EP 43 Brotherly Love

What does it mean to have Brotherly Love? The harvest is near and it's time to start understanding what we are doing and who we are doing it for! We have to come to grasp whatever we do it's for the Lord Jesus Christ. We have heard it from the beginning "We should love one another." 1 John 3:11

As always we thank you for joining in this week and we encourage you to join in next week as we will be coming to you from the BOGG with Camp Director Jon Jon Jacks.

With Love, Bro. Lane, Bro. Logan, Bro. Zach, Bro. Phillip, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 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 for 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. Good morning, everyone. Hello, morning. Morning, morning. What's up, LG?

SPEAKER_02 0:46

What's up?

SPEAKER_04 0:46

Got Logan with us this morning. Got a preacher between the seats.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

Preacher is without a mic. I'm in between.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

I'm in between.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yeah, him and Zach are gonna grab this water mutter.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

We're gonna share.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

So y'all.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Well, how y'all doing this morning?

SPEAKER_03 1:11

It's time to get going here, boys. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

That's the only time we've talked in that mic. Hey, let's get this coffee kicked in.

SPEAKER_04 1:18

That's crazy right there. Let's roll with it. I'm gonna put my other mic on the side. Zach said he's got that coke.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

That's right. Regular coke. Regularly let it, that's right.

SPEAKER_04 1:32

Well, gentlemen, we're T minus three days from camp season.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Woo woo.

SPEAKER_04 1:41

We're gonna bring you. We're gonna bring the Pick It Up podcast at Bog Springs next week. Special episodes. Special episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Come on.

SPEAKER_04 1:52

Wednesday morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Look out. We need to get them splitters before the 5 30.

SPEAKER_04 1:56

All right, how many people we're gonna have on there?

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Get them what? Get some splitters. Oh. I thought it said spares. That's what I did too. You got some tires you're gonna put on them? Spares. Yeah, that's on my agenda of the day.

SPEAKER_04 2:11

Next two weeks, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Making sure spares are aired. That's right, that's right. Nothing to take the wind out of yourselves, and you need a spare tire and you leap one in there, and your spare tires won't hold air. Yeah, yeah. You just drive on in with it.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Drive on in.

SPEAKER_04 2:28

All right, a topic I got for you boys this morning. And I think it was a was it uh who talked about brotherly love Sunday? Okay. I thought I couldn't remember if it was you or Ryan. Ryan's coming's uh sermon went with it, but let's talk about brotherly love a little bit, Brother David.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

But you want to know the significance of it? Yep. Uh man, I had to kind of go back through everything. You gotta kind of set it up to be able to understand it. Uh the scripture here references in 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 22, I do believe that's what it was. I'm not looking at it. But uh Peter's encouraging the his readers back in the day that uh this is what you're gonna need. So uh he starts out his letter describing them as a peculiar people. He refers to them as strangers, he refers to them as pilgrims. If you think about that, that means that uh to the world around them, them folks were different. They were living different. And the reason they were living different is because they were born again and therefore they had been exiled. And uh that uh speaks to the fact that they're gonna need each other. So he encouraged them onto brotherly love. He actually encourages them and he says, I know you have this, it's Philadelphia, brotherly love. Uh so that's it just speaks to the sniffet of it. He's saying, Y'all gonna need one another. You know, you're you need to be like-minded. Yeah, you're gonna be different to the world around you, you're gonna be strange, you're gonna be a peculiar folk, you know, because you're not gonna go by the world's standards, live by the world's ways. Therefore, you're gonna need encouragement for one another. And brotherly love is where it's at. And then he spoke of the uh agape love after that, where he speaks about an unfeigned, fervent love, verse 22, for one another. And that speaks of a type of love that we see in John 3.16, for God's love the world, Jesus, and the sacrifice he made. So not only have that communion, that fellowship, the brotherly love, but have it to the extent to where it's sacrificial, which giving, where you're helping one another, because you're gonna need this. If you're going to exist and thrive in exile and be strangers among the lost world around you, then you're gonna need one another. So that speaks to the significance of the local church and being a part of, not just being a part of as a name or a role, but in attendance. Do life together. I think you made that comment here together. Do better better together. Do life together. And I tell you a lot of people looking for that in this culture in which we live. You know, they they they want some folks that thinking like they're thinking, acting like they're acting to do life together. And you find that in the church. There it is. Y'all take off with that.

SPEAKER_04 5:28

Well, how and the reason I bring that up is because one, you talked about Sunday, but two, how important that is to us. You have the preacher just turned 61, but the second second oldest one is 38. What do you even feel? 38? 39. 39. Fix and be 40. Dang, my gosh. This year. How old and Zach? Were you 32?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Yeah, preacher cut preacher called me middle aged last week. Kind of hurt my feelings. I was like, Dang um, I ain't I ain't been called that yet. Well, he's twice your age and you're middle. What is he? Later age. That's Brian Watson math right there.

SPEAKER_04 6:09

But no, and yeah, I mean Logan here 27, but no, I mean, how important is that to us to have that brotherly love?

SPEAKER_01 6:17

I think the younger you get and you figure that out, the better it's gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 6:22

What question was that say you're how important is brotherly love to you?

