. We had to help out and pouring down rain. I'm like, why in the world am I doing this, what I'm doing? And now I look at him like, you know, even if she didn't hear it, it's for her, but only it's for her, for that little boy, that little five-year-old, six-year-old boy, you know. That he hate he's gonna remember one day, hey. Not me, but the love that I that that I've shown, you know, through Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_03 50:06

But what did that cost you to help?

SPEAKER_02 50:09

Time. A little bit of time, a little bit of effort, and that's it.

SPEAKER_03 50:12

Really nothing, nothing. You got a little wet, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:15

A little wet, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:16

A little patience loss, you know, but you showed the love of Christ to somebody else, and that's all you can do. Whether it was fleshly motivated or not, right, you know.

SPEAKER_05 50:30

Well, that truth will come out too. If you're doing things for the wrong reasons, wrong motivations, then it'll be known. Right. You don't have to worry about that. Yeah. I think a lot of people are hesitant to make that move because they're afraid of that. I think that's a good motive.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Of what people are gonna think.

SPEAKER_05 50:45

Yeah, really.

SPEAKER_03 50:47

And what the root motivation.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Yeah, why am I watching this?

SPEAKER_05 50:51

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:52

I think that's a good motivation, though. Are you willing to take on someone else's afflictions in order for it to honor God in the end?

SPEAKER_03 50:59

Hey, man. Well, I think that's part of kind of what I told Watson earlier. You know, do you have the right people around you, or did you train up or or surround yourself with the right people to help you? Some of them may take it from you.

SPEAKER_02 51:15

Yeah. You know, I don't know. We take our kids, for example, when our kids have pain or suffer or whatever, we want to take that away from them. Oh, absolutely. We want to go there with them. We want to, hey, we'll take it on just the same way. You ought to do that with the church family. Yeah. They're going through a hard time. Hey, you need to be director beside them.

SPEAKER_03 51:34

That's part of that love, though.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

Can y'all say this with me?

SPEAKER_05 51:37

Onesiphrus.

SPEAKER_02 51:38

Onesifris.

SPEAKER_05 51:39

Once a sephorus. Onesis. Oh, I'm a crazy. He he pronounced that one many different ways. We all have a different way of saying it. But it's a character in the scripture, uh, 2 Timothy. Paul mentions that old boy. Uh one old boy that was willing to, as you say, Lane, you know, to step in there and help me out. Yep. You know, motivation's as pure as the driven snow. And uh, yeah, we still talk about him today. Mm-hmm. That's cool. He was there. Mercy. He demonstrated mercy when nobody else would. Made an impact, made a difference.

SPEAKER_01 52:19

Yeah, I I I do. That's a goal in life. You're talking about goals, that is a goal in life. I want people to, you know, say that about Ryan. Legacy, maybe. You know, not just for me, but because of God.

SPEAKER_05 52:32

The guy could depend on. How about these words? Would somebody use these words? Oh, Ryan was a true friend. You ever heard somebody say that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 52:39

What's the difference between a friend and a true friend? A true friend's gonna show up no matter what. No if, ands, buts, what's in it for me. We heard the phrase.

SPEAKER_05 52:49

Well, you you you start hitting some affliction, you'll find out who your real friends are. Right. Yeah. Is that is that right?

SPEAKER_03 52:54

Yeah. There's a song about it. You find out who your friend is. That's right. Yeah. Oh, y'all gonna be able to sing it. Somebody's gonna drop everything.

SPEAKER_05 53:04

Oh, oh, oh, Philip been a true friend of me, you know. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 53:08

Got a friend of me. That's a different thing.

SPEAKER_05 53:14

All kinds of things that can motivate us.

SPEAKER_03 53:18

So after this podcast, what are you gonna do to you gonna follow through? Uh make that phone call?

SPEAKER_05 53:25

Yeah. Need to. Yeah. After over time it just becomes a byproduct of who you are. It really does. Yeah, how do you you still have the ability to say no? Right. But more than you're gonna say yeah.

SPEAKER_03 53:38

How do you make that your everyday though?

SPEAKER_05 53:42

I know like time and and uh the word of God. Faithfulness. Committed faithfulness, yes. That's right. That's how you do it. Just stick to it. Just stick, don't give up, don't quit. It shows up and just like church attendance. There's some people that struggle, I just don't know why I can't get it. I can't understand the Bible. I just read it, read it, read it, did-da-da-da-da. Well, they ain't been to church. You know, they they may come once a month. Well, what's the it ain't about the church membership, it's about what you get when you come to the church or the Sunday school. They don't see the significance of sitting under the teaching of the Word of God. Over time, it becomes who you are.

SPEAKER_03 54:22

Even if you don't read the Bible, you know enough to apply it. Yeah. Yeah. You're approving it. You're absorbing it. Yeah. You know what I mean? And you're absorbing the the characters around you to help you through that. I you know, I don't understand the Bible. Well, one day then you're one day then you're gonna have be able to apply that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

You know how many people have applied if the word of God says it, that settles it to their life. Right. The past hour long since preachers preached that. You know, making that an effort, making that a priority. Hey, the word of God says it, that's what settles it in my life.

