SPEAKER_02: Hello everyone, I'm Dr.
SPEAKER_02: Steve Holt and welcome you to the Road Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_02: Each week we go into God's Word, we teach chapter by chapter, verse by verse.
SPEAKER_02: We are here to build the Kingdom of God revolution through empowering people to change the world.
SPEAKER_02: So we pray this will minister to you at your heart level and change your life.
SPEAKER_02: Today, be encouraged by our guest speaker.
SPEAKER_00: So we're continuing a series in 1 Timothy chapter 4.
SPEAKER_00: Well, 1 Timothy, I'm doing chapter 4.
SPEAKER_00: And the main thing that you will cover today in chapter 4 is you see Paul, the spiritual father to Timothy, giving him advice on how to deal with life and how to deal with ministry.
SPEAKER_00: And he tells him when you go to Ephesus, Timothy, you'll deal with three important things.
SPEAKER_00: You'll deal with the spiritual realm, you'll deal with tradition and culture, and you'll deal with yourself.
SPEAKER_00: And that's the kind of the overview of this chapter.
SPEAKER_00: Paul is trying to prepare Timothy for what he's gonna face.
SPEAKER_00: See, everybody in this room is influenced by the spiritual realm.
SPEAKER_00: Whether you like it or not, the influence of us all.
SPEAKER_00: We are also influenced by culture and tradition, and we're influenced by ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: And it's up to us to make sure that we don't let the wrong influences dictate our lives.
SPEAKER_00: And so, Paul, as spiritual father, is telling Timothy, be ready for this because this is coming.
SPEAKER_00: And I just want to stop there and say that tells us the importance of having spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers.
SPEAKER_00: We need these men and women who've walked the life.
SPEAKER_00: Come and tell us, us young people, like, don't do this, do that, beware for that.
SPEAKER_00: It's so needed in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: And for the older, it's important for you to pour all these different things in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Because we need guidance.
SPEAKER_00: As a young adult pastor, this is near and dear to me.
SPEAKER_00: Because I see young adults who need mentorship, who need people to help them walk this life.
SPEAKER_00: Don't turn there, but in Proverbs 21, verse 11 says this when a scorner is punished, the simple become wiser, and when the wise is instructed, he takes hold of knowledge.
SPEAKER_00: We young people need that.
SPEAKER_00: And so if you're not mentoring someone or not being mentored, I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord, who is this person who you want to speak into my life?
SPEAKER_00: Because what that does for us young people is we avoid sometimes five years of misery.
SPEAKER_00: You talk, you date the wrong person, and you wise the people knew they're not good for you, but you didn't have that relationship, and then you have so you date them, and then you have to deal with the breakup, and then you have to deal with the trauma, and by the every by when everything is done, that's four years of your life just gone.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: So that's why we need older people to tell us, watch out for that, he is up to no good.
SPEAKER_00: So, anyway, that's my uh my little young adult speech to all the wives.
SPEAKER_00: Because I'm always looking for mentors, that's why.
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, let's let's get back to the topic for today.
SPEAKER_00: My message for today is the three bewares.
SPEAKER_00: Paul is telling Timothy, beware of these three things as a spiritual father, because when you go into Ephesus, this is what you'll deal with.
SPEAKER_00: So let's read the first five verses in 1 Timothy chapter 4.
SPEAKER_00: Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience feared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
SPEAKER_00: For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
SPEAKER_00: So, in this first point, we have to beware of demonic influences.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not gonna go into the whole demons, angels teaching because Pastor Steve covered that in great depth.
SPEAKER_00: If you go to our YouTube page, you'll see the series called The Cosmic Wars.
SPEAKER_00: He goes into great detail.
SPEAKER_00: But what I want to focus on today is this is to remind you that each and every one of us in this room were influenced by the spiritual realm.
SPEAKER_00: Whether you are Christian or a Christian, whether you're black or white, whether you live under a rock or in the most expensive house in the world, you are influenced by the spiritual realm every single day.
SPEAKER_00: And you have the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of heaven battling, trying to find out who will influence this person.
SPEAKER_00: You have deceiving spirits, you have the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: So in 1 John, you see a church father talking to his children in the faith.