SPEAKER_02 6:27

I think that's what makes the church so attractive, right? Yeah. When when you sit there and think of uh you know why we do what we do for kids and for uh for widows and for college kids and the youth, and why we do what we do isn't not for no status or anything. It's just strictly out of going next to that person and and walking on walking next to them and showing that love that that you have for them.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

I'm there. He's already there. Cheater. No. I know you said it there anyway. So now I'm giving you a new commandment. Love each other just as I have loved you. You should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

So that all men might know you're my disciples.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Anyway, um Jesus last night we were me and you, Duke, Ryan, all them, lightning was popping off and kind of sent the kids back up underneath the pavilion.

SPEAKER_03 7:40

Under a metal roof.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah. That's right. But anyway, uh, you know, conversation just kind of had like we do here on the podcast on, and um it just hit me last night how thankful I was for my brothers and showing me brotherly love, you know, just through genuine conversation, you know, talking about our walks, confessing our past to one another, and basically sharing our testimonies and being real with one another, you know. I mean, we need that all the time, and that that genuine love and conversation. I I'm I don't know, last night when I was standing there at the tailgate of the truck underneath the pavilion, I was I couldn't help but think in my mind is if Jesus was here right now, you know, he'd be proud of the three or the four that was standing here talking about what was going on and how much it changed our life, and just sharing that with one another and that bond, you know. And like Logan said, that's what's so attractive about it, you know. I don't think you're gonna find that that kind of genuine conversation and that type of love for one another, except anywhere, anyway but through Christ.

SPEAKER_03 8:58

I've come to realize when you get a bunch of men or you know, men and women together and they're living for God, the topics seem to always go back to God.

SPEAKER_05 9:09

Right.

SPEAKER_03 9:10

You know? I think I mentioned that Sunday night from the pulpit, you know, when you get around someone that's on fire and loves God as much as you, yeah, you may start off talking about hunting, fishing, and something like that, but it all goes back to the creator.

SPEAKER_04 9:26

Well, you we keep using that word attractive. I think you add that, I think you add how sound that is. I mean how biblical that is, you know. It just makes you feel good.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Be around people that like-minded or have the same goals as you do. You ain't gotta worry about the world, the flesh.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

Well, like I was telling Zach, uh I grew up with a misconception of love, right? So the two people that are your rock and your foundation of love, you know, I I didn't really have that. And so I knew I love my grandparents, of course, and and I do have family, but that I that showed me love. And I'm not changing subject, but I was telling them, you know, you talk about the ultimate love, the creator, and he we see him as a father, and you take the father out of the household. Now you have a misconception of all this stuff. And so when I started coming to church here, seeing the love that all of the fellow men and women have for just everybody, everyone in the church, people take care of somebody for just because they go to church together, that was odd to me. You know, we talk about foreigners, and that's that's super strange when I first started coming. I was like, man, you know, why? And then you start reading the Bible, getting into the gospel, and you're like, Jesus is why. And I think that's what is so attractive about it. Amen. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Well, it's like that verse right there in 35 said, Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. I mean, if there was any doubt in my mind that Ryan or LG or Duke, I think, was standing around there last night, there's any doubt in my mind that they wasn't right with God, there ain't no doubt in my mind now. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I mean, there's there's no way that the way our conversations went last night, there's there, I know for a fact, if if I did, if I were to have doubted it, and I didn't last night, but I'm just saying, these those type of conversations and those types of love for one another, there's no doubt that I know that Logan and Ryan and Duke are disciples of Jesus Christ. No doubt. You know, and so good good talk, and uh I enjoy, and there's no doubt about the guys in this room, the people on this podcast, and I can say that for the same of so many people in the church of through that love for each other, that's how we know. You know.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Go ahead, preach. Yeah, I got something to say just to point out to you. Our great one of the goals and commissions, commandments, I guess you'd say, of Christ is that we be witnesses, right? Go you therefore in all the world. Well, our greatest witnessing tool, because that scripture says, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, is the love that we demonstrate for each other. And so when we don't do that, and when there is discord, when there is backbiting, when there is envy, when there is jealousy, when there is all that, they'll see that as well. Our most powerful witnessing tool is a demonstration of the love of God. Love your neighbor. That's what he said. New commandment I give it to you. And that's another thing I'll point out, y'all can discuss, is uh it's not optional. Commandment is not optional. He's not suggesting this, he's commanding this. So we as followers of Christ are commanded to demonstrate that love. His love to each other.

SPEAKER_04 12:56

You mentioned there'll be envy, there'll be strife, there'll be elaborate a little bit more on that, preacher.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Well, I've been a part of it. You brought you guys probably haven't, because we have a very unique thing here at Shady Grove. Uh, but it doesn't go without fight. We we understand the devil's intent is to bring discord, bring confusion, to put us against one another, and we stand in the gap and try to fight against that. But I've been a part of churches where there was not that, where there was people that just held held grudges. Uh it just was not unified. The spirit, even, you know, you go to church and this is like a habit. You you wouldn't experiencing God when you went, and it's because of that disunity. And really, you could say another word we find in the scriptures is the double-mindedness. You know, these people know and understand this is a directive of the Lord, a commandment from Jesus that we love one another, and then you don't do it, so you have that double-mindedness. And with double-mindedness comes unstableness. And that's that's that's a negative witness for what Jesus and the church is all about. We see this all in the world, how people don't love. And we do need to love. Very important. Something to protect against because that's very real temptations to be jealous and to be envious. And uh, you know, to have a problem with the brother or sister. And we know the directors of the scriptures to how to handle that. You know, we we're giving in the word of God instruction. If you got an issue with somebody, then handle it biblically. Yep. You know, yep.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