SPEAKER_03 55:03

Exactly. That's the way it should be.

SPEAKER_02 55:04

Yeah. But it's sitting under that teaching, though, it's sitting underneath that wiz the wisdom.

SPEAKER_01 55:11

Well, we want God to, and and 2 Timothy, it tells us God's gonna remain faithful to us when we're not faithful to Him. You know, that's part of part of what I had to speak about Sunday night. But we want God to be faithful when we're not. That's the way we we live life. And I think when we pray, and I talked to the teenagers a little bit about this Wednesday night, we pray, and sometimes we get aggravated with our prayer life because nothing comes from it. We just assume that, all right, God, I'm gonna talk to you, you're gonna fix it. But we're looking for answers, but we're not faithful enough to get in his word and seek those answers, you know. And I believe there's two ways that God's gonna speak to us. He's gonna speak through us through his word, through the spirit. You know? Right. We're looking for that someone to walk up to us and say, Hey, this is what you need to do. Yeah. You know, and a lot of times we do that with with people, but you know It may not be that way. The truth is in the Word, right? You know, and it's obvious when you get in there.

SPEAKER_03 56:15

You gotta put in the work. Yeah. That is the work, getting in the Word. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 56:23

We're down and to our last five minutes of this.

SPEAKER_01 56:31

Yeah, I didn't feel like I did any preaching this morning.

SPEAKER_03 56:34

That's all right. It's always next time.

SPEAKER_01 56:38

Oh, I I do. I got a lot on my on my mind and heart as far as you know what what could be said. But I think if I didn't go ahead and give him my encouragement for the week, I think it would be this. Trust God, no doubt, but realize take take him serious. Take God serious. That would be my encouragement. Take God serious.

SPEAKER_03 57:03

I would say follow your gut, because that gut feeling is probably God knocking on you. You know, reach out to that person that you're thinking about. That's right. I'd say be prepared to give an answer.

SPEAKER_05 57:20

Be prepared. I like that one. And what I mean by that is all right, you're gonna make that phone call. Mm-hmm. Then uh, how are you gonna respond when they do unload on you? Trust God. But you had to be you've studied to show yourself approved. So if you've studied even that morning, I guarantee you, if you'll spend your time with God on a basis, on a daily basis, then at some point in time during that day, God's gonna use what you what he showed you.

SPEAKER_02 57:45

That's just the way it works. Can you be approved and not study? Nope.

SPEAKER_01 57:52

Well, here it is. Uh Colossians chapter 4, verse 6. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

SPEAKER_05 58:05

That was your second last word, Watson.

SPEAKER_01 58:07

Yeah, well, I'm tying off. I'm tying off of you, preacher. You say be ready for it to give an answer, be prepared. You know, make that right response to everyone.

SPEAKER_03 58:17

When you said approved, what do you what do you mean by approved?

SPEAKER_01 58:20

Well, Watson talked about Sunday night. Approved by God.

SPEAKER_02 58:24

I was working, I was in the other building, so I didn't listen to that, but it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 58:27

But it talks about being approved by God. Not approved by you other church members, not approved by the society, but approved by God. By the what? Society.

SPEAKER_05 58:37

I wasn't here for that, but did you talk about why? Did you end the verse? Study to show thyself approved. Is that what you're talking about? Yeah. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be. Y'all finish it for me. Well, you know, mine puts it a little different.

SPEAKER_01 58:56

Yours puts it a little different. Yeah, this this word, this book here. Work hard to show or so. Let me back up. Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. His re approval. Be a good worker and who does not need to be ashamed. That's what I'm looking for. Who currently explains the word of truth.

SPEAKER_05 59:18

Who needeth not be ashamed.

SPEAKER_01 59:20

Well, you know where I went with that?

SPEAKER_05 59:21

Unto God. Study, show yourself approved unto God so you won't be ashamed. How many of us are ashamed? Because we don't we aren't prepared to give an answer.

SPEAKER_01 59:29

Alright, so this is where I went with that is having confidence. Confidence. You study to show yourself approved so you would be confident in the truth of the word. Amen. When someone comes to you and says this or that, because that's what was going on here, was there was a lot of false teaching going on. Now I'm getting in preaching mode. So there's a lot of false teaching going on. He was told by Paul, Timothy was told by Paul to study and show yourself approved so that you will be confident in your answers. And but the his main point of the whole deal was there ain't no need to argue with them. Tell them the truth and walk away. He even tells us, avoid worthless, foolish talk. Tell them what God says and walk away. Let God handle the rest. And we're going to learn that this week, this Sunday night, where he says, pretty much says the spirit will take care of it.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:24

Hypothetical, you walk on the campus through a central, everybody knows who you are. Youth Pastor Night Shady Grove. And you got this young person that comes up to you who's struggling with the gender identity and ask you a question. Well, what's God think about me? Right? Here are my pronouns. Are you gonna be ready to give an answer?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

