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Acts 13.9, here's my challenge.

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I went through all the way to 14

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and pulling out historical aspects and things.

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I kind of turned this into a topical

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expository.

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So I pulled out some key elements from

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this to speak on this topic.

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Now last week we read that they were

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sent out by the Holy Spirit.

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They were praying and they were fasting.

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They were praying God and fasting is basically

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starving the flesh, putting the flesh in submission

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so you can be filled with the Spirit

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of God.

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And point of confession, I am very hungry

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this morning.

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I promised God I'd stop yesterday and just

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go to tonight just water only and I

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wanted a donut and coffee this morning at

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6.30 and I fought the devil for

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a half hour and he did not win.

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Praise God.

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But I feel, and the only reason I

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share these with you is to let you

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know, when it comes to fasting, I fall

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often.

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We think of fasting this perfect 30-day

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fast, didn't touch any sugar.

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I mean, people sometimes blow it and the

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key is to get back on track.

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So prayer, and I've seen fasting, it's like

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prayer on steroids.

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And steroids aren't necessarily bad if you're using

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them for a good way in medical purposes

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but it's like increasing your prayer life.

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You don't wanna stop, you wanna keep going.

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You pulled down heaven, the flesh is starved

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and the Spirit is alive in God.

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So they were praying, they were fasting and

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they were sent out by the Holy Spirit.

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As a result, they encountered a sorcerer.

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And I found that to be true often.

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Sometimes we're full of the Spirit, Lord just

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let me run into a Girl Scouts who

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just wanna pray for them and give me

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flowers but instead I run into the devil

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himself.

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Sorcery, these things, going to Walmart and people,

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there's this attacking and cussing and looking at

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you and it's like this demonic realm is

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real.

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Isn't it?

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It is and they do not like people

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filled with the Spirit of God.

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So the disciples were filled with the Spirit,

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they encountered a sorcerer.

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It was Paul in verse nine.

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Then Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit.

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You know what, it's interesting.

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I just thought of that again.

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We've talked about it months ago.

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But when the Bible says Paul filled with

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the Holy Spirit, that tells me we should

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take notice.

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Because if every Christian was just filled completely

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overwhelming with the Holy Spirit, the Bible would

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never mention it.

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It would be a given.

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And Peter, breathing.

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That doesn't say that.

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And Peter, looking or walking or what, I

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mean, these things, and Peter being filled with

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the Holy Spirit.

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There's something unique that comes upon a believer

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when they consecrate their life and they're filled

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with the Spirit of God.

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He looked intently at the sorcerer and he

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said, oh, full of all deceit and all

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fraud, you son of the devil.

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You know it's okay to confront the devil

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like that, right?

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Sometimes here's what we do.

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I'm sorry, okay, no problem.

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I know, I just cowered down and just,

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you're right, and gentle, mild, meek Christians turn

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the other cheek.

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But sometimes you can say, you know what,

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you full of deceit, you son of the

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devil.

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I'm gonna tell you what God's Word says.

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And you speak boldly at that demonic realm.

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It isn't about always cowering down.

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Now don't misunderstand.

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I'm not talking about being mean and arrogant.

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But you can, I've spoke boldly to people,

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haven't you?

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No, that's not true, devil.

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That's not true.

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You're not going to take my family.

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You're not going to ruin my marriage.

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You're not going to, you fill in the

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blank.

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And you speak boldly to that demonic realm.

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You son of the devil.

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Well, here's why.

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This sermon might take a lot of rabbit

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trails.

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I'm just telling you right now.

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You have, do we all agree we're in

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a spiritual battle?

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If we're in a battle, you have to

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be bold.

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What soldier enlists in battle is not bold

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and timid and runs so boldness is something

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you better get used to.

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And it's going, the Holy Spirit stirs up

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something with you if you're in a school

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district, if you work in a government office,

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if you work or do what I do

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around town, sometimes there's a boldness that has

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to take place.

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So he said, you son of the devil,

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you enemy of all unrighteousness, will you not

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cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

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This is exactly what the demonic realm does,

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what the devil does, pervert.

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You know what we use the word in

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our society?

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Pervert, perversion.

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A pervert, a perversion is something that is

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good and God-given, going this direction.

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They twist it and make it perverted.

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So now something good, marriage, it was good,

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the enemy perverts it.

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And now the stuff in the news that

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you can be whatever, like I don't have

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to be male or female in this new

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gender that's nothing.

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And you can have it, they're trying to

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get on your birth certificate.

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It's like what is happening to, pervert.

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They're perverting the truth.

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They're actually telling kids in school, you don't

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have to tell your parents if you're going

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to get abortion or if you're doing something,

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they think it's fornication, don't worry about it.

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And they're perverting all of this stuff.

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So perversion is what the enemy does.

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So how does that apply to you?

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Very easily, he'll make something seemingly that looks

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okay, pervert it, twist it, you come up

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with excuses and you fall into sin.

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It happens all the time.

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And now indeed the hand of the Lord

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is upon you and you shall be blind,

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not seeing the sun for a time.

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And immediately a dark mist fell upon him

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and he went out seeking someone to lead

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him by the hand.

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Then the procounsel, which is the governor of

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that area, then he believed in the gospel

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when he saw what had been done, being

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astonished by the teaching of the Lord.

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So basically Paul called him out, said because

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you're a deceiver, you're going to be blind.

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Now I wish we saw that same kind

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of power today.

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I think it still exists.

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I think that God does miracles and things,

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but I think, and I've said this before,

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and the more I read the book of

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Acts, the more I read even the Old

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Testament, the men and women of God, there

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was a holy consecration that many people don't

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experience today.

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They walk close with God.

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And so when they spoke, the Holy Spirit

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was prompting them and guiding them and leading

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them.

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So when Paul called out the blindness, God

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honored that because the Holy Spirit put it

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on his heart, in my opinion, to call

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out this and call down blindness.

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Now granted, miracles and signs and wonders were

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following the apostles.

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But I believe that same power exists today.

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I don't think that God just suddenly stopped.

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I mean, just read some good missionary books.

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And I'm gonna recommend one.

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I've got the title here at the end.

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It's called An Asian Harvest, An Asian Harvest.

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Many copies, we'll be sending those out to

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you or making them available here.

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Or missionary books on the mission field.

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They see this, we see this often when

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it's, for some reason, not in America.

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I haven't put that connection yet, but I

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think we're not really as consecrated as we

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think we are.

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I think we're not really, I mean, we're

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full of Facebook, but full of the Holy

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Spirit, I don't know.

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I can tell you what Facebook says, but

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I'm not sure what the Holy Spirit is

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guiding me to do.

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I can tell you what Mike Trout did

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in the outfield, but I'm not sure what

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the Holy Spirit's doing through the Word of

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God.

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And the closer you walk with God, the

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more you'll see miracles and things coming to

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life in your life.

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So the first sign of a healthy church,

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a healthy Christian, is boldness and spiritual power.

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If you're a healthy church, there's boldness and

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there's spiritual power.

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There's no way around that.

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You will have both of them.

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So if there's no boldness, and it's just

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timidity, and there's no spiritual power, you haven't

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seen God moving in a while, you're going

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to need what I'm going to talk about

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at the end of the sermon.

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Spiritual power needs to take place.

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Boldness needs to enter into your heart.

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And see, the reason a lot of times

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people are afraid of boldness is because they

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confuse it with arrogance, right?

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I mean, haven't you been, those who are

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bold, have you ever been called arrogant?

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You're just bold.

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Now, you have to be careful, because there

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are some arrogant people who say, I'm just

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bold.

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I'm just bold.

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I love my faith, and I'm gonna let

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everybody know I'm a guardian of the truth.

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No, you're arrogant.

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You can tell.

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The fruit of boldness is you can feel

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the love.

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It was said of D.L. Moody, he

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wouldn't even preach a sermon without tears about

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hell, without tears coming down his face.

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Or Whitfield or Wesley, these people we love

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to read, they were full of boldness but

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full of compassion.

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You have to have both of those.

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You have to have both of those.

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Verse 13, then Paul came to Perga and

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went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day

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and sat down.

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After the reading of the law and of

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the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent

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to him, saying, men and brethren, if you

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have any word of exhortation for the people,

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say on.

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Boy, they didn't know what they were asking,

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did they?

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They see Paul, oh, a fellow Jew, we

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just read the law, which was Genesis, Exodus,

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Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and the prophets, they probably

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read portions from the major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah,

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Ezekiel, Daniel, they read something from there, and

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then the minor prophets, and minor doesn't mean

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they were less significant, it just means they

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didn't have as much to say.

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And the prophets were called of God to

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call that nation of Israel back to God.

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00:09:40,050 --> 00:09:41,370
That's primarily what they did.

271
00:09:41,430 --> 00:09:43,370
So they read the law and they'd be

272
00:09:43,370 --> 00:09:44,870
convicted by the law, then they read the

273
00:09:44,870 --> 00:09:46,990
prophets and be convicted again and get direction

274
00:09:46,990 --> 00:09:49,390
to give their lives back to the one

275
00:09:49,390 --> 00:09:50,490
and true living God.

276
00:09:52,370 --> 00:09:54,710
So, the second sign of a healthy church

277
00:09:54,710 --> 00:09:57,110
or healthy Christian, in a healthy church there

278
00:09:57,110 --> 00:09:59,490
is reading and exhortation.

279
00:09:59,930 --> 00:10:02,490
Now you might say, well, duh, Shane, that

280
00:10:02,490 --> 00:10:03,770
what you just got bored and threw that

281
00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:04,270
point in there?

282
00:10:04,730 --> 00:10:06,490
I mean, well, you'd be very surprised.

283
00:10:06,670 --> 00:10:08,610
I can name churches around this valley where

284
00:10:08,610 --> 00:10:11,390
people tell me it's just, there's the pastor

285
00:10:11,390 --> 00:10:13,090
or different people speak, it's just they're telling

286
00:10:13,090 --> 00:10:13,970
stories.

287
00:10:15,370 --> 00:10:17,910
It's just stories and how we're gonna go

288
00:10:17,910 --> 00:10:20,590
paint the neighborhoods, and when I was younger,

289
00:10:20,870 --> 00:10:22,810
and stories are great, I tell them often,

290
00:10:22,810 --> 00:10:24,770
and I'm not chiding anybody because I can

291
00:10:24,770 --> 00:10:27,050
fall into this side as well, but to

292
00:10:27,050 --> 00:10:29,690
be a true, healthy church, you've gotta look

293
00:10:29,690 --> 00:10:30,490
at the word of God.

294
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That's why I like to put this up

295
00:10:31,630 --> 00:10:32,250
here front again.

296
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We look to the word of God, the

297
00:10:34,550 --> 00:10:37,830
centrality of Scripture, we read the Scripture, we're

298
00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:41,730
encouraged by the Scripture, and actually, a lot

299
00:10:41,730 --> 00:10:44,430
of traditional churches will read a passage of

300
00:10:44,430 --> 00:10:47,410
the Bible before the service, and we could

301
00:10:47,410 --> 00:10:47,950
even do that.

302
00:10:48,010 --> 00:10:48,990
There's nothing wrong with that.

303
00:10:49,110 --> 00:10:51,910
You read, say, Isaiah 58, you read the

304
00:10:51,910 --> 00:10:53,930
first three or four verses as an exhortation

305
00:10:53,930 --> 00:10:54,490
to the people.

306
00:10:54,770 --> 00:10:57,990
That's very healthy, but then also, the reading

307
00:10:57,990 --> 00:11:01,030
of the Scripture, and he said, exhortation, do

308
00:11:01,030 --> 00:11:02,850
you have any word to give the people?

309
00:11:03,430 --> 00:11:06,910
Now, exhortation is urging someone to do something,

310
00:11:07,570 --> 00:11:09,170
urging someone to do something.

311
00:11:09,310 --> 00:11:10,610
If you've been here any length of time,

312
00:11:10,650 --> 00:11:11,950
you know that's what I like to do.

313
00:11:12,390 --> 00:11:15,310
I have no problem with exhortation, reading the

314
00:11:15,310 --> 00:11:17,770
word of God and urging people to do

315
00:11:17,770 --> 00:11:23,050
something, and, you know, it's just, I think

316
00:11:23,050 --> 00:11:24,690
a lot of the passion comes from, that

317
00:11:24,690 --> 00:11:27,710
I see is, I see so many broken

318
00:11:27,710 --> 00:11:30,250
lives out there, broken lives.

319
00:11:30,390 --> 00:11:33,050
I spent three, not three hours, hour and

320
00:11:33,050 --> 00:11:34,750
a half, three hours total, different people, but

321
00:11:34,750 --> 00:11:36,370
an hour, hour and a half, calling out

322
00:11:36,370 --> 00:11:39,250
of state, marriage issues, problems at their church,

323
00:11:39,370 --> 00:11:42,090
other friends I know are getting a divorce,

324
00:11:42,190 --> 00:11:44,990
friends I know are getting divorced, people hooked

325
00:11:44,990 --> 00:11:47,430
on drugs, hooked, I see the kids, the

326
00:11:47,430 --> 00:11:49,950
looks in the children's faces, the mommy and

327
00:11:49,950 --> 00:11:52,290
daddy and the devastating, and I have to

328
00:11:52,290 --> 00:11:54,710
exhort, I have to encourage, I have to

329
00:11:54,710 --> 00:11:58,030
push back, push back, we have to, because

330
00:11:58,030 --> 00:12:02,050
something that is attacking needs to be confronted,

331
00:12:02,450 --> 00:12:04,550
and if you don't confront it, you will

332
00:12:04,550 --> 00:12:05,490
not win that battle.