I you see a lot of strife come from, you know, when you hear of love, right? You you know, think of the the I guess the hippies, or you know, when when you think of love, you're like, well, there's a little bit of compromise in there too. And I think that's when the strife comes in. I can love you and not compromise on my faith as far as our beliefs. Like uh, I guess what I'm trying to say is is uh when your father or mother are coming to you in a loving way, uh, it might not always be what you want to hear. And so that's that that's where true love is found, is when you can go to that person and and teach them and and lead them to what the word says versus okay, I love you, so I'm just gonna walk with you in this situation. Tough love. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

Well the catchphrase is love them enough to tell them tell them the truth.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 15:43

Yeah. I'm sitting here thinking, you know, when people come to us as a pastor, you know, they they're looking for truth, you know. And sometimes it's hard to deliver on the truth, you know, because you don't want to hurt their feelings or but but what good are you doing them if you're not telling them the truth? Yeah, that's right. And that's in every situation, if if you're not a pastor, if you're you know, just a a follower of Christ, you know, just that companionship. I'm using the word companionship because it's what I was studying the other day. In order to have that, there's got to be truth there.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

I mean, like a father to his kids, you know, you're failing them when you're not telling the truth, when they're doing something they ain't supposed to be doing, and you just let them do it. You're failing them in life. Yep. Because later on down the road, they didn't have uh an example to to fix the problem. Yep. What would you say to that person that comes to church that feels alone when they walk in the door? You ever felt that when you walked in when you first came out?

SPEAKER_02 16:55

So when when Abby first started bringing me to church, of course everything's so new. I didn't grow up in a church. And uh you know I don't know if I would say I felt alone, but you feel out of place, right? You just kind of feel like you're the stranger amongst and uh amongst the family.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Yeah, amongst the family. You probably see a lot of people hugging. First time being at the family reunion, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 17:19

And uh, but so really my encouragement would be uh that you can't expect it to be a overnight type of thing, right? You got you gotta you have to do your part. Uh what good is is you know we we talk about the body and to be a part of the body and that true love is you have to be a working member of it. And so if you you know read your Bible and give it time, and uh it'll just kind of illuminate itself. Oh you'll you'll see it through the evidence of the people around you's lives.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Yeah, commit to it too. Yep. It's the first thing, committing to it.

SPEAKER_04 18:04

Preacher has been drawing up something down there. All right, boys, shoot y'all's audible.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

No, a go-to scripture, a go-to scripture. Go-to scripture for me uh in this conversation about loving one another is Paul's words to the Corinthians. And the Corinthians had had big and big time issues as a church. And uh he brings up that uh subject of love in that, and Zach sits here with the uh it's charity in the New or in the King James, you know, but the way the NLT reads it, first three verses in particular, is is pretty cool. And it just says, hey, I I could be of all things, man. I could be the most intellectual person on earth, but if I have if I don't have love, I don't have anything. And I'm gonna let Zach read that so y'all can hear it.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Verse 1 says, if I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. That's first Corinthians chapter 13, by the way. Yeah, verse one. You mean I got talking about it. Nah, I thought he did too. He just said Corinthians.

SPEAKER_04 19:40

All right, something you said right there. Uh read the last two verses right there, Zach. Go back and read those last two verses. Catch my mind back up.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Um that you just read. Two and three. Yep. If I had the gift of prophecy and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Doing it all in vain if you don't have love.

SPEAKER_04 20:14

Well, I think you gotta realize too. When you get when you when you you're around your church family, but you gotta realize that this is the whole church family. We are nothing at all without Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_05 20:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:28

And I think I think that's such a missed concept in the world today and in churches today that a lot of people think they are holier than thou, kind of deal. And hey, I can do whatever I want, I can say whatever I want, bow down to me, kind of deal. But yet you're nothing without Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Welcome with the chip on the shoulder. Well, you know, there in 1 Peter, right before he says he says that in verse 22, talking about loving your brother with all your heart. Verse 21, Peter just says there through Christ you have come to trust in God, and you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. When we lose sight of the cross and we lose sight of the love that which Jesus had for us so much that he died and hung on that cross for us. Yep. I think, and that's what I was we was talking about last night. You know, um mean me and Logan was standing there last night, we were talking about that. Sometimes whenever I feel that conviction or that urge to witness or that urge to say something, or when we're having that conversation, or or when Logan does something that upsets me and I don't understand it, and I'm not coming from a place of love. The only thing that that can bring me there is the is to remember that Jesus died on the cross and loved me.

SPEAKER_04 21:45

That's right. I think we're getting this concept of hey, there's veterans in the church. There's Philip would say lieutenants in the church. You know, there's there's levels in the church. No, we're all sinners saved by grace. And I think that's what we've got to understand. Of hey, there's not a next level you're gonna go to as far as being better than anybody else. You are a saved sinner, saved by grace.

SPEAKER_02 22:11

We uh I mean the the crucifixion and resurrection is the foundation of our faith. Jesus did not say, all right, after I do this, you know, you must worship me. This is how it's gonna be. You know, he wasn't no dictator. You know, we know Jesus and why he was crucified, and it was through his love for us.

SPEAKER_04 22:35

Yeah, he didn't come to this world to condemn us, he came to this world to save us. That's right. Though that we might be saved, let me say that. Preacher done gave me two verses three. Give me one, preacher. You've been giving me right now.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

Galatians 5, verse 13 and 14. For you have been called to live in the in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summoned up in this one command. Love your neighbor as yourself.

SPEAKER_04 23:11

You're gonna talk about calling for a little bit, ain't you?