SPEAKER_00: Listen in 1 John 4, chapter 1, I mean chapter 4, verse 1 and 3.
SPEAKER_00: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit whether they are of God.
SPEAKER_00: Because many false prophets have gone into the world.
SPEAKER_00: By this you know the spirit of God.
SPEAKER_00: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.
SPEAKER_00: And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh is not of God.
SPEAKER_00: And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and now already is in the world.
SPEAKER_00: We should test these spirits because you have deceiving spirits, you have the spirit of the Antichrist, and many other familiar spirits, many other demonic spirits trying to vie for your attention, trying to influence you, trying to mimic what God might look like so He can fool and deceive you.
SPEAKER_00: We have to test all these things with the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: See, for us today, the main spirit that we battle is the spirit of the Antichrist.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe this is a spirit behind this whole deconstruction of the faith movement that is leading so many young people away.
SPEAKER_00: I believe the spirit of Antichrist is what is gonna lead this great falling away of the faith that we just read.
SPEAKER_00: It's after every believer.
SPEAKER_00: Because we are in this room, we are all the threat.
SPEAKER_00: The devil doesn't really care about non-believers because he got them.
SPEAKER_00: You are the one he really wants.
SPEAKER_00: Because the more you, every day that you're a Christian, a believing, a Bible-believing Christian, you are bringing the kingdom of heaven in everywhere you go.
SPEAKER_00: So you are the threat.
SPEAKER_00: Because this letter is written to a Christian going to Christians, and is telling them, these deceiving spirits, they're coming to influence you and to influence your people, and everybody has to be on guard.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 2, and I'm gonna read this in two different translations: the Complete Jewish Bible and the NLT.
SPEAKER_00: This is verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: Such teachings come from the hypocrisy of liars whose own conscience has been burned as if with a red-hot branding iron.
SPEAKER_00: And then the NLT says, These people are hypocrites and liars, and their conscience is dead.
SPEAKER_00: Why are their conscience dead?
SPEAKER_00: Because they believe in the wrong thing.
SPEAKER_00: You see, when you read the conscience is dead, or when you read in the New King James when it says that the conscience has been seared, we instantly jump to like the big negative things.
SPEAKER_00: But what you don't realize, this is a journey.
SPEAKER_00: Your conscience being dead is a journey.
SPEAKER_00: It starts out by you believing a simple little lie that is not, and it might sound truthful, but it's not truthful.
SPEAKER_00: And then when you believe that every single day for the rest of your life, if you don't deal with that lie, that deceiving spirit is compounding it until it gets you to a place where your conscience is completely seared, and you can't even see the truth.
SPEAKER_00: Everything starts off small and turns into a big thing.
SPEAKER_00: This is why we have to be on guard.
SPEAKER_00: This is why Paul is saying, Beware, Timothy, this is there, and you have to deal with this.
SPEAKER_00: We all have to deal with this.
SPEAKER_00: We have to be on guard spiritually, guard our minds.
SPEAKER_00: See, the battle is in here, but it's for your heart.
SPEAKER_00: You'll have the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of God in here all day.
SPEAKER_00: And what the goal is that that lie or that truth will be planted into your heart because out of your heart flows the issues of life.
SPEAKER_00: So this is why it's important for you.
SPEAKER_00: Joshua chapter 1, verse 9.
SPEAKER_00: This book of the law shall you meditate in it.
SPEAKER_00: Day and what?
SPEAKER_00: Not just day or night, because there's an increase of darkness in this world.
SPEAKER_00: And if you're not careful to be guarded in the word, these deceiving spirits will come in and lie to you.
SPEAKER_00: Let's look at the fruit of the deceiving spirits.
SPEAKER_00: Because what they want to do, though these deceiving spirits want to come and give you a whole worldview of how to look at life.
SPEAKER_00: That's the goal.
SPEAKER_00: Because once your worldview has been shaped, then the rest is formality.
SPEAKER_00: I don't have to force you to do something, I just have to make you believe something.
SPEAKER_00: Once you believe it, I can go rest.
SPEAKER_00: Now, see what once this deceiving spirits have come in and they've made them believe.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 3 and 4.
SPEAKER_00: For this is what they do: they forbid you to marry, they command you to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
SPEAKER_00: For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't it interesting?