333
00:12:09,350 --> 00:12:11,810
Here's what happened, reading an exhortation, a healthy

334
00:12:11,810 --> 00:12:14,470
church, sin is exposed.

335
00:12:15,410 --> 00:12:18,490
In a healthy church, sin is exposed, but

336
00:12:18,490 --> 00:12:19,350
grace abounds.

337
00:12:20,610 --> 00:12:22,130
That's a healthy church, a healthy Christian.

338
00:12:22,370 --> 00:12:24,150
Sin is exposed, if you wanna be a

339
00:12:24,150 --> 00:12:27,790
healthy Christian, expose the sin, expose it, tell

340
00:12:27,790 --> 00:12:29,510
somebody, I've got a problem in this area,

341
00:12:29,590 --> 00:12:31,850
I've fallen back into this area, I need

342
00:12:31,850 --> 00:12:32,810
help, I need accountability.

343
00:12:33,470 --> 00:12:35,550
Spouse, tell your spouse, I'm struggling with moral

344
00:12:35,550 --> 00:12:38,090
purity right now, my thought life is a

345
00:12:38,090 --> 00:12:40,430
mess, can we pray, oh, I'm never doing

346
00:12:40,430 --> 00:12:41,830
that, then you're going to keep living in

347
00:12:41,830 --> 00:12:43,890
deception, that sin is not gonna stay there,

348
00:12:43,950 --> 00:12:46,670
it's gonna grow, and it's gonna grow, and

349
00:12:46,670 --> 00:12:48,350
it's gonna grow, and it's gonna grow.

350
00:12:48,940 --> 00:12:52,450
So we expose sin, but then grace abounds.

351
00:12:52,730 --> 00:12:53,690
Well, what does that look like?

352
00:12:54,050 --> 00:12:56,410
Well, we expose sin, we talk about sin,

353
00:12:56,550 --> 00:12:59,350
and we confront sin, I've confronted people, you

354
00:12:59,350 --> 00:13:02,210
have, but brother, we're here for you, grace

355
00:13:02,210 --> 00:13:04,070
abounds, grace.

356
00:13:04,490 --> 00:13:06,530
See, grace doesn't mean we continue in sin,

357
00:13:07,030 --> 00:13:09,110
grace means we acknowledge the sin, we repent

358
00:13:09,110 --> 00:13:10,150
of it, and then we have grace and

359
00:13:10,150 --> 00:13:12,610
understanding, because I'm the same way.

360
00:13:13,010 --> 00:13:14,210
We all, all of us in this room

361
00:13:14,210 --> 00:13:15,570
should not cast the first stone.

362
00:13:16,060 --> 00:13:18,210
We should be very graceful, but we should

363
00:13:18,210 --> 00:13:21,910
be very against sin, and that's why some

364
00:13:21,910 --> 00:13:24,430
of the biggest named preachers on TV, Sunday

365
00:13:24,430 --> 00:13:27,870
mornings, huge audience, won't ever talk about sin,

366
00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:31,850
because they confuse, brother, it's just about grace

367
00:13:31,850 --> 00:13:33,270
and not beating people up, no, that's not

368
00:13:33,270 --> 00:13:34,230
a healthy church necessarily.

369
00:13:34,470 --> 00:13:36,150
It doesn't matter the size of the church,

370
00:13:36,630 --> 00:13:39,230
the health of the church is predicated upon

371
00:13:39,230 --> 00:13:41,330
what we're talking about, not the size of

372
00:13:41,330 --> 00:13:43,670
the church, whether it's small or big, because

373
00:13:43,670 --> 00:13:45,710
I've seen some churches, yeah, we're 25 people,

374
00:13:45,810 --> 00:13:48,430
we're the frozen chosen, we're doing everything right,

375
00:13:49,110 --> 00:13:51,510
and you know, that's why we're little.

376
00:13:51,750 --> 00:13:53,130
People don't like to hear it, and we're

377
00:13:53,130 --> 00:13:54,490
gonna stay little, and if they don't want

378
00:13:54,490 --> 00:13:55,550
to hear it, they can just exit right

379
00:13:55,550 --> 00:13:59,630
out that door, and they think because, you

380
00:13:59,630 --> 00:14:01,330
know, it's just us, that's why nobody comes.

381
00:14:01,390 --> 00:14:02,990
As soon as I start preaching, everybody leaves.

382
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:04,470
Well, that means there's no love in your

383
00:14:04,470 --> 00:14:07,110
preaching, and not filled maybe with the spirit

384
00:14:07,110 --> 00:14:07,550
of God.

385
00:14:08,210 --> 00:14:09,490
Now, I have to be careful there too,

386
00:14:09,730 --> 00:14:10,010
right?

387
00:14:10,470 --> 00:14:11,910
You know, we don't want to push people

388
00:14:11,910 --> 00:14:13,670
out, but we also don't want to encourage

389
00:14:13,670 --> 00:14:18,350
sin, and avoid things, and this is a

390
00:14:18,350 --> 00:14:21,230
hot topic for sure, because as you know,

391
00:14:21,270 --> 00:14:23,130
I've talked about before, the majority of people

392
00:14:23,130 --> 00:14:25,330
who no longer come here, or have left,

393
00:14:25,410 --> 00:14:27,150
or do not want to come here, is

394
00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:28,070
because of this issue.

395
00:14:29,230 --> 00:14:29,870
They're convicted.

396
00:14:30,710 --> 00:14:32,070
They're convicted, they don't want to hear it

397
00:14:32,070 --> 00:14:33,430
right now, and people said, I'm not at

398
00:14:33,430 --> 00:14:34,430
that point right now, I'll go to a

399
00:14:34,430 --> 00:14:35,770
different, I'll go to this church, I'm not

400
00:14:35,770 --> 00:14:37,170
going to Westside, I'm not ready for that

401
00:14:37,170 --> 00:14:37,430
yet.

402
00:14:37,710 --> 00:14:38,470
I mean, what does that mean?

403
00:14:38,470 --> 00:14:39,330
I just heard it this week.

404
00:14:39,830 --> 00:14:41,410
Somebody invited somebody, and they said, I'll go

405
00:14:41,410 --> 00:14:44,390
to, I won't name it, and then, but

406
00:14:44,390 --> 00:14:46,650
then, but I'm not ready for that church

407
00:14:46,650 --> 00:14:46,890
yet.

408
00:14:46,990 --> 00:14:48,910
I'm not there yet, you know, but they

409
00:14:48,910 --> 00:14:49,530
don't understand.

410
00:14:49,750 --> 00:14:50,970
We're all not there yet.

411
00:14:51,410 --> 00:14:53,590
It's a point of lifting up, and encouraging,

412
00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:57,950
and getting healthy, and walking people through that,

413
00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:01,330
and because pastors aren't perfect, we can err

414
00:15:01,330 --> 00:15:03,370
on the hard side sometimes.

415
00:15:03,530 --> 00:15:05,030
Maybe I err too much on the law

416
00:15:05,030 --> 00:15:06,750
side, or too much on the pounding side,

417
00:15:06,850 --> 00:15:08,950
and then there's other guys who err too

418
00:15:08,950 --> 00:15:10,430
much on the grace side, too much on,

419
00:15:10,430 --> 00:15:14,390
so it's trying to find that balance, and

420
00:15:14,390 --> 00:15:15,570
the only way you can find that balance

421
00:15:15,570 --> 00:15:16,890
would be filled with the Spirit of God,

422
00:15:17,710 --> 00:15:20,070
and to know, come the criticism or not,

423
00:15:20,170 --> 00:15:21,930
you are preaching what God has put on

424
00:15:21,930 --> 00:15:22,350
your heart.

425
00:15:22,910 --> 00:15:24,570
Criticism can be good, it can be bad

426
00:15:24,570 --> 00:15:24,970
as well.

427
00:15:25,370 --> 00:15:27,050
You want to learn from it, if there's

428
00:15:27,050 --> 00:15:29,010
nuggets of truth there, but you also want

429
00:15:29,010 --> 00:15:32,870
to avoid critical people that constantly pull you

430
00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:33,070
down.

431
00:15:33,130 --> 00:15:34,130
That was another rabbit trail.

432
00:15:35,570 --> 00:15:37,010
Verse 16 through 23.

433
00:15:37,470 --> 00:15:39,030
Okay, well, let's put this in context.

434
00:15:39,790 --> 00:15:42,250
So, Paul went into the synagogue on the

435
00:15:42,250 --> 00:15:44,190
Sabbath day, and sat down, and there was

436
00:15:44,190 --> 00:15:45,690
a reading of the law and of the

437
00:15:45,690 --> 00:15:49,110
prophets, and the rulers of the synagogue said

438
00:15:49,110 --> 00:15:51,710
to Paul, hey, Paul, if you have any

439
00:15:51,710 --> 00:15:54,330
words of exhortation, let us hear them.

440
00:15:54,850 --> 00:15:56,650
Oh, my goodness, they did not know what

441
00:15:56,650 --> 00:15:57,190
they were asking.

442
00:15:57,330 --> 00:15:59,690
The apostle Paul, who's just been converted, Saul

443
00:15:59,690 --> 00:16:01,930
of Tarsus, this mean, angry Pharisee, is now

444
00:16:01,930 --> 00:16:02,410
a believer.

445
00:16:03,590 --> 00:16:06,390
So, verses 16 through 23, I'm just gonna

446
00:16:06,390 --> 00:16:06,950
paraphrase.

447
00:16:06,950 --> 00:16:10,710
Basically, God brought deliverance from David's seed.

448
00:16:11,130 --> 00:16:14,130
He walked the people through Abraham, the covenant.

449
00:16:14,910 --> 00:16:16,930
He brought the Messiah through David's seed.

450
00:16:17,470 --> 00:16:19,450
And then Paul said, according to the promise,

451
00:16:19,630 --> 00:16:22,890
God raised up for Israel a savior, Jesus.

452
00:16:23,170 --> 00:16:24,090
And they're probably going, uh-oh.

453
00:16:24,610 --> 00:16:25,750
Why did we ask this guy to speak?

454
00:16:26,370 --> 00:16:28,730
Men and brethren, sons of the family of

455
00:16:28,730 --> 00:16:31,330
Abraham and those among you who fear God.

456
00:16:31,510 --> 00:16:33,710
So, see, this is a glimpse into the

457
00:16:33,710 --> 00:16:34,870
old synagogue style.

458
00:16:34,870 --> 00:16:39,150
Men and brethren of children, your children of

459
00:16:39,150 --> 00:16:41,270
Abraham, mean there were Jews in the audience,

460
00:16:41,370 --> 00:16:44,570
but also, and those who fear God.

461
00:16:44,950 --> 00:16:47,270
So, there was Greeks that wanted to convert

462
00:16:47,270 --> 00:16:48,710
and they feared God.

463
00:16:48,790 --> 00:16:50,690
So, this is a multitude, not just of

464
00:16:50,690 --> 00:16:53,630
Jewish believers, I believe, because, and those among

465
00:16:53,630 --> 00:16:54,710
you who fear God.

466
00:16:55,110 --> 00:16:57,470
To you, to you, the word of the

467
00:16:57,470 --> 00:16:58,930
salvation has been sent.

468
00:16:59,370 --> 00:17:01,570
And though they found no cause for death

469
00:17:01,570 --> 00:17:04,010
in Christ, no cause for death in Christ.

470
00:17:05,270 --> 00:17:07,950
You should let people know any time they

471
00:17:07,950 --> 00:17:08,970
get upset at Christianity.

472
00:17:09,069 --> 00:17:11,470
There is no cause, nothing, he died for

473
00:17:11,470 --> 00:17:11,670
you.

474
00:17:11,750 --> 00:17:14,150
He loves you that much, he died for

475
00:17:14,150 --> 00:17:14,349
you.

476
00:17:14,790 --> 00:17:17,210
There's no cause for him to die other

477
00:17:17,210 --> 00:17:18,430
than the sin of man.

478
00:17:19,150 --> 00:17:20,849
They asked Pilate that he should be put

479
00:17:20,849 --> 00:17:21,550
to death.

480
00:17:22,310 --> 00:17:24,170
Now, when they had fulfilled all that was

481
00:17:24,170 --> 00:17:27,089
written concerning him, they took him down from

482
00:17:27,089 --> 00:17:28,970
the tree and laid him in a tomb,

483
00:17:29,270 --> 00:17:31,190
but God raised him from the dead.

484
00:17:31,190 --> 00:17:33,950
So, he's preaching the gospel at the synagogue.

485
00:17:34,470 --> 00:17:36,230
And it dawned on me, how do you

486
00:17:36,230 --> 00:17:37,130
think he's preaching this?

487
00:17:37,250 --> 00:17:39,290
Oh, here's what happened, you know.

488
00:17:39,510 --> 00:17:41,570
I mean, there's passionate preaching.

489
00:17:42,270 --> 00:17:43,370
There's passionate preaching.

490
00:17:43,550 --> 00:17:45,770
That's why passion should come out in preaching.