SPEAKER_00 23:17

I'm trying to be quiet and let you both have a conversation. I tend to dominate these things, and I don't want to do that. Y'all figure it out. Well, we're figuring out. We done figured out everything. Keep talking. Where else in the scripture does it talk about this subject? Brotherly love.

SPEAKER_02 23:37

Well, I have been studying first John. We was talking about before the podcast started, and uh, and it's first John, first chapter, uh, and I think we're gonna start reading in uh verse three. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy. And when I read that, you know, to share fellowship with believers uh to share that joy, uh you can only have that through same-minded, same belief of uh God and what Jesus has done for us. And uh I don't know of anybody that can have fellowship with somebody that they hate. I I've never seen somebody sit at a table with somebody they hate and it be just, you know, to be able to have fellowship with them, it's impossible. Here it clearly says you have to have be same-minded and the same and and be sound and uh you have to be same-minded with the same belief, and with that, through through what uh God and Jesus done for us, then you share, you share joy in that.

SPEAKER_03 24:59

I agree a hundred percent. Because I this is on my mind because I've been recently been in it, but in Second Timothy, it tells us that. It says, you know, it tells us to run for something, but pursue something. It says pursue righteousness, righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. And then he goes on in to say, and after that, enjoy companionship with one another. Yeah. So you you got to be in the same mindset. You think we can share that. After the same goals. Can we share companionship if I don't like you?

SPEAKER_02 25:28

No, it's impossible. Or at least for me, I I can't I can't I can't sit there and and break bread and hang out with people that I don't like.

SPEAKER_03 25:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

And so I think that comes from, you know, we share a love for, you know, the same message.

SPEAKER_04 25:48

Yep. First John chapter 3, verse 9.

SPEAKER_03 25:52

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 25:52

Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 25:53

Well, I was just gonna finish up what he was saying. It says, Enjoy companionship of those who call on the name of the Lord with pure hearts. Yep. Go ahead, learn that.

SPEAKER_04 26:03

Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. Verse 10, in this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whoever, whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither is he that loveth not his brother.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

You're not with God.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

First John chapter 2, verse 7. Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you. Rather, it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment to love one another is the same message that you have heard before, yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it, for the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining. If anyone claims I am living in the light, but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

I'm glad you read that Sunday. That's what we've been in Sunday school in parks class here lately. And I'm gonna be hitting on that Tuesday. That's right. That's why I didn't read it, because boy, I get gold.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

It's huge on the love of God. If you don't know God, that's what it says. If you don't know him. Verse 9, Lane read Whoever's born of God does not commit sin, for his seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he's born of God. Because you are born of God, the seed of God. And that seed of God, as 1 Peter tells us, can't go back to 1 Peter, is incorruptible. It's incorruptible. So, therefore, if you do not love your brother, then that's how'd I say it? That is a uh almost a proof that uh the seed of God isn't in you. That that Holy Spirit of God is in you, the love is gonna be there.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

Romans 12. That brotherly love, agape love. Romans 12, verse 9. Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong, hold tightly to what is good, love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Genuine. Genuine love.

SPEAKER_00 28:15

How are you going to counsel the individual that's in your church that has a grudge against somebody else who's in your church? It's just tension when they pass each other in the hallway. They may even sit in Sunday school together, but they just don't like when they really see it in how should I say this? Females? Man, they can hold grudges like nobody.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Well, I was missing to say, you know, there's I think there's a difference in a, you know, way men handle things and the way a woman handles. And I say that with love, ladies. Yep. Uh men, we kind of get over it and move on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Well, I've had people say, Man, I don't care what you say, preacher. I don't care what the Bible says. I don't like them. And therefore I don't love them. And I'm like, you don't understand the scripture. Because if the seed of God is in you and it's an incorruptible seed, then you don't know God. That's the bottom line.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

It's hard to love somebody that's done your own, though. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:15

Yeah, but you still got to come to the understanding and grasp the understanding. It's just like Zach got done reading. And this is something I picked up in 1 John a couple years back. John mentions it multiple times through his epistle. You have heard this from the beginning. From the beginning when you became a safe child of God, when you've accepted the love of God, you have heard this. You know what this says. So, what's the right thing to do? Yeah. Love them.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

When you make that statement, it's hard to love someone that's done you wrong. Yeah. First thing comes to my mind is I'm glad God didn't feel that way. That's right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

What Jesus say, Father, forgive them. If you don't know what they're doing, they had him on the cross. Talking about somebody doing you wrong.

SPEAKER_03 29:59

And he was looking, he was looking at that soldier, I'm sure, when he said that, God, just forgive him.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Well, fleshly is hard, but praise God. You know, we have the love of God and the Holy Spirit of God in there that is there to war against the flesh. So when you get in a word, it'll take over.

SPEAKER_03 30:15

And man, this, and I know we said it, but this devil is after us. I mean, he he if he can break the bond of church members, you know, he he's getting within the body.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Right.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

Well, you think of the the Jesus and the Pharisees, what was the difference? And of course, Jesus was God, but I'm talking about on earth, what was the difference of their their preaching? Because it of course Jesus knew the word, he was the word. The Pharisees were also very, very knowledgeable. To be a Pharisee back in them days, I'm pretty sure they had to memorize the first five chapters of the Bible. They knew what the scripture said, but there was no love in their heart. It was coming from a it was a knowledge, but no love. Yeah, no love there. That would that's the the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_04 31:03

They knew the Pentateuch, but they didn't know the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 31:09

I keep coming up with these verses. I got one for you there, Doc. Chapter 4, 1 John. You got it coming to you, Logan. You're gonna preach to the or teach through this whole chapter.