SPEAKER_00: The very first temptation was eat the fruit.
SPEAKER_00: Eat what God said, don't eat.
SPEAKER_00: And then now, in a lot of times, is don't eat what God said you can eat.
SPEAKER_00: There's nothing original under the sun.
SPEAKER_00: See, all the devil does is okay, this is what God said.
SPEAKER_00: This is He knows the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: This is what God is saying.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, now how can I convince him to do the opposite?
SPEAKER_00: Like forbidding to marry.
SPEAKER_00: God bless marriage.
SPEAKER_00: So, what does the devil do?
SPEAKER_00: We gotta convince him not to get married.
SPEAKER_00: We have to come up with this sophisticated, and actually, good lies are not very sophisticated.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know this, I've just this is what I've heard.
SPEAKER_00: It's they're very simple.
SPEAKER_00: And the big one right now is uh this whole miss independent.
SPEAKER_00: Women are independent, you don't need no man, and then it leads you.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, since I don't need no man, I can be by myself, I can do my own thing.
SPEAKER_00: See, it's just a simple lie, but look at the impacts, the influence of it.
SPEAKER_00: And in verse five, Paul tells us how to deal with this.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, verse five.
SPEAKER_00: For if it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer, we have to be sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
SPEAKER_00: You have to get in the scriptures, and I'm not saying you have to be a theologian knowing Greek and Hebrew, just to be just know the scriptures, spend time with the scriptures, and what happens is the as you're faithful in studying the scriptures, you have God Holy Spirit to come in and back you and reveal things to you and open your understanding to see the lies.
SPEAKER_00: Because the lie at the beginning looks very good, it almost looks real, and there's no way we can identify that.
SPEAKER_00: This is why you have to pray.
SPEAKER_00: That's why we have noonday twice a week.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta learn how to pray and learn how to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit because that's when He'll warn you and tell you, actually, don't do that.
SPEAKER_00: That's a lie from the devil.
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever been rebuked by the Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: We need those.
SPEAKER_00: You don't just spend one day with the Lord and you're good.
SPEAKER_00: Day and night, we've learned.
SPEAKER_00: So that's the first thing.
SPEAKER_00: We have to be aware of demonic influences.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just I'm just gonna say this, then I'll go back to my notes.
SPEAKER_00: See, I'm from Africa.
SPEAKER_00: We are used to demon demons, angels, all that.
SPEAKER_00: It's not a surprise to any of us.
SPEAKER_00: But in the West, the lie is that the demons are only in Africa.
SPEAKER_00: That's the lie.
SPEAKER_00: So we deal with them all the time.
SPEAKER_00: It's like they get shipped over there.
SPEAKER_00: But they're just as strong here as they're over there.
SPEAKER_00: And you cannot believe those lies and be lulled into a sleep, spiritual sleep.
SPEAKER_00: Because that's why you have to be a spiritual warrior, strong in the word, strong in press, so that the Holy Spirit can begin and tell you and show you.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, this is actually not a person being stupid.
SPEAKER_00: This is there's a spirit behind it.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, how do I deal with that Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: What you actually do, go cast that thing out and then deal with the person.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes, actually, that's that's just the person believing a wrong lie.
SPEAKER_00: Just show love on them so that they can renew their mind.
SPEAKER_00: You need that kind of direction from the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Because there's no two issues that are the same.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's continue.
SPEAKER_00: The second thing we have to beware of is culture and traditions.
SPEAKER_00: So let's read verses 6 to 11.
SPEAKER_00: If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
SPEAKER_00: But reject profane and all wise fables, exercise yourself toward godliness, for bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that is now and of that which is to come.
SPEAKER_00: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
SPEAKER_00: These things command and teach.
SPEAKER_00: So in verse 6, Paul is telling us our jobs is to teach people the word of God, the unfiltered word of God.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be nourished with the word of faith and good doctrine so that we can preach.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, you can only give what you have.
SPEAKER_00: If you don't have the word of God in you, you'll give what you have.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't say anything.
SPEAKER_00: See, this is not just advice for ministers, this is for everybody in this room.
SPEAKER_00: Our souls nourished with the word of faith and good doctrine, or are we malnourished?