491
00:17:46,070 --> 00:17:48,210
If somebody's not passionate, I don't really wanna

492
00:17:48,210 --> 00:17:50,550
listen to them because they don't, oh, well,

493
00:17:50,650 --> 00:17:52,650
I guess it says this, and there has

494
00:17:52,650 --> 00:17:55,130
to be a passionate passion in a healthy

495
00:17:55,130 --> 00:17:55,390
church.

496
00:17:55,490 --> 00:17:56,510
That's a point I forgot about.

497
00:17:57,670 --> 00:18:00,650
There should be passion in a healthy church.

498
00:18:00,650 --> 00:18:03,130
I mean, I don't know about you guys,

499
00:18:03,190 --> 00:18:04,450
but the ones who are here early, as

500
00:18:04,450 --> 00:18:06,710
we're singing these songs, I'm no longer a

501
00:18:06,710 --> 00:18:07,210
slave.

502
00:18:08,990 --> 00:18:11,930
If we were truly a slave to fear

503
00:18:11,930 --> 00:18:14,110
death and the grave and eternity separated from

504
00:18:14,110 --> 00:18:16,590
God, God saved us from that and redeemed

505
00:18:16,590 --> 00:18:16,770
us.

506
00:18:16,810 --> 00:18:17,970
Oh, it might change your worship.

507
00:18:18,290 --> 00:18:20,230
I think Jamie had it right, right?

508
00:18:20,450 --> 00:18:23,290
Oh, God, and just keep worshiping and worshiping.

509
00:18:23,690 --> 00:18:25,730
That's why we want the freedom in worship.

510
00:18:26,130 --> 00:18:27,910
It's not a four-minute song, a three

511
00:18:27,910 --> 00:18:29,770
-minute song, a four-minute song, Shane, you

512
00:18:29,770 --> 00:18:31,470
come up, you've got 35 minutes, and let's

513
00:18:31,470 --> 00:18:31,950
go to lunch.

514
00:18:33,910 --> 00:18:34,930
That's not worship.

515
00:18:36,430 --> 00:18:39,030
It's there, my goodness, why shouldn't we be

516
00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:39,390
passionate?

517
00:18:41,690 --> 00:18:43,530
I mean, I have a feeling more people

518
00:18:43,530 --> 00:18:45,030
would be passionate if we just said we

519
00:18:45,030 --> 00:18:46,390
just came into a lot of money.

520
00:18:46,510 --> 00:18:48,150
As you leave here, you're each getting $10

521
00:18:48,150 --> 00:18:48,490
,000.

522
00:18:50,410 --> 00:18:53,210
As you leave here, you're each, we would,

523
00:18:53,590 --> 00:18:55,950
oh, my goodness, a passion in this place,

524
00:18:56,350 --> 00:18:56,670
right?

525
00:18:56,970 --> 00:18:58,930
So that's why you gotta take your mind

526
00:18:58,930 --> 00:19:01,550
back to Calvary, back to Golgotha, the place

527
00:19:01,550 --> 00:19:03,370
of the skull, the place of death and

528
00:19:03,370 --> 00:19:04,850
crucifixion to give us life.

529
00:19:06,930 --> 00:19:08,330
Well, if there's no passion there, I don't

530
00:19:08,330 --> 00:19:08,750
know what to tell you.

531
00:19:08,930 --> 00:19:09,910
You guys are doing good, though.

532
00:19:11,290 --> 00:19:13,250
I'm just talking about others in the future

533
00:19:13,250 --> 00:19:16,010
that are not passionate, because people say, well,

534
00:19:16,030 --> 00:19:16,710
Shane, you're passionate.

535
00:19:18,690 --> 00:19:21,770
Yeah, this is the most exciting thing a

536
00:19:21,770 --> 00:19:23,590
person can talk about, but it's also the

537
00:19:23,590 --> 00:19:24,090
most heavy.

538
00:19:24,670 --> 00:19:25,990
A lot of you don't know this, but

539
00:19:25,990 --> 00:19:27,590
when I, you go in the morning after

540
00:19:27,590 --> 00:19:30,210
the sermon, I'm praying, and I know that

541
00:19:30,210 --> 00:19:35,250
I'm coming up here, and thousands of people

542
00:19:35,250 --> 00:19:37,130
on the radio, now San Francisco, the Bay

543
00:19:37,130 --> 00:19:40,330
Area, Riverside, all over Los Angeles are hearing.

544
00:19:41,090 --> 00:19:44,030
So I better be very careful that I'm

545
00:19:44,030 --> 00:19:45,930
not just putting my opinion in there, and

546
00:19:45,930 --> 00:19:47,810
I'm not just, what do I think, and

547
00:19:47,810 --> 00:19:50,050
dumbing it down and trying to do, but

548
00:19:50,050 --> 00:19:51,570
I have to say, God, what do you

549
00:19:51,570 --> 00:19:52,530
want to say?

550
00:19:52,610 --> 00:19:54,910
So the weight of that, the weight of

551
00:19:54,910 --> 00:19:56,090
that, I mean, if I was just a

552
00:19:56,090 --> 00:19:58,550
motivational speaker, I could just go wherever and

553
00:19:58,550 --> 00:20:00,790
no big deal, but the weight of that,

554
00:20:00,870 --> 00:20:03,830
and then also the passion, the passion of,

555
00:20:04,110 --> 00:20:08,230
you're preaching light, you're preaching the best news

556
00:20:08,230 --> 00:20:10,010
that has ever been heard, you're preaching the

557
00:20:10,010 --> 00:20:11,450
gospel of salvation.

558
00:20:11,950 --> 00:20:14,570
Shouldn't there be a passion there, a something,

559
00:20:14,690 --> 00:20:15,450
an exciting?

560
00:20:19,050 --> 00:20:21,710
So there is passion, but there's also the

561
00:20:21,710 --> 00:20:23,690
third point that we glean from this, I'll

562
00:20:23,690 --> 00:20:24,610
keep reading, verse 31.

563
00:20:25,290 --> 00:20:27,370
Jesus was seen for many days by those

564
00:20:27,370 --> 00:20:29,850
who came up with him from Galilee to

565
00:20:29,850 --> 00:20:32,630
Jerusalem, who are his witnesses to the people.

566
00:20:33,030 --> 00:20:35,410
And we declare to you glad tidings, the

567
00:20:35,410 --> 00:20:37,850
promise which has been made to the fathers.

568
00:20:37,930 --> 00:20:39,090
If we had time, we could go back

569
00:20:39,090 --> 00:20:41,990
to the Old Testament, but the promise to

570
00:20:41,990 --> 00:20:43,990
the fathers, the nation of Israel, was God

571
00:20:43,990 --> 00:20:46,050
would send a Messiah to save his people.

572
00:20:46,370 --> 00:20:49,510
Paul just said the Messiah has arisen, arisen

573
00:20:49,510 --> 00:20:50,130
from the dead.

574
00:20:50,410 --> 00:20:53,390
Pilate killed him, he's here, and I would

575
00:20:53,390 --> 00:20:54,930
love to see the look on that audience's

576
00:20:54,930 --> 00:20:55,250
face.

577
00:20:55,650 --> 00:20:58,130
Or the rulers who said, Paul, would you

578
00:20:58,130 --> 00:20:58,930
like to say something?

579
00:20:58,930 --> 00:21:01,930
They're like, what just happened?

580
00:21:02,950 --> 00:21:04,910
But we can also glean something from what

581
00:21:04,910 --> 00:21:07,190
Paul said here in the synagogue, church style.

582
00:21:08,350 --> 00:21:10,170
Another sign of a healthy church is you

583
00:21:10,170 --> 00:21:12,090
feed the saints and you warn the sinner.

584
00:21:13,750 --> 00:21:15,890
That's a goal of preaching, is to feed

585
00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:17,830
the saints, to be edified and encouraged, but

586
00:21:17,830 --> 00:21:19,690
also to warn the sinner.

587
00:21:21,610 --> 00:21:24,810
That's why there is such an importance put

588
00:21:24,810 --> 00:21:27,530
on, or I guess that's a good way

589
00:21:27,530 --> 00:21:29,670
to say it, the importance of going through

590
00:21:29,670 --> 00:21:31,530
the Bible every year.

591
00:21:32,470 --> 00:21:35,430
And I would say one of the things

592
00:21:35,430 --> 00:21:37,310
that shocks me the most is how many

593
00:21:37,310 --> 00:21:39,610
Christians have never went through the entire Bible.

594
00:21:40,850 --> 00:21:42,450
I just asked somebody this week, thought for

595
00:21:42,450 --> 00:21:42,910
sure.

596
00:21:43,870 --> 00:21:47,990
I've talked to pastors, elders, deacons, been serving

597
00:21:47,990 --> 00:21:49,630
for 20 years, they've never read through the

598
00:21:49,630 --> 00:21:50,270
entire Bible.

599
00:21:51,370 --> 00:21:52,990
What happens is we put, well, I'm in

600
00:21:52,990 --> 00:21:55,250
John today, I'm at Psalm tomorrow, and then

601
00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:56,870
my daily devotion has me back in John,

602
00:21:57,050 --> 00:21:58,830
and we never see the whole counsel of

603
00:21:58,830 --> 00:21:59,150
God.

604
00:21:59,510 --> 00:22:02,270
You start in Genesis to see creation, and

605
00:22:02,270 --> 00:22:04,110
you see at Exodus, God's plan of bringing

606
00:22:04,110 --> 00:22:05,270
his children out of bondage.

607
00:22:05,310 --> 00:22:07,870
You see Leviticus, the Levitical priesthood, and the

608
00:22:07,870 --> 00:22:10,370
need for that sacrificial system of the shedding

609
00:22:10,370 --> 00:22:10,910
of blood.

610
00:22:12,130 --> 00:22:15,910
Leviticus, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, the going through

611
00:22:15,910 --> 00:22:17,790
the wilderness, and all the examples.

612
00:22:17,930 --> 00:22:19,990
My goodness, you can learn so many examples

613
00:22:20,490 --> 00:22:23,570
of idolatry and what not to do in

614
00:22:23,570 --> 00:22:24,410
the book of Numbers.

615
00:22:25,050 --> 00:22:27,290
In Deuteronomy, the law, the blessings, the curse,

616
00:22:27,330 --> 00:22:28,810
and then it gets into the judges, and

617
00:22:28,810 --> 00:22:31,130
what happened, these judges would, people would call

618
00:22:31,130 --> 00:22:32,370
upon the name of the Lord, and they

619
00:22:32,370 --> 00:22:33,770
would depart from God, and then you get

620
00:22:33,770 --> 00:22:37,110
the kings, and all the prophets, and Ruth,

621
00:22:37,490 --> 00:22:39,210
and we learn about our king's men to

622
00:22:39,210 --> 00:22:41,090
redeem her, and who Christ was, and Boaz,

623
00:22:41,290 --> 00:22:43,290
and you look at the whole Bible, and

624
00:22:43,290 --> 00:22:45,150
you see the whole counsel of God.

625
00:22:45,930 --> 00:22:47,210
It's 20 minutes a day.

626
00:22:47,830 --> 00:22:49,810
Just start somewhere, and just keep going.

627
00:22:49,990 --> 00:22:51,830
I usually have a paperclip in the Old

628
00:22:51,830 --> 00:22:53,830
Testament and the New Testament, and just keep

629
00:22:53,830 --> 00:22:54,710
them going together.

630
00:22:54,770 --> 00:22:56,950
Keep them going together, check it off, and

631
00:22:56,950 --> 00:22:58,230
that's how you get the heart of God.

632
00:22:58,310 --> 00:23:01,110
That's how you'll know when something doesn't, you're

633
00:23:01,110 --> 00:23:03,130
not sure, or you're not sure on doctrine

634
00:23:03,130 --> 00:23:05,130
or theology, you'll know the heart of God.

635
00:23:05,230 --> 00:23:06,910
So that's a primary goal of the church,

636
00:23:07,010 --> 00:23:08,750
is to feed the saints, and what I

637
00:23:08,750 --> 00:23:10,590
mean by primary goal.

638
00:23:11,710 --> 00:23:15,370
A healthy church recognizes that our primary, the

639
00:23:15,370 --> 00:23:18,570
primary goal is, now this, some might not

640
00:23:18,570 --> 00:23:19,730
agree with this, but that's okay.

641
00:23:20,830 --> 00:23:24,270
The primary goal is a gathering together of

642
00:23:24,270 --> 00:23:24,730
believers.

643
00:23:25,770 --> 00:23:27,490
It's to hear the word of God, to

644
00:23:27,490 --> 00:23:28,430
be edified to worship.

645
00:23:28,910 --> 00:23:31,130
What happens if the main goal of the

646
00:23:31,130 --> 00:23:35,650
church is the center, and evangelism, and things

647
00:23:35,650 --> 00:23:37,590
like that, the main goal, then what happens,

648
00:23:38,030 --> 00:23:40,550
something comes in called the seeker-sensitive movement.

649
00:23:41,310 --> 00:23:41,930
Have you heard of that?

650
00:23:42,210 --> 00:23:44,910
It was big, probably 20 years ago, and

651
00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:47,790
now a lot of pastors have spoke against

652
00:23:47,790 --> 00:23:47,970
it.

653
00:23:47,970 --> 00:23:50,750
But the seeker-sensitive movement is this.

654
00:23:50,910 --> 00:23:54,370
Listen, Shane, we have to start being sensitive

655
00:23:54,370 --> 00:23:56,810
to those who are coming in who are

656
00:23:56,810 --> 00:23:57,970
not believers.