SPEAKER_03 31:21

That's good. 1 John chapter 4.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

Chapter 4. Starting uh verse 15. Read the rest of it. 15.

SPEAKER_03 31:30

Let's see here.

SPEAKER_04 31:31

I gave you a paragraph, though, boy.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

Y'all bear with me here. 15. You want the King James Version?

SPEAKER_04 31:37

I got it.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God. And God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus did here in this world. Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is fear for of punishment. And this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Now look at verse 20.

SPEAKER_03 32:37

Mm-hmm. If someone says, I love God, but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar. Come on with it. For if we don't love people, we can see how can we love God? Hmm. Whom we cannot see. And I went home on that one. But uh anyway, verse 21. And he has given us this command. Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. That wraps it up, boys.

SPEAKER_00 33:16

Can't argue with you. You just can't argue with it. So it's very important to be armed with our only offensive weapon against evil and the devil is the word of God. Man, that's the reason to know it. Arm yourself with it so that you can go to war. Yep. So if you got these people that have problems with others, especially brothers and sisters in Christ, there it is, right there.

SPEAKER_03 33:41

That's it. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 33:42

Who you identify with. When there's hate in your heart, who you identify with. A liar. You say you love God, but you don't love your brothers and sisters.

SPEAKER_03 33:56

Man, I had a preach. I'm writing that down.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

First John's it, man. That's all right.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

That's good stuff. That's good stuff. I know it's hard for you. You're talking about forgiving. Pretty much you gotta forgive the other person. You gotta forgive them and then move on. And love them. But don't forget them.

SPEAKER_03 34:20

You may not see eye to eye right off, but let the love of God have its way.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

You'll have people say this. I know the Bible tells me to forgive them, but I can't.

SPEAKER_03 34:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

That's your problem. You have the problem. You are the problem.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

I think you have to forgive them. But then nowhere in the scripture says you won't forget. God doesn't forget what you've done. He forgave you for what you've done, but he'll never forget.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

Mm-mm.

SPEAKER_03 34:49

I kind of have this thought that once God forgive me, he wiped it all away.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

What happened to Zach?

SPEAKER_03 34:56

He may have to make him a trill.

SPEAKER_01 34:58

He probably went 10-200.

SPEAKER_03 35:01

What he said.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

Carry the kids to the pool.

SPEAKER_03 35:16

I got you. That's my new saying doing 10-200, boys. So you go back to that question.

SPEAKER_04 35:23

Let's go back to that question Phyllis bringing up. How do you overcome? I don't want to say the grudge. I guess you could say how do you overcome the grudge of forgiving somebody who's done you wrong?

SPEAKER_01 35:42

I think uh I think it's a combination of prayer, forgiving them, and then time.

SPEAKER_04 35:49

Yeah. Yeah, it doesn't happen immediately.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

No, yeah, I don't think so.

SPEAKER_04 35:55

Because we're humans. I mean, we've all we've all gone through that.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:59

We're humans.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

And we all do something different.

SPEAKER_04 36:01

We hold grudges, you know, but go ahead, Prager.

SPEAKER_00 36:04

I got certain go-to's, I always go to, and this is one of those in Ephesians, to where we read that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness. So this person that you are having the problem with, that's not the problem. That's right. You're you're that's not your fight. And it's so you ask how to how do you forgive somebody that's wronged you, you realize that that's you know, you're dealing with the devil. That's right. You know? And one of the greatest things that the Christian cannot do is make a deal with the devil. You deal with him, but you deal with him accordingly, and Ephesians tells you how to do that with the armor of God. Chapter 6.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

I think go ahead, go ahead, Greg. Well, I'm just gonna say, you know, we are called to be Christ-like. Christ don't have the ability, it's not in him to dislike someone. He is all about love, agape love. I mean, that's what he's about. So if we're called to be like him, we shouldn't have the ability. We should get to a certain place in our life where we don't have the ability to dislike somebody. Right.

SPEAKER_02 37:12

I've gotten to the point to where I'll tell Abby, you know, because here recently I've been dealing with some ATT internet issues. Right. He's disliking somebody. And I and I I kind of get fired up, but then I'll tell Abby, because you know, I'll just kind of just take myself away from the situation, you know what I mean? Like, okay, thank you, appreciate it. And now I'll just lead. And I'll just tell her, you know, at the end of the day, I want to be different. Right? I can I could be in there and doing what the guy before me was doing. I could do that. But I know for that is not what I'm supposed to be doing. I know that before I go in the situation, so I want to be different. So I'm just gonna say thank you, you know, and then remove myself because peculiar. Yeah, cool word, peculiar.

SPEAKER_04 38:01

You got to grasp, peculiar, and I read this verse, me and preacher read it yesterday, Colossians 3, 23, one of my favorite verses in the Bible. You gotta grasp that concept of whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as to the Lord, not for men, not for any human being on this earth, but for the Lord. If you're doing everything for the Lord, everything else will come up, will come in naturally.

SPEAKER_00 38:23

Lane needs to practice that when he's driving, honking at folks.

SPEAKER_04 38:27

You know, I ain't honking somebody in a long time. I ain't honking somebody in a long time. And it might be because my name's on the back of my true how many times you threw your hand up like Oh, a lot of times. A lot of times.