SPEAKER_00: Is our soul hungry for the word, but we only feed it just a little bit, and then go veer off and do things that don't really benefit our souls?
SPEAKER_00: Are we feeding our souls the word of God?
SPEAKER_00: Because our souls get hungry.
SPEAKER_00: Because it knows, it's like with your body, when you feed your body the right thing, it responds because it knows what it needs.
SPEAKER_00: It's like a baby, it might not articulate, but you'll find these cravings.
SPEAKER_00: And when you feed your soul the word of God, it just feels right.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 7, and I'm gonna read this in two different translations.
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna read from the New King James first.
SPEAKER_00: But reject profane and old white fables and exercise yourself toward godliness.
SPEAKER_00: And then in the Amplified, it says, but have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths.
SPEAKER_00: On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, keeping yourself spiritually fit.
SPEAKER_00: See, our churches today, we have let culture influences instead of us influencing the culture.
SPEAKER_00: We've let these folklore and myths come from our culture and family traditions.
SPEAKER_00: But we must reject these things if they are not truth.
SPEAKER_00: In listen to Colossians 2:8.
SPEAKER_00: Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
SPEAKER_00: This is the exact same thing he's telling us.
SPEAKER_00: Stay away from the philosophy of the world, stay away from the tradition of men, stay away from the basic principles of this world, stay away from anything that is not godly.
SPEAKER_00: It's not like, oh, maybe I can change it, maybe I can be in it, but I won't let it influence me.
SPEAKER_00: No, stay away.
SPEAKER_00: What good does light have to do with darkness?
SPEAKER_00: Stay away from these lies of the culture.
SPEAKER_00: See, the latter half of verse 7 tells us how to do this.
SPEAKER_00: This is from the Amplified.
SPEAKER_00: On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, keeping yourself spiritually fit.
SPEAKER_00: So we all know this when it comes to the natural.
SPEAKER_00: You don't just exercise once a week and you're good.
SPEAKER_00: Like I put in my chair for the day for the day, I'm done.
SPEAKER_00: Till next week.
SPEAKER_00: This is a daily exercise.
SPEAKER_00: And we also know that when it comes to natural physical exercise, it's not just you hitting the gym, it's what you eat.
SPEAKER_00: See, I have a two and a half pack.
SPEAKER_00: And man, am I trying to get it down.
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm trying to get after six packs.
SPEAKER_00: Because I used to have a bigger gut.
SPEAKER_00: Because I didn't exercise completely all the time, but then I didn't eat right, you know.
SPEAKER_00: Sucks when you have a wife that's very serious about working out.
SPEAKER_00: Working out when she's pregnant, I'm like, Lord, have mercy.
SPEAKER_00: But we do the like spirit since we don't see the spirit, we just have unhealthy spiritual habits.
SPEAKER_00: We have a big old spiritual gut, but you can't see it, so I must be good.
SPEAKER_00: We all know the concept of empty calories, right?
SPEAKER_00: Where if you work out and then you go eat unhealthy stuff, it just kind of cancels out.
SPEAKER_00: We do the same thing in the spirit.
SPEAKER_00: All morning we are in prayer, we are studying the scriptures, but then in the evening we go and do all kinds of dumb stuff, ungodly stuff.
SPEAKER_00: Empty calories.
SPEAKER_00: We either are in the word of God and in the kingdom of God, or we are in the world.
SPEAKER_00: This is why in Revelation, Jesus tells our church, you look lukewarm, I will speed you out.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, real realistically, if you think about it, lukewarm anything is kind of not good.
SPEAKER_00: Lukewarm pizza is terrible.
SPEAKER_00: And we do the same thing.
SPEAKER_00: We are lukewarm Christians, but we think we're fine.
SPEAKER_00: Either be hot or cold.
SPEAKER_00: Choose one.
SPEAKER_00: Be in the world or be in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: We must stay away from culture, we must reject these things and be wholeheartedly in the scriptures.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 8 and 10.
SPEAKER_00: For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that is now and of that which is to come.
SPEAKER_00: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
SPEAKER_00: The goal of being physically fit is to be healthy and to look good.
SPEAKER_00: The goal of being spiritually fit is to live for the world that is to come.