657
00:23:58,290 --> 00:24:00,590
So that means you have to change everything.

658
00:24:00,970 --> 00:24:03,070
You change the worship so it's not offensive.

659
00:24:03,310 --> 00:24:05,990
You change your messages so they're not offensive.

660
00:24:06,410 --> 00:24:08,730
You change the different things.

661
00:24:08,830 --> 00:24:10,950
You make it sensitive to the seeker.

662
00:24:11,610 --> 00:24:13,030
But the main goal of the church is

663
00:24:13,030 --> 00:24:14,510
to come and be built up and to

664
00:24:14,510 --> 00:24:15,050
glorify God.

665
00:24:15,090 --> 00:24:16,450
The main point of the church is for

666
00:24:16,450 --> 00:24:17,090
the believers.

667
00:24:17,770 --> 00:24:20,270
Now, from that, we go out and we

668
00:24:20,270 --> 00:24:21,150
evangelize.

669
00:24:21,430 --> 00:24:22,990
We reach the unchurched.

670
00:24:23,290 --> 00:24:25,690
We do things, but the main core of

671
00:24:25,690 --> 00:24:28,810
coming together is tailoring the service for believers

672
00:24:28,810 --> 00:24:29,690
to worship God.

673
00:24:30,350 --> 00:24:35,050
Communion, worship, baptism, exhortation, it's all of us

674
00:24:35,050 --> 00:24:35,690
coming together.

675
00:24:35,890 --> 00:24:39,130
Now, if somebody happens to come in, 1

676
00:24:39,130 --> 00:24:42,450
Corinthians 14, 24, if an unbeliever or an

677
00:24:42,450 --> 00:24:47,970
uninformed person comes into your gathering, and is

678
00:24:47,970 --> 00:24:51,530
convicted, I'm paraphrasing, and thus the secrets of

679
00:24:51,530 --> 00:24:54,290
his heart are revealed, and so falling down

680
00:24:54,290 --> 00:24:56,730
on his face, he will worship God and

681
00:24:56,730 --> 00:24:58,790
report that God is truly among you.

682
00:24:59,530 --> 00:25:03,630
See, unbelievers often are attracted to genuine worship

683
00:25:03,630 --> 00:25:06,510
and to genuine anointing and genuine preaching.

684
00:25:06,650 --> 00:25:08,170
They're attracted to that.

685
00:25:08,670 --> 00:25:10,670
So you don't change things around to make

686
00:25:10,670 --> 00:25:12,790
it sensitive to not offend anybody.

687
00:25:12,790 --> 00:25:16,610
You center it around God, and they can

688
00:25:16,610 --> 00:25:18,530
come in and be part of that if

689
00:25:18,530 --> 00:25:19,590
God is drawing them.

690
00:25:20,150 --> 00:25:21,930
Now, careful point here.

691
00:25:22,070 --> 00:25:24,470
We're not to be seeker-sensitive in avoiding

692
00:25:24,470 --> 00:25:26,570
the truth, but we are to be sensitive

693
00:25:26,570 --> 00:25:30,090
in how we represent God.

694
00:25:30,910 --> 00:25:33,290
So on one hand, I'm not seeker-sensitive,

695
00:25:33,790 --> 00:25:35,490
in case you didn't know, on the preaching,

696
00:25:36,190 --> 00:25:38,110
and the worship and how we do things.

697
00:25:38,790 --> 00:25:40,710
I'm not really thinking, okay, now if unbelievers

698
00:25:40,710 --> 00:25:43,590
come in, darn, they're not gonna like that

699
00:25:43,590 --> 00:25:46,670
point either, or that point, well, I might

700
00:25:46,670 --> 00:25:47,630
as well just start all over.

701
00:25:48,330 --> 00:25:49,990
Now, but I do say, you know, how

702
00:25:49,990 --> 00:25:51,630
is somebody going to take that?

703
00:25:51,930 --> 00:25:53,750
Could I have worded that differently?

704
00:25:53,970 --> 00:25:54,930
Is that offensive?

705
00:25:55,070 --> 00:25:56,290
Did I get a little too arrogant?

706
00:25:56,750 --> 00:25:57,690
And I wanna make sense of it.

707
00:25:57,690 --> 00:25:59,450
We wanna make sure that when they come

708
00:25:59,450 --> 00:26:01,190
in and check their children in the children's

709
00:26:01,190 --> 00:26:02,330
ministry, they're not offended.

710
00:26:02,490 --> 00:26:03,590
It's clean, it's organized.

711
00:26:03,690 --> 00:26:05,710
We want excellence in everything we do, and

712
00:26:05,710 --> 00:26:07,770
the people are full of life and welcoming

713
00:26:07,770 --> 00:26:08,250
them.

714
00:26:08,250 --> 00:26:10,690
See, you can be welcoming but not affirming.

715
00:26:12,190 --> 00:26:14,450
You can be welcoming but not affirming.

716
00:26:15,650 --> 00:26:17,350
Me and Morgan tried to invite a friend

717
00:26:17,350 --> 00:26:18,470
of ours we know from the gym who's

718
00:26:18,470 --> 00:26:20,110
gay for the church for the last 12

719
00:26:20,110 --> 00:26:20,410
years.

720
00:26:22,370 --> 00:26:24,430
We're welcoming, welcoming.

721
00:26:26,610 --> 00:26:27,850
We just have a heart for this guy.

722
00:26:28,490 --> 00:26:29,590
I won't say his name, but we'd say,

723
00:26:29,630 --> 00:26:30,890
you know, come on, just come to church.

724
00:26:30,910 --> 00:26:31,450
Oh, no, no.

725
00:26:32,950 --> 00:26:34,550
Now, should I say, no, come to church.

726
00:26:34,590 --> 00:26:35,350
You won't be offended.

727
00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:39,960
No, come, we'll welcome and affirm.

728
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:41,180
See, that's the difference.

729
00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:43,460
But you don't go out of your way

730
00:26:43,460 --> 00:26:44,620
to pound that person.

731
00:26:44,740 --> 00:26:46,260
You just let the word of God speak.

732
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:47,680
You're full of love, you're full of the

733
00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:49,220
Holy Spirit, and if it offends, if it

734
00:26:49,220 --> 00:26:50,560
cuts, it's meant to offend and cut.

735
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:53,280
So you can welcome and love people.

736
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:55,400
And I just wrote, I re-released an

737
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,880
article, What Did Jesus Say About Homosexuality?

738
00:26:57,980 --> 00:27:00,700
And my goodness, I mean, it's like 500

739
00:27:00,700 --> 00:27:03,120
comments on Facebook from Crosswalk, I think it

740
00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:04,360
is, crosswalk.com.

741
00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:07,300
And it's, I scroll through them sometimes.

742
00:27:07,380 --> 00:27:08,100
I know it's not a good idea.

743
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,720
But people say, this is why I'm embarrassed

744
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:12,560
to be a Christian.

745
00:27:14,380 --> 00:27:16,320
Because me, because this article, right?

746
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,880
This is why, see, everybody throwing, casting the

747
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:20,260
first stone, putting everybody down.

748
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:22,580
Read the article, read the article, it's not

749
00:27:22,580 --> 00:27:23,160
about that.

750
00:27:23,700 --> 00:27:26,140
But see, we have this concept that turn

751
00:27:26,140 --> 00:27:26,820
the other cheek.

752
00:27:26,980 --> 00:27:29,840
God loves everybody means he affirms sin.

753
00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:31,480
He doesn't affirm sin.

754
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:33,060
He says, I love you enough.

755
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,360
I died for that sin, so would you

756
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:36,060
come out of it?

757
00:27:36,060 --> 00:27:38,080
So woe is me if I do not

758
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:39,120
preach repentance.

759
00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,320
I'm actually doing people a disservice.

760
00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:44,600
And if a person's not ready to hear

761
00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:46,000
it, yes, it does hurt.

762
00:27:46,540 --> 00:27:47,400
Of course it hurts.

763
00:27:47,420 --> 00:27:48,960
Who wants to hear you need to change

764
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:49,340
and repent?

765
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:50,620
Not even me sometimes.

766
00:27:51,780 --> 00:27:52,880
Not even you, right?

767
00:27:52,980 --> 00:27:54,280
So I understand that.

768
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,120
But a loving church is part of God's

769
00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:57,540
design.

770
00:27:58,620 --> 00:28:00,660
Verse 38, therefore, let it be known to

771
00:28:00,660 --> 00:28:03,020
you, brethren, that through this man, Paul is

772
00:28:03,020 --> 00:28:06,620
still speaking, through this man, Jesus, is preached

773
00:28:06,620 --> 00:28:08,480
to you the forgiveness of sins.

774
00:28:08,980 --> 00:28:11,980
And by him, everyone who believes is justified

775
00:28:11,980 --> 00:28:14,780
from all things from which you could not

776
00:28:14,780 --> 00:28:17,340
be justified by the law of Moses.

777
00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,180
So what happened in the Old Testament, and

778
00:28:20,180 --> 00:28:22,380
even up to this time, they're following the

779
00:28:22,380 --> 00:28:23,560
law of Moses.

780
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,420
The Sabbath, the ceremonial laws, all the different

781
00:28:28,420 --> 00:28:31,040
things that Moses outlined, they're following these, he's

782
00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:31,800
following these.

783
00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:33,760
Have you ever tried to follow a lot

784
00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,560
of rules and how hard that is?

785
00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,260
I mean, we still can't do it, right?

786
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,660
All these signs say, don't drive over 55.

787
00:28:43,580 --> 00:28:44,920
A lot of you are not listening to

788
00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:45,440
those signs.

789
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:47,660
But it's so hard.

790
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:49,660
So he says, we were not justified.

791
00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,520
Justified means just as if I had never

792
00:28:53,520 --> 00:28:54,600
sinned, if you remember that.

793
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,460
Justified, Christ, I'm allowed to go before God

794
00:28:58,460 --> 00:29:00,520
the Father because of what Christ did on

795
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:01,100
the cross.

796
00:29:01,580 --> 00:29:04,380
He justified me now in right standing before

797
00:29:04,380 --> 00:29:04,600
God.

798
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:06,300
The law could never do this.

799
00:29:06,540 --> 00:29:08,320
Following a bunch of rules could never do

800
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:08,520
this.

801
00:29:08,580 --> 00:29:10,900
So Paul's breaking it down, that we've been

802
00:29:10,900 --> 00:29:12,280
justified through Christ.

803
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:17,060
Beware, therefore, lest what has been spoken in

804
00:29:17,060 --> 00:29:18,520
the prophets come upon you.

805
00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:19,960
What's been spoken in the prophets?

806
00:29:20,100 --> 00:29:22,380
Well, if you spend time in Isaiah, Jeremiah,

807
00:29:22,940 --> 00:29:25,880
Ezekiel, not too much in Daniel, more prophetic,

808
00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,800
more Babylon, but then the minor prophets, and

809
00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:31,060
Micah, and Nahum, and Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, and

810
00:29:31,060 --> 00:29:33,280
Zechariah, and all these guys that wrote, you

811
00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:35,760
would know, you would say, aha, what did

812
00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:36,160
they do?

813
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:40,720
The prophets often warned the people because they

814
00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:41,940
stayed in rebellion.

815
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:44,740
They despised the things of God.

816
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:47,740
So he's saying, be careful, because what's happening,

817
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:49,940
happened in the prophets, which we love to

818
00:29:49,940 --> 00:29:51,680
read on the Sabbath, is also happening in

819
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:53,640
your own life and in your own heart.

820
00:29:56,610 --> 00:29:58,270
So here he gets real seeker-sensitive.

821
00:29:59,090 --> 00:30:01,530
Beware, therefore, lest what has been spoken in

822
00:30:01,530 --> 00:30:02,710
the prophets come upon you.

823
00:30:02,970 --> 00:30:07,310
Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish, for I

824
00:30:07,310 --> 00:30:08,850
work a work in your days, a work

825
00:30:08,850 --> 00:30:10,490
which you will by no means believe the

826
00:30:10,490 --> 00:30:12,990
one word to declare it to you.

827
00:30:13,910 --> 00:30:16,610
So he's saying, you despisers, you despisers of

828
00:30:16,610 --> 00:30:19,370
the truth, marvel, because you will perish if

829
00:30:19,370 --> 00:30:21,690
you continue to reject that truth.

830
00:30:22,190 --> 00:30:24,770
But I wanna just highlight point four.

831
00:30:24,770 --> 00:30:28,650
Ever since Paul started to speak, here's a

832
00:30:28,650 --> 00:30:30,010
sign of a healthy church.

833
00:30:30,350 --> 00:30:31,790
Here's a sign of a healthy Christian.

834
00:30:32,490 --> 00:30:34,230
Everything centers on Jesus.

835
00:30:34,930 --> 00:30:36,470
Everything centers on Christ.

836
00:30:37,690 --> 00:30:40,310
Everything we do, now, perfectly, no.

837
00:30:40,910 --> 00:30:45,390
But when we start VBS this summer, and

838
00:30:45,390 --> 00:30:48,510
Friday evening comes, what I'm already looking forward

839
00:30:48,510 --> 00:30:50,230
to is presenting the gospel to the kids

840
00:30:50,230 --> 00:30:51,210
and to the family members.

841
00:30:51,930 --> 00:30:53,670
And throughout the week, what are we doing?