SPEAKER_03 38:41

I do that in my police car too. Logan, you said something there, you know, talking to uh ATT or something like that, right? Um, the fact of you don't know what kind of day they're having. That's right. And you know, they may be expecting an argument on the other end. Because most people know me. I've been up here three times. Yeah, they know me.

SPEAKER_04 39:03

But when you Here comes a UPS, man.

SPEAKER_03 39:05

But when you bring the package, you handle something with love, it changes their world, their attitude. You know, yeah, that's right. Next time you go up there, make them a cake or something, you know. Um preface it with love. Yeah. I'm walking in here with love.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Give them a mic so they don't yell.

SPEAKER_03 39:23

Jesus told me to love you and I love you, but I'm finna tell you something. You know?

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Well, let me, I was asking what you know, what if how do you forgive the person that's done you wrong? But what about on the flip side? What about that person that's done your wrong and still does it? It doesn't really let the you let him handle it. And they keep doing it. Yeah. How do you how do you how do you like I got you on that one? I've been itching a moment. Good to have you back, Zach. Where'd you go? I had a quick visit on the throne. Oh, okay. 10200. 10200.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

I had to go to the throne. I got you. No more, no more comments. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

Anyway, uh, I was studying this last night after it went home. Um camps coming up this week, and we had practice Monday night, and uh Brother Bob Bailey is leading again this year, and and we were in John chapter four, Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman. But when the disciples come up after Jesus and that woman had that conversation, and she left and went away, the disciples was coming up there trying to get Jesus to eat. They was trying to get him to drink, you know, just begging him, basically trying to them trying to tell Jesus what he needed, what he needed, you know. And grandmas are good at that. That's right. Well, it's kind of lengthy, but we'll start in verse 34 there. And uh it says, then Jesus explained, My nourishment comes from doing the will of God who sent me and from finishing his work. You know the saying, four months between planting and harvest. But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. And what joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike. You know the saying, one plants and another harvest, and it's true, I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant. Others had already done the work, and now you will get together the harvest. And what really stood out to me there was those last couple of verses where he's talking about sometimes we harvest where we didn't plant. You know, and sometimes we we plant, but we don't harvest. And so that brother that you come to that you're struggling with, because it's like we were talking about last night, LG, we have we see the situation, and most of the time they know the truth and they know the situation, but just it's everything you can do. I mean, you can witness to them, you can read scripture to them, you can pray for them, pray with them, and it just seems like that one person that you got, just no matter what you do. I think so many times we walk away from that situation, maybe feeling defeated or brokenhearted or whatever it may be. But really, in all in all, this is we can't manufacture the presence of God. We just have to respond to it. That's exactly right. And he's just saying it right here that, you know, it's four months between planting and harvesting, that there may be a time. And, you know, Philip may have planted a seed at the Patriot, you know, or the truck driver pulled over. It may, he may not like Philip, he may not understand what's going on, but if Philip shows the love of Christ and plants a seed, it may be months down the road. Next thing you know, somebody else steps into his life and he harvests that seed.

SPEAKER_03 42:51

Well, you gotta think about the ones in between that may put a little water on it as well.

SPEAKER_01 42:55

That's right. You know, I'm people you gotta let God work in his ways and understand that hey, sometimes that's all you can do is do what you're called to do and and leave up, leave the rest of God, and that's one of the hardest things in the world to do sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 43:12

Well, I'm thinking about the watering part now and the brotherly love part. The people that that these lost souls may come around that don't understand what's going on, but you they understand you're of a different breed. Like, what in the world? You know, I need some of that.

SPEAKER_01 43:28

I don't know. That just that verse hit me right between the eyes when I was reading that. And our main focus verse, which I'll get into later on in the week, next week in camp. I'm not gonna spoil that for anyone, but this was way later on in the chapter, and you know, I didn't even expect to get down to the bottom of this, you know. I mean, God was going before us. I mean, I'll share preacher text me what the other n the other morning I had this song on my heart, and y'all'll hear it Sunday, but I had this song on my heart the other night. And it was so it was the last thing I remember going to sleep. And the first text message I woke up to was preacher, and and that was one of the themes of his sermon. And so, I mean, you can't tell me God doesn't isn't working. I mean, he had no idea. I had no idea. You know. I love when that stuff happens, too. Oh man, I got I had to call him. I said, Man, I got goosebumps. You wouldn't even believe it. Confidence.

SPEAKER_00 44:20

Well, let's go back to the very first thing you said. You can't manifest that. You can't make that up. You can't we can't generate it for ourselves, not manifest, manufacture. You can't manufacture that, you just respond to it. Right. Like when God shows up and you see him and you experience him, it's like why they ever doubt. Right. You know? Affirmation. It adds confidence. You'll sing it differently, right? Yeah. I'll preach it different. Because you know it's God. And when you got that confidence, man. That's when you're when you start dealing with the devil right there.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Well, you know, I'm gonna encourage you if if it's a passage of scripture that you've ever read before, you know, and I I'm bad about this. Well, I know that story. And like I I almost didn't study this last night. It was late when we got home. And there's everybody's got a ton of things going on this week, right? We're getting ready for camp, you know, life's still happening. We almost ran over somebody. Yeah, Phillips wearing a hurry colors of blending in with the earth, and we almost ran him over last night. Anyway, that's all all funny games. But seriously, I know this one the story of the Samaritan woman. Read it many times. This never jumped out to me, and I almost didn't read it, you know. And I said, no, I'm just gonna go through, read it, refresh my memory, God speak to me, and pow, you know. They do it. He do it. There it is.