SPEAKER_00: Are we living for the world that is to come?
SPEAKER_00: Or this is what we just want.
SPEAKER_00: We read those scriptures because we know we're getting ready for where we're going.
SPEAKER_00: We pray because we know we're we're getting ready for where we're going.
SPEAKER_00: This is not it, this is the beginning.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: I just want to repeat verse 10 because I just I love what Paul is saying here.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end, we both labor and suffer reproach.
SPEAKER_00: Because we trust in the living God, who is the savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end, we endure the struggles of being a Christian in this world.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end, we accept that we will lose friends because we are gonna choose to walk in the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end, we accept the consequences of being a believer.
SPEAKER_00: For to this end, we deal with all the crap that being a Christian today comes with.
SPEAKER_00: It's hard staying spiritually fit in a culture that is so anti-godly.
SPEAKER_00: It is hard staying spiritually fit when you have spiritual donuts and spiritual fast foods all over the place.
SPEAKER_00: It's hard staying spiritually fit when you have your traditions trying to hold you back.
SPEAKER_00: It's hard, but we endure it anyway.
SPEAKER_00: We choose to trust in God regardless of what that will do for your career.
SPEAKER_00: We choose to trust in God regardless of what I will do to your family.
SPEAKER_00: Every single day we have to choose this.
SPEAKER_00: You don't just wake up and do the work works of God.
SPEAKER_00: We have to choose this.
SPEAKER_00: Temptations will come, lies will come.
SPEAKER_00: There are some days an easy way out is just doing what's done in culture.
SPEAKER_00: But we have to remember we are called to so much more.
SPEAKER_00: Our goal is where we're going, and we have to choose to walk in faith.
SPEAKER_00: We have to beware of our culture and traditions because from it we can completely miss the mark and allow what's normal to influence our godly relationship.
SPEAKER_00: The third point: beware of what's inside of you.
SPEAKER_00: I'll read uh from verses 12 to 16.
SPEAKER_00: Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
SPEAKER_00: Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
SPEAKER_00: Meditate on these things, give yourself and tell it to them that your progress may be evident to all.
SPEAKER_00: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
SPEAKER_00: I love verse twelve because verse 12 tells us the truth of Christianity and ministry.
SPEAKER_00: See, Christianity is not age-dependent, it's fruit-dependent.
SPEAKER_00: You could be a Christian for 30 years, but still get offended, like a baby Christian.
SPEAKER_00: You could be a Christian for 40 years, but still lie, like an unbeliever.
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, where's the fruit of your walk with the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: Because He's the vine.
SPEAKER_00: And we are His branches.
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't see fruit on the branch, something must be wrong with the branch.
SPEAKER_00: Are we walking a life worthy of producing fruit?
SPEAKER_00: Or we just know we we are walking a life worthy of doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: We can quote this thing, we know everything about it, but we don't live this thing.
SPEAKER_00: Because Christianity is not a career, it's not a so anyway.
SPEAKER_00: I gotta tell this story.
SPEAKER_00: Story, story.
SPEAKER_00: There they are.
SPEAKER_00: That's how you tell a story in Kenya.
SPEAKER_00: You can't just tell the story.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta tell a story, you gotta say a story, story, and then they gotta respond.
SPEAKER_00: So story, story.
SPEAKER_00: So when I was in Kenya, uh, we used to have this channel, I think it was Algeria, I forget the name, and it was from Egypt.
SPEAKER_00: And every year they will have this competition of those kids, they're like probably I think six to like twelve, fifteen, no more than fifteen.
SPEAKER_00: And they will compete who knows the Quran best.
SPEAKER_00: And they would go into the judge's room, and the judge will just open somewhere in the Quran and tell them, read from this section to this section.
SPEAKER_00: And they would just spit it out.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is what kids, they just spit it out.
SPEAKER_00: And I was just like, this is crazy, this is impressive.
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like sometimes we as believers we do that.
SPEAKER_00: We have this whole thing memorized, but somehow it never went from our head to our hearts, it just stayed up here.
SPEAKER_00: You're walking biblical knowledge, but there's no fruit to show.
SPEAKER_00: God doesn't care how much scripture you know, are you producing the fruit of your walk?