842
00:30:53,670 --> 00:30:54,690
Presenting the gospel.

843
00:30:54,830 --> 00:30:56,090
He's the only one that can heal and

844
00:30:56,090 --> 00:30:57,610
restore these little ones.

845
00:30:58,250 --> 00:31:00,530
What's the focus of the youth group that

846
00:31:00,530 --> 00:31:01,130
we're gonna start?

847
00:31:01,510 --> 00:31:02,510
We actually had one.

848
00:31:02,550 --> 00:31:03,890
Nobody knew about it, really, and come to

849
00:31:03,890 --> 00:31:04,250
find out.

850
00:31:04,550 --> 00:31:05,650
So we're gonna relaunch that.

851
00:31:05,730 --> 00:31:06,490
What's the focus?

852
00:31:06,950 --> 00:31:07,210
Christ.

853
00:31:07,570 --> 00:31:09,470
What's the focus when the elders get together

854
00:31:09,470 --> 00:31:10,450
and start to make decisions?

855
00:31:10,630 --> 00:31:11,990
Jesus, where do you want us to go?

856
00:31:12,390 --> 00:31:14,410
What's the focus of the worship?

857
00:31:15,790 --> 00:31:17,770
That's the center of everything.

858
00:31:18,130 --> 00:31:19,550
And now, that can trickle into your own

859
00:31:19,550 --> 00:31:21,010
life before you make decisions.

860
00:31:23,670 --> 00:31:24,430
What would Jesus do?

861
00:31:24,470 --> 00:31:25,290
That's a good little thing to wear.

862
00:31:26,150 --> 00:31:27,110
He's the center.

863
00:31:27,330 --> 00:31:28,610
It changes where you go.

864
00:31:29,230 --> 00:31:30,690
It changes what you'll listen to.

865
00:31:31,970 --> 00:31:33,870
It changes everything, doesn't it?

866
00:31:35,170 --> 00:31:37,530
I mean, just for fun, I should've did

867
00:31:37,530 --> 00:31:38,330
this, but just a minute.

868
00:31:39,310 --> 00:31:41,490
I wrote an article about entertainment a while

869
00:31:41,490 --> 00:31:45,470
back on how people, how it affects us

870
00:31:45,470 --> 00:31:45,910
spiritually.

871
00:31:46,790 --> 00:31:48,690
And I didn't even watch this movie.

872
00:31:48,750 --> 00:31:49,750
I just saw some reviews.

873
00:31:50,990 --> 00:31:52,610
And something about Deadpool.

874
00:31:52,610 --> 00:31:53,950
I said, it's probably not a good idea.

875
00:31:54,150 --> 00:31:55,570
Christians were emailing me, like, what?

876
00:31:56,610 --> 00:31:57,270
It's fun.

877
00:31:58,030 --> 00:32:00,090
I couldn't even have five minutes on there.

878
00:32:00,150 --> 00:32:00,770
The cussing.

879
00:32:00,930 --> 00:32:03,310
I'm like, how can people, how is this?

880
00:32:03,530 --> 00:32:05,030
I did this for Harry Potter, too, because

881
00:32:05,030 --> 00:32:06,390
somebody said, oh, it's a good movie.

882
00:32:06,490 --> 00:32:06,910
It teaches this.

883
00:32:07,110 --> 00:32:08,450
Let me rent this thing.

884
00:32:08,490 --> 00:32:10,030
And after the snake comes out of this

885
00:32:10,030 --> 00:32:11,770
guy's mouth and this lady's levitating, I said,

886
00:32:11,830 --> 00:32:12,750
back to Breadbox.

887
00:32:13,510 --> 00:32:15,210
I mean, because they challenged me.

888
00:32:15,230 --> 00:32:16,010
Watch it, watch it.

889
00:32:16,010 --> 00:32:16,610
You'll change your tune.

890
00:32:16,650 --> 00:32:17,770
No, I didn't change my tune.

891
00:32:17,870 --> 00:32:19,290
I actually increased my tune.

892
00:32:19,970 --> 00:32:22,010
These things should not be glorified.

893
00:32:22,010 --> 00:32:23,850
These things should not be in a heart

894
00:32:23,850 --> 00:32:24,610
that's healthy.

895
00:32:26,030 --> 00:32:27,250
That's the difference.

896
00:32:28,490 --> 00:32:31,570
A healthy heart is very selective with what

897
00:32:31,570 --> 00:32:32,830
they watch and where they go.

898
00:32:33,070 --> 00:32:33,890
Because you know, right?

899
00:32:34,070 --> 00:32:35,770
Your flesh gets locked on it, though, right?

900
00:32:36,150 --> 00:32:37,770
My flesh wanted to keep going Deadpool.

901
00:32:39,150 --> 00:32:41,570
And Logan, Jason Bourne, all those things for

902
00:32:41,570 --> 00:32:42,170
guys, right?

903
00:32:42,430 --> 00:32:44,690
You know, but I know, the flesh wants

904
00:32:44,690 --> 00:32:46,870
it, but the spirit says, don't you dare.

905
00:32:48,750 --> 00:32:50,830
So you have this constant battle going on.

906
00:32:50,830 --> 00:32:54,950
So a healthy Christian centers everything on Jesus.

907
00:32:55,130 --> 00:32:57,190
The church centers everything on Jesus.

908
00:32:57,310 --> 00:32:58,210
Now, have we done it perfectly?

909
00:32:58,370 --> 00:32:58,590
No.

910
00:32:59,490 --> 00:33:00,370
But that's our goal.

911
00:33:00,490 --> 00:33:01,390
Look at our mission statement.

912
00:33:01,510 --> 00:33:02,090
It's on our website.

913
00:33:02,230 --> 00:33:04,390
It's actually out front on the wall.

914
00:33:06,070 --> 00:33:07,870
This man has preached to you the forgiveness

915
00:33:07,870 --> 00:33:08,830
of sins.

916
00:33:11,980 --> 00:33:13,860
So just ask yourself this question.

917
00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:14,900
Have you been justified?

918
00:33:16,020 --> 00:33:17,240
Do you truly know God?

919
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:19,780
It's a little trite and people say it

920
00:33:19,780 --> 00:33:21,880
often, but it's probably because it's really good.

921
00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,780
If you were to die, do you know

922
00:33:24,780 --> 00:33:25,440
where you're going?

923
00:33:27,060 --> 00:33:29,900
If you were to die today, do you

924
00:33:29,900 --> 00:33:31,700
truly know where you're going?

925
00:33:32,260 --> 00:33:33,880
Because you can't live your life with a

926
00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:34,740
question mark here.

927
00:33:35,980 --> 00:33:38,120
And I talk to people, oh gosh, Shane,

928
00:33:38,180 --> 00:33:38,840
I think so.

929
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:39,800
I mean, I'm a good guy.

930
00:33:40,220 --> 00:33:40,820
I'm a good person.

931
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:44,300
Oh, eh, eh, eh, eh, red flag right

932
00:33:44,300 --> 00:33:44,580
there.

933
00:33:45,580 --> 00:33:47,120
No, you're not a good person.

934
00:33:47,860 --> 00:33:49,200
And they get offended at that.

935
00:33:49,580 --> 00:33:51,080
See, because self-righteousness.

936
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,420
If somebody says, Shane, at the core, you're

937
00:33:53,420 --> 00:33:54,760
not a good person, I'll say, amen, brother.

938
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:56,980
Preach it, please.

939
00:33:58,040 --> 00:33:58,980
But I need Christ.

940
00:33:59,060 --> 00:34:00,080
I need to be filled with the spirit

941
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:00,460
of God.

942
00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,960
So if you've never repented of your sin,

943
00:34:04,100 --> 00:34:06,480
acknowledged everything I'm talking about, I would encourage

944
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:07,520
you to do that this morning.

945
00:34:07,900 --> 00:34:08,820
You don't have to come forward.

946
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:09,639
You don't have to raise your hand.

947
00:34:09,699 --> 00:34:10,920
You don't have to do a special dance.

948
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:13,260
You just have to say, God, I need

949
00:34:13,260 --> 00:34:13,400
you.

950
00:34:13,460 --> 00:34:14,020
I've been running.

951
00:34:14,179 --> 00:34:14,760
I've been hiding.

952
00:34:16,580 --> 00:34:18,120
It's funny, on this subject too, when I

953
00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:19,880
talk about things like this, people do leave

954
00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:20,580
and they don't come back.

955
00:34:21,219 --> 00:34:24,420
Weeks later, months later, that something is drawing

956
00:34:24,420 --> 00:34:25,260
them back.

957
00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:27,620
Drawing them back, it's that conviction of the

958
00:34:27,620 --> 00:34:28,280
Holy Spirit.

959
00:34:30,219 --> 00:34:32,460
And the reason I want to mention centers

960
00:34:32,460 --> 00:34:34,420
on Jesus is because we can become so

961
00:34:34,420 --> 00:34:39,060
busy, we can become so busy, we miss

962
00:34:39,060 --> 00:34:40,060
why we're really here.

963
00:34:41,260 --> 00:34:42,800
This is actually a sad point.

964
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:45,580
I've seen so many Christians, myself included, we

965
00:34:45,580 --> 00:34:47,800
can get so busy and we forget why

966
00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:48,659
we're really here.

967
00:34:49,679 --> 00:34:50,239
Can't we?

968
00:34:50,679 --> 00:34:52,060
We're so busy doing this and doing that

969
00:34:52,060 --> 00:34:53,300
and we forget.

970
00:34:53,699 --> 00:34:55,360
He's the center of everything.

971
00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:58,080
Verse 42, so when the Jews went out

972
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,920
of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged.

973
00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:02,420
Look up this word if you want in

974
00:35:02,420 --> 00:35:02,800
the Greek.

975
00:35:03,420 --> 00:35:06,900
The Gentiles beg, it's not like, hey, Chris,

976
00:35:06,940 --> 00:35:08,020
would you talk about that next week?

977
00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:10,660
It's like, Chris, Chris, please, would you come

978
00:35:10,660 --> 00:35:11,020
back?

979
00:35:11,180 --> 00:35:12,540
Please, you can't go.

980
00:35:12,660 --> 00:35:13,580
Can you do it right now?

981
00:35:13,820 --> 00:35:15,060
No, okay, and they're begging.

982
00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:17,360
They want more of the scripture.

983
00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:19,820
They want more of that, that these words

984
00:35:19,820 --> 00:35:21,760
might be preached to them again the next

985
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:22,240
Sabbath.

986
00:35:22,740 --> 00:35:24,880
Now when the congregation had broken up, many

987
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,420
of the Jews and devout proselytes, which are

988
00:35:28,420 --> 00:35:33,780
converted, converted Jews, followed Paul and Barnabas who,

989
00:35:33,960 --> 00:35:37,260
speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in

990
00:35:37,260 --> 00:35:38,460
the grace of God.

991
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,480
So what we see here, another sign of

992
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,180
a healthy church, a healthy Christian, is spiritual

993
00:35:44,180 --> 00:35:44,820
hunger.

994
00:35:45,660 --> 00:35:46,820
See, that's a good sign.

995
00:35:48,420 --> 00:35:49,700
That's why I often say, and I'm not

996
00:35:49,700 --> 00:35:51,320
joking, if you don't wanna come to the

997
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:53,120
worship morning, that means you need to be

998
00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:54,060
at the worship morning.

999
00:35:54,500 --> 00:35:56,060
That's the whole, if you don't wanna do

1000
00:35:56,060 --> 00:35:57,720
something, that means you need to be there.

1001
00:35:57,760 --> 00:35:58,960
If you don't like what I'm saying, it's

1002
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:00,500
because you need to hear what I'm saying.

1003
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:04,060
See, a hungry heart desires more of God,

1004
00:36:05,340 --> 00:36:06,460
desires more of God.

1005
00:36:06,540 --> 00:36:07,960
They're hungry for more of God.

1006
00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,240
That's in a healthy church, and that is

1007
00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:10,920
in your life.

1008
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,660
The reason people are comfortable in dead churches

1009
00:36:14,660 --> 00:36:16,940
is because they don't offend, alarm, or upset

1010
00:36:16,940 --> 00:36:17,280
them.

1011
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:19,660
Have you seen dead churches?

1012
00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:22,620
And I'm careful, because this could become one.

1013
00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:25,960
Anytime we get away from the primary goal

1014
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:26,620
of why we're here.

1015
00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,700
But the reason churches become dead is because

1016
00:36:29,700 --> 00:36:31,220
they're no longer hungry for God.

1017
00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,000
And when a church is dead, it becomes

1018
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:35,500
a ritualistic thing.

1019
00:36:35,980 --> 00:36:36,940
Here's what we do.

1020
00:36:37,540 --> 00:36:39,260
Here's how we do it, and here's why

1021
00:36:39,260 --> 00:36:39,800
we do it.

1022
00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,580
And it's just this, every single Sunday, the

1023
00:36:43,580 --> 00:36:45,920
same old thing, and we're just dead.

1024
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,800
There's no vibrancy, there's no growth.

1025
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:50,720
There's nothing.

1026
00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:52,940
But if I move the pew 10 feet,

1027
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:54,400
we'll hear tons of complaints.

1028
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:56,900
Right, because it's dead.

1029
00:36:57,720 --> 00:36:58,880
There's no spiritual life.

1030
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:00,860
And that's one thing I am so happy

1031
00:37:00,860 --> 00:37:02,880
about West Side Christian Fellowship with all of

1032
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,200
you, is this is a hungry church.

