It's only a cost until you've paid it.
It's only a cost until you've given up
what you were holding on to.
When you've let go of it, what was
it?
Nothing.
Whose life is it anyway?
Who gave it to you?
Whose house is it anyway?
Whose car was it anyway?
Whose job?
How condescending can we get that we think
we might give something up for him?
No, it was never that way around.
He gave us everything that we might give
it.
Back to him and to others.
Now there's an unfair distribution.
There are some with many, and there are
some with less.
In the end, I believe God is going
to bless this country and England and the
rich countries with spiritual gifts and ministries from
the poor.
I believe that you will become rich through
them.
But now, you have the responsibility to share
whatever you have.
If anyone would come after me, he must
deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will
lose it.
You see, it's always like that.
This is a kingdom principle.
What you hold on to, you lose.
What you give up, you get back.
Whoever loses his life for me, for the
gospel, will save it.
What good is it for a man to
gain the whole world and yet forfeit his
soul?
That's what Jesus did.
Scorning the shame, he endured the cross for
the joy that was set before him.
Finally, I want to read from James.
Now listen, you rich people.
Weep and wail because of the misery that
is coming upon you.
Your wealth has rotted and moths have eaten
your clothes.
Your gold and silver are corroded.
Their corrosion will testify against you and eat
your flesh like fire.
You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Look, the wages you failed to pay the
workmen who mowed your fields are crying out
against you.
The cries of the harvesters have reached the
ears of the Lord Almighty.
You have lived on earth in luxury and
self-indulgence.
You have fattened yourselves in the days of
slaughter.
You have condemned and murdered innocent men who
were not opposing you.
They may never hear.
They may never know about our Savior unless
you share it.
That's your privilege.
I thank God that a few days ago
he did something really good for me.
You know, because for years, almost ever since
I've become a Christian, I couldn't bear meetings
or conferences.
I hated them.
Because every time we were worshipping God, I
thought, I've got to go out and tell
somebody who hasn't heard.
How can I enjoy this?
I wanted, as soon as I knew about
the love of God, to go and find
someone who didn't know and bring them in.
And this caused a wrong judgment in me.
It meant that I got angry with God's
people who were enjoying themselves, always receiving ministry,
always getting fat in church, and so little
going out and so little sharing.
I thank God he took that away from
me.
The Lord gave me a peace.
He told me that his kingdom has come.
He's told me that there is a time
when tears will cease.
They'll be dried up and there will be
no more weeping and no more pain.
And he gave me that peace.
So I don't judge people.
That's not my job.
It's not my job to judge the church.
I'm just thrilled that he's allowed me to
share.
That's my privilege.
And it's yours.
For there will come the day when we
stand before the King.
And then it is yours and mine to
answer him.
What did we do with what he gave
us?
I have to say that God has spoken
to us tonight.
I think that's pretty obvious.
A lot of you have had some experience
with what Jackie is talking about to some
degree of being involved with ministry, being involved
with the poor.
Of course, they have much more involvement.
And it comes down to a greater commitment.
I think all of us know that.
But we can't negate the fact that God
is calling us deeper and farther.
We can't walk out of here saying, Well,
that's just her.
God has specially gifted her.
We all know better, don't we?
But what is your place?
What is my place?
I don't know.
But the Bible tells us we don't have
to look too far.
We just have to start to pay that
cost.
We have to do something because we're all
accountable.
We live in the West and we are
so rich in teaching, aren't we?
We get so much good teaching.
Tapes, radio, television, churches.
But we have substituted teaching for Christianity.
And so when we see someone doing Christianity,
it seems so foreign to us.
They seem so special to us.
So anointed, so mighty.
We tend to revere and exalt them.
It reminds me of this scripture when Jesus
was talking about the servants.
I just read it last week again.
And he said, You, when you have a
servant who works all day in the fields,
and he comes in, don't you expect him
to immediately change his clothes and come and
wait on you and feed you?
You don't say, Well done.
You don't commend him because he is only
doing that which is his duty.
He works all day in the fields and
then he works all evening waiting on you.
He doesn't deserve any commendation.
He's just doing what he's told.
And sometimes we'll look at people who are
in the ministry doing what they're told and
we'll say, Oh, what a great saint she
is.
Or he is.
But they're just doing what they've been told
to do.
And we need to be people who begin
to do what God tells us to do.
Pure and simple.
We are accountable before God.
And he's not a judge that's standing there
and talking bad about us and all that.
He's just disappointed.
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are
few.
You don't harvest a field sitting in a
chair.
I really feel like God has shamed us
tonight.
God has just kind of held up a
little mirror before us and said, Do you
see where you are?
And I feel like that God is going
to be making changes in our midst.
And we're not going to do anything new
that I know of because that'll kill it.
If I come up with a new program,
or one of you do, but what I
see God doing is what he's been saying
to me for the last few weeks.
Get back and do it yourself.
Don't wait for others.
Don't wait for the church to give you
some opportunity to minister.
Don't wait for a program.
Don't wait until you get on a plane
and go somewhere.
Do it yourself.
The Bible gives you explicit instructions on how
to do it, who to do it to,
and who to do it with.
So we need to just start doing it.