SPEAKER_00: This is why Christianity is a very honest.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to say religion, but that's the best way to say it.
SPEAKER_00: Because it's either you show the fruits or you don't.
SPEAKER_00: You can hide behind doctrine all you want.
SPEAKER_00: But once we see the fruit, we'll know who actually spent time with the Lord and who don't.
SPEAKER_00: See, and verse 13 tells us, and pretty much verse 13 is a condensed version of Galatians 5, where you list the fruits.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I mean the end of verse 12 is a condensed version of where we see the fruits.
SPEAKER_00: But verse 13 tells us how to grow the fruit.
SPEAKER_00: We grow these fruits by reading the scriptures, by encouraging our fellow believers, and by sound teaching.
SPEAKER_00: These are three pillars that we must have in our lives if we want to produce the fruit of the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: And then look at verse 14 and 15.
SPEAKER_00: Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of hands of the eldership.
SPEAKER_00: Meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be evident to all.
SPEAKER_00: So when it comes to laying on of hands, see, this is not a religious thing, this was a cultural thing that was later adapted into Christianity.
SPEAKER_00: But laying on of hands is when you, the elder person, are passing along what you have to the recipient.
SPEAKER_00: Remember when Jacob was blessing his kids before he died?
SPEAKER_00: He laid hands on them, and he was blessing them.
SPEAKER_00: Isaac, we know all that story with Jacob stealing the blessing.
SPEAKER_00: He's just passing along what they have.
SPEAKER_00: And this verse 14 shows us once again the importance of spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers, where they get to impart what they have, where they get to impart their relationship with the Holy Spirit, the giftings of the Holy Spirit onto us so that we can be able to walk like they have.
SPEAKER_00: And when it comes to laying on of hands, there are two things that we must always be aware of.
SPEAKER_00: The first thing is you, the laying on of hands person, you must have something to give for you to even qualify to put your hands on somebody.
SPEAKER_00: And the second thing, you the recipient, must be ready to receive what's been laid on you.
SPEAKER_00: And this is why later Paul warns and tells him, do not lay your hands hastily, because some people are not ready to receive.
SPEAKER_00: But verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: So in verse 14 is now the elders, the leaders doing their thing.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 15 is all of us.
SPEAKER_00: What we must do to be able to walk in what has been put in us.
SPEAKER_00: And also another thing I forgot, prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 14 shows us the beautiful thing about prophecy.
SPEAKER_00: You see, like these elders, these strong men in the faith who know the Lord, the Lord speaks to them and tells them, This is what I want to say about Timothy.
SPEAKER_00: And then the elders prophesy this over him.
SPEAKER_00: They exhort him, and you and this is in 1 Corinthians 14, 13.
SPEAKER_00: But he who prophesies speaks edification, exhortation, and comfort to men.
SPEAKER_00: When this man prophesy over Timothy, they're exhorting him, they're encouraging him, they're edifying him and telling him, God has put all these things in you.
SPEAKER_00: You can do this, you can go into Ephesus and do this.
SPEAKER_00: See, but that's the elders, the leaders.
SPEAKER_00: Now we the recipients, and everybody in this room, verse 15 is for us.
SPEAKER_00: So there's this thing that I do.
SPEAKER_00: I've done that with young adults, medium-sized kids.
SPEAKER_00: I've done that with the youth, little kids.
SPEAKER_00: I want to try this with the big kids.
SPEAKER_00: There's this thing we do called beautiful chaos.
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
SPEAKER_00: Beautiful chaos is when we all read the scriptures together.
SPEAKER_00: It's beautiful because you're reading the scriptures, but it's chaotic because we all have different translations.
SPEAKER_00: So we're gonna try this, see how it goes with the big kids.
SPEAKER_00: Let's all go to verse 15.
SPEAKER_00: We should be there, actually, since we've been in the same chapter.
SPEAKER_00: Are we do we see verse 15?
SPEAKER_00: Are we gonna try this?
SPEAKER_00: See how this goes?
SPEAKER_00: Ah, ready one, two, three, read.
SPEAKER_00: What translation do you have?
SPEAKER_00: There's always someone with Amplified that takes on, like, keep on going and going.
SPEAKER_00: But meditate on these things, give yourself entirely to them.