1033
00:37:05,660 --> 00:37:07,720
This is a hungry church, for sure.

1034
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:13,320
And I'm not trying to toot anybody's horn,

1035
00:37:13,340 --> 00:37:14,940
but I think sometimes you need to be

1036
00:37:14,940 --> 00:37:15,280
encouraged.

1037
00:37:15,420 --> 00:37:18,680
But I know churches after church, after church,

1038
00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:21,340
after church that has just stopped prayer meetings

1039
00:37:21,340 --> 00:37:22,360
because nobody's there.

1040
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:24,660
And we've had up to 15 people next

1041
00:37:24,660 --> 00:37:26,220
door, and hopefully moving into a bigger room.

1042
00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,800
This morning, I was maybe 15, 20, I

1043
00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:30,340
thought I'd be here, we had 80 people.

1044
00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:33,400
80, that's a service for most churches.

1045
00:37:34,020 --> 00:37:36,280
80 people just to worship God before the

1046
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:36,980
actual service.

1047
00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:38,520
That's a hungry church.

1048
00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:40,380
And now I've got people ask, can we

1049
00:37:40,380 --> 00:37:41,640
start a Thursday night prayer meeting?

1050
00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:42,560
Can we have it dinner at night?

1051
00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,720
Wow, you guys, this is a hungry church.

1052
00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:47,480
How can we be more involved?

1053
00:37:47,580 --> 00:37:48,260
How can we serve?

1054
00:37:48,340 --> 00:37:49,300
How can the altars fold?

1055
00:37:49,380 --> 00:37:50,700
That's a hungry church.

1056
00:37:51,140 --> 00:37:52,840
That's a spiritually healthy church.

1057
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:54,460
So thank you guys so much for that.

1058
00:37:54,740 --> 00:37:55,960
And I know it's God gets all the

1059
00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:58,300
glory and credit, but I'm just, it makes

1060
00:37:58,300 --> 00:38:01,100
it much funner and easier to pastor a

1061
00:38:01,100 --> 00:38:02,280
church that's hungry for God.

1062
00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:04,620
I mean, if it was pulling the nails,

1063
00:38:04,780 --> 00:38:06,680
and oh, here we go, you know, and

1064
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:08,920
just this constant fighting and bickering, that's not

1065
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:09,280
healthy.

1066
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,700
William Still, I think he was an abolitionist,

1067
00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:15,040
African American in the 1800s.

1068
00:38:15,240 --> 00:38:15,920
He was a preacher.

1069
00:38:16,100 --> 00:38:18,600
He said, many, many people who for the

1070
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,460
first time come under the sound of Holy

1071
00:38:21,460 --> 00:38:24,980
Ghost preaching are mortally offended because they've never

1072
00:38:24,980 --> 00:38:26,680
been exposed to the white light of the

1073
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:26,940
Spirit.

1074
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:29,120
That's what happens.

1075
00:38:29,260 --> 00:38:32,160
Many, like, when you're preaching, I mean, I'm

1076
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,200
talking anointed spirit-filled preaching, people are just,

1077
00:38:35,340 --> 00:38:37,040
what is this?

1078
00:38:37,460 --> 00:38:38,640
What is this?

1079
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:41,360
I'm used to just the, like, just put

1080
00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:41,900
me to sleep.

1081
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,400
Let me take my morning nap.

1082
00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:46,180
And now I'm just, I'm offended.

1083
00:38:46,980 --> 00:38:49,600
But that can be a good thing sometimes.

1084
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:54,220
44, verse 44, on the next Sabbath, almost

1085
00:38:54,220 --> 00:38:56,640
the whole city came together to hear the

1086
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:57,900
word of God.

1087
00:38:58,200 --> 00:38:59,920
But the Jews saw the multitudes.

1088
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:02,340
They were filled with envy and contradicting and

1089
00:39:02,340 --> 00:39:02,880
blasphemy.

1090
00:39:02,980 --> 00:39:06,980
They opposed the things spoken by Paul.

1091
00:39:06,980 --> 00:39:08,080
And I'm gonna have to get through this

1092
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:10,280
real quick because the second service is gonna

1093
00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:13,020
be in 15 minutes, and it doesn't matter

1094
00:39:13,020 --> 00:39:14,980
right now because we've been going since 7

1095
00:39:14,980 --> 00:39:16,360
.30, so we'll just keep going.

1096
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,520
Oh, wait, actually, we got 45 minutes.

1097
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:22,440
That's right, we got 45 minutes until the

1098
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:23,180
second service.

1099
00:39:24,340 --> 00:39:25,260
I'm fine, all right.

1100
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,680
If you need to go or you're bored,

1101
00:39:27,780 --> 00:39:28,120
just go.

1102
00:39:28,260 --> 00:39:29,240
Honey, I gotta go to the bathroom.

1103
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:30,320
Meet me out there.

1104
00:39:31,340 --> 00:39:32,120
Have you done that?

1105
00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:33,080
I've done that before.

1106
00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:35,040
I said, I'm gonna go to the bathroom.

1107
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:37,180
I'm gonna go to the bathroom, and two,

1108
00:39:37,240 --> 00:39:38,580
three minutes, you just go to the bathroom,

1109
00:39:38,700 --> 00:39:41,620
too, and then we'll just head out in

1110
00:39:41,620 --> 00:39:42,720
the boring, dead churches.

1111
00:39:43,340 --> 00:39:47,060
But number six, six, growth.

1112
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:49,280
And if Brant wants to keep worship going

1113
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:50,880
in the second service, I'm not gonna be

1114
00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:51,660
upset at all.

1115
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:54,680
Here's what, in a healthy church and a

1116
00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,720
healthy Christian, now, let me talk about church

1117
00:39:57,720 --> 00:39:58,060
for a minute.

1118
00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:00,020
There is growth.

1119
00:40:00,500 --> 00:40:02,900
Now, there's big debates out there with, no,

1120
00:40:03,140 --> 00:40:04,900
you know, you shouldn't be focused on numbers,

1121
00:40:05,060 --> 00:40:05,900
and that's true.

1122
00:40:07,020 --> 00:40:08,380
God ripped that out of me a long

1123
00:40:08,380 --> 00:40:08,720
time ago.

1124
00:40:08,780 --> 00:40:09,940
I think I've told you that story before.

1125
00:40:10,060 --> 00:40:11,460
We were having good numbers, and then we

1126
00:40:11,460 --> 00:40:12,820
dropped down to, like, 50 people.

1127
00:40:13,260 --> 00:40:15,440
I'm like, uh-oh, well, Lord, whatever you

1128
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:16,340
say, I'm still preaching.

1129
00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:17,600
I don't care if it's just me, Morgan,

1130
00:40:17,620 --> 00:40:19,220
and my mom, because I know you've called

1131
00:40:19,220 --> 00:40:19,840
me to do this.

1132
00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:22,220
And then it started to build up and

1133
00:40:22,220 --> 00:40:24,660
build up, and then radio stations were contacting,

1134
00:40:24,780 --> 00:40:25,900
hey, we heard this, can we get on

1135
00:40:25,900 --> 00:40:26,160
the air?

1136
00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:27,380
I'm like, we wanna get on the air?

1137
00:40:27,660 --> 00:40:29,900
Okay, and God's opening doors, and so he's

1138
00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:30,620
doing this.

1139
00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:33,640
But I wanted to put this in perspective,

1140
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,520
because sometimes we think growth is bad, but

1141
00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:38,960
what farmer plants seeds and doesn't wanna see

1142
00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:39,360
a harvest?

1143
00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,100
You guys who have cherry orchards, you wanna

1144
00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:43,300
see just a few trees blooming?

1145
00:40:43,980 --> 00:40:45,060
I'll tell you, that big one down in

1146
00:40:45,060 --> 00:40:46,860
the corner wants to see every single one

1147
00:40:46,860 --> 00:40:47,120
blooming.

1148
00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:48,140
I'll tell you that right now.

1149
00:40:48,380 --> 00:40:48,640
Why?

1150
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,640
Because it's fruitful, it's a harvest.

1151
00:40:50,980 --> 00:40:54,480
What youth director doesn't wanna go from five

1152
00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,300
to 50 kids that are reaching the gospel?

1153
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:59,000
What pastor doesn't wanna preach, okay, you have

1154
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,200
50 people hearing this.

1155
00:41:00,420 --> 00:41:02,240
One of my biggest frustrations is I want

1156
00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:04,740
the multitude of America to hear this, not

1157
00:41:04,740 --> 00:41:06,340
for pride and self and ego and all

1158
00:41:06,340 --> 00:41:06,500
that.

1159
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:08,020
Sure, it comes into play now and then,

1160
00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,760
but the main goal is to get this

1161
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:12,920
message out.

1162
00:41:13,260 --> 00:41:15,220
I wanna get it out to other people

1163
00:41:15,220 --> 00:41:18,060
to hear it, because that's a good steward

1164
00:41:18,060 --> 00:41:19,340
of what God has given us.

1165
00:41:19,700 --> 00:41:21,840
So sometimes we think numbers are bad, and

1166
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:23,380
I was caught in this mentality, I really

1167
00:41:23,380 --> 00:41:23,720
was.

1168
00:41:24,020 --> 00:41:26,840
I took pride, especially back in Lancaster, a

1169
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:30,600
small church, we're small, and we don't have

1170
00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:33,740
too many people, because big numbers meant big,

1171
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:35,720
mega churches that are walking away from God,

1172
00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:37,220
but not necessarily.

1173
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:39,040
I mean, I don't know whatever God wants

1174
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:41,500
to do, he'll do, but numbers, I mean,

1175
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,060
people bringing friends and family, and it's growing,

1176
00:41:44,220 --> 00:41:44,960
that can be healthy.

1177
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:46,480
Now, at some point, you have to talk

1178
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:48,260
about what's the plan, if it gets too

1179
00:41:48,260 --> 00:41:49,600
big, and what does that look like?

1180
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:52,440
But be careful when we look at churches.

1181
00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:54,700
Now, some people prefer a smaller church setting,

1182
00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:56,880
and I get that, because I walked into

1183
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:59,840
a big church in Antelope Valley eight years

1184
00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:01,760
ago, in the lobby, it was just, it

1185
00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:03,520
was like I was at a rock concert.

1186
00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:05,200
I'm like, I wanna go back to a

1187
00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:07,300
smaller church, the kids, you know, everybody, so

1188
00:42:07,300 --> 00:42:08,700
I, and that's why I think God has

1189
00:42:08,700 --> 00:42:10,660
given us different denominations and different churches.

1190
00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,300
But there's also something powerful in walking in,

1191
00:42:13,340 --> 00:42:15,760
and you've got 1,000 people singing No

1192
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:18,380
Longer Slaves, and it just breaks out, and

1193
00:42:18,380 --> 00:42:21,640
you're worshiping, and there's a multitude of heavenly

1194
00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:23,420
hosts helping us out, right?

1195
00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:26,160
It's 1,000 people worshiping God, that's powerful.

1196
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:28,480
It's not, well, the 1,000 aren't holy,

1197
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:29,320
and these five are.

1198
00:42:30,620 --> 00:42:33,620
These five, with hymnals, without any musical instruments,

1199
00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:35,160
are more holy, and you 1,000 are

1200
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:37,000
just misled by that loud music.

1201
00:42:37,380 --> 00:42:38,260
No, not necessarily.

1202
00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:41,700
I've been, I've seen both sides, and so

1203
00:42:41,700 --> 00:42:42,000
have you.

1204
00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:45,240
So see, sometimes my heart desire, I'd love

1205
00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:47,180
to, I mean, can you imagine 1,000

1206
00:42:47,180 --> 00:42:49,080
people worshiping God?

1207
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:52,840
You know, and so sometimes we get stuck

1208
00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:53,400
on these things.

1209
00:42:53,400 --> 00:42:56,140
I've been in that trap, but spiritual growth,

1210
00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:58,180
spiritually and numerically.

1211
00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:00,280
So if you're growing by the numbers, you

1212
00:43:00,280 --> 00:43:01,400
better be growing spiritually.

1213
00:43:02,580 --> 00:43:03,600
Well, how do you know?

1214
00:43:04,420 --> 00:43:07,680
Prayer, morning prayer, evening prayer, morning times of

1215
00:43:07,680 --> 00:43:09,800
worship, the hunger of the people, they're not

1216
00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:10,260
in a hurry.

1217
00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:12,900
You see the spiritual health, that's how you

1218
00:43:12,900 --> 00:43:13,280
gauge it.

1219
00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:15,540
You gauge spiritual health by spiritual disciplines.

1220
00:43:16,140 --> 00:43:17,760
If you see, now I'm getting emails saying,

1221
00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:20,740
would you please explain, take a sermon, explain

1222
00:43:20,740 --> 00:43:21,220
fasting?

1223
00:43:21,720 --> 00:43:23,380
You mention it, but what does it do,

1224
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:24,080
how do I do it?

1225
00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:25,380
I'm like, okay, hold on, I'm getting there.

1226
00:43:25,620 --> 00:43:26,740
I'm ramping up to that.

1227
00:43:27,420 --> 00:43:28,960
And people are hungry for God.

1228
00:43:29,060 --> 00:43:31,120
Can we come early, just open the church

1229
00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:31,460
and pray?

1230
00:43:31,540 --> 00:43:32,400
Are you kidding me?