SPEAKER_02 45:45

I went on a humongous spiel. I guess it was Sunday. I did, I was doing my final little bit of uh studying. We've been going over the the Trinity in Sunday school, and uh it was uh Genesis chapter one, verse one. Well then I just kept on reading, right? And you all when you think of love and grace when in the Trinity, you always place it on Jesus, you know what he did for us. Well, I was reading in Genesis, and Ryan's already heard my spell on this, and uh so have all the college kids twice. And so uh, but and uh it's in uh Genesis chapter 3, verse 20, and then I'm gonna read to uh through 21. Then the man Adam named his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all who live, and the Lord God made clothing from animal skins from Adam and his wife. Now, when you first read that, you're like, so what? Right? It's just like God made clothing for Adam and Eve. Well, the context of that is Adam and Eve just sinned against the ultimate creator first thing. And our human nature, when we make a when we have something that we feel like has fault in it, what do we do? We throw it away. God created man. They sinned against him first thing, and what did he do? He showed them grace and love in the very beginning of creation by making clothing for them to take away their shame. Because they were hiding from God. I I don't have, I'm naked, God. I I you can't see me like this. He said, Come on out. Look, I got a I got I got a shirt for you. I got I got some I got a skirt for you. Look, I got some clothing for you. Just come on there.

SPEAKER_00 47:33

Let me throw some grace on you.

SPEAKER_02 47:34

Hey, let me cover you with grace. And when I read that, I was in the living room with the with the lamp on. I shot up, I said, Abby, God made this clothes. Let me tell you.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

Oh, that's good stuff when you have them revelations like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:00

No, I go back, and that goes along too. And what I want to finish there, and also the harvest. That brought up the harvester second. You know, we say all the time, we're results, human beings want results. We want to see physical results. Uh, as us three preachers in this room, we stand in the pulpit, at the end of the sermon, we want to see results, right? I don't think there's a preacher in this world that doesn't want to see results after the sermon they preach. And there are times that you don't see results there at that moment. But there's always results. There will always be a harvest towards the word of God being spoken. But I go back to that Colossians chapter 3, verse 23. 24, after it says, Whatever you do, do it hardly unto the Lord, not to meant 24 says, Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, Philip had the question a while ago. What about the other side? What's about the other side who has done wrong or has done unto me and not unto the Lord? Verse 25 says, But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, there is no respect of persons. If you do wrong, you're gonna get you're gonna get results. If you do right, you're gonna get results. It depends on what which results you want. And it depends on which harvest you want. Because there's not gonna be a harvest from doing wrong. There's gonna be a harvest from doing right. I think that's what we have to take in consideration. You take Adam and Eve, for example. They did what was wrong. Well, guess what? They got results of punishment, they got results of childbirth and which the women was, you know. Satan, the serpent, got results, right? So I think you just gotta realize that that, hey, you let God take care of the rest, you just focus on serving the Lord and doing it all in his name.

SPEAKER_01 49:41

Oh, yeah. I when I read that, um it was there in verse 35 where he's talking about the fields are already ripe for harvest. Yeah. You know, um, something I've heard that saying a lot, you know, in references, Jesus had said that a few times. And uh I just couldn't help but think about, you know, yeah, we have a harvest field ripened right here in front of us, but we've got a even larger platform coming up next week. We'll be surrounded by somewhere around what, a thousand people. I think it was 900 was in a tabernacle last year. Um, and going those going to camp, just remember you could be a planter or a harvester next week. And if you're a planter, it's okay. Let God do the work.

SPEAKER_03 50:26

And a waterer. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 50:28

Be a waterer. Get up next to somebody, rub elbows. Yep. Iron, be the iron that sharpens another, you know.

SPEAKER_03 50:36

Very true.

SPEAKER_04 50:39

Amen. Preacher, what you doing over there playing snake?

SPEAKER_00 50:43

I have a young couple that volunteered to help in the nursery, taught a nursery boat.

SPEAKER_04 50:48

Do they know what they're getting themselves into? No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_01 50:54

LG, how how's the college class going?

SPEAKER_02 50:57

It's going good. Yeah. I I would like to say that whether they believe it or not, uh, they are a bigger blessing on me and Abby than we could ever be for them, that we feel like. Uh for one, you know, after doing this and I not saying that I didn't read the Bible, but now that that I'm happy to present it to these key, you know, young men and women, uh, you know, you study more with more intent and it's just you start to study, you'll self-approved. That's right. And so and Abby just kind of coming out of her shell, you know what I mean? She's always been uh faithful and and whatnot, but she's never really been that type to step out and and so with this class, it just kind of, you know, I guess forced her to, you know, get out of her comfort zone. Yeah, get out of her comfort zone and talk and you know, proclaim her faith to to other believers.

SPEAKER_03 52:05

Every Sunday uh she brings back memories because you know, I was standing there teaching and y'all's room is next to ours. And she about midway through class, she'll have to come out holding Carter. Yeah, you know, because she's acting up or something, I'm sure. And I it takes me back every time because when Lindsay and I started our ministry here, uh Lynn that was Lindsay having to walk out with one of our kids.

SPEAKER_02 52:28

Yeah. Carter does good for about 10 minutes, and then after she realizes the only one talking is daddy, that's enough. Yeah, she starts getting buck wild in there. Yeah. She doesn't act the food, she just becomes a distraction.