SPEAKER_00: Meditate on this.
SPEAKER_00: When God shows you who you are, when God tells you this is a gifts of given you, meditate in this, grow in this, give yourself entirely.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, be whole-hearted.
SPEAKER_00: What Pastor Steve always says, be whole-hearted.
SPEAKER_00: We must meditate on the giftings that God has given us.
SPEAKER_00: See, verse 16 kind of summarizes verses 12 to 15 in a beautiful way.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 16 says this take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: Continue in them, for in doing this, you will serve both yourself and those who hear you.
SPEAKER_00: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: Take heed to yourself, is referring to the fruits of the spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Because remember, Christianity is not age-dependent, it's fruit-dependent.
SPEAKER_00: So take heed to walk in those fruit, and then take heed to walk in the giftings that your elders have called out in you.
SPEAKER_00: You've received this prophecy that tell that God has told his people that I've called you to do great and mighty works in the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: Hold on to that, take heed to that.
SPEAKER_00: So we must cultivate the fruit and we must pursue the gift.
SPEAKER_00: Cultivating the fruit involves us being in the scriptures day and night.
SPEAKER_00: Pursuing the gifts involves us believing what God has said and being a willing vessel.
SPEAKER_00: We must cultivate the fruit and pursue the gift.
SPEAKER_00: We have to take heed of that, it doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_00: It takes time to be good at what God has called you to do because you have the spiritual side, which is important, but you also have the natural side.
SPEAKER_00: You have like me preaching, I have a practice so I can be able to communicate to these white people.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta cultivate that.
SPEAKER_00: It's both end, pursue the spiritual, cultivate your natural skills.
SPEAKER_00: And at the end of verse 16, continue in there for in doing this, you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
SPEAKER_00: Now, he's not saying that you will save yourself.
SPEAKER_00: What you must understand when it comes to salvation is because that save is the same Greek word so-zo that salvation is talked about.
SPEAKER_00: What he's saying is the day you get saved, because we are we are triune being, we are spirit being, we have a soul, and we live in this physical body.
SPEAKER_00: The day you get saved, your spirit is saved, made righteous, made perfect, and then your soul is being saved by the renewing of your mind, and your body will be saved when you get the new body.
SPEAKER_00: And you see this in James chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: Therefore, lay verse 21, therefore, lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word of God, which is able to save your soul.
SPEAKER_00: You save your soul by the by receiving the word of God.
SPEAKER_00: So, what Paul is telling Timothy and what he's telling us today, when we cultivate these fruits, when we spend time with the Lord and grow in our knowledge of the Lord, and we begin to walk in the fruits of the spirit, and then we pursue the gifts, we are actually saving our souls because that requires you to renew your mind, to see yourself as God sees you, to see yourself as an emissary of the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we do, so that's how we save ourselves, and then this is an even important part that we save those who hear us.
SPEAKER_00: When we walk in the kingdom of God and produce the fruits, we begin to change those around us to be ready to receive the kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: It's not just about you, it's about you spreading the kingdom of God everywhere you go.
SPEAKER_00: And for you to do that, you must be renewed to the scriptures and then walk it out and influence everybody around you.
SPEAKER_00: Beware of the spirit of Antichrist and the deceiving spirits that try to shape our worldview with their lies, and we do that by diving in the word of God and prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Beware of the cultural and family traditions that prevent us from going deep with the Lord, and we do that by exercising godliness.
SPEAKER_00: Beware of the fruits and gifts inside of us because God has given us a gift, there's something that you are created to do, and we do that by cultivating the fruits and pursuing the gifts in us.
SPEAKER_00: Beware, beware, beware.
SPEAKER_00: We have demonic spirits trying to influence us, we have culture trying to influence us, and then we have these things in us that God wants to do through us, but He can't because we're not ready to battle with the demonic, we're not ready to battle the culture, and we whittle under the pressure and we get conformed to their world.
SPEAKER_00: It's time for us to stand up and rise up and choose to walk to the ways of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening to the Road Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_01: We pray today's messages empower you to make a difference in your world.
SPEAKER_01: For more information about the Road Church and to find more content like this, go to theroad.org.
SPEAKER_01: That's theroad.org.