1231
00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:33,360
Where are you guys coming?

1232
00:43:33,600 --> 00:43:33,920
Absolutely.

1233
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:37,040
I mean, that's, so we love those things.

1234
00:43:40,140 --> 00:43:41,680
Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were

1235
00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,540
glad and glorified the word of the Lord.

1236
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:45,920
I was gonna go off on the Sabbath

1237
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:47,680
here for a minute, but I don't think

1238
00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:48,580
I will, I don't have time.

1239
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:50,440
But a Sabbath, they were always meeting on

1240
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:50,800
the Sabbath.

1241
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:51,940
They were always meeting on the Sabbath.

1242
00:43:52,380 --> 00:43:56,660
And this could be a sermon itself, but

1243
00:43:56,660 --> 00:43:58,420
people say, well, Christians aren't required to keep

1244
00:43:58,420 --> 00:43:59,820
the law, it doesn't, no big deal anymore.

1245
00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:02,100
I think a Sabbath is still very important.

1246
00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:04,060
God's not gonna say, take a Sabbath and

1247
00:44:04,060 --> 00:44:04,880
don't worry about it.

1248
00:44:05,260 --> 00:44:07,380
But what I don't, because God rested, it's

1249
00:44:07,380 --> 00:44:08,180
a day of rest.

1250
00:44:08,600 --> 00:44:10,300
And if you even study the Seventh-day

1251
00:44:10,300 --> 00:44:12,300
Adventist, which I disagree with many of their

1252
00:44:12,300 --> 00:44:14,660
fell prophecies, I disagree with their legalistic approach

1253
00:44:14,660 --> 00:44:16,280
and many different things, so I don't promote

1254
00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:16,640
that at all.

1255
00:44:17,700 --> 00:44:20,200
It's not something I even wanna entertain.

1256
00:44:21,020 --> 00:44:23,480
But they're some of the oldest people in

1257
00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:26,260
the United States because they take that Sabbath

1258
00:44:26,260 --> 00:44:27,760
rest, they eat very healthy.

1259
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:29,060
So, oh, look at those Mormons, they don't

1260
00:44:29,060 --> 00:44:31,080
drink caffeine and beer, ha, ha, ha, well,

1261
00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:31,680
you shouldn't either.

1262
00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,020
I mean, if you wanna be healthy, I

1263
00:44:34,020 --> 00:44:36,940
mean, you know, you can't smoke and drink.

1264
00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:38,520
Yeah, if you wanna be healthy, I mean,

1265
00:44:38,540 --> 00:44:38,960
how healthy?

1266
00:44:39,380 --> 00:44:41,840
So we see a Sabbath is a day

1267
00:44:41,840 --> 00:44:42,320
of rest.

1268
00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:43,980
I believe it should be honored where God,

1269
00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:46,300
I'm taking a day off from my busy

1270
00:44:46,300 --> 00:44:46,880
schedule.

1271
00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:49,740
I'm gonna disconnect from Facebook and all this

1272
00:44:49,740 --> 00:44:49,960
stuff.

1273
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:51,360
I'm gonna spend time with my family, I'm

1274
00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:52,180
gonna spend time with you.

1275
00:44:52,340 --> 00:44:53,700
I don't know what that looks like, and

1276
00:44:53,700 --> 00:44:55,260
we're gonna have a day of rest.

1277
00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:59,060
Because that was, anytime God initiates something, here's

1278
00:44:59,060 --> 00:45:00,900
why it's important, we don't say, well, it's

1279
00:45:00,900 --> 00:45:01,560
not important anymore.

1280
00:45:02,220 --> 00:45:03,680
What we don't do is start to gauge,

1281
00:45:03,740 --> 00:45:06,680
because there's people, and I get emails on

1282
00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:07,920
this, too, that, well, if you go back

1283
00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:08,900
to Saturday, we'll come.

1284
00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:11,460
That's a true church, you know, because it's

1285
00:45:11,460 --> 00:45:12,500
Sabbath, Saturday worship.

1286
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:15,020
I'm like, well, then you probably aren't, you

1287
00:45:15,020 --> 00:45:16,500
know, don't need to be coming, because that's

1288
00:45:16,500 --> 00:45:17,300
the wrong attitude.

1289
00:45:17,420 --> 00:45:18,820
Like, you can't worship God Sunday morning?

1290
00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:20,740
I mean, I can tell you there's Chinese,

1291
00:45:21,940 --> 00:45:24,500
in the underground church, China, that they're meeting

1292
00:45:24,500 --> 00:45:25,500
at 4 a.m. on Friday.

1293
00:45:26,020 --> 00:45:28,300
I know friends that get Bibles there, and

1294
00:45:28,300 --> 00:45:29,900
they're meeting whenever they can.

1295
00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:31,860
Now, if you, nope, nope, nope, nope, Saturday,

1296
00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:35,400
sunup to sundown, you Chinese believers, you better

1297
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:36,580
not worship God on Friday.

1298
00:45:37,740 --> 00:45:39,240
See, we just get a little bit ridiculous

1299
00:45:39,240 --> 00:45:40,360
here, but I wish I had more time

1300
00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:41,820
to talk about that, because I think it's

1301
00:45:41,820 --> 00:45:43,640
good, but we don't have to put, we

1302
00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:46,980
don't live underneath the ceremonial laws, and this

1303
00:45:46,980 --> 00:45:48,320
would fall under, you know, you have to

1304
00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:48,960
live there.

1305
00:45:49,120 --> 00:45:50,860
Now, however, if people are just blatantly breaking

1306
00:45:50,860 --> 00:45:52,760
this, I would encourage you to take a

1307
00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:53,240
look at it.

1308
00:45:53,300 --> 00:45:54,420
You need a day of rest.

1309
00:45:54,780 --> 00:45:56,260
You need a day to just turn everything

1310
00:45:56,260 --> 00:45:57,520
off and focus on God.

1311
00:45:57,620 --> 00:45:59,060
There's very good benefits with that.

1312
00:46:00,220 --> 00:46:02,620
Verse 48, now, when the Gentiles heard this,

1313
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:05,320
they were glad, and they glorified the word

1314
00:46:05,320 --> 00:46:05,700
of the Lord.

1315
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:07,600
So, the Gentiles heard the message of the

1316
00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:12,600
gospel, and they were glad, and then it

1317
00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:14,840
says, and as many as had been appointed

1318
00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:16,280
to eternal life believed.

1319
00:46:16,820 --> 00:46:19,040
Now, this is a verse that those who

1320
00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:21,640
believe in eternal salvation, or eternal salvation, those

1321
00:46:21,640 --> 00:46:23,800
who believe in election, which I believe in

1322
00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:25,200
election, because it's taught in the Bible, but

1323
00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:28,040
it's how you define it, and again, time

1324
00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:29,060
won't allow me to go on to this,

1325
00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:32,660
but those who were appointed also means prepared.

1326
00:46:33,420 --> 00:46:35,280
If you look in the context, it just

1327
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:37,200
said, since you rejected the word of God

1328
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:40,160
and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold,

1329
00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:41,880
we turn to the Gentiles.

1330
00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:44,420
So, those who are appointed to eternal life

1331
00:46:44,420 --> 00:46:48,360
believed, so that's another point of a healthy

1332
00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:50,200
church is salvation follows.

1333
00:46:51,080 --> 00:46:53,440
There are salvations taking place in this church

1334
00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:54,880
quite often.

1335
00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:57,880
Baptisms, they follow a healthy church.

1336
00:46:58,280 --> 00:46:59,800
Now, there are churches out there who haven't

1337
00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:02,000
had baptism or salvation in a year or

1338
00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:06,720
two, or three, it just doesn't happen because

1339
00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:08,260
it's the frozen chosen, right?

1340
00:47:08,380 --> 00:47:10,700
We just, it's just us, it's just us,

1341
00:47:10,740 --> 00:47:12,600
and we're the really cool group, and we

1342
00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:14,780
don't, you know, we're not worldly, we don't

1343
00:47:14,780 --> 00:47:17,020
do these things, and it's just this, but

1344
00:47:17,020 --> 00:47:18,920
in a healthy church, you see people hearing

1345
00:47:18,920 --> 00:47:21,500
the word of God, getting convicted, God draws

1346
00:47:21,500 --> 00:47:23,200
them to the church, and they are saved.

1347
00:47:25,020 --> 00:47:28,040
That's why after salvation, we honor two sacraments.

1348
00:47:28,580 --> 00:47:31,240
What I mean by sacrament is two things

1349
00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:32,840
that the early church did that we continue.

1350
00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:36,220
One is baptism, and the other is communion.

1351
00:47:36,560 --> 00:47:39,020
We do both of those, and then verse

1352
00:47:39,020 --> 00:47:42,280
49, down to verse 52, I'm just gonna

1353
00:47:42,280 --> 00:47:43,740
read the end of it, verse 52, and

1354
00:47:43,740 --> 00:47:47,360
the disciples were filled with joy and with

1355
00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:48,380
the Holy Spirit.

1356
00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:49,820
See, it's not me.

1357
00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:52,640
The Bible keeps mentioning it, filled with joy

1358
00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:55,000
and the Holy Spirit, so guess what, that's

1359
00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:57,080
a sign of a healthy church, for sure.

1360
00:47:57,180 --> 00:47:59,600
If you're filled with joy and the Holy

1361
00:47:59,600 --> 00:48:02,180
Spirit, that's a healthy church, not this.

1362
00:48:02,400 --> 00:48:03,120
You know what this is?

1363
00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:05,220
It's disunity, and it's a lot of people

1364
00:48:05,220 --> 00:48:06,120
being disgruntled.

1365
00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:07,640
It's in a lot of churches.

1366
00:48:08,140 --> 00:48:10,220
Many, well, I'll be careful here, but many

1367
00:48:10,220 --> 00:48:12,620
of the smaller churches, the reason they're small

1368
00:48:12,620 --> 00:48:13,580
is because of this.

1369
00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:16,520
There's a lot of disunity and disgruntled and

1370
00:48:16,520 --> 00:48:19,980
picking apart and naysaying and critical spirits.

1371
00:48:20,140 --> 00:48:23,700
That's not a healthy church, so believers that

1372
00:48:23,700 --> 00:48:27,080
are truly healthy are filled with joy and

1373
00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:29,180
the Holy Spirit, and you might say, Shane,

1374
00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:30,420
I'm not feeling too much joy today.

1375
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:31,760
Well, don't be discouraged.

1376
00:48:32,240 --> 00:48:33,520
We all go through those valleys.

1377
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:37,040
We all get the doctor's report or the

1378
00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:39,840
phone call or life is not going good

1379
00:48:39,840 --> 00:48:41,820
right now, and it's not a continual.

1380
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:44,080
I believe that it's possible to be a

1381
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:46,080
lot more joyful than we are, but we

1382
00:48:46,080 --> 00:48:48,560
also have to be encouraged and know that

1383
00:48:48,560 --> 00:48:50,180
God wants to fill us with the Spirit.

1384
00:48:51,620 --> 00:48:54,020
Your spiritual health depends on this.

1385
00:48:54,500 --> 00:48:56,620
This right here, your spiritual health depends upon

1386
00:48:56,620 --> 00:48:58,720
this joy and the filling of the Holy

1387
00:48:58,720 --> 00:48:59,100
Spirit.

1388
00:49:01,140 --> 00:49:02,760
And then Acts 14, we actually get into

1389
00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:03,640
chapter 14.

1390
00:49:04,080 --> 00:49:05,420
Basically, here's what happens.

1391
00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:08,560
As Paul is preaching, the Jews that were

1392
00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:11,600
unbelieving, they stirred up the Gentiles and they

1393
00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:14,480
poisoned their mind against the brethren.

1394
00:49:15,260 --> 00:49:16,480
They're like, oh, goodness.

1395
00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:17,180
Well, guess what?

1396
00:49:17,220 --> 00:49:17,940
That's number nine.

1397
00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:20,340
There is conflict in a healthy church.

1398
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,300
You might as well just try to keep

1399
00:49:23,300 --> 00:49:26,140
the sun from coming up to avoid conflict,

1400
00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:27,560
and what I mean also by that is

1401
00:49:27,560 --> 00:49:28,380
spiritual warfare.

1402
00:49:28,940 --> 00:49:30,720
In a healthy church, in a healthy Christian,

1403
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:33,300
there is conflict, isn't there?

1404
00:49:33,340 --> 00:49:35,700
Because it's light and darkness going like this.

1405
00:49:36,100 --> 00:49:36,980
There's conflict.

1406
00:49:36,980 --> 00:49:38,320
You're gonna have conflict.

1407
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:41,960
Now, one thing I would encourage you, too

1408
00:49:41,960 --> 00:49:43,680
many people run from the heat before the

1409
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:45,240
refining process is complete.

1410
00:49:46,640 --> 00:49:48,280
Oh, it's getting hard, I'm outta here.

1411
00:49:48,500 --> 00:49:49,500
Well, then you go to the next place.

1412
00:49:49,580 --> 00:49:50,580
Oh, it's getting hard, I'm outta here.

1413
00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:51,900
Then it's the next, and you never grow

1414
00:49:51,900 --> 00:49:52,280
spiritually.

1415
00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:58,100
If God has you here, stick with it.

1416
00:49:58,480 --> 00:49:59,320
Yes, it's challenging.

1417
00:49:59,460 --> 00:50:00,680
Yes, it's this, but stick with it.