Tell him it's wrong.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:49

Hey, I love you, but that'd be fine for you to be wrong, but uh more importantly, give them the truth. Yeah, you just said it. Just state it, say it, walk away. Yeah, you don't walk away. Okay. You make you you you realize the simple answer is this. Well, number one, God don't make mistakes, so you need to know that you are not a mistake. You may be confused, but the devil is the author of confusion. Right. So God is not behind this confusion you're experiencing. God is not behind it. The devil is behind it. So recognize that, realize you're not a mistake. God did not make a mistake, and you are fearfully wonderfully made in the eyes of God, just the way you were born.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:29

Period. I don't know if you use the word walk away, but he does say avoid it. Avoid it.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:36

Now he now He says well avoid what, though? Foolish talks.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:40

Foolish talks. So you gotta remember, you gotta remember where he's at. He's talking to a pastor over a church. He's talking about a body of believers where falseness was trying to come in. And he was saying, look, don't even entertain that conversation. Avoid it and uh let the spirit work.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:04

You know? So you're preaching a sermon on the subject of the gifts of the spirit, and you make a comment about that in that context where there's a lot of people who wrongfully or maybe even falsely preach that one of those gifts is the gifts of tongues. Right? And you obviously say, Well, that's obvious. The scriptures say that plainly in languages, you know. So if you want to get up and speak in Spanish or French or German or something else, more power to you. You know, but this this babbling, this it's not that's not of God. Period. Well, you're gonna hurt a lot of folks right there. You're gonna offend a lot of people. But so you do you stand there and just debate and debate and debate with this individual who's just gonna tell you over and over and over again.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:53

Well, this is my thought. I think there's a time and place for everything. So, one-on-one, maybe have that conversation, but it talks about here in verse 14 remind everyone about these things and command them in God's presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:17

So, was the arguments that old Charlie Kirk would have with people when he would, you know, tell them the truth and sit there and take it and argue, and he didn't walk away.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:25

He didn't. But that's the to me, that's the difference. He wasn't in a church setting. He wasn't in the body.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:30

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:31

You know, he wasn't dealing with the body of the church. Am I right on that?

SPEAKER_05 1:03:39

I had a right. No, um, we've had to talk about that off of uh off camera off camera. Uh but I I see where you're at and what you're what you're saying. But then I I think also, you know, we we we gotta be prepared to give it offense. Oh yeah. You know, of the truth. Well, and I I said that before. I don't know, I don't think you walk away. You just don't you don't cower. You don't surrender, you just stick to the truth.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:04

The verse of the day for uh the Bible app is for where two or or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:13

Yeah, take that into context though, there, old buddy.

unknown 1:04:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:18

Well, he's not so that means you can have you can have church at the baseball field. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:23

No, no, no. I think I think when we when we say that verse, we almost limit God. Well, you can only show up when there's only two or three people. No, he's here with everybody.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:36

That verse is when you go to context.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:40

So long.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:41

It says it. Can't deny it says it.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:46

Well, anyway, this is my last verse for the day. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinketh think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. Correct. Galatians chapter six. Amen.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:11

If we chase that one, we'd be gonna be here another thirty minutes.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:15

Which one?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:16

What he just said. I just read it. We talked about that, me and my wife talked about that this week, bearing one another's burdens. I mentioned that earlier. That's not love.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:25

Yep. Demonstration of love, love for the for your brothers. I I will say this. I told you we're gonna go for another 30 minutes because that triggered me. And uh there's two instances in the verse of scripture I'm gonna share Sunday where love is in the scriptures. And one is Philadelphia love and the other one is agape love. You read it, it's love in the Bible, but it's got different meanings, different context. So a Philadelphia love, well, see there, we don't that's of the brethren, but the agape love, that's the sacrificial.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

Well, God only knew agape. Would you say?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:00

No, well, God knew a Philadelphia too, but he he demonstrated that agape love. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:07

I I see what you're saying.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:09

He he couldn't he couldn't reduce his love. His agape love.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:16

All right, guys.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:17

All right, guys. Good talk. We'll carry us on next time.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:21

All right. Hope y'all don't get tired of listening.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:26

Study up and show thyself approved. We got one more. Remain faithful. Is it? Yeah, we got next week. Okay. All right, who's gonna close us out? Do it, Ryan.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:37

Lord, I love you. Lord, and I come to you and just want to give you praise this morning. Lord, uh, I'm thankful for the blessings that I have, the ability to be up here this morning and be in your word with uh Lord, my friends. And Lord, I ask that you just guide us through your word, keep us close to you. Lord, guide us and direct us in everything that we do. The words that we say, our speech, our conversation, let it reflect your love, Lord, to the world. Um, Lord, just ask that you go before us, keep us safe, and the ones that are listening, Lord, uh let them, Lord, um, draw closer to you through this. And we say this and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.