SPEAKER_03 52:45

I was saying, you've heard it a hundred times, it flies by. Oh, yeah. It does. It flies by.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

Won't be long, she'll be doing cartwheels and backflips. No.

SPEAKER_03 52:56

Well, it won't be long, she'll be in another Sunday school class, you know. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 53:00

My little girl 40 years old.

SPEAKER_03 53:02

Oh my, I don't want to think about that, brother Dave. She already turned 40. No, she's 39, preacher. You're gonna get in trouble.

SPEAKER_01 53:10

You hope you're gonna. Yeah, you're done now, son.

SPEAKER_02 53:14

That's another thing. You know, Carter is getting to grow up. We're being blessed. You know, Carter is growing up with us doing a college class, right? She spends more time, you know. Of course, it's a uh a baby, she don't really know, but she is being formed at a young age. You know, we're we're up here speaking the word and around great people, and that's right.

SPEAKER_04 53:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 53:42

Yep. I'm glad you don't have the mic, brother. I don't know here what he said. Somebody needs a brother. Yeah, somebody named a brother. Yeah, brotherly love. She got all the brothers she can want.

SPEAKER_01 53:59

Yeah, I'm gonna say it's plenty of crazy around here.

SPEAKER_02 54:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:02

Well, we are uh coming to our last five minutes of today's podcast. Feel like we've had a pretty good topic today. Yeah, I want to close. Zach, you want to start us off down there at the end? We'll go around, last little final words.

SPEAKER_01 54:18

Got him. I'm gonna go back to the harvest. So you can be a planner or a harvester this week. Um and just know that that uh God's plans and his ways are greater than ours, and just to lean into that and trust that fact. And um just like I did. I mean, we all we all struggle with that with that person and that conviction and that that thing that it's an obstacle, no matter what that is, and what that looks like in our life, and when we struggle with things like that, this this verse helped me realize that maybe it's just planting season. You know, maybe I'm just supposed to be watering, as Watson was saying, or sometimes there's a harvest, but ultimately God's in control. Yep. And just keep that in mind. I almost keep on before preacher. Go ahead and grab the mic, preacher. Go ahead and grab it. Uh love each other without ceasing.

SPEAKER_04 55:11

Yep, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 55:12

That's what I'm gonna say.

SPEAKER_00 55:13

Well, mine's real similar to that, Philip. But I gotta I gotta set a little context here. Book of uh Hebrews uh is a congregational book, which is what I mean is written to a congregation of people. Uh the pronouns in there are all the all the us and they and them and we and that kind of thing. And he kind of wraps it up toward the end of the book, verse 13, he says, Let brotherly love continue. And so his whole talk up to this point was that let us do this, let us do this, let us do this, let us do that. If you read that book, a lot of people say it can be difficult to read, but that's what you'll get. And then at the end, he just emphasizes that all of these things can be accomplished when brotherly love continues. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_04 55:57

I'm gonna add on to Zach's planting the harvesting down there. I think one of the hardest things about farming, which in today's farming time, you know, there's technology and you got tractors that can do pretty much anything. They're about to dry themselves. But you take a garden, for example, what's one of the hardest things to do during the time of growing season? You're going out there picking the weeds out. That's the hardest thing to do. So you take a church, for example. There might be a lot of weeds in your church. Well, guess what? Whatever you do, do it hardly as to the Lord, not to men. You keep picking them weeds out. And humans are not weeds. Church members are not weeds. Sin is weeds. Use love. Whatever you do, use love. Serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_03 56:39

Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 56:41

Watson.

SPEAKER_03 56:42

Well, I'm going 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 24. A servant of the Lord must not battle, but must be kind to everyone. Be able to teach and be patient with difficult people. My thought is, you know, you're going to run across some people or that person that does you in, right? And pushes all your buttons and makes you have a headache. But uh the Lord calls us to be patient, to love one another, and be there for you.

SPEAKER_02 57:20

I'm done.

SPEAKER_04 57:21

LG, what you got?

SPEAKER_02 57:23

I'm gonna go back to 1 John chapter 1, verse 3. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you had fellowship, so you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ. You know, John, he's talking about the apostles, and and he's not just talking about hearsay. He's talking about stuff that he has put his hands on and his eyes on. And uh so I just encourage you to uh enjoy fellowship with your fellow believers. You know, enjoy your time with like-minded and and grow that'll that'll grow your love.

SPEAKER_00 58:01

So if that's missing in your life, that's right. Wherever you are, find it.

SPEAKER_04 58:07

Preacher said if that's missing in your life, find it. We gotta find another mic. We gotta pay for one. That's fine. Taking donation.

SPEAKER_03 58:18

If anybody out there listening to this wants to donate for another mic, call us at uh charter bus. Yes, we are taking a group of teenagers next week and need some transportation.

SPEAKER_04 58:32

So well, praise God. Thank you all once again for joining in another week. Praying hope you can join us back again next week. We'll be at the famous Bog Springs Baptist Church Camp. We'll have John Jacks with us on. What did you say yesterday, preacher? He has no option. He's on. They still didn't know. The boy will participate. Well, good deal. Well, hey, since you get that mic over there, go ahead and close this back out.

SPEAKER_00 58:58

We sure love you, Lord. Thank you for allowing us to be here this morning and have this conversation. We thank you for the platform that you've given us to this. We just pray that it honor and glorifies you. You tell us, Lord, everything we do, do it uh with that in mind. And that's simply the effort of ours here. We ask God your blessing upon our day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.