1418
00:50:00,720 --> 00:50:01,600
It's part of the battle.

1419
00:50:01,960 --> 00:50:04,640
So there is conflict in a healthy Christian

1420
00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:05,820
and a healthy church.

1421
00:50:05,820 --> 00:50:08,300
There is spiritual warfare taking place.

1422
00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:10,680
We actually prayed this morning at 7.30

1423
00:50:10,680 --> 00:50:13,080
open knowing that many people were not gonna

1424
00:50:13,080 --> 00:50:15,660
come this morning because of family feuds in

1425
00:50:15,660 --> 00:50:16,060
the morning.

1426
00:50:17,140 --> 00:50:17,800
Has that ever happened to you?

1427
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:19,660
Monday through Friday, it's great, no arguments really

1428
00:50:19,660 --> 00:50:22,760
in the morning, but come Sunday morning, come

1429
00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:25,120
Sunday morning, you didn't take my clothes out

1430
00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:25,620
of the washer.

1431
00:50:26,500 --> 00:50:28,020
They're still in the dryer, they're wet, or

1432
00:50:28,020 --> 00:50:30,340
the dishes, or in breakfast, we have no

1433
00:50:30,340 --> 00:50:30,640
milk.

1434
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:31,900
I'm not going to church.

1435
00:50:31,980 --> 00:50:34,240
Well, you should've, and see, the devil says,

1436
00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:35,840
let me get that contention, that fighting, then

1437
00:50:35,840 --> 00:50:36,640
they won't go to church.

1438
00:50:36,740 --> 00:50:37,780
Good, I accomplished that.

1439
00:50:39,260 --> 00:50:41,600
There's always gonna be spiritual warfare in a

1440
00:50:41,600 --> 00:50:42,260
healthy believer.

1441
00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:43,720
So I'm gonna close with this.

1442
00:50:43,800 --> 00:50:46,040
How healthy are you spiritually speaking?

1443
00:50:47,460 --> 00:50:49,780
How healthy are you spiritually speaking?

1444
00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:51,840
What I'm gonna do, I'm gonna throw this

1445
00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:52,160
out there.

1446
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:54,600
I know this isn't for everybody, but we're

1447
00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:56,780
going to actually, I'm initiating this morning a

1448
00:50:56,780 --> 00:50:59,740
corporate fast, asking the church, we did it

1449
00:50:59,740 --> 00:51:03,140
in January, asking again in June, right now,

1450
00:51:03,140 --> 00:51:05,860
halfway through the year, what I want you

1451
00:51:05,860 --> 00:51:07,960
to do is begin to remove things that

1452
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:10,220
are a stumbling block, begin to remove things,

1453
00:51:10,340 --> 00:51:11,260
and you know what they are, and they're

1454
00:51:11,260 --> 00:51:12,820
gonna be very hard to get rid of,

1455
00:51:13,060 --> 00:51:14,940
those things that keep you away from God.

1456
00:51:15,060 --> 00:51:16,760
You ever on Facebook so much you get

1457
00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:17,140
a headache?

1458
00:51:17,620 --> 00:51:18,940
You go, I gotta stop this thing.

1459
00:51:18,980 --> 00:51:21,640
It's very easy, disconnect Facebook and forget your

1460
00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:23,480
password, until you have to go onto a

1461
00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:26,300
computer or something, or stop the evening this

1462
00:51:26,300 --> 00:51:28,380
and news, it's just dramatizing you.

1463
00:51:28,580 --> 00:51:30,080
Why can't you get up early, spend time,

1464
00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:32,960
and I'm calling for food as well, for

1465
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:34,680
those who want to, whether it's a meal

1466
00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:36,640
or two meals, and as you do it,

1467
00:51:36,700 --> 00:51:38,040
you'll build up strength.

1468
00:51:38,520 --> 00:51:40,080
You'll build up strength, like for me a

1469
00:51:40,080 --> 00:51:42,840
day now, with just waters, two years ago

1470
00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,000
I was screamed, but it builds up your

1471
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,340
flesh and submission, and it builds up things,

1472
00:51:47,660 --> 00:51:50,020
and God honors somebody missing a breakfast just

1473
00:51:50,020 --> 00:51:51,500
as much as a whole day, depending on

1474
00:51:51,500 --> 00:51:53,100
where they're at spiritually, if their heart is

1475
00:51:53,100 --> 00:51:53,320
right.

1476
00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:54,860
See, we have to remember, if it doesn't

1477
00:51:54,860 --> 00:51:56,760
hurt me anything or cost me anything, it's

1478
00:51:56,760 --> 00:51:57,820
not an offering to God.

1479
00:51:58,500 --> 00:51:59,880
Now, I don't want to get caught on

1480
00:51:59,880 --> 00:52:01,140
rules, and we have to do this, what

1481
00:52:01,140 --> 00:52:02,960
I'm trying to do is prepare the body,

1482
00:52:03,580 --> 00:52:05,700
prepare the body, and it's going to culminate

1483
00:52:05,700 --> 00:52:08,540
on July 2nd, that's the Sunday I'm going

1484
00:52:08,540 --> 00:52:09,680
to talk about fasting.

1485
00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:13,140
I've got a book this high, and the

1486
00:52:13,140 --> 00:52:14,980
Bible, I'm going to give you everything I

1487
00:52:14,980 --> 00:52:16,480
know about fasting, and try to sum it

1488
00:52:16,480 --> 00:52:19,080
up, and it's going to end on July

1489
00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:20,460
2nd, for some of you it might just

1490
00:52:20,460 --> 00:52:22,860
begin for a deeper fast for 10 days

1491
00:52:22,860 --> 00:52:25,280
or so, but remove those things, why can't

1492
00:52:25,280 --> 00:52:26,600
you get enough time in the Word, why

1493
00:52:26,600 --> 00:52:28,280
can't you get to church every Sunday, what

1494
00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:31,540
is distracting you, begin to remove those distractions,

1495
00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,620
and begin to pray, that's what we're calling

1496
00:52:34,620 --> 00:52:36,000
the church to, so I'll send out emails

1497
00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:38,040
more about that, but so that leads me

1498
00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:39,780
to number 10, things you already know, in

1499
00:52:39,780 --> 00:52:41,540
a healthy church, in a healthy Christian, there

1500
00:52:41,540 --> 00:52:44,840
is prayer and fasting, what prayer does, why

1501
00:52:44,840 --> 00:52:46,540
we do it at the end, people come

1502
00:52:46,540 --> 00:52:49,920
in, they're broken, they're hurt, prayer leads to

1503
00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:55,040
restoration and renewal, there's restoration and renewal, I

1504
00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:56,520
was just reading in that book I recommended,

1505
00:52:56,740 --> 00:53:00,060
in Nepal, in Nepal, this is amazing, I

1506
00:53:00,060 --> 00:53:02,220
actually, these things bring tears to my eyes

1507
00:53:02,220 --> 00:53:03,260
sometimes, if it hits me at the right

1508
00:53:03,260 --> 00:53:04,840
time as I'm reading, just thinking about us

1509
00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:08,800
now, he's talking about churches, underground churches, they're

1510
00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:11,280
in their house, they put pillows on their

1511
00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:13,400
mouth before they're, as they're praying and crying

1512
00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:15,000
out to God, so they don't get heard

1513
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:20,850
by their neighbor and get arrested, and we

1514
00:53:20,850 --> 00:53:22,410
have hardly anybody that wants to go for

1515
00:53:22,410 --> 00:53:25,730
prayer, or we're in a hurry, Jack's Place

1516
00:53:25,730 --> 00:53:27,090
sounds really good, we gotta beat the crowd,

1517
00:53:28,450 --> 00:53:33,470
think about where our spiritual hunger is, Ian

1518
00:53:33,470 --> 00:53:35,630
Bound said, the little estimate we put on

1519
00:53:35,630 --> 00:53:37,810
prayer is evidence from the little time we

1520
00:53:37,810 --> 00:53:40,810
give to it, see, and I didn't wanna

1521
00:53:40,810 --> 00:53:42,050
be a church that gave a little bit

1522
00:53:42,050 --> 00:53:43,710
time for prayer, I wanna give as much

1523
00:53:43,710 --> 00:53:45,750
time for prayer as we do preaching, prayer,

1524
00:53:45,930 --> 00:53:48,070
preaching, and word, and the word, through the

1525
00:53:48,070 --> 00:53:50,070
first, this early morning service, we were praying,

1526
00:53:50,250 --> 00:53:51,610
we were asking God, we were at the

1527
00:53:51,610 --> 00:53:53,630
altar, and we're gonna do that again after

1528
00:53:53,630 --> 00:53:55,290
this service, we're gonna be next door for

1529
00:53:55,290 --> 00:53:57,350
those who wanna come for prayer, I think

1530
00:53:57,350 --> 00:53:59,110
half this room should be making their way

1531
00:53:59,110 --> 00:54:01,310
next door to pray, just on the other

1532
00:54:01,310 --> 00:54:03,410
side of the hallway, and then we're gonna

1533
00:54:03,410 --> 00:54:06,070
also do baptisms, I'm gonna come back up

1534
00:54:06,070 --> 00:54:08,710
after the prayer time, after the worship, right

1535
00:54:08,710 --> 00:54:11,910
before the first service, probably, and do baptisms,

1536
00:54:12,030 --> 00:54:13,550
I would encourage you, if you want to

1537
00:54:13,550 --> 00:54:16,270
be baptized, we have towels, this is a

1538
00:54:16,270 --> 00:54:20,890
step of obedience, this is important, in that

1539
00:54:20,890 --> 00:54:24,270
book, again, in Western Christianity, the power of

1540
00:54:24,270 --> 00:54:26,990
the importance of baptism has largely been lost,

1541
00:54:27,170 --> 00:54:29,410
in other parts of the world, however, baptism

1542
00:54:29,410 --> 00:54:32,170
remains the most vital and dangerous action a

1543
00:54:32,170 --> 00:54:35,190
believer can take, thousands of believers are murdered

1544
00:54:35,190 --> 00:54:37,910
each year following their baptism, because it is

1545
00:54:37,910 --> 00:54:40,850
a clear-cut declaration to the spiritual realm

1546
00:54:40,850 --> 00:54:43,170
that an individual has crossed the line from

1547
00:54:43,170 --> 00:54:46,390
death to life, see, the Bible put a

1548
00:54:46,390 --> 00:54:49,350
lot of emphasis in baptism, I'm dying to

1549
00:54:49,350 --> 00:54:52,130
self, I'm being baptized, I'm identifying with Christ,

1550
00:54:52,350 --> 00:54:53,770
if people say, yeah, I believe, but I

1551
00:54:53,770 --> 00:54:55,330
don't wanna be baptized, brother, you better check

1552
00:54:55,330 --> 00:55:00,030
your heart, why not, and I talk to

1553
00:55:00,030 --> 00:55:01,590
people in the prayer room, oh, I'm coming

1554
00:55:01,590 --> 00:55:02,950
back to learn, have you ever been baptized,

1555
00:55:03,090 --> 00:55:04,230
no, I'm not ready for that right now,

1556
00:55:04,850 --> 00:55:06,990
now, I understand there's genuine concern sometimes in

1557
00:55:06,990 --> 00:55:09,570
processing things, but the desire of a hungry

1558
00:55:09,570 --> 00:55:13,730
heart, should wanna be baptized, so if you

1559
00:55:13,730 --> 00:55:15,650
need to be baptized today, I will baptize

1560
00:55:15,650 --> 00:55:17,430
you, women are on this side, men are

1561
00:55:17,430 --> 00:55:19,850
on this side, we'll wait, we'll go, we'll

1562
00:55:19,850 --> 00:55:21,050
take a little longer if we need to,

1563
00:55:21,090 --> 00:55:25,190
we wanna get everybody baptized, the final point

1564
00:55:25,190 --> 00:55:27,890
is, excuses must end if you want to

1565
00:55:27,890 --> 00:55:30,970
be spiritually healthy, oh, I see some smiles

1566
00:55:30,970 --> 00:55:33,590
on that one, are you excuse makers, too,

1567
00:55:35,110 --> 00:55:38,270
right, we have excuse for everything, it's too

1568
00:55:38,270 --> 00:55:44,380
early for the morning worship, I can just

1569
00:55:44,380 --> 00:55:46,080
show you how silly that is, and if

1570
00:55:46,080 --> 00:55:48,080
you take your favorite Hollywood actor, and if

1571
00:55:48,080 --> 00:55:49,000
I told you they were gonna be here

1572
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:51,040
at 5 a.m. to greet me, you

1573
00:55:51,040 --> 00:55:54,320
would be here, you would be here, if

1574
00:55:54,320 --> 00:55:55,820
I told the kids, Mike Trout will be

1575
00:55:55,820 --> 00:55:59,180
here, LeBron James, Colby, they'll be here, you

1576
00:55:59,180 --> 00:56:01,000
couldn't even sleep, you set your alarm for

1577
00:56:01,000 --> 00:56:01,940
an hour and a half early to make

1578
00:56:01,940 --> 00:56:04,120
sure, see, there should be that same type

1579
00:56:04,120 --> 00:56:07,380
of desire for God, the problem is we've

1580
00:56:07,380 --> 00:56:10,880
grown into becoming callous to worship, callous to

1581
00:56:10,880 --> 00:56:12,600
being healthy for the things of God.